Story of Azladoria

Chapter 2: The Spoiled Princess

To Natalia, sending a marriage proposal to the new Queen of Azalea seemed the most logical course of action. She had never been one for romance, never having taken a lover, but that wasn't of any concern. Queen Natalia had thought things through and decided the match made perfect sense, being beneficial on both their parts.

For the past year or so, Natalia had been too busy with her new kingdom and responsibilities to even contemplate the idea of marriage. It was never something she pictured herself a part of. She certainly knew she did not want to be subjugated by any man, especially after working so hard so build a throne for herself. How wasteful it would be, she thought, just handing it over to some stupid manlet.

She had scoffed at the thought of her potential suitors, the other kings and princes of the land. They were all entitled, they never had to work for anything in their entire lives. They never had to prove to anyone they were worthy of being king, they were worthy the moment they exited their royal wombs. That annoyed Natalia. She was very aware that the other regents looked down on her for her humble origins.

She had been born the daughter of a soldier, and fought her way up to the top. And yet, she gained no respect. Even her own people hesitated to call themselves Gladorians. It carried a negative connotation, a certain sense of shame to be under the rule of a queen who wasn't really a queen. None of the glory she brought her country could ever change who she was.

No, they did not respect her. They feared her. Not that she minded that, though. That fear had kept them from overthrowing her the second she declared Gladoria the newest kingdom. But she was not a monster. She was a warrior. Many men before her had carried that title and been revered, gone down in history for their skill and bravery on the battlefield.

What Natalia knew she needed was added legitimacy to her throne. Stability to her kingdom. Something that her people would welcome and something that would finally make the other rulers view her as an equal. She had carefully assessed all her options and decided that marrying someone from a well-respected family was the best course of action.

The next thing she had to decide was who that would be. She was not attracted to men and hated the other kings with every fiber of her being. No sense of logic would get her to overlook those issues. So it had to be a woman. From there, there was only one option. There was only one queen besides herself.

Queen Vivienne of the Azalea Kingdom was both respected and loved. She came from a very long line of royalty, and, although she was a woman, the crown was her birthright and no one could argue against that. She was special, being a queen in her own right, and her subjects loved her for it.

Her kingdom was doomed, though, an expert battle strategist like Queen Natalia could see it from a mile away. King Icup would not quit anytime soon. Vivienne's army was running out of strength and resources, efficient tactics.. Things only someone like Natalia could provide her. Which is why she was sure her proposal would not be rejected.

Still, Queen Vivienne was very popular through the lands, even amongst Natalia's people. Recently they had taken to emulating a fashion trend from the Azalean Kingdom, wearing an Azalea in your hair to symbolize your relationship status. Left side for single, right for taken. Even some of Natalia's own courtiers had been wearing the silly flowers!

Secretly, Natalia couldn't help but resent Vivienne. She was a vain, empty-headed, spoiled princess who gained a title she was never meant to have, and still everyone accepted her! Natalia doubted she cared about much else besides her appearance, given how much effort she must have put into her portrait, with the way she looked in it.

Still, if marrying the spoiled princess would make Natalia a more powerful queen, she would do it without hesitation. And if the shining blue eyes of Queen Vivienne's portrait made Natalia's hardened heart beat just a little faster, well, that was her own private business.