《For Queen and Country [An Interactive Novel]》 For Country Elaine It¡¯s been five hundred years since the unified nations denounced superstition. In this age of reason, Elaine, the recent Queen of Vallis, has become the most celebrated ruler. So beloved by her people to be dubbed the ¡®Millenium Queen¡¯, the ¡®Sun Queen¡¯. Diane It is this love that makes it all the more unfortunate that she has met an untimely demise. To her only daughter, Crown Princess Diane, she leaves behind a kingdom in mourning. And though the rising sun dries her subjects¡¯ tears, a growing shadow still lurks behind them. You It is up to Diane to protect her people from this looming threat. It is up to you to decide how she does so.
For Country My mother was chosen. I¡¯m sure if I said that our subjects would agree. They¡¯ve always had such a romanticized vision of her. She was the Sun Queen. The Millennium Queen. A daughter of the sun born to herald dawn and bring an end to Vallis¡¯s darkest time. Five hundred years into the Age of Reason, and yet the people still make legends. I suppose the entertainment is too much for the masses to resist. I wonder if the story would change if they¡¯d seen how she¡¯d act towards me.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Putting aggrandizement aside, as a queen, my mother was worthy of praise. She was a reformer, a ruler who brought Vallis towards tomorrow when it was most broken. The sun¡¯s light upon the valley that I strove to reflect. And though that light shone coldly upon this ¡®Maiden of the Moon¡¯, I still longed for its warmth. But now that longing will never be fulfilled. I inherited her talent and worked hard to make best use of it and for my achievements, all who have known me have given recognition with the exception of her. That now permanent failure is disappointing, but a child¡¯s dream dead with the mother isn¡¯t the most pressing issue at the moment. ¡°Your Highness?¡± Eliza freed me from my trance. She had accompanied me atop the old castle¡¯s walls so I could watch the funeral procession return to the valley below. But before I had even realized, the procession¡¯s carriages had already grown small in the distance. Well, coming to watch them was just to distract myself anyway. ¡°What is it, Eliza?¡± She pulled out the letter included in my mother¡¯s will. ¡°Perhaps you should read your mother¡¯s letter.¡± I stayed facing the valley. ¡°I¡¯ll save it for later.¡± A letter consisting of instructions could be left to wait and considering this was my mother, that¡¯s likely all it was. Eliza tucked away the letter. ¡°Then what will you do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I said. I hadn¡¯t been sure since first hearing of Mother¡¯s death. Talk of me taking the throne shouldn¡¯t have started until I was as old as Mother is¡ªwas¡ªnow. Yet here I stood, fifteen, just of age, and soon to be Queen of Vallis. What a mess. My eyes shifted from the procession onto Vallisia. The last time I gazed upon the twin halves of the capital from these walls had been ages ago. With an overcast covering the valley, the capital was covered in grey. The warm light that had shined upon it was gone. But there it still stood, beautiful as I had remembered it. I had to protect it. With all the uncertainty of tomorrow and what after, at least I could be certain of that. Week 1 Part 1 Week Screen from Android Demo Dealing with Condolence Letters Condolence letters have been flooding in from across the kingdom. Many of them are sincere, many of them are self-serving, and far too many of them are expecting some sort of response. Mother¡¯s death has made me busy enough as it is. Proofs of wisdom I could have pushed back for years need to be completed as soon as possible and my responsibility over the estate has increased. To save what little freetime remains to me, I assigned the task of sorting the letters to Eliza.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your Highness,¡± of course she protested, ¡°Such a task is beyond my qualification.¡± ¡°Eliza, if such a task is beyond your qualification, then I¡¯m afraid there is no one among the estate¡¯s staff qualified enough to handle such a task.¡± Always aware of when to quit her objections, she wore her disappointment upon her face and resigned herself to the task. I can only hope for her eventual forgiveness. Week 1 Part 2 (Complete) Father I¡¯ve been told that my relationship with Father is abnormal, that a daughter shouldn¡¯t have to schedule meetings with a father living under the same roof, and that a mere five minutes of his time out of the week is absurd. I suppose I¡¯ve felt some relief hearing such things. It means I can expect my children¡¯s father not to put them through such tedium. I stepped into my Father¡¯s office and presented him the necessary salute. ¡°Crown Princess Diane greets you, Father.¡± As per usual, Father didn¡¯t look away from his work. ¡°Why have you scheduled this meeting?¡± He asked. ¡°I wanted to ask you about Mother. How did she die?¡± I had asked the servant who had informed me of her death a similar question. He had not been told, so I sent him from whence he came to retrieve the details, but upon return, he told me that my father ordered that the information be kept classified. The first time I saw Father after that was at Mother¡¯s funeral. Unfortunately, I could not speak to him beyond the formalities. After all, it would do me no good to portray myself as ignorant to Mother¡¯s circumstances in public. And so that leads me to today¡¯s meeting. I knew that Mother left to investigate the disappearance of a village¡¯s inhabitants the day before my coming of age, but I was clueless beyond that. After asking my question, something unexpected happened. Father put down his work and looked at me. ¡°The investigation was a disaster.¡± He said, proceeding to describe the happenings as best he could. Initially, the government of the Milan duchy believed that the missing villagers of Eding evacuated after discovering all of their fields had rotted through over winter. The problem with this theory, however, was that their search parties couldn¡¯t find any trace of the villagers traveling up or down the Vena River. Upon receiving word of this, Mother decided to lead a search party of her own. According to the notes they left behind, we know that they were eventually able to locate the burnt remains of the villagers in a mass grave. The village was relatively close to Nordenheim, so it¡¯s been assumed that roaming barbarians found a way to evade our joint forces at the border. Encountering the evacuating villagers somewhere less than a day¡¯s trip from the village, the savages slaughtered them for an occult ritual. On the return trip from the investigation, Mother¡¯s party began to show signs of sickness. At first it was only those who had come in close proximity with the mass grave, but it eventually spread to the rest of the search party. Once mother began showing symptoms, she had the party come to a halt. Having no intention to expose the capital to an unknown plague, she sent forth the only two retainers who were yet to show symptoms. The party was only a short distance from the capital, so a medical team was assembled under the assumption that something could still be done to save them. By the time they reached the party; however, the living members¡ªincluding Mother¡ªhad reached an irrecoverable condition. The rest of what happened to them needs no further explanation. Upon hearing the news, Father wished for the remaining two retainers to be interviewed, but by the time the medical team had returned to the outskirts of Vallisia, they were already showing symptoms. Right now, Vallisia¡¯s top medical researcher is doing her best to keep them both alive. ¡°May I meet with her?¡± I asked. What happened to Mother was sad, but if there is risk of an epidemic, I needed to know about it as soon as possible.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Whenever you are ready, I¡¯ll have her called for. Make sure you are prepared.¡± ¡°I will.¡± In Consequence... Diane, whenever she is ready, can have a meeting with Agatha.
Cassandra''s Letter By midweek, the lion¡¯s share of the condolence letters¡ªeven from our states furthest to the east¡ªhad been delivered. It¡¯s been very refreshing to have not had to deal with any of them yet. Instead, my work continues as usual. After studying for my proofs and practicing accounting in the morning, I decided to go to the palace library and take up a more intriguing form of work. I¡¯ve been required to review the crown¡¯s audience records, but not to submit a proof on them. All audiences are recorded for the short term, but when the records are again recorded for the long term, the minor things are only tallied with similar events into categories. What this leaves is a collection of Vallis¡¯s most prominent news: shipwrecks in the Broken Sea, important military reports from the northern lines, proposals for wild performances at festivals, the announcement and funding of various inventions, etc. Few have access to such a wide variety of information and even fewer are able to affect the events spawning from it. However, it was not long into such a study that Eliza entered the library. ¡°Your Highness,¡± she said. ¡°You have received a letter from Lady Cassandra.¡± It was the only letter Eliza need not review before delivering to me and the only letter I was looking forward to. ¡°Thank you.¡± I took the letter and Eliza vacated the library, most likely returned to her sorting. Though I¡¯ve never met my sister before, she has always felt closer than Mother or Father. I¡¯ve grown enough to not be embarrassed admitting that when I was small I¡¯d send her tear stained letters complaining of Mother¡¯s rejections. During those times, it was Cassandra who encouraged me to work hard for Mother¡¯s approval. What were the things I loved about Mother? Cassandra told me to strive towards what I love and embody the ideals that Mother failed to represent. If I succeeded, then Mother couldn¡¯t help, but recognize me. It was hard to take on such a task when Mother failed to show the slightest shift in temperament, but in my mind, Cassandra was there with me every step of the way supporting me. Things haven¡¯t turned out as we had planned, but thanks to our effort, I couldn¡¯t be more prepared for the current situation. I opened her letter. She began with condolences and an expression of sorrow that she could not be in Vallisia, mourning with me. In the wake of Mother¡¯s death, it is necessary to make sure the east was secure before her departure. As we had originally planned, we¡¯ll have to wait until this summer¡¯s gala for our first meeting. The rest of the letter progressed as expected and I suppose that was the problem.¡°I ask that you continue to be strong as you¡¯ve been up until now,¡± she said. ¡°Continue following in mother¡¯s footsteps and everything will turn out fine.¡± Following in mother¡¯s footsteps. I wonder if that¡¯s still the right way to proceed. I¡¯ve started to think that the differences between Mother and I are more important than the similarities. What ideal led her to an early grave? Whichever it is, I¡¯m fine with throwing it away. But saying such things to Cassandra is hard. She¡¯s only ever seen, ever written of Mother¡¯s good side. It would be fine with anyone else, but I¡¯d rather not lessen Mother¡¯s image in her eyes. On the other hand, my sister is my most trusted confidant. If there¡¯s anyone to be understanding towards me, I expect it to be her. In Consequence... Diane is open to confiding about this situation to Eliza. Week 1 Part 3 Mother¡¯s Legacy A Proof of Wisdom This proof has been the most difficult for me considering I had to contract Mother¡¯s vast list of accomplishments. I¡¯d like to thank the royal historian, Edworth, for providing me with his own list of gathered anecdotes he thinks future generations will look to when remembering Mother. Reviewing his list helped give me confidence in my own selections for this proof. Prodigy Child Before she had reached fifteen years of age, Elaine was already helping the Duke of Corm strategize against Multis. The two of them were able to end the most recent war with Multis before her coronation. Master Archer For the three years leading up to her coronation, Elaine won every archery contest for young adults in which she participated. The Millenium Queen Elaine¡¯s coronation was postponed from her fifteenth birthday until shortly after her eighteenth birthday. This was done to align her crowning with the 1000th anniversary of Vallis¡¯s founding. Her coronation marked the end of the Vallisian Dark Age. Friend of Oremaris Rededicating Vallis to the Unified Pact, Elaine reestablished historical trade agreements and alliances with Oremaris. Benefactor of Nordenheim Elaine had the foresight to see the value in supporting the burgeoning Kingdom of Nordenheim. Aiding Nordenheim in maintaining a firm grasp over its territories, she was able to establish favorable trade agreements for precious metals. The Reformer After her coronation, Elaine relieved the nobility from their antiquated military duties. While she allowed most to keep their lands, their governing powers were stripped from them. Free movement was established for all citizens and tenants of nobles¡¯ lands who had suffered poor conditions were offered work in cities and other territories. As retribution for past misdeeds, some nobles even had their now private lands stripped from them. Her last major reform was giving up the crown¡¯s ability to impose taxes and bestowing it upon Parliament. Lover of a Common Man Before their marriage, Elaine¡¯s King Consort, Lawrence, had been managing a trading company from a young age. It is said of their first meeting that Elaine was deeply impressed by his competence. As he was born a commoner, their union further closed the gap between the nobility and the common folk.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Patron of Knowledge During Elaine¡¯s time, many advancements in agriculture and medicine were made on the back of her funding. Mother of Vallis Elaine created a kingdom wide orphanage system which replaced and reformed local orphanages. Every time she visited a territory she would visit its orphanages. The Sun Queen This ¡°accomplishment¡± is only listed among the others as it is likely to be remembered by future generations, despite it¡¯s lacking factuality. Elaine was crowned on the Founding Day in winter, yet on that day the sun shone like summer. Since then, the lands of the valley have been graced by an abnormal amount of sunny days. It is speculated that her rule has had the most sun-filled days out of any in Vallisian history. Our subjects thought so favorably of her that many of them claimed that Elaine was the cause of this phenomenon. In Consequence... Diane has become interested in writing a proof about the Vallisian Dark Age. She is also interested in writing proofs about Oremaris and Nordenheim.
Lucille''s Letter With the work of the week finished, it was time to review the letters Eliza had finished sorting. As to be expected, Eliza¡¯s work was fantastic. She delivered to me only the letters worthy of a direct response and marked only the sections I need read for context. For the rest of the letters, she made template responses for the other staff to copy and the letters that ought to be ignored were disposed of by her. Just thinking about having an employee so competent makes me feel relaxed. Having said that, after she had done all of this meticulous work sorting these letters, you can imagine my surprise when I found such an out of place letter in the stack she delivered to me. It was a letter from Lady Lucille, a baronetess and owner of the capital¡¯s most prominent theaters. I¡¯ve never been to one of her theaters, but her troupe has performed in the palace from time to time when guests were present. Mother didn¡¯t want me seen by the public until my debut, so she had me dressed as a maid and sitting with the staff during the performances. You could tell that she was an expert playwright from her letter. From the way she waxed on about the loss of my mother, it felt as though I should be the one giving condolences. It wasn¡¯t until this act was over that her true intentions were revealed. As eager for my favor as the rest, she invited me to her theater so we could share in our grief. Honestly, if it was another maid who¡¯d given me this letter, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised, but Eliza wasn¡¯t sentimental enough for such an error. ¡°Eliza,¡± I said when I saw her next. ¡°Did you give me this letter by mistake?¡± ¡°May I see it?¡± She asked. I handed her the letter and she took a quick glance over it. ¡°I¡¯ve made no mistake, Your Highness. Lady Lucille is a prominent figure in high society.¡± I wondered if that meant much anymore. Though Mother has maintained good relations with the new aristocracy, they had none of the direct political power of the old. Outside of formal events, I didn¡¯t feel much need to associate with that lot. ¡°There is merit in responding to her.¡± Eliza said. ¡°Very well.¡± As long as Eliza could explain her reasoning it was fine. In the end, the decision of whether or not to respond was mine to make. Week 2 Part 1 Mother¡¯s Grave ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to mourn if that¡¯s what you''re thinking,¡± I said it as if Mother could still hear me. She had done her best to keep a distance between us. Barring the funeral, I had no sentimentality to spare for her. What had brought me to my mother¡¯s grave was a girl. From afar I saw her standing in the estate¡¯s graveyard. I knew I had never seen her before, but still she had looked familiar. When I called out to her, she either ignored me or couldn¡¯t hear me over the wind. Curious of her identity, I decided to join her in the graveyard, but by the time I had arrived she had already left. Now I was alone except for the sound of the whistling wind. It almost sounded as if it had a message to whisper to me. ¡°Your Highness?¡± I heard the wind ask. I turned around. The undertaker who had presided over my mother¡¯s funeral was here. ¡°What brings you here undertaker?¡± I asked, hoping that he hadn¡¯t heard what I had said to Mother. ¡°Surely you haven¡¯t come for my father so soon after my mother.¡± ¡°No, Your Highness. I¡¯m here on official business from Parliament.¡± He pulled out a scroll and handed it to me. Apparently there had been a string of grave robberies in the capital. In response, Parliament had put out a bounty and sent the undertakers on patrol.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°That¡¯s quite despicable.¡± I returned the scroll to him. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°By any chance, did you see a young girl on your way to the graveyard?¡± ¡°Other than the staff, I¡¯ve only seen you since I arrived atop the hill, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I took a parting glance at Mother¡¯s grave. ¡°If you do find a girl loitering, please have the staff inform me. Of course you should also alert the guards if you see any suspicious activity.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡± ¡°Very well then. I won¡¯t keep you from your work any longer.¡± After that, I questioned the guards and servants stationed nearby on whether they had seen the girl or not. None of them had. That Night That night I had a dream that I was back in the graveyard. It was night in the dream and I was standing in front of Mother¡¯s grave. To my left was the girl I had seen in the graveyard during the day. Now that I was standing next to her it was clear why she looked so familiar. We looked so alike that she had to be me just a few years younger. She¡ªor I suppose I¡ªwas crying. ¡°There¡¯s no point in crying.¡± I told myself. ¡°It¡¯s never gotten us anywhere. Not with father or with her.¡± I had grown sick of crying long ago. Considering her age, she should have been done with it too by now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, wiping away her tears and turning to face me. As she was calming herself, a golden ash began to disperse from her hair and her hair¡¯s color began to fade from my jet black to my mother¡¯s cinnamon brown. I took a step back. By now, she had already wiped away the tears, but new ones were already welling in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± With those words, I awoke. Week 2 Part 2 Mother¡¯s Letter To Diane, If you are reading this then I have either passed before your fifteenth year or passed before I could write this letter¡¯s replacement. Whichever of the two is the case, I apologize for it. In light of my passing, I request the same from you as my own mother did from me upon her passing. Become the queen that this country most needs you to be.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. From, Elaine Upon reaching the end of the letter, I sighed. I hadn¡¯t expected more than this, but that didn¡¯t stop me from hoping. These were her last words to me. Was it really too much for her to add a little warmth to them? Week 3 Part 1 Agatha An attendant led me into the drawing room in which my Father was waiting. After proper greeting, I took my seat next to him. We sat in silence until the attendant returned with the physician for the scheduled audience. Upon her introduction by the attendant, she curtsied. ¡°Thank you for having me, Your Majesty, Your Highness.¡± Father dismissed the attendant and I returned Agatha¡¯s greeting. ¡°Thank you for coming on such short notice, Agatha. Please, take a seat.¡± After she had done so, I confirmed with her the accuracy of the events that Father had described to me. ¡°If I am being honest,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the risk of the disease spreading within Vallisia if you continue to treat the retainers within the city. Isn¡¯t that the risk that my mother was trying to prevent?¡± ¡°At the time your mother made that decision, she was working with limited information. Thanks to the equipment the medical team brought along with us, we were able to identify and quarantine the root cause of the disease.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, have you been able to do anything for the two retainers?¡± Agatha shook her head. ¡°We know how to prevent the spread of the disease, but treatment is still a ways off. Unfortunately, one of the retainers is in a coma and the other has already passed.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to visit the remaining retainer.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We have no way of waking him.¡± ¡°Even so, I still want to make the visit. There¡¯s meaning in it.¡± Respect must be shown to those who sacrifice for the kingdom. ¡°If he does wake up, I want him to know that I came to visit him and that I shall come again.¡± Someone who shows their care. That¡¯s the kind of queen my mother presented herself as and that¡¯s the kind of person I want to be. Agatha paused for a time before speaking again. ¡°A visit can¡¯t be allowed at this time due to the risk of infection.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡± I said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you yourself say that the spread of the disease was under control?¡± ¡°It is under control, but it¡¯s still too dangerous to expose Your Highness to any possibility of infection.¡± ¡°If the risk is too great for me then it is too great for the capital.¡± ¡°No, Your Highness, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°If the risk is not too great then I shall make my visit.¡± I wouldn¡¯t usually be this adamant, but there was something off about the way she paused. She was hiding something. ¡°You shall not.¡± Father said. ¡°Father?¡± It was his first contribution to the conversation. ¡°Doctor Agatha is right.¡± He said. ¡°This disease killed your mother. You shouldn¡¯t be putting yourself at risk for it. Think more of your position when making such a decision.¡± With those words, Father stripped me of my agency within the conversation. ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Besides that, there was nothing left I could say. ¡°Thank you for coming today, Physician Agatha.¡± Father said. ¡°Keep me updated with any new developments. That is all. You are dismissed.¡± Agatha stood up and bowed. ¡°I will. Thank you again, Your Majesty, Your Highness.¡± I watched her back as she left the room. If I want to hold her feet to the fire I¡¯ll need the authority to do so. I should ask Father what is needed for me to obtain it. Week 3 Part 2 Father I stepped into my father¡¯s office, neither late nor early, for our appointed meeting and greeted him. Same tone as always, same words as always. ¡°Why have you scheduled this meeting?¡± He asked. ¡°I need to prepare myself for the throne. What should I do next?¡± My father couldn¡¯t be relied on for his kindness, but he was a master at management. ¡°The fundamentals you¡¯ve been taught have already put you on track for the throne,¡± Father said, his eyes still focused on the documents before him. ¡°Once you gain an understanding of the estate and the kingdom¡¯s current positions, you¡¯ll be ready to take over your mother¡¯s authority. Of course that won¡¯t change that we¡¯ve pushed back your coronation.¡± ¡°So I can be like Mother?¡± I thought. Father and Parliament were doing everything in their power to increase the parallels between Mother and I. If I dyed my hair brown, no one would know the difference except by height. A couple more years and they wouldn¡¯t even have that. They probably had that in mind when they pushed back the coronation to my eighteenth birthday. That and my mother¡¯s coronation.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Father handed me a list with his free hand. ¡°Come to me once you¡¯ve submitted the listed proofs and I¡¯ll set up your formal introduction with Parliament.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you Father.¡± ¡°You are dismissed.¡± I presented the necessary gestures¡ªthough he wasn¡¯t looking¡ªand left without a word. Despite the distance between us, I still worry for him. Mother was the only one he¡¯d stop his work for. Now that she¡¯s gone, I fear he¡¯ll end up working himself to death.
Father''s Study List The Finances of the Royal Estate: Revenue The Finances of the Royal Estate: Expenditures The Unified Pact: Vallisian Perspective Scenarios of Economics Collapse The Borders of Vallis The Unified Pact Mother''s Legacy Speech Week 4 Part 1 The Garden For some time now, a certain diplomat has been receiving board in the palace. I hadn¡¯t talked to him before, but by the sea maiden¡¯s guard on his rapier and his fine¡ªthough flamboyant¡ªattire, I could assume he was from Oremaris. As he was never formally introduced to me, I never saw the point in approaching him. But with my mother¡¯s death, things have changed. I wish to make note of the important individuals around me and introduce myself. The perfect chance to speak to him presented itself to me. I found him loitering near my father¡¯s study. He was observing one of the nearby flower arrangements, touching one of the flower¡¯s leaves with an ungloved hand. ¡°Greetings.¡± He looked over his shoulder. Realizing who was speaking to him, he turned to me and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. For what reason have I been bestowed your attention?¡± I spoke in a welcoming tone. ¡°If it is not too much to ask, I¡¯d love to know why you¡¯ve come to see my father today.¡± ¡°I had no such intention to meet him today.¡± He looked puzzled. ¡°Does he have some business with me?¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t aware of any, then I assume not. That does, however, lead me to question your presence at my father¡¯s study.¡± ¡±I came only to see if the flora needed care.¡± I supposed there was truth in the saying that the Oremarisians love their flowers. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry yourself with that. I¡¯m sure the staff shall do well enough with it¡¯s care.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think flowers¡¯ care is more my job than theirs.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked, but he only returned to me another puzzled look. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that gardening was part of your job.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I am the head gardener. Gardening is my only job.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± There was an awkward pause. I had been trained to hide my shock, but this time I couldn¡¯t help showing it. ¡°Florian.¡± He offered me his hand and we shared a handshake. ¡°I had mistaken you for some sort of ambassador.¡± I was truthful. ¡°I had not known that gardeners wore such fine garments.¡± I hadn¡¯t even known we had a gardener. Passed an even lawn, Mother never showed interest in the estate''s greenery. The normal staff were plenty enough to handle such a task. ¡°It is understandable.¡± He said. ¡°A gardener in Vallis holds a lower position than one in Oremaris.¡± ¡°So you are from Oremaris.¡± I emphasized the ¡®are¡¯. ¡°I am. Flower culture is very important there. Florists are among the richer merchants in terms of wealth.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°If things are so well for you in Oremaris, why come to Vallis?¡± I doubted a palace gardener¡¯s position was needed for him to expand his trade. ¡°I¡¯ve already been to the shore and all of the Broken Isles. For me, Vallisia feels like a new adventure.¡± ¡°But what of managing your business?¡± ¡°I have six sisters. Five of them are more willing to manage the family business than me.¡± ¡°And your inheritance?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather my sisters live long happy lives than for me to receive anything.¡± I took a moment to reflect on my relationship with Cassandra. Do we share such feelings for each other? I¡¯d like to think so. Before I could return to his interrogation, Florian spoke. ¡°I assume you haven¡¯t seen the garden I¡¯ve made for the palace, Your Highness?¡± ¡°I believe I haven¡¯t.¡± Considering the closest thing to a garden I had seen on the estate was well-trimmed grass, I very much hoped I hadn¡¯t. ¡°Would you like for me to give you a tour?¡± ¡°I would very much appreciate that.¡± Florian led me to an open-air room in the one of the back corners of the palace¡¯s third floor. ¡°It took quite some time for them to remodel the room.¡± He said. Three of the walls had been hollowed out with rows of windowless arches separated by hanging fauna. The arches facing out from the palace contained ornate handrails. ¡°It left me plenty of free time to explore the city.¡± ¡°Have you had your fill of it?¡± ¡°Exploring? Unfortunately not. My heart is always longing for adventure.¡± ¡°I hope a cure can be found for such a condition.¡± Such an unfulfilled longing from a well traveled man was an omen towards sudden departure. ¡°My family hoped as well.¡± As I stepped inside the garden, a soft breeze rolled through and something grazed my cheek. I turned my head and saw that the wind had made a flower bow from the wall to give me a kiss. A rainbow assortment of flowers were hidden between the entry arches, as thick and prominent as any mane I¡¯d ever seen. As for what stood within its walls, the garden contained a tiled mural with details filled in by blooming fauna. To the sides of the mural, stood walkways and fruit bearing trees. The room was also well-lit. Not only well-lit from the room¡¯s multiple arches, but from its glass ceiling. ¡°What do you think, Your Highness?¡± Florian said. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± I made no attempt to hide my awe. He wagged his finger. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be surprised. Over half of the flora were imported from Oremaris. You won¡¯t see them anywhere else in Vallis.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the flowers, I think your arrangement is outstanding.¡± ¡°Only outstanding in Vallis.¡± Florian shrugged. ¡°Gardening is a much more intricate thing in Oremaris.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d love for you to tell me more about it.¡± ¡°The gardening?¡± ¡°Oremaris.¡± I¡¯ll make a visit there eventually. It¡¯s best that I learn as much as I can about our allies beforehand. ¡°But yes, gardening too.¡± Florian laughed. ¡°Does this make me an actual ambassador now, Your Highness?¡± I gave him a half-smile. ¡°A false one. I hope you''re fine enough with that.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve chosen the right man for the job.¡± He placed his fist upon his chest. ¡°For there is no man so well traveled as I left in all the Broken Isles.¡±
In Consequence Diane is interested in submitting a proof of wisdom on Oremaris. Before submitting proofs on foreign countries, Diane must submit a proof on the Unified Pact. Week 4 Part 2 Cassandra''s Letter Three week after receiving a condolence letter from Cassandra, my response to her letter had received its own. To My Dearest Diane, ¡°You have expressed your worries to me and I endeavor to respond to them as best I can. It is understandable that you are shaken now that someone important to you has died. Such was also the case for the Duke of Corm when his wife died. With that said, however, I worry that the nature of your questioning of Mother will lead you astray. Was Mother not the woman who recovered this country from its darkest time? Are we to downplay the advancements that were accomplished under her rule? The good her policy has done for the common men is no more? Yes, Mother made a grave mistake that cost her her life, but that mistake was beside her character. The questions you ask risk throwing away Mother¡¯s good in return for the illusion of security. Whether or not you follow Mother¡¯s path, there is no guarantee that such a mistake shall not haunt your record. I suggest that you continue as you were before and move forward to succeed Mother¡¯s position. The good that she embodied far outways her shortcomings and as you mirror her, I¡¯m sure it will be the same for you.
It appears I¡¯d been worried for nothing. Like she had always done before, Cassandra took an understanding tone. That being said, in her support of Mother, she was as ardent as ever. From her, there would be no argument in favor of doubts, only against. Moving on from the keypoint of my response, the rest of the letter progressed as our letters usually did. To give us something to discuss, my sister did her best to frame her going ons since the last letter in an interesting way. A task that had gotten ever easier as her status in the military grew. The capture of a Multisian spy was always an interesting subject. As for what I brought to our correspondence, my sister was most interested in hearing how my studies were progressing and what little I could tell her about what Mother was doing. Based on what I told her, she¡¯d seen me tips and instructions on how best to practice. ¡°Good luck to you in all your pursuits, my sister.¡± A phrase that had become a common ending to my sister¡¯s letters. This time, however, there was an extra page. ¡°I almost sent the letter before I learned of command¡¯s decision. It¡¯s been decided that William¡¯s deployment in Nordenheim will be coming to an end. Looks like you¡¯ll be meeting him before you meet me.¡±
Notice of Availability Diane no longer feels the need to talk to Eliza about her letter to Cassandra.
BallroomThis book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. As to be expected of him, I found my dance instructor loitering in the ballroom with a maid. ¡°Your Highness?¡± He said. ¡°Have you come to dance?¡± I hadn¡¯t practiced with him since completing my lessons. With nothing better to do, the old man had been stealing away some of the less mature maids as replacement partners. ¡°Not today Gregor.¡± I walked to the side of the room opposite from him. The young maid bowed and scurried out of the room as I passed by. ¡°I have other concerns.¡± ¡°If this is about the maids, I¡ª¡± ¡°It is not.¡± I distanced myself from a tiresome topic. ¡°I¡¯ve come for this painting.¡± In front of me was the only painting in the ballroom. A painting of a beautiful woman. ¡°Ah, the portrait of Queen Cecilia?¡± ¡°You know the woman?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t. It¡¯s taken you this long to gain an interest in her? You¡¯ve been dancing in this room for years now.¡± ¡°Well, I apologize for my tardiness. Until recently, I hadn¡¯t thought learning about paintings was something to be considered worthwhile.¡± ¡°Nothing to apologize for. You¡¯ve just taken after your parents. If anything, they should be the ones apologizing for passing on their indifference.¡± He laughed, but I didn¡¯t. ¡°So with this would you say I¡¯ve strayed from them?¡± Gregor grasped his chin and let out a soft grunt. ¡°A bit. You¡¯ve grown in your own way.¡± He grinned at me. ¡°But you¡¯re still lacking. Perhaps if you took up dance again in recreation¡ª¡± ¡°Back to the painting.¡± I avoided a tiresome topic yet again. ¡°You say this woman was a queen. If that¡¯s true, why is her portrait here instead of a state room?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re having a dance party in Vallis, it can¡¯t go on without a picture or at least a carving of Cecilia. Legend says that in her time those who saw her couldn¡¯t help, but dance with joy. Supposedly, her image still holds some of that power.¡± I sighed. ¡°I was expecting something a little less absurd.¡± If I had known she was born to the Age of Legends, I wouldn¡¯t have asked. Any truth from those times has been lost or warped. ¡°I think there is some truth to it,¡± Gregor took a position beside me. ¡°Look into her eyes. Don¡¯t you feel something?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just your way of asking me to dance again?¡± I asked, but he just stood there smiling. Seeing no harm in humoring him, I looked into Cecilia¡¯s eyes. Indeed, when my gaze met hers, I felt something. But it wasn¡¯t the need to dance, it was the desire to try something new. The woman I saw in the painting appeared to be happy without a care in the world. Even if she didn¡¯t believe in the kind of superstition Gregor had told me, she¡¯d have probably played along for the fun of it. I doubt it would hurt to try to be a little more like her. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± I stretched out my hand. ¡°Looking at her does give me some urge to dance.¡± Gregor grasped my hand. ¡°You see? In all these superstitions, there¡¯s some hidden truth.¡±
In Consequence Diane is interested in learning more about Queen Cecilia within her greater studies of Royal History. Week 5 Part 1 Festival¡¯s Approach While I was performing my morning studies, one of the butlers approached me. ¡°Your Highness, the Mid-Spring Festival will soon be upon us.¡± ¡°I am aware.¡± There wasn¡¯t anyone in the estate who wouldn¡¯t be aware with only two weeks left until the event. A time when most of the staff would have the full day off and the estate would be almost empty. While much of the regular businesses will be shut down, there will be multiple festivities happening across the capital. Whether I stay on the estate or attend the festival, the day would prove fruitful to recreation. ¡°What reason do you have to remind me?¡± ¡°There is space in the schedule for a speech. Your Father wishes to know if you¡¯d be interested in reciting one.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Of course he¡¯d asked. Mother performed a speech at all these sorts of events and this was the first one since her death. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad stage for me to introduce myself to our subjects, but I still wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to go to the festival or not. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with my father, I¡¯d like a bit more time to decide.¡± ¡°There is no issue, Your Highness. Your father only wishes for the thought to be on your mind.¡±
Queen Cecilia Though I¡¯m sure it¡¯s all been romanticized, I¡¯d still like to know the story of that smiling queen. Triton, the Unifier Queen Cecilia was the fifth daughter of Oremaris¡¯s most prominent king, Triton, the Unifier. When his reign first started, the Broken Isles were still separate sovereign states. It was thanks to his negotiations and the virtues of his seven daughters that Triton was able to bring them together. His first daughter stayed by his side as his heir while the younger six formed crucial marriage alliances for him. All of his daughters were outstanding ladies in their own right and are spoken fondly of to this day by the residents of the islands they settled on. The one daughter sent abroad was Cecilia.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Siren of the Valley Of the seven sisters, Cecilia was the best singer and musician. By the end of her first year in Vallis, she was so beloved by the people that she was dubbed the Siren of the Valley. As the people gave her love, so did she return it. More festivals were held in her time than any other time in Vallisian history. It is said that the royal family¡¯s musical talent originates from her and that her songs had magical power. Her cheerful rhythms had melodic charms to them that demanded joy and dance. As for her somber ballads, they could calm the hearts of an army. An Eternal Bond Despite her love for Vallis, her original home was often on her mind. She had a very close relationship with her eldest sister, Marisa, and though they were aware of their coming separation long in advance, it still took its toll on the both of them. The legends say that she¡¯d often visit the beach and whisper into a seashell. Supposedly, it would carry her message across the seas to her sister. When Triton called upon Vallis to help bring an end to his unification war, Cecilia temporarily returned to Oremaris. During her time there, two identical paintings were made of Cecilia and Maria sitting on the beach together. Sitting in between them are the pair of sea shells they had used to message one another.
In Consequence Diane has become interested in writing a proof of wisdom on Oremaris.
Notice of Availability Diane must write a proof of wisdom on the Unified Pact before she can write one on a foreign nation. Week 5 Part 2 The Unified Pact A Proof of Wisdom The Unified Pact is a set of international agreements made to improve recordkeeping and societal standards. Its contents can be summarized as follows: Standards for Historical Records: Historical documents must not be altered for the sake of narrative. It is necessary to strive for an unbiased truth in recordkeeping. Denouncement of the Superstitious: Member countries must work to establish a separation of superstition and reality in the minds of their peoples. The most egregious of occult practices¡ªhuman sacrifice, cannibalism, and all forms of blood rituals¡ªmust be abolished. More benign practices such as the making of myths and legends can remain as long as there is a clear separation from reality. Standards for Society: There shall be no second-class citizens in member countries. All forms of slavery¡ªincluding as punishment for crime¡ªcount as second-class citizenry. A court system that considers all citizens equally must be established. Fifty Years of Grace: All new member countries to the pact are permitted a fifty year grace period where other member countries can not aggress upon them. This is nullified if the new member country acts as an aggressor to another member country. Origin of the Pact Early in her rule, Queen Melodie of Oremaris was faced with rebellion. The cause of said rebellion was the rampant falsification of history throughout the Broken Isles. During the Age of Legends, the so-called historians would create narratives loosely based on actual events. Depending on where the historians lived, their retelling would bend to the biases of the locals. After reclaiming full control of her kingdom, Melodie moved to reform the standards by which history was recorded. She was now fully aware of the dangers of choosing narrative over truth. Upon the implementation of her reforms in Oremaris, she looked to reform the world. She first proposed similar reforms to her own in Vallis. Through the negotiations of the two kingdoms the Unified Pact was formed.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. With the support of Oremaris and Vallis, Queen Melodie spent the rest of her life pushing for the pact¡¯s implementation in all major countries. For her efforts she has been dubbed the Mother of Reason. Consequences of Its Creation Destruction of Legere: For its major betrayals against the pact, Legere was destroyed in the thirty-seventh year of the Unified Calendar. It¡¯s lands were split amongst its neighbors with most of its territory going to Sol Corona. First Century Land Rush: Freeing feuding nations from each other for a half-century allowed them to move their gazes elsewhere. More often than not, their focus landed on unclaimed territories and smaller nations who had refused the pact. Much grief was had by the peoples of these coveted lands. Creation of Multis: The combination of the above led to the creation of Vallis¡¯s only adversarial nation for the past half millennium. Age of Reason: The first day of the Unified Calendar, the day on which the pact was signed, is considered the end of the Age of Legends and the beginning of the Age of Reason. Thanks to the pact, we now have a reliable record of the last five hundred years. The supernatural has been abandoned for all, but entertainment and multiple countries are now promoting the study of the world around us.
In Consequence Diane is ready to complete proofs of wisdom for multiple subjects in National and International History.
For Peace of Mind Since the news of my mother¡¯s death was announced to our subjects, the crime rate in the capital has risen. The staff can¡¯t stop themselves gossiping about how much more dangerous the capital has gotten. I assume the worry is much greater in the valley below. It appears, however, that the capital guard has done its job. They¡¯ve found a man who they claim is responsible for most of the recent murders. His execution will be on the morrow. Now, whether this man was responsible for all the murders he was accused of or if they just chose any one murder to take the blame, I can not say. Festivals are important events for both the capital¡¯s and the country¡¯s reputation. I doubt that Parliament would refrain from action considering our current situation. If they wanted to frame a criminal and hide reports of murder for a time, it was well within their ability to do so. Regardless of where the truth lies, things seem to be going their way. The staff now speak of their relief that the perpetrator has been found and the majority of their conversations are taken up by them sharing their plans for the festival. Week 6 Part 1 The Borders of Vallis Among a list of much more intricate studies, I was assigned the simple task of submitting a review of our borders. I suppose a proof that I¡¯ve ever looked at a map is a test of the minimum required competence. To the West: To the west lies the capital through which the Vena flows into the Calm Sea. To the North: To the north, a mountain range forms our border. Beyond its western peaks lies Nordenheim. East of their lands there is only tundra. To the East: To the east, scarred ridges separate us from Multis. If not for this natural barrier, there would be no reprieve from our warring with them. To the South: To the south there are dense woodlands. Past where their treelines end is a vast sea of plains claimed by no kingdom. It spans from Vallis to Oremaris.
Consequences Diane has met the qualifications to submit proofs of wisdom on the lands surrounding Vallis.
Florian Though I¡¯ve known Florian for only half a month, a friendship has formed over the course of our daily meetings. He¡¯s been an ambassador who never ceases to entertain. At least, that¡¯s what he¡¯s said of himself. I find it to be true for the most part. From unification wars to flower tradition, Florian describes every aspect of Oremaris with a silver-tongue. However, there are consequences to meeting such a flamboyant foreigner everyday. Now that his existence is known to me, some of the staff have become eager to present me with their accusations against him. Accusations from members of the royal guard. ¡°He¡¯s a man with little honor who cheats during practice duels.¡± Accusations from some of the maids. ¡°Since he¡¯s arrived, he¡¯s been playing with the hearts of the younger maids.¡± And an accusation that even extends beyond the estate. ¡°I say this having witnessed it myself. That man frequents the taverns with a married woman.¡± But for each accusation I relayed to him, he presented me with adequate answer. The guard members who accused him of cheating were displeased with the rules they felt favored his rapier. The younger maids had mistaken his amiable behavior for genuine advances. After all, this is his first time in Vallis, he comes from a much more open culture. As for the married woman, he says that she is his youngest sister, Heather. She married a flower merchant who is currently expanding his trade to Vallis. Verification is still required for that last one, but aside from that, none of the worries brought on by the staff have stuck with me. This is of course only when referring to the staff¡¯s worries. Over the past few days, I have developed my own reservations about the man. With thoughts of confrontation on my mind, I came to the garden. ¡°Good afternoon, Your Highness.¡± Florian entered shortly after I had arrived. ¡°What brings you here today?¡± He said it as if we hadn¡¯t been meeting there everyday. I ignored his silly question. ¡°What story do you have ready for me today?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± He took a spot standing next to where I sat and grasped his chin. ¡°I wonder.¡± ¡°Hopefully it will prove a better story than yesterday¡¯s.¡± ¡°What was wrong with yesterday¡¯s story?¡± He had told me the myth of what had happened after the stars tore the Broken Isles from the continent. ¡°It was boring.¡± He looked at me as if what I said was shocking. ¡°You find the tales of mermen and sea horses boring?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°As I have already said, I¡¯m fine with fiction, but the story has to be something that could feasibly happen.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem then.¡± ¡°Sea horses and mermen aren¡¯t real.¡± ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m quite confident they are.¡± He spoke through that smug grin of his. ¡°You may have convinced me about the lilies that bloom from the corpses of shipwrecked men, but you won¡¯t convince me of this.¡± ¡°But, Your Highness, it is the history of Oremaris.¡± ¡°A history that the Unified Pact has declared false.¡± ¡°Did it? I don¡¯t recall the pact saying outright that any history written before it is false, just that proof is needed before believing the words of legends. After all, we still believe in the Black Comet, don¡¯t we?¡± I sighed. ¡°Please, try not to go too far when attempting to convince me that your lies are truth.¡± Florian laid his hand behind his head and showed me a dramatic pose. ¡°When have I ever lied to you, Your Highness?¡± He had given me the kind of question I was looking for. From the start, I had led the conversation into this topic. ¡°You lied to me about why you came to Vallis.¡± He tried to play it off, ¡°What are you talking about, Your Highness?¡± But I had seen the shock on his face before he masked it with playful confusion. ¡°I can hear it in your voice, you know. Every time you talk of your homeland there is longing, but when an opportunity presents itself to speak of a return, you never take the chance.¡± Even when I talked about him coming to Oremaris with me on a visit, he showed a reluctance unbecoming of him. ¡°You long for it, but you never mention a return. I can only assume that it is because you are unsure if you¡¯ll ever be able to.¡± ¡°Your Highness has made quite the theory.¡± ¡°More than a theory.¡± I had years of practice and study in communication behind me. ¡°It will be easier for both of us if you tell me the real reason why you¡¯ve come to Vallis.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, I am here for a new experience.¡± ¡°Florian, a man¡¯s word is important and he should do his best not to be seen as a liar. If what has brought you here is worth punishing you for, then my mother would have already punished you. I¡¯ll do my best to judge your situation fairly, so please, do your best to trust me.¡± Florian turned from me and looked into the distance. It was his turn to sigh. ¡°Your Highness has judged me too well. Very well, I shall tell you the truth. I am here because I killed a man. For sport, I challenged him to a duel and I killed him by accident. The duel was legal and we had both agreed to it, but he was a man who I could not have afforded to kill. To protect me, my father shipped me off to Vallis. He said he¡¯d contact me when it was safe for my return, but since coming here, I am yet to hear from him. And when my sister messages him on my behalf, those messages never receive a response either.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Now that you know the truth, what shall you have done with me?¡± I looked to his hand resting upon his sea maiden hilt. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have you teach me the sword.¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± He asked. Of course what I was saying was surprising to him, but from the beginning, I had every intention to defer to my mother¡¯s judgement. She had done no more than keep Florian close enough to watch and I intend to do the same. I wish she had left a few more instructions on his situation, but she wasn¡¯t exactly given much notice on her coming demise. Whether it be true or false, hopefully his testimony can point Eliza in the right direction for further investigation. ¡°Judging by your story¡ªand the complaints of some of the guards¡ªyou must have some skill with the sword. I¡¯ll make teaching me your payment for lying.¡± Florian made a troubled face and tightened his grip on his sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d be comfortable with that.¡± I spoke nonchalantly. ¡°If you are comfortable enough to train with the guards after killing a man, then you should be comfortable enough to train with me. There¡¯s no choice for you in this matter.¡± His grip loosened a bit when I said that. Maybe he was scared of hurting me? Maybe he had thought this was a ploy and that I¡¯d call the guards when the timing proved convenient. Maybe he realized that if I did call the guards, he didn¡¯t stand a chance. Regardless of what reason he had for gripping his sword so tightly, he had now resigned himself. Florian took off his hat and lowered head to show his respect. ¡°If I have no choice, then I will say that I am honored to teach the princess.¡± I nodded. ¡°Very good.¡± Upon receiving my approval, Florian returned to his usual demeanor. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve dealt with the serious things, let us proceed with the day¡¯s story.¡±
Festival¡¯s Eve With today¡¯s end, what¡¯s left of the fall¡¯s major harvest has been planted. As such, a day of celebration is imminent within the capital and across the kingdom. Such a day is not fit for work or study. But if that is the case, what pursuits are left to me? Should I celebrate with the masses or should I see what I can get away with while the staff is away? I should make the decision before I go to bed. If I¡¯m going to the capital, I¡¯ll need a guard escort and Eliza to come with me. Eliza¡¯s notice will be coming at the last minute, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be annoyed.
In Consequence With what she has learned from their meeting, Diane has asked Eliza to perform a discreet investigation on Florian. Diane can also be taught Swordsmanship by Florian now. Week 6 Part 2 High Tower Though it pains me to say it, I admit that I have been distracted as of late. Focus has always come easy to me, but since my mother¡¯s funeral there have been times where I find my mind drifting. It¡¯s as if what is conscious wants what is best for me and what is not only wishes to fulfill lingering fantasies. I¡¯ve coped with this so far, but I am unsure of how long I shall be able to. In search of an answer, I turned to my predecessors. Dealing with distracting thoughts is a foreign issue to me, but the task has never been uncommon for others. I was sure there would have been something reasonable said on the issue in the library. After inquiring about such situations with the royal librarian and a brief study, I found the common prescription for the roaming mind of a royal. Whether it be a source from the age of legends or a source from the age of reason, a meditation within the old castle¡¯s high tower is always the first suggestion. With the festival approaching, I decided to wait until the day of to perform my meditation. Since my studies were postponed, I was able to set off in the morning. I carried with me the lantern and matches Eliza had prepared the night before. Arriving atop the high tower, I found myself in a dark and quiet room. The walls did have openings for light to come through, but stone slabs had been used to seal them so as to keep the noise out. Of course there were sconces placed to cope with this and night, but my lantern proved bright enough for them to be unnecessary. I looked above. Just as I had read, the ceiling was covered with a map of the stars. A painting commissioned by a queen of old. ¡°So that all my children and their children after shall never be lost in their dreams again.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As was prescribed, I sat myself in the room¡¯s center, put out my lantern, and began my meditation. With little prompt, the questions that had been plaguing me returned. What could have been if she hadn¡¯t died? Is there any point in trying so hard when it ends so easily? What if she really was the woman we all adored? Why did she never acknowledge me? Was I a failure in her eyes? The questions that came to me, I answered with daydreams. Products of my imagination that I¡¯d never let leave that room. When my answer was a nightmare, I cut myself off, but when my thoughts were of happy things, I¡¯d find my mind lingering. It was like that, I spent what remained of the morning. I¡¯d have probably spent the whole day if it weren¡¯t for a faint sound. Something high-pitched and foreign enough to prompt me to open my eyes. As soon as I did, I saw the painted stars dancing above me. Relighting my lantern, I looked again, but the stars had already been returned to their initial positions, stationary. At that point, I thought it was best that I call it a day for meditation. I was already feeling refreshed and my intuition had told me that I should check on whatever made that sound. When I opened the tower door, I took only a few steps down the stairs before hearing the royal guard running and shouting. I picked up my pace, but I caught none of them before I emerged from the castle. Most of the guards I saw were running toward the palace. I asked two of the guards who remained stationed at the castle what was going on. They told me that a high-pitched sound followed by the sound of shattering glass was heard from the palace. After talking to them I returned to the palace and met another group of guards in the courtyard. They informed me that a perimeter had been established around the ballroom and that the staff was being collected. From what they could tell, the high-pitched sound had originated from the ballroom and had shattered all the glass within. As for the sound¡¯s cause, I¡¯m afraid they were unable to come up with anything close to an answer even after questioning all of the staff that had remained on the estate. In the end, Father had the glass removed, commissioned the ballroom¡¯s repair, and had guards stationed outside the room to prevent further incidents. Week 7 Part 1 The Ballroom Once the glass had been removed from the ballroom, I decided to visit my favorite painting. I asked the guards stationed beside the ballroom¡¯s closed doors if Father had restricted entry, but they told me there was no such order and that the door¡¯s were only closed so that the palace¡¯s heat would not suffer. A reason justified as I faced assault from a gust as soon I dared to open them. ¡°Come to pity this old man, Your Highness?¡± From within came an unexpected greeting that I should have been expecting. Standing with his back against the breeze was an old man more majestic than he had any right to be. ¡°No lessons today, Gregor?¡± I asked. There was no maid running out today. It made things feel a bit lonely. ¡°That will be the case if you leave me, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I thought you were more than adept at finding my stand-in?¡± Gregor shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hard when the girls are scared.¡± ¡°What are they afraid of? A breeze?¡± The maids had to be a bit tougher than that. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor going around that the ballroom¡¯s been cursed.¡± The look I gave him was prompt enough for him to continue. ¡°Everyone was already worried when your mother died and then something like this happens with no explanation. That¡¯s good enough reason for such a rumor to start.¡± I was a bit downcast. ¡°Such thoughts are more pervasive than I¡¯d prefer.¡± My usual denouncement would have been stronger, but recent events had me questioning the Pact¡¯s stance on superstition. ¡°The legacy of the Dark Age continues. Twenty years gone, but the consequences still linger.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°It is not something that should be casually discussed.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been taught well, Your Highness. Shameful times such as those should be forgotten. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve grown old enough to be stuck in my ways. By the time it ended, it was already too late for me to learn how to forget.¡± There was not much to say to that. The man was born during the Dark Age and spent the first forty-years of his life in it. For people like him, the memory of that time would only leave the world when they did. ¡°I won¡¯t bore you with all the details, but I¡¯ll give you a warning. The people are still the same. Whether they were born in my time or now, they¡¯re still the same. We can act like we have reason when there is peace, but we¡¯ll ask the world for gifts when our children are starving. We¡¯ll whisper curses under our breath when the bad men beat us down. People are weak like that.¡± ¡°Reason needs strength.¡± By show of strength, the Pact was established and by strength again has it been defended through the ages. ¡°That truth has never changed.¡± The old man smiled. ¡°Wise beyond your years, as always.¡± I turned away from him. My reason for being there had nothing to do with such a conversation. Paying close attention, I began to inspect Cecilia¡¯s portrait. With nothing better to do, I suppose, Gregor approached me. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle isn¡¯t it?¡± He said. ¡°The glass scattered everywhere, but not scratch on the portrait nor its frame. As if the queen herself willed its safety from beyond.¡± ¡°Have you come here to annoy me with your nonsense?¡± It was much easier to be reproachful when he talked like this. ¡°Not at all. If you had let me finish, you would have seen my intention was to ask you for a dance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve become the type of lady who finds no appeal in roundabout speech.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you more directly.¡± He laid out his palm before me. ¡°Would Your Highness pity this old man with a dance?¡± When he said that, I hesitated. As much as I favored rejecting him, being in front of Cecilia really did make me want to dance. The stronger feeling won out and I took his hand. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that it¡¯s not too cold today.¡± I said as another breeze rolled in.
In Consequence Diane has become interested in submitting her proof of wisdom on the Vallisian Dark Age. Week 7 Part 2 The Vallisian Dark Age A Proof of Wisdom ¡°The years of the Dishonored One¡¯s rule and the ten years after were the Dark Age. During that time, the Dishonored One and the old nobles of the west abandoned the Pact and embraced the occult. This betrayal brought greed into their hearts and caused them to forsake their duties to the people. Where they ruled, abundance was stripped from the land and replaced with famine. These are the results for those who have forgotten reason.¡± In Vallis, any child older than eight can repeat these lines and the lines that follow from memory. They¡¯re a part of the compulsory education mandated by my mother and her government upon her coronation. This and wiping Great Grandfather¡¯s name from the historical record were amongst her final reforms targeting the Dark Age. Before she had taken the throne, before she had even come of age, she had thoroughly destroyed what would be the memory of those times. Great Grandfather was killed in the capital¡¯s siege and the nobles of the west were executed. The people who participated in their occult practices were also executed. The people who only bore witness, but did not renounce these actions or pursue the enforcement of the Pact, were executed as well. As for what was written, every record of the old aristocracy¡¯s occult practices was destroyed and the possession of such documents became outlawed. Discussion of the details and the description of their occult practices also became outlawed. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The enforcement of these laws, particularly the ones related to speech, have been strict enough that it is rare to find a Vallisian who would even speak of those times. I pity our subjects who can no longer speak of their past, but their circumstances have given me a question. How severe was the betrayal of the Pact that even the common man fears these laws? For those who lived through that time, it is said that a recollection of their daily experience beyond the barest of details risks breaking the law. It is to the point that children are told never to ask a Western Vallisian about their time in the Dark Age. The only words safe to repeat about those times are what we teach to the children. ¡°After seventy-three years, the Dark Age ended when Queen Elaine took the throne. We give thanks to those who have delivered us from the occult. We shall forget our evil deeds, but we shall not forget those who rescued us from them. ¡°We give thanks to the late Duke of Corm, Henry, the duke¡¯s late son, William, and the duke¡¯s grandson, Robert. They fought and won the war for the throne while fending off Multisian invasion. ¡°We give thanks to the late Queen Cordette. Though fear was in her heart, she abandoned her father, brought legitimacy to the duke¡¯s war, and rallied Oremaris to the valley¡¯s cause. We strive towards such acts of valor. ¡°We give thanks to Oremaris, our eternal allies to the south. They saw through the lies of the western nobles and fought with the old duke to restore the Pact¡¯s glory. ¡°The Pact has been restored. Our country has been restored. We must never surrender the Pact again. We must never accept the occult again. The occult must be removed from our memories. Only then can the people of the valley look again towards tomorrow.¡± Week 8 Part 1 On the Gardener Less than two weeks after I had tasked her with collecting information on Florian, Eliza returned to me with a complete report. Such a task should have taken her far longer, but she was able to acquire the reports that had been presented to my mother. In fact, if I didn¡¯t ask her to act discreetly, she could have handed me her report even sooner, but in that scenario I¡¯m sure that that troublesome man would have been following close behind her as she delivered it. He¡¯s the type of person I¡¯d like to delay having to deal with as long as possible. The report covered three topics in particular: Florian¡¯s identity, the intentions of those who recommended him as a gardener, and the reason why he decided to come to Vallis. On his identity, Florian had been very honest with the information he had given me about himself. Six sisters and fifth born of seven to a successful family of flower merchants. He never showed much interest in managing his family¡¯s business and left that task to his elder sisters. At this point, even his younger sisters have shown more involvement. Speaking of his younger sisters, his youngest sister, Heather, has recently married a merchant and moved to Vallisia to expand their business. Reading that gave me more relief than I thought it would. I suppose the married woman rumors had worried me more than I had originally thought. Next discussed was his benefactor. Florian did not receive work from the crown based on his family¡¯s reputation. Instead he received recommendation by a merchant named Isabelle. I had not known her name before this, but apparently she is an executive for the Islander¡¯s Company. As their families have been good friends for years, it couldn¡¯t be determined whether her reasons for recommending him were personal or if she had received some benefit for doing so. Either way, as we are dealing with Oremaris¡¯s premier trading company, some consequences are to be expected if harm comes Florian¡¯s way. This whole benefactor business bothered me. Yes, an executive from the Islander¡¯s Company would prove more influential than Florian¡¯s family, but his family already had enough of a reputation to secure the job for him. What made them request the aid of their important friend? The answer is that Florian got himself into such a situation that they needed someone who could reasonably claim ignorance to his circumstance. Florian had originally told my mother that he had come to Vallis to represent his family and for adventure. These were similar reasons to what he had told me and what I assume he also told Isabelle. As they were childhood friends, I¡¯m sure Isabelle took him at his word when she let him tag along for her next trip to Vallisia. What she had not known¡ªor least what she can claim to have not known¡ªwas that the real reason Florian had set off for Vallis was because he would soon be charged with treason. Florian had not lied to me once, but twice. And such heavy lies they were. The report hadn¡¯t even mentioned a thing about his supposed murder. Months of research on what had brought the man here and somehow that never came up? Why he¡¯s been charged has never been made public, but if a murder was important enough to be treated as treason, there would be no instance where Dragomir¡¯s people would have missed the details.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. This all has been made even more bizarre by the fact that the Oremarisian government has made no attempt to notify the crown that they have charged Florian with treason. What information we have on the situation has been overhead from gossiping nobles and merchants. With what we have, I believe mother¡¯s decision to not inform the government that we knew of the charges was for the best, but unlike her, I must confront Florian. His lies are a slight which I can not bear. And besides, I want answers.
Swordsmanship After a bit of planning¡ªand quite a bit of nagging¡ªthe day came for Florian and I to begin my instruction. We took a spot in the yard amongst the royal guard members who were already training there and prepared ourselves. ¡°Before we start, let me repeat my warnings.¡± Florian said as I put on a particularly thick gambeson. ¡°I still remember them, Florian.¡± These words carried with them my weariness. He had taken every chance he had been given to repeat his warnings leading up to this. ¡°You may remember, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve taken them to heart. ¡°He tapped his chest. ¡°If I had taken my instructor¡¯s words to heart, I wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡± He hinted at his cover story. I wanted to expose him right then and there, but that would have to wait for the morrow. Instead, I smirked at him. ¡°Then I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t take them to heart.¡± Florian would usually have a witty response for such a statement, but he was in no mood to make one today. ¡°First warning. What I teach you is not for defense of self, it is only for sport. I want you to make sure this stays recreational.¡± He put up two fingers. ¡°Second warning. Don¡¯t rely on yourself for your own protection. The guards are here for a reason.¡± From the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the guards nodding. ¡°Third warning. If even these men are not fit for your defense, your sword alone will not be enough to save you. Do you understand?¡± I sighed. These were obvious things. I¡¯m tall for a girl, but that¡¯s given me no delusion of strength. After all, half the guardsmen are a head taller and some of them are twice my weight. ¡°The blade of the common man and the sword of the king are equal, but the value of the king and of the common man are not.¡± So why should a ruler gamble crossing blades with such a man? ¡°Take it to heart.¡± Florian handed me a practice sword and we began my training in earnest. Over the course of our first lesson, I was given an orientation on the necessary fundamentals. Proper stance, maintaining footing, thrusting, lunging, slashing, and parrying were all covered. We didn¡¯t get to any actual sparring. Florian had said there would be none of that until my movements became closer to natural than they were manual. Honestly, with his persona, I expected him to be a bit more easygoing. Not that I had any complaints. My instructors rarely went easy on me, so this was nothing new.
Consequences Seeing the royal guards training has made Diane interested in improving her fitness. Week 8 Part 2 Florian Florian entered the garden with his arms held behind his back by my guardsmen. ¡°What did you find on him?¡± I asked, having already taken a seat within. ¡°His sword, a hidden dagger, and a vial filled with a clear liquid, Your Highness.¡± The guard who spoke held up said vial and shook it. ¡°What do you think it is?¡± I reached for it, but the guard pulled it back. ¡°Poison perhaps.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cologne.¡± Florian said with a bit of a tired annoyance. ¡°I want both of you to wait out in the hallway.¡± I told the guards. ¡°Far enough to not understand what we say, but close enough to come when I shout.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The guardsmen released Florian and bowed to me before vacating the room. I listened to the echoes of their footsteps until they had reached their positions. The distance sounded adequate enough for what I had instructed. Florian spoke first. ¡°I guess yesterday¡¯s ending was not to your taste?¡± Beginning from when he had lied to me for a second time, Florian had been telling me of the unification war won by Triton and his seven daughters. We had reached the stories end just the day before. ¡°Quite the contrary.¡± I drew the sword I had brought with me. ¡°I¡¯m a fan of good endings. I hope this conversation has one as well.¡± ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t taking my warnings to heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true; self-defense is nowhere near my mind. This blade is only a warning. I hope you can take it to heart the same way I took yours.¡± ¡°And what am I being warned of?¡± ¡°My people have investigated your story. The one about the duel.¡± ¡°Your people work fast.¡± He sounded serious, but I¡¯m sure it was a joke. With the amount of time he had spent on the estate, he had to have assumed that there was some investigation into him by this point. ¡°You lied to me twice. I put my trust in you, but you lied to me about what is most important. Treason, Florian. Did you actually think you could hide that from me?¡± ¡°I can explain, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You can and you will. And let me tell you, the fondness that I¡¯ve built for you will not keep me from shipping you back to Oremaris if you lie to me one more time. Now. Tell me why you have come to my kingdom.¡± For a short time, only the sound heard in the garden was of the wind passing by. When the wind died down, he gave me his answer. ¡°I tried to investigate the Age of Legends.¡± My eyes shot wide open before I slapped my freehand over them. I never expected something so shocking, but with a moment of thought that shock became aggravation. ¡°You¡¯re a bigger fool than I could have ever imagined!¡± How could this man have been such an imbecile? I could hear the guards sprinting down the hallway. ¡°Stop running!¡± I said. There was enough trouble in this room already. ¡°I only shouted from annoyance. I won¡¯t do so again. Retake your positions until I call for you.¡± Once the guards were back in their places, I freed my face from my hand and looked straight at Florian. ¡°Come close and explain. Quietly.¡± What he had told me was something that could only be discussed in whispers. Florian had not betrayed his country, he had betrayed the Pact itself. Studying the Age of Legends is a domain only open to historians authorized by the highest authority of a nation. Those who seek to do so without approval are savages, cultists, or fools with a death wish. His actions were akin to declaring that all of the civilized world was his enemy. ¡°I wanted to know the truth.¡± He said as we stood shoulder to shoulder. I was almost upset enough to mock him. ¡°Are you insane? The truth is that the historians before the Pact told lies. You risked your life to confirm that?¡± ¡°If that is the truth, why does someone have to risk their life to confirm it?¡± The look I gave him was enough to tell him I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°If it¡¯s all as true as the stories we tell children, why can¡¯t I read the stories that they told?¡± ¡°Because those are the stories that start wars.¡± ¡°The wars will start whether or not we forget the past. Was making up a story all they had to do back then to start a war? Well, I¡¯m afraid to tell you that there are still countries that do so today, Your Highness. That¡¯s what Multis does right? Or are you going to tell me that Vallis owes them land?¡± I glared at him, but that was all I could do. I couldn¡¯t think of a rebuttal that wouldn¡¯t be crushed the second it escaped my mouth. ¡°Look, you¡¯re a smart girl, so I know you can see the problem now that we¡¯re talking about it. There¡¯s something hidden in the past that goes beyond make believe. Maybe it makes you crazy. Maybe that¡¯s why the crazies are always after it. I don¡¯t know, but I want to know.¡± He turned to me and looked me in the eye. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know too?¡± I had a sudden realization. ¡°You really did come here for an adventure¡­¡± Even when he lied, he hinted at the truth. ¡°I came to run away. But, I am a man who takes the opportunities presented to him in the moment.¡± ¡°And look where that sort of behavior has gotten you.¡± I sheathed my sword. The man before me was a fool, but he meant me no harm. ¡°How did they discover you?¡± ¡°I petitioned the government for authorization.¡± Yes, an exceptional fool was before. ¡°They probably were watching me since then. When they rejected my request, I decided to continue with my plans to explore some ruins anyway. Someone tailed me to the first ruins I entered and I had to fight for my life.¡± ¡°Judging by the fact that you¡¯ve made it here, I assume that pursuer is dead.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, you really did kill a man?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Perhaps, I should draw my sword again for my own safety.¡± Florian immediately bent his knee to me. ¡°Your Highness.¡± I raised my hand and started towards the entrance. ¡°I speak in jest. You¡¯ve said some foolish things to me today, but I find your words sincere. Don¡¯t worry about me sending you back to Oremaris. I currently have no desire to do so.¡± Still kneeling, he called out to me. ¡°I¡¯m curious, Your Highness. Aren¡¯t you too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure of what I should be curious about.¡± ¡°Look at the castle just across from us. Aren¡¯t there runes written on every wall? Isn¡¯t the truth just within our reach?¡± I didn¡¯t bother looking. ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure if I throw myself over the railing, I¡¯ll find death within my reach as well.¡± A much sooner death than if I betrayed the Pact and my subjects were to find out. ¡°So you¡¯ve chosen ignorance.¡± That stopped me. Pride was reason enough when curiosity wasn¡¯t. There had been more than a few occasions where I ridiculed the willful ignorance of those who lived during the Age of Legends. After doing that, turning away from an inconvenient truth now would make a hypocrite of me. I turned back around. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll look into it. But I don¡¯t want you poking around the castle before I¡¯ve gotten things figured out. You won¡¯t have anywhere to run if you get caught this time.¡± And I didn¡¯t want his foolishness getting me caught and mistaken as the heir to the Dishonored One. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± As far as I could tell, he intended to oblige. I offered him my hand and he stood up and took it. At least for now, our friendship will continue.
Mother''s Grave 470 UC to 509 UC. The years of my mother¡¯s life as they were written on her headstone. Above them were her name and titles, beneath them were the same dates in their Vallisian Calendar equivalents. She died a year short of her fortieth. When I last came to her grave, I hadn¡¯t come there for her, but now, I¡¯d be willing to visit her grave everyday if it meant she would stop haunting my dreams. It had been bearable at first, but now, my dreams had become more frequent and in everyone of them she found herself a place. Once I had recognized her, just a glimpse was enough to have me wake in a cold sweat. ¡°Please,¡± I spoke solemnly. It almost sounded like I was begging. There was not a hint of the spitefulness that I had spoken with previously. ¡°If you have anything to say, I¡¯m listening.¡± Such a statement was proof enough of how far I had fallen. I had considered myself a Lady of Reason, someone who¡¯d never seriously partake in any form of mysticism. But, in the face of this insomnia, that persona had proved to be only a facade. I waited sometime for Mother¡¯s response, but there was none given. The whistling wind and a raven¡¯s call was all that I heard. I had heard a raven shortly before I saw Mother in the yard the first time. Perhaps it was a sign? She wanted to tell me that her response was waiting in my dreams? Looking back on it, I suppose this was how the cultists and madmen came up with their theories and superstitions. I looked to my left. Mother wasn¡¯t there, but the grave she had been standing in front of definitely was. I decided it would be worth reading the headstone before I left. The grave belonged to my maternal grandmother, Queen Cordette. For a moment, I looked to the right of my mother¡¯s grave. There was an open plot of land. I took note and returned my gaze to Grandmother¡¯s headstone. The exact dates of Grandmother¡¯s birth and death were of no importance to my study of the Dark Age, so until now, I hadn¡¯t known them. 454 UC to 481 UC. At the time of her passing, she was only twenty-seven. Mother would have been eleven, an age that matched her appearance in my dream. Four years earlier than I had lost only her, she had already lost both her parents. I didn¡¯t feel like that had brought me any closer to understanding my mother, but I pitied her. Judging by the way that she cried in my dreams, I¡¯m sure her parents were much kinder to her than mine were to me. That Night That night, things were different. Well, different and the same. Just like my first dream, I was standing in front of Mother¡¯s grave and I could hear crying coming from my left. Before thinking¡ªI do wish I had more self-control when dreaming¡ªI turned to see her. I was lucky the dream didn¡¯t end the moment my gaze met her figure. Too afraid to talk first, I waited for her to calm down. This was the closest I had gotten since the first dream, I wasn¡¯t going to risk anything. Thankfully, there was no event to further excite me this time as her hair¡¯s color was already her own. When she had finally finished crying, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hearing those words from her again was very discomforting. My mother could apologize of course, but this way didn¡¯t fit my image of her at all. After much hesitation, I asked her a question. ¡°What do you want?¡± A wave of relief washed over me when I did not awake at the mere utterance of a word to her. She laid out her palm before me and I stared at it, waiting for something to happen. ¡°Diane.¡± She said. We locked eyes and she pushed her hand further forward. ¡°I want to help you.¡± At that, the ground shook so violently that I barely remained standing. ¡°Let me help you.¡± The ground ripped itself into two pieces and a growing chasm formed between us. ¡°Take my hand!¡± Mother shouted, but it was already too late. I was standing at what had now become the edge of the graveyard and she might as well have been as far as the distance between it and the King¡¯s Forest. ¡°Please, let me help you!¡± She didn¡¯t give up, but the ground beneath my feet did. I could still hear her calling out to me as I fell deep into the void. From the darkness that surrounded me, I awoke in my bed. ¡°Help¡­¡± I whispered it. I wasn¡¯t sure if I needed it from her, but I definitely needed it from someone. Someone who could help me wake from the nightmare this had become.
Consequences Diane is considering visiting a Seer in the capital.
Runic Intrigue Florian had said that the truth was just within reach, but this wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as he made it out to be. Yes, the meanings of the runes on the old castle walls can be inferred to some extent from appearance, but this sort of ¡°translation¡± can only go so far without a reference. With such thoughts in my mind, I decided to consult the royal librarian. I found him organizing records in the palace library. ¡°Edworth.¡± I called out to him and he turned away from his work to face me. ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Do we have a reference book for Runic Vallish?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°If I am being honest, I¡¯m worried about those with propensities towards the occult being emboldened by my mother¡¯s death. I¡¯d like to do everything I can to get a better understanding of them so that I can best deal with them.¡± ¡°It is understandable. I¡¯ve found myself becoming worried lately as well. I think that the staff is becoming more familiar with the occult than they should.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to reign them in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter I think requires your immediate action, but I do think it¡¯s something worth keeping an eye on.¡± I nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep it in mind. As for the reference¡­¡± ¡°You should be able to obtain one, but you¡¯ll need your father¡¯s authorization first.¡± Hearing that had me about ready to give up right then and there. If Father considered such a study worthwhile, he¡¯d have already assigned me to it. There would be no convincing him to authorize this while I still had other things to do. And besides that, I didn¡¯t want him to know that I¡¯m studying Runic Vallish to begin with. Edworth continued. ¡°Once you have that, we¡¯ll be able to get a reference delivered from the Capital Library.¡± The Capital Library, that was my only chance. If I went there in person, then perhaps I¡¯d be able to skip a few steps ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to convince him then.¡± ¡°Good luck, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Thank you, Edworth.¡±
The Ballroom The replacement glass for the ballroom arrived with the week¡¯s end. No longer will the breeze rob the heat from the ballroom¡¯s part of the palace. Perhaps that is a shame with the summer months coming up, but I¡¯d rather leave as little room for trouble as possible with this summer¡¯s gala approaching. In line with that policy, guards will continue to be stationed in front of the ballroom until further notice. Week 9 Part 1 Lucille''s Letter Eliza approached me. ¡°A letter, Your Highness.¡± ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Baronetess Lucille.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Her second letter had been a bit earlier than I had expected. The summer gatherings of aristocracy wouldn¡¯t begin for a few more weeks. This letter was too early to use those celebrations as an excuse to send me a letter. I opened the letter. ¡°I apologize for my overbearing behavior, Your Highness.¡± It was a surprising start to say the least. Lucille began her letter denouncing her previous opportunistic tone and stating her wish to talk to communicate with me in a more honest manner. Apparently, her true intention when sending the first letter was to discuss with me a play that she had written in collaboration with my mother. She claimed that my mother had intended for the play to be performed at this summer¡¯s gala and was to be her first step in repairing our relationship. I felt a bit aggravated reading that, but I continued. Mother had told her to keep the production a secret until this upcoming summer and Lucille had found that agreeable. At that point, the production was still coming together and Lucille didn¡¯t want to risk having to announce an early cancellation. The circumstances changed, however, when my mother died. The production that they had spent all this time on was now read, but Mother had never officially confirmed her troupe¡¯s performance. ¡°I shall make no attempt to paint this as a noble act.¡± The Baronetess¡¯s dilemma was great enough for her to beg. She had not sent me these letters for my mother¡¯s sake, but for her own. The intention of her production could never be hidden from the staff who worked on it. If it were to face rejection or indifference from the queen-to-be, that news would surely be leaked by the staff and spread through the aristocracy. Her business would be devastated. ¡°For the sake of my theater¡¯s continued success, I request that you confirm the Heartland¡¯s Troupe¡¯s performance with your father.¡± After reading this, I can understand why she¡¯s been petitioning me rather than my father. She doesn¡¯t have enough proof to confirm her deal with my mother and there is nothing to be gained politically from having her troupe perform. Having to get approval from my stone-faced father in this situation was almost the same as the production already being cancelled. I was her only hope.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Putting the letter down, I turned to Eliza. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean, Your Highness.¡± ¡°How did you know about Lady Lucille¡¯s production?¡± If there was one thing I could trust Eliza to be, it was competent. She¡¯d never let such a letter reach me without good reason. ¡°I did report to your mother from time to time. She was the one who assigned me to this position, after all.¡± ¡°She told you about the play?¡± ¡°I do recall her asking me if you enjoyed the performance whenever the Heartland¡¯s Troupe visited.¡± That was close enough to a confirmation. ¡°What else did she tell you?¡± Eliza performed a quick bow. ¡°I am sorry, Your Highness, but I am your mother¡¯s servant before I am yours.¡± I took a conscious breath. ¡°Very well.¡± At the time, I didn¡¯t feel inclined to dig up the words that the dead wanted buried with them. What mattered was that the Baronetess really had been working with my mother and that my mother had a message for me. But now that she was dead, I wasn¡¯t sure whether it made a difference or not if I heard it anymore.
Physical Fitness Training with the guards and Florian has been humbling. Years of dance lessons made me confident in my stamina, but training beside the royal guard made me realize that I was still lacking. As a consequence of this revelation, I decided to have Siegfried, the guard instructor, train my general fitness so that I may regain some of my lost confidence. On our first day together, he had me do a slew of exercises. Sprinting, running, climbing, and lifting things were all included. The whole process was exhausting and I admit that I felt some regret having put myself through it. ¡°Pretty good for your first day.¡± Siegfried said. At least I had performed well enough to be praised. ¡°Thank you.¡±I said once I caught my breath. Washing off the layer of sweat I had built was sure to be a joyous event. ¡°You know, if you keep this up and take archery lessons as well, you¡¯d be able to join the hunting party in the King¡¯s Forest.¡± ¡°I would think that the qualifications required to join the hunting party are more than I should be aiming.¡± We highered the best hunters in the valley after all. ¡°The qualifications are lower for the royal family. You only need to be good enough to run and climb up a tree.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it some consideration.¡± Juggling three physical studies was beyond what I had originally planned to do, but it would keep up variety. I decided to come to a decision on the matter another day. Week 9 Part 2 Father ¡°Have all the preparations been made for the Summer Gala?¡± I asked Father. He confirmed that to be the case and continued his work. It made me a bit disheartened. This was the consequence of my own tardiness. ¡°That means you have already scheduled the entertainment?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Father¡¯s quill paused. ¡°Such an unimportant thing had slipped my mind.¡± He spoke in his usual monotone as if this hadn¡¯t been a major oversight. Only someone as addicted to work as my father would consider the entertainment for this event as something unimportant. ¡°Please, try to remember the ¡®unimportant things¡¯ too. At least until I¡¯ve taken the throne.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for me.¡± I never thought I¡¯d hear such an excuse from him. Comparing this to all the work he¡¯d do regularly, remembering these things should be easy.. ¡°Mother did it all before she married you, didn¡¯t she? I¡¯m sure you can do it.¡± A crack formed in my father¡¯s stone-faced expression revealing a slightest smile. ¡°Elaine was something special.¡± He said, looking off into that space, where one looks towards happy memories with unfocused eyes. I used to talk to him about Mother like this, even when it had no purpose. I just wanted our short conversations to be a bit longer. However, that was when I was a child; I wasn¡¯t so desperate anymore. ¡°Anyways,¡± I cut away at my father¡¯s time for nostalgia, ¡°If you haven¡¯t scheduled entertainment for the gala yet, I¡¯d like for you to confirm the Heartland¡¯s Troupe as the chief performers.¡± ¡°Why the Heartland in particular?¡± My father¡¯s face turned from happy to curious¡ªor perhaps it was confused. Honestly, his expressions were so rare that I had trouble telling what they meant past a smile. All I knew was that this would soon transition into his usual indifferent expression if I didn¡¯t keep bringing up Mother. ¡°Mother never told you I enjoyed their plays?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Enjoy them or not, there¡¯s still value in who you choose to perform.¡± It was funny hearing him say that after he had called the entertainment unimportant. I suppose unimportant for him and unimportant for me were two different things. ¡°I have more important things to be worrying about. I¡¯d rather save myself the tedium and choose performers I¡¯m already accustomed to.¡± Telling him that I was doing this for Lucille or her play would turn this all into a hassle. It was better to give an answer that appealed to his opinion. My judgement had proven correct as without further protest, he accepted my petition and began making preparations to confirm the event with Lady Lucille. Before I could excuse myself, however, he did give me a warning as I finished excusing myself from our meeting. ¡°Be careful with the owner of the Heartland. You may think that you are avoiding tedium with this action, but get too close to her and you¡¯ll find that she is among the kind who is able to produce plenty of it.¡±
Cassandra''s Letter With the intention to close out my spring on a high note, Cassandra had a letter delivered to me. Its contents were of a joyous nature; the duke and the rest of military command have declared the east secure, ready for any Multisian aggression that comes its way. My sister shall be coming to the gala and she will have nothing get in the way of our first meeting any longer. Of course, however, with such fervor expressed for our meeting, she will be carrying along some expectations. Cassandra wants to see me act as a leader, first by my hosting of the gala and then with a speech at the proceeding festival. I¡¯ll have to present to her my best so as not to disappoint her. Moving on from that, we still had William to talk about. Since we last spoke of him, his withdrawal has been confirmed by his company and as I am reading this letter, he should have already departed for Vallisia. Father has agreed to provide him lodging until after the gala and festival and Cassandra has written to me that she would like for our relationship to be amicable. ¡°In fact, I am bold enough to say that I desire the two of you to build something much more than amicable.¡± She was implying something embarrassing. All this talk of William¡¯s arrival had made me nervous in a way that was unfamiliar to me. Yes, he was a man of note¡ªthe Duke of Corm¡¯s son, a captain in the military, my fourth cousin, and fourth in line to the throne¡ªbut that alone would not be enough to have me so bothered. These uncomfortable feelings originated from the fact that in this current time William is the man most eligible to be my husband. and it is likely to remain that way. Now, up until this point I¡¯ve never been in love and I would say I haven¡¯t been particularly interested in falling into it, but I suppose it would be better if I did so with William. I hope, when we meet, that I can at least come to like him. Indeed, as Cassandra had written, it would be best if we could become more than amicable. Ah, such a thought is a bit more embarrassing than it should be. As he is for me now, I hope William won¡¯t produce such distracting thoughts for me once he arrives. Week 10 Part 1 The Summer Begins Scenarios of Collapse During the Dark Age, the actions of the Dishonored One and his comrades proved a fact long forgotten by this world; that even in a place of natural abundance, the common man could be made to starve. Mother disposed of the ones responsible for such incidents, but the shame they had brought to the valley lingered on her mind and prompted the creation of new legislation. Never wanting such a catastrophe to repeat, Mother ordered Parliament to maintain an updating list of plausible scenarios that could lead to dysfunction in the near future. ¡°Thank you for coming today.¡± I said. My guest was a staffer who worked for a member of parliament on the committee overseeing the Scenarios of Collapse. ¡°It is an honor to be given a chance to express my employers thoughts to you, Your Highness.¡± She bowed, then sat down. ¡°Then should we get started?¡± ¡°Yes. Could you list for me the current Scenarios of Collapse?¡± ¡°Mass Crop Failure, Losing the Vena, Uncontained Plague, Collapse of Trade with Nordenheim, Collapse of Trade and Alliance with Oremaris, and Corruption. At least that was the list up until my mother¡¯s death.¡± ¡°You are correct, Your Highness. The list has yet to change since we lost her. My condolences.¡± I gave her a nod in acknowledgement. ¡°My employer would like to hear your thoughts on the likeliness of any of the listed scenarios occurring.¡± ¡°Other than Corruption, which is something that we must be fighting constantly, none of these scenarios appear to be particularly worrisome at the moment. If I had to choose the most likely, I¡¯d say Collapse of Trade with Nordenheim.¡± I also had my worries about the plague that took Mother, but this staffer¡¯s employer wasn¡¯t the right MP to consult with about that. ¡°I agree. Especially after the Edington incident? It really brings into question how stable their government is if savages can cross the national borders so easily. My employer has proposed that we send more military aid so they can more properly enforce the Pact upon them.¡± I groaned within my mind. Nordenheim had been receiving aid since before I was born. I didn¡¯t think just throwing more of it at them would be enough to fix their problems. ¡°Ah!¡± For a moment, the staffer covered her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking of what happened to your mother when I brought up Edington.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not so delicate that a mere mention of that place would be enough to throw me into sorrow. Let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°Right. Moving on to the other scenarios, since you think that they all have low possibilities of occurring what do you think of removing some of them from the list? Losing the Vena for example.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I understood why that could be suggested. Losing control of the Vena river would probably be the effect of an even greater catastrophe, so there wasn¡¯t as much value listing it directly. Still, there was enough reason to keep it. ¡°I¡¯d have to decline that removal. The scenario is unlikely today, but that may not always be the case in the future. There¡¯s value in having a reminder to remain wary and I think that is also the case for the rest of the scenarios listed.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure my employer would be glad to hear that. He shares a similar opinion to yours.¡± Of course he did. Most if not all members of Parliament believe something similar to what I had said. The question was only given to test if I had learned the proper temperament. ¡°Since you aren¡¯t currently interested in removing scenarios, what about adding them? My employer is interested in your opinion on a potential addition.¡± It appeared that it was time to have the discussion she had come for. This chance to have an early grasp on my opinions was why the MPs had been competing for their staffer to administer this proof of wisdom. ¡°And the addition is?¡± ¡°Multisian Encroachment.¡± I glared at her. ¡°Is he trying to infer that the Duke of Corm and the rest of military command are inept?¡± ¡°No, Your Highness. Just like the inclusion of the ¡®Mass Crop Failure¡¯ scenario does not mean our farmers are inept, it is a similar case with this scenario. The situation is unlikely, but my employer thinks we should have a reminder to be wary, especially when considering the recent actions of the Multisian ambassador.¡± Indeed, his actions had been worrisome. Upon receiving the announcement of my mother¡¯s death, he and his countrymen fled from the capital in the middle of the night. It would appear that even he had little faith in his country to stay its aggressions. ¡°Even so, I¡¯ll have to reject that addition.¡± The MP¡¯s proposal appeared honest, but his true intentions had been hidden. From my briefing on him before the meeting, I knew he was a long-time advocate for Vallisian aggression and increased military spending. Adding this scenario to the list would only serve to give him and his allies justification for their proposed policies. Undoubtedly, it would be a precursor to the kind of corruption scenario that the list was already warning against. Those were my thoughts on this situation, but I had no need to air them. The MP had presented me with reasonable points outside of his opinion and so too did I present him the same in return. ¡°The scenarios already listed are situations that we could readily overlook. That will never be the case when it comes to a potential war with Multis. And if it comes down to a matter of how wary we should be, then I have enough faith in the competence of our military leadership that I find no greater wariness for such a scenario to be required.¡± Going further into that point, my sister Cassandra was amongst that military leadership. If there was need for the capital¡¯s aid at the eastern border, my sister would tell me.
Lucille''s Letter Not long after my father had confirmed her theatre troupe¡¯s performance, I received another letter from Lady Lucille. The Baronetess along with her performers were expressing their thanks and wanted to assure me that they would express my mother¡¯s intentions to the fullest of their abilities. Lucille also made it clear¡ªas if it hadn¡¯t been so already¡ªthat I would always be welcome at her Heartland and its sister theaters. ¡°Of course on such occasions, Your Highness will be treated as a guest of honor.¡± The letter then transitioned into an invitation to a social gathering. Lucille gave me plenty of reasons to accept it. She wrote that she¡¯d love to introduce me to lady¡¯s of note within the city and that they¡¯ve been waiting quite some time for the chance to meet me and how this is a good opportunity to create an impression outside of the gala and that it will create space for me to focus on people more so as individuals at both events. She sounds a bit brazen when I portray the letter in this way, but it had been written in no such way. Though her title is bought, the Baronetess has tact. Within the letter, she portrayed herself as having subdued enthusiasm and only giving polite suggestions when in reality she¡¯d have me sewn to her hip if she could get away with it. I was starting to sense the tedium that my father had warned me about. Perhaps it would be best to keep Lucille as an acquaintance rather than a friend. Week 10 Part 2 Guardsmen throughout the estate have become much more eager to greet me since I started training alongside them. I will say that a few of them have been acting a bit too casual with me, but it¡¯s not something I need to correct just yet. Besides, I feel there is something that can be gained from befriending these looser types.
Finances: Revenue For all the years of my mother¡¯s rule, the crown¡¯s finances have been a well-kept secret. Besides my father, there is no one left living who knows their full scope. Our various treasurers, advisors, and property managers are privy only to what information is necessary for their assigned projects. Some of said treasurers aren¡¯t even aware of what the money they manage is being used for. Having finally been allowed to review our finances myself, I¡¯ve definitely found reason for such secrecy. The royal family has far more financial power than we¡¯ve ever had in Vallisian history and it¡¯s not all originating from what could be considered legitimate means. Through obfuscation it¡¯s been hidden, but it appears that the royal family has a near monopoly on produce and real estate within the capital valley. Now that alone wouldn¡¯t have such a problem if it weren¡¯t for that dominance being built on outright theft. During the Dark Age, many property owners were framed for crimes by the Dishonored One and his cronies. As a result, many assets were unjustly confiscated. These assets would have probably been returned to their original owners, but that filth¡¯s rule lasted sixty-three years and most of what was stolen was taken during the first half of it. By the end of the civil war, the original owners were mostly dead¡ªmurdered¡ªwith no documents proving ownership remaining.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Though these assets bring us a hidden shame, the rest of our revenue sources are nothing we have reason to frown upon. After the war, Mother traded quite a bit of real estate to obtain large stakes in shipping companies. This has proven quite profitable due to trade deals she established with the mineral and metal rich Nordenheim and the reestablishment of trade with Oremaris. As for our ancestral profession, the King¡¯s Forest is still as rich with game as it¡¯s ever been. From it we procure an abundance of luxury meat products without compare. I¡¯ve tried meat from both within and without the forest and I must say that there is an unbearable difference. It¡¯s why we let marked livestock roam the forest for at least a month before slaughtering them. For their brief time they spend in the forest, however, they do end up developing some willfulness, so we do end up having to hunt them down. In turn, I¡¯m sure that the farming of livestock this way has contributed to our ability to meet demand while maintaining our deer population.
In Consequence... Diane can ask some of her acquaintances amongst the royal guard to help her sneak out. Diane is ready to review the estate''s expenditures. Week 11 Part 1 The King¡¯s Forest Across the bridge behind the old castle lies another world. A foreign king¡¯s domain encircled by our own. Within its boundaries, the common man is no man at all. I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯ve never wondered what life is like for those living on the other side. I¡¯m sure the hunters could give me some inkling. They cross the bridge almost every morning and return by twilight with game both captured and slain. Questions to ask? I could think of plenty, but they¡¯ll never receive them from me. If I really wanted answers, I¡¯d pick up a bow and find them myself. Of course, I never seriously considered doing that. I had my studies to attend to and my curiosity was of the mild sort. It had never been so great so as not to be quelled by looking into the world from afar. At least, that was the case, until that world looked back at me. Across the gap between our hills, I met eyes with a doe. Showing an intelligence unbecoming of her kind, she bowed to me then gestured that I come to her side. A denizen of that foreign domain had given me an invitation. It was surprising. One thing I remembered of the forest¡¯s legend from when I was a child was that the King of the Forest¡ªand by extension his children¡ªhates us. Well, that and the fact that animals aren¡¯t exactly prone to giving invitations to strangers. It¡¯s not everyday that does and the like hand them out, you know? My jokes at the expense of the situation aside, the days just kept growing stranger for me. Thinking there¡¯d be no greater harm in experiencing more of the absurd, I decided I would accept her invitation. The bridge across is blocked by heavy gates on both sides, so I had to shimmy along the brickwork of the side railing to jump onto the bridge. Repeating the process once more at the forest side gate, I successfully completed my unlawful crossing. My punishment came almost immediately. Upon turning to the forest, I was startled by the doe. She had managed to sneak up behind me and the sight of her made me almost trip back from surprise. More than rules would have been broken if I had. I needed to be more careful.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Once I had my feet on safer footing, the doe bowed to me yet again. I had not been mistaken, the deer clearly had an odd awareness of formalities. ¡°You may rise.¡± I said. I thought myself stupid for assuming she could understand, but the doe raised her head, turned to the forest, and started walking. When she reached the point where the treeline began, she looked back at me just standing there. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll come along.¡± I started following, close behind so as not to get lost. It didn¡¯t seem likely, though, as the forest floor was quite soft and left clear tracks behind. It felt like we walked for quite some time, but upon arriving at our destination, a clearing with a large tree at its center, I felt little fatigue. Once we came beneath the tree¡¯s shade, the doe beckoned me to sit. I complied with her request and she proceeded to lay her head upon my lap. When I began brushing my hand along her fur, more critters¡ªand some of the livestock we let roam the forest¡ªstarted gathering and frolicing around us. It was irrational and wonderful in a way that I had only seen in my dreams and in a sense, this and that were the same. All dreams come to an end and it hadn¡¯t felt so long before this one did too. After experiencing much merriment, I awakened from my jolly haze and realized that I had lost track of time. Twilight would soon be upon us and though I had trouble believing the forest king actually existed, that didn¡¯t mean I felt comfortable spending the night in the woods. Now that I was paying attention, I could hear the hunters gathering themselves in the distance for their return home. I could answer their calls, but that would of course lead to my father learning about this unsupervised excursion. Perhaps, I could follow the tracks the doe and I made on the way there instead? As I thought of how I should make my escape, the doe began rubbing her head against my chest. I smiled and started petting her in return. She had probably felt my anxiety. My worries began melting away and I started thinking those fanciful thoughts that had brought me there in the first place. I was a guest. Surely, no harm would come of me as long as I remained with my host. A Choice What should Diane do? Week 11 Part 2 The King¡¯s Forest [The story so far is in the spoiler] Across the bridge behind the old castle lies another world. A foreign king¡¯s domain encircled by our own. Within its boundaries, the common man is no man at all. I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯ve never wondered what life is like for those living on the other side. I¡¯m sure the hunters could give me some inkling. They cross the bridge almost every morning and return by twilight with game both captured and slain. Questions to ask? I could think of plenty, but they¡¯ll never receive them from me. If I really wanted answers, I¡¯d pick up a bow and find them myself. Of course, I never seriously considered doing that. I had my studies to attend to and my curiosity was of the mild sort. It had never been so great so as not to be quelled by looking into the world from afar. At least, that was the case, until that world looked back at me. Across the gap between our hills, I met eyes with a doe. Showing an intelligence unbecoming of her kind, she bowed to me then gestured that I come to her side. A denizen of that foreign domain had given me an invitation. It was surprising. One thing I remembered of the forest¡¯s legend from when I was a child was that the King of the Forest¡ªand by extension his children¡ªhates us. Well, that and the fact that animals aren¡¯t exactly prone to giving invitations to strangers. It¡¯s not everyday that does and the like hand them out, you know? My jokes at the expense of the situation aside, the days just kept growing stranger for me. Thinking there¡¯d be no greater harm in experiencing more of the absurd, I decided I would accept her invitation. The bridge across is blocked by heavy gates on both sides, so I had to shimmy along the brickwork of the side railing to jump onto the bridge. Repeating the process once more at the forest side gate, I successfully completed my unlawful crossing. My punishment came almost immediately. Upon turning to the forest, I was startled by the doe. She had managed to sneak up behind me and the sight of her made me almost trip back from surprise. More than rules would have been broken if I had. I needed to be more careful. Once I had my feet on safer footing, the doe bowed to me yet again. I had not been mistaken, the deer clearly had an odd awareness of formalities. ¡°You may rise.¡± I said. I thought myself stupid for assuming she could understand, but the doe raised her head, turned to the forest, and started walking. When she reached the point where the treeline began, she looked back at me just standing there. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll come along.¡± I started following, close behind so as not to get lost. It didn¡¯t seem likely, though, as the forest floor was quite soft and left clear tracks behind. It felt like we walked for quite some time, but upon arriving at our destination, a clearing with a large tree at its center, I felt little fatigue. Once we came beneath the tree¡¯s shade, the doe beckoned me to sit. I complied with her request and she proceeded to lay her head upon my lap. When I began brushing my hand along her fur, more critters¡ªand some of the livestock we let roam the forest¡ªstarted gathering and frolicing around us. It was irrational and wonderful in a way that I had only seen in my dreams and in a sense, this and that were the same. All dreams come to an end and it hadn¡¯t felt so long before this one did too. After experiencing much merriment, I awakened from my jolly haze and realized that I had lost track of time. Twilight would soon be upon us and though I had trouble believing the forest king actually existed, that didn¡¯t mean I felt comfortable spending the night in the woods. Now that I was paying attention, I could hear the hunters gathering themselves in the distance for their return home. I could answer their calls, but that would of course lead to my father learning about this unsupervised excursion. Perhaps, I could follow the tracks the doe and I made on the way there instead? As I thought of how I should make my escape, the doe began rubbing her head against my chest. I smiled and started petting her in return. She had probably felt my anxiety. My worries began melting away and I started thinking those fanciful thoughts that had brought me there in the first place. I was a guest. Surely, no harm would come of me as long as I remained with my host. Putting trust into my new friend, I laid my back against the tree and relaxed. It was comfortable enough that I almost fell asleep, but my friend roused me when twilight came. All the critters who had gathered were starting to march further into the forest and she wanted me to come with them. Leaving the livestock behind, we walked until nightfall and a bit after before arriving at a larger clearing not nearly as picturesque as the meadow. If it weren¡¯t for the three trees spread out within it, there¡¯d be nothing, but grass there.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The critters gathered in the clearing¡¯s center and made space for me as I approached. Once I had taken my place amongst them, they fixed their eyes on one of the trees. It was tall and grand with branches rich with leaves that shot out far in every direction. We stood looking at it for some time, but nothing was happening. My eyes wandered to the other two trees. The one to my right was ripe with fruit. It¡¯s branches hung low and it¡¯s produce littered the ground around it. The one to my left was charred. Its branches had long since fallen away and I doubted that it was even still alive. I began to wonder if I should ask them what we were waiting for, but whatever was going on looked a bit more complicated than something that could be explained with pointing and gestures. Could they even communicate what we were doing well enough for me to understand? While I was pondering this, a booming voice rang in my ears. ¡°My children,¡± the voice said, ¡°Who have you brought before me as I awake from my slumber?¡± I looked for the voice¡¯s source, but saw no one. It definitely wasn¡¯t one of the animals. Was it the tree? Such a thought was absurd, but at this point I could believe absurd. I looked towards the tall tree. ¡°I am Diane, Crown Princess of Vallis.¡± ¡°And for what reason do you dare present yourself before me, murderer? Have you come to face your crimes?¡± I frowned. ¡°I am no murderer.¡± ¡°Then what would you call your people¡¯s carnage against my children?¡± His children? This was him? The King of the Forest really existed? After some hesitation, I answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t killed any of your children.¡± ¡°Yet are you not as guilty as those who have when you partake of their flesh?¡± I hesitated again. This really was the king; the king who hated humans and that had exceptional reason to hate the royal family. ¡°I didn¡¯t know things were like this. I thought it was all legend. I wouldn¡¯t have let this happen if I¡ª¡± ¡°Your ignorance does not excuse your crimes. What good does your excuse do for this grieving father?¡± I swung myself forward. For the first time, I bowed to someone. ¡°I¡¯ve seen my error. I won¡¯t condone my people¡¯s actions any longer. I¡¯ll never let anyone harm your children again.¡± My friend, the doe, nudged me to get up. I turned to her and she nestled her head against me. There was trust between us. Her father, however, shared none of it. ¡°You speak lies.¡± He said. ¡°I can see the hunger in your eyes. You still crave my children¡¯s flesh.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I tried to say, but I was stumbling on my words. I covered my mouth. The mere sight of my animal companions was making me drool uncontrollably. Just a minute before, I had barely felt hunger, but now I was being overwhelmed by such unsavory desire. Never before had an urge been so strong. ¡°See my children.¡± The King said. ¡°She is no friend to you. To her, you are only prey.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Again, I tried to protest, but saliva wouldn¡¯t stop flooding my mouth. The animals around me started backing away. I looked towards the fruit-bearing tree. Surely, if it was just a matter of hunger, its fruit would sate me, but as I thought that, a wave of dissatisfaction came over me. I didn¡¯t want fruit, I wanted meat. I turned towards my friend. She was still by my side, but when we met eyes she started sprinting away. ¡°What is not true? You say that you are not a murderer, but you have partaken of the flesh of my children. You say that you have changed, but your heart remains that of a predator. As I see it, both in action and in mind you are a murderer and now that you stand before me, you must face your crimes.¡± With those words the ground began to shake. I turned away from the tree and started running. There was no place left for me there. My words could no longer reach the king and my host had abandoned me. Back from whence I came, I darted out the clearing. The forest began fighting me from my first step. The trees¡¯ canopy blocked out the starlight, so I could barely see in front of me. The fauna grabbed at me as I passed by, tearing both cloth and skin. The once smooth grass and ground became uneven and it took all that I had to keep myself from falling. But still, I ran as fast as I could. I couldn¡¯t slow down, I couldn¡¯t afford to. I heard them, I felt them. Thundering steps, the footfalls of giants were coming right behind me. With death behind me, I continued on, far beyond fatigue and when I felt that my legs would soon give out, my goal appeared right before me. The gap between the hills, I had arrived at where the forest ended and my estate began. For a moment, I felt safe, but I was running too fast. Bolting past the treeline, I found only a small patch of ground to support me before the hill sank. I fell. I rolled and tumbled down the hill and my body was raked against the uneven stone that kissed its side until I reached the hard ground below. And when it was finally time for the staff to come looking for me, it was not until the morning after, when the hunters set out for the forest as they almost always did, that they found my body. The End Week 11 Part 3 The King¡¯s Forest [The story so far is in the spoiler] Across the bridge behind the old castle lies another world. A foreign king¡¯s domain encircled by our own. Within its boundaries, the common man is no man at all. I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯ve never wondered what life is like for those living on the other side. I¡¯m sure the hunters could give me some inkling. They cross the bridge almost every morning and return by twilight with game both captured and slain. Questions to ask? I could think of plenty, but they¡¯ll never receive them from me. If I really wanted answers, I¡¯d pick up a bow and find them myself. Of course, I never seriously considered doing that. I had my studies to attend to and my curiosity was of the mild sort. It had never been so great so as not to be quelled by looking into the world from afar. At least, that was the case, until that world looked back at me. Across the gap between our hills, I met eyes with a doe. Showing an intelligence unbecoming of her kind, she bowed to me then gestured that I come to her side. A denizen of that foreign domain had given me an invitation. It was surprising. One thing I remembered of the forest¡¯s legend from when I was a child was that the King of the Forest¡ªand by extension his children¡ªhates us. Well, that and the fact that animals aren¡¯t exactly prone to giving invitations to strangers. It¡¯s not everyday that does and the like hand them out, you know? My jokes at the expense of the situation aside, the days just kept growing stranger for me. Thinking there¡¯d be no greater harm in experiencing more of the absurd, I decided I would accept her invitation. The bridge across is blocked by heavy gates on both sides, so I had to shimmy along the brickwork of the side railing to jump onto the bridge. Repeating the process once more at the forest side gate, I successfully completed my unlawful crossing. My punishment came almost immediately. Upon turning to the forest, I was startled by the doe. She had managed to sneak up behind me and the sight of her made me almost trip back from surprise. More than rules would have been broken if I had. I needed to be more careful. Once I had my feet on safer footing, the doe bowed to me yet again. I had not been mistaken, the deer clearly had an odd awareness of formalities. ¡°You may rise.¡± I said. I thought myself stupid for assuming she could understand, but the doe raised her head, turned to the forest, and started walking. When she reached the point where the treeline began, she looked back at me just standing there. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll come along.¡± I started following, close behind so as not to get lost. It didn¡¯t seem likely, though, as the forest floor was quite soft and left clear tracks behind. It felt like we walked for quite some time, but upon arriving at our destination, a clearing with a large tree at its center, I felt little fatigue. Once we came beneath the tree¡¯s shade, the doe beckoned me to sit. I complied with her request and she proceeded to lay her head upon my lap. When I began brushing my hand along her fur, more critters¡ªand some of the livestock we let roam the forest¡ªstarted gathering and frolicing around us. It was irrational and wonderful in a way that I had only seen in my dreams and in a sense, this and that were the same. All dreams come to an end and it hadn¡¯t felt so long before this one did too. After experiencing much merriment, I awakened from my jolly haze and realized that I had lost track of time. Twilight would soon be upon us and though I had trouble believing the forest king actually existed, that didn¡¯t mean I felt comfortable spending the night in the woods. Now that I was paying attention, I could hear the hunters gathering themselves in the distance for their return home. I could answer their calls, but that would of course lead to my father learning about this unsupervised excursion. Perhaps, I could follow the tracks the doe and I made on the way there instead? As I thought of how I should make my escape, the doe began rubbing her head against my chest. I smiled and started petting her in return. She had probably felt my anxiety. My worries began melting away and I started thinking those fanciful thoughts that had brought me there in the first place. I was a guest. Surely, no harm would come of me as long as I remained with my host. No, no, that wouldn¡¯t do. Even if it was safe for me to stay the night, my absence from the estate would certainly cause some disorder. I had to return home immediately. As gently as I could, I lifted the doe from my lap. I stood up to leave, but she grabbed my sleeve. ¡°I have to go.¡± I said, but she wouldn¡¯t let go. I petted her head one last. ¡°A good girl like you should behave more properly.¡± At that, she let go of my sleeve and lowered her head. Obviously, she was dejected, but she made no further moves to stop me. I was a bit sad parting with her myself, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t come back. In fact, I could come back almost everyday. I just needed to leave on time everyday as well. With a new friend in my heart, I set off from the meadow. I didn¡¯t feel as safe as I had felt when traveling with my companion, but with our footprints guiding me, I at least knew I was going in the right direction. Well, that was the case until the footprints ended. Long after the meadow had disappeared behind me, the tracks ahead cut off, as if they had been washed away. I realized it then; men twice my weight with gear and heavy carts were marching on this soft soil everyday, yet I hadn¡¯t seen a single track left behind by them. Not even at the start where the forest and the bridge connect. As for the animals, the doe¡¯s tracks were the only ones I had seen. I turned around and started back towards the meadow. Beyond the brush, just beyond my sight, the tracks that way had disappeared as well, even the ones I had freshly made. The forest had more tricks to it than the story ever told. I cursed my stupidity for not having asked the doe to guide me back. I didn¡¯t even bring a compass with me, yet I was fine to leave my guide behind. ¡°Hello?¡± I called out to the hunters. but I received no response. Their voices had long since gone silent. Truly, I was starting to get worried. Since the sun was setting, I could at least tell which direction I was going by the shadows. Still, the forest was vast and I didn¡¯t know when or where I¡¯d come out. For all I knew, I was miles off from a straight path to the estate. If I wanted to check, I¡¯d have to take a dangerously high climb up one of the trees. I decided I would just keep moving forward, but twilight came and with every passing minute I became closer to desperation. Before the feeling could overwhelm me, I was engulfed by a calming warmth. I turned to the direction it came from. For some reason, I felt that it would lead me home. With every step I took towards it, the warmth I felt grew until I arrived at its source. It was the largest egg I¡¯d ever seen and when I picked it up, energy surged through my body. I noticed deer tracks behind where it had been sitting.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Convinced that this was the way home, I ran along the path the tracks had set for me and arrived at the edge of the forest not long after. Across the hill, I could see the last of the hunters handling their day''s bounty. There was still time before the night would set in, so I waited for them to disappear beyond the castle walls before I emerged from the forest. When I did, it was not, but a few steps out from the forest, a few steps away from the bridge, that I faced assault. The egg erupted in my hands and I ran back behind the treeline. I hadn¡¯t seen it, but I had heard it, felt it passing by. Someone had shot an arrow at me. Half-blinded by searing yolk, I tried to catch a glimpse of my assailant. It wasn¡¯t hard. He was standing across the hill, staring at the tree I hid behind. I¡¯m sure he had seen me peek my head out. He pressed his finger against his lips. The message was clear, keep quiet. The pain was too great to keep looking. I took what little cloth had not been soaked in yolk and cleared my eyes as best I could. I tried to steal another glimpse, but he was gone as fast as he appeared. I waited. What little daylight that remained faded and the dark of the night took its place, but in that time, he never returned. A strong unwelcome feeling started to creep in from the forest behind me, so I decided that it was better to risk crossing now than to wait for the hunters to return the next morning. Darting out from cover, I threw myself onto the bridge. As I charged across, a strong wind blew over, but I didn¡¯t feel cold. Despite the time that had passed, the soaked in yolk had remained warm. I jumped from the bridge and observed my surroundings. My attacker was still absent. That made me feel a bit safer, but I still ran the whole way to the palace. When I arrived, a maid was waiting for me with a lantern. ¡°Eliza?¡± I asked. She approached me and grabbed my hand. ¡°You want me to help you clean up, right?¡± The way she reacted, it was like she wasn¡¯t surprised at all. It gave me some hesitation, but I responded in a quiet voice. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s move fast.¡± She said, pulling me along. ¡°The other staff shouldn¡¯t see you like this.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered. I was wary of her, but that feeling was overwhelmed by relief from having made it home. Eliza brought me to a bathing room where she had already prepared a hot bath. The fatigue was setting in at that point, so once she helped me wrestle my clothes off, I nearly collapsed into the tub. With a deep sigh, I sunk myself in and relaxed. I was home and at least for now, I was safe.
In Consequence... Diane is interested in reading the legend of the King''s Forest she heard when she was a child.
Bonus [The losing option from the poll] No, no, that wouldn¡¯t do. Even if it was safe for me to stay the night, my absence from the estate would certainly cause some disorder. I had to return home immediately. As gently as I could, I lifted the doe from my lap. I stood up to leave, but she grabbed my sleeve. ¡°I have to go.¡± I said, but she wouldn¡¯t let go. I petted her head one last. ¡°A good girl like you should behave more properly.¡± At that, she let go of my sleeve and lowered her head. Obviously, she was dejected, but she made no further moves to stop me. I was a bit sad parting with her myself, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t come back. In fact, I could come back almost everyday. I just needed to leave on time everyday as well. With a new friend in my heart, I set off from the meadow, hoping to attach myself to the returning hunting party. ¡°Two pheasants and a tied hog!¡± A huntsman shouted. ¡°Open cart!¡± A cartman responded. The hunters reported their bag with the tied animals being caught alive. In return, nearby cartmen would tell them whether or not there was space in their cart. ¡°A doe!¡± ¡°Cart¡¯s full!¡± They sounded far off, but I called out to them anyway. ¡°A lost girl!¡± I said and received no response. I moved in the direction that I had heard them from. ¡°A doe!¡± The huntsman¡¯s voice became much closer. ¡°Open cart!¡± ¡°A lost girl!¡± I said. ¡°Open cart!¡± The huntsman and cartman called out in tandem. They shared a hearty laugh at that. ¡°A claimed doe!¡± The huntsman said. ¡°Right this way!¡± The cartman said. ¡°A claimed girl!¡± The lost girl said. ¡°Quit messing around.¡± The huntsman protested with a chuckle. ¡°I assure you, I am not.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a girl doing out here?¡± The cartman asked. ¡°Other than being lost?¡± As we talked, I approached. They could hear me more clearly now. ¡°You sound familiar.¡± The huntsman said after a pause. ¡°I¡¯ve received similar comments before.¡± From beyond the brush, I could see the cart¡¯s path. I thought of sneaking by and following the path home by myself. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± The hunter asked, utter shock upon his face. Not only had he seen me, but he had mistaken me for my mother. He probably thought he was looking at her blackened-haired ghost and seeing the cartman jump back upon turning around, he probably had thought the same as well. ¡°Your Highness.¡± I corrected the hunter. Since they had seen me, I was stuck with them now. ¡°One of you, fetch the Master of the Hunt. Tell him that Princess Diane has been found in the forest.¡± The hunter laid his doe in the cart and set off shouting for the master. When he left, I prompted the paralyzed cartman to continue his work. He did so, but kept taking sideways glances at me the whole time. I approached his cart. The doe within, she looked just like my friend. I knew it couldn¡¯t have been her, but seeing another like her, like this, gave me pause. Withdrawing me from my reflection, two separate huntsmen arrived with a hare, two chickens, two tied lambs, and a tied cow between them. Both presented odd looks upon seeing me. The first one decided to copy the cartman and tried pretending to ignore me while stealing glances. The second one was a bit braver and asked who I was. ¡°She says she¡¯s the princess.¡± The cartman said. They looked at me and I gave them an amicable wave. ¡°We¡¯re bringing over Philip to confirm it.¡± Before anyone else could gather, the first hunter returned with the Master of the Hunt, Philip. ¡°Your Highness?¡± Philip said. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The huntsmen and the cartman all looked very relieved. I¡¯d never seen people so happy to see me instead of my mother. It was quite moving. ¡°It appears that I have found myself lost.¡± ¡°Who let you over the bridge?¡± ¡°I let myself over.¡± I told the truth. Not that a convincing lie had been available to me in the first place. Even if the hunters hadn¡¯t been terrified, they couldn¡¯t be relied on to give me an alibi. They¡¯d definitely be fired if they did. Perhaps, they¡¯d even be sent to a mine in Nordenheim. Unauthorized entry into the King¡¯s Forest was a big enough crime to be used as an excuse, after all. ¡°How?¡± Philip asked. To that, my response was only a smile. Yes, I could already see it then. I was to be in much trouble that day.
After father found out about this incident, he forbade me from visiting both the forest and the castle before my studies were finished. I could still go to the castle yard to train with the royal guard, but that was it. My next visit to the forest would have to be postponed.
In Consequence... Diane is interested in reading the legend of the King''s Forest she heard when she was a child. Week 11 Part 4 William Little more than a month out from this summer¡¯s gala, William arrived in the capital aboard the coastal railroad. When a herald brought this news to the estate, I was made to discontinue the rest of the day''s work and prepare to make his acquaintance. By the time of his arrival at the palace, Father and I were already waiting in the audience room. Father sat upon the throne while I stood by his side. After a short wait, William and the herald stepped into the throne room. ¡°Sir William,¡± The herald announced, ¡°Captain of the Northern Front¡¯s Seventh Company.¡± William was tall with blue eyes and the same cinnamon brown hair as my mother. He walked past the herald and bent his knee before us. ¡°This humble servant greets His Majesty and Her Highness.¡± ¡°Rise, Son of Corm.¡± Father said and William did as he commanded. ¡°It is good to see you after so long.¡± ¡°I feel the same way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Have you been in good health?¡± ¡°It has been the case for the most part, thankfully.¡± ¡°I am pleased to hear so. As for the progression of your mission?¡± ¡°Stagnant. My company has only been able to provide moderate stability to our assigned region. I fear that the people of the north are no closer to unification under the Pact, than they were on the day of my arrival.¡± ¡°Such has been the case long before your deployment. I hope, however, that the situation will change in the coming years.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± They expressed some optimism, but all I wanted to do was sigh. Almost twenty years in the north, yet we had little for results. ¡°Enough of that for now. As I am sure you have already been made aware of, you shall be receiving lodging in the palace until the summer festival¡¯s end. Until then, all the facilities of the estate shall be open to your use.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°The servant who guided you here shall be your attendant for the rest of your stay. As I find myself busy often,¡± he found himself busy always, ¡°You must request from him that he petitions me for an appointment if you need to speak to me. Unless there is something urgent you must tell me, I shall have him guide you to your room now.¡± ¡°I have things to report to Your Majesty, but I consider none of them to be urgent.¡± ¡°Then for now, you are dismissed.¡± ¡°Father.¡± I interjected. ¡°Would it be alright if I accompanied the captain along the way to his lodging?¡± ¡°I see no issue with this.¡± ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± I left my Father¡¯s side and took William¡¯s. With his attendant leading the way and Eliza following us close behind, William and I left the throne room. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Captain William.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to correct you; we¡¯ve already met, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Oh? Forgive me, but I can¡¯t recall when.¡± ¡°You were too young to remember back then. Your mother brought you to Corm with her when I was about six.¡± I would have been one or two years old at the time. ¡°I see. No one ever told me that I¡¯d been to Corm before. May I ask how many times you¡¯ve been to the capital?¡± ¡°Once when I passed through on my way to Nordenheim. I¡¯d have preferred to take the train if it was finished back then.¡± ¡°Have you not returned to Vallis since you left?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Four years in the north. What was it like?¡± ¡°Cold.¡± My smile widened at that simple answer. ¡°Well, that part can be assumed.¡± He continued. ¡°The people outside the cities don¡¯t follow the Pact and the people inside the cities only follow it marginally. If anything goes wrong and they¡¯ll defer to tradition and superstition.¡± ¡°It must have been hard for you.¡± ¡°It was¡­ interesting.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it later. Have you been keeping up with your father and sister?¡± ¡°Not so much my father, but Cassandra, yes. Since before I left, she¡¯s talked a lot about you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I was happy to hear that. ¡°She talks a lot about you as well.¡± ¡°Hopefully, she¡¯s said nothing too embarrassing.¡± Surprisingly, he looked a bit bashful. ¡°Not at all. She always talks about how proud she is of you.¡± I paused. ¡°What does she write in her letters to you?¡± ¡°I would prefer not to say.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s been writing embarrassing things about me.¡± He didn¡¯t answer. Now, I was beginning to feel a bit bashful as well. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at your lodging, Captain William.¡± His attendant said. The timing was perfect. ¡°Oh, what poor timing.¡± I lied through my teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll have to continue this conversation some other time.¡± Hopefully, that time would never come. I definitely have to have a conversation with Cassandra about this, though. She has some explaining to do once she arrives in the capital. ¡°I hope you enjoy your story.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± William and his attendant bowed to me. Eliza bowed to William in return, and our two pairs went their separate ways.
The Legend of the King''s Forest Once, when I was young, an old maid told me the legend of the King¡¯s Forest. I wasn¡¯t so jaded to these sorts of stories back then, so when she told me, I listened to her with great interest. Even now, as I review the tale, much of it still remains with me. I only need to fill in some of the missing details. The legend starts with the proclamation that it is known far-and-wide and across the lands that within the King¡¯s Forest, the best game in the world is bred. It is a bold statement, but it¡¯s hard to argue against when reviewing the demand for our export. Yes, without fail, for more than a thousand years, the King¡¯s Forest has been the premier exporter of luxury meat. But the legend doesn¡¯t tell you that. It tells you what story led into that. You see, as these tales tend to go, such a great boon must have a catch. There¡¯s nothing truly free in this world, after all and the King¡¯s Forest is no exception to the rule. Within the forest, there is a protector. The one for which the forest is named. A king not of men, but of beasts, who sees the denizens of the forest as his own children. To those who hunt, he is their hunter. Not for sport or hunger does he act, but for the defense of his children and revenge for the fallen amongst them. With great force, he smites all who intrude upon his lands. No one man is strong enough to stand against the force of his nature. But if this is the case, how did we come to our current situation, where a king of men takes from the king of beasts and gives no recompense? Well, you see, like us all, the forest king has his shortcomings. His great power was not meant to be contained in such a form and as such he requires great rest to manage its consuming burden. Half the day he can spend waking, but half the day he must slumber. The king of beasts made a conscious decision. From dusk till dawn, he¡¯d stay up throughout the night and from dawn till dusk he¡¯d rest. He hated the humans of the day more than the wolves who came at night, but the humans would run and tell their kin never to come while the wolves only thought of their hunger and returned. Still, the hunters of the day would not be given free reign. The King of the Forest was no fool and with what wit he had, he came up with a plan to deal with the few humans who had not listened to their kin. As he laid down in the brief moments preceding dawn, he put his ear to the ground. The forest king had great hearing and he recognized the footfalls of all his children. If an intruder came upon his land, even in his slumber, he would notice them. Their foreign sound roused him from his slumber and though he would only be half awoken, his power was still great and he¡¯d rid himself of the intruders. For a time, the king¡¯s plan was a success. The number of hunters dwindled everyday until eventually no hunters of the day came at all. The king¡¯s daytime rest was no longer disturbed and the taste of the forest¡¯s game was all, but forgotten. In fact, the taste would have been forgotten entirely, if not for one prince of the valley. When there was no Vallis and there was only the city of Vallisia, there was a prince who ruled the city. And like the forest king, he too was no fool and with what wit the forest king had displayed, the prince showed even greater wit to counter it. You see, the world of legends was full of magic and what men lacked in strength, the prince could make up for it with his own magic and cunning. Atop the hill across from the king¡¯s domain, the prince had a bridge built connecting one side to the next. Within said bridge, were runes crafted with strong magics that could deafen the sleeping king to the footfalls of those who crossed it. For the first time in a long time, men could enter the King¡¯s Forest without fear. Day after day, the prince would lead his hunting party across the bridge and collect what was not a small bounty from within the forest, all without the king¡¯s notice. The bridge never failed them. But like us all, the bridge had its shortcomings. Though it guarded our footfalls from the king¡¯s ears, it could do nothing to hide us from his sight. And so the prince and his men could never stay the night. They¡¯d cross the bridge at dawn once the king laid down to rest and cross back again before twilight when the king was to wake. To extend the time they had in the forest¡ªupto this point, they traveled to and from the valley below everyday for their hunting trips¡ªthe prince set camp in front of the bridge. Eventually that camp became his residence and eventually his residence became a castle. The great wealth he had amassed from the forest was the foundation for this very estate that the royal family inhabits today. And though the legend is not something to be believed now, from the prince¡¯s time to our time, the tradition still stands. Lest we intend to incite the wrath of the forest king, into the forest at dawn and out by twilight. Week 12 Part 1 Disappearance ¡°There¡¯s been a disappearance in the forest, Your Highness.¡± Eliza informed me. On the same day I had snuck into the King¡¯s Forest, a member of the hunting party disappeared. I have heard of no such incident occurring during my mother¡¯s reign. ¡°How many people have disappeared?¡± I asked. ¡°Just one.¡± ¡°Who was the last one who saw him?¡± ¡°His partnered hunter for the day.¡± ¡°What testimony did he give?¡± ¡°The missing man¡¯s partner said that the hunter disappeared while he was turned away from him, taking a shot with his bow.¡± ¡°Were there no clues left to where the man could have gone?¡± From my own recent experience within the forest, I already had my answer. ¡°No, Your Highness. They had left tracks on the way there, but no tracks were found once he vanished.¡± ¡°Has his family been informed?¡± ¡°Yes, on the night of.¡± ¡°Good. Continue to keep me informed on this issue.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You may return to your regular duties.¡± Eliza curtsied, then turned on her heels. ¡°Wait.¡± She turned back around. ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Amongst the hunting party, can you look for a redheaded young man for me?¡± I had delayed asking her long enough. That night, she had expected my return from the forest. Had she seen me enter or had someone informed her? If it was the latter, would her informant have been my assailant? I doubted my venture into the forest would be kept secret any other way. Eliza tilted her head ever so slightly. ¡°Are you looking for Tristan?¡± ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an archery prodigy, only two years our senior. At the spring festival, he won this year¡¯s competition for young adults. After his performance, the Master of the Hunt hired him on the spot.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were interested in archery.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not. As I said, he¡¯s only two years our senior. The maids around our age won¡¯t stop talking about him.¡± There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Does Your Highness have some interest in him?¡± ¡°I suppose you could say he¡¯s caught my attention.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Cassandra will be sad to hear that.¡± This girl. Eliza maintained an indifferent expression, but she was definitely teasing me. ¡°It seems me holding you up from your work has given you some funny ideas. I¡¯ll have you return to your duties now.¡± She curtsied again. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±
High Tower Sleep deprivation has made a desperate woman of me. In my search for respite, I¡¯ve found a waking rest to be the only kind safe from Mother. As a result of this, meditation has now become my solace and the old castle¡¯s high tower has become a frequent retreat. Today, carrying an exhaustion I had never known so well before, I arrived at the room atop of that secluded tower. I sat myself upon its center, closed my eyes, and calmed my mind. I sat there for only a brief time before a trance came over me. I could see myself sitting in a void. One by one stars lit up above my head and began to form a cosmos unseen by day. When their number had grown too numerous for me to keep count, the stars began to spin around me. What I had seen the first time I came to the tower wasn¡¯t my mind playing tricks on me, it was a precursor to this. With every meditation, I grew closer to the truth and today, I overcame what remaining notions blinding me to it. This wasn¡¯t my imagination. What I saw before me was reality. I opened my eyes to look from my own perspective instead of another. It wasn¡¯t just the stars spinning above my head anymore, the whole universe had come alive upon the tower¡¯s dome. Energy was radiating from the heavens, inviting me into its embrace. But as I reached out to the stars, I heard Eliza call out to me. ¡°Your Highness!¡± She shouted. Without me realizing she had already grabbed my shoulders and was shaking me. I grabbed her wrists and stopped her. ¡°What is it?¡± She released me and in turn I released her. ¡°The time we set to go back has already passed,¡± She said. ¡°But you didn¡¯t respond when I called you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± I thought. I looked back to the stars, but life was already lost to them. They had returned to mere illustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must have gotten a bit lost.¡± I looked back to Eliza. She showed me a face that danced between worried and annoyed. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t come here anymore.¡± She said. I held back a yawn. ¡°No, coming here relieves me.¡± But Eliza was adamant. ¡°Your Highness, I was standing right before you, but you couldn¡¯t see me with open eyes. You reached right passed me like I wasn¡¯t there. I find myself unaware of what type of relief this place grants you, but I sense it¡¯s not the kind that will do any good for you.¡± I hadn¡¯t told her about my nightmares. It wasn¡¯t as if she would be able to help me if I did. ¡°It is not my intention to stop coming here, Eliza.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t accompany you here in the future.¡± ¡°That is acceptable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also be informing your Father if you insist on coming here alone.¡± And that was not. I sighed and stood up. ¡°Very well. Until I learn more about this place, I¡¯ll stop my excursions to this tower.¡± For now, at least. Week 12 Part 2 Finances: Expenditures I felt a creeping madness overtake me as I reviewed the expenditures that my mother had amassed. I now understood why Father was the only one who had seen them as a whole. Our advisors would not have had the temperament necessary to restrain themselves from telling Mother to cut her spending in half. It¡¯s the kind of spending that makes it appear as if Mother had forgotten that she had bestowed the power of taxation to Parliament and removed it from herself. Yes, there were many confiscated assets to sell when her reign first started, but we¡¯ve reached the point that we¡¯ll be selling a quarter of the capital if we ever run into a crisis. I¡¯m sure she said that this was all for the people as she let herself burn through our fortune, but there should be room for efficiency when giving to others. At least, that¡¯s what the teachers she hired taught me. I assumed that she shared that mentality with them. It is of no matter now. Our spending shall be reduced and with time some of our wealth will be recovered. From our most outstanding loss leaders I shall perform a further investigation with the intent of the reacquisition of allocated resources. First there are Mother¡¯s research grants which fall into two categories: medical research and general innovations. With the amount of money spent on these grants, there must be a genius on every block. Surely, I must be supremely unaware for there to be so many intellectuals wandering about the capital without my knowledge, but considering my consistent review of our audience records,I think this not the case.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Next is her spending on the kingdom¡¯s orphanages. Yes, I am against children starving in the streets, but tell me when did children start to as much as they apparently do today? Somehow we produce almost all the food in the capital valley and own almost all the housing, yet we¡¯ve still managed to spend a duchy¡¯s wealth on housing and feeding them. And speaking of feeding children, we spend so much in aid on Nordenheim that we might as well adopt the country. Shouldn¡¯t this be what Parliament collects taxes for? Or rather, shouldn¡¯t Nordenheim be able maintain some semblance of order without us sending them enough resources to fund a war? And for the last and thank goodness the least of the major offenders are the estate¡¯s staffing costs For our staff, we find ourselves paying the price of a small army. Now perhaps, my senses have been skewed by what great excess I have already witnessed, but I found this to be a bit relieving after reviewing everything else. With that said, I must thank my father. There is no doubt in my mind that the many hours he has spent working everyday have been in service of thwarting Mother¡¯s various attempts at impoverishing the crown. He need not worry much longer, for I shall soon remove the burden she has placed upon him.
In Consequence Diane can peform further investigations into the estate''s expenditures if she wishes to do so. She can choose to review the following: medical research grants, innovation grants, the orphanage system, aid for Nordenheim, and staffing expenses. If Diane reviews medical research grants, she will look for information about the physician Agatha. She is the capital''s top medical researcher after all. Week 13 Part 1 Eliza''s Birthday Last week was Eliza¡¯s fifteenth birthday. One of these years, I¡¯d like to be able to say that we celebrated her birthday together and if I am to be honest, I was disappointed that this year didn¡¯t turn out to be the one. As she¡¯s done every year before, Eliza took the day off and one of the older maids attended to me in her place. Up until now, I¡¯ve assumed she does something enjoyable on her birthday, but that¡¯s always been an assumption lacking proof. She¡¯s never looked happier returning or leaving on the day off than she¡¯s looked working the day before. So this year, I finally decided to ask her what she does for her birthday. She told me that she visits her parents every year. ¡°What are they like?¡± I asked. ¡°The normal kind of parents who love their daughter very much.¡± She said. ¡°Did you enjoy this year¡¯s visit?¡± ¡°As much as I could.¡± From her behavior, that never appeared to be very much. ¡°What did you do with them?¡± ¡°I talked to them about my year and they listened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all they needed.¡± ¡°I see.¡±
The Founder''s Speech I didn¡¯t see my mother when I was a child. From as far back as I can remember, up until the day she died, she spent more time traveling than she ever did living on the estate. And when she did stay at the estate, she rarely showed herself to me. But what of those rare times that she graced me with her visage? Mayhaps it would have been better if I had never seen her at all. She often ignored me and I can¡¯t recall a time she had ever spoken to me with warmth. Considering the circumstances, it wasn''t surprising that I held no admiration for the woman. At least, not until I heard her speak before our people. At the time, instead of by her side, my escort and I were disguised and standing amongst the crowd. I¡¯ve always been told that this was because she hadn¡¯t wanted me seen in public before my debut. Such an excuse gave her more than enough reason to keep me away at these sorts of events.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. And so I stood below her balcony amongst the common man. I watched her as they did and listened as they did before coming to a conclusion; the woman upon the balcony was a stranger to me. Kind, confident, and hopeful, she was the mother that I had wished for and the mother I never knew I had needed before then. If I was asked that day what I wanted to be, I would have said, more than anything, I wanted to be like the mother I saw standing above us. Without a doubt, that day was the first time I felt the desire to be queen. I learned more with every season¡¯s passing and I grew to understand what that wish meant and the duties that came with it. It would be a daunting task, but still, I chased the shadow of my mother. I copied her every step, I copied her every move, and though I am sure she could see me chasing, she never slowed down to help me. Yes, there were many times I tripped along the way, but eventually, my diligence paid off. In a sense, I was steps away from that balcony, ready to speak, just like she had been before me. However, before I could do so, there was one last failing I had to overcome, a final stepping stone that I had tripped upon. My instructor said to me, ¡°You speak well, but the speeches you draft, they¡¯re too similar to your mother¡¯s.¡± ¡°How are they too similar?¡± I asked. ¡°When you recite them, I can¡¯t tell the difference between the two of you.¡± ¡°I find myself failing to see the problem.¡± In fact, I would have considered this the highest form of compliment. My mother was an outstanding speaker. ¡°The problem is that while your mother is speaking from her life¡¯s experience, you¡¯re just copying her words. Excuse my discourtesy, Your Highness, but it makes your speeches ring hollow.¡± He took out a document. ¡°Perhaps, reading the works of other great orators will help you understand. In fact, it would do best for you to read anything, besides another speech from your mother. Here.¡± It was a copy of the founder¡¯s speech, revised with consideration for the Pact, of course. ¡°Try to see if you can garner some inspiration from this.¡± He was right. Ever since I heard my mother give a speech, I hadn¡¯t acknowledged anyone else. Yes, I had read the works of other orators before, but the only works I had truly studied were my mother¡¯s. Everything else was fleeting. As a result, I had perfected my mother¡¯s voice, but I had never found my own. To do that, I needed to open myself. And so I did. I read the founder¡¯s speech and felt the difference in author¡¯s voice to be immediately apparent. My mother grew up in a period of great shame for our country, when she spoke, she aimed to bring back our people¡¯s optimism for the future. The founder, however, he spoke as the lord of a prosperous city with untold potential lying beyond its valley¡¯s bounds. His words were filled with ideas of patriotism, expansionism, and duty. Both of them were defined by¡ªor perhaps it is more accurate to say reacting to¡ªtheir context, but what of me? What was my context? The Dark Age¡¯s legacy still haunts the older generations of our country, but for my generation, it is only a memory passed down. My mother has succeeded in reaching the optimistic future she referred to in her speeches. But what does that mean for me? Am I to be the custodian of her achievements or am I to search for my own bright future?
In Consequence... Studying the Founder¡¯s Speech has made Diane interested in reviewing Vallis¡¯s founding within her greater National History studies.