Reign
Andi Mack AU
Simsgal
No talking for now. See you at the end of a possible next chapter :)
Pronounciation of the Kingdom of Kaimet: Ky-May
Pronounciation of the Kingdom of Avril: A(pple)-Vril
Reign
In the past, there was a time of two kingdoms, each rivaled in beauty, strength, and power. Tales of gold, silver, of jewels and greed. Women of long hair and skin of milk or ebony so clear it radiated when in the sun. Their only flaw was the denial of cooperate, the inability to accept one another in peace. The quarrels were endless. For years time, the names of rival crowns were not even spoken on the tongue of a kingdom. In each of their own biomes, the land and terrain known well. The beasts healthy and evil with ignorance. The nobles damned with beauty and cursed with wealth.
These are their stories.
Xxxx
The scribe's ink quill kept hitting the paper, but to no avail. He was extremely obedient, but was unsure of what to write. His superior, King Henry Mack, highest noble of Avril court, paced gently, his mind creating thoughts but not cohesive enough to appear demanding or urgent on paper.
He did not want to alarm the recipient of the letter, but he did intend for it to carry urgency, as it wouldn't reach them for some time. Henry had kept up with the whereabouts of this person, yes, and knew exactly of their residence. He assumed it would take three days time for the letter to reach. The days were counting short now. How much time did they have left? The royal family? Queen Celia? Some things were numbered, and the endpoint was approaching. Irritated, Henry slammed his large palmed hand onto the stone wall, cursing to himself.
"Damnit, Aldin. I don't want to submit to this—to the truth! I would rather live one thousand lies than carry out this true life that is about to become… Rebecca returning will be a disaster for this kingdom." He hisses out, and his longtime friend and scribe leans back in his chair, at a loss for words.
"With all respect, my lord, we knew this day would come eventually. Surely it was well known in the palace, but for how long were you hoping to hide Rebecca from the kingdom?" Henry knew this was true. He sighed with defeat.
"I… I know. I just don't want this to weaken us. I don't want my kingdom-my, my subjects, to suffer from this family's actions." Like a cauldron, everything bubbled over, and all at the worst possible time. Soon would be the holiday celebrating the ending of the 2 year war, a year of turmoil and chaos to both the kingdoms of Avril and Kaimet alike. The noble family was heavily involved in ceremonial traditions, and to deny the subjects of this would be devastating. Until this month in time, King Henry had considered Avril to be strong, full of burgeoning power and strength as well as knowledge that Kaimet could only imitate. If only his subjects knew how thin and brittle the infrastructure truly was. Though Kaimet and Avril had been under cordial relationship for quite some time, there was still an obvious tension. If any weakness was spotted by the savage rival kingdom, who relied more on battle strengths and blood, Avril may be at risk.
It wasn't that the kingdom was unaware of Rebecca's existence. She was first born of the royal court, of course well known. Her secrets became the family secrets, and if the truths came out all of Avril would surely be damned. Some time ago she ran off, left behind her past, and dropped any royal name she may have held. Celia and Henry begged her not to go, but she left anyway, in the dead of night as dark as her features and story.
But now it was time for her return.
Xxx
The moon was out and high, providing some illumination. What greatly aided were lighted torches posted into the ground, arranged in a wide and spacious circle. Nearby, a calm horse grazed in a relaxed and familiar manner. Upon his bridle was the crest of Avril, a proud signet sported by any royal beast or carriage. His owner, a young woman of sixteen, had fresh sweat dripping between her brows, her pale feet bare but dirtied on the sole. In her lithe but strong arms was a forged metal crafted with expertise. She held the blade up and forward, with a craned arm near her head of wild coils. One leg slipped from under her casual dress as she placed it forward, distributing her weight on both feet. Her breaths were shallow as she eyed the scarecrow target, his hay stuffing spilled all around him. She could almost laugh with glee at her precision! She left her resting stance and brought the blade down quickly and accurately, the silver reflecting fire for only a moment before cutting another split into the worn sack of a target. She leaped back effortlessly, turning her sword in a café-au lait hand, groaning from effort and sounds of hard work escaped pink lips.
This is no fun without a partner. She thought this sullenly and relaxed her shoulders and released her stance. Buffy released audible frustration before taking a seat on a fashioned bench and drinking some of her water. This was her favorite training spot, and has been since she was little. Her sister even practiced archery in this same spot, her own targets hanging by ropes like damned men and splattered with red and white paints. She wished the other girl was there now so they could have a friendly spar.
"And just what are you doing out here so late?" the chirp of a voice startled the usually alert girl who perked up, hoping her desires had been quenched and she would have a sparring partner.
"Well, Andrea, the two-year war holiday is approaching, and I need to prove my strengths. Haven't you been practicing your archery?" the taller girl asks her sister, who smirked knowingly, crossing her arms and leaning on Buffy' horse, who was now attempting to snuff at Andi's head of long, black and braided tresses.
"Yes, actually. But not at night. You don't need to practice this much, we victor against Kaimet every year. There won't be a change this year." Andrea said easily, approaching her sister who had sheated her sword and was attempting to put out the torches.
"Well, in my mind this is what I see as I fight. I envision this circle, I remember my training." She starts and gets half of the flames out, while Andy does the rest. "Besides, Kaimet is full of barbaric morons. They swing before they calculate, and half of their men have poorly crafted blades. The royal court boasts a weak son." The taller girl brags haughtily, earning a laugh from her sibling and fellow princess.
"Well aren't you confident. Remember, this is all for fun, to celebrate the end of a war. Not start a new one, so be nice." Andi warned before joining Buffy on the horse, who slowly trotted back to the palace, which was not far and was even within walking distance if one felt adventurous. They escaped the woods and natural fauna and came to a naturally cleared grass field, the tall stone walls intimidating and strong. The walls were high, but the actual castle seemed to dwarf them. They approached the rear garden, the flowers gently frisking in the light breeze, their colors appearing vividly in the moonlight. At the wooden and iron garden door, a posted and familiar guard nodded respectfully at the two young women but also smiled. Both girls hopped off the brown horse and Buffy patted his neck gently as they entered the gate.
"Thank you and goodnight, James." Andi thanked the guard with a sincere smile and the man nodded.
"Anything for you girls, now you'd best be getting to sleep. Apparently, the king has an important announcement tomorrow." Both women nodded, aware of their father's proposed meeting of the royal court. Buffy was sure it had to do with the health of she and Andi's mother, Queen Celia. Her stomach turned at the thought of the potential news. It could be positive news, but Buffy was good at identifying climates and this one felt negative. She didn't want to lose another mother. Her fear of this was showing in her behavior, and took a toll on her very obviously.