Royal Dilemma (o/o Closed)

Eleanor pulled her face away to look up at him. Despite trying not to cry, tears were already slipping down her cheeks. Her dark eyes flitted between his, searching for truth in his words. "Thank you," she whispered, wanting nothing more than to stay here like this, safe in his arms.

Thomas was a bit surprised at himself for saying that so quickly. But seeing her expression and how much she needed it, he couldn't take it back… Honestly, he didn't want to either. “You’re welcome, Eleanor.” he nodded slightly, still holding her comfortingly.

Eleanor gently kissed his cheek before pressing her face into his shoulder again to hide her tears and more importantly, the blush that sprung to her face. "Thank you, Thomas," she whispered into his clothing.

If the hug from a moment ago was a surprise, Thomas was absolutely floored by the fact that the Queen had… actually kissed him. His face was as red as a tomato and he had stopped breathing for a moment. Words wouldn't come to him this time, so he just nodded gently and continued to hold her.

Eleanor held him close for another few moments before she let go. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping at her face and quickly looking away from him. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she whispered.

Thomas shook his head, trying to dispel some of the heat from his face. “It’s not that.“ he whispered. “I’m just… a little shocked.” he tried to explain. “Never thought my first kiss outside my family would be from…” he trailed off, looking at the beautiful woman beside him.

Eleanor blushed quickly and vibrantly. "O-Oh. I didn't mean to startle you, then. My apologies… it was out of line…" She felt her heart begin to race at the way that he looked over her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered.

Thomas shook his head at her apology though he also blushed as she questioned him. “I’m sorry. I’m just in awe.” he explained softly. “As… friendly as we are here and now, you are still the Queen and I am only a guard. A few ranks above a servant… and no one special. I would never have dreamed that I would ever be noticed by a woman like you.”

"In awe?" Eleanor asked softly. "Of what? I may have "Queen" as my title, but I still don't feel like I am one. Not truly. And that isn't true – you're incredibly special, Thomas. I've only met you recently, and you're the best thing about this place. I couldn't help but notice you," she added the last part shyly.

Thomas’s blush darkened as he shook his head. “I’m really not. You only noticed me because I was told to guard you. If I had been stationed anywhere else in the castle, you wouldn't have noticed me.” he pointed out gently. “And you may not feel like a Queen because of… how he treats you but you still are. Regardless of if you have formal training on how to rule. Besides that, you are an incredible woman. Beautiful, strong, talented, and willing to learn… How can a man not be in awe of you?”

"But you weren't," Eleanor countered. "You weren't stationed anywhere else. You're here. And… I'm not like the witches or gypsies who believe in fate and high powers determining the outcome of the entire universe, but I can't help but feel we met for a reason." A bright pink blush instantly rose to her cheeks at his description of her. She mulled the words over in her mind for a few seconds. Incredible… beautiful… strong… talented… willing to learn… "My apologies," she finally whispered. "I'm afraid I don't know how to respond to such kind marks."

“Nor am I.” Thomas nodded with a small smile at the mention of fate. But he wasn't against the idea of being sent to guard her for a reason. It brought a pleasant warmth to his chest and made him feel like he might have had a purpose after all. “It’s ok.” he assured softly. “I was just being honest with what I think of you.”

Eleanor smiled softly and studied his face. The more she did so, the more she began to realize that his appearance was more than just that of a normal guard, and he was overwhelmingly attractive. "If that's how you honestly feel, you'd make a much better husband than Marcellus." Her eyes quickly widened as she realized what she'd said. "Oh God, I-I'm sorry. I'm terribly bad with people. Sorry." She blushed horribly and covered her face with her hands. Oh, now you've done it, Eleanor, she thought to herself.

Thomas stared at her for a moment, wide-eyed, before a soft chuckle escaped his throat. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth though the way his eyes sparkled with mirth gave away how he was trying not to laugh. “I… I’m sorry. I… Thank you. I’m definitely going to take that as a compliment.” he snickered. “After all you’ve told me about him… I think he might be one of the lowest definitions of being a husband.” he admitted.

Eleanor's cheeks were still a bright pink when she slowly lowered her hands into her lap. "You're laughing?" she asked quietly. "Was… was that funny?"

She looked from his eyes, sparing the briefest glimpse at his lips, before looking down at her hands. "I believe so. But I suppose it could be worse…"

Thomas gave another soft laugh as he managed to calm down, though he was still grinning. “I thought it was.” he admitted. “Perhaps it's just being compared to… someone who is both a bad husband and the ruler of this kingdom. On both counts I just think it's ironic to be put on the same scale.”

At her soft words, he found himself sitting a little straighter with a small gentle frown. “Just because it could be worse, does not excuse his actions or behavior towards you.” he stated.

"I don't," Eleanor replied slowly. She thought for a moment to carefully chose her words. "I think you would make a wonderful husband, which is why I think I found myself so surprised when you said you'd never considered it. Any woman would be lucky to have you.

She quickly smoothed her hair and inhaled at his following comments. "I-I suppose not," she whispered, her eyes darting back up to his face.

“And I thank you for that compliment.” he said sincerely. “I… I did not mean to offend you. I just never thought I would be compared to the king in any capacity.” he explained gently, unable to reply to her comment about why he hadn't considered marriage before.

Thomas met her gaze and gave her a soft concerned look. “I wish there was something I could do to help and protect you from… his treatment of you.”

(hi! 👋)

(Heyyyy!)

"You're a much better man than he is," Eleanor whispered quietly, looking back down at her hands. "And your company is enough as it is. I'm not sure what else I can do except… just obey." She dipped her head down, mostly to hide her face. She was ashamed of her situation, but she couldn't escape it. Her only choice was to endure it.

(😁)

“You’re too kind.” Thomas replied, matching her tone as he realized that they were in fairly similar situations of helplessness. Of course, she was still the Queen and a very powerful woman, in that regard, but… her comment about just obeying reminded him of what was really expected of him as a guard. He wasn't supposed to ask questions, of any kind really. Not his superiors, not about his orders… but he was good at that.

Eleanor smiled weakly. "As are you, Thomas," she murmured, looking back up at him. She found that just the sight of him, another human being who understood her, was enough to relax her. But when she looked back at him, she noted the helpless look behind his eyes and reached up to caress his cheek with her hand. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

Thomas’s eyes widened as he froze like a deer at the soft gentle touch to the point where he almost missed her question. After a moment he finally blinked and gave a slow nod as he registered her words. “I’ll be alright.” he nearly whispered.

Eleanor noted his reaction, and for a moment, she wondered if she should withdraw her hand. But she didn't. It felt… right. She offered a weak smile at his response before softly replying, "That wasn't my question."

Secretly, Thomas was glad that she didn't pull away. He would have hated it if he had made her uncomfortable because of his reaction. Besides, he kinda liked her touch… He let out a quiet huff and managed a soft smile at her concern. “I… I suppose it wasn't.” he admitted. “But I am alright now. I was just thinking about… something rather sad.”

Eleanor's thumb absently began to stroke comfortingly over his cheekbone. She returned his smile before listening intently to his words. "I'm sorry… what were you thinking about?" Her eyes reflected the genuine nature of her question.

Thomas sighed at the new action and closed his eyes for a moment. “Don’t apologize. It's not your fault.” he assured, shaking his head slightly. “I was just thinking about my father. Growing up on the farm, he was… a good man, loved his family, but he was also fairly strict. In a way, that sort of prepared me for being a guard and not asking questions when I'm given a task or an order.” he told her.

(Um… hey lol. I'm back!)

At his words, Eleanor lowered her hand and let it rest in her lap. "Oh, I see. I suppose we are similar in that way. My mother raised me to never question a man's authority. She's terribly indebted to a patriarchal way of thinking, and I believe that's why I have such a difficult time refusing Marcellus." She parted her lips for a moment to sigh softly. "I wish things could be different."

(HEY!!!!! Welcome back! 😄)

“So do I, my Queen.” he nodded. “But in fairness to your mother, I think many are indebted to that same line of thought. It has been this way for… a very long time.” Thomas almost chuckled at the vagueness of his statement. Though it wasn't one of humor. “Yet, I still believe that does not excuse the King’s behavior towards you. I wish I could help more…”

(I'm so glad to finally be back! ♡ :))

Eleanor laughed dryly. "So it has been…" She straightened slightly. "You can help by not mentioning it," she whispered. "Rumors spread like a plague here. I've learned that far too quickly. Some of these other guards can be…" she hesitated for word choice, "degrading, at times."