lady of the north.

lady morwena greenwood.

[spencerhastinghs-deactivated201]

[morwcna]

noble-intenticns​.

Jia nodded graciously, her mind racing behind her serene eyes as she tried to come up with a reason to be there. Lady Morwena was a well-known figure at court, a social butterfly who seemed to know everyone who was anyone. She had paid attention to her as a potential source of information, but obviously, this was a less than ideal way to approach her. “Thank you, you’re too kind,” she stepped into the room, taking a seat as indicated and smoothing out her skirts.

“I was hoping I might get your opinion on the attitude of the court, since her royal highness made her declaration,” Jia spoke clearly, she had no idea how much influence Morwena had, but she was clearly well-connected and active in the court. It couldn’t hurt to get her perspective on things. “I know that my people are not always well-regarded here, but I am hopeful that we can still make an alliance, and it would be helpful to know if the nobles at court are still favorable to such an arrangement.”

Morwena sat down in the plush chair opposite from Jia, adjusting the material of her robe to fall perfectly over her crossed legs. She did not often have people in her chambers — aside from her home in the North, her room at the castle was one of the only places she felt truly safe and which allowed her the kind of privacy she often craved. For meetings such as this, she would normally arrange them elsewhere, but this had been an unexpected call ( on both ends, she supposed ). And it was a good opportunity to try and garner some more details. 

She was careful to think before replying — these were sensitive matters, and though Morwena tended to be more blunt than diplomatic, she knew this was a conversation to tread carefully in. “From what I gather, that the court stands behind the princess and the proposed alliance. The nobles are incredibly loyal to the royal family, the Greenwoods included.” A bit of a stretch ... there were a few dissenters such as herself — but there was no need to share that. She wasn’t against the two kingdoms finally having peace either, she just thought an arranged marriage was SILLY and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. “How do your people feel about the new terms the crown princess has proposed? I know they are not exactly part of the plan that was laid out originally.”

[morwcna]

@maria-baltierra​.

The last time Morwena had run into the Princess of Ryhule, it had been under less than favourable circumstances. But she was just leaving the Royal Library after doing a little research of her own when she quite literally ran into the Princess herself. Of course, she was being trailed dutifully by a guard considering the circumstances, but he kept a slight distance. 

“Oh, Your Highness, my apologies,” Morwena said with a bow of her head, stepping back. “I should have looked around the corner before going ahead full-speed. Are you all right?” It hadn’t been a full-on collision, but she knew to be polite nonetheless. 

[morwcna]

ofnorthearl·.

“Nothing as fun as the way I presume your night ended.” Emmett was far more jealous than he should have been, and he made no effort to hide it. Oh how he would’ve liked to end the night in someone’s bed. Instead, he’d retreated to his chambers, reeling from the noble’s death, swarms of memories of his parents, and thoughts of his blackmailer.

“Someone is blackmailing me.” Stating the cold truth out loud did not make him feel better. If anything, it made him feel worse. How pathetic did one have to be for someone to be able to control them through blackmail? He, the Earl of the North, being held hostage by a stranger’s threats. “They have been for a year, and now, I have reason to believe they plan to follow through with the threats they’ve made despite my compliance with their demands.”

A chuckle hummed against her lips at his reply. She could sense the tiniest bit of JEALOUSY, and it did make her a little smug. But then, it had been surprising she had even ended up in bed with another considering they had all just been stunned with the news of a death. Not exactly the time for that sort of thing, but she’d been glad for it to happen nonetheless. Otherwise, she might have ended up unable to sleep, plagued with concerns and suspicious thoughts and a twinge of guilt for practically predicting someone’s death. She was a rational woman, of course she knew it wasn’t her fault — but she hadn’t wanted to be right about something like that. Death sickened her after the loss of her parents, and to even hear of a loss struck her quite deeply.

Any amusement immediately fell away as her brother came right out with the truth. Emmett being blackmailed wasn’t a surprise, with the things he got up to. YET, he sounded very serious about this case, which made her worry as to just what was being held against him. “Blackmail?” She furrowed her brows, stopping and facing him. “What exactly does this person have against you that paying them off wasn’t enough to keep it quiet?”

[morwcna]

oscanasmadam·.

It wasn’t unusual for Aria to meet a client in their chambers, people valued their privacy in Oscana, and the Layflower building itself could only do so much to give that. They had a process which they’d go through to make sure that employees venturing out would be safe and that worked too.

She was surprised at the woman on the other side of the door and was silent for a moment. “If you don’t know who I am there may have been a mistake, or someone playing a trick. My name is Aria?”

NOW she recognized her — she had seen this woman in the lower town on a few occasions venturing out of the castle. Morwena was not a patron of the Layflower herself, but she knew her brother to be a regular at the establishment. She took no issue with the place as some of the more ‘virtuous’ people at court might, and frankly, was glad for a woman such as Aria who had found a way to profit off the lusts of men. 

“Forgive me, I could not place you when I first saw you,” Morwena hummed. “I know you, madam. I have not yet visited your establishment, but I have a brother who rather favours it.” Her lips turned up just a bit at the corner. “I presume it was not me you were looking for? Perhaps I might point you in the right direction.” 

[morwcna]

— TASK 01;       — MORWENA GREENWOOD 

[goodreadss]

The more you love, the more you suffer.

(via goodreadss)

[morwcna]

aurora-windsor​.

Aurora was only slightly inebriated. Atleast that’s what she continued telling herself. In truth, she had consumed quite a bit of wine and not nearly enough food to compensate. Now that the banquet was over and the drama had died down considerably, Aurora felt extremely light and the older woman in front of her made her feel quite dizzy. But dizzy in a good way, of course. Her dainty hand felt warm against her skin and she just knew her heart rate had to be audible at this point. This was uncharted territory for Aurora but one that she was willing to venture. If you asked her later, however, she might just blame the wine.

Curiously, she closed the last bit of distance between them, her plump lips finding Morwena’s own. Her eyes fluttered shut immediately, much too nervous for her own good. She waited for a reaction, the slightest bit of movement from the other woman.

Morwena had made her move, subtle as it was, hoping it might push Aurora to bridge the distance. And it had worked — the other woman’s lips had found hers, and she smiled against them, pleased. Morwena placed her hand against Aurora’s neck and returned the kiss with a fervor, practically buzzing from the intensity of it all. She pushed forward to gently back the brunette up against the wall, ensuring any space that might have been between their bodies was now obsolete. There was something even more thrilling about it, the fact someone could stumble upon them at any moment, even if they had ventured further away from the party. Normally Morwena was much more discreet but, well ... this had hardly been planned. 

She tore her lips away from Aurora’s and was smug to see the young woman’s lips were slightly swollen, thanks to her. “So beautiful,” she murmured, her fingers tracing down Aurora’s neck whilst her other arm remained wrapped around the woman’s waist. She tilted her head to the side just a little, arching a curious brow with pupils blown. “Have you done anything like this before, my lady?” 

[morwcna]

ofnorthearl·.

Most of Emmett’s personal life was an open book. He didn’t hide his affairs or wrongdoings. When a scandal broke, he owned up to it, even claimed it proudly, as if it were a badge of honor. There was only one thing - one tiny little secret - that he had not shared.

Well, it wasn’t so tiny.

It was time to come clean. Not totally clean, of course, but to tell his secret to his sister. She, after all, was some of the only family he had left, and if anyone in Oscana could help put an end to the year long torment he’d endured, it would be her.

Walking along one of the garden paths, Emmett was careful to make sure that he and Morwena were out of earshot before he moved on from idle chit chat. “So the banquet ended with a bang, didn’t it?” He clicked his tongue, trying to forget the panic he’d felt in his chest when the death had been announced. “Did anything else interesting happen to you during the celebration?” // @morwcna·

THOUGH the day was a fresh one, the events of the banquet still seemed to loom over those at court, the Greenwood siblings included. Fortunately, despite the announcement of a death, Morwena’s night had ended rather pleasantly, thanks to a certain lady-in-waiting. A little smirk playing at the edge’s of her lips at her brother’s words, she replied, “It’s what happened after the banquet, actually ... but that’s hardly appropriate conversation.” She knew her brother would catch on — though Morwena was perhaps more secretive in her ‘improper’ endeavors than Emmett, these things were more easily shared between siblings than strangers. And Morwena knew her brother would never betray her confidence. 

“And what about you? After we spoke I didn’t see you ... anything of interest I should know about?” She hadn’t interacted with many others at the banquet at that point, letting herself be distracted by Aurora. But perhaps her brother had picked up on some more important information.

[morwcna]

aurora-windsor·.

At this point, Lady Aurora was sure her cheeks were rouged pink for reasons exceeding her consumption of wine. The other woman’s eyes on her felt more intense than it probably was and she found herself enjoying the way it felt to participate in this light banter with Morwena. It was quite easy flirting with her; much easier than trying to keep conversation with dull noblemen. There was a sense of excitement bubbling within Aurora and no doubt it was due to the Lady Greenwood. The smirk remained etched on her plump lips and now, it was her turn to face the other.

Aurora slightly tilted her head and reduced the distance between them. “Well, I definitely had not planned on it either; no one has really piqued my interest… Until now, that is,” she replied softly, smirk widened, before she began to walk away from the main crowd and down an empty corridor. She turned to gaze at Morwena, dark eyes enticing her to follow.

Morwena’s eyes betrayed the slightest surprise at Aurora’s sudden daring. But the surprise was quickly replaced with satisfaction, and she kept her darkened hues on the raven-haired woman whilst trailing after her down the corridor. Voices and music faded into the background the further away they got, and soon they were far away from prying eyes, lit by only the few candles on the walls. Morwena discarded her goblet somewhere along the way, leaving it on a stone windowsill. She drifted to a stop, waiting for Aurora to do the same. 

“We have left behind all distraction, and yet I still find myself quite preoccupied,” Morwena hummed, eyes falling down to Aurora’s lips. She closed some of the space between them, and reached up ... her thumb landed on the edge of the woman’s lips, and gently rubbed off the tiniest smudge of wine. Her own lips had parted, and she lifted her gaze, SUBTLY arching a brow in question. 

[morwcna]

princessrosamund·.

“Yes, of course, but you are here and they are not.  I imagine they’re off dancing, or otherwise enjoying their night.”  She could not demand they spend the entire evening following her around, after all, or it would become dreadfully dull for all of them.  In the case of an emergency such as this, it would be much more convenient to have them close, obviously, but she could not predict the clumsiness of other people.  She would simply have to make do with Lady Morwena’s assistance instead – and clearly that was fortunate, as Morwena seemed to be not only willing (begrudgingly, admittedly, but willing nevertheless) but able to help her.  She looked up gratefully.  “What are my options?”

“Must be nice,” Morwena mumbled under her breath. She sighed, looking the young princess over. “You could always duck out for a moment and change into one of your many, very fine gowns, and I’m sure look just as lovely as in this one. A little vinegar or salt will do the trick for the stain, which I’m sure the servants who will clean it later already know.” She tilted her head, the tiniest glimmer of amusement in her eyes as she proposed the final option. “OR — I could take my goblet here and spill some more so it looks purposeful, rather than a drunken fool’s error.” The thought of dousing the princess’s dress with more wine could have made her laugh, but she kept quite serious. 

[franceskray]

[morwcna]

aurora-windsor·.

Aurora had been anxiously anticipating the banquet for weeks now. It was one of her favorite parties and she thoroughly enjoyed it every single year. A silver goblet of wine remained in her hands throughout the evening and she stopped counting how much she had consumed after her third cup. The lady-in-waiting figured she should let loose while she was able to. The castle staff had done such a lovely job in preparing the banquet hall; it would be a shame for it all to go to waste.

The raven-haired woman would have been lying if she said she hadn’t noticed the Lady Morwena around Oscana court as of recently. And she certainly was a sight for sore eyes. Aurora made it a point to get to know everyone in the castle, but she particularly wanted to get to know Morwena. It seemed as if her wishes were coming true because now, the other woman began making her way over. Aurora felt her heartbeat quicken but she did her best to keep her calm.

A hum left Lady Aurora’s lips and she turned her head for just a moment to cast her gaze upon Morwena - Like always, she looked absolutely radiant. “Oh, I certainly agree,” she replied, finishing off her drink. “It’s quite interesting to see how a few goblets of wine will have even the highest of nobles acting,” a chuckle passed her lips before she cheekily added. “Will you be falling into anyone’s arms this evening, Lady Morwena?”

Morwena’s lips turned upward just slightly at the corners at Aurora’s bold, and slightly teasing inquiry. “Oh, I hadn’t quite planned on it,” she turned to face Aurora more head-on, eyes roaming momentarily from soft, dark brows to plump, wine-stained lips before snapping back up. “Though, should the right pair of arms offer themselves to me ... I just might be willing.” She drummed her fingers lightly on the silver goblet in hand, savoring the quick heartbeat and tingling sensation throughout that came with such subtle flirtations. It had been a while since she had spoken to someone in this manner, and how she had ever missed it. 

“And what about you, my lady?” She arched a perfect brow at her companion, eyes glimmering in the light of dozens of candles. “Might someone catch your eye and coax you away from Her Highness’s side tonight? No doubt you have more than one admirer here.” This was not a fabrication meant to flatter — with beauty such as hers, many had looked Aurora’s way during the course of the banquet. But not as many had been quite so self-assured as Morwena to actually approach the woman. TIMID was not a word many would use to describe Morwena Greenwood. 

[morwcna]

maria-baltierra​.

Maria’s heart had sunk when she heard the news. Though, she supposed she might have deserved that a bit - letting herself have such fun and she had failed to pay attention to the safety of her own people. “Yes,” she replied, giving a small nod at the woman’s comment. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

Morwena quickly realized the person she had spoken to was the Princess of Ryhule herself ... Maria Baltierra. She would have to be very careful of what she said next. While she was suspicious of the circumstances, she knew better than to encourage the Princess to have the same notions. That would only make things worse, and though she cared little about the marriage alliance, she did not want to be the person to push their country into a full-out war. “I am deeply sorry for your loss, Your Highness,” Morwena bowed her head in sympathy. 

[morwcna]

ofnorthearl·.

Emmett had been sure that the evening would end in a scandal, but he had never imagined that event in question would be death. His gut felt tight as he made his way through the crowd. Music was still playing in the background, but no one was dancing anymore. How could they? No matter what the guards told them, everyone knew that the night couldn’t simply go back to normal.

When he spotted his sister, Emmett took her arm and tugged lightly to pull her away from her conversation. “Excuse us,” he said with a swift nod at the others near her. They would understand, he was sure, why he was not his usual charming and bubbly self. “I just spoke with one of the queensguard - she said that the physician is claiming that the death was natural. But,” he cast a glance toward the other end of the hall where a group of Ryhule ambassadors stood huddled together. “I don’t think our foreign guests believe that.”

Morwena went willingly with her brother, suddenly very glad to see him. They isolated themselves off to the side of the hall, and she listened closely as he relayed more information to her. “I’m not so sure that I do either,” she admitted as she followed his gaze, though kept her voice low. “What are the odds that man would have died right here, right now, during a banquet meant to ease tensions between our kingdoms?” In her opinion, they were very SLIM. And maybe she was making all these worries up in her head. But she didn’t want to be next on anyone’s kill list either — though she had to hope that her neutrality made her less of a target.

“So then ... what are we to do?” Morwena glanced at the people around them, expression neutral and eyes full of musing. “I personally wasn’t feeling all that festive as it was ... now even less so. Do they really expect everyone to keep drinking and making merry after a man died?” The crown princess and those close to her had been tugged away whilst the party went on, but the tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a dagger. They could either shut things down immediately and escort the guests out, or look past the interruption and keep things going even longer. But the mood would not be the same — as Emmett had said, the Ryhule ambassadors were likely less than convinced about the inauspicious timing of it all.

[morwcna]

The news of a sudden death at the banquet struck Morwena speechless for a brief moment — this whole time she had been wary, quietly thinking to herself that this might be the perfect opportunity for someone to strike again ( under the assumption that the monarchs had not died naturally ). And then it happened — but she hadn’t actually wanted anyone to DIE. And though the crowd had been reassured that everything was fine, that the feast would continue despite the brief respite, Morwena was uneasy. Her gut was telling her not to be so easily convinced, as it had when the king and queen had been announced dead. She downed the rest of her goblet in an almost unladylike fashion, theories bouncing around in her head, before turning to the person nearest her. “No doubt all are quite sober now,” she couldn’t help but quip, arching a brow and hiding her distress well. 

[morwcna]

@aurora-windsor​.

After several goblets of warm, delicious wine, it was safe to say that Morwena was in a fairly PLEASANT mood whilst roaming the banquet hall. There was a light flush to her cheeks as her subtly softened gaze moved about. She was not the type to become a giggling, silly mess after consuming wine — but it did make her somewhat easier to get along with, more keen to approach someone that took her interest. And at that moment, it was the Lady Aurora Windsor that caught her eye. 

While Morwena was not so keen on the crown princess, the same was not at all true of her lady-in-waiting. From what the noblewoman had observed, Aurora could be quite sophisticated, but sometimes had trouble biting her tongue — very much like Morwena herself. She was also very lovely indeed, and it was a wonder to Morwena that she had not yet been married off. 

Aurora was standing off to the side of the hall, watching the festivities while cradling a silver goblet of her own. Morwena sauntered over with a certain looseness to her body that seemed elegant rather than drunken, coming to a halt to the side of Aurora. “This is my favourite part of the night,” she began, eyes trained on the scene before them. “It’s when the drunkenness really begins to set in — people tripping over their own feet while dancing, slurring their words, falling into others’ arms. I find it rather entertaining.”