#1642rp

[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 )

[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]

"Forgive me, the baby just went to sleep and I finally decided to take a moment to myself. I did not mean to disturb you, your Highness." Elisabet knew that she could not mess up, even once, after finally getting a position higher than a scullery maid. Her father spent months introducing her, bringing her around the court, and putting her out on her own to work her *charms*, he called them, or showing off her pretty face to get a position. Thankfully, the one she ended up with was secured by raising babies all her life, from her siblings to neighbors' children. So, again, she needed to be careful, and careful included not getting accidentally stabbed. She dropped to a curtesy, avoiding his gaze.

"Quiet is my usual countenance, but is suppose with everyone being on such high alert, I should reserve that for not waking up the young princess." Of course, she would have happened to scare one of the royals.

@1642hqzstarters​​

sleep had rarely been a friend to tyr, or any from denmark it seemed. tonight was no different, and not even the threat of a shadowy assassin could keep him in his quarters any longer. creeping out and shutting his door quietly, hoping not to disturb anyone, he weaseled his way out of an escort by a guard who already seemed thoroughly done with his antics by swearing to go straight to the kitchens and straight back, then begging him to just come check if he was not back in ten minutes’ time, and then acquiescing to allow him to stay many steps behind. it was as close to being alone as he would get, it seemed.

just around the corner from the kitchens by now, in some now sparsely illuminated hallway, a noise ahead had him reaching for his own dagger on instinct, never foolish enough to make such a walk unarmed. turning the corner into the kitchen area, he reacted, a quick thing, pulling back only when he registered a somewhat familiar face. his shoulders relaxed, but his hold on the dagger did not. “these extra measures hardly carry any weight if we’re all creeping around at night, no?”

[histxries]

Noble wasn't something she was used to hearing about herself, but she supposed that it could be seen that way. She always thought people who had children and caregivers were noble, but it never crossed her mind to think about it that way. "Anneliese, your majesty." She dropped into a curtsey again at the mention of the title. "The queen likes to keep her in privacy, actually. She doesn't come to court very often for that reason. She's such a sweet little thing, even on her fussiest of days." Elisabet smiled, and she looked genuinely happy with her job. "I don't...normally care for parties," she admitted. "The noise, the crowd...it gets to be a little too much, so I tuck away in a corner until I'm needed."

miss-falk​:

Elisabet didn’t like parties too much. She was more of a solitary person, or spending time with someone who felt the same. However, she needed to come to at least a few parties to be introduced by the royal family, and in case she needed to be relieved for baby duty. She allowed herself a glass of wine, raising her eyebrow and the finery for what seemed like a casual party. England spared no expense, did they? She looked over, surprised at the interaction by Ethiopian royal. “Oh, pardon me,” she replied, putting down her wine and dipping into a curtesy immediately. “I didn’t mean to approach. I’m Elisabet Falk, the hired governess to the Danish house, your majesty. I am, unfortunately, left to my own devices at the moment, and I’m at a loss of what to do. The young princess takes up most of my day.”

She realized slowly that she hadn’t really been able to see anyone or do anything for the most part, save a few interesting interactions. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to intrude. I can fiind a new corner to hide in if you’d like, your grace?” She stood back up, smoothing her dress. She wasn’t in her usual long sleeved dress and apron tonight; she needed to look presentable, so she’d worn her nicest dress she’d been sent with-a floral, floor length dress with rouched cap sleeves that she’d sewn herself. Her blond hair was in a simple braid, and she’d added a small amount of paint to her cheeks and lips. Not enough to be distracting from the people who actually needed the attention, but enough that she looked nice.

–

Amitis did enjoy some of the festivities, she was enjoying the wine at least. It wasn’t what she was used to but it was sweet and she enjoyed it. Usually she enjoyed people, but she enjoyed her people more than others, and she was picky about her friends. To her a person’s status wasn’t always important, the ones who looked after her most were women who came from nothing. Her father’s favored concubine was a deadly beauty from a small village, and one of his top generals was a woman whose mother was from a pleasure house. 

“No, you’re not bothering me. In fact I’ve been rather bored.” Dark eyes landed on her husband across the room. “Queen Amitis Abate. Queen of Ethiopia.” So this woman took care of the danish prince. A noble duty, “What’s his name again? We don’t see much of the child at court, though that’s probably a good thing.” She paused, “Children should be children as long as they can.”

Raising an eyebrow, she looked over the woman “Hide? Why are you hiding?” 

[histxries]

"I would think a brazen maid should be silenced," she murmured, stepping closer, not closing the gap between them, but close enough that she could get a drift of Amara's perfume. "Unless you'd rather a meek one, but based on the talk thus far, I think you'd soon get bored with a meek maid." At the circle back to the question, she sighed softly. She'd been trying to keep it quiet, but there wasn't a way around it. She'd find out sooner or later, and who knows where she would get the information from. "I...hope you understand when I tell you, I'm not doing so lightly, and I'll also remind you of what circumstances I'll go to for protecting those I care for." She sighed again. "I'm the governess to the baby princess of Denmark."

Even telling Amara felt like a betrayal to the queen, despite the fact that she would be introduced later. It didn't feel like her news to tell, but she would keep an eye on any interactions with Amara from here on out, noting any deviations from her current attitude. Getting suddenly closer or seeking her out more might be suspicious, and Elisabet will stake her life to protect that child. "I hope you understand how far I would go to keep the child in my care safe."

Elisabet hated how easily she blushed-even the raunchy jokes she heard at many of the tables her father sat at made her face as pink as the meat that he ate. It was one of her many downfalls, in her mind, and her biggest tell to how sheltered she'd really grown up. It was with that thought that she did blush, both at the comment on her tongue and Amara asking for her to smile. The request dripped with sweetness, and Elisabet likened it to something that caused a toothache...and yet she caught herself blushing. She reddened at the implications and at the comment on her gentle heart.

"I think...you want to be wrong, your highness. You're right about a lot. Men are stupid, and weaken at the sight of a gentle woman's smile as much as they do a domineering woman's bedchamber. Women are different. Normal tricks don't work on us. Sometimes we want people to see us, but not just anyone." Bold. She wanted to think Amara didn't think her bold. She wanted to change that. Kindness wasn't weakness. Elisabet reached up, gently brushing her thumb across Amara's cheek. "And I do, as much as I can from just talking here. You must be so tired from always wearing your armor, princess. A maid's job is to relieve you of that armor, is it not?" She finally offered the smile Amara asked for-a soft, genuine smile, one seemingly only saved for private moments.

[histxries]

"Eating like the strong woman she'll become, your majesty. As far as I'm aware, the Swedish servants have made sure the nurseries are well stocked. Though of course, like any lady, I'm sure she wouldn't be opposed to new dresses," Elisabet teased, standing by the door.

"She's been doing so well adjusting. She's definitely keeping the nursery alive with her laughter. Though I do think more walks in the sunshine will make sure she stays out of any dank, so if you'd like, you can fetch me when you have moments and we can walk with her." She knew the queen rarely left her chambers when she wasn't summoned, and Elisabet hoped she could coax her out more.

"Oh, not at all, your majesty," Elisabet replied, standing up and walking over to the queen. "Little princess is in a wonderful mood today, and I took the liberty in hoping you would like to share it." She tried to include the queen as much as the summit would allow. She cared deeply for the baby, but also for her mother. Dagmar had taken her in when she was scared of ruining her new position and let her get her footing with kindness and grace, and Elisabet felt almost indebted to the queen for that.

She walked over and offered the baby to her mother, smiling. "It's always wonderful to come visit with Mama, isn't it little one?" She smiled as the baby cooed and reached for the queen's robes excitedly.