RIVETRA - Historical Monarchy

Chapter 1: Pilot

"Ma'am"..."Ma'am"

The light blinded anyone who dared to look. Forcing its way though and filling the room, not one part was untouched by the energy. "Madam!" She shouted. The woman pulled the covers over her head, calling for 5 more minuets before the annoyed lady pulled the sheets off her. "We have this everyday, my Lady" The gingered woman slowly opens her eyes, giving a glare at the woman whom was lifting the sheets off the bed and into a basket. "What is the duty of this morning Lady Brzenska. No before that, what is the time?" She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching herself out, her royal highness had never been a morning person yet she didn't mind if she had to get up for something important however when it was a day where she had nothing planned and she had stayed up far past her bed time, she had all the reason to resent waking in the morning. "Quarter to 6 Ma'am and his Majesty has asked for a private audience" 

To begin with, that was usually unheard of due to the King's scheduled being tightly packed with either domestic or foreign affairs so that raised the young woman's eyebrow literally. She threw her legs over the side of her large and empty bed and stood to stretch more once turning her back to the other woman in the room. Her lady walked over with her dressing grown and laid it on her and left to the other room. The young pale ginger woman walked over to her dresser and table and sat in front of the mirror to inspect her hair. She pulled a large and old comb though her knotted hair which sat far below her shoulder blades on her back. 

Traditionally, women never cut their hair, they would grow it out until they died yet the royal family endured much elaborate galas and found that past a certain length, the maids found it hard to keep tidy for hours on end. However the late Queen, the King's wife and her mother, disagreed with the act of cutting her hair yet she defied her as always. She had a habit of doing the opposite of what her mother told her to do; with the new fashion trends, her mother never wanted her to show her forearms or collar bones when at balls, so the Princess would do the opposite. That was before she died, yet no one talks about that day.

However she would always listened to her father. She loved him dearly, she loved her mother too yet she seemed to enjoy the time spent with the man far more. He was a strong and intelligent man, a game of chess would take hours between them and he'd always win. He was King of Sina, the richest country in all the land. Consisting of 3 of the richest cities, Stohess, Hermina, Yalkel (Including a smaller and poorer kingdom in the far north) which stretched for over 750 kilometers. They were a peaceful country, practically buying their way though life compared to the other 2 main empires who fight constantly. All would be handed to the young girl after her father's inevitable death. Due to their large fertile plains in the north, perfect for crop growing and easy accessibility to the ocean, the country became known for their mass production of food such as wheat, potatoes and fish. Their peace treaty with the other 2 countries keeps them safe; regular trades of food and natural resources for troops and safety from the Titan nation. Not one civilian had died from a war in the country for over 40 years.

Her parents struggled to have children. With more than 20 miscarriages and stillborn children over their marriage, Petra was the only surviving child of the King. It was never explained to her why she was the only one to survive, however it was hinted that her mother had medical difficulties resulting to the high mortality rate, the worrying thought was it may be genetically passed on to the young heir. She respected her father immensely, partly due to the fact her put her first in line of succession. After her 10th birthday, many Dukes and Counts tried to raise their male children higher in the line for succession however her father risked everything to push for her to gain the next crown. The officials tried to convince him a revolution would breakout due to a female claiming the sovereignty however when he announced the new law, many of the civilians agreed with it. She was a much loved Princess after all therefore making her throne guaranteed. 

Her Lady in waiting, Viscountess Rico Brzenska, 2nd wife to Viscount Alfred Irvin Brzenska, came into her room with her new gown. A long purple dress with a high collar, elaborate cuffs and long sleeves along with the large skirt full of traditional patterns of flowers subtlety embroidered from the hem to the waist in a dark rich purple. Purple was the colour of royalty yet hardly anyone kept to it, purple was in fashion. She laid it over her dressing screen on the other half of the room before dashing over to grab the comb out of her Princesses hand. Thoroughly brushing the back of her hair where she missed and quickly brushing the rest she tied her hair up into a low pony tail before twisting and tucking it though and pinning. Tens of pins and clips later, her hair was put into a low bun. She placed a relatively modern heirloom into the top of the bun and rushed over to a wardrobe. "We're running late, His Majesty's conferences ends in 40 minuets, we must leave in 30 as he's a 5 minuet walk away." She pauses. "And you haven't eaten, your father would kill me"

"My father doesn't need to know" She assured. Her lady handed a corset over to the Princess before running off to the other room. "Put it on, I'm looking for your shoes". After fiddling around with the corset for a moment, she managed to fit everything in.  It wasn't long until the grey haired woman came back in to help with the laces on the back. After struggling for no more than a minuet, the corset was tightened and the skirt and hoop were quickly going on too. The thick and heavy material weighed her down as the gown was lifted  over her head. As the lady tied and pulled on the back of the dress, the Princess slipped her shoes on. It was a tight fit but she didn't want to stress her friend out anymore.

After the countless minuets spent on tidying the Princess, the two women rushed out of her chamber and though the long hallways. Each corridor was lavishly decorated with plants on each side, spaced out every few meters from the other along with ancient-like tables with more flowers and portraits hanging over them placed in between the large plant pots. The ceilings were high, very high. You could place 20 fully grown men on top of each other and they would only just each the roof. The glass on the one side (after she passed the main hallway) uncovered the main court yard, showing the front of the castle. The late spring blossom was clearing up and the beautiful flower arrangement along the roundabout were in season.

The two girls quickly walked until they reached the more official part of the west siding castle. The red guards standing on either side of the doors opened the doors in unison and the women walked though before waiting in the foyer. Not ever 30 seconds pasted before the main conference room's large mahogany doors swung open, a Knight came out and greeted them before ushering them inside.

The grand table, smelling of vanish and fresh lilies was surrounded by at least 20 men she had either seen once before or met once before. Most had mustaches and muttonchops accompanied by their country, kingdom or cities colours. Her father, The King of Sina, sat in the centre with a man in black and dark blue to his right and a man in red and orange to his left. Along the sides were men in many colours and meddles whom all stared at the woman. All stood up besides her father and bowed before sitting back down. Petra's lady pulled her chair out and sat her down; dashing off before anyone said a thing, the door was shut tight.

Taking in a big gulp and a sigh she asked "What is the meaning of this meeting, if I may ask?" She was known for speaking out of term, especially for a woman yet she didn't care. "Lady Petra. As you know the Titan's have been growing in numbers. Their military will surpass the Marian within the next 5 years due to their recent discovery. And of course as you know unfortunately they've recently wiped out 15% of our main front lines of the Marian and 8% of the Roséan armies. Due to the poor harvest of last year, we are unable to supply their troops as we have before; not to mention that the plague of Trost has spiralled out of control."

"And how so am I to contribute to these affairs?"

"To my left I'd like to introduce you to the King of Rosé and to my right, the King of Maria. The men surrounding this table have been invited by me because they have all offered a more intimate alliance, to sustain the economy of the countries and cities, a more permanent union; a bachelor for marriage."

Originally written March 17th 2017

Am I carrying this on??? You tell me