Royal Degree

Prologue

March 13, 2020. That was the day that everything went crazy. I was at school when The Blackout began. 24 whole hours with no electricity, not even backup generators, no running water, no modern technology of any kind. At first, I didn't think it was too bad. But that was before I discovered that The Blackout had caused every plane flying above the US to fall straight from the skies, every car to suddenly turn off and crash and the rest of the world to descend into chaos. Doctors and nurses in hospitals didn't have the electricity they needed to care for their patients. Anyone using lifesaving technology was lost that day. Millions died. The devastation was unlike anything my 15-year-old self had ever seen.

That day felt like the worst my life could possibly get but boy was I wrong. When the power came back on three days later, things were much, much worse. Once technology was back and people were able to communicate across long distances again, the nation discovered that, amid the chaos, both front runners for the upcoming election had been assassinated. With the loss of such important political leaders and the mass devastation from the past three days, the country quickly became divided. People turned on their neighbors and fights in the street became more common by the day. Things got more tense by the day until the disputes escalated into an all-out civil war. The west coast states allied together as well as the northeastern states while Texas was fighting with everyone. Soon, the states which used to be so united were divided beyond repair.

War carried on for years and things were looking bleak until a man named Benjamin Winfield, a military general from California, stepped up and,despite all odds, began forming peace treaties with the different divided states. After months of negotiation and many border squabbles, peace was finally established and the states split themselves into four different countries: The Pacific Monarchy of Cascadia, The Lone Star Republic, Atlantic Federation and New Magnolia. The general went back to California and, along with Oregon and Washington, formed Cascadia. The new nation decided that after all the controversy that followed the last United States election, they wanted a monarchy instead on the condition that all future successors had to be educated at the highest level. So, they appointed General Winfield and his wife to be the new King and Queen of Cascadia. Both were highly educated and fully qualified to rule Cascadia but at first they refused due to the desire to keep their teenage son and daughter out of the public eye. However, after months of persuasion and pressure from other countries, General Winfield accepted and a date for the coronation was set. The Pacific Monarchy of Cascadia would finally have a ruler. And their children? Well they would go from normal children living in central California to royalty in just a few months. This is the story of how it all went for the new little old me, Adora Winfield Princess of Cascadia.