Queen Rowena’s eyes flitted about the room, surveying the members of the court before landing on her husband. She was still recovering from internally cringing at the awkward pause, and for a moment she didn’t reply. Someone’s going assassinate him one of these days, surely, is what she had been thinking for the past twenty years, and she was surprised it hadn’t happened yet. Oh well. After all this time, she supposed she would wait another year. Perhaps he wouldn’t get assassinated, even. Maybe he would die from cholera instead.
“The war,” she murmured. “That Napoleón seems to have backed himself into a corner; we, along with the Spanish and Portuguese, have the chance to drive him out of Spain.”
"Ah yes" he whispered again, as the room began to fill with raucous "Napoleon has been backed into a corner! This is our chance to attack and send that" he paused " Hellhound back where he belongs" with such a strong sentiment in his voice, he got a loud cheer and applause from the crowd " We might finally be able to win this lengthy war and have an era of peace. But it is always darkest before dawn, so I say, before then, we must give them all out brutality!" another roar from the crowd. "As king, I am ordering a conscription so all men in the British Isles will be able to know the glory of war!" The crowd roared less now, but the king was oblivious to the lesser reaction. He smiled looking at his wife, whispering a small blessing to her. " Now I order this council adjourned." Walking back to his throne, he chuckled, whispering to his wife again "I will be needing another drink after this"
(I'll just wait for a good time to jump in.)
Albion grumbled softly to himself as he listened to the conversation. I guess I don't really have any choice… I suppose it's for the best. I wouldn't want the wound to get infected and kill me or anything. He reluctantly allowed Jasper to usher him onto the stool, still holding his arms around himself as he glanced around uneasily. He didn't want to be seen, and he was clearly uncomfortable. With zero medical knowledge, he had no way of knowing exactly how serious his injury was. He just assumed that it would be fine.
She was staying by him trying not to worry about everything, it hadn't looked serious earlier but maybe that horse kick broke a rib bone and it was stabbing into his organs and causing internal bleeding? Maybe it puntured his skin?
Maybe the horses kick tore his skin apart and it's just bleeding?
Her mind was panicking as she hated seeing Albion even the slightest bit hurt. She barley noticed when the servant returned, "Good, check him over and bandage him up now."
He chuckled softly, "Oh but I do….and you…my beautiful fair lady.." he moved closer to her where he was directly standing Infront of her and he moved to take the strand she tucked behind her ear to out it back Infront of her face.
"Well, you always make me wonder…but I do appreciate the extra effort. Thank you my little fox." He grinned at her, moving to grab her hand, and squeezes her hand gently.
She let out a small breath at his words, smiling uncontrollably. The strand of hair tickled her skin, and she pulled it back again out of habit. “Of course, love.” She squeezed his hand in return. Nervous, but suddenly motivated by impulse, she stepped closer to him and laid her head on his chest, but keeping their hands clasped together.
“How are you today?” she asked, unsure of what else to say.
He was shocked but a good shocked, well not so shocked but just enough for a soft grin to appear on his face when she did that, he moved his other hand to hold her close to him and he moved to set his head on her head and exhale.
"how am I today? Well, however I was before me met does not matter, because you have already made my day 100% better just by being with me."
She was staying by him trying not to worry about everything, it hadn't looked serious earlier but maybe that horse kick broke a rib bone and it was stabbing into his organs and causing internal bleeding? Maybe it punctured his skin?
Maybe the horses kick tore his skin apart and it's just bleeding?
Her mind was panicking as she hated seeing Albion even the slightest bit hurt. She barely noticed when the servant returned, "Good, check him over and bandage him up now."
Carly came closer to Albion, blushing at how near he was to him, but shaking off the feeling. He checked the wound closer, and saw the imprint of a hoof-mark where the blood was coming from "Did you… get kicked by a horse?!" he exclaimed silently, making sure nobody but Albion and Jasper could hear. He checked the wound closer and began to feel it, gently, as to not hurt Albion. "You're very lucky there are no fractures. If there were, there would be no way of possibly hiding it." Carly took out the gauze " I'm not sure HOW exactly you were hit by a horse and not die, much less not have a single fractured bones, but some higher power must be extremely in your favor." He paused " I might need you to remove that shirt…" he blushed "B-but you don't have to"
Sophia giggled softly, enjoying their closeness. “Oh, I’m glad. I feel the same.”
Moving her other hand around his waist, she then murmured, “Well, I was feeling a bit tired before I came, so is it alright if we… if we just stay like this? Just for a moment?”
"How do you know it isn't fractured?" Albion asked, already beginning to unbutton his bloody shirt to pull it off. It wasn't too strange to him since royals were frequently dressed by servants. Once he had it off, the wound was clearly visible. There were lacerations in the shape of a hoof on the lower left part of his chest, and it seemed to be bleeding pretty steadily, especially now that the shirt wasn't on top of it to soak up some of the blood. The wound was already gaining an ugly bruise around it, and it was only getting deeper. Albion was holding himself together fairly well, but he was still visibly uneasy. Seeing the wound only made him more nervous, as well.
She took a deep breath in and out before turning to the servant.
"do what you need to do, but just fix him up and do it good. he needs to be patched up and we need to stop the bleeding." She was trying to keep herself calm so that she didn't start a panic between the three of them, honestly right now she's kinda mad at her parents but that issue could be addressed another time.
She put a hand on his hand, "Hey, it's gonna be okay alright? Your gonna be okay."
Albion closed his eyes, holding his breath and biting his lip a bit to keep quiet. He relaxed a little when Jasper reassured him, but he tried not to be obvious about it. "I'm f-fine…" He replied, exhaling shakily. "It's nothing. He… he said it wasn't fractured or whatever anyway, so that must be a good sign. I'm just getting worked up over something insignificant. Just need to… to keep quiet… deal with it…" He mumbled quietly to himself. "No one else needs to hear of it…"
He chuckled lightly, "I am glad that you feel the same." He held her close to him as she spoke softly, he loved to listen to her voice. It soothed his soul and every part of him.
"of course we can, my lady. We can stay here like this for as long as you like." He spoke softly, making sure not to be too loud when speaking.
She gave his little hand a sqeeze, she felt for him much more then he probably knew. She could almost feel his pain, she definitely hear it in his voice and how his voice shook when he spoke.
"It's okay to be scared Ali…its okay to be afriad of something. I just need you to know that you are going to be okay, and I promise you I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You are my little brother, and nothing will change that." She kissed his land. "and don't worry about dealing with it, I get scared of the small things too. We all get scared sometimes. It's just natural."
Albion kept his eyes closed, drawing in a couple of shallow, wavering breaths. He was tapping one foot on the ground anxiously, and he was still visibly paler than he usually was. "I… do not have the luxury of being afraid…" He whispered after a few seconds of hesitation. "Fear can only slow me down… it's a horrible feeling. Horrible emotion. It will only hold me back. What with father thrusting all his issues upon me so he doesn't have to resolve them himself, I can't… I can't let silly stuff like this scare me." He whimpered quietly when he was touched, cringing away. He was clearly in pain.
Carlysle looked in anxiety as the Prince's reactions to the laceration worsened "Well, I know it isn't fractured because there are no unnatural bumps on your chest, and no sharp splints either" he began to unwrap the bandages "Although you might have internal bleeding… I'll be as careful as I can" he looked at the prince's wincing face, he was in near excruciating pain. Way too much for a young adolescent like him should be experiencing. "Before I start… you're absolutely sure you don't want the King and Queen to know about this? They'll still know you escaped because the guards would tell them… It might be safer to tell them…" Carlysle looked at the Prince with worry. As a servant of the royal family, it was practically his job to worry like this, and with the added effect of his crush on the prince, the concern was extreme.
"I'm fine. D-Don't tell the king and queen. It's better if they don't know." Albion held tightly to Jasper's hand, his breathing harsh and wavering. "Just… just do what you have to do, okay…? Please…" He whispered, his heart racing in his chest. As much as he was trying to hide it, he was clearly upset and afraid. He got little bumps and bruises fairly often due to his carelessness, but it was unusual for him to get hurt this badly. He was just hoping that Carlyle would get on with it and fix him up quickly so it could just be a bad memory.
Carlysle nodded solemnly "Alright. I'll do as you wish" he took a bandaged and placed it on top of the wound, the took another and crossed it. This was the first layer, to prevent pain from the pressure of wrapping "Ok, this next part will apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding… It might hurt a bit." he began wrapping a long piece of gauze around the Prince's torso, making sure the be careful. After about three wraps top to bottom, he had finished. While wrapping, he had felt Albion's heart racing " There, better. You're okay." He tried reassuring him, though his voice shook a little. "You'll have to clean it and treat it later on, so if you need anything like that…" he looked down " I'm usually working in the dining hall or the doctor's quarters… you should probably come personally, since I'm… not allowed to be here right now"
Albion kept his eyes closed, his lip quivering a bit as he struggled to keep quiet. The wound hurt badly, and he could hardly distinguish its throbbing from the pounding of his heart. He had to admit that it felt a little bit better after being wrapped, but it wasn't like he didn't know it was there. His body was still aching, and it only made him more nervous to think about how he would handle the pain. As the heir, he was expected to attend events and such, which happened pretty frequently. He pushed that from his mind for the time being. "Okay…" He replied weakly after a few seconds, his voice breathless and quiet. "I… um… I'll do that… thank you…"
Jasper watched the two exchange talk and as the servant bandaged up albion. Thankfull for Carslye, and for him approaching them when he did, or else they would have had to go to the doctor and it could have drawn a bunch of attention and possibly gotten there parents involved.
They didn't need that.
She clenched her fist behind her back, she was so done with the way that there family had operated.
She was going to find time to do it.
Hopefully no one figured out what the "It" was.
She nodded when the servant finished, and as Albion finished speaking.
"yes well, I will make sure to get you if needed and if Albion cannot. Thank you for doing this. And not telling our parents."
"Ah yes" he whispered again, as the room began to fill with raucous "Napoleon has been backed into a corner! This is our chance to attack and send that" he paused " Hellhound back where he belongs" with such a strong sentiment in his voice, he got a loud cheer and applause from the crowd " We might finally be able to win this lengthy war and have an era of peace. But it is always darkest before dawn, so I say, before then, we must give them all out brutality!" another roar from the crowd. "As king, I am ordering a conscription so all men in the British Isles will be able to know the glory of war!" The crowd roared less now, but the king was oblivious to the lesser reaction. He smiled looking at his wife, whispering a small blessing to her. " Now I order this council adjourned." Walking back to his throne, he chuckled, whispering to his wife again "I will be needing another drink after this"
Rowena had to do a double take. What did he say? He didn’t say what she thought she said, right? A conscription to all men? All?
Stiffly, a nervous smile broke out at his blessing. She could take what minimal credit she was given, but quickly the smile dropped and she felt something between like rage and incredulousness boiling her blood.
“Your Majesty?” Her voice was shaky and raspy, barely containing her need to shout at him. “Did you say a conscription for all men? Who will reap the wheat that makes our bread? Who will sharpen and mold the materials that make our weapons? Who will govern our towns in this time of war? Surely you don’t mean that literally.”
(I don’t think imma join…sorry in just not feeling it)
He chuckled lightly, "I am glad that you feel the same." He held her close to him as she spoke softly, he loved to listen to her voice. It soothed his soul and every part of him.
"of course we can, my lady. We can stay here like this for as long as you like." He spoke softly, making sure not to be too loud when speaking.
She smiled, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of his heartbeat. He was like a rock; sturdy, something she could lean on. And yet, at the same time, he was in the middle of the violent river that was his family and his status. If they weren’t careful, she would drown in the river, or he would be broken down and beat against by strong, relentless waters. She tried not to squeeze his hand too tightly, instead tracing the crevices in his fingers, the tendons drawn taut beneath pale, smooth skin.
“So soft,” she whispered. “Yet so strong at the same time.” Humming for a moment, unsure of what else to say, she then asked, “What have you been up to?”
Jasper watched the two exchange talk and as the servant bandaged up albion. Thankfull for Carslye, and for him approaching them when he did, or else they would have had to go to the doctor and it could have drawn a bunch of attention and possibly gotten there parents involved.
They didn't need that.
She clenched her fist behind her back, she was so done with the way that there family had operated.
She was going to find time to do it.
Hopefully no one figured out what the "It" was.
She nodded when the servant finished, and as Albion finished speaking.
"yes well, I will make sure to get you if needed and if Albion cannot. Thank you for doing this. And not telling our parents."
Carlysle nodded at Albion and bowed graciously "It was my pleasure." He was very formal in speech. He wouldn't say it to their faces, but the both of them were sort of intimidating. "I will continue to do the best I can to serve you royals." he smiled a little, an informal acknowledgement of his appreciation. He then ran off back to the castle.
As he went, he came to face a banner with the royal Windsor emblem on it. He looked around to make sure noone was there and he lifted it up, revealing a secret tunnel within the walls and crevices of the mansion. He had memorized the paths throughout the years, so he knew which turns to make. He was headed for the Doctor's quarters to return the gauze. Once he snuck out from under the stone slabs lining the walls of the quarters, he sneakily placed the gauze on the doctor's table and now began to head to the Prince's room, where he was supposed to still be cleaning at the moment.
Albion opened his eyes when Carlysle had gone, trying to get his breathing more regular. Normal… I have to act normal… they can't know that I got hurt again. He pulled his shirt back on, but noticed that it still had blood on it. No good… He glanced up at Jasper, not entirely sure what to do. Obviously, if he nonchalantly walked into the palace with a blood soaked shirt, he would raise some suspicion. He hesitated before starting to make his way back towards the garden. He'd taken off his overcoat near the exit when he left originally since it was warm outside, and he figured he could use it to hide the stain. He put the coat back on and sighed softly in relief when it covered the blood. "Um… I should probably head back in." He said quietly. "We've got one of those meeting dinner things later, right?"
Rowena had to do a double take. What did he say? He didn’t say what she thought she said, right? A conscription to all men? All?
Stiffly, a nervous smile broke out at his blessing. She could take what minimal credit she was given, but quickly the smile dropped and she felt something between like rage and incredulousness boiling her blood.
“Your Majesty?” Her voice was shaky and raspy, barely containing her need to shout at him. “Did you say a conscription for all men? Who will reap the wheat that makes our bread? Who will sharpen and mold the materials that make our weapons? Who will govern our towns in this time of war? Surely you don’t mean that literally.”
Edric chuckled " Of course not, if I send out every man, our kingdom would collapse, but I have to inflict a little bit of fear in them if I want to keep them in line. But of course, I won't tell them that, I will simply hope they are smart enough to figure it out themselves" he shrugged light-heartedly, not knowing the irony in his words "Then, when I announce that the conscription is only of a certain number, I will seem like a more merciful ruler" he said smugly, seeming proud of himself. He truly believed this was a good plan. Turning away from her he looked at the head butler, who stood at the entrance of the hall "Fetch me a chalice of wine will you? My wisdom is reason to celebrate!"
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