The next morning, the Vasils were to return to their capital with their new prize in tow. Hundreds of troops were to be left behind in order to make the transition smoother. Ursa was stunned by how fast things were moving, she could barely pay attention whilst her handmaidens packed her things.
“Ursa! Do you want to take this with you or not?” Cecily had been trying to get Ursa’s attention for the past minute or so. Only when Ursa finally started to give signs she was paying attention did she sigh and sit down next to her friend. “What’s bothering you?”
It was hard to explain to anyone, even herself. One moment she was the Princess of the Romanovs, heir apparent to her father, and the next she was the soon to be Empress of the Westlands, wife of King Vasil. “If I were to list all of my problems, we’d probably be sitting here ‘til the New Year.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t try,” Cecily persisted. Emery emerged from the closet. Seeing that her two friends were having a moment together, Emery couldn’t help but dive onto the bed, propping her head up with her hands.
“What’s wrong, Ursa?”
She was marrying the sworn enemy of her people. The man that ordered the deaths of her brothers, invaded her land! “It’s nothing. Just my nerves. I will be heading to Vasil country soon, it’s a bit daunting.”
“Silly, you won’t be alone. How scary can it be?” One of her only sources of comfort was that her two handmaidens would be accompanying her.
***
Due to the distance, a carriage was set up for the princess and her two handmaidens, while Ivan and Orlov would ride alongside it on their horses, followed by the entire returning Vasil army. Usually a Romanov bride would be taken on a palanquin to the groom’s house accompanied by the father, where the groom would carry the bride into their new home. Then the true ceremony started. It was a shame that the wedding would be taking place in the Vasil lands. As a child, Ursa daydreamed about the ceremony and how hers would go.
It would take a few days to journey to the Vasil territory, so Ursa shed her usual elaborate gowns and hairstyles for some trousers, a long overcoat, sturdy boots and a long braid. Ivan had no complaints about this, he thought she looked stunning in anything she wore. Ivan even appreciated her sense to dress properly for a long trip. He remembered vividly the time his father had him court a young Vasil noblelady to the annual Hunt. The lady wore all the capital’s latest fashions in skirts and jewelries while in the middle of the woods.
While Ivan was double-checking if everyone was ready to go, Ursa went to go bid her father farewell. Ursa went to bow deeply to her father, a show of great respect, however he immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for a back-breaking hug.
“Father?”
King Romanov brought himself close to her ear and whispered harshly, “You are to be his wife in every possible way, except for in your heart. That scum is a means to an end. Remember your people, your brothers, and do not disappoint me.” His words sent chills down her spine. She moved to escape his clutches, stepping back unsteadily. She felt a wall behind her, only to find her husband to be catching her.
“We’ll be off then, My Lord.” Ivan bowed, and started to turn before King Romanov stopped him.
“I do hope I can come visit my precious daughter soon,” King Romanov said. Ivan smiled, reaching for Ursa’s hand.
“When the time comes, I’m sure the princess will be willing to host you at our home.” Ursa glanced at the handsome man, who seemed so carefree and amiable. Perhaps he wasn’t as much of a fool as he looked, to not even sense the duplicitous nature of her father.
“Goodbye, father. I will write to you,” she promised. Ursa allowed Ivan to guide her to the carriage, gracefully helping her in before mounting his own ride.
***
The journey was going smoothly. Cecily and Emery attempted to amuse Ursa on the way with games and stories, but none of it seemed to stick. Ursa was more content to just stare out the window and watch the countryside pass by.
It was all a bit boring. It wasn’t as if Ursa was expecting anything grand to happen, however it was such a long trip and she was so bored-
Crash!
A sound could be heard from behind the carriage. Ursa immediately perked up, especially when the shouts followed after it. Another loud noise that sounded like it came from the carriage reached their ears, and immediately after the three women lurched to the side as the entire carriage fell over.
“What’s happening?” Emery asked, wide eyed and concerned.
“Let me go check. There must be some sort of skirmish.” But before Ursa could do anything at all, the carriage door was ripped off its hinges. A man dressed in dark colors and a mask to cover his face violently grabbed Ursa’s arm, pulling her out of the carriage.
“Let go!” she screamed, trying to rip his hand off of her arm.
“Do not struggle, My Lady! We are here to save you from these Vasil scum!” the man assured.
“Saving? This is suicide! Did you think it was smart to ambush the entire Vasil army?” she yelled.
“As the last surviving Romanov, we will not allow you to be tainted by Vasil-” -Unfortunately, the man’ impassioned speech was cut short by a slice to the back. The grip he had on Ursa’s arm immediately loosened, and she backed away swiftly. Ursa looked up to identify her knight in shining armor.
The King.
The King. He had such a terrifying expression on his face as he cut down those who opposed him, as if they were nothing more than a tiny inconvenience to him. But then he turned to her, again his hand outstretched towards her with such unparalleled concern. “Are you okay?” She slowly nodded, accepting his goodwill. He pulled her up onto his horse, forcing her to wrap her arms around his waist. “You cannot kill them,” she said. He looked over at her. “Why not? They attacked us, they tried to kill you-” “No, they thought they were saving me. These people are probably just farmers who don’t agree with the change of leadership- pleas
The rest of the trip had been uneventful. Ursa, Cecily, and Emery ended up travelling with the soldiers instead of in a pretty little carriage. These men were enemy soldiers, and yet they were nothing like what she expected. While Ursa was sitting by the fire, waiting for Ivan to return with her portion for dinner, a young soldier in his mid-twenties approached her. He sat down on the stone next to her and greeted her with great respect. “I thought I would come by and greet the general’s wife myself,” he said. Ursa perked up. “Is he not your king as well?” the soldier looked a bit embarrassed at his slip up. “Yes, well- the boys and I have worked with the general- I mean, the king- since he was a prince. We know him more as our general than anything. He d
That night, Ursa got to experience her first Vasil banquet. Originally in honor of their king’s homecoming, it was adjusted to include the news of his impending marriage. Cecily briefly went out to speak with some of the Vasil maids while Emery kept Ursa company. A few moments later, Cecily returned and the Vasil maids trailed behind her.“My Lady, these are the handmaidens that were chosen to serve the future queen of the Vasils. We have come to an agreement that we will work together to dress you tonight,” Cecily explained. The two handmaidens bowed. They were both very different looking from Cecily and Emery. They were gorgeous, with dark skin and flowing black hair tied back into intricate braids. Their uniforms weren’t that of a usual servant, they were made with high class materials and put together by a skilled seamstress. Ursa deduced that these women were probably lik
As promised, the Vasils partied for three days and three nights, ending with the wedding. Solai and Erara returned Ursa’s wedding gown as promised- although in better condition. It wasn’t a surprise, it was a hastily put together dress. It was a traditional long red gown and matching veil. Solai and Erara had added the embroidery of the Vasils’ most famous flower, the Vlora flower, to the train of the dress as well as the veil, adding an ethereal sense of beauty. Ursa was now looking forward to the wedding, if only to wear the dress.Ursa found an interesting piece of mythology about Vasil weddings: They usually occur at noon, which is an auspicious time to the Vasils. Swearing on a never changing sun, so the marital bond is strong forever. The Romanovs tend to hold their weddings at dusk, just as the sun was setting, so the Goddess of Love Silenea could bless the union, as legends
“She doesn’t look happy.” Ivan had decided to go pout over by Orlov, giving his new wife some time to herself and her handmaidens. Orlov had been speaking to some noblemen when Ivan rushed over, saying he had urgent business to discuss with him.So it was this.“This is probably just overwhelming. Everything is probably moving too fast for her. Her homeland was taken over, she was betrothed and married, and she’s probably experiencing culture shock,” Orlov reasoned, taking a sip of his champagne.“But I wanted her to like our culture, so she’d feel right at home!”“That doesn’t change the fact that she
After the three day honeymoon period the Vasils allotted, Ivan was forced to join Orlov back in court. Ivan deeply regretted leaving Ursa, partially because he enjoyed the time he spent with her- talking with her, being with her- and also because Ivan had a deep hatred of politicians.They were all snakes to him, everyone of them. Well, perhaps Orlov was the exception. Orlov was almost ten years his senior, and was more like a brother to him than any of his blood brothers. Orlov had accepted him and helped him when no one else would. It was hard for Ivan to think ill of Orlov, even if he was a politician.Ivan tried to hide his boredom, but it was hard. All of these ministers, ambassadors, governors- all they did was argue! Ivan was glad he was Emperor- he had final say
In a pub in the downtown area of Ichares, sat a couple of men, drinking beers after a long day at work. Loud drunks they were, laughing at any slightly comedic event and complaining about their everyday lives.“Did you hear what the ‘Emperor’did today?” one of the drunks said loudly. His companions replied negatively. “That murderer killed old Lord Smirnoff right on the spot and then he gave that Romanov whore access to the courts!” Many men around them laughed at the audacity of that bastard king. What Emperor? He was just a murderer!“That snowflake Kiev even brought it up!” A man from another table added on. Soon everyone in the pub was discussing it.“Those female ‘officials’ backed it up. They’re going to ruin our governme
It had been a week since Ursa began attending court. Ivan, true to his word, had a similar court dress made just for her, with the familiar black and gold coloring complete with a headdress. Ivan had even set up a throne of equal size and splendor right next to his. That had gotten a rise out of the officials and his advisors.Orlov was surprised at how tame Ivan was in court the past week compared to his normal behavior. He still kept that same old scrunched up expression to show his displeasure around politicians, but now and then Ivan would glance over at Ursa, who was listening intently to whatever was being said. Then Ivan would turn and whisper to ask Ursa’s opinion on matters. Orlov felt a weird bite at his heart whe