Monday, March 19, 2012

Protest of duties

The following is a response to this week's Trifecta writing challenge


Protest of duties

In hopes of a treaty with the neighboring lands, the great King Archibald, Lord of the realm Garidus, offered the hand of his first daughter Princess Catarina to the son of his born nemesis King Ignatius. For generations war existed between the two realms and this was their chance to make a better future for their people.

Princess Catarina was a being of immeasurable beauty. She wore long blonde hair that when braided, which was the common style of one holding her title, it reached her waistline. Her eyes were of the most radiant blue anyone had ever seen and it was said that when looked upon by them one felt she could see the secrets buried in the depths of their soul. She carried herself with poise and spoke with intelligence. With all these qualities it was understandable that whenever she left a room she carried with her some hearts.

It was the day of the engagement banquet when she finally spoke her protest. She walked into the court, with her head down, and requested an audience with the king in private. Concerned, the king granted her request immediately and they went to the royal study.

“Father,” she said, humbled, with her eyes driven into the ground, “I beg of you, don’t make me go through with this union!”

“My dear daughter, I thought this was settled. It is for the good of the realm.”

“But father, Prince Brayden is such a, forgive my language, a vile creature.

“Catarina, what gives you such an impression?” he asked.

Still looking at the ground she said, “Father you have heard the stories just as I. The savage battles he’s led, the amount of carnage left by his troops. It is apparent he cares of no one but himself.” She paused then looked up at her father. “You say it’s my duty, but I want to marry for love, not for politics. I want to marry someone with a warm heart, and a clean soul!”

17 comments:

  1. Wow. Now my post seems so trivial. Great response to the prompt. Really good fictional read.

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Your entry is not trivial. Writing is a form of self-expression, therefore, every piece means something and deserves respect.

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  2. we all want that, Catarina, we all want that.

    well done, Chris

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    1. Thank you , I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for visiting. There is love out there for all of us. Sometimes it disguises itself, sometimes it's right in front of your face. You can't look for it because you'll think you see it everywhere. It has to find you, and when it does..... there's no question of its presence.

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  3. Good story. I hope her Dad honors her wishes....she deserves a good man!

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  4. I like the simple yet so strong writing.
    Regards,
    Ruby

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  5. Fantastic fairy tale! Imagine, a princess saying that! Perfection.

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    1. Yeah, I don't know how well that would have gone back then. That's the beauty of fiction, being able to give something that voice.

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  6. I really liked the one paragraph about the princess. You packed so much into so few words about a character!

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    1. It's definitely tough with the weird count restrictions. It really makes you choose your words wisely. I glad I was able to paint a good picture for you.

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  7. "Poor little rich girl." This was very entertaining. The world you painted for her looks much better to her subjects than it feels to her!

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  8. Beautiful story telling. I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters. Excellent work.

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  9. I loved the medieval setting, and I thought the arranged marriage was very plausible in the circumstances. The daughter's protest therefore seemed most bold, since, as late as she had waited, it was sure to be denied.

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  10. Thanks for linking up this week. I liked the setting as well, especially with your details of the braided hair and the apology for language that seems very tame in our day. My favorite line was about how she took hearts with her when she left the room. Nice job with the prompt. Hope to see you back on Friday.

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