Mathilde Euphrosine of Leuven
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Mathilde Euphrosine Anastasia Ashford de Falstaff, (3rd of the Sun’s Smile, 1870 - 15th of the Sun’s Smile, 1892), otherwise known as Mathilde of Guise or Mathilde of Leuven, was the young bride & first wife of Frederick Aurelian of the Reformed Kingdom of Oren, and is commonly remembered as the Last Queen of the Orenians despite her lack of coronation, though her extant title was as Princess of Providentia. Her adolescence spanned the final year of the Acre Rebellion, which brought an end to the Novellen Dynasty’s domination over the heartlands. Regarded otherwise as a fashion icon, she is known to have popularized the Vita Nova fashions of the late 1800s-present day, consisting of corset-less gowns and free flowing skirts & sleeves which mimicked the libertarian aspects of the lady of Guise’s personal mien.
Contents
Biography
Birth & parentage
The pairing of Mathilde’s parents was one borne of an arrangement between the Princess Claude of Savoy, former Viscountess of Provins, and the upstart Conrad de Falstaff, then in service to Prince Frederick Charles Novellen; it would see him acquire her grandson’s estate, Castle Hawthorn, following the denigration of the Pruvian title, on the grounds that the Pruvian household would not be displaced. To seal this arrangement, Conrad was betrothed to her youngest daughter, Mathilde Cyprielle, a buxom lady of flaxen hair with indolent vanity & a hyperreactive temperament.
Conrad & his wife were constantly at odds due to their difference in character, yet such did not quell their yield of seven(?) bouncing children to color the halls of Hawthorn. Lady Mathilde Euphrosine was welcomed to Castle Hawthorn as the eldest daughter on the 3rd of the Sun’s Smile, 1870, and would later be handed a bevy of responsibilities following the departure of her mother to the continent of Aeldin for reasons undisclosed, though rumor regards the situation as resulting from an affair of the heart.
Prior to such, Mathilde was said to get on fantastically with her lady mother, being loved “as dearly as a woman of such pure hubris could love such a perfect replica of her own appearance” (Sophie, Countess Susa). The young Mathilde boasted golden yellow locks, a pale complexion that was waxy, olive-toned, and dotted with kisses from the sun over the nose and cheeks. Her eyes were of a river-light blue. She was thin and long, though she grew to fill into a womanly, well-fed shape in an older age. In character, she was nothing alike to Mathilde the Older. Contemporaries attest to her gentle spirit, bashful lilt of voice, caring love for the earth & its inhabitants and “a unique humility & self-sufficiency” that meant she was often seen planting, harvesting & preparing her own & her family’s meals, and washing laundry idly in the river that bridged Hawthorn.
Her closest companionships were made in her sisters Ophelie & Manon in her earliest years. The trio would hardly be seen without each other.
Ennoblement & the Court of Stassion
Around her 4th year, Mathilde’s father was lifted to the highest seat of government as Chancellor of the Reformed Kingdom of Oren under King Frederick I. A few years thereafter, he was titled the Baron of Guise, an ancestral title of Falstaff. The House thus merited a greater economic prosperity & noble distinction. Castle Hawthorn’s material records denote the presentation of several rolls of silks, foreign textiles & furs of high quality from numerous friendships for the use of her tailor, though staff records denote the hiring of a seams tutor from whom Mathilde would learn the art of weaving, quilting & knitting, allowing her to produce the vast majority of her now-renown wardrobe by hand.
Her mother would return on the eve of Mathilde’s [?]th birthday on the beckon of Queen Vivienne, who required her expertise within the Royal Court of Castle Stassion. She was to discover that Conrad had made a claim for divorce with the Pontiff and replaced her with the Lady Ioanna Basrid. In anger, Cyprielle ostensibly absconded the household, taking with her Euphrosine, whom she had afore petitioned to be placed under the wardship of the Queen and be made an official lady-in-waiting. No further information exists on Mathilde’s reaction to such news, however it is evident that she flourished within the castle environment. She attended various courtly events where she exuded a graceful gait and sunny disposition that warmed her to various high-ranking officials, including the numerous Novellen Princes and Princesses- namely Princess Maude, Princess Francesca & Princess Vivienna-, and the King himself, who doted on her as his own child, and would often carry her upon his own saddle to ensure she did not dirty her shoes whenever events called for her attendance. She remained in loving contact with her own father, whom she established a close connection with, preferring his company to all else.
A diary of Mathilde’s once regaled her introduction & friendship to the Prince of Providentia, Frederick Aurelian. Details, along with the diary itself, have been lost to the expedition to Aevos. All that exists is a page with faded handwriting. She can’t have been older than 10 years old, though the lines of her calligraphy place her slightly older.
The Acre Rebellion
[WIP]
