bow down bitches

eleanor josephine elizabeth windsor

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wtfbridget:

“you’re too fucking polite,” bridget mused, it wasn’t as if she herself wasn’t raised with all of the etiquette coaches and ‘lady’ lessons that nora had but then again she wouldn’t one day be the sovereign of britain and the clusterfuck of countries that’d yet to break away. bridget always knew she’d had a certain amount of freedom that eleanor couldn’t and would never attain, but once upon a time she’d broken almost every rule to involve her cousin in her shenanigans and now she almost, selfishly, just wanted her to rot in her gilded cage. “this isn’t… people are going to hurt you rah, they might not mean to, it could be the most unintentional thing they’ll ever do and they’ll make you feel like they ripped your heart from your chest and stood on it with a louboutin pump. that’s just the way of the world, forgive and forget or something.” she supposed the advice stood for her too, because that feeling was exactly her when she found out about ollie and nora, but that was neither here nor there. “i didn’t know about you and reid. i need you to know that, i thought it was a shitty rumour and i wanted it to be just a rumour because i never wanted to intentionally hurt you like this. i’m sorry, you… i would never wish this feeling upon anyone, not even the ones who did the same to me.”

“i’m not angry with you, at least not right now,” she all but whispered, hands still clutching the duvet. “i mean, there’s no way you would have gone through with it had you had even the slightest inkling about reid and i, right?” more than anything, it was an attempt to convince herself. she knew bridget was still angry about her an ollie (she hadn’t exactly made an attempt at... concealing it), but doing this intentionally? surely that was too petty, even for her. “if i’m angry with anyone, it’s him. he should have known better. but i don’t think i have the energy to be angry with either of you right now, you know? i just want to go to bed and wake up when this debacle has been sorted out.” another brief pause followed as nora fought back another wave of tears. “do you think i could sleep in here tonight? i ... can’t fall asleep on my own.”

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bridget windsor.

bridget shifted away, leaving her hand on nora’s back to rub gently but no longer cradling her. “you’re allowed to have feelings, just because your parents drummed it into you that you have to be impassive. i did a shitty thing, reid did a shitty thing, you’re allowed to be sad, angry, whatever you want.” she looked at her cousin dead in the eye, eyebrows raised, she should know there was no problem with needing her. “why are you apologising for that? you know i’ll come every time you need me, drop everything and come. you weren’t inconveniencing me eleanor, i would hope you’d do the same for me. but i’m also not stupid and i’m aware that you probably wouldn’t but let’s just ignore that.”

part of her wanted nothing more than to scream at bridget, much like part of her had wanted to do the same at reid, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  she was just too tired, too drained, too weak to actually raise her voice. she supposed it’d be easier, had she found it in herself to be angry with them - to project the blame onto someone else. perhaps it’d make sleep come by easier too. but she couldn’t. “i’m sorry for apologising,” she replied almost instinctively, a bad habit she’d picked up after one too many nights of her parents nitpicking. “i don’t know what to do, birdie. i don’t understand why i’m barely scraping by. in the grand scheme of things it’s not like this has any bearing on anything - and yet, i can’t seem to---” and with that, the silent sobs resurfaced, causing nora to pull her duvet closer around her, almost as a form of protection. 

[ronweasley]

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tcvias:

tavia held her hands up in surrender - for once she wasn’t there to argue with the girl. as much as she would’ve reveled in the moment a few weeks ago, right now she just didn’t have the energy. and it wasn’t like lyss was going to be a fan of tavia kicking one of her closest friends while she was already down. “ don’t make this harder for me than it already is, ” she replied, rolling her eyes at the girl. “ i’m not here to make whatever’s wrong worse. i was actually gonna suggest -, ” she swallowed, not really believing the words that were coming from her mouth, “ - i was going to suggest that we go get wasted and try and forget about our problems for the night? drinking a bottle of whisky on your own just makes things more depressing than they already are and well… you look like you need a drink as much as i do. ”

it took nora a good half a minute to gather herself and finally turn the tap on the waterworks all the way off. her eyebrows raised a little at the other’s comments; normally, she was pretty sure octavia would have found great pleasure in seeing eleanor in such bad shape. “you know what?” she spoke with a shrug, pulling her coat tighter around her frame as though to protect herself, her guard still very much up. “if this was any other night, i would have most definitely told you to sod off, but whiskey doesn’t sound half bad right now. desperate times call for desperate measures, and all that.”

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wtfbridget:

bridge stroked nora’s hair and placed a few kisses there, rocking slowly, the movements coming naturally to her. once upon a time this was not a regular occurrence but still one she had to do every now and then, princess eleanor was king charles and queen eleanor’s crown princess but nora was eddie and evee’s adopted child and bridget’s younger sister. bridget had her moments when her mum would just cradle her while the world fell away, if she could provide even an ounce of that comfort to her cousin, despite everything that’d happened she would without thinking. unsure about whether the brunette was apologising for crying or simply for everything that’d transpired between them she found it better off to just settle for a simple, “me too.”

once the sobbing had died down, nora brought the sleeve of her pajamas to her face, using the smooth fabric to wipe away the excess tears. “i don’t know why it’s all affecting me this much,” she tried. never having been one for ... opening up, the words felt strange leaving her lips; foreign almost. “and i know i shouldn’t - you know - think about it, but no matter how much i’ve tried to sweep it under the rug.. it just reappears. god, how pathetic am i?” the room fell silent again as nora shifted her gaze again, finally making an attempt creating eye contact with bridge. “look, i am so sorry for .. inconveniencing you with all this, it really is nothing important and if i keep trying to forget it all i’m sure it’ll pass - it’s just - i don’t really have anyone else i can speak to. i’m so sorry.”

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tcvias:

tav had been doing anything she could to avoid her home during the waking hours since lyss woke up. anytime she went home, she found herself unable to stop herself from sneaking into the girl’s room, wishing she could get close to the girl again. it wasn’t healthy, she knew that much, which is why she did her best to be anywhere but there. after walking around for what felt like hours, she paused at an unfamiliar sound, slowly tracing her steps toward the noise. her eyes widened in surprise when she realized the sound was none other than nora, tears pouring down her face.

truthfully, she hadn’t been aware that nora had enough feelings to get hurt, let alone enough to cry. she bounced on the balls of her feet, unsure of whether to approach the girl or not. it was nora, after all - but it would also be a welcome distraction. plus, she had to admit she was a little curious as to find out what was causing such a public display of emotion from the girl. and a drink or two with a companion wasn’t such a bad idea either - she’d spent much too many nights drinking alone recently. she was a little afraid she was following in her father’s alcoholic footsteps, not that it would stop her from dulling the pain with yet another shot. “ hey, ” she said softly as she approached the girl, hands sliding in her back pockets.

nora didn’t know how long she’d been crying for. all she knew was that whenever she thought she had no tears left to cry, that she had it all under control; there always seemed to be just a little more waiting to force its way out. it wasn’t like her to cry; let alone in public, but it was dark, it was a weekday, and she was about 90 percent sure no one would see her.  who was out this late anyway?

hearing the familiar voice behind her, nora let out a sigh. it was almost like the universe was intent on making her life as difficult as humanly possible tonight. of all people who could have stumbled upon her in her moment of weakness, it had to be tavia. perfect. just perfect. she sniffled slightly, quickly patting away the rogue tears with the sleeve of her coat before turning towards the girl. “if you’re here give your two cents, i’ve got to warn you right now: don’t. i’m not in the mood tonight.” and with that, she broke into tears again.

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rciids:

reid wished there was something he could say but he knew that there was no reasoning that would make this somehow better. they might not’ve been a couple but up until that night, he’d been exclusive with her ( even if she didn’t know that fact ). maybe that was the reason he felt so guilty over his actions, why he felt so compelled to tell her the truth instead of some lie about it being someone else. even more confusing was the way he was already trying to figure out how to fix this - normally breaking things off was so easy. but with nora, he was overwhelmed with the fear that her walking away now meant forever. as she got off his bed, he stepped toward her. “ nora, ” he said softly, stopping in his tracks as she requested him to let herself out. “ i’m sorry. ”

as he spoke, she stopped, hand resting on the door handle. part of her wanted nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around her, and for them to sort this out, right here and now. for him to tell her it had been a mistake, an error in judgement; for life to go on as it had up until about a minute ago. for someone whose entire existence revolved around public speaking, she found it incredibly difficult trying to string together coherent sentences right now. perhaps it was the feeling of betrayal that seemed to well up in her, perhaps it was the fact that she was about fifty seconds away from crying, but she couldn’t seem to put her thoughts into words. “s-so am i,” she spoke, a slight tremor in her voice, before turning the handle and disappearing into the dark.

it wasn’t until she was sure he couldn’t hear her she allowed herself to cry.

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rciids:

reid turned to face her, sticking on the other side of the room. there were few people he cared about knowing the facts and the person that mattered most was right in front of him. he let out a slow breath, sliding his hands in his pockets to stop the fidgeting. he watched as the realization dawned on her and he held his breath, wishing not for the first time to take those actions back. he lowered his gaze to the blanket that was draped over his bed, staring at the hem of the fabric. “ i told you it was worse than you think, ” he whispered, unable to give her an outright yes.

so. they’d slept together. even after the sound of his actual admission had died down, it still took a good second for nora to fully understand what that meant.  and truth be told, the thought of it didn’t sit well with her. it wasn’t so much the mental images (of which there were none) that caught her off guard, but the sharp pain building in her chest, somehow increasing with every shallow breath. and so, she decided to do the only thing she could think of: leave. “alright, uhm, look - listen, i think i’m going to have to call it a night...” she mumbled, getting off his bed, careful to avoid any and all eye contact as she made her way over to the door. “please don’t see me out. i think i can find the front door on my own.”

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rciids:

despite not wanting to look at her reaction, his eyes quickly snapped to her face one she spoke, trying to gauge how she really felt. she had much more practice hiding what she truly thought than he did - she was in the public eye, after all. all it took was the slightest slip up and it was all over the news for her. maybe she didn’t have reason to tell him not to, they’d never said they were exclusive, but that didn’t stop the guilt that weighed on him. his face paled at her next words and he stood up from the bed, pacing to the other side of the room. why’d she have to pull out that example of all things? “ …and - how much would it matter? if it was? ”

“how much it would matter?” she asked, hands folded in her lap, a pensive look painted on her features. what an odd hypothetical.  finding out reid and bridge had slept together was a surefire way to crush her, but a) why would she admit that and b) they hadn’t, so why he was insisting she’d take part in such a ridiculous mental exercise she couldn’t quite wrap her head around. and so, she just sat there, eyes flickering around the room while she tried her best to come up with an answer that didn’t ... reveal too much, when the realisation washed over her. “...you’ve slept with her, haven’t you?”

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rciids:

reid sighed as the girl inched out from under him and he moved to sit on the edge of his bed. his gaze hovered over her head, unable to actually look her in the eyes. he didn’t necessarily want to see the way her face looked when he told her - he knew it wasn’t going to be anything good. “ worse than you think, ” he admitted, looking down at her hands. he wished it was as simple as a stupid infection; an infection would go away and she wouldn’t hate him after he told her what had happened. “ it’s not an infection, ” he started and let out a long sigh. “ i just - it was - just some - stupid one night stand. ” was there any way to soften the blow of who that one night stand was with? if there was, he couldn’t think of one. “ i was drunk, ” he added, as if that was somehow an excuse.

“aha.” she didn’t really know what to say (or if she should say anything at all), and so, all she did was nod. it was definitely worse than what she’d initially thought - but then again, considering what she’d been exposed for just a couple of weeks prior - did she really have any right to get angry with him? and to top it all of, it wasn’t like they were together. “i’m in no position to ... tell you not to - right - and honestly, as long it wasn’t... i don’t know ... my cousin ... it’s not like it would matter.”

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rciids:

reid had naively hoped that they’d be too caught up in each other for her not to notice the marks adorning his skin. it had worked for some time but when he felt her hands stop, he knew she’d seen them. his already increased heart rate became erratic. he glanced down to his skin, his hand tentatively wrapping around hers and he slowly guided her hand away, trying to redirect her attention to anywhere but the spots. “ ah, uh – i don’t – remember? ” he replied, a flimsy lie. although much of the night was a blur, he definitely knew where - or rather who - the marks came from and how they got there.

nora turned her wrist slightly to separate her hand from his, using her now free hands to inch herself out from under him. he didn’t remember? she felt like scoffing. sure, she was willing to buy into most anything when it came to reid, but even through the rose-tinted glasses she had trouble believing that he couldn’t recall. “please,” she spoke, her eyes meeting his, hands fiddling with the hem of her dress. “i’d much rather ... you told me. i mean, how bad could it be? if you’ve gotten yourself infected with something i’m sure it can be sorted out.” 

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REID LORIC

reid’s hands splayed out on nora’s thighs as she wrapped her legs around him, slowly making their way to the small of her back. “ i’d bet on it, ” he replied, mumbling against her lips. he reached behind him and grabbed the remote, turning up the volume slightly before setting it on his nightstand. he flipped them over, hovering over her and he looked at her, a half-smile on his lips. emotions he couldn’t quite place were rushing through him; all he knew was she felt infinitely more right than anyone else ever had. he pressed a light kiss against her collar bone, trailing up to her lips.

an almost inaudible gasp sounded from her lips as she was turned onto her back, her body arching slightly at the sensation of skin against skin. the sounds of the movie became muffled, drowned out by the thumping of her own heart. why exactly someone seemed to turn the dial on her heart rate to max whenever he was around, she wasn’t sure. perhaps she was allergic? but even if that turned out to be the case, she couldn’t keep herself away from him for long. her hands lifted above her to unbutton his shirt, getting about halfway down before stopping dead in her tracks, her heart almost skipping a beat as the marks peeked out from beneath the fabric. “...how did you get those?” she asked, running a finger carefully across the bruises, silently hoping the marks would vanish at her touch.

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REID LORIC

reid nodded at the girl. “ you can say you’re staying at my sister’s place. moral support, ” he shrugged. it was something that could be followed up on; he and dana were in the same place and it wasn’t like she wasn’t friends with lulu. the lie was easy and he knew dana would lie for them when push came to shove. “ i’ll do whatever makes you happy, ” he replied, pressing his lips to hers. could anything lift the guilt he was feeling? “ if that’s watching whatever movie this is, i’ll do that, ” he said before adjusting his positioning to better guide her into his lap. “ but i think you may have a better idea. ”

the slight shift in his position allowed nora to wrap her legs around him, her hands finding their way into his hair as she returned the kiss. “hopefully, we’re on the same page,” she joked, one of her hands trailing down to rest at the nape of his neck, as her lips sought out his again. “i say we keep the film running. could probably do with the background noise if ollie decides to come home early.”

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ALYSSA LORIC

alyssa watched on with eager eyes that practically lit up as she saw the ultrasound photo. she clasped her hands together in pure joy - she could imagine how happy her brother would have been when he saw this - and revelled in the happiness that a couple she’d supported for so long were finally going to make her an auntie. ‘i’m just glad i know now. and believe me, i know just how shocking the whole thing can be,’ lyss replied with an understanding nod. ‘you know what would make it feel real though? a baby shower. nothing big of course, since i doubt you really want this being released to the public, but something small and private would be so adorable!’ her brain was practically racing with ideas as the excitement of eleanor’s announcement had her almost jumping around on the spot. ‘new york is new york, i suppose. feels like home now, after all these years. and the kids are good, mischievous as always, but cute as hell. i can only imagine how precocious this one is going to be’, she said gesturing to her swollen stomach, ‘considering the characteristics of the parent’. 

at the other’s suggestion, nora all but froze. “yeah, that most definitely would be something,” she shuddered, her tone that of someone imagining a doomsday scenario unfold in front of them. if trying to keep her pregnancy a secret had been a limbo, being forced to celebrate that her secret was outed must be what it felt like to enter the gates of hell. “but i think.. we’re alright for now.” she listened attentively as lyss spoke, more than eager to divert the topic. “well, if they turn out to be anything short of astute you can definitely colour me surprised. how far are you along now? you must be boiling over with excitement.”

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BRIDGET WINDSOR

bridget, to be perfectly honest, had given up being affected by nora’s comments and actions, those raised as ice queens will only do as they’re taught after all. but even she felt a little bubble of guilt as she slipped from reid’s bed mere days ago, she didn’t think much of it at the time, rationalising her actions by passing reid off as one of her cousin’s flings when he was apparently much more. her mind constantly lingered on the one question, ‘did she feel like the guilt was tearing her to pieces after ollivander?’ but it was highly doubtful. still, when the maid came to tell her eleanor was asking for her, both worry and sheer curiosity had her entering her room without so much as a knock and locking the door behind her. she wordlessly crossed the room, pulling nora against her chest and wrapping her arms around her tightly, “sure rah.”

as bridget’s arms wrapped around her, a sob managed to escape eleanor’s lips. she’d never been one for crying (not as a kid, and most certainly not as an adult), but she couldn’t seem to find it in her to switch off the waterworks. there was just too much racing on her mind right now - anger, heartbreak, sadness and betrayal all battling it out to be centre-stage in her subconscious. why she was so worked up, she couldn’t quite fathom: it wasn’t like reid and her were exclusive. and yet, the news of him and bridget had awoken some gaping void in her, rendering her completely unable to think or act rationally (exhibit A: going to bridge for advice, exhibit B: hooking up with tav). there was a prolonged silence while nora looked down at her hands, suddenly very preoccupied with counting the lines on each finger. anything not to look at her. eventually, though, she cut through the silence, her voice bordering on a whisper. “i’m sorry.”

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@wtfbridget​

in retrospect, there seemed to be several reasons why nora probably shouldn’t have sought out bridget after her little mishap with reid had come to light. 1. bridget was most definitely still angry with her, and 2. given the situation, bridget was at least half of the issue. but the lump in her throat had grown so much she felt like there was no way she could handle it on her own, and it wasn’t like she had an abundance of people it was possible to talk to, either.  as the door in front of her opened, the girl was quick to wipe her eyes (after all, she didn’t want to seem to vulnerable). faced with the sight of her cousin, she suddenly felt like she was eight years old again, seeking refuge in bridget’s room when her parents were being particularly difficult. “can we... talk?” she all but pleaded, voice muffled by both the blanket wrapped around her and the fact that she was on the verge of actual tears.

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REID LORIC.

@windscr ! –

reid had honestly, truly tried to hide the events of the night before prior to meeting up with nora, but found there was only so much he could do without the assistance of makeup - which would most certainly draw her eye even quicker than the marks that adorned his skin. so he found himself hoping she wouldn’t notice as they sort-of watched a movie together, his arm around her. he’d realized not long in that they spent more time glancing at each other than actually watching the movie. “ you wanna stay over tonight? ” he asked, turning his head toward her and he brushed her hair away from her face. “ we can keep this whole movie ‘watching’ thing going. maybe get through the whole series, ” he joked.

nora had spent more time with her head resting against his chest, quietly listening to the sound of his heartbeat than she had watching the actual film. were she to be completely frank, she wasn’t entirely sure what they were watching. tilting her head slightly to look at him, she smiled. “i’d like that. remind me to text some elaborate excuse to my parents, though? they’re... fussy about curfews.” it was an uncharacteristic admission, surprising even to her. but she couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps it would be possible for her to let her guard down around him. “you’re not telling me you actually want to sit through the entire thing?” she spoke with a laugh, leaning in to kiss him. “because i can think of at least a couple of things i’d ... rather be doing.”