12-03-2025, 09:43 PM
Lumiere, Auria
Kuren Gaks Laizane may have looked like your typical portly grandfather and/or butler type, with a portly belly and a head of stubbly white hair that had long since given way to baldness.
Despite this unremarkable appearance, he freely and confidently walked the ornate halls of the Aurian Royal Palace’s private household, with servants and guards stopping to give him a nod or bow as he proceeded through a maze of grandiose hallways.
With a left turn and a stroll down a brief flight of stairs, the palace’s large windows and gilded wood ornamentation gave way to grey stone and yellowed ceiling lights. Laizane nodded to the pair of guards who flanked the hall before making his way to a metal lined door, swiping his ID card and stepping back.
Beyond, instead of muted stone and faded carpets, the room literally glowed, with warm and soft lights causing shimmers throughout the room. A slight smile grew across his lips as he basked in the light. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.
Laizane himself may have looked unassuming, but he got to see things everyday that other Aurians could never dream of seeing once in their lifetimes.
After all, he was the Master of the Royal Jewels.
Glass-covered, temperature-controlled pedestals and cabinets lined the room, filled with some of the grandest treasures of the Aurian monarchy. Crowns, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry shimmered softly, all of them testament to the natural resources and notable tradition of lapidary endemic to Auria and Eiria.
After drawing on a pair of white gloves and slowly inspecting the room’s contents with his discerning eyes, he turned to face the door, watching it carefully while adjusting his carefully-tailored black uniform Halar.
The heavy metal door swung open again, revealing the young Queen Katherina. In an unadorned red halar and casual boots, the young monarch was dressed much more informally than she would normally be seen out in public.
“Good morning, Gaks. How’s the family?” The queen asked with a friendly smile as the man bowed to her
“Good, your majesty. Lara just chose what university she wants to go to. Not that I needed another reason to feel old…”
Katherina chuckled. “Hey, as long as she comes back to visit, you’ll be fine.” She pulled out a folder from the pocket on the inside of her robe. “I have the schedule and outfit plan for the week, if you would like to go over them? I’d hate to keep you from your day.”
“Of course, kurena. But you don’t need to worry about taking up too much of my day,” Laizane said with a kind smile, pulling out a notepad. “You are my priority.”
Katherina gave a thankful nod before unfolding the pages she had stashed away. “Alright, firstly, Andrei had a light blue number planned for the meeting with the Eirian ambassador, so I was hoping to use the blue topaz-studded hairpins and comb set for that…”
As the Queen went down her list of outfits for each event on her calendar, footsteps echoed down the steps behind her. Gaks snapped to attention before giving a deep bow. “Your Highness.”
Princess Ana of Lei Laukjelasei strolled into the chamber, giving a nod to the older gentleman before giving a slight bow to her older sister. “I heard you were in here. Figured I’d stop by, as I was hoping to use the Theodosia garnet star earrings for the bridge ribbon cutting tonight.”
Laizane gave a glance to the Queen, replying only upon her nod of assent. “Of course, Your Highness. I’ll get those ready for you.” He grabbed a box from the solid oak shelf and paused, looking between the sisters. “If you would excuse me, I will bring these over to Andrei and Elain before they get forgotten.”
The two royals nodded their thanks to the man, who hurried out of the vault, leaving them alone.
“I hope you don’t mind me grabbing Grandmother’s earrings. The Marquis and Marquise of Tural will be there, and they are the only ones in the nation with a wardrobe to rival the Palace’s,” Ana said with a note of disdain. “I was hoping to at least match their glamor this time.”
Katherina smiled lightly. “It’s not a problem at all, An. Besides, red isn’t really my color anyways.”
“You’re the queen of Auria. You have a whole staff dedicated to customizing your wardrobe,” the princess remarked jokingly. “Every color is your color.”
“I wish that were true.” Katherina glanced around the room, moving from case to case and shelf to shelf with an unreadable expression. “I wish I knew what to do with half of this stuff. Mom and Dad knew the proper occasions to show each of these off, and I just…”
The monarch trailed off, a case towards the end of the room catching her eye. She drifted wordlessly towards it, the glimmer of other precious gems not distracting her for a moment.
A crown of silver metal and blue gems, called Prince Andreu’s Coronet after its original bearer or the “third-born’s crown” or Kāpnord Crown due to its current one, sat alone behind a sheet of polished glass.
The crown was sleeker than others in the royal collection, with thin silver detailing and a lack of full fabric cap reflecting the style of Aurian princely crowns. A large star sapphire cabochon sat in its center, surrounded by faceted gems of dark aquamarine that lined the entire crown.
Alas, the coronet had been stuck in its case for some time due to the absconding of its present bearer, Prince Matēu, leaving it without a head to sit upon.
The queen lightly placed her hand on the glass between her and her brother’s crown, closing her eyes while remaining silent.
“I don’t know if he is coming back, Kat.” Ana said, placing her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “He never got used to this life.”
With a soft sob, Katherina nodded. “I know. And I know that we have Tōm to thank for that in part.”
Ana sighed. “Our prick of a brother aside, we should consider announcing something about Mat stepping away from royal life. We can’t keep up the same public schedule that we had before. I barely have enough time for my own schedule as it is.”
“I know, I know. I just…” Katherina wiped her eyes and composed herself, her vulnerability quickly falling behind her practiced and measured mask. “I don’t want to drive him away for good.”
Footsteps echoed down the hall once again, and Laizane reentered the room. If he had noticed the Queen’s emotional state, he did not acknowledge it.
“Is there something I can take out for you, Your Majesty?” He asked politely.
Katherina stepped back from the case. “No, thank you Gaks.” She handed the manilla folder with outfit overviews over to the Master of the Royal Jewels. “I’ll leave the rest to you, if that’s alright. I trust your judgement.”
“Very good, Kurena.” Gaks gave a slight bow before examining the plans, donning his reading glasses as he worked.
Satisfied that everything was taken care of, the Queen turned to her sister and extended her arm, escorting her out of the Hall of Jewels.
But of all of the shimmering jewelry in the room behind them, the Queen only turned back to glance at the abandoned crown in the corner, its slight blue shine fading as the pair of royals left it alone amongst the other treasures of the Kingdom of Auria.
Kuren Gaks Laizane may have looked like your typical portly grandfather and/or butler type, with a portly belly and a head of stubbly white hair that had long since given way to baldness.
Despite this unremarkable appearance, he freely and confidently walked the ornate halls of the Aurian Royal Palace’s private household, with servants and guards stopping to give him a nod or bow as he proceeded through a maze of grandiose hallways.
With a left turn and a stroll down a brief flight of stairs, the palace’s large windows and gilded wood ornamentation gave way to grey stone and yellowed ceiling lights. Laizane nodded to the pair of guards who flanked the hall before making his way to a metal lined door, swiping his ID card and stepping back.
Beyond, instead of muted stone and faded carpets, the room literally glowed, with warm and soft lights causing shimmers throughout the room. A slight smile grew across his lips as he basked in the light. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.
Laizane himself may have looked unassuming, but he got to see things everyday that other Aurians could never dream of seeing once in their lifetimes.
After all, he was the Master of the Royal Jewels.
Glass-covered, temperature-controlled pedestals and cabinets lined the room, filled with some of the grandest treasures of the Aurian monarchy. Crowns, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry shimmered softly, all of them testament to the natural resources and notable tradition of lapidary endemic to Auria and Eiria.
After drawing on a pair of white gloves and slowly inspecting the room’s contents with his discerning eyes, he turned to face the door, watching it carefully while adjusting his carefully-tailored black uniform Halar.
The heavy metal door swung open again, revealing the young Queen Katherina. In an unadorned red halar and casual boots, the young monarch was dressed much more informally than she would normally be seen out in public.
“Good morning, Gaks. How’s the family?” The queen asked with a friendly smile as the man bowed to her
“Good, your majesty. Lara just chose what university she wants to go to. Not that I needed another reason to feel old…”
Katherina chuckled. “Hey, as long as she comes back to visit, you’ll be fine.” She pulled out a folder from the pocket on the inside of her robe. “I have the schedule and outfit plan for the week, if you would like to go over them? I’d hate to keep you from your day.”
“Of course, kurena. But you don’t need to worry about taking up too much of my day,” Laizane said with a kind smile, pulling out a notepad. “You are my priority.”
Katherina gave a thankful nod before unfolding the pages she had stashed away. “Alright, firstly, Andrei had a light blue number planned for the meeting with the Eirian ambassador, so I was hoping to use the blue topaz-studded hairpins and comb set for that…”
As the Queen went down her list of outfits for each event on her calendar, footsteps echoed down the steps behind her. Gaks snapped to attention before giving a deep bow. “Your Highness.”
Princess Ana of Lei Laukjelasei strolled into the chamber, giving a nod to the older gentleman before giving a slight bow to her older sister. “I heard you were in here. Figured I’d stop by, as I was hoping to use the Theodosia garnet star earrings for the bridge ribbon cutting tonight.”
Laizane gave a glance to the Queen, replying only upon her nod of assent. “Of course, Your Highness. I’ll get those ready for you.” He grabbed a box from the solid oak shelf and paused, looking between the sisters. “If you would excuse me, I will bring these over to Andrei and Elain before they get forgotten.”
The two royals nodded their thanks to the man, who hurried out of the vault, leaving them alone.
“I hope you don’t mind me grabbing Grandmother’s earrings. The Marquis and Marquise of Tural will be there, and they are the only ones in the nation with a wardrobe to rival the Palace’s,” Ana said with a note of disdain. “I was hoping to at least match their glamor this time.”
Katherina smiled lightly. “It’s not a problem at all, An. Besides, red isn’t really my color anyways.”
“You’re the queen of Auria. You have a whole staff dedicated to customizing your wardrobe,” the princess remarked jokingly. “Every color is your color.”
“I wish that were true.” Katherina glanced around the room, moving from case to case and shelf to shelf with an unreadable expression. “I wish I knew what to do with half of this stuff. Mom and Dad knew the proper occasions to show each of these off, and I just…”
The monarch trailed off, a case towards the end of the room catching her eye. She drifted wordlessly towards it, the glimmer of other precious gems not distracting her for a moment.
A crown of silver metal and blue gems, called Prince Andreu’s Coronet after its original bearer or the “third-born’s crown” or Kāpnord Crown due to its current one, sat alone behind a sheet of polished glass.
The crown was sleeker than others in the royal collection, with thin silver detailing and a lack of full fabric cap reflecting the style of Aurian princely crowns. A large star sapphire cabochon sat in its center, surrounded by faceted gems of dark aquamarine that lined the entire crown.
Alas, the coronet had been stuck in its case for some time due to the absconding of its present bearer, Prince Matēu, leaving it without a head to sit upon.
The queen lightly placed her hand on the glass between her and her brother’s crown, closing her eyes while remaining silent.
“I don’t know if he is coming back, Kat.” Ana said, placing her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “He never got used to this life.”
With a soft sob, Katherina nodded. “I know. And I know that we have Tōm to thank for that in part.”
Ana sighed. “Our prick of a brother aside, we should consider announcing something about Mat stepping away from royal life. We can’t keep up the same public schedule that we had before. I barely have enough time for my own schedule as it is.”
“I know, I know. I just…” Katherina wiped her eyes and composed herself, her vulnerability quickly falling behind her practiced and measured mask. “I don’t want to drive him away for good.”
Footsteps echoed down the hall once again, and Laizane reentered the room. If he had noticed the Queen’s emotional state, he did not acknowledge it.
“Is there something I can take out for you, Your Majesty?” He asked politely.
Katherina stepped back from the case. “No, thank you Gaks.” She handed the manilla folder with outfit overviews over to the Master of the Royal Jewels. “I’ll leave the rest to you, if that’s alright. I trust your judgement.”
“Very good, Kurena.” Gaks gave a slight bow before examining the plans, donning his reading glasses as he worked.
Satisfied that everything was taken care of, the Queen turned to her sister and extended her arm, escorting her out of the Hall of Jewels.
But of all of the shimmering jewelry in the room behind them, the Queen only turned back to glance at the abandoned crown in the corner, its slight blue shine fading as the pair of royals left it alone amongst the other treasures of the Kingdom of Auria.
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