тнe мaѕqυerade //a roleplay

epilogue

i tried my best, i'm sorry i could barely write through the tears because this is over 😭 i went on the assumption that george and aedammair did not get married but ishy and avana if you you want to continue rping i will definitely not stop you because i'm not ready for this to be over yet

rhian and azlia got married on october 17th.

george did...not.

everyone had high hopes for the couple. they looked good together, and more than that, they looked happy. the nation loved them, and their love story soon became a tale for the ages.

but tragedy struck.

barely a year after rhian and azlia's wedding, george went missing.

the royal couple did their best to find him, using every resource in their powers, but alas, they were faced with the truth: they would simply have to move on.

and they were happy for a time.

but tragedy struck again.

one day, rhian tripped and fell down the stairs, cracking his head open and dying instantly.

after that, it was said that the queen azlia couldn't handle the loss, and withered away into nothing.

so the kingdom was left in the hands of princess annabelle, who gave everyone free cake and removed the castes once and for all before driving the kingdom into bankruptcy.

i'm sorry, ishy tracey and i were talking one time and talked about how hilarious it would be if rhian did all this stuff to get the crown and then died immediately after. it was funnier than it seems i swear. i'm cackling rn. but don't worry, this isn't the actual prologue. they deserve better than this.

rhian stood at the pulpit, resisting the urge to fidget with the cuff of his tuxedo. he glanced around the chapel, at all the faces turned up towards him. last time he'd been here, there had been two dead girls lying at his feet. he'd thought he'd won then, but that was nothing compared to today.

the music began, and rhian turned his head to the entrance of the church, where a figure, swathed in white fabric, stood. as she walked down the aisle, rhian couldn't help but compare azlia to an angel. she was one, wasn't she? sent to rescue him from the hell of being a prince, carrying him up to where he belonged. to the crown, to the throne. to her.

a smile lit up his face, eyes radiant the moment he saw her. she seemed to float up the steps, and rhian found he couldn't take his eyes off of her. for once, he wasn't worried about what everyone else thought, worried about acting, about wearing a mask so the world would still care about him. he didn't need to keep up this game of pretend with azlia. because she loved him in spite of all his darkness. no, she loved him because of it. and that was something he would never find again.

" 𝒾 𝒹𝑜 . "

"azlia, babe, are you ready?" rhian asked, staring into the mirror as he combed his hair back. "i've been ready." came her voice from their bedroom. rhian laughed, and set down the comb. he did his best to ignore the new wrinkles on his face - had they been there yesterday - and left the bathroom, ready for the interview. he held out an arm for his wife, who was beautiful as always in a stunning red dress. but just like him, age was slowly creeping up on her, the hints of grey at her hairlines, the smile wrinkles at the corner of her eyes and her wrists so thin he could probably wrap his hand around them twice if he wanted to. azlia smiled up at him, and rhian understood all over again why he'd chosen her and she'd chosen him.

" 𝓂𝓎 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 "

george ran through the forest, the only night silent except for the sound of his heavy breathing. he kept his eyes fixed on the palace, the autumn leaves crunching beneath his desperate footsteps. he had to get out of here. it was only a matter of time until rhian tried to kill him and succeeded. he'd tried tonight, but luckily george had grown wise to his attempts. he'd decided that tonight was the last time he'd let this happen. so he'd packed a bag and started running. luckily enough he knew exactly where he was going.

after the selection, every newspaper from angeles to whites had covered the stories of life after the selection. and george couldn't help but pay special attention whenever her name came up in the news. she lived somewhere by the mountains now, in a big house, alone. she had seemed to thrive afterwards. but george hadn't. he'd missed her, and living everyday under his brother's rule, with the threat of death looming over him, having to watch his back constantly, lest he be stabbed in the back, was no way for a person to live. he only hoped she'd understand that. he had a plan, he had cash, a map, connections. he would get them out of here, if only she would come with him. all he needed was to see her. all he needed was 𝒶𝑒𝒹𝒶𝓂𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓇.

annie knelt down and lifted the chubby toddler up in the air, his brown curls bouncing with the movements. she stuck her tongue out at him, and he giggled, before shoving a curled up fist into his mouth. "no, no, don't do that!" she signed, and tugged his arm away from his face. "silly boy. your parents will be back any minute now." a door creaked somewhere in the palace, and the child tilted his head, grinning at the sound. "oh, there they are now!" annabelle said, standing up and hugging the boy to her chest as she went to go greet his parents. "azlia, rhian, how was your visit? did you have fun? did you see the northern lights? did you bring me back a present? oh yes, he was such a good boy. no trouble at all. teddy, say hi to mommy and daddy."

𝒯 ℋ ℰ ℰ 𝒩 𝒟