Queen

Analise slowly sat on the gold leafed throne that had once been her father's. The red leather was old and worn, though so much was difficult to see from a distance, and it had been well cared for. She had been offered to have the leather replaced when she had taken the throne, but she had rejected as much - at least for the time being, she wanted to feel as though she were assuming her father's role, rather than usurping it and making her own. It was a subtle difference to some, but it was one that, in her mind, was important. One day she would make the throne her own. Now was not the time.

It was early in the morning as she sat down. She had only been queen for a matter of weeks, and she was still growing accustomed to the strict timetable. She felt like she was very quickly and precisely moved from one place to another so that she may sit in one place for hours on end with nothing to do. She listened to a great many people make a great number of speeches about a great many number of subjects, many of which she had no understanding of or care for. People making their pleas - or more accurately, hiring others to make their pleas - about why she should care about their endeavors and fund them. She knew it was a part of her duty, and she wasn't about to shirk that, but she honestly could not care about what most of them were talking about. She was thankful she had advisors who were more attentive than she.

For the time being, there was really only one matter of affairs which Analise truly paid any attention - that being those of foreign relationships. When her father had passed, he had been in the middle of negotiations with the northern kingdom on the matter of agriculture trade. It was a small thing as far as her people were concerned, but if a treaty could be made it would be the deciding factor between whether their future would be peaceful or full of strife. Many of the commoners were unaware of just how short the reserves of food had become - mostly because the nobility kept it a secret. If it were to get out, there was no telling how the people would react. More likely than not, they would revolt, not realizing that battle would only cut their food supply shorter.

As a people, they were on the brink of a civil war. Having people enter her audience to speak on the matter of whether or not they should be permitted to open a store in which to sell their hand crafted dolls in the monthly marketplace...

It was difficult to pay attention to.