The King's Birthday (Open)

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

The celebrations for the King's birthday had been set into motion weeks before, and in some cases, months before. Despite the tragedy that had beset the Queen, the celebrations were ordered to go forward, and the town turned out in force to decorate for the holiday to celebrate their ruler.

When dawn broke, a transformed town greeted the beautiful day. Streamers ran from building to building, the streets were swept clean, storefronts were freshly painted, and the townfolks emerged clean and well groomed to sing the traditional natal songs for Blaine. Things were a bit subdued, but it was still a jolly group of people laden with their presents as they knocked at the castle gate for entrance.

Inside the castle, Nalaac had given herself a day of rest, then risen before the dawn this morning and gotten herself ready to greet the people at her husband's side. This was an important duty, and moreover, she had a present that she could hardly wait to present him with. A secret smile played on her lips as she dressed in a crimson sweep of fabric, pulling back her blonde hair and letting it cascade down her shoulders.

She moved towards the throne room, hoping to meet with Blaine before going in to greet the people. His gift was precious and special, and she wanted him to have it before the others.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine stared at his man servant who was now finally realizing that the king was about to explode and quickly scuttled to stuff the special occasions outfit back in the closet. Blaine stomped back to the table where he had his breakfast laid out and knocked it over.
"I decreed a time of mourning! Three days and three nights of fasting and she decides to go against my wishes?! "
Blaine screamed before snatching the black mourning shirt and robe from the man servant and shoving them on.

He stormed down the hall blade in hand slicing down decorations as he went. This was NO time to celebrate his birthday. Not when the little child had died inside Nalaac. No matter whom the father was, a child had died and it's blood was still royal. How could she be so insensitive?! Why would she do that?! He stormed into his throne room and his knights began to clap and cheer. Music began to play.

"GET OUT!"
The music stopped abruptly and the people gathered there stared at the king. For a moment he stilled too then stomped toward his window.
"YOU HEARD ME! Anyone still here in five seconds will be thrown in the dungeon. "
That got them moving soon enough and they all ran for the door... all except one person. James, the ever annoying Sir James.

"It's your birthday. The big Three O. People in my Realm... might not get that far. It should b-"
Blaine twisted to point his sword straight at Jamie's throat when he was close enough.
"Do you want to reach my age?"
Jamie lowered his eyes and sighed and Blaine withdrew his sword throwing his shoulder into the wall beside the window.

"A child didn't even make it to birth just two days ago. The child of royal blood and here we are celebrating like it meant nothing. Like the child's death was nothing. "
Jamie's eyes swept to the queen when she came into the throne room then back to Blaine.
"I want the child to be mourned. The fasting will continue. The decorations will be torn down immediately. Make haste, Sir James. Deliver the news quickly. No one is to eat. The candles! Light the candles for the chil-"
Finally Blaine noticed Nalaac there in her sweeping Crimson dress, like blood washed over her all over again.

He closed his eyes covered his face and leaned against the wall sliding down it to the ground. Only Sir James was there to see him crumble now.
"Who did you invite Nalaac?"
He said clearly between his hands. Jamie swept himself down into a bow for the queen before straightening up and keeping his head lowered respectfully.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

His bellowing could be heard down the hallways, and the servants scurrying out of the way like ants told her how he had received the news that his natal day was to be celebrated. The Elven Queen took a deep breath, and kept her head held high, continuing to pace towards the throne room, where she could hear him threatening everyone within sight. Her head shook slightly, and she waved off the chattering ladies that accompanied her, entering the throne room just as he told them to leave or be thrown in the dungeon.

As the townfolks scattered, she raised an eyebrow at Eliana, and raised her chin in a signal to soothe the flustered egos and gather the townspeople in the main square. Even if the King would not acknowledge and accept the girfts, she would. In this time of sadness, they needed something joyous to celebrate.

"Will you throw me in the dungeon as well, husband?" Nalaac swept forward, using what power she had to help blanket the room in calmness. It wouldn't do much but take the edge off, but even that would help. "It is your natal day, my King, and despite the hardships we have recently endured, it must be celebrated. The town, the kingdom, looks forward to this day every year, and for you to rip it from them is selfish." She joined him at the window, taking his hands in her own. "I weep for the child, but as long as you grace my chamber, there will be more. We cannot dwell on this, Blaine, we must move forward. We can be dour and sad and fast and mourn tomorrow. For today, let everyone be joyous that their King is hale and hearty, handsome and strong."

She paused, then smiled up at him. "The Elders wish us to visit my village, to confer a blessing upon us. A blessing that will ensure healthy children with easy birthings. This is my gift to you, as well as the news that I am recovered."

Nalaac wasn't sure how he'd take all of the information she'd just dumped on him, but she was ready to face the grumpy lion that was her husband. She'd learned when she needed to avoid him, and when she could talk him down, and she was pretty sure she could talk him down this time.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine half glared at his wife when she asked her question then turned his head away to the side, muttering.
"Don't tempt me. I have a right mind to. "
Jamie started backing away out the room but only when he was a few steps from the door did he turn to take his position outside against the wall, motioning for the guards to close the doors so that the Royals could have piece and quiet.

Blaine turned his eyes to look to the double doors catching one last glimpse of the traveler he'd come to befriend much like she did when she came across a traveler. When she joined him on the floor on the ground taking his hands, his eyes flashed to meet hers and for once, he looked worn out and tired like he had not slept well in weeks let alone days. He listened to her though. It's the least he could do really after what she'd been through but didn't she understand that this was for her.

All the mourning and black and fasting was for her child. Blaine's mouth fell open when she mentioned she was recovered and she could have children now and turned his head away from her in disbelieve. He was on his feet within seconds his hand pulled away from hers. He moved away from her a bit then pointed to the doorway giving her a mocking smile.
"Well then. If you're recovered let's just go make a new child to replace this one shall we? After all, it's just a child. You go up ahead and get undressed then lay on the bed and spread your legs. I'll be right up darling..."
His voice was mocking, cold and cruel.

He twisted his back on her and lifted his hand to his forehead growling under his breath before turning to her.
"How can I love someone like you? How can I want someone like you? You are apathetic about this even? You LOST a child! Nalaac! Do you not care?! What is wrong with you?!"
His voice was heightened but he wasn't exploding yet. He seemed unable to reach that edge...

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

"Then do so, I am not afraid of you." Nalaac challenged him softly. She'd been raised from her birth for this man, to be completely able to help and aide him. They squabbled and fought a lot, and she sometimes wondered if the people who thought that they would suit were absolutely insane. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jaime leaving, and she relaxed a bit, having only the two of them together.

The moment his face turned from her, she knew she'd mis-stepped. Silently, she cursed herself, and then his awful words came to her and she frowned. Nalaac never could understand why Blaine didn't want her, why he wanted all the other women in court but her. Was it because she didn't chase after him like a dog in heat? Nalaac expected some respect, after all, she was his Queen. It might not be their choice really, but it was fact.

"I am far from apathetic, Blaine. I weep when I am alone, which is rare, and there has yet to be a moment that I don't think of my child. It was ripped from me because it wasn't yours. It's a powerful lesson, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I cannot have children unless they are yours. And you won't give me children. So I weep, Blaine, every night, every moment, every morning when I wake in my lonely cold bed, knowing you are warming your latest whore's bed."

Nalaac's voice rose steadily through her tirade, although she barely managed to keep from screaming. "It was MY child that was lost. MINE. One thing in my entire life that I could have to myself. I am not recovered in any way but life has to go on. My duties and the kingdom's problems don't stop because I am grieving." She kept her head turned away from him as she spoke, not wanting him to see her tears. She was far more devastated than she was telling him, and while she appreciated his plunging the kingdom into mourning, she wanted to move on. She would never forget, but going on was what needed to be done.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine frowned when his wife spoke to him and a pain stabbed at his heart when he heard she could not have children unless they were his but then if she had a child it would kill her or and it would live or vice versa. It was sick sick rule and he wanted to go straight to those people in her village, the so called elders, and demand they lift it immediately. He was the king for God's sakes! Didn't they know his blood, his seed held a curse like his father's before him? His eyes widened in anger when she said that she wept when he wasn't there to warm her bed.

How dare she? But she continued. She claimed that the child was his and the only thing that she would have ever had for herself. Oh so he had no right to mourn it's loss because it was HER child then? She thought it such a burden to be with him? And this was why, Exactly why he did not want to be near her. It was more duty to her than anything else and he hated her for doing that to him, making him feel like her personal burden by birth right. Blaine turned for the doors.

"Sir James! Ready the horses! We ride Bytharnya!"
The doors opened the moment the king was close to them and Jamie frowned from the departing king heading to the stables toward the queen still in the room before sighing and heading to complete the king's orders. Blaine had just about enough. He'd free Nalaac from her terrible prison and her awful duties so that she may have whatever she wants to claim as her own and won't have to bare his children... ever....

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

She wanted to chase after him, wanted to stop him and scream at him. Why was she married to someone who cared nothing for duty? If Blaine had bothered to look back, he would have seen frustration and grief marked plainly on his wife's face. Rarely did the woman show emotion in a public setting, and she could understand how he felt that she might be as cold as ice under her public exterior. Surely, however, his father had taught him better than to wear his heart on his sleeve all of the time.

She chased to the doorway, peeking around and only seeing the guards then screamed after him, acting like a complete peasant girl. "I thought you had a duty to attend before you left, your Majesty. Didn't you mention something about me going upstairs?" It was a deliberate taunt, one meant to get him to come back and talk to her. It might be the wrong choice of words, the wrong turn of phrase, but Nalaac was far to desperate at that moment to consider all of that. She just wanted her husband to come back to her and take care of her. He was right, she was dying on the inside, but what could she really do about it?

If Blaine stayed with his decision to ride off into the sunset, she'd have to greet the crowds gathered below and accept his natal gifts on his behalf, and Nalaac wasn't sure that she was up to such excursions. She'd only planned on putting in an appearance and then returning to bed. This whole day was not going according to plan, and it made her very uneasy about what else might happen.

[Elizabeth Aura]

Humming softly as she walked up the stairs, Elizabeth brushed down her dress a little to remove any dust that might have cropped up whilst she was walking and it certainly wouldn't do to look unclean on the King's Birthday as she left the stairs that led down to the servant's level and towards the Great Hall. Thankfully, her gift was finished in time (even despite only having two days notice) and was set with the rest of the presents from the servants.

Today was an odd day for Elizabeth's attire as she picked a dress that, although was still low in the back, had a small dip in the front due to her dress being off the shoulder. The Tailor insisted that he would design one dress for her that she was to wear on an occasion specifically for the King, and this was it:

It was a dark green that matched her eyes but complimented her pale complexion and her brown hair very well, being off the shoulder it dipped down in the back and the front though thankfully not too much on the latter so that Elizabeth didn't feel uncomfortable (especially seen as she made sure to oversee the dip of the front, the back she didn't care about specifically so long as there was room for her wings to come out!). The dress had slight bell sleeves on it so Elizabeth could push them back if she needed to work but it hugged her figure until her hips where it gently flared out a little before going down to just above ground level so that she could pick up her skirts to run swiftly without her tripping up.

"If his Majesty so much as looks at me the wrong way... I'm going to kill the...." Elizabeth didn't manage to finish her sentence as she saw the King and Queen just outside the Great Hall so doubled back a bit 'til she saw Jamie and joined him in the shadows, "What's going on, Jamie?" She whispered sharply yet very quietly to her apprentice who she also started to see as a surrogate son.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine stopped suddenly halfway down the hall and hunched up his shoulders in a wince of pure anger. He paused for a moment and twisted round to face her. He stomped his head held down straight back toward her. When he reached her, he took hold of her shoulders in a vice grip being careful though, to not bruise her or hurt her too much and backed her into the thrown room. He then twisted her around so her back would be pinned to the wall all the while keeping his eyes locked on her, a towering explosive man attempting to hide from his subjects that his Queen certainly had the run of everything, including his temper.

"Lady Nalaac. We will go to your village as you have requested, we will meet with your elders. I will have them annul our wedding and I will set you free from the burden you have in being my wife. Is that understood? "
He hissed in a low voice through gritted teeth.
"Now prepare for travel..."
His tone was heightened for a brief moment and he waited for her to agree.

~~~

Jamie watched all this with uncertainty. Did he ready the horses? Didn't he? He'd come to know Blaine as quick to change his mind so he settled down in the shadows away from all the drama unfolding. He waited outside the throne room to see what would happen and just as he was about to step forward a little more he heard a voice beside him. He instinctively gasped in surprise bringing his hand to his chest and clinging to his shirt as he turned his attention to the woman beside him.

His mouth fell open and he stared at her.
"You look.... beautiful..."
He murmured before offering her a soft smile then flashed his eyes to the doorway again.
"Please don't interfere again. I'm sure they can sort it out for themselves. "
One of the guards flashed Jamie a look before smirking. It was a 'yeah right' smirk and Jamie winced a little upon seeing it.

His shoulders then slumped down and he sighed heavily.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

She wasn't at all surprised when he stopped dead. She was surprised when he came back to her, shoving her up against a wall and speaking in such a tone to her. The words themselves took a moment to penetrate, and she gaped at him in astonishment. He couldn't be serious! They couldn't have the marriage annulled, not now. He'd announced her pregnancy, the entire kingdom had thought it his! How was he going to secure an annulment?

"I am not yet well enough to travel. I am only out of bed because it is your birthday. Don't do this Blaine. I beg of you." Her voice quivered with emotion, and tears formed on her lashes, but the young, blonde woman didn't move or fight him in any other way. As much as she detested Blaine's treatment of her, she'd been raised from birth to love this man, and she did. She couldn't imagine her life without him, and even though she'd enjoyed her time with Brady, and cared for her handsome knight, Blaine was her first love.

"Believe me or do not, but know that I love you, as I have loved you since I was a child. It hurts to know that you do not love me, and perhaps I react badly, but do not turn me out, do not reject me in such a fashion. I will do whatever you like, let you have all the women you like, but do not do this awful thing."

Nalaac fought to keep her powers under control. Her panic leaking into the room wouldn't help matters any. In fact, Elvish couples tended to be a bit infamous for their fights, because neither person controlled their emotions, and it turned into a big mess. The only signs of her anxiety were the clouds in her eyes and the twisting of her hands.

"Please, Blaine, please relent. I beg of you."

[Elizabeth Aura]

Elizabeth jumped a little at Jamie's gasp but steadied herself swiftly as she smiled at Jamie, "Sorry, dear.... Did I make you jump?" She asked in a gentle whisper before blushing a little at his words, she had a cloak over her arm which she was going to put on in case her wings came out so at least they'd be hidden though at this point they were protesting now. "The Tailor insisted that he, at least, did this design as well as a couple of dresses similar to it for formal occasions....." She smiled.

Her gaze then turned to the scene at hand and she sighed, "As much as it pains me, I know better than to interfere, my boy....... Every couple, whether married or nay, have to go through an argument like this.... It is a test for the two of them to go through.... There is nothing that you or I can do." She stated as she rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

Elizabeth watched as the scene unfolded and she had to put a hand over her mouth to stop a gasp as Blaine pushed Nalaac into the wall, as it brought a long forgotten memory to the forefront of her mind as Elizabeth fought to keep her aura to herself as well as calm. "Oh Gods...... I feel as if I'm staring at my own past, but opposite in many respects....." She stated shakingly as she lowered her hand to over her heart to try to calm it as the images flashed before her mind's eye.

~~~

They'd barely been together for a few months, four months after the end of the Battle of Midway when John asked Elizabeth to marry him.

"John? I.... I-I can't!"
"Well, why not 'Liz'beth? You said yourself that your own time was slowly, very slowly...... Slipping away from you." Came John's drawl as he pushed her into the wall, not in a hard sense but enough to 'push her down' and tower over her as she tried to reason with him.
"You shouldn't tie yourself to me, John...... Angels live for a very long time, and the others look down upon such things...."
"Then I will go up and ask their permission, Elizabeth! I love you! I would do anything to say that to the world..... Hell, I'll even pretend we were married to the outside world if it'll make you happy...... But I'll still see us as truly married, if you'll have me...."

~~~

Those words echoed in Elizabeth's mind as well as a few sensations ran through her which she hadn't felt in a while, thankfully though she kept it to herself as she sighed with a slight shake before taking a deep breath and stepping more into the shadows behind Jamie.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine frowned when he heard her words. Then why had she said that they were to go back to her village why did she have to be so damn confusion? A frown creased his forehead like she'd suddenly grown two heads right before his eyes. His lips parted in confusion and he lifted his hand to cup her tiny face in his hands staring at her as if seeing her for the first time, his face still filled with confusion.

"Do not do this to me, my Queen. You cannot say one thing then say another. You cannot play me like a toy and oh, how well you play me. First you claim that you have nothing for yourself, that you are unhappy. Then you claim that you will be unhappy without me when moments before I was such a burden to you. You cannot love a toy the same way you love a man. These two things do not correlate. Sir Brandon was the man. I am the toy. Admit it my Queen. Admit how little I truly mean to you."

He was closer now to her his lips almost whispering the words against her lips.
"You know I love you. You know I do. You're the only one I listen to. I'm under your control. Don't you see that? You drive me crazy."
He pushed her hair from her eyes and caressed cheek moving his free hand from her face to press to the door behind her while the other that had come to caress her cheek was now going between stroking it and curling her hair around his fingers.

~~~

Jamie turned.
"This isn't a show. I'm gonna go help set up..."
Jamie hissed at the gawking doctor who was most definitely attempting to peek in at the King and Queen. He would most definitely not have liked it if he was watched like that when he was trying to sort issues out with Nathaniel. He slipped down the hall and took the stairs quickly heading straight toward the kitchen.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

"You weren't listening. The elders wish to bless us with ease of birth and fertility." She shook her head in his hands, keeping her gaze locked with his. "You are not a burden, Blaine, a trial at times, but never a burden. I love you. Sir Brandon was a fleeting fancy, as many of your women are. I am sorry if it hurt you, that was not the intention."

Sir Brandon was a bit more than a fleeting fancy to Nalaac, she cared deeply for the man, and if she didn't have duty and honor to hold her with Blaine, perhaps, with all the hurt he'd dealt her, she might have left with Brady. She could have been happy with him, happier than she was with the King with their near constant arguments and misunderstandings. However, she would never admit such out loud, for one never knew who might be listening.

Nalaac shifted slightly and pressed her lips more firmly against his. She might drive him crazy, but his actions drove her to tears. Right now, she was happy she'd changed his mind, and she just wanted to rejoice that they were finding their feet again. Her arms came up to link around his neck, sagging between him and the wall as the kiss dragged on.

"I am sorry, Blaine, for this. I thought you would enjoy a bit of celebration after the sadness. I will consult you next time." She whispered softly against his lips, hoping he'd not let her go.

[Elizabeth Aura]

Elizabeth frowned as she looked at Jamie, obviously he did not pick up on the fact that she was having a rather powerful, and long, flashback, not watching the scene. Though she did take it as a compliment of her willpower. "I know it is not, Ser James....... Believe me, I know!" She stated as she swiftly walked away from the scene, needing a moment to calm her heart.

Finding a table quite some distance away from the Great Hall and from prying eyes, Elizabeth's hands found and leaned the table as she exhaled sharply, her eyes shut tightly. The memory bringing back very strong feelings which now coursed through her blood as Elizabeth held back the tears and emotions that memory brought to her as she sighed.

Taking very precious moments to herself to calm down and to stop her emotions from being projected out. Her past was her past, her memories meant nothing to her now.

[King Blaine Manning]

Blaine wrapped his arms around her waist the moment her lips pressed against his own. He instantly deepened the kiss pulling her closer to him and moved his hand to stroke at her cheek. He didn't know if he should believe what she said. She'd never said that she loved him. Never blatantly admitted it but this time... this time she had... But she'd only said it to threaten him. He didn't know if he should believe what she said or not. He didn't know if she actually was telling the truth.

When she pulled back her lips from his to whisper against his lips he slowly began nodding, laying his forehead against hers.
"I'm sorry for assuming that I could also be a father to the child you carried. I know I was wrong to do such and I won't ever take what is yours again. I just thought it appropriate that we mourn the loss but I suppose it was a good thing in the end that it was not to be. I would have been so desperate to father the child and I now know it would have upset you. "
He whispered back before pulling away from her and instead sliding his arm around her waist.

"Come, Tell me what's the plan for today and we can get it over with. I'll even dress more... appropriately if you pick out what I am to wear."
He offered and brushed his lips across her temple in a gentle kiss as he lead her out of the room.