A SHIP SAILED FOR HOME

[Eryane 3629]

Spoiler

 

 

A SHIP SAILED FOR HOME

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” - William Shakespeare

 

Ulyssa was a port that, despite all the odds that it had faced, now thrived in the great islands of the east. To some, it was the marker of a colonizing power that had deprived the natives from their right to self-governance. To others, it was the delivering of civilization to a lawless land previously scarred by warfare. To Philip and Anastasia, it had become home.

 

Providence may have been their first home, filled with the memories of their youth, yet there was a simplicity to life in Ulyssa that the pair enjoyed. Although their lands had become numerous, and the people beneath their rule was great, they were graced with a populace that was generally peaceful, productive, and honest. Almaris was home to intrigue, warfare, sin, the many ills that the pair wished to raise their children away from. Ulyssa had become that place, a haven from the wrongs of their past lives, and a place to forge the future they desired.

 

However, old duties had not yet died. Wishing to avoid a conflict of succession, for he believed the rest of his life was best-spent ruling from Ulyssa, Philip had faked his death, sending back a casket with the corpse of Jared Dune- a portly serving boy from Providence who had been felled by a local disease. Although his skills were limited, his body could at least be used as a stand-in for the Duke of Furnestock.

 

“We must trust the children to keep this secret. I have no will to make my claim. I must put faith in my grandfather and father to deliver our Empire to glory. Mistakes have been made in the past, mistakes I desired to right, but we must let that go now. Oren must decide its future for itself,” said the Duke as he watched his children drift away from the port of Ulyssa for the last time. 

 

Then was the beginning of an indescribable feeling of dread for the Duchess. At first it had been subtle; akin to the changes in the bridge between autumn and winter. "Are you certain of this?" Although there had been a thousand more words to say, those were the only ones that she could muster for the slow, internal drowning in uneasiness that she began to endure. It might as well have been fear, for the state of the empire and those within it.

 

And perhaps it was, so she thought, as she stepped onto the ship set sail for Almaris. The feeling had become evident as to what it was as the years went by: obligation, a sense of duty, as an Orenian. It was a compulsion to do all that she could, all that was in her power to do, to ensure that tomorrow - whatever tomorrow truly had been - would be one greater for the empire. A million names ran through her mind, the faces frozen in memory yet ones she knew were aging, and all collectively made each step away from her new home, and to the old, easier. 

 

“It isn’t our place.” Philip grabbed his wife’s arm as she made to leave, though he did not restrain her forcefully. “We cannot be tyrants. We must liberate the empire, not conquer it.”

 

To be pulled from the playing memories and into reality once more left Anastasia in silence as she searched for the words that might satisfy him a proper response to her relentless desire to return home. None of her own came to mind, but rather the word of God, “I bid my faithful this: You shall not be idle, nor forget your duties in favor of sloth.”

 

Anastasia removed her husband’s hand from her arm with benignity and took it in both of hers, saying, “Should duty call our name, we will come only as you say; liberators, in the name of God and empire. In the name of the people and prosperity.” Before she left on her journey, she gave his hand a squeeze. The crew bustled and orders were shouted, til the ship abandoned the dock and into the endless sea. 

 

Only a few letters had been exchanged between the two as the weeks went by, given the time that would elapse between deliveries. The words etched into those letters outlined the beginnings of change in favor of what the Duchess had witnessed, under the guise of a servant.

 

---

 

Now, months later, the Duchess of Furnestock had returned, causing a crowd to gather around her just-docked ship. The Duke, noticing the crowd, knew immediately what it was for. Eager to see his dear wife after such a long time apart, Philip immediately hosted a parade to celebrate her return to Ulyssa. However, such a merry occasion was dulled by the serious concern of Anastasia, who, at the banquet later that evening, excoriated her husband for his reluctance to return to Almaris and intervene to uplift the Empire he had once held so dear to him.

 

Her news regarding the affairs of the continent was far from good. She recounted what she had seen in Oren - all who held the country dear felt stirred to action, each man and woman desiring to return to aid their homeland. With the proof laid before him, Philip too was forced to agree, though his reluctance was great. Ulyssa had been his home for years, and who knew if he would be accepted again, especially after he feigned his death? However, such concerns mattered little to him in the face of what could become of his true homeland.

 

 A month later, another ship left the harbor of Ulyssa. A large crowd had followed it to see it off, fearful that the craft would never return again. Three months would pass before the ship saw land again. 

 

The ship, named Princess Elizabeth, docked in Almaris with a collection of Furnestock family aboard; the Princess Anna and Prince Frederick, and the Duke and Duchess holding them in their arms. With the crew settled in due time and all cleared for their departure from the ship, they set foot on Almaris soil once more; changed, many years aged since their last time on the continent together. 

 

Stepping onto dry land for the first time in months, Philip Amadeus clutched the ground beneath him, silent as he held the sands of the continent he had thought he would never see again. Turning back the small assembled crew, Philip addressed them from where he knelt, the sand from the beach still in his hands.

 

“I had hoped to flee from this place once, fearing that my role as a servant of a Lord made me incapable in my role as a servant of the people of Oren. However, I have learned that they are one in the same now. It is God’s will that Anastasia and I return, for we must deliver our people to glory in the face of what they must overcome. A mistake was made, leaving our fellow Orenians to face it alone, but it is one that will not, cannot, be made again. We will see the Empire triumph, or we will perish, for it is God’s calling that we deliver it to the glory that it once had. I only pray that He gives us guidance as we move forward, for this time we inhabit now is one of change: it cannot be avoided any longer. It must be embraced.”

 

The Duke and Duchess of Furnestock were home. 

 

[!] Missives are sent out announcing the return of the Duke and Duchess of Furnestock, word is spread throughout Almaris, and letters are delivered to old friends.

 

 

Spoiler

 

Hey everyone!

 

If any staff need to clarify that Nectorist did not PK his character, Philip Amadeus, please send him a direct PM and he can show confirmation from other staff members that he has never died. 

 

Good to see you all!

 

[liz 962]

The long-ellusive Baroness Carrington received word from a bustling attendant that a certain Ducal couple had been spotted on Almaris. At the interval of nary a moment, the cocoa-haired Basridi shot up from a velvet-lined sofa in her quarters at Carrington. Pacing about the room, the Baroness gnawed on her inner lip. "I must write to them..." She muttered to no one in particular. "I MUST WRITE TO THEM! IT'S BEEN TOO LONG!" The woman was almost childlike in her glee at her dearest friends' return.

Spoiler

 

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Anastasie of Provins, knowing naught of the Duke and Duchess, only knew that the home she had known all her life would be home no longer. Several chests, set ajar, lined the walls of her marble-covered chambers, full to the brim with silken gowns and other belongings of the Pruvian beauty. She held her head high, for she would not allow herself to weep.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by VeganWalmart

[ncarr 2235]

♪♫♪

 

A noble steed stood above the sunken and wet ground of almaris, the breath of such a stallion visible by the bitter cold that surrounded it and it’s rider. Atop such a beast sat a woman, her long black cloak wafting in the wind as she too exhaled just as the horse she sat atop did, the breath rising into the air as if she’d a cigar between her lips, albeit there was no such cheroot. However as a bit of news was brought to the Lady a faint grin found its way upon her lips, something that hadn’t been present in quite some time, “Ah..” she hummed, her brows raising. “I do fear for what they’ve returned to..” she murmured, beginning off to meet her own son at his estate. @Ticklem0nster

 

---

 

At the Provins Estate a red-haired youth threw a few dresses into a bag, her eyes filled with tears. Downstairs her sisters and mother bustled about for some reason unbeknownst to her, instead she hadn't thought a single time about all that had happened, instead she took the small bag of clothes and belongings and threw it out her window and onto the patio. She stormed down the stairs, sneaking past her family, and making her way to retrieve the luggage from the ground. The youth drug the bag to meet with a friend of her's (@Herod), her countenance still weighed down with the bitter feelings of leaving home.

[spicii 1114]

reserved

[milkyi 1495]

Spoiler

 

 

"... Where have you gone?" A rasp resounded throughout the Palazzo Aggrade, followed by a series of coughs and a weak groan, as heavy footfalls crept up the grand staircase.

 

She was looking for someone.

 

"Eugénie!" Sang a voice from the balcony, "She's arrived!"

 

The Lady Baruch hadn't seen her family in a while now, and she was looking forward to a grand reunion with her sisters, a niece, and a long-lost friend. Despite her cynicism, Eugénie complied and went along with the proposal. She couldn't afford to miss this meeting.

 

She was led to the chambers of her nephew Lucien, though there was no sign of him, the woman had seemed to be interrupting a conversation as another woman dressed in bright fabrics removed her flaxen wig in front of her eyes, revealing raven-like tresses in its place.

 

Eugénie, however, was unfazed by the collective gasps that soon filled the room. She couldn't have possibly been shocked, After all, she assumed they'd all received the same letter, so she wasn't at all surprised to see this particular ebon-haired Lady make an appearance.

 

Eugénie had no words or feelings after hearing about the 'new' woman's plotting, other than contentment in knowing that her friend had returned soundly, and safely ... and eventually, she had agreed to participate in such a scheme. "Your grace, Ah've never had a quarrel with such." Eugénie leered in admittance, all that was left now was to prepare for what was to come.

[Harald 2465]

Johan Vuiller, the aged holy knight and former Cardinal would go grab one of his cows, pulling it after him "I swore to give them a cow for eternal milk during their wedding! and I was niet able to before they left! God smite me if I'm niet able to do so now!" He smiled warmly as he tried to find them

[Milenkhov 4497]

HRH the Count of Peremont, Prince Lucien Auréle smirks mischievously. (the sun's smile).

[farmerclown 3911]

 

Lady Exchequer Vasileia Basrid was delighted to see that the Duke and Duchess had returned, ready to welcome them!

[Nectorist 7347]

Philip Amadeus steps onto dry land, thanking his lucky stars for the chance to stretch his legs.

[zuziee 3212]

Maisie d’Arkent flashed a quick smile as the desert sun hit her face. Though her silent sunbathing was ruined by a butler who ran up with the notice! Pulling down her sunglasses, the gloomy old woman nodded with approval “Good. Charlotte will enjoy the help.”  

[_Bueno_ 490]

r

[Kholibrii 978]

Anne Josephine’s natural grin twisted downwards into a large frown upon hearing the news. “This is going to be a long meeting.” The teen grumbled in frustration, fearing the disruption the arrival would cause to the finally stable court.

 

[VIROS 2709]

Josephine Augusta, aunt to Philip Amadeus, is utterly shocked. "Who could have predicted the Duke would fake his own death? Certainly not I," she remarks.

[Maevlin 681]

Anna Mariya lets out a sigh of relief, the first bit of good news that has come in quite some time "Welcome home my dear.."

 

[Taketheshot 3834]

Joseph d'Azor looked over the letter as it had arrived with just a bit of surprise. "Especially when you least expect it...."