Princess-consort Vicca chewed on a nail as she sat in her chambers alone with the morning devotional scroll on her lap, staring at it but not seeing a word, as she waited for Theodorian to arrive. Her husband Fornulus was off preparing for his coronation, her sons were being tutored, and her daughter was with the wet nurse, so she had some time to herself.

It had been several busy days since the funeral, and soon it would be time for Fornulus' coronation. That would make Vicca the new Empress of the Empire. It was a strange thought, even after this last decade and more as the wife to the Mekos, but then a princess, princess-consort in fact, was one thing, an empress quite another. Currently all the other princes and princesses outranked her, being of the actual blood of Doukar, but as Empress she would outrank them. Second Princess Meronion wouldn't be able to slight her then.

Years ago, when her marriage to Fornulus was first arranged, it didn't excite Vicca. Her family was excited to get a connection to the Mekos, to the next Doukar, so unusual for a family not based in the capital. Yes, his status was second to none, but that man himself left her cold. Her old lovers were more attractive and charming than him, but over time, she had come to appreciate his good qualities. He was easygoing and not as arrogant as you might expect given his upbringing, although he did act like a spoiled child at times. However, he'd promised to never take another empress or mistress. Most importantly of all, he did not have the cold heart most of his kin did.

It could have been much worse. Second Prince Cordelian's heart was as cold as the Rubiborne forests, and his handsome face hid all kinds of schemes and secrets. Third Prince Euphastolon made her skin crawl; he undressed her with his eyes, and there were awful rumors about what he did in the city at night. The mere thought of being married to either one of them was terrifying.

Thinking about those two other older brothers, and about the imposing Second Princess Meronion, Vicca couldn't help but dwell on her husband's shortcomings. He was weak-willed, and not as intelligent as most of the royals. His strengths, like his compassion and straightforwardness, were weaknesses in this family. As a basically honest person, he tended to believe even those he shouldn't. If she didn't move carefully and intelligently in the next few years, Cordelian and Meronion would take the empire from him. If Cordelian took over there would be only one possible fate for her and her boys, and he would let that animal Euphastolon run wild. Meronion wouldn't be much better – she might be honest and honorable, but she had little kindness in her. She always did what she thought was her duty, compassion be damned, and held everyone to her heartless martial code and old-fashioned notions of honor. Just the other day Meronion had snubbed her due to her idea of "tradition", heedless of Vicca's new position. She had to help Fornulus rein those two in, no matter what it took, in order to keep her children, and herself, safe.

The rest of the siblings, although not actively dangerous, would be of little help. Fourth Prince Nikolonium was callow, with a higher opinion of his talents than he could back up, although his heart was in the right place. Third Princess Ophelion was always willing to lend a hand as best she could, but her best wasn't terribly impressive. Fifth Prince Pelagius and Fourth Princess Helastus were sweet children; sheltered and hopelessly innocent. None of them were up to the task of overcoming their older siblings. They didn't have the alliances and powerbases their older siblings had developed.

Cordelian was the one who worried her the most, both due to his character and his power. He had, through flattery, bribery, familial connections, and genuine inclination, made himself into the champion of the patros. The previous Doukar, her father-in-law Holophian, had found most of the patros foppish and weak, and had put in place several laws they despised, generally aimed at raising money for his armies. She knew Cordelian had promised many of them that he would undo these laws and fight for them. His mother had come from an ancient and powerful family, descended from several historic Doukars, who had connections everywhere in the capital. Neither her family nor Fornulus’s could compete.

Each sibling had their own powerbase. Euphastolon had the dregs of the capital in his pocket: the mercenaries, criminals, and other sorts of scum. Low they might be, but that didn't mean they were powerless. Three hundred years ago Doukar Mekarian had been famously killed by her own mercenaries, and there were other similar stories in history. Meronion was worshipped by the military, which made her untouchable. Even Nikolonium had the church on his side. Not that she envied him that. The church leaders never allowed loyalty to get in the way of attaching themselves to whoever they perceived to be a winner.

Fornulus, on the other hand, was respected by nobody. There was First Princess Theodorian, her best friend in the palace and closest ally to the two of them, but while she relied on Theo on a personal level and trusted her, politically speaking Theo had no power. Holophian had been clear in his disdain for his eldest daughter's talents, and his disdain had only intensified when she failed to produce children and carry on the precious bloodline of Doukar. He'd shoved her aside, abandoning her, and the court had followed his lead with alacrity. Even her own family put all their stock in Cordelian and ignored her.

One of the servants came in to announce Theodorian, who followed promptly after. The princess had once again eschewed the traditional robes of royalty, instead opting for a fashionably loose and high-necked dress. She'd added, however, a small cloak over one shoulder, no doubt hoping to start a trend among the court ladies. That was one power Theodorian did have. Her father had deemed it frivolous nonsense.

Their friendship had started a few years after Vicca had come to the palace and gotten married, shortly after the birth of Euphenos, her eldest. Palace life hadn’t been like her youthful dreams. For all that she was to be the next Empress, the court and the royals always made the difference between marrying into royalty and being born with royal blood clear to her. They sneered at anyone not from the capital, mocking her island home as backwards. She’d had no friends, and her days ground past, filled with recuperating from the birth and raising the child, with little help from her husband. She had felt isolated and unwanted, and, understanding those feelings, Theodorian had reached out to her. Theodorian spoke to her, listened to her and provided the companionship she desperately needed. Their friendship had been strong for a decade now and had only grown stronger after Theo's husband had died, and Vicca was able to return that companionship.

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After completing the greeting rituals she gestured to Theodorian to sit down, and offered her some wine, which the other woman accepted. When Vicca had first come to court she'd tripped over all the formalities, the bowing and hand movements and ritualized greetings required for this and that and the other thing, but nowadays she was barely even aware she was doing them. She wasn't sure how to feel about her fitting in so well to court life.

"It's good to see you, Theo."

"I was wondering how you were, Vicca? With the big moment coming up." Theo said, referring to the coronation. "I can't imagine how you feel. It must be strange for you."

They sat and a slave poured cups of wine for them.

"I'm nervous," Vicca confessed. "Growing up I never could have imagined that one day I'd be an empress. It still doesn't seem real."

"No, I suppose not. It was a bit different for us, of course, since our father was Doukar. We were always close to the crowns. I imagine they must be having feasts in Euphiles." Theo said, referring to Vicca's home province.

Vicca nodded. "So I've heard. My parents are sailing here on the fastest ship could find. They don't want to miss the final flowering of their ambitions."

Vicca had not seen her parents in many years. They almost felt like someone else's parents now, the person she had been, quite different from who she was now.

"What's it like there?" Theo asked. "I've never been. Father only ever took me to Hagiatrocos and some of the Gisean islands. Heimt was your home island, right?"

Vicca thought for a moment about her long-missed homeland. Euphiles was a collection of small islands deep in the Melancthon sea, many leagues to the south of here. Originally the islands had been different nations, but the Gisean hegemony had conquered them before the days of Doukar the Great and given them the collective name "Ophilium", which had later become "Euphiles" once the Dardanians took over.

"It's beautiful. Heimt is the largest of the islands, although by the empire's standards it's tiny. It's a land of sailors, and everyone lives off the sea. You'd like it: we eat fish all the time." Vicca paused, remembering her childhood. "We would often go sailing from island to island, sometimes five in one day. The islands are covered in flowers, and the buildings as white as our beaches. The seas out there are calm, and days slow and hot." She continued her reverie for a few minutes, while Theo listened raptly, allowing her to ramble. She'd heard all this before, of course.

"It sounds lovely. I wish I could go." Theo sounded wistful.

"Why don't you?"

"I might. Now that father is dead, I'm sure Fornulus or any of the others won't put up a fuss. I'm not much good to them, after all."

"That's not true." Vicca lied. None of the imperial siblings had time for Theodorian. They may have hated their father, but they copied him more than they realized. His will had always dominated those around him, his way of thinking becoming theirs, his actions becoming theirs, a true ruler. Theo smiled wryly in a way that said she knew what Vicca was thinking.

"Cordelian's the only one who talks to me, but I suppose he has to, since he's my full brother and our mother is gone." Theo said. Vicca often marvelled at how different the two siblings were from each other.

"They're all fools." Vicca patted her friend on the arm. Sometimes she raised the idea of getting remarried to Theo, so she wouldn't be so lonely. Theo always rejected the idea, claiming to enjoy her freedom.

"I don't mean to criticize Fornulus," Theo added, "he's never been unkind to me. Father just didn't think that he should get close to me."

"I never listened to him." Vicca laughed. "Although I don't think he cared much what the provincial girl got up to."

"Now he's dead, he gets no say at all." Theo smirked. "You're the one who decides who you talk to now."

This hadn't fully occurred to Vicca. On the one hand, the rigid ceremonies of being an empress concerned her and would restrict her, but on the other hand, she was freer than ever. There was only one person in the entire realm, the Doukar, her husband, who had the right to restrict her. That would be a novel and welcome change in her life.

Something of her feelings must have shown on her face, for Theo added, "feeling better about your coronation now?"

"Yes, I think I might." They both laughed and chatted for a little while longer, until Theo eventually grew silent. Vicca could tell that something was on her mind.

Theo hesitated, apparently reluctant to talk about it. She reached into a pocket in her sleeve and pulled out a small silk pouch and emptied the contents into her wine. It must be dried Kilpion leaves. They were mostly used to prevent pregnancy, but also helped with cramps which Theo complained about during her cycle.

Vicca waited until Theo took a long drink of the wine before pushing again.

"What's wrong?" Vicca asked her.

Theo sighed before answering and avoided her eyes. "Truthfully, I've been thinking about leaving for longer than just a short trip. I love the capital, it's my home, and of course I like being around you and the children, but...I'm tired of all of it."

"The others?" Vicca asked, unsure of what sort of reaction Theo was looking for.

"Yes, and the patros and the Majesters and just the whole lot of them. I'm sick of looking for hidden insults in every little thing."

Vicca understood completely. "That's not a bad idea. A long journey to see some of the empire might do you good. Get some fresh air away from the open sewers here, maybe see some snow for once, or perhaps the mountains. See the South." She wished she could do the same.

"I was thinking something more permanent. I was thinking Fornulus might appoint me as Primus of a province. Somewhere on the sea, so I can grow old watching the waves in peace. That's why I came today, honestly, to sound you out and see what you thought before I raised it with Fornulus."

'What! You can't do that Theo, what would I do without you?" Vicca sat forward and put her hand on Theo's knee, feeling like she might cry. "Come on, I need your help right now. How am I going to cope with being Empress without you?" How would she deal with Cordelian and the others?

Theodorian smiled and attempted to comfort her, getting up to sit next to her and put an arm around her. "I wouldn't leave right away. I thought I'd stay for a bit to see how the new Doukar does things, and his clever new Empress who'll put out all the fires for him. Maybe in a year or two I'd think about raising it with Fornulus."

"I guess that gives me a while to try and change your mind." And to settle her own position.

"Or you could come with me. We could run away together, forget all the children and their spears and little games." Theo smiled.

"Don't tempt me."

Theo leaned back, sitting shoulder to shoulder next to her. "I'm sorry to dump this on you Vicca, I'm just tired. Now that father's gone, it's my chance to take control of my own life."

Vicca turned to look at her. "I understand. I won't stop you, but I will try to convince you to stay. I'd miss you, and you know, I think you'd miss having all the little patros girls copy everything you do."

"I'll tell you what, if you can get Meronion to copy my fashion, I'll stay."

Vicca gave her a look of amused disgust. "I'm not going to make that deal."

"Couldn't you just see her with a nice jeweled eyepatch I could make for her? All gold and sapphires, that would suit her coloring."

"She'd make you eat it."