28-04-2019, 02:15 PM
Because Contessa Sofia, Vincenzo's first wife, hadn't been the Reigning Monarch in her short life, her portrait was located in another gallery, so the next portrait on the wall was Helena's own. It had been posed for a week into her own reign, when she had still been seriously considering stuffing the crown jewels into a trunk and using that secret exit in what was historically the War Room, and now her Study, to escape the castle with them and flee the country.
"You were scared." Maria said. Helena nodded her agreement.
"Completely. I saved time on the whole 'figuring out who I can trust' thing by trusting none of them, right from the beginning. I had forgotten that I always had family I could have called at any moment to help me through it."
They walked a little further, until they came to the newest portrait in the Grand Hall: Maria's. She had been Reigning Monarch for only the past two months, following the attempt on Helena's life, and she would be handing the Tiara, the Scepter, and the throne back to Helena at a ceremony tomorrow; but she had served at least one week, and that was the traditional benchmark that indicated whether or not a ruler of San Finzione was going to be around long enough to justify a Royal Portrait.
"I do not think I deserve it." Maria said, studying her portrait.
"You have sat on the throne, Maria." Helen replied. "The real way, not as the Princess playing grown-up. History books are being written now about how, when I was laid low by an assassin's blade, you stepped up and led San Finzione. They'll say it was a preview of your reign to come." She turned to Maria and smiled. "And they'll speak well of it. Children in history classes will recite the names of our rulers, they'll get to my name, and then they'll say yours before they say mine again. And some day, yours again, too. Hopefully, they won't ask for your full name and title, so everyone still gets to go to lunch. We'll let the gift shops and museums sell their remaining prints, and they'll become valuable collector's items. We can keep a couple thousand down in the vault, and whenever you need some quick cash, you can always autograph one and get Stavro to take it in to a collectible shop and haggle."
"Make Stavro do it because he is a man?" Maria asked with a curious turn of her head.
"Make Stavro do it because he is a Greek. And it is haggling. They invented it, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. I don't know if you got to the big stack of discs, but on the first one, the part on selecting your cabinet; it's the same reason I tell you to make him Minister of Foreign Trade. Trust me on the collectibles thing, though. The stuff skyrockets in value every time they think you're dead. I paid for Mander Island with a couple of my old ballgowns on eBay." Helen studied the portrait some more. "You're smiling. I think you're the first San Finzione to look relaxed and happy in your portrait."
"I knew you would be coming back." Maria answered. "And I would not be there long."
"It's your birthright. To claim whenever you wish."
"I like what my Great-Grandmama has been doing with it. It will be much better later."
They walked further on, past where two spots on the wall had already been cleared. One had been for Helena's second portrait, which she'd pose for the week after she re-took the throne tomorrow. A San Finzione relinquishing power back to another willingly had happened so few times in the country's history that it merited a new portrait for the returning Monarch's second reign. For the same reason, a place had been reserved for the day Maria or a possible future heir reigned permanently.
"We are all happy to have you home." Maria said with a smile, taking Helena's hand.
Helen looked toward their eventual destination, the Banquet Hall where La Familia was waiting for them. She could picture them all, circling the table like vultures and drooling at the food that they knew they couldn't touch until La Contessa had arrived and been seated, staring impatiently at the two empty chairs at the head of the table.
"At least one is about to not be." Helena replied.
* * *
La Familia de San Finzione mingled at the bar in the Banquet Hall, sucking up the free drinks and consuming all of the bar snacks as they eyed the food on the sideboards. It was still steaming, but the wisps of steam were getting smaller now as their gazes moved between each other, the food, the two empty chairs at the head of the table, and the entrance that the two Contessas would be walking through to those chairs, sitting, and having their plates brought to them; indicating that the rest could go to the sideboards and load up.
The room fell silent as they entered side-by-side. For many of them, it had been their first sight of either of the two since before the incident in the ballroom. Per Contessa Helena's unsealed emergency orders to them during the crisis, the Ultimados had been good about keeping the rest of La Familia from "offering their guidance and support in little Maria's time of need."
"You were scared." Maria said. Helena nodded her agreement.
"Completely. I saved time on the whole 'figuring out who I can trust' thing by trusting none of them, right from the beginning. I had forgotten that I always had family I could have called at any moment to help me through it."
They walked a little further, until they came to the newest portrait in the Grand Hall: Maria's. She had been Reigning Monarch for only the past two months, following the attempt on Helena's life, and she would be handing the Tiara, the Scepter, and the throne back to Helena at a ceremony tomorrow; but she had served at least one week, and that was the traditional benchmark that indicated whether or not a ruler of San Finzione was going to be around long enough to justify a Royal Portrait.
"I do not think I deserve it." Maria said, studying her portrait.
"You have sat on the throne, Maria." Helen replied. "The real way, not as the Princess playing grown-up. History books are being written now about how, when I was laid low by an assassin's blade, you stepped up and led San Finzione. They'll say it was a preview of your reign to come." She turned to Maria and smiled. "And they'll speak well of it. Children in history classes will recite the names of our rulers, they'll get to my name, and then they'll say yours before they say mine again. And some day, yours again, too. Hopefully, they won't ask for your full name and title, so everyone still gets to go to lunch. We'll let the gift shops and museums sell their remaining prints, and they'll become valuable collector's items. We can keep a couple thousand down in the vault, and whenever you need some quick cash, you can always autograph one and get Stavro to take it in to a collectible shop and haggle."
"Make Stavro do it because he is a man?" Maria asked with a curious turn of her head.
"Make Stavro do it because he is a Greek. And it is haggling. They invented it, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. I don't know if you got to the big stack of discs, but on the first one, the part on selecting your cabinet; it's the same reason I tell you to make him Minister of Foreign Trade. Trust me on the collectibles thing, though. The stuff skyrockets in value every time they think you're dead. I paid for Mander Island with a couple of my old ballgowns on eBay." Helen studied the portrait some more. "You're smiling. I think you're the first San Finzione to look relaxed and happy in your portrait."
"I knew you would be coming back." Maria answered. "And I would not be there long."
"It's your birthright. To claim whenever you wish."
"I like what my Great-Grandmama has been doing with it. It will be much better later."
They walked further on, past where two spots on the wall had already been cleared. One had been for Helena's second portrait, which she'd pose for the week after she re-took the throne tomorrow. A San Finzione relinquishing power back to another willingly had happened so few times in the country's history that it merited a new portrait for the returning Monarch's second reign. For the same reason, a place had been reserved for the day Maria or a possible future heir reigned permanently.
"We are all happy to have you home." Maria said with a smile, taking Helena's hand.
Helen looked toward their eventual destination, the Banquet Hall where La Familia was waiting for them. She could picture them all, circling the table like vultures and drooling at the food that they knew they couldn't touch until La Contessa had arrived and been seated, staring impatiently at the two empty chairs at the head of the table.
"At least one is about to not be." Helena replied.
* * *
La Familia de San Finzione mingled at the bar in the Banquet Hall, sucking up the free drinks and consuming all of the bar snacks as they eyed the food on the sideboards. It was still steaming, but the wisps of steam were getting smaller now as their gazes moved between each other, the food, the two empty chairs at the head of the table, and the entrance that the two Contessas would be walking through to those chairs, sitting, and having their plates brought to them; indicating that the rest could go to the sideboards and load up.
The room fell silent as they entered side-by-side. For many of them, it had been their first sight of either of the two since before the incident in the ballroom. Per Contessa Helena's unsealed emergency orders to them during the crisis, the Ultimados had been good about keeping the rest of La Familia from "offering their guidance and support in little Maria's time of need."
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