Young Writers Society

A court of may talents and virtues, the Finriian court is the place to go to be fostered. Made up of elves and other mythical creatures, it will take second princes, earls, marquesses, and the occasional minor lord or vassal. King Jorge and Queen Lianna are good rulers and even better politicians. They are manipulative, cunning, and look to further their fortune and kingdom. Their son and heir, Prince Jasper, is a typical player, spoiled prince, and stuck-up noble. His twin sister, Princess Callistana is his opposite. Known as Callie, she has a wild streak in her; she likes to ride in the country, spar with the knights, and is an 'utter disgrace', as Queen Lianna has put it. She knows that royal daughters are married off for the good of the country, but doesn't want this for herself. The entire royal family are dragons (that can shapeshift between their human and dragon forms), and also part elvish. In a fear-striking assassination, a very highly thought of Councilman has been assassinated, and a neighboring country, Smityn is considering declaring war on Finrae because they believe that Finrae is planning to attack them. The borders are shut down and no one can go in or out of Finrae. The fostered nobility must learn to be cunning and brave to survive in this gilded cage and political trap. Each foreigner and servant- even some natives- are under suspicion; yet someone must find the murderer.

Characters


Here end the character lists.

Character Profiles


Rules:


What shall happen in the Finriian court?


People whom I think might be interested:

-Callie-

My long skirts droop in the mud as I dismount from my horse.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

I tug the riding jacket off, hurriedly peeling it from my arms and dropping It in a patch of grass. I peel the red blouse off of my skin and drop it over my jacket. Kicking my skirt off, I sigh with relief, now only standing in my chemise.

I run forward and jump, plunging in the cool, clear water beneath me. I nearly sink to the bottom , but kick off and pop up, gasping for air.

I dive again, opening my eyes underwater, observing the fish that swim underneath. Before long, I run out of air, so I surface again.

"So this is where you are." The voice of my twin brother surprises me, and I shriek, flailing in the water. "Over here, Callie."

I turn to the sound of the voice, and look up, shielding my eyes from the sun. Jasper stands on the small cliff that I jumped from, and I sigh, wading out of the water. I walk up the path to where Jasper is standing and stand in front of him defiantly. He shakes his head at the state of my undress and hands me my clothes to put on.

I put everything on and mount my horse in icy silence before my curiosity wins out.

"Did Mother send you? Or did you just come looking for me?"

He sighs. "Mother sent me. She was looking for you, and the stable boy said you had left an hour ago."

"Why you? Were there no soldiers free?"

"She wanted me to warn you. There is an ambassador from Smytin." He pauses, gathering his courage. "And... one of the princes accompanied him."

Ugh. "Well, so what?"

"Don't be dense, Callistana. You know what. Anyway, Mother told me to smuggle you into the palace. We're on the edge of war with this nation. Don't be selfish."

I give my brother the cold shoulder for the rest of the way there. As soon as we reach my rooms from a back staircase, my brother leaves after ordering my maids (MY maids!) to make me presentable. I am duly bathed, scrubbed, and dressed. Their chatter soothes me, and I sit back in my chair as my lady-in waiting teases my hair into a becoming style.

"What does he look like, Elyse?"

She pauses in her combing. "Well, your highness, I only caught a glimpse of him, but he's certainly handsome. I think he's only two years older you, and he has blonde hair. Youngest of seven, you know."

I nod. It was common knowledge that Smytin had seven princes. I almost felt sorry for the seventh; unless he poisoned all of his brothers, he and his line would never receive the recognition of being part of the royal family.

Of course, I'd be more inclined to help him had he not come here to bid on me like I was a side of ham.

I'm scrunched into a green dress that bring out my eyes. Just as I'm perfect, my mother sends a messenger for me- to bring me to the throne room.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

The palace had a gues.
Guests meant feasts.
And feasts meant work.
The whole kitchen was filled with steam, noise, bustle, shouting, smells to excite the nostrils, panicky chefs, and in the centre on the table stood a tower of eats, treats and sweet meats, all piled up ready for the feast.
Overlooking all this stood Pugrott, the kitchen was his kingdom and his chef's hat his crown. Although he regularly dived in and gave orders, or instructed a chef in his endevours, his main aattention was on a towering masterpiece of a cake. A rich strong centre so large it had to be baked in four different ovens, covered in layers of icing, and all decorated with immaculate attention to detail. Small spirals of icing were dotted all over, and at the top was placed a miniature castle, a veritable replica of the palace.
But Pugrott the Dogbolter had other things on his mind.
The palace had guest.
A guest meant political change.
And political change meant work.
If Pugrott was to maintain this state of looming war that benefited his income so much, something had to be done. Either the politics or his plans would have to change, and the former was Pugrott's first option.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?" Isabella asked as she cautiously slipped through the half open doors of the queen's bedroom and closed them behind her.

The queen was seated at her vanity table, staring into its mirror. She did not seem to be admiring her beauty, or gazing into the mirror for any actual purpose. She just... stared.

"I did." Queen Lianna spoke softly and indifferently.

"Is something wrong?" Isabella asked tentatively, slowly advancing, pulling up a chair from one of the shadowy corners, and sitting beside the queen, facing her.

"The youngest prince of Smytin has arrived. An ambassador has accompanied him here."

Isabella smiled - she had not gotten as far in life as she had by not knowing of such events. "I am aware, Your Majesty, but I do not see why that is a problem. The Court of Smytin's stance toward us has been uncertain for months, and tensions are higher than ever before - yet they have sent an embassy. Surely this is cause for a little celebration?"

"It would be, but Smytin's king and queen have sent their seventh son. Everyone knows that he is useless."

"That is perhaps a bit harsh, Your Majesty," Isabella said, a very slight hint of disapproval in her voice. "Granted, he is a human, but from what I have heard, he is a talented young man; he fluently speaks four different languages and is proficient in archery, engineering, and even poetry."

"He may have his virtues, but what prince does not know how to joust or swordfight? Prince Jasper is an excellent swordsman, and you should see him in the jousting ring."

"I have, Your Majesty," Isabella said pointedly. "He lost his last match." Isabella wanted to add, "Miserabally," but knew better than to follow through with that idea.

"His opponent cheated. But that's beside the point! King Regulus and Queen Hera have sent their youngest son to marry our daughter; if they had held us in high esteem, they would have sent no one other than their eldest son."

"I believe he is already married, Your Majesty."

"That is the problem!"

Isabella wondered how the queen could manage to have a conversation without ever looking away from her reflection.

"It shows exactly what the Smytish Court thinks of us," Queen Lianna continued. "Their attempts at peace negotiations are half-hearted. They probably think they can walk all over us and that we shall be powerless to do anything about it." She huffed.

"You are not going to reject the embassy, are you, Your Majesty?" Isabella asked worriedly. "Their belongings have already been taken to their quarters."

"I am tempted, but no." The queen sighed. "Prince Rory will have to be sufficient for my daughter. After all, a useless prince would be perfect for a useless princess."

"Do you not think your daughter should decide her fate herself, Your Majesty?" Isabella asked gently.

Queen Lianna laughed bitterly. "That disgrace called Callistana could never make a competent decision! No, her fate must be decided for her." She abruptly rose and waited for a surprised Isabella to do the same. "Come. We must proceed to the throne room. Our"

The queen deftly strode out of the door, and as she followed, Isabella's thoughts were on that unfortunate Callie. She knew what it was like to have someone else control her future, but on such a large scale? She did not envy that poor child...

Augustus

"Watch out!"
The two fuards at the door jumped out of the way as a large plumes of smoke shot at the door. The smoke was caused by one of Augustus' apprentice's failed reactions.
"How many times do I have to reminf you that you add the frog's eyes after you add tthe fire shroom?" Augustus was waving away the brown smoke in front of his face.
"I apologize, master Adimino," the apprentice said, "but we didn't learn about this potion at the Academy."
"Well that's why your an apprentice, Sedrick. You still have much to learn."
Augustus and Sedrick repeated the recipe seven times, almost burning down the castle's east wing after one attempt.
Withthe seventh attempt the potion no occurences had taken place during the concocting, and Augustus cautiously spooned up a portion of the red mixture.
"It smells succesful," the court wizard said as he carefully held the spoon close to his nose, "I think it's time to taste your brew."
Just as Augustus was about to drink the potion, a gaurd knocked on the door. Sedrick sighed a sigh of relief as Augustus slowly put the spoon down.
"What is it now?" the latter said as he turned to face the door.
"A message from the King, milord," the gaurd said.
"Get out with it, young man," Augustus said, gesturing for the messenger to continue.
"He asks if you have forgotten that the Smytian ambassador arrives today.,
"The Smytian amvassador..." Augustus mumbled to himself, looking as if he was still processing the words, "The Smytian ambassador! Why didn't you say so! I need to get to the throne room immediately! Sedrick!"
"Yes, master?" the young apprentice said.
"Where are my spectacles?"
"You're wearing them, Master."
"Oh, oh yes. Grab that pile of reports on my desk, as well as Frostfire."
"Frostfire, Master? Why would you want an owl?"
"You never know when you might need an owl," Augustus said this as if it were the most natural thing to take a owl to the throne room, "Hurry up, boy!"
Following the messenger, Augustus beckoned to Sedrick to move faster, ignoring the burden the apprentice had to carry.
As the made their way into the throne room, Augustus took his position just behind the King's Throne. The Queen and Prince sat straight and proud in their thrones, but Augustus noticed that the Princess was not.
Augustus was still contemplating this when the heralds sounded the arrival of the ambassador.
But it was when he saw who arrived along with the ambassador and one of the Smytian princes (most likely number six or seven), that Augustus was shocked. Onmund, the Smytian Kingdom's royal wizard, had accompanied the ambassador.
This was going to be a very, VERY long two weeks (or was it a month?) indeed.

Elizabeth Claire

I needed to know what was going on at the royal palace, everyone there seemed to be having a very hectic day, so, my nosey self, changed into my bat form and swooped on down to the palace, right by the princess' room.

I didn't hear to much except for the fact that the prince was coming, and not the prince everyone accepted and loved, but his later brother, no one was wanting to marry a person who wasn't the correct prince.

My eyes began to glow of excitement, not because of the prince but because since a prince should be coming to town, that meant a royal ball was to be happening soon. I definitely wanted to meet Prince Jasper, and I would do exactly what I had to just to make sure it happened.

I hurried home and sat in my bed. I needed some time to myself to write my thoughts and think about what I will do to meet the prince.

Jasper
I hated sitting in the thrones. Whoever had decided that thrones were the way to go for royalty had been an imbecile. I sat with my hands linked in my lap, watching Mother out of the corner of my eye. I could get away with mostly anything, especially since Callie insisted on being so silly all of the time. If she just did what Mother said even half of the time, life might not be so hard for her. He just tried to follow orders when Mother was around and then do what he wanted when her back was turned.

Frowning to myself, I watched the small group from Smytin. It wasn’t hard to pick Prince Rory out from the rest. I hadn’t had the pleasure as of yet, but I had heard intriguing things. He was apparently quite the academic. I smirked as I tried to pair the mousy boy who was staring at his shoes with Callie. Somehow, I couldn’t quite see it working out. At least, if mother’s shenanigans did prove to be successful, Callie would have a man she could control to her heart’s content.

Or maybe opposites would attract. I, personally had never understood Callie’s silly womanly desire to find the perfect man to be her husband. It was fairly understood among the court that adultery was rampant. Many marriages started with the understanding that the match was for status only. I tapped the arm of the throne, shifting a little and glancing at Callie’s empty seat. I could see Mother’s jaw tighten a little.

Just as Father started addressing the small party, Callie sailed in, transformed from the wet mess she had been to something presentable if not attractive. I nodded at her and glanced at Prince Rory, curious about his reaction. The protective streak I tried so hard to ignore came out as I recognized the gleam in his eye as his gaze followed Callie across the room. I wasn’t so sure I liked this prince…

-Callie-

I traipse into the throne room and plop- or rather, sit gracefully- down next to my imbecile of a brother. I shudder as the foreign prince's gaze rakes over me.

Didn't this boy have anything better to do with his time than undress me with his eyes?

Mother catches my eye and gives my a disapproving scowl. Defiantly, I ignore her and the entire room, far away in my own world, where I was neither a princess nor a peasant. Jasper nudges me, and I glance at him. He tilts his head towards Prince Rory, who has bowed to me and is now staring expectantly. I stand up and curtsy as quickly as I can. Luckily, it doesn't seem as though many people have noticed my lapse of attention. Sighing, I sit back down.

After the pleasantries are over, my parents whisk away the ambassadors and dignitaries- presumably to draw up an alliance that hinged on my marriage to Rory. Before she leaves, my mother nods to Jasper, who stands up with a smile and walks off of the dais. I following, skirts dragging behind me. The prince dismisses his guard, and the three of us go outdoors. I breathe in the fresh air and smile. An urge to shift to my dragon form tugs at my gut, but I ignore it and turn my attention back to the current topic.

"So, your highness, what do you like to do?" My brother tries to make a rapidly failing attempt at conversation.

Being the gracious and kind girl that I am, I step in to rescue him. "Do you like to play cards, your highness?"

Jasper glances at me with a murderous expression. "Callie. That's not appropriate. You don't even know how to play cards."

I flick a speck of dust off of my finger before turning to reply. "As a matter of fact, I do. Some of the guards taught me last Samhein."

Jasper buries his head in his hand.

Rory glances at me, brow furrowed. "You mean that you like to gamble?"

I snort. "It's rather exciting, don't you think? Same exhilarating feeling that you get when you beat your sparring partner."

"Callie!" Jasper seems to be unable to utter much more than my name in a disapproving fashion. Ignoring him, I sit down on the ledge of a fountain.

"You... fight? With your guards?" Prince Rory only seems to be getting more confused by the minute.

"Oh, no. It's only training, not really, you know." Contemplating what to do to shock them further, I casually stick my head underneath the spray of the water.

Jasper groans and retreats further into his hand. I shake my dripping hair and observe Prince Rory's reaction. What I see doesn't amuse me- rather, it's frightening. The confused expression is gone, leaving one of cold calculation.

Exactly what kind of a man was this prince?

Jess

When I walked outside I saw the look of fear on Callie's face. I moved swiftly to her side.
"What's wrong?" I whispered

"Nothing, something isn't right about this Prince she whispered back.

I turn my gaze on the prince for the first time. Callie was right there was something unsettling about this prince. I watched as his eyes trailed over me. I was Callie's equal when it came to beauty.

The prince stepped to me and kissed my hand."Hello, my lady. I'm prince Rory" he said as he released my hand.

"Hello, your majesty." I said as I gave a quick bow. "I am Jess".

Jasper lead Callie away to talk to her about something so I was left alone with the prince. We watched as they walked around to the other side of the fountain. When they were gone from view I turned back to the prince who to my surprise was staring at me.

"You know you won't find what you came seeking." I said simply turning my head up to the sky, as a group of birds flew overhead.Prince Rory took a step towards me.

"What makes you think I came seeking something? I am only here because of politics." He said smiling

There was something about the way he talked like he was calculating everything, choosing his words carefully. He wasn't just some random prince, he was smart and a smart royal was dangerous.