Chapter Text
“...and I’m sure with these improvements, Piltover will subsequently prosper,” Councillor Salo proudly stated when he had finished presenting a surprising 55 point proposition for actions that need to take place in Piltover. Caitlyn, along with the other council members gathered, had sat through his torturous demonstration and explanation of each bullet point, though the more Salo talked the more ludicrous his proposals seemed.
Finally sensing that the councillor was done, Salo took his seat though not before shooting Caitlyn a slightly sly grin before doing so. Something about the councillor made the blue haired princess’s skin crawl, and that didn’t include his obnoxious arrogance that he seemed more than happy to flaunt.
“Right. Thank you, Councillor Salo.” Caitlyn kept her voice clear as she gathered all 30 pieces of paper that detailed Salo’s argument and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Although he was her junior in terms of political power, Salo didn’t waste the opportunity to sometimes remind Caitlyn of her inexperience in comparison to his on the Council. What Caitlyn couldn’t tell him though was that, even though she may not be the most experienced in her role, she had more time to prepare for her later occupation and was not at risk of getting booted off her high horse like Salo.
Hold your tongue, Caitlyn. The princess could almost hear her mother’s voice in her ear. Like her daughter, Cassandra also didn’t have a fondness for the councillor, but he was an important political ally and his generous ‘donations’ helped maintain and offer opportunities for the people of Piltover and improve their quality of life.
For the past couple of days, Caitlyn had been tasked by her mother to attend council meetings while Cassandra finalised some procedures and tasks. What she was finalising, Cassandra did not go into specifics, but the princess largely assumed that it had smth to do with her mother’s going away. In turn, Caitlyn didn’t pry. Cassandra often was not allowed to disclose too much of her political work to anyone, making her office a world in itself, a bubble of Cassandra’s thoughts and logic. Cassandra’s office often mimicked Caitlyn’s own desk (or the other way around), with papers scattered largely everywhere and messy handwriting doodled on scrap pieces of paper. That’s not to say that Cassandra was not organised, as the disorganisation of her office only encouraged the put-together image of the Queen of Runeterra.
Nonetheless, Caitlyn took on the responsibility without complaint even if it meant waking up earlier in the mornings. In truth, being able to sit amongst the councillors gave Caitlyn a sense of pride to which she had never experienced before. Sure, she had sat on the council before, but that was always alongside Cassandra and not on her own. Here, Caitlyn was very much in her own domain and left to her own senses. Many of the councillors looked towards her for advice, and valued her opinion more than their fellow councillors. None of them seemingly seemed to care that she was younger than them all (apart from Salo, though who cared what he thought anyway), and a few of them even offered the young princess encouraging smiles. Many of the councillors had been known to Caitlyn for years, so it was not like she was a complete stranger, but the faces that she did not recognise she did not let intimidate her. Amongst them was Vander, to whom Caitlyn found herself slightly surprised seeing, though the larger man kept to himself apart from a few comments he often interceded in on some topics. Even though he was technically overstepping his role, Caitlyn allowed him to continue as she viewed his opinions as insightful.
“Do make sure to read all of the pages of the manifesto if needed, Your Highness,” Salo spoke, though he might as well have said I expect you to read all of it again. His beady eyes registered Caitlyn’s every movement, but the princess didn’t give him the satisfaction of reacting to his inferences. Instead, Caitlyn shuffled around in her mother’s regal chair, adorned with rubies and emeralds, to which Salo pressed his lips together in annoyance.
“I’m sure it will be a most interesting read,” Caitlyn finally managed to compile all of the pieces of paper together, and gave it to a member of staff that had appeared behind her. Adding Salo’s manifesto to her ever growing to-do list of boredom was not something that she was looking forward to, but at least reporting back to her mother would be more entertaining.
“Quite,” Salo sourly added, to which Caitlyn ignored. The princess feared that if she heard another word from the resentful politician, she might need to excuse herself. That, alongside his nasally-annoying voice and tight lipped mouth, was enough to make anyone else feel irritated beyond words. Caitlyn’s own exhaustion and hair (her handmaid’s had braided and tied the princess’s hair too tight following her waking up, causing her head and scalp to ache incessantly) wasn’t necessarily helping either.
Right now, what Caitlyn wanted was to leave and most likely get into bed. Alas, with it still being the early morning, the princess would have to wait countless hours before she could relax (to Caitlyn’s irritation, she still was having a hard time sleeping at night).
Eyes burning from lack of sleep, Caitlyn clasped her hands together and addressed the rest of the councillors. “Anything else?”
Amongst themselves, the councillors chatted lowly before a chorus of ‘no’s and shaking of heads followed. Slightly relieved, Caitlyn dismissed the councillors for the day which then followed with them bowing and curtsying before bidding Caitlyn a ‘Your Highness’ and walking out of the council door. The princess, still sitting down, rubbed her forehead and stared down at the paperwork that was trying to present itself as inviting. As if Salo’s manifesto wasn’t bad enough, the other requests and proposals had mounted to a pile so large it was half the length of Caitlyn’s forearm. Considering how most of it would be required to be read, make notes on and then consult with her mother, Caitlyn’s evenings were ‘all work and no play’. Oddly enough, the princess didn’t seem to mind much since it was inspiring to see how the councillors worked together to compile such proposals. Most of them were collaborations on how to improve things such as working conditions for those employed, living conditions and housing projects.
As much as Caitlyn wanted to sign off on everything, finance was a significant factor in these decisions. Keeping their public happy and satisfied was a priority without a doubt, but so was keeping the Kiramman coffers at least half full. Luckily, the majority of the councillors were sensible people and acknowledged that not everything will be granted. The final ‘yes’ lied with Queen Cassandra, and that ‘yes’ cemented the beginning of something or decided the end of something before it even started.
So many requests, not enough money.
Skimming through the paperwork that was in front of her, Caitlyn tried her best to gather everything together and then proceeded to hand it to the same member of staff that had arrived to receive Salo’s manifesto. Caitlyn had to give it to her mother – being able to make people happy, as well as being logical and fair was a challenge. Some things appeared to be easier to perform than others, but that didn’t mean that with some time and thought that the other requests couldn’t be performed as well. Still, resisting the urge to bite the end of her quill in thought, the princess shook her head and gathered the rest of her belongings before rising from her chair. Her dress got tangled slightly between her legs, but once she had straightened herself out, she soon too exited the council meeting room with her guards in eager pursuit behind her.
⋆˚✿˖°
The streams of daylight refracted through the grand windows of the Kiramman Royal Palace as Caitlyn walked through the palace corridors on the way to her mother’s office. From the councillor’s meeting room, her mother’s office was quite a walk away. Down two intimidating staircases, up another one, one turn to the right and then two subsequent turns to the left and you were there. This didn’t include the walks down the endless seeming hallways, but Caitlyn didn’t mind (and hopefully neither did the guards walking behind the princess). If anything, the distance and their journey to Cassandra’s office was a refreshing interlude where the princess could think over what had happened from when she had gotten up to then. The distance also allowed Caitlyn to stretch her legs, which had started to lose the pins and needles feelings they had gained from sitting down for hours during councillor meetings.
That, Caitlyn thought, was something she had to get used to.
The guards following Caitlyn were quick, but stayed further away so as not to accidentally tread on the princess’s dress train. The train itself was slightly frayed already from how Caitlyn had stepped on it several times, but at least the ermine fur decorating her sleeves and collar kept her warm. As summer was beginning to wane slightly, there had been a slightly biting chill in the air to which made Caitlyn favour slightly warmer garments despite the turquoise fabric of the dress still being light enough to let a slight breeze pass through Caitlyn’s ankles.
Still at a distance, Caitlyn squinted slightly seeing a large figure come out of a room and slowly close the door behind them. They bid the guards a small goodbye, before eventually disappearing down the corridor and then taking a right down what Caitlyn distinctly remembered was a staircase leading to the floor below. There weren’t any other guards posted at any other rooms, so Caitlyn assumed that the room the figure had come out of was her mother’s office.
Strange. The princess wasn’t aware that her mother would have any other visitors before her, especially considering that Cassandra rarely liked to be disturbed while she was working. The only person that Caitlyn could think of that it could be was Vander just from the figure’s physique, which only confused Caitlyn more. Then again, the Lord High Constable was found to be caught in discussions more with the Queen than Caitlyn had first thought.
It’s most likely that he needs some guidance in his role, Caitlyn dismissed it as, lost in thought so much that she almost completely walked past her mother’s office.
The princess uttered a few quiet apologies to the guards behind her for getting sidetracked. The guards, as usual, said nothing and instead looked ahead as they always did. The guards posted outside of her office were staring straight ahead, perfectly concentrated on nothing at all. Caitlyn thought that her appearance was most likely the most interesting part of their day as the guards were made to stand at their posts without any distractions, and certainly without being able to interact with others. They weren’t even allowed to interact with their fellow post-mate, which made for some very boring duties.
The princess paused as she raised her hand to knock on her mother’s door, but soon her knuckles were against the wooden material. Under her touch, the door felt cold and lifeless. Standing still, Caitlyn waited for an answer for a few beats before a clear “Come in” sounded from within. The door was automatically opened in front of the princess, no doubt by one of the guards in the office, to which Caitlyn stepped inside. The guards behind her did not follow, but rather watched her go in and then retreated back to their Royal Guard accommodation.
“Her Royal Highness, Princess Caitlyn of Runeterra, Your Majesty,” a guard announced as Caitlyn stepped into her mother’s office. Queen Cassandra did not look up from her work, where she was busily writing away on a piece of paper. Occasionally dipping her quill in more ink, some of her hair came undone which caused it to dangle slightly in her face. By the door stood 2 guards, one on either side of the door as you entered.
Cassandra’s office was no different than the last time Caitlyn had been in there. The office itself smelled of old leather and cedar despite there being a window open to the side. A slight breeze was blowing in, ruffling some of the edges of the documents that Cassandra had (for once) organised on her desk. In front of Cassandra were placed two chairs, only the most comfortable and plush chairs for Her Majesty, though there was no one to sit at them. Behind her mother, there was obviously the large portrait that Caitlyn had grown to become more enticed by the more she grew up of her ancestor. However, on either side of the portrait were two large bookshelves twice the span of Caitlyn’s wingspan. Dust covered much of the shelves of both of the bookshelves, but there was an odd book or two that she could make out the title of from where she was standing without squinting. The books themselves were bound in the finest leather, and some of them even had decorative, woven bookcloth. Some of the most intricate ones, Caitlyn recognised, were her old childhood story books – those ones always seemed untouched by dust.
“Leave us,” Cassandra announced, still not looking up from her work, to which the guards in her office bowed first to her and then to Caitlyn. The princess watched the way in which the guards quietly shuffled out of the office without another word, swords in hand. Now, the queen turned her attention to her daughter, still scribbling away. “You can sit down. You needn’t hover like that.”
“I’ve been sitting down for the last few hours, so I’d prefer if I stay standing a bit longer,” Caitlyn refused her mother’s offer gently, as she strode around Cassandra’s office slowly. She walked around, dragging an absent finger along a crevice and grimacing when it came away covered in dust.
“The council room chairs have always been uncomfortable ever since I was a young girl,” Cassandra had finally stopped scribbling away, but was now instead filing away her work and organising them in separate piles. “They’re the only thing that hasn’t changed about that room.”
Caitlyn simply hummed, not too invested in the awkward small talk her and her mother were having. As much of an ice breaker as it was between the two women, there was still the matter of discussing what Caitlyn had sat through her council meeting, as well as potentially asking her why Vander was in her office. Normally, Caitlyn wouldn’t pry into her mother’s private dealings, though with the way she was tilted to the side and rubbing her neck in thought, it seemed as though Cassandra had something she wanted to say as well.
Sighing, Cassandra set everything down and glanced at her daughter, who had stopped pacing around her office and instead was fixated on the gentle swaying of the trees outside. “I really think you should sit down, Caitlyn.”
The blue-haired princess glanced at her mother and was met with monotonous, bloodshot eyes and the slight bloom of purple eyebags. Cassandra Kiramman, with one of her hands twitching on her desk, looked exhausted. Had she even slept? The way her hair was unkempt (which was unusual for her) and she had not showed up for breakfast with her and her father, Caitlyn most likely suspected she had fallen asleep in her office again.
This was not the first time she had done this, but then again it wasn’t like anyone could complain. Cassandra had a habit of scrunching her eyebrows together and huffing if you suggested that she was a workaholic, which usually evolved to her giving you the cold shoulder for a period. Caitlyn couldn’t see what was so appealing about her work that she would fall asleep like this, but the stray tray that harboured a plate with scattered crumbs on it and a bowl half filled with lamb stew at least gave the princess some relief that her mother wasn’t completely neglecting herself.
“Alright,” Caitlyn gave in and sat herself down in one of her mother’s chairs. Shuffling a bit in her seat, the princess got herself comfortable and stretched her legs slightly before looking her mother in the eyes. She was half-tempted to wave her hands in front of Cassandra’s eyes to see if she’d blink, but thought against it. It didn’t seem like her mother was much in the mood for jokes.
Cassandra bit her lip and looked away for a moment. Whatever she wanted to say to Caitlyn seemed harder to get out than she wanted to admit. Not knowing what else to do, Caitlyn simply stayed, sat down and fiddled with her fingers until her mother turned to face her again.
“I need you to do something for me while I’m gone,” Cassandra started, her voice tight.
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, not really knowing what her mother was talking about. With Cassandra gone, Caitlyn would be the next one in power and responsible for both representing her mother and making most of the diplomatic and political decisions that Cassandra normally makes. This would include an array of duties, though with how she had been experimenting with a number of different engagements over the past few days, Caitlyn felt more prepared to tackle it head on than she did when her mother made her aware of her leaving.
“In what sense?” Caitlyn questioned her mother, “because I already know I’m to become a replica of you while you’re gone, and perform each of my duties to the greatest standard possible.”
Caitlyn chuckled awkwardly after she tried to replicate her mother’s voice towards the end of her sentence, but quickly fell quiet when she noticed her mother’s lack of amusement. Instead, Cassandra rubbed the bridge of her nose while Caitlyn held her breath.
“You know your duties will concern mostly public meetings and more responsibilities in the diplomatic and political field once I’m gone.”
“Yes, you’ve already told me all of this, you’re scaring me a bit.”
Cassandra ignored her daughter’s last comment. “But in your new position, there also comes the responsibility of awarding certain titles and maintaining order–”
“Too many things to do, too little hours in a day”
“–which is why I have been talking to Vander about you performing your first knighting ceremony.”
Oh.
A knighting ceremony?
“For whom?” Caitlyn asked, slightly bewildered. She couldn’t think of anyone recently that would qualify for a knighthood, so this ‘favour’ of her mother’s seemed to come out of nowhere. Then again, it wasn’t like Caitlyn really socialised with any others outside of the palace to begin with. Besides, knighthoods were usually performed by the monarch for a reason, so there was really no need for Caitlyn to do this. “Can it not wait until you get back?”
The corner of Cassandra’s mouth quirked upwards, to which Caitlyn wasn’t very approving of her mother’s satisfaction at her bewilderment. “I’m afraid not. Some of these families are important allies to the Crown, and the others have proven themselves to be military talents.”
“And the Crown must provide,” Caitlyn finished off what she was sure her mother was going to end on. Just as well, since Cassandra nodded as she blinked some tears out of her eye (most likely due to exhaustion).
“Exactly,” Cassandra continued, “I know I’m most likely putting you in an uncomfortable position, Caitlyn, but it’s adamant that we maintain a good relationship with the public. And it’s even more important that you start building a relationship with the public too, now. Why do you think I’ve started expanding your engagements lately?”
Caitlyn bit her lip, not sure exactly how to respond. Cassandra was right (she usually was, to Caitlyn’s slight irritation), and the last thing Caitlyn wanted to do was somehow undo all of the work that her mother had achieved in making the public supportive of the Kiramman Royal Family. Of course, there had never been an instance where the Kirammans ever had to impose their rules, but before Cassandra there were times where the public grew agitated and resentful towards the Royal Family. Thus, Caitlyn had to push her feelings aside once more for the Crown.
The Crown would live on longer than her or Cassandra, so its reputation needed to be protected.
“Regardless, it’s only a small list,” Cassandra continued, drawing out a list of all of the people eligible for knighthoods. Caitlyn took it quickly, covering up the list by placing the sheet of paper against her thigh. “And all of the knighthood ceremonies will be spread out during the period in which I’ll be away. You’ll have other engagements as well, between those ceremonies which might keep you more entertained and you won’t have to interact with anyone else afterwards unless they somehow sneak themselves into political or social gatherings.”
“As long as they don’t try flirting with me or inferring that they’ll ask for my hand, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
The Queen smiled, but Caitlyn didn’t share her enthusiasm. The amount of advances that she was starting to get from other potential bachelors was somewhat alarming, since male attention was the last thing that Caitlyn desired. Of course, eventually Caitlyn would have to publicly declare her affection for the same sex, though it was still somewhat amusing seeing the ways in which some men doubled back for her. Horses, jewellery, and even pieces of land were some of the gifts that Caitlyn had received ever since she came of age, but none of them particularly budged her.
Except for a woman with rugged pink hair and muscular physique.
Caitlyn bit her lip. Now was not the time to be thinking of her, especially in front of Cassandra of all people. Like her mother said, Caitlyn needed to put her feelings aside in order to be able to serve the Crown as best as possible. And even then, Caitlyn wasn’t even sure how to feel about Vi anymore – her attraction towards the pink-haired woman conflicted against Vi’s coldness the last time they saw each other, and potentially the difference in their stations.
“They don’t mean any harm, Caitlyn,” Cassandra waved Caitlyn’s irritation away as if it were a minor inconvenience and nothing more, “but if you truly want them to stop then it might be good to make your intentions known sooner than later.”
“If you’re talking about me getting married then we can worry about that at a later time.”
“I’m worried about you,” Cassandra confessed, “I don’t like how you sometimes isolate yourself, and I’m not going to be here forever so I’d like to see you cared and loved by someone before I go.”
The way Cassandra talked about her death always seemed like she was…simply going away and never coming back. She never talked about it in a different way, not even bothering to address the other factors that would come around with her death – the emotional turmoil, Caitlyn’s ascension…Sometimes it left Caitlyn at a stand still. Even though her relationship with her mother wasn’t the strongest, at the end of the day Cassandra was still the person that she looked up to the most. Behind the closed walls of the palace, Cassandra was the one to slowly guide her and make her comfortable in her role as princess and heiress apparent but with her gone? Caitlyn would have to find her own way as Queen, as well as have rather large shoes to fill after her mother.
Caitlyn rubbed the paper her mother gave her between her fingers, hoping she wasn’t smudging the ink.
“I was the same as you, before I met your dad,” Cassandra confessed, rising out of her chair. She started to walk around her office slightly, before stopping by the open window and breathing in the fresh air coming from outside. No doubt the colder air was probably helping her stay awake more. “And I’m glad I did since he’s helped me through multiple moments of stress and anxiety I never imagined I could have.”
Cassandra cleared her throat, shoulders hunching slightly before she straightened them out again. At that moment, her posture was relaxed and lacked control while her hair was tied in a bun hanging loosely at the nape of her neck. This was probably the most disorganised Caitlyn had ever seen her mother…but also the most relaxed. When Cassandra looked back at her daughter, there was a hazy look in her eye. She gave Caitlyn a small smile, while she relaxed into the back of the window frame.
“Careful with that window.”
“Unless you’re planning on pushing me out of it, I’ll be fine,” Cassandra tried to joke, though it must’ve made Caitlyn look rather white in the face since she then proceeded to shuffle a bit to the side so she was leaning more against the wall. “Whatever happens though, Caitlyn, everything will be okay. Breathe. You’re more pent-up than I am, and I’m the one that’s been doing this more than you.”
Will it though?
She had been prepared for moments like this her whole life, and even though her mother would be back after a while, Caitlyn was still scared. Sometimes, she didn’t trust herself to organise herself and her belongings, let alone those belonging to others that could affect the lives of her future subjects. What if she somehow misread a certain piece of legislation, or passed a piece of legislation that affected others negatively? What if she pissed off the councilors? The blue-haired princess just prayed that if there was anything major that needed attending to, her mother would be back to help or even do it herself.
Though, if she still depended too much on Cassandra, would she ever learn? It wasn’t like she didn’t know what to do, she just lacked confidence. This is what Caitlyn has been preparing for her whole life, so she’d be alright like her mother said.
Right?
The princess nodded, slightly dreading everything but not knowing how else to respond. The paper she was still holding in her hand seemed to gain more weight the longer she held onto it, as curiosity gnawed at her to look at it. Perhaps acting distracted by the list of people waiting to be knighted would help relieve some of the tension.
Cassandra’s conversation fizzled into the background, Caitlyn not paying attention as her fingers fiddled with the paper for a few seconds. Time seemed to go slower as Caitlyn opened it up, her pulse skipping for a bit. The princess skimmed through the list of names, recognising a few major family names and some other ones, until…
Caitlyn’s heart stopped and her breath caught. There it was, in her mother’s black and neat handwriting at the end of the list.
Violet.