Chapter Forty-One The Royal Court Debut (Patreon)

Arlie stared at the big heavy doors leading into the throne room. She was still in her clan colors, but the palace maids had changed out her armor for a dress. Honestly she was rather uncomfortable in a dress and the makeup on her face didn’t help. It was so alien a sensation for her she didn’t know how to explain it, only that she didn’t like it. Frankly she wasn’t entirely sure why the maids had insisted she wear any. They’d explained it, but the reasoning just didn’t click with her. Most girls went bare-faced anyway and if there had been something wrong with her face Aunt Ria would have hired a fleshshaper to fix it. Arlie knew that for a fact, her mind flashing to that one time she’d messed up an Earth Bolt. The conjured rock flew pretty good, but her aim had been comically bad and hit poor Mr Santra in the face. His injuries healed but his nose had been left crooked after. So Aunt Ria had hired a fleshshaper to fix it. At the time Ria had said that a mage should always take responsibility for their mistakes.

Of course, that had been her own mistake, but Aunt Ria was her teacher. So by extension, since Ria was responsible for her, Arlie’s mistake was also Ria’s mistake. At least according to her aunt's logic. Logic she could understand, but that didn’t help her understand these baffling maids. Maybe it was how she was raised, but she’d always thought of makeup as something only the lower nobility would wear. She scoffed, which made the very presence of it on her face beneath her. A funny thing to consider, she’d always known her family was in high standing, but the idea she was a princess was something she had never expected. Three months to wrap her head around it had helped it click, but until now it had just been something people were saying about her. Nothing she’d really be affected by, or so she’d told herself. Her current state of dress certainly said otherwise. An elegant flowing dress of silver and blue, paired with long socks that ran up to her thighs. Her hair had been adorned with ribbon and the boots she was used to had been replaced with fancy court shoes. She was also trying not to think about the underdress and the strange contraption they’d forced her into that made her boobs sit higher. How she’d ever move properly in this was beyond her.

Arlie shuddered as the story behind the damn underdress came unbidden to her mind. Apparently it was something some hero had decided to introduce from their world and the original version was so tight one could hardly breathe. Good thing for her the court women weren’t a fan of that, but the damn thing apparently did catch their eyes for being useful as a dress support. With some alteration, naturally, but it was still rather uncomfortable. Her thoughts about clothes suddenly came to an end when a loud voice penetrated the door. The guards shifted to open it.

“Now presenting Princess Arlie of the Contrey Clan, Second Princess of the Realm, third in line to the Throne and Bykura Kinsara of the Contrey clan to the court. Today we are blessed with her first visit to the court, all bow and pay the proper respects to the Royal Princess.”

As the doors slowly opened, her mind flashed elsewhere. The world was hazy as if it was a dream. She found herself reclining on an elaborate throne of silver and blue, padded with strange cushions, in a throne room decorated in a theme of silver and blue. Perhaps an old clan castle? They were her clan colors, but there was something off about it. The uniforms of the officials were strange, and the man kneeling at her feet was of a race she didn’t know.

She spoke, venom in her tone, “You insult us, if your pathetic Democracy cannot pay proper recompense, it will pay in blood. As of this moment, our two states are at war, but be grateful I’ll let you have six months to prepare. Die well little rat.”

The strange being turned deathly pale, “We can pay! Just give us more time, we will make this right.”

“Tell that to the grieving families,” she said as she stood up, clearly done with the fool. Who upon realizing they were dismissed, ran with tail between their legs.

With their leaving, she returned to the present. Taking a breath, she took her first steps into the royal court proper. The path to the throne was a polished silver and marked purple on the edges. Most of the floor was grey stone, but the throne ahead was settled on a dias. Yet it wasn’t just one throne. Six chairs sat on the dias, each a proper throne. The most prominent were in the middle, resplendent silver chairs decorated in purple and grey. The clan colors of the Grey Clan, the sitting royal family. On the right hand side of the Grey clan, were a smaller pair of thrones decorated in Silver and Light Blue, her own clan colors and on the left, done in Red and Gold were the thrones of the Griffin Clan.

She took in the figures upon the thrones. Only the Grey Family could take the titles of King and Queen. As the sitting royals, the right of those titles belonged to them, but each family had their heads. Settled on the other thrones were the High Princes and High Princesses of the other royal clans. She recognized the High Princess of the Contrey Family, she’d met the woman a few times in her life. The most recent meeting had been three years ago, when she celebrated her 12th birthday. She was a celebrated Archmage, perhaps an equal to her Aunt Ria, but Arlie couldn’t say. She didn’t interact with this aunt as much. The man next to her she knew even less. Arlie had met him only once, but she’d never heard his name. Yet Arlie had never expected to see Aunt Vivian on the throne of the High Princess.

The rest of the figures were not known to her. Well she knew the names of the sitting King and Queen, but that was about it. The Griffins on the other hand were a complete mystery to her. All she knew was that they had long-standing ties with the Knight Orders and many famous knights came from their line. A factor that brought to mind something about the three royal lines. Each of them had a strong hand in a different facet of the kingdom. Her line dealt heavily in magic, and produced many powerful Archmages. While the Griffins were natural-born warriors, many famous knights and generals came from their lines. Finally the Greys were most prominently involved with the religious orders. The proof showed in the fact that the current High Priestess was a Grey, and she’d been trained by the last High Priestess, who’d also been a Grey.

The rest of the court didn’t escape her notice. The ranks of the nobility were placed on either flank of the main dias, many of them stood with no chair to their name. Only the clans closest to the throne were permitted a chair, but their chairs paled compared to the six thrones of the royal families. It was a marker of standing, only the highest nobles were permitted a chair before royalty. Every noble who had one had the honor of being part of the king’s council. The others were merely permitted to be here. Their only real voice was given through the nobles above them. Lower nobles often sent a son or daughter to the court, to act as their representative, while the head of their family would stay at the family holding to govern.

Closest to the royal dias were the seats of the dukes, filled evenly by men and women both. Each duchy was powerful enough to be a kingdom in its own right. Some of them even used to be vassal states. Defeated or otherwise brought to heel by one of the three royal families. They had once ruled separate kingdoms of their own, but that was a long time ago. The Age of the Three Kingdoms was a different time entirely. Her line came to rule in Varixyies, they were one of several kingdoms back then, but the only one in Varixyies that was entirely Matriarchal, making them more of a Queendom. Arcs and Voros were crown territory, with the family home being Voros, but the palace had been in Arcs. The Greys however, their kingdom was founded in Northern Ukova near the present day location of Port Senli. Finally the Griffons hailed not from Ukova, but from North Eastern Dragonsreach, where they grew to be a powerful kingdom that stretched far into Ukova.

For Generations, their three kingdoms had been friendly rivals, who would trade or make war against each other, but they also vassalized or outright conquered their neighbors until only the three of them remained in the Regions of Varixyies and Ukova. Around that time, the Dragon Clans, a previously minor group hampered by petty rivalries, were suddenly united by a powerful voice. What followed was a holy war that destroyed many of the kingdoms in Dragonsreach. It came to an end with the death of that first High Dragon Priest, but it was merely the start of a series of generational conflicts. Every time a High Dragon Priest or Priestess came to power, the clans would unite and wage holy war on their neighbors, every time more kingdoms would fall. Eventually leading to the map as it was today, sure between holy wars some kingdoms would reconquer lost territories, only to lose them again and more in the next. Here sheltered by mountains the three kingdoms of old gradually grew closer together during this period, the royal families exchanged sons and daughters in marriage and eventually unified. Creating the present kingdom and its system of triple monarchy.

Those ties also played into the structure of the dukedoms. Immediately beneath the royal families were the three Grand Duchies; by tradition, they reflected the royals and served as their right hand. Below them were nine dukes, which finished off the dukedoms and formed the council of twelve. These twelve seats were the most ornate with the Grand Dukes seated on the right, and the Lower Dukes seated to the King’s left. Even the royals took account of this symbolism, the King was seated so that his queen was on his right side, to show that she was his right hand, just as much as the Grand Dukes were his right hand, if not more. However, her line reversed this with the High Prince sitting at the right hand of the High Princess, a symbolic sign showing who was really in charge there.

Below the duchies were the Counts, given simpler chairs they were the highest rank of nobility, even being permitted a chair. There were dozens of them on each side. While standing below them were the various barons.

Arlie walked past them all as she drew near the dias, all were standing and bowed to pay their respects. She was above all of them except the royals seated upon the dias. Her lessons with Emila came to mind. Reaching the proper distance from the throne, she curtsied, “It is my honor to stand here before the king and his court.”

“Well said my daughter, and I bid you welcome to my court. Now let’s set aside the mundane. It’s not every day we welcome a princess to the court, let us adjourn to the garden. Break out the good stuff, for tonight we celebrate!”

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Arlie found herself quickly ushered to the palace gardens. Nobles filled the courtyard, while the servants stood by with fine wines. Tables had been set out with fancy dishes. Roasted boar delicately sliced and coated with rich sauce. Pan seared chicken served on pasta in a rich butter sauce. Equiste fish, delicately breaded and seared before being served alongside roasted veggies and coated in a rich red sauce. Items that merely started the list as numerous choices were available.

The gardens were filled with lovely flowers and strong trees. A dias had been set aside for the King, his queen and the two high princes and princesses. The six of them were already settled upon their chairs, where they could watch the dances. A stage had been set in the middle of the gardens, where delicate courtesans were already dancing. They put on a dazzling display of their skills.

Being the guest of honor, she found herself with her own seat on the royal dias. With a simpler and smaller throne than that of the king, but still present on the dias. It felt odd to be on the same dias as such powerful people.

The king addressed her. “Don’t be so nervous, my daughter.”

Vivian giggled, “Forgive her, this is new to her and she’s hardly had time to prepare.”

“Perhaps, but I know Emila had three months to prepare her. That should have been enough to get the basics across.”

“I’d say she did well so far.”

Arlie just looked between them, utterly lost. What was she even supposed to say? “Au... High Princess Vivian, may I...”

“High Princess Regent is my correct title, my claim to the throne pales compared to yours, my seat shall one day be yours.”

Arlie blinked, then took a breath, trying not to forget her courtly language. “May I inquire what you mean by that? I wasn’t aware I had any...”

Aunt Vivian shifted in her chair, “Ria and I chose not to involve you in such things, your mage training took precedence. If not for this issue with hellspawn and the need for you to take your pilgrimage to the temples early, we’d have had time to finish your training. We’d have started your teachings in politics and proper courtly etiquette in just a few months. I’d heard from Ria that you have pretty much completed your mage training. There was just one area she was concerned about. With everything going on, she hasn’t been able to properly address that concern, but don’t worry, we have a few days before your ship gets here. I figure you will spend plenty of time with me, and we can correct those shortcomings as best we can.”

Arlie gulped, but said nothing. Her eyes however, said plenty.

King Grey commented, “Perhaps a party is not the best place to be scaring her, don’t you think?”

“Right, we can discuss such matters more properly in private after this.”

Footsteps drew her attention as someone came up the dias. A young man she didn’t know, his clan colors and crest however, placed him in the upper nobility, a scion of a count no doubt. He was dashing by most metrics with blazing red hair, a chiseled face, piercing eyes and a strong nose, along with enough muscles to make most girls swoon. In his hand, he had a flower, “My lady must I say it is an honor to stand before a blooming rose such as yourself. Take this paltry gift for it pales before your beauty.”

Arlie blinked, Say what?

As soon as the flower was in her hand, he left only for a girl to come up. Dressed in a fine dress of gold and purple with the crest of the County of Reshi upon the left of her sizable breasts. Her face was soft, framed by light purple hair with gleaming golden eyes. Her ears and the tail behind her gave away her lineage, “Princess Contrey, I’m honored to stand before such a blossoming flower and must thank thee for your blessings upon my family's land. Tales of your valor against a Soul Snatcher have reached even me. It is but a paltry gift, but great things often start small. Take this stone to commemorate this meeting.”

The girl gave her a lovely sapphire before quietly retreating. It was merely the start of a long line of people coming to bequeath her with gifts. When the noble dances began, every noble who gave her a gift, lined up to invite her to dance. Arlie ended up accepting the dance offer from the  Reshi girl and a few others, before eventually retiring to the royal chambers, where one more meeting awaited her. Questions abounded in her mind, and she had to wonder what other challenges awaited her.