Hadrian

[Andustar 2118]

"For a time, I resented your position. The crown-bearer who couldn't possibly comprehend the weight of loss. Whose whims and wishes were served upon a silver platter," Albéric said to himself, reading the missive in isolation. The knight of the lake never felt close to his cousin, yet he could not deny the sorrow that gripped his core.

 

"In truth, perhaps I misjudged you. Despite your mistakes, you were more complex than I gave you due credit for," he mused. A fact that had become more apparent in their most recent conversations. "I don't know with any certainty what lies beyond for you, Hadrian. I simply hope that you find the freedom you craved..."

 

"...I look forward to a time in which we'll meet again."

[peachcool 508]

Alexios shed several manly tears for his brother. 

[annanicole__ 1546]

Andromeda Ester of Ba’as sat solemnly in her opulent chamber within the Whitespire Palace, when the heart-wrenching news of her ex-husband's demise finally reached the Kingdom of Aaun.

 

A gentle tap on her chamber door startled Andromeda as her loyal maid stepped in. "Ma'am, there is news from Balian," the maid softly uttered. Intrigued and anxious, Andromeda swiftly moved away from the enchanting view of the balcony to meet with her maid. "Pray tell, what news do you bring? Is it about our children or perhaps concerning Adrian?" she inquired with a mix of concern and hope.

 

With a heavy heart, the maid lowered her gaze and whispered, "I'm afraid it is both, ma'am. Your daughter now ascends the throne as the Queen, while Adrian has departed from this world."

 

Andromeda's arched eyebrows shot up in astonishment as she absorbed the weight of the words spoken by her faithful maid. Despite her intense disdain for Adrian, a tear involuntarily escaped her eye. "My cherished one has finally joined our beloved Johanna," she murmured, shaking her head in a blend of sorrow and nostalgia. Sensing the need for solitude, she motioned for her maid to leave her chamber.

 

As Andromeda stood in front of the regal portrait capturing the essence of her once harmonious family, composed of Adrian, Johanna, and herself during their coronation, a wave of melancholy washed over her. "Oh, if only we could turn back the hands of time," she whispered longingly, yearning for a chance to rewrite their shared destiny.

 

 

 

 

[Wavey 1446]

Gaius, upon hearing the news of the death of his cousin, murmured a soft prayer whilst he sat by the fireplace in Marsana Keep. He then curled his lips into a soft yet solemn smile. "And so we pass the watering pot to another. Rest well Adrian..." He let out a feeble exhale as he struggled to get up from his seat whilst using his cane as balance. "I believe my time has come too...I shall see you soon in the Seven Skies." 

[MissToni 3487]

1 hour ago, HIGH_FIRE said:

As the Princess of Monterosa watched her father slowly slip from consciousness and soon life, she would mumble something, something very quiet. “Until all my enemies are dead-“ she paused and thought to her father’s strong response to her kidnapping to all the attacks Balian and her people had received. She thought of his strong resolve to bring down Veletz, Station and any other who sought to harm the otherwise peaceful Kingdom of Balian. “-I will not be free” she finished the sentence, uttering the words she heard from her father many times. She’d sign the Lorraine and get up from her seat, no longer the Princess of Monterosa, but the Queen of Balian.

 

Sibyl would, after seeing to her father’s dead body, leave her father’s chambers tears staining her cheeks as the man passed away. Over the past months they’d had several important talks and Sibyl was preparing herself for the oncoming inevitability. She had hoped being mentally prepared for such an occasion would help her bounce back from such a happening, but such was not going to happen at all. As she wiped away the stains on her cheeks she would take a deep breath, thinking through the many memories of her father, the day he had her invested as the Crown Princess, the day he met her firstborn and her core memory of him, the day they went to a festival in Haense together. Life was a lot less complicated back then, she was able to enjoy her time and her and her father enjoyed that day greatly. As she got to her own chambers, she lifted a pen and began writing a document, despite the tragic day, she still had a nation to run now, and that nation was at war.

 

Lalina did her best to stay by the side of the now Queen of Balian. Serving her tea whenever she wished for it. The woman would stay right outside her chambers, not taking her time for sleep. For Lalina knew how much she was needed now. After all the duties of a handmaid was to serve. And serve she would.

[Lirinya 2644]

Poppiya lamented the loss of a King she had not had the chance to know.

 

Wandering through the Palace grounds- she sought to comfort her best friend, and now Queen, throughout this tragic loss and tough new life she must now lead. @HIGH_FIRE

 

 

[AstriaS 3709]

Upon hearing the news, Tar-Caraneth Aryantë clipped an article on the topic from her favored broadsheet. Thereafter, she placed the clipping into a box, and then had it wrapped and delivered to her father as a holiday gift. @SimplySeo

[Tea_Guzzler 303]

Though she took no glee in the death of a king the adunian would laugh at the irony. Her father was right, they long outlived the lech. Perhaps the one to take their place will usher a greater era for the Balianites. Packing her bags, the Morrigan Arthalion would make to return home to Numendil.

[TeawithFrisket 2634]

“The king of Balian is gone” said a fox to Ember 

 

“is he now… another king past. Since the days of King John, Now it’s a queen, soon the age of kings shall end. I pray these ‘queens’ are worthy to wear their crown.” 

 

The shaman sat amongst her lake as waterfalls echoed around her she simply meditated.

[Phoebe202 638]

The King is dead. Long live the Queen.

Those particular words fell from the lips of Don Peter Theodoric d'Arkent in the long moments following Adrian's last breath. They rung like a bell in the young lord's mind, stained it much like wine upon a white tablecloth. 

After spending a lengthy amount of time with the bereaved queen and her kin, among them Teddy's fiancée, Eirene, (and not without a tear or two spared from his own eye) the Lord Zelador departed from the king's chamber and began directing the servants to change out curtains, carpets, bedsheets... everything would be made black during this period of mourning.

Soon after, the leal Salian ordered the same changes be made within his own estates.

[SapphirePool 1098]

Outside the chambers stood several figures awaiting the return of the Princess Sibyl who had entered. Ezren held the twin babies, whilst Xander and Ariadne stood by his side, each unable to fully comprehend what was transpiring within. He stood in silent vigil, only breaking to hush the babies small cries. It felt as if they knew before any others that the nation was without its king. Soon after, Sibyl exited, and with her came the new reign. The reign of Sybille I.

 

+-------------------------------=======--------------------------------+

 

An elderly woman with sightless eyes and black hair muddled with white streaks pondered endlessly within her chambers of the Vilac estate. It distressed Persephone that she could not hardly remember her nephews own face. She had never seen his face whilst he was Adrian, and she could only recall the times of his youth- Hadrian. Whilst she did not recall his features, she recalled the troublemaking nature of his youth with a small smile. How far had that troublesome young heir come from those days within Atrus. Truthfully, he always had the makings of a kind ruler. Some boyish faults were had, but despite that he didn't let it hold him back. She hoped that soon, she could view him fully alongside her frate, Alexander and her pater, John. Gwendel ( @Harald ) and her were of a generation long forgotten, and she felt their time was nearing. 

[sapphic_spidy 155]

Katherine never knew him. Not really. He scared her, everything scared her. She was meek, and small, and knew little more than her own name when she arrived in Balian- seeking something she didn't know. 

 

No mother, no father, no family. She simply walked until she fell. But Balian took her in- John took her in- and the king never did anything to slight her specifically. The gaps in her memory make her frown, seeing John's state makes her sad. So many people are hurting, dying, mourning. There are no guarantees. The thought is harrowing. 13, and so weary. 

 

So very weary. 

The king is gone, replaced immediately because that is what had to happen. There is someone new in his position so things did not fall apart. What did his individuality have to do with anything? She didn't know him. She suspects not many did, not really. Kath has this way of being suspicious of most fathers. She wonders what they hide. She wonders...

 

The king is gone.

He is replaced.

People cry.

Only God and Mattia may know the words that the king said in that confession booth. 

[ECS1999 955]

A note reaches Tuvia, brought to the Viscount by one of his servants, Sir Ephrem reads it carefully. The Templar places the missive over his desk, fingers tapping rythmically over the elm wood, seeminlgly lost in thought "Another one gone, may GOD have him in HIS glory, May his soul find peace in the seven skies". Ephrem grabs a piece of paper and a quill, wetting the tip in the ink nearby he starts writting down something:

 
 

 

Issued by the Viscounty of Tuvia on the 18th of the Lothar's Gift, 89 B.A.
 

 

In the aftermath of the lamented demise of King Adrian I of Balian, a profound gesture of homage unfolded as the Viscounty of Tuvia's keep underwent a poignant transformation, henceforth bearing the name Adrian Keep. This symbolic renaming serves as a testament to the deep respect and unwavering loyalty that Tuvia, the viscount, and all the Kervallen family harbored for the late monarch. The Viscounty's decision to immortalize the memory of King Adrian I in the very fabric of its land not only signifies a personal tribute from Tuvia but also resonates as a collective expression of grief and reverence from the people of the region. Adrian Keep stands as a solemn memorial, preserving the legacy of King Adrian I within the governance and heritage of the Viscounty, ensuring that the departed monarch's influence endures through the annals of time.

In the name of righteousness and valor,

 

HIS EXCELLENCY, Sir Ephrem Kervallen, Viscount of Tuvia, Knight of the Order of Saint Michael & Templar of the Archangel Michael. Magnus Dominus of the Order of the Radiant Star.


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Somewhere afar, or maybe not that far, Edvard Kervallen awaited simply sitting. He waited and waited long hours since the notice of his apprentice's death reached the Lurinite's baron hands, yet he did not seem sad for the late king; he who saw him as a baby, as a kid, as a teenager with hunger of learning and finally as a monarch. Edvard did not feel the grief others were feeling and thus awaited by the iron doors that were in front of him, buried beneath the mountain's rock. The mage killed some waiting hours by practicing, brewing and tinkering until... A few weak knocks were heard from behind that damned iron door, and so he smiled and moved, opening it to a new life...

[Laeonathan 3965]

"Looks like I won't get to stone the beast, for what he had done to the Princess. A shame."  Noted Eredain the Wanderer.

[Zora_T 12]

Upon a table in a simple home was a most devastating letter.

 

She reminisced about a king who did not suspect a youth with nothing to her, but her clothes on her back, who welcomed her to his kingdom, gave her a purpose and a life to be proud of.

She silently raised a cup with no witness and wept.