THE LIONESS RESTS

[tilly 5115]

THE LIONESS RESTS

 

Atstana de Regne Petrère 93

 

 

By the UNITY OF MIND of the GOVERNMENT in PETRA, serving always CHIVALRY, LIBERTY and JUSTICE, the QUEEN does affirm this MISSIVE under the
ALDTREE

 

Concerning THE ABDICATION of the

THRONE OF GARMONT

 

 

TO THE CITIZENS OF THE PETRA,

 

For over fifty-three years, I have had the blessing and privilege of reigning over the lands of the Petra as your monarch.

 

This thought, I must admit, is a notion that has weighed heavily upon me over the course of these last few years. Why is it that I, a flawed woman though I am, have been blessed with such a long and enduring reign? And why, despite the carnage of civil war, has the Commonwealth which I have presided over since I was a girl come to thrive ever so?

 

During this past year’s jubilee, these questions have been at the tip of my mind. In fathoming them, I have come to realize that the Tapestry of Man is rich, and my service to the Petra has been but a very small part of that great epic. And even the Commonwealth itself, though it still be a realm that is less than a century old, has seen great change over the course of my lifetime.

 

The enduring success of the Petra is something I like to think that my father, Paul I of the Petra, would have smiled greatly upon. And yet many, if not most, of our achievements are far from my own alone. 

 

I owe everything to my people and their enduring spirit. To the Heroes of the Petra, without which my reign would have come to an abrupt and humiliating end during the Petran Civil War. To the counselors of the Halcourt, Wittenbach, and Theonus chanzléries, who rebuilt this country in the lands of Aevos and elevated it from poverty to prosperity. And to my family, which has and steadfastly continues to make me proud.

 

Yet, I have been far from a perfect ruler. Though I have done my best to see to the Commonwealth’s prosperity and survival, many have suffered from the consequences of some of the difficult decisions that I have had to make. Family, and friends alike. Everything I have done, I have earnestly tried to do for Petra and its people. Yet still, I acknowledge the pain that I have caused.

 

The House of the Petra has always seen the wearing of the Crown of St. Emma as a duty to the Commonwealth, and to the virtues of Liberty, Justice, and Chivalry for which it stands. Thus, the Sovereign of the Petra is a servant unto their people. It is a duty that I had thought I would die performing. But as I have been blessed by GOD to have had one of the longest reigns in the recorded history of Canondom, I have decided to repay him by dedicating the rest of my life to spending time with my children and making amends with the estranged among my family.

 

This too was the burden of Dame Catherine of Furnestock, my regent and guardian who raised both myself and my late brother, Alexander, as children. Indeed, one of my earliest memories was of her addressing the old senate of the Commonwealth before its dissolution. She taught me that the most important, and most difficult, duty of a leader is to know when to make way for new blood. And, after half a century, the time for doing so has come.

 

As of this moment, I am abdicating the Throne of Garmont to my granddaughter, Princess Catherine Arabella of the Petra, my lawful heir as designated in the Writ of Inheritance of 1942. To oversee this period of transition, the Chanzlé of the Commonwealth, Sir Konstantin, is to assume the position of Guardian of the Commonwealth and will  rule until her sixteenth birthday. At that time, she shall rule, and the guardianship shall be dissolved. Should the Chanzlé meet an untimely end, I will take up the reins as Queen-Regent until my granddaughter comes of age in six short years, but I truly hope it does not come to that.

 

It has been my pleasure and my duty to serve you all, of the Petran realm, and to prove to the onlooking world that we are more than what was left behind in the ashes of the Petran Civil War. We are more than just a standing of a few people, being pushed around by the politics that surround us. We have risen, like a phoenix from her ashes, born again into a prosperous, bustling metropolis belonging to the bosom of the Heartlands. Now, while I say goodbye to my time as Queen, I know that this Lioness has left behind a pride ready to meet this world. Though her mantle may be passed, her spirit, devotion and prowess has not waned. She will walk amongst them still, a familiar, yet comforting face in the times ahead.

 

Know now, Petrans, it has been my life’s honor to be, first, your Archduchess, and then anointed your Queen. Each and every soul I have touched, and impaced, I will remember forevermore. You have been my life’s work, and it was not a life wasted. Thank you, Petra, and all of the vast reaches of your Commonwealth. I love you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

O SAINTE RÈGNE PETRÉRE

HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Renilde I, by the Grace of GOD, Queen of the Petra, Marquise de Val d’Estenou, Countess of Temesch and Moere, Baroness of Garmont, Valfleur, Vallagne-en-Petra, and of the Phoenixspire, Protector of the Meadows, Defender of Liberty

[Zaerie 3747]

Catherine I laid upon the grass on the rooftop garden of the Palace in Vallage. The child-Queen simply stargazed on her first night as monarch, perhaps she hoped that the stars would guide her to the right path for the Commonwealth and the people that now relied on a 10 year old child.

 

Spoiler

Sorry for making a reserved post lmao, I was in the middle of a custody battle over Fullmetal Alchemist funko pops. I got to keep Alex and Olivier Armstrong. WINNING.

 

[Minuvas 3193]

"For what can be said of Heartland Rulers, Queen Renilde was fair...and by all accounts, decent."

Perhaps one of the best compliments Razad might offer to a non-mage.

 

Spoiler

OOC: Great job Tilly. Enjoyed your time as the Petran NL. Good luck in retirement.

 

[Malta 2811]

Valentin Mareno rests, burden lifted off his ethereal shoulders. The Heroes of Petra smile from above.

All grudges, eternally forgiven.

[TaytoTot 1587]

Thérèse von Theonus salutes the Queen! “May your next adventures be full of excitement, Your Majesty.”

[ColdestPepsi 1176]

Aimo sat in Artel's attic, resting after the long day. He thought of everything which had happened, the queen stepping down, his promotion, and more. "She was a good Queen to have been knighted under, there is ne denying that." he said to himself as he continued to think over the relative peace during his time under her reign, certainly a thing of beauty.

[Chorale__ 2147]

The Hero of the Petra and Chanzlè-Emeritus, so well as the lifelong friend to the Queen, the Baron Sir Laurens Halcourt responds, “Her reign was long and HARD. I wish her only the best!”

 

Renilde’s son Prince Paul Alexander of the Petra de Valfleur wiped a tear from his eye as he and his mother spoke of the Petra’s future.

 

[[ @tillyyou did it queen :)

[Deets 1129]

Konstantin sat at his desk for several hours upon the writ being published across Aevos. The newfound Guardian of the Commonwealth had spent the time in reflection, praying for Queen Renilde, the newfound Queen Catherine I, and most of all his dearly departed friend, Adrian @Zaerie. A determination filled him, a promise made so long ago to care to care for his god-daughter, to keep her safe with what life lay ahead for her. Konstantin determined then that he would not falter, nor would he waver. He would earn the moniker bestowed upon him some years ago during his knighting. "God save the Queen. God save the Commonwealth." These words resounded in his head, a rock upon which he anchored himself for the future of the realm.

[JustAngel69 513]

Philip Laurent Halcourt sighed as he heard the news of the court. The words flowing off the paper as he bowed his head. "She did Petra a great service, and I am glad to call her my friend. I hope her retirement is a successful as her reign."

[Destructokeith 1142]

Artel looks out over the realm, standing atop the city walls, what would this new reign bring? It did not matter to him. The new queen was family to him and he would stand by her side until he draws his last breath

 

Spoiler

I gave up Olivier Armstrong but gained Roy Mustang, who is really winning?

 

[Tremerus 1188]

Theoderic von Theonus read the missive aloud in front of the fireplace in his home and surrounded by his family who were all in one place again. 

 

"She's a good leader, and treated us more than fairly after we moved here."

 

He'd set the paper down and return his focus on his children, they were likely plotting some sort of prank against him and he'd decide he must strike first. 

[indiana105 5126]

Sir Stefan af Don af Petra smiled a toothless smile. The aged Hero of the Petra drove his blade through his stomach and flung himself from the great bridge over the river.

[AndrewTech 3329]

Dame Catherine of Furnestock smiled warmly from the Seven Skies.

 

Before her passing, she had wondered what would become of the Commonwealth that had been the brainchild of herself and Paul Salvian. Having remained behind in the old lands of Valfleur, the future had looked grim for the longest time. The late Princess Imperial had become morbidly depressed after the calamitous Petran Civil War, for naught but poverty and humiliation had awaited the Commonwealth in the aftermath of that conflict.

 

In her final days, she had given to Elizabeth Brae a set of letters to deliver, and in Renilde's, she had urged her to be a lioness and not a lamb. To keep on fighting. To not lay down and die.

 

Her former ward had not disappointed her.

 

"She didn't give up. Your daughter- Never gave up. And she knew when best to pass on the reigns too, just like I showed her that day in the old senate," She remarked to Paul ( @bickando ) with a prideful smirk, for Renilde's victory was also her own. It was a vindication of how she had spent the later years of her life after the collapse of the Empire she so loved, that something new her descendants could be proud of would rise from its ashes.

 

"Everyone thought Petra was going to fail. Everyone, Paul. But it didn't. Because Renilde kept her cool, and refused to let that flame that we started die. I am so, so proud of her. And I am beyond certain that her granddaughter, a descendant of our children, is made of similar grit."

 

 

[Mio 3938]

 

In those silent hours of the night, when all of the denizens had found themselves amongst their families till the sun rose in the morn; atop a tower overlooking all, the House of the Petra no different.

 

---

 

The City of Vallagne was peaceful, the hustle and bustle of the day now replaced by serene silence, interrupted by the likes of the River Petra crashing below. Marius Audemar knew his role, his place in history -- remembered by few who knew the select whispers of the past, yet alongside him, there stood Renilde I.

 

The Queen's presence had a warm comfort, it was such that brought the Haeseni Prince into the foreign lands to begin with. Often she would speak of her reign, of her fears and triumphs, as if the Prince were a part of the very stones of the tower. Marius listened, as he always had, his words sparse, his gestures few, advice served carefully.
 

"You have been my life's work, and it was not a life wasted..." Renilde spoke, reciting the final few lines from the missive she penned.

 

"Thank you, Petra, and all of the vast reaches of your Commonwealth..."

She continued, her voice swelling, and Marius simply listening, placed a hand atop her shoulder

 

"I love you... from the bottom of my heart..."

 

As Renilde's voice softened, Marius felt a bittersweet pang. He was Prince-Consort, a title that held no power, no grandeur. He was the soldier who had stood by Petra's side, who had fought battles fallen into his shadow, away from the limelight. Now, as she finalized her missive, in those shadows Marius realized he would remain, watching, waiting.

 

"Your strength -- your persistence, it has become the very foundation of Petra," Marius said, his voice gravelly from the break of his silence, too, filled with a deep admiration. "Once we stood within a Haeseni tower, overlooking Petra occupied. Akin to outsiders looking in. Here, we stand, and vy hand it all off to the future -- niet just to Catherine, but to all who will certainly follow."

 

Dawn had broke, casting a soft glow within the tower's confines. The pairs time for leisure had expired, and the Prince reached for his helmet, an old companion. Placing it upon his head, he felt a surge of purpose.

 

"And I will be here, as I always have. I shall stand by Her," Marius whispered before their departure was made. It was his vow, a silent oath to Petra -- to Renilde in her final hours as Queen.

 

The Kingdom may not remember him, but he would forever know his duty.

[Phoebe202 1057]

Laetitia Henrietta, Dearly-departed friend and former Mistress of the Robes to Renilde, beamed proudly from beyond the grave.