THE OPENING TASK - THE CORONATION
Bells ring from the tower, the cold, iron song echoing through Sotera - calling the citizens to celebrate a change of tides ; a new monarch taking seat on the throne of the kingdom of waters. Life bubbles in the streets, souls hurrying to the prestigious event - a queen’s coronation. Everything that lives and breathes on the continent is invited to Queen To Be’s ascension to the throne, nobles and citizens, old and young. Today, in the year of 1276., the Old Queen appears in front of her people as their monarch for one last time. Standing on a marble podium in front of the palace, the Old Queen speaks to her citizens, announcing her decision to abdicate, reasoning the same way as she did in front the Council - a need for young, fresh blood is vital for the survival of a fragile peace that stands between two illustrious kingdoms ; and it is not only fresh blood that is needed, but a more intimate kind of peace, as well - a marriage between the ruling king of Asteria to her dear, young daughter. The Old Queen’s announcement causes a slight stir among the citizens, unwilling to part with a dear member of the Angorian line - the sweet, rowdy girl they’ve watched grow and mature, a girl that, in some of their minds, was more fit to weather Sotera’s storms than the Queen To Be - a kind, but inexperienced crown princess. However, their protests are minimal, quieted down by the appearance of the young would-be-monarch, taking a stand beside her mother. A regal pair of strong women, one older and wiser, and the other young and, in all accounts, untried in the affairs of governing their kingdoms. A mother and daughter, standing close to each other before Eliona turns to her daughter and even the wind quiets down in anticipation of what is to come. The Queen To Be bows to her mother as the older woman takes a silver-and-gold cast crown from her greying head and keeps it above the woman’s head. The whole of Sotera holds its breath and not a single bee dares to buzz - and then the Old Queen speaks ; “Do you swear to nurture the fields and the oceans of our kingdom as gently and justly as you would nurture your family?” “I swear.” “Do you swear to do what is right by the kingdom, no matter how difficult?” “I swear.” “Do you swear to always keep the kingdom’s best interest in mind, striving to further the peace without exceptions or hesitation to do what is necessary to keep it? Do you swear to use your powers - those given by the laws of Nature and the grace of Providence - for the benefit of your beloved citizens and all those who put themselves under your protection?” “I swear.” The Old Queen turns to her citizens, holding the crown in front of her, for all to see - and her voice calls out to nobles and commoners ; “Soterans. Do you swear to give your fealty and love to your new queen - to guide her and protect her, so that she may keep her oath?” A moment passes - a subtle tremor, before the citizens bow in unison ; “We swear!” their answering oath echoes down the street. Eliona smiles and bows her head to her citizens, before her attention returns to her daughter. “By the power of the Storms and the grace of Providence, the crown of Sotera passes from Eliona Angorian to you, crown princess.” gently, the Old Queen sets the crown upon her daughter’s head and a look of pride flashes in her eyes ; “Arise, Soleil Angorian. Arise and greet your beloved kingdom.” The Queen To Be stands and turns towards her citizens as her mother holds her hand, guiding her down the steps to the coronation throne - a carved, gilded wooden throne. She honours the attendees with another bow before she sits on the chair ; and a loud applause rings from the crowd, a display of honouring the young queen, accepting her ascension and proclaiming their loyalty to the newly appointed monarch. And so, with little fanfare and without further ado, the Queen To Be, Soleil Angorian, takes her rightful place as the Queen of Sotera and the Silvercove Islands - and the coronation ceremony comes to its end.
Welcome to the Part Two of our introductory post and our introductory task. Before the event lands on Monday, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for joining us and allowing our little community to grow! For this task, we ask you to write a little blurb - how does your character react to the news of the Queen To Be’s coronation? What are their thoughts, doubts or expectations of the new ruler of Sotera? For our Queen to Be, you may write about how Soleil feels ascending the throne, what are her thoughts, doubts, wishes, etc. Soterans (and Frigorians posing as Soterans), you may write about the coronation in detail, depending on whether or not your character was present on the coronation (and if not, why were they absent). The same goes for Asterian characters - if your character is Asterian, you are free to write about their invitation to the coronation, their own insight about the future queen and how do they think it would impact the relations between the two kingdoms. This task is optional and it doesn't have time-limit, but for those who decide to write it to prepare for the upcoming event, please tag it with ruinationintro tag! For all additional questions, the admin is here to help. Happy writing!