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It was cold out upon the Beloye More, especially this time of year in the early spring when the pack ice had thawed to allow sea travel to be possible once more. There was no hiding from the cold, even aboard the Velikiy Voron. A ship was crafted of wood after all and while the Duchess' cabin had a wood burning stove, it was small and tiny and the heat it put out on some . mornings seemed meager, like this morning. Only three other places on the ship had such amenities, the captain's cabin, a small room in the crew quarters, and the galley. No where else for fear any open flame would be the death of this grand ship, even in such wet and cold conditions.
Daria Anastasia Sophia Tarkov, Archduchess of the Black Pearl Sea, younger sister to the Tsar of Vralia, was dressed for the cold in her seal skin lined cloak, thick mink fur coat and hat, as well as gloves also lined with seal skin and covered in fur. She almost looked like a puff of white given the layers of clothing she was wearing. She did not like the cold. She was tiny in stature, and petite save for hips and bust. Cold went right through her, and while the weather might seem to me nothing more than mild winter for the sailors, it was bitter cold to her, and she was dressed to blunt most of the wind which would tear through even the thickest of clothing.
The wind was beyond brisk coming off the ice flows further north where the pack ice had not formed yet. She had spent part of this trip overland to get to the farthest southern port her country had, which was not much. Much of the winter there had been spent constructing the docks which could accommodate the Velikiy Voron. It was a marvel of engineering and ingenuity, made possible by engineers who had arrived from Terre d'Ange. Some of her brother's machinations were already coming to fruition.
Daria was not alone for long and was joined by the chaperone and mentor who had been at her side ever since she turned ten years old. Yvone Markov was not fully Rus. Her grandmother had been a d'Angeline who converted to the Yshueite faith and moved north to Vralia. Her family had been close servants to her family and devout in their faith. Thus Yvone was rewarded with being the close adviser and confidant of the Grand Duchess.
Yvone's voice was rich and cultured. She had formal schooling, such as it was in Vralia. It was one of the reasons for an alliance with Terre d'Ange, access to knowledge little know about before. To have new disciplines of science, mathematics, engineering, philosophy, and more. It was the one thing which caused Daria to seriously consider the proposed arrangement, for herself and her people's betterment. All of those thoughts were brushed aside as Yvone spoke and did so in d'Angeline. "Tsarenva! Tis too cold out here. Come back into the cabin. I will add more wood to the stove."
Daria made a face and but briefly turned into the wind for Yvone to see it. She began to speak, in Rus to her close confidant. "I have been...", but Yvone made a clucking sound and spoke almsot by reflex, as if she had done so many times in the past. "In d'Angeline, not Rus. Do not give me that face, Highness, it was your own decision to respond like this when you slip into Rus. You wanted to speak like a d'Angeline and not laughed at behind snickering hands. Now, in d'Angeline please, Highness."
There was an explosion of condensed vapor from Daria's nose and lips as she vented a frustrated sigh, however her handmaiden was correct. She took in a bracing breath of cold air and continued, this time in accented d'Angleine, but her words were clear and understandable as she spoke. "I have been in that cabin for two days. It is stuffy, and despite our best effort, smells. I wanted fresh air, even if it is cold enough to freeze water in a pitcher."
She turned away from the wind and went to the side rail and watched the sea as it passed by. They were moving swiftly at least. She did not know if such was a good or a bad thing. Faster meant getting to their end goal quicker, to a fate she was still undecided if she wanted to avoid or not. It would happen sooner than later, given the lack of ice in the sea. As she had done since her brother told her of the arrangement, she went through her thoughts in her head, and the duty to her country, at war with the resentment of being nothing more than a pawn in world events because she had breasts and a vagina. She let out another breath which came out as a cloud. "What am I doing Yvone? Why am I here, why did I agree to this?"
There was silence for a moment as the tall woman considered her answer. Daria at times resented the woman for her height. If it was not for Daria's breasts and hips, she would often be mistaken for a child. Yvone never would be called a child, despite the fact Daria had a larger bust than her handmaiden. Again came the carefully cultured voice as Yvone answered, "You are representing Vralia in an official state visit in the steps before sealing a much needed alliance. Nothing more."
There was a harsh snort. Even the tone, at least to Daria, told her it was not as simple as she stated. "You know it is not all. You know what else is being asked of me! How these d'Angeline's act and think! They have orgies, Yvone, orgies! One which was not too long in the past. You have heard the rumors. The man they want me to marry has a sister who most of their court has seen naked. It is a rumor she has slept with many of them. Sex, sex, and more sex! They have corrupted nearly every noble we have sent to their court."
Yvone coughed politely, but even covering her mouth, Daria could see the smile. "That seems a strange thing for you to object about, your Highness, given some of the situations I had to extricate you from." Daria now had the good grace to blush. Yes, it was something for her to object about as she had been accused by many of her minders as "hot blooded" and stopped just shy of being nude with a man before being dragged away. She stood ramrod straight and bit off terse, "Those were different, those were private."
Yvone did chuckle then and her voice relaxed a bit. "Oh my precious tsarenva, so eager to prove to others you are not an overgrown child and are sophisticated enough for sex. I know how it is, Highness, any woman your age has had the same doubts, the same wants and convictions. All we have heard as rumor, and no proof of such impropriety. In fact House de Morhban have been open and honest with our nobility, where other houses have been caught in outright deceit. Rumors are only that, rumors."
There was a long silence. She hated how Yvone was right. She wanted to use sex not only to prove to some of the nobles she was far more than a child, but also for the choice of giving away her first experience to one of her choice, not forced upon her, no matter how talented the artist was in the painting she saw. "You know it is more, what is expected of me? How I am being treated in all of this?"
Yvone gave the Tsarevna a stern look, as if she was not putting up with self pitty she had heard far too often, which was the truth. "You know you are not being honest, especially with yourself, Highness. You are being asked to spend time with a promising noble of a great house who has direct blood relationships with their throne. You will socialize with him, have private meals with him, and spend time. It is not a huge burden and sacrifice on your part, especially if he is as handsome as has been rumored."
Daria was having none of it, she was being stubborn. "The portrait is likely a lie and he will have a beard and warts and be ten stones overweight."
There was a "tsking" sound of disapproval. Yvone was not letting this topic rest in the past. "He is d'Angeline, he will not be ugly, He will not have a beard, and he is a professional soldier. I know very few fat soldiers. You are being petulant now, and you know it."
Daria was quiet, and when she spoke again, it was soft. "I am not ready. It is too soon, too much of my life in front of me. I am being asked to give all of that promise and adventure to be nothing more than a vessel to produce children."
Yvone's expression softened as she pulled Daria into an embrace. "Oh my dear, you do not understand, you are not being asked to give up everything, but to switch from one adventure to another. I do not regret one day with my former husband, and I think if you feel you could have an intimate connection with this man, you will be on a grand adventure indeed."
Yvone did not mention her husband much. In fact she was miserly in her utterance of the fact she had been married in the past. He had been a soldier, an officer in a light cavalry unit. He perished in a border skirmish in the far east with the Tartars. Land which few if any Vralians had settled. It happened when Daria was very young and all she heard was rumors over the engagement. Nothing much more other than Yvone stating how Adoni put Daria in her life to save her. She did not speak further on the issue.
The day was clear, and thus it was clear upon the horizon. Four ships, one representing each province of Terre d'Ange. It was too far to see their colours without a spyglass, but like a plucked heartstring she just knew what they were, and what they were there for. To escort her to Terre d'Ange. She was less than two days away. Two days where she was sure, for better or for worse, her destiny would be changed, rumors of Terre d'Ange or not. She moved away from Yvone's embrace and walked to the bow of the ship. It was time to act the person she was, Daria Anastasia Sophia Tarkov, Archduchess of the Black Pearl Sea and Tsarenva of Vralia!
Daria Anastasia Sophia Tarkov, Archduchess of the Black Pearl Sea, younger sister to the Tsar of Vralia, was dressed for the cold in her seal skin lined cloak, thick mink fur coat and hat, as well as gloves also lined with seal skin and covered in fur. She almost looked like a puff of white given the layers of clothing she was wearing. She did not like the cold. She was tiny in stature, and petite save for hips and bust. Cold went right through her, and while the weather might seem to me nothing more than mild winter for the sailors, it was bitter cold to her, and she was dressed to blunt most of the wind which would tear through even the thickest of clothing.
The wind was beyond brisk coming off the ice flows further north where the pack ice had not formed yet. She had spent part of this trip overland to get to the farthest southern port her country had, which was not much. Much of the winter there had been spent constructing the docks which could accommodate the Velikiy Voron. It was a marvel of engineering and ingenuity, made possible by engineers who had arrived from Terre d'Ange. Some of her brother's machinations were already coming to fruition.
Daria was not alone for long and was joined by the chaperone and mentor who had been at her side ever since she turned ten years old. Yvone Markov was not fully Rus. Her grandmother had been a d'Angeline who converted to the Yshueite faith and moved north to Vralia. Her family had been close servants to her family and devout in their faith. Thus Yvone was rewarded with being the close adviser and confidant of the Grand Duchess.
Yvone's voice was rich and cultured. She had formal schooling, such as it was in Vralia. It was one of the reasons for an alliance with Terre d'Ange, access to knowledge little know about before. To have new disciplines of science, mathematics, engineering, philosophy, and more. It was the one thing which caused Daria to seriously consider the proposed arrangement, for herself and her people's betterment. All of those thoughts were brushed aside as Yvone spoke and did so in d'Angeline. "Tsarenva! Tis too cold out here. Come back into the cabin. I will add more wood to the stove."
Daria made a face and but briefly turned into the wind for Yvone to see it. She began to speak, in Rus to her close confidant. "I have been...", but Yvone made a clucking sound and spoke almsot by reflex, as if she had done so many times in the past. "In d'Angeline, not Rus. Do not give me that face, Highness, it was your own decision to respond like this when you slip into Rus. You wanted to speak like a d'Angeline and not laughed at behind snickering hands. Now, in d'Angeline please, Highness."
There was an explosion of condensed vapor from Daria's nose and lips as she vented a frustrated sigh, however her handmaiden was correct. She took in a bracing breath of cold air and continued, this time in accented d'Angleine, but her words were clear and understandable as she spoke. "I have been in that cabin for two days. It is stuffy, and despite our best effort, smells. I wanted fresh air, even if it is cold enough to freeze water in a pitcher."
She turned away from the wind and went to the side rail and watched the sea as it passed by. They were moving swiftly at least. She did not know if such was a good or a bad thing. Faster meant getting to their end goal quicker, to a fate she was still undecided if she wanted to avoid or not. It would happen sooner than later, given the lack of ice in the sea. As she had done since her brother told her of the arrangement, she went through her thoughts in her head, and the duty to her country, at war with the resentment of being nothing more than a pawn in world events because she had breasts and a vagina. She let out another breath which came out as a cloud. "What am I doing Yvone? Why am I here, why did I agree to this?"
There was silence for a moment as the tall woman considered her answer. Daria at times resented the woman for her height. If it was not for Daria's breasts and hips, she would often be mistaken for a child. Yvone never would be called a child, despite the fact Daria had a larger bust than her handmaiden. Again came the carefully cultured voice as Yvone answered, "You are representing Vralia in an official state visit in the steps before sealing a much needed alliance. Nothing more."
There was a harsh snort. Even the tone, at least to Daria, told her it was not as simple as she stated. "You know it is not all. You know what else is being asked of me! How these d'Angeline's act and think! They have orgies, Yvone, orgies! One which was not too long in the past. You have heard the rumors. The man they want me to marry has a sister who most of their court has seen naked. It is a rumor she has slept with many of them. Sex, sex, and more sex! They have corrupted nearly every noble we have sent to their court."
Yvone coughed politely, but even covering her mouth, Daria could see the smile. "That seems a strange thing for you to object about, your Highness, given some of the situations I had to extricate you from." Daria now had the good grace to blush. Yes, it was something for her to object about as she had been accused by many of her minders as "hot blooded" and stopped just shy of being nude with a man before being dragged away. She stood ramrod straight and bit off terse, "Those were different, those were private."
Yvone did chuckle then and her voice relaxed a bit. "Oh my precious tsarenva, so eager to prove to others you are not an overgrown child and are sophisticated enough for sex. I know how it is, Highness, any woman your age has had the same doubts, the same wants and convictions. All we have heard as rumor, and no proof of such impropriety. In fact House de Morhban have been open and honest with our nobility, where other houses have been caught in outright deceit. Rumors are only that, rumors."
There was a long silence. She hated how Yvone was right. She wanted to use sex not only to prove to some of the nobles she was far more than a child, but also for the choice of giving away her first experience to one of her choice, not forced upon her, no matter how talented the artist was in the painting she saw. "You know it is more, what is expected of me? How I am being treated in all of this?"
Yvone gave the Tsarevna a stern look, as if she was not putting up with self pitty she had heard far too often, which was the truth. "You know you are not being honest, especially with yourself, Highness. You are being asked to spend time with a promising noble of a great house who has direct blood relationships with their throne. You will socialize with him, have private meals with him, and spend time. It is not a huge burden and sacrifice on your part, especially if he is as handsome as has been rumored."
Daria was having none of it, she was being stubborn. "The portrait is likely a lie and he will have a beard and warts and be ten stones overweight."
There was a "tsking" sound of disapproval. Yvone was not letting this topic rest in the past. "He is d'Angeline, he will not be ugly, He will not have a beard, and he is a professional soldier. I know very few fat soldiers. You are being petulant now, and you know it."
Daria was quiet, and when she spoke again, it was soft. "I am not ready. It is too soon, too much of my life in front of me. I am being asked to give all of that promise and adventure to be nothing more than a vessel to produce children."
Yvone's expression softened as she pulled Daria into an embrace. "Oh my dear, you do not understand, you are not being asked to give up everything, but to switch from one adventure to another. I do not regret one day with my former husband, and I think if you feel you could have an intimate connection with this man, you will be on a grand adventure indeed."
Yvone did not mention her husband much. In fact she was miserly in her utterance of the fact she had been married in the past. He had been a soldier, an officer in a light cavalry unit. He perished in a border skirmish in the far east with the Tartars. Land which few if any Vralians had settled. It happened when Daria was very young and all she heard was rumors over the engagement. Nothing much more other than Yvone stating how Adoni put Daria in her life to save her. She did not speak further on the issue.
The day was clear, and thus it was clear upon the horizon. Four ships, one representing each province of Terre d'Ange. It was too far to see their colours without a spyglass, but like a plucked heartstring she just knew what they were, and what they were there for. To escort her to Terre d'Ange. She was less than two days away. Two days where she was sure, for better or for worse, her destiny would be changed, rumors of Terre d'Ange or not. She moved away from Yvone's embrace and walked to the bow of the ship. It was time to act the person she was, Daria Anastasia Sophia Tarkov, Archduchess of the Black Pearl Sea and Tsarenva of Vralia!
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