#answered / guinevere bach

[grcveyacd]

💃 for guinevere and jacob!

this is the first time in her life that she doesn’t know how to act around him. she had royally fucked up things the last time they spoke, and all her texts and phone calls had gone unanswered — she had kind of figured that she would never hear from him or see him again, except in passing but, here he was at some party that their mutual friends threw to celebrate an engagement on valentines day no less. as always, everyone assumed that they were attached to the hip, pairing them off to dance, saying that they needed practice for the big day in a few months. not that they really needed any practice to begin with, it wasn’t like they hadn’t danced before.  she lets out a small sigh, her gaze averting from his as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, her body easing closer to him as she started swaying along to the music. her heart was thumping hard against her chest, and for a split second she could’ve sworn it was loud enough for him to hear it. she swallowed thickly, her eyes scanning the other pairs. “ is this how it’s going to be now? “ her tone soft, her gaze still not lifting to meet his. “ we’re just going to be strangers? “

💃 to slow dance with my muse / valentines day memes.

[mydearestladylannister]

MEETING THE PARENTS - GUIN X LADY

As Lady said this, Guinevere chuckled quietly, moved towards the bed and pushed down on the covers with a hand. Indeed, far too soft for her. She liked them sturdier, firmer, to keep her good posture. She sighed. No matter how funny it was, the whole acting thing, and getting a first-hand look at Lady's upbringing, she definitely wasn't looking forward to having to spend even a night in that hideous bedroom.

"Oh, she's a doll," Guinevere said, picking up an actual doll from atop a dresser. "You should see my mother, to know what 'too much' really looks like." Her mother would actually love Lady, all things considered. Lady was high class, after all. She was (mostly) well behaved and proper. Her mother would love to have Lady as her daughter. Guinevere had a sudden, unexpected pang of anger at Lady, at her ridiculously pink childhood bedroom, at how big it was, how richly decorated. A life of luxuries. Why did she have it, and Guinevere did not? But it was a childish, stupid thing to think about. Guinevere swallowed her envy and smiled again.

Yes, that one little off-color comment might have been too much, she thought. Truth was, that was the only time she strayed from her script. Guinevere made a mental note not to do it again, despite how well that had seemed to work. "What's next? Do your parents expect us to answer a questionnaire now?"

She shrugged and said, "I don't know what they have planned. But for now, let's take some rest. I'll sleep on the couch, and you take the bed." They didn't need to pretend in that room.

"And don't worry, I've slept on the street before, so I know a couch is way more comfortable. I'll fall asleep in a matter of minutes." She walked to the door and locked it to keep any prying eyes away.

"As long as we convince her to be a happy wedded couple, I'm sure she will leave us be. Then we can discuss our arrangement as you wish for it to be." Lady didn't expect Guin to love her.

That wasn't what this arrangement was for. Everything was fake, from the ring on her finger to the wedding dresses they had to buy.

@guinevere--bach

[stingslikeabee]

@rosegoldandsequins found the queen

The music had been perfectly selected (an array of some of the king's favorites with new pieces from this up and coming musician by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach, at Lilian's request); the seafood was remarkably fresh even if the castle was quite far from the shore, decorated with the vibrant colors of their garden's staples; finally, the flowers adorning every table and window from the many chambers occupied with that summer ball were also a testament to the queen's personal touch, named after a bloom herself.

Pretending that all was well for the sake of the people and also her family had turned into routine for the monarch; perfectly poised on her throne, Lilian was the expected picture of the sweetness and warmth next to a king that ruled with an iron fist and was thus regarded as an imposing and frightening man by the kingdom's enemy armies. Their subjects believed Frederik to be cruel to those abroad only - but those closer to the royal chambers knew better.

He just happened to be very careful with Lilian's face and limbs - none of the scars she bore were generally visible; nothing that could be used against him by anyone brave enough to oppose that match (or disrupt the much needed grain and other food supplies delivered to the capital from the queen's fertile homelands).

Sighing softly into a glass of champagne, the brunette nodded graciously to a servant that brought a sealed letter to the king, promptly gazing elsewhere to avoid any poorly disguised reprimands for behavior later. By doing so, her gaze fell on the dance floor, momentarily distracted by the colorful flow of bodies and fabric enjoying the festivities while the queen herself could barely remember the last time she had danced. Perhaps on their wedding day, when the foolish noblewoman had hoped that their union would at least be a prosper one.

Squinting, Lilian realized that the one in a beautifully rosé-colored dress and twirling in the arms of a dashing count was none other than Guinevere. Her favorite lady-in-waiting and friend, who kept company at all times - and who knew about all the cruelty endured behind doors as well. More than that - the beautiful lady had stolen the queen's heart and her true affections, something nothing short of a scandal if word got out. The genuine care from Guinevere was the true balm for the wounds sustained by Lilian from every second spent at the side of her abuser, and she knew that they needed to pretend.

Guinevere had to look available - even willing to be matched to a good man, for the sake of their lives. But even if the older woman knew that to be a ruse, the day where they would likely be forced to part grew near. There were so many incredulous excuses that Lilian could offer to deny the suggested recommendations, and it made her stomach turn. Gripping her champagne flute tightly, it was only when a minuscule crack of the delicate crystal appeared that Lilian realized the strength of the frustration and desperation boiling within, although neither of the women were at fault.

"Will you excuse me for a moment, Your Majesty? It seems that I require a change of gloves," the queen spoke, but Frederik's answer was a barely coherent murmur, eyes still glued to the ink of the letter delivered a moment ago. Standing up from her throne but quick to command all subjects in her way to remain at ease, the queen murmured for a servant to fetch her Guinevere as soon as the dance was done, and discreetly - they were to meet at her room.

As the doors closed to her inner chambers, the monarch's breathing was fast and shallow - recognizing for what it was, she quickly moved to the balcony, gripping the rails there and forcing herself to slow down and calm the nerves. Things were complicated enough with her 'feminine conditions', as the king described the mood fluctuations; a panic attack in front of the people was the last thing Lilian needed, even if it was getting harder and harder to swallow the horrified screams that threatened to erupt from her throat.

[guinevere--bach]

.

"Oh, so it's well on its way to becoming a reality," Guinevere noted. "Congratulations."

A stargazing restaurant. An interesting concept, though in her mind it was already a bit of a failure. Stargazing was meant to be a quiet exercise in focus and patience, enjoyed best in the calm of a meadow, with the only sounds being that of nature. She was not very fond of nature in general, really, but she held some pleasant memories of stargazing with Sophie, back when she was a child. It didn't sound at all compatible with the chatter and noise of the clients at a bar or a restaurant. One could only hope both spaces were properly separated.

Guinevere chuckled. "In a way. I have managed to expand a preexisting business, if that's a good answer." She had partnered with a few other business partners of her late husband to create new ventures a handful of times. Did that count?

In any case, Guinevere did not recognize this man from any of the fundraisers and charity events that the town organized. Therefore, she had to assume he wasn't a particularly successful member of the Redwood Hollow community. She smiled slightly. It would be interesting to see where this rather unusual project of his would end up.

"I'm Guinevere Bach, owner of the Red Orchard. May I know your name? I wonder if I might have heard of it in some of my meetings with a few other local investors."

"Oh, here.." Grabbing the little white dish of sweetners he set it on her table. "...sorry I've had my head in the clouds with all this." He said with a laugh, gesturing toward all the paperwork. He was about to turn back when she spoke up again. "Oh uh, yes I am actually. I'm planning on opening a resturant bar that you can do stargazing at. I've gotten a few staff on board, just looking over a few more applications." Letting out a long sigh, Ray sat back in his seat a bit.

"Have you ever opened a business before? Or tried to? I think I might be in over my head here." Ray admitted. He knew this was all going to be tough, but he wanted to make it through.

[keepers-of-lost-light]

An excerpt from A Queen’s Lament

Sometime in the year 200

Memory is fickle.

As much as Guinevere knew she had memories of before she and her sister were placed in Tir Dan, she would never be able to recall them. 

Instead the first memory she would recall was standing in a frozen garden at the heart of The Winter Court. Eyes turned to the misty cavern ceiling that shimmered with stars dancing amongst the moonlight. The red berries of the hawthorn trees were stark against the fallen snow, and the water ran warm from the streams into the pond despite the chill. 

Guinevere curled her toes in the snow. The frosted grass poked through, tickling against her soles. Her breath left in clouds of smoke like a fire offering. She had her arms raised to the sky allowing snowflakes to kiss her skin. 

“Do you like it?” 

The quiet voice of Messorem chimed from the peristyle that led deeper into The Winter Court. 

Her friend. Her mentor. Her creator.

Guinevere slowly turned. She caught as many snowflakes as she could before bringing her attention to the midnight tiefling standing in the entryway. 

“I love it,” Guinevere said. 

Messorem was quiet on cat like legs as he stepped foward. His fluffy white hair curled around his sweeping horns as his lion-like tail flicked back and forth behind him. His white feathered wings began to settle as if he had just landed from a long flight. His starlight eyes glowed along with the dusting of freckles across his cheeks and shoulders. 

“I have visitors for you, Guin un bach,” Messorem announced. 

Guinevere cocked her head, and only then did she notice Messorem holding the hands of two individuals almost as young as she was. 

Two changelings, like herself, a boy and a girl, peeked out from behind Messorem’s legs. They both had snowy white hair similar to her own except theirs was much shorter. Dressed in simple sweaters and pants. The boy was the first to step out, his gray eyes meeting Guinevere’s before he took a small bow. 

His hand never left Messorem’s, not yet. 

Guinevere greeted him with a small curtsy, her chiffon dress glittering with snow that remained unmelted. Her gaze drifted over to the girl, who still hugged Messorem’s arm like a lifeline. Her soft violet eyes met Guinevere’s before she hid her face. 

“Guin,” Messorem started as he stepped into the snow with the changelings. “I want you to meet Tanwyn and Xina. They are going to assist you in establishing your court.” 

Messorem gently guided both of the young changelings forward. The girl went from clinging to him to grabbing at Tanwyn, who accepted his fate with a sigh. Guinevere stepped forward to meet them. 

“But before you start worrying about all that,” Messorem continued. “I want you all to enjoy this place for it is yours to call home.”

Guinevere nodded, focus still on the other two changelings in front of her. She leaned in to get Xina’s attention as Tanwyn poked at his sister to look up. Xina peeked out. Saw Guinevere leaning closer to them, and hid her face in Tanwyn’s shoulder again. 

“Xina,” Tanwyn whispered. “You’re being rude.” 

“She is just shy,” Guinevere answered. “It is quite alright.” 

Guinevere held out her hands to both of them. 

“Would you like to see the rest of the court with me?” 

Carefully, Tanwyn considered her. He nodded and took one of her hands. Xina looked up then, examining Guinevere’s other offered hand. She cautiously released her grip on Tanwyn and placed a trusting hand in Guinevere’s own.

Guinevere ran.

A gasp escaped Tanwyn and Xina yelped as they were yanked into a cackling sprint out of the garden. Guinevere’s laughter echoed through the hallowed halls as she raced down the corridors. It was almost contagious as Tanwyn chuckled quietly, and Xina could not help the smile threatening to crack through a mask of nerves. 

The thrill of the chase continued into their curiosities as they barged into every room they could find in this palace of ice. Antechambers. Dining halls. Drawing rooms. And rooms upon rooms of bed chambers for guests. 

Eventually they found the courtroom. 

Guinevere pushed against the doors, out of breath and struggling against the weight. She flipped to push with her back, looking to the other two. 

“A little help?” She chortled. 

They both nodded with an exhaled laugh. Xina pushed with her hands as Tanwyn pressed a shoulder into the doors. It cracked open, and the trio tumbled inside. Guinevere rolled over onto her elbows, pupils blown wide. 

An outstanding glacial cavern welcomed them with a dais opposite the doors and columns separating the peristyle from the main floor. Snow lilies and snow bells decorated the columns as frost touched wisteria hung down from the ceiling. 

The trio stood, brushing themselves off as they stepped further inside. Their distorted reflections shimmered along the walls as they crossed to the dias. Climbing the short stairs, they stared into three sets of glowing eyes reflecting in shadowy figures. 

Steely gray. Soft violet. Sky blue.

“This is it,” Tanwyn exhaled as he turned to face the room. “This is ours?”

“I like it,” Xina whispered. Guinevere’s attention jerked to the other girl at her first words all evening. “It feels like home already.” 

Xina gave Guinevere a smile as their hands found each other. They turned back to the room, joining Tanwyn to look over it. Guinevere took a deep breath.

“This is ours,” she reassured. “This is our home.” (An excerpt from the novella, A Queen's Lament, written circa. 2022)

[grcveyacd]

📸 for guinevere and jacob

send a 📸 to see 3-5 pictures that my muse has/has taken of you muse(s) // @falscgcds feat. guinevere & jacob

[grcveyacd]

🍿

“ i can’t believe you agreed to watch this with me. “ she settles back into the couch next to them, hues glued to the television in front of them. “ you do understand i will be yelling at the screen the entire time we watch this, right? “ she had zero idea why they agreed to watch my best friend's wedding with her, this was the one romantic movie that riled her up. not because it was a horrible movie or anything, it truly wasn’t. but because there was so many instances in the movie where the male lead was telling the female lead to tell him her feelings for him before it was too late. of course the female lead never does and every time it got to a particular scene, guinevere always had a mini meltdown and would always throw her popcorn at the screen. “ you better not judge me for the person i become with this movie. “ she nudges their shoulder playfully, and pops a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth, eyes once again locked on the screen. 

🍿   to   watch   a   romantic   comedy   with   my   muse. // accepting

[mydearestladylannister]

"Well, you seem to be getting that answer rather quickly," Lady said as she opened the door to her new place. Which was Guin's and Sophia's home. She had been away to arrange some things now that she is a duchess again. And had been away for quite a while.

"Missed me." She said teasingly.

@guinevere--bach

Is there anything you would like to ask the asker? - Lady

"When are you getting back home?"

[guinevere--bach]

but-theylovehim​:

As most of Redwood knew at this point, Travis was a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’. If there was something that needed fixing, mowed, taken for a walk– he was your guy! He your friendly, neighbourhood, totally respectful dude. It wasn’t the worst reputation he’d ever had, y’know? Anyway, he’d gotten a message passed along that there was a leaky sink out here and he couldn’t let it drip another second. Not in this weather.

When Mrs Bach answered the door like that, his expression quickly fell. Shit. Had he gotten the wrong house? The wrong person? He really should devise a better system than this unreliable ‘word of mouth’ thing he had going.

“Oh, I’m not— Sorry, Mrs Bach. I thought there was a sink situation here. Leaky sink, I mean. I thought you were the one with the leaky sink but I, uh, might have got my wires crossed,” he apologised hastily. “Um, but if you do need anything… I do know my way around most stuff. Travis. Travis Montgomery.”

.

Was that today? There had been a problem with her bathroom sink, she remembered Sofia mentioning. She did not remember Sofia telling her she had called a handyman to fix it. It sounded like the sort of thing she would do, forgetting to notify her of things. Maybe she had assumed she’d be present when the handyman arrived: her classes, however, stood in the way of her spending enough time home. The privilege of dealing with the maintenance workers fell on Guinevere’s own shoulders now, it seemed. She smiled, regardless, and tilted her head to the side.

“Oh,” Guinevere simply said, and retied the bow of her robe. “Well, that was awfully rude of me, then. I do, actually, have a leaky sink situation.”

She moved aside and held the door open, quickly considering the man in front of her. Not particularly recognizable, as Guinevere didn’t think she had ever seen him before, and she concluded he was definitely not anyone of note. “Please, come in. The sink is the one from the service bathroom, up in the second floor.” Still, handymen could be quite the gossipy hens, in her experience. Better to be careful with how she treated them, in any case.