Sirensought - Tumblr Posts
"That sounds amazing." Leanora had never been so far from home before. She’d come with Ella on this political visit to attend to her, but also as support for her young queen.
But seeing the island sparked something in the lady-in-waiting.
She wanted to see more of the world.
"It's so different from home, but still familiar."
@flashbacksech0es said — ; "This place is so beautiful." (from my OC Leanora)
there's always a swell of pride that courses through eric whenever the island receives a compliment. it may not be his kingdom yet, his full responsibility, but he had already begun doing any and everything he could to make sure it remained well revered. after all, he will reign over it one day.
❛ you should see it at night, ❜ he beams, ❛ the entire sky alight with stars and moonlight. it's quite breathtaking. ❜
"We are a small kingdom, though my father says we are rich in tradition and romance." Leanora smiled, though small they may be there was a fierceness in the hearts of the people.
"We're a kingdom of farmers mostly, but we would be nothing without our ports."
"That sounds amazing." Leanora had never been so far from home before. She’d come with Ella on this political visit to attend to her, but also as support for her young queen.
But seeing the island sparked something in the lady-in-waiting.
She wanted to see more of the world.
"It's so different from home, but still familiar."
"It is a lovely place to live, as I'm sure is your island, the things that make these places beautiful is different, but in the end it's still beautiful." Leanora said smiling, it was not her place to tell the prince of her king's plan to negotiate a trade deal between the two kingdoms, but even Lea could see that this little island was going to be a profitable trade partner.
"What is your favorite thing about your kingdom, Your Highness?"
"We are a small kingdom, though my father says we are rich in tradition and romance." Leanora smiled, though small they may be there was a fierceness in the hearts of the people.
"We're a kingdom of farmers mostly, but we would be nothing without our ports."
Hearing her own words echoed back at her made Leanora smile.
"Well put, Your Highness." The lady-in-waiting paused taking in the view.
"I should see to my mistress, but I hope to take you up on your offer to look at the stars later tonight, perhaps after dinner?"
"It is a lovely place to live, as I'm sure is your island, the things that make these places beautiful is different, but in the end it's still beautiful." Leanora said smiling, it was not her place to tell the prince of her king's plan to negotiate a trade deal between the two kingdoms, but even Lea could see that this little island was going to be a profitable trade partner.
"What is your favorite thing about your kingdom, Your Highness?"
"As a woman, I do not expect much when it comes to freedoms. And especially not as a woman in my position." It sounded doubly pathetic when spoken aloud, but Anne knew it was the truth. Even when she had been a respectable lady, she knew that the balance of her life lay in the palm of men's hands. Any freedoms she had were ones afforded to her by her father and future husband. Now, she supposed, she had more freedoms than she had as a girl, but the chains of her own grief weighed her down more than anything else.
"I never used to be. When I was a child, I never cared much about anything that wasn't within arm's reach. If I couldn't see it with my own two eyes, it didn't matter to me. But now," She shrugged, letting a sad smile take hold. "Now, all I seem to dream about is running away and never looking back. Vanishing into the sunset, or dissipating into seafoam. Isn't that ridiculous?"
@awynter said — ; "i thought if i just kept my head down and followed the rules, everything would be fine."
"i suppose that depends on your definition of fine— but it does not afford you very much freedom, being bound by those rules and restrictions." a grimace, an almost instinctual repulsion of the word, twists his expression momentarily. "and in doing so, keeping your head down as you say, you're missing out on so much of what the world has to offer. not just what is around you, but what else is out there for you to see and discover. are you not the least bit curious what it has to offer you?"
"When you put it that way, I suppose it doesn't sound quite as ridiculous." Anne averts her gaze, letting his words sink in. They both had dreams of being somewhere else, someone else, and yet their lives had seemingly brought them in two different directions. Anne didn't know if he'd necessarily gotten his dream, but, in a twisted way, she'd gotten hers. The girl she used to be no longer existed, she was no longer bound by duty or relations. She was free to go wherever the winds dared to take her, and yet she still found herself wading in shallow waters.
"How did you quell the temptation, then? Did you simply act on them, or did you let them fester?" She raises her eyes to look at him, searching his expression for any answer, anything to offer her a sense of clarity. "Having such dreams is unreasonable for someone like me, so how am I supposed to make the desire to leave it all behind more bearable?"
"ah yes, yet another pointless restriction, if you ask me." of course, she hadn't and his opinion held no worth, but he wanted to make in known nonetheless. such a restriction always felt so unfair. perhaps it was because he'd seen both his father and his mother as ruler of his kingdom— and both had been well respected and beloved in the role.
"if that is ridiculous, then i have been ridiculous all my life." a small but almost amused smile tugs at his lips as he gives a light shrug of his shoulders. "i have been dreaming of the very same since i was a boy. i wanted nothing more than to load up my ship and sail off into the sunset, leave behind the life i had known for a new one. i wanted more— to see more, learn more, discover more than what the confines of the small island i called home could offer." his head then tips curiously towards her. "now, why would you think that's so ridiculous?"
“Not entirely, no.” She admits with a soft smile, but Anne can’t deny that she does feel lighter in a way. “It is refreshing to know it’s possible for some people to scratch that itch. And, if someone who bears so much responsibility can find a way to manage it, there’s no reason a measly governess can’t find a solution.”
His answer was heartfelt and she felt a sense of peace for his ability to have found a compromise in his life. But his words didn’t prove to ease her own worries. Anne knew it was unlikely that she would ever be able to escape the confines of the life— or lives— she’d lived. Perhaps, if she had been born a century or two later, she might’ve found a place for herself somewhere, far from expectations and ties that bound her to any one place, but it was nothing more than a dream in this life.
“Perhaps some people were simply not made for this world. Birds and fish do not feel such despair over their existences. I should like to know what that feels like one day.”
the questions that follow bring a sad little frown to his face, though he tries his best to disguise it. he can feel her eyes on him, trying to get a read on him before he can formulate a response. he had been lucky, in a way. he did not get his dream of escaping the life he was obligated to lead, but he did have the privilege of temporary reprieve from it on occasion. whenever the urge to disappear became too strong, he would use the excuse of building relations with the kingdoms and lands beyond their island. he would always return home though, the pull of responsibility to his kingdom too strong for him to ignore much as he tried.
"i know i have a responsibility to my home. i could not ignore that, though i did try. i did not want to let down the people who depended on me because of my own selfish dream." though his heart did ache that much more every time he boarded a ship to return home. "i was able to take trips away, to get just a taste of what i was yearning for. our island developed a very strong trade relationship with so many other lands because of it." a knowing smile punctuates his words. "i'm honestly not sure how well it quelled the temptation as every time i set foot on solid ground again i was already planning another trip." shoulders give a gentle shrug. "i don't suppose any of that is helpful to you in any way though."
If only it were that easy to disappear, she thinks. She's done it before, disappear, kill off a facet of herself and spill forth with a new story. But even then, she couldn't shed her history so easily. Annelise had died that night, and yet she haunted Anne each night. If she were to add another ghost of herself to her dreams, how long could she survive without going mad?
“I’ve considered doing just that, but, truthfully, I fear what may happen to a lone woman on the seas." If she had managed to find a monster lurking in her own home, what kind of horrors would she manage to find on the open ocean? What would stop them from tossing her overboard? Or doing far worse than George had ever done? As much as she wanted to fly away, she feared what might happen if she were to fall instead. "I admit that my fears of the unknown have often held me back from breaking free entirely. A cage may be restrictive, but it's safe. Constant."
Shaking her head, she offers a gentle laugh. "Forgive me, I'm sure you'd much rather speak of other things. I'm curious, where is your favorite place you've been?"
"i imagine it would be incredibly freeing, much like flying itself. but i assume birds and fish don't put much thought into their own existence." he pauses in consideration, eyebrows knitting together. "can birds and fish even feel despair?"
he gives his head a gentle shake. but perhaps there was an answer there. birds and fish are much more free because they don't put as much thought into their own existences, their actions are based more on instinct than anything else. are they capable of considering the ifs and buts of a situation before they take action? or the consequences of such actions?
"perhaps that's where your answer lies; you should be more like a bird, give less thought to the ifs and buts and consequences; act more on instinct." shoulders give a light shrug, unsure if he's even making any sense. "just go down to the docks, find a ship to stowaway on and. . . disappear."
