Kingdom

''Five days.'' You wake up to the sounds of the servants whispering outside your room. It's been five days since your kingdom was overthrown. Five days since you became a prisoner. Five days since you were last a princess. Five days ago, the one that conquered your kingdom, killed your parents, and imprisoned you swore that he would kill you soon, to send a message to the people that your royal line was no more. Today is the day of your execution. You have three decisions. [[Wait for your death.]] [[Escape the kingdom.]] [[Find a way to kill your conquerer before he kills you.]]

You decide that there's no point in fighting. You wait, closing your eyes. Two guards come into your room a few hours later and put a bag over your head, and you are escorted outdoors in front of the castle gates, for all the people to see. You hear gasps of horror, but then you hear your conqueror speak. "People of Ularis, behold the princess. A princess that will be no more." You're pushed forwards and onto your knees, with someone lining your head up against the wood. You hear your conquerer laugh. "Any last words?" You decide to respond with silence. You hear an axe swinging in the air, and then no more. ''BAD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You decide that you want to find a way out. You've been kept in this place for too long, and though you doubt you can just straight-up kill the one who conquered your kingdom in the first place, you can at least escape with your life. Find help, elsewhere, and maybe start a new life. It won't be as glamorous as it once was when you were a child, but you'd rather die mostly intact than lose absolutely everything. Question is, how will you escape? [[Climb out the window with the bedsheets and curtains.]] [[Pick the lock on your door and sneak your way through the castle.]]

Screw this! Screw being the prisoner and losing your kingdom in the process. You're angry over this. Angry that this man kept you locked up for *five years.* Angry that he *killed* the parents that so dearly loved you and ruled this kingdom before him. You were supposed to be the queen after him. You should be. You're old enough, now. You're going to kill your conquerer before he has the chance to kill you, take the kingdom, and rule it like your parents wanted and like *you* wanted. This is your kingdom, and you haven't given up on it. Firstly, you have to get out of here. How? [[Climb out the window with bedsheets and curtains.]] [[Pick the lock on your door and sneak your way through the castle.]]

You've read about this in fairytales before. You know that you can probably do it the same way those other princesses and princes did to get to their lovers, escape the towers they were trapped in, and so on. And if you fall and die, at least you died on your own terms. You hastily tie the bedsheets together, before tearing the curtains off the wall to add themselves as extra rope. You tie one end of the makeshift rope to your boudoir (the conquerer was kind enough to at least let you be imprisoned in your own room, surprisingly), before throwing the other end out the window. You peer out the window to check if any guards patrolling outside have noticed. They haven't. However, it's clear that your makeshift rope only reaches to the third floor of your five-floor castle, and not all the way down as you hope. It's better than nothing. You say a little prayer before you grab the rope and start climbing out the window. It's not easy, as you've never climbed rope before. You were always taught that climbing like this was meant for assassins and thieves, not intelligent, beautiful princesses like you. Then again, you doubted that your mother knew that she'd one day be killed and her daughter be imprisoned for five days. You manage to make it all the way down to the third floor of your castle, landing on the balcony below, and you peer into the room behind you through its glass doors. It's currently unoccupied, so you're more than sure that you won't get spotted if you decide to sneak through the room and into the halls to continue your journey, but at the same time, you might run into some guards. Then again, the outside doesn't seem much better. You're more than sure enough that you can jump onto the nearest tree from this balcony and climb down to make it to the ground floor, therefore entering the courtyard, but that is also risky. Which do you choose? [[Jump onto the nearest tree and climb down, entering the courtyard.]] [[Sneak through the room and enter the castle's halls to find your way out from there.]]

You decide to pick the lock on your door and sneak your way through the castle to escape. You're not sure how you're going to do this. You haven't ventured outside of your room in literally *days,* given your imprisonment. But it's worth a try, right? You find a hairpin of yours from your boudoir. Miraculously, you successfully pick the lock and the door swings open. You peer out of the hallway to see if there are any guards, but thankfully there aren't any immediately in sight. You start your journey to freedom here. [[Start sneaking through the castle.]]

You decide that you've had more than enough experience climbing a rope that you can just hop onto the nearest tree and climb down. Good news? You make it onto the tree. Bad news? Your landing on the tree creates a rustling sound, enough for the guard to look up at least briefly. You freeze, hoping that you'll blend in with the leaves if you don't move. Even *better news?* The plan somehow *works,* resulting in the guard looking away and going on his merry way. As quietly as you can, you get down from the tree and hide in the closest bushes to avoid detection. You have two choices: Go left, towards where you think the main entrance hall is, or go right. Going right will lead to a secret tunnel you remember exploring when you were younger, back when things were happier and safer. [[Go left, to the main entrance hall.]] [[Go right, towards the secret tunnel.]]

You sneak through the room to enter the castle halls from there and continue your journey. However, just as you're about to leave, you notice something... There are three objects in this room that could be useful. You can bring one of them with you. Which one will you choose? [[The dagger lying on the desk. It could be useful for killing someone in case.]] [[The rope. Never know when or how you might need it, right?]] [[A mysterious bottle of liquid. You're not sure what the contents are, but you have this feeling it could be used for something.]]

You sneak your way past some guards in the halls while looking around. At this point, you have three choices to try to find the one who conquered your kingdom from here: You can head left or right to try to find him, or, thirdly, try to find a weapon of choice first. Or, if you're trying to escape, maybe you just want to keep running from here. You can try to escape through the main entrance hall, or go to a secret tunnel you remember exploring when you were younger, back when things were happier and safer. ''*If trying to kill your conquerer:*'' [[Go left, and hope you find him.]] [[Go right, and hope you find him.]] [[Look for a weapon.]] ''*If trying to escape:*'' [[Go left, to the main entrance hall.]] [[Go right, towards the secret tunnel.]]

*"Stop right there!"* Just as you reach the doors leading to the main entrance hall, you turn around to see guards approaching you. You bolt straight into the entrance hall, frantic to escape them, but you weren't looking where you were going, and run into two other guards. The guards seize you by the wrists and tackle you down. If you had any weapon, they're quick to knock it out of your hands while seizing you. Screams leave you as they drag you out of the castle and towards what appears to be a guillotine. The executioner is already present, and you stare up in horror to see not just the crowd gathered to see your execution, but also the one that conquered your kingdom, smirking as he looks you in the eyes. "So, our princess finally comes to meet her end. It's about time." ''BAD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You decide to head for the secret tunnel. Sure, your conquerer had five days to get used to the castle, but he wouldn't know *every* tunnel that exists in this castle, right? It's worth the risk. As you quickly and quietly head for the tunnel, you remember peaceful times. Your governess, Maria, was always fond of you, and let you spend time playing in the courtyard inbetween your studies. You both discovered the secret passage together, and found that it connected to the castle's underground library. From there, you remember a hidden door leading to outside the castle and into the surrounding castle town. You thank Maria, in the back of your mind, for showing you that passage. She might just save your life. You don't know if she's still alive today, given what happened five days ago, but if she is, you hope she's been treated well. (You doubt she has been, but the least you can do is *hope.*) You find the passage and make your way in before anyone notices. You lock the door behind you for good measure, just in case someone *did* notice. What now? [[Explore the tunnel.]]

It's been a long time since you've been in this tunnel. There are few more cobwebs than you last remember, and the air seems damper than usual, but otherwise you're fine. The hallway is unlit, however, making it hard to navigate. You carefully, cautiously, feel your way along the walls as you try to recall how to find the back entrance into the castle town. You soon reach a crossroad; you can sense one path going left, and one going right. Which do you choose? [[Left.]] [[Right.]]

You go left. You're not sure why you wanted to go left, other than instinct. Hopefully it's your memory serving you well, and giving you a way to freedom. You feel your way along the corridor as you continue your way through, listening for anything else that might be trailing your or approaching you. There are no guards, much to your gratitude. You find a door up ahead. Is this the way into the town? Can you escape from here? [[Try to open the door.]]

You go right. You're not sure why you wanted to go right, other than instinct. Hopefully it's your memory serving you well, and giving you a way to freedom. You feel your way along the corridor as you continue your way through, listening for anything else that might be trailing your or approaching you. There are no guards, much to your gratitude. You find a door up ahead. Is this the way into the town? Can you escape from here? [[Attempt opening the door.]]

You decide to take the dagger. You walk into the hall, looking around. A guard moves past the corridor to your left, not noticing you. You can either go left, and try to sneak past the guard, or go right and see if that area doesn't have a guard. [[Go left and attempt to sneak past the guard.]] [[Go right and check for guards.]]

You decide to take the rope. It's sturdy, so you're sure you can use it for climbing and/or tying up someone with. It's short enough that you can roll it up and tuck it into the front of your dress. You're not sure how else you can carry it with you otherwise, and though it makes a weird-looking bulge as a result of you tucking it in there, it's all you can do to keep up hold of it right now other than just holding it in your hands. You walk into the hall, looking around. A guard moves past the corridor to your left, not noticing you. You can either go left, and try to sneak past the guard, or go right and see if that area doesn't have a guard. [[Go left and try to sneak past the guard.]] [[Go right and check for guards.]]

You decide to take the bottle of liquid. It's the smallest item out of the three, so it'll be easy to hide. You tuck it into the pocket of your dress (*yes,* your dress conveniently has pockets!) before leaving the room. You walk into the hall, looking around. A guard moves past the corridor to your left, not noticing you. You can either go left, and try to sneak past the guard, or go right and see if that area doesn't have a guard. [[Go left and see if you can sneak past the guard.]] [[Go right and check for guards.]]

You decide to head left and attempt sneaking past the guard. You see him at the end of the hall, about to turn, and you try to make a dash for it to get to the other side of the corridor right before he turns around to see you. You fail. "Stop!" The guard approaches you, but you decide to make a mad dash for it and run. You push over vases, and small statues, to slow down your pursuer. You manage to give him the slip by hiding in the castle library and blend into the shelves. The guard groans, but runs off, likely to report to his superiors that he saw you. You heave a relieved breath, and look around. You're in the library. No other guards are present there. Why is that? Have they just not found you yet, despite searching for you? Either way, at least you're still safe. You eventually emerge from the library to try to find your conquerer and kill him. Or, if you're trying to escape, you vaguely remember that there was a secret tunnel you could use to try to get out of the castle from here. You could sneak over there now and try to get out. [[Go right, and hope you find him.]] ''*If trying to escape:*'' Go to the secret tunnel. [[Explore the tunnel.]]

You decide it's not worth risking the attention of a guard, and go right. Thankfully, there are no guards. You're safe...for now. [[Continue your journey.]]

You decide to head left and attempt sneaking past the guard. You see him at the end of the hall, about to turn, and you try to make a dash for it to get to the other side of the corridor right before he turns around to see you. You fail. "Stop!" The guard approaches you, and you try to run. Unfortunately, the weight of the rope hidden in your dress slows you down. Even worse? It's unraveling, leaving an obvious trail of rope coming out from behind your dress. You hope that it just slips out as you run, but instead something else happens: Someone grabs the other end of the rope, and pulls. It doesn't just result in the entire rope getting off your person. In fact, the end of the rope stuck to you gets snagged in your dress, and you end up falling over. Before you can get up after hitting the ground, you feel guards grab you by the wrists. No matter how much you kick and scream, all they do is drag you to your execution. ''BAD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You don't run into any more guards for now. You might be covered in another man's blood, but at least you're still alive. Looking around, you realize you have two choices: Go left, towards where you think the main entrance hall is, or go right. Going right will lead to a secret tunnel you remember exploring when you were younger, back when things were happier and safer. Which path do you choose? [[Go left, to the main entrance hall.]] [[Go right, towards the secret tunnel.]]

You try to open the door. It opens, but not to the back entrance like you hoped. Instead, it's a way towards the main entrance of the castle. There are guards milling about, but you figure you have no choice but to do the following: Take a chance and [[Go left, to the main entrance hall.]] Go back and go the opposite direction, which is [[Right.]]

You manage to open the door, and fresh air greets your senses. The sun is high in the sky, but there is no one in sight. This is the back entrance of the castle. You've made it outside. You don't hesitate to run. [[Leave the castle and never come back.]]

You've read about this in fairytales before. You know that you can probably do it the same way those other princesses and princes did to get to their lovers, escape the towers they were trapped in, and so on. And if you fall and die, at least you died on your own terms. You hastily tie the bedsheets together, before tearing the curtains off the wall to add themselves as extra rope. You tie one end of the makeshift rope to your boudoir (the conquerer was kind enough to at least let you be imprisoned in your own room, surprisingly), before throwing the other end out the window. You peer out the window to check if any guards patrolling outside have noticed. They haven't. However, it's clear that your makeshift rope only reaches to the third floor of your five-floor castle, and not all the way down as you hope. It's better than nothing. You say a little prayer before you grab the rope and start climbing out the window. It's not easy, as you've never climbed rope before. You were always taught that climbing like this was meant for assassins and thieves, not intelligent, beautiful princesses like you. Then again, you doubted that your mother knew that she'd one day be killed and her daughter be imprisoned for five days before her execution date. You manage to make it all the way down to the third floor of your castle, landing on the balcony below, and you peer into the room behind you through its glass doors. It's currently unoccupied, so you're more than sure that you won't get spotted if you decide to sneak through the room and into the halls to continue your journey, but at the same time, you might run into some guards. Then again, the outside doesn't seem much better. You're more than sure enough that you can jump onto the nearest tree from this balcony and climb down to make it to the ground floor, therefore entering the courtyard, but that is also risky. Which do you choose? [[Jump on the closest tree and climb down to enter the courtyard.]] [[Sneak through the room behind you and enter the castle's halls.]]

You decide that you've had more than enough experience climbing a rope that you can just hop onto the nearest tree and climb down. Good news? You make it onto the tree. Bad news? Your landing on the tree creates a rustling sound, enough for the guard to look up at least briefly. You freeze, hoping that you'll blend in with the leaves if you don't move. Even *better news?* The plan somehow *works,* resulting in the guard looking away and going on his merry way. As quietly as you can, you get down from the tree and hide in the closest bushes to avoid detection. You have two choices to try to find the one who conquered your kingdom from here: Head left, or right. [[Go left, and hope you find him.]] [[Go right, and hope you find him.]]

You sneak through the room. Thankfully, this room is empty. You have three choices to try to find the one who conquered your kingdom from here: You can head left or right to try to find him, or, thirdly, try to find a weapon of choice first. [[Go left, and hope you find him.]] [[Go right, and hope you find him.]] [[Look for a weapon.]]

You decide to head left and look for the one who conquered you. You're not about to let him rule your kingdom for much longer, after all. You sneak past more guards, but soon realize that you hear your conquerer speaking to someone from your right, rather than your left. Oops. Better head the other way if you want to kill your conquerer! [[Go right, and hope you find him.]]

You decide to head right and look for the one who conquered you in *that* direction. You're not about to let him rule your kingdom for much longer, after all. You do end up seeing him in the throne room, sitting on the throne that once belonged to your father, but he hasn't seen *you.* He shakes his head, glaring at two guards in front of him. [[Watch and see what happens.]]

You decide to check the closest room for any weapons. After listening at the door to try to detect if there's anyone inside, you manage to open it by picking the lock, and get in there. The room is devoid of any other people, but there are three weapons you find. You can bring one of them with you. Which one will you choose? [[The dagger lying on the desk. It could be useful for killing someone in case.]] [[The rope. Never know when or how you might need it, right?]] [[A mysterious bottle of liquid. You're not sure what the contents are, but you have this feeling it could be used for something.]]

You decide to continue on your journey. That's when you hear voices coming from the throne room close by. One of them belongs to your conquerer. If you're looking to kill him, that's where you need to go. If you were trying to escape, you recall that there was a secret tunnel you could use to try to get out of the castle from here. You could sneak over there now and try to get out. ''*If trying to kill the conquerer:*'' Go over to the throne room. [[Watch and see what happens.]] ''*If trying to escape:*'' Go to the secret tunnel. [[Explore the tunnel.]]

"Have you not found the girl yet!?" The conquerer demands, glaring at the guards. "N-No, sire." The first guard stammers. They swallow, staring up at him. "We haven't found the princess yet." "Keep looking! She can't have gone far." He groans as the guards rush off, and he sits at his throne, drinking from his goblet. ''*If you have the dagger:*'' [[Stab him when he's not looking.]] ''*If you have the rope:*'' [[Try to find a good timing to strangle him.]] ''*If you have the poison:*'' [[Poison the goblet of wine.]] ''*If you have no weapon:*'' [[Try to kill him with your bare hands.]]

You somehow sneak past townspeople and guards alike, fleeing the surrounding castle town. Because so many people are gathered to see your supposed execution today, and rarely saw you in public beforehand, no townsperson really recognizes you as the princess yet. You were supposed to have your official debut when you were older, to be ready for marriage, but you won't have that chance. Not here, at least. It's painful, leaving the home you once knew. You don't know much about the world outside your kingdom, but you'll try to survive. You know that your mother and father never wanted this fate for your, nor your governness Maria, but at least you're still alive. You might be hunted for the rest of your life, but at least you'll be safe. Just outside the castle town, you find yourself at a crossroads. Which way will you go? [[North, into the mountains beyond the castle town. No one will bother tracking you if you get in deep enough.]] [[West, to the forest. Maybe there are other villages you can hide out in, seek refuge, and form a new life.]] [[East, for the port. You want to sail away as far as you can.]]

You decide to head for the mountains. No one will go far enough up there to reach, and maybe you can try to live off the wildlife there. You don't know much about hunting, but you are also aware that there are some people that live up there. Maybe one of them can help you. Days pass as you continue your way up the mountain. It's not easy to climb, with uneasy footholds from the rocks around you, but you do your best. Your stomach growls with hunger, and you grow weary, but you keep searching for help regardless. "Oy! Hey you!" You turn your head, only to see a woman approach you. She's dressed in worn leather, and also some chainmail. A heavy sword is slung over her shoulder, hanging off some sort of sash tied to her back. She wears an eyepatch, for unknown reasons. "You lost?" She asks, raising a brow. She then notices your dress, now rags at this point in your travels, and frowns. "Are you...alone?" You realize she doesn't recognize you as the princess, and you try to make up the cover story that your parents were killed while helping you escape after the man that conquered the kingdom took over a few days ago, and you've been wandering since. "I know yer not tellin' the whole truth." She sighs. Eventually, you admit you're the princess and you ran away before you could get executed, but you really don't want to go back to that kingdom. "It's fine. The reason I once left my kingdom, too." You stare. She was a queen? Princess? She chuckles a bit. "Come and let me show you. Follow me." You follow her to find a whole not-quite *village* of women, but it's a group of almost twenty women at this point. All of them were princesses or queens that had no choice or decided it was best to run away from their kingdoms, after they were conquered. They became a whole tribe of sorts, staying together in the mountains, and the woman that led you to them was their leader, Amara. Amara teaches you to forage the mountains for food, to mine the rocks for gems and bring them to the villages in the woods below to barter for goods. You learn the art of hunting and self-defense, and earn friends in other fellow runaway princesses and queens. As the years pass by, the group moves down from the mountains and into the woods. Some members decide to get married to the villagers they met. Others just want other people to permanently live with. A few decide to go to the port in the east and try their luck. You and Amara are soon the only ones left in the mountains. More runaway princesses and queens come your way from beyond the castle town you escaped, seeking refuge. The two of you work together to teach them survival skills, and mining. You listen to their stories, let them meet other people in the small villages, and wish more good luck to the ones that decide to further explore the world. More years pass. One day, you spot a little girl. She's a runaway princess; you can tell that by how fine her dress is, despite it being rags now. You call out to her to get her attention. "Oy! Hey you!" She turns, and you ask her, "You lost?" She's another former princess, just like you. But at least you can give her a new start, like what Amara gave you. *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You decide to go west, to the forest. You know of villages that lie in or around that area, and you decide to brave the trees and wildlife. For the first few days, you find no one. Your belly growls with hunger, your throat grows parched, and though some plantlife starts looking appetizing, you fear poisoning yourself by accident if you eat them. You have sleepless, cold nights, and you fear death. You even wonder if it was just better to accept your fate back at the castle and die entirely. You hear an arrow whizz by your ear, one day, and you scream. "I'm so sorry, miss!" You look up. It's a hunter. A grown, bearded man, dressed in a mix of leather and cloth. He looks like he's traversed these woods for a while, given how worn his clothing is. "Are you alright?" He asks. He's clearly concerned, and definitely apologetic, given the worry in his eyes. "I didn't mean to shoot at you. I was just hunting for tonight's meal." You burst into tears. Not because you almost got shot, but because this is the first person that's offered you kindness since *days* ago. The hunter introduces himself as Owen, and brings you back to his village for safety. No one there knows that you're the princess, and so you take the opportunity form a new life this way... You make up the story that your parents were killed after helping you escape, when the new conquerer came a couple days ago. You've been wandering in the woods since. It's not a complete lie, given everything that happened, and guilt settles into your stomach as you repeat the story to all the other villagers that ask about you, but Owen and the rest of the villagers soon accept you as one of their own. You end up living with Owen and his family. At first, his wife isn't pleased that you're another mouth to feed, but she grows fond of you when she realizes you learn quickly at weaving cloth and sewing it. You soon become apprenticed to the village's tailor, and create beautiful fabric. You weave clothes, of course, but you also make embroidery. You use your skills to tell the story that you can't say aloud; that you were once a princess, and that princess had no choice but to seek refuge when threatened with death if she stayed in her kingdom any longer. Everyone who buys your embroidered works takes it as legend, as fiction. As far as you hear about your former life as a princess in Ularis, all that the people know is that the princess went missing and was never heard of again. Owen's son, Jacob, marries you years later. It's mildly awkward at first, but it soon evolves into a loving, sweet marriage. It's a humble life you have, sharing a home and eventually a family with him, but at least it's something good. You have your regrets, wondering what might've happened if you stayed at the castle or tried to take it back, but this isn't a bad ending to your story. ''GOOD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You decide that the safest path is to sail away as far as you can. Make it out to sea, and hopefully you'll find a new life abroad. You've never been on a ship, before, but you might as well try. You sneak aboard one of the ships docked in the port, and survive off the rations they have. One of the crew finds you after three days at sea. At first, the captain panics, as he's one of the ones that believes that a woman on board, regardless of age, will bring bad luck to the crew. However, no storms come and you stay on your best behaviour despite his worries, so he decides you might just be a good luck charm and helping hand, instead. You earn your keep for the next while, scrubbing the deck and helping dish out rations properly to the crew. It's an odd and somewhat unpredictable life, for sure, but as you learn more about sailing, of the goods they often carry, and leading sailors, the captain recognizes your potential. He starts teaching you about how to use the compass and the maps, and soon he eventually gets to the point of promoting you to first mate, his right-hand woman. Some of the crew protest this, while others welcome the change. However, you yourself make it *very* clear that you're in charge if they can't talk to the captain for whatever reason. Those that initially protest your position soon gain respect for you and what you do. You go around as first mate for a couple years until the captain retires, and the next thing you realize is that you're the captain of a whole merchant ship. Some are surprised at this, but others find it inspiring. You take on new crewmates as others retire or move to different jobs, but eventually it results in an all-woman merchant ship, one of the first in history. You train them as well as your mentor once taught you, and you're eventually known to have one of the *best* merchant ships in history. One of the newly-established sailing routes, years later, is for Ularis, the kingdom you once left, and you have a request to ship some goods there. You can't help but feel a tinge of nostalgia from memories that wash over you, but you hold back tears when your first mate asks you if you're okay. Instead, you take a deep breath, remember that you're not a princess, and that the captain of a merchant ship is the life you have now. Even if you return to the kingdom, no one will likely recognize you. You decide to take the route to Ularis. You may not be its princess anymore, but as a captain of this ship, you can at least get a glimpse of how it's changed since you left. ''GOOD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

It's not easy to take the rope out and find a way to sneak around the room while doing so, to prepare to kill him, but you manage to do so, hiding behind curtains and so on. The conquerer idly sips his wine, unaware of you sneaking about. You manage to get right behind the throne, and... You take out the rope, sling it around the throne where his neck is, and you squeeze the life out of him as much as you can. A gasp comes from the man, and he struggles. He manages to somewhat get up from his chair, his hands coming to the rope around his neck, but you take the opportunity to wrap the rope around his neck again and *pull* the rope as tightly as you can, trying to choke the life out of him. His arms grow slack, and he soon collapses to the ground with a thud. The noise makes some guards run into the room, but you stand over your conquerer's corpse, taking the crown from his head and holding it up for the others to see. "I'm your ruler now." You declare, and you say it with such conviction that the the guards tremble in your presence. "Bow to me." They do. [[Become the new queen.]]

When he doesn't have the goblet raised to his lips after you sneak over until you're by his throne, you soundlessly pour the contents of the vial into the half-full goblet of wine, hide from sight, and wait. He drinks from the goblet, unaware of the *poison* that's now in it. You smile, and decide to make your presence known. "Hello, Your Highness." The conquerer turns to stare at you as you hold up the vial, and then stares down at his goblet with horror. A choked gasp leaves him, and two coughs bring up blood. You back away as he gets up from his seat, trying to reach for your as the goblet drops to the ground, but he can't reach you. The poison takes hold fast. He coughs up more and more blood as he falls to his knees, and with one final gasp, he collapses completely, dead upon hitting the ground. The noise makes some guards run into the room, but you stand over your conquerer's corpse, taking the crown from his head and holding it up for the others to see. "I'm your ruler now." You declare, and you say it with such conviction that the the guards tremble in your presence. "Bow to me." They do. [[Become the new queen.]]

You sneak around in the throne room, doing your best to get close to him. You manage to get right behind his throne. As he lifts his goblet to his lips to drink, you pull out your dagger and reach around the throne stab him in the heart. A sputtering gasp leaves the man's lips, but you don't stop there. You move around the throne to face him, stabbing him several more times. Blood pours from his corpse as he staggers to his feet, yelling out in pain, but he soon collapses to the ground with a mighty thud, the crown rolling off his head in the process. The noise makes some guards run into the room, but you stand over your conquerer's corpse, taking the crown from his head and holding it up for the others to see. "I'm your ruler now." You declare, and you say it with such conviction that the the guards tremble in your presence. "Bow to me." They do. [[Become the new queen.]]

The next events are a blur, over the next few days. You're crowned the new queen, and a wave of admiration and fear rocks the kingdom, knowing that you singlehandedly killed the previous king that killed your parents and tried to take over the kingdom. It also turns out your governness, Maria, is alive, but was simply imprisoned like you were. You reunite with her, much to your joy, and while you get used to your new position as queen, she tells you the memories she has of your parents, to comfort you when you miss them at night. You rule the kingdom well. It flourishes and grows more powerful. Another kingdom tries to take over, but you crush their invaders so easily that they never try again. Suitors come flocking for your hand years later, eager to make political alliances, but it's the musician that played the lute at your initial coronation that catches your eye. People are scandalized upon you eventually marrying him once you are of age, but his poetry and beautiful playing are praised, as well as his gentle nature, contrasting with your firmness. You both eventually have a daughter. You don't want the past to be repeated, so you quickly teach her in the arts of self-defense, teaching her how to identify poisons, use rope to her advantage, and how to hide daggers on her person where no one can see them. Just in case. You can never be too careful. Regardless of how your daughter takes on the kingdom after you, you have a feeling that this kingdom is in good hands because of what you did. Though you miss the parents you lost, at least you got their kingdom. They would be proud of you for keeping it safe. You're sure of that. ''GOOD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

You decide that, despite the lack of weapon on your person, you're going to try to kill him anyway. You sneak your way across the throne room, hiding behind curtains draped along the walls and doorways so he doesn't see you, and you get close enough that you're right behind his throne. You wait as he turns his head away from your direction, and you reach out to grab him by the neck— Only for his hand to grab your wrist and squeeze. He's strong enough to make you scream out in pain, and he turns his head to smile at you, toothy and menacing all at once. "Well, well, well. Trying to kill me, are you?" You reach for his neck with your other hand, but he splashes the goblet of wine at your face, blinding you temporarily. He takes the opportunity to grab both your wrists and turn your around while trying to keep hold of you. You kick and scream, and you try to grapple with him, but it's no use. He soon has you pinned to the ground, hovering over you as he yells for the guards. The guards run in, and he backs away enough. You try to get up, but as you look up, you see the guards pointing swords at you. "I bore of this one." Your conquerer sighs, almost *yawning* at the sight of you. "Run her through." Those are the last words you hear before a sword stabs you in the back, right through the heart. ''BAD END'' *Return to [[Kingdom]] to try a different path.*

*''Kingdom''* ''Summary:'' You are a princess, whose kingdom was taken over five days ago by a conquerer. You've been imprisoned in your own room since, with the knowledge that your parents cannot save you, and that the conquerer intends to kill you very soon. What do you do? Escape? Kill the conquerer before he kills you? Or accept your fate? This a choose-your-own-adventure/interactive fiction story, where you make the choices. There are some happy ends if you succeed, but also grave consequences if you don't. ''Credits:'' This entire game was created by ClariLaGames on Twine. ''Other notes:'' Submission for the "I Can't Write, But Want To Tell A Story" Game Jam (July 24th-August 10th, 2020). ''Content warning:'' This game contains mentions of murder and actual murder, depending on which choices you make and their consequences, with non-graphic description. *Ready to begin? Go to [[Kingdom]].*