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[fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=transparent; borderwidth=; height: 227px; font-size: 9pt; text-align: justify;]She's the Princess of the Kingdom of Aredith, the throne's heir presumptive - a devestating plague struck the kingdom years ago, wiping out the men ahead of her in the line of succession, including her younger brother, only an infant then. In a society where women are deemed incapable of ruling, however, she is little more than a political pawn, destined to wed a foreign prince, and let him govern the kingdom.
He's a mere commoner, fortunate enough to be employed in the palace. Having only started his service for the royal family a week ago, he takes a fancy to the princess from afar - it's nothing serious, of course - he simply finds her intriguing.
After a particularly bad argument with the King on the subject of her betrothals, she escapes to a secluded corridor, breaking down in tears - and there, she encounters him for the first time. From there on, a connection between them begins, and what initially starts of as an acquaintanceship gradually blooms into romantic affection - but how could a future queen ever wed a palace servant?
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[CENTER][fancypost bgcolor= transparent; bordercolor= black; border= 5px; height: 249px; width: 500px; background: url(http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4l7pepTLe1r5ruse.gif)][/fancypost]
[fancypost bgcolor= transparent; border: 0px; text-align:center; text-shadow: 3pt 3pt 1pt black; margin-top:-30px; ; letter-spacing:-3px;][font=georgia][color=white][size=28pt]([size=28pt][b]E[/size][size=28pt][b]LIZABETH [size=28pt][b]V.[/size] [size=28pt][b]C[/size][size=28pt][b]ISSEL[size=28pt])[/size][/fancypost]
[fancypost bgcolor= transparent; bordercolor= transparent; border= 0px; margin-top: -20px; width: 500px;][align=center][color=black][font=georgia][size=10][color=white][size=12]"[/size][color=black] THIS IS A BAD TIME TO PRONOUNCE THE WORD 'LOVE'.[/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost bgcolor= transparent; bordercolor= transparent; border= 0px; margin-top: -20px; width: 500px;][align=center][color=black][font=georgia][size=10]NO MATTER, I PRONOUNCE IT, I GLORIFY IT. [color=white][size=12]"[/size][/size]
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Evening. Although evening was a time most servants looked forward to, as the time when the day was nearly over and they could return to their beds at last, evenings were often Elizabeth's least favourite time of the day. It was the time when her father would retreat to his private chambers, after holding countless meetings with his courtiers throughout the day; the time when he would finally be free.
The time when he could launch into another one of his long lectures with Elizabeth.
"Milady?"
The voice snapped the princess out of her thoughts and she turned around sharply, only relaxing slightly upon seeing that it was one of her ladies-in-waiting. "His Majesty requests your presence in his study."
"Tell my father I'll be there shortly." Watching the older woman leave, a resigned sigh escaped the princess's lips as she shut the book she had been reading. Well, it wasn't a particularly good book anyway. Placing the leather-bound copy on top of her dresser, she glanced out of the nearby window. The setting sun had illuminated the darkening sky in a glowing shade of amber, which only made the palace gardens that stood outside her window all the more picturesque. Reluctantly, Elizabeth finally tore her eyes away from the scenery, and began making her way to her father's personal study.
Although not designed with the intention to impress the public eye, the king's private quarters were very much as elaborately embellished as the ones opened for public viewing. Despite having lived in the palace for eighteen years, Elizabeth often found herself still in awe of the intricate designs that seemingly decorated every possible surface of the building, especially in the chambers dedicated to the monarch himself. Perhaps this was what made the entire process of meeting with her father slightly more bearable; that she could take a closer look at the delicate carvings on his desk, the paintings on the ceiling, or the gold trimmings on the armchairs. However, it did little to alleviate the dread accumulating within her.
"You wanted to see me, father?" As Elizabeth walked into the room, a forced smile spread across the face. The king lifted his head at the sound of her voice, setting down the pen he had been writing with.
"The King of Sancreas wishes for you to be his wife. I've already began our negotiations."
At his words, her smile faded immediately. "The King of Sancreas is a forty-year old man. I'm eighteen." Elizabeth's tone turned cold as she spoke, her dark blue eyes hardening.
"The King of Sancreas is a powerful man, with territories amounting to nearly twice of ours. He would be a suitable candidate for the Aredithian Crown. Of course I'd rather the Crown be passed on to someone with the Cissel bloodline, but..." Her father let his voice trail off, glancing her meaningfully. And there it was - the subtle jab at the fact that Elizabeth wasn't the son that could succeed the throne for him, as if it were somehow her fault that she had been born a female, that the plague had taken the life of her brother five years ago. A flicker of hurt crossed the princess's face when she heard the king's words, but she held her ground.
"I will not marry a man old enough to be my father."
(ahh this isn''t very good sorry xx in the next post i'll continue the conversation/argument and have her run off to cry HAHA)