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[dcmarqvis]

— 11.7.2021

“ things have become slightly more complicated now. ” slightly was putting it lightly. even if the police were looking into an intruder, she was still under a magnifying-glass. every movement monitored. “ it’s why getting out of here is my top priority. ” her expression was grim. “ i called chantal, she said she’s happy to host me in bordeaux. ” glad to have the opportunity to gloat, nicole was certain. “ all i need is your word that i’ll get across the border. ” ( &. @vrnvuld​ )

[dcmarqvis]

—  11.7.2021

“ nat, do you have a moment ? ” she hasn’t slept. she hasn’t had time to rest nor has she wanted to slow down and be haunted by her own thoughts. “ it’s quite important. ” ( &. @nataliademarquis​ )

[dcmarqvis]

JENNIFER CONNELLY as Josie McClellan Career Opportunities (1991)

[dcmarqvis]

she could sense his irritation. it made her tense and raised the hairs on her arms. she kept her eyes tightly glued to the portrait on the wall in front of her. she had not expected arnauld to bother with chantal — she was just some footnote on a paper, some figure mentioned off-handedly. “ i gave you the truth. i respect you too much to lie, arnauld. ” there was hardly any emotion behind her words. how many times had she found herself in this position throughout her life ? stroking the ego of a narcissist ? “ i thought it was better to keep chantal out of this until i wouldn’t be able to. it’s too delicate and she has a big mouth. i don’t like to take risks. ” 

his hand came to rest on her shoulder as he leaned forward to speak to her in a low voice. “ i got off the phone with chantal. ” his eyes move to look at her reaction. “ she was so oblivious. ” a fact that had not sat well with arnauld. “ have you been honest with me ? ” [  ;; @dcmarqvis​ ]

[dcmarqvis]

her brows knit together in worry when she spotted natalia in the room. she made a beeline to her daughter and hunched to speak directly into her ear. she didn't want people to eavesdrop. " i thought you'd be half across the country already. " her hand stroked natalia's back, and she rested her forehead against her daughter's head. things didn't always go as planned. it was such a shame that natalia was now stuck in london. " how are you feeling ? you must be exhausted. " ( &. @nataliademarquis​ )

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

“ what deal ? what are you talking about ? who’s offering me a deal ? i should take a deal, shouldn’t i ? is it a good deal ? ” he couldn’t quite keep up with the conversation, his mind was too muddled for it. and nicole loved to talk indirectly. every statement hid another one behind it. his steps slowed down as his door appeared at the end of the hallway. “ drag you down, nicole… ” he attempted to stroke her hair but his fine motor skills were not what would have been required for such affectionate gesture and he ended up having his fingers tangle in her hair. he cursed under his breath as he slowly managed to free his hand. “ i’d never get you in trouble. when you’re in trouble, i’m in trouble. ” he stepped into the study and froze. his brows knit together. was she… ? “ are you asking me to be the only one to take responsibility for the things that have happened ? ” he turned around. “ you’d abandon me the moment things are hard ?  is that it ? ” so much for loyalty !

“ no, i asked if someone had offered you one. ” nicole’s irritation knew no bounds. “ forget it. it doesn’t matter. ” clearly no one had. she could rest easy for now. she hissed in pain as he ended up tugging her hair. she grabbed the back of her head and kept her hair by her scalp. “ for god’s sake. ” the second she was free, she marched into his office. stomped would have been a more accurate way to put it. “ yes ! that is what i’m asking you to do. what do you expect me to do ? tell them i’m just as guilty as you are and get locked up in the cell next to yours ? no thank you. that can be avoided. you know it can. i want to know if you’ll let me live. ” she wanted to keep her life the way it was. she would not exchange her freedom for a clean conscience. she would not abandon the best things about life so he could feel like he wasn’t alone. “ if things begin to look dire, i’ll escape to france. i’ll start making preparations tomorrow. ”

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

nicole ! divine nicole, he could always count on her. “ they do. they absolutely do. ” their world was filled with ugly people who only wanted to see you fall. his steps slowed down at her question. he could barely comprehend it. it was a very serious question for a very delirious moment. “ what are you asking ? i don’t… what do you…? everyone knows who you are and what you do. ”

it wasn’t exactly the answer she had hoped to hear. nicole’s jaw tightened. “ yes, but will it be proven in front of a judge ? ” the truth and a truth in a court room were two very different things. “ have you been offered a deal ? i’ve been wondering if they want to make you pay the full price or if they want as many people as possible trialed. ” both must have been tempting options for the legitimists. what frustrated her about the situation was that had she been given six months, she might have truly gone through with her threat and gotten rid of arthur — making natalia the lead figure could have made a difference ! she would have needed just a bit of extra time. but now... now she was stuck with arthur. tied to him. stuck on a sinking ship she could not steer. “ i want you to promise me that you won’t drag us down with you. ”

[dcmarqvis]

nataliademarquis​:

“ i think i should say something to her. like, a sorry of sorts.” it would sound utterly pathetic. anything she would say to antonia would seem like an act of desperation. natalia doubted she be able to face her sister for a few days – much less at her height: buoyant from the celebration. “ i doubt she’ll take it well. “ even if it was from the bottom of her heart. she could only hope toni would see her genuineness. “ he wouldn’t. we helped more than HURT, surely he can see that. “ would he ? the statement wasn’t anywhere near convincing. after all, what sort of wretched human would betray the support they had provided ? her face fell again, the question answered itself. “ he could help us even. “ should they need it. it felt like her life was balancing on stilts. she shrugs and adds. “ aunt chantal is there too. “

“ you could admit your defeat in front of her. i don’t think a sorry will have much of an effect. ” especially when the sincerity of it could be ( and would be ) questioned. “ you’re not imprisoned now, i think it’s a good sign. it’ll be alright. ” she hoped to make natalia worry even a little bit less about the future. “ i... ” she turned her head to look at the crowd instead of natalia. it was almost embarrassing to admit that her longest friendship was to someone she couldn’t trust one bit. “ i think if it comes down to saving his own skin, he’ll sacrifice us. ” nicole was as guilty as arthur — it wouldn’t be terribly unfair of him to let her pay the price too. he wouldn’t struggle to find a justification for selling her out. “ yes, chantal, ” nicole mused with a tight jaw. “ i’m sure she’d make arrangements for us. ”

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

had he drank even a little bit less, he might have protested her order, but in his current state he merely let her drag him wherever she wanted. he leaned slightly against her side, which helped him to keep up with her and to keep his balance. “ i don’t–  i don’t want to go to that wretched room, ” he complained in a rough voice. “ i hate this BLOODY building. i hate these people. “ he threw out his arm to gesture towards the people who were behind the doors that had just closed behind them. “ and tweedledee and tweedledum here, ” the police officers trailing behind them. “ this forsaken country. ”

she was so tired of babysitting. she was so tired of making her own worries the second most important thing. she was so tired to be tasked with making sure he didn’t make more mistakes. she could barely keep walking in her heels and with his weight pushing her down. she felt like she was carrying a boulder. “ i know. i know you do. they deserve it too. ” why did his quarters have to be on the other side of the massive building ? “ have you... been asked questions about natalia and i ? about our involvement ? ” at least she could expect honesty from him because of his current state.

[dcmarqvis]

“ come with me, ” nicole ordered him as she grabbed him by the arm. “ we need to talk while we can. ” while he was still able to comprehend her words. “ let’s go to your study, hmm ? ” it was better to keep him away from the party. ( &.  @arthurwindsorsr​ )

[dcmarqvis]

“ the only reason why we have not been detained is because he has kept his mouth shut and you have not angered antonia. ” either of those things could change in a heartbeat. natalia was much more likely to survive the new era than she was. natalia would pretend to have been completely oblivious to everything that had happened — which wasn’t much of a lie, and nicole would attest to that. nicole herself however... it all depended on whether she’d be considered a co-conspirator or merely a follower. “ if i had said no to the court order, i would have had to stay away forever. i am not quite ready to give up my title. ” she had given a very flat and uninteresting testimony, which had been helpful to arthur of course but more importantly it had protected her. “ i need to talk to him tonight. make sure he doesn’t say yes to some deal that will get me locked up. ” her eyes followed their future queen on the other side of the room. how much chaos would antonia ives create once she ascended the throne ? “ france is not a bad plan b. i doubt arnauld would extradite us per antonia’s request. ”

( * / @dcmarqvis​ )

“ would they arrest US ? if arthur is found guilty ?? “ natalia asks in a hushed tone. she felt as if the crowd was watching them lick their wounds. “ we should have gone to france. “ natalia murmurs, nearly pouting. and hid, she might add. flight, not fight. “ lied low, or something. “

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

he clenched his jaw. the greed, the pride, and the harshness he had always loved about nicole were nasty things when they were directed at him. his lips twisted into a sneer. nicole was a self-serving wretched woman. “ you talk so boldly ! the duchess of sheep and cows. does it bother you that much to only have norfolk ? ” greedy, greedy, greedy. “ i know for a fact there are three dark haired, blue eyed, de marquis women who will take it from your hands if you think it’s not worthy of you. is chantal getting bored of france ? ” he HAD TO pick chantal. no other name would get under nicole’s skin as easily as chantal’s. “ then i think this will become a race ! let’s see which one of us can get rid of the other quicker. but before you rush into things, you MIGHT want to ask yourself if you and natalia will be enough to beat my other bastard children. is natalia ready to be the face of our cause ? because no matter how much you’d like, it’s not something you can do for her. really, sometimes i wonder what will become of her once you leave her behind. have you taught her how to stand on her own two legs ? she just might be the most pathetic one out of my children. coddled and without her own opinions. you did such great work as a mother, nicole. i applaud you. ”

nicole burned with anger. that was it. she was done with his childish tantrums that had become more and more frequent as of late. “ is that a threat ? ” nicole asked. her tone was icy. she had not spent years by his side only to be sidelined for some new flaky ally who might or might not stab them in the back. she had not spent the past few years connecting with old friends and working late hours to ensure natalia’s win only for him to screw things up so close to the finish line. “ you’re delusional if you think you can beat me at this. ” they knew each others’ secrets. they knew the bits of information that would destroy them... nicole had a lot less to lose than arthur. “ if you’re going to be a disgusting pathetic little man, do not mention my daughter’s name. ” her hands itched to strangle him. “ it’s a little bit too late to pretend to care about her, arthur. ” she straightened her back and took a deep breath before glancing at her watch. “ apologise by sunday and i won’t make my own plans. ”

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

“ you VERY CLEARLY are not, dear nicole. ” what nicole was suggesting was simply preposterous. arthur’s brows knit tightly together and the lines on his face grew deeper and more defined. “ this isn’t about natalia. this isn’t about you. this is about me and my birth right. i am taking back what’s mine. ” he had stayed away from england long enough. his country. his territory. “ you’re forgetting your place. ”

“ this has only ever been about natalia, ” nicole stated coldly. arthur was natalia’s golden ticket. there was no way natalia could have become the next-in-line any other way. “ you and your idiocy lost the throne. you could have taken it as a sign to step aside for good. let natalia have the spotlight, you’ll be able to do what you like doing: absolutely nothing. you can keep loitering around and bossing people around. ” his ungratefulness was carving a very large hole into her. “ and you don’t understand yours. either you promise me the position of lord speaker, or i will make sure that you’re not in a position to give it to anyone. ”

[dcmarqvis]

nataliademarquis​:

she blinks and takes a moment for processing. nodding along and moving on was how she had gotten this far. it might be wise to continue doing so. “ so you’re cornering them ? “ it was more curious than accusatory. “ aren’t you worried about AFTER ? “ after ‘the win’, as they might call it, seemed like a world’s away. the possibility hadn’t been able to quite materialize in her visions of a future. she rests her head in her hands. “ like, ” the word is dragged out, “ i’d imagine they’ll be quite difficult to work with if they felt forced. “ though she lacked a solution that was exactly sunshine and rainbows. “ even internationally – you know, i don’t know if father’s presence helps or hurts. “

“ ultimatums aren’t ideal but sometimes they get the job done much better than hours of negotiations. ” and since time was of the essence in their case, nicole felt like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be a bit forceful. “ sometimes people prefer you to make the difficult decision for them. some people just do not have the ability to make decisions. ” in nicole’s opinion, it was easy to make decisions. until you had made a decision, you couldn’t plan anything, and until you had planned something, you couldn’t accomplish anything. “ i think it helps. no matter where he is, he hurts the cause. it’s better that he’s far away from home. this way we can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t muck up in england. ” she sighed and stared at the bouquet at the center of the table. “ sometimes i think it would be easier if he didn’t exist. ” 

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

“ i- won’t you calm down. goodness sake. ” had she snapped at him ? she was in NO position to do so ! “ it will secure us a win. you’ll wait for her to drop dead or for me to drop dead so that natalia can give you the position. we all have to make sacrifices. you can give this one up. it’s BARELY a role worthy of you. don’t be selfish. we’re so close to the finish line. ”

“ i am as calm as the situation requires me to be, ” she hissed at him. “ if we’re making sacrifices, how about you step down and campaign for natalia ? it will save me a few decades. not to mention how people like her much more than they like you, we might stand a better chance that way. do you want us to win or not ? ”

[dcmarqvis]

arthurwindsorsr​:

“ she gets RESULTS too… ” arthur muttered as he opened the next spread of his newspaper. “ i feel like you’ve done more ordering around than actual working lately. ” he didn’t like it. it was almost as if she was undermining him in broad daylight. he relied on nicole too much to his liking — and the last time he had blindly trusted his inner circle, he had found himself without a throne and a country. “ MOST CERTAINLY. but i believe it’s only because i have made her a better offer than dear ida. i offered her the position of lord speaker if she chose correctly. ”

her eyes were nothing but two narrow slits on her face. “ perhaps i wouldn’t find it necessary if you had this under control. ” usually she knew better than to wound arthur’s very brittle pride. arthur could be so dashing, fun, and charming when he was in a good mood — then come hard times and he became unbearable. childish, unfair, and simply unbearable. there was nothing to gain from upsetting him... except for a brief moment of satisfaction. “ you did what ? ” her voice grew by a decibel. “ you promised that position to me. ”

[dcmarqvis]

@arthurwindsorsr, @nataliademarquis & @dcmarqvis