#1642rp

[histxries]

♔ announcing Elisabet Falk,  the lady in waiting to the princess of England ! upon closer look, they resemble Lily James! it is a miracle that she survived the last five years and for that reason, they are FOR the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, they remind me of baby powder, lilac perfume, whispered converations, and softly sung lullabies.

cw: death, illness, ptsd

◇──◆──◇──◆

Elisabet knew she was destined to stay in the small Danish village where she was born, taking care of her father and the neighborhood children. She was fine with that and contented to say.

Then...disaster. Screams, illness, death...Elisabet stayed with the babies she watched as much as she was instructed, but was able one day to go out and see about her family. In her nightmares, she wish she hadn't. The screams of the village children as they watched their parents die, the mournful cries of the parents who likewise lost a child...and the worst sound of them all-nothing. The emptiness of the formerly filled homes that were now lost of their occupants. After making sure her father was attented to, Elisabet quickly rushed back to jumping between home and home, spending the time quarantined to assure no illness before going back to work, wishing to forget what she knew she never would.

After the plague terror had settled, years went by and things went back to normal as much as they could. Elisabet helped navigate aide, but she didn't realize that her father had been secreting away to meet with advisors from the royal family. One morning, a man came, and her father introduced her and talked of her achievements, and how well the village thought of her. That morning, she was to leave all of her belongings behind except a few things, one being a portrait of her mother, and she was moved into the palace and told she was going to only have one child to see after now-the youngest princess. Now, five years older and a little more wiser than she was, she realized not only would she no longer be in her father's way, but now he had one less mouth to feed.

When the summit was called, she traveled with the royal family to Sweden to continue her duty without telling her father. It wasn't as if he cared. Finding her footing in a new country, a new castle, and with a baby in tow is tough, but a governess needs to be tougher.

Life will turn different corners, as Elisabet now knows, having taken a position as Lady in Waiting to Princess Amara in lieu of being the governess to Queen Dagmar. Elisabet's choices were made for a reason, reasons only Amara knows the details of. If it was the right choice, her story will tell.

[histxries]

open starter

location: the palace grounds, early evening.

She closed the door behind her, the ever-present smile fading as she quickly made her way to the courtyard. Elisabet always thought the first thing someone should see when they see another is a smile; you never know how someone's day has been going, and maybe a smile would turn it around. She wished it had worked that way for herself. Now, seemingly alone, her smile slipped, replaced with a gentle frown as she sat down on a stone bench, pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders.

Tears hadn't come; they were already shed for recent events, but the sadness remained. It felt vapid to be so worried about her own future when she knew there were much bigger things to worry about-the kingdoms, navigating the palace, dodging trouble (which had not worked out in her favor), but going from only worrying about her next meal to worrying about the future ahead of her was overwhelming, and she didn't know how to handle it.

Elisabet heard footsteps and shifted, wiping her eyes just slightly and placing a smile back on her face. "Lovely evening to be outdoors, is it not?"

[histxries]

-Closed starter for @svnshone-

Elisabet bounced the baby girl on her hip, making her exaggerated smiles and laughs that made the tiny princess giggle. She loved that sound, and couldn't wait to hear it herself one day. "Come, sweet girl. Let's go visit Mama, hm?"

She felt her heart swell at the mention...it felt like just days ago that it was hard for Dagmar and the baby to be in the same room, and now Elisabet could bring them together. She felt honored to watch them closer, especially amidst all the heartbreak.

"We have a visitor," she crooned, walking into the queen's quarters and waiting patiently in the sitting room. She sat down and bounced Annalise on her lap, making the baby giggle and wave her arms.

[histxries]

a private encounter | clara & elisabet

This was...enough. She'd just gotten here, and Elisabet was already overwhelmed. So many rules to remember, people demanding your respect everywhere you turned, not knowing if you were ever truly by yourself to just feel...it was getting to her. So, while the baby spent time with her parents and Elisabet was expected to be anywhere else, according to her father's training, she hid in a broom closet and cried. Her bedroom felt too far away, and at the same time too close to the nursery, and therefore the royal family.

It was very undignified, and she would be mocked if anyone found out, but what else was she to do? Since the death of the king, everyone was being watched closely, and being alone was suspicious. The only way she could think to be alone with her thoughts was to hide. Her thoughts were reeling at the moment. She actually missed her father, she missed all the children she took care of while their parents looked for or went to work, she missed her tiny house and not having to navigate a huge, huge space...everything was overwhelming. She sat down on the floor, curled up, and cried until she didn't feel like she had any tears left in her body. She froze when she heard a noise, sniffling and wiping her eyes quickly, trying to stay quiet.

( @tcmpestas )