Chapter Text
Princess Genevieve was a hopeless romantic at heart. She wanted the whirlwind romance she read about in all of the novels that filled the Castle’s library. She dreamed of being swept off her feet by a stable boy. She wanted a secret romance with a handsome peasant boy from an enemy country. She wanted to be rescued from the shackles of being the Sapphire of Nicodranas. Daughter to the current Queen of Nicodranas, The Ruby of the Sea herself, Marion Lavorre. Since the day of her birth, she was destined to marry a suitor picked by her mother and people of the assembly. She is the future queen of Nicodranas, the calculated ruler of her people. Being royalty was nothing like the romance novels she had read growing up. It was much less of a fantasy and much more about the militant and diplomacy.
Genevieve never really had the opportunity to have a childhood, at least not one most children had. She was well aware by the age of five that she was the next in line for the throne. Most of her days were filled with school and etiquette lessons. The only interaction she had was with fully grown adults up until the age of ten where she was assigned a new lady in waiting, Miss Lionett. Miss Lionett was only five years her senior, making her the youngest servant in the castle and subsequently the princess’s best friend. The years of closeness had melted away the structures of their positions as princess and servant for to each other they were simply, Jester and Beau. Two friends who in between all of the princess’s duties and lessons would roam the castle and share each other secrets. Though tonight there was no roaming of the castle, no late-night secret sharing. Beau had been wisped away earlier in the evening to help prepare the princess’s attire and such for tomorrow’s event.
Jester sat in the grand ballroom watching all the servants finish up the final decorations. Beautiful pinks and lilacs flooded the walls and tables, the room glowed as the freshly polished dance floor reflected the colors. Reality was setting in tomorrow was her wedding day. Somewhere in the castle laid her future husband, resting for tomorrow’s events. Truth be told she was already supposed to be resting as well but she couldn’t find it in herself to fall asleep. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even the marrying a stranger part that had really gotten to her. She trusted her mother’s choices in men. A few months ago, after almost a year of deliberation, her mother had sat her down and informed her on who she would be marrying in the spring. Marion had chosen Bren Aldric Ermendrud adopted son of Lord Ikithon. He was older than her as was expected in these arrangements but not by as much as Jester originally expected. He was twenty-seven making him only slightly older than her friend Beau. She didn’t know what he looked like other than him being human which intrigued the young tiefling. She had always assumed she would be married off to a tiefling never even considered that her new husband might be a human. Then again, she feels like she had made a lot of possibly negative assumptions on her husband. The men known for marrying into the kingdom of Nicodranas where always meet with a bit of critique. You see Nicodranas at its core a was matriarchal society, the king while present did not hold any real power. Men who presented themselves up at suitors where typically in it for the lavish lifestyle. Even common men who came to find wives in the kingdom were drawn by its elaborate portrayal.
Nicodranas was known for its eccentric parties and festivals, one practically being held every week. The fashion in Nicodranas was ornate, colorful, and much more revealing than most other kingdoms. This meant many had chosen to adorn themselves with colorful tattoos and piercings. The princess herself having a beautiful tattoo that ran across her chest, back, and shoulders. People in Nicodranas seemed to always be cheery and bubbly. Many saw life in Nicodranas as a life of no worries, for everything was wonderful. Though Jester knew that was far from the case. A war had been brewing for practically the entirety of her life, bringing death and sorrow to their people. A war that had taken her own father from them. While Jester enjoyed the parties, she understood that deep down they were all still hurting. The smiles most of them wore were merely to cover their despair. They partied, drank, and cheered because they feared what they would do if they stopped. Being a widow was a common thing in Nicodranas and most didn’t have the luxury of mourning. Many remarried men desperate to come to live in Nicodranas, knowing very well that getting attached to these men was harmful. For it felt like every day new men were drafted for war. In a slightly controversial move, Queen Marion did not remarry. Instead enacting a new change in the royal courtships moving her daughter’s nuptial back five years. Traditionally the princess should have been wed at fifteen, but the Queen refused. She proclaimed that her daughter would be the first to start the new tradition of marrying at twenty.
That seems so far away to Jester now, back when she thought the most daunting thing about her future would be marrying a stranger. Before she understood the pain her kingdom was going through. Tomorrow begins the start of her future, the first step to her taking over the throne. The time for fairytales is gone now. Her whole kingdom is looking to her to guide them to a brighter future. It is time for her to take her place as the Queen of Nicodranas. Finally, give her mother a chance to rest after years of having everything on her shoulders. The Sapphire of Nicodranas will take hold of her destiny. The burden of the war is upon her, the lives of her people in her hands. She will end this war.