crazedpudding

Frederica, once-chieftess, mother to a lone son, grandmother to children unmet, waited. In the mists of a land forgotten, between ancient trees, she waited. Not for any of her blood, but for a girl who shared her fate, sent into it by her own hand. It ached, at times. Wounds long forgotten, pain long left behind, as she watched the life of the woman she had called daughter. But now, mortal pain had ended, and so she waited. For however long it took.

A LIFE HALF LIVED Frederica, Princess in Reinmar “We are heather; we will endure after the harshest hoarfrost and the most devastating wildfire. You will endure.” FREDERICA wondered what her hands had looked like, before blades, pens, and bowstrings. She couldn’t remember if the little divot on her third finger, where her pen grip always rested, had always been there or if she’d worn the flesh paper-thin with every word she wrote. The little silver scars from her bowstring, clustered on her right hand, had appeared sometime in her thirties, and she wasn’t quite certain when she’d gotten them. Her left hand, though. She knew where those scars came from. Line after line had been cut into her palm, oaths given and oaths taken. Frederica had known, from the first time she drew a blade across it, that the skin there would warp and thicken. Her blood had dripped from knife after knife, and marked the forearms of many a man. It had dripped on the Temple floors when a cross of burning oil marked her brow, and Frederica hadn’t flinched away from it. Not the searing of her skin, nor the rending of it. She never had, and she never would. “You were right, Frederica. I fought for myself.” Her days had always been long, stretching far past the dead of night, until all her candles had burned low. She rose with the sun, and in her youth, the fields were the first of her concerns. It was her hands that first broke the ground of this new land, and it was her hands that planted the first seed. Next came the people. A people she loved beyond measure, a people she would give anything for. It had brought her pride, young as she was, to see joy run through the streets of a new city, a city of their own. The years wore on that way, with delight, and though the pride had never faded, elation gave way to weariness. There was a space at her side, empty when it should have been full, a frayed knot instead of a metal band. Adalfriede, the only mother she’d ever known, the only mother she could remember, had done her best to fill that yawning gap beside her as best she could. Frederica had never been quite sure if she was succeeding until she was staring down at the bloody stain her mother’s corpse had left on the hardwood. She’d known for certain then. Alfred, for all his faults, had never wavered in his affection for his brother, Leon. They were a pair, two fearsome princes forging a path no Reinmaren had ever before walked. She wondered what her father thought of her now, half a century into her life. “The day your heart frosts over is the day you should be worried.” She remembered so much, and so little, all at once. There were things she ought to remember, and couldn’t, and things she ought to forget, and couldn’t. She remembered the first of many insults levelled against her, and forgotten the first of the compliments. Aches she’d wished had died with the people who inflicted them, words she’d longed to hear only to find them missing from her memories. Erwin the elder, her twin, trailing after the woman who would become his wife. Hearing news of Reinhardt secondhand after he’d left for the Church’s service. Maud and her teasing, and how sunlight caught on the hair she’d always kept short, her antithesis. Juliya and the last words they’d ever spoken to each other. Dietrich, with his bruised face and battered hands, and the tears that had been wept into her shoulder. The way Adalfriede had trembled after the burning of Whitespire, hidden from the world in Kretzen’s clinic, was burned into her memory, but she had forgotten the prayer she’d whispered into her mother’s ears that had brought her peace. The bite to Leon’s voice the first time they’d fought overshadowed the details of when he’d taught her to dance a month later. Her eyes, as cloudy as they were now, had seen things so clearly in those terrible, golden days. She remembered dear friends whose names she’d forgotten, and she remembered every heartache and forgotten every resolution. Half of what she could call to mind wasn’t what she wanted to think back on, and half of what she couldn’t were things she desperately wanted to recall. “I’ve prayed for a grandson, and I’ve received one. I am so pleased with him and his mother.” For all that she could and couldn’t remember, she’d never forget the untarnished glow her son had brought into her life with his first breath. He clung to her as he grew, perhaps more than Leon would have liked, but Frederica had cherished his every moment so dearly. Everything she did became for him, and a second wind blew through her sails so easily with his rare smiles. Erwin was grown now, a prince in his own right, with dearest Wilhelmina at his side. Sometimes, when she looked at him, she saw glimpses of the man he would be without her. It brought pain and fierce pride in equal measure, and sometimes, she thought back and wondered if Leon was right all those years ago when he claimed to have already gotten what he wanted, Erwin’s little hand clasped tight in his. If, indeed, all she was here for was to bring forth the next generation. But then, Erwin would turn to her and smile, and Frederica would think perhaps. Perhaps her only purpose had been to twine her blood with Brandt’s, but it had been she who raised their son. It was she he looked to now, and it was she who had succeeded where other women had failed. She had mothered a Prince in Reinmar well enough that, perhaps, he would mourn her when she died. “It is not weak, your softness. It is kind. Healing. It belongs with you.” Her heart ached in the space beneath her sternum. It was scarred, burned, and frozen around the edges, but at the very least, the center remained the same warm, untouched flesh as it had when the world was new to her eyes. She woke as she always did, with the need to do something burning in her ribs, but she couldn’t figure out what for the life of her. The whispers of dead men still echoed in her ears from the night before, in dreams of loved ones long gone. For a while, Frederica remains still, staring up at the green canopy above her head. This had been her father’s bed once. Perhaps, in the future, it would belong to another with the name Barclay von Reinmar. But now, it was Frederica who lay there for long moments and simply breathed. Her very bones ached beneath her skin, despite the soft mattress under her back. For the first time in ages, Frederica let the burning in her chest subside just a little, as her eyes shut against the weak sunlight filtering in through the windows of her bedroom. For once, perhaps, she would rest a while longer. Erwin would be able to handle this morning without her. AN MEINE ERBEN | TO MY HEIRS Issued by the Princess in Reinmar In the year of our Lord 2010 N MEINE ERBEN, I, FREDERICA, Princess in Reinmar and of Sutica, daughter of Alfred, declare this to be my last will and testament. Being sound of mind and body, I leave the following to my inheritors: To my only son, ERWIN, PRINCE IN REINMAR, I leave the following titles: the Principality of Sutica, the Duchy of Reinmar, the Counties of Freimark and Kretzen, the Baronies of Madvon and Freising, and the Lordships of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg, and Rozenfeld. I leave my pipe, carved by Adelmar von Kanunsberg, and the living doll, Friedrich. I also leave all my accumulated weaponry, including Gran’s Blight and my war spear, all other worldly possessions not mentioned here, and the accompanying letter. To my daughter by law, WILHELMINA, PRINCESS OF MINITZ, I leave the portion of my personal collection of jewelry not mentioned here, to be used as she sees fit until her death, and then added to the Royal Treasury to be passed down with the rest of the Crown Jewels. I leave to her the dagger Ørneklo, to be passed down from consort to consort, hand in hand with Gran’s Blight. I leave the original copy of So You’ve Married a Barclay to be passed down from consort to consort. I leave to her the collection of correspondence belonging to both myself and my esteemed father, Alfred, to be preserved and stored as she sees fit. I also leave the living doll made in my likeness and the accompanying letter. To my sister by law, MOTHER JOSEFINA, I leave the Blessed Cross of Lorraine from my collection of personal jewels. I also leave my faithful hound, Gunther, the pair of goats I have kept, and the accompanying letter. To my brother by law, ESTMUND VON EHRENWALD, I leave the necklace Libertas Manet from my collection of personal jewels for him to pass down within the Tribe von Ehrenwald. To my faithful hirdman, SIR VARIK VON WESENBURG, I leave the sword Khar’s Honor and the accompanying letter. To my nephew, OSWALD, BARON VON WESENBURG, I leave the ring Der Turm von Sturmweber, which I have crafted for him personally. To my niece, OLIVIYA, PRINCESS OF HANSETI-RUSKA, I leave the Blossom Emerald necklace from my collection of personal jewels, my aurum letter opener, and the accompanying letter. To the good CONAN, THEGN OF SOLGAARD, I leave my knitting needles, a pair of mittens, and the Comprehensive Book of Prayers, Volumes I and II, transcribed originally for my dear father by my own hand. I leave also the ring Der Saphir-Bär which I have crafted for him personally, and the accompanying letter. To the good JAY AMARANTH, I leave five bottles of assorted drinks, a pair of mittens, and the accompanying letter. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar and of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Neuberg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, High Chieftess of the Reinmaren

Frederica becrossed herself with the Lorraine, muttering a quiet prayer for the hirdwoman.

THE PACT OF STARS AND EAGLES DER PAKT DER STERNE UND ADLER | THE PACT OF STARS AND EAGLES Issued by the Princes in Reinmar and the Royarch of Celia’nor In the year of our Lord 2006 TAMMESKRIEGER UND VERBÜNDETE, THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN SO AGREED UPON by the Crowns of Reinmar and Celia’nor for the mutual benefit of the two Princedoms. ARTICLE ONE | ARTIKEL EINS The Crown of Reinmar formally acknowledges the Principality of Celia’nor’s claim and sovereignty within the realm of Celia’nor. Likewise, the Crown of Celia’nor formally acknowledges the sovereignty of the Principality of Reinmar within the realm of the Reinmaren. The Crowns of Celia’nor and Reinmar shall henceforth be referred to as the signatories. ARTICLE TWO | ARTIKEL ZWEI The signatories hereby pledge their armies in defense of the other’s sovereignty, lands, and peoples, until such a time where this pact has expired. ARTICLE THREE | ARTIKEL DREI The signatories do mutually agree to grant the other signatories a tax-free stall within the borders of their respective capitals. The signatories do mutually agree that large-scale trading agreements between each party can be of either the purchasing kind (meaning that wares are purchased for minae) or of the bartering kind (meaning that different wares are traded on rates mutually agreed upon or previously set by precedent). ARTICLE FOUR | ARTIKEL VIER The signatories do agree to a mutual extradition clause wherein a citizen of either nation, with reasonable justification for arrest, may be apprehended and transferred to the courts of the land where the alleged crime occurred, upon presentation of an extradition request by the judicial representatives of the requesting state to the monarch or government of the requested state for approval, with legal defense for the defendant permitted by judicial representatives from their nation of origin. ARTICLE FIVE | ARTICLE FÜNF The signatories do agree to free correspondence between their militaries to better coordinate mutual defense. ARTICLE SIX | ARTIKEL SECHS The signatories do agree to exchange a pair of black and white dogs, henceforth to be known as Spürhunde as a token of friendship. (Sn’uupie, in the local dialect) ARTICLE SEVEN | ARTIKEL SIEBEN The signatories agree that the terms of this pact shall be in effect for eleven years from the date of publication of this document, to be renegotiated upon expiration. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, High Chieftess of the Reinmaren HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, ERWIN, GMSTSR, Prince in Reinmar and of Minitz, Burgrave of Langenkirch, Count of Neu Brandthof, Viscount of Tucay, Baron of Sigradz, Hussen and Boriënwald, Lord of Durres, Chieftain of the Reinmaren, Warden of the Franklands and Ferdenwald Her Excellency, the Honourable Princess Royarch, Illyria Ibarellan, The Prophesied, The Reclaimer, and Phoenix of the Principality of Celia’nor Her Holiness, and Royal Highness A’eollaja Ibarellan, Archprelate of the Talyiinist Faith, Lady of Sohae Sulli, High Councilor of Religious Affairs of the Principality of Celia’nor His Honourable, Lord Marshal Reuen’thal Ithradryl, Progenitor of the Ithradryl talonnii, High Councillor for Military Affairs of the Principality of Celia’nor

Frederica smiled proudly down at the missive that lay on her desk. "It feels like he was small enough to fit in my arms just yesterday. How proud I am."

Frederica sat at her desk, ink spilling to the floor where she had overturned its bottle with a trembling hand. What was it she had wanted to tell Joren last month, when all were still hale and as whole as they could be? Ah, yes. Family tends to drop like flies once it really gets going. A calloused thumb ran across the scar on her left hand, cut again and again to offer and receive vows and the like. Leon was the first to watch this line appear on her palm, once a neat, nearly invisible cut where now it is heavy and stark against the rest of her skin. Leon was gone now, but the scar remains.

Frederica stood vigil in that same parlor where Adalfriede’s, her mother’s, mangled body had come to rest, viscera dripping down the upholstery she’d chosen so many years ago when such things seemed to matter so very much. Leon wept at the side of his wife, and Frederica found she had already moved to brace him with an arm about his shoulders. Rage filled her chest for one incandescent moment, and orders flew from her mouth as they never had before. Demands to know what had become of this woman who had raised her sounded foreign in her ears, high with shock and cold with fury. She had never demanded anything of anyone. What need was there? People would do as she asked, or they would not. It made no difference to her, her own hands could work fields and wood as well as any other pair. All it would take was time, the one thing she had so little of. It mattered little, it was Erwin’s land she worked, Erwin’s reign she built foundations for, all for Erwin. She had become a strange creature now, wobbling knees propping up her son as he held so tightly to her, arms that felt like hers and yet not at all wrapped around him as though he were still the tiny babe she’d sworn to be strong for decades ago. And yet, Frederica had never been without Adalfriede. She hardly remembered the scant few years she’d lived in her childhood without the woman who’d become her mother. Adalfriede had been the roots she grew from, the solid wall between her still-soft heart and the bitter winter of the world. Her shoulders were strong, they had to be to support her young son and his new wife. To share the weight of Leon’s grief so the only father she had left wouldn’t splinter under it. But Adalfriede’s strength had allowed her to keep her softness, even closely tucked into and hidden in her heart as it was. There was no Adalfriede to protect her now.

Frederica grinned, beyond pleased as her careful planning came to fruition.

The nib of a pen tears through paper and squeals across a desk's surface before it snaps, drenching Frederica's hand in ink.

THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD KRETZENFEST DAS DRITTE KRETZENFEST | THE THIRD KRETZENFEST Issued by the Heather Court In the year of our Lord 1994 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, TWO DECADES HAVE PASSED, and now a truly bountiful harvest has arrived, bringing about the spirits of Kretzenfest once more. Winter approaches, and before ice sets into the land, the Heather Court invites all to celebrate yet another year gone by and another successful harvest. ITINERARY DER MARKTTAG | THE MARKET DAY A grand marketplace will be constructed in the central square of Kretzen for traders across Aevos to hark their wares, from arms and armor to medicine to delicate needlework. There shall also be a variety of games for marketgoers to enjoy. Should you wish to reserve a stall, send word to the Princess in Reinmar, the Princess of Minitz, or the Seneschal of the Heather Court stating the broad genre of your wares and whether you will require a small, medium, or large stall. DER ERNTEBALL | THE HARVEST BALL Before the harvest ball commences, all are invited to take up scythes and sickles and compete in the hay race. When the contest is complete, the victor shall be proclaimed and crowned Hay Lord within the grand ballroom of the Heather Palace. A prize shall be offered for first, second, and third place, consisting of a hundred, fifty, and twenty-five mina. Afterward, partygoers may partake in games including Ur, enjoy various pieces of Reinmaren music, and converse freely amongst themselves. INVITATIONS His Holiness, FLEEPERUS, High Pontiff of the Holy Mother Church. The College of Cardinals. The Diet of Bishops. The Clergy of Clement and Evaristus. His Apostolic Majesty, GODFREY II, King of the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun and the Aaunic people. His Royal Majesty, MARIUS III, King of the Dual Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and the Haeseni people. Her Royal Majesty, ADALIA, Queen of the Commonwealth of the Petra and the Petran people. Her Royal Majesty, TAR-CARANETH, Queen of the Kingdom of Númendil and the Númenedain people. His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA, and the Balianite people. ATSUKO, Shugo of Sakuragakure and the Oyashiman people. Her Highness, JOHANNA, Elector of Merryweather-Alstreim. His Grace, AUREL VON THEONUS, Elector of Marignan. The Honorable, FRIEDRICH VON AUGUSTEN, Elector of Hohengarten. His Lordship, LEUFROY VON REUSS, Elector of Velen. SIR DARIS VERETHI TERES, Syndicate Envoy to the Waldenic Diet. The Waldenian Peoples. The Reinmaren Peoples. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE VON HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Lady Vandalore, Lawspeaker of Reinmar HER LADYSHIP, WILHELMINA VON BRANDTHOF, Seneschal of the Heather Court

Frederica loved the live performance.

THE APPOINTMENT OF A SENESCHAL DIE ERNENNUNG EINES SENESCHALLS | THE APPOINTMENT OF A SENESCHAL Issued by the Princess in Reinmar In the year of our Lord 1992 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, AS ANNOUNCED IN THE COURT OF 1992, Wilhelmina von Brandthof is hereby appointed to the position of Seneschall von der Heidehof, charged with managing the Court on behalf of the Crown and enriching the lives of the sons and daughters of Reinmar. She has learned diligently in her time as my ward, and I entrust this task to her with full faith and confidence in her abilities. May she do us proud, and usher innovation and invigoration into the Heather Court. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, Princess in Reinmar and of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren

Frederica becrossed herself with a small sigh as she heard the news, having heard the Baron's will for the succession of his title just hours before. "GOD bless you, Roland von Wesenburg. GOD bless you."

Frederica stood beside the Fürst in Reinmar's desk as he wrote, and hummed her approval as his pen signed his name.

Frederica signed her name, the flourish of her pen reserved. With a small, unheard sigh, she prayed for peace.