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#Post#: 386599--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: guest1218
Date: July 29, 2015, 11:42 am
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The people applauded as a ripple of excited shouts went through
the crowd. Essie stood on the edge of the room watching her
friend, her king, take a seat on the throne.
A priest stepped in front of Jasper, blocking her view, and
placed a golden crown adorned in sapphires on his head. Then, he
gave him a matching scepter and stepped away so that all could
see. The priest began reciting a prayer, drawing everyone to
respectful silence, and then he bowed before the king. Everyone
followed suit, including Essie who was smiling from ear to ear.
She hoped he felt their excitement and love for him as well as
see their loyalty written in their faces.
Normally, a king would have to swear on God to protect his
kingdom and his birthright as king. But, his kingship had
already been established the day he fought against his mother
and protected those within the land. The priest rose then did
everyone else. All at once everyone gave a final cheer, bathing
their king with adoration.
After all was settled, music would begin to play and the place
was immersed in deafening chatter. Many flocked to where the
king sat, hoping to get a few words in with him before someone
else could.
Essie saw her opportunity and began to weave in and out of the
crowd towards Jasper. She did not know where they stood, but she
was at least going to reveal herself to him as the one
responsible for his coronation. Hopefully, it would jumpstart
things and maybe their friendship could start to flourish once
again.
Before she could make it half way across the room, she noticed
Ayla making her way to the front of the room. Essie frowned and
halted, waiting to see what she was going to do.
Ayla stood in front of the steps to the side of Jasper's throne
and looked up at him. Her red dress was tight against her curves
and a bit on the revealing side with an exaggerated neck line.
She gave him a look as to draw his attention then faced the
crowd. Then, the royal announcer beat his staff against the
floor, drawing the festivities to a pause. Once every eye was on
her, she straightened her spine.
"I have made the decision to honor my birthright and accept the
crown over Princess Essie's kingdom. Now as queen, I want to
humbly thank King Jasper for his hardwork and pray blessings
over his reign. I would also like to announce that I've excepted
his proposal for marriage and I hope we can help our kingdom
thrive together."
The room errupted in applause and confused murmurings as she
took her leave, not bothering to check Jasper's reaction.
Essie could hardly breathe, but she managed to clap. Her eyes
were glossy as she turned around and headed for the drink table.
The glass of wine she had poured herself only lasted a few
seconds on her lips before she had completely drained it.
As she poured herself another one, a few lords and their ladies
came up beside her and started speaking about the crown to her.
With grace she slowly sipped on the wine in front of them, even
though she wanted to down it, and kept a polite smile plastered
to her lips.
If only she could escape everyone and crawl into her bed...
#Post#: 386657--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: Renegade
Date: August 1, 2015, 12:02 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The coronation was going extremely smoothly. No mix ups, no
crashers no assassination attempts. It was almost as if Jasper
were going to have a nice, unbothered event! And then Ayla
appeared to speak up to the party. Jasper thought she intended
to declare well wishes to the new King, despite their recent
breakup. Boy was he wrong...It would appear her intention was to
leave his Kingdom in disarray, as well as to eliminate any
chances of the two Kingdoms ever joining together. Of course,
who would inherit Mybville was far more complicated than Ayla
simply "accepting" her birthright at this point, nonetheless,
who would have known Ayla could be so vindictive!
The elders were already on the move by the time she finished her
statement. They were on the stage, attempting to do damage
control. The eldest among them spoke up on behalf of them. "We
apologize for the interruption everyone. The Princess has made
quite a bold claim. But we assure you there is no validity to it
at all. Isn't that right my Ki-" He turned toward the Throne to
see that Jasper was no longer seated in it! A quick survey of
the room would confirm that he was no longer present!
He was in the hallway, powerwalking to chase down Ayla. They
were just out of earshot of the chaos she had created when he
caught her by the wrist. He raised it up and pulled her back
toward him, grabbing her other wrist and pushing her against the
wall by both wrists. "What the hell was that?" Nobody made
Jasper's eyes change colors like Ayla lately. Bet you can guess
what color they were. "Is this how you react to not getting your
way? And here I thought you were the non-spoiled one!" He was
fuming. Not even just because she lied, but because it seemed to
be a direct attack against Essie as well! And she wasn't even
involved! Crimson eyes looked directly through her own,
searching for some sort of explanation for her behavior.
#Post#: 386658--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: guest1268
Date: August 1, 2015, 5:37 pm
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Ayla had barely made it halfway down the hall before Jasper
caught up with her. Within his grip, she flinched as if he had
slapped her when he spoke. Apparently, what she had done had not
sat well with him, but she had been at the end of her rope.
Bound by his hands, her hands flexed, but she did not struggle
against him. Instead, she held his gaze and accepted his anger
knowing that she was deserving as such. Tears fell down her
cheeks and created a path down her neck until they reached her
dress and then vanished from sight.
In spite of the tears, her jaw clenched in stubbornness, showing
that she hated to let them show.
Angry with herself as well as Jasper and ashamed of the rashness
and tears, she diverted her gaze to over his shoulder.
'Non-spoiled'?
Ayla glared at him and her chest brushed against his as she
leaned forward, eliminating the space between them.
"Getting my way? You believe I'm spoiled? I have nothing. No
one. Maybe Harry could count as a friend, but that's it. I've
lost my world within a few months span, a world that was already
messed up," she said in an even tone despite her anger. "I admit
what I did was uncalled for and I apologize for embarrassing you
and hurting you. I had nothing to lose, because the only thing I
had left, I never really had, but I lost it and that was you.
The kingdom is not about you or Essie. She will be fine, but I
won't. Essie will still be a princess and I refuse to return to
being what I've always been, a queen of the forest with a stick
crown."
She pulled her hands down in one hard tug. Shaking, she held his
gaze.
"I never wanted the crown because I knew that kind of woman, the
one who was a despised mistake and head of a clan of criminals
and outcasts, could never live up to their expectations. I knew
you deserved more than that- than this," she waved her hands
over herself. "Damn it, Jasper, I had to try."
She looked at him; really looked at him. It was already too
late, she realized. Her escapade had only sealed his decision.
The knowledge drove her over the edge. She ran her hand through
her hair as her lips trembled and her breath hitched. More tears
continued to fall as she shook her head.
"I'm so angry, Jasper, so angry and hurt. I never meant for
this..."
Her sentence trailed as she realized that she was falling apart
while Jasper was still angry. But she couldn't help it. She
tried to wipe the tears away, but even more replaced them.
Taking a deep breath, she worked on calming herself, but failed.
Ayla's shoulders rose and fell as she sobbed, but she hid her
face in her hands.
All of the pent up grief exposed itself, like a dam bursting
open. She didn't have enough gall to reach out to him for
comfort, that would be idiotic. Finally, she reached a point
where she mustered up enough strength to stop crying and steady
herself.
"I am sorry and I love you."
She then turned away from him, knowing that she had a limited
time until she broke again.
#Post#: 386659--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: Renegade
Date: August 1, 2015, 8:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
With every word Ayla spoke, Jasper's expression softened
slightly. He hated it, but the way she stood there, tears
strolling down her face, and truly vulverable, she was the most
attractive he had seen her! The reds in his eyes remained strong
though, despite the softening expression. He released her hands
and took a step back. "You chose that stick crown over me and my
Kingdom. You have to see the irony in all of this. But hey. Why
not add insult to injury?"
Swirls of dark blue mixed into the red as sadness started to
take the place of anger in his expression. "I love you too..."
He was already walking away by the time the words escaped his
lips. He did love her. He would never stop. But the past few
days were proof that she wasn't right. She wasn't what he
needed. Of course, he still had no idea what he needed, and
there was no way he could talk to Essie about it. Of course he
had thought about her. But he couldn't go there now. Not after
choosing Ayla over her... He didn't return to the party. He had
something else to take care of...
(You wouldn't believe how long it took me to finish this sucky
post)
#Post#: 386662--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: guest1268
Date: August 3, 2015, 7:52 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Essie was not drunk. No, really, she wasn't. But the warmth in
her cheeks had begun to spread down the length of her body,
making her sleepy.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her through the
crowd and away from the people trying to figure out what was
going on. The music started back up again as a pair of arms went
around her. It took her a moment to come to her senses and
notice that the owner of the arms was a lord.
He smiled.
She sighed.
It wasn't who she had hoped for.
They danced and the world around her turned into swirls of
colors.
#Post#: 386691--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: Renegade
Date: August 13, 2015, 5:13 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Jasper emerged up from the Dungeon after quite some time,
deciding that the next thing he needed to do was find Essie. Not
that he was trying to win her over, but he needed to make sure
she understood that Ayla had spoken out of turn, both about
laying claim to Mybville, and her engagement to Jasper. He
returned to the Ballroom to find her dancing, and socializing.
Walter had found her first. Jasper smiled. Walter really was the
best. He supported Jasper and Essie more than anything. He was
probably explaining everything as Jasper watched. He knew Jasper
wouldn't make a major decision like that without talking to him
first, after all... He let out a heavy sigh. His interrogation
had left him quite drained. But it had offered him valuable
information. Jasper decided to turn in for the night. He would
find Essie first thing in the morning...
#Post#: 386717--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: Renegade
Date: August 18, 2015, 3:05 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Morning came like the executioner; Putting a permanent end to
the best dream of Walter's life. Wait. Dream? Was it a dream?
The young noble opened his eyes to conform that it was indeed
reality. The surroundings he observed were definitely that of
his own room, meaning they could only be Essie's. But as he sat
up and looked around, it became evident that Essie wasn't
around. This realization came with another; He had betrayed his
best friend!
He tried to come up with a plan as he dressed himself and stood
at the door. A descendant of Royals, Walter did carry some
magical ability. His specialty was sensory skills. From the
inside of Essie's door, he waited until the coast was clear
before leaving. He knew how people talked in the castle... He
wasn't ready to face Jasper yet, but he felt he should at least
find and apologize to Essie. He didn't want her to feel like his
intention had been to take advantage of her. But after 30
minutes of searching, he was unable to find her; probably
somewhere hiding. He had really messed up this time...
After giving up his search, Walter went out to prepare his
carriage. He envied how Jasper could ride bareback. Even with a
saddle, horseback riding wasn't Walter's Forte. In a few
moments he arrived home to a frantic mother! She was livid when
he arrived!
"Where have you been! You can't just be out all times like that!
Get dressed now!"
A very confused Walter raised an eyebrow as his mother pushed
him into the house. "What's the rush?" He asked, narrowly
avoiding tripping over a chair.
"You have another chance at Guildsburg! You have to meet with
the Princess this evening!
--------------------------------------
Jasper awoke in unusually high spirits. He didn't know why, but
he had a good feeling about this day. Up and dressed a little
later than usual, he headed straight for Essie's room. He
knocked on her door only to be greeted by silence. He figured
maybe she was up handling business already. So he headed to all
her usual spots. The conference room, the throne room, even
his office! None of these places yielded any results.
Nonetheless he didn't let it drop his spirits. The search would
go on!
#Post#: 386718--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: guest1266
Date: August 18, 2015, 3:45 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Once the side effects of alcohol had worn off completely, she
immensely regretted leaving Walter the way she had. Essie knew
he was bound to be distraught with his 'betrayal' and wished she
had had the forethought to at least talk to him.
Now, she was stuck trying to find him in a very large castle.
His room had been vacant, making her hope that he had not left
upset with what had transpired. Maybe he was looking for her
too, but she dare not get her hopes up.
Finally, she stopped a servant and inquired of Walt's location.
The footman explained that he had already left and she had just
missed him.
After thanking him, she headed to the stables. She was in
desperate need of a ride to distract her.
She turned a corner and saw Jasper coming her way. It was
difficult to know how she should act around him. Although she
found Ayla's claim to be betrothed to him a little far fetched,
his disappearance during a party that she had worked hard to
make had annoyed her. But, she also knew that he would not have
left her like that unless he needed to.
Also, she was nervous, which she should not be. He was with
Ayla, she with, well, Walt for at least one night.
"Jasper," she greeted with half a smile. "I trust that you are
well. I am. Or at least I think so. Well, no, I know I am,
besides the whole ordeal. But bygones and stuff."
She laughed half heartedly, revealing dimples in her cheeks.
"But I don't wish to bother the king." She laughed again. "I'm
sure you have to do king stuff."
Essie cleared her throat and kept the smile plastered to her
lips as she stared at the wall over his shoulder.
Because that was inconspicuous.
#Post#: 386725--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: Renegade
Date: August 18, 2015, 4:18 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Am eyebrow raised over swirled blue and white eyes in response
to Essie's odd display. He didn't know what to make of it, so
he just went on. "Actually I was looking for you. " her said
calmly. Despite his calm demeanor though, his heart was
racing. I saw you with Walter last night." He started, having
no idea how threatening those words could possibly be.
"So I'm sure he cleared things up for me. But there's more that
I feel like i need to say to you. The Elder's want me to marry
the Princess that would be best suited to serve as Queen. And
we're all in agreement that that would be you." He didn't know
when it happened, but he had begun accenting his words with his
hands; a nervous habit. "The thing is, I want to marry the
princess who i would be happiest to have as my wife..." pause.
"And i think that would be you as well...."
Plot twist!
The white in Jasper's eyes was replaced with a light red as he
spoke. "I know we haven't been the best to each other lately.
And i don't want to propose to you, for you to feel like my
second choice. I just want is to start spending time together
again, to see if we could possibly get back to the way we used
to be. Do you think that's possible? His eyes were hopeful,
allbeit doubtful. The two had caused each other a lot of pain.
He wouldn't be surprised if she said she wasn't interested.
#Post#: 386738--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
DIR By: guest1266
Date: August 18, 2015, 5:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Her eyes widened considerably at the mention of Walt. Of course,
she shouldn't be surprised as she had expected Walt to tell him.
They had an obligation as friends to be honest, didn't they? Or
would it have been fair to keep it a secret?
Well, it was too late now.
Essie looked down, ashamed though she knew she shouldn't be.
"Look, Jasper, I -"
He went on though, interrupting her before she could expose the
truth. She stared at him confused, but quickly realized that he
did not know. A sigh of relief escaped her.
His proposal stunned her. Essie didn't know what to say. Part of
her knew she should be breaking out into a victory dance, but
her happiness was obscured by what had happened the night
before.
"No," she answered, without missing a beat. "There's no chance
of getting back what we had, but maybe we could develop
something deeper?"
In spite of the confusion, she was happy. Thrilled, in fact,
just fearful of it all collapsing again.
"Just one promise," she said, the smile slipping from her
expression. "We are a team and we don't let anything come
between us again no matter what happens."
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