The Queen's Advisor

[lordarthurofengland]

catherineofengland:

     with time came the mindset of a king, a demanding for respect catherine hadn’t held as a girl. now, however, it seemed the man before her threatened her pride in ways she didn’t wish to linger on. with a tensed jaw, she glared at him, blue eyes rolling only slightly as she continued to speak. “actually, i’ve decided on an englishman. one of noble birth, his station only slightly beneath mine but as is every man in the whole of europe.” she paused then, looking at him with the slightest bit of amusement. 

     “my father, before he struck a deal with the drunken french king had found a suitable pairing in the duke of cresswell and i know believe such a union would once more be suitable, do you not?” she eyed him then, as if challenging him to criticize the plan she had already decided on. “charming, handsome and with royal blood in his veins. it seems to me he is the only choice to be had unless you suggest i find my way into the bed of usurped scotts.”

there had but one thought in arthur’s mind from the time her father had passed, one fact which ruled all others in searching for catherine’s husband. he who hold the title of king of england was one which belonged to a predictable man, not one who catherine could control in the outmost, but at least in part. it was arthur’s task to ensure the crown remained atop her head and no one else’s, including her husbands. and while he knew william cresswell well enough to know he was a good man, he was far from predictable in manners of the heart. his name etched onto the hearts of countless of the court’s noble women. 

the lord was already in a foul mood, and it showed through in his voice, in his mannerisms. “you’ve picked yourself the prettiest face at court catherine, really?” he could not outright deny her choice. he knew better than that. to do so would mean driving her even more in the direction of her choice. “do you truly think he will do right by you where the other’s would not?”

[catherineofengland]

     catherine had been aware of his anger towards her, he didn’t wear it well. she had spent years with him at her side, guiding her, teaching her, watching as she obeyed his advice in hope it would make her all the stronger of a monarch. but where once stood a girl now stood a woman, more so, a queen. despite her gratefulness for his counsel, his word was no longer the end all be all in her mind. if she were to rule the way kings did she would have to have confidence in her own decisions. 

     “as we both know, there are whispers of my cousins plans, his ideas.” she began, an annoyance settled on cherubic features at the mere thought of henry and his antics. he hadn’t always been a nuisance but it seemed with each passing day he was proving more so. “what makes myself and my position vulnerable is my marital status… my lack of an heir.” so rose then, inhaling heavily through her nose. “i’ve spent many a day considering my choices, weighing my options and while my father intended me for france, i find them more trouble than their worth. their country in ruin, the respect for women? abysmal. i would be their savor and they my downfall. i will not tie myself to a country already in ruin. i refuse to be seen as weak and i refuse to taint my line with the very weakness they have shown generation after generation.”

[lordarthurofengland]

in his experience it was rarely a good thing when someone offered up such a long preamble to their point. whether she did so as a way of trying to mitigate the chance that he might disagree or because she sensed his own frustration with her he did not know. it was a rather unpredictable element to the lord, anger, so rarely seen in any way breaking the calm and distant surface he so often maintained. rare because it was such a difficult reaction to draw from him, and even more difficult to cast away and forget. 

arthur had never been an advocate for a union with the french, in fact since her fathers passing he had proven a rather prominent naysayer. “surely you have not called me here just to touch on the troubles of the french or their suitability catherine”, he answered flatly. considering her talk of tainting lines he only grinned slightly, there was no marriage he could conceive of that would not taint the english line in some way. but thus was the nature of existing as the most powerful monarchy, to be forced to depend on those lesser than for your survival. “surely you’ve concocted some clever alternate then, have you chosen yourself a guardsmen or perhaps a knight you’d see sitting at your side?”

[catherineofengland]

@lordarthurofengland

     catherine had put thought into it, had spent hours considering every possibility, weighing the possible reactions of her people and with a rather unwavering confidence she had decided. the duke of cresswell would be the next king of england and he would wear the crown well. it did help, catherine would admit, it did help she was beginning to once more feel her heart flutter for him as it did when she was a child. this arrangement was one of her own making, the first moment of true power she had held since her ascension. 

     it was with conviction that she sent a servant to fetch arthur, needing his blessing in her decision to ease any lingering anxieties more than anything else. his footsteps had alerted her to his presence, her gaze rising from the heap of parchment strewn before her, the softest of pink smiles settling over her otherwise porcelain skin. “lord blackwood, please, enter, sit.” she offered though they both knew it more a command than anything else. “i do have news i wish to share with you, and your counsel if you so see it fit.”

[lordarthurofengland]

he had spent great lengths of time avoiding catherine since their return from the palace, since commanding that she stay away, since their fight after her return. he had been frustrated then, on the cusp of rage even, that she’d insist on returning here. the lord had many jobs, but at the forefront of them all stood his priority of maintaining both hers and her sister’s safety. 

and after the frustration and rage faded with each passing day she remained safe he supposed it must have been his ego which kept him out of sight. after all, he had spent so many years protecting the interests of a princess, and now in her place stood a queen far less ready to take his guidance. 

regardless of his attempts at distance, when he heard of her summoning him he had no good reason to refuse, nor did he particularly want to. and so, as he entered the room he found his place across from her and nodded. that steely look of his eyes not so easily cast away, though his tone was more than pleasant, “what news is it that is so important it would warrant a private audience your highness?”

[lordarthurofengland]

fayehadlee:

Faye missed her dearest friend greatly and with the loss of her she had truly lost all those dear to her. Arthur was the only reminder she had of Grace and she couldn’t for the life of her let him slip through her fingers. Grace would not be pleased and Faye had to honor her friend no matter the wishes of the man who stood before her. As they continued on the little path Faye had been taking she took his arm with a bright smile. It felt as if she could ground him and keep him at her side if she just held on tight enough. She didn’t want him to try to sneak off before she got some time with him. She wanted to help him but he was quite stubborn. 

“The bar takes up so much of my time. I feel as if I am the only one who works there at times. I cannot bare to stay there at all times though. I needed some fresh air and my supplies are running low. I thought that I could find all the herbs I need for healing while clearing my head.” Faye spoke in a soft upbeat tone as they walked. “Why are you out Arthur? Could you not sleep?”

seeing faye he did his best to keep down the memories that began flooding the forefront of his mind, even the thought of her name a knife that wedged itself deep within his heart, grace, and with each pulse it tore at the broken thing in his chest. perhaps it was his own imagination, but just looking at the girl he saw his wife’s phantom heavy in the air around her. all the little influences, mannerisms she had left behind apparent in her old friend. 

“a dangerous way to clear one’s head”, he answered, though his tone was much lighter and teasing than the weight in his chest. the lord wondered then if it was written so plainly on his face, his insomnia, but then again faye had always been a healer. “i suppose the same as you, clearing my head.” 

[lloyd-vjorn]

Michiel Huisman

[lordarthurofengland]

fayehadlee:

Faye stared up at the familiar face and she could feel her heart breaking for him. A soft smile graced her lips but she tried to not let her sadness show. Arthur had been avoiding her for quite some time and though it stung she knew his reasons. She knew the pain he faced and she was sad that it had changed him so much. 

Reaching up she placed a hand lightly over his. “I can assure you that the fault was my own. Will you walk with me Arthur? I would like to catch up with you and this road is not the friendliest.” She knew that she could take care of herself but she hoped to force him to join her. Surely his sense of duty would not permit him to leave her on her path alone.

there was one very important condition to arthur’s lifestyle of continuing on, avoid complications. for the most part it had been easy, his past and most of the people in it were dead and gone, and that had made things much easier, it was sleep that posed the most apparent issue and that he could face with a very cleverly designed cocktail of medicines and ale. faye, faye was the acceptance, a living breathing reminder of the future he had once aspired to, and for the most part he had done a very good job at avoiding her... until now. seeing her so suddenly he felt suddenly out of touch with the calmness he so often exuded. 

the lord allowed her friendly touch for a moment before eloquently retracting his hand. she was clever, clever and persistent, it was those qualities above all he believed had attracted grace to her. if he could see his wife’s phantom then, he did think she would be wearing a most pleased grin. surely the girl knew he could not deny her, and so he summoned up some semblance of a smile in her direction. “of course milady.” he answered, offering her his arm and half hoping she would reject it. “why is it then you chose to travel after nightfall faye? this city is surely not the safest place for a young woman.”

[lordarthurofengland]

it had been some time since the attack, arthur had not been counting the days. perhaps slightly less than a week, maybe more. each day had seemed to blur together, the routines unfailingly similar, dusk bled into daybreak often without him seeing an hour of sleep. it showed on his features regardless of his willful attempts to conceal it. 

his days had been devoted to the interrogation of the two man who hid beneath the castle imprisoned and highly guarded. and so after many hours beneath he resurfaced to do what he had had to too many times recently. finding himself hidden away in an empty study, rag in hand and a bowl of water on the table as he did his best to clear the wounds that had reopened on his knuckles. if there was an easier way to interrogate the men he was sure he would of taken it, but even arthur a most reflective man did not think now the time for any kind of half measures. 

the grimace on his face contorted into a kind of wincing, each time he was forced to repeat the process it proved more painful, but he found himself suddenly distracted as the door to the study was pushed open. a dry humor enveloped his words as he cast his eyes in the direction of his visitor, “are we as a people still not civilized enough to knock?” though from the sight of him, all bloodied knuckles and dirties clothing he was hardly one to speak of civilization. 

[areszabini-deactivated20180527]

Faye enjoyed her walks to the market to get supplies for the bar. She had spent so much time serving up drinks over the past few days it was nice to get out on her own. Fresh air and the songs of birds surrounding her made her feel light and free. She practically skipped along singing to herself a silly song that her mother always used to sing to her. She didn’t even notice the other until it was too late and she was walking right into them. “I am so sorry! I did not see you. Are you okay?” She asked in a rush reaching out to help them in any way she could.

[lordarthurofengland]

arthur found himself in desperate need of an escape. the castle had grown claustrophobic in the days since the attack, every wall slowly closing in as it seemed any semblance of the truth fell further out of the lord’s reach. he did not know where he was going, nor did he particularly care, but he found himself walking through the near empty streets of the city completely absent from himself. 

suddenly feeling the collision of another body with his own he reached out, hands wrapping around the woman’s shoulders as he aimed to study them both. as he heard her apology his eyes focused in on the figure before him, and suddenly found himself feeling far more trapped than he ever had within the castle walls. “it is my fault faye, you needn’t apologize.”

[catherineofengland]

     it had not been her choice to remain hidden, in fact, catherine had thought it imperative her presence be known. had thought it vital for their people to know their queen did not cower in the face of danger. though, she was reminded rather quickly she would not be able to prove her tenacity if she were dead. with that, catherine hid as she was told, tucked away in a noble estate long since occupied. it was not home but for a time it was safe. days and nights passed in succession with little solace for the queen, no word of who was lost in the attacks, who sustained injury. she was only left to find this out when she arrived back to her home. 

     the air was bitter sweet on this morning, a happiness to be home and amongst her people but a lingering sadness in anticipation for a list of those lost. a small crowd had gathered outside the palace gates, a mix of warm welcome and heated criticism thrown at her carriage as it proceeded up to the entrance. with a faux confidence, one she wore often, catherine stepped from her carriage and onto the grounds of her childhood home. “alas.” she spoke and to no one in particular. “i am home.”

[lordarthurofengland]

arthur had not felt particularly happy with his decision to send his queen away, or at least to encourage her to go. he had always been of the belief that the closer she was the better he might keep her safe, but after the attacks thus had not been the case. it was his duty to try and uncover some truth, to interrogate the two attackers who for the time being were stowed secretly away in the dungeons, and these were not things he could do in her presence. these were not the kinds of things he would ever wish for her to witness. 

it was some times before he felt safe in her return, still he knew very little on the truths of that evenings attack, but they had no choice now. hers was the visage of hope, of strength, of prosperity -whether she believed it or not- and without it those things were quick to fade from the heart of england. 

as she stepped from the carriage he offered up his arm, a very eager part of him waiting for her to reveal exactly how upset she was with him. “and we could not be more thankful for that, your highness”. of course this was not the place for him to reveal anything, not the place for the very needed discussion between them, that would have to wait until they had hidden themselves away from the eyes of the city. 

[lordarthurofengland]

annexvalois:

Anne couldn’t hide her relief at seeing a familiar face and felt much safer now that she knew that he was around. Aside from her own brothers, she could not imagine anyone more suited to ensuring her safety as she gestured at her injured wrist. “I was out for a ride when it all started… my horse must have gotten frightened for it spooked and threw me off of it.” she started to explain, taking the chance to take his arm. 

“You do not know how relieved I am to see you, monsieur.” she said, a flood of emotions resulting in a tear being shed from both being overwhelmed by the events of the past hours and exhaustion. “I hurt my wrist.. when I fell, I think it may be broken..” she said, taking all she had to keep the injured arm close to her body so that it would be left as untouched as possible. 

She was not entirely familiar with the castle yet, and so she left it to his discretion how they would proceed to get back inside, “Do you know anything about who is responsible for this monsieur? My siblings.. do you know if they are safe?” 

arthur began guiding the pair of them towards a side entrance of the palace, one he knew to be too far from the action to draw any real attention. “is it only your wrist, princess?” his tone rampant with concern though he had aimed for a much calmer approach. it took a great deal to cause the lord to worry, that true kind of worry that made your palms sweat and face pale, but tonight he felt it thick in his bloodstream. a poison that threatened to spread and stop his mind from working. so he did not waste any time in moving towards the castle. 

inside the summer palace  he would find catherine alexandria, a number of other royals he’d taken a liking to, that was what he told himself, because the thought that they too might be out here, thrown from horses or the like, and not as lucky in finding him, threatened to send his knees buckling. “i have not been inside the wall yet princess, but i’ve heard no word otherwise”. he did not like to make empty promises, but he did not consider his words here empty, “we will find them your highness, i assure you”. if he needed to wander back out into the madness himself an find every single disobedient royal under his care he would. 

[rcdolphuslstrange]

It was immediately after the fire, when the smoke had cleared somewhat that Anne had her first glimpse of another human being. Having just been thrown from her horse, she was in pain all along her side, but mostly on her wrist which she cradled against her body in the only vaguely comfortable position she could manage as she endeavoured the first few steps. She was exhausted and wincing every two seconds from the piercing pain. The princess’s dress was a disaster, her blonde hair and face somewhat darkened by the smoke and soot in the air, while the hem of her gown - usually pristine- was wearing from dragging behind her as she walked. 

Her horse was long gone, but as she kept going, she noticed a man that was familiar to her, the english queen’s advisor and as soon as she was close enough she stopped walking and waited on him to come closer. “Lord Arthur…” she greeted, wincing as she held her hurt arm to her body like a bird would it’s broken wing. She was obviously fatigued and without realizing it, she almost fell into him, holding his arm for stability as she took a deep breath and whimpered at the pain of her damaged wrist. 

@lordarthurofengland

[lordarthurofengland]

arthur was a creature driven by duty and duty alone , it was perhaps for this reason that despite the chaos fear did not flood him and his head remained easily above the rising waters. it had been some time since he had wielded a blade, and though this one was unfamiliar to him, picked up from the knight’s tents, and slightly too light it came easily. the lord was following a pair of masked men back towards the wood, in the end watching as they were both lifted on to horses and took off, it was then he noticed the figure of the young french princess up ahead and rushed forward. 

the lords fingers wrapped around the woman’s undamaged arm, the other taking a gentle hold of her arm above that damaged wrist and eyeing it. “what are you doing out of the palace you highness?” he asked, and though his question lacked the flowery politesse he usually bestowed upon his courts visitors, it was not lacking in warmth. 

for a moment he placed himself between her and the scene ahead, seeing if they were far enough now or if things had calmed enough that he would risk taking her to the main gate of the palace, and deciding against it. he knew a side entrance that would pose far less of a risk of close encounters. “come”, he spoke, holding her up as he began in that direction, “i will bring you inside.”

[lordarthurofengland]

madelinestewart:

“Thank you.” As guilty as she felt for disrupting him, she was relieved to have some assistance setting her on the right path again. “I should have stayed in the gardens, but I just felt that I had spent too much time there, and that a change of scenery was just what I needed. And then once I made my mind up on a destination, I realised I’d become entirely lost.” Mindless chatter came easily to her. 

Realising he knew her, but she didn’t know him, she turned to smile at him. “I’m terribly sorry, but might I ask the name of my saviour?” It wasn’t intended mockingly, since she was grateful for the help, but her natural dramatic way of speaking often sounded like she saw everything as a joke. 

it was quite odd for arthur to be in the company of someone who spoke so freely, it seemed his own quiet nature rarely attracted people of that type, and his duties to the royal family often times meant pulling words like teeth from the unwilling mouths of nobles. as odd as it was, he could not help but find it rather nice. not in a way he could put into words, but nice nonetheless. 

arthur bowed a moment in her direction, a small smile on his lips, “lord arthur blackwood at your service”. someone replying in that same joking tone. he’d grown rather talented when it came to irony, but rarely was it used in such a jesting manner. “if it is a change of scenery you seek your highness, i dare say the castle holds far more appealing secrets than the stables.”

[lordarthurofengland]

alexandriatudxr:

So much had changed since her father had passed away, and yet in it all Arthur had been a constant, a safe place to hide away from the hysteria surrounding them. Of course Alex understood the significance of this moment in time, that in the years to come they would be in the history books, with men not unlike Arthur studying the impact of the new female led reign…and yet she still couldn’t quite understand how everything had changed, and yet it had all stayed the same. Arthur was not neutral by any means, but he didn’t sit directly in the family line, he was not indelibly linked to either of them – nor to the people who sought to undermine the throne. She trusted him, and more to the point, she trusted him to not spread malicious rumours to the enemies of the crown. Indeed, she trusted him so much, considered him so safe, that social etiquette melted away, and as he hid the book behind his back, she took a step closer, trying to keep the book in her sights so that she may have stolen it from his grip

“Judge you, Lord Blackwood?” The smile lingered on her face for a few seconds, one corner of her lip quirking up slightly further to give her a mischievous look, a look that was echoed in her tone, as her eyes flickered from the book in his grip, to his face. “I would never dare”. She needed only a few seconds to grab the book, but he was holding it just out of reach for her to grab. “Well, so long as you aren’t reading the fairytales my mother told me” she added playfully, darting forward to try and grab the book from. “For that I would have no option but to judge”

there had been a long period in his life where the brief moments that made up the good in the world seemed endless, and how quick he had been then to draw from that bank of happiness. it was youth and foolish optimism that had then convinced him that the fortune would never run dry. now, he was not so loose with his smiles, his laughs, but frugal. keeping those that remained hidden beneath the floor of his mind well guarded. but here he could not help himself but to draw on what limited wealth he had left, a smile gracing his features in a most unusual and breathtaking manner. to those who had seen him often, and knew the steady and stern appearance of his eyes the sight of his upturned lip might have been wholly new, but for the tudor girls it proved a much more frequent apparition. he was not sure when the little happiness he had remaining had been dedicated to them in the form of such undying loyalty, but now there was certainly no denying it. 

“what would be so horrid about a book of fairytales?” he asked chuckling, suddenly lighter on his feet that usual in side stepping her advance. the lord still a moment, his hands gripping the leather spine of the book tightly and out of reach. a playful sarcasm laced his words as he spoke, as if sharing the darkest of secrets, “no, i fear this is much much worse”. 

[lordarthurofengland]

fcryourpleasure:

Veronique sensed a tragic story behind the man’s words, but she knew better than to poke and prod at someone else’s painful past. Her own was no fairytale, and she had told only Madeline about it, and only in the vaguest of terms.

“I see. Had I the power, Aphrodite would free you from your punishment and restore you to happiness and health.”

She did not know what good her words would do, but she could not help but offer them anyway. She so hated to see others in torment.

there was something so strange about wishing the dead back to life, praying to the pink flood their skin, urging their chest to rise once more. there was no denying that arthur had spent countless hours doing just that, but it was a shackle no man could escape. such thoughts were a path down a long and dark unending road with no destination. and so he had learnt long ago to abandon them, shake himself from tlhe dreams and shackles he’d once been prisoner to. for this reason his smile was plagued by a wistful sadness. 

“if you possessed such power would you really see it wasted on the kind of man you serve?”, for he saw his trips to that place as just further terms of his sentencing, the kind of sin that seemed so sweet in it’s ability to ,for even minutes, make him forget all others. 

no, there was certainly no way to turn back time -not even for this woman who seemed most capable of anything. and to the lord blackwood that seemed the only way he might be freed. he had never dared to consider that happiness could be found any other way. 

[indaymusic]

Visit Original Link

Saturn | Sleeping At Last

How rare and beautiful It is to even exist

[lordarthurofengland]

fcryourpleasure:

“I accept your compliment, sir,” she said with a gracious nod. She liked to think that she distinguished herself from the other girls at the brothels with her wit and limited education. She had worked hard to cultivate a mystique and an attraction that was her own, not the bawdy display of some kitchen slut.

“Prometheus,” she repeated in a breathy voice, her brow knitting together as she strove to recall the tale.

“Yes, of course. But why him? Do you feel yourself faced with some impossible task, and endless agony as your only fate?”

to many the things that had happened in his life would not prove such a final condemnation, but to he - who had been so reserved until giving his heart so unreservedly- they’d proven a death sentence. not of his body, no, but his soul had been wounded so egregiously. at first it showed no signs of healing, but it eventually became a daily task to stitch himself up and wake to the bleeding as the day renewed. to him, prometheus was a most fitting deity. 

“not endless no, for unlike the titan who i represent today i will perish, but until then yes. that is precisely the tale the fates have woven me.” he answered honestly. 

pausing a moment he smiled, “it must seem a very bleak outlook when i phrase it so. but as i trust the titan did i find solace in my past.” 

[lordarthurofengland]

fcryourpleasure:

Veronique was charmed by his manners and graces, so different from the rough sort of groomsmen and stable lads that she took to her bed when necessity required it. Her clientele usually consisted of the wealthy and educated, but a girl had to eat, and she did not turn down the coins of a man just because he could not quote Virgil to her.

“And what is your disguise tonight? Are you perhaps a hero of Homer, Odysseus falling for the lures of the sirens?”

She had Joseph to thank for her limited classical education. Her beloved friend had spun her stories that entranced and excited her, romances and tales of epic heroes, the like of which Veronique had yet to find in reality. Men so often disappointed her.

he chuckled then at the idea, to be a man so easily tempted by the charms of woman, and so simple that he might identify as such. he shook his head no, “do i seem that kind of man to you madame?” he asked smirking slightly, “i would assure you, yours was a rather special case- perhaps a fact you might take pride in”. 

looking down at the garment he’d had fashioned, and the crimson embroidered line that rested beneath his ribs he gestured, “no tonight i’ve chosen prometheus,perhaps you are familiar with the tale?” he did not doubt she was. for a woman of such status her knowledge surprised him, the tale of how she had acquired he was sure far more interesting than a classical education. 

as a young man he would have never imagined himself as such a character, a titan doomed to the eternal torment prometheus saw. and yet, life was not so predictable and in many ways he saw himself each day, chained to that rock as he woke and ready to face the punishment of the eagle who threatened to rip his very soul from his being.