☆ --- long may she reign '

[landogate]

ＤＵＳＴＩＮ ＬＡＲ ＫＩＮ
dust ;; cismale ;; twenty one ;; crown prince of lurks
;; location - dining hall ;; tags - ophelia
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with opehlia's happy smile sent his way dustin felt better. he couldn't understand why either. when the room was lit up by the natural light streaming through the windows and the sun making dust particles visible in the air he felt calmer. the sun outside would be perfect to stroll in today. perhaps he'd ask his sister to walk with him. he hadn't done so since ophelia arrived. he did need to ask who she had been courting for so long.

"your thanks, ophelia. i'm sorry for your loss." dustin looked behind him and his chair as if on queue. his soon to be lands were flourishing this time of year, the grass was greener than the years previous and the sun brighter. "our grass is softer than years previous, the sun warmer and brighter. i think the land likes that you're here. i certainly do." dustin smiled at his wife to be.

a wave of something a mix of calmness and happiness washed over him. he smiled about the room, seeing lords and ladies who had a residency in the castle enjoying their breakfast, and the guards watching over those people. he saw the faint waft of hair that belonged to one of the crown prince's most trusted knights. bringing his attention back to the plate of still warm food at his disposal, dustin ate calmly.

"i must ask, as the host here in lurks and your bethrothed - do you wish to attend the ball together tonight?" dustin pondered, looking to ophelia for her answer.

[keating]

ＡＤＲＩＡＮ ＤＥＢＥＵ

─────── Gender: Male ─── Age: 18 ─── Location: The library ─── Tags: Morgana ─── Mentions: Dustin ───────

↳ ｔｈｅ ｓｕｉｔｏｒ

Ａdrian's delight at being granted the princess' first two dances were clear by his joyous expression as he bowed his head in regard to the acceptance of his proposition. "Then I shall see you tonight." He replied, his crooked smile remaining. He imagined that his father would be satisfied to hear that he is making progress with the princess and hoped that this would be enough- at least for the moment- for him to stop rushing Adrian. Adrian was aware that these things take time, and, as his father himself always told him, "women are a life long study." If that's true, then I'm at a damn slow start.

Adrian was relieved that Morgana had decided to speak up, because he wasn't too sure what he was to do with himself then. Should he make a dramatic exit with his book? Should he simply sit back down to where he was prior to Morgana's entrance? Every small thing that he decided to do had to require intense consideration- especially regarding the way in which he handled his intent with Morgana. If he made even one mistake, his family's reputation would be ruined- a fact that his father was happy to remind him of every chance he could get. Her decision to carry on the conversation was of great succor to his petty dilemma as he listened intently to her speak.

It would be a great prevarication if he said that he was not taken aback by the mention of her brother, and slightly annoyed at the implication that she was the only reason he was back at court. That is how he interpreted it, anyway, for he wasn't entirely certain by what she meant. Still, his expression remained civil as he calmly responded, "Actually, I have not spoken to your brother for quite some time. And what do you assume I am back at court for?" He added, making sure he knew that her insinuation was not ill-mannered before they continued to discuss the prince.

[feather_light_flight]

↠ Ｍｏｒｇａｎａ Ｌａｒｋｉｎ
× princess of lurks × seventeen × tagged- Adrian × location- library ×

The princess regarded the man calmly as he responded, bristling just a bit at her implication. It brought a small smile to her face, so he was indeed more than just pleasantries, that was good at least. Normal. Human. It meant that there was a person underneath all the niceties for the Princess to coax out. Smiling coyly, the girl sat back, fingers lacing together in her lap. "Well, I'm aware of your intention to court me, though I'm sure my brother is not. As far as more reasons for you to return to court, I imagine it has something to do with your father at least. Last time we spoke, he seemed very eager to press his lineage to... ah 'bold and great things' as he phrased it." Her head tilted softly, gentle concern fluttering past her hazel eyes. "I don't claim to be privy to everyone's business at court. But I do like to be up to date Adrian...as does my brother. And...I hope you are here for your on endeavors, not just your family's."

Indeed Morgana knew far too well the damage living for your blood line could cause. She and Dustin suffered that every day, Dustin most of all. Silently, the Princess thought to catch her brother today for some time together. He would be stressed by all the pleasantries and gossip going around, and Morgana missed his company sorely.

[keating]

ＡＤＲＩＡＮ ＤＥＢＥＵ

─────── Gender: Male ─── Age: 18 ─── Location: The library ─── Tags: Morgana ─── Mentions: Dustin ───────

↳ ｔｈｅ ｓｕｉｔｏｒ

Ｍorgana's mention of his father had Adrian taken aback for a short moment. Had they spoken before? Has he tried to intervene? It was clear by the princess's bluntness that she was toying with him and the way in which he would respond, however he wouldn't give in to the experiment. Instead, he simply replied, "Can you blame me for being interested in a woman such as yourself? Competing with so many other eligible men for your admiration, you can't think that their motivations to pursue you do not stem from your lineage... I can assure you that I, on the other hand, take interest in your character. Not your family." Adrian's implication that Morgana's suitors are after her wealth and social status most likely wasn't the most intelligent move, and he regretted it almost as immediately as the words left his mouth. Regardless, the man wasn't one to play games, especially when it concerned his father as he tended to get a bit defensive over his own family situation. Perhaps the princess will appreciate his honesty? Or maybe he'll get a firm slap across the face instead; it's not like it would be the first time it's happened, anyway.

Adrian's personal endeavors for being at court at this time were not particularly something he was willing to share with just anybody, especially not the princess of the Lurks. Still, he answered her with the simplest of reasons; the reason why most people were at court at the moment. "You couldn't possibly believe I would be one to miss the new queen's betrothal ceremony to your brother, would you?" He wasn't lying, technically. He would have had to show up to court regardless; his family would seize any opportunity to flaunt their status, and sending their eldest son to the kingdom's queen's betrothal ceremony was of ample opportunity to do just that. What could be a better way to make it clear that your family is important?

[feather_light_flight]

↠ Ｍｏｒｇａｎａ Ｌａｒｋｉｎ
× princess of lurks × seventeen × tagged- Adrian > Dustin × location- library > breakfast ×

Morgana let out a small flutter of a sigh as Adrian shut his feelings away once more, and listened patiently to his response. His implication that all her other suitors were out for her title sent a steel into the girl's eyes, and, with careful control, she rose from her seat, taking a moment to dust her skirt, as if wiping away the bothersome implications. Even as she spoke, there was a dangerous spark to the Princess's voice, a warning that there was more poison beneath the pretty exterior, "You would do well to remember that you are not the only suitor I have entertained for so long Adrian." Despite her voice being soft, it may as well have been a scream. "And. I might suggest you let my brother know sooner rather than later of your intentions." A small brittle smile, "You know how protective us siblings can be of one another." And there it was. The reminder that Morgana, for all her wit and charm and deadly knowledge, still stood second to her brother's wishes, and that any court business would have to be run by Dustin eventually.

With those soft words, the girl gave a delicate curtsy, refusing to meet Adrian's gaze any longer- for she wouldn't allow him to see the weakness in hers- and bid him farewell. "I suppose I will see you at the ball then. Good day." Brushing past the lord, Morgana wasted no time in harrying into the hall and back towards the breakfast nook. Hopefully she could pull her brother away from his fiance for a bit. It was at times like these that the Princess sorely wished to rid herself of courtly values, she wanted to be a normal citizen who could enjoy a walk with her sibling without all the fanfare and formality. Slipping into the dining hall, Morgana swished over to her brother, taking stance by his side and giving a polite nod to everyone else in greeting. "Brother dearest...may I steal some of your time before the ball today?"

[`sappho]

__________________________________________

☆xＯＰＨＥＬＩＡ x ＡＳＥＴＲＡx☆
the queen of arstel - nineteen years old - female - mentions: none - tags: dustin, morgana
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xxxthe arsteli queen turned back towards her fiancé, feeling the warm morning sun radiating against her back. ophelia felt her body was more fueled with energy now that the window was open. it was so beautiful in lurks, more beautiful than she had imagined. she had always thought that the frozen landscape of arstel was enchanting but this was something she couldn't compare to anything she had seen or felt before.

xxxshe stifled a small smile. "thank you," she said softly. she took another bite of her breakfast, trying not to think about her mother or father. she had always had a hard life, probably not as hard as some peasants but it definatly hadn't been a smooth road. "i do as well. it is much warmer here than arstel, both in the landscape and some of the people. in arstel most people just want to kill me," she told him honestly with a sigh.

xxxshe closed her eyes for a moment before opening them back up and looking at the lords and ladies who were all calmly eating breakfast. everyone seemed to be so civilized here, they knew how to protest without demanding heads to be taken of their shoulders. she nodded. "yes, of course, as long as that is alright with you," ophelia said to him with a smile. she looked up from her conversation with the prince when morgana walked over, trying to break dustin from their conversation to talk with him.

[landogate]

ＤＵＳＴＩＮ ＬＡＲ ＫＩＮ
dust ;; cismale ;; twenty one ;; crown prince of lurks
;; location - dining hall ;; tags - ophelia, morgana
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dustin felt awkward when he first met ophelia, his future wife and queen. now he felt better about being around her. and what else could make him feel even closer to her was being interrupted. at first the voice who he thought was some serving girl turned out to be his dear sister.

"good morning morgana." dustin set his knife and fork down at his plate and turned to face his sister with curious eyes. "we can talk before we begin court this morning. i believe i will be too busy with the ball and the last minute preparations to chat beforehand. with my own preference i would like to be around by fiance' tonight as we," dustin looked back around to ophelia, "have not had much of a chance to talk yet."

dustin knew that the two female's did not get along. he hoped that saying he wanted to spend more time with his fiance rather than his sister wouldn't anger the princess, or at least offend her. "by chance have you seen our dear mother or father today? i haven't the chance to run into either of them." dustin was still fixed solely on his sister. one of his hands dropped from his lap and hung by the arm of the plush chair. the other sat in his lap patiently.

[feather_light_flight]

↠ Ｍｏｒｇａｎａ Ｌａｒｋｉｎ
× princess of lurks × seventeen × tagged- Dustin, Ophelia × location- breakfast ×

Morgana gave a gentle incline of the head to the Queen Ophelia before turning her attention back to her brother. While the Princess didn't prefer her presence, she wasn't going to cause an outright scene, it wasn't worth it. Besides, civility is a necessity in court, and Morgana had mastered her carefully controlled mannerisms. She listened to Dustin speak and nodded, understanding his want to get settled in and become more familiar with the strange woman to whom he was promised. The last person Morgana would argue with was her brother. So she nodded assent to his request and gave a slight curtsy. "That's fine. And no, I haven't had the....privilege to see them." Morgana had about as much love for her father as her brother did. The old man was a drunkard with a temper and Morgana knew it was best to avoid him in early mornings and late nights. She genuinely couldn't wait for her brother to be crowned so that their father would be less of a concern.

"Well with that sorted, I'll take my leave. I'll meet you in the garden before court brother." A small smile fluttered across her otherwise stoic expression- a clear sign of the adoration she held for her elder sibling- and the girl gave another curtsy, this time to both future monarchs, before strolling out, followed again by her ever present guards. As Morgana meandered down the wide palace halls she debated over the plans for the ball that night. All the formalities that would be played out, how she should behave with whom, and how late she would have to stay. Social events were a meticulous thing for the young princess, as they gave her access to court gossip, and the opportunity to make more connections for the future. Still, it was an annoying process, and Morgana, for all her wit, had very little patience.

[`sappho]

__________________________________________

☆xＯＰＨＥＬＩＡ x ＡＳＥＴＲＡx☆
the queen of arstel - nineteen years old - female - mentions: none - tags: dustin, morgana
__________________________________________

xxxthe young queen didn't know why, but, she and morgana had always rubbed each other the wrong way. ophelia guessed it was mostly because morgana was overprotective of her brother and her country. she tried her best to not be rude to the girl, however, as they would be family soon.

xxxshe did her best to keep quite while dustin spoke to his sister. personally, she was a bit angry that the girl was already trying to steal her brother away from ophelia when they hardly had time to get to know each other. they would be married any day and they needed as much time as possible to get to know each other. she gave morgana a polite nod when dustin dismissed her. she was honestly a feeling a bit smug but she wasn't going to say anything snarky.

xxxophelia turned to dustin's face when morgana walked out of the room. "shall we be on our way, then?" she asked him with a kind smile. she gently sat down her knife and fork and took her cloth off of her lap, laying it beside her plate.

[landogate]

ＤＵＳＴＩＮ ＬＡＲ ＫＩＮ
dust ;; cismale ;; twenty one ;; crown prince of lurks
;; location - dining room ;; tags - ophelia, mentions
morgana
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dustin nodded to what his sister said. no matter what he said in front of ophelia, good or bad, he'd get an earful from morgana. he supposed it was the protectiveness of his younger sibling. he gave a gentle nod at her departure. when dustin turned hi head around to see ophelia it seemed as though she had very quickly changed her emotion.

"we shall. i do hope we can sneak out of the room before any of the nobles come bounding for us." dustin placed his lap cloth onto the table and pushed his chair back as quietly as possible. he quickly whisked himself around so he stood by ophelia's chair, holding out his hand so she could use it to lift herself up.

"i saw how you were being mobbed before breakfast. i'll send my word out to the court today that there will be no more of that. for your or your handmaidens sake." a gentle look in dustin's eyes fell. he could feel the warm sun on his back as he stood and waited.