exsilium | ☼ 001

[There's a pair of big brown eyes - and just that - peering very, very closely into the camera. They blink a few times before their owner backs away slightly, just enough so that the rest of her face can be seen. Aw, it's a cute little girl! She's wearing an elaborate golden crown that appears to be just a touch too big for her head, as shown when it slips down over her forehead. Scowling, she pushes it back up to its rightful place atop her head, and glares daggers at the camera. Her mouth is pressed into a hard, thin line; her eyes are narrowed. It's a strange expression for such a young face.]

You have an awful lot of nerve, dragging me into all of this. This isn't my country. This isn't even my world, apparently, and I'm not sure I even believe all that nonsense. Why should I care? What does it matter to me whether you win or lose?

I'm just a little girl, you know. How much help am I going to be, hmm? And I am a queen, on top of that: queen of a nation with its own war to worry about. Perhaps if you'd asked nicely, I might have sent reinforcements, once things had been settled. Except I can't, now that you've gone and kidnapped me.

And what if I die? What then? Falena would never, ever, ever forgive the death of its queen - you'll just end up with another war on your hands. This Initiative of yours isn't very smart, is it?

[There's a pause, and a pained expression crosses her face for a brief moment. Her voice is suddenly as small as she is.] They could have at least brought Frey here, too. He would know what to do.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't have time for that. [Fun and games do not make for a good queen duh] There are more important things to do.

More important than being able to do things that you want, too? I thought that most rulers who were children had advisors or regents that ruled for them? [Or maybe you watch too many movies, Chloe.]

I have a country to protect. That's more important than anything else I could want. [huff] And my advisors are terrible. I can't trust them to do anything right.

Maybe you need new advisors.

I do.

I'm just a figurehead, though. A puppet, with... [She pauses. The words "my husband" are on the tip of her tongue, but she can't bring herself to even use those words to describe him.] With that man pulling the strings. Or trying to, anyway. But things will change after Brother wins the war; I'll make sure of that.

That man? [Head tilting.]

Gizel Godwin. He's... we're... [The name is spit out like it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, but after that, she fumbles for an explanation.] We're married. I didn't want it, though. I hate him.

Um. [Chloe Saunders, 15, necromancer, a young woman of many words.] What?

What?

[The most eloquent little girls in all of Exsilium, these two.]

You're married?

[I've only just had my first kiss. How do these things happen?]

[Falenan politics are messed up, that's how.

She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.] His gladiator won the Sacred Games, so he... yeah. It's just a political marriage. He just wanted to marry the princess so he could become Commander, so my coronation ceremony doubled as a wedding.

[Oh. Chloe frowns sadly.] So you won't even get the chance to find true love? [The moment she says it, she wants to hit herself, because this isn't some stupid chick flick. Chloe doesn't even like those kind of movies, but being forced to marry some dude who sounds like a jerk isn't romantic at all.]

[She snorts derisively. Ten years old, and she's already given up on the idea of finding her ~one true love~. Which is... pretty sad, considering how happy her parents had been.] No. Not many people are that lucky. I'm definitely not one of them.

You're young. You still don't know that for sure! [Although being married already... makes for complications.]

☼ 001 | video

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;