Orange, yellow, and red mixed together in a hypnotic dance; creating gently waving flames that snapped at the wood in the fireplace.

Ray, or was it Rayyan now, continued to stare absentmindedly into the fire. Wrapped in a thin blanket pulled from the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, head resting on perched arms, she looked like a small child amongst the furniture.

And well, the image wouldn’t be too far off.

She was sixteen after all. Barely an adult, closer to being a child in her opinion that is.

After Empress Calista swept out of her room, Rayyan – as was her name now – dazedly stood up and braced herself against one of the posters at the edge of her bed. The dizzying amount of information she had tried to process left her lightheaded.

She had finally gathered herself enough to drag her aching body closer to the fire, realizing the chill in the room had crept into her body, leaving her to shiver slightly.

Seeing the copper pitcher of water and glass had reminded her how thirsty she was, and she poured herself a full cup – sipping slowly and trying to understand the situation she found herself in.

The water quenched her thirst, but after another glass or so it also miraculously calmed her pounding headache. With that relief, also came a rapid rush of information – or rather, memories.

Staggering, she sunk into an armchair and closed her eyes, reliving the memories as if they were a poorly edited film reel.

Her name was Rayyan Adora Dillon, the only daughter to the Duke and, now deceased, Duchess of Dillon.

She was one of two children, younger to an elder brother – Caesar Lennox Dillon.

They lived in the capital of the kingdom of Maverick, a fairly young new nation that had been established only 7 generations ago. As part of the noblemen that founded the country, the House of Dillon was widely respected and loved amongst the people. They had always upheld their responsibilities towards their empire, ensuring to continuously support their kingdom towards growth and prosperity. So much so, that they sent their beloved daughter to enter the castle as a consort to the Emperor.

The circumstances of this were already peculiar. While having consorts was allowed in Maverick, very rarely was it practised. The custom was first employed when Maverick was a fledgling nation and needed to ensure progeny to support and grow the kingdom. As stability and peaceful times emerged, the custom slowly went out of practise.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Until just recently.

The previous Emperor had lived a good life but having been so busy attending to the needs of his nation his marriage had always been delayed. By the time he had wedded in holy matrimony, he was quite old. Against the wishes of his court, he had taken an age appropriate wife, going against the advice to wed someone far younger who would have more chances of conceiving an heir.

The kingdom anxiously eyed the royal couple in the first years of their marriage, wondering how the royal line would continue. Just when emergency measures were being considered, the Empress got pregnant.

It would be her first, and only child - but it would be enough.

Crown Prince Darius Atlas Allard was born, and he was everything the royal couple – and people – could ask for. A bright and beautiful child, he was to be brought up to shoulder the responsibilities of his kingdom and nation.

The young prince had only the best in his childhood, whether it be clothing, food, tutors, or anything deemed important for his growth. As the only possible heir to the throne, the court, kingdom, and royal couple were all heavily invested in his future. As Darius’s father was also an only child, the realization that there was even a slight chance of the royal bloodline ending with Darius was enough to have everyone anxiously settle on precautionary measures.

On his sixteenth birthday, the young crown prince was married to the daughter of the Duke of Galen – Calista Verena Galen. As one of the few age appropriate young noblewomen available at the time, Calista stood out as a good candidate to be Darius’s wife, and future Empress.

The two sixteen-year olds were married in festive splendour, and soon after – to the joy of the kingdom – Calista became pregnant. In due time she gave birth to Darius’s first child, and son, Hugo Darius Allard. As was tradition in Maverick, the young child was bestowed his father’s name as his middle name, and would have taken his mother’s had he been born a girl.

The stabilization of the royal line quelled the anxiety in everyone’s hearts, and a few years passed with little concerns. Darius was upholding his duties as Crown Prince well, excelling in his path towards being the future Emperor. Calista, as Crown Princess, was also being groomed for her future path as Empress, and the young baby Hugo was well taken care of.

However, reality set in when the aged Empress peacefully passed away in her sleep – shocking the nation and her royal husband who soon fell ill afterwards. Once again, the royal line was shaken as the young Crown Prince was being prepared to take the throne far sooner than was expected. At nineteen years old, Darius would be the youngest Emperor on the Maverick throne, and it was a fact that caused much uncertainty.

A young Emperor was not exempt from his royal duties, sparse progeny or not. With turmoil at the southern border, he would need to leave for expeditions and possible war. Should something happen to him, his next in line would be too young to assume duties but his Empress would also be ill-prepared.

And so, the consort custom was brought back into practise, as the final order of the old Emperor prior to his passing. On the day of his nineteenth birthday, Emperor Darius Atlas Allard took the throne, and his castle welcomed five consort candidates – the one’s who would receive his majesty’s favour would be kept, while the others would be allowed to return home.

Fortunately, or unfortunately in Rayyan’s case, she was the one who was favoured. The occurrence did not happen due to a passionate love at first sight, or even political machinations. It was simply because her room was closest to the ballroom, and as the newly crowned Emperor Darius left his coronation celebrations, it was the first room he entered – slightly confused in his mild inebriation.

Rayyan’s memories of that night were hazy, but the emotions associated were warm. Awkwardness and warmth, shyness and discovery.

Again, whether one deemed it luck or misfortune, that one night of favour was enough to bless the young woman-child with… well, a child.

And that’s how Ray found herself in her current predicament.