forum Royal Dilemma (o/o Closed)

Started March 04, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Eleanor let a small smirk work its way onto her lips, and she glanced briefly up at him. Her cheeks were light pink with her blush still fading from earlier.

Thomas met her gaze and smiled softly, strongly tempted to caress her cheek or touch her hair. But he managed to hold himself back for now.

"Eleanor!"

The queen in question whipped her head forward to see Irene beckoning her at the end of the hallway. She hadn't realized they were so close to the library already.

"Irene," she called back, smiling broadly at her friend as she approached.

Thomas nearly jumped at Queen Irene’s call and only managed not to because of Eleanor’s hand on his arm. “Your Majesty.” he bowed politely, moving to take a step back as she approached.

Eleanor slipped her hand free of Thomas's and moved to take Irene's extended one. Irene studied the guard as Eleanor took her hand, and she smirked lightly. "Thomas," she greeted quietly before tugging Eleanor away and out of earshot. "Darling, you must tell me… what is going on with you and Sirus? The tension could have been cut by a blade."

Eleanor sighed and nodded. "Yes. I met up with him today before I met with you. It was at his request and in the gardens. Among other things, he made me stumble into a bush and then pushed me into the fountain."

Irene's eyes widened with anger. "That conniving, no-good, son of a–" she began, but Eleanor squeezed her hand to stop her from continuing.

"I'm alright. I just think he means to embarrass me as much as possible during this visit. And I gave him all of the ammunition he needed when I wore this…" She gestured to her dress with a disdainful expression on her face.

Irene's own expression softened. "Darling Eleanor, that man is a high-society rat. Don't listen to anything he says. You looked absolutely beautiful at dinner tonight. I've never seen Génévieve so jealous. She was always the one that got all the attention before you. But don't worry about her either. Once she meets you, I'm sure she'll see reasonably that you weren't trying to steal Lionel."

Eleanor blushed wildly. "Alright," she mumbled shyly.

"If you like, we could even meet up together. That way nothing might happen. Génévieve is fine enough to get along with if you know how to speak with her," Irene continued.

Relief washed over the younger queen. "Yes," she agreed quickly. "Yes, I'd like that very much. I'll have a notice sent to you and Génévieve in the morning."

"Lovely. And one more thing…" Irene's eyes sparkled mischievously, and she lowered her voice even further so it wouldn't carry. "I saw the way he was looking at you, Eleanor."

"Who? Marcellus?" Eleanor asked with a soft frown. "Oh, he looks at me that way all of the ti-"

"No, no, no," Irene interrupted her quickly. "Thomas. Your guard. He was staring. And don't think I didn't see the way you were looking back at him."

Eleanor's heart began to race. "I-I-I… N-No, you… you must be mistaken," she stammered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Irene closed her eyes and sighed. "Eleanor…" Her eyes opened again and were genuine. "You can tell me, you know. I'm not going to go running to Marcellus and get you in trouble. It's been years since I've had a friend. I'm not going to spoil it with you."

Eleanor let out a deep breath. "Alright… yes, you're right. I'm in love with Thomas."

Irene squeezed Eleanor's hand tightly in her own. It was all she could do to keep from squealing with excitement. "By the goddesses, that's so romantic!" she whispered excitedly.

Eleanor giggled quietly and glanced over at her guard. "Yes, it is," she whispered back.

Thomas felt his heart racing as Queen Irene looked at him. It might have just been his imagination but her gaze felt more intense than earlier. He forced himself to take a calming breath as he stood back and waited.

The two queens talked for a moment longer before parting ways. Eleanor approached Thomas with her eyes wide. "Back to my rooms now," she instructed.

Thomas raised a brow at her expression but simply nodded, holding his arm for her to take as they started walking.

Eleanor took his arm and hurried at a similarly rushed pace from when she left the dining hall to get back to her rooms. Once they were there, she pushed the door open and pulled him inside quickly so she could shut it behind them. "She knows," Eleanor blurted.

Thomas was surprised by how quickly they managed to reach Eleanor's room, though he was glad of the privacy to be alone again but her words made him freeze. “What? Who knows what?” he asked, hoping his fear was wrong.

Eleanor exhaled slowly before looking him in the eye. "Irene," she explained quietly. "She knows about us."

Thomas let out a deep sigh, his shoulders sagging as his eyes closed as she confirmed his suspicion. “Oh, gods.” he groaned. “What is she going to do?” he made himself ask.

"Nothing," Eleanor murmured, reaching for Thomas's hands and taking them in her own. "She isn't going to say a word. And she's happy for us." She paused a moment. "Though she did tell me not to look at you in public anymore. She said it's obvious in my eyes."

Thomas sighed as Eleanor took his hands and nodded. “That's a relief.” he said gratefully. Though he chuckled softly at the suggestion. “Then I suppose I should do the same in public.”

Eleanor laughed quietly. "Yes, I suppose you should," she agreed. "I also told her what happened with Sirus. She was positively vengeful. If I wasn't there to stop her from such a foolish act, she would have marched right to his room and skinned him alive. She was furious, Thomas."

Thomas chuckled again and nodded. “I’ll do my best.” he promised. “I don't blame her. If I could have, without getting into trouble, I would have run him through right then and there.” he admitted.

Eleanor's eyes widened. "You would?" she asked with soft surprise, reaching up to cup his cheek in her gentle hand.

Thomas nodded, leaning into her touch. “Of course, I would.” he said softly. “If anyone else attacked you in such a way, they would be sentenced to death. But because he is visiting royalty… There’s not much that can be done.”

"It's a shame," Eleanor muttered before leaning closer and resting her forehead on his chest. "Irene instructed me to arrange a meeting with Génévieve tomorrow as well. It will be the three of us together, so Génévieve doesn't claw my eyes out for the dress I wore tonight."

Thomas chuckled softly and nodded, holding her close. “That's a good idea. Queen Irene and Queen Génévieve know each other so having them together should make the meeting go smoother.” he agreed. “And Queen Génévieve’s feelings towards you could affect how the meeting with her husband would go.”

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "Those were Irene's thoughts as well." Her eyes looked up into his and softened. "When I told Irene I was in love with you, she called it romantic," she murmured. "I believe she was right."

Thomas smiled as their eyes met. “Romantic?” he asked thoughtfully. “I suppose so. I hadn't thought much of it beyond how much I love you.” he admitted.

Eleanor couldn't stop the smile on her lips if she wanted to. "Neither have I," she agreed, reaching up to smooth his hair gently. "But thinking it over… Thomas, I'm so in love with you." Her eyes softened. "I'm so in love with you," she repeated quietly.

Thomas sighed at her touch and relaxed happily. “I love you too, Eleanor. So much.” he smiled affectionately.

Eleanor grinned happily. "I love you," she whispered before smoothing his hair again and gently placing her lips on his.