Lady Eliza Percival
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"You look tired, have you not slept a wink?"

Tired? Tired? In actual fact she'd slept very well. Lady Eliza perked a manicured eyebrow at her redheaded companion. Jessica Wheatley was another one of the Queen's ladies. One that loved to gossip and weed out a scandal - however, Eliza was really rather fond of her. "I slept well actually, but clearly my appearance does not reflect it." The blonde teased mercilessly. Had she taken offence to the words? No, of course not. However, that didn't mean that she couldn't taunt her friend somewhat. Liza loved a good taunt every now and again.

"So this feast." The fairer of the two continued, a swift change of topic as she gratefully received a goblet of wine from a passing server. "I have a feeling it's going to be rather dull."

The grand hall was bustling with Courtiers and Ambassadors alike. All trying to get noticed, to win the King's ear. To increase their land, seal an investment. It was all politics and scheming. Eliza had no interest in any of it. To her, it was far more enjoyable to be ignorant to all that nonsense. A quiet life with small pleasures and horseback riding. That's what she aspired to. Of course, her family had other ideas. Daughters were pawns, an asset to be married off to the highest bidder - and as a rather pretty pawn at that, she was somewhat resided to the fate. Jessica smirked at her friends nonchalant dismissal of the evening and rolled her insipid green eyes, "Surely you should be excited at the return of your brother. Lord knows I am."

"Is there anyone at Court that does not swoon over Thomas?" Eliza sighed as she stifled a small laugh, "He is a menace. A grumpy one at that." The young Lady smoothed out the taffeta of her baby blue gown, intricately embraided with pretty golden thread. The bodice pulled in beautifully at the waist, and a head of thick blonde locks fort to escape from their bronzed pins. A pleasing spectacle she was indeed.

"You would say that, he is your brother." Jessica declared with a jab of her elbow to Lady Eliza's ribs, "I reserve the right to fawn. Now shush, let us see who is here.." And with that, the pair made their way merrily though the crowd.

Sir Thomas Percival
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A strange sort of girl, that one.. Thomas pondered to himself as he recalled his earlier meeting with Lady Cassandra. Well, if one could term it a meeting. He had never been particularly gifted when it came down to understanding the fairer sex, so he simply put it down to travel fatigue and carried on with his preparations. Naturally he was running late. Sir Thomas was always running late. The words of his Father echoed around the forefront of his mind. No one shall trust you with their affairs, if you cannot get your own in order..

Wise words old man. Wise words indeed.

The handsome Nobleman sauntered effortlessly into the Grand Hall. The beautiful wooden carvings shone in the evening light, and it was certainly an inviting space. A vibrant red doublet enhanced the raven tone of his hair as he took a moment to glance over the crowd. Now where was the lovely Eliza? How he had missed her. Not that he would ever admit that out loud of course. He'd take a stroll around to see if he could find her. The King and Queen were yet to arrive, and he wanted to soak up the atmosphere and revel in his return to court. Soon enough his presence would turn to business, and he would have to forgo the slightly more pleasurable aspects of Noble life. Still, as long as there was mead - he could live happily enough.

A drinking problem? Absolutely not. Just a healthy distaste of reality.

"Ah, Thomas my friend!"

A heavy hand thumped him resolutely on the back, causing the male to tighten his grip on his goblet to protect its contents. The young man turned to be greeted by the pleasant smile of his Uncle Robert. "Ah, Uncle. I trust time finds you well?"

"Absolutely dear boy, absolutely." The kind old gent nodded and ushered his nephew towards the table. "Come, let us catch up.."

It was like he'd never been away.

Sir Thomas Percival

"Yes Uncle, no doubt that would be incredibly advantageous." Thomas showed all the signs of listening attentively, however he had mastered the art of feigned interest a long time ago. Truth be told his eyes were busily scanning the crowd for someone, well anyone in fact - just as long as they could save him from his current conversation. That's when his eyes finally fell upon his sister. Ah, there she was. Had she grown? No don't be silly, she was twenty one, not ten. However, it was the company she was keeping that intrigued him the most. Not Jessica, she tended to be everywhere that Eliza was. The King. And by the looks of things, he was asking her to dance. Interesting.

There were many rumours circulating the court. Mostly about the King needing an heir, but there were also murmurings of his displeasure at the Queen. Whether you could believe the whispers was yet to be disclosed, but the Kings interest in his sister did intrigue him. Now that would be very advantageous to the Percival family indeed. He would write a letter to his Father as soon as he retired for the evening.

Not too far from the dancefloor was Lady Cassandra. Was that an eye roll? The gesture made Thomas chuckle, much to the confusion of his a uncle. She really seemed to dislike him. How curious. How entertaining.

"Excuse me Uncle, I have some business to attend to." And with a charming smile, he wandered over to the Lady in question.

"Lady Cassandra." His tone was light and relaxed, "How are you this evening?"

Lady Eliza Percival

The King was asking her to dance? Eliza's mind went entirely blank, but a small chuckle did escape her flushed pink lips when he knocked into her. He was handsome, that you had to admit when you were in such close proximity to him. He emitted an air of quiet authority, and that was alarmingly appealing. Eliza really wasn't one to welcome trouble. The stares of the nearby Courtiers made her uncomfortable and did nothing to nurture her want for a quiet life.

Still, one didn't say no to a King, did one?

"I would love to dance, Your Majesty." Eliza bowed her head in the appropriate manner before she followed the Kings outstretched arm to the floor. The music was lively, and the buzz of merriment was palpable. Well, other than the Queen. There didn't appear to be anything merry about her countenance. The scowl was very unnerving and Eliza had to force herself not to look.

Why should I feel guilty? The blonde contemplated to herself. It is just a dance. A simple dance. A polite gesture - nothing more, nothing less. The King often danced at such occasions, and this was no different. There was absolutely nothing to scowl about. Not for Eliza anyway..

Of course the other Courtiers were keen and quick to whisper their suspicions, fleeting glances, meaningful nods. Something so simple as a dance could tip the entire balance of the Court off kilter. It was a dizzying place to be, but luckily Eliza was oblivious.

"I don't dance well." She teased Joseph in good humour, "But I shall try not to step on the Kings toes."

Lady Eliza Percival

"What just happened there?"

The hiss in her ear brought her back to reality as Jessica re-appeared by her side. "He kissed your hand."

"He is the King, he kisses a great deal of hands."

"Not like that he doesn't."

Was that true? Eliza cast her eyes to her friend in curiosity, "What do you mean?" Of course the young Lady had felt some sort of tension in the Court over the past month or so, but she hadn't expected the rumours to be true. Jessica downed the remnants of her wine before she responded, "He didn't take his eyes off of you, and that wasn't just a polite kiss on the hand." The girl rolled her eyes at her friends somewhat oblivious demeanour. "You shall be the talk of the Court."

Talk of the Court? That didn't sound appealing at all. In actual fact, it was quite unnerving. Eliza unlike many, had no ruthless desire for family advancement. No scheming nature. She was what some might call a purist. Of course she wasn't totally absolved of sin. The blonde was quite mischievous once you got to know her.

"Lady Eliza, how lovely you look this evening."

Eliza had been so wrapped up in thought, that she hadn't seen the approach of Sir Walter. He was a handsome chap, and some anticipated the announcement of an arrangement between the families some point in the near future. That said, other than a pleasant liking for him, Eliza had no real emotion toward the man, and to be rather honest, the man had roaming eyes that made her alarmingly uncomfortable.

"Ah, Sir Walter. You flatter me." Was the polite response. "How are you this evening?"

Sir Walter stood next to the young woman and took a sip from his goblet, "Very well, very well indeed." He smiled and gave the blonde a once over, which caused her to take a subtle step away.

"I'm so sorry Sir Walter, but I'm needed outside." Of course she wasn't, but there was no time for the crestfallen male to reply as she made her way out to the courtyard. The roses smelt beautiful mingling with the fresh evening air, and Eliza took a seat on the low wall and enjoyed the serene silence.

Sir Thomas Percival

"You assume I care little M'lady as your family dislikes my own. That is not my rivalry, that is yours." He answered cleverly. "Besides, you are friends with my sister - are you not?"

He took the afore mentioned wine and glanced his gaze towards his sister. A small chuckle escaping his lips at the question. "Eliza is very likable as we both know. She is both humble and humorous. There is probably no better pairing for a dance partner." Yes, dance partner. He would not openly discuss the meaning behind the dance with a Holloway. No matter how pretty they might be.

"The meeting was tedious if you ask me. An hour of my life that I shall never get back." A smirk crossed his features as he eyed Lady Cassandra. "I admire your spirit though," And that was a true enough statement. The Tudor Court wasn't the easiest place to for women. Especially women that took a keen role in their families agenda.

"Is your father well?"

The old goat.. Thomas thought silently to himself - such a sour man. That's when a devilish thought overcame him. "Would you care to dance?"

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[indent][indent]"Of course we're friends. What kind of question is that to ask?" Cassandra responded, a little defensively because Sir Thomas of all people should know how close Cassandra is to Eliza. She turned her head from him a moment and took a sip from her goblet again then turned her head back towards him with a slight smirk that transformed into a smile. "You admire my spirit? Please. I was the only person there that could seemingly go toe to toe with you on certain affairs."

She responded while waving her hand dismissively towards Sir Thomas as she continued. "The rest were just old farts." Cassandra said bluntly as she looked at him now. She wasn't really treated badly by the men of the court because she knew what the hell she was talking about. They sort of admired her because she had the gall to do what her brother isn't doing and he was House Holloway's heir apparent.

Cassandra nodded her head whenever Thomas asked if her father was well. "He is. What about your family? Are they well?" She sneaked a peek at Eliza sitting in the Queen's seat then turned back towards Thomas. "I know Eliza's doing well for herself. Don't you think? What if she was to become Queen, would you be acceptable to that?"

Cassandra was highly intrigued on finding out his response. Her eyes widened whenever he asked her to dance as he knew their families hated each other and them dancing together would only bring more drama. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips now as she eyed Thomas and chugged down her wine then grabbed his hand. "Lead the way, my lord." She teased him with the my lord addition to her response.

_@Lola

Lady Eliza Percival

To sit on the Queen's chair was not a comfortable experience for the young Lady-in-waiting. Quite the opposite. If the Court hadn't already been intrigued by their King's interaction with Lady Eliza, they were all absolutely astounded now. He had sat her on the Queens own throne! What did this mean? The rumours were true? He was indeed looking for another Queen? A son, an heir. Was that his mission? It was undoubtable that Lady Percival came from one of the most prominent families in the country. Her own Father having known the King since they were both boys, but did he really intend to replace the Queen with the daughter of his kinsman? Eliza was one of six children, all except her were male. Did this encourage the King's ambition?

"Do I feel like a Queen?" Eliza retorted to the King's question, "I am not one, so therefore I couldn't possibly imagine what it would feel like to be one."

A humble response, granted. Humble yet true. Eliza had never imagined herself as a Queen, a Princess or even a Duchess for that matter. The stares made her uncomfortable, but she kept her countenance.

"It is a very nice seat, though." The blonde added in good humour as she straightened out her skirt. It was also quite a good vantage point. You could practically see everyone in the room. Oh look, there was her brother..and was he dancing with Cassandra? That made the woman roll her eyes. Those two were absolutely impossible. It was as though they had some unspoken vow to loathe each other, but somehow they seemed to constantly end up in one another's company. Eliza would certainly call them out on it as soon as she was finished. Finished? Finished with what exactly? Sitting on the Queens chair? Why was she here? There were so many questions. The blonde caught a passing smile from Thomas and nodded at him in return - she couldn't wait to embrace him.

From her newly discovered vantage point, there was something else that she noticed. The King had some sort of magnetic aura about him. It almost felt like she was being drawn into him. He was so strong and seemed so in control, that it was almost impossible not to be utterly mesmerized by him as she shot him a sideways glance.

Thomas led the way to the dancefloor, Cassandra's hand in his own. The dark haired male paused momentarily to find a space to which they could slot into, before leading his partner behind him. Once they had positioned themselves, he cocked his head at the statement about Eliza. "Yes, she appears to be." He nodded with a chuckle, "But she looks just as astonished as the rest of us." He bowed graciously as the musicians started to play, and in the evening light he really was a handsome fellow. There was no denying that he was aware of Cassandras beauty, and the sweet smell that adorned her dress. And indeed, the tiny fact that she was a Holloway made it all the more enticing.

Lady Eliza..

"I only know one King." Eliza commented as she stood and shifted slightly so that she was now stood by the arm of the Queen's seat. The proximity was all the more close as she faced the King, somewhat perched but far more comfortable. "And unfortunately, he already has a Queen." The quip was made in a playful tone as she glanced out to where Joseph's gaze had shifted. Thomas and Cassandra were still dancing, much to the dismay of Lady Holloway's family by the looks of things. What was Thomas playing at? The blonde perked an eyebrow in amusement, "It would appear so, I cant quite keep up with them." She admitted through a small laugh, absentmindedly playing with the ribbon on her bodice. "But it would certainly seem that Thomas is determined to anger the Holloway brood." He really was a trouble maker when he wanted to be - which was most of the time if one was being truthful.

Admittedly the Queen's seat had made Eliza feel uncomfortable, but the company of the King did not. In fact, she found him rather easy to talk to. Of course he could be a little bad tempered at times, but who wasn't? And if the talk at Court was true, he had a great deal to be worried about. No heir, a wife liked to meddle. It didn't sound like an ideal situation for a King to find himself in. A curl of blonde hair fell from its pin and hung in front of her eye, to which she pushed it to the side. Unruly hair suited her far better then her smooth up do.

Eliza's eyes then flicked towards Lady Cassandra, and she shot her friend a good natured wink. Now they would absolutely have some catching up to do when the time came.

Sir Thomas...

"No, it does not seem so Lady Cassandra."

Sir Thomas bowed handsomely as the musicians wound down their instruments. In one smooth and noticeably suave movement, the young Lord brought Lady Cassandra's hand to his lips and kissed it delicately. "It's been a pleasure M'Lady, do enjoy the rest of your night." And with a charming smile, and a directed smugness to the rest of the Holloway clan, Thomas exited the floor. Mead, after such a fancy dance one couldn't be criticised for partaking in a hearty drink. His dark eyes scanned the room as he plucked a fresh tankard from a passing tray. His gaze confirmed that Eliza was still in the company of the King, which was curious to many, including Sir Thomas for that matter. So much so that he endeavoured to seek out his Uncle and discuss the stability of the current Queen's position.

A Percival on the throne, now that was a tantalising thought indeed.