Thread: The Fate of a Nation (Atroxa & Blue Hatter)

When Roxandra woke in the morning, she was alone in bed. This was nothing new though, nor anything to be alarmed about. At first, given the very rough start of her life with her husband, she had thought that there was something wrong, that he couldn't stand to stay in bed with her any longer than he had to, but now she knew that the king simply woke very early. She supposed that made sense, he was a king, he had a lot to do, especially given that he was new to the crown and having to prove himself a capable ruler. But she had been afraid at first that it was something to do with her. How could she not wonder that, with how their wedding night had gone? She had been married to the young king for a little over a week, and she was only just now starting to feel more comfortable around him, that awkward tension slowly starting to ease. Being with him now she knew that it had been something that had just been bound to happen, given the king's frailty. She hadn't known that though. She had heard, of course, all her life, that the prince of Avanthia was a frail young man, weak and sickly, but she hadn't really understood just what that meant. And when Roxanda had met him, she had thought that the rumors were exaggerations, or simply untrue. He had been a little thin yes, but he had not looked unwell, he could stand and walk, and did not seem to cough or feel unwell at all. The only thing she had noticed was a slight wheeze sometimes when he breathed after he would laugh too hard, or talk too much, or walk for very long. Now though, having been with as his wife for a little over a week, Roxandra knew better. He tired easily, he could walk, but never for very long, his schedule laid out so that he never had to go far before he was at the next place he needed to be, and so that he had the proper time to rest in between. Anything more exerting than a walk took it out of him even faster, and when he pushed himself too hard he fell into fits where he could scarcely breath, turning pale and sweating. Roxandra had been warned of this, but she hadn't really believed it until their wedding night, when only a little way into their very first union as husband and wife he had nearly collapsed, wheezing and coughing. The newly crowned queen had been in a panic, thinking her husband dying, and had quickly pulled on a robe and fetched a guard, who had returned with one of his physicians. They'd stabled the king, and she had been reassured that he would be fine, and that it had been nothing she had done. That was the last time they had attempted to be intimate. She'd heard a rumor later that a witch had given the king a potion the day of the wedding, promising that it would give him the strength to perform his duty as a husband for at least this night, but obviously that hadn't worked. And if that were true, Roxandra didn't want to know what might have happened to that witch for her failure. Since that night, she had been uneasy and awkward, not sure what to do, how to feel, or how to act with her husband. But he was kind and patient, and after a few days, they had settled into a routine. So she felt unconcerned waking this morning with him no longer beside her. Roxandra yawned and rose to go and wash her face, one of her ladies in waiting arriving to help her brush out her red-blonde hair and apply some make up to her features, just enough to accent them, as the queen was beautiful enough that she didn't need a great deal. She decided to wait to get fully dressed though, pulling on a robe and going into the main room of their quarters, through it and into the personal dining room set up for them and any personal guests they might have. The king was already sitting at the table, their breakfast being served as she arrived. Roxandra gave her warm but shy smile as she sat down across from him. Good morning, she greeted him quietly, her blue-green eyes friendly and still a little sleepy. A plate was set in front of her, fruits and cheeses with some toast and eggs, murmuring her thanks to the servant as he also set down a glass of milk. Roxandra was the daughter of a duke, though not from his own nation, in fact from the neighboring kingdom, a long time ally to his. Her father and his own had been lifelong friends, she had met the prince when she was very young apparently but did not remember it. The marriage was representative of her father's support for his claim to the throne, which was being heavily contested due to his frail health. If the nobles of this land made a move against him, he would have support from his allies not just in this country but the next. Hopefully it didn't come to that, but only time would tell. The political climate in Avanthia was rather tense, the previous king had died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving his only child to claim the crown, but it was the fear of the nobles that their sickly ruler would die before he could provide an heir, plunging the country into political chaos as they scrambled to secure a new king. Or that was the excuse they were giving for trying to unseat the king, Roxandra knew enough about politics and nobles to suspect that it was really one or two power hungry families hoping to take advantage of a perceived weakness and place one of their own on the throne. From what she could tell, the king was actually a rather skilled leader, it was only his body that was weak, but among men, that meant everything.