Charbi

Though the sisters would never meet in the beyond, Aylin knew their people were safe and prosperous in Leika's arms. She did what the adopted de Astrea could not. Aylin was, in fact, just the regent--she held the seat until true greatness could take the helm. And now...she hoped Leika could rest knowing how loved and how proud she made her. OoC:

The Paladin Widow had spent most of her days in agonized grief. However, when not replaying her husband's death over in her mind, justice's cool flame soothed her aching soul: there was no remorse in throwing the bottle of flames.

I

ʟᴀ ᴍᴀꜱᴄᴀʀᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴇ ʟᴀ ᴄᴏᴜʀ ᴅ’ᴀᴍᴏᴜʀ The 19 of The Grand Harvest , 63 SA “𝒥𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓈 𝒹𝓊 𝒸𝒾𝑒𝓁 𝑒𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝓈 é𝓉𝑜𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝓃𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓆𝓊𝑒 𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝒾.” ♬♪♫ With the frost giving way to the budding of spring, the Kingdom of Elysium welcomes her citizens and allies to celebrate Love in the hopes that the aforementioned buds bloom into breathtaking blossoms. It is within these times that we hope the blossoming bud that we sow in the soil of our court grow to flourish and create future seedlings. La cour d’amour is an assembly of already betrothed Elysians who will aid young lovers in finding a match during the evening! Even though it may not be your first choice, we urge you to see past what you may find fit for yourself. Allow us to guide you through a romantic evening. ITINERARY Présentation de la Cour d'Amour -: ✧ :- The rules of engagement and introduction of your hosts! La danse en cercle -: ✧ :- Fleeting minuets danced in minutes of cordial delight! Will you be dancing with the person of your dreams? Your future best friend? Only time will tell! La chasse au ruban -: ✧ :- Find your host to be bestowed a ribbon! Who knows what colour you will be paired with! Le retour à la danse -: ✧ :- Once you have found your ribbon’s colour match, return to dance the evening away and get to know them! DRESS CODE We humbly ask our guests to adhere to the following colour codes for their masks: -: ✧ :- 𝕷𝖆 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖉'𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖚𝖗 - Alabaster White masks worn by your helpful love hosts! -: ✧ :- 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖊 - Salmon Pink masks are worn by those who do not wish to partake in the Chasse but rather search for love on the dance floor alone! -: ✧ :- 𝕭𝖊𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖉/𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖉 - Emerald Green masks in honour of Esmond Reede’s signature colour and his passing. -: ✧ :- 𝕴𝖙'𝖘 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉/𝖂𝖎𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖉 - Sky Blue masks For the couples who wish to just enjoy the masquerade without being asked to partake in any manner of courtship rituals. -: ✧ :- 𝕷𝖊𝖘 𝖕𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 é𝖙𝖔𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖘 - Buttercup Yellow masks are asked to be worn by those too young to be courted but wish to simply enjoy the festivities!* Otherwise, we sincerely hope our guests will dress to feel their best! Signed, Duke Eugeo de Astrea Lady Aylin Reede de Astrea, Heir Apparent Minister of Interior & Foreign Affairs Dr. Esmeralda Mariana Guenevere, Protector of the Hyspians, High Council Member, Elysian Post & Postal Founder, & Acting Chancellor of Culture Lady Leika de Astrea

“𝕀 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕥 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕪 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕠 𝕤𝕠𝕗𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕕𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕤𝕒𝕪, ‘𝕀𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘, 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 ‘𝕋𝕚𝕝 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕒𝕪.’” Aylin never left his side in the hours, the days since she, Togrim, and Alona had carried him from the burning cave. She worked meticulously as her mother had taught her, ensuring his mortal body was peaceful so that she could fool herself that he was only sleeping and would surely wake when dawn came. She stood vigil over him, the utter shock of what she saw before her betraying her senses until exhaustion took her. She did not hear her friends of the Lunaran guard peer through the door and stand vigil until she remerged at dawn and asked for their help to move him. In the subsequent weeks, the Badawi still woke most nights with Esmond’s final moments burned into her retina, replaying over and over as guilt and grief took turns to thread each link in their chains over her heart, weighing her further. There were other nights that still a fracture of her soul hoped he’d walk in through their bedroom door and introduce himself as Sirame Chirr once more, that the horrors that had occurred in that dark cave had been a farce. She went through life as an echo of her former self, finding solace instead in his fading scent on his clothes and bedsheets. When she could no longer smell him, when she desperately feared she’d lose his memory like water through cupped hands, and her Badawi spirit craved to roam once more, she began her pilgrimage to the places where time’s fabric still held echoes of memory—their lives together. She began by standing in front of the great white dogwood tree in the de Astrean palace and touching the bark to conjure the music of her bridal walk to reverberate around her. She moved to the hilltop where Esmond had been thoughtful and prepared a picnic with the children. She remembered just how much she had missed Annore but oh so thankful to have been reminded of what was important: family and treasure it was to spend time with one another. Time… Aylin felt her heart constrict as guilt linked another weighty chain around it. How did their time together become so ephemeral, fleeting? There was so much of it that she missed so much that— She tore herself from the hilltop, willing her feet to continue her crusade and made her way north. Aylin felt more like a ghost herself, displaced in time as she sat on the hill where she and Esmond raised Annore from tiny seedling til she left for Yong Ping. She yearned for the warm fireside where her husband held Fitz’s little hands and helped him stand upright. She climbed upward to the gardens that still remained and she stood on one end of the creek bidding her mother’s tradition of courtship as Esmond professed his love and intentions to her. To where he finally revealed himself as her love after a year of mourning him, disappearing so that the forces that hunted her would cease and he could still protect her from shadows. Her feet carried her Eastward where the two had vanquished brigands, to the tea house they so enjoyed. Southward she went to the golden seas where only starlight smiled down upon them that day: where she taught him about her people, her customs, bestowed him his own Jouharu and the promises that she would teach their children one day. She chartered a boat back to familiar Western waters and walked the paths to the Elven Kingdom, recalling how they wished to take time to explore Almaris together, and after their trip to the Elven seat, promised they would and…never did. A light rain had descended now as she ventured past Elysium and onward to Vortice where memories were abundant but fading at the edges due to time. She recalled their first kiss along the benches, the countless evenings she spent visiting him, cousin Eleonore and Silas, the playful brawl in the rose garden that resulted in an old friend mistaking it for trouble and intervening. She recalled confessed feelings at the marble temple, the brawl he stepped in to protect her and their unborn son, and then… The tavern was mostly the same. Aylin swallowed and made her way to the seat by window and took her spot as she did all those years ago. “There is beauty in simplicity,” she had said to him. What was it that he returned with? “There is certainly beauty in simplicity, that I agree with. Just as there is beauty in intricacy and detail, among other things. All things that litter this realm are beautiful in their own way, be it something natural, like this flower Or something like this bustling port town, full of manmade life and activity, brick and labor.” He had given her a daisy: the recurring symbol of finding beauty in mundane, fleeting moments, in the purity, essence, and timelessness of their love. And it was with those words that she vowed to live the remainder of her days for him, her anchor: to remind herself to stop a while and smell the daisies. “I love you, too, Esmond,” she was finally able to reply. OoC:

I likely solely speak for myself, but as a newer member of the community I simply took it to be part of the forum culture and a quicker way to go back to a post you mean to check in and respond to when you have the spoons to do it. (Okay, that last part was definitely for me, as I certainly have several pending posts I need to respond to aaaaaa) I absolutely see your point and will attempt to rectify any I've done as quickly as I can. Thank you!

The Reede de Astrea Wedding 7th of Sun's Smile, SA 49 A commissioned wedding portrait of Esmond Reede and Aylin de Astrea Announcement It is with great honour, pleasure, (and relief of their family) that Lord Esmond Reede and Lady Aylin de Astrea are to join in joyous matrimony on the afternoon of the Sun’s Smile, the 49th year of the Second Age. The couple invite their honourable guests to witness their wedding ceremony by the white dogwood tree followed by a dinner banquet in the Elysian palace main hall. The evening’s festivities would begin with the newlywed’s opening dance that would carry out into the evening. The bride and groom are eternally grateful for any wedding gifts, but they are certainly not necessary. In fact, they would wish that any and all contributions instead go to humanitarian relief efforts for Elvenesse in their time of need. The soon-to-be wedded pair would wish to welcome all who are friends of Elysium to the joyous occasion, and will formally send out special invitations via courier. While the newlyweds would wish for their guests to wear what they wish, the wedding theme has botanical themes, (namely daisies,) coupled with the colours of sage and mauve. Lord Esmond Reede, Chancellor for Department of Culture Lady Aylin de Astrea, Heir Regent Minister of Interior & Foreign Affairs

Aylin de Astrea stumbled back against her study bookcase at the news that her dear cousin had been found in her eternal slumber in her bed in the palace. She reminisced fondly of how they were the freckled girls. The times she had comforted young Amicia. The woman she had blossomed into. The manner in which time and time again Amicia had saved her from both a terrible man and then from being struck by arrows and at deaths' door. "Until we see one another again, sweet freckled princess," Aylin murmured softly

Amelya Kortrevich had already been unravelling, especially with the secret she held within her and now... now she received news that her dearest Hauchpapej, one of the few who beheld the oddity that Amelya was with fondness instead of dismay. He watched the rambunctious child grow into the...the... what was she now? Amelya sighed, shaking her head and closing her eyes so very much like his. "Szam Ea was niet with vy in the end Hauchpapej. Szam...we didn't speak much beyond Emma's presentation ball. And now...Ea can only hope to continue to...do vy proud and...that we will meet again, soon."

Aylin de Astrea's eyes narrowed at the penned letters, no, now twin letters of resignation and shook her head sadly. It was clear to her, in the time she had spent knowing both Aech and reading the reports on Brian, that they rarely did anything not impulsively, recklessly...hotheadedly. From attacking Nym to Aech's mishandling a situation in Savoy, an altercation at the city gates, then Brian's multiple counts of aggravated assault, breaking and entering, to now these letters? This is the thanks they give Liluth and her attempts at reformation with the pair of them? Her eyes rested on the words "Evil Norland" and her lip curled, shaking her head. Clearly the young halfling had spent time with perhaps the wrong crowd, feeding them whatever nonsense there truly was to believe their youthful world was so black and white. "Respect, dear friend," she murmured, "is something earned and not demanded. Not everyone is suited to the military life." With a backward glance before returning to her duties, Aylin looked forward to the various systems she knew were in place to aid the Rangers and perhaps assuage these feelings.

[!] After several discussions between High Keeper of Norland and Heir Regent of Elysium on the matter, a letter circulated through both Norland and Elysium: It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Outrider Matilda Osmond has passed into the Allfathers Halls. Mother of Aila and Raimyr, wife of High Keeper Dramyr Edvardsson Ruric, friend of everyone she came into contact with, we wish to extend invitation for her funeral which is to be held on the premises of Old Elysium: it was a place she held most dear and is where she shared many memories with her loved ones and fellow Rangers. Signed, High Keeper Dramyr Edvardsson Ruric Aylin de Astrea, Former Chief Diplomat to Norland, Heir Regent & Head Diplomat to Elysium

Amelya Kortrevich beamed with pride as she kissed her sister's forehead for what felt the final time as she tucked her in to sleep. Being a nocturnal creature by nature, she paced the halls of their home in Jeroviz before an idea crept into her mind, aided by a certain little friend Emma had met and instantly befriended. A giggle escaped her lips as she found her stitching box, crept back into their shared dressing room and pulled Emma's wedding gown from the coverlet. An envious sigh escaped her lips as she twirled the fabric this way and that before pinning the hem up and getting to work on a small embroidery piece of a certain blue butterfly she they both knew and loved. "For luck," she whispered and watched how the stitched wings seemed to dance in the candlelight. She knew that no matter what her sister's future would bring, it would be as magical as Emma was.

This is awesome! It's funny how great minds think alike, though, or that weird phenomena that folks are on the same wavelength on stuff, it's wild:

Estella Buckfort awaited til Wojtek and her father had passed to come out of hiding and remove the Sarissan propaganda posters, excited at the prospect that Auntie Eliza had a venture all by herself!

This is incredible work! +1 and it was my pleasure to help in any way I could u3u

Estella Buckfort would watch her brothers indeed, flick snot at one another and wonder if she could follow her eldest brother’s footsteps and become a knight, too!

“It is the common aspiration of the peoples of the two countries to deepen mutual understanding, enhance trust, develop friendship and strengthen cooperation.” An offering of Humanitarian Aid from the Golden Fields of the North to the Healing Dragon: To the soul-weary, storm-tossed, fiercely beautiful nation of Yong Ping: Our people in Elysium have paid notice and sympathies to the tribulations as of late upon the Jade State, with our own friends speaking with great sorrow on the wanton destruction which has lambasted the Jade City. Our people in Elysium know of such hardship and would like to bestow gifts and aid, without any demands to a people that has only been kind and understanding to our own, and going as far as to open their own doors for refugees during the devastating Oren-Norland war. To you we bring our harvest to warm your bellies, our armour to protect your bodies, our medics to tend to your sickly, and our kinship to carry through the ages. Sincerely from Elysium and Her People, over 700 minas worth of aid has been organized for the purposes of the esteemed Yong Ping Governance to deem fit to use. Signed, On behalf of the Elysium Governance: Duke Eugeo de Astrea Aylin de Astrea Heir Regent to Elysium, Chief Diplomat to Norland

Aylin de Astrea, Chief Diplomat to Norland, sighed heavily, watching all the careful work she had done for both peoples go up in smoke before, indeed, riding off southeast. It was everything she could do not to just pen her letter of resignation then and there, except there still lived a glimmer of hope in something former Dominus Al-Uk (@ThatDutchFellow) had once told her: "Just because we struck blood once upon a time doesn't mean we cannot be allies now...just as friends might turn enemies if time so deems it, just like us and the kin under the mountains."

Aylin de Astrea set down the notice and nodded with pride before remarking to her betrothed, Esmond ( @SpaceOddity) "From our blood being spilled in times of war, to countless banditry attempts, to now businesses attempting to defame the good people of our duchy, the Elysian fields remain as gold as that of the treasury." She carefully folded over the notice and turned fully to face him, "let us hope our neighbours do, indeed, seek to break bread with us and take the offered olive branch."