chaste eleanor

[scottishrcse]

captive-lisette:

Lisette’s gaze followed the princess as she spoke, pretty words falling from pretty lips, yet the Countess could still taste the malice in them. She never understood what had sent Eleanor against her, the two once closer than even Lisette and Madeline were now, but she suspected it wasn’t the actions of her brother like Tristan often insisted. 

“Of course.”, she agreed, her tone matching the innocence and politeness in Eleanor’s exactly, “England’s knights wouldn’t stand a chance against the highland’s finest warriors.” 

     the two had been friends once. .  eleanor had even at one point considered lisette family seeing as they shared a brother. it wasn’t until they had gotten older and tristan’s attentions found her friend that eleanor realized a truth about herself. that realization had been the death of their friendship, though the princess would blame the hatred on the acts of the countess’ mother as she rebelled against the rightful and god appointed king of scotland. “perhaps we suggest tristan and james ride to represent the highlands. i’m sure a contest between the two would be quite the sight.” because truthfully, what lisette had spoken had been right. not a soul would compare against the stewart brothers.

[scottishrcse]

captive-lisette:

For some reason, travel had always seemed to lighten Lisette, the countess thrilled to move from their chambers in England’s court down south to the summer castle, as if those few extra miles that separated the girl from her brother made her somehow safer from his treasonous reputation. 

She sat now among the other courtly ladies, gossiping and carrying on as they watched the knights and lordlings ready themselves for a long day of tournament. On this day, she was no longer the outsider many whispered about, but among the whispering as each of the ladies sized up their favorite competitor. 

“Him.”, she said lightly at a passerby, “He’ll go quite far.” 

     if eleanor were to be truthful, the sound of lisette’s voice set fire to her chest. there was something about the countess that angered her. .  and though she knew exactly why she couldn’t say aloud. .  so instead the princess would play as nicely as she could with the treacherous leach to appease the man they both sought undivided attention from. 

      “perhaps.”  eleanor spoke from the left of lisette, her gaze turning towards the girl for a moment before she was feigning innocence, a laugh falling from her lips. “i’ve never been good at picking winners. .  outside my brothers of course. surely, if they were competing there would be no contest.”

[scottishrcse]

james-of-scotland:

James hadn’t seen Eleanor since they’d arrived at the spring palace. She’d snuck off before they’d had some proper time together, though he was sure she was more than glad to have her own time away. However, that alone time had ended the moment James had spied her tucked away. 

“Lovely day indeed, I’ve already stepped in cow shit twice,” James said, glancing around as if trying to spy anyone he needed to heed decorum for. “Are you going to share that bottle I spied earlier, dear sister?” 

     james was a nuisance, truly. he played much too fast and loose for the calculated princess but at the end of the day they were blood and eleanor valued that above all else. it also helped that he spoke so casually words that brought a smile to her face. “i nearly fell in it. .  took me nearly an hour to find a spot without some sort of waste.”

     her gaze remained on him as he spoke of the goods she had tucked away, a wine she hadn’t been keen on sharing but would make an exception for hen it came to kin. “if i must.”

[scottishrcse]

annexvalois:

Anne smiled brightly upon seeing her friend, it seemed that they had thought similarly and the blonde princess felt relief in being able to escape the festivities for a moment. She had thought the air had become stale and being away from everyone was doing wonders for her disposition. 

“If you call grey skies and the promise of rain, lovely..” Anne commented, sitting beside Eleanor on the grass, lying back so that her back touched the earth, managing to somehow maintain her grace and poise as she looked up at the grey clouds. “Were you planning on sharing that wine you’ve got hidden in your skirts or is it simply a prop of a game of hide and seek you have with the palace kitchens?” 

     despite her original intentions for anne, eleanor had grown to genuinely lie the girl. she was entertaining in a way most others were not and frankly she spoke the way in which she felt and that was something eleanor would always have respect for. .  even if her own thought were more often than not hidden beneath pleasantries and formality. “i’ve heard english rain can be quite lovely.” eleanor spoke, practically scoffing as she too leaned back, her elbows against the green as she looked over at the blonde beside her. 

     a moment passed before eleanor was handing the princess the bottle, the smallest of laughs forcing themselves from red stained lips, thanks in part to the very wine she now shared. “i’ll have you know, it was quite the feat getting this.” which wasn’t exactly the truth, all the scottish princess had to do was smile and whisper a nuanced phrased to the kitchen hadn’t before he was handing it over. “it seems as though, england isnt as well off as we had thought. . . hoarding wines from royal guests.”

[scottishrcse]

      cow shit. this whole country smelt of it and this palace, it seemed, was not only plagued with its smell but its sight as well. eleanor longed for the fields of scotland, where wild flowers grew and the air smelt of the sea. for now, all she had was this patch of grass near the wood surrounding the palace and a bottle of wine she had snagged from a kitchen boy with nothing more than a smile. 

     the bottle was hid as she watching someone approach, smile placed with more effort than it should have taken on her face. “a lovely day, is it not?” she spoke, though it was not a lovely day. .  eleanor doubted this place was capable of lovely days. “perfect day for such joyous celebrations.”

[diioonysus]

greek mythology → kakia

greek goddess of vice & moral badness

[scottishrcse]

the days approaching the dead kings birthday had been dreary at best. it seemed as if everyone was stepping on eggshells, trying their best not to upset anyone, specifically the queen. and while the scottish princess put on quite the show of being empathetic to the young monarch she was now growing bored.

the reason it had always been easy for young, chaste and penitent eleanor to play this roll was because there was always others to entertain her, always others to flitter about and make trouble.. but seeing as there was now no one to do this, it was time to take matters into her own hands…  but how?

her train of thought had been interrupted as she heard another kneel beside her before the cross, her hands instantly moving to her chest to make a show of her act. ‘amen.’ she whispered softly, kissing the rosary in her hands before she was looking over the person to her left.

[scottishrcse]

charles:

       “ god, no, ” he refuted, left side of his face pinching at the memory of the first time he’d drank something apart from their usual drink. by no means was it appetizing, but charles was also foolish enough to give it a second chance if the opportunity ever presented itself. “ i’m a wine man, ” he disclosed, as if that at all would place him upon a higher status. his left shoulder shrugged halfheartedly. “ i can understand some’s appeal for ale, is all. ”

     boring, boring, boring. thats all any of this drab court talk seemed to be. her need for something more was the sole drive for the next slew of words that fell from her tongue. “tell me, whats it like in france as of late?” it wasn’t an outright insult but the insinuation as well as genuine curiosity was there. “i’ve heard terrible, terrible things. . . i’ve prayed many a night for the french.”

[scottishrcse]

eleanor:

there were few things the scottish king was less equipped to handle than watching his sister being leered after by red faced noblemen. for the youngest of the two it had always been a task of saving one too gentle to know how to save herself, where eleanor was concerned it had never been a question as to whether she could save herself but whether she would. it was a distinction that meant night and day to her brother, who need never look far to see the resemblances they shared. 

his arm fell from her shoulder, instead taking her hand in his as they continued to distance themselves from the drunkard. tristan’s was a deep laugh, as it vibrated through his chest. “and would i ever ask a prize such as yourself to stoop so low?” hardly. it was a reward he could not grant himself but would afford his beloved sister, if she could not choose with her heart then at least she would have someone worthy of a creature like herself. his gaze turned to her, blue eyes bright, “please tell me you’ve not wasted your entire night on men the likes of him?”

     “perhaps not. . . that doesn’t mean i wouldn’t if it was necessary in securing your birthright.” she inserted, hand giving his own a single squeeze before she was dropping it altogether. it was important to eleanor that she concealed any suspicion of her true feelings, especially in public. it was one thing to ruin her own image but it was unthinkable to to do so to his own. the truth of the matter was, eleanor would give her life for tristan, her chastity was of little concern after that. 

     her own gaze lingered on the drunk a moment longer, disgust now visible on soft features. “i’ve wasted my time on him and many like him, any that could aid you in your venture.” the words were sullen, tired eyes now trained on the man she called both king and brother. a moment passed as she decided on her next option, hand finally finding way to his cheek, thumb stroking softly. “i would marry they oldest, ugliest lord here if it meant you could return home to scotland.”

[scottishrcse]

madeline:

It was a family secret that Madeline was incredibly stubborn. Tell her no, and she’d simply go ahead and pretend she was told yes. “Aye, Eleanor, one knight is of no use.” Her voice lowered, their conversation for them alone. There was no heat to her words, but Madeline could not hide from her sister how she felt. “But chasing them away means we won’t have anyone to stand by us but ourselves. We need allies.” It wasn’t why she tried so hard to make people like her, but it was a point that Eleanor couldn’t deny. 

Her arms, crossed, were not the only signs that Madeline was hurt by the remark from her sister. She wore her emotions openly, and her face bore all the signs of her feelings. If they had been alone, she would have considered arguing further, but to disappoint Eleanor and Tristan by causing a scene? That wasn’t possible for Madeline. She was certain they saw her as foolish, but she did put their family first, always. “Never mind all that.” She pushed away the negative thoughts, something she had become skilled at. “That man did seem a terrible bore, you’ll need an excuse if he comes back.” 

    if madeline were anything, it was exhausting, at least for the likes of eleanor. never had the elder girl worn her emotions on the forefront, never had she allowed herself to be worked up so easily. it was a duty to remain poised, a privilege not many were afforded. “it is not a knight we need. it is an army and capital. i don’t suppose your plan is to charm seven knights for what? an army of seven? it is lords you should be focusing your attentions on, dukes and princes. a knight is nothing in comparison, little one.”

     once more, eleanor found herself exhaling heavily, wishing their mother had been as hard on madeline as she was on herself. maybe then the child would have had some clue as to the games they had to play and with what people. “but if it pleases you so, sister, please, do ready your army of seven.” she chuckled then, and not the hearty sort but one of a patronizing tone.

[scottishrcse]

madeline:

Madeline giggled at her sister’s relief. “I’m glad to hear that. Come, we should move away from her, lest he comes back with those drinks.” She grabbed Eleanor’s hand and coaxed her just a little further away, hoping the man would find a distraction. Otherwise, Madeline would sacrifice herself to make Eleanor smile, and convince him to dance with her. 

“You don’t know that. I danced with a knight tonight, I’d dare say he’d be a wonderful fighter.” She knew that Eleanor had more to worry about than Madeline, but that was in part choice. Madeline hated to think about things that soured her mood, but her warm nature did lend herself well to diplomacy, fortunately. “One advantage dancing gives me is that I meet so many people, and it provides me the perfect excuse to slip away should I want to. You simply go ‘oh, I promised this next dance to my brother, I best go find him’ and then just walk away. No one ever questions it when you don’t find your brother. Who knows where they get to.” 

     “a single knight will not take back our homeland.” eleanor all but snapped, her gaze hardened and narrowed at the youngest of her clan. it never ceased to amaze eleanor just how naive madeline could manage to be, especially in times like these when their attentions needed not focus on anything but the redemption of their line.

     it was with a deep breath that the princess suppressed her annoyance, finding no point in reprimanding her sister now. instead, she tried her best to understand her perspective, the privileges her position in their family afforded her. “aye, little bird, if i am to find myself in a similar situation i shall use our brother’s as an excuse. .  how clever of you.”

[scottishrcse]

charles:

     his gaze had been set elsewhere, the bustling crowd of people that seemed to almost translate more like a colony of ants than civilized nobility. but charles was biased ; there hardly ever felt to be any comparison to his home country, even if it was better labeled decrepit now following his father’s poor decisions. his lips caught the rim of his glass, though his hand did little more than let the wine leave behind a residual burgundy to his mouth before dropping the glass away enough to speak. “ so long as you admit your fault. ” his head tipped slightly to the right in minute offering. “ though maybe you’ve just not had the right ale. ” 

     unlikely. ale was a poor man’s beverage, one that had no place in the affairs of well suited individuals. “perhaps.” she lied, faux smile pulling at the corners of her lips. the french hadn’t much to offer at the moment, but with england on their side they might. .  meaning this prince was one her attentions would have to remain on. “is there one you suggest?” her tone held an inflection now it hadn’t before, one that feigned genuine interest. 

[scottishrcse]

madeline:

Madeline was having a wonderful time, but then, she always made the best of everything. Spying her sister on the edges of the room, Madeline made her way over, just in time to hear her words, clearly not a response to whatever the man talking to her had been saying. “I agree entirely, sister.” She smiled at the man briefly, before a brighter smile was directed at Eleanor.

“Wine is by far the better option, and I see you are in need of a fresh glass of wine.” She turned to the man again, and the expectant look on her face had him bowing and offering to fetch them both a drink. Once he was gone, Madeline greeted her sister properly. “You haven’t been here all night, have you? There are some wonderful dancers.”

     “fortunately enough, no, dear sister.” she breathed in response to her sister’s question, nostrils flaring at even the sight of the man she had been speaking to moments ago. the girl had to go so far as to stifling a groan once he was clear and out of sight. entertaining noble men with capital may have been her duty but it did not mean she was especially keen on it, nor did she have to appear so. her looks allotted her a certain amount of leeway; one didn’t have to be warm or even welcoming when all a man wanted was a place to put his length. 

     her gaze found way to the one she called little sister, curls flowing and worries unseen. oh to be the youngest. “little bird, wonderful dancers does not an army make.” she sighed, one fingers twirling around a loose curls falling from from the other’s face. 

[scottishrcse]

tristan:

tristan watched for a moment as the impassioned nobleman continued bravely on, making some case for the superiority of ale to port. amusement plain on his face as he watched her fade in and out of the conversation. she knew as well as he did where their duties were, that conversations with bland men and false smiles were the territory upon which they had built their castle. but tonight was a night of exceptions, besides it did seem by the red of the mans cheeks he’d drank more than enough for this conversation to be but a faded memory come morning. 

stepping forward his arm draped around the shoulders of his sister, voice playful and quiet as he whispered in her ear, “shouldn’t a princess of your upbringing know better than to converse about such important political topics in the presence of men?” his gaze turned to the man, tone charming and warm, “do excuse the intrusion, but i fear i must steal the princess away”. 

     eleanor was thankful to be rescued from a slurring duke, his hands dangerously close to her waistline. as if, tristan would ever allow such a man to even consider her hand. the thought alone had her skin crawling, a reaction that was subdued by a warmed half embrace. “he smelt of horse dung.” she breathed once they were out of ear shot, disgust painted on her face as their bodies turned away from the open room and towards the wall. “i would do nearly anything for you, except that man.”

     her words were lies. eleanor would do anything he asked of her, her loyalty knowing no bounds. whatever would ease his strife she would manage. it was what they did. they looked out for one another. .  the only two that knew the best for one another. .  or so she believed. 

[scottishrcse]

     dreary. that was the only descriptor the scottish born girl could give her temporary home. had she the time for fun it wasn’t as if she would have found it housed here. even something as fortuitous as a coronation ball seemed stale in comparison to the one she had imagined for tristan; the one he had been robbed of. eleanor had taken it upon herself to shmooze whoever she needed to regain their birthright. 

     that decision had the princess where she was now, standing by idly as someone spoke words she couldn’t bring herself to care about. it was with the end of their sentence that she found her gaze on them once again rather than the wall behind them. “it is my opinion that ale pales in comparison to wine but i suppose everyone is entitled to a preference. .  no matter how wrong it may be.”

[scottishrcse]

     dreary. that was the only descriptor the scottish born girl could give her temporary home. had she the time for fun it wasn’t as if she would have found it housed here. even something as fortuitous as a coronation ball seemed stale in comparison to the one she had imagined for tristan; the one he had been robbed of. eleanor had taken it upon herself to shmooze whoever she needed to regain their birthright. 

     that decision had the princess where she was now, standing by idly as someone spoke words she couldn’t bring herself to care about. it was with the end of their sentence that she found her gaze on them once again rather than the wall behind them. “it is my opinion that ale pales in comparison to wine but i suppose everyone is entitled to a preference. .  no matter how wrong it may be.”

[forthequeenrpg]

ELEANOR STEWART, who is commonly mistaken for caitlin stasey, is the TWENTY THREE year old princess of scotland. she walks amongst the castle as THE FACADE, though unfortunately, she is CLOSED.

AND SO THE STORY GOES …

pride. eleanor was full of it. in her country, her people, herself and most importantly her brother. while he was six years her senior she had always been closest to him out of her siblings, like minded she assumed. it was in his shadow that she realized her purpose; his protector. it was her life’s purpose to keep him on the throne, to insure no one threatened his reign. this had the princess offering her counsel, contracting eyes and most importantly at his side.

while she maintained her pious act she couldn’t help but plot and scheme to will away their enemies, to find him a wife fitting of his greatness. it was in her own inability to approve of a woman that she realized her inner most secret; one she had for years but refused to acknowledge. no noble or royal was good enough for tristan because they hadn’t the ability to love him the way she had, the way she always would.

while others might have repented for such thoughts, eleanor merely accepted them, knowing her ideas to be true. there would be no queen good enough for scotland unless it was her.

LIVES INTERTWINED.

Lisette: it was the attention tristan gave this lowly girl that had always set a flame to eleanor’s chest. an anger within her for anyone who could steal away his affections. it was this very reason that eleanor was openly horrid to lisette, toying with her like she was nothing because in eleanor’s mind thats exactly what she was.

Tristan Stewart, King of Scotland: it was an unintended feeling that swelled in her heart for her king, one that was misplaced surely. but that didn’t change the fact that eleanor didn’t want to rid herself of it, didn’t want to find salvation from her sin. she was more than content in her feelings for her brother and while she couldn’t resign herself to allow him to find a suitable wife she could and would ruin any prospect he came across.

Anne Valois, Princess of France: it was eleanor’s job to know everything about the people connected to tristan which was exactly why she had feigned friendship with the sister of her brother’s intended. if anyone were to let something slip about the girl it would surely be her older sister. it seemed, however, that somewhere in the midst of all her acting, eleanor had actually grown to care for the french princess known as anne.

+ CLEVER, FARSIGHTED, LOYAL, PERSUASIVE

─ SNEAKY, CONNIVING, POISONOUS, POSSESSIVE