the knight and the confidante

Who run the world? Girls! [ A 1x1 OC RP Blog ]

[ladyscourt]

isleste:

A commoner at the back of the room dropped his hat in shock, and the sound of it gently gracing the floor might have been a bomb exploding, compared to the stunned silence of the rest of the hall. No one had ever changed their oath this much. The commoners stood still in fear of the wrath of the Queen or the Princess, and the other Knights looked like they wanted nothing more than to murmur excitedly to each other, but they wouldn’t dare. They were true to their word, but none as brave as this one.

Celeste looked to her mother, Queen Coranima Dragonheart, who had been behind her on her Opal Throne all morning. She expressed (loudly, and often) how much she didn’t need her mother, and her coronation couldn’t come soon enough, and she could handle all the duties of the Queendom on her own, but this… this had shaken her.

It wasn’t even the words that this Knight was pledging, it was the sincerity and honesty in her voice and eyes as she said it. Celeste’s heart, which was almost never moved by anything, was now beating out of her chest as she looked back to her most loyal Knight, knowing she needed to respond.

“This is certainly unprecedented,” she began, her voice as calm and collected as always, despite her swirling mind. “But it is not uncommon for the Queen to choose a Knight as a personal guard. You will be tested on your loyalty, and bravery, far more harshly than your comrades. And you must understand that in the event that I can no longer serve as Queen, your time as a Knight will end.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother nodding, and she straightened her posture a little, despite never admitting she’d needed that. 

“What is your name, Squire?”

The silence in the room was threatening, all-engulfing. Brielle saw years of her life flash before her eyes -- years that had been spent training, waiting, proving herself. Years spent fighting and hoping and cutting down anyone who had dared laugh at her or think her foolish. Years dedicated to Her. That could all come to an end in this shining palace. One word from the Princess could snuff out her life’s goals in an instant.

But Princess Celeste did not do that. And, deep down, Brielle knew she would not. Bowing her head as the other explained the conditions of her knighthood, she let out a deep breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “I understand, your highness,” she said in a quiet voice. “I will not disappoint.” It was not a promise -- promises were flimsy and could be broken. It was a fact. There was no room for doubt.

At the mention of her being unable to serve as Queen, Brielle almost quite forgot herself and smiled. “Of course,” she breathed. “I would have it no other way.” She would not care to serve without the princess. It had been her face -- her eyes -- that had captivated her so entirely that day. Even as a child, she had been struck by a love she could not begin to understand. Some called it foolishness. She called it fate.

She looked up, into those eyes now. Just as before, she felt drawn to them, captivated by them. But she was no longer a child. She was a grown woman with a grown woman’s heart, capable of an adoration much more complex than what she could have given before. She would give it all to the princess -- would lay down her life, just to see her smile. Her mother told her that she could not love a woman without knowing her. Brielle felt sorry for her. Clearly, she had never known a love as strong and pure as this.

“My name is Brielle Swan,” she said, her voice ringing clear and true throughout the hall, “Today, I give over everything I am ... to you.” She held out a hand. She would not be so presumptuous as to grab the Princess’s hand uninvited ... but if she gave it freely, she would be honored to place a chaste kiss on the back of it.

[ladyscourt]

kitchens.

[ladyscourt]

isleste:

“Hi,” Isla smirked, “You’re stealing.” She stood staring at the Lady-in-Waiting (she’d researched everyone who worked in the castle - one always had to know who they were dealing with), arms crossed, eyebrow raised. She was admittedly amused by the girl’s cheerful, spinning audacity, but all the same, it was her first day on the job, and she couldn’t allow anyone - not even beautiful Princess-followers to steal the kitchen’s food. 

She’d arrived well before she had to be there. She was to begin as a prep cook for the Court’s Luncheon, but it was just after breakfast and everyone was busy doing other things. Isla had come to explore her new home. She hated it. It was beautiful; more technologically advanced than any kitchen she’d ever worked in - and there had been many, as she knew this would have to be her starting place in the castle - but it was still a kitchen, which disappointed her.

Even so, she was intrigued by this Lady who thought she owned the place more than Isla did. It seemed to her that the woman was walking into her home, stealing her food, and trying to make a friend. But she knew that Sophia was close with the Princess, and if they were friends, she might be able to get a message through. So her smirk became a smile, and she took the snacks that were falling in her own hands, placing them on a floating glass island and getting a basket out of a cupboard. “You can use these if you promise to bring them back.”

Sophia didn’t see a problem with taking food from the kitchen. Okay, she knew it wasn’t exactly the most normal thing to do, but it wasn’t like she had ever been discouraged against it ... in so many words. She put on her best wide-eyed expression, blinking as innocently as she could. “I’m not stealing,” she said. “I live here.” She fumbled a bit with her snacks, trying to get a handle on the ones that had almost tumbled out of her hands when the other had startled her. She seemed to be fighting a losing battle. “Besides,” she said. “I’m going to be sharing with Princess Celeste -- when she gets out.”

She took the basket gratefully, dumping the snacks into the basket. “Thank you,” she said, a bit of relief coloring her tone. It was nice to not have to struggle with an armful of goodies. Maybe she had overdone it, but Sophia had never been one for portion control. She had never considered needing portion control -- whether it was back home or here in the castle, she always had food when she wanted it. She never had to worry about saving or making things last. She shifted the basket to one arm, grinning. “Of course I promise,” she said. “Keeping them ... Now that would be stealing.” She giggled.

Leaning against the island, she tapped her fingers against the polished glass surface. “Anyways, you are new, aren’t you? I never forget a face.” She was sure she would remember someone as cute as this girl, anyways. Everything about her was intriguing, from the no-nonsense pout of her lips to the hard glint in her eye. Sophia was particularly fascinated by her hair -- cut short, like a boy’s. It seemed very rebellious. Grinning, Sophia extended her now-free hand. “Sophia Silva,” she said, “Lady-in-waiting to the princess. And you?”

[isleste]

How many people were there on this godforsaken planet? It seemed to Celeste that the line of people with petty complaints stretched for miles, and she’d gotten bored after the… thirty-fourth? Thirty-fifth? Somewhere around there. She tried her best to keep her eyes open and her mind focused, but then there was the shrill sound of trumpets - which she’d always hated - waking her up and announcing something. Probably the new Order of Knights that had been trained. More boring people. At least these ones might be of some use to her.

The women marched in, as shiny as they always were the first day, as naive as they always were the first day, avoiding eye contact as they always did the first day - except one. One girl in particular was staring at the Princess, and she couldn’t help but smirk. At least one of her Knights was brave. She stood, as she was expected to, and they knelt, as they were expected to, in a pinstraight line with the commoners standing at the back, in awe of what they were witnessing.

One by one, the new Knights would come up to her and say their oath, pledging allegiance to their Queen, loyalty to the planet, promising to be charitable, courageous, generous, and honest. She went through the motions of tapping her sword on their armed shoulders, making their dreams come true, until the girl who’d caught her eye earlier knelt before her. “Speak your Oath, Squire,” she said, gentler than before.

[ladyscourt]

When she had been just seven years old, there had been a parade. In it had been the queen and the young princess. Brielle had stood, holding Isla’s chubby little hand in her own, and watched in awe as the amazing glass cars had glided by. For just a moment, the princess had locked eyes with her, and little Brielle knew, quite suddenly, that she would do anything for this girl. She was completely, irrevocably in love. Age had done little to dissuade her from this. And now, eighteen years later, she stood before the princess again.

This time, there was no gliding carriage to draw her away. Brielle was allowed to stare at her openly -- to meet her eyes, again and again. It was this that she had been training years for. The fact that the moment had finally arrived felt unreal. She was sure that she would wake up back in her bed in the village, that this would all be a dream. She could not believe that she was sharing a room with Princess Celeste -- that she would soon serve her. It felt like too much to ask for.

One by one, the knights stepped forward. Before, they were all bragging about the first impressions they would make with their declarations, but with the moment at hand, most of them were too nervous to go off script. “I swear fealty to the present and future Queens,” the common oath, was repeated again and again. The few that did try to be unique -- “It is an honor to serve my present and future Queens” -- didn’t make much of a splash. But Brielle didn’t hesitate to do exactly what she swore to the other knights she would do. She got on one knee, looked the princess right in the eye, and spoke.

“If it would please your highnesses, I would like to swear a special oath,” she said, “While I swear fealty to both the present and future Queen ... It is the Princess Celeste that I would like to swear special loyalty to. I feel that it is my calling ... my duty to do so.” She lowered her voice, so that only the princess could hear. She gazed into the other’s eyes. “Princess, I dedicate every breath to you. I swear to you that there will never be a more loyal knight in the entire galaxy.”

[ladyscourt]

kitchens.

Deciding to come to this planet and live in the castle had been one of the best decisions Sophia had ever made. Her sisters had all laughed at her -- said that she’d be playing servant to the princess, said that she’d be surrounded by crazy women who hated men and that she’d be back within the month, looking for a husband. But none of those things were true. She got to wear fancy dresses, go to the most extravagant balls, and gossip with the princess, hardly a servant’s role. And the people here didn’t really hate men -- at least, not any more than the people back home hated women. Things were just ... a little bit reversed. As for a husband ... Well. She didn’t really think that’d be a problem -- the ladies here were pretty enough to keep her entertained. She didn’t have anything against men, not really, but she couldn’t say she missed having them around all the time.

But there were some downsides to being a lady in waiting. Such as ... waiting. Celeste, the princess, was her best friend, and when she had to go do princess things (like listen to the commoners as they come forth with complaints, or whatever it was she was doing -- she forgot, but Celeste was sure to tell her about it later), Sophia found herself with nothing to do. She tried watching a drama on the Glass for awhile, but it simply didn’t hold her interest. She was never one for dramas, anyways. She didn’t like being an outside observer as things unfolded -- she wanted conversation, and you couldn’t have that with an actor on a screen.

Giving up, she went down to the kitchen for a snack. She was already bored, there was no need for her to go hungry, too. After years in the castle, she knew her away around like she knew the layout of the mansion back on her homeworld. She perused the various pantries, plucking out snacks that caught her eye. She spun around with an armful of treasures, an unopened package of cinnamon apple slices dangling from her mouth -- and almost ran smack into an unfamiliar face. “Oh,” she said, promptly forgetting the package in her mouth. She had to juggle a bit to keep it from falling to the floor. “Hi! You’re new!”