The Youngest Princess

Syretia (sear-ree-sha)

Amalie (am-a-lee)

Frederick

𝓐𝓰𝓮-

16

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻-

Female

𝓢𝓮𝔁𝓾𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂-

Straight

𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂-

"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕝𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖."

Syretia may have been the baby of the family, but she's lovingly been told that she was born a bitter old woman. That was where Syretia would disagree and argue that it was more nurture than nature- or lack thereof- that guided her to pessimism and judgement when it came to the people around her. It is hard to find a sixteen year old girl that is so self-assured and confident in who she is (and who she believes those around her to be), but it's also hard to find any other sixteen year old girl who had grown up with King Thantulus as a father.

Those loyal to her family have called her bold and honest, and those waiting to see her head underneath a guillotine have called her ungrateful and spoiled. She considers herself observant and stubborn. Unfortunately for the princess, she has never really been a people person, and can come off as abrasive and rude even after years of etiquette lessons, as she has always had difficulty hiding her opinions and judgments- the difficulty being that she doesn't quite understand why she should.

Syretia feels constantly stifled as the only princess, whose duty is to be beautiful and lovely. She knows herself and knows that that isn't who she is, and wishes that her family would accept her regardless- the small bit of insecurity she has lies here. Being told all her life that all her value stems from looks, breeding, and grace, although she doesn't believe it, has had its affect. Having a father who would ignore her only hammers that point home.

Syretia had grown up in the darkest part of the royal shadow as the youngest (and a girl, no less), but has managed to work it to her advantage, allowing her to sneak off to her 'immature pursuits,' such as chemistry, astrology, and geology. Can't a girl like shiny rocks that aren't worth a small village? Syretia is surprisingly willing to get her hands dirty, and finds nothing more satisfying than getting results or making a discovery out of a day of pure hard work. Syretia feels powerless in the way her life and kingdom are headed, but when mixing compounds or hunting for signs of sedimentary, she has control. Sometimes it feels like her hobbies are all she has, and she throws herself into science whenever her emotions threaten to boil over.

Her disregard for tradition and willingness to break the rules have labeled her as the 'troubled' and 'rebellious' princess, but what all the tabloids don't understand is how fed up Syretia is from a life in a gilded cage. She knows her duties will only get heavier and more restricting, so she fights tooth and nail for whatever freedom she can get while it's still in reach. And if she manages to embarrass the King while doing it, that's all for the better- she's one of the few who can get away with it relatively unscathed.

Syretia looks for the ugly truth within the pretty lies, and won't flinch at what she finds. She likes to see things without embellishments and bias (even if she has her own) so she can see the facts as clearly as she can. Syretia can make conclusions and decisions based on facts and evidence, not convoluted schemes and differing experiences, which is a problem for someone born into a life of politics.

Syretia is curious and inquisitive with a mind that never stops, and she loves figuring out a good puzzle- the more complex, the better. She's surprisingly adaptive for a princess living a cushy life, and a quick learner that is academically intelligent.

Confidence paired with a quick wit has given her a wicked sense of humor, and some of her courtly companions actually don't mind that their mothers forced them to make friends with the princess, for the shock and laughter she brings her guests when comfortable and feeling particularly rebellious. She saves the skulking for dinners with her parents, who she feels deserve her bitterness in full force.

She has her silly moments around those she's comfortable with- mainly her brothers. When cooped up for too long, Syretia tends to get hyper and entertains herself by annoying her brothers to no end. At this critical point, every idea seems like a good idea to her.

𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼-

freedom

At least, any amount that she can get. Syretia has learned just how precious the ability to make her own decisions and do what she wants is. The moments that she's at her happiest are the moments where she is free to do what she wants without any expectations weighing down her every move. The moment she's told to do something, even if she was previously excited to do so, will immediately make her not want to do it.

her hobbies

All of her hobbies follow the same vein of being fascinating and imaginative while also remaining constant within its own pre-established set of rules. Activities she can control and understand are the most fun for Syretia.

achieving a goal

Nothing gives Syretia the same level of dopamine as the moment she watches as all of her hard work comes to fruition. Her intelligence is one of the few qualities that can't be disputed, and a lot of her self-worth comes from being able to use nothing but her wits and knowledge to solve a problem.

horseback riding

Syretia is by no means active, but one activity she had been required to learn was horseback riding. She began when she was still at the age when she did almost everything she was told, and so her only problem was with a fear of heights. Her trainer was gentle enough and her horse sweet enough to coax her into getting over her fear. The trainer was one of her favourite tutors, never forceful or pushing her past where she was comfortable, and so the activity has always meant tranquility, choice, and freedom for her.

𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼-

her father

If there was a hate category, he would make the top of the list. There's only so far familial ties will go when she'd grown up in pain every day knowing it was her father's greed to blame, something he had never apologized for. Maybe she'd start treating him like her father when he decides to start treating her like his daughter, but until then, he's a tyrannical King who controls every aspect of her life.

being underestimated or dismissed

"You aren't old enough" and "a lady can't" are two statements that get her blood boiling like nothing else, and she will immediately commit herself to proving just what she shouldn't be able to do because of her age or gender. Syretia gets especially furious when her efforts in science are ignored or diminished, as if everything she says and does is worth less. Her curse also factors into people assuming that she's a fragile little princess who must be locked away for her own safety, which is definitely the assumption she hates the most.

tradition

Syretia finds nothing more pointless. The world is constantly changing, so why not adapt with it? What does it matter that her great great grandmother had the first dance of every ball when she was eligible? Seeing as touching any sweaty guy would make her break out in hives, she figures that's a tradition that is better left to die. And anything else that connects them to a strong past of rulers- what does it matter if the current King dresses and holds court like the King before him if those habits can't make him into the benevolent ruler her grandfather had been?

boredom

Some people enjoy lazy days of doing nothing- Syretia is not one of these people. Her curious brain likes to keep moving with something new to focus on, and listless boredom on the rare occasion where she can't access any of her hobbies is bad news for everyone. That's the point where she gets hyper and makes it her mission in life to annoy any one of her brothers that she can find. But no matter how much she dislikes boredom when she has nothing to do, she hates the type of boredom that comes with being focused on something she's just not interested in- politics and etiquette lessons, for example.

water

Harmless to others, but the devil's drink to her. She hates it so much, and the promise of pain it brings with it.

𝓗𝓸𝓫𝓫𝓲𝓮𝓼-

chemistry

It took years for her to bargain and plead her way to getting a workspace, but she's never spent so much time in a room. Every birthday since she was ten has found her asking for some kind of new and expensive apparatus, and there always seems to be some new solution boiling on a Bunsen burner. She's surpassed her basic tutor in the subject and her father has refused to let her study under a master because of how much it would be 'a waste of money,' so most of what she learns now is self-taught through experimentation and books that aren't quite contraband, but Syretia knows her father wouldn't be too happy to know she was reading.

astrology

Her curse limits the amount of time she can spend outside as her level of pain depends on the weather. However, she'd always been fascinated by the stars since she was a little girl, and on nights where her dehydration gave her a headache too painful to sleep through, she would star-gaze until dawn. Learning that there were constellations, that the stars she looked at were always constant and the same, and that the movement of these stars could be tracked with charts and math only fascinated her more. One of her most prized possessions is a golden gilded (most things are when the King insists everything in his castle sparkles) telescope, the best money can buy. She's allowed to keep it in her room, but Syretia knows when to relent and keeps her star charts and calculations hidden.

geology

Syretia was one of those girls who had a rock collection when she was little, but she's never quite grown out of her fascination with them. Although, instead of just picking up whichever cool rock she's found on the ground, she goes on small hunts to find a variety of different kinds, and brings them back to study their formation and what it can tell her about the land around her. Bonus if they're shiny and colourful. Anytime she travels this becomes her favourite thing to do- she loves that she can solve a small part of the new land she's traveled to from the rocks that lie there.

𝓜𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓶𝓼-

- When she's about to do something she knows you won't like, she lowers her head and looks up through her eyelashes with a certain gleam in her eyes, a barely repressed grin growing on her face, and rolls forward on the balls of her feet as if ready for action.

- When she's bored, she'll either look out of a window, or at the ceiling if none are available. She only maintains eye contact if she's interested in what a person has to say.

- She has a tendency to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet if she's talking about one of her passions, hobbies, or just something that she's learned.

- When deep in thought, she'll run her hands through her hair or twist it around her finger.

𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼-

every idea she has is the best idea

A weakness since this is only her opinion, not the fact that she thinks it is. She's terrible at collaboration and listening to other's input when she already knows what she wants to do. Trying to stop her is the equivalent of trying to stop a speeding train by throwing yourself on the tracks- she'll just run you over and keep going. Her confidence in her own abilities and ideas, when warranted, is a strength, but sometimes she doesn't see the error in her plans until everything has crashed and burned around her. The only people who have a chance of talking her down are maybe her brothers.

small talk

It's almost as if Syretia has a running timer of how long she can stomach a polite (and super boring) conversation of pleasantries before asking a visiting dignitary why it took him so long to figure out his blue-eyes child was a bastard- or something of the like. Her curiosity can't be restrained by something as intangible as social properity, and her natural brutal honesty spares no feelings or pride- she isn't the most sympathetic to the plights of others. Her family tends to corral her away from the more important and easily offended dignitaries.

judgments

The first impression someone gives her tends to affect what she thinks of them every time they meet after. Syretia is typically inflexible in her judgments and opinions, and won't hesitate to make it known if the impression wasn't the best. Her stubbornness gets the better of her in these cases, and she misses out on some of the best parts of people when she focuses on their faults. Handing out second chances and forgiveness is not for her- the only person she'd ever offered them to has hurt her more than anyone else possible could, and by twelve she had learned her lesson.

bitter pessimism

The only optimism she seems to have is reserved for her determination that she can cure her and her brothers, but even then it's more of a confidence in her own abilities then mindless hope (which is what she considers optimism to be). Expecting the worst of people leaves less room to be disappointed, which has worked for her when surrounded by the greediest and most selfish politicians in the kingdom. Sometimes her depressing view on life can get the best of her, and she can get into her own head. Her pity parties consist of finding her secluded spot on the castle grounds and staring at the rock in front of her while thinking about all the parts of her life that suck.

𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓽𝓱𝓼-

high pain tolerance

Dealing with a certain amount of pain every day since she was born had given her a pain tolerance that is almost scary. A seven-year old Syretia had once fallen from an outcrop or rocks she was playing on, and when her nanny rushed over, she found the little girl with a gash on her head, a crooked arm, and not a tear in sight. She remembers being told years later that she'd just raised her head, winced, and told her nanny that she really didn't want to go back to the doctors again.

quick learner

Syretia has a pretty impressive memory, and her passion for learning helps her focus and pay attention on things that interest her. This makes her a quick study on practically any subject of interest to her, and with the vast amounts of resources and tutors available to her, she has more than a few subjects, languages, and musical instruments under her belt.

genuine

Syretia has held onto her honesty in a world where lies are power and weapons, only willing to relent to protect her brothers. But even more impressive, she has managed to remain genuine. She looks at the world with sharp eyes and will greet the elephant in the room by their first name. Although abrasive when chafing against the pride of nobles around her, she has stuck to her values.

courage

Syretia is no stranger to pain, and it takes a certain amount of courage to know something will hurt but face it regardless- she has never once turned her back on or ignored something painful, and prefers the ugly truth to pretty lies. Just to face her curse everyday without flinching is courageous.

𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮

Curse of Suffering

Water is poison to her. As far as curses go, Syretia has always considered this one especially cruel. Water is necessary for survival, and it will never kill her, but drinking a cup of it is the equivalent to someone chugging extremely corrosive acid- her mouth fills with sores and her throat closes up in excruciating pain. Thankfully, once its in her body and blood, the affects on her seem to neutralize.

Obviously, she's never learned to swim. Showers give her rashes and boils, and humid days cause her to suffocate on air. Crying releases pent up pain for some, but only causes more for Syretia. Unfortunately, water is a base component of almost every drink and food, so eating is always painful, albeit less so then drinking water directly- if not for an IV drip, she would be severely dehydrated. The only sign otherwise is her constantly chapped lips and dry skin.

The princess is somewhat underweight from years of skipping meals until her father orders her force fed. The curse had actually jump-started her interest in chemistry, as a ten year old Syretia wondered why hydrogen in the air and nitrogen in the soil had no effect on her, but when they were arranged into water, made her life unbearable. She's still looking for a cure for her and her brothers, although she keeps it to herself- she knows they unequivocally believe magic is some unexplained unnatural perversion instead of science they had yet to discover. A reality she has recently had to accept is the fact that any kiss more then a peck will likely be excruciating for her- not that she is super interested in romance at the time, but there's always a stab of heartache when she has to interrupt a normal teenage fantasy with her reality. She's taken to wearing gloves and covering as much skin as possible to avoid nasty surprises.

Princess are made to be beautiful, not to be covered in boils, burns and rashes, so her condition has of course affected her duties. Syretia has been allowed to skip out on social evenings in the event that she looks particularly hideous, which has to be the only advantage to the whole thing. She has also never attended a dinner with guests or diplomats (it's hard to be intimidating and regal when groaning and dry heaving), making her presence somewhat mysterious and elusive. When it is absolutely necessary for her to attend a function, she washes herself with ever evolving compounds of mercury to avoid burns, then covers herself in cosmetics of her own making that contain little to no water. She likes to avoid using a mercury wash frequently, however, considering how toxic it is. Even if it isn't as painful as water, overtime it could really affect her.

𝓕𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼-

living with her curse for the rest of her life

Every day she wakes up knowing that she is facing more pain, and in her darker days, sometimes it was only the hope of waking up to a day where that was no longer the case that kept her going. Just imagining that she would have to live this way for the rest of her life makes her want to cry (which will just make things worse), so she's adopted the mindset that it's just a matter of time before the curse is broken. She would prefer it gone as soon as possible, and has tried her best to make it so.

becoming her mother

There's nothing she fears more than becoming powerless and complacent, and that's all she sees when she thinks of the Queen. Syretia doesn't hate or dislike her, but she doesn't respect her, either. Of course, there was a time when she thought her mother could do no wrong, but that rose-tinted view faded as she watched her turn a blind eye to her husband's atrocities that harmed her kingdom and children. Whether it's because of complacency or the fact that the Queen truly can't stop him, Syretia fears becoming like her when she's married and her husband has all the power in the relationship. Even if her freedom is clipped, she doesn't want to lose her defiant spirit and passion for learning over years of mundane hopelessness.

losing her brothers

Being as close to the throne as she is, Syretia has few true friends, but she can always depend on her brothers to listen to her or distract her from her worries and pain. No matter what she's dealing with, they've been there for Syretia her whole life, and she can't imagine trying to suffer through life without them. Sometimes they seem like the only people in the world who understand her- and not just because they're the only other royals with King Thantulus as a father and a curse that haunts them every day. This makes her fairly protective of them, even if she's the youngest. There isn't a lot she wouldn't do for them, even if she bargains and complains the whole way, as any self-respecting sibling would.

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓢𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷-

Her first thought was relief that she didn't have to take part and get married. A selfish thought, but it was true that her brothers would lose a lot less to marriage then she would. Not that she's happy that they're being forced into it- instead of the king paying for his greed and mistakes, it seemed like his children were constantly paying for it instead, and Syretia hated that her brother's choices were being limited once again by him. She'd like to shake the witch and ask her why she thought punishing four unborn children would make a selfish and greedy King see the error in his ways- they had done nothing wrong but have a terrible father, and wasn't that punishment enough?

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮-

There has yet to be something Syretia couldn't figure out when properly motivated, and although it's her biggest and longest running project, she is determined to find a scientific cure to the way she and her brothers are suffering. She had to, because putting her faith in the selection would be putting it out of her control, and the prospect of her and the ones she loves living with their affliction for the rest of their lives is too painful to put to faith.