✷ “ fleeing the party so soon, my lady ? ” he’s mocking her, had seen her exit the gardens a while ago and foolishly trailed after her— abruptly dismissing one of his men mid-conversation with a simple flick of the hand. old habits die hard, and he still feels drawn to her presence like a moth to a flame. while emrys may no longer hold the title nor the honour of being her personal guard, he still made a vow to keep her safe.
he approaches her cautiously— as if she’s a skittish beast ready to bolt at any given moment. his gaze lingers, eyebrows knitting together as he picks up on glassy eyes. “ you knew him ? ” his nods towards the gravestone, reading a name he has no memory of. the headstone is quite imposing, however, leaving him to assume his legacy must’ve been just as impressive. “ i can give you two a moment longer— if you please. ”
"not quite what i would call a party," she replied with a bemused half-smile as she looked down to brush the remaining dirt from her clothes. of all the paths she expected to cross with today, his had been the last, until of course they returned their court's apartments at the end of the day. as if that wasn't going to be hard enough. her eyes finally settled on him and she couldn't help but feel as though she'd ran right into a stone wall—that all the air had been stolen from her lungs in a single instance. she hated him for him, what he could do to her still. leya had been broken by him, but he still held her heart. an army wasn't the only thing emrys held command of.
her gaze drifted for a moment, back to the structure that had captured her attention. "oh, nothing like that," she replied with a shake of her head, her dark hair cascading loosely around her shoulders. "just... imagining," leya began, her words trailing off as she looked back to him. there was only one person she wanted a moment longer with, but didn't dare say so. not now. "so it seems after all this time, you still feel the need to check on me?" she started as she took a step forward absentmindedly, like a magnet being pulled in. "as if there is anywhere left for me to run," leya reminded him softly knowing she couldn't walk away so easily now. nor could she see herself being allowed to leave.
░░░░ #002. there are few fae he does not linger to watch ---- this honor he extends to his high lady (unlike her husband). he is as careful to announce himself as he is to keep his gaze down, humble in the face of her respect for those returned to the soil. he has some of his own, but he does not tend to deliver it on his knees, in the realm of the living. the dead live in the shadows, with him. but to the present he's called, tirelessly. "PLEASE, DO NOT DISRUPT YOURSELF ON MY BEHALF." his smile, though faint on his lips, is real. "I AM SIMPLY IN SEARCH OF PEACE ---- SHALL WE SHARE SOME, MY LADY?"
"it would be most welcome," she reassured him with a tender smile of her own, even if it failed to reach her eyes as they so often did now. but there were few in her life who were able to tell the difference between what was real for the high lady and what was merely an act. leya hadn't felt the need to pretend around the court's spymaster for quite sometime, but she found that old habits died hard. the need to put on a show had become ingrained after all this time.
she exhaled heavily, as though it had the power to take all her troubles and cares away with it. but nothing could be so simple. leya joined ang at his side and slipped her arm around his in a desperate search for comfort she would never find on her own in this foreign court. there were few she'd ever known who had the power to make her feel safe, but he'd been one and it was debt she'd never be able to repay.
"i am sorry we had to attend this," she began her tone lilting. had it been up to the high lady they would have remained at home, and perhaps have attended events as needed. "i do hope no one has proven unkind to you—and if they do, you'll tell me at once." she insisted with a reassuring pat of his forearm. the beauty couldn't bare to think anyone would treat him so, but she also knew how some feared the gift he possessed. as she once did long ago.
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: dawn court, the graveyard
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆: near the start of garden party
— for 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆
there was something so beautifully peaceful about the silence of death, but equally unsettling in that. and the longer leya sat beside the massive stone of a high lord who'd long since left their world, the more she felt capable of acknowledging the other side of life. her fingers delicately traced the words that had been carved into the stone and wondered what kinda of fae the man under had been.
the soft crunching underfoot was the only indication she had that she was no longer alone and the lady flicked away the tear that had spilled over as if it'd never happened. "i can leave to you some tiime alone," she told them as she rose to her feet and turned to greet them properly.
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: the fortress, in the kitchens
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆: six months after she was married, in the late evening
— for @outflamed
leya had been told to stay out of the kitchens more times than she could count now, but it was a scolding she was willing to take. it wasn't because she'd been leaving behind a large mess, but more that the kitchen staff didn't trust her. and certainly not with supply of food that was be fed directly to the high lord and his family. or at least, that's what she assumed. she wasn't entirely oblivious to the stares and whispers about her—not after it was all explained to her by one of her ladies.
she couldn't help but wonder how much those of the court truly knew, what they understood about her situation. leya sighed quietly as she momentarily peered over her shoulder to the situation itself she'd yet to find a way to resolve. a extra shadow that followed more closely than her own. it exhausted her and she failed to understand how it had yet to do the same for him. it was hard not to imagine the worst, how it must look to them that she needs a guard. as it to confirm they shouldn't. and wasn't that the truth?
the knife in her hand sliced through the soft, ripe flesh of the fruit and she dropped the cut pieces into the two cups before her. there was a resounding plop as it met the liquid she'd already poured into each. leya rinsed her sticky hands in the sink before returning her full attention back to the knight. "it's better like this," she insisted, as she handed him the cup once more. "it's just how my mother used to make it." leya told him with a smile. but maybe not quite, she thought to herself. her mother never would have mixed that strong of a drink—and if she had done so by mistake, it never would have been served to a guest. unfortunately, that just the problem with the particular beverage, it was nearly impossible to tell until it was too late.
she'd lost count now just how many times she'd offered him the cup and in turn it had been accepted, and leya found it difficult to silence the feelings of guilt and shame that were threatening to escape the tightly sealed box she'd shoved them all into. wasn't it dangerous to consume this much? but he appears to be okay, perhaps it's the illyrian. she reassured herself repeatedly as if would quell her fears. it didn't. and leya could only pray to the mother that emyrs hadn't noticed how the emotions danced briefly in her eyes.
cauldron bless, it’s LEYA INFERNI, LADY of FIRE, born to the realm as a HIGH-FAE. they have walked this realm for FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO YEARS and they can be IDEALISTIC but also GUILELESS. they carry with them the echo of THE SWEET SCENT OF VANILLA & HONEYSUCKLE, A SONGBIRD LOCKED IN A GILDED CAGE LEFT ON A WINDOWSILL, AND INQUISITIVE EYES HIDING ALONGSIDE A COY SMILE. i do hope someone asks them to dance before the night is through.
full name: leya inferni
title: lady of fire
occupation: wife to the high lord
race: high-fae
sexuality: demisexual
moral alignment: chaotic good
leya had always expected she would lead a wonderful life one day at court, even dreamed about it on occasion. her hopes were high and the fanciful visions of the joyful life she'd one day call her own kept her spirits up. especially after the unexplained death of her father as a child, an event that shook every branch of her family tree.
never having been blessed with any children of his own, her uncle became the surrogate father leya so desperately missed, and there were plenty of moments when the hole in her heart was successfully filled by his presence. he taught her well—not only honing her intellect, but perfecting the very way she carried herself. her family instilled her with pride and strength, but her unwavering compassion for those in her life undermined those efforts. luckily for the young fae, with such a large family of respected elders, she turned out well enough and with plenty of prospects to choose from. but there was only one thing that mattered, finding her mate just as her parents had found each other. she wanted that, a real love.
but that choice was taken from leya before she even got to make it and she quickly found herself losing control of her own life—losing all the freedoms she'd always known. and taken for granted. her marriage to the high lord-to-be was arranged and underway before she ever had the opportunity to object. leya didn't understand why he'd rushed to marry, but she did understand why the choice had been her. not at first of course, but the more she saw the oldest members of her family appearing at court it all made sense. influence was a fantastic commodity.
less than a fortnight after she'd been wed, leya managed to flee from the fortress with a little help from a maid who'd taken pity on her. unfortunately her plan lacked basically everything but her desire to regain her freedom and it was foiled by one of the knights. she was quickly captured and made to return to the residence that had become her own personal prison. the very same guard was assigned to her, one of the ruler's own knights, so a careful watch could be kept.
and perhaps that had been for the best as he managed to thwart several other escape attempts. leya never got as far as she had that first time, and eventually she stopped trying altogether after finally finding new reasons to be happy. it was no easy task, and it took years before leya was able to truly slip into her role and feel as though she could do something good.
she learned the most important of lessons from both her parents, but was unable to heed the warning of either back then. the death of her father reminded her how good things come to an end too soon. and from her mother, the more you love something the faster you are to lose it. if only she'd learned the first time around, she wouldn't have felt so lost and betrayed when it finally happened and she lost what she held so dear.
𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔
she married the now high lord almost fifty years ago. it's not them, per se, she is so against. absolutely open to the couple even getting on well?? it's purely the fact she'd been forced into the position she was that leya is so vehemently against
leya wasn't given much choice when it came to going forward with her marriage. her options were do it and everything will be fine OR don't and someone in your family could die. and then she still has to get married to him anyway. so she went through with it, mostly because she was scared for her sister and wanted to protect her too. this can absolutely be something her husband never even knew about—his father's doing, from an inner circle member, or maybe he was so determined to get a wife he didn't care how?
she has mate, emrys, but he doesn't know it yet. only she knows about it
leya knows how to and often does play the exact role that is expected of her. she's dutiful where she needs to be and knows not to embarrass the court or her new family, but those who spend enough to time in their shared presence can start to pick up on the small things that could be otherwise missed.
there had previously been some rumors of her being involved in an affair, but have since ceased, though she does have a select few friends in the castle who know just how much truth there is behind the words
she doesn't like to admit it out loud, but she's pretty sure her own mother has come to hate her. when she was younger, after her father passed, she would catch glimpses of harsh looks from her. but it was after the marriage arrangement was made official and her mother appeared so thrilled that confirmed her suspicion. in reality, her mother just struggles so much and doesn't know how to deal with the fact leya is the spitting image of her late-husband. the one she loved more than any other, leya included.
𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
father: deceased.
mother: estranged.
siblings: one younger half-sister. possible connection coming.
uncle: open connection.
other family: perhaps some elders from her family or cousins??
companions: she needs friends, but maybe those in her own court steer clear of her?
enemies: probably has plenty. some might not trust her or think she's good for the high lord since it's obvious she doesn't really want to be there
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