Cassandra Davenport

[Cassandra Demarais]

THE GIRL WHO SMILES . K I N D L Y ... THEN RIPS YOUR LIFE TO . P I E C E S .

FULL NAME :: Cassandra Eve Davenport (née Demarais)
BIRTH DATE :: August 21st
AGE :: Twenty-six
HEIGHT :: 5'8"
WEIGHT :: 128 lbs.
EYE COLOR :: Green
HAIR COLOR :: Auburn
HOMELAND :: Tresteria
MARITAL STATUS :: Married to Henry Davenport
FAMILY TIES :: Father- Roiben Demarais [deceased]; Mother- Aileen Demarais [deceased]; Older Brother- Sevrin Demarais ; Younger Sister- Elyscia Demarais ; Cousin- Edward Demarais [deceased]; Cousin- Aric Demarais ; Cousin- William deGrey ; Cousin- Triston deGrey ; Cousin- Wesley deGrey ; Cousin- Lucian deGrey
CHILDREN :: N/A
TITLES :: Duchess
OCCUPATION :: N/A
MARKINGS :: N/A
LIKES :: Sapphires and rubies; chocolate; warm baths; silk; orchids; gossip (to a degree); a certain vagabond's smile; lavender and sandalwood; quiet meadows; herbology; strawberries; a fine wine; staying up late with Elyscia
DISLIKES :: Snakes; bugs; milk; shackles; not having the freedom to make her own choices
GRAMARYE :: N/A

I'm an e f f i g y , a parody
Of who I appear to be
PUT YOUR FLAMING . T O R C H E S . UNDER ME

FACTS ::

• Second-born and the first daughter to Roiben and Aileena Demarais. Cassandra was the first daughter born into the Demarais line for her generation.
• With her being female, also having a younger sister, and then an older brother who wanted to do anything but abide by the Demarais standards, the three siblings were often considered the "black sheep" of the family. Something their mother flaunted regardless, because Aileena had a "devil-may-care" attitude, which Cassie wound up inheriting.
• With Sevrin banished and their father deceased, Cassandra's fate fell into her king and cousin, Edward's hands...and he wed her to the very old duke, Henry Davenport.
• Henry was a very kind and loving soul, so despite fighting the union, Cassandra grew to care for the old man. She may not have been in love with him, but she certainly loved him. Later, she learned that Henry had bartered with Edward for her hand because he was trying to keep her from his bastard son, Renaud, who would have had a strong claim to the throne if he had a Demarais bride and heir.
• When Aric, her cousin and prince of Tresteria, was to be wed to the queen of Aralore, Cassandra accompanied him (along with Henry) to the kingdom. Edward wanted her to spy and report back to him, and at first she complied. She turned her nose up at the state of the kingdom and was not well thought of among those at court.
• When bandits attacked the island, she was captured and taken hostage. Alexandria Eveleigh- Demarais made a great effort and sent ships out in search of her. After a couple agonizing weeks, Naeva Northam and the queen's brother, Orin Evans led the rescue mission to Aldsage where Cassandra was found in one of the caves. She had feared for her life, nearly raped before her captors were either killed or hauled back to Aralore.
  
• On the ship back, things began to change. Her outlook on life and her beliefs slowly shifted, something she will always credit Orin for starting. From that day forward, Cassandra struggled to fit in, even when life in Aralore got frightening.
• She grew to love Aralore and worried that once Aric and Alexandria were married, Edward would make her go back to Tresteria.
• During her time in the kingdom, she would grow closer to Orin. He was everything she once claimed she hated and couldn't stand. He was everything she should have despised but found she couldn't. He wound up being everything she needed and was missing, the complete opposite of the life she was supposed to live. One night of weakness led to a secret affair that neither could stop...and Cassandra eventually realized that she was falling a little harder than she should have.
• The night of Aric and Alexandria's wedding, Edward dared to try and rape the queen. Thrown into the castle dungeons, everything suddenly spiraled out of control. Edward's wife, Eleesa was devastated, poured her heart out to Cass to tell her the king had slowly been losing his mind. Afraid Edward would further hurt those she loved and possibly endanger the citizens of both Aralore and Tresteria, she did the only thing she could think of to spare someone else the burden- she killed him with poison.
• The Tresterian High Chancellor, Simon Renaud, immediately placed the blame on her, having her thrown in jail. But with the help of Orin, Aric, Alexandria and a trusted guard, Stefan, they managed to figure out that Edward had already been suffering from a slow poisoning. The hemlock she had given him simply dealt the fatal blow, and this was the only thing that saved her.
• With Edward dead, she knew she had to go back to Tresteria for the funeral. Devastated, she swore she would return because she was certain Aralore was where she belonged.
• Cassandra has a love for scented oils. She often wears lavender and sandalwood.
• She has been reading more and more about herbology and poisons, hoping to one day do something with her newfound knowledge. This was something her governess, Elodie, was good at, as well as healing.
• Her fondest memory from childhood was lying in a meadow of flowers,  gazing up through the canopy at the blue sky.
• Has thought about having children but feels like she would not be a good enough mother.
• Gave her mother's ring to Orin for good luck and something for him to remember her by. She currently wears the ruby ring he gave her that was his own mother's.
• Hopes to form a true and deep friendship with Alexandria because she's the only woman, besides her sister, that she's truly respected.
  
• Is secretly afraid of returning to Aralore to find that Orin has moved on.

---

player: Lunari
face claim: Laura Haddock

[Cassandra Demarais]

orin & cassandra

I'm  d e f e n s e l e s s , it keeps getting hotter. 

It's rough and it's r e c k l e s s

BETWEEN WIND AND WATER.

So . lost . in this, I keep s l i p p i n g  farther.

Feels like its endless 

BETWEEN WIND AND WATER.

it is easier to resist at the beginning, than it is at the end

CASSANDRA:
She was laughing again once he realized that resting would have been really good hours ago. "I tried to get you both to bed, but..." Her words trailed off. Then that whole fiasco happened. She quirked a brow as he stated he couldn't lie, and it piqued her curiosity when she knew she should just leave it be. "Is that so..." Cassandra stared down at him once his boots were tossed aside, still fighting with her own mind to leave it be and walk away. Then, it would seem that he had forgotten what happened to his shirt. "It was tea," she answered simply, not going into details...just as it was going right over his head and leaving her standing there, breathless and staring at the beautifully defined contours of his chest. Lord have mercy on her soul. But it wasn't just that. There was more to this inner conflict than she realized and it was why her stomach was twisting into knots and why her heart ached.
Cassandra took a step closer, looking down at him as he lay there. It had been a few moments of silence and she wouldn't be surprised if he had already fallen asleep...but fingers gently traced down the uninjured side of his face before she whispered. "You will probably forget all of this in the morning..." Maybe she was banking on it. "I do not know if you meant me before...but...a part of me wishes you did. That part of me that would stay here, be this...different me..." She suddenly stopped. No, this was foolish, and she already felt herself getting ridiculously emotional and would continue to blame it on lack of sleep. Cass shook her head at herself and stepped back. She did as she said she would and found him a place to rest. It was time to go now. "Goodnight," she whispered. 

ORIN:
He was fading really fast. But as Cassandra touched his face, he twitched a little bit, lightly brushing her hand away as if a bug was touching his face. He kept his eyes closed and when she began talking, he responded at first with, "Mmhmmm..." He definitely, most likely, wasn't going to remember any of this in the morning. He had drank half a bottle of whiskey. Maybe more, depending on how he and Aric split it, and he had lost count after the fifth drink.
He could hear her talking, but it wasn't making a whole lot of sense to him. "A different you?" He mumbled, repeating what she had ended with. He groggily rolled onto his side and reached out to her, grabbing her hand and held her there so she couldn't leave. "What do you mean?" He mumbled, fighting off the exhaustion, for some strange reason. 

CASSANDRA:
Yeah, he was basically asleep. To be honest, she breathed a small sigh of relief. That meant she didn't make a complete fool of herself. Of course, as she was turning and took another step away to leave, he was reaching out for her and halting her immediately. Cassandra stopped breathing, shutting her eyes and keeping her back to him for what felt like minutes. Long, agonizing minutes. Don't ask me that, she wanted to say, maybe because she didn't really know how to explain it. Especially to a drunken, jumbled mind like his.
She turned just enough to gaze down at their hands, before green eyes traveled up his arm to rest on his face. This would have been easier if he just fell asleep, and now she was about to be even more brazen. Or stupid. Choose one. Perhaps it was both. Cassandra didn't speak, only spun around quickly before the logical part of her brain completely took over, and closed that distance between them. Everything was telling her to stop. Every voice in her head was screaming at her not to do it, but she refused to listen. Leaning down, she was grabbing his face to claim his mouth in a kiss she knew had to end just as quickly. But for the next few torturous seconds, she kissed him as though she could taste the whiskey still on his lips, desperate for her own drunken lull.

>>> AND NO  M A T T E R  WHAT YOU SAY OR WHAT YOU DO, I  K N O W  HOW THIS WILL END. <<<

>>> I'M DANGEROUS FOR YOU. <<<

ORIN:
He finally moved out of his door frame and out into the hallway, standing in front of her. Grabbing hold of her chin, he forced her to look at him. "Weak? No. Selfish...Yes. And no." He shook his head and let go of her, sighing. "But you did tell me, Cassandra. And I couldn't bear the thought of you dying for him...For a man who completely lost his mind and hurt you, Aric... my sister...his own wife..." He knew she wanted to stop him from further hurting others, but that wasn't his point. He fell silent, staring at her as the silence lingered between them. Unsure of what else to say, he just shrugged his shoulders and looked down the empty hallway before turning back to her. "I'm not sure I can be involved in this anymore..." He motioned between the two of them and sighed. "I can't just be...nothing, like this. And at any moment, you're gone...back to Tresteria. Onto your next arranged marriage or next suitor because you're too afraid to take charge of your own life. Unless it's to put yourself at risk because, you know, you don't matter to anyone...and you're just a piece of arm candy to a Duke...and that's all you'll ever allow yourself to be..." He frowned and shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Cassandra...go back to your husband."

CASSANDRA:
Although he grabbed her chin, she didn't look at him right away; her own hand almost coming up to swat his away. But eventually those green eyes lifted to find his face, swallowing back her tears. She was done with crying, even if what he was about to tell her was going to make everything ten times worse. He couldn't be involved with...this anymore. Orin kept talking and she felt her throat close up more, felt her heart sink further down to her stomach and she wanted to ignore everything he had said. But how could she when it was like a knife in her chest? Cassandra hadn't thought about what would happen with Edward gone and whenever Henry passed. It had always been a thought that plagued her up until recently, and she didn't know why. A sob shook her deep within the chest, unable to look away from him as the reality and shock of this all came crashing down on her. Didn't she expect this? Didn't she know that this, whatever it was, would have to end at some point? Suddenly, she couldn't stop the tears, but she was glaring up at him now, desperately trying to keep herself together. "Fuck you." Those words left her lips in a harsh whisper, and she thought she might smack him but her hands were shaking too much. "That...was the first choice I made...as me, for me. It might have been stupid, but I made it without anyone dictating it." Her stomach was churning, and the last thing she was going to do was break down like some heartbroken sap in front of him, even if she was. So, she took that frustration out on him and shoved him away as hard as she possibly could, feeling like she would suffocate between him and the wall. "And my husband has done more for me than I had ever realized. I cannot just abandon him now because my heart has strayed. The least I could do is be there with him when he passes..." He deserved far better than that. A far better wife than she ever was. 

She was choking on her sobs now, frustrated with herself and unable to handle this pain and rejection. For a moment, it looked as though she was going to say something more...but she had nothing left. And what was the point now? Without even looking at him, knowing she would break down further (and to hell with him seeing her cry anymore), Cassandra moved to rush back down the hall.

ORIN:
He expected her to lash out at him. To slap him, to shove him away. So when she shoved him away from her, he stumbled back and just stood there silently as she berated him, and he took it, unwavering and lacking much emotion. Cassandra hadn't made this easy. But when he watched as she was dragged away from him, it killed him. It made him realize that he had feelings for her, and he was going to lose her. If not now from her treason, then later on, because why would a woman like her want to be with a man like him? He wasn't a noble or of royalty. If his family hadn't cared for Alexandria, he would be a simple nobody. Orin had been there for Cassandra to ease her troubles and console her...and now he was the reason for her tears--and it hurt.
As she rushed away from him and down the hall, he hesitated between going after her and letting her go. He was so tired. Both physically and emotionally and he wasn't sure what to do anymore. What made sense or didn't make sense. Was all of this a dream? Because he was starting to feel delusional. And almost without his control, his feet were carrying him towards her and he was grabbing her hand and pulling her around to face him again. Only, he had no idea what to say to her. So, he just stared, his eyes burning through hers. "You didn't let me finish." His voice almost a deep growl in his chest.

CASSANDRA:
No. No, she couldn't handle this. She was on the verge of breaking down completely when he decided to make things all the more worse. He stopped her from going much further, spinning her back around and she almost slapped him again. Almost struggled to free herself so that she could run away this time. It had all been a dream. A wonderful, ignorant dream that had to come to an end. She didn't know what her future would hold for her, knowing she would not be tied to Henry for much longer...but that was just it. She didn't know. There was no mad king to tell her what she could and couldn't do anymore. Everything was suspended in the air, and things could change drastically. Or, they wouldn't. Those blue-green eyes managed to keep her stationary despite her pounding heart; her own gaze fluctuating with anger and daring to portray her weakness. "Then finish," she whispered sternly. "So I may try to find what's left of my dignity." And pick up all those shattered pieces of her heart. Every second she stood there, another piece fell, threatening to crumble completely.

ORIN:
He continued to stare at her for a moment longer. Almost as if he were hesitating to say anything else. Just say forget it and let her go. But that pain in her eyes kept him there, kept him grounded right in front of her, not wanting to move. His own heart pounded in his chest, but his expression showed no sign of anything until he finally spoke quietly. "When they dragged you away from me...I realized something...became afraid of something. Felt something...something that I didn't want to believe. But there it was, despite me wanting to keep this as nothing…” He took her chin into his fingers again, forcing her to look at him, and he wouldn't say anything until her eyes were on him. "I'm not ready to let you go...I can't. I want you...here with me...and I'm afraid to lose you."