Manevola: Book 1

Emmaline's Story

Emmaline Speaks: How it began

I remember that awful, horrid day; the day that my mother, my own mother, chose her over me, her own daughter.

I was ten years old and she was nine. My “dear”mother had been dying for days and I was ready to take the throne. I was ready to change my title from ‘Crown Princess’ to ‘Queen’. And I was definitely ready to become Queen of Manevola.

My mother finally died on April 1st. All of Manevola mourned, as I pretended to, on the outside at least. Inside, however, I rejoiced with all my soul: I was finally Queen of Manevola.

In accordance with Manevolan tradition, we waited four days after the Queen’s death to read her will, which named her heir. Everyone knew it would be me. I was her not just her oldest child, but also her only child, thus making me her only heir.

The day that the will was read, I sat up on the Upper Balcony of the Queen’s old palace, the place of her birth and the place of her death. It was a warm and misty morning as I sat next to her, waiting to hear my name called.

The ceremony started like every other royal funeral in Manevolan history. They droned on for a bit about how great and wonderful my mother was and how they knew that whoever they chose would be just as great, except that I think they may have been being a bit sarcastic when they said that. I knew they didn’t like me. Evidently I was selfish, unjust, cruel, and most of all, I bullied her.

Let me explain who she, who Leo, is:

Aurelia Elodee Leoraena Violet Nataliya Summer Alysa Gracelynne Ambrose was a good-for-nothing nobody who was using my mother to get what she wanted: power. She seemed to be Miss I’m-such-an-innocent-goody-two-shoes-and-everyone-should-pity-me-because-I-haven’t-got-parents.

I guess her parents had died when she was a baby and she had grown up on Earth, teaching herself to wield the extraordinary power that everyone who witnessed it raved about.

“Oh, she’s a wonderful child! So kind and yet with all that power!”

“The Queen did well by taking in the dear child!”

Everyone fawned over her.

Well, it didn’t fool me. I knew better and I didn’t let her little act sway me in my hatred towards her.

My mother, on the other hand, had always been too gullible. She gobbled the bait that Leo laid out for her right up and thus I was forced to treat her “Like you would a sister”. Blech. Apparently, Leo had saved Mom’s life or something a while back, while I was on a mission. Who. Cares. I didn’t!

Anyways, back to my original story of misery.

So, we all sat there as Mom’s Prime Minister or whatever opened the will, started reading the words, “I, Queen Amber of Manevola, do hereby leave the throne of my beloved universe to-,” and stopped, and stared, before clearing his throat and continuing.

“…To Aurelia Elodee Leoraena Violet Nataliya Summer Alyssa Gracelynne Adelazeena Ambrose, my adopted daughter and apprentice. Hail Queen Leo I,” he finished, and honestly, I don’t remember anything of that day after trying to throw Leo off the balcony.

My mother cut me from the line of succession, making Leo Queen of Manevola and Empress of the Imperial Islands, and in doing so, she unwittingly set me against Leo for the rest of eternity.

Apparently she was now my queen and I was supposed to love her and serve her like everyone else in Manevola was now doing. And apparently she thought that she was doing me a favor by letting me stay in Manevola as one of the Parliament.

Well, guess what?

She will never be my queen, because, deep down, I know better.

The throne is mine and I fully intend to reclaim it as such. And the best place to start is by getting rid of Leo and anyone that she names an heir.