My Right to the Throne

Prologue

Those who visited the court of Guanmar, when introduced to the princess, Dorothea, remarked on her grace and beauty. Her golden hair, usually ornamented by a simple, yet effective, flower or ribbon, was said to remind all who saw it of the sun. Those who looked away from the hair (which was not always the case), saw that her delicate hands and wrists could be called nothing short of exquisite, while her eyes were emeralds that seemed to catch the light unlike any other thing in the world of Kualfarn. So nice, they told one another, that Dorothea, the spitting image of the late Queen Phoebe (her mother), could support her brother and father, the King, in the gap her mother had left. Though only 16, four years older than Prince Willem, she already had her mother's generous heart and kind spirit. Phoebe, who had died not long after giving birth to Prince Willem, would be proud of her. She could, all remarked, be called only a story-book princess.

More often than not, audiences to King Carlisle were also introduced to Belinha, Dorothea and Willem's second cousin, and third in line for the throne. She too, was remarked over. In public she was said to be stunning, bewitching even. With her dark, glossy hair, long eyelashes and a tallness of height that was chased after, Belinha was blessed with good looks. However, unlike Dorothea, people murmured about her when in private. She seemed, perhaps, too bewitching. It seemed, to some, unnatural, and possibly dangerous.

Dorothea, for her part, was not overly interested in her beauty. While she liked to dress up, to have fun, she would rather people did not like her for her looks, but for her personality instead. Though it had been over 12 years since her mother died, Dorothea still remembered and held dear some of the last words the Queen had spoken to her, just two days before giving birth. Being just 4 years old, the young princess had naturally been curious about having a new sibling.

She had asked her mother, "Will my brother or sister be ugly? All babies are ugly, until they grow up." Her mother, leaning over (with a little difficulty due to her pregnancy), had given her a kiss and answered softly, "It does not matter what he or she looks like, Dorothea, for we should not value one's looks, but rather one's values." Dorothea would have asked more, but she was collected by her nurse, Charisma, so that her mother could rest.

 Dorothea, amused with toys and games, almost forgot her mother's words over the next few days, but after her mother's funeral, they came to mind. In the sorrow, and worries over the health of the new-born prince that was felt by the rest of the court, she was confused, and little understood what death meant. But her mother's philosophy, most unlike what else she could remember in her short life, would become her means of comfort in this new world, a world where she seemed to be surrounded by others, but that, in the darkness of nighttime, seemed to be very lonely.

Belinha was a different story. She was almost 5 years older than the princess, and while she had beauty, it could not be said that she was kind. She liked no one, except herself. Some were useful to her, but only so that she could achieve, not so that they could. She had no interests in the misfortunes of others, and no more in their success. Only three concerned her, King Carlisle, Princess Dorothea and Prince Willem. And she was not concerned about their safety or well-being...