[011]; where you invest your love, you invest your life

[commandsthewind]

[ closed ]

I, Elizabeth. Hail, Gloriana, for I am woman, I am queen, I am myself, and much more than that. A woman of many faces. Woman, with Dudley, Raleigh and Seymour. Statesman, before parliament. King, when the cold death wraps about me and I rode to battle, to teach lesser men how to die.

I, Elizabeth, the mortal, so foolishly flawed and human in my folly. These lines upon my face are from sleeplessness, if these grey hairs were silver, we should be rich. My hands tremble from the duty and my words stutter for these many loses. My heart, it has been broken. If I were to be truthful, it has been broken for a very long time. The same as Mary's, the same as Edward's. I am of a bloody house, but we are strong, if only for our broken hearts to build upon. A house built on the ashes of a brutal war, sealed in the right of conquest. Forged again in the flames of a burning armada. Men may have the pieces of my heart where it so shattered long ago, but England, she has my bones, my soul. Perhaps that is why I can never love as other women do, not even when I want to so give myself. It is not so much that I hate them, but I loathe myself for ever forgetting what I am. Now I have lost the only men who have ever understood that, here at least.

I, Elizabeth. The divine daughter of Henry the Great, and of Anne Boleyn, the Martyr, with my heart is so broken, and my bones sown into my land so they better feed my people. To God I commend my soul, should he find what it has become in his embrace a thing worth having. I have done things I never thought myself capable, I have faced death and won. I have done what no woman in England has done before, and I only ever wanted, in truth, the best for my subjects.

I, Elizabeth. But we used to smile, did we not? When do we ever smile?

[ / closed ]

[ open; dictated]

I am myself again. Forgive me my childishness, the girl I once was. I suppose we were all young at some time, nay?

Which my naivety of youth aside, you are to continue call me Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth Tudor, the Virgin Queen.

My thanks.

[ Elizabeth clears her throat, determined to speak detachedly from the world around her. She is the forger of Empires, and if she wills this crippling hurt away, so she will be stand tall. She needed that space to keep them away. She was not to be the same as them, not now, not ever. ]

That aside, I have... graver news than that. Like so many before him, Merlin, loyal servant of Kings of England, most especially Arthur Pendragon... and my dear friend, has left this place.

God keep him as best He can. Grant him the peace he deserves.

[ / ]

[ Morgana Pendragon ]

He has left you a note. Whenever you wish to claim it.

[ / Morgana Pendragon ]

[ Her Majesty, Anne Boleyn ]

Your Majesty, I, Elizabeth, King of England in my own right, would seek an audience with you.

[ / Anne Boleyn ]

[ Arya Stark ]

Little Knight, will you speak to me now?

[ / Arya Stark ]

Comments

Queen Elizabeth

[wolfchild]

[ o o p s ~somebody's in trouble~ ]

I would speak with Your Grace whenever you want.

Arya Stark

[commandsthewind]

Then will you come to my chambers, as soon as you are able.

[This is not a request. If Elizabeth had children, this would be her mum voice talking right now.]

Queen Elizabeth → action.

[wolfchild]

[ She understands it as a command. Arya briefly debates the merits of lying that her brother needs her. Robb is her king. His word supersedes all others'. ]

Yes, Your Grace.

[ She closes the journal quietly and walks to Elizabeth's room. She takes the time to fix her tunic and comb at her hair before knocking. ]

action

[commandsthewind]

[Elizabeth would of accepted that, as far as asking Robb to send her next time, and ask what it was he wanted.

As it is, Elizabeth is set about writing something that seems to take up a few sets of parchment, a little cluster of half burned through candles beside her for the extra light. The knock at the door makes her raise her head, she's left the door unlocked.]

Come in.

Elizabeth

[wilder]

Welcome back, Your Majesty. I think that's the right words for it.

And what a shame, I liked Merlin.

Zelos;

[commandsthewind]

It is good to be myself. [she laughed dryly.] Such courtesies are not expected so much from you, Master Wilder, believe me.

As did I. [To say the least of it.]

Zelos;

[wilder]

Well hey, maybe after being young for so long I'd thought you'd like to hear that title as much as you could.

[Since man the prospects you were looking at as a youngin seemed do drab ]

Well I guess he'll be happy he can go do his work now.

Dictated

[revolter]

[ Matilda doesn't understand the game of ages in the castle yet. Which makes her determined to learn, to know if it is magic, if it is something else. ]

I am sorry you lost your friend.

[ um ]

Your Majesty.

Dictated

[commandsthewind]

[it takes her a moment to remember the voice --]

Ah, peu de miel. I am truly myself again, you must forgive meeting me under other circumstances.

[She doesn't pause, waving it by like it was nothing more than a change of weather.]

How fairs your study?

Dictated

[revolter]

You shouldn't apologize, I think you were wonderful.

[ and then she corrects herself, realizes how it sounds ]

I'm sure you're still wonderful.

[ but the question has her tone become brighter ]

Well! I'm studying Russian and Japanese and Italian for my mother.

[ it's an odd thing calling Lucrezia 'mother', new, but Matilda insists on it. ]

And I want to start studying French. I've been learning history of Italy and history of China and I am reading children's books, I can't remember any, I think it's my loss.

[unvarnished]

Wait. Merlin was here?

[he never got to meet the man, but he heard about him from Lancelot's stories]

[commandsthewind]

Indeed, I have had the pleasure of the company of two different Merlin's in my time here.

[unvarnished]

I never met him, but I heard stories. He sounded like a great man. Sorry to hear he left, your Majesty.

[he's not from her world, but he still has respect for royalty]

Elizabeth Tudor;

[scinlae]

[ It takes her time, time for her to calm to breath and heart. When she replies she does her best to sound unaffected when she is everything but. So many gone, so many losses. She should be used to this by now. ]

I will be there shortly.

Morgana Pendragon;

[commandsthewind]

Of course, take your time, my lady.

action forever

[scinlae]

[ It takes her longer than said, but Elizabeth should understand it she thinks. She will not fault her for not being true to her word. Regardless it has been some time since she spoke to her on the journal that she turns up, knocking softly against the wooden door.

How fitting, she thinks, that she is dressed in black for the day. Another loss to mourn, though she is certain him not dead. Not that man, never that man. ]

Queen Elizabeth

[last_rat_standing]

[Well, now, he's met one Queen he might as well introduce himself to the other. He keeps his voice level, the respect evident in his tone]

Your Magesty. Might I be so forward as to introduce myself?

[What? He might be a cocky bastard but he sure as hell knows how to speak to royalty when he has to.]

James Bond

[commandsthewind]

[For what it was worth, it amused Elizabeth, hearing him so formal, when almost no one was with her, at least not often.

Amusing, but welcome.]

Of course, sir, introduce away. You have my attention.

Queen Elizabeth

[last_rat_standing]

[Queen and Country. Two of the most important things in Bond's life]

My name is James Bond. I work for MI-6, a branch of the British Secret Service that is meant to protect England from terrorist threats that other branches of government and law enforcement neither notice nor are equipped to handle.

Dictated and Filtered

[the_effect_she_has]

Feeling more yourself, Queenship? [She still wasn't sure how you did this royalty thing but at least she remembered the title, sort of.]

Dictated and Filtered

[commandsthewind]

[close enough, Katniss, close enough.]

Indeed, my lady.

Re: Dictated and Filtered

[the_effect_she_has]

And you still don't need anyone stabbed viciously in something soft?

[It's more of a joke than anything. If Elizabeth wanted assassinating done, well.]

Elizabeth Tudor

[ensorceler]

[ WOW THAT...REALLY TICKS HER OFF... Not just because she's sore and exhausted and only has a day to make sure everything goes right, but...because of the king part. What fuckery is that? She isn't sure if she should take it as passive aggression or not, but if it is, it's the opposite way to get her to acknowledge you!

Except she does. Grumpily. ]

Have you held onto your bold request for the very moment I stepped through the doors? Do you think your rank above mine own because you style yourself King? Ought I defer to your command, then?

Anne Boleyn

[commandsthewind]

[There's no rise of anger in her voice, though she wishes she could become so cruel, to let the vitriol she feels fall from her.

But those rages were saved for the courtiers that crossed her. The purpose of this was something else entirely.]

Do or do not, that is not my concern. I do not wish to rule here. Nor do I think anyone can.

But I would have you acknowledge me as I am, and this is what I am.

Elizabeth Tudor

[ensorceler]

Someone who wishes nothing more than to undermine her mother with the greatest insults she can muster?

[ Sure call yourself a king and then tell her you think she's wasting her time with everything she's been doing. Then hope she'll cooperate.

Keep hoping. ]

Audience denied. Acknowledgment denied.