Chapter One

"Good afternoon Petra. Did you sleep well?"
"Mrhm"
"I saved you some lunch; why don't you have a seat."

The bedraggled teen dropped into the chair across from her mother, the Empress. She yawned loudly and started cramming down the sandwich before her.

"Your father and I have been talking."

Petra didn't look up, instead turning to the bowl of cold soup in the middle of the table.

"We've decided that you need to either get a job, or go to school. All this comfort and luxury here in the palace is just spoiling you. And with your potential it would be wasteful for you to just lay around and do nothing."

Petra looked up right around the mention of 'job'. The horror on her face was unmistakeable.

"But Mom; what's the point in being princess if you have to do stuff?"
"You aren't the princess until you're old enough to compete. Right now your brother is the prince, and at the rate you're going he'll stay that way."

Petra let out an exasparated, overly-emphesaised sigh.
"Fine. What are my options?"
"The army is where I started, We can get you a commision; the people always love to see their nobles leading from the front. And it's a good education, not to mention it'll toughen you up."
"And be outside sweating all day? That's not for me Mom."
"Attica U has a great science program. You could work on developing new technologies; the people respect a leader who can solve problems."
"Sure, and get trailed around by a bunch of horny frat boys. I'm a princess, if I wanted to be some jock's wet dream I'd model and at least get payed for it."

The Empress managed a quick once-over of her daughter. She had frizzy black hair, and not just from her chronic bed-head; it was uncommon for Nielda to have hair quite that dark and it had never been in style or even considered mildly attractive. Her eyes too were dark; again uncommon, and unattractive for Nielda. Her clothes were mismatched, a combination of dark skirts and brightly colored shirts, neither of which complemented her otherwise quite shapely, if somewhat thin, body, or her pale skin.

"Petra I don't think you should worry about that. The other option is the Academy for Arcane Excellence; it's a good education both physically and mentally, and you'd never have to work another day in your life if you don't want to after you graduate."
"That sounds much nicer; but you didn't say anything about what the people would think."
"They'll think your an elitist brat who hasn't done an honest day's work in her life and is completly out of touch with the greater 90% of the population. Unless you actually do work, or join the army, they'll probably be right."
"Why would I care? I could just conjure whatever I needed. I'm going with option three."