TO TILL THE SOIL

[juliaINC 592]

 

TO TILL THE SOIL; TRIBUTE TO

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DIE ERDE BESTELLEN | TO TILL THE SOIL

Published by the Princess of Minitz and Sutica

In the year of our Lord 2010

 

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Frederica in the wheat fields of Kretzen.

 

ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR,

 

HARK, FOR I SING THE TALE OF OUR BELOVED CHIEFTESS, 

She who built the hearth of this tribe,

She who toiled the soil of this land, 

She who marked her palms with calluses. 

She, whose name is Frederica I Barclay.

 

In the dawn of her reign, when the winds whispered her name through the fields, she stood as a beacon to all—a heart both fierce and kind, a hand both gentle and firm. Her legacy, like the earth she tended, grew deep and steadfast. The tale of Frederica, our Chieftess, shall echo through generations, for she was not merely a leader, but the very soul of the tribe itself.

 

CHRONIK DER KAPITEL | CHRONICLE OF CHAPTERS

INTRODUCTION ᚠ BARONESS AND SENESCHAL ᚠ CHIEFTESS ᚠ CONCLUSION

 

 

 

I. INTRODUCTION

 

Young Frederica on the road into the new lands.

 

FREDERICA WAS BORN A TWIN unto the High Chieftain Alfred, Prince of Sutica, alongside her brother—Erwin Ulrich¹. Long had the tribe awaited the girl, destined to become the future of the Reinmaren, and long were the prayers of her mother and father. With great joy did the heavens answer, and the celebration that followed was one for the annals of time. Yet joy and sorrow often walk hand in hand, for shortly after her birth, her mother passed in the throes of childbirth, bringing forth yet another child—Dietrich.
The babe Frederica was cradled in prophecy and promise, her path intertwined with the destiny of her people. She was to wed the son of Chieftain Leon, Prince of Minitz, uniting the tribes of Minitz and Sutica. When the tribes of Minitz and Sutica released their oaths to King Aleksandr II of Hanseti and Ruska² and marched into the northern tundra, Frederica was but a small child. The path, the fields, forests, and rivers, the sound of hoofbeats on stone—all were imprinted upon her soul. Thus were her earliest years marked by the ways of the ancestors.

 

 

1. HPG Alfred Barclay, HPG Theodosia Barclay, Announcement of twin birth, 1958

2. HRM Aleksandr II, HPG Alfred Barclay, The Stallion Decree,1960 

 

II. BARONESS AND SENESCHAL

 

Frederica praying over the river in the Ferdenwald.

 

WHEN THE TRIBE ARRIVED TO SETTLE, Frederica was not yet a woman, but her spirit rose swiftly to fulfill her duty as Baroness of Sigradz and Seneschal of the Heather Court³. It was her hand that raised the first tents and later the first walls of Kretzen. Her hand planted the first fields⁴, and her ink helped to pen the decrees that would shape the Heather Court. As Seneschal, the second hand to Princess Adalfriede of Minitz in all matters of the Court, she was its foundation. Being a devoted steward of the Court, Frederica became a connoisseur of culture and the art of fine craft, her particular delight resting in intricate jewels⁵.

In time, as once did the daughter of Theoderic and the son of Gelimar⁶, so too did Frederica, the daughter of High Chieftain Alfred, wed Baron Brandt, son of Chieftain Leon⁷. Thus were the tribes of Minitz and Sutica joined, and their union brought forth a child⁸—long awaited and long foretold—Erwin Barclay. As Rodimar, the son of Theoderic and Gelimar’s children, became the first Chief of the united tribes, so too was Erwin to be—the seal upon unity.

 

3. HRH Adalfriede of Hexenwald, HL Frederica Barclay, The Officers of the Heather Court,1968

4. HL Frederica Barclay, Das Planzen der Felder,1969

5. HL Frederica Barclay, Die Kronjuwelen von Reinmar, 1972

6. HE Erich Barclay, The Legacy of the Reinmaren, 1822

7. HRH Alfred Barclay, HRH Leon Barclay, HRH Adalfriede of Hexenwald, HL Frederica Barclay, HL Brandt Barclay, The Great Unification, 1979

8. HL Frederica Barclay, HL Brandt Barclay, An Announcement of Birth, 1981

 

III. CHIEFTESS

 

Frederica adorned in the royal regalia.

 

UPON THE DEATH OF HER FATHER, ALFRED⁹, the orphaned Frederica was crowned  Chieftess of the Reinmaren¹⁰. Not long after, Fürst Brandt, her husband, abandoned his tribe and duty, leaving Frederica to bear the weight of the crown alone. Despite all the tragedy that befell Frederica, in the dawn of her reign she was not truly alone, for she had the guidance and counsel of her mother by law—Adalfriede¹¹. Frederica carried Adalfriede’s strength with her even after her death¹², ensuring her legacy remained ever-present.

In time, death claimed her father-by-law, Chieftain Leon¹³, and with his passing came Frederica’s elevation to High Chieftess of the Reinmaren, and the crowning of her son, Erwin, as Chieftain¹⁴. 

For two decades, Frederica led her people through conflict and peace, despair and prosperity. She was beloved by many and respected by all, for as a son honors his mother, so did her tribesmen honor their Chieftess.

Death claimed Frederica I Barclay, Chieftess of the Reinmaren, Princess in Reinmar and of Sutica, with a crown upon her brow and her people within her heart¹⁵.

 

9. HRH Alfred Barclay, My Lyre and I, 1988

10. HRH Frederica Barclay, The Changing of Crowns,1989 

11. HRH Adalfriede of Hexenwald, The Tale of Adalfriede and her Hird

12. HRH Adalfriede of Hexenwald, Adalfriede's Will, 2003 

13. HRH Leon Barclay, Burden Passed 

14. HRH Erwin Barclay, The Coronation of Erwin I, 2004 

15. HRH Frederica Barclay, Ein Halb Gelebtes Leben, 2010

 

IV. CONCLUSION

 

TO LEAD THE TRIBE IS AS IF TO TILL THE SOIL, and Frederica was a masterful farmer. She planted the seeds of wisdom and placed the bricks of virtue, upon which the fields of Reinmar flourish and the walls of Kretzen stand. Though our Chieftess is absent in flesh, she remains in the soil of our tribe, and from this soil shall grow generations of sons and daughters—the fruits of Frederica’s labor.

 

 

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WER RASTET, DER ROSTET

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, WILHELMINA VON BRANDTHOF, Princess of Minitz and Sutica