Alice Diana Bennett - James

Member of New Zeland's Royal Family by day - exotic dancer by night

[traintobequeen]

It’s got a ring to it: Antoni || Alice

Alice had offered to help Antoni to pick out some options for engagement rings for three reasons. The first was she loved everything about what they represented, so would never turn down the option to be involved in that. Secondly having probed Cecily a little she knew what kind of thing she was looking for and wanted her sister to be happy. Thirdly, and most importantly to the blonde, she wanted to be able to properly bond with him some more because they seemed to have a lot in common. Drawing up by his house in the large black four by four she hopped out the back, clicking up to the door on her heeled court shoes to ring carefully on the bell. She’d cleared the whole day for this, making sure they truly indulged in the time they had together, starting at the royal jewelers Bentley and Skinner on Bond Street. An appointment had been booked for ten, the shop closed for an hour, so all engagement rings could be laid out for the pair to potentially select from. As the door opened she broke out into a wide, warm, genuine smile. “Morning sunshine, you ready for this?” @antonikosek

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cecilybennett-james‌:

“I’ll be honest with you, I have no clue who any of those people are but I sure that if you’re considering them they must be fantastic at their jobs and whoever you choose will make you look absolutely stunning.” She said with a smile. “You’ll be the best doily the Monarchy has seen in ages.” she joked again, loving that her sister was letting loose a little with her. 

“I’m so disappointed in you when you say things like that, how are you ever going to pick your dress if you don’t know basic designers? We need to educate you Cece. It’s my personal mission.” Alice giggled, feeling a wave of affection rising in her chest as she complimented her even though it was through a joke. It made it even more…Cecily. “Why thank you kindly princess, I actually have something for you.” She gave her a conspiratorial smile, glancing over her shoulder at one of the bodyguards giving him a hand movement. Indicating she was ready for him to fetch her something from the car.

[apaethy]

[cecilybennett-james-blog]

@traintobequeen

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cecilybennett-james‌:

“What designers are you choosing from?” She asked before she could even think. Cecily didn’t know much about designers or fashion in general apart from what she learned as a little girl. She laughed at her sister’s joke, shaking her head lightly. “I don’t know with all that lace you could look like the royal doily.” she said, making her own little joke. “that sounds nice, aside from mother not hijacking your wedding. Make sure she knows it’s yours and christian’s day…not hers.” 

“The usual suspects, Catherine Walker, Jenny Packham, Sarah Burton, Erdem, Emilia Wickstead…I think that’s most of them but I might be forgetting a couple. Mummy has added her own to the mix as we go along.” Alice shrugged, giving her a small smile, not minding their mothers invested interest because it would have been the same for her mother. The thing about being a royal is it was never really your day. The wedding you had the most input in was actually your child’s. “Oh gosh, I don’t want to look like a royal doily or a royal dolly, I still want to look like me!” The blonde put her head in her hands a little, chuckling.

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fckitsam‌:

Sam shrugged. “That’s what everyone tells me. They’ve been lettin’ people stay the night, even if they ain’t really allowed too. So that’s good.” Her mum had lied curled up on an air mattress on the floor to many nights to count. It was almost like it was for her own benefit then Sam’s, like sometimes she needed to see her daughter to really know that she was still alive. Can’t say it was the worst thing in the world. “A present huh?” Undoing the ribbon with one swift movement of her hand, she flicked the box open. What was in there made her eyes widen. “Don’t tell me you went to all that effort…” She trailed off, eyes wondering over the words written on the box set. A message from Viggo Morteson. To her. Holy crap. Taking a deep breath she tried to stop herself from practically loosing it in excitement. “You gem.”

“Oh that is good! I mean, if you pay them enough they’ll let you do mostly what you like. If they tell you that they can’t then let me know. I don’t like pulling rank, but I can find someone to deal with it okay? Anything you need.” She reached out to give the girls leg a light pat, smiling reassuringly. She could only imagine how hard this was for Sam, if there was anything she could do to help she wanted to do it without a moments hesitation. That was the main thing she liked about her position, it allowed her to help people, which she loved doing. “Yes, a present! I thought about what you might want for a while so I really hope I haven’t messed it all up. I think you’re a fan of his, but if I’ve managed to get it wrong please don’t be shy to tell me because then I can go and get it fixed.” The blonde said in earnest, breaking out into a wide grin when she got excited, her whole face lighting up. “You like it? Oh wonderful!”

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cecilybennett-james‌:

She bite her tongue, wanting to return a snarky remark about the other girl but didn’t want to deal with the back lash. Instead, she just gave a playful smile and sipped her water. “Have you narrowed it down to a couple dresses? What do they look like?” she asked, actually curious. “Dark blue? That sounds nice. Do you have a theme for decor or are you just keeping everything tradition?”

Alice wasn’t surprised her sister supposed her comment compleatly, in fact she was relived that she did just that because a public argument wasn’t something she wanted to engage in right now. “No, not really, they’re going to be custom made so I’ve got to narrow it down to a couple of designers so they can bring me their suggestions. I want something…full but delicate. I don’t want to look like some kind of royal cream puff. I also don’t want a lot of lace though. I’m not getting married in 1950.” Smiling as Cecily voiced her approval of the dark blue she nodded, shrugging one shoulder. “Traditional but clean. I don’t want it to be too fussy but that’s assuming mother does’t pick out too much. Christian and I both want to keep things traditional.”

[traintobequeen]

xvxlet‌:

Thank god Jamie was asleep. Thank god that child could sleep through practically anything. Violet felt like she was stuck. Leaning against her bedroom door, she clenched the handle so tightly, her knuckles were white. She wanted to stop the arguing. To tell Christian to fuck off and leave Alice alone. But, she couldn’t. Instead, she was stuck frozen, as Alice and Christian’s argument was replaced with one of her and Reginald’s many arguments. “What is this disrespect? I save you, I save your family and you can’t even be bothered coming home on time!.” “I had a stake out, I had-” No time to finish, back already up against the wall, hand already tightening- She smacked her forehead against the door, willing for it to just leave her mind. Please. Please. Please. Leave me alone. I’m begging you.

It was quiet. The yelling had stopped. In the real world at least. The yelling in her head slowly turned into background noise, enabling her to move her body just enough to open the door. Eyes darting around and hands trembling, she walked on autopilot to Alice’s room. Pausing, she knocked on the door. Please be Alice, please be Alice. “Alice, love?” @traintobequeen

Alice was in her bathroom now, Christian having slammed out the front of the house no doubt with his various security guards, leaving her alone to pull herself together. Getting a couple of cotton wool pads from her draw she started to take her make up off slowly, rhythmically, even when they argued she liked to keep her routine as regular as possible because there was an ease to it. A certainty. She’d just finished getting off her eyeliner when there was a knock on the door, making her head snap around towards the large white wood separating her from whoever was outside. Pausing, waiting, she heard Violet’s voice drift through making her breath out the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding until then. Fuck. She should have realized the woman would have heard the commotion which was honestly the last thing she needed considering what she’d been through recently.

“Darling, what are you still doing away? Come in, come in, it’s just me.” She ushered the older woman inside, closing the door again behind her firmly. The only reason she did lock it was because her son was still on the other side. That and that she didn’t want to alarm her too much and make her think there was any real danger, which there wasn’t. “Are you alright? Sorry if we woke you, just one of those stupid arguments.” She laughed lightly.

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tristanxraines‌:

Tristan was listening to someone speak about the charity’s work. He was doing his best to seem interested, but he could almost feel his eyes starting to glaze over out of boredom. That was when he spotted Alice out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that she was coming towards him, he said to the man “Please excuse me.” Then before the other person could protest, he closed the distance between himself and Alice. At her compliment, he smiled widely. “I have received my share of compliments today, but it means more coming from someone as beautiful as yourself” he said. Then he chuckled. Lowering his voice, he said “I should have known you were only interested in me for my money.” While Tristan knew this was an important charity event, all he wanted was to pull Alice into his arms and kiss her.

Alice had to do everything in her power to stop herself from blushing at his words, one hand reaching out to place on his bicep gently. It was an innocent touch for anyone who was looking at them from the outside, nothing but polite and engaged, but her fingers squeezed ever so slightly so that the man could feel it. Knowing he would get the undertones of it. “Mr Raines you’re gong to make me blush if you keep showering me with compliments like that.” She laughed politely before lowering her voice was well, taking one step closer to him so her lips were nearer his ear. “Oh honey you know i’m much more interested in other things.” Before reversing her movement so they were an acceptable distance apart again. “Your glass is looking incredibly dry, should we get you anouther drink? I like to keep all our donors…” Pausing for a second the blonde thought silently, eyes wide as if the word had momentarily escaped her before she uttered it. “Lubricated.” A wide beam breaking out onto her perfectly made up face, skin clear, eyes bright, as they met with his. “In compliments of course.” 

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fckitsam‌:

“Ahh the struggle of a princess, teas with borin’ people.” Sam remarked in a teasing tone, shaking her head. The lightness of the brief moment was welcome and appreciated. Even if it didn’t last long and her smile fell fairly quickly. Even as the present was placed on her bed. Shrugging at the question, she shifted in the bed so she was sitting up further. Alice might be a really close friend, but she still wanted to try look somewhat presentable. “They’re treatin’ me fine. Annoyin’ as fuck sometimes, but they’re alright. Don’t you worry yourself.” Honestly, part of her was surprised they still treated her after all the times she wet off at them.

“Yes, my life is truly an utter nightmare.” Alice smiled with good humor, glad to see that despite everything the girl could still crack a joke, always a good sign because the last time they spoke the brunette was incredibly down. Almost scarily so. Hearing the swear word the blonde tried to not let herself visibly flinch, never really one for swear words unless she was incredibly angry. If she pulled out a curse then you should run, because it never meant anything good. “Good, well they’re trying to help you, i’m sure it can get incredibly irritating. Here, I brought this for you.” The blonde lifted the present so it was closer to her good hand, smiling expectantly hoping that Sam would like what was inside it. She’d thought long and hard about what she might like, eventually landing on something that money couldn’t really buy, but she had managed to get hold of thanks to her various connections.

[traintobequeen]

Alice had been threatening to get Tristan on the committee for one of her various charities she represented but it seems she’d finally managed it. If he had been joking about his interest the more fool him, because currently they were both dressed in garden party casual, sipping pimms on a lawn at the Wimbledon tennis club in support of a children’s leukemia charity that worked globally including New Zealand, hence her presence. A yellow summer dress grazed at her knees as a small breeze picked up the edge, white hat and nude shoes topping off the whole look perfectly with her blonde hair loose so it could catch the sun. None of the outfit was picked by Alice of course, she had people who did that for her, but the woman wore it well. Glancing up she caught Tristan’s eye, a tiny smile coming onto her pink glossed lips, laced with a tone of secret conspiracy that they both shared. “I’m so sorry, will you please excuse me for a moment, I will be right back.” She excused herself politely from the man she had been speaking to, starting across the grass towards the actor her eyes were firmly locked on. “Well don’t you look dashing mr Raines. I hope you’re feeling generous today, this is all for charity after all.” @tristanxraines

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christian-nithercott‌:

“Is that your way of telling me we are ditching all of our responsibilities as adults for a day so we can be together?” His blue eyes seem bigger with the intention of persuasion through the same, although it was only the outside that made it look like such a perfect morning. The last night’s events are still present somewhere in the back of his head, blocking part of that happiness when her lips touch his. “You know me well enough by now, don’t you Alice.”

“Is that way of telling me you want to do that?” Alice asked with a schoolgirl giggle, biting her bottom lip gently as she looked up into her fiancée’s eyes. “Because if you are then maybe I could find a way to make it work.” Every time they had a night like the one before Christian would make the woman feel like gold afterward, and she told herself every time that this was the day it would turn around. This was the day their lives would continue in this tranquil fashion because he’d turned over a new leaf. Every time she was wrong, but it didn’t stop Alice from dreaming, or believing herself in the moment. “I’ve known you for a while, so i’d like to think I know you pretty well yes. Just like you know me better than most people.”

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cecilybennett-james‌:

“it’ll all work itself in the end i’m sure of it.” she said with a sigh. Cecily was the type of person who when things go hard she would push them to the side always saying that exact phrase. She took another sip of her water. “So, have you made any decisions for your wedding?” She finally said, breaking the silence that lingered between them and also wanting to get the topic of herself.

“It will, there is no need to stress out about it because all it will manage is to give you wrinkles, and you don’t need wrinkles.” She smiled slightly, a naughty glint in her eye although she would never admit out loud that she was insulting her sister, that wouldn’t be very ladylike. “For the wedding? A lot of decisions yes, i’m still in fittings for the dress though. The invitations are on order though and i’m trying to narrow down the guest list with Christian’s help, even though narrow down is still leaving it hundreds of people long. It’s going to be…well it’s going to be a big day that’s for sure. I think you’re going to be in dark blue, all the bridesmaids are.” 

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fckitsam‌:

Today was an okay day. Even if physical therapy had made Sam want to hit someone. It was so slow. So god damn painful and nothing was improving. Yes, she knew she shouldn’t expect anything to change, she had been told as such anyway. Yet, she hated it. Hated that she couldn’t even move her bloody toes. Back in her hospital bed, she waited for Alice. To be quite honest, she couldn’t figure out if she was glad to be seeing her in a few moments or not. On one hand, the blonde’s presence was always welcome. Yet, on the other hand, her stomach coiled at the idea of the queen to be seeing her like this. Her surface injuries had mostly healed yet she certainly didn’t look that great. With her dirty hair and prominent under eyes, she didn’t look like herself. She hated that. @traintobequeen

As Alice breezed down the hospital hallway, instructing the security to not come anywhere near the door of Sam’s room because that was the last thing the girl needed, she kept a big silver box with a bright blue ribbon tied around it safely in her hands. Knocking on the glass gently she peered through it, smiling sweetly as her eyes sparkled, popping her head around it. “Can I come in? I’ve cleared my schedule for this afternoon so thank you for providing my with an excuse to not go and have tea at the consulate with the Russian Ambassador, the man is in insufferably boring.” The blonde tried to make the detective smile with her bright twittering, placing the gift down on the foot of the bed avoiding any of her limbs. “How are you feeling darling? Are they treating you okay in here?” For once her concern wasn’t just manufactured because of her social position but it was really genuine, she cared about how the other girl was being looked after. Hospitals in London gave her the creeps. Possibly because of the constant smell of death that clung to the wall.

[traintobequeen]

Alice and Antoni - Oh brother!

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antonikosek‌:

“You’re absolutely right. I guess my mother has drilled it into my head that I have to treat her the way I would want my father to treat my mother. Caring about her doesn’t just start up at the alter, it has to start before then so that’s what i’m doing or…trying to do i guess. Her and I aren’t marrying for love but i’ll be damned if we marry without caring for each other. I’ve been to weddings where women are crying up on the alter while they say their vows and it’s not because they are happy. I don’t want that to happen to us.” Antoni took a deep breath, for some reason he felt like he was sitting talking to a therapist but at the same time it was oddly relaxing and it seemed to help him quite a bit. “Of course, thank you for welcoming me with open arms, thank you for being a friend. You and I are kinda stuck with being in each others lives now and I’m glad i didn’t get some crazy sister-in-law who hates me.” 

“I think that’s the perfect way to be taught though, if I am lucky enough to have a son i’m going to teach him exactly that. Your mother should be very proud, I don’t want to sound condescending, but I really do mean this.” Sometimes when the blonde spoke she sounded like she was patronizing people, maybe because she was so careful to always say things as nicely as she possibly could, but it sometimes backfired on her. The sound of some of those weddings sounded alarming, she faltered, almost as if her brain was forcing her to wonder if that would be her on her own wedding day. Swallowing she smiled once more, as smoothly as possible. “You two are going to be happy together i’m sure, I’l do everything I can to make sure of that, but I can’t promise you i’m not a crazy sister in law. I don’t hate you, but I am crazy.” The woman joked, laughing lightly as she pushed some hair out of her face. “I don’t want to take up too much of your day but, I just wanted to welcome you.”

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cecilybennett-james‌:

“oh but it already is. I don’t want to go on a tangent about the pros and cons of each person here but this is probably going to be one of the hardest decision of my life.” As soon as she started talking she could hear how entitled she sounded. “princess problems,right?  which suitor should I choose.” she said with a laugh, trying to lighten the situation. She could sense her sister’s discomfort in what she had said and wished she hadn’t said anything at all. “I guess not.” she replied, hoping that would be the end of that conversation.

Alice suppressed her smile as best she could when her sister started talking about how hard this decision was, not because she disagreed but because if it was anyone else she was having the conversation with they would never have said something like that. Only because it sounded so spoiled, but honestly she agreed with her sister, their free will was being taken away from them with was something that money actually couldn’t buy. No matter how much of it you had. “No, I mean, I understand what you’re saying Cece. It’s not an easy thing.” She lapsed into silence, glancing down at the table as she tried to pull herself together, maybe Christian should be marrying Cecily. Although this was the kind of irrational thinking that came to her when she was overthinking. “No, no i guess not.” She nodded.

[traintobequeen]

Alice and Antoni - Oh brother!

[traintobequeen]

antonikosek‌:

Hearing her question he was taken aback for a moment “of course i care. i mean shouldn’t a man care about his wife?” he questioned “i know that her and i don’t really know each other but that doesn’t mean i don’t care about her already. i don’t want to make her life any more miserable than it has to be with being married to me. i want her to be happy, i want to make the most out of this situation. i want your family to like me and i want my family to be proud of me for taking the throne with grace.” he paused for a moment and looked at Alice “i think her and i will be okay, i strongly believe that.” 

“Of course a man should care about his wife but, well she’s not your wife yet, and you  didn’t choose her yourself. Both factors that might have contributed to you caring a little less.” Alice shrugged, not wanting to offend the man but also wanting to be upfront about her thoughts on the situation. Hearing his words though she broke out into a smile, a beam, nodding her head enthusiastically. “That’s the perfect way to look at it, thank you, for wanting my sister to be happy. We both want the same thing so this should be incredibly easy. Honestly, it’s been really lovely to talk to you about this because it’s put my mind at ease a lot. Thank you, really.” Her eyes met his for a moment of sincere thanks, nodding her head.

[traintobequeen]

cecilybennett-james‌:

“i’ll have the same thing, thank you so much.” she said with a smile, passing the menu over, once again waiting for the waitress to leave. “i’m just as confused. I have no idea what’s going on. I know what I feel in my head and in my heart and they’re both two totally separate things. I’ve got no clue what to do. “ she said dropping her head into her hands for a moment. She looked back up, letting out a little sigh before taking a ship of her water. “I’ll talk to Christian, no problem. In all the years I’ve known him he’s never told me no before.”

“Good choice.” Alice murmured, turning back to their conversation, sighing softly at the mention of her sisters own confusion. It wasn’t surprising that she was just as baffled as the older but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. “I understand that, trust me I do, but you need to work out which you’re going to listen to because otherwise it’s going to open up to a world of pain.” Maybe a little dramatic but not altogether untrue. Pursing her lips as she mentioned how Alice’s fiancee had never said no to her it was almost a bitter pill to swallow even though it wasn’t Cecily’s fault. Why he was more willing to be taken in by the younger Bennett James she didn’t know, but she was the one that would see the nasty side of him. No one else. “I know he doesn’t. Well great, then we have nothing to worry about.”