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| what a job this is; tag: caterina sforza | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 15 2010, 07:33 PM (262 Views) | |
| Arthur Chamerlyn | Nov 15 2010, 07:33 PM Post #1 |
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December 1511 Marriage. Arthur would have expected this to come a long time ago. Perhaps once to a young Margaret Thompson, but that was beside the point. The man, already 30, had given the idea of a wife only minimal thought.. most times, Arthur had more important things to worry about. Besides, the women would always be there, would they not? If he had felt like he was truly missing something, the Marquess-then-simple-Lord would have taken a wife as soon as possible. But now, only days after his thirtieth birthday, Arthur thought it couldn't have possibly come any later. Anne Parr was, by all means, a perfect image in what he needed in both a wife and Marchioness.. and he was entirely eager to make it official. That hadn't been easy to come by, though. But he'd done it, they'd done it, and the obstacles once ahead of them were now behind. Soon enough the two would meet in a harmonious union and Arthur would be granted what he'd been searching for all along. But where did that leave those who had comforted him in his loneliest of times? Those that had offered their warm embrace, their renowned humor, and above all, their steaming bed that Arthur had found himself seeking refuge in time over time again. "Oh, Caterina.." he whispered beneath his breath, fiddling mindlessly with his quill as he'd become distracted from his work in front of him. He thought of the Italian tigress, a fond smile finding his lips as he recalled their nights together, their mornings and even their first afternoon upon meeting... how their ferocious attraction had sparked alive so quickly. If anything, Arthur was grateful for the Sforza. She had offered him friendship, something he would never forget and hopefully would never have to release. They had shared parts of each other that only few others had done, and well to say the least, Arthur was going to miss her most intimate company. He sighed heavily, glancing up from his desk and to his usher that stood obediently, silently, at the closed door. "Master James," he said lightly, a plain smile tugging at the edges of his otherwise unamused lips. "Send for my beloved mistress, will you?" The boy smirked and bowed, assuming his master's intentions to the fullest. But today -tonight- would be different for Arthur and Caterina. Times had changed and things had demanded for an upkeep in propriety. And if anyone knew about Arthur's propriety with women, it was Caterina Sforza. He waited patiently at his desk, only imagining what his usher could be interrupting for the Lady Forli. The thought humored him, but as the moments slipped by, Arthur's expression had fallen and he'd risen from his desk and poured himself a familiar cup of wine. His back was turned as the doors behind him opened, first appearing his usher - as expected. "The Lady of Imola, my Lord." He turned smoothly, greeting them both with a smile and bowing only when his usher had left. "Caterina," he mused softly, his voice low and still heavy with regrettable adoration. "Forgive me if I've pried you from something more important." Arthur said this without much attention, turning his head to the pitcher of wine he'd left on the table. "But it's been weeks, has it not? Surely you have the time." He smirked and poured a second cup. "Care for some wine, my dear?" |
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| Caterina Sforza | Nov 16 2010, 12:19 PM Post #2 |
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It was said, once, that Caterina's heart, while loving and caring, was that of a man's heart, more hardened against the emotional toils of the day-to-day life she found herself in. Caterina was, by all accounts, an unlucky woman, with the most wonderful luck. Bad things would happen. Terrible things, even. And luck (though more likely it was skill) got her out of it again. Why, the fact that Caterina's heart was yet a heart was a brilliant feat. Had she any sanity she would have shut it off for any emotion to enter it. She did, however, not.. and only opened her arms to comfort any person that might need it. Arthur had been such a person. When they first met she had been amused by his mild nervousness, yet her heart had bled for the distress he felt at his father's illness. She had, as best she could, attempted to comfort him. It had not been an active thought process by which she arrived at the best way to comfort him (by taking him to her bed), and yet that was what she had only hoped had helped him most. Their torrid affair was one that might stick in Caterina's surprisingly innocent memories, though it had only lasted a month before Arthur found himself to be a Marquess, and had left her for Powis. Caterina did not think herself a mistress of Arthur. She would never think herself as something that was owned by a man. Caterina did not think very highly of herself.. indeed, she barely thought of herself at all. She did, however, not appreciate being called mistress. No. She thought Arthur to be hers, rather than her being his. She felt an emotional bond with Arthur, but not one of romanticism.. rather, she felt a bond she might feel for a close friend. a very close friend.. and that, was all she had ever wanted from him. When she was summoned by Arthur's boy that evening, she held up her hand to make him shut up in mid-sentence. "A moment," she said to the young boy, a firm yet friendly smile gracing her tanned features. Finishing words on her letter were those of great comfort to her son, that her mission was nearing a success. She blew on the ink, so as to let it dry and folded the note before slipping it aside to be sent in the morning. Caterina disliked being summoned, as though she had nothing better to do. But as it were, she didn't, and was only glad at the prospect of seeing Arthur again. And so she stood and looked at the boy in the doorway, with a smile only to give him more patience. Judging by his lingering looks, however, she did not expect patience to be at the bud of his issues. Her steps led her to a mirror in which she scanned herself. Free of any outwardly disheartening flaws she spun to follow the boy out of the room and toward Arthur's chambers. Once inside she was, as always, introduced by her title by the boy James. "What could be more important than seeing you back at court, Arthur?" she replied to his inquiry, feeling a slight unease at the situation that had not led them both to lose their clothes within the first five seconds of seeing each other. Had something changed? They were friends, and so they spoke, certainly.. but their conversations were, more often than not, held after coitus. Lingering conversation in this manner could not help but make her uneasy. She nodded when he asked if she would have wine, but impatient, and unwilling to wade in the feeling of uneasiness that was only increasing with every moment, she stepped forward and took initiative by pressing her lips against his, a soft, though commanding grip finding his jaw. |
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| Arthur Chamerlyn | Nov 17 2010, 05:59 PM Post #3 |
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Arthur recognized, if not immediately, the hesitance in Caterina's deep russet hues. Through their brief -though nonetheless torrid- affair, Arthur had grown to know the Italian probably more than she herself would like to admit. This provoked a quiet sigh deep from his chest, deflating his shoulders as he slowly replaced her cup of wine back on the table. His eyes cast down for a moment, perhaps pondering, before he also set down his cup. The Marquess, literally, had zero expectations when it came to something like this... perhaps he didn't know Caterina as well as he thought he did. Nevertheless, he brought his eyes back to her, confident and without pause, only to see the space between them had drastically closed and suddenly her firm, familiar hand was around his jaw and her lips... her soft, supple lips... had taken his own practically hostage. He should have seen that coming. Maybe he did, but either way, it was hard for Arthur to deny what the Sforza sparked within him. A fire of sheer lust that nearly reached untameable heights. She knew that. In fact, she knew that well.. often used it to her advantage. And if it had been any other time, any other circumstance, Arthur would have bent willingly to the vixen's hand. Any other time and he would have tossed her on the bed behind him. He sighed deeply onto her face, his lips instinctively reciprocating, at first comforted by her touch but then perturbed by the memory of what initially brought her here. Very slowly he lifted his hand to her face, cradling it gently but then using it as leverage to carefully push her away. For probably the last time their mouths parted, her warmth seeping from his nearly immediately. "Caterina," he spoke lowly, softly, as he drew away from her. "Know that I've missed you in my absence.." he began, eying her cautiously and only praying his sort of rejection came as sincere as possible. There was a part of Arthur that cared deeply for Caterina, perhaps would have kept her intimately in his life for years if, again, the circumstances had been different. But now... well, the circumstances had called for a change of pace. A change of pace that Arthur and Caterina could no longer stride together in. "Oh, dear Caterina, how am I supposed to say this?" He suddenly asked, turning from her and pacing a few mindless steps forward. He sighed again, only hoping that once this was all said and done, Caterina wouldn't walk completely out of his life. "I'd probably be a miserable fool without you." He stated simply, turning again to face her. He smiled haphazardly, hoping to find reassurance in her dark Italian features he'd kissed time and time again. "But I'm getting married, Caterina." There was no easier, no simpler way to say it than for exactly what it was. He looked at her, weighing her stature, her gaze, her reaction bubbling beneath the brim of her eyes. "In only a month's time.." it must have been the first time he said this, because it suddenly hit him like a brick wall. He exhaled heavily, recalling the woman to be his wife, his Marchioness, and was immediately comforted in this otherwise tense, awkward position. "And for us.." he went on carefully, "things will be different..." |
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| Caterina Sforza | Nov 28 2010, 09:34 PM Post #4 |
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Caterina's concerns almost died in the passion when Arthur's lips worked against hers in that same way she knew them to always have. She felt so secure for a second that her hand slacked on his jaw and only sought to wander lower, with the intent of undoing his doublet. But her hands did not get that far, as Arthur's hand found her face in an oddly gentle way and sought to push her away. She willingly followed his hand, the unease she had felt only moments ago now back and at a fuller force than it had previously been. She stared at him. Confused and not afraid to show it with an inquisitive frown neatly knitting together her eyebrows. As with everything, however, she was unwavering in her strength. Yes, it was rare people could pull off a look of unchallenged emotional strength, and one of utter confusion. But Caterina did, and marvelously so. Her hand fell to her side as he drew away from her, and hung limply at her side. What could this possibly be about, she wondered? She hated not being able to tell the intentions of someone. Of course, she had never been a fantastic judge of character.. but she could generally determine people's motives after enough words. But Arthur? The day they had met she had found him difficult to figure out, and despite their now long-standing acquaintance, she still had trouble reading him at times. This was exactly one of those times, and her only reaction was to simply stand there. Unmoving. ”Well spit it out, bastardo,” she finally said after his long hesitation that was trying her patience at the worst levels. Her tone had a light air of jest to it, as she would never seriously call Arthur a bastard.. but his long pauses; his long sigh; constant look of sincere regret. It drove her mad and that much was also evident in her tone. Finally, when she had picked up her glass of wine again, did he speak. ”Probably,” she responded with that jesting grin Arthur would know so well, when he claimed that he would be a miserable fool without her. Caterina did not think so highly of herself to not think that a complete joke. Arthur would have done fine without her. He was strong enough to stand against many things, she thought. Any thoughts of jesting, of course, were promptly killed at his admission that he would be getting married. Her brows furrowed in a frown of incomprehension for a split second, before they raised slightly. The look on her face was indiscernible, however.. whether she was pleased, surprised, upset, confused, or simply disappointed was not to be figured out based on the strange mixture of expressions that now marred her perfect Mediterranean features. ”I see,” she said, tonelessly. ”I think.. I am happy for you.” She said that with every bit of confusion she felt at the situation. She truly did think she was happy for him. She had simply not expected this, and was highly confused about how she should be reacting. She had never thought that this thing with Arthur would last.. he was, after all, only her lover. Eventually she would have to remarry and he would have to marry.. it would have to end eventually, she had always thought. But now? Like this? He was, she thought, her nearest and dearest friend after Marco. Maybe even more of a friend than Marco, as they had shared parts of each other she'd never dare share with the short bastard. Would she be losing him to this marriage of his? She disliked the thought. ”Who is this puttana taking you from me, then?” her tone was, once again, back to the same tone of jest it had previously been in when she referred to Arthur's betrothed as a whore. Her expression less changed than her tone. |
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| Arthur Chamerlyn | Nov 29 2010, 05:43 PM Post #5 |
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Arthur honestly didn't have a clue as to how Caterina would react. What could he possibly expect? Anger? No, no, that would be too unseemly, even for her. Disbelief? That was a bit more probable, maybe even her laughter thrown right in his face. To say the least, he'd find that a bit comforting.. at least the muscles in his shoulders wouldn't hurt so badly. Whatever that could possibly bubble from this, Arthur certainly wasn't anticipating her happiness for him. His eyebrows lifted if only marginally, surveying her, testing out the truth in her dark Italian features. Her voice had been hesitant, nearly stuttering. Yes, she was just as confused as he was. Was he confused? He wasn't sure, ironically enough. His expression leveled, though, as she voiced her next question. But, knowing Caterina, he was soon reduced to nothing but a low chuckle. "Her name is Anne Parr," he went on, dismissing her earlier, berating jest. Whore. Blasphemous! But that was the hilarity in it all, wasn't it? Arthur smiled to himself at the thought. "And must you say it like that?" He asked with a crooked grin, leaning against another strong wooden table. He lifted his thick arms and crossed them over his chest, eying her with firelit eyes. "I don't think anyone is taking me away from you, Caterina," he spoke, peering through just a few tendrils of his hair. "I want nothing more than to keep you in my life.. someway." Arthur felt the memory of wanting to kiss her, the lingering desire otherwise would have if things had been different. He sighed quietly. "Say you'll miss me?" He asked playfully, standing from the table and taking just a step towards her again. His arms dropped from his chest and extended slightly, opening towards the body he knew so well. "Come on, Caterina, I know you will." Arthur chuckled and approached her, tickling her at her sides and eventually pulling her into a warm embrace. He leaned his head into her, inhaling the smell of her lustrous hair and the perfume on her skin. It lapped at the familiar flames he held for Caterina, this time beckoning him to gently pull away rather than implore and spread them. He sighed again; this kind of sucked. "Wine, then?" He smiled haphazardly as he moved back over to the two cups, still nearly filled to their brims with the strong, sweet purple drink. Taking them into his hands, he outstretched one in her direction and took a liberal sip from the other. For some reason, Arthur felt like he was going to need it. "Don't look at me like that, Caterina.." he spoke, eying her and that way she just called out to every one of his more primitive desires. "What are you trying to do, turn me against everything I stand for?" He smirked playfully again, taking another sip from his wine and surveying her over the silver cup. |
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| Caterina Sforza | Dec 3 2010, 02:06 PM Post #6 |
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She still wasn't certain how she should be reacting. This was the longest time Caterina had ever attempted to figure what she was feeling about something. Caterina reacted mostly from gut feelings, and so they came naturally upon her and she rarely had to question how or why she felt something, let alone what it was she felt at all. But this situation was so much different than she had experienced before. She had been through a lot, but never things that warranted anything other than gut reactions.. this? well, it was strange to her. completely foreign. She sipped her glass of wine, wondering who this Anne Parr could be. She knew of the Parrs, of course.. didn't everyone? Caterina knew of three Parr siblings at court. Anne was to be one of them, certainly. She almost felt a protective need to find this Anne and make certain she was going to treat Arthur with the respect he deserved. Caterina's husband had been a fat, lazy, power-hungry man.. nothing like Arthur. If she had been able to treat him well (though she treated most people well, as long as they did not cross her, which, strangely, her husband never did), Arthur only deserved ten times the amount of good treatment Caterina had granted her husband. "I will not go from your life simply because you are married, Arthur.. but your wife might seek to push me away from you, whether or not you want her to," a pout found its way on to her lips, expressing perfectly the sadness that was part of her very confusing emotions. She was skeptical of any acceptance from his future wife, whether or not she might know that they had had an affair. Women were jealous creatures, she had found. Caterina gave in to him when he embraced her, and rested her lips against his neck in a lingering, yet completely innocent kiss. She would miss him, she thought. He had been a small light when she felt most homesick, that somehow reminded her of home. "I will miss you," she said sincerely, letting her soft breath brush against his neck, thinking that she, for the last time, would feel the warmth of his skin against her lips. When he pulled away, she nodded at the offer for more wine, and spoke: "To the brim, I think." She needed the wine now, she thought. She so desperately wanted to hate this Anne Parr, but she was a fair judge, and could not, no matter how she tried, hate someone she did not know, who she had never met, nor heard anything about. It was not logical, and Caterina did not hate illogically. She only hoped the wine might settle this desire to hate the woman stealing her lover. She gave him a look, as he poured the wine, that in every way spoke of the sadness she felt at not getting to feel his lips on hers again, a look that spoke of uncontrollable lust, and the desire to seduce him one last time before he found himself bound by marriage. Caterina truly believed in the sanctity of marriage and understood that a betrothal was nearly as good as being married. But was it, in the eyes of God, adultery if the man was only betrothed? Arthur caught her gaze and called her out on it, only causing her to smirk. "Yes," she replied to his question. "Is that not what I've always attempted to do with you, Arthur?" The first time they had met she had taken him to a brothel, because she had assumed that went against what he stood for. Of course, she had been wrong in the assumption, but it had always been her goal to make him lose those pesky English customs. Without them he would be perfect. "Tell me of this Parr and how the betrothal came to be then, before I start thinking it a ploy to get rid of my presence in your bed." She took the wine and took a large gulp of it, certain wine was the cure for everything. |
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| Arthur Chamerlyn | Dec 5 2010, 01:37 PM Post #7 |
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At the very least, the past three months had been the most passionate of his life. Court, throughout his years, Arthur had come across few women he had the care for to bring to his bed. But they were all so mere, so brief, that Arthur had nearly forgotten about them. However.. t'was not the case for Caterina Sforza. And when he had first proposed marriage, the fierce Italian had been a prominent figure in the back of his mind. And now, finally brought to the forefront and even more confusing. Suppose if his betrothed was only some political figurine, like so many of the wives at Court, Arthur would keep Caterina's bed in his life for years to come. For as long as the Lady Imola allowed it. But now things were a bit different. And the desire he felt as her lips pressed to his neck was only another reminder to that. "Perhaps, but in the end she is only but a wife." He smirked, knowing speaking these terms would be right up Caterina's alley of comprehension. As much as he hated to admit it, Arthur could not, and would not, oblige to any of Anne's requests to rid Caterina from his life. Stopping her as his mistress was one thing, but the Marquess would not relieve her friendship. Always would he care for her... and perhaps always would have that wild, note-worthy passion lingering between them. "Suppose that is why I like you so much. Always trying to challenge me." He smirked, knowing full well that was exactly one of the many reasons as to why he appreciated her so deeply. Though he would end up strangling himself had they been married, Caterina was still a great friend. And, to his confession, a perfect mistress. So perfect that Arthur could only laugh as she mentioned something about a ploy. He shook his head and raised his cup to his lips and tipped the wine into his waiting mouth. He swallowed slowly, contemplatively. "She is the youngest of her brother, the Lord Essex, and the eldest Katherine." Arthur smiled, perhaps a little fondly. "I knew her lightly ten years ago, and just before my leave to Powis, I came upon her here at Court." He drank another sip of the wine. "Or, rather, she came upon me." Arthur grinned, recalling how the Mistress Anne seemed to prowl from the very night as if in some whimsical author's fairy-tale. "She does not... challenge me as you, per se, but she keeps me on my toes." Why he felt as if he needed to tell Caterina anything was a mystery unto itself, but he held profound respect for the Italian tigress; Arthur felt, as his adored lover, she had the right. "She is a good woman, Caterina. You'll see." He smiled again and finished his wine, nearly immediately pouring another. The Marquess, honestly, couldn't ask anything of the two closest women in his life when it concerned each other. He could only pray they would be civil. "And if I could, Caterina, without darkening my damned conscious, I would come up with a ploy to keep you in my bed." Having the comfortable freedom to be so open, so honest with Caterina seemed to be the only pleasantry he could grasp on to through their atmosphere of confusion and sexual tension. |
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| Caterina Sforza | Dec 5 2010, 05:21 PM Post #8 |
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Caterina's lips found the rim of her glass, and she drank deep. She smiled, while drinking, at Arthur's comment about Anne Parr only being a wife, after all. Were she any more of a clutz she would have spilled all over herself, but only a drop of wine found its way out the corner of her mouth, attempting to make its way to her chin. Caterina's tongue found it before it got far, yet her smile did not stop. Caterina understood, after all, the role of being a wife and how she should have no say in a man's business.. she, of course, fought this very fact with every fiber of her being on a regular basis.. but in this case, she was only glad not to be losing Arthur. She was now wondering what this Anne was like.. she must either be something special for Arthur to arrange a marriage so quickly... or there was profit, or desperation in it. She did not see the reason for rushing things if that were not the case. She did not think Arthur would do this for profit, either.. he had never seemed interested in marriage, even if it had been for profit. Was this Anne desperate, for some reason, and had put political pressure on Arthur somehow? She became unhappy at the thought that that might be the case, and only thought that if it were, she would put a stop to it. "Where is the fun in life, if not in the challenges?" she grinned, when he admitted that was why he liked her so. Caterina gladly took on challenges, and challenged others as much as she could.. she found joy in challenges, even if they brought defeat. At the very least, she always thought, she learned from it. Of course, had she failed in the challenge the Orsi posed when attempting to usurp her son's titles things would have gone badly, and she might not have learned anything. She was only glad that that had not been the case.. and rarely, when she challenged Arthur, had he failed to rise to the challenge. "You came upon each other, did you? So this was a meeting between the two of you that convinced you you had to wed, rather than her brother forcing the two of you together for a politically viable marriage?" she just wanted her question answered, as to why they were rushing things so much. She wanted to know what to do about the situation, so that she did not just sit idly by while Arthur doomed himself.. if that was, in fact, the case. Would he be doomed, she wondered, or would she, without his arms around her? She respected Arthur for wishing to keep his conscience clear, she thought. She had, despite her unhappiness and many opportunities, never once cheated on her husband.. she thought the sanctity of marriage was, indeed, sacred. She would never sully a married man's bed, did she have her mind set straight and thought rationally, which she normally did. She would never feel morally right in sleeping with a married man, no matter how much she might want to. The temptation would always be there for Arthur, she thought.. when he was married, a father, and many years in the future.. he would always hold a place in her mind that would lust for him. She knew that, and she fully expected to fight it at every turn. Her eyes carefully narrowed on the man she felt she was saying goodbye to, she attempted to read him, as she had never been able to do properly. "è l'amore, Arthur?" she asked, knowing Arthur would understand the simple Italian, as she had eagerly beaten a few words into his head. Caterina had never been in love. She didn't know the feeling.. but she only hoped, for Arthur's sake, that it was love. It was rare that anyone got to marry for love.. certainly, love came eventually in a marriage.. a fondness would always be developed, with the birthing of children. But pure love before even saying your vows.. that was rarely heard of, and Caterina only felt a twinge of jealousy, thinking her suspicions might be confirmed. This caused her lips to find the rim of her glass again, this time not leaving it to save the drop that fell from the same place one had earlier. [[è l'amore = is it love?]] |
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6:35 AM Jul 11