The peace that formerly reigned in Terra Nova has eroded, now little more than a memory. War ravages the continent. Disputes divide kingdoms; ideals divide families. The quest for power consumes absolutely and indiscriminately. None are immune to its allure.
Who will rise and who will fall? Only time—and ambition—will tell.
UPDATES
05.26.2023
2 month character creation hold for all existing members begins 6/5/2023. Ended 8/5/2023.
10.29.2023
Change in how times flows. Was 4 IC seasons, now only 2 IC seasons per 1 OOC year.
5 whole years of Heir Apparent goodness! When I started the site, I knew I was hunkering down for the long haul, but I never could have predicted the numerous twists and turns this roleplay site has seen. Hundreds of plots, characters, and members have come and gone, all leaving marks on the site. I am so very thankful for those who have invested. Because you keep coming back, keep getting on, and keep writing, Heir Apparent has the legacy it does today. Three cheers to us!
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
It had been a long time since she had spoken to her queen, but finally the two of them had managed to find some free time to meet up with each other. Scout was in her office, but would move to wherever the queen was at the time they had agreed on. The woman was slightly nervous, not because Iliana made her nervous, but because the last couple of days, a lot of rumours had made their rounds. Rumours that appeared to be true, too. Annabeth Porter was getting a divorce, and it pained her to say that she understood Castiel Andino, and that she was on his side. Annabeth and her had only become close the last few weeks, and now it seemed like she would have to distance herself from the woman already. She couldn't be seen being friendly towards a woman that had endangered the credibility of the royal court. Scout hoped the rumours wouldn't put the Kanes in a bad light. After all, Annabeth was extended family now that Scout had married Astor. If need be, she would officially distance herself from Annabeth, depending on what Tybalt Zane thought. She wouldn't want to go against her uncle's wishes, for he had so generously allowed Scout to get married on such short notice.
The blonde approaches the door of the room the queen was in. A guard would stop her, then recognise her and enter the room to tell the queen Scout was ready to see her. Multiple topics would have to be discussed. The community meeting, the general wellbeing of the citizens, their fears and concerns, and perhaps even the whole situation with Felicity Zane.
Last Edit: Mar 24, 2023 5:52:48 GMT -5 by Scout Kane
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on Mar 26, 2023 12:01:08 GMT -5
Iliana was preparing for a public address. One that only now was being told to others as the news spread throughout the kingdom. Not an open court, but her addressing her kingdom on recent events that have caused the usually calm and reserved to feel a deep rage that she was able to keep buried within her chest.
So meeting with Lady Kane had been on her list to do now that she had already met with Augustus Rainecourt and @mara. Both had given her advice on what she should address, what she should avoid, how she should express herself. She took the advice openly and was keeping it in mind as she worked on the message in her office.
It was only when the knock at her door came to interrupt her that she looked up, a few dark spots of ink along her pinky and fingertip where she might have gotten a bit too passionate about her words and pressed a touch too hard. Scout was announced, and she nodded, accepting the visit and would rise before she entered and give a curt nod to the woman as she entered. “I hear a congratulations is in order, to your recent marriage to Lord Porter?”
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Post by Scout Kane on Mar 28, 2023 12:51:22 GMT -5
After the guard had announced Scout's arrival, the blonde was allowed to enter the room. She curtsied in response to the nod and remained standing while the queen congratulated her. "Thank you, your majesty", the Lady Steward responded with a smile on her face. She had indeed married Astor Porter since they last spoke.
"I don't mean to be blunt, but I'm afraid we have quite a lot to discuss, your majesty. Can I?" she put a hand on the back of the chair, asking if she was allowed to sit. If she was, she would sit down and gather some documents, quickly skimming them again before looking at Iliana. "There's lots DeCarlo's death, lord Paccoretti's death, the Allemeade Keep, the community meeting and a charity slash festival I've been putting together. Is there something you would like to start with?" In general, Scout could've said that people were worried about their safety and how Iliana would make sure they would feel safer again.
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on Apr 2, 2023 15:30:53 GMT -5
The quick shift from thanking her for her congratulations to her pressing to move forward was almost... off putting in a way. She wasn't used to someone trying to rush her through some meeting that she had not called in the first place, but after dealing with the others around her for as long as she had, she could almost appreciate the thoughts of pushing small talk aside. Her back straightened as she lowered herself into her own seat opposite of her Lady Steward, gesturing for the woman to take her own seat and get settled in for the topics they'd cover.
Which turned out to be quite the list. "I'd like to start with Lord DeCarlo and Lord Paccoretti's deaths. If you would." She looked pointedly between the papers in Scout's hands then back to her face. "As you have heard, I will be making a public address soon, and these two in particular have been part of the reasons why I have called for it."
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
She had expected the queen to want to start with the deaths of the two men, and she had been right. "Yes, I've heard", Scout said somewhat dryly, although it was probably not all that noticeable. She had heard about it and hadn't been consulted about it. "I was the person to discover Lord Paccoretti's body and the one who reported the murder to my uncle, Tybalt Zane. I don't know what the conclusions are, but I have no doubt that you know more than enough to tell the people what has happened. It won't come as a surprise that I want to warn you about how you phrase what you're going to tell them, your highness. The tension between the Gifted and non-Gifted is higher than ever." Scout paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "Remiel Allemeade is rebuilding Allemeade Keep and wishes to school and train Gifted. He announced this at the community meeting and it has made the people feel afraid."
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on Apr 2, 2023 16:51:51 GMT -5
Dryly or not, Iliana had her close advisor who knew of her announcement. She could call them when needed, even without any of the others knowing the why behind it if needed. They wanted action, and Iliana didn't find that she needed to explain and sit down with every person within her royal cabinet to make sure that she had their blessings to move forward with such things. Perhaps a touch of Cassian was rubbing off on her too much. Whether she caught on to the dry tone of not, she didn't make it known.
But what had gained her attention wasn't the warning. No matter what Iliana said, she would be criticized, whether by Scout and her beliefs, by the gifteds, or the non-gifted. All of them would have something to say on what she did or the way her brows arched at such news. So was the life of being a Queen, one she had come to realize weighed heavily over the years. Not one other person within the castle knew these things besides her husband. And even with him, he didn't know Iliana's own thoughts on what it did to her.
"I am sorry you had to witness that." She said genuinely. A death was never an easy thing to find, and she remembered witnessing the deaths within the courtroom all those years ago with the Eldouir's trial. "Remiel Allemeade made this announcement himself? Why are the concerns that have been brought up?" Because that... sounded very close to something that Iliana was personally working on. But at a bigger magnitude, and a lot more power behind it.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
It wasn't so much about giving her blessing as it was about her being able to offer insightful information herself. After all, she knew best what played amongst the people. But none of it matter now, Iliana had made her decision and as the Lady Steward she would try to help out as much as she possibly could.
"Thank you, your majesty", Scout responded with a dip of her head. Time healed all wounds, but this wound still stung. She went on to tell the queen about Remiel's announcement. Then Scout nodded after Iliana had spoken. "Yes, he used the floor to tell all Gifted that they were welcome to join him at his farm. I visited him afterwards to ask him what his goal was, and he said he wanted to school the Gifted and offer them a safe space. To be able to find out more, I assigned Annabeth to try to gather insightful information. But as we all know, that didn't work out quite as we had hoped." What concerns had been brought up? "My personal concern is that without regulation, lord Allemeade will be creating an army of Gifted. I expressed my concerns about this to him, but he said he couldn't be sure either that we weren't creating an anti-Gifted army ourselves. And the citizens, both regular citizens and one with a hatred for the Gifted, are concerned about a Gifted uprising as well."
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on Apr 8, 2023 5:23:43 GMT -5
Dark brows furrowed together at the comment on Annabeth. Her head tilting slightly to the side as she looked across the table. “I seem to be uninformed of what has happened with her?” Iliana, while given a lot of information, wasn’t exactly the first person that others thought to run to with gossip. It was more the facts of things she was brought. Or the fabricated ones perhaps was a better way to think of it. But they were rooted in truth and not just tavern or powder room chat. “Please, enlighten me.” Because if this effected everything she was about to try and do, she had to be prepared.
“May I ask for your honest opinion?” She asked her after listening to the fact that Remiel Allemeade had potentially admitted he didn’t trust her, though his words were not directly labeling Iliana. A royal guard once, someone she had been friendly with, and a small part of her felt the stab of pain at the thought. She knew she had been harsh in her sentencing of the Allemeade’s. But she had also let them off easy with what others had wanted. “What if we were to offer something similar to this? But with more regiment and registry? More of a safe place for gifteds to be trained and know their gifts, know how to control them. I hear many anti-gifteds say they are afraid because of the unknown, because the gifteds do not know how to control their gifts on their own, hence the liking of collars. But if we could give them a safe space while knowing whose gifts are what… would you see this being received well?”
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
She had thought that the queen would know, but she supposed it wasn't surprising that this news hadn't been important enough to pass on to Iliana immediately. "Well, lady Porter slept with lord Allemeade while she was gathering information about the Keep. Her marriage was already going through a rough patch, and Lord Andino has now filed for divorce. His Highness lord Rainecourt has fired her, for she was already granted quite some second chances." She folded her hands in her lap and cleared her throat. She didn't like talking about Annabeth like this. "But as far as I'm aware, she hadn't told lord Allemeade about the fact that we were trying to gather information, so at least there's that."
The queen then asked for her honest opinion. Honest opinions were always a bit of a gamble when you were talking to a royalty. You had to weigh out just how honest you would be, but Scout always said it as close to the truth as possible. So she nodded in response and listened.
"Personally, I think that is a wonderful idea. That way we have insight on their Gifts and know what they're up to, while simultaneously providing them with education and safety. I'm not entirely sure what lord Allemeade will think, but I feel like he would be willing to cooperate with the Crown, as long as they aren't collared again. It would be in his best interest, anyway."
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on Apr 23, 2023 10:09:07 GMT -5
The information about Annabeth was a bit surprising. The way her eyes widened just a touch as she blinked back the reaction surely said it as well. A married woman, with a family and a good husband from what she had heard, taking a risky move on... a man who while Iliana knew Remiel was not a bad man per se, but how well did Annabeth know him? And to risk a task... Iliana thought on the different ones that had been afforded her, on her marriage to the Wyndham Count who had once been in Iliana's royal court... a man who the young Queen had once run to for an opinion on something that would alter her and Lorendale's future.
What she realized next was it was her uncle who then had removed Annabeth from her position. "I can understand my uncle's decision. I am sure it wasn't done lightly." She backed him up because she trusted that man most, a father figure to her even, who had always seemed to put her best intentions forward. "While being driven by passion and your heart is a dream many wish they could live by, those of the royal court cannot always only act on those. I would ask that if any information comes forward that Remiel Allemeade has been told what Annabeth's intentions were, please tell myself or my uncle." Iliana knew she was more likely to lean into her gut and heart, but she also knew there were times when her decisions were made despite what her heart might tell her.
Hearing Scout confirm that it'd be a good idea made her settle a little easier into her chair. A breath leaving her as if a weight had also been lifted. Cassian had suggested that she seek opinions of others on this, and thus far, she had heard mostly positive things. Concerns, of course, but mostly those who would support this. "I'd like to set up a meeting with Remiel to discuss this. If you'd like to be involved, I welcome you to join us. I think it'd be beneficial."
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
It was clear that the news shocked the queen. Scouts reaction had been similar when she first heard what had transpired. She still couldn't believe Annabeth had risked her whole family for it. Only a week prior she had discussed how she could smooth things over with Castiel, but instead she decided to get intimate with Remiel. And now she was a Porter again.
"Lord Rainecourt only ever has the crown's best interest in mind, so I agree, it couldn't have been an easy decision, but it was the right one." They didn't need a loose cannon working for them. It was too risky. To think Annabeth had been Lady Stewart for a while as well. Had she also mediated by sleeping with people? Scout shook the mean, impure thoughts away. No, Annabeth was better than that, and this had just been a stupid mistake. "I will, your majesty", she replied. "I'm going over to the Keep tomorrow to ask lord Allemeade how he's holding up with the rumours, and to smooth things over. Our last conversation didn't end on a positive note, and I'd like to start over. We need him to trust us, and I don't want to be the reason he doesn't." She had asked him how they could be sure that he wasn't planning on starting an army, and had used the fear for the Eldouir as an example of the people's reservations about the Keep. He hadn't appreciated this comparison.
"I would like to be present. I can deliver the message for you, if you want, since I'm going over there anyway?" It would spare them some letters going back and forth. "If yes, what should I tell him?"
But she also had another question. "The people are asking why there isn't any Gifted representation in the Royal Court. There has not been a new Advisor of Gifted since lady Honora Allemeade. Personally I can understand why it's risky, but the people would like an answer."
Last Edit: Apr 29, 2023 12:25:50 GMT -5 by Scout Kane
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on May 2, 2023 19:33:16 GMT -5
"I have no doubt that you will find some common ground to stand on with Remiel Allemeade. There is no need to try and wipe the past, if I may offer a suggestion. It happened, but trying to find a way forward together might be your best approach." She took a piece of paper from the side of her desk and started writing for a moment. "If he is available in three days time from your visit tomorrow, I'd like to have him come meet us here. If that time doesn't work, I trust you to find an agreeable and reasonable time and I will make it work."
The next question was one that she hadn't been quite expecting, but at the same time had been one that she had, admittedly, not thought much about. "As my Lady Steward, it's easier to explain to you than the people. Replacing," Her throat tightened just a bit, "Honora Allemeade stands to be quite tricky. We need to have someone with a good reputation with the gifteds while also understanding the potential risks of being in the position. And thus far, the very few I have spoken to seem to not want that sort of attention on them. Especially in light of DeCarlo's death." She finished her letter and poured the wax to it, stamping it.
"For Remiel, in case he wants an official invite." She offered as a backup.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Scout appreciated the queen's advice, so she smiled and nodded at her. Then Iliana started writing a letter for her to hand over to Remiel. A meeting in three days time. She would deliver it. In the meantime, she asked about Gifted representation. She hesitated a moment before responding.
"Ikisina Navarro has offered her service, but I turned her down. She's a commoner with a giant target on her back. I've saved her from a group of anti-Gifted before, and no matter what I tell her, she keeps finding her way back into the spotlight. And she had no training. Apart from being Gifted, she has no idea how a government works." She paused again. "Forgive me if this is an absurd idea, but if we start working together with the Allemeades, could we reinstate Honora Allemeade?"
Post by Iliana Rainecourt on May 6, 2023 9:36:42 GMT -5
A name was given, and Ilaina knew nothing of this woman. Thankfully, Scout was the Lady Steward that she was and continued on. "No, we can't have someone like that. Not when there are those who have been trained who are often mislead already within the Court." She let out a small breath. She wondered if there were any names on the registry that perhaps a meeting with the Queen might-
"... Honora Allemande."
Green eyes lifted quickly to stare across the desk at Scout as if she had just proposed that Iliana hand over her crown and danced on her desk while doing so. "We've tried working with the Allemeade's before. And yet they somehow found that hiding and keeping the Eldouir's who have done horrible crimes under my mother's authority and after was okay." There was a strain to her voice, her eyes falling to her desk to try and quickly mask it. Because out of all the Allemeade's, losing Honora had hurt her the most. "I don't think that reinstating her would do us any good. The non-gifteds would be in an uproar that we barely held a punishment while a man lost his life for his crimes. And the gifteds? It would send a message that they could side with the Eldouir's and get nothing but a slap on the wrist." She lifted her gaze, taking a deeper breath.
"Working with Remiel Allemeade is different than giving back Honora her position."
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Scout was glad that the queen agreed with her on this. It was noble that Ikisina wanted to help people, but she simply wasn't fit for the role. The Lady Stewart then inquired about repositioning. Something she hadn't thought through fully before mentioning it. The look the queen gave her said enough, and she bit the inside of her lip.
"You're completely right, your majesty", Scout said, averting her eyes in shame for a moment. "It was a dumb question. Forgive me." She didn't mind admitting when she was wrong, and she had definitely been wrong just now. "Perhaps working together with Remiel Allemeade will bring new capable Gifted's forth, who could be considered for the position. I will keep an eye out, but ultimately the decision is yours, of course, your majesty."
Scout folded her hands in her lap. "I will make sure to deliver the letter to lord Allemeade. In the meantime, is there anything else I can assist you with, or do for you?" She didn't want to waste the queen's valuable time.