FENICE VI AETIER’S EXISTANCE IS AN ENIGMA. She had the entirety of her world at her fingertips before she was even born. A princess to one of the richest nations of the century and daughter to KING DANTALION and TITANIA OF TAUL, two of the most powerful mages of their generation and whose love story was once the stuff of legends. She was conceived with the promise of unimaginable power, an experiment from which a god-child should have been born. Through her, Dantalion’s still contested claims to the throne would be stabilized. Through her, Dantalion and Titania would create a dynasty unparalleled.
And then, the young princess was born dead.
Deadborne. A condition that leaves parents mourning their children as soon as they are born. ANIMUS MAGIC is a prerequisite to living, and for all those poor infants who came into the world without it, their death is an inevitability. Some last a few minutes, others a few days. It is why Fenice vi Aetier’s existance is the greatest mystery of them all, having survived eighteen years as a deadborne, earning her the scorn and morbid curiosity of many.
Fenice led a very isolated life in Isidore— her mother’s fiefdom and primary residence after their divorce—both due to her rank as princess and future duchess, and her condition manifesting in a weakened immune system that left her weakened and susceptible to most illnesses. This, too, was a deviation from the norm, as most royal children are raised within the palace until their coming-of-age. This period of her life would prove vexing to future historians as, with the exception of her correspondents with her uncle prince Andras, not much is known about Fenice’s early life. She is studious, had taken to learning all sorts of instruments, had a penchant for learning languages, and is very partial to sewing and embroidery— but then again, there are only so many things you can do when stuck within a house (however palatial it may be).
She idolizes her mother, Titania of Taul, of whom it’s been stated many times she remarkably resembles. Titania was mother, friend, and protector; those who sought to harm the young princess stood no chance with the Witch of Taul guarding the gates. When Titania suffered an “untimely” death, Fenice was left emotionally and physically vulnerable against all who wished to do her harm. And so, at the urging of her father and uncle, she was whisked away to the royal court for her protection.
But court life has given Fenice a taste for the life that could have been— should have been hers, and she finds that she has quite the palate for all the politicking. The crown is now within reach. For Fenice whose jealousy and ambition have been stewing for years, the only way to sate these new desires is to rectify the wrongs destiny has dealt her. Princesses trapped in their towers are hardly as docile and sweet as the stories would have you believe, and dead men have little else to lose.
DANTALION AND ILLYSANDRE’S RELATIONSHIP WAS NOT BUILT ON LOVE. It was not even built on hate. Their’s is a marriage built on politics, indifference, and a mutual respect for one another. Though their union is not one of the more passionate or romantic ones to come about, almost eighteen years of marriage has brought with it stability, dependability, and even companionship.
— Illysandre;
Perhaps she could have loved him, had actually fallen in love with him once upon a time. He is handsome, charismatic, and it is so very, very hard not to fall in love with a fairytale come to life when her entire family is urging her to catch his eye. And who would not want those burning eyes to look upon them? To have someone look at you like you were the sun, the stars, and all things irresistible?
It is a pity, then, when he proposed. Her family milling expectantly in the background; her lady, the dowager queen, smiling behind her painted fan; he on one knee and she with her arm outstretched in the foreground; a glorious painting of a romantic proposal. Staged. Practiced. A formality. His lines delivered soft and sweet with eyes so very dead. And oh how her heart ached, how the fires in her heart puttered out. A pity that this man, this man of love and legend, should not love her.
And like many other noble lords and ladies, she gives in to this loveless eventuality. Resigned to duty, to destiny, to her family’s ambitions, she says yes.
— Dantalion
Perhaps he could have loved her, actually might have fallen in love with her in another time. She is beautiful, charming, and her connections so very, very hard to ignore. But he could not. Can not. Not when She will forever linger in his mind. Not when She had carved so deep a place within his heart that no power on earth could ever force Her out.
He was not in love with his new bride. Not when the courtship was so short— little more than a formality—and the engagement period even shorter. Not when she and the child they would have is a constant reminder of the things that could have, should have, been. But with time, he knew, he could come to care for her. When the years smooth out those sharp pains into something a bit duller, perhaps he could try to love again. But his heart aches at the thought; to betray Her once more even to soften his own longing.
He can only hope that this marriage, this union, would be kind to the both of them.
WRITEBOARDWALK FERRIS WHEEL DAY 3: FOILS PARALLELS
DANTALION VI AETIER’S LIFE IS ONE CARVED BY HIS OWN HANDS. Born as the third prince of Aetier and fifth in line for the coveted phoenix throne, Dantalion’s destiny seemed set in stone; one day he would be given up to an advantageous marriage and spend the rest of his life supporting and advising his eldest sister, reilma-imperessa Areiona, when her time for queenship had come. But for Dantalion’s mother, consort Ruona, this was not enough. She had dreamt of her son and his golden reign upon Aetier’s throne, and by hook or by crook, that dream will come true.
When he was seven years old, reilma-imperessa Areiona was found dead in her room. Died of illness they said. Coincidentally, Dantalion was sent off as a political hostage to Taul. While there seemed to be little correlation to these two events, many were curious as to the sudden change of hostages from what was originally planned.
Dantalion’s seven years as a political hostage among the Iskaavar, however, proved to be fruitful. Under their tutelage, he learned their ways of warfare, of the hunt, of their culture, their people, their magicks. He saw firsthand the lives and knowledge the masters and guards of the silk road had to offer. And most of all, it is in Taul that Dantalion first encounters his greatest companion (and other half), Titania. But though he loved the Taulan plains and adored the Iskaavar like family, he never forgot his mother’s promises. “You are destined to be king, my little lion. I have seen it, lived it, in my dreams; a vision from Vithail himself. My Dantalion will be king.”
His return to Aetier at the age of fourteen was the first step amongst many to his path to the throne. For twelve years, he labored to give himself every advantage possible to make himself a worthy candidate for the throne. He forged alliances, won favor, gained fame and fortune as a war hero on his father’s campaigns to the north, and capitalized on any and every connection his late-mother gave him. But all his planning came for naught when his father chose the first prince Aretos as his official heir. Scorned by this decision, Dantalion slew his father, usurped the throne, and enacted a decree that any of his siblings that dare lay claim to his crown be executed. Many of his half-siblings were executed or cut down where they stood— except for one.
Princess Astaria vi Aetier, the late prince Aretos’ twin sister and, by birth, next in line for the throne. She had fled the capital under the cover of night, and escaped to her territories in the north where she might draw upon her allies, and her husband’s armies in Allemand, to claim her crown.
Thus, it seemed, another King’s Game had begun.
With the help of the might and mind of his brother, Andras, and beloved, Titania of Taul, and the defeat of his sister in the Siege of Konstanye, Dantalion’s crown seemed secure. He was free to usher in an age of prosperity and wealth to his citizens. From his expansion of maritime trade, to his great sponsorship of the arts, Dantalion had done many things to win the people’s hearts and minds to his side. In the end, consort Ruona’s visions came to fruition. Her son sat upon the phoenix throne uncontested, a golden king. And throughout the continent the people whisper his name in such fear, respect, and awe. Dantalion the great, they call him. The Lionheart. Favri-Deori. Areia-blessed. Son of Aetierya, son of fortune. For centuries to come, his name will ring in history as one never to be forgotten.
— In relation to Fenice
Contemporary historians have oft taken interest in the parallels of Dantalion’s history to that of his daughter, Fenice. Both were never meant to inherit the throne. Both were raised away from court in, what could be liberally described as “exile.” Both of their lives were heavily influenced by their relationship with Titania of Taul, as well as being in the center of other conspiracies. Ambitious, cunning, with an ever-shifting mask that could make the god of a thousand faces weep in envy, the similarities are hard to ignore.
Only time will tell how similar Fenice’s path differs from her father’s. Or, perhaps, they will not differ at all. Perhaps Fenice truly is her father’s daughter and adopt her father’s most infamous epithet for herself.
CHARLES VI AETIER KNEW WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SINCE THE DAY HE WAS BORN. He is prince— not yet officially reilma-imperessor, but he might as well be—of Aetier, heir to the phoenix throne, the first vi Soresi king, his mother’s hopes and dreams. He is the apple of his parents’ eyes and the future of the court. Charismatic, well-loved, and one of the most eligible princes in the continent, he seems to coast through life as if he could do no wrong. He is the sole prince, the only heir; the child that his father gave his everything to have. His life is one of luxury; his destiny one of glory. And still, he yearns.
What Charles yearning for, he does not know. Truth, freedom, or maybe a purpose beyond what has been expected of him since he was but a twinkle in his mother’s eye.
MEIDIRA IS OFTEN REMEMBERED FOR HER RELATION TO KINGS. Daughter to Belisarius IV, king of Aranthia and Emperator of the Caldonian Empire; principal wife to King Karleon III of Aetier; and now, she is Queen Dowager and adoptive mother to King Dantalion. But in her own right, she is a woman of silver tongues and courtier’s games, an invaluable advisor, a skilled regent.
She is a woman of damascus steel, stronger than mythril, and more cunning than the fairfolk. Even in the face of consort Rouena’s political connections, or consort Silvia’s nigh hypnotic hold on the king’s affections, Meidira’s power and station within the harem— and within court— never shook. Her choice to adopt Dantalion as her own child strengthened his claims to the throne, both through her connections and her access to Karleon’s ear. It baffles historians, however, as to why she agreed to such a deal, when many believed that consort Rouena (and indirectly Dantalion) was the culprit of her daughter’s demise.
DAME LEDA OF HOUSE BRYENNIOS IS A STEEL HAND COVERED BY A SILK GLOVE. Born as the second child to the Baron of Oloris, she and her elder brother had spent the majority of their early years helping raise their three younger siblings after their mother’s death. It is when she is taking care of her siblings that she discovered her love of teaching. Her father, a kind soul, did his best to encourage this passion and invested much into her education.
She is stern but kind, firm and compassionate, and above all she is devoted to those she considers hers.
When she was fifteen, the majority of the royal family were hunted down and killed by one of their own. When she was fifteen, one of those heirs managed to escaped. When she was sixteen, that very heir returned, bringing with them a foreign army; her brother died that year, slaughtered at enemy hands. At seventeen, she set down her books and picked up a sword in one hand and arcana in the other. For five years she served as a paladin under the leadership of Titania of Taul. Though neither considered the strongest or most powerful of paladins, she makes up for it with her tenacity, her fierceness, and her overwhelming loyalty.
Leda became Titania’s closest companion in Aetier, especially after Titania’s divorce with king Dantalion. Even after Titania relinquished her position as Queen, Leda remained under her service and fulfilled her dreams of teaching by becoming the governess to the young princess Fenice.
