Young Writers Society

Queen Erika is comatose. The physicians by her bedside say it's unlikely she will last the week.

The whole kingdom of Aldira is in mourning, but within the walls of the palace, there is chaos. Because Erika's last act before she slept was to sign a document saying that her third child of five, Prince Derrick is to take the eldest's, Princess Arianna's, place upon the throne.

A is furious, and clueless as to why her mother would do such a thing. The place on the throne is rightfully hers, and she will do anything to get it back. However, housebound by duties, she has instead sent her sister, Princess Rosalie into the city to find an assassin to kill Derrick. The question now lies in Rosalie's loyalties. Because even if Derrick is killed, who then rules, Arianna, Rosalie herself, or their brother, Prince Sandor?

The Royal Court of Aldira is claustrophobic, with every noble person trying to gain favour with one or other of the siblings. Who will come out on top, though, as the Queen grows weaker, is a question no one knows the answer to.

Rules

-I want fully-rounded characters. They need to have both sympathetic and unsympathetic characteristics. If I see Mary-Sues, I will personally slaughter them. If everybody in this game was perfect, then it would be no fun.

-Characters are going to die. If you want to kill someone, (or if you want to die yourself and need someone to do it) PM them and discuss it and PM me- I'll give you the go-ahead if I think it's time. If your character does die, don't worry! You can pick a new one up straight away. I'd prefer though, not to have people making multiple characters at the beginning of the game, that way it will get too confusing. If we don't have many players, we'll see, but until then try and keep it one at a time.

-Put some thought into your posts. Try and make something relative to the story happen, and try to make them at least two paragraphs long. And keep your grammar under check, for the love of all that is good and sweet.

-They're givens, but no god characters and nothing too explicit. Just thought I should say that now.

Characters

These are the ones I'd like to go/or have gone:

Princess Arianna- Stella Thomas

Illegitimate Prince Sandor- Jagged

Prince Derrick- AquaMarine

Princess Rosalie- Elinor Brynn

Princess Casilda- ScarlettFire

Assassin Garis- Kyllorac

Once they're gone, if there are still people wanting to join, we can start with courtiers and stuff. I'll take the last of the siblings to go.

Make your profiles something along the lines of:



So let's get cracking! We'll begin at the moment Princess Rosalie leaves the palace.

-Stella x

Name
Princess Rosalie "Rosie"

Age
Sixteen

Appearance
Rosalie is five feet, two inches tall with a round and curvy figure. She has wavy reddish-blonde hair that goes to her elbows. She has pale skin with thick freckles across her cheeks, arms, and nose. Her dark eyebrows are elegantly shaped yet thick, complimenting wide and innocent-looking blue green eyes. She has large, twin moles on either side of her left ankle--a birthmark which she hates and is constantly picking at.

Personality
Even though she is the second youngest sibling, she believes that she is the most powerful and influential--otherwise her older sister wouldn't have selected her to find the assassin. Because of this, she believes she is most ready to be queen and thus, will will try to plan with the assassin to murder her other siblings. She is not evil, but a sweet girl who feels she has been cheated and ignored by her family and the rest of the court simply because of her age. She thinks that royal children serve no purpose to the outside world other then for training to succeed their parents and produce heirs.

History
Rosie was always somewhat of a loner, although she enjoyed the company of her sisters. To her, her studies were fun to a degree, but she always thought that they were working her too hard. As such, she took up several pastimes, including writing and painting, to pass the time and help herself relax.

Other
Although she enjoys many hobbies, she is not particularly good at any of them. However, she excels at archery and swordsmanship [with a knife], which her mother taught her beginning at the age of ten.

Bastard son, military.

Name: Sandor

Age: 24

Appearance: Tall, built more for power than speed. He has the family's blue eyes, but the cropped black hair sets him apart from his more fair-haired siblings. His clothes are generally plain, a bit rough and scuffed, but he cleans up well enough when his presence is for some reason required by his mother or siblings.

Personality: Sandor's got himself a rather expansive collection of Issues over the years, including but not limited to a crippling lack of self-esteem and a truckload of mixed feelings towards his mother and half-siblings. A part of him is always pushing for independence, but he feels lost without the boundaries, rules and restrictions he's lived under all his life, leaving him in a state of permanent discomfort and edginess. He resents most of the queen's other children for always getting preferential treatment, but he's also quite protective of the younger ones. He may appear stiff when around them, due to the fact that he's torn between the familiarity that comes with growing up with, or near them, and the respect he's supposed to hold them in. He's got a vicious streak, especially when cornered, and absolutely hates being laughed at: disdain he's gotten used to, but not laughter. Has a bad tendency to call trouble to him. In the rare times when he actually relaxes he's rather laid-back and good-natured.

History: His simple existence as second child of the queen would have guaranteed him a rather comfortable position of power, had there not also been the undeniable fact that he was not the king's legitimate son; not when the man hadn't been back to the castle for a year, or when the child had black hair that was completely at odds with the blond-or-brown of the royal couple. As such Sandor was immediately considered as inferior, unworthy; Arianna first, then the ones that came after, always prevailed over him, and any conflict between him and them was usually judged in their favor. The king pretended he didn't exist; the queen oscillated between affection and neglect. Slowly but surely he was drawn away from the heirs, made to take his own place in a world that wanted little to do wit bastards. The military didn't care much, so he went, and stayed. There was little choice in the matter.

Other: Very good with weapons. Less so with politics. Goes on alright with Derrick, but has more tense relationships with the others.

I'm in with Princess E.

Name: Princess Casilda.

Age: 15.

Appearance: Casilda is practically a younger version of her sister, Arianna. With pale blond hair that barely reaches past her shoulder blades and the family's pale grey-blue eyes, she's the perfect picture of innocence. Casilda is tall for fifteen year--around five foot five and is often mistaken for being older than she actually is.

Personality: Casilda acts cute and simple at first, but is actually fairly mature for her age. She's usually kind and while likes her older brothers, Sandor and Derrick, she dislikes her sisters. She does have some respect for Arianna and wouldn't mind it if Ariana, or one of her brothers, were to rule. While she is the 'baby' of the family and fairly mature, she has a dark side that's prone to an angry disposition, dangerous mood swings and a tendency to laugh at the most inappropriate moments--be careful, she might be plotting something of her own.

History: Casilda has always been the baby of the family, though she doesn't act like it. She tends to like going off on her own to explore or visiting her brothers, both of whom she likes better than her sisters. Growing up as the youngest wasn't tough for her, except for when no one would include her in the 'important' stuff, and she wasn't too concerned about court politics or the issue about the heir, until she heard that Derrick as to take her eldest sister's place. She's not angry at Derrick and she respects Ariana, but just what the heck was their mother thinking? Now there's tension among her and her siblings, and tension like this is never good.

Other: Casilda can ride and knows how to use a dagger but give her a sword or a bow and she's hopeless. Her only downsides are that there's often a very large flaw in her plans, a possible angle she has yet to notice or look at and that she's not very good (perhaps uninterested?) in court politics and court affairs. She almost always has a dagger hidden somewhere, for who knows when she'll need it.

Name: Prince Derrick

Age: 21

Appearance: He is 5’11 and quite thin – although in a fashionable way rather than gangly. He has curly brown hair that shoots off from his head in a lot of directions. He has blue eyes and is generally smiling. Derrick usually dresses in the more sober fashion –he doesn’t really pander to the extravagant tastes some people hold.

Personality: Before his mother’s illness, Derrick was nice enough. He was never considered the most able of his siblings, both intellectually and athletically. However, he was always the child that his mother, as the nobles of the court, doted on. Derrick has a charming and fun exterior – he has an ability to make friends with anyone and create a nice atmosphere in (almost) any setting. Used to being liked, Derrick does get a little frustrated when someone (read: siblings) do dislike him. Derrick isn't going to be your typical monarch - he doesn't have much of a head for deception, and finds it hard to wrap his head around all of the little intrigues of the court and the kingdom. He also finds it quite hard to hide his emotions, and is therefore not the best liar (although he'll have to learn quickly!). Derrick is quite selfish, and a little bit of a coward; as the storybook progresses he'll most likely become more selfish, develop a liking for power and lose some of his cowardice.

History: Derrick, as a child, quickly realised that he wouldn’t be able to surpass his siblings in much, and so simply became the most liked one. However, he isn’t very close to his siblings, particularly now that he has been named heir. Derrick does sometimes mind this, but is now a little paranoid that they, especially Arianna, will attempt to take him of the throne, but he doesn’t think they’d go to such drastic measures as to assassinate him!

*It's rough - will add to it later**

Count me in as the assassin. Will add profile later (like everyone else XD).

Name: Garis

Age: late teens to early 20s; being an orphan, he doesn't know his birthday or -year

Appearance: Lithe and quite small for his age, Garis' light and delicate build is one of his greatest assets when assassinating. Not only does he appear fairly harmless in a fight (a very misleading impression), but it allows him to get into places and positions other larger, more muscular folk cannot, and he can often pass himself off as being younger, something he readily exploits.

Garis has almost-platinum blond hair, which he dyes black, and hazel eyes, which tend more towards the greenish-gray side of the spectrum. He can be considered quite attractive and a charmer, though his lack of height sometimes works against him.

Personality: He may be a cold-blooded killer in it only for the money, but you'd never know that just by meeting him. When he's not working, Garis is extremely personable, and you'll rarely find him alone. Garis enjoys being the center of attention, and makes a point of having many "friends" in high places, in the sense that they pay him to do their dirty work, though he has no/few qualms killing them off should he be contracted. Those he considers true friends are few and far between, but Garis is quite loyal to them in his own way; if a hit is ordered on one of them, he at least provides them with a chance to buy him off.

Despite his almost non-stop flirting, Garis really isn't all that interested in women; he just likes the attention. As a result, he has been known to dress quite flamboyantly and to dye his hair outlandish colors. He also has quite the reputation for knowing the best places to go to have a good time.

All this frivolity goes out the window, however, when he's on a job. In those cases, he's all business -- after all, a quick kill means a quick payment. Since assassination is his sole livelihood, if a target survives an attempt, Garis will make a point to keep attempting for free until the target is dead. He does have a reputation of competence to maintain, after all.

History: Orphaned at an early age, Garis grew up an urchin on the streets, picking pockets and conducting petty thievery to survive. He became especially skilled at sneaking into and out of places unseen. Never one to be content with what he had, Garis looked to join the military as soon as he was old enough, though it took him several tries before the recruiters would believe he was of age. Once within the military, however, the skills Garis had acquired as a thief served him well, and he was quickly chosen as a candidate for espionage and/or assassination, though he was eventually deemed too "loud" to be a spy after a certain series of fiascoes in a particular tavern.

It was during a night out on the town that Garis met Sandor and, over the course of a couple drinks and some crazy antics neither of them can quite recall, became friends with the bastard prince, though he was unaware of Sandor's history at the time. He found out shortly after, though, which only gave him even more reason to continue being Sandor's friend. Over the years, however, the friendship has become more genuine on Garis' side, and the assassin has become quite fond of Sandor, in his own way. This affection has also been extended to Prince Derrick in some part.

Currently, Garis serves under Sandor's direct command, though he does some freelance work for a hefty sum. Only Sandor and a select few others are aware of Garis' role as an assassin, and he takes pains to keep things that way, even going as far as pretending to be his own front man.

Other: Though Garis can hold his own in straight combat, he prefers sneak attacks and trick moves; basically, he fights dirty. Garis will do anything and everything to win a fight and/or survive since his main ambition is to be successful in life, and you can't be successful if you're dead. Eventually, Garis has plans to retire in comfort somewhere quiet and hard-to-reach, where he can spend the rest of his days throwing parties and generally doing rich people things without having to worry about assassins coming after him.

So I'll take the eldest! This'll be fun.

Name: Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Arianna
Age: 25
Appearance: Arianna is relatively tall and slender, with thick blonde hair that, when loose, reaches her elbows, but she almost always wears it up. She has cool grey eyes and a sharp-featured face. Nobody would call her ugly, but neither is she the most beautiful creature on the planet. Ever since her mother fell ill, she has worn one tiara or coronet at all times, and dresses as her mother would expect her to, long dresses generally in dark colours and always suited to the occasion.
Personality: Arianna has a great sense of charm and knows how to use it and when it is being used. She's been well-trained in the court and has always tried to be honourable- well, as honourable as is possible without being a victim of somebody else's game. While many see her as the cruelest member of the family, it might not necessarily be true. She has a heart beneath it all, and is known to enjoy a laugh or a horse ride to relieve stress. She's subject to moodswings and while often given to generosity, is known to give and take in equal amounts and always to watch her own back (as, her governess taught her, any self-respecting princess would).
History: Arianna has been brought up to rule after her mother's death, and for this reason has always found an excuse to throw herself hard into studies and training. Now a regal and proper young woman, she isn't particularly close to any of her siblings, growing up she always decided their games were too immature for her. She prefers her sisters over her brothers, and knows she commands respect from the other two. Sandor, however, she does not consider to be a relation of hers at all, not since she was ten years old and learnt what "illegitimate" meant. Derrick used to be a friend, but now she would like nothing more than for him to stop ruining her life.
Other: Arianna is an excellent rider and archer, two things her mother believed necessary for her to be capable of, but not, perhaps, to excel in. For this reason, she tends to keep the shooting, at least, away from the public eye.

I shall join!

Name: Marie
Age: 23
Position: Servant

Appearance: Plain and ordinary, Marie was chosen out of many young girls for these very qualities. She has mousy brown hair cropped at shoulder length, usually tied back by a blue ribbon and soft, blue-grey eyes. Her face is a neat oval but her lips lack any pucker, her eyes aren't big and her cheeks aren't rosy. There's nothing about Marie that stands out as either beautiful or ugly and even her trim figure does her no good as it spends every day under brown or grey servant's clothes.

Personality: As play mate and servant to the royal children, she was expected to out-shine none of them and to be of little worth, a role she didn't play very well. Marie has a strong spirit which occasionally outweighs her firm sense of duty. The adults have never seen her to be anything other than demure and sensible, but in private with the children she is often different. Marie usually defers to princess Arianna and to some extent fears her but is on more friendly terms with some of the younger children, possibly even liked and respected by a few. She is an excellent musician and singer and has spent many a night soothing the children to sleep when they have been sick or upset. She doesn't quite know how to think of the royal children and often feels lonely and apart, having been taken from her own sisters and brothers at a very young age. However, to some extent they are her family and she is torn between them, particularly now that they are all contesting each other's right to the throne. Over the years Marie has picked up quite a few clever habits and makes a good spy for the children if nothing else.

History: Plucked from her family at the age of five, Marie was gifted to the oldest daughter in the hopes that she would entertain the princess and give her a 'listener' within the body of servants. As the other children grew, it was expected that Marie would be a companion to them all and most of her servant duties were taken over by other maids to allow her to spend time with them. This was a strange situation and Marie found she didn't belong to the world of the servants or the royal family but in a limbo of her own. Sometimes she is resentful and at these times her temper with the children grows short. She has come close to trouble many times and realises her position is precarious at best so she works hard to hold onto it. There is nothing for her beyond the world of the royal children.

If this is all there is (I know Squall was interested in a character, but he hasn't made it yet?) then I suppose we can start?

Arianna-

The early afternoon was always, for Arianna, an in-between sort of time. The busiest in the city, the most hum-drum in the palace. She stood at the window of her own salon, watching a small, hooded figure make its way out of the gates and into the thronging streets. She tapped the windowsill beneath her fingertips for good luck, her stomach turning somersaults. It was all a little unbelievable, what she was expecting Rosalie to do- and to whom.

But really, it wasn't as if she had a choice.

Checking her tiara was still in place, she turned at the noise of the door opening. The servant girl- Marie, one of Arianna's oldest companions, held before her a tray with a pitcher of wine and a goblet.

"I thought you looked like you needed a little perking up at lunch, what with the assembly tonight," Marie explained, setting it down. "It's your favourite- Westheath, mature."

Arianna nodded warily. "Yes, that would be nice." The assembly tonight. A huge public event, where the opinion of the court- and the country- could be turned once again. She would need to be at her best.

Marie poured wine into the goblet and handed it to her. She sniffed it, the usual bouquet, full-bodied.

And full to the brim with sleeping powder.

"On second thoughts," she said as naturally as she could manage, setting it down again. "I think I'll wait until after my afternoon ride. You are dismissed."

With a quick curtsey and not a raised eyebrow, the girl left again.

Not every bottle in the palace could be laced, too many people favoured Westheath wine, Arianna thought, knocking on one of the panels to reveal her own private supply. Her mother had always suggested she keep a few bottles for entertaining. But she had other purposes. Taking out an empty bottle, she poured the contents of the pitcher and goblet back into it. No, not every bottle could be laced. That meant the girl had done it herself, or somebody else had given it to her to give to the princess. She refilled the pitcher and goblet with another bottle, identical, ruby-red, but harmless.

Somebody wanted her to sleep through the assembly tonight, miss the opportunities it presented. And she was going to find out who.

Name: Saffron

Age: 20

Appearance: She's 5' 8 and rather thin. Long legs and arms, and a curvy body. Clumsy and tends to break her glasses a lot, and forgets where they are. Exceeded standard all through school, and now works as a maid in the castle. Secretly likes Prince Derrik, and occasionally drops a hint that she likes him. Has short dark brown hair and green eyes.

Personality: Is extremely shy and extra-clumsy when you first meet her, because she's had trouble with good impressions since she was little. Once you get to know her, she's smart, outgoing, and hilariously funny. Has a small case of OCD, which is why she became a maid in the first place. She gets very frustrated when someone is mean to someone else, and stands up for herself with snide remarks when made fun of for where she comes from or how she looks.

History: As a child, her parents weren't very caring, but she got three meals a day and the basics. During school she did very well and never had any relationships but perhaps a best friend or two. She got out of school and became a baker. One day, one of the castles guards came into her bakery, saw how clean it was, and offered her a job at the castle. So wa-la! Here she is

Post deleted.

Rosalie-

Princess Rosalie tucked a loose strand of her hair under her hood. She couldn't let anyone see through her disguise--she needed to pass as a commoner for this to work. She was shaking from nervousness, her mind going back to the details of her conversation with Arianna earlier. I'm putting every ounce of my faith in you, Rosie, she had said. Find someone to kill Derrick. She had jumped at the opportunity simply because someone actually believed in her now, believed that she was of some worth.

As she grew farther and farther away from the palace and closer to the village, she was beginning to realize how alone she truly was. Arianna had given her nothing, nowhere she could look to find someone who would do their bidding. In addition to that, when she found someone, would they complete the additional task that she wanted? Now that she was just a commoner, she was most likely going to be treated like one--nothing would be easier because she was a princess. Rosalie sighed and pressed onward.

Garis

Garis had been trailing Princess Rosalie from the moment she had left the castle in her poor disguise; no one with eyes in their head would have believed the girl to be anything less than noble. The cloth of her cloak was too fine; her posture, too straight; her demeanor, too bold. As it was, she was a walking target for thieves and kidnappers, especially in her unguarded state. Foolish girl. What was her goal? To tempt fate?

As the princess drew closer to the village (and to a rather nasty doom), Garis figured he should probably avert the impending disaster before it occurred. After all, if it was discovered that he had been in range to help the princess but had not, it would cost him his head.

Garis darted ahead, unseen, until he was within the confines of the village. Quickly, but not so quick he looked like he was hurrying, he sauntered onto the road leading to the palace and pretended to look quite shocked at seeing Rosalie. Hurrying over to her, he whispered into her ear, "Princess! You should not be out like this. It is dangers. Quickly, return with me to the castle."

Rosalie drew back, fear and panic in her eyes. "How do you know who I am?" she almost cried, only remembering at the last possible moment to keep her voice down.

"Your brother, Sandor, is a friend. Now, please, Princess."

"The bastard?" Rosalie drew further away and began regarding him.

"Yes, the bastard, but he is more than that if you'd care to look. Now, Princess," Garis said, his timbre almost a growl, "we had best return to the palace."

"Not until you do something for me."

"And what, pray tell, would that something be?"

Rosalie stood imperious, her arms crossed over her chest, as she ordered, "You will find me an assassin."

Garis only stared. Rosalie had always been the sweetest (to his mind) and most harmless of the siblings. For her to want an assassin... "Find you an assassin," he echoed. "What do you want an assassin for?"

"Find me an assassin first, and I will tell you."

"Don't say something like that so boldly in the middle of the road!" Garis hissed, guiding the crazy princess off to the side. "Now, fortunately for you, I am well acquainted with an assassin, enough that he trusts me to find work for him. Now, name your mark, and I'll name the price."

Rosalie looked at him hard before seeming to come to a decision. "The mark is--"

((Left it open for you to take over, Eli, if it's unclear.))

Sorry I'm late folks.

Name: Jacy
Age: 18
Appearance: Jacy has wavy, layered cut brown hair with bangs. He has fair skin, hazel eyes that twinkle with mischief and is of average build and height. His fans reckon that he’s cute and genuinely adores his smile. When performing, he wears a jester-like outfit. On his treasure raids however, he wears a bandanna and a light vest made of dragon skin. A leather belt houses his pair of knives and lock-picks.

Personality: Jacy is a very laid back and relaxed person. He enjoys the thrill of doing dangerous and crazy things and isn’t afraid to trash talk or brag about his talents. He is also a skirt chaser and isn’t afraid to flirt with a pretty chick if the opportunity arises. However, he can come off as rather arrogant and smug at times which may test the patience of his allies. He prefers to do things first, ask questions later. Because of this lack of patience, he can sometimes come off rather aggravated and impatient. He also doesn’t like it when people do not get to the point, so he tends to ignore the more subtle details of a task, a piece of information or whatever someone tells him.

History: Jacy is a thief that works for a traveling Theatre Troup, brought up by its stocky but strong leader and his crew. He remembers very little about his parents and sometimes wishes that he had the chance to get to know them better. Because of this, Jacy considers the Theatre Troup to not only be his close friends, but family too. In their free time, they would go hunt or steal for treasure or hang out in places like bars, talking with one another and flirting with girls.

And being crafty performers, they decide to do a show in the Kingdom of Aldira as it is rumored that somewhere in the castle, there is a secret room that lays lots of treasure…and a rare and magical stone that is worth a fortune on the black market.

Other: Jacy is able to sneak his way around, pick locks, disarm traps, and is able to use his knives as both a melee weapon and as a projectile. However, he doesn’t like head to head encounters and would resort to any means to fight dirty. He also likes to mock his opponents on their failures.

Rosalie-

"The mark, the mark..." Rosalie's voice began to trail off as she considered telling the man. Would he go along with it? Laugh? Chide for even trying to consider such an impossible, far-fetched task? Rosalie sighed as she tried to pull herself together. She was already here, in town, talking to someone who could possibly find her an assassin. If she didn't add in her part of the bargain, the one that Arianna hadn't foreseen, she would sit idly as a princess, a worthless noble. She had gone too far, thought it over too much--there was no turning back now. In addition, Rosalie had money-- a lot of money. If the assassin was not keen on the idea, she could double, even triple the amount of money that she gave him.

Rosalie took a deep breath and made sure that there was no one that would hear her. "My sister, Princess Arianna, has been sidestepped for the crown for my brother, Prince Derrick. She sent me to find someone to kill him, a task which this assassin shall complete. Once that is done, this assassin must kill my two sisters. We can leave Prince Sandor--no one would want a bastard child on the throne."

She paused for a minute, awaiting the man's response. When he said nothing, she added, "Do you not see what I want?"