Queen Isolde Esrysson, 37
Interactions: Shadia, Leander @Tarieles
Mentions: Prince Anre, Prince Rodric, Keadan Lorgain
Isolde's eyes opened abruptly, her breathing was heavy and panicked and her hands were desperately seeking for something to grab onto. They found something - an arm. She sat up, looking down at the figure beside her. It was a younger man, no older than thirty, with long blonde hair and a soft but worn face, as if he had seen the world. His eyes fluttered open, meeting her gaze, and his hand moved towards her bare chest, as if to check her temperature or to feel her raging heartbeat. She had endured another one of her nightmares. They had become a lot more frequent recently.
"My Queen, are you alright?" the man asked, as he sat up beside her and kissed the base of her neck. "You look frightened."
"You need to leave me," Isolde muttered, nodding weakly.
"It's almost dawn."
"It's early afternoon, and I'm quite sure you're in my chambers, darling," the man said with a grin, but Isolde's sharp glare put an end to that.
"You know where the door is."
"Shit."
Isolde shrugged, before sinking back into the mattress beside him. The man, Rickon Royle, was the palace's castellan and he served as an advisor to her husband, and was a young and handsome man by all means. Isolde had taken him as a lover shortly after he had been invited to the palace to reside permanently after his own house had been burned down by bandits a year beforehand. Of course, Leander would have fumed if he knew what was going on behind his back, but she was always discreet. Sure, she loved her husband, but she knew he loved
her more. It couldn't be helped. A knock on the door sent a shiver down her spine, and she quickly covered her face with his blanket to hide herself as a servant entered.
"Master Royle," a servant said.
"The King and Queen have invited you to the Great Hall."
"Oh shit," she exclaimed again once the servant had left the room, quickly finding her clothes and throwing them on.
"I need to get down there now, they must have all been waiting."
She hurried to the mirror, looking back at her reflection and then smiling sweetly - for practice. Her hair was a mess, but she didn't have the time to sort it out now. As long as she looked attractive, then nothing else counted. She just had to show her face. Play the role of the loving wife, the beautiful queen, and smile. Rickon didn't say anything as he dressed himself up and looked out of the room to see if anyone was around, before turning back to her.
"You're safe to go," he said, followed by her quick disappearance from the room and his own sigh.
Isolde walked briskly until she reached the doors to Great Hall, ignoring the passing servants paying their respects and an oblivious stranger who she assumed was one of the lords. She could see her husband sitting on his throne, distracted by the events around them. She forced a smile. Leander was a great man, and a good king, and a better father, but she couldn't hide her resentment. She had always felt like she had loved him harder, that she had loved him more intensely, and that she had failed to bear him an heir. He already had three children before her, two of them sons, and seemed to have little interest in naming
her child as his successor. Sometimes she wondered whether he kept Anre as his heir because he was Aurelia's child, although that thought was ludicrous in itself. She walked up to one of the servant girls, Shadia, who seemed to have one cup of wine left on her tray.
"Shadia, dear," she said with a false smile, taking the goblet of wine and sipping from it.
"Why is your wine tray empty? Go and fill it up."
Isolde shook her head disappointedly, as she continued to walk on, drinking her wine. Those who had spotted her enter greeted her warmly, but she didn't return the greetings, she just smiled. Then, she spotted her son Rodric, the apple of her eye, standing in the presence of Leander's twins. Her smile faded completely, she forced herself to mask her scowl as the twins passed by, and then walked over to where her husband was seated. She bobbed a curtsy to him, smiling again, and then leaned down to kiss the corner of his mouth.
"Sorry for my delay," she said, as she looked around the hall.
"I wanted to look my best for you, but I couldn't quite get it right so I gave up. It is better to be late and only half as beautiful than never to be seen at all."