Certainly, your majesty. [He can't kick that habit as hard as he tries.]
[Ah. The lady Jane, he wondered how his patron would take this, and it's just about as he figured.] As you command. It will be as if she is a ghost to me. [He knows that's not going to be fun at all, but he won't deny her orders, not ever.]
[ She had already spoken with Henry, and he had done his part (in his mind) to soothe any concerns she may have, but everything has left a bad taste in her mouth. Not even a week can pass where she can know true joy. Not even a week.
Currently she's stalking about her chambers, which are currently still meekly assembled. The Tower is not what it once was, and it will take time to properly outfit the queen's chambers to it's former glory. But she can't even enjoy being in them, or planning to decorate them, because she feels she might as well be in a nunnery for how "grand" she now feels. ]
[He knocks, once, to announce his entry, before he steps through, being careful to close the door behind him. Back home, the chambermaids have been whispering, he dare not fuel any fires here, in this strange world. He bows, a smile crossing his face, happy to be in her company, regardless of everything.]
[ She sees him in her peripheral as he knocks and enters, and she purposely keeps silent until the door is shut. An unseemly situation in England, for sure, but she's had a lot more time to get used to being without chaperones and other servants crowding her. She's so distraught she wouldn't care, anyhow.
Though they're still truly stationed in the Temple, and the Tower has much work left to be done, she prefers to spend what 'home life' time she can here, to get away from the other people when upset. That doesn't mean Henry or any of his guests can't walk by and overhear, though, so she's glad for Mark's immediate discretion.
But not glad enough to smile towards him. Instead she glares, with glassy eyes that seem to stare right through him, and flicks her wrist. ]
[The glare is worrying, but he still walks to her. It would be an impossibility not to. It would be easier to ask him to grow wings and fly, than it would to ask him not to go to her.]
[ She says nothing at first, head held high as she stares him down with a fierceness he no doubt doesn't deserve, but she has no time for pity or empathy. No longer. Though she has had only laughter and gentle guidance for Mark since meeting him in Teleios, all at once everything has changed. Everything.
[ Again, she could be kind, and quickly say what's on her mind. But she doesn't. No, instead she once again begins pacing, this time in a circle around him, with steps that are slow and deliberate and a gaze that burns as she scarcely blinks in one turn.
Stopping before him once more, she places both hands over her bodice, as if to steady herself and her breaths. He may not be a traitor. Perhaps Jane will be the isolated, completely insane case. ]
Swear to me and to God at this very moment, that beneath the King, you serve none but me. Swear that you shall never lie, nor mislead me by your own false assumptions. And should you ever, ever betray me or my cause, you will submit to the axe with humility and grace; not a word to say for you will abandon all rights.
[He doesn't look at her, he keeps his gaze down to the ground while she paces. He only looks at her as she speaks, and it takes all his self control not to laugh at what she asks of him. It's the easiest order he could have been given, something he has sworn already, though not in her memory, of course. It's almost funny, how easy it is.]
I swear it, your majesty. I am yours and yours alone, I would never betray you. I would rather suffer the greatest of tortures, I would rather die a thousand deaths than ever betray you.
[ He may not laugh, but she's watching him too closely for every facial tic not to immediately register. She may be livid, but she's entirely sober and awake, and far too aware of everything. Even things that aren't there. ]
Jane Seymour swore loyalty too, only yesterday.
[ All she can picture Jane's almost smile as she curtsied and left; laughing at what she deemed their ignorance and showing it. ...And getting away with it. In a week's time her life has been flipped upside down, then shaken, then flipped right back around.
She reaches out with a sharpness of a viper, with little warning and reflexes that have only been fine-tuned from her training in Exsilium. She doesn't grab for his collar, though, instead her fingers twisting in his hair and yanking back. There's a dagger in her left hand, held calmly and cooly with the point hovering just near his eye.
No, poor sweet Mark Smeaton, this is not the Queen Anne you think you know so well. This Anne has witnessed magic, has traveled through time, has held the powers of a goddess, and walked on the moon. She has watched good men imprisoned, ships that fly and deliver death, and had families spit on and attack her in the street. She, personally, has been unwittingly responsible for the complete erasure of existence of one child that she, and only one other person in the multiverse, will ever remember. One young boy whom she had sworn to protect, only to damn.
She has seen the end of days. ]
And then she took a dagger from betwixt her whore legs and stabbed me in the back. She committed treason and the most grievous disrespect for me, and now she laughs and dances about it among the shadows.
So I fear, Master Smeaton, that you will need to prove your oath to me. You will do this, and I will let you live, and I will love you. You do not do this...and I swear to you now, and to God, that I will be the one clipping you a head shorter.
[ This Anne is so much worse, and those who thought they knew her, will in time learn how very wrong they were. ]
Edited (what is html tho) Date: 2014-11-10 02:36 am (UTC)
[He is more than aware that Anne is becoming more...restless as of late, back home. But this...this is not something he expected her to be capable of. He isn't foolish enough to pull away, he knows only too well that will cement him in her heart as a traitor, and he would certainly die. He's not sure which one is worse.
So, he remains still, only his eye moving to look at her.]
Tell me what it is you wish me to do, and I will do it.
You said you knew my brother well. I hope you learned something from him, because for now there is no other to fill his place.
[ Restless is a kind word for it, and one she may accept. Just like she'll accept his plea, for now. Because she has not already forgotten this past month in her blind rage. She has enjoyed his presence. She has thought him remarkably charming, with a sharp wit and a playful sense of humor. His skill with music is enough that Anne wishes to only surround him in instruments, so that he can fill her world with the sound of beauty.
But that is why she must be the most ruthless with him. She knows well and good how rampant betrayal is among the courts, especially the Tudor court. In Exsilium, betrayal had taken on whole new forms, and brought strange new consequences. She doesn't forget.
And knowing this, knowing that she has been forced into a position where all she can feel is resentment and suspicion instead of happiness and tranquility, only adds misery into the mix. But she abruptly releases him and turns before she can let it twist her features, or soften them any. She won't break before anyone, especially not her servant. ]
She was so cruel and shameless with her proclamations... She will not just let this disappear. There will one day be a reckoning, until she is gone or dead, and so you are to be my first weapon. None else here truly understand the gravity of this, nor what is necessary in God's eyes.
[The mention of George brings a dark cloud to his face, for just a moment. Their harsh words before he arrived here are still etched in his mind. The injustice of it all. Still, he sits back, watching her, realising with dawning horror what she expects of him and knowing he could never deny her anything. Even that.]
I swear to you, that I will forever be by your side. Whatever proclamations she makes, I will be certain that everyone will understand that they are nothing but lies, even if I need convince the king himself.
[He bows his head.] I told you that I am yours, and I stand by that. My loyalty will always remain to you, above all others.
[ His words are exactly what she needs to hear, and her vexation seems tempered enough for her to turn back towards him. The dagger is gone again, though there is no table within her reach. She has been taught much, and she will not waste the memories she alone carries, far apart and alien to those from her home.
They have their weapons, the knowledge of her future, but she has her own knowledge of other times, as well. ]
You must not speak to the King on such a matter... It is above you. But there are other things you may do. Other things you will do.
[ She crouches rather suddenly, kneeling before him and reaching for his face in an affection that is almost desperate, contrary to the soft hush of her voice. ]
But nothing against our conscience, hm? Nothing against justice, or the cause of His Majesty. I will ask much of you, Mark, but never could I commit the sin of taking your joy and music away.
You must understand, that you are to become more than a musician, just as I must be more than a queen. We must act as His Majesty's entire court. Do you understand?
[ There are no longer truly rules, or limitations. No longer. ]
[For a moment, he considers questioning where the dagger went, but he thinks better of it. Her change in demeanour is worrying, as is has been back home, but he will remain by her side, no matter what.]
I understand, my queen. I will do all you ask of me, and more, should you ever request it.
[ She still can't help but be suspicious. She doesn't know him. But she is comforted knowing that the King seems to know him, and hasn't been surprised that Anne spends time with him. If there was something to truly be suspicious, might Henry not have given her warning?
With a sigh, she nods and sits back, gathering his hands into hers so that she can lift them and gently kiss his knuckles. Maybe in this, she can trust him, but she isn't sure she can ever be comfortable again. ]
For now, all we must do is praise His Majesty's court, and his cause. There is no shame now in denying the papal authority. To that, we must not only preach, but represent the virtues of the Tudor dynasty, and the great strides England has reached. And, of course, we must be charitable in all things we do. Everyone here will love the King, and his Queen.
I will be certain to do so in all the ways I can. The strange world will learn the glory of our court, and learn that our King, and yourself, are truly the rulers they need in their lives.
[ She emphasizes this once more. Mark cannot simply say 'the Queen' anymore, not with Jane so boldly contesting her. It's disgusting that she must dirty herself with this contempt and fear so soon already. ]
Though I am now just Lady Anne, you must remind all that he is to be married to and soon crown Queen Anne. Hm?
The celebration will be grand. You must play something beautiful for everyone.
[Okay, he takes a moment, and his smile turns softer.]
You have become that rarest of things, a person I can speak to, who is willing to listen to my trifles, even as high as you are. I attempt to return the favour, as best I can. I believe I would be rather lost without you.
[ It's a careful answer, but still more sincere in delivery. It seems to soothe her somewhat, though it's still so difficult for her to remember that she can trust people. She is simply...aware of too much, now. She can never unsee, or stop knowing. ]
Do you have trifles, Mark? You must. Your love for me is not enough; it should not be, after all you have lost.
I do not remember our time at court. What did you love most? What do you miss?
[George springs to mind in an instant, and Mark finds his heart aches a little. He knows there is nothing for him there, not since George wed, he has made that painfully clear. The risk is no longer worth it. He is no longer worth the risk. And yet, he does miss him, dreadfully.]
My trifles tend to be the sort one does not discuss, they could get me in a rather lot of trouble.
[This was easier when she knew him, he never really had to explain this to her before.]
But aside from that, I am glad I may still have music in this strange land. A life without music...well, I do not think that would be a life worth living at all.
[ He says much, but that's the one thing Anne clues in on. It could mean a few things, but that is to consider if it's trouble for the Tudor court, for Henry specifically, or for life here in Teleios.
She would have none of that, really. Nothing that would hurt her cause. Nothing that would hurt the most loyal messenger. ]
What trouble? My sweetest friend, I would keep you far from trouble. You should know this.
[ ooc; so sorry this is late bb! feel free to handwave if you prefer. ]
...Surely it is not such a foul crime as to burn for. I would not believe it. All need only know you for a moment to see the beautiful spirit you carry. Nothing ugly could come of it.
[ While she understands the need for discretion, it's important for her to be certain of what it is he fears, especially with the King now in Teleios. But as he is not currently in the palace, she urges Mark onward. ]
You may speak with an agent... Before, I had an audience with Athena, but I do not think she is still about. Regardless, someone will allow you to see the list of your...debts.
And so they may continue to think, if we wish to learn anything of our matters. Even His Majesty understands we must humor their fancies to a certain amount.
Still, you ought not to bother announcing them as honored guests should they arrive. It is to be a masquerade I think, so I imagine they might enjoy blending in.
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uponsohighatree
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cawaii
audio;
Date: 2014-11-07 09:05 am (UTC)Should you see Mistress Seymour, you will exercise all efforts to pretend you do not see, hear, or even know of her existence. Is that understood?
Come at once.
audio;
Date: 2014-11-08 12:31 am (UTC)[Ah. The lady Jane, he wondered how his patron would take this, and it's just about as he figured.] As you command. It will be as if she is a ghost to me. [He knows that's not going to be fun at all, but he won't deny her orders, not ever.]
I will be with you before you know it.
[He'll be making his way towards her chambers.]
audio → ACTION
Date: 2014-11-08 12:41 am (UTC)Currently she's stalking about her chambers, which are currently still meekly assembled. The Tower is not what it once was, and it will take time to properly outfit the queen's chambers to it's former glory. But she can't even enjoy being in them, or planning to decorate them, because she feels she might as well be in a nunnery for how "grand" she now feels. ]
no subject
Date: 2014-11-09 11:04 pm (UTC)Your majesty.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 12:29 am (UTC)Though they're still truly stationed in the Temple, and the Tower has much work left to be done, she prefers to spend what 'home life' time she can here, to get away from the other people when upset. That doesn't mean Henry or any of his guests can't walk by and overhear, though, so she's glad for Mark's immediate discretion.
But not glad enough to smile towards him. Instead she glares, with glassy eyes that seem to stare right through him, and flicks her wrist. ]
Come here.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:15 am (UTC)How can I help you, yourmajesty?
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:20 am (UTC)Finally, she jerks her chin downward. ]
Kneel.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:36 am (UTC)Stopping before him once more, she places both hands over her bodice, as if to steady herself and her breaths. He may not be a traitor. Perhaps Jane will be the isolated, completely insane case. ]
Swear to me and to God at this very moment, that beneath the King, you serve none but me. Swear that you shall never lie, nor mislead me by your own false assumptions. And should you ever, ever betray me or my cause, you will submit to the axe with humility and grace; not a word to say for you will abandon all rights.
Swear it now.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:54 am (UTC)I swear it, your majesty. I am yours and yours alone, I would never betray you. I would rather suffer the greatest of tortures, I would rather die a thousand deaths than ever betray you.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 02:31 am (UTC)Jane Seymour swore loyalty too, only yesterday.
[ All she can picture Jane's almost smile as she curtsied and left; laughing at what she deemed their ignorance and showing it. ...And getting away with it. In a week's time her life has been flipped upside down, then shaken, then flipped right back around.
She reaches out with a sharpness of a viper, with little warning and reflexes that have only been fine-tuned from her training in Exsilium. She doesn't grab for his collar, though, instead her fingers twisting in his hair and yanking back. There's a dagger in her left hand, held calmly and cooly with the point hovering just near his eye.
No, poor sweet Mark Smeaton, this is not the Queen Anne you think you know so well. This Anne has witnessed magic, has traveled through time, has held the powers of a goddess, and walked on the moon. She has watched good men imprisoned, ships that fly and deliver death, and had families spit on and attack her in the street. She, personally, has been unwittingly responsible for the complete erasure of existence of one child that she, and only one other person in the multiverse, will ever remember. One young boy whom she had sworn to protect, only to damn.
She has seen the end of days. ]
And then she took a dagger from betwixt her whore legs and stabbed me in the back. She committed treason and the most grievous disrespect for me, and now she laughs and dances about it among the shadows.
So I fear, Master Smeaton, that you will need to prove your oath to me. You will do this, and I will let you live, and I will love you. You do not do this...and I swear to you now, and to God, that I will be the one clipping you a head shorter.
[ This Anne is so much worse, and those who thought they knew her, will in time learn how very wrong they were. ]
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 06:56 pm (UTC)So, he remains still, only his eye moving to look at her.]
Tell me what it is you wish me to do, and I will do it.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 08:06 pm (UTC)[ Restless is a kind word for it, and one she may accept. Just like she'll accept his plea, for now. Because she has not already forgotten this past month in her blind rage. She has enjoyed his presence. She has thought him remarkably charming, with a sharp wit and a playful sense of humor. His skill with music is enough that Anne wishes to only surround him in instruments, so that he can fill her world with the sound of beauty.
But that is why she must be the most ruthless with him. She knows well and good how rampant betrayal is among the courts, especially the Tudor court. In Exsilium, betrayal had taken on whole new forms, and brought strange new consequences. She doesn't forget.
And knowing this, knowing that she has been forced into a position where all she can feel is resentment and suspicion instead of happiness and tranquility, only adds misery into the mix. But she abruptly releases him and turns before she can let it twist her features, or soften them any. She won't break before anyone, especially not her servant. ]
She was so cruel and shameless with her proclamations... She will not just let this disappear. There will one day be a reckoning, until she is gone or dead, and so you are to be my first weapon. None else here truly understand the gravity of this, nor what is necessary in God's eyes.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 09:42 pm (UTC)I swear to you, that I will forever be by your side. Whatever proclamations she makes, I will be certain that everyone will understand that they are nothing but lies, even if I need convince the king himself.
[He bows his head.] I told you that I am yours, and I stand by that. My loyalty will always remain to you, above all others.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 11:28 pm (UTC)They have their weapons, the knowledge of her future, but she has her own knowledge of other times, as well. ]
You must not speak to the King on such a matter... It is above you. But there are other things you may do. Other things you will do.
[ She crouches rather suddenly, kneeling before him and reaching for his face in an affection that is almost desperate, contrary to the soft hush of her voice. ]
But nothing against our conscience, hm? Nothing against justice, or the cause of His Majesty. I will ask much of you, Mark, but never could I commit the sin of taking your joy and music away.
You must understand, that you are to become more than a musician, just as I must be more than a queen. We must act as His Majesty's entire court. Do you understand?
[ There are no longer truly rules, or limitations. No longer. ]
no subject
Date: 2014-11-11 12:55 am (UTC)I understand, my queen. I will do all you ask of me, and more, should you ever request it.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-11 01:17 am (UTC)With a sigh, she nods and sits back, gathering his hands into hers so that she can lift them and gently kiss his knuckles. Maybe in this, she can trust him, but she isn't sure she can ever be comfortable again. ]
For now, all we must do is praise His Majesty's court, and his cause. There is no shame now in denying the papal authority. To that, we must not only preach, but represent the virtues of the Tudor dynasty, and the great strides England has reached. And, of course, we must be charitable in all things we do. Everyone here will love the King, and his Queen.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-12 12:22 am (UTC)I will be certain to do so in all the ways I can. The strange world will learn the glory of our court, and learn that our King, and yourself, are truly the rulers they need in their lives.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-16 11:55 pm (UTC)[ She emphasizes this once more. Mark cannot simply say 'the Queen' anymore, not with Jane so boldly contesting her. It's disgusting that she must dirty herself with this contempt and fear so soon already. ]
Though I am now just Lady Anne, you must remind all that he is to be married to and soon crown Queen Anne. Hm?
The celebration will be grand. You must play something beautiful for everyone.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 12:52 am (UTC)[He smiles, welcoming even the slightest sliver of normalcy between them.]
I will compose the most beautiful piece for you. There will be none like it ever again.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 08:00 am (UTC)You are good to me, Mark. What did I do to earn such loyalty?
no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-24 12:55 am (UTC)Speak not as a courtier, Mark, but as my friend.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-24 09:51 pm (UTC)You have become that rarest of things, a person I can speak to, who is willing to listen to my trifles, even as high as you are. I attempt to return the favour, as best I can. I believe I would be rather lost without you.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-25 12:28 am (UTC)Do you have trifles, Mark? You must. Your love for me is not enough; it should not be, after all you have lost.
I do not remember our time at court. What did you love most? What do you miss?
no subject
Date: 2014-11-26 09:16 pm (UTC)My trifles tend to be the sort one does not discuss, they could get me in a rather lot of trouble.
[This was easier when she knew him, he never really had to explain this to her before.]
But aside from that, I am glad I may still have music in this strange land. A life without music...well, I do not think that would be a life worth living at all.
no subject
Date: 2014-12-01 04:40 am (UTC)[ He says much, but that's the one thing Anne clues in on. It could mean a few things, but that is to consider if it's trouble for the Tudor court, for Henry specifically, or for life here in Teleios.
She would have none of that, really. Nothing that would hurt her cause. Nothing that would hurt the most loyal messenger. ]
What trouble? My sweetest friend, I would keep you far from trouble. You should know this.
[ ooc; so sorry this is late bb! feel free to handwave if you prefer. ]
no subject
Date: 2014-12-01 11:40 pm (UTC)[[ooc: Never late for meeee, I am queen of late things right now]]
no subject
Date: 2014-12-03 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-03 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-07 12:17 am (UTC)Would it be a crime here?
no subject
Date: 2014-12-07 08:44 pm (UTC)[In case, you know, they burn him.]
no subject
Date: 2014-12-08 04:33 am (UTC)You may speak with an agent... Before, I had an audience with Athena, but I do not think she is still about. Regardless, someone will allow you to see the list of your...debts.
[ She hates saying crimes, because fuck them. ]
no subject
Date: 2014-12-09 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-16 10:41 am (UTC)Still, you ought not to bother announcing them as honored guests should they arrive. It is to be a masquerade I think, so I imagine they might enjoy blending in.
Will you have a costume?
no subject
Date: 2014-12-17 10:06 pm (UTC)But of course, your Majesty.