Where Loyalties Lie

The entire palace was in a panic. Servants were rushing around, some yelling orders, some attempting to flee. Two young women in dark clothing ran against the crowd, towards the grand doors of the throne room. It was a struggle, pushing against the flow of people, yet they were successful. The taller woman held back the urge to yell at everyone who was attempting to flee, but held her tongue. Her princess needed their information now. Upon entering, the two young women were met by the sullen king and his only daughter, who was at his feet pleading. The king of their great lands, King Romanov, appeared tired and defeated. The skin under his eyes seemed to hang a darker color, and his beard seemed to turn silver in some places. He had three permanent black lines on his forehead and his eyebrows seemed glued into a furrowed position.“Your Highness, My

“Kassio, what do you think she looks like?” he whispered to his friend. They had yet to reach the conference room where they would discuss the Romanovs’ terms of surrender, and Ivan had already successfully annoyed Orlov for the rest of the day with his incessant questions about the mysterious Romanov princess. “I’m sure she’s lovely,” he replied with a monotone voice. “What do you think she thought of me?”“Probably not well, considering you just conquered her lands. The Romanovs are prideful and loyal to a fault.” That seemed to make Ivan’s mood droop. It was as if one moment he was a bright ray of sun, and the next he was a dark storm cloud ready to lay waste. “Come, don’t worry too much about it. Perhaps you left a go

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 probabl

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

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