The Well-Advised Princess

Myrna

Myrna’s father, Lord Yorik, was in a rare foul mood. Not that he was ever in a good mood, really. Not when Myrna was around anyway. But today’s mood was particularly spectacular.

It probably had something to do with the fact that she’d kicked one of the royal does who were kind enough to be teaching her elocution and grace and all those royal things. It wasn’t Myrna’s fault, not so far as Myrna could see anyway. The doe had asked her to demonstrate a lady-like leap; something which was supposed to be graceful and balanced and bring joy to the hearts of the beholders. Myrna believed pretty firmly in prioritizing function over form. As such, her leap was less of a graceful, dainty thing and more of a functional affair. A functional leap that may have been taught to her by an older Royal Guard brother who may or may not have stressed any lady-like qualities when teaching it to her.

But evidently accidentally kicking her manners teacher was not what made Lord Yorik angry. Evidently it was something to do with the lack of poise and groveling and apologizing that happened immediately afterwards.

Myrna was pretty sure she didn’t need to apologize for accidentally kicking someone who had just asked her to leap into the air, but her instructor disagreed.

And the instructor was only the last in a long line of teachers who had attempted Myrna to behave like a proper lady- a proper princess- and retreated in furious defeat. Emphasis on the “furious”.

And so now she found herself being dragged to her father’s brother, Lord Marrec. She liked her uncle- he was on the serious side perhaps but he wasn’t a bad sort. Evidently as the Advisor to the King on Royal Affairs he was uniquely qualified to give her instruction on… actually, she wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be teaching her. Probably not how to be a lady.

Lord Yorik strode over to his younger brother, daughter in tow. “Could you have a word with her please? About what exactly it means to be a royal? Nothing seems to get through to her. I thought maybe she’d listen to you.”

Lord Marrec

Lord Marrec was taking his routinely stroll through the Glenwood to clear his head. The great dark stag decided it was best to keep away from the busy life of Glenmore for an hour or two, but he had heard that his older brother Lord Yorik was in one of his rare foul moods. The stag sighed to himself as he allowed the slight breeze that blew through the trees to blow his mane back, if his brother was in a foul mood then it only meant one thing…..he was going to be consulted by him any moment.  

Marrec, was used to being consulted by his older brother, it was a regular way of life for the dark stag since his fawnhood when Lord Marrec and Lord Yorik used to play with one another pretending to be members of the Royal Guard. However their father Lord Aindreas had quickly made sure that if his older son had any problems resulting in a foul mood to tell Marrec about it first than anyone else.

Lord Marrec’s consultations with Lord Yorik as the two brothers had gotten older, revolved more often than not around Lord Yorik’s and Princess Alana’s daughter Princess Myrna. The dark stag shook his head grinning everso slightly...his niece was one of the Princesses of Glenmore who was quickly building a reputation for herself as a troublemaker and Marrec believed that his older brother brought Marrec into the Myrna equation as a last resort.

The dark stags ears suddenly pricked at the sound of the familiar sound of hooves coming towards him. Grinning he looked behind him over his shoulder and turned to face Lord Yorik who was sure enough dragging...no...towing Princess Myrna towards him. Marrec knew he was one Myrna seemed to get along with, liked even and eversince Marrec had been appointed the Royal Advisor by the King he was thought to be uniquely qualified to teach Myrna at what it was to be a Royal in Glenmore society.

When his older brother strode towards him with Myrna in tow he grinned “Hello dear brother” Marrec said  in greeting.

“Could you have a word with her please? About what exactly it means to be a royal? Nothing seems to get through to her. I thought maybe she’d listen to you.”

The younger dark stag looked at his niece for a moment before back at his older brother “Of course I can brother” he nodded, but his dark eyes never left his niece “I am sure myself and Myrna will have a good little chat won't we Myrna?” he said looking at the gold cream champagne princess doe

Myrna

Yorik heaved a massive sigh of relief. He’d been half-afraid his brother would turn away his little tyrant of a princess, but of course he wouldn’t. Ever since he was a foal Marrec had possessed a strong sense of responsibility and of family. He wouldn’t turn away from his brother’s problem.

“I will leave her in your capable company, brother,” he said, bowing his head in silent thanks.

To Myrna he turned his head and, incapable of coming up with words to say to her, growled between grinding teeth before storming away. He would go find some quiet place to clear his head and come back for her later. Probably.

Myrna herself wasn’t unduly concerned. Her father got these foul moods from time to time but he usually got over them quickly. Frequently with his brother’s help.

She looked up at her uncle and blinked a few times. “Sure, a good chat.” Idly she flicked her tail a few times. She’d had a few ‘chats’ with various manners instructors and friends of her mother’s but they all had to do with how does were supposed to be lovely and inoffensive and demure. Myrna couldn’t really see the point of being any of those things, so she hadn’t listened terribly hard.

“So, uh, what’re we chatting about? I keep getting lectured about how I’m supposed to act but no one will ever tell me why it matters. Aside from embarrassing my Papa and my teachers.”

Lord Marrec

“I will leave her in your capable company, brother,”

Marrec grinned, Yorik knew Marrec all too well. He wouldn’t turn away Myrna, it was just the way Marrec was, he had a strong sense of responsibility and of family and last time he checked Lord Yorik and Princess Myrna was his family and so he felt he had a responsibility to help correct any of their problems.

Inclining his great head to his older brother, he watched Yorik turn his head to his daughter and growl at her before, he stormed away. Marrec grinned, knowing where his brother was going and what he was planning to do, being to clear his head, the dark stag chuckled, it was true that it could be said that Marrec and Yorik more or less acted like one another with many of Marrec’s little habits like finding some quiet places to clear one's head becoming part of his older brother’s way of life. “I will come and find you later dear brother!” Lord Marrec called to his brother as he watched Lord Yorik disappear from sight. Whether or not Yorik had heard him Marrec knew that in one way or another he would more or less be babysitting...no...looking after Myrna for the rest of the day until Yorik calmed down, Marrec shook his head, Yorik usually relied upon him to calm him down and to bring him out of his time to time foul moods. He would visit Yorik later and carry out his brotherly task of quickly calming him down and helping him out of his foul mood.

The Lord’s dark eyes then turned back to his niece, knowing that her fathers foul moods didn’t really concern her all that much, to find her looking expectantly up at him.

“Sure, a good chat.”

“Yes a good chat Myrna” Marrec said firmly, watching as the princess idly flicked her tail, he shook his head “A chat that I sincerely hope you listen to and think about hard” he said.

“So, uh, what’re we chatting about? I keep getting lectured about how I’m supposed to act but no one will ever tell me why it matters. Aside from embarrassing my Papa and my teachers.”

The great stag turned around, thinking that he might as well take advantage of the time and continue his routinely stroll, “I am going to explain to you exactly what it means to be a royal and the responsibilities entailed” Marrec said calmly flicking his long tail from side to side expectantly. “Come and walk with me Myrna and I am sure you will not add your good old uncle to your long mental list of lecturers” he said indicating with his head for Myrna to walk next to him, it was time that Lord Marrec’s unique qualification as the Royal Advisor would once again come to the forefront.

Myrna

Myrna began to mentally steel herself for yet another boring lecture but then stopped. She liked Lord Marrec. He was kind of like the big heros in all the old stories; stoic and strong and never seemed to raise his voice. He wasn’t silly or inane like so many of the others or obsessed with foolish things like impressing does.

Besides that, she’d learned a lesson or two in the past few months. Mostly about how other fawnlings had good advice to offer and she should at least hear it out before deciding not to listen to it. There were a few gold nuggets to me found under all the mud.

So she followed along beside him as she strolled. “Okay, I’m listening,” she told him. And she really, absolutely, intended to try.

Lord Marrec

Marrec sighed to himself, but he smiled at Myrna knowing that she did hold him in high regard, more than others and so even though Marrec sensed the gold cream champagne princess had started at first to mentally steel herself for yet another boring lecture, and to add him to her long mental list of lecturers, Marrec was glad that she’d stopped herself.

He was sure that Yorik and Alana when Myrna was just a fawn used to paint Marrec as an ideal stag for a princess or a lady of Glenmore, being like a hero of a fairytale story because of his personality and his ideals, the dark stag shook his head Yorik would never do that, it must have been Alana’s doing...he grinned.

He was sure that he could offer his niece some good advice, that she could take on board and think about, without deciding not to listen to it….well he’d just have to wait and see wouldn’t he?.

Marrec shortened his strides slightly, so that he could take a leisurely stroll with Myrna, uncle and niece without leaving the princess behind as Marrec had very large strides.

Okay, I’m listening Myrna then told him and Marrec smiled like a proud uncle at her as, the stag heard in the young princesses voice that she really, absolutely, intended to try to listen to him.

“Well there are many important factors to being a royal in Glenmore society Myrna, and each royal in the system has their own responsibilities to themselves and to those around them in the Royal Glade around The New Oak..” the old lord began, taking his time to form his words carefully so that Myrna could learn something from their little ‘chat’ and Marrec didn't want what he was going to say to Myrna to become a lecture to the young princess.

He then paused for a moment, looking at the princess next to him out of the corner of his dark eye “Before I continue Myrna is there anything specific that you would like to know?” he asked , deciding at first it was best to ask Myrna if she wanted to know anything specific before continuing.

Myrna

What did she want to know? What an excellent question! No one had ever asked her that before. No wonder she hadn’t remembered a word of any of the previous lectures she’d gotten.

“Yeah,” she said, hoping her sincere question wouldn’t come across as impertinent. “I understand how royals are supposed to act. But why? Why does it matter if I accidentally call a lesser royal stag ‘Lord’ or if I forget to act ‘befitting’ of a princess? Who cares? Commoner does don’t spend their days swapping meaningless platitudes and talking about nothing that could possibly offend anyone. Why do I get stuck following all the useless rules?”

Lord Marrec

The old dark lord smiled slightly, pondering over his niece's reply, but thinking it over in his mind for a moment. "Hmmm" he said to himself. "As a royal Myrna..." he began slowly thinking about the words he was carefully forming in his mind "each and everyone of us has a duty, that we must keep, so that's why we have to act a certain way" he continued. "As you have said Myrna why does it matter if you accidentally call a lesser royal stag ‘Lord’?, the answer is that because of bloodline, for example a lesser royal stag could have a royal stag as its father but a doe who is classed as a commoner as its mother, therefore the lesser royal stag offspring would then be called 'Duke' and not 'Lord' as for a stag to be called 'Lord' their mother and father could be for example a royal stag or 'Lord' like your father and a princess doe like your mother" Marrec continued.

After a moment of thought the stag continued " Upon your second point, if you forget to act ‘befitting’ of a princess, this is why other fawnlings in the herd care so much about it Myrna, you are a direct descendant of Áillte, born of a Princess doe and so are a carrier of light magic, therefore the herd expects you to act like a princess because, you have a great duty to the herd and its survival, so you're expected to act appropriately of a princess to show this..." he paused for a moment to emphasize the points he'd made and to allow Myrna to think about the answers he'd given her.

The great stag then quietly sighed to himself, Myrna was young she was five and had many questions, Marrec remembered when Yorik had come to him and told him of Myrna's birth...Marrec shook his great head deciding it was best to continue without trying to reminisce the past. "I know that Myrna, but as a princess of Glenmore, you are expected to act the way the herd expects you to and to behave properly, like a princess doe, a royal and not like a commoner doe" the stag said quietly "That's why you're expected to follow the rules of Glenmore society, your mother follows them and her mother before her had to follow them..." the stag explained.

He then looked across at Myrna smiling slightly, as he gently gave her a slight push with his shoulder, being careful to be gentle as Marrec was a big stag "I hope that's helped answer a few of your questions Myrna..." he said, looking across at the princess doe who walked next to him "Tell me though...out of the scale of 1 - 10 how does your good old uncle fair on the Myrna lecture scale front?" the dark lord grinned with a glimmer in his eye and a teasing tone in his voice, it was all Marrec could think of to maybe lighten the mood abit, but he did want to know how he fared with his niece, hoping that what he’d said hadn’t sounded like a long lecture.

Myrna

It did sound like a big long lecture to Myrna, but she bit her tongue. He did have a point. As a princess she was a descendent of an honest to goodness demi-goddess (albiet one whose main achievement in life was being beautiful). Sure she had the light coat that princesses all wore but there were royal does out there- and even common ones!- with the same light coat. Some were even lighter than hers. If she wasn’t distinguished by color, how was she supposed to remind them that she was a cut above? That she, not they, was the product of a long line of beauties stretching back to their Swan Goddess Herself? She didn’t have much in the way of the signature magic to throw around so that left her comportment. It was by her manners and bearing that she could remind them of her station in life. That she was a real princess, and not to be trifled with.

Maybe her role in the herd was to have magical babies and maybe she only had the barest scrapings of light magic but in the end she did have light magic and therein lay her value to the herd.

She supposed if she wanted to be treated like royalty she ought to start acting like royalty.

Catching his hint of humor and putting on her best fake-snooty aristocratic voice she answered “Well done old chap, well done indeed! I daresay I’ve got it now. One must act like royalty to be treated like royalty, eh?”

She dropped the accent and sighed as another thought occurred to her. “Why does my station in life mean I have to sit around and have babies, though? Why can’t I contribute to the herd in other ways? I hate babies.”

Lord Marrec

Marrec looked out of the corner of his dark eyes at Myrna, but he held his tongue at what he was thinking of saying. At least even though it sadly did seem a lecture at least Myrna could think about it.

“Well done old chap, well done indeed! I daresay I’ve got it now. One must act like royalty to be treated like royalty, eh?”. He tipped back his great head and gave a long heartfelt laugh at Myrna's fake-snooty aristocratic voice, very few to no fawnlings had the powers to make Marrec laugh but Myrna was an exception along with Yorik of course. Marrec had always thought that Myrna had inherited Yorik's skills of acting, even though he'd never raised it with Yorik, he didn't want to face his older brothers reaction.

The dark lord then went silent immediately, as he heard the tone in Myrna's voice change and heard her sigh. “Why does my station in life mean I have to sit around and have babies, though? Why can’t I contribute to the herd in other ways? I hate babies.”. He turned his head away from his niece, it had been a comment that Marrec had been waiting for, but he felt slightly embarrassed at it, he felt that as a stag it wasn't his place to talk about motherhood. "Even though I think it's your mothers duty Myrna to talk about that I will try my best to answer" he said slowly turning his head back around " Even though Princesses of Glenmore are yes expected to have children, it is to keep Glenmore alive..." Marrec managed to begin with. "However you can also contribute to the herd in other ways, I mean everybody has a choice, but even then, later in life you would still be expected to have a fawn or two.." the stag said, knowing very well Myrna’s feelings on fawns but, he knew the young princess in the end would probably be expected to have a fawn in the end, it was just the way life was.

Sighing to himself he looked at Myrna again “Do you have anymore questions for me Myrna?” he asked quickly changing the subject for a moment “Or shall we see if we can find your father now, as if he is still in his mood you know he’ll need my help to calm down” Marrec said slowly, glancing around them for a moment incase his older brother decided to make a dramatic entrance right at that very moment. If Marrec spoke the truth even though Yorik had brought Myrna to him as his ‘problem’ , he’d honestly enjoyed Myrna’s company, “And if you need someone to talk to Myrna, you know that, you're welcome to come and talk to your good old uncle anytime” he smiled slightly before he continued walking at a leisurely pace next to the princess waiting for her answer, he meant his last sentence, not as the Royal Advisor but as an uncle.

Myrna

Myrna nodded at his response. As long as she was allowed to be useful in other ways, she supposed she could put up with a little runt or two. Many of the princesses and royal does had nursemaids who took over the raising of the fawns after they’d been weaned, that wouldn’t be too bad. She could whisk them away to someone else for proper training once they were old enough to talk and run around and be a real bother.

And when she wasn’t busy hauling offspring around she could be useful to the herd. Her knowledge of herbs was beginning to pass her mother’s initially dismal expectations, and she’d had some mild success in poisoning foxes who came too close to the herd’s fawns. Her work with dyes was getting better everyday. Sure it wasn’t exactly befitting a princess to become a lowly craftsfawn but who said anyone had to know? It wouldn’t bother her if she was useful without the herd having to know about it.

Mentally she began to make plans. She could use her buckskin alter ego, the doe she became when she snuck away and dyed her hair dark. Certainly it was getting more and more challenging to sneak away from her guards as she got closer and closer to the date of her betrothal, but…

Her betrothal. Crap. She wouldn’t just have to sneak around under the eyes of her guards but under the nose of whatever woebeggoten sot got stuck with her as a mate. That would complicate things.

Internally she shrugged. She’d cross that stream when she got there. So far she’d done a pretty good job at doing what she wanted. She’d find a way to make it work.

She smiled up at her uncle. Truly, she did feel much better after having this conversation with him. She wasn’t even phased by the thought of having to go face her probably still-angry father now. “Thank you for your patience, Lord Marrec. Your advice is more helpful than you realize. If I have any other problems you’ll be the first to know.”