Lecia Cardoza

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Princess of Portugal

[leciacardoza]

princenaelxdlf‌:

   Stance straightened as Lecia’s words sunk into him. Interrogated. Nael needed not to be told otherwise what the word stood for. He knew exactly what it meant, for he had been an interrogated royal himself. “I– I know how it feels.” His tone dropped, forcing him to swallow in fear. “To know that you will not be the same ever again.” Tugging on the sleeve by his wrist, Nael had the unconscious reaction to hide his scars, even if they were not showing.

   Dropping his gaze to the floor, Nael felt better with the fixation towards something solid. “I do not think that we can really be normal. Nor can they call us normal. We are anything but. Our destinies our set, far greater than we can ever imagine.” Shaking his head, his gaze remained averted. “Is that normal?”

“I think... you are asking not the correct person what is normal.” She had no idea. That was exactly her point. Still, Lecia reached out to pat his arm gently. She had noticed the way he pulled at his sleeves, and she too had become a fan of clothing with generous lengths of fabric to hide those marks that the dungeon had left behind. She did not want others to see them. She did not particularly want to be reminded herself. It was much easier to pretend they were not there when she could not see them.

“Perhaps you are having a great destiny,” she added with a small nod, “Very great.” Perhaps her own destiny could be called great as well in the sense that it certainly seemed to be more than average. Not great in the sense that it was good, but great in the sense that it was much. Her life as a whole very much. Where her destiny intended to take her, Lecia could not begin to fathom.

“Thank you for the oranges.”

[leciacardoza]

maddox-keyes‌:

There wasn’t a doubt Lecia prepared to flee. She should. Better things could be done than block her way. Except the woman stopped in front of him. So bold, too bold of a move for Maddox to close the height difference and utter a boo to her. Especially when Lecia chose to speak rather than scatter. 

What a strange woman. 

He expected a no at least when with a barrier between them. Even without it, no made the most sense. Integrity was thrown into the mix too. As well as the cocked it up, which caused a small pinch between his brows of amusement.

“Even when..?” He repeated. The unspeakable and unimaginable happened. Would she say it, out loud? The horrors of the dungeon. “I saw you there, that night.” As if established, and Maddox reckoned she’d know what he meant. 

Briefly he saw her. Being led in or perhaps out of those damp and dim rooms. With eyes haunted just like the rest of them. A thought clung to the roof his mouth. A sudden confessional urge. Not to ask forgiveness for what he did in the dungeons. He’d do it again in a heartbeat. But for the right reasons. So far, for that night, he didn’t have as many as he once thought. “Criminals can ask questions, can’t they? Or will those be outlawed too?” 

“I saw you there, that night.”

One sentenced uttered, and her blood ran cold. There was only one ‘that night’ in Lecia’s mind. He hadn’t seen shit. Lecia hadn’t set any fires. She had been with Aaron for most of the night, toasting their... arrangement. Then she had been asleep. If he thought for one second he was going to pin something on her after she had barely survived the first round of questioning, well, he was sorely mistaken.

“No they are not,” she answered, “But perhaps for you they will make an exception.” With that, she whipped around, darting toward the crack in the wall which promised freedom from this ruin of a villa and one complicated pirate. It was a tight squeeze. She sucked in her stomach, and forced her way through.

[leciacardoza]

aaronherzog‌:

Aaron set the sharpened seashells out on the bed, laying down four in a row. It took a moment for Lecia’s words to register. She got in bed with… Aaron couldn’t keep the hint of a smile from his face, a million questions still brimming in the forefront of his mind, but with enough sense to continue ignoring them. “Protect you? More than these, I am sure,” he said, gesturing to the shells. Clearly this Goldilocks was a pirate. For a split second, Aaron mistakenly thought Goldilocks was a woman, but Lecia cleared that part up.

Situating himself on the edge of the bed again, Aaron let out a long sigh. Logically, getting close to pirates at this point was still inherently bad. But he had no room to talk. Not many of them did. So he smiled, almost shyly, and looked down at his lap. “I believe you.” And he nodded. “You are right, it is not a big deal. It is just–” Sex? Not in this case. Aaron looked at her a bit baffled and shrugged. “Well, I don’t know what it is.” He sighed, maybe the statement a bit too self aware. And he felt a bit guilty for using Lecia’s secret to distract himself from the day’s events, too. “So, was it juuuust right?” he teased.

“Aaron!” she scolded sharply, “Isso não seria da sua conta.” Lecia’s face seemed to have taken on a permanent shade of dark red. She did not know what it was either. A mess, mostly. Of feelings she could not quite put into words, and a deep desperation for something she had not felt in a long time, security. “You are ruining an innocent book.”

It wasn’t like her to be so uptight about these sorts of things. She was not one to be so easily embarrassed or, truthfully, self-conscious about the things that she did. But it was not what he was saying that mortified her so much as the who and the why (and the clear mis-use of a beloved children’s tale). Lecia was losing herself to this island, and the enemy that lived among them.

Pointedly avoiding his gaze, she began to collect her shells.

“Aaron?” she asked, “Do you think there is any point in trying to escape this island?”

[leciacardoza]

blueblxod‌:

When she got up and said that she had to go, made a confused expression appear on his face, it just seemed so sudden, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was something that he said. He usually blamed himself when that happened, so was not a surprise, that he would also be worried that he said something to make her want to leave.

“Did I say something that made you feel uncomfortable?”

“No,” she answered, with a swift shake of her head, “I must be home... I must be back at the villa before dark. It is a rule for me. I cannot be getting into trouble again.” Lecia looked down at the prince sitting in the sand. He of all people should understand why people like them couldn’t afford to get into trouble. 

“Take care of yourself, Carlos.”

[leciacardoza]

alexxlawrence‌:

He chuckled, his eyes rolling up the ceiling before returning on the woman before him. Alex reached behind him for the gun, watching her as he placed it in the small space between them. “Unload it yourself.” He was playing with fire and he wasn’t afraid to get burned. Alex reached for her again, the back of his hand brushing over her cheek and then over her shoulder, his fingers trailing over her skin down her arms until he took her hands and placed them over the cold metal of the handgun. His eyes never left hers as his hands moved hers to unload the gun. The magazine dropped on the bed sheets, the gun in their hands empty.

“Don’t move.” Alex’s voice was quiet as his eyes searched hers for something he wasn’t quite sure of. He took her arm with one hand, repositioning her with her back in front of him. His arms encircled her, placing the gun in her hands and closing his over hers. It was pointed at the open door. Alex nudged her finger away from the trigger with his finger, his face besides hers. “Never put your finger on the trigger unless you really mean to shoot.” A whisper, his lips brushing over her ear. “Find your target, make sure your arms are steady. Brace for the kickback until you get used to the gun, and then–” their fingers were back on the trigger and the gun clicked emptily as he pulled it. “Bang.”

Lecia didn’t understand at first. This wasn’t like the misunderstandings that came up with Jacob and the strange phrases her captor occasionally sprinkled into everyday conversation, because she knew the words unload, it, and yourself. Guns were not something people simply offered her, before or on the island. She stared at Alex. Her heart thudded, heavy in her chest as the weapon dangled in front of her. It was a prize that she sorely wanted, but she didn’t try to take it. Not right away. She didn’t trust the offer.

A feather-light sensation trailed down her arm. Soon her hands were  sandwiched between cold metal and the warmth of his grasp. She was not sure what they were doing. His fingers guided hers as they pressed down on a small button on the side of the handle, and long skinny piece fell out. Then they slid back the metal at the top. When that was done and Alex seemed satisfied by the pieces of gun they had removed, he told her not to move.

She was not sure where she would have gone. She cradled the weapon in both hands, surprised by how much heavier it felt than guns looked when people held them in the movies. Lecia didn’t move. She let the world move around her, turning her until she was practically sitting on the pirate’s lap.

He pulled the trigger. They pulled the trigger.

Lecia flinched. Her breath was suddenly audible, a series of short, staccato gasps for air. They had unloaded the weapon, but there was still a part of her that expected something bigger to happen. A sound much harder than a click or a flash of light, perhaps.

“Bang,” she whispered as she pulled the trigger on her own. Then she pulled it again. And again. And again. Lecia pictured a face in the doorway. She did not have a name to put with it, but she knew this particular face as well as she knew her own. One that had brought her days of pain and torment, and was shrouded in shades of red from the strange choice in dungeon lighting. She pulled it again.

[leciacardoza]

maddox-keyes‌:

His friend was a rare gentle soul. Wickedly funny and the life of any party. The one person Maddox could say everything to without even opening his mouth. The world did not revolve around one personal hurt, that wasn’t the point. 

The Tulach’s circumvented the rules of country and capitalism to create their own way of life. The monarchies reacted with violence and vengeance first. How could they expect the pirates to sit back and do nothing? 

Maddox noted the distance the princess put between the cruelty and herself. As the song said, people just ain’t no good. Didn’t matter if she had a throne or if he was a criminal. Neither of them could stop what had been set into motion or offer sympathy at that point. 

The two had been bobbing and weaving on either sides of a hunk of splintered wood. Maddox shifted, turning the side to catch a glimpse of another room. “Was the fire worth it? All this?” A hand gestured to the black and ash surrounding them. “Not for the royals in general. But personally. Was the risk, the dungeon, a death– was it worth it?” His tone wasn’t taunting, he asked as a general question. A question he’d begun to ask himself recently too.

If there was one thing a person could not do when dealing with a potentially violent enemy, it was hesitate. Make a plan. Follow through. Alex had told her that the best choice was running when faced with an opponent she did not hope to physically overpower. Lecia was ready to run. She watched Maddox turn to the side, and knew this was the time.

She ducked under the beam. Then... she hesitated. Intrigued by his words, she stopped right there in front of the beam like an idiot. Somehow the pirate seemed even taller, even more imposing from this angle. Foder. Keep talking, she told herself.

“If it had worked then I am finally off this godforsaken island, and my answer is being yes,” she said, “So if I am having integrity then my answer must still be yes even though they have cocked it up. Even when...” She shook her head. Even when she had been forced into the dungeons, and everything that had entailed.

“Why do you ask this?”

[leciacardoza]

theragnarssaga‌:

“What if - ”

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry; eyes down on the fork drawing lazy patterns in the sand. There was no good way to say this. Maybe the crazy pirate woman had been kinder to him that he’d given her credit for.

“What if Japan or Italy or none of the countries had attacked at all. What if - what if the - the entire situation was - was set up by a - a third party.” Another swirl, crossing out the earlier pattern. “The same third party that planted - planted bodies and evidence to start the war.”

The sun was hot on the back of his neck but failed to warm him.

“The same third party that - that has kidnapped royals from over a dozen countries in order to - to continue pointing fingers and - and directing the war.”

His voice was barely more than a whisper now. He was afraid if he said it too loudly, too often - it might become true. Might already be true.

“No one knows what happened to - to the Ukrainian princess’ body. But I wonder if - ” He cleared his throat. “If Ukraine joined the war on a specific side after what - what happened.”

He finally chanced a look up, pleading. “Tell me I sound - sound crazy.”

A long, wordless moment passed between them. It took Lecia a few seconds to figure out the villain of his long-winded hypothetical, and a few more to debate with herself whether it was even possible. Why not, though? Their captors were capable of many things. She studied Ragnar’s face, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered this new, and troubling prospect. 

Lecia reached for his hand.

“That would... explain many things,” she said, stealing his fork away with the same nimble fingers that had become so adept at picking pockets. Ragnar was going to need a sharp thing more than he realized, spouting off ideas like these. She held his utensil between the rocks, and began to sharpen the handle.

“You are not staying out of trouble at all,” she muttered. “Are you having proof?” 

[leciacardoza]

princenaelxdlf‌:

   Nael held his stance beside her, although looking to Lecia with slightly furrowed brows. Personally, he did not think nor consider royals to be normal. How could he, when they had been raised from birth with a title that preceded themselves. When all of them had a destiny to fulfill, written beforehand. When their lives were much more complex than that of everyone else’s. What she said, however, had him doubting.

   “Are we really normal?” he asked, focusing his gaze onto her. “And what about you? Why do you say you are no longer normal?”

“The pirates take a daughter of Portugal down to be interrogated, but I am not sure it is a daughter of Portugal who is coming out of that place,” she said softly. Lecia watched the crowd in the Canteen, ignoring his pointed stare. It was easier to be candid when she couldn’t see the reaction on his face. She cleared her throat.  

“I think royal people are normal,” said Lecia, quickly changing the subject, “They have families and ambitions, and they love and they hurt like anyone else. You do not think they should be called normal?”

[leciacardoza]

emiliaadley‌:

Emilia frowned slightly at Lecia’s question. “What do you mean exactly?” she questioned. “Like how did they capture me?” She had thought back to the night she was kidnapped many times, focusing on it and how foolish she had been. “I was at a party. And…I was drunk.” the princess began to explain. Only seven months had passed but it felt like a lifetime ago. She was a completely different person from the woman who was kidnapped. “A hot guy offered me chocolate liquor and I followed like an idiot.”

“But here on the island at least i’m treated well. Ramses he is…” Mia found herself trailing off, watching her words carefully. “Kind.” she decided, unsure of what else she could say. “And you?”

“It is when I am flying home from South America. There is a mix up with my transport at the airport in Lisbon. I do not know exactly what. My assistant is taking care of it. All I know is they put me in a car, and then that car takes me to a ship instead of my home.”  Lecia had lost several nights of sleep mulling over what she could have done differently. If she could have actually made it home safely. Fixating on regrets did nothing for her in the here and now, though.

“Kind is good,” said Lecia, “Until they are not so kind, yes?”

[leciacardoza]

blueblxod‌:

“The only reasons why he would lie to me would be to gain my trust, and he already lost that opportunity when he tortured me after,” he actually made him hate the other more, because he believed him, but tortured him anyway, that made him get even madder than he would have if he had tortured him to get answers out of him.

“He said he wanted to give an example to other royals.”

“Hmm.” Interesting.

Lecia could not see her feet. Just two lumps in the sand. Slowly she began to brush the sand aside again, uncovering them. Making an example was not something she had heard during her time in the dungeon. It was a phrase that struck her as strange and yet familiar at the same time. Ukraine had been made an example of too.

“I should go,” she said. Lecia stood, and dusted off her pants.

[thebarksy]

[leciacardoza]

thebarksy‌:

aarontveit: Annnnd here is the picture in question, since I was caught taking it amidst this awesome rehearsal video.

Crossing paths with @theragnarssaga​.

[leciacardoza]

princenaelxdlf‌:

   Always ever the understanding one, Nael, with a tight-lipped smile on his features, nodding in her direction. “But of course. There is no rush.” He dare not to pressure her - or anyone for that matter - if she was not ready to do anything. It was her own autonomy to do whatever she wished; he was in no position to entirely urge.

   Taking yet another bite into his muffin, the principe turned around to face the Canteen. Chocolate hues swept around, taking in various expressions and emotions of the people currently in the area. As he chewed, it baffled him just how far they have all come. 

   Standing by her side now, Nael tilted his head, managing to hold a meek smile still. “You know, it is hard to believe that at least half of them are rulers of countries.” he mused, speaking openly as he glanced in Lecia’s direction. “We all look so normal when we are not draped and adorned with the finest of cloths and jewelry.”

“We are normal.” Regardless of clothing. She had said as much to one of the pirates the other day. They had asked what it was like to be royalty, and Lecia had answered honestly. No different really, she had thought, than any other life. A little more privileged, perhaps. Before the island she had never had to wonder where her next meal would come from, or if she could afford a warm coat for the winter. Charitable work  with the less fortunate had introduced her to people who really had to worry about those things. But for the most part, she and her family were normal people.

“Or... they are normal,” she said, correcting herself as she nodded toward the crowd, “Royal people are normal. I am not sure about me anymore. I am not sure I am the same person that I am before I come to this island.”

[leciacardoza]

theragnarssaga‌:

He had to ask. If they were - were making their own weapons, it only made sense to know what they were up against, even if the answer was going to be something hopeless. That said…

…He did not recall seeing any firearms on the island since he had woken up in his hotel room. Not that he had seen everything on the island, but if firearms were that limited and that locked away - maybe there was a sliver of a chance.

Her rebuke snapped him out of his reverie. “Wh- What? Of course I have. I am no trouble to anyone.” The denial was reflex; ingrained habit from years of having to deny escapades that were not his fault, not really.

After a moment’s reflection though, he flinched. “Well. I - I have met some more people since - since last time. They told me about the - the dungeons.”

He looked down, idly drawing patterns in the sand with his fork. It was very - very zen. Sand gardens. Japan had those, he thought.

“What do you recall about - about the war? Before you - you - ” He gestured. “Before this.”

Lecia turned her fork over to work on the other side. She cast a disapproving glance in the direction of his utensil which was busy pushing dirt. Maybe having something sharp on hand wasn’t as pressing an issue when one was nearly the same size as many of their oppressors. Lecia didn’t not have that luxury. Maybe he was just lazy.

“The war?” she echoed. Hearing him bring that up was enough of a surprise that she actually stopped what she was doing. Her hand holding the rock hovered over her fork. She looked at him curiously.

“Japan is attacking Italy. It  is... brutal. The son murders a king and queen in their sleep. I do not know why he is doing such a thing. I do not know much about it. And... I do not think about these things for a long time. There is no news here. Why do you ask?”

[leciacardoza]

aaronherzog‌:

Aaron stared at Lecia as she stared at him, the color in her cheeks not receding, but growing darker. He caught the telling blush but didn’t reveal a grin or a smirk, instead keeping a focus on her eyes. But, god, did he want to ask more. “We are not talking about the book, schatzen. You did climb into my bed.” He leaned in as close as he thought was safe where he would not lose an eye. “And someone climbed into yours?”

Lecia mentioned the seashells and he straightened up with a nod. The two of them agreed on an engagement, an open arrangement that did not entail having to disclose every detail of their ‘indiscretions.’ But Aaron was so damn curious it was difficult not to wonder. Being the open book that he was, he found himself all too invested in what others did around him. Like Malle and her ‘mystery pirate.’ Aaron had to wonder if the figurative bear in question was a real person, and if he was a pirate. He slid off the bed and sank onto his knees on the floor, reaching under his bed.

“How many? You have not brought me some in a while. I think I have eight left. And… some broken glass, if you really need it.”

“Four, please.” She watched him disappear over the side of the bed, grateful that he was no longer in her face demanding answers. Aaron was a good friend. He hid her treasures. He and Isolde had been there when she’d been released from interrogation. Considering the number of times he had talked about his Maddox, if anyone might understand...

“Goldilocks is the one falling asleep in the bed of a bear while the bear is away, yes? So maybe,” Lecia began to say. She hesitated. “Maybe I am the bear. Maybe I come home one night, and I am finding a Goldilocks asleep in my bed. Except when this Goldilocks is waking up, they do not run away. They are staying instead.” There. She’d said it. Sort of. There was a decidedly freeing, light and floaty kind of feeling that came with admitting something had happened. Even if she was not ready to say who. Aaron already knew something was going on anyway.

“It is no big deal. It is not as if... it is not...” Lecia stumbled over her words. She wasn’t sure what more she was trying to say. A part of her desperately wanted to brush off the entire situation as meaningless, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t. She bit down on her bottom lip. Her fingers ran along the stitching of his blanket.

“He can protect me, Aaron.” Can was the key word there. Whether or not the person she spoke of actually would protect her was a query that Lecia couldn’t answer. He was a troubled man. Strangely unpredictable - from wanting to teach her how to fight to openly weeping in Jacob’s villa. “And he is not all that he seems to be.”

[leciacardoza]

theragnarssaga‌:

Mutely, he accepted the nails in cupped hands. Just as mutely, he pulled out the cloth-wrapped shard of glass, tipped the nails in, rewrapped the bundle, and put it away. Little over a week here, and already he was feeling numb to - to all the sheer ridiculousness of their situations. Princesses tucking rusted nails like they were treasures in their clothing. Princes hoarding rocks and broken glass.

Áfram með smjörið. Nothing to do but to carry on.

“Eyes,” he repeated, as if watching the scene from a distance. “You - you have put much thought into this.”

He looked back down at the proffered seashell, running a careful finger down the edge. “Even if sharp, metal or shell or plastic - you - no,” he checked himself, “we - we will only get one chance to use these. Surprise is - is all we have, with these.”

He couldn’t bring himself to call the paltry collection weapons. Not yet. It looked like it belonged in an episode of some documentary of early humans.

“Lecia. You mentioned knives. What - what else do they have?”

Lecia stared at him blankly. When she was down in the red lit room, there had been only those horrendous hours of questioning or being left alone with nothing but her thoughts. It wasn’t a matter of putting much thought into anything. There had been little else to do except think about how to protect herself. Going for something vulnerable was basic self defense.

“Knives. Swords. I am seeing two pirates with guns, but I am sure there are more. Of course they are having more. They have an airplane. They have everything.” Her voice softened as she spoke the last little bit more to herself than to him. Lecia shook her head, and picked up her rock to get back to work.

“There are more things... that cause pain. If that is what you are after. But I cannot get you those. They are down in the... they are down in...” Could not get them or would not, it was all the same to her. They were in a place she couldn’t bring herself to name let alone go. Unable to finish the what she was trying to say, Lecia quickly changed the subject. “Are you following my advice and staying out of trouble? You are not going to surprise anyone otherwise.”

[leciacardoza]

princenaelxdlf‌:

   Watching as the princesa pulled out the orange from her pocket to rest in her hand, Nael could pick up vague hints as to what she could be thinking about. The principe would need to know more, but his guesses could potentially be getting warmer.

   Lips pursed at her query, his expression remaining to be grim. “I cannot say that it is a foolproof technique…” Nael admitted, his head gesturing to a tilt, “but I try to steady my breathing. And when I steady, I focus everything on my breathing. Nothing else. It may take a while but for me, it works.” Unfortunately for him, the method only worked half the time when he was in the dungeons. 

“... I will try it.”

Lecia was not sure it would work, but he had admitted it wasn’t foolproof. She shoved the orange back in her pocket. At the very least, his technique would help her remember to breathe even if it didn’t help with anything else.

“Not right now,” she added hastily, worried he might hold her to it and pull her into the Canteen at that very moment. She shook her head sharply, and backed up half a step. More like someday. Maybe. She wasn’t sure when. “Later. I will try.”

[leciacardoza]

princenaelxdlf‌:

   Her tone said it all; Nael sensed something askew. But being the man he was, would not push nor prompt the other into speaking. Unless, of course, it was something they wished. 

   Swallowing anxiously at her question, it was safe to say that it resounded with him heavily. “Si.” His first thought immediately went to the darkened walls of the dungeons. His expression faltered. “I… am familiar.”

He hesitated. He did not elaborate. Lecia could not count the number of times that people had told her everything was fine. Things would be all right. She would be all right. They did not hesitate or stumble over their words. They seemed so sure when she was not. Lecia wordlessly looked up at Nael.

She reached into her pocket, and wrapped her fingers around one of the oranges he had given her. She could feel the minuscule ridges of the slightly bumpy peel. She didn’t pull the fruit out of her pocket, but instead continued to hold onto it. There was comfort just in holding onto it, though Lecia could not have explained why.

“I am... feeling this often now. In the Canteen. In other places. Since... I know I am not... I know it is...” She struggled to say what what she wished to say. “What do you do when you are feeling this?”