The Will of Esfir d'Arkent

[Cheese 8898]

 

 QUETI TEMPUS ✦ NO TIME TO REST

 

 

ISSUED BY THE

 

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WITH GREAT SADNESS, THE HOUSE of Arkent brings forth a devastating announcement: the Duchess-Emeritus of Sunholdt, ESFIR ARTEMISIA D’ARKENT, is dead and has passed on to the Seven skies. At the age of one hundred, Esfir was found dead outside of Kazan. Her body was found mutilated and covered in malflame burns; presumably, her life was taken by the beasts of the Inferi.

THE DUCHESS WAS A STEADFAST and accomplished woman, and her presence is grieved greatly by her family, friends, and people. The House d’Arkent extends its condolences to all those who knew her and share her blood; the Houses Amador, Colborn, Marsyr, Iekami, Ludovar, Basileus, and Theonus. Her legacy will live on through her successes in life, and the love that is shared by her memory after death.

 

AVE ESFIR ARTEMISIA D’ARKENT; 

THE DUCHESS OF SUNHOLDT, COUNTESS OF SALIA & SAN ADRIANO, BARONESS OF SELM,

THE AMIRATUS OF BALIAN & LOTHARIA.

1959-2059

 

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I. PERSONAL ASSETS

I, ESFIR ARTEMISIA D’ARKENT, in a sound state of mind, 

do declare this to be my final will and testament. 

The executor of my will shall be my grandson and successor, 

BARON PETER D’ARKENT.

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I LEAVE THE MAJORITY OF  my possessions to my family, HOUSE D’ARKENT, to be left in the care of its Patriarch, BARON PETER D’ARKENT. This includes my wedding ring, the majority of my accessories & jewels, my closet, and anything else not explicitly distributed to another. Additionally, the following letters are to be privately distributed with the possessions I have left to each recipient.

 

TEREZA

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Spoiler

TO MY ELDEST DAUGHTER, I LEAVE my ruby necklace. This necklace is one of my most treasured possessions, and was given to me by my grandmother, Queen Amaya, in my youth. Given that she is your namesake, and you too are one of the most treasured things in my life, it is only fitting. Despite what anyone may think, Tereza, you are a ray of light– my ray of light. In my darkest hour, when I was confused and alone, I was blessed with you. I may have been distant in life, and you may not have had the steady family you deserved, but you have been at the center of my mind and heart always. There is nothing I do not love about you, Tereza, and I hope one day you are able to find the same happiness I was brought when I received you.

 

CALIOPE

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MY BEAUTIFUL AND STRONG DAUGHTER, Caliope. How proud you have made me, from the day you were born. Your charm, wit, and good heart have served you well in life, and I know it has not been easy. Being separated from you in times of war brought me nothing but the greatest pain, but at the same time, great comfort to know that you and your family were safe. The joy I have felt knowing you found happiness in Acelia and House Colborn is one I feel that rivals none other. I love you, my sweet Cali, and I know you will continue to make me proud. To you, I leave all of my gowns, and you may pass them onto your own daughters, grandchildren, and nieces as you see fit. 

 

MALCOLM

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MALCOLM, THE THINGS I HAVE meant to tell you far exceed this final letter, and they are not things you should know over writing either. However, if you do not know already, I love you, and I wish you all the best. Every day, I have waited for you to return to me and come home, but in the end I must force myself to accept that you did come home; it is just not my own. Do not forget, ever, that you are my son, and despite our times of strife, you have always been the most like me. I hope that one day, whether in this mortal realm or in the Skies, you are finally able to reconnect with your d’Arkent kin. It is my only wish.

 

PETER

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I CANNOT SAY THAT I’M proud in having watched you flee with your father to the Numendil. Your home, and history, have always been rooted in the Balianese–now Cascanovan–people. Perhaps you, or your successor might come to that realization some day and return home. I–and my spirit–will certainly await you with open arms.

WHILE I MAY NOT BE proud of your choices, you are my grandson nonetheless, and I adore you. I love you, dearly, and I have ached that there has been a rift in our House for so long. I hope that now, I may mend it some. I entrust to you the blade of your ancestors, to keep safe, to wield valiantly, and to guard your family with it. Keep safe also the remainder of the relics of mine I have kept that have not been otherwise distributed, and lead your House how I might have; with strength even in hours of darkness. You and your delightful wife have now what my own husband and I wished for when we were young, and I hope that your lives together are long, fulfilling, and happy with your own children.

 

DIANA

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MY LITTLE GIRL, AND MY successor to be. You may be too young to know what this means, or who I am, but when you are older, I hope you will recall these few and final words to you fondly. Take care of your house, and your family. Remain true to yourself always, do not break promises, and never turn your back on the one who lends you a hand. It will take you far in life, and it will bring your house to prosperity. I do not doubt you will serve d’Arkent well.

FOR MY FINAL GIFTS TO you, I leave my starsteel pendant–The Luminar Stone–and my diary. Until you are old enough for both, I will leave them both to your father. I pray you cherish them well, and that someday, you might pass them down as heirlooms to your own d’Arkent descendants.

 

LINDE

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MY DARLING ARTIST OF A girl, my sweet granddaughter Linde. You have brought me joy unimaginable since your dearest Mother’s passing. You were stripped of so much at such a young age, and yet you shine in all that you do. Your perseverance is something even I admire, and I hope it carries you through the rest of your life. Of all the artwork I have ever collected, the drawing you made me has been my favorite, and I hope you will hold onto it until we might be reunited in the Skies, along with the hairbrush that your dear mother gifted to me many years ago.

 

QUEEN-DOWAGER AMELYA

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WE MAY HAVE ONLY MET a handful of times, but I harbor nothing but the deepest respect for you, my Lady. Respect, and the utmost gratitude for allowing me to love your son, even if for a short while. He was anything I could have dreamed of in a man and a lover, and there was none that rivaled him in all my years. It will always be, ‘til my dying breath, my biggest regret that I lost touch with him.

ALEXANDER WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO allow me a place in his life, and welcome me into a family when I had none. He granted me pieces of those he loved–you specifically. He gifted me your royal suit of armor and a raccoon-fur hat, both of which I have treasured deeply. Given Cecily herself has passed, I think it only right that I might return them to you, my Lady. I hope that you might either return them to Alexander himself, or bequeath them later to someone more deserving than I was.

 

ADRIANA TEMESCH

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YOU, MY FAITHFUL WARD, HAVE done me proud. Having taken my lessons of stewardship, leadership, and devotion well, I have seen all you have done to carry the weight of responsibility that has seen your House flourish even in times of strife.

IT PAINS ME, THOUGH, THAT I have kept a secret I admit to you now. Some years ago, a lover of mine dueled a Lord of Asturias for the County of San Adriano that was stolen in the destruction of Balian. Upon winning this duel, he bequeathed the title to myself. I wished not to flaunt something that was originally meant for you, so I kept my holding of it private. That is why, now, I formally return the County of San Adriano to your family, and I pray it remains untouched by the filthy hands of the Imperials for the rest of time. Hold it quietly in subsidiary alongside Rosfleur, or flaunt it. It is your right now.

 

IOHANNIS & RHOSYN

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YOUR REIGN WAS SHORT, AND full of turmoil. I lament that it was not better, but know that you have a family who loves and cares for you, and you have each other–that is more than even I had when I was your age, so I know that you will fare far better than I. Iohannis, I pray you will care for my Rhosyn and granddaughters and sons. While my gifts to you are not much–a token commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Kingdom of Balian, and a pair of earrings gifted to me by my Aunt Theodosya–I hope they will stand as a reminder that your dynasty still exists through you, and that like a phoenix, you will rise once more. This is not the end.

AS PROMISED, I ADDITIONALLY RETURN the County of Salia to the House of Basileus, though I do admit that I pray that one day, it might be returned to its rightful d’Arkent holders.

 

 

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II. BURIAL

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IF MY BODY IS INTACT at the time of my passing, I wish to be cremated. Sprinkle my ashes into the seas off the coast of Azuras– I wish to forever be among the ocean that I loved so dearly in my youth, and to forever be close to the people I call my own.

 

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Her Grace, ESFIR ARTEMISIA  D’ARKENT, 

Countess of Salia and San Adriano,

Emeritus Duchess of Sunholdt & Baroness of Selm, Emeritus Amiratus of Lotharia

 

His Grace, PETER VI MARIUS D’ARKENT, 

Baron of Selm,

Duke-Consort of Vohnheim, Margrave-Consort of Marignan, Count-Consort of Sigiswald, Viscount-Consort of Karlstadt, Baron-Consort of Raustyn, Lord of Vissingren Castle, Patriarch of Houses d’Arkent and Theonus