" they are far more observant than most , especially those that have to stand at attention for so long . " in the moments between they no doubt watched the nobility , it could be quite boring she supposed to most . but considering the events of the past few days then she knew it was the talk of all . " if there is incentive to speak , then it might work in our favor . i can know if they speak the truth or not at the very least so that those questioned are not simply using the promise of a reward to tell falsehoods . " she sighed , the longer they went without answers , the more she felt she was failing at her own job . " now that more are missing , how is it slipping by us entirely i wonder . "
“incentive will help,” althea agreed, her gaze drifting for a moment, already thinking through it. “but fear might work faster. not of us, but of whatever is doing this. if someone saw something and stayed quiet… there’s a reason for it.”
thea hadn't been sleeping much since the night of the ball, she'd be up through the nights thinking about it, theorizing about what could be happening. she knew it wasn't healthy but couldn't really help it. “i think it’s someone who knows exactly how to move through the court without being noticed. or someone no one would think to question at all. either way... it's someone from aurelion.”
"It's actually called the art of being subtle," Alistair lifted his finger towards his sister, waving it at her like he was the epitome of what he'd just said, "You can still learn a thing or two from me." Still, the walls were closing in around them, a lockdown as more and more went missing – it just pushed the prince to wander, to look further than he was allowed. He never really did well with rules.
"Do you want an innocent answer or the truth?" He finally moved to sit up, moving to look through the now closed window to make sure his retreat was not seen. "So, well, you see – there was this guard – very handsome, very...taken. But I didn't know until it was too late, so – it isn't really my fault I had to get in this way."
althea let out a quiet, disbelieving huff of breath that sounded very close to a chuckle, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of his statement. “subtle, right. because throwing yourself through my window is exactly that.”
but the explanation was even worse. she didn’t even bother to move from where she was leaning against the windowsill, deciding whether to laugh or be concerned. “you are unbelievable,” she said flatly, though there was the faintest hint of amusement in her expression. “you’re going to get yourself killed over a guard? you do know it’d be fairly easy to get away with murder right now, don’t you? with all those people missing...”
she pushed herself off the window then, stepping closer to finally offer him a hand. “tell me you at least checked if anyone saw you before you decided to be dramatic about it.”
out of everyone, the high queen's family would understand her decision to lockdown the entire court. the starborn princess saw the advantages, and allowing people to come and go as they please wouldn't help them narrow down who was behind these atrocious attacks. on the other side, she feared what others would think of being trapped here, for aurelions it wasn't a hardship but those of the other courts? she couldn't venture to guess what they might think - that was assuming the other courts didn't have a hand in this chaos. astra in the meantime, as their parents dealt with the investigating, decided to focus on her siblings. particularly her younger ones. she found that althea, as her, couldn't sleep, so she took her little sister to their private courtyard, still close enough that they wouldn't be too far from their guards should something happen. her copper gaze studied the younger princess, "I had our staff bring you hot cocoa. I could add some of my sleeping potion if you wish..." she placed a cup before her sister. “how are you doing?”
althea never minded staying within the court, in fact she quite preferred it, but being told she couldn’t leave did something to her. she’d never admit she was scared, but she wasn’t stupid either, and thea knew this could take even bigger proportions. “i don’t think anything will make me sleep right now, you might be overestimating your skills,” she said, taking the cocoa anyway, her fingers curled around the warm cup as she let out a breath. “but i’m fine. i just hate that everyone keeps pretending they have it under control when they clearly don’t.”
she lifted her eyes back to astraea, studying her for a moment, the way she always did when she was trying to read things through. “now, how are you doing?” she asked, softer now. “because you wouldn’t be hovering if you were good.”
the iceborn did not truly need assistance , one way or another she would have found a way to make the lord martin leave but nonetheless she appreciates it when the princess steps beside her . a few choice words from althea and the lord lightly grumbles but walks away from the two of them . yukiona lets out a small breath , releasing the tension in her shoulders . amusement bubbles up inside of her and she lets out the smallest chuckle . " thank you , your highness. i was considering it , how satisfying it would be to knock him on his ass , but i wouldn't have done it . " she was in control of her temper and would have found words later to eventually sway him away . she shakes her head as she brings a hand up to rub at her temples , " nothing yet i'm afraid . the nobility do not seem to be especially useful at the moment . i will have some of my spies speak with the staff and guards soon . if anyone saw something it's possible they did . "
“the staff and guards will know something,” althea said almost immediately. “they always do. they see more than anyone gives them credit for.” she looked down the hall again to make sure no one was overhearing their conversation before turning back to the yukiona, “the question is whether they’ll actually say it,” she added, quieter now. “most nobles talk too much, but they rarely say anything useful. they only notice what’s convenient.”
He'd hoped she wouldn't be in – less explaining, all the reason to ensure that he wasn't seen, but still – the oomf he let out when he hit the floor from the large window was a bit too loud, squeezing the breath from his lungs as he laid there on his back after his fall, staring up at the ceiling. Alistair prayed that the Goddess would have pity on him, and his sister wouldn't be present, but She must've not heard him, as there was movement and Althea made her presence known. "Don't ask. Really, you don't want to know."
althea didn’t startle at the noise, only glancing over as if he hadn’t just thrown himself through her window like a complete idiot.her eyes focused over where he lay sprawled on her floor, taking him in for a second longer than necessary, unimpressed. “you do know there’s a door, yes?” she asked, amusement pulling the corner of her lips despite the look in her eyes.
she didn’t move to help him. instead, thea crossed the room to shut the window behind him, and leaned back against it like she had all the time in the world.
don't ask. right. as if that had ever worked on her.
“so,” althea went on, ignoring his request entirely, “you either did something stupid… no, you definitely did something stupid. how concerned should i be?”
she can't quite hide the panic lurking under her skin. sylvani hadn't slept well at all last night, that scream that rang out through the dining room ringing through her head and haunting her nightmares. then she had stepped closer, seen the face of a lord she knew well, covered her mouth in horror as tears fell down her cheeks. these kinds of things didn't happen anymore, not like this. not since the days of old when there were high queens and kings everywhere. it leaves her rattled, ill at ease and clutching her tea cup far tighter than need be as she turns to her companion. " it's just awful, all this. i don't know why anyone would do such a thing. "
althea had enjoyed the night before more than she probably should have, until the godforsaken scream had abruptly interrupted everything, her mind hadn’t stopped replaying it since and she truly needed to get it out of her head. she wasn't afraid for herself, she was afraid of the consequences that would come if the peace was disturbed.
the tea was a good distraction. a great one, really. she sighed relieved as the hot liquid burned its way down her throat. “people always have reasons,” althea said after a moment, her voice quieter than usual. “they’re just rarely good ones.”
“you should loosen your grip before you break the cup,” she said, looking at the way sylvani was holding her cup. “we don't need you getting hurt as well.”
open starter : no cap !
location : the main hall , the next day after the ball and the aftermath
there was a tense feeling amongst the halls of the court that she had always called home . the merriment of the night and anticipation of the upcoming games should be the only feelings they felt and yet ... fear , tension , and apprehension of what was truly going on was instead mixed amongst the nobility . as many last night had been forced to retire to their beds early , yukiona had set her spies and herself to the task ... to figure out what was going on and why . a minor noble of the aurelion court had approached her one too many times already this morning and it was grating on her nerves to say the least , " no i do not have any new information lord martin and when i do i will report it to the queen first , certainly not you . " still the man continues to harass her and she looks to another approaching , a look in her eyes of annoyance and a call for help .
althea didn't miss the look yukiona had given her. she rarely missed anything, especially something this obvious. her eyes flickered between the spy and the lord that had been there far longer than he was welcome, and thea stepped in without hesitation.
“you heard her,” she said, the frustration in her eyes betraying the softness of her voice. “if there was something worth knowing, you wouldn’t be hearing it first.” her attention shifted fully to the lord, raising her brows slightly. “unless you’ve suddenly become far more important than the rest of us and no one thought to mention it.”
althea didn't even bother to check if he had walked away before turning back to yukiona. “you looked like you were about to hit him,” she added with a small smile on her lips, “i'm sure it's tempting but it would make things worse. unfortunately”
her head turned briefly to the man that was hurrying down the hall before returning to her. “anything useful yet, or just these stressful conversations?”
✦ ( florence pugh, cis woman, she/her, 75 ) — descending upon the court of aurelion, we announce the arrival of ALTHEA AURELIS, PRINCESS of AURELION. amongst the whispers they are known to be VIBRANT + IMPULSIVE, which is reflected by the sense of fire crackling on a long winter’s night, bright and unforgettable laughter echoing through empty hallways, a smile that vanishes just as quickly as it appears, when they approach. at the age of maturity, the goddess blessed them with CELESTIAL, FIRE & MIND READING. they have arrived as a SPECTATOR of the ancient games and are currently FOR the era of peace aethara has maintained.
althea was never a quiet person and she never even tried to be. she laughed loudly, spoke too quickly and made sure people noticed her the moment she stepped into a room.
growing up in the aurelis court meant expectation was always there, even if it did not press on her in the same way it did on her older siblings. she listened when she had to and learned what was required, but there was always the restlessness. she was always moving, talking and acting on her feelings. she was never careless with the things that mattered, but she wasn’t patient either.
long before her abilities manifested, she understood people. she noticed the way their voices changed and the things people left unsaid. when it finally came after reaching maturity, it didn’t feel like something new, but something natural to her.
the fire came right after, and it felt just as natural. quick and reactive, just like her. showing up in moments of anger and excitement, never something easy to ignore.
althea is still the same girl she has always been. she speaks when she wants, acts when she feels like acting, and pays attention more than most people realize. the peace of aethara is something she enjoys, but as much as she wants to, she doesn’t believe it will last forever.
more tba.
connections.
family: high queen adelina aurelis (mother), king consort helion zorathen aurelis (father), alysa, alara, astraea, asterin, alistair, alexia (siblings).
more tba.
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