The Crown Princess

Prologue

On the night of the Harvest moon, two identical princesses were born,  Adrian, king of the majestic country Brumont, rested a hand on his wife's arm.  She was weak, but had miraculously survived.  The two girls had been named Lilianna and Addison, and were both sleeping peacefully in Queen Estelle's arms.  The moment was beautiful, but short-lived.

There was a knock at the chamber doors, and a voice called urgently for the king, who silently made a swift retreat for the door, which opened just as he reached for it.

"Your Highness," a young guard with brown eyes and a freckled face greeted in a tense voice, "an ambassador for King Clitus of Ivirel is here to speak with you."

King Adrian's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing, "an ambassador?  What for?  And why now?"

"He wouldn't say, but we suspect they are attempting to form another peace treaty," answered the guard nervously.  The king followed the guard out of the room, through an ivory corridor, and down a long spiral staircase.  Dealing with Ivirel was dangerous.  Though Brumont was much larger, Ivirel was known for nasty battles and their large armies.  However, they were even more well-known for their slippery tongues. 

King Adrian entered the dining hall, where candles were lit, and at least a dozen Ivirelian guards dressed fancily decorated blue uniforms sat at the table. They were busy gorging themselves with a large assortment of food that had hastily been prepared for them in the early hours of morning by the grumbling cooks.  In the midst of them sat an elderly man dressed in fur robes, with a sizable amount of gold hanging from his neck.  He had a short gray beard and beady eyes.  The ambassador was rather plump, greedily devouring a turkey leg.  Only when King Adrian had sat down at the other end of the table, did he look up.

"Greetings, Ambassador," King Adrian said as brightly as he could manage, "welcome to our humble palace of Brumont."

The ambassador set his food down, wiped his face with a large piece of fancily embroidered cloth and replied, "greetings, and many thanks to you, sire, for your hospitality."

A pan hit the ground hard, and made a loud bang as it clattered around on the floor somewhere in the kitchen.  King Adrian wondered if it had been thrown, yet he continued, "If I may ask, what brings you to our kingdom?  You have clearly traveled a great distance to bring us news of King Clitus, himself?  I hate to seem impolite, but my presence is much needed elsewhere."

"Ah yes," said the ambassador, as he took a bite out of a piece of bread, "congratulations on the birth of your daughters.  King Clitus wished he could bid you well in person, but you see, he has also recently begotten a child.  A son, if I recall correctly."  A strange smile began to curl on his lips.

Suddenly it became clear to the king as to what the ambassador was here to discuss.  He sipped his glass of wine, and said carefully, "I will not be making any decisions at this time about my daughters and their futures," he paused, looked at the young guard who still stood silently beside him, "there is much to be thought about, I was not prepared for this outcome."

King Adrian was in fact unprepared for the birth of two children at once.  In all the long years of the monarchy, never had there been twins.  It was simple, the oldest child would reign the kingdom after his passing.  But what if there wasn't an oldest child?  He was also expecting a son.  He was growing old, as was his wife, and they weren't intending on having anymore children.  He knew that the ambassador was right.  He would have to initiate a betrothal to one of his daughters, in order for Brumont to have a king.  Still, he continued, "they are far too young and I must first decide upon which daughter should rule my kingdom."

"Ah, but everyone knows you wont be having anymore children," the ambassador said, as if reading his thoughts, "your only option is betrothal."

The king simply shook his head, "there are many decisions to be made, and much time to make them.  I will not be bothered with them now.  In fact, I ought to be celebrating!  And still, give me time, I may yet produce a son."

The ambassador was clearly displeased with the king's response, and his expression darkened.  His guards, as if picking up on the ambassador's change in mood, began to reach towards the hilts of their swords.  "As you wish," the ambassador said in a deathly soft tone.

"Let the princesses come of age," pleaded the king, glancing nervously at the edgy guards, "let me wait and pick the best candidate to take over the throne."

The ambassador rose from the table angrily, slamming his fist on the table, "I didn't come all the way to your palace to hear you say that you wouldn't make any decisions!  King Clitus will not accept your answer lightly!  Sixteen years is a very long time.  We will be back and you will regret your actions.  This is a disgrace.  This is your last chance to change your mind."

The silence after the ambassador finished speaking was long and tense.  King Adrian remained silent, his hands clasped together so tight that his knuckles had turned white.  His face remained as emotionless as stone.  He sat and watched as the Ivirelians stormed out of the banquet hall and slowly exited the palace.  He couldn't help but notice the jagged knife stabbed into the table, glittering darkly in the candlelight. 

That night was never spoken of by the king, or any of those who were present, but rather pushed far out of their minds.  Time went on, the two princesses grew and matured, unaware of all that went on.  They were both blessed with fair skin and long, wavy golden hair.  Their blue eyes sparkled, and their voices were gentle.  It seemed that they were one and the same with each other.  That is, until they started their manners lessons.  Addison was perfect, always doing as she was told, whereas Lilianna was more of a free spirit, always dirty and talking out of turn.  To the Queen, Lilianna was a disgrace, and before long, she'd practically been disowned.  The king, however, recognized her as the son he'd never have.