Aleksander Royce

[forgottenaleksander]

Timeline

year 1245 – birth of roderick

year 1246

year 1247 – birth of marian

year 1248

year 1249 – birth of amira

year 1250

year 1251

year 1252

year 1253

year 1254

year 1255

year 1256 – birth of godfrey

year 1257

year 1258 – birth of alaric, death of queen millicent in childbirth

year 1259 – aged 0 -- birth of aleksander in antilla

year 1260 – aged 1

year 1261 – aged 2 – princess amala weds the crown prince of antilla but both drown during a boat race celebrating their wedding causing political disaster w antilla?, alistair weds alys, birth of odile, birth of tristan

year 1262 – aged 3 – death of aleksander's mother to plague, roderick secretly weds elaine causing a scandal as he was betrothed to another, death of king athaulf and prince euric to plague, roderick becomes king, war breaks out w antilla thus inadvertently starting roderick’s world conquest

year 1263 OC/1 AR – aged 4 – an assassination attempt nearly kills roderick after which he becomes significantly more brutal, surrender of antilla, roderick is crowned emperor alongside his elaine, surrender of kolchis, meeting of roderick and amira, fighting breaks out with kvenheim

year 1264 OC/2 AR – aged 5 – birth of eoin, roderick officially reinstates the old ways and weds amira

year 1265 OC/3 AR – aged 6 – roderick weds marian

year 1266 OC/4 AR – aged 7 – surrender of kvenheim, roderick invades vinetta

year 1267 OC/5 AR – aged 8 – alek's father is betrayed and murdered in front of him, alek tries to live by himself for a time but is ultimately sent to an orphanage (against his will) where he is badly mistreated and begins a series of escape attempts, birth of guinevere, arthur, ciara, eilionora, death of bart’s wife, surrender of vinetta, roderick invades malakarta

year 1268 OC/6 AR – aged 9 – alek escapes from the orphanage for good this time and runs away living on the streets by his wits for a time largely as a petty thief while evading those trying to catch him, birth of sebastian

year 1269 OC/7 AR – aged 10 – alek is picked up by a traveling troop of (cut-throat) performers (who swindle and steal their way through life) and joins them thus escaping his homeland of antilla, birth of aria

year 1270 OC/8 AR – aged 11 – birth of edmund, surrender of malkarta, roderick invades aarnu

year 1271 OC/9 AR – aged 12 – in vinetta the troop's dark underbelly is exposed and everyone is either arrested or escapes into the night like alek, alek returns to thieving in the streets as he did as a boy and is eventually picked up by a man calling himself jean-luc lemaire, birth of cassandra, siobhan

year 1272 OC/10 AR – aged 13 – death of elaine to unknown illness during the early stages of pregnancy

year 1273 OC/11 AR – aged 14 – surrender of aarnu

year 1274 OC/12 AR – aged 15 – alek meets odile and swindles alys resulting in her dumping her daughter at a work house, recognizing her skill (and maybe possibly feeling slightly sort of guilty about her new position) alek introduces odile to jean-luc and his band, roderick invades argadara

year 1275 OC/13 AR – aged 16 – alek begins secretly working for himself on the side against jean-luc's prohibitions, death of queen léna of astaira

year 1276 OC/14 AR – aged 17 - jean-luc learns that alek has his own ventures and cuts him from his band as well as trying to burn him to all his own contacts, alek finds himself plunged into even more unscrupulous work

year 1277 OC/15 AR – aged 18 – surrender of argadara, roderick invades xangadu

year 1278 OC/16 AR – aged 19

year 1279 OC/17 AR – aged 20

year 1280 OC/18 AR – aged 21 – close to getting caught on one of his worse ventures and interested in learning alchemy alek flees vinetta for aarnu, once there alek talks his way into apprenticing for a renowned scholar and alchemist despite alchemy's prohibited nature in the empire, he helps finance both his master and himself through his ~own tricks of the trade, surrender of xangadu, roderick invades aotepo

year 1281 OC/19 AR – aged 22 – death of domhnall, eilia becomes queen

year 1282 OC/20 AR – aged 23

year 1283 OC/21 AR – aged 24 – when his master is discovered and arrested as a sorcerer alek escapes w all his goods and flees to alytar -- where he begins trying to set himself up as a physician at court (is this a rasputin reference? maaaaybe *ra-ra-rasputin...*) -- hoping to escape the empire -- only for roderick to follow him there mere months later, surrender of aotepo, roderick invades alytar, alek narrowly manages to flee alytar making for affaraon, claiming to be a renowned and respectable alchemist from alytar -- forced out by roderick -- alek begins his largest confidence shceme to date and begins amassing a large fortunate for himself

year 1284 OC/22 AR – aged 25

year 1285 OC/23 AR – aged 26 – eilia comes of age, surrender of alytar, alek's misdeeds are discovered and he is arrested by the affaraon authorities, roderick invades affaraon, when his town is attacked while he's awaiting judgment alek manages to escape the prison in the chaos of battle but is seized in the aftermath by godfrey's army -- seeing the commander is badly injured alek uses his alchemy skills to heal him -- only to realize that he's now being regarded as a sorcerer by the troops but godfrey has his back, alek manages to convince the men that his alchemy was in fact a godly miracle and godfrey supports him, godfrey presents alek as a holy man and miracle-worker to roderick who accepts him into his own household as his own personal priest after his hasty ordination

year 1286 OC/24 AR – aged 27

year 1287 OC/25 AR – aged 28 – alek is raised from priest to the role of hierophant

year 1288 OC/26 AR – aged 29 – surrender of affaraon, roderick invades astaira

year 1289 OC/27 AR – aged 30

year 1290 OC/28 AR – aged 31 – arthur takes kil-kennar, roderick gets bogged (heh) down in the fens

year 1291 OC/29 AR – aged 32 – arthur beheads aine seeress of kil-kennar, roderick burns fiadh and the fens and begins the pyre walk, edmund takes malconaire from the riverbend, death of the old high hierophant, roderick appoints alek to the role completing his meteoric rise in the church, surrender of astaira, conquest of astaira

year 1292 OC/30 AR – aged 33

year 1293 OC/31 AR – aged 34 – ice ball, riots, hangings, tournament, the present

[pedrorascal]

OBERYN MARTELL in every episode of GAME OF THRONES (2011–2019) ➡ First of His Name (04E05)

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Lucian

eep!! new peeps, unite!!! jk jk bc i feel like these two are VERY different ppl alksdjflkjsdsdf and im sorry abt alek in advance frankly laksdjflkjdsf that being said, i def think alek is always happy to make use of lucian's services. alek has quite a love of luxury and excess, cultivated during his years of living on the streets in desperate survival mode, and so yeah he's def a big client, id think! esp if lucian's confidence can be counted on? he'd looooove to get rare medical books etc bc he's secretly a huge science nerd, but only if lucian is a steel trap and wouldn't tell a single soul...

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Cassandra

ok so alek def wants to get in good w ~all the varmonts tbqh and so he def makes an effort! also, like sebastian, despite being firmly in arthur's faction given their shared mom, cassandra is another likely to be shielded by ~all her siblings, no matter what becomes of arthur, so despite being vaguely team edmund, cassandra is someone he'd like to be friends with. honestly mighta considered tryna marry her asp -- bc i think he def believes it wouldn't be too hard for him to seduce her if he wanted -- but thought better of it -- she's *hozier voice* too sweet for me. he is, after all, attracted to ppl like amira and odile soooo lakjsdflkjdsjf plus honestly i think there's ambitious and then there's stupid and tryna pull a fast one and grab one of roderick's daughters, he thinks, ~probs won't end too well for someone like him frankly alkjsdflkjsdkjf but yeah! as a result i think he errs on the side of being a sort of vaguely familial presence in her life, someone she can confide in and trust w her fears, hopes, etc, which he deffff listens to and tucks away to use at a later date, should she ever choose ~to share them etc smdh lakjsdflkjdsf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Sebastian

ok so real talk, i dont think alek really ~cares who wins the throne so long as alek remains on top??? like, if he could choose its kinda de facto edmund frankly but!! it could be arthur or guin in the end, who knows!! and i do think he's clocked that sebastian, while team arthur, is one of, if not ~the chillest of roderick's brood, so i think he feels that's a pr solid ally to cultivate bc there's a chance that, even if arthur dies and one of the other siblings takes over, sebastian may still serve as hand (bc, realistically, if arthur does die sebastian aint gonna be wanting to murder edmund and guin too and a good way for the remaining factions to make peace w what's left of arthur's rudderless corp would be to extend an olive branch like handing power to sebastian etc) and that sebastian ~will try to reinstate stability which means -- in such a religious-focused culture -- shielding the church as much as possible, right? or, at least, this is smth that alek wishes to impress upon him and yeah!! basically, idk that he normally woulda sought out someone like sebastian, but given the circumstances, i can def see him making an effort there!!

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Percy

so alek def knows percy's name etc!! being a commoner himself he aint discounting anyone else bc of their rank or whatever!! tbh idk that they too really interact beyond percy's work etc, and idk that alek would think much one way or the other abt percy on a personality basis or anything, but yeah!! i feel like alek probs lives on or around the royal palace, given the cathedral roderick built, so there's probs a not!papal palace for him somewhere nearby id guess? so maybe if he's low staffed or smth, imperial staff will sometimes pop over there or...smth?

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Kale

ok so frankly im not coming up w a ton for these two except that frankly in another life i feel like alek woulda been a huge fan of kale!!!!! not necessarily on the surface ig but i feel like they actually have a lot in common re their way of approaching life, if not sm on their attitudes/ideals/goals laksdjflkjdsf but he'd have mad respect for kale's style frankly!!

i ~do think that, if kale were to try to pretend to be alek's servant or smth, like he's done w some of my others, alek would def clock a fake way faster than my other characters who're all buying it just bc like...dude knows what to look for: he's def pulled that gag plenty of times, himself, etc lasdkjfljkdsfj that being said, he'd probs go along w it and try not to let on that he'd figured it out, at least at first, unless he thought it'd come back on him in some way bc ngl alek always looking out for #1 always, but he'd def be v amused by the whole thing and probs legit enjoy kale's company lakjsdflakjsdf don't think he has a toN of ppl he genuinely enjoys at court frankly so -- probs a generally refreshing experience for him tbqh laksdjflkjsdf

but yeah all that being said idk that kale would even attempt that w him so??? yeah...lakjsdflkjdsf

maybe they coulda run into eo during the heist or smth??? idk...

[forgottenodile]

Heart is Hollow | Odile x Aleks

"Are you fucking kidding me..."

Odile Fell whispered to herself, putting a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hold in a stunned laugh as she sat in the back of the gaudy and ostentatious chapel attached to the Imperial Castle.

She could hardly believe her eyes as the priest for this bullshit religion that her uncle had created in his own image stepped out before the congregation. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest at the glimpse of his dark eyes. A twisting ache that spoke of treachery and despair and fury. Nothing else. Nothing else.

Of all the people from her life before... Him? A priest? Here?

Perhaps the incense was muddling her vision. Or the gold and the flames casting light and shadow in a way to make her see shadows and memories that weren't truly there.

But as the priest raised his arms and began to speak, there was no denying it. Odile knew that rumbling voice. It had once whispered sweet words in her ear. Odile knew that charming smile. It had once shined especially for her, moments before those soft lips had pressed against her own.

Aleksander Royce. The bane of her existence. Her most despised enemy. He was here in Astaria.

This was an enormous god-damned problem.

Her fingers drummed quietly against her leg throughout the sermon but she hardly heard the words he spoke. Odile was far too preoccupied with figuring out what to do with this newfound wrinkle in her plans. She had not counted on this type of enemy in her camp. If she did not get him on her side immediately it was very likely that all would be lost.

She took a mental inventory of all that House Fell had sent along with her. For the Aleks she had known, the small collection of jewels and gold she had been brought with would hardly be enough to buy his silence. Odile would have to work faster than she had anticipated to take someone else into her confidence, to garner sympathy enough to line her own pockets enough.

And yet her attention returned to the sermon at hand as Aleks mentioned something about... miracles? Divine power given to him through the grace of the One God?

Another bark of a laugh almost threatened to push through the dual barriers of the young woman's pursed lips and slender hand.

Aleksander Royce was no more of a holy man than she was a bird in the sky.

This... This could be useful.

She sat up taller, watching the sermon now with the same calculating gaze that she had employed before every heist in her youth. Examining every crack and crevice, each movement of the man before her. A miracle he claimed he would perform for them, a show of The God's power and might.

A simple illusionary trick, nothing more. She had seen him perform the same thing countless times on the stage of their troupe's travelling cart. And yet with all the pomp and pageantry -- and more importantly, money -- that the Varmonts could provide, it was hardly surprising that the nobles and peasants were quick to believe in something. With who their Emperor was, anything that gave hope was a seductive drug indeed.

Here was her opportunity. Here was the piece of information that could keep her mission free to proceed without incident, without too much loss of the small fortune Odile had to subsist upon until she caught a fish on her hook.

As the sermon ended and the people began to file out into the shimmering daylight outside of the chapel doors, Odile's cold blue eyes watched as Aleksander retired to a small set of ornately gilded booths off to the side of the chapel. A small line formed in front of them.

A confessional. Perfect.

She bided her time. Sitting alone in her seat, pretending to pray, watching the line of sinners file in and out of the confessional with an air of calm and piety. Odile had always prided herself on her deep well of patience. It had always served her well in all of her endeavors. Patience most often led to a much greater reward than if she took the first prize within her grasp. This was almost certainly to be the same.

When at last only a few stragglers remained, Odile joined the queue, waiting and watching as the last person before her was almost out of the chapel before parting the curtain and sitting down upon the hard wood of the booth.

"Bless me, my lord, for I have sinned and wish to cleanse myself so I may join the One God in his blessed resurrection." She murmured through the grate. "I have kept a most terrible secret, but cannot remain quiet any longer. One of your priests is not whom he claims to be. A holy man, he says, and yet I have known him of old."

Odile lifted her eyes, staring straight through the grate into Aleksander's eyes. "He is the furthest thing from a man blessed by the One God. I would instead liken him far more to being blessed by the devil. He is a goddamn piece of shit who has surely stolen half of the church's tithes by this point. He is a con artist, and perhaps even worse, truly terrible in bed. Worst I've ever had." A menacing grin bloomed across her face, blue eyes sparkling even in the dark of the booth. "Hello Aleks... What the fuck do you think you are doing here?"

[forgottenaleksander]

He spotted her from across the crowd, ice blue gaze piercing his vestment to rove in heated acquisition across his form. He'd always been struck by that gaze -- its burning cold. She looked a snowstorm, an angel carved from ice with those dazzling pale orbs, her willowy lineaments and snowdrift skin, and the soft wintry waft of her cold-blond tresses. Yet he'd never known a heat like hers.

Despite himself, he near smiled. Reverence, etched in wafting, warm tendrils of incense, smoked everywhere around him, heightened by the breathless congregation who, wide-eyed, gazed upon the High Hierophant's every move. All save that one. His fiery ice queen. A saucy grin looped across her features, melting away the seeming frost of her looks in a held-in breathy laugh, her white-tipped fingers sweeping over her tender pink lips. No one else was looking at her. Odile Fell had long ago mastered the art of slipping past unseen. No one knew to look at her. But Aleksander Royce, for his part, could not tear his eyes away.

He did not often perform a demonstration, but she was seated, and his mind ran back and back and back to their days as pickpockets, darting through the crowd to cut away idle purses. His smile, a sultry blink-and-you-miss-it flash, was for her alone.

Aleksander was a trained alchemist.* The natural world was, to him, of the utmost fascination and, as soon as he'd begun making enough to support himself with a little left over, he'd begun investing the reserves in his curiosities, and training in how to better comprehend and explore them. He'd tried his hand at healing, at astronomy, at tinctures and potions, at mechanisms, at the physical aspects of the great mysteries parting the curtain where he could. He knew such interests put him in danger of being labeled a witch so he'd quickly, when caught healing Godfrey Calainon by Varmont troops, dipped into his other skill sets and spun a yarn about the favors of the great god to evade so derisive an application -- and the fiery end that tended to dance attendant upon it. Between his slight of hand and his knowledge of powders and celestial courses and animal behaviors and such the like, as well as his training in showmanship from his early youth, Aleksander knew well how to craft wonders to shock and delight and -- when necessary -- even horrify the congregation. Today, however, the display had another objective -- the original one he'd learned: distraction through shock and awe.

Off the cuff and, with a small smile, he altered the route his sermon was taking, building instead towards the climactic moment he now had in mind, making the moving demonstration to the sound of rapid inhalations across the crowd -- leave them talking about that, and thus free him to pursue his own interests. Quickly, he exited the altar, and with a meaningful glance towards the frozen beauty in the crowd, he ensconced himself in the confessional.

Confession was an invention of his own -- and gave him a very great fodder for blackmail (not that such actions or information could ever be tracked back to the High Hierophant, himself)! No, this was a exercise for the soul, alone, helping it to improve in this life that it might excel further in the next one...

He knew her voice the instant it finally graced the confessional, despite the wooden grating and fine cloth sundering them for the illusion of anonymity. He'd know that voice anywhere. Even the way she moved -- something in the particular cadence of the creaks brought on by her steps had him catching his breath before she so much as spoke. Yet, it was the all-too familiar lilting tone of her voice that warmed his mouth into a crescent smile.

Clearly, she knew him, too.

He couldn't entirely keep the warmth from his own voice as he leaned closer to the sundering grate, studying her silhouette as it cast tantalizingly against the fine cloth within the grate. "This is a most serious charge, indeed, my lady. I hope you will not hesitate," he purred in velvet self-satisfaction. "To tell in precisely in what ways he has known you." He grinned, picturing how she would roll her eyes at that line. He knew she'd be well aware he meant the word 'known' in the most lascivious sense.

His grin broadened as she spoke of the tithes, but broke to a laugh as she spoke of him being terrible in bed. "Ahh, alas, you cannot lie to a holy man, my dear. I know all. That is not, after all, what your gorgeous moans or curling pink toes intimated."

Aleks. He smiled reminiscently. She was the only one who called him that, and he wouldn't have it any other way, though he never said so.

"I thought what I was doing here was patently obvious, to you of all people." He smiled. His tone changed, turning deeply ironic as it often did when he spoke coyly of a scheme he was running. "Did I fail to inform you, after all, of my many visions and prayers? No? I suppose it was a rather sudden rapture. I found that, swiftly after being threatened with execution, I experienced a rather profound religious epiphany that ultimately led me to become High Hierophant to the One True Emperor." It hadn't proven difficult to outwit the competition for that title, he'd found -- true believers, or not. "Incredible the ways in which the one god works his mysterious will, is it not? And I'm sure," he added with a touch of sarcastically feigned piety. "You cannot possibly neglect to recall how the god has always favored me with...inescapable good fortune."

He'd always said, after all, that he made his own luck. It was, he believed, a result of having as stellar an intellect as he was uniformly convinced he had.

"But what brings the archangel of the oppressed to my door? I did not think to see you here without first holding a knife to my throat. Shall I return to my priestly palace only to find my best wine laced with poison?"

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Aoife

so i think alek frankly probs didn't really notice aoife, beyond the fact that she's beautiful, until this latest scandal broke and like he frankly doesn't ~care if its true or not or what ppl do or do not do in their bedrooms etc but!! he does enjoy a tawdry scandal as much as the next person, but ~esp a tawdry scandal that can rattle the emperor of twelve nations so like <33333 kudos, girl! get ur prince!!!!! anyway, real or not, he now has more respect for her than he did before frankly aljsdflkjsdf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Eithne

so!! what w the marked coins the resistance stole tracing back to malconaire, and eithne having a strong claim to malconaire and, potentially, a weak one to lorcan, i think alek is looking squarely in her direction!! he's got a v curious disposition and he wants to know what's going on!!!! annnnd how he can make a buck from it lakjsdflkjdskjf i like to think that he helped extort valentina re buying jewels from ~a guy he trusts~ (who cannot be trusted!), and he also may or may not (up to lizzy!) be setting up her fiance for a bit of a fall too so!! ur welcome!! also i think he ~may have clocked that tristan can't quite seem to take his eyes off her whenever she's around and like...he's just tucking that one away for safe keeping

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Aine

so i feel like alek was probs a bit of a nightmare for poor aine at the lorcan hangings (bc lord knows she needed more headaches there!), bc he ~as a holy man~ def sought her out so she could talk abt her troubles etc bc everyone knows womenfolk need extra coddling esp when it comes to -- even justified -- deaths, and then proceeded to ask her all kindsssss of questions abt her husband and son and cassimir and exactly how the rights of succession stands there and rian's role in everything just...yknow...in the course of casual conversation...so like literally digging into that wound when its kinda bleeding anyway so like...you are soooooo welcome and i hope you took hella spiritual comfort outta that <33333333333

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Brigit

ok so i feel like brigit ~may have punched alek asp ;DDDD and here's why! lakjsdflkjdsf so i feel like alek would really like brigit!! she's got spark and spunk and she's completely and unapologetically herself and may or may not remind him of a certain odile fell who he def does NOT miss btw ;DDDD and anyway!!! basically, i think alek has def tried to rizz her up (tbh even if she really did punch him i dont think that'd necessary be a turn off for him frankly ldsjfalkdsf) and genuinely enjoys irritating her bc he thinks she's esp pretty when her dander is up and her eyes sparkle! dlskjfaklsdfja and i am v sorry abt him in advance ldsjfalksdjf as if she needed ~more reasons to want to avoid varmont parties...

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Alaric

ok but just ~picturing these two interacting (which they probs have to do fairly regularly given they neighbors and court insiders together etc!!) is making me giggle like lajsdfjdsjfsdf what a pairrrr alksjdfljksdf

i feel like there's a tiny part of alek that is CONSTANTLY just tryna resist pushing alaric's buttons bc he has clown blood and he thinks it'd be really funny, but sadly he's gotta stay in character as a holy man but also he v much is NOT a holy man and he's tryna hold his vices in and just...mess! alkjsdflkjdskljfdsf also post-bastardy but pre-betrothal, alek ~was putting the moves on eilia (not that she was reciprocating in the least tbqh lskjdflkajsdf) so like idk how ~that might impact things but yeah!! he backed off again tho the minute the engagement was declared tho so that's over and he's moved on to her lil sis -- just like the great mr collins before him ig alksjdflkjsdf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Fiona

i feel like alek is one of the few ppl at court who would genuinely get such a kick outta fiona like that girl walks to the beat of her own drum and she's having a fabulous time doing that and alek has gotta put respect on her name for that!!!!! plus she is cleeeeeary flirting w trouble and alek 'danger' royce will always have fun w that alskdjflkjdsf also she's beautiful and rich so like...alek is probs at lorcan selling @forgottencormac weakly indulgences ~anyway alsdkjfljkdsf so may as well check in w his lively-eyed sister every now and again right!! laskjdflkjsdf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Aria

so alek is an opportunist, and he's been tryna be friendly (even flirty) w eilia in the hopes of accumulating her goodwill since she commands that of the ppl of astaira, etc, and i think this is no less true of her sister! i don't think he was ever ~flirty w aria before, but he's not so stupid as to openly encourage the attentions of the emperor's fiancee (privately tho... ;D) so i feel like, under the guise of talking to her abt religious orders, he's been making overtures to aria. like, dude likes flirting, she's a beautiful young woman, he'd def like her spirit, he can get her books and contraband secretly, she can get him clout amongst astairans to keep him from being burned alive as a heretic by roderick when he inevitably discovers he's not who he's ~saying he is, he can help her navigate this whole ~religious situation and put in a good (or bad if she prefers!) word for her re the nunnery, etc!!! like, this hurts no one (arthur: lies!) and it benefits them both and he thinks this all sounds like a v fun intrigue for them both! laksjdflkjdsf obv idk that aria will feel at ~all the same BAHAHAHAH but!! alek, for one, thinks they can have a fabulous time scheming and flirting together! laksjdflakjdsf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Ciara

ok so more info [ here ], but im thinking that (footnotes vers) basically alek, in an effort to discredit bar, might be tryna arrange for court to discover that ciara has been secretly carrying on a scandalous affair w @forgottencassimir potentially for some time now.

now, if we wanna go w this plot -- which we by no means need to do or anything obv <3 -- i have some ideas for how that could potentially impact things going forward re...the resistance alksjdfljksdf

ok so, alek is def a guy who pays a loT of attention to things just...he's a conman yknow, but esp ppl's ~habits...and where those habits stutter. and i think he's noticed that ciara has a lot of...time that goes for unaccounted, which i think, if we go w the above plot, he'll spin to show as 'evidence' that she's been sneaking around w cassimir, but he may clock from that she really ~does have some secret she's keeping. does he immediately jump to she's secretly aiding the resistance? ofc not, but that she probs ~doesn't want the real thing gettingout probs ~is clear so he might ~imply that he knows what's really going on to get her to go along w him blackening her name laksdjfkljsdjf ("you don't wish me to tell them all the *real* reason you were missing for twenty minutes that night, eh?") but according to his bio he's been part of roderick's inner circle for two full years now, so he's certainly had time to notice this, and i can potentially see where he may have noticed weird happenings during the whole heist situation? and/or the hangings at lorcan, where she actually met w ronan, himself?

anyway idk if you want him to potentially be aware of exactly ~what she's really up to or ~not, and i could go either way ofc, if we do ~any of this at all, but yeah!! basically i can def see him potentially blackmailing her, if we like! but frankly im open to anything!! also open to doing none of this!!!

but yeah i do think, whatever of the above we do or do ~not pursue, alek is def looking to sully her dad's name and, therefore, those of his kids as well to just...really sell him down the river before he can do the same to alek basically lkajsdlfkjksdjlf

[forgottenaleksander]

OOC | Aleksander & Cassimir

so idk if this will ever matter but...i like to think that alek got @forgottenvalentina to purchase jewels from a particularly ~unscrupulous jeweler who made her pay through the nose ten times their worth and who cut alek in for a percentage of the profits as a finder's fee ;DDDDD (ofc cormac bought a lot of those jewels off her for even ~more than that just for the pleasure of doing business w cassimir's own mother <3333333 BUT!! i digress lajsdljfsd)

ANYWAY!!! that is neither here nor there dsklfjalksdjfj i don't think alek really thinks too much abt cassimir tbqh BUT that'll def change w the malconaire witch allegations, ~and possibly before that bc alek is looking to destroy bar before bar can destroy ~him, so!! has cassimir ever been abroad? bc i think in order to help discredit @forgottenbartholomew he wishes to smear the names of his entire family <3 so basically i think he wants to spread a rumor that cassimir and @forgottenciara had a torrid affair (since he was betrothed to @forgotteneabha but then that broke off for some reason that probs ~isn't super clear to the varmonts...), isn't that his bestie's girl? yeah. and isn't godfrey likely to retaliate? oh absolutely! but every friendship has its ups and downs, and its not like alek really wishes ciara ill (mr elton voice: i don't really care if she lives or dies except as your friend <3), he's just tryna make her dad look bad sdlkjfaklsdjfjdsf i have further ideas for how this might impact ~ciara if we wanna pursue this ~at all~ and srsly no pressure either way!! but yeah if so i feel like at the malconaire ball he carefully arranged a tableau for cassimir and ciara to be ~walked in on~ to make it look like maybe there's an affair going there lakjdsfljkdsjf

now, why cassimir? bc, frankly, alek sees him as disposable alkjsdflkjdskf and he's ~already ticked off roderick (i guarantee all of the council heard abt the ~pot hole incident~ at length), so roderick is inclined to think badly of him, as it is, plus -- being on the council -- he has probs noticed what everyone else has: ie that the marked moneys are going to malconaire (tho tbf he ~wouldn't have known that going in to the malconaire fete...so maybe them being ~discovered in a tryst~ might occur later???? at some ~other public event???). there're other ppl already lined up to take malconaire, ~and he's ~kind of~ a foreign prince, already, so he's been skating on the edge, anyway, so basically he's on thin ice already and if he does end up losing everything bc of this, well, he won't ~really be able to retaliate whereas someone like, say, a solemont would have enough political clout to punch back. godfrey's really the guy he'd be concerned abt here, but unfortunately ciara is the part of this that is non-negotiable. cassimir is ~also a guy that bar def wouldn't want his daughter dating, AND he has a convenient connection to ciara's unsavory ~astairan cousins who're already kinda sus in varmont eyes since they had a traitor for a dad etc. now, obv he might srsly be underestimating cassimir and this could def clap back on alek in big ways but...basically he feels he's seeing a lot of bang for his buck here alkjsdfkljsdfj

also i ask abt the -- has he been abroad thing -- bc like...could it be construed that perhaps these two have had a secret fling for years now, basically, and ik you said ciara's never been to astaira, before so hence...has cassimir been elsewhere...

but yeah again no pressure to do this!!!!! we def aint gotta, it was just a lil piece of chaos that came to my brain if we wanted to pursue it alsdjflkjdsf