The Veiled Princess

In the Kingdom of Xania in the year 1728, a young Princess stood in the palace rose garden taking in the afternoon sun. She was the most beloved of King Henry's daughters as well as the most beautiful. She was known for her popularity among the townspeople and at royal court. Some would have called her a social butterfly. The garden had become the Princess' safe place where she spent the majority of her free time. While at court she would escape to this secluded garden in hopes of a little solidarity. Little did she know that that day she was not alone. As the princess made herself comfortable under a large magnolia tree, the Uleasa clan's men were scaling the palace walls closing in on the young woman. The men made their way to the sleeping Princess yanking her to her feet by her long raven curls. Loud shrieks were heard by a passing palace guard that alerted him to the act that was being committed in the garden. When he arrived, he found the kingdoms prized white carnations splattered with the Princesses blood. Her body laid limp and lifeless at the base of the magnolia tree. The Princess had been brutally stabbed and her body mutilated. The men had carved their clans phoenix into her back and used her blood to write a message meant for the king. Thy kingdom's refusal of a bride will not go unnoticed. Our peace treaty was broken with this action. More of your princesses will die until your debt to our kingdom is paid. Give us the next born prince or princesses as payment or the slaughter will continue. When King Henry heard of the murder of his favorite daughter he lost it. That day he wrote the Veiled Royals Ordinance. This ordinance stated that members of the royal line would be veiled from birth until their coming of age. The cloth would cover their face to preserve their identity until they can be fully revealed to the public on their wedding day. Only a trusted few would know the true identity of the prince and princess. They were to be kept under close guard and never allowed to leave the palace without escorts from the army. In order to prevent their identity from being stolen, the Royal will be branded on the sole of their foot at birth with the royal crest. The hidden brand would provide proof of his or her claim to the throne. On the day of the Royal's eighteenth birthday, he or she will be married off and their future partner will have the honor of unveiling their future king or queen to the world. The death of the Princess drove King Henry to the break of his sanity. He vowed that the Kingdom of Uleasa would pay for what they did to her. He spent the remainder of his life ensuring that no good would fall upon the Uleasa clan. This moment was the beginning of the feud between Xania and Uleasa clans. The kingdom thrived for the following twelve years before a female heir was born to the crown.