Practice
Her Royal Highness Princess Weiss would be assuming the throne in a matter of weeks. Her father was still alive, but he had opted to step aside, so that she could rule for as long as possible. After all, she was Death's Chosen, so who better to rule Atlas than her?
Of course, that was really all just a polite way of saying that since she was, apparently, Death's concubine, no one would dare mess with Atlas if she was in charge because Death would smite the crap out of them. And considering just what sort of smiting Death was capable of, there wasn't a kingdom in the world dumb enough to make that mistake. And if they did make that mistake? Well, they wouldn't be around long enough for it to matter.
Naturally, Weiss was nervous. She had trained all her life for this, but she had always thought she would have more time. Her father was in reasonably good health, and this sort of abdication had never happened before in her kingdom's history. In the past, the monarchs of Atlas had ruled until they died or became too sickly to rule properly.
What policies would she pursue?
Who would she appoint to important positions?
What would she do if something went wrong?
And perhaps most importantly of all, would she be able to conduct herself in an appropriately regal manner, one befitting the queen of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world?
Weiss looked into the mirror. She had dismissed her maids for the time being, so she was completely alone. The reflection that stared back at her wasn't half bad. She knew she was beautiful, and she knew that her features were distinctive. But did she have the bearing of a queen? Did she have the aura of command and dignity that all of the greatest rulers were reputed to have.
Biting her lip, Weiss struck what she thought was an appropriately regal pose. "You may approach," she murmured, gesturing with one hand. "I will hear your petition."
Hmm... that hadn't been completely awful, but her voice should probably be sterner, less demure. She would be queen. She had to strike at least some fear and awe into those that spoke to her.
"You may approach," Weiss growled. "I will hear your petition."
Okay. That might have been too harsh. Perhaps if she changed her posture and looked more welcoming it would work better. Yes. That might be it. Peering at her reflection in the mirror, she tried to stand in a more welcoming way. Wait. Why would she be standing? She would be queen. She'd have a throne.
Weiss dragged a chair in front of the mirror and sat down on it. Her brows furrowed. Was that an appropriately regal way to sit? It kind of looked like she was slouching. But was slouching bad? Could she slouch as a way of asserting her dominance?
Squirming around, Weiss tried to find a position on the chair that made her look both impressive and approachable. But despite her efforts, she couldn't seem to find anything that worked. Was she doing it wrong? How did her father sit? Maybe she could try that. She scowled. No. Now that she'd tried it, the way her father sat looked ridiculous when she did it.
Covering her face with her hands, Weiss fought the urge to scream. What sort of queen would she be if she couldn't even work out how to sit on her throne? This was going to be a disaster. She was going to lead Atlas into ruin and...
No.
Taking a deep breath, Weiss forced herself to calm down. She could do this. She simply had to approach this logically. There were only so many different ways to sit on a chair and only so many ways to speak to someone. If she simply went through them systematically, she was bound to find a combination that worked.
Four hours of unrelenting failure later...
Weiss covered her face with a pillow and screamed into it as loudly as she could before hurling it at the wall.
"I am so doomed..." Weiss muttered. "I am going to be the worst queen ever."
She rolled over – suffocating herself to death would be easier if she was face down – and received a comforting lick on her cheek.
"Zwei...?" Weiss turned her head. Sure enough, the divine dog there was there. A lead weight settled in her stomach. If Zwei was here, then that meant a certain someone couldn't be too far behind, and if they'd seen her...
"Hello, Weiss."
Weiss sat up and stared. Death had turned the chair to face the bed, and she sat on it with her legs crossed. Her right hand was cupping her chin while her left tapped a steady beat on the armrest of the chair. There was a faint smile on her lips, and amusement filled her starlike gaze. But above all, Death radiated splendour. The chair might have been made out of wood, but the way Death sat on it made it look as though it were carved of diamond.
It wasn't a chair anymore.
It was a throne.
Weiss threw a pillow at Death.
"You saw, didn't you!" Weiss wailed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Death replied, catching the pillow and perfectly copying one of Weiss's more awful attempts to sit on the chair.
"..." Weiss's eye twitched. "You're terrible, you know that, right?"
"Weiss, are you really that surprised I saw?" Death chuckled. "I'm Death. I see everything. Everything. Once I saw you staring into the mirror, I couldn't help but have a little peek. You're adorable when you're trying to be all regal and ferocious."
"I don't want to be adorable!" Weiss cried. "I want to be... to be... regal. I want to be the kind of queen no one ever forgets! I want to be the sort of queen that the history books talk about for centuries! I –"
"Weiss, nobody is going to care how sit on your throne. They're going to care about what you do with the power you have." Death smiled. "So instead of freaking out about things that don't matter, why don't you take advantage of the one resource you have access to that no other ruler in history has ever had."
"And what would that be?" Weiss asked. Zwei nudged her with his head. "And, please, don't tell me it's Zwei."
"Well, I guess that makes two resources you have access to that no ruler in history has ever had, but, really, I was talking about me." Death struck another impressively majestic pose on the chair. "Are you forgetting who I am? I am Death, Weiss. I have seen the rise and fall of civilisations. I have witnessed the reigns of the very best and the very worst rulers in history. Think of all I could teach you if only you asked."
Weiss fell silent. That... that was a very, very good point. Death had witnessed all of history. The things she could teach her, the things she could tell her about! Yes. This was perfect. With Death's help, there was no telling what she could accomplish.
"But you'll have to bribe me."
"..." Weiss sighed. "And what exactly would, I, a mere mortal be able to bribe Death with?"
Death patted her lap. "Oh, I could think of a few things." Her gaze smouldered. "Or rather, I could think of a great many things. After all, if you want me to teach you everything I know, you'll have to give me everything you have."
X X X
The High Priest and High Priestess of Death made their way toward the soon-to-be queen's chambers. Weiss had looked rather stressed lately, so they had been hoping to offer her some of their sage advice. After all, they had run one of the most important groups of clergy for decades. It wasn't the same as running a kingdom, but there were still plenty of things in common.
However, on their way there, they found their path blocked by a familiar dog.
"Lord Zwei." They both made to kneel, but Zwei waved them off with a shake of his head. He was a kind and merciful canine, so he didn't want the old humans kneeling before him all the time. "Is our Most Honoured Goddess here?"
The dog nodded.
"And you are standing guard?"
The dog nodded again.
"So she is occupied with Princess Weiss?"
Another nod.
"In that case." The two clerics smiled sunnily. "We shall return at a later time."
X X X
One of the most famous paintings of the legendary Queen Weiss of Atlas depicts her sitting upon her throne as she sits in judgement of various petitioners. It was painted shortly after she ascended to the throne. The artist, renowned painter Velvet Scarlatina remarked that she painted the scene after being struck by how regal and majestic the queen was despite her youth. The painting is considered a priceless treasure, and it is currently displayed in the Atlas National Gallery where it has resided for centuries.
– An extract from 'Depictions of Royalty: Royal Portraits Through the Ages'
X X X
Author's Notes
As always, I do not own RWBY. I'm not making any money off of this either.
Yeah, this is the first time that the High Priest and High Priestess were actually right about what they assumed was going on. Zwei's job is basically to stand guard and make sure they aren't interrupted. But don't feel bad for him. He's not going to be on his own for long. Since he is a divine beast (arguably the most powerful of them), it won't be long before some of the palace's occupants come forth to seek out his wisdom and knowledge. They will, of course, bring gifts to placate him, so he doesn't have to worry about dinner. Also, if you've enjoyed my fan fiction, you should check out my original fiction. You can find me on Amazon and Audible as L. G. Estrella.
As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.
