To His Serene Reigning Majesty, King of the Solune,

Oh father, what will I do? Father, I hope this letter reaches you well. There is no conventional route directly between the Lussa City and and The Solune Kingdom. The conventional route is all the way around, to the Djeb and then across the desert. It would take too long, and this letter is too important. To prevent this, I have sent it on foot by messenger.

The issues on the Underside are of a far different nature than I had supposed. I came here to aid the people in finding their lost heir, and bringing back monarchic rule. With no one sitting on it, the throne is weak and the influence of the royal family wanes. Certain aristocrats are pushing for power through law. Some want to be pushed in as the new ruler, others want to rule as a small collectives. The police (the guard) are encroaching in through more direct physical force.

This is all so strange to me. I came here to save the monarchy, father, but I have learned so much. There are so many flaws to Monarchy. The greed of heirs, difficulties in succession of throne. Monarchy, Oligarchy, Timocracy, other methods of rule…I am in confusion. Father, is monarchy tyranny? Are you a tyrant? I should not have writ that. I apologize, know that I did not mean it. But I will not rewrite this letter, it is better that you understand the depth of my distress. I have lost my certainty.

Perhaps you, being a King, are the wrong person to ask, however, Lussa and Solune monarchies are different, so I will do it regardless. Should I truly be saving a monarchy? Is truly the correct system of governance? They have preserved texts that question it here, and there are even those who oppose it among the people, the aristocrats, the police. Though many of these have clear personal motivations, the questions remain.

Due to my unusually long age, I am of a generation far behind the Lussa people. I feel like an elder—not in maturity, but due to my lifespan and learning, in addition to my blood lineage. It is a strange sort of protectiveness. I have not drawn up trees, but it is strange to know that I am the current Lussa Royal family’s great great great aunt of howevermany generations back.

I do not know what to do about my situation. I feel as though there is no one who can possibly relate. Quite! Who possibly could? But our family shares this long lifespan, so I seek your counsel. I do not know who to side with, father. Should my group and I try to implement something new? Should we side with the aristocrats, to find a good heir among them and change the law to allow it, or perhaps expand to an oligarchy? Father, is monarchy, as the Lussa practice it, tyranny? All of this disturbs my mind. I have asked myself over and over, and now I ask you, do I hold allegiance to the monarchy, and my distant kin?

I seek your council,
Your Daughter,
Chloe Rhye, Fifth Prince of the Solune

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I had a bit of inspiration today for the plot and conflict of my main project, The Solune Prince. And here it is. This is a quicker draft, and if this letter does appear in the novel itself, it will likely end up being fleshed out more. But for now, here it is.

Daniel Triumph.

For more world building: Musings on the Lussa City
For the Novel (in progress*): The Solune Prince
For a short story: The Young Spectator
For something more strange and aggressive: Raze

P.S.
The King does have an actual reply. His solution? It is along the lines of:
avoid turning an expedition to aid their neighbour into an opportunity to create a new system of governance on their behalf. Also, follow what the state wants and needs, not what you think is best for it, and most importantly, do not create change out of confusion.

All this he presents as suggestion, not command.