Eleanor breathed slowly, relaxing in his arms and calming herself from the two tense encounters with the king and his head guard. "I don't think there is," she sighed. "I'd like to believe that, but… neither of the two we just encountered are very reasonable men."
Thomas nodded with a small hum. “No. I agree with that. They are… very set in their ways.” he said politely. “But I still think we can do something. Maybe not them directly but if we could make others respect you… It could affect them.”
Eleanor drew back and looked at him evenly. There was something in her eyes, a glitter of hope that wasn't there before. "And how exactly do you suppose we do that?" she asked, picking at the hem of her riding shirt's sleeve.
Thomas sighed thoughtfully. “I… I'm not sure. I have a couple of ideas but I don't know if either of them would work.” he admitted. “One way is to start with the others who work here. Try to get them to respect you as their Queen. Another way is to somehow impress the dignitaries who are coming. They don't know you so they won't have an opinion of you yet.” he told her though he was more unsure of what the repercussions of that plan could be. “My last idea is… the people. The rest of the kingdom. Somehow make you their favorite.” he explained before shaking his head. “I don't mean taking sides but if the people respect you… then the King will have to listen to you.”
Eleanor listened to his ideas and nodded her head thoughtfully. "I suppose… I could do my best. It will be difficult, but I'm willing to try," she murmured, thinking aloud to herself.
A knock at the door startled her, and she took a short step backward out of Thomas's arms.
"You Majesty?" a woman's voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you ready?"
"It's my maids," Eleanor whispered. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think they'd be ready so fast."
Thomas nodded, agreeing that going through with any of those suggestions would be challenging. But the knock on the door kept him from saying anything more on the subject.
“It's ok.” he whispered back as he slowly let go of her.
( ;P)
(OMG I DID IT AGAIN)
Eleanor nodded and, making sure there was sufficient room between them, called out to her maids, "Come in."
Lucy, the queen's primary handmaiden, was the first to enter. "Are you ready, Your Majesty?" she asked, sinking into a curtesy.
A small smile pulled at her lips. "Yes," she replied.
(lol it's ok. It's bound to happen with as many RP’s as we have 😉)
Thomas stood perfectly straight as the maid entered. “Your Majesty.” he bowed before heading out the door to wait.
(True lol :))
Eleanor watched him leave before succumbing to the preparation her maids were instructed to give her. She was bathed, scrubbed, dried, dressed, and polished in a whirlwind of events. Finally, the only one left with her was Lucy, and her faithful handmaiden held up a mirror so the queen could see what she looked like.
At the sight of herself, Eleanor's mouth dropped open slightly. Her hair was flowing and wavy over her shoulders while half of it was twisted and pinned in an elegant yet commanding updo. Her complexion was glowing, and her face was softened by the hair that was still let down. And her dress… It was midnight blue and with gold filagree, the colors of Versia, and had a scoop neckline, princess bodice, batwing sleeves, and an A-line skirt.
Truth be told, Eleanor had never felt more like a queen than she did at that moment. "Thank you, Lucy," she said softly. "You're dismissed."
The maid grinned widely and left the queen to herself.
Thomas waited patiently in the hall as he should during such an occurrence. He had a lot of practice in waiting since he started working here.
He let out a steady breath as the last maid, Lucy, finally left and turned to knock on the door.
Eleanor held her breath for a moment, studying herself in her mirror. She looked… by God, she looked like a queen. The knock at the door startled her more than it should've, but she smoothed her skirts and called out, "Come in."
“It's just me.” Thomas said assuringly as he entered, closing the door behind him. But as he looked at Eleanor… He was left breathless. In the short time that he had spent with her, he had already thought she was beautiful but seeing her now. He couldn't help but stare.
"I know." Eleanor ducked her head shyly, a healthy blush rising on her cheeks at his reaction to her appearance. "Sorry to keep you waiting for so long. The maids refused to skip any steps."
Thomas shook his head slowly. “You're… “ he faltered. “I… I have no words.” he finally admitted as he continued to look at her.
Eleanor's soft features wrinkled for a moment. "What are you talking about?" she asked worriedly. "Is there something wrong with my hair?" Her fingers reached up to comb through her silky dark locks.
“No.” he said quickly. “No. Nothing is wrong. It's just… I have never seen anyone so beyond beautiful before.” he explained, though he still found those words weak descriptors for the vision before him.
Eleanor's fingers froze, and she looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh…" She lowered her hands and clasped them in front of her, blushing harder under his gaze. "I, uh… Thank you."
Thomas didn't have a response to her words. Even her blushing made her look pretty. His heart felt like it was trying to pound its way out of his chest with how it was racing. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter, attempting to compose himself despite his own cheeks turning pink.
“I suppose I should be getting down to the throne room to meet the diplomats,” she murmured, noticing her guard’s blush forming. She was surprised – was it her that had made him blush?
“Right.” Thomas nodded. “It would be my honor to escort you. If you're ready.” he amended, remembering his duty but still wanting to treat Eleanor the way she deserved to be treated.
Eleanor nodded simply. “Yes. I’m ready.” She gave herself a final look in the mirror, fidgeting with her hair for a moment to make sure it looked right before coming to stand beside Thomas and waiting politely for him to offer his arm.
Thomas smiled softly, and accepted her hand. “Alright.” he nodded. “You… You really look amazing.” he had to admit before opening the door.
Eleanor looked up at him and smiled warmly. “Thank you. That means more coming from you than it will coming from any of these delegations,” she murmured, slipping her hand through his arm. “Or Marcellus.”
Thomas felt his face heat up quickly at her soft words and sweet smile. But he didn't say anything as the door was open. Instead, he just ran his thumb over her knuckles to let her know that he had heard her before leading the way to the throne room.