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Empress: Arianna Ginevra Theodora Evangeline "HRH Empress Arianna Theodora" nicknamed "Arianna the Valiant" (31)
Emperor-Consort: Thomas Garrett Sebastian Dante "HRH Emperor-Consort Thomas" nicknamed "Thomas the Steady" (32)
DPrincess1: Rosalia Mirabelle Arianna Olivia "Rose", "HRH Princess Rosalia" nicknamed "The Glorian Rose" (13)
DPrince2: Lucian Zachary Tommaso Wynn "HRH Prince Lucian" nicknamed "Bold Prince Lucian" (11)
Adopted Princess4: Rachel Helena Octavia Theresa "Duchess Rachel of Innsbrook" nicknamed "The Dear Little Duchess" (8)
Prince5: Remus Gabriel Xavier Dante "HRH Prince Remus" nicknamed (5)
Adopted Princess6: Giulietta Emmeline Tabitha Damaris "Duchess Giulietta of Greensward" nicknamed "Little Duchess Julie" (5)
Princess7 & Prince8: Matilda Elizabeth Seraphina Bridget "HRH Princess Matilda" / Caderyn Arthur Joshua Jude "HRH Prince Caderyn" (nb)

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From the Royal House of Glorian
In the Empire of Lethia

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Relations with the nearby colony of Neviker had been deteriorating. Though Arianna was a kind and just ruler, the people had been added to the Lethian Empire through a bloody and terrible war and had been oppressed for generations. Theodora, Arianna's aunt, had lifted all of the oppressive laws, and Arianna granted full Lethian citizenship rights to all Nevikeri people, but it was not enough. The Nevikeri people wanted their freedom, and they were fighting for it. Neviker is rich in farmland and spices, so the advisors were against a split with them. So Arianna decided that she, Thomas, and all of the children would visit the colony and meet with the leaders of the revolt to show that they were willing to compromise. This backfired terribly when their carriage was attacked. A broup of would-be assassins rushed them and tried to kill the entire royal family. Luckily the guards surrounding them kept anyone from getting seriously hurt, but Rose and Lucian both recieved minor wounds, protecting Rachel, Remus, and Giulietta. After that, the war was almost inevitable.

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Arianna spent the four long years of the war rushing from encampment to encampment, battlefield to battlefield, hardly managing to spend three weeks at a time with her family. Thomas ran things on the home front, and he did a good job. But Arianna hated spending so much time away from home, away from her children and her nieces and her husband. But she also loves her people and her empire and knew that her presence on the battlefied helped. As empress she had been well-trained as a military strategist, but it was also letting the troops see her fight and sacrifice along with them helped them believe that the cause they were fighting for was a noble one. Arianna herself, however, began to have doubts. She began to wonder whether granting Neviker its independence would have been such a blow to the empire. But she is also sure that too many lives and years have been spent to just give up.

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Finally, toward the end of the fourth year of the war, the final battle was fought. The Battle of Melisan Field was long and bloody. Both sides were giving it their all, determined to win once and for all. Three days of fighting went by. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, thanks to a reckless and brilliant move led by Arianna herself, the Lethian forces overcame the Nevikeri ones. The war was won, but the cost had been high. Thousands of acres of fertile land had been damaged by the fighting, hundreds of homes had been lost, and thousands of people had been killed. Refugees crowded the cities, having lost everything. Arianna was sure that Neviker, no matter its richness, had not been worth this. So, after negotiating the surrender of the Nevikei people, she invited their leaders to the royal city. The empress's return home was cause for enormous celebration, and she now had a new nickname: Arianna the Valiant. Against the quite vocal objections of some of her advisors, she negotiated the independence of Neviker. A treaty was signed, promising the end of Lethian domination over Neviker, establishing trade agreements, and cementing them as allies. In exchange, Neviker allowed Lethians living in Neviker to remain and retain their property, though they would now be considered foreigners, and promised to never launch an attack against Lethia or its colonies again. This was in their own best interests, as Neviker is now a tiny kingdom in the shadow of the giant that is Lethia. Both sides departed satisfied, but also tired and broken and ready for peace.

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Arianna's return home was all she had wanted it to be. HEr children and nieces were ecstatic to see her, and she and Thomas showed one another exactly how much they had missed one another after the official celebrations were over. That led to another pregnancy for the empress. Everyone rejoiced, for their rulers were both excited and happy. There was a general baby boom going on, and who better to lead it thatn the empress. But things did not remain so joyous. Arianna, exhausted by the long campaign, was really not in any shape to be pregnant. Her body was tired, and the physicians watched her closely. She was generaly ordered to spend most of her time resting, and her meals were altered to include plenty of meat, milk, and fresh vegetables. They hoped this would help her regain her strength, or at least keep her from losing more of it, but her health during the pregnancy was still generally poor. She gained a great deal of weight, which led to everyone suspecting twins. When Arianna went into labor a month before expected, everyone began to panic. After a painful but relatively brief labor, Arianna delivered the expected twins, a boy and a girl. The empress came through it fine, but the babies were not as lucky. They were small and scrawny, and the physicians were afraid at first that they wouldn't survive. Arianna and Thomas were more afraid than they had ever been. They had intended to give them names that implied peace, for the peace that had led to their birth, but in light of the situation they decided on names that meant strength and fighting, hhoping this would impart some strength to them. Thus Matilda and Caderyn were named. The naming seemed to work, for after weeks of assiduous care and constant monitering, Matilda and Caderyn began to grow and gain health. The physicians are still wary, but Arianna swears she can look into their bright blue eyes--the one feature they share--and swears that their is life and strength in them. Everyone is cautiously optimistic that she is right.

This message was edited 8/6/2010, 9:39 AM