â Â Â E M E R Y Â T A Y L O R Â Â â
â ALLIANCE - HOUSE OF YORK , WHITE ROSE
â AGE - NINETEEN (BIRTHDATE, 1456)
â SOCIAL CLASS - PEASANT(HANDMAIDEN); B L A C K Â
â TITLE - {THE LOYAL}
â Caring for someone is as good as being cared for, for if you extend a hand and a gentle touch to someone, someday they will reach back and pull you out of the abyss. â
â  FAMILY / PERSONALITY
The last name Taylor was most likely the most common name among all of the peasants. These people who had the name Taylor werenât even really related by blood. They merely shared the same name and same occupation. This reflected how commonplace Emeryâs family really was. They were not special, they were not known across the land as the best servants in their field of work, they were not known to carry special talents with them. Simply put, they were the kinds of servants that served their purpose, and when the day came that they would lie under several feet of the earth, nobody would even remember who they were. Maybe in a weekâs time, people would not even recall them every existing. This had never been an issue for Emeryâs family, though. They were not after fame, they were not after anything prestigious. They did not even dream of becoming rich one day; they didnât dream of rising from their status and being someone else. All they wanted, all they ever dreamed of, was a contented life. All they wanted was to freely love each other, and be happy together. Each and every one of Emeryâs family member wanted this. From her father, who really just wanted to be able to love his wife for as long as his life would allow him, to Emeryâs mother, who wanted nothing but for her children to know love and to know happiness side-by-side, to all of Emeryâs siblings, who just dreamed of warm bread or a handful of rice grains every night for them to eat, the Taylorâs were simple people. Their happiness was simple, their dreams werenât elaborate, their smiles werenât hard to get. Sadly, though, this was the case, life was never simple for them. No matter how low their dreams were, they never really seem to be able to reach them so simply.
Among all traits that Emery had, the most striking, the most noticeable, was how attentive she was. Attentive, not in terms of paying attention, paying focus, but in a way that she assiduously accommodated those she served and those she cared about. She would always make sure that her siblings ate enough; that her parents had drank their herbal teas; that her friends were in safe hands as well. Some even said she was too accommodating to the point of smothering someone. This trait of hers had been present starting the age of seven. At that young age, she was already taking care of all her siblings while their parents worked. And this trait remained on her even as the years passed. She even brought this trait to the castle with her. This was the reason why most of the nobles trusted her to never fail in her duties, to be loyal. Even before being asked to do a favour by a noble, Emery had already done it. They always say she was born to take care of people, she was born to serve. Not only to the nobles was Emery quite favourable, though. Even to the other servants, they saw her as a mother figure. She put her responsibilities above everything. Whatever it was she had to do, she would finish it first before she tended to anything related to herself. Service before self; that was the motto she applied in her life, words she lived, words she functioned with. This was not only done for the sake of service and following orders, though. Emery took pride when she took care of people. She believed that was her purpose, to make sure that those who were important to her were in good hands. Other people call it selflessness, Emery calls it caring; Emery calls itâŚlife.
â  BIOGRAPHY / ROLE IN THE WAR
Every person has their own story, their own words to write in books and read to children someday, lyrics to hymns that were to be sung to mesmerize a crowd, poems to be passed from mouth to mouth, meant to be heard even after the person these words had been written about had long been dead. For most people, it was the story of their lives they wanted to tell, their own stories were the great legends that they wanted recited for centuries to come. If it were Emery you asked, though, sheâd tell you that whatever remarkable story her life had, it all happened because the stories of her parents were the ones worth remembering. In her opinion, it was her parentsâ story that started it all. Â Quite honestly, she was right. One story of her parents led to the other, and started the chain of events that was Emery Taylorâs life. This chain went on and connected to many people searching and clinging to the right people to be linked to, until one day, it all came full circle.
The story is known to have started with Emeryâs parents, the Taylorâs. Her father, Destrian, and her mother, Krea. It sounded like a fairy tale at the very beginning, to be honest. For as long as Destrian remembered, he had eyes for Krea. He would look at her with admiration and attraction clouding his visions. Krea was just the very embodiment of what a woman should be in Destrianâs eyes. She was religious, very close to God, caring, very attentive and accommodating to everyone, and she was very beautiful, the kind that you would just want to draw in a parchment. She was the kind of wife any man would want, really. Sadly for Destrian, Krea never wanted to get married. She had even considered becoming a nun. That was how it started. An unrequited love was what Emery and her siblings called it whenever their mother would tell them the story. Unknown to Destrian, though, it wasnât unrequited love at all. Hidden under the surface was the bubbling love that Krea had for Destrian. It sounded like your typical fairy tale. Sadly, that was not how happy it had been until the end. Every time this story was told to Emery and her siblings, their mother would always end it at this part. But this wasnât the whole story.
It took years before Destrian and Krea had gotten together. They had already been past their twenties when they admitted their feelings for each other. Instead of a happy life following that, though, they suffered torture. Destrian was not the most liked man around Berkshire. Here and there, he had enemies, he had people who hated him. And these people who hated him would do anything to get back at him. It just so happened that their idea of getting even was to drag Krea into the feud. It happened during a night Krea least expected it. Thinking of getting back at Destrian, the man who hated him the most cornered Krea just as she was about to go home. With a mask over his face, he did what no man should ever do to a woman. He forced himself on her. Krea didnât see the manâs face. She didnât know the identity, and so since then, she hid the incident. She never told anyone. She pretended it didnât happen. Unfortunately for her, though, it was impossible. Only a few weeks after that night, she found out that the sin had created a life.
She didnât want it. That baby inside her was a reminder of something she wanted to forget, something she wanted to pretend didnât happen at all. But more than her, Destrian didnât hated it. He found out about the baby, and knowing they hadnât done anything, he knew it wasnât his. Naturally, he came to the conclusion that Krea had cheated on him, especially since Krea refused to even talk about that night. She did not want to tell Destrian that she had been forced against her will. She did not want to look that weak. And so she did the only thing she knew could get her out of that predicament. She ran away from home, and in a far away land, she had the baby removed. She had aborted the baby, and even after that, she refused to come back home.
She had no face to show people. She lost her honor, she lost the man sheâd ever loved, the only man sheâd ever seen herself having a happy life with. Literally, there was nothing waiting for her back home. And since he had committed a sin against the word of God, she had expected God to abandon her as well. Apparently, though, she was mistaken. Just as Krea thought it had been the darkest part of her life, a beacon of light, a spark of hope was lit and was given to her in the form of another baby bundle. Of course she did not plan it. She had aborted her own child, after all. It happened at the inn that she had been working in at the time. She met a woman, a rather old woman, carrying a baby. Naturally, Krea assumed the woman was the mother. The woman was fidgety, she was jumpy, and she had a look of fear and dread in her eyes. It was like they were running from something, and she was afraid that they were coming, already very close. But when Krea asked what the matter was, the woman only said that they needed a place to stay. Krea, being the charitable person she was, offered help. She offered to let them stay in the room she was staying in. In an instant, she gained a roommate. It didnât lat, though. Because only two nights after her arrival, the woman vanished. Krea just woke up one day and the woman was gone, leaving the baby behind. It was the loud crying of that baby that woke Krea that day.
Having aborted her own daughter, Krea didnât want anything to do with the baby, a baby she didnât even know the name of. Just the sight of it made her even guiltier about her sin. The baby girl was the same age as her child would have been if she had gone through with the pregnancy. But just as she was about to give it to an orphan home, the landlady she worked in the inn for told her that it must have been a sign, a way for her to make up for the sin she had committed at her own child. It could never be just a coincidence that this baby came to her just as she was hitting the paramount of her guilt. That baby, that little girl, was her way of making her wrong right. That baby was her way of paying for her sin. And so that was how she saw the little girl. Just as she was losing hope, losing strength and remembering nothing but how cowardly she had been when she gave up on her own baby, this girl arrived in her life and carried with her a beacon of hope, a spark of light during the darkest time of her life. So, it was only right that Krea gave the little girl the name Emeryâa name that meant strength and braveryâbecause while Krea didnât have that in herself anymore, Emery provided her with it. With that little bundle of life and miracle, Krea found the strength to come back home and face what she had initially run from.
Just like an actual miracle, when Krea came back home, it was like things were about to get better. When she came back, she found out that Destrian had come looking for her because he had discovered the truth. He knew then that she didnât betray his love. He even blamed himself for what happened to her. He had asked for her forgiveness and had promised her that he would not hold Emeryâs existence against Krea. He promised he would treat her like she was his own. In that moment, Destrian thought that Emery was the baby that Krea had been pregnant with when she ran away. Krea didnât bother to correct the man because for her, Emery really was her little girl, her little baby. That baby had been taken away from her, but now she was back in her life, and things were about to get better like they should.
That was what everyone thought, of course, but it didnât happen. Krea and Destrian never had children of their own. The process of Kreaâs abortion had somehow eliminated any possibilities of her ever having children. This didnât hinder her love and attachment to kids, though, something that had sprung up after taking in Emery. During the span of her married life to Destrian, Krea adopted three more children. None of them were real flesh and blood of her and Des, but she treated them all as her own. Destrian was a whole different topic altogether, though. In front of Krea, he treated the children with fairness, but behind her back, he had never really held any love for them, especially not towards Emery, who he still thought to be the daughter of his enemy. Even from a young age, this had been no secret to Emery because whenever her father was drunk, he would tell her that he had never loved them, and had it not been for his love for Krea, he would have sold them to lords already, sold them for money. Those words had been etched in Emeryâs mind ever since the age of seven. So when their mother fell ill when she was ten, she knew hers and her siblingsâ fates would now rest on her tiny shoulders. If she didnât do anything to ensure the stability of a life for her and her siblings when their mother died, their father would sell them and she would lose them all. That was when a new goal had been born for the tiny soul. That was when her strength and her bravery blazed higher and brighter.
She gave her best to learn to do every job that she could. She learned how to sew in case anybody needed a tailor to pay. She learned how to cook in case a merchant needed assistance in the kitchen in exchange for a few coins. She learned how to plant crops and harvest fields so she could volunteer to harvest and get paid for it. She even started learning how to read and write so she could be an effective secretary if it had been needed. This, she all did, under the goal of providing a stable life for her siblings when the doomed time came. So when news of openings in the castle had reached her, she didnât waste time anymore. She went running to the place even though she was merely twelve. She started at the very bottom, having the lowest position of all the female servants. She started off as a scullery maid, doing the dirtiest of jobs in the castle, next to the job of a cottar. She cleaned the kitchen and the utensils, laundered smelly clothes and emptied chamber pots. She was ordered around by the other servants who were older than her. Frankly speaking, she was a servant of the servants. But of course, every job done with hard work was a job that paid off. It took years, but slowly, Emery worked her way through the jobs in the castle. Now, after years and years of serving nobles, she was no longer a measly scullery maid. Instead she was now a handmaiden, attending personally to noblemen. She was even being requested by some nobles. They felt incredibly safe and well taken care of it was Emery attending to them.
It was a promotion, a good promotion. But everything always came with a price. She was being favoured by nobles, yes. Sadly, it was Isabella Plantagenet who favoured her the most, and the service she did for her included being mocked and insulted, and sometimes even tortured. Emery didnât let this dampen the quality of her service, though. She pledged loyalty and the best of services to whoever it was that she had to serve. Be it having to endure all the mockery that Isabella threw her, or having to witness the many horrors that Isabella did, and keeping her mouth shut about all of them, she performed her duty and did her service. Loyalty to the master was first and foremost, of course. After all, being Isabellaâs favour also provided her with a benefit. While being the personal maid to the noblewoman, she had the chance to meet other nobles, other people who she could be acquainted with, other people for whom she could over other services to. At this point in time, with her parents getting older and her mother falling ill every month or so, Emery was desperate for something to happen, something that would ensure the stability and safety of her siblings. She could feel it, whatever it was, whatever was going to happen, was approaching fast. She had this inkling, this gut feeling and hunch that something really was about to change her life. What it was, though, she still wasnât sure. But whatever it would be, she knew sheâd be ready to jump on it, ready to take on the challenge for the betterment of her familyâs life. Whatever sacrifice she had to make, whatever it was she would have to give up, she knew she would be more than ready to do it. After all, she was named Emery for a reason, right?
â  SECRETS / OTHER INFORMATION
Secretly, Emery is actually frightened of Isabella. What that girl could do has no limits. Emery has witnessed her leave a servant locked out in the passageways behind her walls, while knowing full well that other escape routes had been shut closed. It has seemed like such an easy thing to do for Isabella at the time, and so Emery knows that for her to be able to do that without guilt plaguing her mind, Isabella would have to be very, very cruel. Sadly, she cannot do anything about it but watch and keep it all a secret. After all, she has an unspoken oath to Isabella. Whatever happens in the four walls of Isabellaâs chambers, remains in there. For years now, Emery has kept that promise, that oath. She has kept her loyalty to Isabella, scary though she might be.
Loyal though she was to Isabella, there are times when Emery sneaks into Isabellaâs room to let whoever servant she has last imprisoned in the passageways out. Luckily, Isabella never really remembers the face of whoever it was she has locked up in there. So even after these servants have gotten away, Isabella never really notices, which Emery is incredibly thankful for. Sheâs scared to find out what would happen to her if Isabella ever finds out.
Though she is not politically invested to what is going on with the war, she does hope and wish that the Yorkists will remain on the throne. She serves Yorkists and her loyalty lies with them. She doesnât know what will happen if the Lancastrians suddenly win. She feels like that will turn her whole world upside down, and she doesnât want that to happen, especially not now. She prefers the Yorkists over the Lancastrians.
Emery has birthmarks on her body. There are two of them, very prominent and easily spotted if not concealed properly. One was on her chest, and the other was on her hip. Weirdly enough, they are both the same shape. Both marks resemble a two-pronged spear. This fact spooks Emery, it always has. Thatâs why she always hides the marks. No matter what happens, she conceals them and never lets anybody even catch a glimpse of a tiny part of any of these marks. What they mean, though, she doesnât know. But she does have a feeling that it means something, something very important and significant.
Sheâs only ever had the dream once, but until now, she can remember every second of it. She can remember very, very clearly as if itâs still happening. She remembers how the night air smells, how dark the sky had been, but also how bright the stars twinkled. Itâs a short dream, just her standing over an open space, looking over a castle. And there is this woman who seemed to be running away from the castle. She was carrying a bundle in her arms. Sheâs far away, but Emery could hear just what sheâs whispering and murmuring to the bundle of cloth. âWhat has been taken away will be returned. What has been brought somewhere far away will find its way back home. All thatâs lost will be gained. All mistakes will be righted.â And then the woman performed an odd set of gestures before kissing her thumb and pushing it into the bundle in her arms. This is when Emery woke up, not knowing what the dream might mean, but having the urge to know what it was hidden in that bundle of cloth, and what happened after the woman touched it with her finger. Â Â
It is with her that Emery spends most of her time with, doing anything and everything that the noble requests for her to do. She might not be Isabellaâs official personal handmaiden, but she might as well be. Isabella acts as though she owns Emery. She acts as though itâs her responsibility to make sure Emery gets insulted at least ten times everyday, if not more. Â Despite this being the case, though, Â Emery is never angry at Isabella. Somehow, she thinks there is no way Isabella is like the way she is for no reason at all. Emery wishes she can find out what it is, then maybe she can be of help and assistance to Isabella more than just the basic and physical needs, but probably also the emotional.Â
She always catches the Lancastrian staring at her. She doesnât remember ever doing anything to him that might cause him to look at her so guardedly. Whenever the Lancastrian knight approaches or comes near her, she purposely evades him. She doesnât really like Lancastrians all that much. Sheâd rather stay clear of them.Â
The guard is another Lancastrian sheâd rather avoid. If the Lancastrian knight, Ulric Stafford, seems guarded and dangerous, this guard, Albin Ward, has transcended the boundaries of dangerous. The way he smirks, coupled with that sharp look in his eyes, is just already plain deathly scary to Emery. If Isabella is scary, this guard is even more so. Emery doesnât even understand how Isabella is able to just slap and hit the guard without anything happening to her. As a precaution, sheâs much more guarded around this guard than any of the other Lancastrians.
While Emery understands that not a lot of people like Tristan, especially since in most peopleâs eyes, Tristan is just this childish embodiment of failure and exact opposite of his brother, Rulf, Emery doesnât really care all that much. One time, Tristan has been bullied by a nobleman and was made to do odd jobs just because heâs called a âpageâ and the nobles said pages are servant boys, when in reality, Tristanâs kind of page is the knight-in-training kind. He was so busy doing the things they made him do that he wasnât able to eat for the whole day. It was Emery who forced him and brought him to the kitchen, to Lynet, so he could eat. The page kept resisting because according to him, they didnât even like him. And at that time, he got this flicker of a sad look in his eyes. It was gone as fast as it came, but Emery saw it. Since then, sheâs had this idea that Tristan is not really as bad as everyone thinks. She thinks he might just be misunderstood most of the time.Â
Emery and Lynet are similar in a few things. They both have a goal in life that needs something big to be done to theyâd succeed. They both have in them an incomparable sense of concern for other people, and they are both accommodating, especially to those who need assistance. These similarities between them have given way for a strong friendship to be formed. Among all the peasants, itâs to Lynet that Emery feels the closest to. Somehow, Emery views Lynet as her best friend. She doesnât know if sheâs viewed as that close by Lynet, though. After all, Lynet is close to almost everyone. Sheâs that friendly, which is actually the trait that Emery is amazed of in Lynet.Â
Emery doesnât really see much of Garrett. Among all of the Yorkists, heâs obviously the one who evades company the most. Though if this is his own choice or heâs just shy, Emery doesnât really know. There are times that she has felt the urge to approach him and ask if he needs anything or if there was anything she could help with, but so far, she has managed to tramp on the urge. After all, she doesnât want to intrude, and if he needed anything, he would call for her help. She canât permanently shake off the urge, though. Time and time again, it comes back. In a way, Emery wonders how long she can ignore the urge before she finally caves in.Â
â FACECLAIM - DIANNA AGRON
â AVAILABILITY - TAKEN
â PLAYED BY - DENISE
