Accession || Ongoing ||

PROLOGUE

Ten years after the Third World War, the monarchy known by its citizens as the Peninsula faced another major event; a baby was going to be born. But not just any random baby. It was the baby of the unanimously chosen king of the Peninsula and the queen. The whole nation was holding its breath, every subject on tenterhooks. But no one was more stressed and worried than the king himself, which was obvious by the way he briskly paced around the throne room.

King Stavros' commander tentatively tapped him on the shoulder, pulling him out of his frantic reverie.

"What, Commander Ash?" He snapped.

"There's no need to be so stressed, my lord," Commander Ash said with a small, bemused smile. "Queen Adelaide is strong, and the whole business will be done rather quickly."

The king chuckled wryly. "That's easy for you to say. You've had three kids, and somehow deal with all of them." Commander Ash patted her stomach and nodded, reminiscing. "We've been trying for so long, Adelaide and I....."

"My lord," Commander Ash said with a sigh. "We cannot afford to be pessimistic. Not with the future of the kingdom on the way."

The king was just about to nod, when suddenly the doors opened with a bang. A nurse ran in, breathless. She screeched to a halt in front of the king and the commander, and bowed deeply to them. "My lord. Commander."

The king's brain went into overdrive, but he tried to speak as calmly as possible. "What news do you bring, young woman?"

"The prince...." She took in a deep breath, "The princess is born my lord."

The king was instantly all smiles, all loads off of his shoulders. "A girl, Commander!" He exclaimed. "A beautiful baby..." He trailed off when he saw the nurse's expression. She looked far from happy. In fact, she looked grief-stricken, and there were glittering tear tracks on her cheeks.

The king's heart dropped. "That is not the whole story, is it?" He asked the nurse, his voice much more quieter than before.

The nurse shook her head, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

***

"They grow up so fast, don't they, Ember?" The much older king said as he looked out of the window to see a group of children playing. He clearly recognised his daughter's head of long black hair.

"Indeed they do," Ember agreed. "Too fast, I think sometimes."

"Are you worried that Reiley will take your position when she grows up?" Stavros teased. They both enjoyed a camaraderie that normally would not be present between king and commander.

"You have more to worry about," Ember fired back, "Seeing as Alyxia is practically destined to kick you off the throne."

He sighed. "She'll kick me off it only when she's ready. She's still far too young, only ten years old. And you don't have to wait for more than a decade for Reiley to rise up the ranks."

Ember laughed, one of her rare deep laughs. "First, she should get in the army. Baby steps."

From down below, there was a gleeful shout. "Daddy! Aunt Ember! I know you're there!" At the same time, Stavros and Ember looked down to see the smiling face of Alyxia looking up at them.

"Having fun, sweetie?" Stavros said, smiling. It was striking, how she looked like the perfect blend of his deceased wife and himself. Stavros felt a pang of hurt. It still hurt, thinking about Adelaide.

Alyxia nodded eagerly. "Want to join?"

Stavros shook his head. "Not now, darling. Aunt Ember and I have big-person things to discuss, okay?"

She nodded, but her expression had completely changed. "Oh. Okay, then."

***

The single rose in Alyxia's hand was as dry as she was. That is to say, it was completely drenched.

She could vaguely hear Reiley's voice through the loud pouring rain as she stood at the foot of her mother's tomb. Alyxia had travelled a long time to get there, to the countryside where her mother was buried.

She felt like she was supposed to feel some connection to the one who had borne her. Instead, she felt sorrow which she thought was for no reason. She had never even known her. Why was she risking getting pneumonia for her?

She dropped the rose at the foot of the tomb, turned away and never looked back.

Until she came the next day with another rose, renewed like the tears in her eyes.

Each day she promised herself that she would leave the memory behind. But she fervently wished that her mother was there with her. At least then she wouldn't be condemned to a destiny she was not ready for.

***

Yeah, so that's that. This is only the prologue and I know that everything might be confusing right now, but I swear I'll clear it all up as the story progresses. I hope you enjoy this story!

And that amazing aesthetic graphic you see up there is done by the wonderful  @FredOfVisayas so go check his stuff out!

-Laa