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The Powers of an Empress
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
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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
Where Loyalties Lie Unintended Consequences I
After all the women were settled in their seats did the festivities truly begin. Ursa sat and chatted with the girls at her table for at least ten minutes before Erara gave her the signal to start the first event. Ursa stood up, ready to announce the first game, when a few ladies and Lady Tatya stood up as well.“Your Majesty, we were wondering if we could recommend the first game,” Lady Tatya said. The girls behind her nodded along like puppets with strings tied around their necks.“Is that so? That’s a little untraditional,” Ursa replied. If Ursa allowed Lady Tatya to do as she pleased, it would undermine Ursa’s authority and set a precedent that she was a doormat. Ursa was not
Where Loyalties Lie Unintended Consequences II
Right after the Empress was dragged away by the peasants, Lady Irina gathered herself and ran deeper into the hedge maze, distancing herself from the crime. Soon the magic stone would go off and everyone would be called back.Right on time, Lady Tatya’s magic stone started glowing a bright blue, shooting a spark of light into the sky. Lady Irina rushed out of the hedge maze, slowly falling into a trot behind two other noble ladies. Soon after, someone asked, “Where is Her Majesty the Empress?” Most of the noble ladies looked around, searching for the distinguishable empress, but she was nowhere to be found. Lady Irina met Lady Tatya’s gaze, smirking and giving a triumphant nod.“Did Her Majesty get lost?”“Who saw her last?”
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It didn’t take long for Ursa to come to. By the time she did, she was tied to a chair in a dirty little barn. It had a bit of a haunted feeling to it, with rotting wood and fauna growing in and around the structure. Ursa regretted ripping her dress sleeve- she was a bit cold now. Nothing she couldn’t handle of course, she did grow up in the Romanov territory.Her head throbbed from being hit upside the head. Ursa’s hair was a mess and her dress was ripped and covered in dirt and mud. In other words; she looked disgraceful. She would be embarrassed to see the Emperor in her state.Lady Tatya… Ursa knew without a doubt this was her doing. Now she just wanted to know who did the dirty work for her.As soon as she thought that, the barn doors slid open, and a large, gruff man in all
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The dark barn was illuminated by the setting sun on the horizon. The light strayed on a familiar silhouette, which Ivan immediately identified as his wife. She was laying on the ground, tied to a chair with a rough and splintered rope. The legs of the chair were broken, and her face was bloody and swollen. There were black and blue marks around her neck in the shape of a large pair of hands and her dress was ripped up and muddy.Ivan’s heart ached at the sight of Ursa. How could he have let this happen on his watch? How did these scum get into his palace and steal his wife away? Ivan slowly approached her body, cutting the rope with his sword. Ursa’s eyes fluttered and her mouth parted in surprise.“... You?” she asked, her voice raspy and broken. Ivan carefully slid his hands underneath her body to pick her up.
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