"My name is Princess Tamara Riley Trescott. I am the only living daughter of the late King Blaise and Queen Tiana Trescott of the southern lands of the Great Fire kingdom and I - I mean it - it is my... my..." I turned to look at Trina who had a straight look on her face.
"And it is my duty to present myself to you, to ask for your acceptance and let me be your queen so that a Trescott, a pure fire bender, might sit on the throne again." She finished for me.
I sighed from where I sat on my bed. "Do I really have to say all that?"
"Yes, your majesty. It is of the utmost importance. As much as the nation can't deny that you are a pure fire bender, there will be people who will deny that you are the long lost princess."
"Which is ridiculous because you look so much like your parents." Mama spoke as she adjusted the dress on my shoulder.
The dress fit perfectly and it was more beautiful than I had initially thought. I had never worn something this expertly tailored. Apart from the dresses I borrowed from Stella. The fabric was airy and light and even with the gold patterns etched upon it, I didn't feel at all weighed down.
"Well some people can still be cynical." Trina continued. "Claiming the throne is not going to be easy, your majesty. That's why it is critical that you make a good first impression. Say the right things at the right time. Follow instructions and obey the rules."
Follow instructions. Obey rules.
Was this to be my life now?
"What if they don't accept me?" I asked in concern.
What if the nation saw right through me? Princesses grew up in castles in the capital, I grew up in a small house in one of the smallest and poorest towns in the nation.
Even wearing what had to be the most expensive dress I had ever seen in my life, I still didn't feel much like a princess.
Mama looked like she wanted to say something encouraging but I knew she couldn't lie to me and tell me that everyone would love me.
We weren't talking about a few kids in the neighbourhood. We were talking about a whole nation.
infact she seemed more nervous about all this than I did.
"Your majesty, the monarchy is not only about gaining the favour of your people. It is about politics and what is best for the nation whether your people like it or not. You'll learn more about this as you adjust to life in the castle."
I sighed. Of course I would.
i could tell that Trina was only trying to help. Underneath the intimidating exterior, I could see a lady, almost my age who probably understood how difficult this was for me.
Trina must have grown up in the castle. How else would she know so much at such a young age. Not to mention, how else would she have gotten a position men and women at Agni would slaughter each other for. Protecting the prince, heir to the throne, that was a massive honour. Flint always talked about how he would get good money if he applied to be a royal guard. Even protecting the castle plants could bring in quite a hefty amount of money.
But Flint didn't want to be a royal guard anyway. He didn't want a glamorous job with minimal action. Flint had always wanted to be where the fight was. So he always planned on training to be a 'soldier in action'. No matter how much Pam and I pleaded with him, he is determined to be where the action is.
"Princess, back straight, chin up like I told you." Trina spoke impatiently.
She was less than amused by my apparent 'un-princess' like body language. Apparently I would learn more about it from the proper instructors at the castle but for my first appearance, she would give me some pointers.
YOU ARE READING
The Queen in the South
Fantasy"My duty will never be to love you. My duty will be to be your husband, your king, perhaps the father to your children but nothing more." Amara Shing thought everything about herself was average and most importantly normal. But that changes when the...
