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Royal Couple
🕑 Added 2016-07-08 13:21:16 +0000 UTC Slightly smaller than is currently usual because this started as a random sketch for 'International Kissing Day' on twitter a few days ago, and it spiraled ever so slightly out of control.As always, I really hope to draw these characters again some day.
BUT JUST IN CASE I FORGET, here's what I've worked out about them:
Xullvrae'vyrae Aleanund (Crimson Founder's Overseer of The Noble Line of the Spider's Kiss... or Xull/Xully for short) is 337 years old, the one of two surviving daughters to the current Queen & King (not for lack of trying, she has about 30 legitimate brothers and an overflowing handful of illegitimate ones, most of whom have been shipped off to study, soldier or marriage).
Much to her dismay, she did not win the right to inherit the throne, and had little more to look forward to than leading armies, enacting assassinations as assigned by her family or representing her Queendom at gatherings that her parents or sister deemed less important.
Her skills include all the Drow Royal Daughter Standards: Military Tactics, Oration Interrogation, Torture, Hand to Hand combat, Melee combat, Herbology (with a heavy focus on Poison & Antidote brewing), Axe Throwing, Field Surgery and Poetry.
Before her bitterness had a chance to truly bloom and take aim towards her family, The Kingdom Above began negotiating a Treaty to Strengthen both their domains, all that was needed was a marriage. Xull's sister already had begun her selection of husbands, and the prospect of baring shorter-lived offspring was far from appealing. So after many months of tense diplomacy, it was agreed that Xull's hand would be equally beneficial in this Agreement with The Kingdom Above.
Unhappy with the prospect of being married to a man, especially one she couldn't choose, let alone a human, let alone living above ground in the sun, Xull... reacted poorly to the news, cutting herself away from her family and refusing to leave her home. Messengers were sent back injured or occasionally with pieces missing.
After several weeks of this, and The Kingdom Above growing impatient, a human Ambassador, Princess Joi, was sent, to attempt to reason with Xull, and to deliver the proposal letter directly from her future spouse. They knew each other, somewhat, having mingled at a handful of social gatherings; there was a hope the familiarity would cause Xull to be more open to a face-to-face audience. Ambassador Joi camped for several nights, insisting she learn more about the person shirking her royal duties and wondering aloud if Xull was even worth the effort, after all, this didn't seem like very good royal behaviour, what kind of bride would she be - a terrible one! Xull agreed, spitting out vial insults regarding human men, her family and the Ambassador's stupid face, after which point the Ambassador avoided the subject of the arranged marriage, but she was determined to see this through, explaining that she would endure the sunless depths of the Earth, and remain there until she succeeded in convincing Xull to honour the Arrangement.
Time passed, many things were discussed; history and lore, philosophies and laws, poetry and puns, anecdotes and childhood stories, news from other lands and gossip, the world above ground, and the world below it. Xull finally opened her doors, if only to grant her guest the correct hospitality. Joi had impressed her, and she begrudgingly agreed to hear the proposal.
She said yes and then banged the heck out of the Ambassador/her fiancee.
Normally I don't like long-running misunderstandings like this in narratives, but I figure between what Xull knew about most human traditions, her prejudices and a language barrier/translation issues, it could've persisted this long. Joi got very good at Drowic by the end of her visit.
Princess Joi Thula deserves a bit more information too:
She is the oldest of 5 children( 2 brothers, 2 sisters). At 24 her parents were becoming anxious about finding her a spouse. The Drow Princesses were not their first choice, but Joi insisted.
Her skills include: Diplomacy, Mediation, Extensive knowledge of Laws and Procedures, Writing and Taking Dictation, Knows Multiple Languages (2 well, 2 well-enough and is currently learning another one), Archery, Horse-Riding, Hunting, Basic Self Defense (she can hold her own in a fight, armed or unarmed, but doesn't quite have the same military training as the average Drowish Princess), Economics and Botany.
Joi takes pride in her ability to negotiate and assist her parents in matters of Diplomacy; when she isn't being the most capable Personal Assistant they could ever hope for, she is shamelessly collecting and seducing hand-maidens (Xull doesn't mind as long as she shares, though right now they mostly only have eyes - and other body parts - for each other), or tending to/reading in her private garden.
She also enjoys being able to cause her normally stoic and pragmatic fiancee blush and giggle - it's somewhat unbecoming of a Drow Princess to behave like a spring-fresh schoolgirl, but Xull is unused to displays of human affection, which are much softer and sweeter, but finds she quite likes it. Joi isn't too bothered by the age difference, it just means there's more to learn about her wife than average. There's a few cultural differences, along with Xull's allergy to sunlight, that promise to cause a few relationship hiccups but I think these ladies will do just fine.
Oh my God my tenses are probably everywhere but I spent most of the night working on this and most of the morning writing the description! I'll probably come back and fix this later, after some rest.
ANYWAY, these ladies really jumped off the page for me, right now they're trying to figure out which of them will be the mother of their first child, after the honeymoon. Magic, it can make babies happen!
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Comments
Seth T
Oh my goodness this is so adorable! I really love the shading on this one incidentally; it's a seriously great fantasy illustration. Also gotta say, the background information is really fascinating and I would love to see a story in this setting.
