This is rated T for teenagers, however, this fanfiction is rather dark and may contain character death, sexual content, language, and violence. Use discretion.
Linphea, Flur de Lis Palace
Princess Flora of The Royal House of Linphea paced the hallway of her room aimlessly. The Flur de Lis Palace had always been her favorite estate to visit when she was little, but now...she shook her head and allowed herself to remember when it was just her, Mama, and Papa...
No Roxanne.
Roxy, as her supporters, treasonous, evil supporters, called her. She was the true queen of Linphea; Roxy was the daughter of a castle whore and didn't even look like the royal family of Linphea; she had pink hair and fair skin like her whore of a mother.
She heard a knock at the door and straightened. "Who knocks?" she was pleased with her commanding tone, fit for the true queen; and was just as pleased in the answer. "General Helia, Your Grace."
"Enter." she said, and he opened the door to her outer chamber. Immediately he knelt, pressing his lips to her red rose ring she always wore as a sign of her status.
"God save your grace." he murmured, rising when she waved her hand. "The bastard woman, Roxy, has tried another attack on Lorel. The revolutionaries pushed her back forcefully. However, it may be true that she is marching on the palace next. A siege could be underway."
"Is there anything you can do?" she said, trying to hide her wringing hands in her long sleeved gown. Helia nodded tersely.
"We could try to attack them before they attack us." he suggested, and she frowned, staring at him speculatively. "But we've never mounted an attack before," she said quietly, "only defended ourselves."
"Yes, your majesty. That may be the case, but if there is a siege, Roxanne's army is much larger then ours. She has more supporters, including very influential dukes such as the Duke of Liilth, backing her up. If you were to reestablish the Linphean Elder Council of the Redfoundtain, Saladin may back you up and that could prove useful."
"But I must admit that Roxanne was wise to ban them from her court as well as I was to ban them from mine. Most of them are corrupt old men who have no respect for a women's honor."
Helia nodded. "You may be correct, your majesty. However, it would be a large blow to deal Roxanne." she nodded.
"Thank you, General Helia. Your input is appreciated in this situation. You may go now." as he backed out of the room and shut the door, she sat down at her breakfast table and lay her head in her arms. She didn't really want to hurt Roxy, just for Roxy to acknowledge that she, Flora of the Royal House of Marigold, was rightful and true queen of Linphea.
She raised her head and rang for Helia. Rising, he knelt and kissed the ring again. She sighed wearily.
"Bring me Saladin. He will have his council."
_
Magix, Digitron Castle
Grand-duchess Tecna of Zenith Stood in front of her father's desk, where papers were scattered and he sat with a bad tempered look on his face. "Tecna," he began, "as you know, you will turn sixteen in three days time. By the time you are sixteen, you will be in court. I am sending you tomorrow and sending word today so that our suites may be cleaned for your arrival.(1)
I would have wished for you to make something of yourself by now." he bemoaned. "The king should have had a son, I know he would have offered him to you by now. We own more of Magix then he does, and that is why I have made him your guardian. If anything happens to me he will suggest a husband for you."
Tecna nodded, glad that he couldn't see how hard she swallowed down the lump in her throat, which was covered by a lace choker. "So I shall spend my birthday on the journey to Dragonfyre Castle?"
"That is where the royal family has decided to spend the Yuletide. So, indeed."
She nodded and tried not to look too sad. "Is that all, Father?" she asked, politely. He nodded, then held up his hand as she bobbed a curtsey and began to leave. "Wait, Tecna. You shouldn't pack any clothes; I have ordered a whole new wardrobe for when you arrive at Dragonfyre." she cringed on the inside and continued to walk, after muttering out a quick, insincere "Thank you, mi'lord."
She did not want to become married to one of the courtiers, which was exactly what he father wanted. Before the Royal Family of the House of Solaria, The Royal Family of the House of Zenith had ruled Magix, and her father aspired to the role.
She understood she was a disappointment to her father; being a girl instead of a much wanted boy; her mother never understood why she felt that why but she knew that it was the absolute truth.
Her one of her Ladies-in-waiting, Chimera, grabs her arm. "A whole new wardrobe, mi'lady? How exciting for you!" she nodded weakly, trying to look pleased when she knew the wardrobe would be full of dresses made for her to look appealing to a rich man, probably elderly.
Her ladies in waiting were to accompany her. Apparently she was going to Dragonfyre Castle for Yuletide and it was a three days' journey. She knew that her father had tried with limited success to marry her off to others; why, however, she knew not.
She disliked most of her ladies in waiting, except for one, Stella, who was a bit over-the-top and talkative, but also, sometimes kind and a good friend. She also knew a lot about royal protocol, though Tecna didn't know why. She could not trust them with any secrets, though. Stella was a terrible gossip.
She wished that she could read in the castle library or look out of the telescope at the night sky after supper, but she could do neither. She hated how all she did was embroider with her ladies and sit; she wished she could learn something for once...
And the next day it would be off to court.
Magix, Dragonfyre Castle
Crown Princess Daphne of Magix waited on her bed breathlessly. She had spent all morning at some silly parade with her silly little sister Bloom. Bloom didn't know what she was talking about, whatever she was talking about, and the foolish little goat was ugly as well.
Unlike her, crown princess and all set to rule. Beautiful...and with the ear of the most powerful man in all of Magix...who was currently controlling her father, because her father was an old ninny who didn't know what he was talking about.
And speaking of the man, the nineteen-year-old Princess's lover opened the door and she sat up. It was indeed him.
"Baltor." she purred, looking up at him. He smiled at her, talking off his burgundy jacket.
In seconds, they were upon each other, each individual ripping at the other's clothes, falling onto the bad, lips pressed hard against one another. They made love until Daphne sat up, completely naked and sweaty, breathing hard.
She brushed her blonde hair, matted to her face, away, and lay back down next to him, sliding one arm underneath the pillows and the other onto his bare chest. He opened his mouth to say something when there was a knock at the door.
Daphne shot him a look of panic, whereas he was surprisingly calm; she took a deep breath to try and slow her pounding heart; "Who is it?"
"It's Bloom!" called her sister from the other side of the door. Baltor didn't move or attempt to point out the fact that his breeches lay halfway under Daphne's bare legs, his shirt, flung into some corner of the room, and Daphne's own now ripped dress hanging off of the four poster bed's canopy.
She slid off the bed, cringing at the feel of her feet on the cold stone. "What do you want?" she said, hand on her chest to keep reminding herself to breathe.
"To say goodnight." her stupid little sixteen year old brain couldn't understand what alone meant? Specifically what she had requested from everyone? She said as much to her sister, who replied with a bloody oath she had heard down at the shipyard, and stomped off.
Daphne suspected she had taken a piece of jewelry she wanted to replace before Daphne found it missing, and looked back to Baltor. "What now?" she asked breathlessly.
She found herself reddening as Baltor's eyes traveled up and down her figure, stopping at her bosom before speaking. "Well, we can resume, or so that your sister doesn't lead your mother to discover us together, I can bid you my farewell."
Daphne nodded. "I think that would be for the best." she nodded to him, as he pulled on his coat, breeches, and shirt, and sat on her bed, dressing herself for bed. Speaking of which, she was going to have to make the maid change the bed sheets. It was eleven at night, but Ellen wasn't very bright and wouldn't catch on.
Down the hall, Bloom of Magix was smiling happily. She would always be the ugly little sister, but now she would be the ugly little sister...who had seen her father's chief advisor in bed with her sister, the crown princess.
Thank God for keyholes.
Princess Layla of Andros stood in the tower.
In some odd, twisted Rapunzel fairy-tale, she had been locked inside this tower for three months.
Of course, it was lavish; lovely beds, ladies in waiting, servants, even an eloquent jailer, Sir Nabu Tidesburg.
She chuckled bitterly as she embroidered, thinking of her first week, which ended with her screaming, "I am the queen of Andros and I demand you let me out of here! This is my aunt's country!"
"Your highness," he had said with so much mock sympathy, "your aunt wanted you to reside here for your protection."
She had thrown a vase at him and missed.
Well, not anymore. She opened the coded letter from her friend Anne in Andros. "We are coordinating with Roxanne of Linphea," she wrote, "she wants to see someone other then the Royal Family of the House of Domino on the throne; she didn't support the revolutionary cause. I can assure you that if the nineteen year old and the queen and king are killed that the young girl, Bloom Elizabeth Second, will allow her older cousin to rule in her place."
Lady had written back, "Will she? She is apparently willful and rude to most; I don't think that she would allow me in this country for a moment, and besides, I am only one year older."
"It doesn't matter." she had replied. "Roxanne of Limphea is willing to back us up."
She stared at herself in the mirror, letter in her hands as she set fire to it.
"How would you like to be queen of Magix?" she asked herself.
And that ends this chapter! I think there will be one more introducing Musa, Stella, and Roxy.
(1) Most dukes and counts had rooms in the palace where they only lived when they wanted to visit the castle.