From Grief to Colour| ✓

II- Weight of the crown

Time seems to halt when you tread down that pristine ruby carpet. Handed the jewel encrusted crown during your twentieth birthday that you are to wear till you retire or death definitely comes with the extra weight of responsibility, but it's not what I expected. On that day, 60,000 people had came to witness my ascend to the throne. That's... incredible.

I remember wearing a satin dress with my hair all pinned up, ready to step up to take over the crown from my parents. Unfortunately, they weren't around and were apparently stuck at some foreign bay with reasons too complicated to be told as I was informed. They were on a tour of visiting the kingdoms surrounding Avalem and beyond for their royal duties had restricted them of exploring the world, the trait of curiosity having been passed on to me and my dearest twin.

I beamed as my sister teases me the days leading up to the coronation and mirrored my expression with pride as she watched me give my coronation speech that day. Thousands clasped and danced the night away moments later. But that was four months ago.
Life being queen is terribly exhausting. Managing the money dispersal and to wear a petticoat at formal events were the cons of that title.
Everyday it's wake up, get dressed, have breakfast, have a stroll, read the paperwork, ask for the daily news, read, go out to check on my subjects, solve the problems and issues that are happening and some will go on for the rest of the day or to repeat. However I am allowed to take a break whenever I need it! A trait that would be rather useful for many in the working classes, I suppose.
Still, I kept my head high and my dainty smile on my face as the luxury of royalty means having the need to travel across your realm to see your subjects. I do truly enjoy interacting with my people, for the relations between the royals and the middle classes should be stark for a truthful and trusting relationship. My favorite thing to do is to go out onto the training field and watch the soldiers train.
While I get stuck mostly indoors, desperate to go out, my sister gets to be out onto the training field, and parry with our soldiers. Well, the newcomers anyways.

Well, I am allowed to go to parry as well, but I can tell my soldiers feel agitated at the thought of fencing with me while trying to not anger me as queen. But a rare few do have the courage to try. The power a ruler holds in a single command, it can send chills down one's back.
However, I do try to remain casual without causing a kerfuffle. It's fun to be bested by a few every now and then, to be honest. As we say in Avalem, 'Trust and truth go hand in hand; for honesty is the virtuous start of what lies ahead.' I strut along the echoing halls of the castle, heading towards the training field outside by the south wing. The sun is particularly sunny today.

My small train trails behind as I ascend down the few steps it takes to get to the grass.
Noticing a woman with dark plaits framing the side of her face in armor wearing an amethyst cape of the royal glyph, I walk over to my twin. She notices my presence, the knights bowing and my sister smiling.
"Hello, Deidra." Delaney greeted, strands of her ebony hair swinging by her side. Besides my parents of course.

"Good morning, General Delaney." She smiles at the title. "What shall be your plan for their training today?" I ask, eyeing them all. I hope I don't scare them.

She faced the new recruits of soldiers. I recognize the few of the regulars-the guards that are already finished with their traning- that are here to help Delaney with the process. "Well, we are to go over the rules, routines of being a guard of the palace and then I'll give out tactics as they par with one another." She informed.

"Sounds good to me, General." I approved. Watching her, I wonder how the years have affected us each. She is my twin but she has become the much more tougher, wittier and more free willed twin due to her extensive training and less stuffy settings for her to do so.