Valerie X:
The wedding of Countess-In-Waiting Valerie to Earl-In-Waiting Rainer had been spectacular, but it would never hold a candle to the coronation ceremony.
Banners and flags was hanging from just about every building in Worcester. The broken golden star, bordered by interlocked golden leaves on a white background flag of the Earldom fluttered majestically in the cool, refreshing breeze.
One in particular drew considerable interest: Earl Ego's banner. Military prestige, tactical brilliance, political power, and wealth stitched into around one metre squared of material, the deep crimson banner was trimmed in gold and featured the infamous crossed baton and sabre. On it were the names of famous victories from the Great Unification (Egonault, Glorinshire, Prestigenhold for example) and several from the Coalition War (Golden Bay, Aurin, Azure Pass, Biggun, Artè, Cognor, Austerium, etc) not to mention the countless forgotten ones.
The other one that was flown was the Coat of Arms of the House of Ego, which was split into silver and golden halves down the middle and featured a black double-headed Eagle, the blazon was therefore: “Per pale argent and or, an eagle double-headed, sable”
The carriage that was chosen held some significance – aside from being carved from expensive mahogany and trimmed in silver – as it had brought the consort of Earl Maximillian-Bigot Ego the Magnificent, Countess Argent Ego nèe Chlorargyrite, to the coronation of her husband. Argent had been both praised and mocked for her tendency towards extroversion and fluttering butterfly-like about any room talking rather a lot, nevertheless, the populace had been most upset when she had died young giving birth to the future Earl Preen.
And so Valerie followed in her footsteps and entered the carriage, which was flanked by six hundred Ölŕun and Rotà Valkyries, alongside her husband.
So far Narciss had been ruled by three female rulers Suo Jure (In her own right) in the past. Seraphina, Icaria, and Nyctra were referred to as Countess Regnants to separate them from the consorts of ruling earls (The unknown wife of Ego, Cosminè, Marla, Valerie, Aurora, Argent, Calliope, and most recently, Mi.) Valerie Reine Ego would be the fourth, and the first in two hundred and eighteen years.
An instrumental version of the anthem, “Arise Narcina” was played by the Regional Orchestra of the Earldom. The instrumentation of the arrangement required a lot of musicians (Mainly from Chalcrystis), the line up demanded: 2 Intermus Canite (Internally blown recorders), 1 Attava Alta Fifle (Piccolo equivalent), 4 Lupophons (Called Wolves, oboes and bassoons), 2 Corru Basseta (Basset Horn, clarinet replacement), 8 Narcan Corrs (Horns), 1 Soprano Alphenhorn, 4 Alto Alphenhorns, 3 Avis Flammiferae (Valved Trombones, “Superbones”), 1 Ignis Avis Flammiferae (Bass variant), 2 Macrophoniums (Estrin Tubas), 4 Kettle drums, 16 1st Cerulean Volares (Violin equivalent), 14 2nd Cerulean Volares, 12 Violae der Alts (Violas), and 10 Tuono Volares (Contrabasses).
An ensemble of more than eighty performers.
The applause from thousands and thousands of people oozed out viscous patriotism and jealousy of the Crown in equal amounts: something that the aristocracy was skilled at after centuries of practice.
The endless turning of time can render stone into sand, change coastlines, and cause dynasties to rise and fall; but it did not take long for the anthem to end and the coronation ceremony to start.
Valerie and Rainer were presented with the regalia as tradition demanded. First was a robe for them both, it was like a toffee: tough on the outside yet soft on the inside. They were trimmed with enough fur to morph the former General into a disapproving badger rather than the non-sovereign Earl of Narciss. The dusty books in the library she had adored reading had told her that these robes were supposed to represent the warm embrace of power.
Second came the Cuffs, thick and golden. One for each of them. Valerie wore hers on the left while Rainer did so on the right. The left cuff was traditionally worn by the sovereign ruler rather than the consort. They represented the invisible chains of power, the bindings of the ruler's reach, and reminded all that the ruler was bound to serve the region and not the other way around.
Lastly, a weighty silver crown is placed on Valerie's head by the acting Grand Vizier. The Crown had last been worn by Countess Regnant Nyctra and was set with a huge sapphire called the Star of Xyrolith.
The entire fleet was in the air, some two hundred-something airships casting long shadows down on the city, the white and gold paint brought comfort instead of dread to the people it protected.
After all the old nonsense of swearing endless oaths, pledges, and other meaningless noise was over, she was declared to be:
“Her Radiance, Countess Regnant Valerie Reine Ego, Highest Exarch of the Subregions, Supreme Stratocrat of the Ten Stratocraties, Lady Lieutenant of the Twenty-Eight Lieutenancies, Marchioness of the Northern Mashes, Supreme Commander of the Grand Narcissian Military, Protector of the Northeast, and Head of the House of Ego.”
And then there was a deafening gun salute. With that, Valerie ruled everything around her as the Twelfth ruler of the Earldom.
That was something, she thought, a half smile forming on her face as she turned to face her husband.
And it was...
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