>>6260911After recounting your tale for the hundredth time to a thousand different people, you figure that you might as well use your time at the palace to find a noble husband. You talk to the king in one of the dinners, saying that a man of his dignity is like a father to the fatherless, and implying you'd be honored if he could help you find a good husband, since you don't know the nobles very well yet.
The king thinks your proposition to be very interesting, and discusses it with his family. The next day, the queen invites you to her quarters. Her name is Victoria. She is very young, perhaps only a few years older than you. She says she's the second wife of the king, the last one died in childbirth. With a softness and tact you never saw in anyone, she probes deeply into your soul, gently asking you lots of personal questions that you feel no way to escape from.
She asks things like:
"What qualities do you value most in a companion?"
> Loyalty, strength of will, and a quiet mind.> Someone who does not flinch from blood or truth.> The courage to stand beside me, and the wisdom to know when not to."How do you handle dissent among those who serve you?"
> I listen first. If their words hold merit, I adapt. If not, I silence.> By reminding them who held the pass when no one else dared.> Firmly. Unity keeps us alive — I allow no cracks in the stone."Would you ever marry a foreigner if it meant peace or prosperity?"
> If my people would eat better and sleep safely — yes.> So long as he bows to our gods and laws, I care not where he’s from.> Peace bought in chains is no peace at all — I’d rather bleed."Do you desire children, Baroness?"
> Yes. A future without heirs is no future at all.> Not now — not while war still whispers at our gates.> I would raise warriors, not babes. When the time comes, we’ll see."Have you ever loved someone you could not have?"
> Yes. He never returned from the war.> Once. But duty has louder footsteps than love.> No. I do not let my heart outpace my bow."If your husband was weak, would you protect him or replace him?"
> Protect him — quietly. I’ve strength enough for both.> Replace him. Kent cannot afford softness in high places.> I’d sharpen him, if he could be sharpened. If not, he falls.Choose your answers!
You also have the opportunity to ask at least one question to the queen, though you lack her tact. What do you wanna ask?
> Write in 