roses and revolutions
 This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [sexual coercion] Time ticked by slowly after she returned from Ecrosia, the territory far too quiet. Upon returning, she had shown @Tinúviel the den her daughter had been kept in and informed her of the rules. Free reign of the territory as long as they didn’t go poking around in other people's things, no causing trouble, and no trying to escape. It would only make things worse for both of them, and she would rather not have to follow through on any more threats at the moment. She had done a patrol to ensure the borders were secure, but after that, she had gone to her usual perch near the edge of the Oasis to wait. Finally, his voice called out from a distance, alerting her to his arrival. She rose swiftly and let out a summons for the newest prisoner, setting off across the desert to meet him. She expected that Tinúviel would be swift in her own arrival, if only to get news of her own husbands fate. It would have been preferable to greet @Aeistrios alone and launch an immediate enquiry into the fates of her own children, but that would have to wait. They had gone knowing the risks, and she couldn’t shelter them from this world forever. If any of them were captured, she had faith that they could hold their own for the time being, until things were sorted out here. |
The walk from Ecrosia to Andal had been agonizing, each step of the way spent wondering if her husband and her children were safe. Her head hung with defeat, a girlish simper accompanying her melancholy promenade. Their travel was wordless, her mind troubled; mere months ago, she had thought that perhaps her and @Renfri had a better understanding. But so too did she knew she'd never been able to prove she did or didn't do it; and she knew that Renfri, too, was a mother who would do anything to protect her cubs.
Just as Tinúviel would do anything.
Thus, there was an insurmountable amount of relief when Tinúviel was present to Melusina, who appeared worse for wear but not nearly as dire as the former healer-Queen might have anticipated. She'd turned out far more hardy, far more prepared for the harshness of the world than she had once suspected, and was thankful at least to see her alive. However, whatever momentary breath they'd had between quaking anticipation and fear was short lived, and as Renfri's call beckoned for her, she reluctantly left her daughter behind. Whatever news @Aeistrios had to share might not be kind, might not be gentle.
They had already gathered by the time Tinúviel arrived, and there was a quiet resignation in her demeanor. Eyes were cast downward, fur disheveled and brows wrought with worry. Her lips were half-parted, as if daring the question of her husband's state without asking outright. She would come to find out all she needed to know soon; for now, she lingered in the anticipatory silence, her heart thrumming against her chest, fear woven into her very soul.
Please tag me after seven days.
She is open to premade plots as well as unplanned threads.
She is open to any IC consequences.
Blood trailed in his wake, proof of the vicious battles he had fought; limping across the neutral lands as if he was wounded prey from a group of hungry lions. It royally pissed him off - which might prove to be the most unfortunate for @Tinúviel . He hadn't been completely deaf to his surroundings in war, he'd heard the alarm raised - she's taking my Mutter!
He suffered for such alarm, too.
So what grand plan did @Renfri have for this?
His arrival is in an unhinged fashion, freshly wounded - and the sight of the once Queen has him all but festering in his rage again. She'd poisoned him, she had weakened him. She cost him the Plains, and everything else that had happened since. It was so much easier to blame her, than to even think of taking any of the blame himself.
It was her fault. All her fault.
"Renfri. Tell me why my jaws shouldn't be tearing out her throat right now." He growls, jaws clacking together as he seems to visibly shake, as if he was having to use all of his control to not pounce on her. He ought to maim her, force her to suffer, because being Prisoner just didn't seem like enough to him.
Not after everything he'd been through.
The woman was quick enough to heed her summons, but she paid her little attention. Her focus was solely on @Aeistrios, his foul mood making her wonder even more what had happened in the Mire after she left. He was angry, but she didn’t yet know why. What she did know was that she wouldn’t be provoking his anger towards her this time. “She is an easily subdued prisoner, especially with her child under our control as well. They are good for leverage, if needed.” She laid out the offer with a degree of casualty that said she didn’t care much one way or another if he did choose to rip her throat out. Renfri had taken her for him more than herself, after all. She glanced to @Tinúviel then. “Unless you have something else of value to offer?” Did she have any reasons for them to keep her alive? Any tricks up her sleeve to try and quell the King's anger? She would have been just as content to stand back and let him vent his frustrations on the prisoner. Hopefully an easy win would put him in a better mood. |
It does not take long before his dark, lumbering form breaches the borders of the Oasis and finds them. Tinúviel suddenly feels smaller, weaker. This were not an unfamiliar situation, and the years she'd strengthening her resolve fell away all at once. The spine she had grown were made of paper and glass. As @Aeistrios nears, she can see the glint of blood through his dark fur. Deep, crimson veins threaded like small rivers through his plum fur, and Tinúviel could not discern if it were his own, or her husband's. Fear welled like a hard lump in her throat, hazel eyes wide, and wild.
Renfri. Tell me why my jaws shouldn't be tearing out her throat right now.
She instinctively brings her paw to her slender neck, as if he may lunge at any moment, as if he did not already have her between his teeth. Shock frightens her into silence, and almost anticipatory gaze slowly falls upon the Andal Queen. She feels her heart thrum in her chest, feels its pulsatile tinnitus thundering in her ears. It were difficult to look him in the eyes, for she can see nothing but the glint of murderous intent, the quaking realization that she'd been assumed the root cause of it all. The single parasite within the man's roots, the blight in his legacy.
@Renfri's disposition is achingly clinical, and the emotional Tinúviel felt a wave of dread. What all they had discussed, what strides they'd hoped to achieve in the Lagoon, had all been quashed. And her fate had been irrevocably sealed. She and Melusina had been reduced down to nothing more than bargaining chips, and while there were fates far worse, Tinúviel did not want to put Alaric in such a situation. There was ever the growing doubt that perhaps her husband could not be in such a situation, for the fate of the Mire were still between the two warring brothers when she had left. If Alaric's firstborn won, then the King likely had little leverage to get her out, let alone shouldering all the fallout that came from the potential usurpation of Ecrosia.
But she had no way of truly knowing. For if Bruno won, she was almost certain Alaric would come with his armies, and she would be left hanging in the balance once more.
Tinúviel had always been the damsel. It were a fate unescapable. At least here, now, she might try to not drag anyone else down with her. She'd long known the pain and suffering she'd caused others with her mistakes.
You can have it all,
she begins, desperation written into her wide eyes, half-parted lips. I can heal your wounded soldiers, tend to your young. You can have my services, my loyalty, my life—
She wonders if it would be enough. Poisoning could have done far worse than cost him his crown, and there were no price that could pay for the life of a child. Regardless, the continued pushing of her innocence may only seek to harm her. All that mattered was getting Melusina out, and protecting her family from further wrath.
And yet, she thinks of the life stirring now within her womb, so precious and prayed for. Would she so easily throw them away, too?
Just, please, let her go.
Tears prickled in the corners of her eyes, thoughts of her daughter stuffed in that dark, damp den overwhelming any sense of reason. I'll do anything to assure her safety.
Please tag me after seven days.
She is open to premade plots as well as unplanned threads.
She is open to any IC consequences.
He was happy Renfri took Tinúviel from hers.
He pulls his attention away from her - and focuses on his wife then as she speaks. The offer she laid out was clear, even obvious, and leverage was too valuable to lose. Espeically with all of Amaryllis seeming to be against him. Renfri directs the next question to the prisoner herself, and he finds his purple eyes landing on her again.
There is no Queen in front of him, not even the drunken-woman who had first laid claim to the Lagoon. She is pitiful, weak, beaten, and the Saxe held all the power over her. She spoke of vast promises, how she could help heal, tend to his young, any and all of her services. And yet... what use would those be when those who loved her came knocking?
"As much as she is leverage, she is also a liability." He looked back to Renfri now, gauging her face for any indication of where her head may be at. We are the same, he reminds himself, pushing aside his greed that urged him to simply take the woman as his wife and be done with it. But Renfri made him think, made part of his brain that always hummed in the background, push to the forefront. "Anything." He repeats this, seeing the tears that prick within the corners of her eyes. His mind began to spun with dark fantasies, all the ways he could make use of Tinúviel, all the ways he could make her beg - regret.
Aeistrios attempts to near her then, no longer desiring the distance that was placed between them. He is not gentle when he aims to shove her downwards, an unsheathed claw taking the brute of his force, pressing down on her neck until she is beneath his limb, at his mercy, with his claws threatening to spill that precious blood within. His head lowers, nostrils flaring wide as a mix of saliva and blood drip down onto her pretty pelt. Interesting, he finds for a moment the scents the same smell his wives would carry when they were with cubs. A glance to her stomach suggested he was suspicious, but other matters were far more pressing for him to question her on it. "How do you suggest we make sure her loyalty is to the Saxe?" The question is for Renfri, but his gaze burns deep within her own dual-colored eyes. A claw of his pokes harder then, breaking skin - as if with each passing second they had to converse over her, a piece of his patience faded, and his desire for her life may come to fruition.
((pp approved by cala))
In all honesty, Renfri hadn’t had a solid plan in place when she took @Tinúviel. She had seen her, and knew she would be easy to take, and that held a lot of value in these lands, for reasons she didn’t quite understand. She was soft and weak, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t be useful. She stood to the side, watching and listening. First came the anticipated begging for her child, the bait that had been used to get her here so quickly in the first place. She watched as @Aeistrios pushed her to the ground, indifferent to the aggression and anger. There had been a time where she had gone to the woman to try and offer her peace, but she’d been left with no answers. She didn’t think their prisoner had really had anything to do with the poisoning, it was far more likely that someone had used Scillia’s scent to cover their tracks. Likely someone in the Summit, if she had to guess. But it didn’t matter if she was guilty or innocent. Aeistrios needed someone to blame, and if Renfri couldn’t give him to proper culprit, she would give him the one he blamed. When the question is posed to her, she can’t help the slow, devious smile she gave him in return. “Make her a proper Saxe wife.” Her eyes slid to the prisoner then, her expression going cold. “You’ll have to convince everyone else who might come looking for you that you are one of us now. That you are here of your own free will. Once you’re as hated in Amaryllis as the rest of us, we can consider releasing your daughter.” She would have to give one hell of a performance to earn Melusina’s freedom.She looked back to Aeistrios then. “Otherwise, kill her and get your revenge. She’s more trouble alive than she’s worth.” Hell would be rained on them in her name regardless, so it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. |
As much as she is leverage, she is also a liability.
Tinúviel felt her heart drop into her stomach. As willing as she were to confront death for the sake of her daughter, to truly feel its breath down her neck was a feeling different entirely. @Aeistrios and @Renfri would have every drive to end her right here and now; what better way to send a message to Alaric, and more unknowingly, to Alexander? She lives in the moment he appears to be reconsidering, but the very real threat of her demise lingers like a heavy air, and she struggles not to suffocate on it.
Anything, is all he says, before suddenly he is upon her. A surprise gasp exhales from her lips as his claws press into her, easily shoving her to the dusty earth beneath. The weight of his claws is agonizing, the prickle of his claws deep into the plush fur of her neck piercing through the skin, staining earthen and clay with a rich red. Her eyes fling wide, tears falling free down unto the curve of her cheeks. Above her, he is a large and lumbering shadow; but she feels fear like none other when she feels his eyes upon her belly. It takes everything within her not to react instinctively, not to spill her secrets. Would he not find her more valuable of a kill if he knew she was pregnant? Would he think them Alaric's cubs, yet another priceless prize? What would he think if he'd come to know they were in fact Alexander's instead?
Tinúviel's gaze kept forward, feigning that she'd ever seen his lingering there at all. Mercifully, he did not pry. And yet, she could not deny the mounting pressure upon her neck, the feeling of breathy pain in her lungs as it grew more and more difficult to breathe. How do you suggest we make sure her loyalty is to the Saxe? he asks, and the once-Queen inhales sharply. Her words alone would never be enough. She would have to give something in order to receive, a fate she'd long assured herself of, and a price she were willing to pay. She were prepared for anything.
Make her a proper Saxe wife.
Anything but that.
But as Renfri explains, the sense of it begins to take hold. Perhaps it were because Tinúviel had lived a similar life before, knew the power that came with controlling those who would hunt for you, fight for you, bear your children—the greed of men knew now bounds, and she'd long come to know that love was not ever a necessity in marriage. And as disgusted she were, as much as every desperate part of her willed into existence the strength to break free of his grasp and rescue her daughter, she knew she were powerless. Destined was she to return to the life she'd escaped. Fate had been kind in giving her these few years of bliss.
When the alternative was death, where she'd no true guarantee of not only Melusina's safety, but all of them, there seemed like no clearer choice. However much it were to bear; perhaps, even, a fate worth than death lay in wait for her.
I—...I'll do it,
she whimpers between shallow breaths, feeling the increased pressure upon her neck growing too much to bear. Just—please—do not make her remain a prisoner here. She is innocent—
a breath, —let her remain ignorant of this.
Though, there had already been too much done to undo it now. Perhaps, however, if Melusina were to believe she were not fettered in this place and were allowed the freedom to play, to explore; perhaps she might find some sliver of happiness.
What came after mattered little. It were hard to see into the future when she lived so fervently in the now. What would Alaric think, what would Alexander think, if they saw her beneath his banner? If they thought her a turncloak, an act of betrayal so grave even she could never forgive herself? None of it seemed important in that moment—only the lives of her children, who she'd fought for so hard to bring into this world, and what she would fight for now to ensure their survival.
Please tag me after seven days.
She is open to premade plots as well as unplanned threads.
She is open to any IC consequences.
The tears that pricked the corners of Tinúviel's eyes finally fell, and with it, the hair on Aeistrios' spine rises. Her cries are not enough though, and while the pleasure from seeing such water cascade down her curved cheeks, he found her ruby blood far more appealing. He watches - seeing the skin around his claw break, and although she'd done nothing to earn his ire in the moment - Aeistrios allows another claw to break skin and linger in the wound he created.
Make her a proper Saxe wife.
His head, which was hovering over their prisoner's form, snapped up. Saliva flung from his fast movement, and he finds his gaze drilling into Renfri as she further explains. His process of thinking is visible, head tilting to the left in the slightest, and he finds the idea more than perfect.
Just like his wife, who thought of such grand solutions.
Him and Renfri seemed more than aware of the targets on their back, and the fact they were outnumbered among the lands. What others lacked though, was the bond she and him shared. Against each other they had been dangerous, chaotic, broken - but together? Fully united and equal? They were lethal, and it appeared Tinúviel would be the first to truly suffer from their union.
We are the same.
"She will be our Saxe wife." The words purr out of him then, a hint of finality to his tone as his gaze does not waver from @Renfri . Lust pools within his optics, and he wants nothing more than to devour her in this moment. If he didn't have a weeping lioness under his paw, maybe he'd be able to give into his desires. Instead, he is forced to wait, at least until they were alone - unless Tinúviel wanted to watch, and learn.
The whimpers of their newest wife pull him back to focus on her, and he lessens the pressure on her neck - only barely. Enough to show her that agreeing with them was doing her good. "You wish her free - now? This second?" He removes his paw from her then, and instead, uses his paws to walk him towards the front of her. He lays down then, so that he could see her eye-to-eye. His paw reaches out - extending to lay over hers gently, dangerously. The sickening smile on his face suggested he was being anything but nice in this moment. A look to Renfri, suggesting her to come closer, before a purr builds in his chest.
"Then you will be ours now."
Battle-worn and wounded, surely he and his wife were ready to indulge in their newest addition.
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [sexual coercion] Her suggestion seemed to catch him off guard, and she wondered about the thoughts turning in his mind as his head tilted. She could visibly see him processing her words, could feel his gaze boring into her as she laid out the parameters for @Tinúviel if she were to agree to this arrangement. She could see the horror in the woman’s face, and the moment she realized there was only one answer. When the hope for her own future left her eyes. She knew the lengths a woman would go to in order to save their children. She had belonged to them the moment @Aeistrios set his eyes on her daughter."She will be our Saxe wife."It was her turn to be surprised, eyes widening for a moment, before she gave him a delighted purr of approval. She held his gaze, warmth spreading through her at the look in his eyes. She had always hoped they would have a spouse shared between them one day, and though these circumstances were not how she had expected it to come about, it didn’t make her any less thrilled.She looked down to her new wife as Aeistrios addressed her, the hostility suddenly gone. Now there was nothing but a gentle eagerness, as she found she understood why the plum beast had such an inclination towards bringing home soft women. It would be delicious to see her submit to them. She stalked closer at his invitation, aiming to dip closer and brush lightly against Tinúviel as she joined them. “We are very good to our wives, when they behave.” She moved her head closer, attempting to brush her cheek lightly against the other lionesses. “Perhaps we can be good friends after all.” |