An End to a Journey

[Macaroniminx 295]

 

 

A portrait of Anne Marie Novellen-Kaphro, date and artist both unknown.

 

 

More than ten long years have passed since Anne Marie Novellen-Kaphro first stepped onto the ship alongside her grandfather; the well-majority of her life has been spent at sea, taking in everything that the world had to offer her outside of Almaris. Her first steps onto dry land marked a symbolic farewell to her grandfather, forever leaving behind any memories of what she considered a 'normal' life as she set out to take on a new one, far different than what she'd known all her life.

 

The pain of losing her beloved grandfather, Balthazar, still troubled her after all these years. It was enough to force her to embark for home, but who at home did she have to return to? Nobody. Not a single family member remained - only distant cousins, cousins who were hardly aware of Anne Marie's existence. There was so much fear and doubt which consumed her the second she stepped off the boat:

 

"Will they welcome me back 'home'?"
"What if they dislike me?"
"Maybe I should turn around."
 

Nonetheless, the young girl knew she had to face adversity with a sense of bravery and fortitude. She was never willing to back down from any danger before; what made this situation any different? Except, this time, she was alone - with the loss of her grandfather came the loss of Anne Marie's confidence. So much has changed ever since she set out to sea with him. The world she was once accustomed to is clearly no more, and in its wake there remains only confusion and chaos.
 
Distraught by the loss of her family, she had nowhere to turn; no one to comfort her. Furthermore, she was stressed by news she had recently been told. With the passing of her last family member, Anne Marie was the only remaining candidate to possibly be eligible for the County of Kaphro, a title that was originally created for her great-grandfather: Prince Peter, fifthborn son of Joseph II, the Emperor of the now-extinct Holy Orenian Empire. At the time of his death, the title had been passed from Prince Peter to his heir, so on and so on until eventually the title reached Anne Marie; herself being the last Novellen-Kaphro alive.
 
She knew hardly anything about Prince Peter. She had never even met him before! Even worse, Anne Marie never expected to ever inherit any kind of title, let alone take up the responsibilities that come with such a thing; after all, she was an adventurer - NOT some kind of noblewoman!
 
“Countess Anne” she said aloud to herself, shuddering at the thought. She debated to herself whether the title even had any meaning within the Kingdom of Balian. Anne Marie let out a sigh as she knew it was her duty to meet with the King, a cousin of hers, to discuss such a matter. Eventually, she arrived at the long staircase leading up to Balian. It was finally time for Anne to end one journey, and for her to begin another. She smiles upon entering the city, “maybe it won’t be so bad, maybe this WILL be my home.”

 

Spoiler

pretty princess rp time?