UN: britto08
DQueen:
Maddalena Ginevra Theodora Renata Rose, Her
Royal Highness
Queen Maddalena (27)
DConsort:
Henry Luca Tomasso
Edmund, His
Royal Highness
King Consort
Henry (26)
-DPrincess:
Rosalia Clarissa Maddalena Elizabeth Ginevra, Her
Royal Highness Crown
Princess Rosalia "
Rosa" (5)
-DPrince:
Giacomo Felix Henry Dante Michael, His
Royal Highness
Prince Giacomo (3)
-DPrincess:
Anna Victoria Lily Evelina Teresa, Her
Royal Highness
Princess Anna (nb)
Of the
Royal House of Damrys, in the queendom of Camora.
Just before
Giacomo's second birthday, a new ruler took the throne of Nevissa, the kingdom to the northwest of Camora. With this coronation came a new source of worry for
Maddalena. Nevissa's new
King Cesare is no friend to her; his father, the late
King Arturo, had tried to arrange a betrothal between
Cesare and
Maddalena when she was thirteen and he was fourteen.
Maddalena's parents, however, were hesitant--young
Cesare did not impress them and already showed the signs of a troubling temper--but the main reason they declined was the simple fact that
Maddalena would be ineligible to rule if she married
Cesare and became his queen.
Arturo, after long association with Camora, had still not been totally accustomed to the idea of a woman ruling, but accepted their reason and found another match for his son. He bore them no ill will, but
Cesare did. He had been smitten by the pretty
Maddalena and took the refusal as a personal rejection. The older and lovelier she grew, the more he resented the fact he would never have her. He did not attend her wedding to
Henry, forcing his sister
Isabella to be Nevissa's representative. Now that
Arturo has died,
Cesare (though now married to a woman both sweet and pretty) has decided to interrupt the easy diplomacy Nevissa and Camora shared. He has imposed special taxes on Camoran traders, imposed restrictions on Camorans entering Nevissa, and expressed discontent over the situation of the border towns, claiming Camoran towns are on Nevissan soil.
Maddalena took action. She arranged a meeting in the largest border town to talk things over. She and
Henry brought their children, which was as much ha strategic move as it was their custom. They
Cesare and his bride,
Queen Teresa would also bring their son once they heard
Maddalena was.
Prince Falco is a few months older than
Giacomo, and the three children played together constantly. Their antics kept the mood of the meeting light, just as
Maddalena thought it would. She also arranged to leave
Henry and
Cesare alone together for short periods of time while she went off with
Teresa, leaving
Henry with instructions to make her seem somewhat difficult as a wife but valuable as an ally.
Henry played this delicate game perfectly, and
Cesare left the meeting with the impression that, though
Henry had said nothing against
Maddalena, that he had gotten the better bargain with
Teresa. He was more willing to talk to her after
Henry's work was done, and
Maddalena's diplomatic skills came into full force. By the time the families separated
Cesare had agreed to new trade agreements, acknowledged which towns were Camoran, and hinted at a possibly marriage between
Rosa and his son. This is impossible for the same reason
Maddalena and
Cesare's match was impossible, but
Maddalena saw no need to point that out just yet. By this time she was very close to delivery of her third child and wanted to return home as quickly as possible, so she took the calculated risk of dealing with it later. They had only been returned two days when
Maddalena went into labor.
This labor was easy like the first two, but longer. The delivery, however, was fairly quick, and a beautiful baby girl was the result.
Henry and
Maddalena named her
Anna, with
Victoria after
Maddalena's younger sister,
Lily to give her a flower name like
Rosie,
Evelina at her sister
Seraphina's suggestion, and
Teresa in gratitude to
Cesare's queen for being on their side during the negotiations.
Anna is a remarkably aware baby, with very large blue eyes that seem to understand more than a newborn should. She is also remarkable for having the most hair at birth of
Maddalena and
Henry's children.
Rosa and
Giacomo both adore her, and
Maddalena and
Henry are just as in awe of her as they were of their first two.