It was only through travel that Carys had learned that she was a homebody. There was no denying the magnificence of the other courts, but there was always a part of her that yearned to be back in the familiarity of her home. Still, she knew it was her duty to be present, and so, she milled about as best as she could, offering smiles and light conversation as she passed.
After making her rounds, she settled into a corner of the room, feeling a bit of relief to have a moment to breathe. The moment was fleeting though, and her face lit up once more as she was approached. “I do hope you don’t find me rude to be hiding here.”
Although she was quite enjoying herself, Aurelia kept an eye out to watch what her sister-in-law was doing. She loved Carys very much, and wanted to be sure that she wasn’t overwhelmed or uncomfortable. So when she watched the other girl move into the corner, Aurelia was quick to excuse herself from her conversation and follow her. “You know I could never find you to be rude no matter what you did!” Aurelia said, reaching to take Carys’s hand for a quick squeeze. “Are you enjoying yourself? It’s quite exciting to see so many of the other royal families here.”
Carys had made the rounds that were expected, curtseying and offering smiles to the various royals and nobility that had gathered. It was exciting to have the entire realm gathered, even if it was for a somber occasion, but, in the moment, she was craving some sense of familiarity. She strained her neck, trying to spot a family member in the crowd. Aurelia, it seemed, was flourishing, and her brothers were no where to be found.
Instead, her eyes fell on a guard from the Dawn Court, one who had accompanied them for their journey. The two had made small acquaintances back at home, as he was usually on duty when she was making her way to the stables. Making her way over, she quickly shook her head at his inquiry. “No, no, not at all.” She glanced back to the crowd, before offering a light smile. “I must admit, I was not blessed with a comfort in crowds. It’s nice to see familiar faces among them.” The thought suddenly struck her that she might be impeding on Alistair’s own evening, surely even a guard deserved a bit of fun. “You must shoo me away if I’m interrupting your evening, though,” she added hastily.
Alistair’s posture relaxed a fraction as the princess spoke; if she wasn’t in danger, then he didn’t need to worry. It wasn’t usual for her to seek out his company - tonight he would have thought there were many other, better conversations to have - but it wasn’t too unexpected either. “I’m don’t take much comfort in crowds either, your highness. Likely for different reasons though.” To his own surprise, he cracked a small smile at that.
“No,” he added quickly, glancing back at the princess from where he’d been looking for her brothers. “I was sent to watch the family. I believe this conversation falls under that description.”
“King Beron was not a man who liked to share. If something was worth having, he wanted to keep it to himself.” He poured out two glasses and slid one across the table to his wife before taking a sip of his own. “Mm, divine. At some point I should speak to Queen Elara and see if she’s willing to part with a case.”
Perhaps he was behaving a little too happily for a memorial service, but Rhys hadn’t had a sad day since he’d married Arian and it was difficult to keep that hidden. He was also well aware of the worry that must have been on his wife’s mind, because he shared it. Rhys set down his glass and took Arian’s hands into his own. “He’s not here yet. Even his own citizens aren’t certain when he’ll turn up.”
Arian reached for the glass and sipped the wine curiously; it was very good and she hoped that the queen would allow them to bring some back with them. “I still think it seems foolish to disregard such a lucrative opportunity,” she said, shrugging; maybe the queen would be more interested in that idea than the king had been. Arian didn’t know anything about either of them.
She did know her husband, and his words of encouragement were very much appreciated. Squeezing his hand, she shifted a little closer to him; even when they first met, she had felt unified with him - here it felt almost like it was them - plus Oralie - against the world. “I’m not sure I’m ready to see him,” she admitted, glancing over her shoulder. “Do you think I have any hope he’ll just skip it? Or ignore us, if nothing else?”
It was only then that Elric noted the guard’s uniform. “Ah, quite right.”
Studying the man more carefully, Elric realised that he knew the uniform well from all the years he had spent waiting around the guard’s barracks for his father to finish his duty. “Oh good, I wasn’t sure if there were any other Dawn Court residents here. I assume you’re accompanying the Dageraad’s?” He was friendly with the royal family but he had been travelling for a long time and it had been a while since he had last seen them.
Perhaps that had been too abrupt, although Alistair didn’t care much if his manner displeased a total stranger. “Yes, I accompanied the royal family. They’re all mingling.” He gestured to where he could see at least the princesses nearby. “I was the one assigned duty tonight.” Even if one of the other guards had offered to swap places, Alistair didn’t think he would have been at ease anywhere else. Once this was finished though, he wouldn’t mind a chance to explore. “I’m Alistair Maddox.”
“I think a deep red velvet would make lovely curtains, and a dress all in gold would compliment some of my more extravagant jewellery nicely.” She pursed her lips in thought, then seemed to shake herself out of her little designing daydream. “Forgive me, how rude.” She held out a hand, each nail perfectly manicured and delicate gold bracelet draped elegantly around her wrist. “Lady Rosalia Swann of the Spring Court.”
Both of those options seemed quite right, although Aurelia couldn’t speak to the other woman’s jewelry taste. Gold wouldn’t be out of place at home though; perhaps she could look for something to bring back with her as well. It only seemed fitting to support the court while she was here. “It’s lovely to meet you, Lady Rosalia. I’m Princess Aurelia Dageraad, of the Dawn Court.” She gently shook Rosalia’s hand. “Have you been to the Autumn Court before? I confess, aside from my move to the Dawn Court from the Day Court, I haven’t done very much traveling.”
Elara fought the urge to roll her eyes. Everyone was offering her their sympathies and sad looks for the loss of her husband, but where had these people been when Beron had been so disgusting with her in life? No one had stepped in to stop him when he spoke cruelly to her or demanded she obey his every wish. “I have made my peace with my husband’s death. It is my son I worry for.” She couldn’t see him anywhere and assumed he was sulking in his room. “He has had to cope with the loss of his father and a throne in such a short space of time.”
Uncorking a bottle, Elara poured a glass of the vintage red for her guest. “This was Beron’s favourite. It seemed only fitting to serve at his memorial.”
Aurelia nodded thoughtfully; it would be difficult to deal with all the upheaval, no doubt, and there was the added layer of how the Autumn Court dealt with the line of succession. But in her opinion, it certainly couldn’t hurt to have a woman on the throne, someone with more experience. But she wasn’t really sure how to word a response and decided not to try to come up with something that could potentially be offensive.
“Oh, that looks quite lovely,” she murmured, taking the glass. She certainly was curious to see if it would live up to its reputation so she inclined it toward the queen in a salute before sipping - and it did live up to its reputation. Maybe the queen would be more amenable to parting with it than the king had been. “It’s a lovely tribute to him.”
Alistair had been eyeing Princess Aurelia, who seemed to be like a butterfly fluttering from flower to flower as she moved from one person to another, and didn’t realize Princess Carys was approaching him until she was right there. “Your highness,” he said curiously, glancing around to see if it looked like anyone was following her. “Is something wrong?”
He obviously didn’t know the royal family personally; as a guard, he knew his place. Princess Carys was a little different - her daily rides coincided with the end of his shift on watch, and he had become used to seeing her on a daily basis. It wasn’t a friendship by any stretch but it was a little less surprising to be approached by her than it might have been with anyone else.
Elric had not known the deceased king well, in fact he had only met the man once. When he had been travelling through the courts some years ago, he had stayed at the palace to learn from their resident healer when one of the king’s hunting companions had been brought into the infirmary with an arrow in the shoulder. Elric remembered that Beron had barked orders at the healer while Elric assisted, but the king had held his wounded friend’s hand the entire time and he had clearly been desperate to make sure his injuries were treated. Quite a different men to some of the stories Elric had heard whispered around the room.
“All seven courts gathering to remember one man.” He sighed and looked to the person next to him. “Did you know King Beron well?”
Alistair knew many of his colleagues thought he was lucky to be on duty now but he would prefer almost anything to this. Their formal uniforms were far less comfortable than he liked, and being surrounded by royals he didn’t know made him antsy. He’d found an unobtrusive place where he could observe and keep an eye on the whole family and hopefully avoid inane small talk.
That hope died quickly as he heard the voice. He glanced to the side and studied the man for a moment before shaking his head. “I didn’t know him at all. I’m only here to do my job.”
As much as she loved her home, the chance to visit another court was always thrilling for Rosalia. A season other than Spring was always fun to experience, and it gave her the chance to try out the fashions of another court. A dead king’s memorial might not have seemed the place to make a fashion statement, but Rosalia revelled in her beauty and wanted all eyes on her. The better a prize she made herself seem, the more likely she was to get her own king’s attention.
“The colours of the Autumn Court are so vibrant, don’t you think? I will have to purchase some deep red and gold fabrics whilst I am here to take home with me.”
“The colors are lovely,” Aurelia said in agreement. She personally gravitated more toward pastels and wouldn’t want to implement this in her own spaces but it made for a nice change. “Would the fabrics be for dresses or for decorations in your home?”
This event was worse than Elara could have possible imagined. She had thought this would all be over with Beron’s private funeral last month, but no, her advisers insisted upon a public memorial for all the courts to pay their respects. The last thing Elara wanted was to indulge in the lie that her husband had been a good man and a good king when he had been a tyrant that had held her captive for so many years. And now the bastard was holding her captive from beyond the grave and trapping her in the role of a grieving widow.
“Thank you for coming. Please, do indulge, it is what Beron would have wanted.” She had to hide her smirk at that. Beron had loathed all of the other courts, and would turn in his grave at the thought of them gulping down the bottles of expensive wine he had kept reserved for himself.
“Oh, your majesty -” Aurelia dropped a curtsy politely, as she had been taught. She was a princess now but the ideals of respect still applied, and she had no desire to bring trouble to the Dawn Court by being rude. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she added with a sympathetic look. “I hope the memorial will bring some peace for your family.”
She glanced curiously at the wine; she had heard of the wine here, so she couldn’t pass up the chance to try it. “I think I could hardly pass up the chance to taste your wine.”
There was always so much tension between the courts that any event that brought them all together was usually far too uncomfortable to bear for very long. But this was a memorial service where no one had to plaster on a fake smile - in fact, it would look even stranger if they did. Then again, Rhys wasn’t sure if anyone had been a fan of Beron’s, he knew he certainly wasn’t. The man had been a pompous tyrant and there had even been rumours that he was plotting to branch out and seize the territory of other courts, so his death had come at no great loss to Rhysand. Still, he was a king and he would come to pay his respects to the family that had lost their loved one.
“I see they brought out the good wine for this.” He said as he poured himself a glass, and then another for the person who had joined him at the table. “Make the most of it. The Autumn Court wine is delicious, but they never allow it to be drunk outside their court.”
Arian had stepped away from her husband briefly when they arrived at the reception; her family didn’t travel when she was younger, and she wanted to take a moment to absorb her new surroundings. However, she didn’t like the idea of being away from Rhys for too long - no doubt her former fiancé would be around here somewhere and when she faced him, she wanted to do so from the safety of her husband’s arm. Smiling, she moved to join him at the table and glanced over the array of wines.
“Why not? If it’s so good, wouldn’t it be a lucrative opportunity to sell it?”
Hair style - usually worn long and loose, pulled back from her face with a headband; for court functions, she wears it up
Eye colour - brown
Other distinguishing features - none
Scars - one scar from a burn on her right forearm
Tattoos - she has a tattoo of the emblem of the Day Court on her left shoulder, and the emblem of the Dawn Court on her right shoulder
Personality
What bad habits do they have? She tends to make everything into a joke, even the more serious things
How do they want to be seen by others? She wants to be seen as competent and caring, as well as unflappable
How do they see themselves? She sees herself as capable and calm, even when things look uncertain
Strongest character trait? Serenity - it’s difficult to shake Aurelia
Weakest character trait? Flippancy - she tends to view things as a joke
What is their greatest fear? Losing her family
When was the last time they cried? Aurelia doesn’t cry frequently; the last time she cried was when she said goodbye to her parents and sibling before coming to the Dawn Court
Friends and Family
Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? Currently, she considers the royal family from the Dawn Court to be part of her family; her family has expanded, but it’s still not large - her parents only had two children. Her family is her parents and sibling, her husband, her sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and his betrothed
How do they feel about their family? She loves them and wants to help them as much as possible
Who is their closest friend? Her ladies’ maid/lady-in-waiting who accompanied her from the Day Court is her closest confidant; she and Carys have also become quite close friends since she came to the Dawn Court
Past and Future
What was your character like as a baby? As a child? Aurelia has always been a quiet person - she was fussy as a baby, but not loud, and as she grew older, she continued to be quiet and self-contained
Did they grow up rich or poor? Her family was nobility, so they were wealthy - they didn’t flaunt it, but they had money
What is their greatest achievement? She worked on a translation of an old book, and considers that her greatest achievement
What are their ambitions? She wants to get to know her new family better, and find a way to use her skills to assist them
What smells remind them of their childhood? Parchment; she spent as much time as she could in the libraries, and the smell of parchment and books reminds her of her childhood
Love
Do they believe in love at first sight? No, she believes that you must know someone to love them
Are they in a relationship? Yes, she’s happily married
Has your character ever been in love? She has three times over her lifetime
Have they ever had their heart broken? Yes, the first time she fell in love and the other person broke it off unexpectedly
Nicknames - none (when he was young, his siblings called him Ali [rhyming with alley] but no one now uses a nickname for him)
Court Loyalty - the Dawn Court
Physical / Appearance
Hair colour - black
Hair style - to his shoulders and curly
Eye colour - brown
Other distinguishing features - none really
Scars - he has quite a few scars though most are hidden by his clothing; he does have a noteworthy scar on his left hand from falling out of a tree when he was younger
Tattoos - none
Personality
What bad habits do they have? He tends to withdraw from other people when he’s going through something emotionally, and also tries to scare people off during those times
How do they want to be seen by others? He wants to be seen as a hard worker who doesn’t get encumbered with anything that might distract him from his job
How do they see themselves? He sees himself fairly accurately, as a good worker who can be too gruff and withdrawn at times; he
Strongest character trait? Loyalty
Weakest character trait? Reclusiveness
What is their greatest fear? Something happening to his family while he’s away from them
When was the last time they cried? The first time he left home, when his youngest sister (she’s his favorite but don’t tell the others) cried and begged him not to go (she has since become accustomed to it all, although she frequently threatens to move to the court and find work there as well)
Friends and Family
Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? - His family is fairly large, and consists of his parents and siblings; there are also cousins on both sides that are quite close to the Maddox family
How do they feel about their family? Alistair loves his family more than anything; he moved away from his childhood home and thus far hasn’t spent much time back there although he does visit occasionally and write frequently
Who is their closest friend? Currently, his closest friend is one of the guards; their rooms are close to each other and they work the same shift (late evening until just after dawn)
Past and Future
What was your character like as a baby? As a child? He was a bubbly, happy baby who grew into a mischievous and fun-loving child; his personality became gradually more stoic as he grew older and left home and now, he’s quite withdrawn and quiet
Did they grow up rich or poor? The family was middle class, but most assumed they were poor, given their home in the woods; his parents were rather reclusive and liked the privacy, and they made as much of they could so they didn’t have to go into town
What is their greatest achievement? Earning his position with the guard; he has an excellent reputation and is known for working hard, and he’s proud of that
What are their ambitions? Currently, he just wants to do well in his work; he doesn’t necessarily want to rise to captain of the guard or have a title or anything, he just wants the satisfaction of a job well done
What smells remind them of their childhood? The forest, since his family lived in the forest
Love
Do they believe in love at first sight? No; he believes in infatuation at first sight but he thinks love is something that takes time to develop
Are they in a relationship? No; he did have a relationship when he first came to the court but it ended shortly after that, when he decided he needed to focus more fully on his work
Has your character ever been in love? No, although he did believe he could have fallen in love with the last person he was involved with
Have they ever had their heart broken? No; Alistair hasn’t had any relationship that got to that stage - so far, he’s only been involved with people rather casually
Nicknames - Arian (she uses this almost exclusively)
Court Loyalty - the Night Court
Physical / Appearance
Hair colour - dark brown
Hair style - she wears it long and loose mostly, with a few strands pulled away from her face; for court functions, she’ll usually put it up
Eye colour - brown
Other distinguishing features - none
Scars - she has a few scars on her arms and legs from climbing trees and things when she was younger
Tattoos - none
Personality
What bad habits do they have? She has a tendency to act without thinking about the consequences, and speak without thinking
How do they want to be seen by others? She wants to be seen as brave (for leaving her family) and a good queen in the Night Court
How do they see themselves? She has not quite shaken the idea that she’s horribly selfish for choosing her happiness over her family
Strongest character trait? Determination
Weakest character trait? Impulsiveness
What is their greatest fear? That Rhys will come to regret their marriage and she’ll be left with nothing
When was the last time they cried? A few weeks ago, when she was feeling especially homesick and terrible for leaving her family
Friends and Family
Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? Currently, her family is Rhys and Oralie; before she ran away, she lived with her parents, grandparents, and an uncle and aunt, and their children from her father’s side (after the family lost their money, they all moved to an old family estate in the countryside and stayed there until they were able to arrange Arian’s marriage to the king of the Spring Court)
How do they feel about their family? She adores Rhys and is getting to know Oralie; Arian would do anything for her new family - she felt the same way about her family before too, until they expected her to sacrifice her happiness for their gain
Who is their closest friend? She’s still making friends in the Night Court, but she would consider Rhys her closest friend, and Oralie another close friend
Past and Future
What was your character like as a baby? As a child? She was a bubbly baby, rarely upset, and grew into a precocious little girl; before her family moved to the country estate, she charmed everyone she met. After they moved, she started running a bit wild - just in the sense that she spent most of her time outdoors and came home again windblown and muddy
Did they grow up rich or poor? Her family lost their wealthy, although they weren’t completely destitute; they lived in shabby grandeur, with the obvious signs that the estate needed funds to achieve its old elegance
What is their greatest achievement? Although she has some lingering guilt over it, she’s very proud of choosing to go after what she really wanted and marry Rhys
What are their ambitions? She wants to earn the love and respect of the people in the Night Court and be a good queen for Rhys
What smells remind them of their childhood? Roses - her family estate had a large rose garden where she spent a lot of her time when she was younger
Love
Do they believe in love at first sight? Yes, since she fell in love with Rhys at first sight
Are they in a relationship? She is very happily married
Has your character ever been in love? She is currently in love with her husband
Have they ever had their heart broken? Not romantically, but she did break her own heart when she left her family
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