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[carmenbelemonte]

                        Though we’re tethered to the story we must tell                              When I saw you, well I knew we’d tell it well

first day of my life / bright eyes | happy & sad / kacey musgraves | almost lover / jasmine thompson | i can’t make you love me / soak | promise / ben howard | heartbeats / josé gonzález | such great heights / iron & wine | i will follow you into the dark / death cab for cutie | carry you / novo amor | falling slowly / chester see & savannah outen | all my days / alexi murdoch | fade into you / mazzy star | turning page / sleeping at last

@carmenbelemonte

&&.unrequited quiet // sebastian&.carmen

[carmenbelemonte]

neptune — sleeping at last. 11:11 pm.

[carmenbelemonte]

Mia’s sing song voice was the only warning Carmen had before she was tackled into a giant bear hug. “Cuidado hermoso o nos derribará a los dos!” She squeaked before laughing along with her friend and returning the hug. Mia had wiggled her way into Carmen’s heart, becoming one of the she-wolf’s closest friends. While they had met each other when they were pups, it wasn't until the pair had started working together on the council that their friendship really started to kick off. Mia was a perfect partner. She was confident, persuasive, and compassionate. Carmen strived to be more like her everyday. There was no one else Carmen wished to work beside while representing the wolves of Candoris.

“It’s been a crazy week mi amiga,” Carmen admitted shaking her head. “My parents finally got tired of waiting to be grandparents and took matters into their own hands. They set up an arranged marriage and I met my betrothed earlier this week.”

{ @navaretteluna }

“Carmen! mi preciosa girasol!” Mia sang out as soon as she saw the gorgeous latina walk into the common area for all the council members. She rushed up to her friend and gave her an attack hug, laughing all the while. “I feel like it’s been far too long since we’ve seen each other, amiga.” Mia didn’t like to think of the time before Carmen was her partner in the council, the minute she had arrived, it seemed like everything just fit into place. Aside from being witty and intelligent and incredibly capable. Carmen also belonged to another noble latino family which means their families of course know each other.  Mia vaguely remembers playdates in their youths, and instances where they would greet each other during special events. But it wasn’t till now, when they were working side by side and doing their best to represent their species, that Mia felt a kindred spirit in Carmen. The sunkissed brunette was warmth and joy personified and Mia enjoyed working with someone who was so quickly becoming a close friend. “What have you been up to querida? Tell me everything!” @carmenbelemonte

[carmenbelemonte]

There had always been an immense pressure placed on Sebastián to constantly please his parents. Nearly forty years of it had been going on now and evidently it wasn’t going away anytime soon. Because he still found himself here in the gardens with his betrothed, all for his parents wishes. If he had his way, he wouldn’t be standing here now. But he had been engrained to believe that his parents knew best, that he had to follow their plan exactly to a tee. Perhaps it would be the death of him, but he begrudgingly had to admit that Carmen had a certain air about her that seemed to soothe his nerves in the slightest. She had soft features and a kind smile that seemed to light up the room when he first saw her. At least there was that.

“We do have our whole lives,” he half mumbled in agreement. He really wanted to be more present for this, he didn’t want to show his disdain for the whole arranged marriage thing because he understood where his parents were coming from. There was only so much longer that he could have kids and start a family so that they could enjoy the benefits of being grandparents. Seb felt awful that he couldn’t commit himself fully to the girl that was chosen for him. He felt awful that he couldn’t really fake his feelings about meeting her. At least for now he could brush it off as nerves. “Nerves are a good thing. I wouldn’t think you had a heart if you weren’t at least a little nervous,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “I’m nervous too, I must admit. I mean, I knew it was coming, but it feels like it happened a little fast, wouldn’t you say?” He asked in hopes that the whirlwind of the news had swept her up as unsuspectingly as it had done to him.

“Music,” he mused for a moment thinking about her comment. “What about music? Do you listen, do you compose?” He asked, genuinely curious in getting to know her. He still felt that ping of guilt that he would never be able to give himself fully to her. That same guilt that held onto him knowing there were walls built around him that she had no chance of scaling to get over. Seb had only just met her and he knew that she deserved more than that at the very least. “What do I do?” Slightly stunned by the question. He never really had his thing. Santi had his art, Mia had her politics, and Mateo had his baking. The eldest Navarette sibling didn’t have anything that grounded him besides being the eldest sibling. “Would you think it is foolish if I say my answer is looking out for my family?” He asked her, now nervously fidgeting with the cuffs of his shirt. “I’ve never really… Found anything else to do besides that. It’s kind of been a full time gig being the big brother for almost thirty years now.” Seb answered honestly, though he was worried about the criticism he may get from her if she discovered that he hadn’t ever really thought about himself in his life. He had always been so focused on being the eldest brother that any semblance of a personality was lost in the chaos of it all.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Sebastian also admitted to being nervous. “I knew it was coming eventually. My parents had been dropping hints for while now, though I didn’t expect it to be so sudden. I only had a few days notice before we left the estate,” Carmen explained, reassuring him that the arrangement had been just as a surprise to her as it had been to him.

“I do a little bit of both,” Carmen admits, a self conscious smile making its way to her lips. “When I was a pup I would listen to my mom play piano for hours, sitting by her feet and singing along. She started teaching me when I turned seven and I've played ever since.” Her eyes grew woeful for a moment as she reminisced about her birth mother, remembering her before she was to weak to sit at the bench of her piano. Carmen blinked in surprise as Sebastian admitted to not having his own hobby aside from being the eldest and taking care of his family. The she-wolf felt something flutter in her chest as she realized just how important his family was to him. “No, I don’t think its foolish. I can understand the pressures of being the eldest,” Carmen reassured him with a warm smile as part of her wondered if there was some hidden secret talent inside of him that he had yet to uncover.  

“Do you like sweets?” Carmen asked, peering up at Sebastian curiously. The question seemed trivial but it was something lighthearted to balance out the unsuspecting seriousness of the first question. “I used to sneak into the kitchen in the dead of night with my sister to make cookies. We were so loud that the kitchen staff would hear us and chase us out with wood spoons."

{ @sebnavarette }

[carmenbelemonte]

Christian enjoyed spending time with all of his pack members, whether it be together at meetings or individually. They had healed quite a bit since losing life at the vampire-faerie wedding moons ago, and Christian was beginning to feel more confident in his abilities as a leader again. One of the people he enjoyed meeting with was Carmen; she was a personable, kind soul, and Christian was beyond grateful that he had both her and Mia to represent the wolves as delegates in the Interspecies Council of Affairs. There was no one better for the job, he thought as he headed towards their meeting spot for the day; one of the studies in the werewolf headquarters on palace grounds.

“Carmen,” he said, warmth seeping through his tone as a smile spread across his face. He let her into the room, shutting the door behind them as she produced a carton of cupcakes for him. His smile brightened, and he reached out, tentatively taking the box of baked goods from her hands and giving Carmen a one-armed hug. Perhaps it was improper, but…but they werecupcakes! “Come in, come in; and thank you for the cupcakes! You’ll have to help me share them so I don’t go into a chocolate coma.” He set the box down on his desk, moving around to sit behind it and taking a seat. He gestured for her to sit across him as he opened the box of cupcakes and reached for one of the fudgey, gooey chunks of goodness inside. He couldn’t help it; sweets were his weakness.

“Training went well, though I fear I’m about to undo all of it,” he said with a pointed look at his cupcake. “What about you, though? I’ve heard wind that the council has been busy deliberating over issues dealing with the health and welfare of the community.”

Carmen’s broad grin seemed to brighten further at Christian’s reaction and she returned his hug enthusiastically. The she wolf was a notorious hugger, so the contact didn’t bother her in the slightest. “I suppose I could indulge a little,” the brunette mused, picking up a cupcake from the carton before taking the seat across from her alpha. 

“Sometimes you need to treat yourself,” Carmen replied, giving her alpha a pointed look. It was good to see Christian happy and confident again. The whole pack had taken a severe hit with the loss of one of their own and no one had taken it harder than Christian. Even though she struggled with with her own responsibilities of being a werewolf delegate for the council, she couldn’t imagine the weight Christian had to bear as alpha. 

“It’s come to the councils attention that some kind of withdrawal is making it way through Candoris,” Carmen explained, peering down at her cupcake. “There seems to be no connection between the infected but I worry how fast it will spread in the cities. We meet in a few days to decide if an investigation should be launched into its origins,” she finished, taking a bite from her cupcake. Carmen hummed in appreciation, dancing in her seat as she took a second bite. The she-wolf also had an incredible sweet tooth. 

{ @christianvbennet }

[carmenbelemonte]

The she-wolf had been so caught up in her own jumbled thoughts that she hadn’t seen Tristan making his way down the corridor from the opposite direction. Carmen rushed to apologize for running into the male, as an embarrassed blush colored her cheeks. “Sorry, sorry! Are you alright?” She asked, her eyes searching his figure worriedly. Carmen finally breathed a sign of relief once she realized Tristan hadn’t sustain any lasting wounds from her clumsiness.

“I would love to catch up,” Carmen replied, a warm grin tugging at the corners of her lips. It had been far to long since the pair had last spoken. “Lucky for you, I just finished my council business for the day so I’m free for the remainder of the afternoon.” 

{ @ofstrom }

“You know, we should take this as a sign.” Tristan began after his apologies were said for bumping into her. Accidental as it was, he welcomed a familiar face, especially one he hadn’t seen in a while. “It’s time we catch up. Only if you’re free, of course.” He hoped she hadn’t been on her way to any business. His own schedule was clear and there was nothing more he wanted to do than relax.

( @carmenbelemonte )

[carmenbelemonte]

Carmen had made a habit of seeking Christian out before council meetings. Being a werewolf representative was not a responsibility she took lightly. Carmen poured her heart and soul into being someone that the pack could count on to insure their voices were heard. But with the title of council representative came worry and self doubt. Sometimes Carmen would get so stuck in her head about letting her pack down that her judgement would get clouded. That’s why her talks with Christian were so important to her. Her Alpha was always there to listen and offered advice to help ease her mind.

She had also made a habit of bringing his favorite sweet treat to their meetings as compensation for his guidance, something that Christian insisted she didn’t need to do but she always did anyway to see him smile.

“Guess who!” Carmen chirped brightly, holding the box of chocolate cupcakes she had brought for him behind her back. “How did training go this morning?” She asked, failing miserably to hide the mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

{ @christianvbennet }

[carmenbelemonte]

Carmen made her way through the marketplace, curiously peering from stall to stall at the various items that were being sold. While she wasn't searching for anything in particular, several items had caught the she wolf's eye. At one stall, exotic colored inks in brilliant blues and intense reds reminded her of her father. At another, Carmen found elegantly crafted silver combs that would look lovely in her step mother’s hair. She had even managed to find a leather bound sketchbook to replace the once Celina had filled with her beautiful drawings.

For a moment Carmen contemplated finding something for Sebastian but with only having just met him she hadn't the slightest idea what to get him. Getting him something expensive seemed shallow and insincere considering both of their families were well off and he could easily get whatever he wanted. She wanted to get something special or at least something that would make him smile. Maybe he'd like a pastry or a sweet? She thought to herself, scanning a stall selling a variety of baked goods.

Carmen had been examining an apple pie when a voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Oh, of course,” she answered warmly, a friendly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I can walk you there if you’d like.” 

{ @emmalinefaun }

She didn’t feel well - in all honesty, she hadn’t felt well all week, and coming down with the stomach flu was the absolute last thing that a busy handmaiden working in an even busier castle could ever want. It had been days since she had woken up without feeling incredibly nauseous, and though she had done her best to prepare Princess Arielle’s chambers as she did every other morning, her royal highness had taken one look at Emmaline’s pale, wan face, and had insisted then and there that she wasn’t fit for duty. The younger girl attempted to protest, of course - she lived to serve her kingdom, the king and the princess both - but her stuttering reassurances that she was fine, just fine, fell on deaf ears, and she was fastidiously ushered out into the corridor.

Now, she had found herself at the marketplace. When she had been sick as a little girl, she could remember Christian spoonfeeding her warm broth with the small noodly bits that she liked, and providing her with a seemingly never-ending amount of freshly brewed peppermint tea with plenty of honey. It was the latter that she wanted the most right now - for some reason, food didn’t seem terribly appealing, but tea…tea would certainly do wonders to settle her tummy. 

Except - perhaps it was how nauseous she was feeling, but her dyslexia seemed to be worse than usual this early morning; the words on the signs of the market stalls were jumbled and not making any sense, and Emmaline felt her delicate brows furrow together in confusion as she realized that she wasn’t able to make any of it out. Nervously, she approached a nearby stranger, and in a small, timid, and very shy voice, said, “Excuse me, do you - erm - do you happen to know where I could find some peppermint tea?” 

[carmenbelemonte]

As her voice rang into the air, it settled his nerves a little bit. The only thing he had been worried about (besides the blaring obvious fact that there was no way he could love this woman with his entire being) was that his parents just picked a person in a line up of Latina women. But Carmen at least seemed like she was a good person. That was all he could have asked for considering that he couldn’t have much of a say in who she was. “It is very nice to meet you,” he nodded. See wanted this to be anything but formal, yet still it was hard to try and approach this any other way. He had only learned of this whole thing the night before. The timing could not have been more off considering Safiya had just come back into his life. It always seemed that the pair of them came together and his parents held the reins of his life that always steered him away from her. If he had been a stronger person, he would learn to pull away from his parent’s guidance, but he wasn’t. He was the dutiful eldest son, that was always going to be the path he was on. It would be senseless to turn away from that all now.

There was a brief moment where their parents continued to exchange words, he wasn’t sure if he had ever really seen his mother this happy. In fact, she was almost glowing. Her already eccentric personality was bubbling from her being with every interaction they had. He felt his heart become a little heavier knowing that if he ever called this whole arrangement off that hers would break and he would hurt the family. That was the absolute last thing he had wanted to do, it always had been. So he would swallow his pride and try to be the best for everyone in the situation. There was still a lot of pressure that was hanging in the air. Nervously, he wiped his hands against his pant legs before speaking up again. “Do you mind if we go for a walk?” he asked his betrothed, but took her hand before she could even answer. He just needed to get out of there.

“Sorry,” he briefly spoke as they made their way out of the mansion and into the courtyard of the estate. Letting go of her hand, he drew in the fresh air, filling his lungs before he spoke again. “Everything going on in there felt so formal,” the word he had been clinging to for the majority of the day. There was no denying that it was though. He was under the impression that things should have occurred naturally, that if his parents would have just listened to him ten years ago that maybe they would have had grandkids by now and their eldest son wouldn’t be lurking around the estate with nothing better to do. “I just don’t want everything to be so rigid. We’re to spend our whole lives with one another, you know? We still should get to ease into it without the pressure of knowing that we’re ending up together,” he told her. They began walking around the estate together, through their gardens filled with many flowers and plants. It was one of his favorite places to escape besides his student, so he figured he could share it with his betrothed. “Are you nervous?” he asked her, wanting to know her feelings regarding the whole situation. Of course it was still slightly awkward for a natural conversation to form, they had only just met each other. “What is it that you do? You know, to keep your mind sane I suppose.”

Carmen had opened her mouth to answer but before she could even get a sound out, Sebastian had taken her hand and was leading her out of the mansion and into the courtyard. The moment Sebastian took her hand, Carmen felt sparks travel up the length of her arm. Glancing briefly at Sebastian's face, Carmen was unsure if he had felt them as well. Once the pair had entered the courtyard and Sebastian had released her hand, Carmen felt a strange sense of loss at the lack of contact. Carmen, you just met him. Please don't make this more awkward that it already is. She thought to herself, pushing the weird sensations from her mind.

"Don't apologize. It was getting stuffy in there anyway," she assured him lightheartedly, noticing that her form had relaxed the moment they had disappeared from their parents sight. "There's no need to rush things, we have more than enough time to get to know one another." Carmen agreed, following in step with Sebastian as he lead her through the garden's around the estate.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Carmen answered honestly, glancing around at the brilliantly colored flora surrounding them. “But I think nerves are a good thing in this situation. I mean, I would hope you’d be at least a little bit nervous when meeting the person you’re suppose to spend your life with.” She added with a soft laugh, turning back to smile reassuringly at Sebastian. The awkwardness between them was completely understandable considering they had quite literally only met moments ago but the pressure of their union still hung heavily in the atmosphere around them.

“Well, firstly I think sanity is a relative term.” Carmen joked, determined to break the discomfort of their first meeting or to at least get a smile out of him. “But music really helps me reign in my thoughts when things get overwhelming. It helps me escape everything, even if only for a few moments,” she answered, her smile turning bashful as a blush crept up her neck. “What do you do?” She asked, watching him curiously. “To keep yourself grounded.”

{ @sebnavarette }

[carmenbelemonte]

✅ for Carmen

“Moonlight’s only possible with the sun.”

@carmenbelemonte

[carmenbelemonte]

Anonymously or not, tell me who you ship my muse with.

[carmenbelemonte]

The moment the carriage had left the safety of estate, Carmen’s nerves started to run a mile a minute. Not even the words of encouragement from her stepmother sitting beside her could reign them in. She wished Celina had been allowed to come with them to meet her betrothed but her father had shot down the idea before either of them could even ask. Carmen could have used her younger sister’s support or at least her sarcastic wit to distract her from her thoughts on the way to the Navarette’s estate. 

Carmen tried to listen to her stepmother’s attempts to reassure her that the match they had made for her was perfect but instead she found her attention solely focused on twirling her fingers around the golden chain around her neck. Dangling from the chain was a delicate locket. The necklace had been a gift from her mother on her twelfth birthday, just a year before she passed away. Clicking the locket open, Carmen peered down at the picture of her mother on the left side, admiring her warm smile before running a finger over the words etched elegantly into the metal on the right. Brilla donde quiera que estés, mi pequeño sol. She could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes as her mothers voice echoed inside her head. There wasn't a moment when Carmen didn’t miss her mother with every fiber of her being and she hoped that she was watching her where she was.

Carmen was pulled from her thoughts as the carriage jolted to a stop. Blinking away the tears almost as fast as they had appeared, she allowed a warm smile to grace her lips just moments before she was helped out of the carriage. The moment her feet touched the ground, Carmen felt her nerves spike. While the timing of her arrangement had been out of the blue, it hadn’t been entirely unexpected. Her father and stepmother had been hinting at the idea for months now. She was past the typical age of marriage and it had been months since anyone had attempted to court her. Carmen didn’t blame her parents for wanting to expedite the process of her settling down but she wished she could have found someone on her own accord. While Carmen was nervous about meeting the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with, she wasn’t bitter about the arrangement. No matter who he was, Carmen was devoted to pouring all that she had into their relationship. Always the optimist, she was determined to make something good out of the situation. 

She quickly ran her hands over the front of her dress before following her parents inside. Carmen had dressed nicely in a yellow gown that complemented her figure and complexion, determined to make a good first impression. She wore her dark hair loose, allowing her natural curls to frame the soft features of her face. 

Carmen watched as her parents enthusiastically greeted his. That seems promising, she thought to herself before lifting her head to meet the gaze of the figure stepping towards her. The moment her eyes landed on him, Carmen felt something pull in her chest. He was certainly handsome, she’d give him that. His eyes were friendly and his expression seemed sincere. She couldn’t stop the warm grin tugging at the corners of her lips as Sebastian took her hand, pressing his lips gently against her skin. A shiver ran up the arm he held and Cameron felt a blush creeping up the back of her neck and she curtsied in return. “You’re rather handsome as well.” She complimented, moving her arm to rest back at her side. “Carmen Belemonte. It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

@sebnavarette

&&.@carmenbelemonte​

Nervous couldn’t have been the right word. No, Sebastián Navarette wasn’t nervous at all. Upset maybe, frustrated? Definitely. For his parents had only ever brought up the idea of a betrothal to him in the past. He wasn’t sure that they would ever actually follow through on their word. But knowing how strong-willed they were, he shouldn’t have been so surprised to find out the news that he was going to meet his betrothed today. They hadn’t said if he already knew her or not, but it wasn’t as if there was an overpopulation of Latinx noble families in Candoris. And with the borders closed off indefinitely, their reach couldn’t have exactly extended that far. Maybe he had been nervous, for her sake of course. There were plenty of arranged marriages that had gone right, where both parties would fall in love with each other. He just didn’t think that this was the case. For his heart had belonged to someone else. It had for a long time now. He guessed he couldn’t exactly be mad at his parents though. They simply wanted grandchildren, and he wasn’t entirely sure that was something Safiya had wanted anyways. Maybe it was for the better, if only it meant that they would stop pressuring him and begging him to finally get started with his life. 

Seb wasn’t going to give a poor impression though, he had been dressed in his finest suit. It wouldn’t be fair to the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He was not a malicious person, and while this wasn’t his decision, there was no need to make it any more difficult for the other party. He was sure that whoever his parents had picked for him would have deserved happiness all the same as he had always craved. And Sebastián wouldn’t be the kind of person he was today if that meant he wouldn’t sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of another’s. So he would do what he had done his entire life– he would give his all to this woman so that at least one of them could be happy. The cards that his parents had hand selected for his deck of life were never cards he had wanted to draw, but there was no use in everyone suffering. 

It was arranged to be a blind date almost. Of course, the parents would be there initially to introduce the pair of them to each other, but they had wanted the interaction to be as natural as possible. Which was sort of hypocritical considering that they had picked out a person for each of them to spend the rest of their lives together with without so much of a warning. He stood in the foyer with his mother and father, hands clutched together behind his back as they waited for the arrival of his new betrothed. His mother turned to him, bring a finger up to his hair, twisting one of the curls back that had fallen out of place. This he hadn’t protested much, it was something she had been doing to him ever since he was a young boy, to that same pesky curl that would never fall like the rest of them. 

However, when she licked her finger to wipe something off of his face, he pulled away. “Ay mami,” he brought his hand to swat hers away from his face, “está bien.” The tone in his voice was playful, laced with a little bit of frustration. No matter how old he had been, his mother was always going to do the things she had done to him as a child. “Solo quiero asegurarme de que te ves lo mejor posible. Tu esposa para ser es muy hermosa,” his mother mused for a moment before she tried reaching her hand up to the same spot again. Seb scoffed as he pulled away, giving his mother a slight smile before his attention had been drawn to the door. 

He stood back, watching his parents go to hers exchanging hugs and words of gratitude. At least my parents and hers get along. We’ll never have to worry about the in laws fighting with one another, he thought to himself. After they had said their hellos it was time for them to meet. He let his eyes fall on her, and it was true what his mother had said– she was awfully beautiful. Her features were soft, her smile was kind. If he had to live a life with someone at least she was beautiful. Without thinking much about it, he reached for her hand, bringing it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss upon the top of her hand. “You look lovely,” he mused before giving her hand back to her. “Sebastián Navarette, except that sounds too formal. You can call me Seb if you like.”

[carmenbelemonte]

About

&&. rumor has it that ( Carmen  Belemonte ) was just spotted in the forbidden kingdom. ( she ) is ( 35 ) year old ( werewolf ) known to be a ( noble ). many have said ( she ) resembles ( monica raymund ). ( she ) has been said to be ( sensitive & persistent ) but also quite ( cordial  & devoted ). ( she ) is currently serving as ( werewolf delegate ). ( Abbey / 21 / she-her / EST / OC APP )

( Carmen Belemonte ) would describe ( herself ) as a ( summer ) person and would identify as a ( ENFJ / neutral good ). ( her ) birthday is ( December 10th ), making ( her ) star sign ( Sagitarius ) and ( her ) animal sign the ( raven ). ( her ) biggest pet peeve is ( not being listened to ), and ( her) theme song is ( 250,000 by Patty Griffin). when it comes to the separation of species in candoris, ( she) is ( loyal to the crown ). finally, ( her ) primary goal is to ( represent her people to the best of her ability and do everything in her power to aid them )

[carmenbelemonte]

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