The King.
He had such a terrifying expression on his face as he cut down those who opposed him, as if they were nothing more than a tiny inconvenience to him. But then he turned to her, again his hand outstretched towards her with such unparalleled concern.
“Are you okay?” She slowly nodded, accepting his goodwill. He pulled her up onto his horse, forcing her to wrap her arms around his waist.
“You cannot kill them,” she said. He looked over at her.
“Why not? They attacked us, they tried to kill you-”
“No, they thought they were saving me. These people are probably just farmers who don’t agree with the change of leadership- pleas
hello, it is me, author.
The rest of the trip had been uneventful. Ursa, Cecily, and Emery ended up travelling with the soldiers instead of in a pretty little carriage. These men were enemy soldiers, and yet they were nothing like what she expected. While Ursa was sitting by the fire, waiting for Ivan to return with her portion for dinner, a young soldier in his mid-twenties approached her. He sat down on the stone next to her and greeted her with great respect. “I thought I would come by and greet the general’s wife myself,” he said. Ursa perked up. “Is he not your king as well?” the soldier looked a bit embarrassed at his slip up. “Yes, well- the boys and I have worked with the general- I mean, the king- since he was a prince. We know him more as our general than anything. He d
That night, Ursa got to experience her first Vasil banquet. Originally in honor of their king’s homecoming, it was adjusted to include the news of his impending marriage. Cecily briefly went out to speak with some of the Vasil maids while Emery kept Ursa company. A few moments later, Cecily returned and the Vasil maids trailed behind her.“My Lady, these are the handmaidens that were chosen to serve the future queen of the Vasils. We have come to an agreement that we will work together to dress you tonight,” Cecily explained. The two handmaidens bowed. They were both very different looking from Cecily and Emery. They were gorgeous, with dark skin and flowing black hair tied back into intricate braids. Their uniforms weren’t that of a usual servant, they were made with high class materials and put together by a skilled seamstress. Ursa deduced that these women were probably lik
As promised, the Vasils partied for three days and three nights, ending with the wedding. Solai and Erara returned Ursa’s wedding gown as promised- although in better condition. It wasn’t a surprise, it was a hastily put together dress. It was a traditional long red gown and matching veil. Solai and Erara had added the embroidery of the Vasils’ most famous flower, the Vlora flower, to the train of the dress as well as the veil, adding an ethereal sense of beauty. Ursa was now looking forward to the wedding, if only to wear the dress.Ursa found an interesting piece of mythology about Vasil weddings: They usually occur at noon, which is an auspicious time to the Vasils. Swearing on a never changing sun, so the marital bond is strong forever. The Romanovs tend to hold their weddings at dusk, just as the sun was setting, so the Goddess of Love Silenea could bless the union, as legends
“She doesn’t look happy.” Ivan had decided to go pout over by Orlov, giving his new wife some time to herself and her handmaidens. Orlov had been speaking to some noblemen when Ivan rushed over, saying he had urgent business to discuss with him.So it was this.“This is probably just overwhelming. Everything is probably moving too fast for her. Her homeland was taken over, she was betrothed and married, and she’s probably experiencing culture shock,” Orlov reasoned, taking a sip of his champagne.“But I wanted her to like our culture, so she’d feel right at home!”“That doesn’t change the fact that she
After the three day honeymoon period the Vasils allotted, Ivan was forced to join Orlov back in court. Ivan deeply regretted leaving Ursa, partially because he enjoyed the time he spent with her- talking with her, being with her- and also because Ivan had a deep hatred of politicians.They were all snakes to him, everyone of them. Well, perhaps Orlov was the exception. Orlov was almost ten years his senior, and was more like a brother to him than any of his blood brothers. Orlov had accepted him and helped him when no one else would. It was hard for Ivan to think ill of Orlov, even if he was a politician.Ivan tried to hide his boredom, but it was hard. All of these ministers, ambassadors, governors- all they did was argue! Ivan was glad he was Emperor- he had final say
In a pub in the downtown area of Ichares, sat a couple of men, drinking beers after a long day at work. Loud drunks they were, laughing at any slightly comedic event and complaining about their everyday lives.“Did you hear what the ‘Emperor’did today?” one of the drunks said loudly. His companions replied negatively. “That murderer killed old Lord Smirnoff right on the spot and then he gave that Romanov whore access to the courts!” Many men around them laughed at the audacity of that bastard king. What Emperor? He was just a murderer!“That snowflake Kiev even brought it up!” A man from another table added on. Soon everyone in the pub was discussing it.“Those female ‘officials’ backed it up. They’re going to ruin our governme
It had been a week since Ursa began attending court. Ivan, true to his word, had a similar court dress made just for her, with the familiar black and gold coloring complete with a headdress. Ivan had even set up a throne of equal size and splendor right next to his. That had gotten a rise out of the officials and his advisors.Orlov was surprised at how tame Ivan was in court the past week compared to his normal behavior. He still kept that same old scrunched up expression to show his displeasure around politicians, but now and then Ivan would glance over at Ursa, who was listening intently to whatever was being said. Then Ivan would turn and whisper to ask Ursa’s opinion on matters. Orlov felt a weird bite at his heart whe
After all the women were settled in their seats did the festivities truly begin. Ursa sat and chatted with the girls at her table for at least ten minutes before Erara gave her the signal to start the first event. Ursa stood up, ready to announce the first game, when a few ladies and Lady Tatya stood up as well.“Your Majesty, we were wondering if we could recommend the first game,” Lady Tatya said. The girls behind her nodded along like puppets with strings tied around their necks.“Is that so? That’s a little untraditional,” Ursa replied. If Ursa allowed Lady Tatya to do as she pleased, it would undermine Ursa’s authority and set a precedent that she was a doormat. Ursa was not