Anna Carolina

[kuerbis 3802]

Anne Caroline 

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLV_bJmC-w8

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The Duchess Auvergne as she was found in her bed, 1873.

 

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Through the halls of the Novellen palace in Arcas echoed the screams of a fussy newborn princess as she was ushered away by the wetnurses that relieved the babe's supposedly crazed mother of her duty to care for the child. And why should she? Highborn women like Judith Helvets had better things to do than to nurture the creatures that were spawned from a cousin marriage with love. The third, Anne Caroline had been. Second daughter out of three, third sibling out of five. 

 

Anne had adored her siblings. They knew what it was like to grow up the way that she had. Surrounded by nannies and fed with golden spoons, clothed in the finest silks money could buy, yet deprived of parental love and approval. Perhaps these early experiences Anne Caroline had made at the court of her grandmother and namesake Anne I and her grandfather Joseph II led the Crestfall to be such an absent parent later in life.

 

Marriage was something everyone had to go through at some point in their life. That irrelevant princess was no exception. It had started with vows and big promises that were broken on both sides. And 30 years and 3 children later, it ended in heartbreak, divorce and assassination attempts on both sides - both of which failed.

 

Having had enough of love for the time being, Anne threw herself into work. Her uncle John VIII had died childless and so her father, who would become a stain on the long history of the Empire, should be known as Philip II. 

 

Now being the lady treasurer under her niece and nephew, Anastasia I and Philip III, Anne of Oren continued as she always had - only allowing herself to be involved in one more scandal that was her 2nd marriage, which should be to her first love, whom she could not marry before due to his common blood. A self-made man, they would call the Viscount of Rivia, but to Anne, he was a source of happiness. Even the child she had borne him out of wedlock shortly after her divorce from Simon, who should be known as "the lizard", remained largely unnoticed. 

 

When Robert died, Anne found herself entertained by a young man called Najar Yar. Until her death, he would be her last companion.

 

Being a difficult person was what drove most of Anne's grandchildren away. She was… crazed, almost. Just like their great grandmother Judith had been. Regardless of it, she doted on them all. Them, as well as her grand-nieces and nephews, who had no grandparents of their own. Anne took the role with pride and picked favourites, of course. Catherine, Anna, Lorena and Frederick, for example. And so, it was no surprise that Anne chose to stay with the King of Oren during the brother's war. She did not mourn for the pretender emperor and that hussy of a wife he had. Anne cheered from the shadows as she always had, when the both of them were being executed in the throne room.

 

Old and decrepit, Anne retired from her position as treasurer to live out the rest of her time in peace in her grand-nephew's court. 

Frederīcus yr Aaurn, long may he reign - and she chuckled at the thought. The Empire she had been taught to nurture and love had fallen. The Kingdom was the future, but Anne would much rather leave the future to the younger generations, who would surely bring Oren back to its glory days.

 

It was as though she prepared for a journey when Anne met with the few loved ones that remained and bid them farewell. She left a will, even, and a few goodbye letters. A wonderful last day in the life she so adored, which she now had to let go. She would cherish these memories forever.

And the next morning after her adventurous last day, a cold corpse looking akin to what Anne looked like in life was found in that old princesses bed while a cloaked figure departed the palace to join her brethren.

 

Her Imperial Highness, Anne Caroline of Oren, Duchess of Auvergne 

1789-1873

 

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WILL AND TESTAMENT
 

I, Princess Anne Caroline Novellen, hereby declare that this shall be my legal will and that any wills I have previously written shall be considered null and void.

 

To Catherine, Duchess of Westmarch, I leave my ship, The Crestfall, embarked at Owyn's Wharf. I pray she takes you on many adventures as she has taken me.

 

To the Revered Mother Anna I leave my Lorraine Cross, blessed by Saint James II. You are a dear girl and I hope you shall live as long as I have.

 

To Princess Lorena of Oren I leave my jewels. May they shine on you and may you carry them into a new era.

 

To Frederick I, King of Oren I return my peerage and my blessings. Long may you reign, my dear nephew!

 

To Claude Pruvia I leave everything that should've gone to Philip. You were the child I never had. I am proud to call you my daughter, even if it is only by your marriage to that fool of a son I've birthed.

 

To Anne Eleanore Morovar, my only surviving daughter, I leave only my apologies that I could not be the mother you deserved alongside my circlet. Bury it or keep it - I merely hope that once I am no more, you can forgive me.

 

To Thomas I leave the sum of 10 Mina. What can I say? You were a bastard after all.

 

Signed, 

HIH Anne Caroline Novellen, Duchess of Auvergne 

 

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Spoiler

OOC 

This is not a PK despite the supposed death. Please don't metagame any information. Thank you to those who made her journey interesting so far. I am super excited to see where her story leads her :)

 

[Axelu 4333]

Even in death, Helena Augusta, once Knight Commander of the Order of Exalted Owyn, and too a Countess of Temesch, fondly recalled her years with Anne Caroline, her beloved sister-in-law.

[Lasombruh 612]

"Didn't I just see Anne like an hour ago? She seemed fine..."  Fyodor Carrion ponders to himself.

[Taketheshot 3834]

Joseph d'Azor frowned pursing his lips "So long Boss...so long..."

[PrincessSnowie 539]

Vespira recalled her most 'dear' of friends, from the time Anne was a young ugly duckling, to their youth as adults. She chuckled reading of how she was found. Recalling all the time's she'd spew rumors of the young princess. Or the plots she made with her against Simon. With Anne's death came new opportunities, but also an emptiness... For in truth the old Widow Komnenos had seemingly won, all the girls from her days in court she'd declared war on, rivaled with, or just downright disliked were all dead.

Unable to control herself, she wept for her old friend. Were it tears for Anne or herself she could not say. But it was certain the Cold Widow Komnenos was cracking more and more as she felt the door nailed shut on her self-inflicted isolation... All her past actions had lead her here. Anne was lucky, she relished in the thought. The vain beauty tycoon had written her own fate as a spoilt mean adolescent, destined to grow old, alone, ...and irrelevant.

 

R.I.P Anne Caroline

[kazoo 587]

Sir Alexander Antler would sigh deeply as he heard the news. Anne Caroline was the only woman that could scare him perhaps even one of the only persons that could scare him but he will always remember the times he had with her wether it was her beating the absolute crap out of him or when they  were just sailing together with Robert in her ship.

[𝖂𝖆𝖌𝖜𝖆𝖓 740]

The Late Viscount Rivia smiled somewhat, raising a glass in honour of what was. The void bound Rivian did try his best to ignore any mention of the Qualasheen boy however. 

[amyselia 2962]

Anna Ulyssa sets herself to prayer for the soul of her Great-Aunt, frankincense perfuming the air of the Temple of the Eternal Flame from which she begged the salvation of Novellen.

 

In the thick  of the forests of Vienne, Claude received word of Anne's death by a courier's approach. Her expression went morbid, her heart sour. The pressure of time's decay attacked her face, a hostile hand swift to throttle the rabbit freshly entangled in her hunting net. "I need no reminders of what lies in wait for me. I shall seek my tears some other day- Anne would not have wanted me to spoil my fun." Her lips conveyed a decent smirk, rising as did her knife upon the creature's skin.

[Lhindir_ 3691]

A creature in the dark, welcomes Anne.