The second king of the Talranic Dynasty, King Wendeslaus the Second (circa 1208-1211 AF), also known as Wendeslaus Berto Talranic, was an eccentric king. During his reign, he made hundreds of designs, of which most of them were useless, more fantasy than practical. If his personal motto of "Bridge, bridge, bridge" wasn't hint enough of his eccentricities, perhaps his idea of making a city that flies in the sky might... Crown or Tiara Chapter 3 By Shinieris

The second king of the Talranic Dynasty, King Wendeslaus the Second (circa 1208-1211 AF), also known as Wendeslaus Berto Talranic, was an eccentric king. During his reign, he made hundreds of designs, of which most of them were useless, more fantasy than practical. If his personal motto of "Bridge, bridge, bridge" wasn't hint enough of his eccentricities, perhaps his idea of making a city that flies in the skies might.

Excerpt from "10 Reasons Why Prince Bhaklar Should Be King" by Kellen Boress, published in the Granvayl Speaker 2 months after King Wendeslaus the Second's death

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Seo was walking along the King's Road when he heard the sounds of thunder from an alley to his right. He looked into the alley and some sparks went off in the dimly lit alley at the same time the sounds of thunder returned. He then heard some yelling and shouting, and decided to go into the dark alley and investigate. He knew it was the total opposite of what the average person should do, but he wasn't an average person, at least that was what he told himself.

As Seo came closer, he heard one of the men say, "Alright, keep the rest in watertight containers and seal it in wax until tomorrow."

Seo leaned on the wall, listening in when another man spoke, "But why must we test it again? This is the third time since this thing arrived."

"Because we don't want any problem tomorrow. What if we light it up and nothing happens? People will stand there waiting for the firecrackers that never lights up, and they'll just watch the prince pass by while still waiting for the firecrackers to go off. Then they'll blame us, or specifically, me! Can you imagine the shame?"

"Yes, awkward," said another.

"Oh fine! You're the boss. I'll just go get the wax."

So it's the prince's welcoming committee, huh? I guess it's true that the crown prince is coming home, Seo thought as he rubbed his chin, Well, got nothing to do with me anyhow.

Seo got out of the dimly lit alley and walked back to the inn he was staying in, The Gentle Songs.

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Prince Altherion strode determinedly towards a building made of white marbles and crimson rocks. Its windows, roofs, doors and lightshutters were lined with silver which, even now was being polished to a mirror-like sheen by the skeleton crew that still remained after the queen fell asleep. Prince Altherion paused at the steps, suddenly feeling uncertainty. Did he really have the right to enter, when he had been ignoring the place since the queen went asleep?

He shook his head, closed his eyes and started counting. The moment he counted to one hundred, he opened his eyes and took the first step, then the second step, before the third step. By the time he took the 12th step, he no longer had any problem with walking into the queen's residence.

He went straight up to the 8th floor, where the queen now lay as if dead. As he climbed the circular staircase, he looked down through the hollow center at the concourse below, thinking of how far he was from the ground. The staircase wasn't even a staircase actually. It was a circular walkway that looked like a circular staircase until one actually walked on it. It had thin strips of timber nailed to the floor at regular intervals, supposedly installed during the reign of King Thobin Bafias Talranic to allow his wheelchair to rest at the points of his choosing, on his way to the rooms of his favorite concubine. He preferred to wheel himself to the 4th floor than to have his escorts do so for him. King Thobin Bafias was a very cautious, some say paranoid old man.

The Favored Prince stood in front of the queen's room, unsure of what he should do. Despite being the Favored Prince, second only to his elder brother, he could actually count on his fingers how many times he had been inside the queen's bedchamber, even including the time when the queen still lived in the Gold Palace. He noted that the only one who spent time regularly in there was his sister.

Thinking about his sister annoyed him. He met his sister when he was about 12. He was 19 now, 2 years younger than his brother, the crown prince, who had left for studies abroad when Altherion was only 13. Even meeting her then was accidental.

He was sitting at the gazebo, reading a book on the use of alchemy in warfare when a small waif of a girl jumped out from the bushes next to him and knocked him over. He never knew why she looked afraid when she had a good look at him, but at that point he was about to berate her for not being careful and was about to ask her to tell him who her parents were. That was until he heard a familiar voice calling the name 'Feska'. It was his mother, crawling out of the bushes with mud and dirt on her fine velvet dress. The same mother who would fuss about his unkempt condition and wrinkle her nose at his dirty pants after a day of playing. She had on her face the happiest of smiles the likes he had never seen before, the likes of which he had never been shown all his life. Sure, he had seen his mother smile before, even laugh, but he knew it was all fake. It was hollow, cynical, unlike this happy and lively smile his mother had for a girl he had never met.

She looked alarmed at seeing him. He recalled that she was looking back and forth between him and the girl, who looked like she was thinking of running away. Then his mother called the girl, took her hand and told her to curtsy for her older brother. Needless to say, he was beyond shocked.

This was when the king, Altherion's father was still alive. Why his parents refused to make his sister's existence public, he had no idea. Yes, she appeared on official functions, normally towing after the queen, but not as much as she should. Ever since the Queen Mother died, she hasn't appeared at any official event, much to his annoyance. He had to answer questions after questions on the whereabouts of his fair sister by counts, countesses, barons, dukes, and even representatives from other kingdoms. Just the other day the 3rd son of Lord Merrick from the House of Hestor asked him if Princess Feska would be attending the crown prince's homecoming. He told the boy that he would ask her, and left it at that. His sister was quite the popular one, despite supposedly being a royal secret.

He looked at the door of the queen's bedroom. Exhaling, he placed his hand on the knob and turned it before he lost his resolve. His voice boomed, "NEFESKAYA!" at the same time the door opened.

Princess Feska jumped on her place when she heard the boom from the loud voice. When she saw that it was none other than her brother, she relaxed and gazed up upon the queen's peacefully sleeping face.

"Nefeskaya!" Prince Altherion cried again, only slightly softer this time.

"Yes, Therion, I heard you the first time. Why are you so formal out of a sudden?" she said tiredly.

"If I am really formal, I would've called your full name and locked you up in your tower soon after!" the prince fumed.

"Okay... what's this about, oh Favored Brother?"

"None of that attitude with me. You skipped your classes again!"

"So what, dear brother? I skipped my classes all the time."

"Maybe you haven't heard yet, that's certainly suspect since you didn't go to your classes for the whole day, but our crown brother will be coming home tomorrow."

"And... somehow that's making your problems bigger and you're taking it up on me instead?"

"You're my problem, Feska! What will Mikhal say when he found out that I couldn't manage the education of one little sister?"

"Oh, get real, Therion. Our crown brother doesn't even know that I exist. Your secret is safe with me," the princess said as she patted her flat chest.

"But your secret is not," he said flatly and without emotion.

Blood started to boil in the princess' head, all very evident through the angry flush in her face. "Don't you dare, Altherion. You don't know what I'll do."

"A threat works when the opponent imagines the worst possible ways that you may retaliate. At the moment, I doubt anything you do would scare, let alone harm me."

"Oh? Maybe I'll tell Lady Myra that you're a lousy husband. Bet she won't like you as much then."

The prince laughed until his eyes water.

The princess looked annoyed and said, "Don't you think you should laugh outside and let mother rest. Your laughter disturbs me, if not mother."

"But..." the prince rubbed at his watery eyes," That's all you can come up with? Two things that ensures if will never work. One, you only just met her and you played together for a week. A week! Two, I have never been married, so how can you convince her that I'll be a bad husband?"

"I'll think of something," she sulked.

"He needs to know, Feska. It is not fair for us to keep it from him."

"What's not fair is how he never came to visit since the time he left for the University at Lestraux."

"He will find out sooner or later, Feska. I think he'd like it better hearing from us instead of some of the nobles who only plot his downfall."

"No! If he finds out, so be it! But we..." she gestured at the prince and herself,"... are not going to tell him."

"You know, the price for my silence is quite high, dear Favored Sister.

Princess Feska made a frown which somehow added more character to her doll-like face. You want a bribe now? That's not what the Favored Prince is supposed to do."

Prince Altherion crossed his arms and raised his chin. It suddenly reminded the princess how others had remarked that she looked like her brothers when trying to show defiance. Now she knew exactly what they meant. Her older brother, Prince Mikhalir used to make this very same posture and very same facial expression before he left.

"Fine!" she said, "What do you want?"

Prince Altherion made a satisfied smirk which grew with every passing second. It seemed like his 'bribe' would be a big one. Princess Feska suddenly regretted surrendering to her big brother.

"You..." he gestured to his sister, "...are going to attend the welcoming ceremony tomorrow and speak with everyone who approached you."

"Everyone?" the princess asked, horrified.

"Everyone," the prince nodded.

"THAT'S INSANE!" she cried, then looking at the sleeping queen, she said softly, "Sorry mother."

"What's so insane about it?"

"Well, for one, their topic of conversation would be so inane, so complicated, it would bore me to tears."

"That's why you're supposed to attend your Decorum class, which to my knowledge, you have skipped regularly."

"You mean the class that taught me how to make a poker face, how to laugh at a totally boring joke and how to smile at the person I hate?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"Ridiculous! I don't want to be a fake like you and apparently everyone in the palace."

"Well, that's neither here nor there. The time to practice has passed. You will attend tomorrow and that's final."

"But... what if those old counts and barons talked about introducing me to their sons again?"

"If that is so, then you are obliged to humor them, unless of course you have the skill to turn them down without offending them."

"But... what if they started talking about betrothal or marriage? Did you know that yesterday that creepy lord-ling from the House of Hestor got in my way and asked if I'd be willing to visit his family home near Rhatica?"

"So what did you do?" the prince asked with concern.

"What in Elanara's name do you think I did? I ran," she said, much to her annoyance when the Favored Prince started laughing.

"Okay, so you see, I can't be there," she said.

"You have to be there, Feska. What will I say if they asked me where my beautiful little sister is?"

"Tell them I died. Tell them you sent me to a convent. Or maybe I suddenly decided to take up the spear and go kill some dragons - wait, you think I'm beautiful?" she said, her porcelain skin getting red.

Prince Altherion snorted, "You're my sister."

"That means?"

"Exactly what it meant," Prince Altherion said, as he turned around and crossed the room towards the door.

"Hey! Therion!" Princess Feska ran and grabbed Prince Altherion's hand with both of hers, "I don't want to go tomorrow."

"Oh, you will be there tomorrow, Feska. Even if I have to drag you in your nightgown."

"You wouldn't dare," Princess Feska said as she let go of the prince's hand.

Prince Altherion fixed his sleeve and said, "Oh, try me, Feska," before he turned around and left through the door.

"This is NOT over, brother," the princess said through gritted teeth.

The prince suddenly poked his head through the still open door and said, "Wear your new gown. The green one, I think. This red one doesn't flatter you."

Princess Feska's answer was to throw one of the small, innocent flower vase at her brother.

*Gosh, this is a long story... As always, comments and feedbacks are highly appreciated.