Though she was born as the first child of King Edgar, Gianna’s life was quite different from a princess’.
King Edgar was a sexist. He always saw women as children-makers and never reckoned that a queen should rule Werto.
When he was the crown prince, he had the rare opportunity of marrying a Hesmian princess, which seemed quite impossible for someone like him; a not-so-handsome, nor-very-intelligent prince from a small kingdom.
Then-princess Artha saw him when he visited Hesmia as a messenger. She immediately started having a crush on him, which made no sense because Edgar was not much attractive. Maybe it was just her destiny. She secretly followed Edgar everywhere and decided that she loved him.
Princess Artha had no idea about Edgar’s hidden personality. She had fallen for the fake nice version of him, which he maintained with extra effort. The princess directly requested permission to marry him from then ruler- Emperor Dheema who was the elder brother of her father.No one supported the match, but Artha insisted. Prince Edgar had no clue until his father announced the proposal from Hesmia.
Edgar was a playboy; having dozens of affairs with girls from every level. As for those girls, they dated him only because he was the crown prince.
After hearing about the marriage proposal, Prince Edgar was confused.
He would have immediately thrown it away unless his father advised him to accept it.“Only a fool would refuse a princess from Hesmia. Don’t be a loser, Edgar. Marry this girl. We’ll be ruling Hesmia one day.”
So, it happened. It only took a week for Princess Artha to realize that all her fights were not worthy. She had won nothing but got herself trapped in an unhappily-ever-after marriage. To make things worse, she was unable to get pregnant for the first three years of her marriage. After visiting many religious places and doing countless rituals, she got pregnant. And when the baby was born, Edgar was furious to see that the baby was a girl.
King Edgar decided to depose the mother and the newborn, but he feared that Hesmians would plot revenge. Keeping Artha as the Queen, Edgar married four other women, one at a time.
The first three concubines failed to give birth. They did not even get pregnant. They were…beheaded. The fourth concubine- Lady Maria finally gave birth to a baby boy. King Edgar was so excited that he forgot about Hesmians and quickly deposed Artha. Maria was made the new Queen and the boy- Eddard was made the crown prince.
Artha was helpless. Hesmians had already forgotten her. They did not respond to Artha’s messages requesting help. Emperor Narendra was busy with other stuff. He did not care.
Artha went to several kingdoms seeking aid to raise her 8-year-old daughter. She was no longer a princess of Hesmia, nor the Queen of Werto. Everyone saw her as a deposed helpless queen with an unwanted child.
Actually, some kings agreed to help them, but they had conditions that horrified Artha. Some offered her to be a concubine and abandon Gianna while some kings wanted to make Gianna a concubine when she reached the eligible age. Both were extremely unacceptable.
Artha felt so relieved when she heard about ‘Stri’; an island which was prohibited for men to enter. It was home to women only. Any woman who wished to live without men could get the chance to live in Stri after being accepted by the chief.
Artha eventually got acceptance and found a place to live, which made Gianna’s childhood more enjoyable than it would have been if she lived in Werto. Gianna learnt all kinds of fighting skills such as swordsmanship and archery, which would help her in combat. She
excelled in academics too.Stri had a unique educational system that allowed any girl or woman at any age to join the academies located all over Stri to learn. In the academies, they could learn History, Geography, Invention studies, Warfare, Religious studies, Economy, Botany, Zoology, and Alchemy et cetera.
Almost all the girls learnt fighting skills and a type of crafting like pottery or weaving by choice. Strian academies had excellent teachers who roamed the world and gained knowledge in every subject.
Growing up in Stri, Gianna got a good reputation as a top student. But when it came to overall fighting skills, she was still in the ‘yet to improve’ also known as the ‘weak’ group. She kept practicing hard to reach the ‘still improving’ or the ‘medium’ level, while some of her peers belonged to the ‘improved’ group.
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When Edgar heard about the offer from Hesmia, he suddenly recalled that he had a daughter. He managed to locate Artha and Gianna within five days via his spies. King Edgar sent a fairly long letter addressing Artha.
Strian gatekeepers felt suspicious when they saw a letter for Artha, which never happened before. Especially, it came from the Wertese palace.
Every letter from the outer world had to pass through the main gate, where they were checked strictly. The gatekeepers sent a message to Artha and asked her to open it in front of them.
“Lady Artha, this is strange. Please let us know what is in the letter. You know, security problems.” A gatekeeper said.
“I know, dear. No problem.” Artha replied with a gentle smile.
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Gianna was practicing archery when Artha showed up in a hurry.“Lady Vivi, could you please release Gianna? This is urgent.” Artha was panting.
All the middle-aged women were called ‘Ladies’ in Stri. Strians believed that they all belonged to the same class.
“Oh, alright, Lady Artha. Gianna, you can go.” The archery teacher-Vivi said.
Gianna bowed to the teacher and came to her mother. She knew that something was up.
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
“Ginger, let’s go home. We must talk in private.”
‘Ginger’ was Gianna’s nickname.
As soon as they entered their home- a simple cottage, Artha grabbed the letter out of a pocket.
“See? I got a letter…! Guess who sent it.” Artha had a big smile on her face.
Gianna felt strange.
“I don’t know. We never got a letter from anyone.”
“It’s from your father…hahaha” Artha let out a laugh.
"What? Why…just…ugh! Tell me what’s in it.” Gianna was confused.
Artha read out the letter.
“My dearest Artha,
First I must apologize for not being able to contact you for the past years. I missed you and our daughter very much every time I breathed. I regret the mistakes I made in the past and I feel ashamed that I missed the childhood of my darling daughter.I want to apologize to both of you that I made you suffer, letting you live an ordinary life instead of royalty. I think that was the biggest mistake I have ever made. Only god knows how much I missed your miraculously beautiful face and our daughter’s cuteness.
Without you, I always felt empty. That is why I sent my soldiers everywhere to find you the day after you left. But they failed. Now that I finally found you, therefore I would like to invite both of you to enter the palace again and live the life you deserve. I…"
“Wait…He wants us back?” Gianna interrupted after listening silently for a couple of minutes.
“Yes dear, he wants to let you live the life as a princess. He even offers to make me the queen again.”
“Umm… Don’t you think he’s up to something, mother?” Gianna spoke her mind.
“I thought it too. But I strongly feel that he might have changed. It’s been years, Ginger. People do change.” Artha appeared confident.
“People do. Beasts don’t.” Gianna said in disgust.
“Listen, Ginger. You've suffered a lot. You don’t deserve this life. You're a princess, you were born into royalty. Look at this cottage, does this look like a proper place for a princess? You should be living in a palace.” Artha’s eyes were filling with tears.
“Mother, look. I never saw myself as a princess. I can’t remember my life before we came here, but all I know is that I love everything about Stri. I’m glad that I grew up here, rather than living in a palace with an uncaring father. I don’t want to live like a princess. I’m fine as an ordinary Strian. And… I highly suspect that father is up to something. Don’t you see he’s already lying in the letter? I don’t think he searched for us at all. And his praises are way too much. It was him who threw us out just because I was a girl. Such a cunning sexist! He’s up to no good, mother.” Gianna said in an alarming tone.
“I know you’re wise. But you have trust issues you know? This is your father. I reckon we should trust him once. If he hasn’t changed, we’ll simply return. Trusting isn’t a bad thing sweetie.”
“I would trust any Strian, mother. But not the man who made me have trust issues. And mother…what if we do not get a chance to return? What if we get stuck in there?” Gianna asked.
“No, Ginger… A super-skilled warrior has got my back.” Artha did not lose her confidence.
However, Gianna kept feeling that something might go wrong, while Artha imagined how happy Gianna would be after re-entering royalty after years. She felt satisfied that Gianna was finally going to receive what she truly deserved. It would erase all the mistakes done in the past, she thought.
Artha was the exact same woman who blindly fell in love with a stranger for no reason. Nothing to wonder.
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Gianna went to bid farewell to her friends. They gathered near Lake Fimne, which was their usual gathering spot.“So…you’re leaving?” Zasi asked. She could not believe the news.
“Yes Emse Zasi, I have to. But I don’t think we’d be there for long. I’ll come back soon.”
Originated from a Lisdonian sub-language, ‘Emse’ was the word commonly used in all kingdoms for ‘elder sister’. In fact, ‘Enye’ was the word for ‘elder brother’.
“Bring us news about the outer world, Ginger. It’s probably disgusting.” Kimelle, who had never left Stri uttered curiously.
“I know Kimie. I’ve already started hating there.”
After having an earful of ‘goodbye’s and ‘be careful’s, Gianna left Stri hoping to return soon.
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When Gianna entered the outer world, she felt weird to see a lot of men walking around, which was very unfamiliar to her.She did not have a clear picture of Edgar in her mind, but she was stunned when she saw that Edgar had brown hair and white skin unlike her, who had black hair and tan skin. Edgar and Gianna had nothing in common.
“Oh welcome, my darling Artha! I missed you so much!” Edgar walked forward and hugged Artha. Then he saw Gianna who was wearing armour instead of a girlish robe.
“Isn’t that my baby girl?! Oh dear how much I missed you!” Edgar tried to hug her too, but Gianna silently put a step back and avoided him.
Edgar looked slightly disappointed, but then he ordered Gianna and Artha to rest. They were given separate chambers and maids.
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After spending two nights in Werto without any flaws, Gianna and Artha were asked to meet Edgar for a special reason.
“My dearest daughter Gianna, I have a great offer for you. I’m sure you’ll love it.” Edgar said with a big smile.
Gianna narrowed her eyes.
“Hesmia- your mother’s empire expects to get their future empress consort from Werto, and that’s going to be you!!”
“Oh, so that’s why you brought us here huh? To marry me off for benefits? Mother, I told you he’s up to no good.” Gianna yelled.
“No good? I am going to make you an empress, silly girl.”
“No thanks. Look for someone else, please. We are leaving.” Gianna shouted furiously.
At that very moment, Edgar ordered the guards to capture Artha. Gianna was stunned by the unexpected move. She only had a dagger hidden inside her uncomfortable princess robe. It was obvious that she could not defeat all those guards.
“I tried to use the easy way, but you chose the hard way. Now do as I say or your mother will suffer.” Edgar uttered devilishly.
Artha felt extremely guilty and scared. She felt that she had made a nonreversible mistake, which would ruin Gianna’s entire life.
Artha was immediately taken to the dungeons. King Edgar ordered not to give Artha any food until Gianna completed preparing herself as a typical princess.
After learning from several courtesy teachers, Gianna was ready.
Gianna hated palanquins. She thought it was a shame to put her weight on someone else’s shoulders. Though she asked for a horse, Edgar denied it saying it does not match for a girl to travel on a horse. He had no idea how good Gianna was at horse riding. After she came out of the palanquin, Gianna gazed at the Hesmian palace which was bigger than any other buildings she had ever seen. On the other hand, Danyel was trying to recall the weird dream he had last night. This time he saw the brightest sun anyone could ever imagine. It was burning endlessly and it reminded him of a fierce warrior. Not only the view, but he also felt the warmth. “The sun? Um… According to my knowledge, the sun represents a strong man, mostly a warrior, your imperial highness. Maybe this symbolizes an arrival of a man into your life.” the royal astrologer was confused too. “What??? A man?? No way!!!” Danyel screamed. A man into his life? Like a lover or something? He felt disg
Soon after Gianna left his chamber, Danyel realized that he was never this much angry at anyone else. Though he maintained a rather tough, warrior-like personality, he was nice to everyone just like his mother. But with Gianna, he completely lost his temper. “I should have been more patient.” Danyel thought. As the girl would not give up, Danyel thought to convince his father to stop this wedding. “Father, I have something important to tell. Can you spare me some time?” Danyel asked in a hurry when he met the Emperor in the royal garden. The emperor was on his way to a concubine’s chamber. “A private matter, I guess?” Narendra raised one eyebrow. “Yes, your majesty.” All the maids and guards left them alone in an instance as if they disappeared into the evening breeze. “Father, I don’t think this Wertese girl is suitable to be the crown princess. She…um… she doesn’t seem err…royal enough. Maybe because she did not grow up in a
After the royal council was dismissed, Danyel went to Gianna’s chamber. “How are you feeling now? Does that hurt a lot?” He asked keeping a neutral face, though he sympathized with Gianna. Gianna was guessing that Danyel was the one behind the assassination attempt. When he came to see her, which never happened before, Gianna confirmed her guess. This brat! How dare he try to kill her! “No, sire. That doesn’t. I can’t feel the pain because I’m overwhelmed by the satisfaction that I didn’t let those cowardly losers kill me. It increases when I see their hopeless faces.” Gianna uttered, looking Danyel in the eye. “Oh, but I expected you to be more intelligent. That assassination attempt was a warning. It was a message asking you to quit. I thought you understood that. This whole place is dangerous for you. This might be only the beginning.” Danyel said. “Why didn’t you just send a note with them? I don’t like hidden messages at all.” Gianna gave
Danyel was going on a morning walk with his spy, maids, and guards when he saw a partially huge mess in the swordsmanship-practice area. The trainees were gathered in a circle and cheering loudly. When Danyel reached there; curious to see who was fighting, he was shocked to see his friend Amell- one of the best fighters in the empire being knocked about by…Gianna. Wearing armor, she looked better than he had ever seen her before. Her hair was tucked into a bun which was wet from her sweat. She was smiling and panting at the same time. Some were cheering for Gianna while others were encouraging Amell to get up and fight back. However, Amell was lacking energy so he gave up. He got up and said, “You’re such a fighter, aren’t you? You defeated all the best guys here.” Gianna smiled. She too was a bit tired after wrestling with seven muscular guys without taking a break. She defeated all of them; one by one. Though she was tired, she wante
Upon hearing someone’s footsteps, Danyel took his sword and prepared for a fight. His hand was still hurting, but he did not care. Even though Yasvie wanted to stand by Danyel and help him, she was too afraid to go forward. She hid behind Danyel. Danyel tightened his grip on the sword. The sound of the footsteps was increasing. Using his predicting skills, Danyel identified that only one person was coming their way. But he could not feel relieved because he knew that only one extremely skilled Lisdonian soldier was enough to kill both of them. Every passing second felt so long as if they were experiencing a slow-motion mode. Fear, curiosity, anger…all the emotions were bursting at once. The moment came…and the person was………Gianna! Again wearing armor. “Oh, it’s you! You scared me to death!” Danyel let out a big sigh. “Thank god it wasn’t another Lisdonian killer!” Gianna uttered. She felt so relieved. She was looking for a place to sto
Yasvie felt relieved as Danyel finally agreed to leave Gianna and save their lives. But she was wrong. Danyel had had other plans. After running a few yards up on the hill, Danyel found a nearly-perfect hiding spot filled with bushes. He stopped. “Yasvie, hide near the bushes. I’ll get Gianna.” He already had the idea of going back. “Sire no! Please don’t…” Yasvie did not get the chance to complete her line. “Here, keep this dagger with you.” Danyel gave her a dagger and ran instantly. He opened the temple door with much effort only to see Gianna falling on her knees in front of his eyes after an enemy’s sword went across her chest and belly; giving her a HUGE cut. She was not wearing a metal chest shield. Gianna went unconscious instantly. But she had managed to kill five men of Remington’s army. Seeing this horrific incident increased Danyel’s energy. He swore to himself that he would kill each of them. Showing off the combat
Hesmia was being prepared to welcome the new era under the new emperor. Remington was overwhelmed by the idea of sitting on the throne which he always dreamt of. In his youth, he challenged Emperor Narendra, stating that he could defeat the emperor in any form of combat skills. The reason for his overconfidence was a prediction from an astrologer whom he met while training in the Elville Mountains. The astrologer said that Remington had a kingly aura and that he could definitely rule a widely-spread nation. Emperor Narendra was shocked at his loyal friend’s sudden change. However, the emperor managed to defeat Remington in every battle. Filled with shame and rage, Remington vanished into the evening breeze without a sign. Everyone thought that he might have either changed his identity or been committed to an asylum. Merikh Remington, who was meant to be a forgotten memory, had unexpectedly returned to Hesmia with the most dramatic entrance. Nevertheless, the astrolog
The Great Empire of Hesmia has a long history of 3000 years. It was founded by 'Nihas the great'- a soldier who worked for the Findaivian (now a part of Lisdonia) Emperor. The majority of the Findaivians had fair skin, so the tan-skinned people were considered 'low'. They were given less opportunities and their rights were frequently ignored. Nihas gathered all the tan-skinned people and began a revolution. His side won the war and eventually founded the kingdom 'Hasvia' (Nihas+Findaivia).Its name changed from 'Hasvia' to 'Hasmia', then to 'Hesmia'.Nihas' descendants- known as the 'Sammata clan' continued to keep the monarchy stable. Only the sons of the queen consort were considered heirs to the throne until Princess Anantha defeated all her brothers and uncles in an all-in-one test to prove that she was the most eligible person to be the monarch. After that, Hasvian women got the opportunity to rule.Among the