Been underestimated my entire life
I know people gonna talk shit (da da da da), and darling, that's fine
But they won't break my spirit, I won't let 'em win
I'll just keep on living, keep on living, oh
The way I wanna live
-Bastards; from Kesha
"The Sovereign have crossed our Eastern Borders, Your Highness. In a matter of weeks, they'll have made their way to the palace..."
"What of our men on the Borders? Or the Outer Rim? What reports do we have on them?"
"It would seem that, on the East, they've been taken. Our men on the Western and Southern Borders, along with some men in the Northern Outer Rim, are fighting off the Sovereign the best they can."
"Do we have enough soldiers to rescue the hostages?"
"I'm afraid not..."
-Bastards-
Briar Rose pressed herself against the thick mahogany door, her ear placed firmly on the wood. She was trying her hardest to hear what was being said on the other side, though she had an idea on what was being discussed. Were the men and women on the other side debating over attack plans? What were her father's ideas on what should be done? Was there anything that could be done? Those thoughts flitted through her head, making it hard to focus. If nothing could be done, then how would the kingdom hope to survive? She tried pressing herself further onto the door, but it didn't really matter in the end. Briar Rose just couldn't hear what they were discussing.
Letting out a huff of air, Briar Rose pulled away slightly, looking at the door in frustration. Her father and some of Cordelia's most trusted men and women had been locked away in her father's study for a better part of a month. Briar Rose could only assume they were talking about battle strategies, ways to protect Cordelia from the Sovereign. The young girl herself hadn't been told all the fine details — she actually hadn't been told any details — so she was very antsy to know what was going on. Had the Sovereign broken through any of the Cordelian Borders? What about the Outer Rims? Were those still standing? For Briar Rose, she couldn't help but think like that; she was Cordelia's princess, and she only wanted what was best for her kingdom. That was why she felt she had to know what went on between her people and the Sovereign.
"My Lady!" The booming voice caused Briar Rose to let out a surprised shriek, practically leaping in an attempt to turn around. When she did turn, she saw the glaring face of her guardian, Briana. The older woman's arms were crossed, a look of irritation on her face. Briana had been assigned to be Briar Rose's guardian not long after the girl's birth. It was a responsibility not to be taken lightly. In the royal family, guardians are assigned to the children of the Emperor and Empress to help take care of the child should the rulers be away on business. Even if the business required the Emperor and Empress to remain in Cordelia, the child's guardian was still responsible in taking care of them. Briana happened to be a very strict, very overwhelming, one. Though Briar Rose couldn't blame the older woman for being that way; the princess did have a bad habit of wandering off at the most inconvenient times.
"Hey, Briana," Briar Rose stammered. "I, uh, was looking for you and..."
"You are forbidden from being over here," the older woman snapped, storming over to where the young princess stood. "It was requested by your father I keep you away from his study."
"I know, I just..." Before Briar Rose could finish, the door to her father's study opened.
"What's all the commotion out here?" Léon, Cordelia's Emperor, stood on the other side, though his tone was firm there was a hint of annoyance. For there to be annoyance in the Emperor's tone was not good, considering he was a solemn man; his light brown hair graying long the sides, as a result of both stress and age. Léon's sharp green eyes went between his daughter and Briana. "Well?" he said sharply. "I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"I apologize for the intrusion, Your Majesty," Briana said, her tone suddenly civil, gentle. "I was looking for the Lady when I found her here."
Léon's gaze went to Briar Rose, who was doing everything in her power not to look at him. "Rose, you know you're not supposed to be here," he said. "This kind of matter isn't something you should be concerning yourself with."
"Why shouldn't I be concerned?" Briar Rose snapped. "I'm the princess! I live here. If the Sovereign's attacking, why shouldn't I be helping...?"
"Because I can't afford anything happening to you." The Emperor's statement was firm and harsh. It caused his daughter's mouth to snap shut, and her body to tremble in unspoken anger. Léon knew that Briar Rose wanted to get involved, that she'd do anything if it meant protecting Cordelia, but he just couldn't let her. It did hurt him, having to keep her within the confines of the palace, but it was for her own benefit.
"What kind of Empress am I going to be if I can't even help my own people?" Briar Rose hissed, glaring up at her father. "If I don't even know how to handle disasters? Why don't you discuss that with your people?"
-Bastards-
Briana had led Briar Rose back to her room with little discussion of what had just happened. It was both relieving and frustrating. For the young girl, especially in moments of frustration or anger, all she wanted was someone to talk to. Briana wasn't the best choice, considering her otherwise strict demeanor. It's not to say the princess couldn't talk to her guardian about certain things, it was just deciding when the right time was to bring it up. Briana was usually a last resort if there were no other options of people to talk to. But as Briar Rose followed behind her guardian, she couldn't help but wonder — what was going to happen to the kingdom? Was Cordelia going to be destroyed? The Sovereign had expressed their desire to annihilate the kingdom; it was their biggest goal. One of their biggest goals. The Sovereign was an organization of extremists, having defected from Cordelia. Being unhappy with how things were being run, the Sovereign swore they'd return one day to destroy the kingdom and rebuild a new society.
A shiver ran up Briar Rose's spine every time she thought about it. It had been years since anyone had heard from the Sovereign, so when they suddenly appeared months prior, it sent Cordelia into a panic. Briar Rose had, essentially, been put on house arrest until things were figured out. Léon locked himself in his study with his most trusted colleagues until a plan was figured out.
"My Lady," Briana's voice snapped Briar Rose out of her thoughts, "your room."
Looking at her closed bedroom door, the princess let out a sigh. Without saying a word to Briana, she opened the door and went inside. A small smile came across Briar Rose's face when she saw Kirlia inside. The Emotion Pokémon and the princess had a close relationship, a friendship that couldn't be broken. Briar Rose had been given Kirlia as a gift for a birthday, though at that time, Kirlia had been a Ralts. The princess and Ralts had spent plenty of time together, even having battled some of the wild Pokémon that came into the palace gardens. Eventually, Ralts evolved and the relationship between Pokémon and princess intensified.
Closing the door behind her, Briar Rose let out a huff. "I take it your mirages could only do so much," she said.
An apologetic smile came across Kirlia's face, her red eyes looking at the princess pitifully.
"It's fine," Briar Rose sighed. "You did your best. It's not like I could hear anything anyway. The door's too thick."
"(We'll figure something out)," the Emotion Pokémon responded.
"Have you had anymore visions?" The princess had a fair amount of knowledge when it came to her Pokémon companion. Briar Rose knew that the red horns on Kirlia's head amplify her psychokinetic abilities, that it also allowed her to distort dimensions and create mirages. The young girl also knew that her Pokémon had the ability to see into the future and feel others' emotions. When Kirlia shook her head, Briar Rose nodded. The Emotion Pokémon's visions were something the princess found fascinating, and when one occurred, the small Pokémon's first instinct would be to tell her companion. "I suppose that's good," Briar Rose sighed.
"(Let's hope so)."
Yeah. Briar Rose could really hope so.
(A/N):
Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I've been having serious writer's block and it's been a bit difficult trying to think of something decent to write. If you've got any constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it. I'd absolutely love to know what I could do to improve this story.
Nothing in the PKM franchise belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.
Again, constructive criticism is welcome. If you've got ideas or suggestions on what could be done to improve the story, let me know. If you think that the story's fine the way it is, that's fine, too. Also, if you think I'm getting any of the canon characters wrong, don't hesitate to let me know. I'd hate to have to fix the story later on because I ended up getting characters wrong. And for anyone who's wondering if this story will be based around any particular season, it won't be. I want to say it'll be somewhere in the DIAMOND AND PEARL universe, but I'm not entirely sure. All I can say is that Brock is still around, so...
I digress.
Have a wonderful day, my friends.
Bella Lillis