Kassio Orlov didn’t want to attend court that morning. According to his father, the current Prime Minister, there was an esteemed position waiting for Kassio because of his achievements. Orlov didn’t want anything to do with the current king or his dynasty. His family had long been silent critics of the king’s policies and military pursuits, but Orlov’s private studies had long produced him with the opinion that the current governing body was a ruinous system.
But what could he do? Orlov had still yet to graduate from his studies! He sat silently at his father’s side, who was nervously tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk. The doors to the court room opened, announcing the arrival of the special guest.
“His Highness the Seventh Prince, Prince Ivan!” Orlov craned his neck to get a good look at the youn
The first order of business was to prepare Ivan for his official crowning as a legitimate prince. Although he was called by the title, there was usually a special ceremony that took place at birth. Seeing as how Ivan grew up in the small village of Vria away from the palace, he never had the opportunity to be dubbed.Orlov spent the next week going into the palace and educating Ivan on the expectations of the ceremony. Orlov noticed the little boy preferred darker colors, so he asked one to be prepared for the ceremony. The entire royal family would be there, plus every noble in town for the season. It would be best if Orlov could begin curating Ivan’s character to make him a likeable figure to the public and the nobles.Finally, the day arrived, and Orlov personally escorted Ivan, whose long red cape trailed behind him as he walked, completel
The moment they entered the temple, Ivan felt a searing pain shoot down his back, threading down the mark on his back. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground in front of the priests that greeted them.“What’s wrong with the boy?” An alarmed priest asked. They immediately crowded around him.“-Back…” he grunted out, reaching out to grab a hold of anything that could let him ease the pain. Orlov immediately pushed the priest back and ripped off Ivan’s cape and coat and other layers revealing his deeply scarred back.“It’s blood red,” one priest commented in shock.“Look at the shape of that!” another exclaimed. They all fought to get a good look at the boy’s back whi
The northern territories took ten months to calm. Ivan and Orlov fought together in countless battles, but they’d have it no other way. Before, their relationship was muffled by the teacher-student label the king had placed on them. And although Ivan still saw Orlov as a teacher, he also saw him as a friend… like a brother. Or however a brother was supposed to be. Those boys in the palace could not qualify for the position.When they returned, the king honored Ivan and Orlov with a banquet, and promoted Orlov to a diplomat to the Allied Clans.“So you’re just going to leave for Vaatu territory like that?” Ivan huffed as they practiced sparring.“I don’t control where the king takes me. Besides, he’ll probably send you on another campaign soon. We can only
After Ivan completed his tale, they sat in silence. They had moved to the parlor, and a servant had served them tea. Ivan’s teacup was still full, while Ursa’s was half empty.“So?” he prompted.“What do you want me to say?” she said slowly, worried she might offend him in this kind of state.“Now you know the terrible truth. You must be disgusted,” he said with a bitter expression. Ursa shook her head, a small smile displayed on her lips.“We all have our pasts. We all made our mistakes. I am not without my own faults. In the end, those are what we take with us to the grave, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do that can fix it. My people used to be peaceful, we
Lady Tatya lounged about in her chambers, reading a horror novel. This was one of her favorite genres. She loved the thrills, the twists, the terrifying reality that burst through the pages. But most of all, she loved the creativity.So many ways to die, so many ways to make someone fall on their own sword. Tatya turned the page with such vigor, she almost ripped it. Yes, this was the moment in the story where the characters were cornered and trapped by the monster, the monster that had a million ways to torture them. Skinning, drowning, beheading… all wonderful ways to cause someone’s death.Unfortunately Tatya’s monster was such a public persona. The Empress of an entire empire! And behind her stood the bastard king, with a skillset equivalent to even the Oracle in the Temple of Hypnotite, despite being so young. Truly a terrifying ex
Cecily and Emery had been cleaning up the Empress’ room when they heard the dreadful news. The Emperor was poisoned by the Empress! The two handmaidens refused to believe it. Although the couple had their ups and downs, Ursa was not a rash person, nor was she as vicious so as to poison someone! Cecily had witnessed their harmony for herself, just as they were leaving the room for their dinner. Besides, Ursa would never make such a cunning move without first consulting herself or Emery, not that Emery was much help.“We must see Ursa,” decided Cecily. Emery instantly nodded in agreement.“Where is she being held?”“From what I hear, she’s being confined in the prisons, but no one will speak with me in detail about it.” Cecily was always seen with the Empress
It wasn’t that Ursa wasn’t frightened or anxious about the results of the investigation. She worried how far the person who framed her went. She took comfort in knowing that their plan went awry when the Emperor ended up drinking the wine instead of her, although not much comfort can be drawn knowing that you were the one meant to be poisoned.Still, Ursa didn’t know how adaptable her opponent was to the new situation. She trusted her handmaidens with her life, and now they had the chance to prove themselves. Ursa only had a fledgling of an idea of who it could be, but making rash assumptions would lead to her downfall. So instead she sat in the cold, damp cell with only Cecily’s cloak to comfort her.***Emery knocked quietly on the door to the Emperor’s study. She had a feeling
Outside the palace, many began to riot. Men and women stood with rocks and hard projectiles ready to throw, while the palace guard stood with stoic faces, building a seemingly impenetrable human wall.“The Romanov witch has cursed our Emperor! Execute her!” they screamed. From above, Orlov watched the people with disdain. So quick to judge and condemn, without knowing all the facts. Orlov had attempted to keep the situation quiet until the handmaidens could find evidence that suggested the Empress was not to blame, but it seemed some unknown force was intent on the public knowing of the situation. It was this kind of scenario that Orlov had worried when he said he would not be able to openly help the Empress.A knock on the door snapped him from his reverie. “My lord, the court wishes to hear about the situation. They have called a