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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 24, 2014 6:23:44 GMT
Abaigael stood inside the Queen's chambers, clothed in a simple white dress with lilies braided into her hair. She was perched in front of the window, the dainty fingers of one hand tracing lightly over the sill as the other clutched a small bouquet of blue wild flowers that grew outside of the castle. She knew that Morgan loved flowers, and she had gathered them especially for her. She didn't, although, know what her favorite color was and had gone with blue; a color that she herself was drawn to. Maybe it was because the color reminded her of her Queen's eyes, or because it was a sweet calming color. It didn't really matter, though, as she knew that the woman would appreciate whatever colored flower that she brought for her. She only wondered when the Queen might be able to appreciate the gesture; she'd been waiting in her chambers for quite some time now. She figured that Morgan was just busy with some Queenly duties, but it didn't stop the aching in her chest that spoke of loneliness and heartache; reminiscent of the days that she had refused the Queen's affections.
She was trying to ignore that ache though, hence why she was staring out the window. The sight from the Queen's chambers was always spectacular, and it was always busy in the courtyard below, so there was quite enough to keep her attention. In fact, at this moment in time it was quite a bit busier than she'd ever seen it, though she couldn't quite see why that might be so. She would gently set the flowers down on the window sill and lean out, grabbing the edge to keep her balance as she peers down at the crowd to try to see what might be going on. Though, by that point she really wished that she wasn't that curious. She felt the blood drain from her face as she caught sight of some shirtless criminal who was tethered to a whipping post, and the swing of a big burly man's arm which could only mean that the man was being beaten. She gasped softly, lurching back from the window and covering her mouth with her hand as tears sprang to her eyes, quickly beginning to dribble down her cheeks.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 17:54:29 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
The queen shoved open the door to her chamber, only to pause when she caught sight of Abi. Moments ago she'd been ready to tear someone's head off, but the sight of Abi standing at her window with a bouquet of wild flowers made all her stress melt away. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she watched her love for a moment. If anything in the world could calm the southern queen and make her forget all her troubles it was the sight of the woman that she loved. Her heart melted every time Abi was in the room, and more often than not that was all it took for her to turn into a completely different woman. Softly, so as to not disturb the other woman, she pushed the door to her chambers closed.
But when she turned around something must have happened, because she saw Abi stumble back from the window with the glisten of tears on her cheeks. The protective side of her, the side that could only be brought to life by the woman before her, roared to life and she strode across the room to Abi. Her arms circled around the woman's waist and she pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Shh, love," she whispered softly in a tone that she reserved only for Abi. Her gaze flicked to the window and she saw what it was that must have caused Abaigael's distress. Her heart clenched and she found herself wishing that she could bring her husband back from the dead and rip his heart out for the pain that he'd caused the woman she loved. "He's gone now, and I promise you that no one will ever hurt you the way he did," she muttered. Tears glistened in her own eyes because the regret that she felt over what her husband had done threatened to consume her. One hand idly lifted to stroke the smaller woman's hair and she did her best to soothe her with soft hums. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 24, 2014 21:51:34 GMT
She didn't know how it happened but one second she was scrambling away from the window and the next she was wrapped in Morgan's arms, her soft voice and touch serving to calm her, even if it was only enough to momentarily stop the tears from leaking from her eyes. As she hooked her arms around the other woman's body it was evident that she was shaking; rather shocked from the sight of the man being beaten in the courtyard below. She would press her face into Morgan's neck, clinging tightly to her as she allowed the other woman to comfort her for several moments. Ever since her own encounter with the "justice" system she had been rather sensitive to occurrences like this; she hated to see another person treated that way, and honestly it brought back memories of when the same thing had happened to her.
Eventually she would hitch back a sob and shift away from her beloved, pulling back her arms in order to scrub her hands over her face. Afterwards she would swallow thickly before lifting her gaze to the Queen's face, despair evident in her every feature, "Wh-Why is that man being...beaten?" she would ask. A pout naturally developed in her bottom lip as she waited for the woman's answer, her brows drawn together as her silver gaze searches Morgan's face as if they would find the answer to her question that way. She wasn't entirely certain why she wanted to know the answer; doubtless it wouldn't make her feel any better, but something inside of her wanted to make sure the man wasn't being punished unfairly...not that she saw physically harming another person fair no matter what they had done.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 22:09:58 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
She cringed inwardly at the loss of contact when Abi finally pulled away from her, but she dropped her arms back to her sides. A sigh escaped her lips when Abi asked why the man was being beaten and she forced herself to put a little bit of distance between them. "You know as well as I do, Abaigael, that I reserve that punishment for only the most severe of offenses after what he did to you," she said, her tone shaking slightly with emotion, though she did her best to hide it. Even dead her husband elicited an emotional response from her, and she didn't know if that was something that would ever change. "He's a rapist, Abi, and I won't have that kind of thing go unpunished," she said, her tone really shaking this time.
Her husband had made use of that particular "show of dominance", as he had called it, several times during their marriage, and since his death she'd kept close tabs on that sort of thing happening in her kingdom. First offenses received lashes and time spent in the 'jail.' Repeat offenses suffered quite a bit worse than just a handful of lashes. It was one of the many things that she couldn't stand about the male gender. Abusing a woman like that and holding it over her head. No, that was one of the things that she couldn't just sit by and idly let happen. It was why she had so many people, servants mostly, keeping an eye and ear out in the kingdom, especially the capital.
She shook her head, blinked back her tears, and took a deep breath. Then she turned and faced Abaigael again. "I'm sorry that you saw it, Abi, but I can't apologize for punishing what he did. And I'm not him to apologize for doing what he did to deserve the punishment," she said, her voice much more steady when she spoke this time. She was certain that part of Abi would probably be angry with her despite the reason behind the man's beating, but it was something that she would have to deal with. She hated for her love to be angry with her, but they were too different in personality and opinion for them to never argue. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 24, 2014 22:46:30 GMT
Abaigael instantly became more distressed upon hearing Morgan's tone, stepping forward and lifting her hand to gently brush it over the woman's cheek because as much as the beating disturbed her, it tortured her to see her like this. "I'm sorry," she murmurs quietly, not having meant to upset her this way. She'd just been so...shocked to see such a thing happening right outside of the Queen's chambers, and she certainly wasn't the best at controlling her emotions, "I'm so, so sorry," she repeats, only to drop her hand and take a step back when the woman's voice grew more stern. She would never have expected the woman to apologize for any of that, and honestly wouldn't have wanted to hear it. She would shake her head slightly, biting gently at her bottom lip as she gathers her thoughts. She didn't want to say anything hurtful, nor did she want to start an argument or come across whiny so she thought about what she was going to say before actually speaking.
Eventually she would pull her thoughts together, "I understand that you have a duty to your kingdom, and that you can't let crimes go unpunished. I just wish that there was some other punishment...can't you..." she would trail off, shaking her head as she tried to come up with something, "Can't you jail them or something?" she would ask, her frown deepening as she tries to reason with her love. She realized that Morgan must think that she would never understand; she'd never had that particular monstrosity dealt upon her, but more often than not violence just wasn't the answer. While she may feel like it at times, she doubted that she would ever wish physical violence upon the King if he was still alive. She didn't even know that her lover had killed her husband; she'd heard the rumors but she didn't think of her beloved capable of something like that.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 22:59:13 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
A sigh drifted from her lips when Abi brushed her hand over her face and she let the tension go once again, turning her head to nuzzle her cheek against Abi's palm for a moment. "I'm sorry, love. I don't mean to get angry with you. I just feel like his memory still comes back to haunt me even from his grave," she whispered softly. "I know what he did to you was wrong, and I know that you may not see lashes as the answer to anything, but it seems to me to be the most effective tool against those who commit that high of a crime," she explained gently. She lifted a hand to gently stroke Abaigael's hair for a moment before she dropped it and stepped away from her.
"My dear, we could jail everyone for every crime that they commit and it wouldn't change their ways. Lashings may not change their ways either, but it does serve a purpose. Since men have been publicly punished for rape, that particular rate of crime has dropped dramatically. Besides. Even if we threw them all in jail it wouldn't do us much good. Their food and drink have to come from somewhere and eventually we'd end up spending more money than we have to keep food in their bellies," she said on a soft sigh. "I wish that some people didn't do the things that they do, but wishing for it is not going to change anything. Action is the only way to fight action," she said softly. "I understand that you disagree with it, dear, and I don't blame you, but something has to be done, and just throwing them into a cell isn't going to do much," she said on another sigh.
She turned and walked to the window, peering out at the courtyard below for a moment. "I don't want you to be mad at me, Abi. I promise you that I will work with my advisers to find a way that works as well, but is less violent," she said softly before she turned from the window and strode across the room. "Until then, I will make sure that it is not something you have to see again," she assured her in as gentle a tone as she could manage. "I am going to go for a ride now. You're welcome to join me if you wish. If not, I will see you sometime later," she said sweetly. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 24, 2014 23:49:32 GMT
Abaigael frowns as she realizes how stupid it must have sounded for her to suggest that punishment, her cheeks turning a faint pink color as her chin quivers as she attempts to keep from crying once again. She felt like an emotional wreck at the moment, and she knew that she was behaving like an idiot. "I just...I wish that it didn't have to be that way," she'd say quietly, her voice little more than a whisper as she responds to the Queen's speech about whipping being the only punishment that seemed to work. When Morgan turned away from her and moved to the window she'd follow after her, reaching out to gently touch the woman's back only to have her whirl around and march across the room. "I'm not..." she says, her voice shaking slightly as she denies being mad at Morgan. "You don't...have to waste time on it. I understand, you know? I mean...not fixing something that isn't broken," she says, her voice rising slightly. It physically hurt her to say that; it went against everything she believed, but she knew that the Queen would be better off of if she just turned the other cheek.
Upon hearing Morgan speak about going for a ride she'd stare at her for a few long moments, her chin quivering and tears threatening to spill from her eyes before she takes in a deep breath, "Yeah, of course I will..." she murmurs, turning away from the Queen as she walks towards the window sill. She would never forfeit time that she could be spending with her love, no matter how upset she might be. Once she reached the window she would quickly pick up the flowers that she left there and turn back to Morgan, slowly moving towards her as her gaze drops to the Queen's feet, "I uhm...I picked these for you," she says, holding the flowers out to the woman; she didn't want them to wilt before Morgan could see them. After she took the flowers she would step past her towards the door, knowing that Morgan would want to go sooner rather than later.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2014 0:03:17 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
Her heart clenched as she saw the emotion flicker across Abi's face, but she wasn't typically one to coddle her lover. She would show her affection and buy her gifts as signs of her love, but treating her like she was a child was pointless to her. Her own expression brightened when Abi handed her the flowers and she took them gently, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "Thank you," she whispered. "They are gorgeous, and one of my favorite colors," she said, hoping that might put at least a tentative smile on her face. "I have the horses ready for the ride. I wasn't sure if you would go with me, but I was hopeful," she said in a slightly louder tone when Abi moved past her to the door. She reached around the young woman and opened it for her. Everything about Abaigael was softly feminine, and Morgan enjoyed treating her like a lady, even though she was the queen. Not that she didn't like being treated like a lady herself, but she got enough of other people opening doors and doing such things for her since she was the queen. Sometimes it was nice to be able to feel almost normal when she was around Abi. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 25, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
Abaigael couldn't help but grin upon feeling the Queen place a tender kiss upon hear forehead, followed by her soft words of praise. Their previous conversation forgotten she would close her eyes briefly in satisfaction before opening them again and beaming at Morgan, "They're one of mine as well...they remind me of your eyes," she admits, warmth gathering in her cheeks as she blushes. If there was one person that she didn't keep secrets from it was Morgan, not even when it came to little trivial things like why she'd picked a certain color. She felt that if the woman was going to deal with her then she deserved her complete honesty, even if she knew that sometimes Morgan wasn't able to share her own secrets in return. When Morgan spoke about the horses she'd laugh softly, "I'll always go with you," she murmurs, her words sounding more like a promise than a simple statement. It was true, though. There would never be a time when she refused to spend time with the Queen; sometimes she thought of it as repayment for the days when she refused her love, but other times she thought that it was because she felt that someday, somehow, they might not be able to be together anymore.
When she moved to the door and Morgan reached around to open it for her she would grin at the woman, shifting to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, "Thank you," she whispers before stepping away from Morgan and into the hall. She absolutely loved the small gestures that Morgan seemed to be chock full of, like opening doors for her and other similar actions. She rarely got a chance to do the same thing for the Queen, and at times felt almost bad about it, but had learned to simply appreciate the fact that Morgan loved her enough to be so thoughtful.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2014 1:00:03 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
A smile claimed her face when Abi seemed to forget their previous conversation in favor of the current one. However, her heart clenched at the statement that sounded like a promise from her love. There was a part of her that feared the same thing; that there would come a time when they could no longer be together. Actually, there was a part of her that feared that at some point, Abi would stop loving her, and it was that same part that reasoned that it would likely be when the other woman found out that the rumors that she had killed her husband were true. It was why, though she pursued her and loved her, she would never force Abi into anything. Her husband had forced her into far too many things for her to be comfortable forcing the person she loved into anything.
"I know, love, but I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do," she said softly. She walked by Abaigael's side as they made their way down to the court yard, a different one from what was visible from her rooms, to where the horses stood waiting for them. She always preferred to ride with just Abi and one or two of her closest escorts. That way she could be openly affectionate to the woman without having to deal with the leers shot her way by people who would love to see her ruined. "Thank you Maxwell," she said to the groom who hefted her up into her saddle. He was one of the few servants to the palace that she liked and trusted, especially considering he was a man. He wasn't one of the escorts that would ride with them, but she smiled to see that the other two men that usually rode with her and Abaigael were already in their saddles. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," she greeted them with a queen-like grace and they did their best to bow while in the saddle. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 25, 2014 2:29:42 GMT
Abaigael smiles and shakes her head, "You would never have to force me to be with you," she says, frowning slightly as she grabs the Queen's hand to drag her to a halt. She would then reach up to gently cup the woman's face in her hands, forcing her to stop for a moment and look at her, "I love you, I thought you knew that?" she'd ask, honestly a little hurt that Morgan would even have to think about the fact that she would eventually need forcing to go anywhere with her. A grin would eventually sneak onto her face, though, and she'd laugh softly, "I'll always love you," she assures the woman, leaning forward to playfully kiss her nose before taking a step back and grabbing her hand in order to hold it as they continued out into the courtyard where the horses were waiting.
When they exited into the courtyard she would release her hand, watching with a smile on her face as one of the Queen's escorts helped Morgan up into her saddle. She enjoyed the fact that it would only be them and a few escorts; she always favored them because she would be granted her love's full attention...well most of the time anyways. After Morgan was settled on her horse she would move to her own, though she refused the help that was offered to her and swung up into the saddle on her own; despite being seemingly delicate and fragile she did prefer to do some things for herself now and again. After she was settled on her horse she would direct her gaze towards Morgan again, a sort of smirk developing on her face. It was amusing to her how different her lover and the queen were- her lover was soft and kind and considerate whereas the queen could be considered cold and harsh and distant. They were as different as night and day.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 4:08:23 GMT
((OOC: Later That Day))
Morgan Coughlan
She shook her head when they returned to the palace and she watched Abi rub her wrist. She'd known that the other woman had been more injured than she let on, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She dismounted the mare shortly after Abaigael did and handed her reins off to someone else. Walking up behind Abi she slipped her arm through the one opposite the wrist that Abi had rubbed earlier as a show of discomfort. When they entered the palace she stopped the closest servant. "Have a bath prepared and brought to my chambers and send my personal physician up as quickly as possible. Tell her that she'll need to bring her salves and a wrap with her," she ordered in that queen like tone before ushering Abi up the stairs to her chambers. She didn't stop again until they were back in her chambers where a group of servants was already setting up the bath tub. She nodded to them and released Abi's arm to walk across the room and settle in one of her chairs. "When you're finished bathing, come sit with me and I'll brush your hair while the physician examines you, and then we'll talk about what you'd like to do," she said to Abi with a smile as she pulled a book from the shelf next to her little reading corner. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 26, 2014 6:37:58 GMT
As soon as she was finished bathing and had dressed she would move to sit at Morgan's feet before handing the hairbrush that she had gathered up to her. She was feeling rather sore right about now, and was thankful that Morgan hadn't wanted to continue the ride despite her assurance that they could if Morgan had wanted to. She was also pretty thankful for how quickly the woman had gotten her back to the palace, and figured that she ought to quit arguing when she tried to help her. She just hadn't realized at the time how sore she would become as she had never fallen off of a horse before, and honestly she didn't always like to be so coddled by the Queen. Sure, it nice that she cared enough to be so overprotective, but she also knew that it was exactly why the woman had panicked so much; if she would let her do things on her own then Morgan would realize that she wouldn't break and she wouldn't have to worry so much. She shifted uncomfortably before leaning back against Morgan's legs, tilting her head down so that it was easier for the woman to brush her hair. The physician hadn't yet appeared so she would affectionately brush her fingers over Morgan's leg, "Thank you," she murmurs, looking up at her for a moment to smile sweetly before training her gaze on the floor again.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 18:48:03 GMT
Morgan Coughlan
It wasn't about thinking that she was fragile so much as worrying about losing her. Anyway, Morgan took the brush that Abi handed to her and began to slowly, and carefully brush her hair. The little moments like this, spending this kind of time with Abi, were the moments that she loved more than anything. It was probably the intimacy that she loved about it. When the physician arrived she paused in brushing Abi's hair while the woman rubbed salves over her legs and back, and then carefully wrapped the wrist that Morgan had seen Abi fidgeting with earlier. "Thank you," she said to the woman as she resumed brushing Abi's hair. The physician curtsied to the queen and then left the room. Even when all the knots were gone from her hair, Morgan continued to brush it, simply for the fact that it made her feel calm and peaceful if nothing else. "So," she said as she ran the brush through Abi's long, soft hair. "What would you like to do?" she asked sweetly. She knew that in the end, even if Abi wished to do something she didn't really want her to do given her fall from the horse, she would cave and give the woman whatever she wanted. |
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Post by Abaigael Coughlan on Jun 26, 2014 19:36:45 GMT
She cooperated patiently as the physician did her job, unflinching as the woman attended her legs and wrist, though when she moved to her back she would visibly stiffen, cringing every time the physician touched her. It wasn't that it necessarily hurt, she just didn't like people looking at or touching the damaged skin. She could tolerate it from Morgan on most days, but it was quite a bit to ask of her from other people. But, she managed to with the physician anyways, telling herself that it had to be done whether she liked it or not. Which wasn't necessarily true; she was pretty sure that she could have gone without the salves, but it was better to tell herself otherwise. When the physician was finished she would settle back down in front of Morgan, allowing her to resume brushing her hair. When Morgan thanked the woman she would smile, "Yes, thank you. I truly appreciate it," she murmurs kindly, watching as she left the room.
When Morgan asked her what she wanted to do she would bite her bottom lip, trying to think of something that her love wouldn't have a heart attack over. After several moments of silence she would laugh and shake her head, "Honestly, I can't think of anything," she would say sheepishly, reaching up to run her fingers through her newly brushed hair. "Why don't we go for a walk or something?" she would ask, turning so that she could look up at Morgan.
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