675-08-22 - Choice of Fate

From Felaguria: The Struggle for Power
Jump to navigationJump to search
Choice of Fate
Summary: Nimoria confronts Edris quite bluntly with the plans of the Queen and Lady Adara regarding what is to become of Edris's unborn child. Before she offers an alternative and asks Edris to make a choice.
Who: Edris Alachri and Nimoria
References: re:Abegayle Onimus, re:Adara Zorich and re:Nathan Onimus
When: Agust 22nd, 675
Related Logs: All recent Hiden Agenda logs
Date of RP: 22/08/2014
Where: Gardens - Castle of the White Dove, Isle of the Crown, The Isles
Room Desc: This garden is not quiet, even if it is surrounded by the pale walls of the castle. First of all, the melody of murmuring and bubbling fountains can be heard. There are a four of them, one at the end of the four main small paths. Benches are scattered about for sitting. The fountains are all the same; large bowls seated atop the forms of bare tree, the water dribbling over the edge into the basin below. The other source of sounds heard within the gardens are the many birds found within. With so many different types of birds found on the isle itself, one never knows what they may see here, taking food offered to them. The flora within the garden is the same that can be found anywhere's on the isle, and yet here, tended carefully by gardeners. Trees of various fruits, along with ferns and bushes of edible berries vie for attention against the vibrant colorful flowers. It is said that the scent of the flowers can wake up the most pleasant of emotions, even in the coldest of hearts. The gardens are barely lit during the night. Just a few fragile flames of torches tremble at the ends of the paths, closer to the fountains.


The days seem to stretch along endlessly for a woman who is used to see to many tasks, then suddenly, due to her changed status finds herself in the unusual situation of having lots of leisure to while away her time. And so Mistress Edris Alachri can be seen quite often on the castle grounds these days, as she wanders the hallways and parts of the castle that are usually less frequented - not unlike a caged tiger that seeks to get to know the confines of its prison. Today she is in the castle gardens, her fiery red hair worn in a modest braid, her attire a dress of dark green, that is taken aout a bit at the sides to allow the curve of her belly some room. The handmaiden is always close by, and Edris does not seek to punish her for her task, instead she exchanges a few remarks with her now and then in a polite tone. The two guards are present but stand a few steps away from the two women.

It happens, that the Royal High Mother is taking a walk in the same gardens. This time, she is wearing quite a proper gown. It is made of silver gilt lame, covered with light green silk chiffon, embroidered with rosettes in pearls and glass. The dress has a long skirt with a train.

Each step of the young woman is filled with grace and a bit of arrogance. She looks over all people as if they would be insignificant tiny mosquitos. Nimoria carries her hands clapsed in front of her, while her long and as white as moonlight hair are cascading down across her shoulders and arms, covering them fully.

When she notices a pregnant redhead, Nimoria turns to walk towards her. There are no smile in her features. The expression stays the same, maybe even becomes more stern. She looks at the handmaiden and two guards, speaking, "Leave us."

After all, she is the main Royal High Oni and these guards and handmaiden were ordered to listen for the Queen and the Fourth.

Edris will turn, her grey-green eyes narrowing a touch, when she sees Nimoria approaching. But as Nimoria's attire is by no means the traditional one of the Royal High Onis, even the wimple is absent, she will probably not acknowledge the authority Nimoria so naturally demands.

While the handmaiden and guards obey and will seek to disappear as ordered, after offering bows and curtseys, the former Madame of the Night's Dream raises a hand to draw their attention. "I would rather if you stay," she says, her tone soft, yet firm. "The Queen herself has ordered you to keep watch over me, for every tiniest moment of my stay." The words are directed of course, to the handmaiden and guards, her grey-green eyes however will continue to focus on Nimoria, studying her with curiosity and a hint of caution.

"The Queen gave order for the guards and handmaiden to listen to the orders of the Queen and the Fourth, but not yours," the last word is pronounced with a bit of despite. So, Nimoria shoos the trio away with one wave of her hand.

"I am the Royal High Oni Nomoria, if you still didn't notice, redhead..." The woman raises her chin proudly and gestures towards the road, "Walk with me. We need to talk."

Edris raises a brow but remains silent, as she straightens, crossing her arms before her. Her gaze will follow her small retinue as it is dismissed, before it comes to linger once again on Nimoria. "Holy mother," she will greet, in a neutral tone, before she lowers her eyes ever so briefly. "I have a name. It is Edris Alachri." There may be a short moment of hesitation before she joins Nimoria as requested, her eyes focusing on the path through the gardens as she walks beside her. Staying silent now, as she waits for the other woman to address the topic she wants to talk with her about.

Nimoria is not so much in a hurry to touch the main topic. Actually, she walks in silence for awhile. She looks over a few passerbies, even stops to inhale a smell of a wonderful flower, before joining Edris Alachri one more time.

Finally, she speaks in a soft whisper, "So, tell me... How is the child? How are you? Nothing... unusual? How do you enjoy your new home and status? A mother of the royal bastard!" Despite is obvious in her voice once more, "Aren't you proud of yourself?"

Both brows are lifted at the questions, surprise soon fading when Nimoria's tone cools even more, and find its echo in the mien of the redhead. "The child is fine, thank you," Edris remarks, her hand moving to the curve of her belly. "I can feel her, she's fine enough. As for myself... I have been better, I suppose. But I will not complain." That is all she has to say on that matter. The corners of her lips twitch at the mention of the royal bastard, and she cuckles softly. "You make it sound like all of this has happened due to an accurate ploy on my part. That it was I who... planned this. The answer is no. I'm not proud. But happy. Happy that my child may have more opportunities offered than I had. And even if I won't be allowed to keep her... she will be of use to the kingdom. I am sure." Her eyes narrow again ever so slightly, as she casts Nimoria a glance. "Why do you ask me all of this? Is it your curiosity about how it feels to be pregnant? A thing you haven't experienced yourself? Holy mother?" Nimoria easily looks ten years younger than herself, so there may be a tiny hint of irony in Edris's tone.

Nimoria laughs quite lively and loudly, "By careful, woman. I was send here by Onimoria herself. I am her creation made even before you were born. Do not be so sure about my own experiance..." The woman raises her gaze up to the sky for a moment, "I saw things, you will never see. I felt things you will never feel and there is nothing unknown for me in your mundane experiances..."

Then she looks back at Edris, "I know, it was not you. At least I think so. Mistress of Whispers talked with the Prince. We know everything, maybe more than you. He admitted to us the entire thing was his idea. He believes that due to the Queen's illness, the Queen will die soon and Princess Madalyn will be dethroned almost instantly. He may be even a part of this treason, because he believes that because the bastard would have his blood it would be respected by the people and would be placed on the throne, whether a boy or girl. So, your magical tricks made our prince irresponsible or he is not so sinful after all. He is ready to commit crimes and even break laws of the Kingdom, taking steps against the Onimora's will, just to place that thing," she points at woman's belly, "on the throne. So, you are proud of itm yes? Your beloved Prince, if you love him at all and do not use just for your greedy dreams, threatened to have his personal guard who are loyal only to him kill Mistress of Whispers. So, we learned, that he used these few coins he gets from his mother to buy the loyality of a few. It's just question of time, when he will decide to get rid of his own mother and sister... Ah, you are so proud of your love, of your prince and of your bastard's birth sacred with the blood of the Queen and Princess Madalyn? I saw that, I heard that... You are not an innocent flower. You are a valuable part of the crime and treason..."

Her grey-green eyes widen when Edris hears Nimoria's reply. "Forgive me, I was not aware," she says, lowering her gaze, maybe a calculated move to subdue Nimoria's anger, her eyes, despite being lowered roll ever so slightly. "So I got you wrong, and you know already and have given birth even...?" Hormones of pregnancy seem to diminish her sense of caution, and after all, she has little to lose, in her current position.

Then looking up she will frown, when Nimoria confronts her with accusations of treason regarding the prince. Her steps coming to a halt as she listens, and she shakes her head. "No, I don't believe you! He would do no such thing. We never talked about any of this, I swear by Onimoria, who sent you here, as you claim. As for my feelings - if I should have any - how can you possibly dare to claim knowledge about them, or even care? As little as you obviously know about my motives, Holy Mother. Forgive me, but allow me this one question: Why, by Onimoria, do you bother to confront me with any of this? To shower me with your spite and venom?" Edris straightens, her grey-green eyes sparkling with pride and hardly contained anger as she glares at Nimoria. "Don't speak to me of loyalty! I've been loyal all my life. A nobleman's bastard, a nobleman's mistress I have been, and devoted my life even so to the kingdom of the Isles. You have /no idea/, what I have endured, to provide the Queen with information."

She snorts. "I /am/ loyal to the Queen. I wish I could say the same for you."

"Yes, you are right," Nimoria says, grinning a bit, "I have /no idea/, what you have endured, to provide the Queen with information and I don't care. The most loyal servant sometimes backstabs his leaders. I know that perfectly..."

The woman sighs and slowly walks further, "I value a person not for what he done years ago, but what he is doing right now. Why you agreed with prince Nathan? Have you never read the book of laws? Royals are forbidden to have any sexual relationship without marriage. If you are so loyal to the Queen, why you didn't tell Prince Nathan to walk away? Why you let him to stick his thing into you and even put a child in you? I believe, that as a leader of whores, you knew many means to keep yourself safe from pregnancy. Instead,you chose to break the law with the prince and allow him to threaten the Queen, the Mistress of Whispers, and his sister, our heir. You call that loyality?" The woman stops, glancing at Edris, "I am standing here beside you and I have nothing else to do, but to be surprised, how you have no shame and the boldness to call yourself loyal? Edris Alachri, your child will bring death to our Queen and our Princess. Do you want this? That is why I am speaking with you. I want to hear from your own lips to whom you are serving. For your Prince's needs or for your Queens?"

"Aye, the Book of Laws is not unknown to me," Edris sighs as she lowers her gaze. "I was aware, yes, when I agreed to Prince Nathan's request, I would break the law." This is a sore point, as becomes clear through the flicker of her eyes, and one she now, for once, admits openly. "To be honest, I am not without flaws. Vanity being one of them. So, when the prince approached me, I was amused at first, then flattered. And maybe I even thought it wouldn't be possible after all, as I have never been with child before. As for the... issue of intimacy, yes. Prince Nathan is no less guilty than his infamous brother Prince Zephan, whose punishment so far has escaped my notice." Edris looks up, meeting Nimoria's gaze with a slightly stubborn flicker in her eyes. "As far as I know, commoners agreeing to lay with royals do not necessarily have to face any punishment. In my case, I let him lay with me because he is an attractive man, and it was pleasurable. I felt like it." She chuckles softly, smiling at the memory of that afternoon in her private quarters. "I could not resist the temptation, to learn if he could actually /get/ me with child. Of this I am guilty, yes. I am fond of him. But I am still loyal to the Queen. I would /never/ agree to any harm being done to the Queen or any other member of the Royal family. So, if given a choice, I would choose the Queen. Always."

"Very well," Nimoria nods slowly, "I am glad to hear, that you would chose the Queen. Now, I am giving you a choice. You are in a huge danger being in here, girl."

Nimoria looks around, making sure that they are both all alone surrounded by bushes and trees. Then she continues, "Do you know, that the Queen actually lost her child, because Onimoria changed her will? Princess Madalyn proved herself, that she actually can grow up as a proper Queen. She must become the Queen, not your bastard. However, the Queen does not want to hear that. She wants your redhead child and she hopes to trick everyone, that it is hers. Obviously, she won't trick Prince Nathan and whole Kingdom might be in danger..."

The woman inhales a bit of air and even more quietly adds, "When you will give birth they will take your child away and will send you off to the Kingdom of the Golden Lion along with Lady Samuela Zorich to act as a handmaiden to her. Question is, do you really want to go back there? I am sure, that young lord Arif Sefu will be pleased to grab you as his concubine. They have such different rules than we do. They will barely care about you and when the Queen will get your child, she will barely care about you too," Nimoria stops and looks into the eyes of Edris, "If you hope to get help from your Mistress of Whispers, let me tell you, that she wants to kill the child even before it is born. She came to me and said that she trusts in the wisdom of the Fourth in this matter. She was sure that I will be among those who will be tending to you, so she decided to leave it in my hands. As the pregnancy develops, she said that I may use my own judgement as to what to do about the child, whether to harm an innocent or not, and she will not have her Whispers investigate me either way. So, she wants to have her hands clean and stain mine with the blood of the bastard, because I openly said, that if that would be my will, I would kill both for treason," Nimoria straightens and watches the other woman for now, making a pause, letting Edris to catch each word she said.

After a few moments she adds, "Royal mother Eleora Machuri wants to become the Queen's favorite. So, she obediently follows the Queen's order, who suffers right now from the loss and can't think clearly. That is why I am changing my mind. I will help you get out of here. I want you and your bastard gone. We can't kill him without making Prince Nathan mad. I want you just leave and never meet the Prince again. I don't care where you will go. I offer Two Rivers right now, maybe Unknown World in the west, but strictly not east. Maybe Estoria. But you must run away from here and the Prince. Find a new life elsewhere, change your name, find a husband and forget about the blood in your bastard, forget that the Isles exist. This is how you will help the Queen and repay for your sins. She won't get into conflict with the prince. He will forget about you and provide us with proper children. Madalyn won't be killed by her brother and will lead our kingdom into glory. So, what you will choose?"

Edris stands, her face as unmoving like a mask, when Nimoria begins to tell her about so many confusing new details and opportunities. Her arms are crossed before her and her brow jumps upwards when air leaves her lungs. "The Queen has lost her child?", the fiery haired woman gasps in an almost inaudible whisper. Conflicting emotions flickering in her eyes next when the fate of her own unborn child as planned by the queen is laid open to her, as her arms uncross, and her hand moves to rest on her belly.

Her face turning very pale next when the Golden Lion is mentioned as well as Arif Sefu. She swallows, stumbles even a step backwards as if she had received a heavy blow. Her eyes moving, unfocused for now, but rather reflecting the racing of thoughts in her mind. Those eyes will return to Nimoria when Adara's plans are mentioned, a coldness entering her gaze, and the hand on her belly is joined by the other in a most protective gesture.

Then, that desperate plan of escape is offered, and Edris will study Nimoria's face attentively, pondering this alternative for a moment, looking even intrigued by the suggestion - before she shakes her head. "That is not an option, Holy Mother. I have no means to escape without Lady Adara noticing, and even /if/ I would succeed, the whispers would continue to search for me until they hunted me and my child down and brought death to the both of us. That will go for the Prince as well. He will certainly search for me and our child, unless given evidence of our deaths. And besides... Any escape of that kind would mean, that I would act against the wishes of Queen Abegayle Onimus."

Her eyes close and she exhales, clearly dreading the next moment when she is to give Nimoria her reply. "As I said. I am... loyal to the Queen. If it is her wish to claim the child as her own, who am I to object? Who am I to NOT obey her orders, even if they may not be agreeable to me?"

"I see... You are not loyal to the Queen. You are loyal to your egoistical greed," the woman sighs and shakes her head, "You tricked me, woman. For a moment, I believed, that you honestly want to see the Queen healthy and happy, as our princess Madalyn. Now I see that the Mistress of Whispers was right. You do not want anything else, but to see your bastard in the place of our legitimate heir. If you would like, I would make you disappear from here without the Whispers finding out. I am more powerful than you think. And if you would wish, I would never allow Prince Nathan find you. But you do not want that. You are loyal to his treason and your egoistical greed... I can see that," Nimoria gestures for Edris to walk back, where her handmaiden and guards are waiting. Though, while still on their way, Nimoria adds, "I would love to wish you luck, but even that won't help you. You chose darkness, instead of the light..."

Edris looks up, shaking her head in astonishment at Nimoria's harsh reply. "I am a loyal subject to the Queen, nothing more and no less. I am to follow her wishes, as she still /is the queen/? I am in no position as to decide /for her/ what would be best for her. I do not care for your approval of mine decision. You left it to me, so do not DARE to place any judgement on me for choosing the most painful path possible - it should prove to you instead, just /how loyal/ I am." Her voice is still low but shows some strain as to keep it that way, when indignation and anger at Nimoria's false accusations threaten to get the upper hand.

She will walk back with Nimoria, her steps determined, her face still pale, a mere nod offered to the whitehaired woman in goodbye, when handmaiden and guards come back into view. "That fact alone should tell you all you need to know about me," is offered softly in reply to Nimoria's last remark, before she curtseys and murmurs: "Holy Mother." in a faintly polite goodbye.