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Post by Nathalia on Sept 12, 2007 14:21:01 GMT -5
Lysaras was surprised to hear from her servants that a frightened man had practically burst into their court, chased by an enraged Bandersnatch. She was especially bewildered to learn that the creature was a gift to her from Serafino.
A present? A pet for her and little George? She couldn't help but smile at her loves' seemingly bottomless wealth of affection. He had sent them a gift one of his prize banders too, from the looks of the pretty thing, her servants told her. She would have to have her court huntsman train the poor thing, then it could be socialized with George...he would love it, he already delighted in the one servant's per song-bird.
She felt so much better. Once she had raised George's rank...perhaps to Jack, she would take him to meet his father... Four years, could it be done by then? Lysaras didn't know, but she would try her best, and Serafino's gesture of affection gave her hope for the best. Perhaps she was making a mountain out of a molehill... So their child was a Club, what better way to untie all of the kingdoms? She and Serafino could present their lovely child as the union of all of the courts...except for the Diamonds...but they had their limelight as it was...it was she and the Queen of Clubs who needed assistance. Perhaps once George had met his father Lysaras would write her...hmmm....
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Lysaras sent Serafino two other letters in this time, one to thank him for the Bander, Merlin, the other to inform him of when they would arrive.
4 Years later, Lysaras felt heavy with dread. She had agreed to Serafino's last letter requesting that she meet with him in his garden in four months...and four months had passed. She pulled George behind her, his tiny hand clutched in hers, toward the carriage. Nathaniel held the door open for them and a footman gingerly removed a roly-poly Bander's leash from George's hand. He didn't protest, but he looked slightly sad. Lysaras patted her son's hand.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. You can play with Merlin again when you get home." She whispered, lifting him up onto the seat. He smiled and nodded, eagerly looking out of the window. The Queen watched him fondly, her heart heavy in her chest, though it still amazed her at how personable the little Bander had become, how closely it had attached itself to George...she had been afraid it would hurt him. It slept at the end of his bed almost every night. Such a friendly thing too, it rarely attacked anyone, just growled in confusion...so sweet, Merlin...
George hadn't changed...there was something odd about him. Even Varestes' magic hadn't been able to raise the child's rank...and she had been able to see on his face that he truly tried...
Poor George, she could only hope for the best. Her son was all dressed up in a white satin shirt and dark blue pants. He smiled happily, bouncing slightly in anticipation, Lysaras could only wait...
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Post by The Jenn on Sept 14, 2007 9:08:40 GMT -5
Of all the staff and servants in the palace, only Dymphna had been informed of what was about to occur. She could barely restrain her curiosity; she and other servants had often wondered what kind of children His Majesty would produce whenever he found a suitable mate. Lysaras certainly wouldn’t have been the doe's first guess at that 'suitable mate', but upon further reflection she could see why the woman would appeal. Born a Jack, but a human Jack, she had been destined for a higher rank from early on. Such an auspicious beginning would of course appeal to a man who valued the more magically capable form so highly.
She stood primly by the front gate, waiting as the coach pulled to a halt and the Queen exited her carriage. With a polite bow, she began to address the visiting monarch. "Your Majesty, my name is Dymphna and I await your pleasure. My Queen is wai...ting..."
Her voice trailed off in horror as she saw the child stepping down from the carriage. Sickly pale, dark hair, and a Four of Clubs showing dark as night on the boy's left breast. She paled beneath her fur and shook her head slowly. He sported not only a hideously low rank, a dark suit, and a strong resemblance to his mother, but also a human form! In one of such low rank, that was a very bad omen indeed.
"Turn around, Queen Lysaras," she said unsteadily, tone losing its professional edge and taking on an almost pleading note. "Just...turn back and take your son with you, away, somewhere safe. Please. Please don't show His Majesty. I beg of you, for your sake and the boy's."
The guards pretended not to notice the goings on, but of course they were listening to every word. If the Queen did not take her advice, she would have no choice but to lead them both inside and towards the back garden, out of the public eye and towards Serafino.
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Post by Nathalia on Sept 16, 2007 14:56:10 GMT -5
Lysaras tried not to let her expression slip, but she was taken aback at the dire words that were being smashed into her chest. How dare this girl tell her not to take her son in to meet his father? What did she know of the Queen? Lysaras knew him intimately, she knew how he could love, the tender way he could react to those he cared about...
She stared coldly at the doe, eyes slightly narrowed, you could almost see her hackles rise in indignation, regardless of her Human form. She glared regally down her nose at the Biped despite being about half a foot shorter.
"Please escort me to his majesty, Queen Serafino." She whispered, the hint of a growl in her voice. "Tell him that Queen Lysaras has arrived with his son." She arched her neck and gazed levelly at the Morganberry, feeling slightly smug for being able to talk someone down like that, it had been a while...it felt good.
"Come on, George. We're going to go and meet your father, remeber, bow your head and be respectful, all right?"
George nodded, he looked excited, though slightly deflated since the Doe's cryptic warning. His hand clutched around his mothers', his dark eyes flickered constantly around the beautiful, pristine white walls, unable to help the small squeal of hapiness when he saw the garden. His mothers' garden was nice and delightful to play in, but it seemed somber somehow...this was bright and stunningly beautiful. Though he did note the smell as being a bit powerful.
He moved at a trot to keep up with his mother's long strides, hugging a stuffed toy tightly to his chest. A small stuffed rabbit, one eye missing, it's brown velveteen fur in a bit of a ratty state.
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Post by The Jenn on Sept 16, 2007 18:14:49 GMT -5
Dymphna had been trained since childhood to respond to the kind of authority that the Queen now exuded. Further time in Serafino's company had honed her perceptions of mood to a razor edge. She could tell, by tone and stance, that there would be no convincing Lysaras to turn around and protect her son.
The foolish woman had probably spent no more time in His Majesty's company than that single night and morning four long years ago. The doe had served him since just after her sixteenth birthday, relatively new to Court and looking for a way to distinguish herself. Now, a mature woman of twenty-five, she prided herself on being able to predict his moods and cater to them better than anyone else in the palace.
Bowing respectfully from the waist, she straightened and paid no more mind to the Queen and child behind her beyond leading them where His Majesty waited. She would not become involved further than he wished. A sharp glance shot to either guard on duty warned them of their fates should they breath a word of what they just heard to anyone. Even so, she would need to make the threat more clear later to avoid any potential slips. It wouldn't take long for news like this to spread absolutely everywhere.
Through the main gardens and past a private gate, people stopped to watch them pass curiously but didn't pay the procession as much attention as they would have if only they knew the truth. The roses became denser and she stopped, taking a deep breath before turning a corner and bowing low.
"Your Majesty, may I present Her Majesty, Queen Lysaras and...her son, George." She would not be the bearer of the news herself, nor would she formally acknowledge the relationship between him and the boy unless later indicated that she should. It paid to be careful.
Serafino rose from his seat on a shaded stone bench and nodded, waiting for his first glimpse of the son he had never seen. That pause and Dymphna's wording were...curious. He wondered why she hesitated.
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Post by Nathalia on Sept 19, 2007 12:56:33 GMT -5
Lysaras stepped gracefully forward, George hiding behind her skirts, he could not see what was ahead, but he could feel something off in the way the colorful doe spoke...
The Queen of spades curtsied, one gloved hand off to the side, the other tucked in by her waist. She smiled, thin lips pulled taut across her Human face. "My dearest Serafino, It is so good to see you again..." She murmured, face slightly flushed.
"I am sorry for the wait that you have had to endure, it has been no peace of mind to me either, so may I present to you. Our son, George."
So saying, she reached behind her for George's hand. He clenched his fingers around his mothers' soft purple glove and allowed himself to be pulled forward. Toy rabbit clenched near his eyes, hiding his number and Suit from view. His large purple eyes took in the look of the man before him.
Radiant and forbidding. The beautiful hair with hints of feather rolling down his back in waves. George felt transfixed.
Lysaras gave him a gentle nudge. "Say hello to your father, George, dear." She whispered, giving him a small push.
George looked down at his feet for a few seconds, then, still clutching his rabbit, gazed into the eyes of the Queen of Hearts.
"'Lo, your majesty..."
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Post by The Jenn on Sept 19, 2007 14:34:12 GMT -5
Serafino inclined his head politely at Lysaras's greeting, not really annoyed with the length of time in question. "Likewise, of course, Lysaras." It's not like he wanted to deal with her more than strictly necessary, and avoiding the child's infancy and early toddler years was more a blessing than something worth apology. Children he didn't really mind, so long as they showed the proper respect. Babies he abhorred.
The Queen's eyes snapped down to the boy when he emerged from behind his mother's skirts. Skinny and pale, as he would expect from four long years of illness. Dark everywhere...also, unfortunately, inheriting his mother's region. No surprise there, either. But ah, the human form. That had been the prize worth breeding for, the one privilege Fino himself had not been granted from birth.
The purple eyes were actually rather pretty. Perhaps if the hair was allowed to grow long enough that it could be braided back and brought away from the face, it would help tame the texture. Yes, he could see potential in the scrawny child, however much he resembled his gloomy mother. The region could even be overcome with the correct mode of dress and accessories. There were very few Torquehelms in his Court, but those who had made it generally accounted for themselves well. He even possessed inconspicuous bindings, easily covered.
"Hello, George," he greeted the child, mind already starting to work through the obstacles. Young child...handle with care, and all that silliness. He wondered how children thought. "I take it your mother has told you something about me in your long absence. How is Merlin getting along? From your mother's last letter, I assumed you liked him."
Even if he had been so unlucky as to inherit his mother's suit and her birth-rank of Jack, things were still manageable. However much he resembled Lysaras, perhaps something of his father would show through as he matured.
Dymphna quietly stepped back further, waiting.
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Post by Nathalia on Sept 20, 2007 22:51:48 GMT -5
George shuffled his feet. His father was being kindly so far, perhaps that meant that he was doing a good job? He smiled hesitantly, admiring his father's face...he liked the nose, long...kind of like his.
"M-merlin's wonderful, father." George stammered, still getting the hang of the large words his mother had warned him to use. "He only chases some people, like the one maid with the weird perfume. He likes to sleep on my bed." At this the child grinned, his pet always made him happy.
Lysaras smiled, watching Serafino's face, he was being cautious, but not cold, she couldn't get over how wonderful he was. She watched as he seemed to nod at George's ramblings, and gently she placed a gloved hand on her son's shoulder.
"George was so glad to be able to come and see you at last, Serafino, he's been so anxious to meet the great man I keep telling him stories about..." She smiled, ruffling her sons' hair. Gently, she pulled the toy rabbit from his arms, smiling up at the Queen of Hearts.
"Life is truly remarkable, isn't it? His face looks almost exactly like yours. I was so pleased, to see something of you in his face, what could be better for a future ruler?"
She nervously pulled at her gloves, waiting for the other shoe to drop, she pulled her sons' rabbit completely away, and held it down at her sides.
George risked a bright smile to his father, wanting to hear him speak more, the delicate hiss of his voice was so different from Nathaniel or any of the others around the Court.
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Post by The Jenn on Sept 21, 2007 13:06:28 GMT -5
For some reason he couldn't quite fathom, Serafino felt the slightest bit of affection that the boy slept with his bander. Sultana always situated herself at the foot of his own bed, whether or not he slept there. Maybe he could, indeed, groom the boy into something worth laying claim to. Even if he did inherit his mother's suit, which was a question he very much wanted an answer to, they could perhaps work on a lesson-based system to acclimate him to both Courts. A future ruler indeed, if he showed promise. Fino's grandmother had done something similar for her own daughter, born a Ten and ruthlessly encouraged to raise her rank until she was equal to her mother and could properly inherit, fighting off challengers with the full backing of the Court. Maybe- All such thoughts were wiped from the Queen's mind, replaced by a sort of blank white ringing noise, when the velveteen rabbit was moved away and he saw what had been hidden. A...four. Of clubs. Sweet gods above, no. He had become as still as a statue, almost frozen in his shock. He knew he was staring at the brand, but he couldn't look away, couldn't wrap his mind around the truth at first. There was no way, absolutely none, that this...this disgrace could be the result of a union between two Queens, one of them from such pure lineage. Unless she had planned it such. Unless this was deliberate. And just like that, his expression changed from its mask-like blankness to a drawn-back snarl. How dare her. How DARE the woman do this to him. To him! The Queen of Hearts! The most powerful figure in the world, master of the grandest kingdom, the largest and best-trained standing army, the- What if she had allies? Others, from other courts or even beyond, may have increased her boldness to such an insane degree. Did she want a conflict? A war, even? Was that what this was all about?! Or was it all against him personally, rather than as the symbolic figurehead of his suit? Did she support a challenger, another Heart of equal or soon-to-be equal rank? Had she, either by some natural defect in her makeup or by foul magic, deliberately influenced the child's development before he was even born? "You bitch," he hissed, eyes narrowed to slits and teeth bared. "You backstabbing, conniving, power-hungry bitch!" Already he had begun to change form, his hair receding into a magnificent feathered mane, soft human hands twisting into powerful appendages with razor-sharp talons. A barest second's thought summoned the gleaming form of his axe, beautiful Marie, ready and almost eager in his hands.  To the side, Dymphna stood perfectly still and tried her hardest to blend into the bushes behind her. She couldn't fathom what was going through His Majesty's mind, but it certainly didn't surprise her, whatever it was. Others may not know it, but the man was frightfully paranoid. She had been privy to more than one of his theories. Then again, was it paranoia when some of the people really were out to get you? |
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Post by Nathalia on Sept 23, 2007 15:56:54 GMT -5
George smiled nervously, about to reply to his father as his mother pulled his rabbit away. He gazed up in time to watch his father's face slowly fall from, congenially polite, even caring, to a blank, frozen impassiveness.
"F-father?" He stammered, forgetting to call him 'Your Majesty', slipping into father...he bit his lip immediately afterward, wishing he were anywhere but here.
Lysaras lost all of the color in her face in one fell swoop. She didn't know what to do, why was Serafino suddenly...?
"Serafino?...Dear?..." She whispered in concern, stepping slightly forward.
He reared up and changed form as he went, as sudden and fluid as a tidal wave. Lysaras couldn't help the yelp of alarm as she yanked George backward.
Sreafino turned to her, and began to scream.
Lysaras' mind seemed to flat line. What on earth was he saying? How could he think those things? She stared into the outraged face of the Queen of Hearts, in horror at how quickly he had changed.
"Sera...fino?"
George's eyes widened in complete horror. He watched the axe blade, shining in the light that filtered through the garden. He gazed up at his fathers' Bipedal form, terrified...what-
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The bushes parted as a tall, thin, speckled form hurtled through the garden. Nathaniel's mind had gone into an odd fuzz as soon as he had heard the Queen of Hearts roar.
The King of Spades leapt over a hedge, his elongated Bipedal Spaniel's feet nearly colliding with the rose thorns of the top few flowers. His thin chest heaving as he raced toward the enraged screams.
He shoved his way past the Morganberry doe in his way and jumped in front of his Queen.
"Lysaras! Take George and run, now!" He shrieked, muzzle wrinkled at the bridge of the nose, lips pulled back in a snarl as he raised his left hand. An odd rumble seemed to come from beneath the center of the courtyard.
His speckled tail was tucked between his legs without his seeming to realize it, his hackles standing high along his spine as he faced the Queen of Hearts.
"Serafino! Stop this now, what in all hell do you think you're trying to do? Stay back!" Nathaniel spread his arms wide, blocking access to his Queen, shoulders hunched.
Lysaras...Oh god I'm going to...Please, run, my lady...
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Post by The Jenn on Sept 23, 2007 16:13:40 GMT -5
Dymphna fell sideways onto the grass as Nathaniel shoved past her and into the clearing. Her surprised warning was choked off as she hit the ground hard, knocking the breath from her lungs and no doubt bruising a few things along the way.
"Interfering dog!" he howled, swinging his axe up and back. "This is none of your concern!" With that, the weapon descended in an arc, slicing through the upper part of the canine's arm and taking it clean off. With the force of the swing and his strength behind it, it cleaved the arm clean off and left it to twitch uselessly in the now red-sprayed grass. With his free hand, he reached forward and grabbed the biped around the throat, squeezing and digging his claws into the sensitive flesh.
He stared into the doomed King's eyes and opened his mouth in a half-hiss, half-snarl of incoherent rage. He then forcefully shoved the man back and swing his beautiful, deadly Marie once more, shoving one clawed foot deep into Nathaniel's chest as he fell, and brought her down with a sickening, wet-sounding chop on the man's face.
The talons of his foot clenched, bringing forth still more blood and pain, before he stepped back and turned his gaze towards the mother and son so near. Likely, the gruesome scene would leave them covered in the blood of their martyr, staining George's handsome white shirt and leaving crimson drops on their alabaster skin.
((And yes, this is all done with approval. XD; Otherwise it would so be godmodding...))
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