Once upon a time, in a land far, far away….

That’s how most fairytales are supposed to start, right?

Well… in this particular fairytale, the only thing that really applies is the land far, far away part. (I’ll be honest… that once upon a time shit doesn’t even make sense, so we’ll just leave it out, ok?)

Andosia is an insanely small country off the coast of Ireland.

Never heard of it, you say? Yeah… you and the rest of the world. Like I said, insanely small.

It’s technically an Irish territory, so people tend to lump it in with the rest of Ireland. However, it wouldn’t be too wise to tell someone from Andosia that they’re technically Irish. They don’t take too kindly to that shit. It’d sort of be like telling a Canadian that they’re technically an American.

Don’t believe me? Then try it sometime. I dare ya.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand…

At one point, Andosia was considered part of Ireland. There was a war sometime in the 1700’s, Andosia won its freedom, established a monarchy, and the Irish government left them the hell alone. I could give you details about the revolt, and the politics, but let’s face it… that shit is boring, and chances are good you could care less. Bottom line is… the good people of Andosia decided the Irish government sucked, and they went rogue.

Now, the thing you need to understand, is that our story begins in a darker period of Andosian history.

See… a monarchy usually has a standard operation, one that doesn‘t totally apply to Andosia. In England, for instance, the king or queen is mainly a political figure. In Andosia, the king or queen rules all. The military, law enforcement, the school system, even the financial institutions are run by one person.

For some reason, the first king of Andosia decided he needed to be in charge of every damn thing, and nobody really put up much of a fight about it.

In later years, some would argue this was more of a dictatorship than a monarchy. Unfortunately, the laws were already in place, and those arguments were about as substantial as an American being unhappy with their current president. You can bitch about it, and even have a valid point, but you’re stuck with it, whether you like it or not.

Now, I’m not here to throw political views in your face, or say the monarchy/dictatorship is wrong or right, I’m here to state facts. And the fact is… it’s worked for the last 300 years. Andosia’s done just fine with one person in charge all that time, so chances are good it isn’t going to change. Especially since the Monroe family has held the throne from day one.

As with most Monarchies, the throne has to be inherited. Only a pure-blood Monroe can hold the throne, and that is where our story gets a little complicated.

King Cian the fourth had held the throne since the age of nineteen, when his mother passed away. Most Andosians felt that Cian was much too young to step into the role of King, and that his father would be a much better fit.

That’s where that pesky pure-blood law came into play, and Cian the fourth became king. His father remained an advisor until his death in the early 90’s.

Sadly, our story truly begins the morning of King Cian’s sudden death.