Royal Affairs: Part 6

Nothing has happened much since friday. Friends and foes, on the other hand, are rapidly changing. People are changing as this dynasty is coming to its end. The king seems to be getting more enlightened and so are his subjects. The queen is still as generous as ever. The former queen is reclaiming some old territory. Currently I am practicing my archery and sword skills, to prepare myself for the upcoming battle. Since this empire is majorly made up of females, me joining the army is not uncommon. In fact, all of the knights are female, with the males being foot soldiers. The king is basically the only male who is even living in the palace! Before the current king was crowned, we were all ruled by the queen mother. The queen mother fought rebellions in the court of her own. Back in those days, I was still a commoner. The country had a year of turmoil, which was only ended when the emperor stepped in. When our king was crowned, all the rebels were gone and "peace" was once again restored. Now, the former queen and her entourage still refuse to join the battle. Somehow, I must try to get her to fight for our empire. In order to do that, she may need to gain some additional power...

Royal Affairs: Part 5 - The Great Battle

There is a day in every dynasty in which an empire must prove itself against its enemies. Our empire's day is suddenly approaching. The great musical battle of will and wits will take place May 22nd! It will be a battle to prove ourselves worthy of being an independent empire! Our country's honor is on the line. The rival empire from a land called New York, has claimed us as a barbarian mongol nation, a true insult! For this, we must beat them in the dust! But, sadly, the former queen and her maids have chosen not partake in the battle, even though the king and emperor greatly suggest it. The queen's reasons are not quite clear except that she has lost all favor with the empress. Since the sole purpose of the battle is for honor and glory, an honor which will reflect the greatness of the emperor and empress, she will have nothing to do with the matter. I have chosen to remain loyal to the empress who has shown great appreciation for me. Me and my people will go and defeat this rival empire despite our little numbers. Its not the number of our army that defines us, but rather out war strategy. We will use all strength to shine our way out of the dark cloud that has recently surround the kingdom. Even if I shall fall in battle, I am giving my full confidence in the king I once resented, the one who rejected me. He has changed and he has changed me. I now will give my life for him because he deserves it for what he has done. He has kept his promise and brought true reform to our country. He has made it thrive again. The commoners no longer fear him but put their faith in him! This is the kind of leader who will lead our empire to victory!

Royal Affairs: Part 4

As time progress till the great clash of empires, the king has recently confided in me the hidden secrets and intentions of the royal family. He has told me the greatest secret of all, which revealed the true nature of the royal family. The former queen was not pushed out of the throne, but she resigned herself! From the king's stand point, she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. She also was planning to set the new queen up for failure, which I think backfired greatly. It seems the true nature of this empire is getting clearer as we get closer to the end. The end of the reign of our king is quickly approaching. It has been confirmed that his new queen will succeed him on the throne as sole ruler, just as he did to the previous queen, the Queen Mother. Anyway, errors of the emperor are also becoming clear, due to the fact that his mistakes are effecting us all. I have come the realize that it wasn't a waste trying to please my king. I see that his heart is with the people, not just the nobles. He wants to reunite the country by slowly dissolving the oppressive cast system. I also realize the former queen was not evil, but simply misguided. She was searching to heal her heart, but looked in the wrong place. She is now finding herself, as I found myself years ago...

Royal Affairs: Part 3

The king has suddenly show favor in me! I don't know what to think of the situation. On top of that, the former queen wishes to form a truce! The king has privately said that he wishes me to retake my former position as king's consort. I believe he has the power to do that, since he has the emperor's full favor. But, despite wanting my old position back, I need to forgo it for the sake of my allies. How can I be a leader to them if I must remain in the palace. Now that I have mentally matured greatly since the first time I was consort, I no longer desire such a position. I even felt such a position was now beneath me. I felt that being called a consort was similar to slave. A slave of the king and his royal family. I am free now! I have created my own status, neither royal or slave. It is a status that everyone can share and be happy in...

Royal Affairs: Part 2

Since the queen's dethronement, I have lived peacefully. I do feel it was unfortunate though, for her majesty to be second place in her own kingdom. Even though she was ruthless, I can't say she wasn't loyal. She remained loyal to the king ever since he was enthroned and she was queen. I do feel her pain, her rejection. The king definitely should have defended his woman's position, rather than cast her out. Since the queen lost noble favor, she wishes to form alliances with people I already formed alliances with. It's a funny thing how life is. That saying, "what goes around comes around" is absolutely true. Now the queen seeks guidance, since the Imperial Family has rejected her (or who she rejected). What should I do? Should I try to form a truce alliance with her or should I continue fighting my war alone?

Royal Affairs: Part 1

In the 4th year of the reign of our king, the queen was suddenly replaced by a younger woman. This woman was completely different from the former queen. She was fully of grace and compassion. She favored me and attempted to break up the tension in the court. Of course the former queen was not happy with this. Since it was the emperor's will that the queen give her up, she no longer favored him. The queen no longer favored the empress either. The emperor wasn't completely harsh for he did let her remain in the royal palace, only as a concubine rather than a queen. When this happened, the queen lost most of the nobles that favored her. She was completely alone, accept for a few loyal maid servant. The king had nothing to say about this, since he was enjoying a much younger and beautiful woman as queen.

From Nobility To Royalty: A Short Lived Legacy

Finally, I was fully accepted into the royal palace. I was adorned fully in royal robes and I had a complete royal entourage. I was no longer servant class and I had the full support of the empress. She daily graced me with her presence and time, trying to prepare me to win the favor of the emperor. Unfortunately, the emperor did not fully accept me as the king's main consort. He felt the position was above my station. So, he took my royal status away and replaced me with a younger, less experienced concubine. It didn't matter that she knew nothing of royal life, but it did matter what my background was. The emperor never gave me a proper chance to prove myself to him. The king and queen of course had nothing to say in my defense, so I went to the empress about it. She did support me, like I expected. In fact, she was willing to get my position back. To my own amazement, I declined. I declined because I felt I could better serve the common people if I were closer to them. I therefore accepted my rank as a second class servant to the king. I still retained a substantial amount of power in the courts. I was able to help the common people survive and still keep my dignity. Because the empress favored me over the appointed king's consort, I held much more power than she did. The people followed and loved me, enough to make me queen! That is all I could really ask for...