Pravaci Court

Before

Life is a matter of outlooks. Personally, if not for my wife, mine would have been 'there is only one constant; life comes and goes'. A jaded sentiment perhaps, but the truth nonetheless. At the very moment I needed her most, she was there, a beacon of light in the darkness. To her a life is measured by the memories of your children. I would never deign to tell her that I like her's better. You are here, ultimately for the story of our children, but to understand them – you must also hear our twisted tale.

We begin our story in the fair country of Darion. Many families, chased out of their homelands by the Kicrion invaders of the North came together in solidarity. Twelve noble houses from these families came together to create a government dedicated to the preservation and cooperation of their cultures. For decades, the Pravaci Court ruled the fertile region with a firm and fair hand. Over time, the houses tired of the demands of ruling and chose to relinquish parts of their power to the two houses, Deracose and Seblire, who actively enjoyed governance. These two houses, through a unanimous vote rose to the top, and ruled as a diarchy. Each house still presided over their own domains whether it be as patron of the arts or medicine or what have you, however, they all fell under the wise direction of the two king houses.

My family, House Uradavi, is one of the Pravaci Court and my mother acts as the matriarch, overseeing the house and the medical domain. This position gives her the right to act as Head Midwife of the kingdom and Chief Medic, it was up to her to monitor legions of people and ensure their training. But, as my mother would never let us forget, our lives were almost very different. My mother used to take us on trips through Estonie when my brothers and I were children. We would leave the gleaming limestone walls of our manor near the palace, past the clean capital city streets, to the rough outer reaches. From the confines of the carriage, she would narrate what the common citizenry were doing. She would remind us that this was how she spent her childhood. The areas might have changed, but the message was always the same:

"Only my actions separate you from them. If I had let life pass

me by, we would still be there, in the filth struggling to stay

alive. Boys, nothing in life is without struggle. Even the things

you were born with can be taken away if you fail to protect

yourself. Only through diligence and hard work can you support

and ensure your slot in life."

My brothers would all nod solemnly and think of all the wonderful things they had back in their rooms and how they would never want to be without them.

However, when I looked out the carriage window, I did not see men and women throwing their lives away. I saw people working hard to make their lives a little bit better day by day. The sweat on their brows was hard earned and not without benefit. A constant I saw among all of them was that there was a look of determination about all them. There was an air about them did not touch the noble men and women of the palace and Pravaci Court. The work may have looked humble, but there was pride in them. The swordsmith at his bellows, the fishmonger hawking his wares, and the baker kneading her dough – they all fascinated me in a way the tittering nobles never had.

Mother tried to take us at least once a season perhaps to reinforce that no matter the weather, we should be grateful of our station. My brothers would always moan when we left for these trips, but I looked forward to them. My family saw poverty, but I saw freedom. Whenever I would return from these trips, I could not help but look out the window and wonder if the bricklayer had finished the wall yet or if the girl selling potatoes had made enough for the day. Sometimes the other Pravaci children would ask me about the outside world, but most were content to stay within their bubbles of luxury. However, without fail, Prince Jerlorn and Prince Solin would always hungrily grille me for more.