Word Count (1,248)


Footsteps fell at a quickened pace, echoing down the palace halls. A boy carried a message from the Southern Front.

Crack.

The sound resonated through the small courtyard. And again. As two "blades" met. The two opponents were just girls, one of them barely a teenager and the other maybe a year younger. But at this moment, both of them were dressed like boys, during this little outing.

"I'm older than you, and better than you." A girl with a strawberry blonde mess of hair taunted.

Whack!

A girl with ginger curls recoiled as her left shoulder received a sound smack. "Ah, Pink!"

"What?" The elder girl shrugged. "Are you telling me the daughter of the great General Quartz can't hold her own in a fight? Come on, Rose."

"Nngh…" Rose rubbed her bruised shoulder as her friend continued mocking her. The younger girl scanned her surroundings, letting out a smirk as she found her opening. Her opponent had shifted out of her fighting stance, leaving herself wide open. Rose swiped her feet out from under her, causing the older girl to fall to the ground with a screech. "Ah, but the enemy doesn't fight fair in a real battle." Rose remarked, savoring the moment while she could.

"What are you two doing?"

The two looked up to a tall woman in a shining dress. The platinum blonde looked down on the display with her ice blue eyes.

"Wynne!"

"White!"

Wynne sighed, rubbing her temples as the girls shouted in unison. "How can you possibly encourage these nicknames of your little friend's, Roz?"

The younger sibling picked herself off the ground before taking a few steps forward with a slight limp. "It's just in private. I don't recall her ever addressing us out of form in court."

Wynne let out another short sigh to this. Her sister's statement wasn't something she could deny. "I will ask you again. What are you two doing out here?"

Rosalind looked at all the scuff marks over herself. She was still holding her wooden practice sword, and a look over at Rose showed her to be in much the same state. Two highborn girls pretending they were soldiers. "We were just… practicing."

Pathetic. "Without instructors, out of view in this courtyard?" She questioned, raising a brow. "Because if so, that has to be one of your worst decisions in your thirteen years."

Roz cast her gaze downward. "I-"

"It was my idea!" Rose cut in. "With my father being away I just… we wanted to and-"

Wynne rolled her eyes. She didn't want to hear these excuses. Not when she didn't have the time. "I don't care whose idea it was. Rosalind," She motioned towards the girls. "The council has requested the presence of all imperial family members. Come."


It was a private chamber within the palace. With a long table in the center, light poured in to fill every corner, highlighting the gold leaf which adorned its walls. Select nobles stood round, councilors which aided the emperor in governance of Juwel. Wynne and Rosalind stepped to their seats, exchanging glances with their two other sisters. As the four sat, so did the rest of the council.

"Forgive us for calling you here so suddenly, Your Highnesses." An older member said, paying particular attention to Rosalind's current… attire.

"If all of us were needed, then it was clearly important." Wynne observed. "Tell us then."

The same councilor lowered his head for but a moment. "Before we tell you, please understand, the courier has only just brought us this missive. Emperor Pedr… is no more."

Neither the sisters nor councilors spoke a word. The world seemed frozen in place. Life had stopped.

"What?" It was Jaune to break the silence.

"A storm took the fleet at sea. Your father's flagship was among the vessels lost." The man paused, allowing the news to settle before he carried on. "His plans for possession of the empire were never secret; however, timing has not been on our side."

"Only I'm of age to take full control of what was promised." Wynne commented.

"Well, Cyan and I aren't far behind." Jaune cut in. "We'll be ready to take our territories and our share of the burden soon enough."

"Regardless of when the rest of you come of age," Another of the councilors spoke, "We need to prepare the realms for the news of Pedr's passing."

Rosalind couldn't bring herself to engage in this council discussion. She looked over to Cyan, sitting directly across from herself. Silent sobs racked her sister's body as tears streamed down her face. And though Jaune was putting on a brave face, she could hear the cracks in her voice which betrayed her. Wynne was the only one of them who held firm after the initial shock. She was the only true leader among them.


Juwel was an ancient empire. Wars had been won and lost, borders always in flux, but never before had so many gathered in one place. A new ruler was to be named. Young and old, wealthy and destitute, citizens from all over the Empire gathered.

Within the palace walls, lords and ladies mingled under the stars. The mural of constellations glittered above as these nobles funneled into the throne room for the ceremony.

Rose didn't press her friend on the topic. From what she saw from Pink, she could only imagine her sisters taking this all much the same. Rose had family, and she knew those four were the last of their line. It was something hard for her to imagine, always surrounded by her own cousins. Family. Here she stood, representing House Quartz at the ceremony, one of Juwel's greatest military powers. But none of that mattered in this moment.

All clamor died down as Wynne appeared. For a moment, Rose had almost forgotten how to breathe. The gown Wynne wore was like something out of a dream. One could say Her Highness shone brighter than any star that day as she walked that aisle, followed by the Imperial Procession.

She climbed the final step, and came face to face with the Grand Clarity. "Princess Wynne Lumina Petra Diamond, you stand before us today to accept the Crown of the Juwel, from the lands of Constellos to those of Erd, you will hold the lives of an Empire as yours. Do you accept?"

"I do."

"You must make the decisions to put an end to all conflict, from threats both foreign and domestic, through peace or force. Do you accept?"

"I do."

"And do you accept all responsibilities, all consequences, from whichever actions you take, which reflect on all of Juwel?"

"I do."

Wynne lowered her head for the crown to be placed upon it. What should have been a graceful moment, several of the nobles had to stifle their laughter for, as Diamonds were quite infamous for their height. But scepter in hand, the way she looked out over the crowed sent a chill through the air.

"Then may I present Her Imperial Majesty Wynne Lumina Petra Diamond Empress of Juwel."

"Long live the Empress!"

As the chant repeated, Rose couldn't help but think of the future. What would the other sisters do when they took their corners of the Empire? This should be a wondrous moment, but young Quartz couldn't tell why that pit formed in her stomach. She hoped with all her being that it was not a prelude to something terrible.


A/N:

Y'know, Pedr (Welsh of Peter) is a name that means "stone"? And no, I don't have full names for all the Diamonds, this was just for the coronation. I dunno how I did on that... Yeah, the whole situation is easier to explain than just show. Wynne has the ultimate decision over the empire as a whole, thus why she takes the Imperial Title, but the other sisters are still the rulers of their respective quadrants. There. Simplified! And since I have you here, I figured in this society it would be a typical thing for daughters to have their father's name, so all the siblings would have "Petra" within their full names, and well just some AU stuff.

And yeah, Rose is the one who calls the Diamonds Pink, White, Yellow, and Blue here in this AU. Not really something I think anyone else will do, but it's cute before she starts her rebellion. Aw, I love tugging at heartstrings.

Also, next chapter is going to have a significant timeskip. Though this is technically "Chapter 2", this one is technically the Prologue. Last chapter was exposition. Kinda like those Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books which tell you about the characters' homes before it gets into the main story! I mentioned that was an inspiration, right? Hehe.

I'll try to write longer chapters in the future. I will, okay. Be patient with me. We're in for the long haul here.

Welp! If'n you can leave a review, that would be appreciated. Help an author know how she's being received!

As always, this is your lovely Squish wishing you all a fantastic day! :D