#( feat. edward blythe. )

[ap1ratesl1fe]

i was just resting my eyes. (ned + klio)

𝙰𝚅𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝚈… 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

"Yes, I am sure you were."

The corner of her lips pulled into a smirk as she teased the man. The Historian setting her quill down on her paper she'd been using during their lesson. Of course, she knew how dedicated Ned was to learning. In fact, she could argue that he was the most dedicated out of all her students. He had a much harder time with it and tended to mix up some of his letters. That only seemed to motivate the man even more to succeed at his studies. To learn more. To do and feel better.

She admired the man so much for his dedication. But she supposes even the most dedicated of people deserved to have some rest. Not her, of course. She felt off-balanced whenever she tried to rest. Practically guilty for doing anything except expanding her mind.

Perhaps she was a hypocrite for feeling like such, only to encourage her pupils to take breaks.

"Let's be done for the day, yeah? You've worked hard. You deserve to rest."

[littlemisspascal]

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of my fic The Infinity Cube. I can still remember posting the first chapter, hoping at least one person out there liked it, and I can still remember how it felt to reach the end, a feat that wouldn't have been possible without the support of so many kind souls 💗 I wanted to make something for the occasion and having seen so many amazing web weavings out there, I thought I'd give it my best shot 😊

THE INFINITY CUBE: a journey home

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis // I Choose You by Adam Melchor // When Did It Happen? by Mary Oliver // First Love by Jennifer Franklin // The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde // The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons // The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman // 10 a.m Is When You Come To Me by Louise Bourgeois // Maybe In Another Universe, I Deserve You by Gaby Dunn // Maybe When the Time is Right You Will Find Me Again - K. Tolnoe // We Were Missing the Present by Mahmoud Darwish // Persona (1966) // Matched by Ally Condie // In the Pines by Alice Notley // It Wasn't Love // La Pointe Courte (1955) // "My better half" by Pablo J. Davis // The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller // Bioshock Infinite // Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar // Oh It Was Meant to Be - Kate McGahan // Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell // If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird // Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens // Unending Love by Rabindranath Tagore // The Blinding Star by Blanca Varela // Wild Spirit, Soft Heart by Butterflies Rising // Finding You by Kesha // Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths // Web weaving about the untold story in you // "Feel like making a deal with the devil?" // A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara // Reborn: Journals ad Notebooks by Susan Sontag // I love you like a rotten dog // Sax Rohmer #1 by The Mountain Goats // The Bubble (2022) // Rabbit Hole (2010) // Beginning with O by Olga Broumas // How many times can the same thing break your heart? // War of the Foxes by Richard Siken // On Death in Heartbreak // Lonely Day by System of A Down // This Road (The Mirror is a Trap) by Poe // Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish // "Do you think we're soulmates in another universe?" // Radio Silence by Alice Oseman // "In one timeline we kiss" - Elizabeth Hewer // Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed // Almond Blossoms and Beyond by Mahmoud Darwish // X // The Collected Poems of Alvaro de Campos by Fernando Pessoa // Excerpt from Moony Moonless Sky's 'I am an observer, but not by choice' // @/lookoflove // Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg // "Do you know what it's like to live somewhere that loves you back?" - Danez Smith // Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros // The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White // Home // You and Me

All Pedro Photos - Pinterest // Reader in my story is physically a blank slate, I just really like the photo of Javi + Gabriela touching foreheads

[caitlynlynch]

I think my love for historical romance is pretty well-known to anyone who reads my reviews by now, but I admit to a particular soft spot for historical romances that weave in actual historical personages and events into the storyline. Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Princes trilogy is perhaps the most shining example of the type, and if you enjoyed those, you'll absolutely love this.

Rumors at Court (though it should be Rumours with a u, this is set in England) is centred around a fictional couple, Valerie of Florham and Sir Gil Wolford. Valerie is a lady-in-waiting to Constanza, rightful Queen of Castile, lately married to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, a son of Edward III - and the father of the Lancastrian dynasty which included Henry IV, V and VI, AND the father of the York and Tudor dynasties, father to a Queen of Portugal AND a Queen of Castile.

(John of Gaunt was a busy kinda guy, and one of my favourite historical figures).

Constanza takes a liking to Valerie, recently widowed, and takes her into her household. Valerie's former husband was a brutish sort and she is more than happy to serve the queen rather than be ordered to marry again.

Sir Gil Wolford is one of John of Gaunt's most trusted knights, a capable warrior and commander. Ordered to marry Valerie, he is aware that neither of them have any choice, but is still determined to treat her gently and respectfully.

The story follows Valerie and Gil over the space of a year or so, from an (awkward) first meeting, through growing respect between them, to their eventual marriage and beyond. They were separated for weeks and months at a time due to the fact that they were at both at the mercy of the whims of their monarchs, and the story does not gloss over this fact.

Blythe Gifford has a deft way with words, taking a story that is in many ways rather melancholic (John of Gaunt was in love with a lady named Katherine Swynford, who was also in Constanza's household... AWKWARD) and giving it a hopeful air, making Gil and Valerie front and centre in the story. That's no easy feat considering the other extremely compelling characters in the narrative.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading Blythe Gifford's other works. She really knows her history and she weaves a compellingly realistic tale of love in the Middle Ages.

Five stars.

Rumors At Court is available now in paperback, and is in pre-order for ebook release on May 1.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.