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A Study on Milena of Adria, Red Queen of Haense


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THE RED QUEEN OF HAENSE

 

Or, A STUDY ON THE LIFE OF MILENA EKATERINA CARRION

BY

IRENA C. RUTHERN 

RESEARCHER OF THE NORTHERN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

I. INTRODUCTION

II. HISTORY

III. CHARACTER

IV. LEGACY

V. AUTHOR’S NOTE

 


I - INTRODUCTION

Milena Ekaterina Carrion-Tuvyic (Common: Milena Catherine Carrion) was the twelfth Queen consort of Haense through her marriage to the King of Hanseti-Ruska, Andrik III. She was the daughter of Fyodor Carrion and his wife, Ingrid of Sarkozy. She served as a consort from the 10th of Grand Harvest, 1726, until her assassination on the 14th of Amber Cold, 1742. During her incumbency as consort, Milena held one of the largest courts and garnered the captivity of numerous notable Haeseni women of her time. Posthumously, she became highly controversial for the release of A Queen’s Posthumous Letters that claimed her son, King Andrik IV, was a bastard and allegedly revealed her affair with the Lord Protector of Oren, Adrian de Sarkozy. 

 

 

II - HISTORY

Milena Ekaterina was born on the 15th of the Deep Cold, 1710, to Fyodor Carrion and Ingrid of Sarkozy. Fyodor was the last surviving child of the Duke of Adria, Ratibor Carrion, and his wife the imperial princess, Alexandria of Man. Before her birth, the House of Carrion endured struggles and majorly fell apart after the alleged claims of incest¹ from Ratibor’s wife and Duchess consort of Adria, Alexandria. 

 

It has often been recorded her day of birth was on the 2nd of Sun’s Smile, 1710, but through Milena’s personal letters and journals it has been recounted that, as she was born, the Sacking of Ves² occurred around her and her family as per the recalling of her father’s words, “It [was] as though heaven and hell collided; a bloody inferno upon the world of men. And for Milena to be born on such a day [...]” It led to the early, untimely birth of twins and thus the death of both Mikael, her brother, and Milena’s mother Ingrid. 

 

After news arrived that a majority of the Adrians were slaughtered at the order of Emperor Antonius I during the Trial of Yury, Milena’s mother was sent into stress-induced labor prematurely whilst in the Palace of Varoche (where her uncle, the previous Duke of Adria, Paul II lived and abdicated in the 1708 Adrian Duma to Marius II, King of Hanseti-Ruska). Her only sibling and twin brother Mikael died as a result, with only Milena surviving as a baby. She had no other siblings older than her. Her mother died shortly after the stillbirth of her son and Fyodor, as screams drew nearer from the approaching army that cut down citizens, escaped the city before his and his daughter’s fate could match those outside of the palace. Their escape went unassisted, and they were –to a most fortunate luck– not stopped upon their flee. As one of the few remaining Carrions, Fyodor retained a hefty amount of wealth and thereafter bribed a captain sailing to the lands of Aeldin to add him and his daughter to their ‘cargo’. He was successful in his bribe, and the familial pairing set sail for Aeldin on the 1st of Snow’s Maiden, 1710. 

 

Their time on the ship consisted of long days with little to no sunlight (if not in lack of seeing the sun for numerous consecutive days). Their journey ended at the tail end of 1710, with almost a year of sailing in small, confined spaces. After their departure from the ship itself, Milena was taken to a countryside estate on the outskirts of Nova Horos³ where her family previously resided before their return to their homeland (an estate of Duke Ratibor and his family). At the mere age of three, Fyodor admonished ideals of legacy and great ambition into Milena’s mind. It was to his interest that she succeeded her aunt, Valera of Adria, in becoming the Queen consort of Haense as her aunt never transcended the role. He withheld much affection from Milena, and sought to keep the distance between the two as she grew into her later years. 

 

The family assimilated to the Aeldinic culture and ways the longer they resided in such lands. Milena thus was enrolled into an upscale finishing school (a form of schooling Aeldin has been well-known for excelling with), far too costly for the pockets of the family but an education her father rigorously toiled over. The particular schooling was recommended by her great-grandmother, Maria of Kraija, who too resided in Aeldin amongst Milena’s early childhood years. It rendered the pair near bankrupt in the process, but she continued her attendance of the schooling nonetheless. 

 

As a student of a finishing school, Milena endeavored the studies of mannerisms, etiquette, fashion, courtly education and management, and other social rites notable to Aeldin. Other academic pursuits became secondary to her, such as anything regarding the sciences, mathematics, and history. Through her socialization and integration into public life, she garnered a multitude of acquaintances (i.e. the bastard of an unknown Banardian king, Olympe du Roi) with some referring back to her homeland in their origins as well (namely the imperial princess, Vespira of Man). During these years in the Aeldinic finishing school, she was unable to return home until she reached the age of twelve. She, even though primarily focused attentive to the Aeldinic people, received news or lessons of what occurred on Arcas. Milena grew wary of what life would be like when she were to return home, hearing of the ongoing War of Two Emperors (until its conclusion in 1721). Although separated from her father, the weight of one day being a queen dwelled frequently in her mind, “Can a crown be promised? Papa deems me a Queen - of blood, mind, and spirit, much like aunt Valera. But I am only a girl of twelve; the fate the stars have written for my family is unbeknownst to me. [...] Perhaps, I’ll have to make it my own.” Fyodor cemented in her mind the notion of queenship through correspondence whilst away.

 

Her strict learning process did not cease with the conclusion and graduation of her finishing school at twelve. Upon her return, Milena faced a higher set of expectations and rules laid out by her father. She lacked the occasion to rest or allow her posture to falter even in the comforts of her home. It is unknown the exact lengths Fyodor proceeded unto with his punishments, but revealed to be harsh and perennial in nature. The sanctions combined the idea of family through duty, with little to no love within. Save for her father, she did not have any other guardian or mentor in her life. On occasion, she received general guidance from her elderly great-grandmother, but it rarely did come. 

 

Fyodor considered her prepared for her familial duty (as placed upon her by her father) two years after her return home from finishing school. Together again, the two endured the voyage from Aeldin through their newfound connections to smuggle them out of the continent and to the land of Arcas. On their months of travel, both spent most of their time confined to cargo boxes and being moved around into uncomfortable, small places where they could not stand or move much for weeks on end. By the end of their troubles, the two were received by their cousins of House de Sarkozy; Adrian, the Baron of Renzfeld and his brothers, Heinrik and Peter. 

 

The three cousins were informed prior to Milena and her father’s arrival that they were to return to their homeland, but too of their intentions to place Milena in the betrothal to Andrik III, King of Hanseti-Ruska, to marry upon her reaching the age of majority. Swift in his actions, Heinrik de Sarkozy (who was comparable to a brother and most certainly a close confidant of Milena’s) presented Milena to the Haeseni court shortly after her arrival. He persisted on her learning the ways of swordsmanship, to which she proceeded with much pleasure and enjoyment. Preceding her first appearance on the Haeseni lands and heretofore her journey to Arcas, a betrothal had already been announced between the Haeseni King and the Lady Katharina Vyronov as per the announcement made by her father, the Lord Palatine of Hanseti-Ruska, Lerald Vyronov. 

 

Her presence came with a brazen and confidant atmosphere about her, and an eloquent vocabulary. She was accustomed to mannerisms foreign to the Haeseni court, but was adaptive and used what she already knew to her utmost abilities. By then, it was second-nature to become what she needed in the various attendances of others. It was also to the interest of many that she was of the House of Carrion; with an arrangement made in the Crow’s Moot of 1701 left unfulfilled (that a Carrion was to wed the heir of the House of Barbanov and further the claim over Ruska in the dual kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska). It was also most intriguing to many of the courtiers that Milena knew of dueling and swordsmanship in its basic forms (with gratitude to the recent lessons from Heinrik de Sarkozy). Exterior to the Haeseni realm, Milena traversed to the imperial city of Helena to befriend the young Adeline of Alstion, the Empress consort of the Holy Orenian Empire approximate to the year 1724 (as she had been the Renatian consort prior to reforms of the imperial state). 

 

Within a mere month of her arrival, the betrothal was broken between Lady Katharina and Andrik III in favor of Milena. The prior betrothal ended as a result of Milena’s own swaying of the court and the prospect of a Barbanov-Carrion union. Often during this time was she questioned by her uncle, in place of her father who passed suddenly of an illness. Followed by her father’s death was that of her newfound friend, the Blessed Adeline, after receiving news of a shipwreck whilst the consort and her mother, Vivenne d’Amaury, attempted to flee to Aeldin. She retaliated any question of her abilities with assurance that it was not only fate but destiny that beckoned her to pursue the role as Andrik III’s wife. The ideals of legacy were long implanted into her mind and it became her lifeline. She was betrothed to King Andrik III at the age of fourteen, with a marriage to occur in the following two years. 

 

In the span of two years, Milena frequented the tavern and other public common-spaces of the people to converse amongst them. She wished to connect herself with the Haeseni people and their culture, for she had not been a part of it besides the occasional Haeseni historical tome rarely found in her previous home of Aeldin. However, she advocated for the rights of the nobility over the common folk notoriously, despite these endeavors. She furthered her position in court by befriending Princess Royal, Mariya Angelika, and her sister, Princess Sofiya Theodosiya. As the two did often fight, she stood as a medium between them and attempted to resolve their arguments to her utmost abilities. In time, Princess Mariya was a close confidant to Milena whilst Princess Sofiya kept a bitterness to most in her life. The court and Haeseni people were of the highest priority, but too the government of Haense. Thus, in the midst of these two busied years, Milena stepped into an almost secretary position to the Lord Speaker of the time, Konrad Stafyr, and assisted in reaching his quota. As stated by Sir Konrad Stafyr, “[Milena was] full of ambition and excitement. She saved my duma from missing quorum once [...] The way she spoke, her oratory, she could’ve almost rivaled Georg Stanimar or Terrence May in terms of how she could rouse a crowd.” Her assistance to the Lord Speaker led to her meeting the Grand Prince of Muldav, Kazimar Lazar, to whom her friend Princess Sofiya would later go on to marry. 

 

Her sixteenth year came upon 1726 with her marriage to soon follow. Wedding arrangements had long been in place, as she had a fine dress tailored in the year before by the Duchess of Augustin, Laurentina Julia⁴. The ceremony was long awaited by many of the Haeseni people and others outside of the Haeseni realm, reaching out to the imperials and other vassals of the empire. In attendance was –notably– the imperial ministry, the court of Alexander II, Pierce I of Curonia, and men from the Duchy of Lorraine. It is said her wedding was halted by two of the Men of Lorraine, Leufroy d’Amaury and his advisor, to praise the utter regality of the bride’s attire. From a letter addressed to Milena by Mariya Angelika, she recalled, “So clearly do I recall the day you wed my brother. It was spectacular– your gown! I’ve no doubt that the fabrics you wore that day shall forever be recorded in history as some of Haense’s finest, her finest Queen. Given, I’ve only lived to see Klaudia reign by my Father’s side– but somehow I do feel inclined to believe you greatest yet.” Her dress was far more costly than any other queen, such as Reza of Turov or Adelajda of Metterden who attempted such luxurious adornment, but she was commended for it rather than treated otherwise. 

 

The beginning of her incumbency as Queen Consort of Hanseti-Ruska thus began, and she thrusted herself into vigorous work in revitalization of the Haeseni courts. She announced her reforms in the document The High Courts of Hanseti-Ruska; an Overview, and established the Royal Council of the Court consisting of: the Queen, the Grand Lady, the Chamberlain, and the Royal Liaison. Milena was the first of the consorts to establish the role of Grand Lady, the head courtier and palatial advisor of the courtly and royal life. Princess Mariya was the first to hold the role as Grand Lady and served as such for a majority of Milena’s tenure. Accounts of her achievements, as reflected by the Lord Palatine (as per his tenure 1733-1741), Sir Konrad Stafyr, “[...] diligently has Milena of [Adria] served her nation and fellow Haensemen. From conducting the duties within the towering halls of Palace Ekaterinburg to the gifting of gentle kindness to common folks, she has rendered herself wholly to the service of her station.” She published palace staff applications and spread them to the public on the 5th of Sun’s Smile, and although she aimed for a slightly more imperialized court– a majority of the roles were translated into New Marian (e.g. Kvuensbutjanas = Handmaidens, Koecks = Cooks, et cetera). This would be the start of the language being used more commonly, as it was only used before at the beginning of addressments, statements, or for a few historical texts. 

 

Once the documents were made public, Milena came to a halt with her scribes’ work, and implemented them among the ladies through her council members. The court was undeniably strict and harsh, with the Chamberlain Sofiya or others of high status mocking or gossiping of those who could not keep up with the reforms and new etiquette– and continued to do so as a method of sociological sanctioning for them to learn. Lack of etiquette was, more or less, treated akin to deviancy under Queen Milena’s court. This presented attitude to the other courtiers proved further for Milena to be, in characteristics, a woman of unyielding ambition and high standards. However, the young Queen at this time is said to have formed a most unorthodox relationship with a young chambermaid of common birth,  who she took on as a ward, by the name of Clementina Castelo. The two were inseparable for some time, with the younger Clementina oftentimes looking to her supervisor for guidance in the world of etiquette. After much urging from Milena, Clementina found love in a Suffonian Princeling and departed the court shortly afterward to begin her family. 

 

The official announcement of Milena being with child was widely celebrated and a feast was held in her honor in 1729. A child would finalize the union between House Barbanov and Carrion, and she at last could fulfill the whims of legacy her father filled her childhood with in succeeding her aunt Valera. Before the feast, she bestowed her first child and the heir to Hanseti-Ruska; Prince Andrik-Petyr, Grand Prince of Kusoraev. The entirety of the empire was invited to celebrate and many were in attendance to drink Carrion Black and other traditional Haeseni cuisines provided by the palace staff. Haeseni, Adrians, and other imperials gathered in the Prikaz to cheers to the heir and future king. Her firstborn son was christened by the Cardinal Siguard of Reza in the Basilica of Fifty Virgins for all to gaze upon, and afterwards the attendees were ushered into the Prikaz for further celebrations. 

 

Milena spent little time resting with her newborn son and awoke her council once more to prepare for another new initiative. Her son was tended to by her sister-in-laws and other governesses of the court whilst she returned to her office and focused upon her royal duties. She assisted in the introductions of Princess Mariya and the Duke of Adria, as she too believed it would be beneficial for the Haeseni realm for her to wed the Adrian Duke over Prince Vladrick Alimar (to whom Mariya was in love with at the time). Her confidant, Princess Mariya, soon left for the Duchy of Adria as its new consort upon her marriage to Milena’s cousin, Adrian de Sarkozy, on the 8th of Sun’s Smile, 1729. In the same year as her son’s birth, she publicly announced the Haeseni Harvest Initiative of 1729. The Haeseni Harvest Initiative bolstered agricultural work and occupations, as well as the creation of more farmland in the Haeseni realm. Every three to four years, the initiative allowed for a surplus in food to be given out for those struggling to obtain such. 

 

Pagans plagued the Haeseni lands the year following the birth of her son in 1730. She remained heedless in the face of the new threat, believing it something not of her concern or to be dealt with swiftly by the Haeseni soldiers. Milena focused primarily on attempting diplomatic relations with the Prince of Rubern, Richard I (once referred to as Prince Vladrick) and his new wife, Ester of Avalain. To no avail was Milena able to obtain better relations with the Ruberni Prince, and instead the two grew in dislike of one another. Thus, she turned to other means of internal diplomacy across the empire and went travelling upon the roads (on occasion, without guards or protection at all) without mind to the threat still remained. On one particular meeting to visit Mariya and Adrian, both residing in the imperial city of Helena (rather than the Duchy of Adria, as Adrian’s duties required him to do so), she returned to a grotesque scene with the blood of her servants staining the walls and their bodies laid across her private chambers. Her son was missing from his cradle, in his place a wretched doll made of straw which sent Milena into a desperate flash of motherly wailing. The entire Prikaz soon filled with courtiers, servants, and members of the royal family searching for the lost prince who was nowhere to be seen. It soon was informed that the pagans had taken her child whilst she was away, and Milena proceeded to lock herself in her chambers for days on end. 

 

Only when her husband and the Brotherhood of Saint Karl prepared to pursue the pagans did she leave her rooms to don armor alongside them. Milena rode next to the soldiers and was accompanied by an old friend from Aeldin, Vespira of Man; both of whom were captured in their attempts to rescue the kidnapped prince. Milena was reunited with her malnourished son and cared for him, with the prince barely able to survive, as the three endured a month of captivity. Whilst captive, Milena was sustained by rat meat and threatened most often with knives and means of torture. Rainwater was their only source to withhold the small grouping from dehydration. After an approximate month of the severe mistreatment, both Milena and Vespira looked only comprised of skin and bone with paled, sickly faces. From the unlivable conditions they were set to survive in, Prince Andrik-Petyr caught a sickness that nearly led to inevitable death; however, the three were found by Sir Alaric “The Falcon” Hathenor (later knighted by Andrik III for his valor) and rescued at once.

 

The pagan threat soon was diminished from the kingdom but remnants of what occurred affected Milena thereon. Paranoia settled further into her mindset and often dealt with flashes of post traumatic stress. No longer did she allow governesses to tend to her son, but kept an eye on him herself for fear of what might occur to her son or if her legacy were to vanish before her eyes (as it did her aunt, drilled into her very thoughts by her father as stated prior). Her devolving health caused strains on her relationship with her husband, with a small saving grace being the birth of their first daughter, Princess Antonia Frederika on the 1st of the First Seed, 1731. To ensure her family’s continuation, Milena wrote to the Queen consort of Kaedrin, Annabelle of Castor, and pursued a series of meetings with the Kaedrini Queen to instrument the betrothal of Prince Andrik-Petyr and the Princess Arianne Reneé of Ves. The betrothal was publicly announced in 1733 to affirm the support in one another and further align themselves, as signed and officiated by Andrik III and Adrian I, King of Kaedrin. 

 

Once assured in mind of her family’s future, she returned to courtly matters. Many courtiers that once flocked the marbled walls of the palace now were gone elsewhere. Mariya, the once-Grand Lady, left to serve alongside her husband as the Duchess consort of Adria then onto the imperial city where Adrian became the Lord Protector of Oren (after the announcement of the illegitimacy of Alexander II). Another vital upbringer of her court, Sofiya (who held the position of Chamberlain still) had grown a family of her own as the Grand Princess consort of Muldav and dealt with strenuous relations with her children and others of the House Alimar. Milena struggled with her own family as her husband left on a growingly high amount of hunting expeditions or tended the beds of other women. The court was left unattended for a minimal period of time again as Milena began frequenting the cabinet meetings of the Lord Protector, in attendance William de Joannes, the Duchess Laurentina,  and the Heir-Pretender to the Empire of Man, Antonius Helane⁵.

 

Milena was slow to integrate herself back into Haeseni lifestyles after the years apart from the prolonged hunting trips of her husband. She made most of her appearances at duma with the Lord Palatine, Konrad Stafyr, and watched the ongoings with an analytical eye. Amidst these regular attendances, she was acquainted with the daughter of the Grand Prince of Muldav, Kazimar and Princess Sofiya– Princess Maya Valeriya. She requested the princess be able to watch from the dais as the ongoings of duma proceeded onwards. Milena thereafter continued to formulate a relationship with the Alimar princess with ideals of her being her successor in queenship in spite of the betrothal she worked to achieve years prior. Kazimar, the father of Maya, was quick to notice Milena’s pursuits and accused Milena of stealing his daughter away from him as well as being the manipulator of Maya’s very person. Any attempts to sway him in favor of trying his daughter at queenship was blatantly ignored. 

 

She returned in full to her previous dedication to the Haeseni courtly life on the 8th of Amber Cold, 1735, after the written missive called the Institution of the Chamberlain; where Lady Kamilla Julya Stafyr was given the position of Chamberlain alongside her role as Lady Maer (as the position of Chamberlain had long since been left vacant after the resignation of Sofiya). In the midst of another court revitalization, Milena, similar to how her father once did to her, trained Maya in etiquette, and governmental and palatial affairs (assigning the Muldavii Princess to the position of ward and furthermore Queen’s Deputy). 

 

In a singular night known as the Great Fire of Reza, the entire city of Reza was enveloped in flames. A majority of the governmental figures and royal family were entrapped within the Prikaz walls as the woodwork fell upon the entrance. Milena and the others with her were able to escape in ample time before too much smoke could consume their entire breath. With her children evacuated, she coddled the princesses Maya and Karina, whilst telling stories to them and other young ladies of the court alike to calm them from the horrors as they hid in the crypts of the Basilica of Fifty Virgins. As they skittered past the various catacombs, passing figures such as King Marius the Second and Ingrid of Ulgaard, they settled on the blessed mausoleum of Valera of Adria, the Queen’s own aunt. Together, they endowed on the royal’s remains benediction in honor of her memory.

 

The Haeseni once presiding in the ruined royal city remained in tents for only a few months before assigned architects hastily constructed a new, stony city they referred to as New Reza. With the new city, the palace was named after Milena– called the Ekaterinburg, and the lake nearby held her namesake as Lake Milena⁶. Upon settling into the new city, Milena faced a great period of mourning as it was announced that the Princess Royal, Mariya Angelika, was assassinated in the imperial palace on the 8th of Grand Harvest, 1738. 

 

She embarked upon a great first as a consort on the 8th of Sun’s Smile, 1738, as she received her own coronation. Milena was dressed in the coronation gown meant for Mariya, who was to be Empress consort had it not been for the sudden death of her husband and the succession leading to Peter III. Along with creating the tradition of wearing Mariya’s dress, she also traditionalized the wearing of Valera of Adria’s crown at both coronations (and later the weddings of Haeseni consorts). As the party moved into the Prikaz, Milena suddenly went into labor at the end of the day. It was only to the happiness of the bestowment of her twins, Princess Aleksandriya Ceciliya and Prince Otto-Rupert, did she escape her mourning of her dearest friend. Princess Aleksandriya would grow to look remarkably similar to Milena, and was –to note– named after Milena’s grandmother, Alexandria of Man. With all said, Milena introduced her son, Prince Andrik-Petyr, and Princess Maya to one another at the conclusion of her coronation as well; to pursue her endeavors of Maya one day becoming his queen.

 

Soon the Kaedrini princess, Arianne Reneé, was welcomed into court as it was officiated for the two betrothed to begin courting one another before their set date of marriage. Milena responded to the princess’s headstrong and rough character with utter distaste. Many times she attempted to stop Princess Arianne from attending sword-fighting lessons held by Dame Primrose Kortrevich, but the Kaedrini snuck around Milena’s wishes and did so nonetheless. This led to Milena to further prop up Princess Maya for the role and insist upon her father’s support (which was met with refusal). Court revisions were made amidst her attempts to secure Maya as her successor, with the Grand Lady then being the Princess Adryana Eleanor, and her Chamberlain Kamilla Julya Stafyr (with the royal liaison position since being dissolved).

 

In the final two years of Milena’s life, the Rubern War ensued after growing tensions between the vassal state Rubern and the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, as well as the Duchy of Morsgrad. Although the war itself was claimed to be against the Holy Orenian Empire, attacks were primarily focused upon the Haeseni realm. Andrik III was never seen about the city or palace, often only in the private sector of the Ekaterinburg but most frequently out hunting. Milena addressed the Rubern War with open and unrelenting patriotism in a public speech in 1741, “[...] How the world plummets into darkness for a period of time, for the sun to only assume its place in the Heavens once more? We Haensemen once plummeted into darkness in the onslaught of the War of Two Emperors; a most grievous affair which cost the lives of many. Yet, my dear brethren, we recovered, and the sun shines upon us still. And it shall not set just yet.”

 

On the 14th of Amber Cold, 1742, Milena was found floating dead, flayed, in the waters of Lake Milena below the private sector of the Ekaterinburg palace. Blood stains in her private chambers showed her struggle upon death but too that she was last alive in the palace itself before being thrown from the balcony. Her assassin was caught not long after her death, and was revealed to be a Ruberni in opposition of Haense in the war. 

 

__________

¹ The Varoche Affair was an alleged reveal of an incestuous relationship between Emperor Augustus I and his sister, Alexandria of Man. The affair was disclosed on the 5th of Malin’s Welcome, 1706, in Augustus’s final will where he claimed Paul II, Duke of Adria, and his twin sister Valera of Adria, Princess consort of Kusoraev, to be his bastard children with his sister. 

² The Sacking of Ves, also known as the Pillaging or Burning of Ves, began on the 15th of the Deep Cold, 1710, when Emperor Antonius’s armies marched upon the city, sacked, and burned it after the Trial of Yury– where all of the Adrians present were slaughtered and flayed on sudden allegations (by Prince Yury) of being undead or supports of Norlandic raiders.

³ Nova Horos is the imperial capital of Aeldin, established at the beginning of their Imperial Age. 

Laurentina Julia (1714-1767) is more commonly known as ‘Lorena of Augustin’, the Empress consort to Peter III, Holy Orenian Emperor. She was the daughter of the imperial prince Romulus, Duke of Cascadia, and his wife Anabel of Curonia

Antonius Helane (1704-1784) was the longest-reigning Holy Orenian Emperor, regally known as Peter III rather than his birth name of Antonius Sigismund. 

Lake Milena, once considered to be a beautiful sight, is now remarked as The Cursed Lake of Milena as many lives (especially of the Haeseni royal family,) have been taken within it or bodies have plummeted into its depths below.


 

III - CHARACTER 

 

MILENA EKATERINA CARRION; MEANING BEHIND THE NAME

Common: Milena Catherine Carrion

New Marian: Milena Katherina Carrion

Flexio / High Imperial: Milena Caterina Karovius Toevius

 

Milena – Uncommon in New Marian but renown in Raev and amongst the House Carrion, the name Milena means that of the following: gracious, pleasant, dearness. Notable figures with the name of Milena include: Milena Carrion, Imperial Princess of the Holy Orenian Empire and daughter of the Exalted Sigismund. She holds the namesake of “Lake Milena”, as the lake that resides along the royal city of New Reza.

 

Ekaterina –  The second name of Milena, Ekaterina, comes from the Hunnik Raev “Ekat” symbolizing grace and purity. In the Naumariv tongue, it is written as ‘Katherina’ and is the feminine version of the popular name ‘Karl’. The name Katherina is one of the most used and favored names amongst the Haeseni. The palace of New Reza was named after her using her second name, known as the Ekaterinburg Palace. There has been no record of the name Ekaterina being used in any notable figures before the Haeseni Queen.

 

APPEARANCE; FASHION & VISAGE

Visage, General Appearance

Of middling height and striking blue eyes, Milena appeared of true Carrion lineage in her lilted chin and upheld shoulders, with a clear and present appearance wherever she went. Almost never did she break her brazen features that so often brought those about her to speak of her notable ambition and boldness. Her light brunette hair was, for the majority, worn down and in Haeseni-fashioned braids or with other elements of coiffure traditional to the people she was consort to. Despite being praised for her comeliness, records show the Queen to have been relatively plain-faced, being quite thin and prominently-nosed; instead, it was her lively persona and coquettish character which brought warmth to her countenance. 

 

Fashion 

Most notably of fashion was her ornate coronation gown, scarlet and gold of color, said to have been the dress of Princess Mariya Angelika for when she was to become empress-consort (but never transcended such position). Ironic to her most recent moniker, the Red, it was the color she donned more frequently than any other. In particular, throughout most of her queenship, Milena sported one dress in particular - colloquially known to Royal seamstresses as the Vermillion orchid - which was gilded and worn in tandem with the diadem of her aunt, Valera.

 

CHARACTERISTICS; PERSONALITY & OTHER TRAITS

The monikers received unto her person were chosen for no other reason than the voice of her actions. She was raised to manipulate and scheme for the one ideal her father required of her, and such was to become the Queen consort of Hanseti-Ruska in place of her deceased aunt. In a sense, Milena of Adria was manipulated only to become the manipulator as shown throughout her queenship and the years leading up to her ascension. 

 

To no doubt was she vulpine and cunning as raised to do so, whispering rumors of incompetency regarding Lady Katharina Vyronov amongst the court and flaunting –when needed– her Carrion descent to obtain her primary goal of Queen. In her youth, her lifeline surrounded what she wished to one day become with her father’s early mistreatment of her to believe there was nothing else of considerable value in her life. Her charismatic nature and extroverted traits exerted her capabilities in courtly matters and public speeches when called upon, and if not in diplomacy as well. 

 

In spite of her keenness towards a scheming and most analytical behavior, she adored her children; whether it be for motherly instinct or her wishes to pursue her legacy, or both. Her almost higher-than-thou persona was leveled with compassion for her family and her people, but undoubtedly by nature she was a woman of survival.


 

IV - LEGACY

The court reforms of Queen Milena have continued on long past her death, including the position of Grand Lady. From her beginning formulations of a council, the Queen’s Council was formed under the court of Maya of Muldav and continued under the courts of Viktoria of Metterden and Isabel of Valwyck. Her court ward initiative, as scribed and implemented by the first Grand Lady, Mariya Angelika, was brought again into the light with two queens following her as well. Additionally, Milena’s crown during her wedding and coronation, the crown of the Grand Princess consort of Kusoraev, Valera of Adria, has been worn by Haeseni Queens since. The coronation gown itself has been passed down through the queens too, and many other of her court objectives still remain. 

 

THE MILENA LETTERS & ADULTERY ALLEGATIONS

The release of A Queen’s Posthumous Letters was an utmost notorious occurrence and most shocking to those who were in the presence of the queen throughout her life. The letters were released early in the year of 1749 in the midst of Andrik IV’s reign, detailing an affair between Queen Milena –through her own alleged letters– and the Lord Protector Adrian de Sarkozy. It was declared in the letters that Andrik was a child born as a result of the affair and therefore not the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska. 

 

To this I wish to add my own insight to the readers of this particular study, with the discernment of others regarding the letters who were alive at the time of their release (as I am certain many of those who endeavored this read were most curious to see if I were to include the occasion). 

 

It should be most notable to those who read over the letters that they were released posthumously to the assassination of Queen Milena, and many years at that (as Milena passed in 1742 and the letters were not released until seven years thereafter). This would give one who obtained a letter of hers plenty of time to study the smallest curves of her penmanship into proper forgery. It was too released by the exiled Ruberni supporter, Anastasya Alimar, to whom the Haense-aligned Alimars were at high qualms with (including the consort, Maya Alimar, who fervently berated her Ruberni relatives for their support of the opposing side of the AIS). Easily could it have been an attempt to derail the Alimars from their rising position in the kingdom, or to settle chaos into a kingdom already dealing with war. 

 

Should it be the case that these letters, by some chance, were truthfully Milena of Adria’s, I must utterly agree with the Milena Report in stating that it was due to her sheer hatred of Arianne of Kaedrin, and the letters were written as an attempt to keep her from what seemed like an inevitable queenship (furthermore, all a lie still). However, if Anastasya were as dearest of a friend as written in the letter, she would have known of the Queen’s long plans to install Princess Maya as Queen, and would not release the letters to ruin such plans. To quote Anna Maria, Princess of Pruvia, “[...] A charming attempt at this exiled Ruberni hag to forge letters.”


 

V - AUTHOR’S NOTE 

A person’s wrongdoings are not excused by their past, but may very well be an explanation for it. For this I must include in my note that I make no official or factual claims of what directly occurred regarding the alleged posthumous letters, but a mere analyzation upon it from my own perspective to bring light upon a highly controversial topic that changed the viewpoint of the once-great Queen consort of Haense. I do not believe Milena of Adria, in my own beliefs, was a good person. She schemed, manipulated, and used people to her will to achieve her ultimate goal of queenship and legacy thereon as implanted in her mind from a young child. Was she a great queen, however? To that I find my own answer to be affirmative, and befitting to consider her diligent in her role as she was a proper consort to the exceptional King Andrik III. 

 

For any request of study, or analysis of a specific person of history, please send a letter to Irena C. Ruthern.

 

Studies in Process:

Richard I of Rubern (in collaboration with Lord Viktor Kortrevich)

Kazimar I, Grand Prince of Muldav


 

Spoiler

Milena Ekaterina Carrion was played by archie / ANISIYA / axelu 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Eryane
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Lady Katherina Vyronov rolls in her grave when hearing word of the report done on her adversary!

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