The Rise of A Queen

Lord Rufus stormed down the corridor. Gordon Castle was swarmed with people. The King Chambers was full of maids and Ladies crying. The rain was intensively pouring outside. People could hear the drops bouncing on the roof. Lord Rufus ran as fast as he could. He arrived in the Princess Chambers minutes later.

The Lord was at the beginning of his thirties but he looked older – maybe ten years older. His auburn hair was very short, and his green eyes were as cold as the black marble on the floor. He was tall. Taller than all the lords who advised King Charles III. His squared jaw gave him a very strict figure. He looked terrifying. Moreover, he was used to wearing very expensive suits, to show the court how important he was.

Suddenly, his eyes met Dagmar, holding a pile of white clothes, walking towards him. The skinny young maid was not very pretty, and she did not try to be attractive. Even though she was quite tall, her pale skin tended to repulse men. It did not help that her brown eyes were like caves: very dark and frightening. Her long platinum blonde hair was always hidden under a blue cap, glued to her head.

Lord Rufus stopped her by grasping her left arm very strongly. She looked at him, startled and scared at the same time. He noticed her puffy eyes.She was crying, he thought.Everyone is crying tonight.

“Where is the Princess?” he asked, firmly.

“In her bedroom. She is sleeping, my Lord. I don’t think we should wake her up.” she answered, with a weak voice.

“This cannot wait until morning. We have to wake her. Now!”

Lord Rufus was furious. How can a maid have a say in this?This is a royal matter.Dagmar understood she had no choice but to obey the Lord. She led him to Princess Georgiana’s bedroom.

After walking for a few minutes in the long corridors of Gordon Castle, Lord Rufus pounded at the wooden door. Nobody responded.

“Princess Georgiana, open up!” he shouted. “It is Lord Rufus!”

Dagmar stayed behind him, looking vigilantly at the door. She knew Princess Georgiana was exhausted and fell quickly asleep. She wanted the Princess to get her beauty sleep.

The door slowly opened. A scared shadow sneaked out of the bedroom.

The Princess Georgiana faced the Lord. Her face looked like one of an angel. Her skin was tanned – a trait she earned from her mother. Her brown curly hair loose was waving, brushing the end of her back. Her brown eyes showed her exhaustion. Despite being overly well-constituted, the princess was very small. Smaller than her maids and anyone in her family.

“What is happening, Lord Rufus?” she said, quelling a yawn.

“The King is dead, Princess.”

Georgiana looked at him. She needed a few minutes to comprehend what the Lord said. The King is dead… her father died…No, this can’t be happening, tonight! Not now!she thought. She sustained herself by putting her hand on the door jamb.

“Are you… Are you sure?” she muttered.

“He passed away a few minutes ago. You are our Queen, princess!” said the Lord.

She looked at both of them. Dagmar and Lord Rufus curtsied to their new Queen. Georgiana was petrified. The time has finally come. At sixteen, she was Queen of Forsyth.

On the twelfth day of September 1589, Georgiana woke up as a queen. When she got out of bed, Dagmar dressed her with one of her most impressive dresses. She asked her maid, when she saw herself wearing a long and luxurious green dress:

“Why am I not wearing black, Dagmar?”

“A queen does not have the time to mourn, Your Grace.”

Her father died last night, and Georgiana was already expected to fill in her father’s duties. She was anxious. As soon as she got out of her chambers, she will have to act as a leader.

Furthermore, it was the first time in History that Forsyth had a female leader. She felt the heavy weight that fell on her. She expected that many male ministers in the Parliament were against her coronation.

Lord Rufus told her that nine ministers of twenty-one pronounced their bridging. However, her coronation is not a matter of the Parliament. Georgiana had the strongest claim to the Forsyth throne. She was the daughter of the former king. And the Church also supported her claim to the throne.

Georgiana, at sixteen, were considered of age to rule. Her mother – The Queen Tatiana of Manfort – died seven months ago. Her death was horrendous. Georgiana were forbidden to enter her mother’s chambers. The Queen contracted the plague.

Her father was said to have died of grief. King Charles III adored his wife. When she passed away, he let the exhaustion of the years get to him. His body started to weaken. While he was hunting in Forsyth Forest in the East, he was hit by an arrow. He did not heal. He let Death catch him.

Dagmar drove her Queen to the Glass Hall. Lord Rufus was there, discussing with the King’s Advisors. They instantly stop talking when the Queen-to-be entered the room. With some hesitation, they bowed. Georgiana saw the discomfort in their movement.

Actually, few thought the first-born girl of Charles III would accede the throne. They prayed for the Queen to have a male child. But thismiraclenever occurred.

“Your Grace, we have to discuss some important matters with you.” said Lord Rufus looking at Dagmar.

Georgiana said to her maid to leave her alone with the advisors. Dagmar nodded and disappeared in the corridor. The men sat around the wooden table and Georgiana looked at them with confidence – she needed to appear strong.

A Lord, quite old with a white wig, started to talk:

“The matter of your Queen’s name is very substantial. You can call yourself as Queen Victoria, or maybe Queen Mary. Both embodies a real leader name.”

“Actually, I already decided my Queen’s name.”

“Really?” said another Lord, much younger. “What name?”

“I intend to keep my birth name, Georgiana.”

Lord Rufus nodded.

“Indeed,Queen Georgiana the Firstsounds great.”

Another advisor – a red-head with a peculiar accent – objected:

“However, it is not a fitting name for the future leader of Forsyth!”

“Why is that?” she retorted, annoyed.

“It is very an unusual name, your Grace.” answered the older man with a wig.

Georgiana did not think her name will cause so much distortion.It is only a name, gentlemen, she thought. She sighed.

“I made up my mind. I want to be called Queen Georgiana.”

The men consulted each other with a look, and then agreed to the name. Lord Rufus started to explain the protocol to Georgiana. She will be crowned in three days. Until then she would not be authorized to do any public appearance.

“Why am I not allowed to see my people?” she asked, a little bit displeased.

“Until a monarch is not crowned, he cannot present himself as their ruler.”, explained the younger Lord.

Georgiana found this rule completely absurd. But she decided to roll with it. The Lords also informed her she needed to find her Private Advisor. Thus, she was given a list of different Lords ready to hold the job. She sighed looking at the endless list of names. She did not know any of those people. The only one she knew was Lord Rufus.

After thinking for a few minutes, she said she wanted him as her Private Advisor. Lord Rufus was surprised but not dissatisfied. He responded positively to her offer.

“There is another thing we have to talk about: your Ladies. It will be good for a Queen to surround herself with other women.”

“Yes, I understood that.”, she said. She gave them a small piece of paper where she wrote four names. “I wrote that last night. I could not sleep after hearing about my father passing away.”

The old Lord read the list and frowned.

“These Ladies have not the qualities to stand by a Queen.”

“I want to surround myself with people I trust. Not necessarily women of good births.”

The Lords agreed to the proposition. Though she stood up to six Lords, she was not ready for the last issue of this meeting. Lord Rufus introduced the topic to the young monarch:

“We also need to discuss about your wedding, your Grace. In order to assure your reign, you will need an heir.”

Georgiana did not think precisely on this subject. She did not realize that as soon as she would be Queen; she would have to find a husband. And most importantly, by this wedding, build a strong alliance.

“We already have good suitors for you,” added one of the Lords. He opened a letter et read the names of the suitors: “Prince Sean of Liory, Duke Dante of Divet, Duke Frank of Manfort and Duke Rainer of Forterissa.”

She knew all those names. She met all these men once in her small life.

Prince Sean of Liory was the son of an Emperor. A perfect match for a Queen at the head of one of the largest and wealthiest country. He was very short and chubby. His black hair was greasy and his nose huge. Nothing about him was seductive. He was the same age as Georgiana.

Duke Frank of Manfort was twelve years older than Georgiana. He had never been married. Some rumours said he was a homosexual. He was a tall and slim man. His blonde hair was untypical of an inhabitant of Manfort. But he looked quite good for his age.

Georgiana last saw the Duke of Forterissa twelve years ago. But she just remembered him as a pale kid who always got ill.

Duke Dante of Divet was one of Georgiana’s best friends. She played with him until she had to move to Gordon Castle two years ago. Dante is a red-headed tall boy. In her souvenir, he was quite handsome. His eyes were blue and his skin very pale.

Having to choose a husband was the most terrifying thing for the young girl. She was only sixteen. What did she know about love? Georgiana was not a very sociable person and tended to favour books to being courted by young knights. Moreover, her parents kept her away from court, frightened that someone will try to poison the heir to the throne.

“We organized a ball, where you shall get to meet all your suitors.”, continued Lord Rufus, already bored by the meeting. “So, tomorrow morning, you will have to go back to Ortelly.”