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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
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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?”
Where Loyalties Lie Unintended Consequences III
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
Where Loyalties Lie Unintended Consequences IV
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.
Where Loyalties Lie Return to Ichares
Orlov rode the horse at an alarming speed, desperate to return to the city. The empress was barely hanging on, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Behind him, he heard the sound of horses approaching.Of course they’d send pursuers. These people must really want the Empress dead. Orlov was in no position to stop and fight. The Empress needed medical attention, and he needed to protect her. His neck depended on it!The pursuers were already neck to neck with Orlov. He released his only hand on the reins of the horse to grab his sword as the pursuer on the left slashed at him. His partner mirrored him, giving Orlov little time to defend from both sides. His boot kicked the horses back, forcing it to slow down. The pursuers ended up clashing with each other in an almost comical manner. Although Orlov was able to regroup, the pursuers were a
Where Loyalties Lie The Empress' Return
Ursa spent the next few days recovering. She stayed in bed and barred visitors, even the Emperor. Mostly because she was embarrassed about her face. A noblewoman’s biggest asset was her physical appearance, and Ursa had almost ruined it.All the way across the palace, a certain Emperor was bouncing his leg, shaking with anxiety. Why would Ursa not allow him to visit her? He had tried to bring gifts over to her, in hopes of lifting her spirits, but he was ruthlessly turned away by those blasted handmaidens! All Ivan could do was wait for her to get better. Even though he promised to stay by her side…“Your Majesty,” Orlov said as he knocked, “It’s time for morning court.” Ivan grumbled as he got up and followed Orlov to the throne room. Court had been pretty boring without Ursa to look at. She was the prettiest di
Where Loyalties Lie Out On the Town
The weeks that passed after the revelation of Ursa’s five year plan and her visit to Lady Tatya were blissful. Either Lady Tatya learned her lesson, or she was plotting something for later, she stayed in line. Of course, she was also not invited to future tea parties hosted by the Empress.To the public, Lady Tatya was bitter towards Empress Vasil because of her quick rise to power, and Empress Vasil felt distaste toward anyone who defended the poor noble lady who got executed for masterminding a scheme to get rid of the Empress.Of course the kidnapping was never made public knowledge. Even the nobles were told a slightly different tale of what happened. Only those involved knew what really happened.But all that was moved to the back of Ursa’s mind. No one picked a fight with her for weeks. Inste
Where Loyalties Lie Who Is Ivan Vasil?
After Ursa returned to the palace successfully, she was quiet for the rest of the night. She laid in bed, unable to shut her eyes and let sleep take over her. What those men in the pub said kept replaying in her head over and over again, like a broken music stone.There was so much she still didn’t know about Ivan, and she was so easily blinded by his kind gestures and handsome face. She wanted to know more about him, especially if she was to live the rest of her life tied to him by the strings of Qader.Tossing back and forth, Ursa finally decided to get up and make her way to the library. It was the middle of the night, but that was nothing a small candle and a long shawl to cover herself with couldn’t fix. Cecily and Emery slept in the room opposite of the library, so she didn’t need to worry about waking her up. Avoiding the servants
Where Loyalties Lie Ursa Confronted
Despite Ursa’s late night escapade to the library, she still managed to wake up on time for court. Ursa’s routine went as usual, bathing, grooming, dressing and the like, although this time when she was done, the Prime Minister himself Lord Kassio Orlov waited outside her door.“Lord Orlov,” Ursa greeted politely as soon as she was ready.“Your Majesty. Today I thought I would escort you to court, seeing as your husband returns today.” The moment Ursa got the news that Orlov was waiting for her, she knew something was up. Why else would he be here? Orlov knew something.Ursa smiled, holding her arm out to loop in his. “That sounds pleasant. Besides, I have a few questions, Lord Orlov.”Orlov quirked an eye
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