the soletsky’s are a unity, but not in the way one would think. their support isn’t unconditional, their love has limitations, their relationship isn’t and could never be judgement free, their tolerance to each other’s wrongdoings is minimal but their faith is everbearing. faith in them, as a group. they only work as a group. individually, they’re flawed. but their flaws cancel each other out in the same way their qualities are complementary. it didn’t click that they were meant to work as a team until they had to. until they had no one else to seek help from. it had always been their parents, not each other. for leon and inna, their father had the best advices; for karyna and petro, their mother would show a solution to any problem. it was a divided yet perfectly organized system. then it fell down and they had to reorganize it. each one of them finding a new role within the family to fill.
—
before the passing of their parents, they lived much more independent lives from each other; there wasn’t a single reason why the siblings had to be together so often. karyna would be pursuing her own ambitions, petro could be as care-free as he’d like with lesser worries, inna’s wish for privacy was far more respected and leonid even had a personal life. now, if a situation calls for it, they’re there no questions asked. karyna became the motivator: some wouldn’t consider this role to be half as important as the others, those would be deadly wrong. without her incentive, the others would hardly find the will to get up and keep fighting. she’s the one to find them reason when they think there is none. petro became the problem solver: it could be unbelievable to outsiders, how can a man that gets in trouble so often have that as his role? that’s the answer, from experience. and for he takes after their mother. gizella croÿ-soletskaya always had a card up her sleeve, a solution for any problem, the surprise element. petro was taught well by her, he knows the ways through and around every inconvenience. inna became the master mind: and she defies all assumptions by being so. how could the youngest of the bunch have the most valued opinion and be so blindly trusted by the rest? that is because none of them have her talent to make up a plan on the spot. to know what’s best for their family and ukraine. and leonid became the doer: that was the only obvious role. he’s the representative, the face people associate the soletsky name to first, so it is his job and the others rely on him to act when action is necessary and so he does. even if the reason comes from karyna, the plan from inna or the solution from petro, leon has to be the one to call the shots. it is how they work.
—
their old selfs though haven’t vanished completely. the slight division of the family can still be seen at times: leon and inna were always a duo. she’d follow him around when they were kids, he relies on her now that they’re adults. petro and karyna's are far more free-spirited than they ever could. they would study abroad as teens, build their lives outside of ukraine, they have so much of their mother’s ambition while inna and leon inherited their father’s grounded nature. one could say leon and inna are in the thinking side of the spectrum while petro and karyna are in the feeling. they exchange though, intwine even, all of them having been molded to be resilient, adaptable to fit into any situation they’d find themselves in. all given how different either sides of their families were. family is complicated, their father used to say. it’s a wonder how a croÿ and a soletsky matched so well when there’s so little in common ( opposites attract is the best way to describe it ). and they had to be able to please both.
—
before, their worlds revolved around their own personal goals. what they wanted from life, though, isn’t the most important thing anymore. their world now revolves around ukraine and their family. doesn’t make it easy, oh how much they fight and disagree on so much so often. too much is expected and those expectations are rarely met. yet compromising comes naturally, even if tardy, when there’s a greater good to be sought. when the main goal is way beyond you and your inner circle. when literal lives are at risk every day and your decision could seal their fate. they understand it now, it’s the reason it takes them long to act. nothing happens without a full agreement, all four on board. it is leon’s name to be signed, it always is, but as long as his siblings are not there with him, that line where a signature should be will remain blank.
HSHQTASK046 —– FAMILY DYNAMICS
feat. @effiestuart & @georgetstuart
“virescit vulnere virtus” — courage grows strong at a wound.
ah, the stuart siblings. everyone knew that queen mary had a plan even before her children were born. she will have three children: the eldest, poised to be a true ruler with all the virtue and grace afforded to their position; the middle child, a supporting act who will do their part in strengthening the monarchy and scotland’s influence; the youngest, beloved by the country and always adored — they will improve the image of the family through good deeds and an advantageous marriage. there was the vision, all the children had to do was follow and obey, which was easier said than done.
call them archaic, but the stuarts had always placed a strong emphasis on titles and influence, it existed in the older generation, and it will continue to exist further down the line. queen mary had married a good catholic prince ( honestly the stuarts and catholicism deserves a separate post ) that was respectable and non-threatening to her power at the same time, prince christian knew what was expected from him and had no problem in staying one or two steps behind his disarming wife. the late king william ( queen mary’s father ) had placed much emphasis in his heir, investing most of the education and attention towards mary, not her siblings. this idea became almost hereditary, queen mary feels the same, and so does catherine: your family members must be ranked from most to least valuable, which will be determined in how obedient and useful they were. the more valuable you are, the more freedom and trust was given.
queen mary was proud of her sister isabel for being perfectly popular and scandal-free, not to mention the valuable marriage to an important border duchy she will forever be in the queen’s good graces. prince james was a disappointment, he had partied and shunned his responsibilities, before falling in love with a non-inheriting french noble and gotten her pregnant, when he could’ve become king consort or duke in his own right! his father had punished him by not giving him his own duchy to rule and receive income from, as was customary. princess madeleine married into a staunchly catholic principality, a perfectly respectable title even though it wasn’t the most powerful. the youngest, prince robert was a somewhat celebrated economist, although still relatively foolish and unambitious by stuart standards, and could’ve suffered the same fate as his brother, but he was saved by his miraculous marriage to wiebke, the grand duchess of bavaria, and he finally became an important member of the family.
there was a reason why catherine placed so much emphasis on marrying her siblings off to the highest bidder, it was a fool-proof way to get one’s foot in the door of power even though she knows the work will begin after. marriage, a perfect tool to ignore political ideals or alliances and rope an entire country’s resources into one’s own war, all under the guise of ‘family’. the stuarts found it foolish to not take advantage of a tool that was so readily available for them. it was the very reason why catherine kept overreaching with her own matches! after england fell apart she knew that she would need to find a suitably powerful replacement that would keep her sane. it was her pride masquerading as courage and ambition. the senior members of her family are equal parts apprehensive and proud, despite so, family sentiment will always fall to support their shining heir, no matter what.
euphemia had always been an integral part of the family, after catherine, of course. naturally brilliant and effortlessly beautiful, catherine had none of the girlish softness of her sister’s features. when catherine was merely a young teenager, queen mary had shown surprising sensitivity in perceiving her eldest daughter’s mood during their annual family portrait. it was the first time that the queen told her daughter that it was a great fortune to be pretty, not beautiful. this was possibly heavily influenced by catholicism, mainly, she believes that beautiful people are innately vain, and vanity had no place in clear and sober public service. queen mary herself had been merely pretty to her sisters’ notable beauty. her sisters’ flaming red hair and startling features would only be distracting in a monarch, the same way euphemia’s soft femininity would only undermine the strong image that the scottish crown must exude. this wasn’t something that catherine believes in, necessarily, and she’s still prone to the swooping feeling of jealousy sometimes when her sister effortlessly dazzles a room.
fortunately for catherine, euphemia has the good sense of cultivating the family trait of nationalism. she would be selfless for scotland, and even though most of their conversations always ended up in tense back-and-forths, they could still count on each other to straighten their spines and be strong for family and country. they’re still a team, even though it often doesn’t seem that way. catherine certainly didn’t make it easy for effie, ordering her around without bothering to ever say thank you. only time would tell if the two sisters would stop gawking at each other and start learning how to truly compromise. it would take quite a bit of time and maturity, unfortunately.
queen mary had placed much emphasis in being a female ruler to her daughter, there were so few of them in scottish history, after all, and those that existed were largely lauded and legendary ( re: mary, queen of scots ). that inflated sense of importance was evident since their childhood, it would be impossible for george not to be touched by it in some way. catherine was mother’s favourite, and euphemia was father’s, george begged for attention through any way he could. it didn’t take him long to realise that there was absolutely no pleasing queen mary, and that his time and attention was better placed in chasing his own enjoyment instead. he was unruly on purpose at first, until he really found enjoyment in really doing his own thing.
discipline has always been demanded and expected of the stuarts, and those who refuse to abide by it were deemed useless — the absolute worst of all stuart insults. george has always been lucky to be born after catherine and euphemia, it gave him a little breathing room when their parents continue to breathe down the sisters necks instead of him. as far as they’re concerned, the elder two siblings needed to be in a better place before fully focusing their attention to their youngest. so far, the queen had been trying to push george into a placement in the army — to no avail.
the stuarts are proud, it came from centuries of rule and innate adoration of their people. no one knew any different, not since the 12th century, and it’s quite gotten to their heads. when they were younger the children were constantly reminded that they were descended from vikings, ready to kill and protect their own. they knew scotland wasn’t a world power, in the larger scope of things, but respectability, prestige, and piety were more tenets of the family’s core beliefs than hoarding power.
of course, that doesn’t stop catherine from reaching where she shouldn’t. both stuart sisters held the doors open for the younger generations’ ambitions, to eschew traditional contentment in favour of fighting for something more.
hshqtask011 family basics / hshqtask046 family dynamics
the immediate: raymund ortega ii and alison ortega née gonzález parents
richard ortega✝ brother
the paternal family: raymund ortega✝ and sofía ortega née diaz grandparents
fernando ortega and valerie ortega née gomez uncle and aunt
teresa ortega cousin
the maternal family: guillermo gonzález and ivellin gonzález née ruiz✝ grandparents
cesar gonzález and isabella gonzález née garcía uncle and aunt
alberto gonzález cousin
both sides of raymund’s family are not small trees. he has more aunts and uncles and cousins he can count on both his hands. however, when he thinks of family and thinks of those that are important to him, the list is a short one.
the cousins: alberto and teresa, of all his cousins, are the ones he is closest to. it probably has to do with the fact that they are close in age and all three of them are the youngest. the learned to sick together and he would tell them just about anything. they have each others backs and nothing would ever change that. it’s true that you can’t choose your family, but if he had the choice, ray would choose alberto and teresa any day of the week. it was the two of them that held his either of his hands at the funeral for richard and who were there when cecilia and rowen couldn’t be.
the aunts and uncles: his dad has three brothers and sisters and his mom has four. and it’s not a coincidence that his favourite of all of them are the parents of his favourite cousins. however, it just so happens that fernando, valerie, cesar and isabella are his godparents. he can remember sleeping over at their homes when he was younger or whenever his parents wanted another honeymoon. they were at all his games, cheered him on for every point he scored. you’re not suppose to pick favourites when it comes to your aunts and uncles, but sometimes it’s inevitable.
the grandparents: sometimes, grandparents are just that. no one thinks about them as being important to their lives, but raymund’s not stupid. he knows that without them, he wouldn’t be here. none of them would be here. however, he was closer to his paternal grandparents than his maternal. that was to be considered though, with guillermo and ivellin having moved back to havana when he was 12. raymund and sofía made up for it though, spoiling him rotten as if he were their only grandchild but they treated all their grandkids the same. and when his namesake passed in 2017, sofía moved in with her son who had just been elected as prime minister.
the brother: richard ortega was older, wiser, better at talking to women (or people in general) but he always made time for his little brother. they were only a few years apart but that never mattered much. they were still best friends. and when they became the kids of the prime minister and they stuck closer together and found ways to avoid the media whenever they were doing something unseemly. raymund might have been richard’s shadow but richard never saw him that, even when he was literally two feet behind him.
the parents: no one knew who the ortega family was before raymund ortega ii thrusted alison ortega and their two kids into the spotlight by making the decision to run for prime minister. and something raymund learned early on, was that his dad would have never made it through if his mother hadn’t stood by his side. they didn’t do anything without consulting each other. while little boys dreamed about being like superman or captain america, raymund dreamed about being his dad. it’s what caused him to study politics. it’s what caused him to want a relationship like his parents. his brother might have been his best friend and someone he looked up to, but his father was who he wanted to grow up to be. and if he found someone as loving and caring as his mother was, then he would consider himself a very lucky man.
─── FAMILY DYNAMIC & BASICS ───
the d’ansembourg’s
“mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin...” / “we want to stay what we are...”
- motto of house d’ansembourg
THE FIRST BORN
NAME: luca d’ansembourg
AGE: 42
TITLE: king of luxembourg
FACECLAIM: matthew goode
when it comes to his family, luca is far too soft. he would protect his siblings with his life, and he’s always expected the same in return. he’s unable to separate his duties as king from his responsibilities as a brother, which has historically not helped his country. he won’t budge on that position - were he given the choice between the happiness of his siblings and luxembourg’s soverignty, he’s not sure he’d make the selfless decision. luca considers family the most important thing in the world. wendy is a full decade younger than him, and he’s always been the closest to her. unlike the twins, luca and wendy always have their heads in the clouds, and there’s no sign of them coming down anytime soon. when it comes to lara, luca considers her his right-hand man. she is constantly the voice of reason and often: the only adult out of the four of them. wren is a wild card - one day: he and luca could be best friends, and the next: wren could swear luca is the most embarassing person on earth. they love each other - but luca will never be able to understand his brother.
THE SECOND BORN
NAME: wendy d’ansembourg
AGE: 31
TITLE: princess of luxembourg
FACECLAIM: sophie skelton
ADOPT: click here !
wendy has always been the moral compass of the d’ansembourgs. she has a strong grasp on wrong and right - and if one of her siblings is in need emotional guidance, she’ll be their first stop. although, her constant need to understand every facet of the situation can drive her siblings insane. she’s closest with luca, the two of them have never been able to detach their emotions from everyday life. wendy often finds her older brother is the shoulder to cry on when things go wrong, no matter how small the problem seems. wendy has always looked up to lara, as strange as it sounds. wendy would consider her younger sister the inspiration to keep moving: when wendy would feeling it was time to give up, during the invasion, lara would pick her up off the floor and make sure she kept going. she can’t express it properly, but sometimes she wishes she was strong, like her little sister. wendy is the most trusting, which leaves her as an easy target for wren and his constant pranks. wendy takes them better than luca or lara, though, constantly rolling her eyes or laughing along. she’s always tried the hardest to understand her younger brother - to no avail.
THE THIRD BORN
NAME: lara d’ansembourg
AGE: 24
TITLE: princess of luxembourg
FACECLAIM: alva bratt
ADOPT: click here !
lara has spent a good portion of her life cleaning up her family’s messes - although she doesn’t hold it against them... most of the time. she’s the family’s brain, truly. she’s the only one they can trust to lead the family in the right direction. with luca, lara feels like she’s been lighting the path for him to follow for way too long. it isn’t that she doesn’t love her brother, but that she finds his way of thinking exhausting and ridiculously overemotional and illogical. wendy is different - she doesn’t expect wendy to step up and lead anyone, it’s not wendy’s duty to do so. she can simply tell her sister that her latest article is good and her rose garden beautiful - their relationship is the easiest for lara to handle. wren is a whole different beast. they’re twins, and it feels like they’ve never been apart for a single moment. sometimes, lara wants nothing more than for wren to leave her alone for just a few minutes - but then she realizes there can’t be one of them without the other.
THE FOURTH BORN
NAME: wren d’ansembourg
AGE: 24
TITLE: prince of luxembourg
FACECLAIM: maxence danet-fauvel
ADOPT: click here !
ever since he was little - wren has been the troublemaker. he never wanted to fit in with his family - yet he still found a common role. every family has a rebel, a black sheep - and that’s exactly the mantle he took up for himself. if you ever needed a laugh, there was wren - prepared to provide some kind of stupid anecdote. when it comes to his oldest brother, wren has never held back on luca. there isn’t a soul on the earth that understands wren, but luca at least tolerates him and doesn’t question the antics. plus, when wren needs backup for something big, it’s easy to rope luca into the mess unwittingly. wendy is an entirely different story - she’s always been the most perceptive of the family, and she’s constantly trying to pin down what actually makes wren tick. he hates it, sometimes, but at least wendy still thinks his jokes are funny. he can’t say the same for lara. they’re twins, and he’s always felt they have some weird level of telepathy - lara can eerily finish his sentences, sometimes. then twenty minutes later she’ll be threatening his life. it’s just how they are - living in a precarious balance between pulling each other’s pigtails and being best friends. wren wouldn’t have it any other way.
❝ THIS WAS THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES. LIKE INVIDIOUS DOCTORS, THEY KNEW JUST WHERE IT HURT. ❞ — arundhati roy
it doesn’t matter which generation of the d’olréans family you look at, the family will always center around one thing and one thing only: THE KING. there’s yet to be a d’orléans queen so kings it is.
king louis, king sébastien, king arnauld...
if it were any other way sébastien d’orléans would be playing a bigger role in the lives of his children right now. he stepped down so now it’s arnauld who has everyone’s ear. the hierarchy keeps things nice and tidy and most importantly, simple. age does not equal power. giselle and henri don’t turn to their father at times of trouble, they turn to arnauld because he is the king. it feels natural and it makes it possible for arnauld to know which strings to pull to keep the family unified.
most families show a united front because of the unconditional love and affection they feel for each other. that is not exactly the case with the d’orléans family. loyalty ? the undying kind, most certainly. love ? to some degree, of course, but not the kind that lights up the room. affection ? the subtle kind. it’s arnauld’s absolute power that keeps the family together. as harsh as he can be, he’s proven himself to be admirable, trustworthy and dedicated. no one needs to wonder if he has the family’s best interest in mind. he cares a great deal about the family’s well-being. THE FAMILY’S, not individual members’ --- an important distinction to be made.
the family stays untarnished, functioning and ideal when everyone follows the set of rules arnauld has set in place. henri’s the most exceptional one, truly. not a single scandal surrounding him, not a single strike to his name... not one that the other family members know about, that is. ARNAULD’S LAWS, as giselle likes to call them, are not written anywhere, no one knows the extent of them but once you break one, you’ll suffer a penalty. an excommunication that lasts anywhere from one week to a few years. the more severe the crime, the more severe the punishment. such punishment wouldn’t be much of an issue on their own but the rest of the court will use it to their advantage. no one wants to lose their place at the top of the food chain. once you’ve fallen out of the king’s favour, simple favours are hard to come by, information stops reaching you, and you’re stripped of your influence. no one cares about the d’orléans who doesn’t bask in the king’s light.
giselle and henri are perhaps more fortunate than the members of the cadet branches: arnauld pays them extra attention and actively aids them. the same cannot be said for their uncle, aunt or cousins. it’s a gift that comes with a steep price though: when giselle or henri makes a mistake, the anger they suffer from arnauld is of a different breed. their uncle and cousins will never know what it feels like to TRULY disappoint arnauld d’orléans.
the younger siblings grew up believing arnauld was perfection. he’s nine years older than them — their earliest memories are of arnauld as a teenager, being praised by their father, accomplishing great things despite his young age. their parents would tell them to look up to their older brother. their parents would vow that arnauld would look after them. it’s not a child’s place to question the word of their parents. the younger siblings looked at their brother with stars in their eyes. henri chose to be of service to him, henri chose to stand by arnauld’s side. by the admirable older brother’s, the honorable king’s, side. giselle chose another path, one that was not directly connected to arnauld but one that only happened at his will.
the way they were convinced of arnauld’s superiority, has made it easier for arnauld to behave in such a dogmatic manner. for a long time, the younger siblings thought they were in no place to question his decisions — because arnauld knows best. with age and experience they’ve learnt to think for themselves but they refrain from questioning him... it isn’t their place to tell his majesty that something’s not quite right.
affection can be found in the smaller things. the d’orléans siblings aren’t loud with their love. giselle remembers to ask if the others have eaten, efficiently kills all unfavorable gossip about her brothers, and says the things her brothers’ pride keeps them from saying. henri has more compassion than the other siblings, he has let different types of people into his life, he understands human nature the best. arnauld will side with his siblings, he will deliver divine justice on their behalf if it’s necessary, and he will just once or twice a year, agree to a compromise.
perhaps if the three of them didn’t understand each other so well, they’d despise each other. but all three have sharp eyes and experience, they know when their sibling is making a decision for the sake of their family. what brings them together is the desire to protect the family. family comes first even if it doesn’t make you happy. everything they have, everything they will ever get, it’s thanks to the d’orléans blood. it’s a gift. there’s no room for ungratefulness.
if there’s a vice they all share, it’s pride. pride in their country, pride in their family, pride in their own individual perfection. they all speak fairly, they look beautiful, they make people dance at their will... they are different from others. even if they can’t always see eye to eye, there’s no one else to share a life with. only a d’orléans family member is intelligent, alluring and refined enough to be good company. everyone else is just short term entertainment. those people are not worthy of loyalty and affection.
how does the family function ? what kind of roles do the members play ? what brings them together ? what can you tell about the family ? this task is OPTIONAL. inspired by nora and c !
i started working on a croÿ aesthetic board and decided to put into words all the things we’ve discussed over the years ! the focus is mainly on fanni, tekla & olimpia... because this also has elements of the psyche task. but this is more or less an explanation of the family dynamic rather than just an explanation of olimpia’s relationship with her family. ( @lcvcntc, @tvkla, @fannicroy ) ( and also i hope y’all agree with what i’ve written because otherwise this is embarrassing )
Ⅰ ⸻ The Croÿ dynasty is not much of a dynasty. The Croÿ family are pretty much the nouveau riche of royalty. There is no Saxe-Coburg, Braganza,Habsburg, Bourbon or Schleswig-Holstein blood mixed in with the Croÿ blood ( more on that if hails ever finishes the modern history task ). People don’t necessarily bring it up, it would be a weird thing to do, not to mention difficult now that three generations of Croÿs have sat on the Hungarian throne, however it’s something that hangs over the Hungarians’ heads. They aren’t a dynasty. They don’t have a family tree that can be traced all the way to the the 12th century. There’s a subconscious effort to prove themselves.
Ⅱ ⸻ So blame it on the subconscious need to be equals with other royals or on the outdated societal norms of Hungary but the Croÿs, especially the Croÿ women, have always played a role. They have fitted themselves inside a mold and adopted mannerism and personality traits in order to appear to be the best Croÿ-approved version of themselves. It’s not by design, it’s due to the conditioning that happens without anyone noticing. It there is almost only one way to flourish as a Croÿ and if you stray too far away from what is desired and accepted, you’ll be cut down. By your own blood. The Croÿs are as demanding as they are well-meaning. It happens slowly: you stop receiving compliments and praises from other members of the family, then comes quick and almost casual comments, then comes actual criticism, and eventually the family that speaks loudly about being there for you makes you an outcast. To be fair, you’ve brought it on yourself if that happens. At least partly. The Croÿs believe in unity but it’s clear that each and every one of them is deeply selfish. Sometimes that selfishness isn’t put aside for the good of the family: Levente and his infidelity, Fanni never trying to ease Tekla’s burden, ( up for debate but ) Tekla leaving Hungary, and Olimpia concentrating on her own thing, not bothering to match her siblings’ sacrifices. They’ll help, protect, fight for their family members as long as the personal sacrifice isn’t too great.
Ⅲ ⸻ The youngest generation ( or... second youngest since nilsa and katya exist ) have bent the rules a bit but not enough. Fanni didn’t end up like that by accident, Tekla doesn’t breathe easier in Copenhagen for no reason, Levente is not emotionally guarded because he wants to be, and Olimpia isn’t drawn to the people who are her antitheses because she finds them interesting. Fanni and Levente are examples of what happens when you accept your role without a single question. It’s why the two are a team too. They haven’t learnt to look outside of Budapest. Hungary first, then the family, and then themselves. Tekla is arguably the smartest one out of the group for creating something for herself on her own terms. Olimpia’s saving grace is the fact that she’s some years younger than her siblings and was never made to partake in politics.
Ⅳ ⸻ ( okay my love for the tekla-fanni parallels is infinite ) Tekla and Fanni are the perfect way to assess the Croÿ family. Tekla was born unlucky, there really is no other way to put it. So you have the two Hungarians growing up together, as close as sisters, and you have the absolutely unfair difference in the treatments they receive. Fanni is not harassed, all her decisions are supported and she is lead onto the right path. It’s easy for her to slip into the mold: it’s so safe and shiny. People adore her for doing what is correct. Why would she challenge an institution that treats her so nicely. Then we have Tekla who, in theory, should get everything Fanni’s getting. The adoration, the attention, the unconditional love. That doesn’t come. People keep challenging Tekla, try to pigeon hole her into a role that doesn’t quite fit... maybe because it’s so directly in Fanni’s shadow for no good reason. The girls, the young women they stay close until Tekla leaves and gets her own life. Tekla thrives outside of Hungary since the expectations are different. They aren’t lower by any means but her worth isn’t based on the angle of her chin and the straightness of her back. She exists as a person, not as a woman.
Ⅴ ⸻ The real problem with the Croÿs is that the game is rigged for the female members of the clan. There is no way to win. Levente’s issues sprout from toxic masculinity and the unrealistic expectations that have been placed on him but he doesn’t need to strive to be something impossible. People will even let him trip a few times. Olimpia is dumb and essentially worthless since she isn’t hard-working ( in the right useful way ), never mind she’s barely past her mid-twenties. Tekla is selfish and difficult for having created something for herself... and Fanni is simple and embarrassing for not having created anything for herself. You can see it in the way Levente talks to the women: Olimpia is just the annoying little sister, Tekla deserves respect but only if it is delivered with a small amount of guilt tripping, and Fanni is a book he has read a dozen times and has lost interest in a long time ago. How can you be ambitious but dutiful at the same time? When each one of your accomplishments is the family’s accomplishments, not yours? How can you be loyal but independent when doing something on your own makes you a turncoat?
Ⅵ ⸻ The Croÿs, however, are a forgiving bunch. Every fight gets forgotten almost immediately. If it lasts longer than a week, someone is just making a point. If it lasts for months... well, then someone needs to get on their knees and beg for forgiveness. Fights are explosive but it has a lot to do with the way the Croÿs express themselves. They know how to add bite to their words and it’s an efficient way to get a point through. Fights are great for introspection too since family members tend to pick out your worst flaws, the things you truly, without a doubt, work on. It’s a raw way to communicate but it’s an honest way. The Croÿs have no need for secrets since they know the family will stand behind them no matter what. Even through the most questionable decisions. The transparency is what makes them strong. They can lie to others, not to each other. It’s an unspoken rule. Something will break if words are swallowed instead of spoken.
Ⅶ ⸻ And one last word on loyalty. It’s unconditional. It’s why it’s difficult to be an outsider among the Croÿs. New members struggle at first because the family’s mentality is difficult to understand at first. The fights are impossible to grasp: how can you claim to love someone so much and still scream such cruel things at them? The Croÿs expect honesty, they expect unfiltered words, they expect to see the ugliest parts of you. Family knows you through and through and still accepts you ( though among the Croÿs the worst bumps in your person will be gotten rid of ). No one else knows you like family does, no one else could ever accept you like family. Family is strength and that strength comes from loyalty. You keep your lips sealed and lie and lie and lie if it’s necessarily. Among the Croÿs it’s a greater crime to be disloyal than unjust. Sylvia will learn it the hard way.
when: august 31, 2022
where: alicante, spain and colon, panama
who: marisol & her father (brief mention of @arturcii )
tw: vague mentions of death
“Can I talk to mama?”
“Ahh, mija,” her father’s voice on the phone sounded much further than an ocean away, she felt that rage flavored guilt well up in her chest.
“What?” too sharp, too much of a challenge, Marisol paled, “Sorry, I just -”
“You know how she gets,” there was a plea almost, in her father’s voice - anguish, and maybe a bit of his own guilt, “This time of year is difficult for her, she needs us to be understanding, to be strong for her, you and I.”
“How can I be when she won’t even speak to me?”
“Marisol,” a warning, the exasperation and exhaustion of a king balancing between his queen and his heir, the latter far more forgiving. “She lost a child, we both did, please, give your mother some compassion.”
Mariana. It always came back to Mariana.
She still has a child, Marisol wanted to shout, a living breathing child who needs her, who’s needed her all her life. But why deal with a needy, emotional, flawed creature such as herself when compared to the utter perfection of a dead girl, frozen in time and memory with all of her wonder and grace, no faults.
Marisol did not say this, hasn’t given life and voice to her pain since she was old enough to understand.
Sometimes, and she was never quite sure if this was a memory of a dream, Marisol thinks of the few times she’d ever felt her mother’s love. She’s young, late summer hangs in the air as the princess is sent to bed far before the rest of the court. She’d stay up, of course, creeping through the halls of the palace to her favorite room, one reserved just for the family with huge arching windows overlooking the courtyard and gardens below. Here she could watch as everyone laughed and danced and drank, tracking her father’s glowing presence and mark her mother drowning her grief. She would, naturally, fall asleep curled up on the window seat, lulled by the strains of melody reaching through the glass. Most nights her nanny would find her, and carry the princess back to her bed with a fond sigh. But sometimes, it would be her mother’s hands waking her, scooping Marisol from her perch to curl up beside the queen on one of the many couches. And then, with wine on her breath and more joy in her eyes than Marisol ever saw before, her mother combed trembling fingers through the child’s dark curls, half sobbing while she whispered - “Mariana, carińa, Mariana, home at last.”
Marisol liked to think it was a dream, some cruel nightmare that still taunded her decades later. Other times, she savored it, a bittersweet memory of affection from a woman whose heart and love were long ago buried in a too small grave.
“I know,” Marisol caved, she always did, “forgive me, I should have realized the date.”
“No, it’s not your fault,” she knew her father meant it, “She just misses having you here, so it’s more difficult this year.” Another surge of guilt, and Marisol started to apologize again before he cut her off, knowing his child well. “But I am proud of you, mija, this is where you should be, making connections and forging your own future. Arturo behaving?”
The king’s voice was kind, teasing in his own attempt to shift the conversation to happier subject, but he’d unknowingly struck a nerve. Marisol swallowed, glancing back over her shoulder from where she sat in the sun on their balcony and through the glass doors, the man she loved pacing inside on a call of his own. For a moment, she panicked. Did her father know, somehow, and was giving her space to confess? Arturo caught her watching him through the window and smiled, that particular look of his that always made her melt.
“Yes, of course, he says to tell you both hello,” it was easier to lie to her father this way, when she did not have to meet his eyes, twins to her own. “We went up to Galicia last weekend and hiked a bit of the camino, it was beautiful.”
They were very similar, Marisol and her father, although he’d managed to forge the overwhelming depth of emotion they both shared into strength, both armor and a weapon in defense of his nation. Perhaps she would get there, in time, or maybe there was just more of him to take up all that feeling and so it did not spill out as much as it did with her. Marisol had always taken her position as his heir seriously, her father a patient teacher who asked and valued her opinion on matters far earlier than her mother thought prudent. She studied the way he carried himself, tried to emulate the way he spoke and when and where to show emotions before he realized what she was doing and gently told her she can and should be her own kind of monarch, not just a copy of him. After that, Marisol began to feel a lot more girl than ghost.
He rarely spoke to her of Mariana, but he said nothing when his wife compared them, always noting where Marisol fell short even as she far outlived her sister. Perhaps he knew that Marisol would always forgive him, even as he pretended not to notice.
“Send us some pictures, won’t you?” He sounded happy for her, and Marisol savored the feeling, one he perhaps deserved on to day of all days. “But please, do not tell your dear father if you plan to participate in the bull run until afterwards.”
“Oh no,” she laughed, “We might go watch, I’m not sure if he has anything planned for my birthday,” Marisol tried not to sound to hopeful. “Will you tell her I called? And maybe we can facetime this weekend?”
“I will tell her, mija.” The line died and Marisol wrapped herself in her grief, letting the Spanish sun steal away her tears.
