A Picture's worth a thousand words (OPEN)

[canon]

Adrienne Boudoir the mistress, lover and companion of the King was someone not to mess with. Most tried to befriend her but failed, she was too vain and shallow to need friends. So instead she just used them to climb higher on the social ladder within court. These days she feared that she could climb no higher and there was a long way to fall.

Entering the gallery, her expensive red heels clicked against the marble floor. The walls was filled with images of kings past each staring down at her. She wandered aimlessly, taking in the different faces. She was curious exactly who they were and how they were when they were king or queen of this court.

Her feet came to a stop in front of her lover's handsome portrait. A serious expression painted across his features. A slight smile crept onto her lips, oh how she adored the powerful lycan but something crossed her mind. They had been together intimately for close to a decade now, then why had he not asked her to be his mate? She pushed the thought back as there was no time for doubt.

Adrienne was certain that he loved her. He was just waiting for the right time that's all. She reassured herself. The sound of footsteps, knocked her back to reality. The Royal mistress was not alone anymore.

[Evangeline Dubois]

Eva found the gallery quite lovely. Walls full of portraits of people from the court. Not just kings, but members of the five houses and other nobility. She hadn't noticed any others in the hallway. And especially not after she came upon a certain portrait. She stopped, staring at the portrait of her mother's family.

Eva knew right away. She knew people always said her and her mother looked alike, but she never paid attention to it. Not until now. Half a century after she was torn away from her family. She stared at the portrait of her grandparents, aunt, and mother. Her brown eyes lifted to her grandparents. Her grandmother sat in a luxurious chair, her deep brown eyes smiling at you warmly. The man who stood behind her with his hand resting on her grandmother's shoulder however, looked cold and stern, just like her mother used to depict him. The two girls were a more pleasurable mix of the two. They both seemed to favor their mother, and yet they were distinctly different. Eloise favored her mother more.

Eva lightly laid a hand over her stomach, stroking as she felt a light flutter of feet against her stomach.

[canon]

Turning on her heel, she faced the direction the noise was coming from. What she found was something she was not excepting. A pregnant female lycan, her chocolate brown locks shaping her face as it stared up at the portrait of one of the noble families. It soon sank in who she was.

Of all the people at court, it had to be her. The new girl, the new pregnant girl who was here to fight for her freedom or maybe that was just something she was telling everyone. Adrienne did not believe her sob story, something about her did not sit right with the mistress. Eva was up to something. Adrienne was not going to let her waltz in and just win over the King, flutter her eye lashes with forced tears running down her cheeks.

The mistress could not resist the urge to go over there and give the woman a piece of her mind. Adrienne was not going to let her slide through, enter court without speaking to the girl, her words would be harsh and full of venom which would be hidden once she sugar coated her tone, it would be sickly sweet which worked on all the men here at court. She made her way across the room, her strides were long and graceful.

"Well look what we have here, the new lycan everyone is talking about" She sneered, Adrienne was going to put the fear of god into Eva. She would not mess with her or her position in the King's bed or her back up the prince. There were somethings she kept hidden but she feared one day it would blow over and Vaan would find out what she was doing behind his back with his first born son.

Her eyes darted downwards, taking in her large pregnant stomach. She would never allow herself to end up like that, it would ruin her figure.

[Evangeline Dubois]

Eva looked up from the portrait at the sound of another's voice. She hadn't realized that she wasn't alone. She didn't miss the sneer of her voice though. It made the hackles on the back of Eva's neck rise. She resisted the urge to growl and instead, her deep brown eyes laid upon the woman in a warning manner.

A hand slowly traced over her stomach as she turned to the woman fully. Her hand cupped the bulging belly in a bit of a protective manner. She was only six months into the pregnancy, but when you were pregnant with twins you were going to look much farther along than you actually were. And it was going to put a lot more pressure on someone. Hence Eva's condition. She went out for a walk on the beach earlier and just stood in the serf, enjoying the relief the cool water gave her swollen and aching ankles. "Well it would seem you have me at a disadvantage, madame.You know who I am, but I do not know who you are." She said calmly in that smokey Cajun accent of hers.

She didn't know who this woman was, but Eva could already tell what her game was. She could cut through the tension with a steak knife right now. It made Eva a little uncomfortable and she could tell the pups could feel it to because they were growing restless all of a sudden.

[canon]

Standing proud, she lifted her head before even thinking of gracing this peasant with a reply. "I am Adrienne Boudoir" She responded, talking down her nose at the heavily pregnant lycan opposite her.

There was not many at court who did not know her name. She was held with both disgust and awe. It really depended who you were, the mothers and daughters who just jealous that she had gotten her claws in the King first. The men well they lusted and hated her in the privacy of their own rooms. The power she wield made her giddy like a child who had just received a new toy. It was sheer bliss but she knew her days were numbered.

Adrienne had gained both enemies and friends who conspired against her. She was not stupid, deaf or blind to their schemes. The mistress would not be kicked off her pedestal that she had built up from the ground. "I find it unlikely you have no heard of me. I have been the talk of this court for more than a decade" She smiled but this was a false smile, empty and full of false promise and desire. She used this often with men but never the King, he was the one to see her truly smile.

Oh how she loved and cherished the time she spent with him. Vaan was Adrienne's everything and this new whore was not going to take her place.

[Evangeline Dubois]

Eva didn't like the tone she was using. "Ahh the King's Whore. It's a pleasure, madame.I've heard many things about you. " She said it calmly and cooly as her body adjusted to a similar stance as Adrienne's. She wasn't going to let some little hussy talk down to her like that. She may have been the King's Mistress, but that was all. She didn't have any special powers over the court. Eva may have been a commoner, still a slave actually, but she was an alpha. Though she may have been a visting alpha, she was still an alpha. She deserved the respect that came with her position. The little hussy wanted to be a bitch? Two could play that game.

Brown eyes study the woman calmly. She had heard many things about Adrienne. And not all of it good. Apparently everyone but the king knew that she was messing around with his son as well as himself. And apparently Adrienne was the only one who thought she would become queen. From what Eva understood, everyone else thought that Vaan had no intentions of making her queen. Which was understandable considering all the things she'd heard about Adrienne so far. And so far she was certainly proving that she was very much the woman she'd been hearing about around the court.

[canon]

The smirk had wiped off her ruby red lips with that comment. How dear this commoner speak to her, the royal mistress this way. "How dear you" She screeched, her voice reached an all time high for even her. "I am no whore, I am the King's lover. Your superior and you will treat me as such" Scolding she was something she was used to doing but that had been the first few years of her time in this position of sheer power.

"Those stories who have heard are lies" She was trying to bury the truth from the ears of jealous courtiers who wanted to knock her from her pedestal. Adrienne would have none of that, she was comfortable where she was. Not only that but her eyes were fixed on the throne that had remained empty for many years now. Soon she would be queen and then no-one would ever cross her again.

"You are new to court are you not?" She demanded, wanting to get as much out of this trollop as she could. That way she would be able to find something on her to use that a later date. Oh the fun she would have to see this pregnant woman humiliated in front of everyone.

The gallery still was empty of any life but them but the mistress knew that nothing remained that way for long. The walls had ears, servants overheard parts of conversation which lead to often wrong conclusions that would be sold to the highest bidder. This was how things were at court. People rose then fell out of favor. In Vaan's court no-one was truly safe and secure in their position even she was vulnerable but Adrienne would never admit this.

[Evangeline Dubois]

"Oh yes, how dare I!" She announced sarcastically to Adrienne. Eva had to control over muscle in her body to keep from growling, or even letting out a soft snarl. Eva had half the mind to put this little whore in her real place. If she got so flustered as she was now, it would well be worth it. "A whore is a whore... no matter whose whore she is." Eva said coldly, brown eyes meeting Adrienne's in challenge. The bitch had another thing coming if she thought she was going to treat her like some sort of servant. She may have been a commoner, but Eva was still a guest of Vaan's and Eva was fairly certain that Vaan would not be pleased to hear how Adrienne was treating his guests. "Where I come from, we treat others as they treat us. So next time you want to look down your nosy little nose at me and act snide and cruel to me, you better think about it before you do it." She commented calmly, chocolate eyes warning as she stood there.

Eva was no push over. You wanted to push her she would shove back. If Adrienne had to learn that the hard way then so be it. "I would have thought the kings lover would already know who is new to the court and who isn't." She said cooly as she turned back to the painting of her family. Eva wasn't going to give too much away. She knew the little brat was up to something.

Eva hoped there was someone listening to her and Adrienne's "conversation." Eva would love nothing more than to hear gossip about how a poor little Cajun girl -who could actually be considered a Lady of the court seeing as her grandparents were once members of the court- had put Adrienne Boudoir in her proper place.

[canon]

Rage was now threatening to burst from beneath her skin. This commoner was over stepping the boundaries with that acidic tongue of hers. Adrienne was not going to stand for this, no-one in their right mind talked to her this way. " A whore! I am no whore you retch" She proclaimed proudly to Eva. Her pride was her greatest strength but yet her greatest weakness.

Without any hesitation she moved forward, her hand moved from her side before colliding sharply with the right cheek of the pregnant lycan Eva. Adrienne was not going to let her get with this. Adrienne believed that she was no-one whore but to the court she was the King's whore who occasionally visited the prince's bed chambers to 'speak; with him more privately.

This was her court, she had ever right to prove her superiority over this whelp! "You were not important enough for the conversations between the King and myself" She gloated, trying to knock Eva down. She would not stop until she had sunken the balloon of confidence that was Eva.

Her eyes turned to the portrait that her 'companion' had been looking at moments before. It was of one of the more nobles who had been shamed by the actions of their daughter. Gossip was everything here at court, it could destroy one family and raise another one up through the ranks. It wasn't hard to enough some similarity between Eva and the women in the picture. Shock hit her like a burst of lightning was it possible that this nobody was related to these fallen nobles? No it couldn't be! As if she was then it would help her within Vaan's court, she could easily join any of the noble ladies circles. Adrienne would not have that, it would not happen whilst she was still the King's mistress.

She still wielded some influence over particular nobles. She had much work ahead of her.

[Evangeline Dubois]

Eva didn't even flinch. She did however, grab the lycan's wrist just before she could connect and shoved the hand away. Eva had purposely been working up the whore's temper. She had anticipated the slap and so prepared herself. "You ever try to lay one of those pretty fingers on me again, I'll rip your throat out." She said harshly, a slight growl in her tone. She mentally dared Adrienne to try Eva. The heavily pregnant woman was in no mood to deal with this bitch's attitude problem.

"It's no wonder I've heard rumors of how the King tires of you." She said coldly as she shoved Adrienne away forcefully. "I wouldn't want to share my throne with a woman who treats my guests poorly either." She had to resist the urge to spit on her. The woman was not fit to be a queen if she treated people like she was Eva. No King in his right mind would marry a woman such as Adrienne. No one said why the King tires of his whore, but Eva was starting to suspect he might be seeing the true Adrienne and not the pretty mistress who had managed to capture his attentions so long ago.

She studied Adrienne, a little confused for a moment when she saw the expression on her face. She looked around for a moment before realizing what family portrait she was pretty much standing next to. She looked over the family portrait of her mother, aunt, and grandparents. It was obvious that Eloise La'Fluer was her mother. All three of the Dubois children had always favored Eloise, Eva was the one who resembled her the most. She was the spitting image of Eloise as a matter of fact. Eva had always known Eloise was once a court member, but she never knew why she left the court. She never told anyone about it though because she was not certain of the reception she would receive at this news. She licked her lips before looking back to Adrienne. "What is is, Madam?" She asked coldly as she met Adrienne's gaze. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

[canon]

Now this hadn't gone her way. Instead of slapping Eva, Adrienne's wrist was being tightly gripped. The mistress was not going to listen to such empty threats, it went straight over her head. She was going to be one doing the threatening, not the other way around. What next escaped Eva's lips did not shock her.

Often she had heard other courtiers, both male and female speak of the relationship between Vaan and herself waning, cooling. The passion was dying, Adrienne noticed the way her lover had become distracted when they dined together or when they were in bed late at night he would not hold her, just turn over and go to sleep. She had do something or lose everything she had worked so hard for. It was slipping through her fingers like grains of sand.

"They are nothing but rumors, why listen to such lies" She said passively, acting like it did not matter to her what these rumors were. It consumed her thoughts late at night when she truly was alone in the privacy of her own quarters in the east wing of the castle. The next comment she ignored, it was like Eva had not spoken after the comment about her relationship with the King. This conversation was starting to bore her, there was nothing interesting about the words coming out the pregnant lycan's mouth.

It was all backlash, not what the mistress wanted to hear. The cold tone of Eva's voice did nothing to Adrienne. Was it meant to scare her? Sadly it was nothing compared to icy cold of the King's voice when you had truly angered him, that scared her completely to the bone. Shaking off the memory that was threatening to enter her mind. "if I had seen a ghost, I would not tell you commoner" Her voice had returned to that I'm better than you tone of her voice she used when addressed the servants or the hired help.

[Evangeline Dubois]

She resisted the urge to say why she was really spouting off about these rumors. She was enjoying herself as she ruffled up the mistress's feathers. She may have had that cool, icy exterior, but Eva knew better. She was probably no doubt all fizzled up on the inside. "Seems only proper considering all the women of the court get swept up into the gossip."

"Oh, how silly of me. Of course you won't tell me, but you will tell everyone else." She said harshly, brown eyes challenging the woman that stood before her. Eva wasn't going to back down. Adrienne didn't scare her. Let the bitch spout out her mouth off about who Eva was. It's not like there were many more rumors they could get out of that. She already had a constant bombardment of embarrassing and upsetting rumors thrown at her, none of which were ever true. What was one more rumor to Evangeline Duboise, who had suffered through worse things than words intended to hurt. There was nothing in the world that could match the hurts she suffered in slavery. "Go ahead and tell everyone you know. There is nothing you could ever say that would hurt."

Eva's gaze bored into Adrienne's as she moved closer to Adrienne, wanting to get in her face a little just to show the royal whore how Eva handled things. She didn't back down from a challenge. Especially when it was some prissy pants who thought she was in charge because she was the King's favorite bed warmer.

[crispy]

There was something to be said about growing up in the palace, It had become a game for him to find the passages that no one else knew about. How to move around the palace unseen and unheard. As such he had found passages that few even knew about including the servants that used a number of such paths. Richard was in one such side passage moving from court and towards his quarters having simply given up for the day. Not only that but he wanted to make sure he didn't fall into the habit of sleeping at the desk... again.

If anyone disliked it well, he had never asked for the job, he took it out of a sense of duty, as such he also held a duty to his wife and those that he was personally trying to help. So he walked along the Stone hall that was a secret between walls. As he moved with a steady silent pace he heard heated voices in the distance and his ears twitched as he continued on the path. His movements slowing much as a hunter would take caution in a hunt his feet bare as he had ditched his shoes in his office after he had taken care of a matter with a few nobles he had to meet with.

At the moment he didn’t look tired his hair was combed. His blue eyes visible against the dark hair and his lightly tanned skin. His shirt was black and buttoned up with a few buttons undone as he left the courts. His pants were also black and he paused as he came to the end of the passage his ears collecting the words and even enjoying them a little. He recognized the first as Evangeline, a special case he was working on. The other was the haughty bitch that believed herself to be higher than her station. He had at no point ever actually tried to remember her name. Either way he could not allow his guest to be harassed by a woman that was no more than his father and brothers shared whore.

As such he stepped out of the nearly invisible passage within a deep nook in the wall. As he did he took in the situation and found himself standing strait as he slipped a blade from a special sheath up his shirt sleeve. The silver blade gleamed ad the black leather bound hilt of the strait blade hit his hand. He glanced at it as he stood in the hall way behind Adrienne... yes that was her name Lade Boudiour... or something either way it was not a name he felt a desire to remember.

“Lady Evangeline... It is always a pleasure.”

His words were cool to the young lady, he could see why Raphael has fallen for her, even for her situation her beauty even as obviously pregnant as she was, made Adrienne look as a wilted flower standing next to her. It was only after his words to his guest that he turned to face the servant whore... Oh no she was technically of higher station being a lady of the court but her duties of late to his father, and even his brother had made his realize what she was. A snake that hardly knew what to think of Monogamy, or even believe in it. Though as he did turn on Adrienne his back straitened and his eyes narrowed. As he crossed the room towards her.

“Adrienne... are you sure you want to behave in such an unbecoming manner, After all you are not a queen nor shall a simpleton whore ever be as such...”

Richard knew his position, and he also knew that in point of fact Adrienne may sleep with his father but she was not in fact his Alphess or his queen. Richard also knew that he and his brother shared the position of beta and again she was not his mate and as such a Beta either. As such he stalked towards her and his face was a mask of gold anger as his eyes twinkled. How many times had he waited patiently for her to step out of line outside of the site of his father. Yet here she was being a total bitch to a person that he personally had invited and the Mate of another Alpha's Beta at that. In all hierarchical Structures she had to give this woman respect. Adrienne had forgotten her place and by all rights as Beta of his fathers pack he had to put her in her place.

“On your Knees Omega... She may not be of my fathers Pack but she is mate to Lord Lucian's Beta... As such she she deserves your respect...”

The words were growled as he waited for her to move, however it seemed that he didn’t seem to take the threat rippling in his voice as serious. So he did the next best thing his body moved so as to kick her legs out from under her at the level of the knee...


(OOC:Hayley/ person playing Adrienne, If needed i can remove the last paragraph of my post if you would prefer me to do so... let me know otherwise its up to you if the kick connects or not)

[canon]

In moment everything changed. The words disappeared, she froze to the stop. The king's son had entered the gallery and Adrienne did not want to cross him, he was too close to her Vaan. Anything he reported back could easily lead to her downfall and eventually dismissal from his side and from his bed.

That would not do in the slightest. Adrienne was too comfortable and dependent upon her lover to be forced out now. Everything Eva had just said went straight over her head, that petty argument no longer mattered. Her eyes were glued to the handsome form of the overworked Duke Richard Niall.

She did not move as he approached her. His face was serious, his eyes narrowed. The duke was not happy at all and she was going to be on the receiving end. This was clearly not her day. Everything was going tits up, wrong and before she knew it was on it's head. Why had she ever bothered to step foot in this hall of painting of the past and present.

If she had not approached that pregnant commoner then none of this would have happened. Her own curiosity had gotten the best of her. Karma had come around as was about to bite her hard for what she had said and threaten to do.

His words hit her hard but she did not respond. Instead she kept her mouth firmly shut, biting down upon her lip. Adrienne knew all to well that she was not the queen, she was reminded of this daily by the deteriorating of her relationship with the King. He was quickly losing interest and other courtiers were waiting for the opportunity to sink their claws into him.

This commoner was the mate of an beta! This was news to the royal mistress or maybe she was losing her grip of her informants. They had found new master with bigger check books. His voice was nowhere near as threatening, as intimidating as his father's.

Adrienne did not follow through with his demands. She did not fall to her knees. After all she still had her pride and would not bow to a commoner even if she was the mate of the beta of Lord Yale. The moment his foot collided with her legs, pain rushed through her. It was almost like she had been shocked.

Her legs gave way, causing her fall to the floor. Her knees were the first to collided with the cold, hard floor. Her pain doubled, she was in complete agony but once again she bite down up her lip. Refusing to make a sound, to show any signs of weakness even if she was going to be humiliated for this.

A thin line of blood ran down from her mouth, she had bitten so hard, causing blood to boil under the surface and rush up and out the wound she had created. She would remain silent before this Duke.

[Evangeline Dubois]

Eva looked up at the sound of a third party. She studied Richard for a moment as he adressed her. She relaxed a little, laying a hand protectively over her enlarged stomach. "Duke, the pleasure is all mine." She said calmly, which was a miracle considering how hard it was for her to reign in her temper with this woman. She glanced to Adrienne, brown eyes intent on her before she looked back to Richard. She just watched in silence as Richard asserted his dominance over Adrienne.

She licked her lips, watching the scene unfold. She couldn't deny it was a little uncomfortable to watch. She wasn't sure of what to do or say, so she just kept quiet, watching the exchange for a moment and taking in Adrienne's expression at the news that Eva was Rafe's mate.

Eva would have preferred that Richard not use the fact that she was Rafe's mate out of it. She could handle the little whore on her own quite perfectly. She watched intently, brown eyes locked on Adrienne as she sank to her knees. Eva watched the woman as she struggled to fight the pain. Brown eyes lifted to look to Richard. She just wanted to get as far away from Adrienne Boudoir as possible or have her sent as far away as possible. "This really is not necessary, M'lord." She said lightly as she met Richard's gaze. A silent plea to dismiss her filling her eyes.

(OOC: Sorry it's so short guys. I'm working through a school induced writer's block >.<)