PLANTAGENET.

HRH Henry, Prince of England & Duke of York.

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about your glory being solely in battle and not with a crown like your siblings? Does it bother you that you're the only one who won't wear a crown?

                                              ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

         “ As the second son I have the title of Duke of York, that is a position which comes with an accompanying crown, but it is not something I have ever cared for. I find myself much more useful in the military aspect of serving the Kingdom so do not concern yourself with what may or may not bother me. I do not wish for a crown, I have never desired a crown, and not having one suits me just fine. ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about being the second son?

                                            ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

         “ I have freedom that no ruler could ever possess, I had the opportunity to choose my own path in this life and I do not have to carry the weight of a Kingdom upon my shoulders. I suppose you could say that I am somewhat fond of it. ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about your sisters being so far away from you?

                                             ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

         “ I loathe it. My sisters are the true treasures of England, their people love them, I adore them and they must be protected at all costs - knowing that one is out of my reach and the other is soon to be pains me beyond any words can say. ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about the possibility of dying in battle?

                                              ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

        “ It is the risk I take, what else is there to say? I know the consequences of my position but I face them head on and without fear for I cannot think of a better cause to die for than for one’s family and kingdom. ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about the attack on Austria?

                                              ask henry  ‘how do you feel about…’  | accepting.

         “ I feel that the French King is potentially foolish or desperate, in this case he may be both, but he is most definitely reckless. Either he wished to strike fear amongst all in attendance or he is under the impression that this show of force will act in his favour. It was an attack which did not only put the guests in danger, but all of Europe at risk of uproar should the rulers inside have fallen. Kingdoms could have been without Kings, Kings without heirs and the French King without a head. To put it simply; I have not taken kindly to seeing my family threatened thus and would not trust his Majesty as far as he could be thrown. ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about your upcoming marriage?

                                               ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

        “ What is upcoming is not a marriage for myself but a marriage between England and Brittany, I and my wife will be merely uniting them by proxy. What does it matter how I feel about it? All my life I have aimed to serve my Kingdom and I shall not fall at this hurdle - I will be present, play my part and then return to my rightful place once I am able.  ”

[inexcussusx]

How do you feel about each of your family members?

                                           ask henry ‘how do you feel about…’ | accepting.

         “ They are my family, what more is there to say? I have a great deal of respect for my father, as a son should his elder and a soldier should his King, just as I love and respect my lady mother. The love I have for my siblings too runs deep, while I find a different bond with each of them there is not a thing I would not do for them all. I have dedicated my life and soul to personally seeing to the safety and security of my family so that they can sleep at night, I assure you that I would not have bothered if there were even a moment of doubt over how I care for them. ”

[the-write-ideas]

Ask my character "How do you feel about ______?" Can be an idea, person(s), place, or thing, and they'll have to answer honestly.

Ⓦ

[brvgitte-blog]

@inexcussusx​

The moment had come. Brigitte was not certain that it ever would; she knows how long betrothals can be, and how often broken. And particularly in light of the attack in Austria, she wouldn’t be surprised if her identity as a Frenchwoman would sour the betrothal altogether. Her mother had urged her, though, to go directly to Britain. Brigitte would stop first in Scotland to rest after the difficult of Austria, and then, when she felt refreshed, she would go to England.

During the carriage ride, her ladies had sat quietly with her; she loved them, for they sensed she did not desire idle laughter and gossip. How could she laugh, when they rode on towards the man that would take all of her possessions from her? Like a mantra, Brigitte kept repeating to herself that it was for the good of Burgundy, and further, the good of France.

On arrival she was shown to her rooms, and given time to change. Brigitte has never been terribly fashionable, preferring to dress for utility, but her ladies have selected a beautiful dress for her, and then she is being bundled off to meet him. The walk down the corridor feels both agonisingly long, and terrifyingly short. The herald announces her arrival, and the doors are swinging open, and Brigitte is fighting for her breath– - 

Years of training ensure that she drops into a curtsy at the appropriate moment, skirts settling about her silk shoes. “Your royal highness,” she says, voice touching the great height of the ceiling. She had mumbled so terribly as a child, and suffered such aggressive tutoring, that now her voice was often the clearest in the room. “It brings me great pleasure to meet with you at last.” She allowed her eyes to rise to his for a moment, almost frightened of what she might find. But he was not so much older than her, and he carries himself with an air of great dignity. She has heard he has a great mind for strategy, and is eager to speak with him and learn more.

[inexcussusx]

        He always knew that this day would come but it was hard to dwell on the impending arrival of his betrothal when his mind was constantly on the battle field. Henry had no always been so distant, in fact he was very involved with his family as a young man, but war had changed him as it had most men and he no longer found the time to sit dreaming of the one he might marry one day. In truth he almost had sympathy for whomever she was. Some women he found did not look upon their wedding day as an opportunity to serve their home, to further their family’s opportunities, having two sisters of his own he feared his future wife might have the same daunting outlook he believed they did; for how many woman could look forward to marrying a man whom may die in battle only months into marriage? Hopefully it would not come to that, but even her ties to France could not soften the anger which still bubbled inside him at the danger the French King had placed his family in.

In truth he had been dreading it. He had not the time or the opportunity to ask much of her, a brief glance at a painting was all he was given so all he knew was that she appeared attractive to the eye on canvas...but could that be enough? For a man with a military mind it felt more akin to sleeping with the enemy than a marriage to benefit two Kingdoms. Frustration aside, Henry gave his most polite bow in response to her own and he was surprised to find out well rehearsed she seemed - he could only hope she would soon come out of her shell so that he might see her for how she was and not how someone of her status was trained to be.  “ Your Grace, the pleasure is all mine I can assure you. I hope you are not too tried from your journey? I thought we might take a turn in the gardens, become acquainted with one another, but if exhaustion has you firmly in it’s grip I am sure we can find somewhere to sit and you might rest. ”

[mattiasofportugal-deactivated20]

Mattias enjoyed being around horses, his stables in Portugal were grand and extensive filled with only the most impressive steeds. It was because of this, that he had decided to invest in an english thoroughbred for Matilda. However, he’d since been advised that she would not be fond of a horse as a gift, and so Mattias decided to go in a different direction for his present for his betrothed. Which is what brought him here, walking around Windsor with a young puppy in his one arm, navigating through the castle in search for his betrothed. 

The puppy started squirming and Mattias struggled to control her, causing the pup to leap out of his arms and run down that hall causing a ruckus among some ladies who were surprised to see her, and into the arms of someone else. 

 “My apologies… she has more energy than I gave her credit for.” 

[inexcussusx]

        “ I find it best to allow pups to walk, it usually uses up their energy and there is less chance they will escape you. ”  Henry eyed the man from whom the dog seemed to have escaped whilst tickling behind it’s ear in a bid to calm it, though it seemed to only earn him a few nips of excitement. The owner or handler, whomever he was, was certainly a new face at court but his accent gave him away as a foreigner in an instant. He was too young to be an envoy and yet too well dressed to be in service, having previously heard that his sister’s betrothed had made the journey to court meant that Henry’s suspicions and interests were instantly peaked over this man. - mostly his suspicions.

“ You must keep a tighter hold on her, especially in a court I assume you are not familiar with... ”  It was a sort of silent invitation for the stranger to introduce himself, one hand extended with the pup in it’s hold before she could run off and cause any further chaos.

[inexcussusx]

* -- rxthlessqueen:

“ You have always been one to give your heart to others rather than yourself. ” it was a quality in her son which she always felt a beaming sense of pride for. Each of her children had different qualities, all of which she loved for very different reasons. “ You are never intruding, my love, join me, won’t you? I have longed for your presence here at court for so long. ”

          “ I do not believe it is mine to keep, lady mother. ”  Henry had always believed his attitude would protect him in life, keep him from getting too attached and suffering any great loss, but in truth it only made him feel isolated. He spent so much time away from his family that he wanted nothing more than to be overjoyed in their reunion while in truth he appeared nonchalant most of the time, unphased by the many horrors he had seen. Regardless of that he took the offer to join his mother gladly for even he could not resist the desire to feel a mother’s love.  “ I cannot say that I miss court life much, it is our family that I miss a great deal. It is said I am to soon meet with my betrothed, though I fear my absence from court may grow even further if France continue with their foolishness. ”

[inexcussusx]

* -- arthurcfengland:

“That is good to hear. It will certainly be strange, being the only one left, but we knew it would happen one day.” That was always what was to happen. One by one his siblings would be married off (though in Henry’s case this was yet to happen) and he would be left at court, awaiting the day he succeeded their father as King. Arthur shook his head. “Henry, I do believe that you misunderstand me.” He sighed softly. “It was not just a future Queen you were protecting, but a future King as well, God willing.”

        In the moment all thoughts of previous topic of conversation evaded Henry’s mind, his brow furrowing slightly whilst his brother’s words finally began to register with his overly cluttered mind before that same brow then arched in surprise.  “ She is with child? ”  How he wished he had known that at the time of the siege, he could have take extra precautions to ensure of the Princess’ safety, but aside from that a breathless chuckle parted his lips out of pure joy.  “ God willing indeed, I had no idea... Congratulations, brother, you must be overjoyed! ”

[englishmatilda-blog]

@inexcussusx

Knocking was not something Matilda wasted time on, not when she was so excited. She pushed the door open, not even bothering to greet Henry before speaking. “I shot an arrow into a target, Henry!” She beamed, “His majesty even said we shall make a great archer of me yet.” She fought the laughter, knowing Henry would remember the disastrous attempts she’d made in the past at being an archer. “When do I get to join your ranks?” She teased, her laughter childlike and filled with genuine happiness. 

[inexcussusx]

        With his sister entering the room like a tornado Henry could hardly not chuckle to himself, shaking his head whilst brushing aside the papers which previously held his attention in a bid to focus solely on her - she would make sure that was the case either way.  “ You did? ..Forgive me, ‘his majesty’? I pray that refers to our father and you are merely being overly proper. ”  Of course, even in her immense self-pride, the main point Henry focused upon was that she was in the company of a man whilst making this triumph over a bow and arrow.  “ I would allow you to join this very moment if I did not fear the distraction you would cause; the men are not worthy of your presence either. No man is. ”

[inexcussusx]

* -- thecrvwnjewel:

               Would it please her, to dismiss her brother so CALLOUSLY when the source of her vexation was not even a product of his doing? — In that moment Mary believed so; she had a desire to be cruel, to project her own FAILINGS unto her nearest and dearest….perhaps to the others, but not Henry, never Henry. Her shoulders sank upon a sigh and she shook her head, “no, it will not please me - nothing seems to of late, Hal. Forgive me, I am relieved to see you unharmed. I trust Mother, Arthur and Matilda are too?”

         “ All are unharmed, you need not worry for us though I do worry for you. ”  While Henry spent much of his time away from his family the greatest struggle was being even further from Mary, especially now that he could see that something was troubling her. She seemed distance, perhaps it would be best if he allowed her to remain secretive, yet it was near impossible for him to even think of allowing her to suffer alone - while he was there he would like to make a brotherly presence felt.  “ What troubles you? ”

[rxthlessqueen]

“ Come, ” Celestia finally turned her attention to the hesitant figure who had been hovering patiently whilst she bid farewell to a member of the king’s privy council and a dear friend to herself. “ You need not appear so sheepish, I assure you the French will not be storming down these castle walls nor would they be successful in conquering the seas. You are safe here. ”

[inexcussusx]

        “ It is not my safety I feel concern for, ”  such was his usual attitude. More often than not it felt as though Henry had greater concern for the safety of his family than he did his own, that much could be seen in how absent he usually was from English court - regardless of how much love he had for his family his duty towards them would always come out on top.  “ I hope I am not intruding? ”

[isabelofyork]

                 “As you can see I am quite well…I am certain you have other matters to attend to.” A distant ALOOFNESS had descended upon Mary’s temperament, the warmth within her slowly but surely seeping into oblivion and she had not the strength to recover it at present. A whirlwind of FRUSTRATION clouded her mind, and more oft than not, the troubles in Scotland at the forefront of such vexation. 

[inexcussusx]

        “ I am certain I do, though none more important than this. I assure you. ”  He too felt incredibly distant, the recent events in Austria and the danger which the family were in had been a daunting experience and not one he wished to see a repeat of any time soon. Henry became so familiar with protecting from a distance that being there, seeing fear in the eyes of his kin, had somehow only made him more determined than ever.  “ But I will leave if it pleases you.”

[inexcussusx]

* – arthurcfengland:

“I shall have to take your word for it.” Arthur grinned. “Truly you must try to visit us more. I know that you are in high demand, but we do miss you greatly.” Arthur shook his head. “Not troubling me, no.” He began to head towards the library, remaining quiet until they reached the room. “Quite the opposite. I have no complaints.” He laughed. “But it is Ada that I wished to speak to you about. I wanted to thank you, Henry, for keeping her safe during the siege when I could not. Especially as…” He trailed off, taking a small breath. “Especially as it was not just her that you were protecting.”

          “ I have every intention of doing so, especially now that Matilda will soon be married… England will never have been so quiet. ”  It was a truly saddening thing, to see both of their sisters married off, but Henry cherished family too greatly to let that act as a deterrent when it came to visiting them.  “ She is my sister now, is she not? You need not thank me for seeing to family safety, Arthur, I am nothing if I do not do that. Well yes, she is one day to be your Queen and I have a duty of care. ”