#hshqtask012

APRIL 2021 -

rowen leaves the royalty protection program, and returns to malta to find it in total disarray - most of the government has been lead to believe rowen is an idiot incapable of doing anything except swing a hockey stick. while they might be a little bit correct, his cousin didn’t account for how far his spitefulness can take him. 

OCTOBER 2021 -

just six months into formal training to become king, rowen signs his first trade deal. unsurprisingly, it’s with crown prince giovanni di savoia of italy. public favor begins to turn, as rowen has started to seem a lot less like the kid they plucked out of canada and a lot more like the king the country desperately needs, as time has gone on. 

JUNE 2023 -

rowen hosts the first royal summit on economic advancement to ever take place in malta. valletta welcomes hundreds of royals, and it feels a bit like a weird version of a high school reunion to rowen. it’s nice to all be in one place again, even if it’s only for five days.

MARCH 2025 -

another arranged marriage is proposed, and rowen accepts, only to end the engagement four months later. he decides after that perhaps marriage is out of the cards for him entirely.  

JUNE 2028 -

he’s exhausted after spending six months arguing with his grandmother about how to move forward with the country, and he takes a vacation to saint tropez. rowen decides to throw responsibility into the wind yet again, and has an affair with a woman he will refuse to any person outside of his family. this time, he manages to avoid any cameras catching him in the act - and he thinks he’s managed to actually get away with it.

AUGUST 2028 -

because nothing in his life can go as planned, the woman arrives on his doorstep and admits that she’s pregnant, and the child is rowen’s. he agrees to take care of their child, as she has no interest in being royalty - or being a mother at all. he agrees to her terms, and just like that, everything changes yet again. 

JANUARY 2029 -

the dowager queen of malta, henrietta moncada, passes away peacefully in her sleep at the age of eighty-one. malta doesn’t take up a regent, as there is no suitable alternative. instead, rowen is crowned king of malta in her stead - three years earlier than maltese law would have allowed. the exception is approved by an overwhelming majority of the maltese parliamentary body. 

MARCH 2029 -

veronique moncada, rowen’s daughter and heir to the maltese throne, is born and kept totally secret. only his inner circle is alerted, and veronique is allowed to live without the media breathing down her neck for the first seventeen months. 

AUGUST 2030 -

vero comes down with a severe cough and, in a totally panicked state, rowen takes her to an urgent care facility. a photograph of him holding vero hits twitter, and the world finds out rowen’s secret. 

JULY 2032 -

rowen’s father is arrested in milwaukee. rowen demands his extradition to malta, only to pardon him for all crimes committed against the monarchy, causing an international incident and ending positive relations between the united states and malta. jonathan spires remains in malta until his death, and rowen manages to get back a little bit more of the old life that he misses so much. 

MAY 2035 -

veronique starts school at an elite preparatory academy, and rowen calls an old friend to teach her how to figure skate, when veronique decides she doesn’t want to play hockey. nikolina krasimirova is sort of an expert, and his daughter deserves the best, right? (nika spends the entire weekend laughing at him as he chases a six year old around on old skates.)

DECEMBER 2040 -

vero places first in a speech competition, and shows actual interest in being royal. he’s not quite sure where she got that from, but she does pay a lot of attention to her tutors and is everything rowen never was able to fake being. 

JULY 2050 -

vero graduates from college early, and returns to malta with a shiny new degree in international relations and a boyfriend that follows her around like a puppy. rowen has truly never been more proud of her than the day she manages to get a diploma - something he never could have accomplished. 

NOVEMBER 2059 -

veronique is married to the same boyfriend that she brought home initially - and the royal community is astonished that, yet again, a moncada has managed to shirk all tradition. her husband was a regular guy from barcelona. her mother is in attendance at the wedding, although not a soul, outside the family, puts the pieces together. 

MARCH 2066 -

veronique ascends to the throne on her thirty-seventh birthday, after badgering her father to leave the position for two years. rowen abdicates and retires, spending his time between the grandmaster’s palace in valletta and a small single-family home in the heart of the halifax suburbs. as time goes on, he spends less time in malta and more time at his real home. 

DECEMBER 2085 -

former king rowen of malta’s funeral takes place in valletta, but he is buried in his family’s plot in halifax.

                                 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

anyways that’s a wrap on rowen! 

i wanted to say thanks to everyone who’s written a thread with him or spent any time reading his threads over the past two years - he’s been so fun to write! but all good things come to an end - and i finally hit a wall where there was just... nothing left to write about. anyways, if you half enjoyed reading the threads as much as i love writing them, i’m sure i did something right! i’m going to miss him a hell of a lot but it’s time to let go! 

<3<3<3<3

11th october 1992

The crown prince Albert who was 34 years old and his wife Anne finally welcomed a child into the world. Princess Louise Astrid Charlotte’s birth had been awaited like the second coming of Christ. All the kingdom rejoiced and King Léopold granted special amnesty to lower offenders and even lifted taxes for a month to celebrate the birth of his fist grand child. The baby became second in line and crushed her uncle’s hope of ever ascending to the throne of Belgium.

1996

Louise was excited to welcome a new baby brother. Prince Léopold joined the family and the court breathed a sight of relief. They had a spare heir, in case something was to happen to the princess. 

1998

The princess enrolled in a prestigious private school near Brussels who teaches in both French and Dutch. She stayed in that school for six years.

2000

The royal family welcomed its third child, Princess Joséphine. Queen Anne had a difficult pregnancy and all were relieved that both mother and baby made it. From that moment, Albert and Anne’s attention was mostly divided between their two daughters. 

2004

Louise entered secondary education. She enrolled in a new school for six years. That time, it was a French International school but the princess still had languages lessons in Dutch and German in and outside of school. 

2007

King Léopold passed away peacefully due to old age. Louise’s father Albert became king and she inherited the title of crown princess at the age of fourteen years old. It was a pivotal moment in her life. She became first in line but was still a teenager. It made her unable to enjoy a carefree life like a normal child would have.

Winter 2008

At the age of sixteen years old, Louise abide by the tradition and had a debutante ball where she was officially presented at court. * I’m up for plotting if someone wants to be her date. Else I hc that it was some Belgian noble. 

Summer 2010

Louise graduated the equivalent of Belgium high school with a general diploma and a minor focus on arts. 

Autumn 2010

Louise moved to Paris in her mother’s old flat to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in a five years program. It was the first time, she really connected with people outside of her social circle. Of course, she had security discreetly following her ( two special agents also enrolled at the school under fake names to be able to protect her) but she was relatively free. She made friends who had no title or money. For her safety and to be accepted by her peers, she used her grandmother’s name and pretended to be Louise de Liedekerke. The ruse held some time but anyone who was smart could discover the truth. During three years, she alternated between a normal-ish student life, occasionally visiting the French court and returning to Brussels. After three years, she earned her first diploma (Diplôme de premier cycle).       

Autumn 2013 - Summer 2014

Louise did a year abroad in Italy in a partner school, Universita di Venizia. It was part of the program to spend a year travelling and studying abroad. She picked Italy because it is the home of renaissance masters. She kept using the de Liedekerke alias while in Italy. She was invited a couple of times at the Italian court, as they had been made aware of her stay in their country. That year was a dream for the artist in her but was harder on her social life as she didn’t speak Italian. 

Autumn 2014 - Summer 2015

She returned to Paris for her final year at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. She graduated with a second diploma (Diplôme national supérieur d’arts plastiques).  

Spring 2016

After working on a top secret project for several months and having her parents’ authorisation, Louise opened an Art gallery in Brussels with a friend. She alternated between her work there and her royal obligations for over three years. Everything was going well and she was happy with her life.

September 2019 (death tw) 

Her parents got into a terrible helicopter crash while they were on their way to an event. Louise and her siblings were immediately rushed into a bunker while officials debated whether it was an accident or not. They stayed in the bunker for a little over a day before it was deemed safe for the royal children to come out. It was the worst day of her life. They had been told that their mother died at the scene and that their father was in critical condition. Rumours were circulating about the accident and the public was panicking and asking for transparency. There were even parts of Belgium with a little unrest after a day of the palace deafening silence on the accident. After Louise emerged from the bunker, she had to address the nation and tell her people about Queen Anne’s passing and the King being in the hospital. She does not remember much from the days following the accident. Queen mother Wilhelmina came to be with her grandchildren and offer support to Louise who was entrusted with the regency while Albert was in the hospital. The dukes and influential people from all over Belgium started to plot and circle around the princess, smelling the blood in the water. At only twenty-six years old, she was not ready to assume leadership. She froze all political and non essential decisions while trying to figure out what to do and hoping for her father’s condition to improve.

12th October 2019

The palace needed time to organise a state funeral for the deceased queen. An investigation around the crash had also be opened and the police needed to finish some elements of it before the royal family would be able to bury Anne. Everyone tried to make it as quickly as possible so the Nation could grieve. They picked the 12th as the 11th was Louise’s birthday and it would be too cruel to bury her mother that day. Royals, Nobles, Politics, and influential people from all around Europe and some beyond came to Brussels to say goodbye to the queen. With King Albert in a coma, all the attention was on Louise and her siblings. 

October 2019

The Belgian court had had the decency to wait until the funeral to publicly voice their opinions and ideas in the press but as soon as Anne was underground, they unleashed hell. Louise and her grandmother worked out the terms of the regency to try to secure the throne and bring some stability to the kingdom. The accident had caused instability, unrest and the beginning of an economical crisis on top of the political one. Louise entrusted the Duke of Flanders and a couple of her father’s old advisers and friends to help her with the Regency. For several months she worked to stabilise the country. Once they had domestic affairs under control, they started to worry about France and their habit of invading their neighbours. 

February 2020

so this is natalia’s life. and it’s super long, and idek ... this is like timeline x psyche. 

the answer mickey, is no one. 

TW: eating disorder

23 MARCH 1996

it is late into the night that that natalia is born. an easy delivery- and hell, she hardly lets out a cry when she’s exposed to the world. the doctors have to check if she’s breathing- she is. her mother holds her tight, grateful that her features won out on the gene pool, and she is safe.

04 SEPTEMBER 1999 (3)

her mother and father are arguing- she doesn’t see them for long before she’s swooped away by the nanny. she sits in the kitchen with her nanny with a toy and some shortbread until her mother comes to retrieve her. something is off, she can tell, but she knows better than to raise questions.

09 MAY 2001 (5)

there’s so many cameras. she’d been photographed a time or two before but it seemed there was a mob as she exited the car. her mother is behind her, guiding her into the palace. the night before she’d been pulled aside by nicole- she heard an explanation that she could barely comprehend. her new, actual father ? she hadn’t heard of such a thing ... they didn’t make movies for these princesses.

16 AUGUST 2001 (5)

she’s grown used to arthur, it’s nice to have a companion, toys are fun but they only provide so much entertainment before you realize you are alone. sharing is not a skill she was used to- but she’s learned she does not mind it. it is the nice thing to do.

2003 (7)

the girls are just. like. her. every morning she’s dressed in a starched white blouse and a pleated, plaid jumper. knee socks hiked up along with the shiny mary janes. you wouldn’t be able to pick natalia out of the gaggle of noble daughters by looking at them. but teachers are more lax; and every one’s mum and dad wave at her after school before she’s put in the car. because she’s not just a lady, she’s the princess.

after school her governess takes over- ballet classes for hours, then time spent where she’s taught etiquette before she learns how to do addition; what fork to use for supper before completing her reading comprehension homework. dinner is eaten in silence, and they’re dismissed when her father leaves the table ... and the day starts again, and again.

14 APRIL 2004 (8)

she is eight and arthur jr. is eleven, and they’re brought to the races with their father. at one moment they bicker and get annoyed by petty sibling squabbles, but the next arthur is helping brush grass of her dress- and she thinks it’s in that moment, that one moment of caring affection, she has a brother.

23 MARCH 2006 (10)

she celebrates her 10th birthday in the gardens at kensington- and already the girls from her class are vying for invitations. she invites the cavendish siblings and the fitzroys of course, along with girls in her class her mother found to be particularly interesting and useful. whatever that means. she’s seated next to the scottish princesses- there’s something enviable about their bond that natalia can see from just looking.

2009 (13)

two new additions. antonia ives, the eldest child of her father so far, and now her older sister. and andrew beaufort, another older brother. it wasn’t just she and arthur anymore it seemed.

2010 (14)

vaugh ashcroft is the next name, and it’s four siblings she has now, correct ? when she gets to school the girls at st. george’s gather around her- they’ve made her their leader - every move she makes is noted and sometimes copied, she can’t fathom why, and any of her wishes is their command. but natalia doesn’t know what to do with the power of a queen b.

2011 (15)

natalia made balancing schooling and every other extracurricular that made her great look simple. it would have to be so - natalia would be reminded by her mother that she was better than the other girls, yes all of them, and would have to show them so. and as if she needed a reminder of her imperfections her ballet teacher reminds her that part of her role is looking the part, as eyes scan her body. she skips dinner. and sometimes lunch. no one notices anyways - her mother only gushes about how good she looks in her clothes.

but it all seems worth it as she takes her bow on stage, but she looks into the crowd for a familiar face, perhaps her mother, father, or brother were late and couldn’t wish her good luck. but to no avail, the crowd is full of parents and family, but not hers, not “hers”. it was a silly thought anyways and natalia can’t hold back the tears for much longer as she exits the stage - and it takes only seconds before her so called minions are at her side, coddling her. you can’t cry in front of them natalia. so she puts on a smile as the water falls, and waves them away. happy tears, she says - though, she doesn’t know the feeling.

2012 (16)

another year, but everything’s the same - the crushing responsibility of being perfect still weighs on her - but she’s caught the attention of a cute eton boy that calls her pretty and sometimes gives her attention she craves. it’s more than enough to feed the void and makes her feel slightly less empty than usual. a distraction - she hardly remembers her struggles when being paraded as a debutante in a pretty dress.

but when he graduates in may, and says goodbye for college - he breaks her heart. she supposes she knew he was going to leave, but she can’t help but dwell on the good memories.

2013 (17)

no one knows if her injury onstage was intentional or not, but after her tendon is torn a slight weight is lifted off her shoulders. her collection of pointe shoes are shoved in the closet to never be seen again, though it’s clear that it’s not the root her problems. 

2014 (18)

all the girls in her class gush about their colleges and passions, and she smiles and congratulates them of course - as they do her - but they don’t know that her choice has been made for her.

graduation day is full of uncertainty, she asks her chauffeur if he knows anything about who would attend for her, and it’s with anticipation that she walks out on stage - and for once, her mother and father are in the crowd. granted, for only a moment, but for the first time the faces in the crowd aren’t all so unfamiliar.

her first semester takes adjusting. at first she’s determined to make a name for herself that’s not the princess, though failing miserably. the classes are hard and boring and frankly she is not above using her title in her favor. 

umm take everything after this with a grain of salt i’m still adjusting the years. actually the stuff above too lmfao

2015 (19)

but what she likes is the semblance of freedom, or it might just be the fact she is away from the root of her problems (at least, physically.) she makes herself busy enough so that she doesn’t have to think about it.

it’s in her second year at oxford that giovanni catches her eye. it’s the same flags as before but she doesn’t learn, no, this is different. she reads into things too much and thinks she’s decoded him, any rudeness or callousness just means he likes her. right ? oh, what does she know about love ??

2016 (20)

natalia is all too comfortable. the main problems on her mind is how her political theory class is a complete snooze fest, and how she will get excused from her midterm to attend new york fashion week, because being away from everything (even if not very far) causes her to turn a blind eye on things brewing. 

2017 (21)

her final year and she can almost say she’s happy - life is lax until well - betrayal has her cutting her italian holiday short, returning home to england. though it doesn’t stop there - only a few months into her third year, her father has been forced to abdicate. the air around her changes - her peers are unsure of what to say and she’s not sure she wants their condolences anyways. 

2018 (22)

she graduates ! magna cum laude, and she even gets to make a speech, despite controversy. 

and after much deliberation she’s sent to the greek island - her mother says it’s safer than england and she had any sense she’d use her connections wisely. she tries to make peace and a semblance of a relationship with her sibling, usually to little avail. and when gio makes an appearance again, the cycle of unfortunate heartbreak begins all over.

2019 (23)

she’s surrounded by people but has never felt lonelier. five siblings, and even an engagement. but nothing was tying her to her siblings anymore, they were all drifting away. ties were being severed for the sake of a title - a stupid title.

when her mother calls her, it’s only for new developments at home, or reminders of conversations she needs to have with monarchs, relationships she’d need to maintain.

SEPTEMBER 1998 --- Inari didn’t want to get out of her mother’s womb. She is born five days past the due date and the labour takes forever. By the time Inari takes her first breaths, everyone involved are exhausted.

AUGUST 2004 --- First year of school! Inari is more than excited to embark on her biggest adventure so far. She has admired her siblings from afar, and finally, finally she gets to start school.

JUNE 2007 --- A nine-year-old Inari looks at her older siblings with deep envy. It’s the twins’ graduation day and she wants to wear the cap as well. It’s a shame she has ten years to go. 

JUNE 2014 --- She has spent the beginning of the summer on the edge of her seat. She wants to be accepted into her dream upper secondary school. Her grades are fine --- her grades are better than fine, she has nothing to worry about. When she gets the acceptance letter, she’s over the moon. High school is going to be amazing.

AUGUST 2015 --- Inari decides to make a change to her five year plan: she decides to graduate one year later. An exchange year in Switzerland sounds far too tempting to pass by. As suspected, the year flies by and the memories she makes are invaluable.

SEPTEMBER 2016 --- She spares no money on her 18th birthday bash. She even gets Aarne to join her and her friends ( she doesn’t even try to invite Anneli --- and truthfully, she doesn’t think her sister is that good a partier ). 

MARCH 2017 --- It hits her for the first time: all her friends are graduating in a matter of months and she still has a lot of school work to do. It’s annoying and the few new friends she has made after returning from her year in Switzerland don’t really compare to her OG squad.

JUNE 2018 --- The day has finally come! She’s a high school graduate. Her chest would explode with happiness if her party wasn’t missing a handful of important guests. All of her male childhood friends, all of the male members of her OG squad are in Karelia, fighting, possibly dying. 

JULY 2018 --- July rolls in and Inari looks at the acceptance letter from her university. It’s an accomplishment, it really is, but it feels insignificant when the conversations she has with her siblings and parents are about the war. 

SEPTEMBER 2018 --- Inari moves out of the palace to be a walking distance away from her uni. Despite the crazy situation in her country, she does her best to acquire the traditional college experience. Befriending new people is easier than she had thought. 

MAY 2019 --- May Day celebrations of 2019 are something Inari will remember for years to come. It isn’t that something very special happened but all of her who had survived the war and actually returned home by May, joined Inari to celebrate Labour Day. The future seemed so bright for the first time in forever. 

JULY 2019 --- Sikes! The annexation of Finland happens and Inari is absolutely devastated. She’s locks herself in her apartment because she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do. Her parents can’t be reached, the Russians have practically sealed off Helsinki. She spends the night at her friend’s place ( one small room and shared kitchen & bathroom ). The place feels safer than any other place in the city. Her friend’s flatmate, a complete stranger, gives Inari a pitying look as their eyes meet in the kitchen. 

AUGUST 2019 --- Inari gets sloppy. She sends more texts than necessary, the fact that she hasn’t been bothered so far by anyone has her lulled into a false sense of safety. Maybe the Russians don’t deem her important enough? She is mistaken of course. It doesn’t require much from the Russians to find her roaming her campus when she visits it for the first time in a long time. While a 20-year-old doesn’t stick out on a campus... She does when she’s the only princess in the country.

SEPTEMBER 2019 --- She’s back at the palace. It isn’t a very fun place anymore. Not even Aarne’s company manages to cheer her up. She acquires some course credit but it’s not much. As insignificant as it sounds, she’s also upset that she can’t take part in the start of school year celebrations. Unofficial house arrest takes her smile away.

NOVEMBER 2019 --- She starts visiting her college campus semi regularly, there’s always a pair of eyes on her back but she somewhat grows used to it. At least now she’s back to cracking jokes about flat earthers and gets to dream about cool future projects. Even geothermal heat is suddenly an interesting topic in class.

DECEMBER 1977 --- Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov is born in Vienna, Austria. It’s a bit past two am and the room is occupied by five people, only the parents and medical professionals would be up at that hour.

APRIL 1982 --- It’s the first time he hears his father talk about Russia. His father, who has never set a foot in the country, speaks of the country with longing and affection. Alexei doesn’t understand him. How can you love something you’ve never seen? How can something you’ve never touched be yours by birthright?

SEPTEMBER 1983 --- Alexei starts attending the Russian school of Vienna. He bears the surname of his mother, as do all of his siblings. He doesn’t stick out from his peers. He speaks rarely but listens closely, he’s good at tag and all its variants so he’s popular during recess.

DECEMBER 1984 --- Christmas is nearing and he hears his parents arguing in the kitchen. It’s a rare thing to witness as they hide each and every problem from the children as good parents do. It’s about money. Masha Prozorova has spent too much on Christmas gifts. The family money is to be used wisely, there’s only so many tiaras and brooches they can sell.

OCTOBER 1986 --- Alexei breaks the one rule that he has vowed to honor until his dying day: he tells his school mate that he is a Romanov. Brags about it even. The child laughs at him, takes his statement as a joke despite Alexei’s best attempts at convincing him of the truth, and very quickly the conversation is forgotten. Later that day, Alexei feels guilty when his mother asked how his day went. It’s precisely his mother who reminds him of the importance of the secret almost every day. Now even more often than usual since she’s cradling her second son in her arms.

JANUARY 1987 --- His father has begun to spend more and more time with his grandfather. Sometimes the two men disappear for hours, sometimes for days, sometimes even for weeks. Despite being busy with school and enjoying the world of children, Alexei notices the changes in his father. It’s like for the first time ever, his father has determination. 

JUNE 1989 --- His mother comes to fetch him from a friend’s house, she is colder than usual and has no patience for his words of protest. As the whispers of a Romanov lead rebellion spread through Europe like wildfire, people started to wonder where the imperial family was. Where had they been living? Alexei’s friend, the one who only now could believe Alexei’s words from three years ago, spoke about the conversation. Mentioned it to his parents who, in turn, spoke to their friends, who, in turn, spoke to their friends. In a matter of a week the Russian community of Vienna had begun to monitor the Prozorova family’s every move. Masha finds out about the source of the rumour and disappointment fills her.

SEPTEMBER 1989 --- The family decides to move elsewhere. Switzerland crosses their mind but the paperwork does not seem worth the trouble. The family relocates to Salzburg. 

DECEMBER 1991 --- The White Army has won, miraculously. His mother has the help packing up their bags: it’s time to return home --- whatever that means. The sun has barely risen when Alexei takes his first step on Russian soil. It’s boxing day and the freshly fallen snow squeaks underneath him. He’s fourteen and he has never known anything except Austria. Only the language around him feels familiar.

MARCH 1994 --- Czar Aleksandr dies and Mikhail Romanov ascends the throne. For the first time in his life, Alexei realizes what’s waiting for him in the future. The thought bothers him so he keeps it buried deep.

JUNE 1995 --- Alexei finishes his upper secondary school. He holds his diploma in his hand and smiles. He still sometimes thinks back to that day --- he can’t remember ever feeling quite as invincible, intelligent and happy as he did on graduation day. 

SEPTEMBER 1995 --- He’s been the crown prince for two years, and a high school graduate for two months. It’s time for a new chapter in his life which involves the army. His father sends him off with praise and a short and stiff hug. His mother doesn’t ascend the steps of the palace to wave him off. Her shadow is gone from the doorway before the car has crossed the courtyard.

DECEMBER 1995 --- When Alexei returns home for the first break (it’s Christmas), his cheekbones are more defined than they’ve ever been and his shaved head reveals an old childhood scar on his forehead. He knows the ensemble waiting for him at the palace is different from usual: he has heard the news of his uncle and he almost doesn’t want to see his orphaned cousins. It’s such a difficult truth to face. He has been able to ignore it since military training doesn’t let you be quiet with your thoughts. 

JULY 2001 --- He leaves the army. He has a respectable amount of medals pinned on his chest and no one can question his dedication to the country. He needs to start writing a new chapter in his life. 

SEPTEMBER 2001 --- That chapter is higher education. He begins his studies in St. Petersburg and he adores it. He’s a bit rusty having spent little to no time on a school bench in six years but he loves it. Loves using his head for once, loves listening to people talk, loves the wide array of opinions around him. He just notices one thing: the Romanovs aren’t perceived as the heroes. It’s an upsetting thing to realize.

MAY 2007 --- He has finished his master’s studies. The degree in political science feels worthless. He only knows that he knows nothing. He looks at the reforms, changes and minor improvements his father has accomplished and wonders how that is even possible. 

JULY 2010 --- He tears himself away from work for one week to spend it with his family. The glass he’s holding is sweating in his hand, the summer sun is hot enough to burn his forehead if he doesn’t remember to move to the shade soon. His eyes stay on Irina and Tatyana, and he wonders when he’s supposed to have that. Only later on he identifies one of his feelings as envy.

DECEMBER 2012 --- He’s been a cautious fool. Always taking his time, never making a move. It’s a miracle that he stops Anneli in time and gives her that kiss.

OCTOBER 2016 --- The day he has been dreading has come. He receives a call that starts with ‘Your Majesty’. He looks for his wallet and phone and arranges a jet for himself. Four hours later he’s lying on Anneli’s sofa and she’s handling him a cup of tea.

APRIL 25TH 1993

crown princess mary gave birth to her first child in the dead of night, and early after sunrise, the town crier appeared in front of holyrood palace to deliver the good news: princess catherine, countess of carrick, had been born. later that day, a special mass was said asking for health and prosperity to the newest addition to the royal family.

MARCH 9TH 2000

they keep telling her that she’s important and that she needed to excel in her studies. so when margot was given permission to read books in the library instead of learning french, catherine solemnly kept her head bowed towards her textbooks. but because she had been good, and she could count backwards from ten in french, her papa had prepared a surprise for her out in the stables. her first pony was called briallen, the welsh word for primrose, and the princess took to riding whenever she could.

JULY 19TH 2005 [ FEAT. @matildastuarts, @margotstuarts, @hrhhans ]

hans had taken to telling ghost stories late at night in the children’s rooms at charlottenburg palace, making matilda and karoline cry throughout the night since they were too terrified to sleep. in the morning after they had breakfast with their governesses, he managed to lock margaret in a dark closet. it was the first time that catherine punched someone in the face, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

SEPTEMBER 21ST 2008

at fifteen years old, catherine stood solemnly in the first row pews to the right of the altar alongside her family. her mother was now queen, scarcely a week after they buried her grandfather -- and the young princess held her grandmother’s hand as she held her breath when the monarch’s coronet was placed upon her mother’s head. her grandmother squeezed her hand, as if to say ‘one day it will be you’. her heart stuttered, as if in fear, and she never looked at anything the same way again.

DECEMBER 1ST 2010 [ FEAT. @artwindsor ]

catherine was seventeen, arthur was eighteen, and they both dreamt of a world that might unite their two countries. so they whispered to each other promises that they wont keep, and locked their hearts away in favour of something altogether more tangible: power.

JUNE 14TH 2011

the girls in finishing school had whispered about this boy for ages, and a palpable groan had been heard when he announced that he would not be escorting any one of them during the presentation. but catherine had almost laughed, for she found herself gracefully gliding across the shiny ballroom floor of the newly opened hazelton club in the arms of the same lord theodore innes-ker. at least now she could show those social climbers what a rough little girl from gordonstoun could do. “theo, if i may suggest, you should ask phoebe drummond to dance the viennese waltz with you- she’s absolutely the best of the class and i do know for a fact that she has her eye on you!” yes, she did have her eye on him -- in an embarrassingly obvious sort of way -- but the girl had always managed to trip over herself after the fourth count. maybe that’ll teach the precocious girl not to underestimate a stuart.

MAY 13TH 2013 [ FEAT. @ennioeste ]

“where were you?” catherine had woken up alone, the space where he held her throughout the night had been long cold, leaving her slightly bereft. she thought that she was far too young to be dealing with this, scarcely twenty, and already sounding like someone she’d rather not be. ennio stood up a little straighter, but even from the distance she could see his bloodshot eyes, the strange gait that she had no choice but to be accustomed to. “nowhere, i just got coffee from that nice place we like by the-” she interjected, suddenly feeling tired despite a relatively decent night’s sleep. “don’t bother, ennio... you can do what ever you want- i have to go to class.” so catherine slipped out of bed, took off his comfortable shirt she had on, and got ready for the day -- just a little too lovestruck to leave him completely, that is, until today.

JULY 3RD 2014 [ FEAT. @frvncicc ]

she first saw him when they passed each other in the hallways of the palace. her, in her riding habit after taking a spin around the grounds, and him, in a finely pressed suit and tie on his way to meet her mother. “that’s the prince of spain,” isla, her lady-in-waiting, whispered as he turned the corner. “the crown prince of spain,” clara, her other lady-in-waiting, supplied, with a little grin playing upon her lips. “her majesty is having him over to talk trade deals in person, but i heard from her assistant that she wants to push him towards one of your sisters!” catherine frowned instinctively, and she didn’t quite know why. it wasn’t as if she was hoping to jump into another relationship, especially one as improbable as being with a crown prince! that night when the queen introduced her guest to her eldest daughter, fresh out of university, catherine felt his eyes upon her and knew she was a goner.

MARCH 7TH 2016 [ FEAT. @giorxcci, @mimidbg ]

her friends had dragged to the bar, just barely, after their last in-class mid-term. they were a cacophony of royals, higher nobility, and several social climbers jammed into the corner booth of an oxford student bar. “gio- gio! what is this?” catherine held out the shallow glass of god-knows-what in front of her friend’s eyes. the italian prince laughed, motioning vaguely for her to ‘just drink it!’ before the stunning blonde next to him quipped, just a little louder than the raucous volume of the student bar they were sat in: “it’s not poisoned, darling! it’s from the most expensive bottle of scotch for our most expensive scot!” she had to laugh at that, and after shooting the monegasque princess a sarcastically withering look, the scot took the shot in one.

SEPTEMBER 2ND 2017

it was the first time she saw her mother in full regalia quite like this, right on the centre of the receiving platform as she looked up at the features that were mirrored in her own. it was difficult not to be humbled when one was kneeling in front of one’s sovereign, weighed down by a velvet robe and centuries of history. “i, catherine, duchess of rothesay, do become your liege of life and limb and of earthly worship, and faith and truth i will bear unto thee, to live and die against all manner of folks.” she was robed in her own regalia, a duchess’ coronet placed upon her head, and the look that her mother gave her said: ‘your next one will be far more grand.’

NOVEMBER 29TH 2017

england was going to implode into itself, and catherine decided it wasn’t in her best interest to associate herself with any arthur windsors -- even in secret.

JANUARY 25TH 2020 [ FEAT. @beaufort-a ]

1. January 3, 1988- Birth 

Rhiannon Elinor Powys was born to King Cynan and Queen Eira of Wales. She was the first born and heir apparent to the Welsh throne. A 21-gun salute signaled her birth and iconic landmarks in Wales were illuminated in pink. Her official title and style is “Her Royal Highness Princess Rhiannon of Wales” 

2. April 10, 1991- First Exposure to the Media

From the moment Rhiannon was born, she was in the spotlight. The Welsh people were obsessed with the princess, and unfortunately, so was the media. Her first memorable exposure to the media was when she was 3 years old. They bombarded her when she was out with her nanny and took tons of pictures of her, which frightened her immensely. Rhiannon’s life became very documented from that point on. 

3. November 15, 1997- Found Out She’d Be Queen

When Rhiannon was just nine years old, she was told she would one day be queen of Wales. Her education became focused on becoming the future sovereign. Finding out she was going to be queen, and that it would have to come off the back of her father dying was a very troubling thing for her to grasp at nine years old. 

4. September 4, 2000- Sent to Boarding School

Rhiannon was sent to boarding school in England when she was twelve and attended boarding school until she was eighteen. She would only be home in Wales for the summer and for  important events. It was during her time in boarding school that her rebellious behaviors began, and she often got in trouble for doing thing she wasn’t supposed to do. 

5. July 20, 2004- First Got Involved with Drinking

Rhiannon began underage drinking when she was sixteen, and as a result of that, she began making all sorts of headlines. Her reputation as the “party princess” began at that point. All of these rebellious activities stemmed from the fact Rhiannon’s upbringing had been very strict, and that her parents were never much involved. However, her parents were more involved with her siblings than they had been with her. 

6. March 12, 2006- Knee Injury & Beginning of Addiction to Narcotics

While horseback riding, Rhiannon was thrown from her horse and tore her ACL and PCL in her knee, so she had to have surgery to repair it. After surgery, she ended up getting addicted to Oxycontin and Vicodin. One year after the addiction began, Rhiannon went to rehab. The addiction didn’t become public knowledge until after she got out of rehab. 

7. February 1, 2009- Met the Love of Her Life 

While attending a formal event, Rhiannon met a prince from another country and it was love at first sight for the two of them (ITS A WANTED CONNECTION Y’ALL). They began a very high-profile relationship and were expected to marry.

8. November 5, 2011- Overdose

Unfortunately, Rhiannon relapsed and started using narcotics again, along with cocaine. Rhi overdosed on November 5, 2011 and nearly died. After recovering, she returned to rehab for a second time. Her boyfriend ended things with her during that time, which completely broke her heart. 

9. January 20, 2013- Charity Work 

Rhiannon became a patron of several different charities for wildlife conservation, and underprivileged children. She also started her own foundation & initiatives for recovering drug addicts. 

10. February 16, 2017- Father’s Terminal Cancer Diagnosis