forum The Betrayed and the Broken (Romance-betrayal-fantasy 1/1 open!)

Started April 20, 2020 by @Festive_Fenrir

tune

A recently orphaned prince has now come to age where he must marry. All potential suitors are welcome, including a lowly assassin who is sent by their commander. coerce, seduce and play the game of the high court. Use any means necessary to marry the prince. Except they have no intent on marrying the prince. They want the kingdom for themselves and for their people. They want what was brutally taken eons ago.
Rules

• minimal swearing and no smut
• be kind
• be active
• no one or two liners, please include detail whenever possible
• characters forms will be posted once someone joins
• you choose first, I have a pretty good idea on how I want the story to progress so i'm fine with being either royal or assassin
• lgbtq+ is welcome so let me know if that's an option for you
• open to ideas~

This looks really neat! May I join?

(Yep! lgbtq+? or would you like to keep this straight?)
Name
age
species if any -
appearance
personality
likes
dislikes
things that annoy them
small quirks
backstory
other

Name: Arno Quentin
age: 20
species if any: human
appearance: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/2b/78/c02b78c0f18415eeaaa0a2543a63cbd7.jpg
Dark brown, almost black, hair brushing his shoulders (usually tied back out of his face); 5’7” in height, average weight and build; hooded, hazel eyes; defined cheekbones and slender jaw, dimpled chin; thin lips
personality: Romantic, idealistic, and generally enthusiastic, Arno views the world through rose colored glasses. He is friendly with most people who are friendly back to him. Honesty and loyalty are viewed as very important. He has many ideas for the country whenever he becomes king, but they aren’t always practical. Despite his seemingly childish nature, Arno has exceptional communication skills and has been trained for leadership since he was young. As for romance, he dreams of the perfect partner. He is prone to fall too hard and too fast for a romantic interest. While he warms up to people quickly, it takes him longer to get truly close with them.

He is not as energetic as he used to be before his parent’s death, and he copes with his grief through oil painting. For his younger siblings he attempts to stay as normal and upbeat as possible, only expressing his sorrow while he is alone in his room or outside.
likes: The outdoors, forests, natural gardens; books and stories; oil painting; he finds most people interesting and likable; all birds; he’s a fan of leaf crowns
dislikes: Monotony; meat coming from any bird; the dread of becoming king
things that annoy them: People judging his decisions; critiques; being talked down to and pitied
small quirks: He is a fountain of knowledge about birds; almost always bouncing his knee
backstory: Arno grew up the eldest of five children. As the crown prince he was well tutored in royal duties and school work (which he hated being stuck at a desk), perhaps much more than his siblings. In the matter of a few tragic months, his mother died giving birth to the youngest prince, and his father died shortly after from illness.
other: Even though his parents have passed, he cannot be installed officially as king because he has not married yet. The throne is held as a partnership between spouses.

Name - Luna Blythe
age - 19
species if any - Half elf, half human
appearance - light drown hair that falls in waves to the middle of her back. Typically put up into a neat bun with wisps of hair on either side. 5'4 in height. Slender build, not much muscle. brown-amber eyes with flecks of green, showing her elf heritage. slightly pointed eats also due to being elf. facial features are soft. Skin is pale with a splash of freckles along her cheeks. Has a birthmark on her inner wrist that resembles a crescent moon
personality Calm and collected. Likes to observe more than jump in without thought. Can become snarky and sarcastic when confronted, when she's angry, or emotionally passionate. It's kind of her way of trying to be rational without physically hurting the person.
Has a softer side when alone. Indulges herself with books, mostly of romance or of far away places. Dreams of finding a mate but her duties as an assassin limit them
likes - dark chocolate, she could eat it by the ton! peonies since it reminds her of her father and mother. reading by the fireplace, folk music and dancing at night
dislikes - interacting with most people, alcohol or bars, being underestimated, frilly dresses
things that annoy them - ticking noises, people who think she can't lead because she's a female, restricted movement or breathing
small quirks - she tends to get lost in thought when alone and she starts to softly smile at seemingly nothing, not in a creepy way but more in an adoring, loving way. likes being around kids and animals
backstory Luna grew up as a single child in an elf village on the outskirts of the kingdom with her mother (human) and father (elf). It was a fairly normal and loving time until her father was killed in an altercation in the city and later her mother died of heartache and grief, poisoning herself with hemlock. Luna was taken in by an assassin group at the age of 12 despite her being half elf and has trained with them since.
other nope
(oki! I love your character btw…I don't wanna break his heart! aw this is gonna be good, let me know when you're ready!)

(Alrighty! thanks! )
Luna was finally done with her errands for the day, she had scouted out her two targets for the night and she had stocked up on all the ingredients for tonight's dinner at the guild as well as for her own home cooking. Looking around the square she saw two royal guards chatting near the entrance to the local pub, their eyes momentarily locking with hers as she passed by though they made no movement towards her. She nodded in respectful greeting and walked on, cursing them in her head as she walked home. She rounded a corner into an ally way and stopped by an alcove in the wall. She pulled out a fish from her basket and set it down. She watched a large cat-like creature came out. Her ears were heavily tufted with matting grey fur. He tale and back was scaled while her sides, face and underbelly remained furry. Luna smiled, bowed her head to the cat and continued on home, humming softly to herself as the sun started to set.

(Yw!)

Arno watched the horizon turn into a palette of orange and red hues as the sun began to set, resting his head against the rope holding up the tree swing he sat on. He swung his legs back and forth in lazy movements. The soft peacefulness of each evening left him alone to his thoughts. Thoughts about his parents, and the duty they left behind for him to fulfill. He couldn’t count on two hands how many suitors he’d met in the last week, and he couldn’t imagine himself having a future with any of them, while the high council already had their eyes on a few suitors they thought would make him a good partner. Still, the opportunity to meet Arno was still open to the entire kingdom. These worries consumed most of his thoughts, most hours of the day. He’d always dreamed of the perfect marriage, but now it was just another weight on his heart.

His Anendeigh, a golden falcon-like species with such fine plume the texture resembled fur, perched himself on a tree branch above Arno, preening. “Lou,” Arno cooed, tilting up his chin to admire his bird and lift his spirits. At the sound of his name, Lou stopped preening and looked back down at the human below him.

Luna reached her home right before the sun had fully set, leaving the path that lead to the small house washed in silvers and blues. The moment she shut the door behind her, she could feel a shift in the air. Not the normal peaceful calm she felt when she reached the dwelling, no. Something stronger, animistic and ruthless loomed around.
She took a deep breath and hung her cloak up on a hook. Taking the basket to the kitchen and putting everything away before she made her way to the study. "Aren't you a gentleman? walking into a lady's home without invitation or any sort of warning." She crossed hers over her chest and arched an eyebrow at the male who sat in her chair, legs propped up on the desk.
"Last time I checked, you still work for me, dearest Moon. Therefore, I get to choose when I come in and out of this little place you call a home." The man said, his accent thick and sultry.
Luna smirked and shook her head "Just because I work for you Antonio, does not mean you own me, no matter what fantasy you may think. Now what do you want before I lose my temper and my rationality?" she sat up on the desk and shoved his feet off, forcing him to look at her.
He rolled his eyes, knowing that she was right. "I have a job offer for you, Moon. One I think you in particular will like." he handed her a heavily decorated envelope, black and gold filigree orating the edges of an ivory paper with simple silver calligraphy on the from.
Luna raised an eyebrow, recognizing the address and the embellishments of the royal court "The High Court?" she questioned, opening the letter and skimming over the words, her brow knitting in slight confusion. "This is just a calling for able suitors for the Prince."
Antonio nodded and looked at her expectantly
The realization hit her at the same time disgust did "you want me to present myself as a…suitor?"
"Exactly right my dear. No one will suspect a thing from a pretty little thing such as yourself. You can get close to the prince and the crown."
She shook her head, still confused by the older elf's instructions and enthusiasm. "Antonio why? what do they have that could possibly be beneficial, especially since you expect me to apparently marry the prince."
He clicked his tongue in scolding and took her hands in his "my dear, don't you see? If you are queen, then we have revenge. We get our people what was taken from them. We get the kingdom."

Arno stayed outside as long as the sunlight was visible. As it dissipated, the prince stood up and clicked his tongue for Lou. With his bird perched on his forearm he crossed the gardens towards an ornate, whitewashed aviary holding the palace's royal predatory birds. Lou settled himself into the cage near the back away from the other Anendeighs. Unlike Arno, Lou was quite the introverted specimen, prefering his human's presence over the company of his own species. Arno bid his friend a final farewell before he latched the door shut, and was off towards the palace's double doors with his hand tucked away in his pockets. The path back to the palace might have been a maze had it not been for the winding hedges guiding the gardens' occupants safely back home. In his pocket he fidgeted with the invitation the palace sent out for his able suitors.

"Prince Arno." Sitting on a bench just outside the glass doors, a man called out to the passing prince. Graying hair, bristly beard, and bearing the tranquil regality, it could only be the head of the royal council: until Arno could be crowned king, the council officials held most responsiility for the kingdom. "I thought you would have gone to bed earlier tonight. You need your best wits about you at the ball tomorrow." As if simply meeting a few suitors could be considered a party

Arno stopped, and turned on his heel to face the man. Stood up a little straighter. "Good evening, Uncle." He didn't have high hopes for tomorrow, but it would be a nice distraction from his thoughts. "I was just on my way to my rooms now."

Luna thought it over, having to admit it was a pretty good plan. “What happens if I do end up as Queen? I assume I’ll have to live with him for the rest of my life.” She shoes away from the thought, hating how secluded and boring that life sounded
Antonio shrugged and brushed invisible dirt from his nails “you can kill him.” He suggest though it sounded more like an order than a casually answer “then you will have control. You can order our people back to their lands and you can rip as Queen. Then you may do whatever you wish afterwards, find a mate, settle down and rule to your liking. If ruling isn’t what you want then you can pass on the crown.”
Gods he made it sound so easy, that merely taking over a kingdom and was nothing more than child’s play.
“Quickly Moon, we don’t have all day. Theirs going to be a ball tomorrow evening for all suitors and I have to get your name in before morning if you want to do this.”
She sighed in frustration, hoping to have had more time to think. “Fine. Do it. But under one condition.” She locked eyes with the male
“Name it and it shall be done.” Antonio stood straight, knowing how much she hated to look up at him
“If I become queen, I want none of your interference until I decide a court.”
He chuckled softly “what? Don’t want a tainted background? Poor dear moon. Very well. I’ll wait until you call for me.”
She nodded and handed back the card. “And don’t come into my house again.”
He laughed aloud and bowed as he headed to the door “sure thing dear.” He winked and disappeared into the night, hoping to get to the castle before midnight.

Luna readied herself for bed, letting her hair walk out of its bun and settling into bed with a book. queen hm? Sounds like a fair deal. she sighed softly and gazed out her window to the horizon where the castle perched. She thought of the prince and how easy it would be to strangle him or poison him. She had only seen him once when they announced the king and queens death throughout the city. She thought him childish and incapable of running a kingdom, yet there was something she couldn’t quite grasp still to this day. How was someone so hurt and grieving able to kind to his people.

The old man nodded in consideration. "I won't keep you for too long, then. This is the last ball we are having for new suitors. Your choices are becoming limited. If you wish to choose a spouse for yourself, I would suggest choosing quickly. Or at least quicker than the pace you are going now."

Arno furrowed his brow. It was almost surreal knowing that after tonight he would have met his future spouse. But the thought of choosing had him wiping his hands dry on the side of his pants. How would he know who would be the right choice? His natural instinct was to follow his intuition, but the council normally abhorred those decisions. What if his gut was wrong? He swallowed before replying. "I understand, Uncle. Like you said I still have one more ball to attend, so, I'll find someone."

His uncle let out a labored sigh, squinting back at him. This was perhaps the very first weighty decision affecting the entire kingdom the prince had to make, and a hasty commitment could mean the destruction of the country. "I'm sure you will," he grumbled, "Now. Go to bed. I expect your best self tomorrow for the ball."

Arno had opened his mouth to say something else, but when his uncle began to talk he silenced. His gaze darted down, to the side, and then back to his uncle. "Yes, uncle," he replied, dipped his head and opened the door to head back inside. He wished his rooms were closer to the gardens, and on a lower floor, particularly when his feet already ached from standing all day. Standing to talk and socialize with the family of one of the suitors the council members liked, only sitting to eat during the dinner. He guessed he wouldn't be seeing that suitor or her family again.

She’s was used to it by now, waking up cold and alone. She wrapped the blankets around her as tightly as possible to maintain the little warmth she had. She sighed softly, not knowing if she would sleep in the same bed again or somewhere else. Sitting up and running a hand through her hair she pulled on a shall and stood with a jolt when she heard her front door slam open.
“Antonio?! I swear to the heavens!”
The male smirked and leaned against the threshold. “Dear, how are you not dressed yet?” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Go bathe while I choose the dress.”
She snorted a laugh “my my Antonio, never took you for a fashionista.” She laughed and took a towel with her to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.
While she showered, Antonio rummaged through her closet, pulling out a few dresses and lying them out on the bed.
One a simple black bread with a cord around the waist https://pin.it/7AyeaYw
Another was a cream colored dress with gold accents https://pin.it/CaPjJR7
And the last was a white dress with light blue undertones that flowed down in waves. https://pin.it/5GSbbu1
“Alright, I’m going to pass you each one and we’ll see how they look.” He called to her.
Luna peeked her head out of the door when she had finished the shower “Alright, Ready.” She had to admit, she was both nervous and excited for this new mission. She took a look at the first dress Antonio passed her and immediately gave it back “I’m going to a ball not a funeral.”
He just rolled his eyes and passed her the second one.

Arno roused awake sometime around sunrise at the routine knock on his bedroom door. He blinked sleep from his eyes, staring at the ceiling until there was another knock. The servant couldn’t enter until he was awake, and so he waited for Arno’s permission to come in. “You came come in, Layto,” he eventually called back, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. As he stood, his tunic fell just past his knees. Arno tore a hand through his hair, catching the tangled and smoothing then out as best he could with his fingers.

The manservant entered, a boy about Arno’s age who had serviced him every morning since they were early adolescents. He readied the prince for the day—especially the days as important as these: drawing his bath, picking out his clothes and dressing him, and the like. “Good morning, Your Highness. I brought you your new tailcoat from the tailor,” he said, moving the piece of clothing from one arm to drape over the other.

“Good morning, and thank you. I really don’t know what I would do without you, my friend” Arno chuckled, but was interrupted by a yawn. “Y’know, for the first person I’ve seen every morning for the past ten years, you’re still quite formal with me. You can relax around me at least every once in a while, I’m not one of the stuck up council.”

“I know,” Layto shrugged loosely, and a muted smile appeared in the corner of his lips when the prince called him his friend. He set the tailcoat at the end of the bed before moving to straighten the covers. “I’m being paid to do my job and that is what I’ll focus on doing. I am honored the crown prince would call me his friend, however.”

Luna came out in the last dress, liking it more than the others. She spun around once to show Antonio and then then tilted her head. “How is it?”
Antonio smiled softly, his usual rugged features relaxing as he watched her. “You look like a Queen. A dangerous, beautiful queen.” He stood and took her hands, looking at her a bit more closely. “But there’s still something missing.” He walked around the room, searching around for an accessory. He found it in a small box Luna kept on her desk full of jewelry.
“The foliage band?” She questioned slightly
Antonio nodded and set it on her head, adjusting her hair a bit and then taking a step back with a satisfied nod. “Pack anything you might want and leave it on your bed. If you do end up being chosen, I’ll have someone bring them to you by tomorrow morning.”
She nodded and started to rummage around the area, gathering her everyday clothing as well as he small jewelry box.
“I’ll be back tonight with a carriage.” Antonio called as he walked out to ready himself.
Luna took a moment to look at herself in a mirror and tried to imagine her next to the prince. Would he accept her for being an elf? Hell, would he even choose her? She shook her head and sighed, she didn’t want to be chosen, not really. She liked her life working as an assassin, she didn’t want to leave all the work behind just be be a queen, even if she’s could get the land back, it wasn’t like those that does would come back.

“You are my friend,” Arno smiled back, warmth kindled in his expression. He brushed his fingers against the dark blue cloth of his tailcoat, “This feels so soft. I can’t wait to try it on.”

“I would suggest washing first,” Layto piped up, crossing the room over towards the private bathroom. He was right: the royal fashion consisted of several layers and small intricacies, which would be a pain to put in more than once.

Arno nodded faintly in agreement, brushing yet another hand through his greasy strands of hair. “Yes, I wasn’t expecting otherwise.” Following Layto to the bathroom, he leaned against the doorway as the ceramic bathtub filled with water. The two of them didn’t speak for several moments. It was almost an unspoken rule not to disturb the peace when steam filled the empty places of the room.
Only when Layto turned off the water did Arno speak again. “Do you think the suitors tonight will be any different than the last ball?”

“Mm, there’s no way to tell.” The other male began setting various soaps the prince would need on the rim of the tub. “Except the latest invitations were sent to the entire kingdom. Perhaps simply nobles aren’t your type.”

“I suppose not,” Arno mumbled absently, but his wistfulness only lasted for a second before he peeled the tunic up and over his head. He hadn’t met many people other than those from the higher class. He liked them all well enough, but maybe the other classes held a hidden jewel within their seemingly drab exterior.

Evening soon fell on the kingdom, shrouding the streets in a warm honey glow as the last rays of sun descended over the horizon. Luna has been working from home, filling out letters to her fellow assassins as well as sending notices to her targets, posing as a doctor or as a scullery maid, recounting to them that she was no longer available and that they would have to find a new fill-in.
She looked up when there was a knock at the door and stood from her desk, clipping on her necklace last minute before smoothing our her dress and opening the door.
“Evening princess, you ready?” Antonio asked, leaning against the threshold as she gazed at her. He had changed his clothing from this morning instead of his tattered tunic and pants, he worse a slick black tunic with gold filigree adorning the collar. As for the pants, they were leather with matching filigree along the seam. He wore silver healed boots that brought the outfit nicely together.
“I’m not a princess.” She said, taking his arm as he lead her to a carriage that was led by two beautiful black stations.
“No, you’ll be a queen by the end of the night.” He winked and helped her into the carriage, shutting the door behind him and signaling for the footmen to go.
“So am I right to assume you’ll be enjoying the night as well?” Luna asked, relaxing against the plush velvet seats.
Antonio smirked and nodded “maybe court some ladies, seduce some guards, who knows. Maybe I’ll catch the eye of your prince.”
His love and attraction for both women and men never bothered Luna, in fact it was almost a comfort hearing her friend and teacher talk about being with someone. “You should, you’d be happy with someone.”
He breathed a small laugh and shook his head “Moon, I’m an elf assassin who’s bisexual. The best I get is a one night stand, and that’s not even on a good day.” He shook his head again and crossed his arms over his chest “don’t worry about my love life. You need to worry about catching the princes eye. After that, everything should play out.”

The guests should be arriving soon. Arno gazed up at the towering grandfather clock in the ballroom, nervously swaying from side to side at the front of the room, among his royal family. Meeting people and dancing was the easy part—choosing the perfect suitor, however… that would be the challenge. Biting down on his lip, he turned his attention from the clock to the large doors as guards swung them open. The doors themselves were practically the glittering jewels, and the first main attraction of the room. The second being the golden chandelier hanging on the ceiling, lighting up the otherwise dark hall with a hundred or so individually lit candles, and the third being the decorated prince positioned in the middle of his brothers and sisters. His eldest younger brother, Sonbureli, at his right hand and clad very similarly to the crown prince, with the exception of the crown. Arno wore his newly tailored outfit: a dark royal blue tailcoat with silver thread designs embroidered into the collar and sleeve cuffs, a velvet cape draped over his shoulders, polished boots, and of course the less-than-modest golden diadem placed like a trophy upon his head. Whether the prince or the chosen suitor ended up as the trophy was subjective.

"Arno," Sonbureli whispered, grasping his brother's shoulder. "Stop swaying. You're making me nervous." His tone was firm, but with a twinge of amusement mirrored in his grin. Enough to make Arno smile and relax at least a little bit. The second prince was eighteen years old, acting much like his older brother, despite the differences in their appearance. Unlike Arno, Sonbureli's hair fell in pitch black waves to the nape of his neck, and his jaw appeared softer.

"Sonny." Arno stilled his swaying and cast a teasing look over his shoulder. "At least you have no reason to be nervous…Unless you plan on finding a suitor too. In which case, I'll enjoy the company during the search," he murmured.

Sonny loosely shrugged. "Eh, it all depends on the circumstances. I won't go out of my way, but if you happen to veto a cute boy somewhere around my age I might appreciate it if you send him my way," he winked, concluding with a bright laugh to mask his request as playful jest.

Luna took Antonio's outstretched hand and carefully descended the steps of the carriage, making sure not to snag her delicate dress on any hinges. She pulled away for a moment to walk to the horses side and pressed her head to the side of it's neck, stroking it's beautiful mane for a moment and whispering a thanks to it and falling back in step with her mentor.
"That was sweet of you." he commented softly, guiding her up to the stairs to the castle.
"they deserve it, such beautiful creatures shouldn't work so hard. They should be free." she replied, looking up at the large turrets of the castle.
"They do indeed." he walked her inside, slowing his pace so she could admire the beautifully adorned halls of the castle before coming to a stop at the ballroom.
"It's beautiful." she whispered in disbelief, tilting her head back to look up at the doors and then tilting her head up more as they walked into the ball room, marveling at the ornate chandelier that was above them.
Antonio chuckled beside her "you always get fascinated by everything don't you, dear Moon?"
She nodded and continued to look around the room full of people whom she assumed were both suitors as well as their accompanying families, hoping that their daughter would catch the princes eye. She also spotted a few guards by the door and some maids waling about with food and drink trays. She immediately started to plan out any escape routs in case the plan went south.
Antonio squeezed her hand gently and gave her a stern yet teasing look "no need for that tonight Moon, if it doesn't work out, we leave like everyone else. No need to cause suspicion in the High Court just yet." he winked and walked around a bit more with her until they came to a stop at the middle of the floor, right beneath the chandelier. "care to dance?" he asked, reaching out his other hand for her to take.
Moon smirked and took his hand, resting her other one on his shoulder "never took you as a dancer." she teased
Antonio tolled his eyes with a smile and swayed slightly to the music "I'm full of surprises, just as the royal court is."
She tilted her head slightly in confusion "how do you mean?"
"Well for one, i never knew the Prince had siblings." his eyes gleaned brightly in the light of the chandelier as he gazed over her shoulder

“I’ll see what comes around,” Arno mumbled in amusement back to his brother. As the suitors and their families started filing into the ballroom, Arno craned his neck to watch each of them. It was always an inconvenient guess wondering who were the actual guests who wished to be chosen, and who had only accompanied them. The invitations invited both men and women to be his possible suitors, most likely to have the highest chance of finding someone of the best character for kingdom rule. However, he doubted that a man would catch his eye sooner than an endearing lady.
After his initial scan of the room and no one catching his eye in particular, he raised his gaze towards the entrance of the ballroom. A woman in a very flattering blue dress on the arm of what looked like a well-dressed man, maybe her father? It was hard to make out the details from the opposite side of the room. It seemed they were headed to the center, right under the chandelier.

“Aren’t you going to go meet some people?” Sonny took a step forward to stand closer beside his brother. “Usually by this point you’ve already found someone to dance with.”

Arno shook his head free of his thoughts. “Yes. Yes, I am. I’m going.” He cleared his throat and straightened his sleeves, pulled the cape more forward onto his shoulders. He couldn’t just push through a whole crowd of people to find a single woman; he would have to make his gradually way towards the center of the ballroom, dancing with other possible suitors on the way there.
With his half baked plan in mind, Arno plastered a friendly smile onto his face. He stepped forward into the mass of people, searching for his first partner to dance with.