Sovereign

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The little princess, as cute as a button, is the only heir sitting in line to inherit the royal crown of the kingdom of Velen. From a young age, the wild little girl has always been the bane of her father's existence due to her wild spirit and unruly attitude in private. In public though, Estella, affectionately nicknamed Stella, was the picture of a young lady. She flounced and flirted and smiled the most pleasant white-toothed smile anyone could ever hope to see. Prone to being a bit naïve and selfish, as young woman of her time and age should be, Estella was destined for greatness as the future ruler of Velen.

Despite her glaring personality shortcomings, Stella was always a pleasant young woman who quickly befriended those around her. Always excited for adventure (especially right below her father's nose), she would dart in and out of the castle. Upon one of her adventures, that she most certainly should not have been having, she met and became fast friends with a stableboy about her age. He was bright and exciting in all the ways the dull people of the palace were not, and the pair became close childhood friends in a matter of only a few hours.

As the grew, their relationship grew distant as Stella was expected to begin filling her role as a proper young woman, entertaining suitors and foreign visitors. On the night of her thirteenth party, after the last dance of the ball set to introduce her to her future husband, tragedy struck Velen. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Stella witnessed her father's untimely murder, offed by his most trusted advisor, a man by the name of Bartholomew of Tristan. The advisor was quickly apprehended by the royal guards, but not before he cast a spell on young Stella, tossing her into a never-ending sleep. For nearly ten years she remained untouched in her slumber, until True Love's First Kiss…

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Born in a cottage on the outskirts of Eldrial, Oliver was raised with a strong sense of honor and a powerful work ethic. When both his parents succumb to illness young in his life, Oliver was raised by an uncle, but circumstances eventually led Oliver to take up residency in Velen where he became a stable boy.

It was there he first met Princess Estella. Young and unaccustomed to propriety, Oliver formed a fast connection with the young girl... Oliver never minded his position as a stable boy. He wasn't one with a grand vision for his life, content with a simple, humble existence. It wasn't a particular sense of loyalty to his majesty the king, but that friendship forged in childhood that drove him to stay in a genuinely thankless role, even after the king's untimely death, but as time carried on and Estella was given more responsibilities, they began to drift apart.

Never far enough though, that Oliver would ever leave her. Watching from afar, he witnessed the kingdom's plunge into tragic disaster. Following the king's assassination, Oliver stayed by Estella's side as much as he was able, with a promise on his own life to protect her. So when the curse was cast, Oliver did not leave Velen as many others did. He stayed... he stayed and he spent every waking moment looking for a way to break the spell... to wake Estella.​

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@Elle Joyner ​

 

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The story thus far:

One-hundred years after having fallen asleep, the princess is awoken to the kiss of a handsome prince and a dying kingdom. Where the fairytales say she should now be allowed to live the rest of her life as 'happily ever after,' the princess feels something wrong with the entire situation. Struggling to make sense of the changes in the real world, the political strife ongoing in her family's kingdom (that she is meant to rule alongside her true love, supposedly), an evil feels like it's lurking within her... a terrible something she can't quite explain and every time she tries, the people of the palace brush off her worries with no concern. The day of her wedding marks a dangerous decision: she can either run, or marry the man everyone is saying had given her true love's kiss. She chooses to run. Meeting up with a stable hand who accidentally witnesses her attempting to flee, the pair, the princess and the stable boy, reluctantly make an escape, but are quickly pursued by the prince's men.

Read it: Here​

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It was a little surprising that he'd slept. He hadn't expected to, and quite frankly, he hadn't wanted to - he'd have preferred to protect her if something came around... Hell, he'd have preferred to be alert so he could protect the both of them. But in the end, exhaustion won over and he drifted. And while he'd never admit it out loud, there was something somewhat nice about being woken by those dulcet tones... by the sound of her voice. Especially since, unlike when they were children, it wasn't accompanied by a bucket of water poured over his head.

His eyes opened and he glanced over to her, pushing himself up on his elbows with a small cockeyed smile, "You're the pretty one, remember? I'm the smart one..." Straightening up to his feet, he rolled out the cricks in his neck and back, stretching languidly, before strolling over to the horses, "It's probably best, even though we're a ways off from the palace, that we keep off the path, still. We want to keep our tracks hidden as much as we can. If you get tired, let me know and we'll take a rest."

Moving to the fire, he brushed dirt over what remained of the embers, and after packing up the remainder of meat, he helped her onto her horse, then climbed up onto his own, "It's a good distance to the village, we'll break to eat in a few hours, rest the horses. Hopefully we should arrive by--" The sound came from a distance, pattering hooves against the soft earth and holding his finger to his lips, Oliver gestured for her to dismount. There was no chance he was willing to take - not when it concerned Estella. Not when it concerned Gregory.

It was early, it was too early, but if the prince was willing, he could ridden his men all night to find them and there was too much of a chance if they'd stayed to the path... Hopping down, he took hold of both reins and carefully pulled the horses further back into the copse of trees, so they wouldn't be seen from the road, his voice a whisper, "...Probably just a passing hunt... But we'll wait, just in case."

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"You are plenty handsome, my dearest. I'm sorry, should I have said, 'good morning, sleeping handsome?' Is that better?" She said with a tug of a mischievous grin creeping into her features. She helped pack up what she could, though ultimately, it was Oliver who took care of most of it. He helped her up on to her horse and she collected the reins, humming in agreement to his comment.

"That sounds perfect," and it did. She could ride for a few more horse and then they would stop for some rest, which sounded nice. A bit of lunch, a sit in some shade… it almost was making her forget that the journey was treacherous and not just some lovely afternoon jaunt. There were still people after them, still people trying to kill them. Well, kill him and capture her, more specifically. Swallowing down the sudden lump that had built in her throat, Stella quietly reminded herself that there was nothing left at home for her anymore. Not now, anyways. Her father was deceased and the castle was overrun. Anything she remembered loving at one time was gone.

Yet, she was homesick all the same. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't heard the sound of footfalls until Oliver hissed at her and waved her off her horse. In one quick movement, she slipped from the animal's back and crouched down. Trees veiled them from the road, but they could still see out. Instinctively, she snapped her hand out to grab at Oliver's, using it as an anchor to silence herself, fearing that whoever was out there would be able to hear the sound of her heart beating so loudly.

"Right," she breathed out, squinting as best as she could to tree and see out between the clumps of foliage. If she recognize their armour, she might be able to tell whether or not they belonged to Gregory, but she wasn't sure what she would do if they did. Where would they go? They could hide deeper into the forest, but the rustling would be a giveaway. Swallowing again, she forced her eyes closed and steadied her breathing, doing her best to quell the automatic projecting of her own brain. She just had to wait and see, without assuming the worst. [/bg][/bg]

 

[Elle Joyner]

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Whoever they were, they didn't pass within more than a few hundred feet, the hooves beating across the earth a speed too quick to be casual. He couldn't get a good look at them without making his own presence obvious, and while risking his life was hardly a matter of concern, he couldn't justify exposing Estella. Tucking back into the foliage, he watched until he was sure they had gone far enough ahead, turning to Estella with a finger to his lips.

Carefully, quietly as he could manage, dragging along two horses, he trudged back a ways, nudging them further into the treeline before he paused again, keeping his voice a low whisper, cautious at best, "Whoever they are, they're in an awful hurry... and unfortunately for us, they're headed straight into the village. We can probably bypass the main road without difficulty, but once we get there, we'll need to keep an eye out, just in case."

Pulling her horse forward, he adjusted the reigns and held them out to her, before holding out a hand to help her up onto the saddle, "Sorry, Stell. I was hoping we'd have at least a few days head start before anyone caught up to us, but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised." Smiling faintly, he climbed up onto his own mount, "The man might not be of quality character, but I can't begrudge his choice in a queen."

Pressing the horse forward at a slow, easy trot he glanced back at Estella, his smile twisting, coyly, teasing as he could manage in the moment, though riddled with tension that tightened his jaw, darkened his gaze, "Can't be denied that the man has impeccable taste... even if he is cut from some pretty horrendous cloth, there."​

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Estella watched the party pass in front of them. She couldn't see much as she was crouched down, but she watched as the horse's legs moved hastily before her to the sound of clinking metal and squeaking leather. The men weren't talking, but she could hear them breathing a bit heavy. Idly, the corners of her lips twitched when she realized she had stopped breathing—fearing that they would even be able to hear the faint whisper of her inhalations. It wasn't until they were much farther down the route did she finally allow herself to exhale again, but Oliver was warning her to be quiet and before she realized it, she was back to holding her breath again.

Rising from her squat in to a low crouch, she followed after him and deeper into the forest. "I suppose," she replied with a hum, "They didn't appear to be carrying his colours, but at this point, who knows what he is doing." She folded her arms sternly across her chest, just to express her annoyance with the entire situation. Of course, the guilt was even heavier—the realization that she was needlessly dragging Oliver into a terribly huge problem that he really had no reason to be wrapped up in. Friend or not, hell, best friend or not, he didn't deserve to be traversing the countryside, risking his life, to help her. At this point, she knew it was too late to argue and she knew nothing she could say would change his mind.

"No need to apologize for anything," she replied pointedly, gathering up her horse's reins and a big chunk of mane and managing to pull herself up into the saddle with a grunt. It was his next comment that caused her brow to arch, shooting a look his way as the corners of his lips twisted into a smirk. "Those are dangerous words, Oliver," she replied with a small chuckle, "You don't even know how that Queen rules, yet! Perhaps she could be a downright disaster on the throne. You wouldn't even know!"

Estella had never really ruled anything before. Before Evernight, she had been a carefree, transient princess—living a whimsical, pampered life. She learned things here and there, but she had expected to have many, many more years to learn how to rule a kingdom, but it wasn't to bed. "Though truth be told, I think his only genuine interest is in the kingdom itself, not its Queen." Nudging her horse forward with her heel, she followed after him, "Though he seems to like my face with a new scar."
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