In the Shadows @tristanruffo-blog - Tumblr Blog

artiste-bourbon:

clearly the man was not taking any hints she was throwing his way about leaving her alone. though she was doing her best to be polite about it she was not sure how else to get the man to actually leave her be. though before the man could get another word someone else had stepped in. the smile that moved across her face was one of clear relief. “yes, i would love to dance.” handing the wine glass back to the man, she gave him a small curtsy. “have a good evening.” she said to him quickly, before she walked away with her new dance partner. “thank you, really. i didn’t know what to do.”

Tristan felt a small wave of relief when she accepted his invitation. He hadn’t wanted to overstep or pull her away from a situation she was interested in. He offered her his arm and moved towards the dance floor. He offered her a smile in return before turning to face her. “I hope I wasn’t overstepping. I thought perhaps you might like a ... break... from certain company. Or at least give your stomach a break from wine.” He gave her a small bow. “Tristan Ruffo. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier.”

#madeleine

fireofireland:

rowan smiled evenly as he mentioned the option to return home, the thoughts faintly surfaced in the back of the queens mind however she knew better than to reach that far with the news of the newly cleared out town. it was progress, however there was still so much more than could and needed to be done before any of them returning to their homes was even an option, and she would have been a fool to think that returning home would not be completely different from when she had left it given the devastation to cross over the different lands. the irish were a strong breed of people, however the arrival of her countrymen also brought news of what state her beloved homeland was in. none the less rowan remained in high spirits for it was difficult not to be when everyone else seems to be beaming with new hope.

rowan turned to meet his gaze as she felt him look to her. it was clear even in her gaze that she still was very much drawn to the man by her side, the vixen could hide the smirk that grew upon her lips as they held each others gaze as he spoke of people he would miss, though rowan was sure that if all of this ended and she truly wished to meet up with him again she had the means to make it possible. granted she had full intentions of making use of the time they had while confined to the palace for now. At the mention of joining the festivities she nodded with a brow lifted in interest,

“I have every intention of going, a masquerade ball usually entices mystery and that is something I fully intend to be apart of. I find it exciting being in a room full of people and alcohol with anonymity, I can only imagine what events could unfold when one is under the influence of being unidentifiable, for the most part. what about you? I do have to admit, part of me wonders how appealing you would be in a mask?”

Her talk of anonymity made his eyes light up. He had only briefly considered the option that they could meet up in the middle of the ball without worrying too much about who saw them or what they did. Of course, they would still need to be careful not to raise any flags for those around them. However, he felt confident that they could be subtle enough for those around them. Besides, with alcohol and high spirits, he couldn’t imagine many people would care if they were banging on the floor in front of them.

“I do not think I could miss this even if I wanted to.” The feeling in the palace made it clear that the party was the place to be. Missing it would be ridiculous. Besides, he had a job that required him to be there regardless. “Not that I want to. It will be nice to celebrate something for a while, even if only a night.”

Smirking, he lowered his voice at her comment. “If you wanted to see me in a mask, you didn’t need to wait for a masquerade ball.” He raised an eyebrow mischievously before turning back to glance around the garden.

#rowan

fireofireland:

rowan had been busy, between trying to rally some of the royals to make difference in the world and the arrival of a few of her countrymen she had become caught up in her duties as a royal and a queen. however there wasn’t a moment when she was alone that the thoughts of her and tristan crossed over her mind, it was rare the queen was ever caught in thought about those she had her flings with. but something about being with him had a impressionable hold on her. with the word of a town clearing out of the plague things seemed to lighten within the palace once more, and now with a ball underway it seemed free time was easier for the irish queen to come by now.

rowan entered the garden appearing almost as radiant as the sun light itself. it had not taken her long to scan the yard and find the man she was seeking out. a particular kind of grin formed to the red head’s lips and she made her way towards him. upon her approach she slowed her steps once he turned around, a sense of excitement took her over as she thought of their times when they were able to be alone. she maintained herself in the public eye, even though they were further away from the usual gathering crowds within the gardens. Though she didn’t bother to hide the obvious look in her eye as she joined his side, turning to scan the garden to see if anyone was really paying attention to them,

“i highly doubt anyone will draw their focus to us, word around the palace is that hope is rising from outside these walls, people are celebrating, which means their focus is elsewhere rather than on those around them. we may just make it out of this whole thing alive after all?”

Tristan let the smile creep over his lips as she moved towards him. He crossed his hands behind him back; half to keep appearances up, but half so that he wouldn’t be tempted to reach out to her. Giving her a small nod, his eyes danced happily with thought of their previous meeting. He watched her scan the garden, his eyes lingering on her for a few seconds too long, though he doubted anyone would have noticed unless they were looking for something.

He had heard the news of the plague lifting in a outer town, and like most, he felt a sense of hope rising inside him. It wasn’t a complete cure, nor was it a sure thing that it wouldn’t creep it’s way back into the town. However, it was something, and these days, that was all they needed to celebrate. Besides, it would be incredible to feel successful, even if it was just for a night. A celebration that he would be able to be part of, not just a guard at.

“It is like a breath of fresh air. Our problems are not over, but perhaps there is some lingering hope out there.” He turned to catch her eye. “I will feel better when there is the option to go back home, however...” He hesitated slightly, pausing to lower his voice slight. “There will be things, and people, that I will miss.” His voice quickly turned back to normal. “Will you be joining the party this evening?”

#rowan

artiste-bourbon:

“another glass? have you not already given me two others?” maddie said a little confused as the man before her placed another glass of wine in her hands. tonight was a celebration though so maybe this was just another way of celebrating? though it was very rare that she ever went past two glasses on a night like this, but the man she had been talking to seemed very insistent. but she would be lying if she said if she was not already feeling the wine hitting her.

Tristan moved through the crowd, a small smile pulling on his lips as he watched the happy patrons moving around the room. It was strange being part of the celebration for once and not simply watching. Of course, he was still glancing through the crowd watching for anything concerning. He was brushing past what he had thought was a couple, but overhearing the conversation he hesitated. Stepping over, he gave a small bow of his head before smiling at the young woman. “Do you think I could steal a dance?”

#madeleine

@fireofireland

Tristan walked through the halls, nodding to the few people he saw. It had been a few days since he had last seen Rowan, at least outside of the quick glances when the Monaco Royal Family was in meetings with the Royal Family of Ireland. He wasn’t someone that needed to be with someone every second of everyday. That wasn’t like him. However, he did look forward to meeting up once more. She had a pull on him that he couldn’t seem to escape. Not yet at least.

Walking outside, he made his way though the halls towards the gardens. Once outside he couldn’t help but pause for a moment, glancing up at the sky and taking a small breath in. Being in the garden was his favorite place of the entire palace. Being able to see the sky reminded him that even though they were “trapped” within these walls, there was a world outside waiting for them. Or at least he hoped there was still a world waiting for him. Heading towards the back corner of the garden, he moved to a bench on the far side. He debated sitting down, but thought better of it. He was waiting for her after all. The guard glanced back up at the sky until he heard the familiar sound of footsteps and turned around.

#rowan

xthencbles:

she sighed. “i do not thing people are entirely forgiving of accidents around here.” her parents often told her off for clumsiness, but for any mistake, too. her brother would insult her endlessly, implying she was a terrible woman of the court. ava was used to such failures, finding herself not the most successful at courtly duties. “perhaps i ought to tell a servant.”

"I suppose it really depends on the person. I personally find this vase to be rather ugly, and am not too upset. However, my opinion also matters very little.” He looked at the pieces before glancing back at her. “I will take it for you. It seems my job mostly consists of cleaning up these days anyways.”

#ava

ducvado:

Frankly, Elizaveta’s strongest issue was the fact that these people didn’t know how to act, and she had never borne tantrums very well. She gave a little shrug. “That would be pleasant,” she said finally. She glanced over at him. “And you are?”

He gave a small nod before turning to head down the path to the opposite side of the garden. “I apologize for not introducing myself. Tristan Ruffo. I am a guard for the Royal Family of Monaco. It is a pleasure to formally meet you.”

#elizaveta

littleirishflame:

Cait glanced up at the aforementioned sky, a gentle smile crossed her features in response to its beauty. It was important to look up like this more often. The princess nodded in agreement, saying, “It is wonderfully inviting today. Beautiful.”

She returned her gaze to the man, “I feel so rude, I just realized I never caught your name.” She chuckled and said as she curtsied, “I’m Caitlyn.”

Tristan watched as she glanced at the sky, a small smile moving over his features. Somedays he found that people were too busy looking down to appreciate the beauty of the sky. “It truly is.”

He shook his head. “It is I who should apologize for not introducing myself.” The guard gave the young woman a bow. “Tristan Ruffo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

#caitlyn

littleirishflame:

“I am. I wanted to get away from the ruckus,” She nodded, she had almost forgotten how improper it was for a woman to go anywhere unaccompanied. She had so much freedom in Ireland, now she needed to remember to be more careful.

“I was training.“ She smiled, proud of herself, "It is important to me that I know at least some forms of self defense.” She smiled and shrugged gently, “What brings you out here?”

“It can get rather... chaotic in the palace. Especially these days.” The longer they went without a solution to the plague, the tighter the palace walls seemed to get. It was enough to drive anyone mad, and he didn’t blame her for trying to escape it all. Even if just for a moment.

So familiar. That’s all he could figure out. She reminded him of someone. But who it was escaped him. “Self defense is incredibly important. I couldn’t agree more.” He gave her a small smile. “Sometimes I just need to see the sky.”

#caitlyn

ducvado:

Elizaveta gave a little sigh. “At least they are not any of mine,” she said. “Although goodness knows if they had been, they would have certainly been reprimanded for their behavior. Which it seems like has never happened.”

It seemed to him that there would be no pleasing this woman, at least with the current situation. Giving one last look to the couple, he turned back to her. “Is there something I can do to help you today, your grace? Perhaps walking with you to a different part of the garden?”

#elizaveta

vehcmencias:

she turned around the moment the voice echoed across the halls. there was a hint of distrust behind blue hues as she faced the man. she had not expected to meet up with anyone, let alone a stranger in the middle of the night. “ i am afraid so, my cat has ran away. ” skin seemed pale behind the light of the candle, almost haunting as she stared at him.

Tristan looked down at the woman, watching as the candle light bounced off her skin. He glanced back down the dark hallway, debating for a moment before turning to her once more. “I am happy to help you look for it.” Before he gave her a chance to protest, he continued. “What does it look like?”

littleirishflame:

She shook her head, her copper curls bounced against her shoulders. She had yet to meet many people here, so the young princess was pleased to see a friendly face. “Not at all, friend. A small bout of adrenaline rush has never hurt anyone, has it?,” She said playfully, curtsying in return.

“Please excuse the impropriety.” She gestured towards the hedge, “I haven’t been outside much since we arrived.”

He nodded at her words, but gave a small tilt of his head anyways. “Regardless, I had no intention of making you jump.” He glanced around the small area of the garden and raised an eyebrow. “Are you out here by yourself?”

The need to go outside was something Tristan understood greatly, and he could not blame her for doing the same thing he was doing. Even if it was slightly more improper for her than for him. “What was it exactly that you were doing before I arrived?”

#caitlyn

littleirishflame:

Practice makes improvement.

That is the phrase Caitlyn repeated in her head as she exercised and trained in the gardens that cool afternoon. She threw her fists at the cylindrical hedge with precision and focus. In fact, she had so much focus she didn’t hear someone approach her.

She almost jumped out of her skin when a twig crunched beneath their weight. “God!" She took a breath and turned to them, wiping her brow with a small smile as she registered who it was. "It isn’t a good idea to sneak up on someone like that.”

External image

Tristan loved the gardens, and the longer he spent in the palace, the more he found himself drifting outside. It wasn’t that the palace wasn’t incredible; it truly was. However, he missed his home in Monaco, and the gardens were where he felt closest to his home. The plants were similar and the sky was the same sky. The fresh air was a nice change to the stuffy corridors as well.

He turned a corner, slightly surprised to find another person out by the hedges. The young woman in front of him looked strangely familiar, and yet he couldn’t quite figure out from where. Giving a small bow, he shook his head. “I apologize, my lady. I meant no harm. I hope I did not startle you too greatly.”

#caitlyn

xthencbles:

it had merely been an accident. ava might have been rather beautiful, and very charming, but she was immensely clumsy. turning around suddenly, the italian woman accidentally knocked over a vase of flowers, and she jumped back in shock. a hand was raised to her mouth. seeing it hadn’t split into millions of pieces, but only three large ones, she ducked to reattach it rather awfully together. head darted as she heard footsteps, and she pointed at it, stumbling over her words. “i didn’t —- that wasn’t —-” she took a deep breath. “you don’t think they’ll notice, do you?”

Tristan had been about to round the corner, down another hallway when he heard the crash. Turning his head, he moved in the direction of the noise. Hopefully it wasn’t that ridiculous cat out again. When he rounded the corner, he raised an eyebrow at the scattered pieces of the vase, and more curiously, the woman trying to piece them back together. He moved over to her, a slight smile moving over his lips that he quickly hid. “I am afraid they may notice. However, accidents do happen.”

#ava

winstonhohenberg:

The head that wears the crown is the heaviest. Winston had spent most of his life with phrases that his father and mother said to him to keep him grounded. Both were gone now, but their voices lingered – rolling around in his mind. The morning had lifted into a hazy and warm day, and desperately needing to find both clarity and reprieve, he went to the stables. His stallion, Pluto, was standing on the cross ties while the King methodically groomed him. There was never a hair out of place on the stallion. Picking up his hooves, Winston pulled the bedding from the insides and examined the wall of the feet for a moment. He preferred to keep his hooves sharp, the borium melted onto the iron proved a little more grip. Placing the foot down, Winston glanced up to notice that he had company. “Needed some space to clear your head, too?”

Tristan stepped outside and took a deep breath of the morning air. The air in the palace seemed to get heavier and heavier every day that passed. If someone had told Tristan that he could go back to Monaco, he would have been on the next carriage out of here. However, the longer they stayed, the less likely it seemed that that would be able to happen. The garden was where he normally found himself when he needed to breath, but today he found himself wandering to the stables. He knew how to ride, but did so very rarely these days. After all, there weren’t many places to go. He had stepped into the stables when he heard a voice, causing him to turn. Seeing who it was, he quickly lowered his head. “I apologize for interrupting, your majesty. I did not realize anyone else was in here.”

#winston

fireofireland

rowan was fully aware of the game she was playing, though to what extent was it a game still. she had gone this far out of her way to find them a place to be alone, all for the sake of seeing what would happen once they were able to be alone. she knew fully what she was doing which was mostly the fuel to her fire at this point. she was used to being the one most found themselves caught up with however she was now standing alone with a guard with every intention of letting the man do what he wished to her. it almost added to her euphoric mindset as she stood there, almost facing off with him as she waited for the moment when they let the seclusion take them over and the front of their intentions would be lifted.

rowan watched as he took that step forward, her eyes danced with desire at the motion of him coming that much closer to her and ultimately that much closer to what they both were clearly wanting. feeling him move closer to her only made the heat of the moment all the more real as she kept her vivid blue eyes focused on his body while he spoke. his comment of talking or showing caused her skin to tingle with anticipation as her eyes narrowed upon the thoughts that rushed over her mind as to what he was about to show her. with no hesitation she let out a small tempted laugh before she took a slow and testing step forward. closing the small space between them as she did so. she let her gaze drift up to his, pausing for a moment to focus on his lips once more before she answered him,

“I believe actions speak louder than words…you have my full attention, tristan, do not disappoint.”

Tristan had no intention of disappointing. Not one single bit. Through out his life he knew of very few situations where he had been any less that enjoyable. At least in these particular types of situations. Not that he had late night trisks in darkened rooms every day. But he was a passionate guy, and enjoyed being enjoyed. His goal was to show Rowan exactly what sort of judgement he deserved from this experience.

As she stepped closer to him, he knew that soon there would be no where else to go. However, he knew that as soon as the space between them diminished there would be no turning back. As soon as they connected there was only forward. Though, from the experience so far, he was not concerned about that. This was exactly what he wanted, and what his body was telling him he so desperately needed. From her reactions to his movements, he imagined she was in a similar spot to him. As her eyes looked at his lips, his smiled spread into a light smirk. Tristan ever so slowly bent his head until his lips could have brushed hers. He didn’t close the gap, not yet, but he could feel the heat from her body from their proximity.

“I do not disappoint.” His words were spoken quietly but with authority. Without another comment, he slipped a hand behind her neck, his fingers brushing her hair as he closed the very small distance between them.

#rowan

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