serial reblogger

In a magical world where herds of unicorns and horses roamed together, where every full moon brought out mysterious creatures, and where wizards solved problems from the mundane to the extraordinary, there was a problem that magic had been unable to solve. The problem was war- a centuries-long war that embroiled seven nations on the continent of Arrythia. The nations could not agree on anything, not even the date the war itself began. For every time two of the armies formed an alliance, another alliance dissolved. For every time a nation won a battle with one foe, they lost a battle with another. And with each of the provinces having its own unique natural resources, no nation could sit idle for long before its leader began to crave more power.

Despite the power and versatility of magic, even the world’s strongest mages were incapable of fighting the strength of several countries’ armies, and it became commonplace for the most experienced of wizards to take oaths of political neutrality, refusing to even discuss the ongoing brutality.

This war persisted until the coming of the finest grand wizard the world had ever seen, simply called Lampros the Great. After achieving his life’s goal of creating the world’s largest magical academy, he moved his sights onto something greater. His aim was not just to end the endless war, but to stop the bloodshed in the nations that hated each other with the deepest passion.

The great Lampros pondered this monumental task for a lengthy amount of time until he finally concluded that even he would be unable to complete his goal alone. He spent several years winning the other grand wizards of the world over to his cause. In a risky move, the formerly neutral mages all suddenly started pledging their allegiance to one of the seven nations. They served as spellslingers until they felt trusted by their lieges, resigning themselves to participating in the bloodshed as a means to an end. Then, all at once, they all staged a coup, backing their powers with those they had been able to sway to their cause.

The move was not perfect, and two of the sorcerers lost their lives. Still, the five conquered kingdoms worked together to swiftly bring the two combatant nations in line.

For a while, they were each able to lead their kingdoms in harmony. Rebuilding efforts began to bring the nations back from the brink of near-annihilation, the extensive destruction partially due to the magic of the wizards as they did what they needed to deceive the former rulers. But as they grew old, they began to distrust one another. The five magic-wielding rulers began arguing regularly, with the threat of fighting looming on the horizon.

The ruler of Seryli, which would later become known as the Pink Province, had been put in place by the wizards. The Purple Province, known as the Lunar Peaks, had similarly been assigned to a non-magician. These two showed bravery in standing up to their magic-bearing peers despite the risk, and when they successfully ended the arguments, the wizards realized that they had almost condemned the nations to war again. 

With their time on earth running short, the king and queens needed a way to protect the country from leadership by others who might make the mistake they almost made. They devised a great spell, and they used this spell to unite the seven nations into one. Thus, the Chromatic Kingdom, known by the continent’s name of Arrythia, was born.

The wizards’ new form of government was very shrewd, and those who would question its ethicality were soon persuaded by its efficiency. Gone were the days of democratically elected officials (at least for the highest positions in the realm). Now, the Stones and the Princesses took their place.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Pink Stones were created, one for each of the nations-turned-provinces. Each enchanted stone had been enchanted with the tears of a pure-hearted maiden (how those tears had been acquired, nobody wanted to know). The enchanted stone then chose a young woman from its province to become the next Princess of the Chromatic Kingdom.

When a Princess reached the end of her life, her stone would be taken on an expedition throughout her province. The stone would begin to pulse with power at some point, and following the pulse would lead to the next maiden who would take the mantle of Princess. To leave no uncertainty as to the Stone’s decision and prevent any possible manipulation, the mages added an interesting effect: the new Princess’s hair would transform into a vibrant shade that matched her stone. 

This enchanted rite of succession was guaranteed to find a maiden that was both pure of heart and suitable to lead, and the ruling women used the title of Princess since none of them was superior to any other. Although the magical skill of those involved was tremendous, it was their good hearts that allowed their spell to bear fruit. The newly established nation would go on to know a period of peace far longer than its period of war. Therefore, the nation one day found themselves celebrating the crowning of their latest princess…

“And now I present to you all, for the first time, Princess Primrose, the Chromatic Kingdom’s fourteenth Pink Princess!”

The masses filling the square in front of the balcony hollered and whooped at a feverish pitch, the overwhelming din somehow growing even louder when the focus of the celebration appeared above the crowd, her newly-transformed long pink locks of hair flowing gently in the breeze. 

“People of the Chromatic Kingdom!” Princess Primrose’s fair voice rang out like a bell over the crowds. “Today I have been bestowed with the greatest honor that a woman of our country could hope for. I have been called upon by my stone and chosen to become one of the Princesses that rule over our beloved nation. I am your newest Pink Princess!”

The calling and yelling swelled in volume again. The day-long celebration had been going on all day but had greatly escalated when the newest princess had been officially crowned an hour ago. The national holiday had all, young and old, in soaring spirits, especially in the capital city.

Atop the balcony, Primrose was aswirl with emotions. Her smile beamed and never wavered, but her hands clutched awkwardly at the folds of her dress. Underneath her gown, her left foot tapped at light speed. Just a few days ago, she had been an ordinary girl, learning the ropes of the family business in preparation for taking over one day. Now she had been whisked away to the capital, and expectations were already high. Anxiety formed a nervous knot in her gut as the crowd hung on her every word, but she continued:

“I am humbled and blessed by the opportunity and ability to serve you all in whatever capacity I can. I intend to do everything within my power to live up to the stones’ expectations, and in turn, ensure that the trust we put in them to wisely choose our Princesses is completely validated.” At least they had prepared her for this speech well in advance. There was no way she’d be able to come up with something like this on her own. In fact, Primrose had an outline of the speech hidden in a pocket in case of an absolute emergency, but thankfully, the end of the speech was fast approaching and she wouldn’t need to use it.

The Princess allowed herself a deep breath, and found a genuine smile dancing on her face as she reached the end of her brief speech. “However, all that awaits us tomorrow. Today, let’s eat, drink, and rejoice! Long live the Chromatic Kingdom! Long live Arrythia!”

Trumpets blared, people cheered, and confetti shot out of cannons rained down upon the crowd as Primrose took a step back. When Maren, the Blue Princess, laid a hand on her shoulder, she jumped a bit in surprise, her nerves absolutely fried. Looking back at the slightly older Princess, she found Maren beaming at her, and returned her smile with a shaky one of her own.

“Excellent work!” Maren exclaimed, since a reassuring whisper would have been impossible to hear. Primrose hoped that her praise was genuine and not just intended to quell her fears. As music started up again throughout the city, the crowd slowly began to disperse, and the heavily armored soldiers accompanying the two princesses hustled them back inside. 

When the heavy oaken doors slammed shut behind the group of four, the new princess let out an enormous sigh and slumped heavily against the wall. “Oh, wow. Oh my goodness. That was almost as terrifying as the coronation ceremony. I’ve never seen that many people in one place in my entire life.”

Maren smiled at her junior. “Well, you did really well, all things considered. When I made my first speech, I was completely speechless for… probably 30 seconds? Yeah, that little debacle earned me the nickname “Princess of Awkward Silences” for a couple of years after that.” 

Though her cheeks turned a bit red, Maren still laughed as she recounted the memory. She extended a hand to the leaning princess, who gratefully took it and returned to her feet.

“I’m really glad that didn’t happen,” Primrose admitted. The mere thought of making such a screw-up so early in her career made her feel a bit green around the gills, but if Maren noticed, she didn’t show it.

“I may be the newest princess… well, second newest princess now… but I have heard PLENTY of tales about the other princesses. Some from their own lips, and some, well… gossip spreads pretty fast around the castle, I’ll say. Oh my gosh, have you ever heard of what Princess Orchid did at her 40th birthday party? She’s stayed away from public drinking ever since…”

The small entourage started moving down the hall, the two princesses gossiping away about the others’ embarrassing exploits. If the guards following them were at all invested in the conversation, or even listening in the slightest, they didn’t show it. A few minutes of conversation carried the group until they finally found themselves at another huge set of doors, this time made of heavy metal and inlaid with gold. 

Primrose couldn’t withhold a gasp as she took in the ornate doors, multiple times taller than she was. The doors were only one of many beautiful sights to be found within the palace, but they still took her breath away. Despite their thickness, chattering and music could be heard faintly from the other side. 

“Well, here we are!” exclaimed Maren with a flourish. “Of course, no celebration is complete without a ball.. I’ll go on ahead, they’re gonna do the whole announcing-your-presence thing again. Oh, and…” She leaned in with a conspiratorial grin, tucking a lock of cobalt hair behind her ear. “If it’s too stuffy for you, I’m definitely going to sneak out and join the citizens’ celebration later. They really know how to party. You’re definitely welcome to join me.” 

Before Primrose could respond, Maren winked and moved towards the doors. Primrose yelped and moved out of the way as the large doors opened and the blue princess stepped inside. 

From inside, a loud voice called, “Presenting the Blue Princess, Princess Maren of the province of Costa Bella!”

A musical swell played, but before Primrose could get a peek, the doors shut behind Maren with a loud thunk, leaving her alone with the two guards. They were both standing well away from view of the doors, and Primrose couldn’t see their expression behind their masked helmets. 

“Uh, so…” She looked between the two, not even sure they were listening. “Do I just… follow her…?”

A moment passed until one of the guards cleared his throat. “You’ll stand before the doors, and step through to have your presence announced to the gathering. This is the upper level, so you’ll descend the staircase to join the festivities.” His voice faltered as he hesitated, though his expression remained inscrutable. “...Your Highness, were you not given any instruction?”

“I, well…” Primrose’s thoughts raced back to the instructions she had received over the past few days- that is, so many instructions for so many things that it made her head swirl. The coronation instructions, the speech instructions, the everyday-life-as-a-royal instructions that she had barely scratched the surface of…there was no way that she would have been able to remember everything that had been taught to her.

 “I, um, I think I’ve just forgotten…”

“Never fear, Princess!” The second guard chimed in, his voice much more youthful and boyish than his companion’s. “You’ve done absolutely amazing so far! If you mess up a little, don’t worry. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere!” Primrose could hear the smile on his lips. 

The first guard not-so-surreptitiously nudged his companion, who coughed and sputtered, returning to his former strict posture. “Er, well, my apologies, Princess. I spoke out of turn.”

“No, no! Don’t apologize! That- that means a lot. Please, don’t be sorry.” Summoning her kindest smile, she took the guard’s gloved hand into her own. “I really appreciate your words. I feel very encouraged.”

“Uh… um…” The guard’s enthusiasm rapidly turned into stutters, and Primrose wondered if his face was turning red beneath his mask and helmet.

No time to worry about that, though. It was time to take on the next challenge.

With the encouraging words from the guard floating through her mind, she stood up straight in the exact place Maren had stood, and the doors opened wide for Primrose, just as they had for Maren.

“Presenting the Pink Princess, Princess Primrose of the province of Seryli!”

Primrose stepped forward as the great doors shut behind her. The band launched into an elegant number featuring strings and the flute, the anthem of Seryli. It made Primrose acutely aware that she was now the representative of her entire province. On the heels of Princess Portia’s reign, they were extremely big shoes to fill. Did she have what it takes?

Such a question could not be answered here and now. Primrose focused on what she could do in the here and now: hold tight to the banister, hold up her dress away from her feet, and carefully descend to the music, keeping her breath as steady as she could muster. 

The tiles beneath were almost crystalline, gleaming under the enormous chandelier, though the clicks of her heels against the hard surface were lost to the music. When Primrose glanced up during her descent, she saw that every eye in the room was trained on her. Gulping, she cast her gaze down to her feet. It wasn’t the most princessly way of handling the situation, but it was leagues easier than trying to keep her head up high, given the sheer number of eyes intently watching her.

All eyes tracked the newly crowned beauty as she descended the large staircase. Silence pervaded the room for a moment as the flute sang out its highest and final note. Just as Primrose was certain she had done something wrong, the crowd erupted into applause.

And after that moment, the band struck up again, playing a lively tune that turned all the attention back to merriment, dancing, and rejoicing. Letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, she scanned the room, looking for any familiar faces.

Princess Maren was already sipping a glass of what was probably a rare and expensive vintage wine, chatting enthusiastically with some well-dressed gentleman. A flash of scarlet caught Primrose’s eye next, and when she turned to look, she gasped at how the Red Princess, Ambrosia, moved effortlessly across the dance floor with her partner. Over by the buffet was a spread containing, perhaps, more food than Primrose had eaten in her entire lifetime, and an off-duty portion of the royal guard was drunkenly arm wrestling by another door (which made many attendees scoff but turned the Pink Princess’s cheeks quite pink).

Everywhere she looked, bodies were moving, voices were chatting, lips were drinking, and smiles were spread across almost every face. It was a beautiful, if not overwhelming sight to behold. If given the opportunity, Primrose’s mind would be overwhelmed with possibilities, but a tall, curly-haired young noble was faster than that, appearing almost out of thin air and offering the flustered princess his hand.

“Your Highness. Would you do me the honor of a dance?”

Primrose hesitated for a moment, considering the outstretched hand. She scanned the room once more, and once again saw practically every attendee having the time of their life. Putting her hand in the one outstretched to her, she resolved to do the same.

They exchanged a smile, and the gentleman swept her onto the dance floor.

She may as well have been swept straight into a whirlwind. Bodies clamored for space on the dance floor, yet each body seamlessly fell into a beautiful pattern, elegantly moving as one to the beat of the music. Primrose soon lost sight of the original gentleman as she found herself quickly moving from partner to partner, grateful that each of them was able to effortlessly lead her through the many dances she had no experience in. Being led and being a part of such an experienced crowd felt thrilling, almost like being a part of something greater.

The dancing was only the beginning. Soon Primrose found herself exhausted, and an exceptionally perky servant guided her to the buffet. Each dish, served fresh and no doubt worth a monetary amount she dared not to consider, was a beauty to the eyes, an aroma to the nose, and a delicacy on the tongue. Soups, appetizers, meats, pastas, desserts and more; there was something for everyone and then some. The flavors worked in harmony, yet each one was distinct. Primrose ate until she could no more, as though she would never get to taste such delectable things again. When she realized she had cleared three plates, she quickly went over to a busser and gave him the “evidence” with rosy cheeks, hoping nobody had seen her little bit of gluttony.

No later than she had sampled her last bite of a cracked-caramel truffle did Primrose find herself being grabbed by Maren. The Blue Princess, her cheeks rosy, had a mischievous look in her eye.

“You look like you’re having fun, but wait until you come with me. This is going to be the most fun you’ve ever had.” 

As it turned out, Maren’s idea of “the most fun you’ve ever had” started with breaking some rules. Primrose had been hesitant to sneak out, but was convinced by the prospect of changing into commoners’ clothes, finally allowing her to ditch her high heels. Outside the castle, the revelries were even more boisterous and exciting. Another whirlwind hit, starting with more dancing and ending with winning a knife-throwing competition (no doubt due to the inebriation of the other contestants, Maren included). 

When the night had truly worn on, the party was still going, but for Primrose, the exhaustion was finally starting to fully settle in. Having decided she didn’t want to find herself drunk on her first night as a princess, she had avoided any alcohol aside from the beer Maren had foisted upon her. Yawning, she found herself slogging to the castle gate, practically throwing the intoxicated Maren at some poor unsuspecting guard, and finally getting a servant to guide her to her room (hoping that someday soon she wouldn’t need assistance with such a menial task of navigation in her new home).

It was around four in the morning when Primrose finally shut the door to her room behind her, the silver moon still hanging amongst the stars. She had briefly stopped in before, but even the wonder of the Pink Stone sitting on its pedestal didn’t distract her from her goal: get undressed, get washed up, and finally get some well-deserved rest. 

The young woman got through the first steps fairly easily. With her newly pink tresses wet, combed, and put in a high bun, she found a lacy peach-colored nightgown in her armoire that felt as soft as gossamer against her skin. Just as she was about to turn out the light, however, there came a noise from the door.

Knock, knock, knock.