KING

You were waiting for elation... Like you would fall out of the sky. Maybe time's the greatest healer ? But baby everything will die. It's a lonely life, a long and lonely life. Stay with me and Be a ghost tonight, be a ghost tonight... But don't you be so cold ! Don't you be so cold, Don't you be so cold, Don't you be so cold...

[hshqedit]

PEOPLE MAGAZINE: July 12, 2021

ft. @arthurwindsorsr, @dcmarqvis, @vntcniv, @vaughn-a, @beaufort-a, @arturcii, @nataliademarquis, @caecusheir

[arthurwindsorsr]

nicole & arthur relationship task !

Is there so much hate for the ones we love? Tell me, we both matter, don't we?

𝐈 —  arthur finds a jewel among scholars

he really thought she’d be in his life for a moment. just some future duchess, only there for a quick and fun visit. there were so many of them, and he had never been very interested in norfolk, the duchy of sheep and cows. his expectations for nicole were low. but much like everyone around nicole, he became mesmerized. people like nicole were hard to come by and in his eyes she was exceptional. she’d talk and he’d lose sense of time. nicole was entertaining. he ended up looking forward to her parties, despite once promising to himself that he wouldn’t be a person who sought other people. his self-image certainly took a hit, especially because of their 10-year-age gap. he couldn’t really believe that he cared for her opinion.

𝐈𝐈 — eysham hall disappears from his mind alongside nicole

all good things come to an end. nicole was exciting and interesting for roughly two years. then the invitations to oxford began slipping from his mind. he had been there a million times, there was nothing to see, nothing to talk about. most of the times he remembered to decline the invitations but sometimes he simply didn’t tell her whether he’d show up or not. 

𝐈𝐈𝐈 — arthur makes a deal

if he only had lost all interest in nicole ! it would have saved him a lot of trouble. when nicole called him and demanded he listen her, he never expected to hear that she was pregnant. the possibility of it ever happening had never crossed his mind. so he got her to make a deal: his name would stay out of her mouth and he’d stay out of natalia’s life. he knew nicole would take the deal — she knew too much about him to have silly dreams. both of them knew he wouldn’t just do the right thing and marry her. her compliance made a big difference, it was what made him keep her number. her calm reaction made him want to call her and check up on her. occasionally he even missed their late mornings together. without nicole, he didn’t quite have anyone to talk to. only after she wasn’t a constant presence in his life, he realized that he was bad at keeping himself together.

𝐈𝐕 — staying away is proven to be surprisingly difficult

it’s not jealousy. it’s not ! he would be never be jealous ! especially not of someone like cecil armistead. god no. but the husband’s presence irritated arthur to no end. which was why arthur began calling nicole away from eynsham. he had the worst excuses but nicole still showed up. it was what mattered. at first he expected her to fall for his charm once more but it never happened. she had certainly learnt to know him and his tricks by then, it shouldn’t have surprised him. her disinterest in committing an adultery was perhaps what cleansed their relationship. for the first time in a long time, it felt like nicole there was for him. not for some cheap fun or for his favours. and when she began speaking and opening, he realized that he had never had anyone confide in him. he never thought he could dislike a person without meeting them but chantal de marquis proved him wrong. he began blindly hating her for nicole’s sake.

𝐕 — apparently, words can be more painful than knives

cecil made the mistake of accompanying nicole to london one time. exhaustingly boring cecil. it was sunday morning and arthur opened his mouth — he said all the things he had ever thought about cecil right to nicole’s face. a fight erupted. what started as “ constructive criticism “ ended in the most horrendous personal insults. he would have burned with fire for weeks to come if not the last thing out of nicole’s mouth would have been an accusation. how easily he had used her and then forgotten her ! they would have not been friends if nicole hadn’t forgiven him. it was the undeniable truth. it made arthur feel hollow and cold, and he didn’t force nicole to stay when she stormed out of the palace. 

𝐕𝐈 — arthur learns that nicole has no soft spots

like a scared child, arthur let nicole be. he didn’t have the capability to fix what he had broken. time healed everything ? he wanted to believe that. time or... revenge. nicole and natalia’s faces on the covers of every magazine published that day... arthur knew what nicole had done. three months went by before he asked if natalia could visit and spend some time with him and art. six months went by before nicole, despite living in london some miles away from the palace, was asked to stay for tea. 

𝐕𝐈𝐈 — forged steel is stronger than cast

there were no more issues to talk about. everything had been laid on the table. nicole became the most frequent visitor of the palace, and wherever arthur showed up, nicole was two steps behind him. what arthur loved about nicole was that she never became condescending. arthur knew, arthur was very aware of his limits. the only reason he survived the world of politics wasn’t skill or wits — it was just experience. there weren’t many new tricks you could come up with, and arthur had seen almost every one of them. he avoided the worst catastrophes by knowing what people had done and what they could do. nicole never made him feel inadequate. she was smarter than him, he was aware of it, but she never implied so. she never asked him rude rhetoric questions. she just helped. she told him things would be alright. she gave him solutions when he couldn’t think of any. nicole became a support beam that he could put his whole weight on.

You don't want to hurt me, But see how deep the bullet lies. Unaware I'm tearing you asunder. Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.

i want to say that at the end of the day, with a clear head, arthur would have forgotten about implicating nicole and natalia. the hate he felt, it would have disappeared with time. the desperation that dug up every imaginable feeling of resentment, envy, and hatred. eventually, he would have seen nicole’s decision as something else than an act of betrayal. nicole who had been by his side for quarter of a century. nicole who had been there for him at every turn. nicole who had done terrible things to help him. nicole who had been the only one who had stuck after his exile. nicole who held his brain on her palm. nicole whose laugh was the only sound he could remember from his younger days. nicole who could remember his stories so well that she actually corrected him when he made a mistake. their last fight would have ended up being like any other of their fights. it was always just him and nicole. 

[arthurwindsorsr]

vrnvuld​:

“ i’m afraid i am… ” arthur’s definition for boring was almost too easy to meet. arnauld wasn’t terribly sorry to be considered boring by arthur windsor. arnauld let out a light chuckle and nodded a few times at the englishman. “ that she is, i don’t think i’d gone this far if she wasn’t. ” though, arnauld knew ‘ the one ‘ meant something different to him than it did to others. fanni checked every box, was capable of intelligent conversation, and managed to surprise him with small considerate actions. other people settled for people who simply made them feel loved. arnauld’s jaw tensed and very curiously he turned to look at arthur. it was his time to lift a brow. “ private matters are private. i don’t feel the need to share everything with her. i like to keep my lips sealed about my friends’ delicate situations. ” he put on a very saccharine smile. “ i hope you feel the same way. ” if arthur was even so much as implying he might open his big mouth about their old conversation…

“ so she’s not quite as understanding as you’d like her to be ? ” he sounded far too smug. “ no, see, i’ve been thinking — i’ve had quite a lot of time to do that as of late — i think it’s a tad unfair how i’m the only one suffering. i’m sure the international court of justice would not treat you very kindly if they knew where half of my ideas have come from... ” for a long time, he had wondered if arnauld had had a moment weakness and had given him a piece of advice with no vested interest... but as the french army had pillaged both luxembourg and belgium, he had realized how the netherlands fit into that picture. “ of course, i won’t feel inclined to do something like that if i know i can count on you helping me with my current... issue. ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

dcmarqvis​:

it wasn’t exactly the answer she had hoped to hear. nicole’s jaw tightened. “ yes, but will it be proven in front of a judge ? ” the truth and a truth in a court room were two very different things. “ have you been offered a deal ? i’ve been wondering if they want to make you pay the full price or if they want as many people as possible trialed. ” both must have been tempting options for the legitimists. what frustrated her about the situation was that had she been given six months, she might have truly gone through with her threat and gotten rid of arthur — making natalia the lead figure could have made a difference ! she would have needed just a bit of extra time. but now… now she was stuck with arthur. tied to him. stuck on a sinking ship she could not steer. “ i want you to promise me that you won’t drag us down with you. ”

" what deal ? what are you talking about ? who's offering me a deal ? i should take a deal, shouldn't i ? is it a good deal ? " he couldn't quite keep up with the conversation, his mind was too muddled for it. and nicole loved to talk indirectly. every statement hid another one behind it. his steps slowed down as his door appeared at the end of the hallway. " drag you down, nicole... " he attempted to stroke her hair but his fine motor skills were not what would have been required for such affectionate gesture and he ended up having his fingers tangle in her hair. he cursed under his breath as he slowly managed to free his hand. “ i’d never get you in trouble. when you’re in trouble, i’m in trouble. ” he stepped into the study and froze. his brows knit together. was she... ? “ are you asking me to be the only one to take responsibility for the things that have happened ? ” he turned around. “ you’d abandon me the moment things are hard ?  is that it ? ” so much for loyalty !

[arthurwindsorsr]

vrnvuld​:

arnauld’s whole body tensed as arthur windsor i’s voice reached his ears. he never should have been allowed to step into the room. very stiffly, arnauld turned around and offered the man a smile. the slap on his back couldn’t wipe away the expression but he ended up clenching his jaw. a drunk arthur windsor was an ordeal itself but at a time like this ? this wasn’t the end of a hunting trip, this was the end of his reign. arthur’s unpredictable nature became considerably worse whenever the cork of his bottle had been too loose. now with nothing to lose, the man was capable of anything. including… arnauld couldn’t hide his shock. his brows rose and he blinked at the man. in the middle of a crowded room, in a normal voice, without even checking if the subject of the conversation was within a hearing distance. it was shameless. there was no better word to describe it. how easily did the degrading words leave his lips ! for a brief moment arnauld even thought that something got lost in translation. some word he had misheard, some idiomatic phrase he was unfamiliar with… but no, he had heard and understood the man perfectly. the distaste he felt for arthur in that moment made him remove his hand from his shoulder. he genuinely could not remember the last time he would have felt so disrespected, and never before had it been over someone else’s honor. arnauld considered leaving without saying a word, but he knew all too well that arthur was capable of throwing a tantrum when things didn’t go his way. causing a scene was not an option. especially not when he would have had to explain why it had happened. “ arthur. ” he cleared his throat and made his smile return. “ i don’t think this is quite appropriate. ” he didn’t think, he knew. he knew it wasn’t appropriate. anyone with even a little bit of tact or even one braincell would have known. “ she’s very dear to me, i wish you’d speak of her with respect. ” 

“ you’re so boring these days, ” arthur mumbled, slightly irritated by the way he was so easily brushed aside by the younger man. he glanced at his watch — not because he would have needed to know the time. to be honest, his eyes probably wouldn’t have been able to focus on the face of the watch. he did it just to do something. an excuse to look away from the other without seeming awkward. “ well then i really have to congratulate you. this sounds like you found ‘the one’. ” he didn’t believe in such things and he doubted arnauld d’orléans did either. arnauld who had waited until last minute to settle down. arnauld whose taste in women consisted of blondes. perhaps everyone should have pitied the hungarian who probably did not know with whom she was sharing her bed. “ anything like you, is she ? does she condone the war with belgium ? the annexation of andorra ? the advice you give to your friends ? ” he arched his brow. 

[arthurwindsorsr]

dcmarqvis​:

she was so tired of babysitting. she was so tired of making her own worries the second most important thing. she was so tired to be tasked with making sure he didn’t make more mistakes. she could barely keep walking in her heels and with his weight pushing her down. she felt like she was carrying a boulder. “ i know. i know you do. they deserve it too. ” why did his quarters have to be on the other side of the massive building ? “ have you… been asked questions about natalia and i ? about our involvement ? ” at least she could expect honesty from him because of his current state.

nicole ! divine nicole, he could always count on her. “ they do. they absolutely do. ” their world was filled with ugly people who only wanted to see you fall. his steps slowed down at her question. he could barely comprehend it. it was a very serious question for a very delirious moment. “ what are you asking ? i don’t... what do you...? everyone knows who you are and what you do. ”

[caecusheir]

@arthurwindsorsr​

      Imagine having a total of one conversation with your father and that the next time you see him, he’s mostly going to jail. Cecilia wasn’t sure how to feel about it and all she could do was make jokes to herself to cope. She’d lie awake in her bed some other night. She’d already done all of her daddy issues-caused crying, but if this event in particular would cause more crying session, then she’d have to deal with it later. Now was the time for her to talk to her father one last time and get blatantly drunk afterwards. Would that be bad for the family image or would it be acceptable? She’d worry about it later. 

     And seeing him at the bar made it all easier. Cecilia went and stoof next to him, not looking at him just yet, and instead looked at the full bottles on the shelves. “I’ll pay for your drink, since it could be one of your lasts. That’s a nice daughter thing of me to do–even though I bought you brunch too,” she joked and waved the bartender over. “Do you think you’ll manage in jail? I mean…your immune system can’t be that great. And, you know, everyone in England hates you.”

[arthurwindsorsr]

he was too tired to be appalled by the fact that she kept tabs on the things she had paid for him. salads did not cost enough for it to be necessary. he let out a low hum and turned his head to loo at her. he really knew nothing about her. “ is antonia really making people pay for their drinks at a party ? ” she was the second person to imply so. antonia had attended enough events at the palace to know it was not the way things were done ! even someone like her would stop counting pennies when there was a party to plan. a laugh escaped him and he shook his head. “ i don’t think i’ll be going to jail. we’ll wait and see what the verdict is, and then if i don’t like it enough, i’ll simply appeal, make it into a five-year-long legal proceeding... repeat it until the day i die. ” he waved his hand. “ it’s why i have lawyers. you don’t need to be worried about my future. yours is much more uncertain. ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

vntcniv​:

She knew it was wrong to gloat but she also knew it was exactly what he would have done if their roles had been reversed. While the whole party was nothing but a big elaborate stunt to piss him off, Antonia couldn’t quite stop herself from adding some salt into the wound herself. “Oh you’re still here? I thought they were supposed to clean the place before I moved in.”

he had always wondered what drove parents into murdering their children but looking at the grin on the dark haired woman’s face... he suddenly understood very well. “ i don’t see the point. how will you ever feel at home if this place doesn’t resemble an east london shithole ? ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

theodcr​:

his head snapped to the side at the feeling of someone’s shoulder colliding with his own, a reprimand perched on his lips when he realized just who it was. his face curled into a sneer, making no move to hide his disgust and contempt toward the disgraced king. “no,” he said. “you’re more than capable of getting it yourself.“ he lifted his scotch to his lips and wondered absently where catherine had gotten off to; would she stop him from this confrontation with arthur windsor, or would she encourage it? honestly, it was unclear. he decided to go ahead with it. “i didn’t realize they were letting you off of your leash for the night. though arnauld d’orléans is running around somewhere, so i suppose the bar’s not set above common criminals. unfortunate.”

“ WONDERFUL, i hope you don’t mind if i just... ” he knew perfectly well that his elbow would hit some part of the prince as he reached for the bottle. he was quite pleased to notice that it was the hand that held the glass. if he were even luckier, some of the drink would spill on the swede’s lap. “ yes, well, when you’re the king of england, you have money to pay for your bail. ” freedom was a foreign concept now though. a corner of his mouth rose and he turned to take a good look at the young man. “ common criminals ? that would imply that my crimes are much different from arnauld’s. what do you think i’m on trial for, exactly ? ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

oh-hxfiz​:

Hafiz floated through the ebbing wave of v u l t u r e s that circulated through the grandiose ballroom. The scent of blood in the water drew them from every corner of the world to watch Humpty Dumpty’s decaying shell shatter; a worthwhile event to drew her out to soak her bones in the dramatics. Smiling courteously at those who passed, she secretly observed the swaggering postures and hungering gazes awaiting to catch a glimpse of the man of the hour. The dashingly desperate King Arthur Windsor. Hafiz, lost in her own thoughts, bumped into the stoic frame of the very man who brought this upon himself. His gruff response sent a revolting disgust down her spine. You should at least be kind to the many faces who will watch you from the gallows as you swing. Leaning into the bar, she taken in his sullen expression before pushing the bottle closer. 

“You could have said please. Kindness does wonders when you’re asking for help.” Choke on it. 

“ i COULD have, you’re absolutely right. ” he inspected the label on the bottle. he knew which bottles he had had the palace stock up on but the bottle in his hand was unrecognizable to him. “ but the conditional suggests that it’s not a necessity. ” he didn’t feel like he owed anyone politeness anymore, not when they had come to follow his trial as it were a circus. “ well ? which one of my traitorous children are you friends with ? ” a woman in pants ? it had to be antonia.

[arthurwindsorsr]

jinmeixu​:

she turns upon feeling contact against her shoulder.  at the sight of who it is her smile drops almost too quickly.  “ here. ”  passing the bottle,  hoping he gets drunk and makes a fool out of himself.

“ thank you. good service. i did not expect that. ” his pure ungratefulness shone through his words. “ good party, huh. ”

[dcmarqvis]

“ come with me, ” nicole ordered him as she grabbed him by the arm. “ we need to talk while we can. ” while he was still able to comprehend her words. “ let’s go to your study, hmm ? ” it was better to keep him away from the party. ( &.  @arthurwindsorsr​ )

[arthurwindsorsr]

had he drank even a little bit less, he might have protested her order, but in his current state he merely let her drag him wherever she wanted. he leaned slightly against her side, which helped him to keep up with her and to keep his balance. “ i don’t–  i don’t want to go to that wretched room, ” he complained in a rough voice. “ i hate this BLOODY building. i hate these people. “ he threw out his arm to gesture towards the people who were behind the doors that had just closed behind them. “ and tweedledee and tweedledum here, ” the police officers trailing behind them. “ this forsaken country. ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

“ ARNAULD ! ” his voice was loud as he called the man at least a good five meters away from him. the people around him shared looks and eyed him with disdain but with enough alcohol surging through his veins, arthur couldn’t quite care. he had already been HUMILIATED, he had nothing to lose. his hand  slapped arnauld’s back and he draped an arm around the frenchman’s shoulder — which was quite the challenge considering arnauld’s height. “ now, where’s the future mrs ? who would have thought you’d be able to find something as beautiful and perky as her. how long did it take before you got to see her bent over, hmm ? she must have made you work for it. ” [ &&. @vrnvuld​ ]

[arthurwindsorsr]

parkerwhitmores​:

       the whole premise of the night seemed like something out of the twilight zone. surely it would be fine and no one would see the former king but that would be too easy. still, it seemed like a good idea to go straight to the bar once she got into the palace. what she hadn’t expected, however, was to have arthur himself talking to her. it still took her a few minutes for him to process his request before she finally grabbed the bottle and turned to hand it to him. “ they’re not going to charge me for giving this to you, are they? ” she asked, referring to his ‘bodyguards’ close behind. 

“charged for what?” parker asks, as he approaches his sister. it takes him a few moments to realize who they’re standing next to, before he freezes and stares for a few seconds. in america, arthur would either be in jail or… well, most likely dead, if he’s being honest. people got overzealous in the states, especially the intelligence agencies. he quits gaping and manages to form a word, “oh, shit - they really just let it ride here, huh? that’s wild. scout, don’t pay for that - i have mom’s card, let’s put it on her tab. she might’ve shut it off after my stunt but…” he turns back towards arthur, “you probably need something stronger than that, especially since you’re like. going to jail. it’s your ‘going to jail’ party- let’s do shots!”     /      @arthurwindsorsr​

“ CHARGE YOU ? what ? ” he frowned at the girl and just pushed forward and reached for the bottle behind the one she had picked from him — moving without grace and not worrying just how much he ended up making the girl move. only after he had secured the bottle he turned to the pair. AMERICANS. in his house. the world had gone mad. “ this is the buckingham palace. we are not going to charge you for drinks, for god’s sake. ” bloody imbeciles.  he was frozen in shock when the word ‘jail’ was so soon followed by the word ‘shots’. “ i plan on staying out of the prison. i don’t have all this money for the fun of it, dear boy. ” he had his bottle. did he need company ? no. not from 20-year-olds. “ if you can find something as undignified as shot glasses in this building, i’ll finally accept the fact that this is no longer my house. ” [ &&. @scoutwhitmore​ / @parkerwhitmores​ ]

[arthurwindsorsr]

“ you don’t have to be glued to my backside in order to keep an eye on me, ” arthur hissed at the police men kept a close watch on him. arthur did care how many people his elbows brushed against or how many people spilled their wine because of him — he had only stepped outside of his room because he had ran out of bourbon. he couldn’t tell if he was happy to have an excuse to enter the ball room and see all the faces of the people who were so gleefully celebrating his defeat. at HIS house. the despicable cockroaches. just when he was about to reach the bar, his shoulder hit someone else’s. he let out a curse word before turning to look at the person. “ you’re closer to the bar, pass me the bottle, will you ? ” [ &&. @hshqstarters​ ]

[caecusheir]

@arthurwindsorsr​

      There was no ideal situation for Cecilia to meet her father at this point. All these years and she wondered if he ever knew about her. If he knew her mother was pregnant and kept the child, only to get disowned and become an outcast to her family. Their wealth and power was limited. She wondered if he did know and maybe kept tabs on her, wanting to know how one of his children was doing. 

     She scoffed at the idea. Of course he didn’t. He was too busy focusing on his country and being with other women. Impregnating them and not giving two shits about what happened afterwards. And here he was now, exhiled but trying to get back into power. Didn’t seem like he was trying to hard to get to know his children, especially Cecilia. As if everyone in England didn’t warn the girl of how absent her father truly would be. 

     The only way to make things ideal was to do what she did best: Send a peach-scented invitation for lunch and hope that he would show up. Cecilia arranged for them to have outdoor seating, so she could blame not hearing his nonsense on the hustle and shouting in the streets below them. She gently tapped at her nose, patting away the oil that was moving her foundation. She applied gloss as a top layer on her already red lips and sighed to herself. She wished Rowen was here, so afterwards, she could go to him and tell him everything that happened and would quickly solve the pain with the idea of blacking out and watching childhood movies.

     In the corner of her eye, she saw him coming and she stood up from her seat, plastering a welcoming smile on her face. “Father,” she started. “I guess it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

[arthurwindsorsr]

only when he saw her he realized whose name had been on the invitation. of course ! cecilia reid... the canadian, not some politician. “ cecilia, ” he greeted her, a small smile appearing on his face. “ i must apologise for how long it has taken for us to meet. i’ve been facing some issues as of late. you probably have heard a little about them, ” he mused with a laugh as he took her hand and gave it a short and proper shake before sitting down. “ how are you ?  i can’t imagine it’s been easy to get used to the grandeur after... ” what was her backstory ? someone had recited it to him a year ago but he couldn’t remember a single detail. he cleared his throat. “ tell me, i must know, how is your mother ? ”

[arthurwindsorsr]

nataliademarquis​:

“ i’d just prefer more certainty. it’s MY future too. “ she murmured into her cup. it was taking a great deal of courage to defend her position. “ FOR GOOD ? i can’t leave for good, everything is still here ! ennio, namely … and um, my siblings … “ she still held out a little bit of hope that they’d get along after all was said and done. 

“ if she becomes a problem in the future, we’ll deal with her. that’s the best i can offer. we can only solve one problem at a time. the duchess’s loyalty is not a top priority. ” so ABSOLUTELY nothing is still here ? ” ennio and her siblings ? ha ! “ isn’t the sammarinese a thing of the past by now ? it’s not a very useful match, is it ? you can find a better chap. in fact, i really think you should call it off now rather than later. if people think they have a chance at you, they might be more willing to support our cause. the cause that those siblings of yours are against. ”