The Tyrant's Reward

Chapter I: Care to dance?

In faraway lands, there once lived a kingdom who hid itself amongst the greenery surrounding it. The kingdom was named Rosyne in honor of it's creator, the Godess of joy. 

Legend has it, the lands in which the kingdom were built upon used to serve as a refuge for escaped slaves and wronged convicts who found salvation in pledging themselves to the Godess of contentement. Wanting to fill in the voids left in their then broken spirits with new found joy. The celestial maiden pitied them, thus lead to her sharing words of wisdom amongst the little minded as she cared for the wounded alongside her sisters. On the day of her departure, she layed her last words of knowledge among her earthly subjects, before returning to the heavens, a rite of passage upheld among the people till this day; "The joys of one can be sought in another, and another's in one's joy. If you seek the joy you wish upon yourself to spread to others, you have found internal peace" Those words lead to generations of peace, harmony, joy and prosperity to Rosyniens. 

How the kingdom managed to thrive throughout those years remains a mystery, even to its people. However, Rosyne's biggest mystery was its defense. There does exist an interior military organization meant to protect and serve their and his subjects but there seemed to be no official exterior military or posts around the kingdom's outskirts. Despite this lack in defense, those who dare attempt to enter Euphrosyne to cause harm return as mauled heaps of rotten flesh. Thus the rumors of flesh eating beasts lurking the woods surrounding Euphrosyne spread.

The king who ruled this land was a kind, generous yet dimwitted man named Lumpy Elkman. He would often dress in an ocean blue cloak along with white fluffy cuffs attached at the end of each sleeve. Today, he was hosting a grand Ball for his youngest daughter's 19th anniversary. 

King Lumpy had two daughters, Giggles and Flaky. Giggles was the eldest of the two and was known for her outgoing and cheerful personality. She had fair skin, rosy cheeks and would always style her hair in a braided Updo complemented by a low bun thanks to her iconic bright red ribbon.

Giggles adored socializing and playing with the townsfolk of Euphrosyne. So much in fact, that she became a regular at almost half of the taverns and shops in the town square. Giggles was adored by all those who lived in the kingdom. Of course the subjects loved and respected all members of the royal family equally, but with Giggles, it was as if she was on the same level as them. Your normal average civilian, which made her very approachable and easy to talk to on a down-to-earth type level.

Unlike her sister, Flaky was an incredibly timid and cautious girl who's rarely ever seen out in public. In fact, the chances of her being seen outside of the castle were so rare that many euphrosyens began to speculate. Thinking she was never real or forgetting she ever existed in the first place. In worse case scenarios, rumors of the royals harboring a beast instead of a daughter began to spread after her arrival was announced many years ago.

Fortunately, all those nasty rumors about the princess had all died down after her sister's 15th birthday, one of her more memorable appearances. For she was in fact a very charming and fragile young creature. She had a petite figure, large ebony eyes and had a long wild spikey crimson mane sprinkled with small flakes embedded in her roots. The sharpness of her quills made it incredibly difficult for staff members to care for her hair without pricking themselves.

After her appearance at her sister's anniversary, she seemed to have gained more confidence in herself, proven by her following appearances outside the castle. The two sisters would always be seen with the same cast of friends: Petunia, Giggles' lady-in-waiting and best friend, Cuddles and Toothy, who were both Flaky's childhood friends and were knights in training at the time.