1 Zonna
A new day had dawned in Altea. In many places it did not stand out. However, special things were happening in the castle where the royal couple of Balmaszeglodia resided. An heir to the throne, or rather an heiress, was about to be born. Tension was palpable, with officials and servants wondering whether the baby to be born would be healthy and whether everything would be alright with the queen. Despite magic and healing spells, once in a while misfortunes happened. Suddenly, a baby's cry rang out. Then it was reported that the queen was safe. The capital could begin to celebrate, a new generation of the Sochi family was born....
Fourteen years later, the infant had grown into a beautiful young girl. Zonna, for that was the name the princess was given, had lush, loose red hair reaching past her shoulders. Her brown eyes shimmered with colours like amber in the sunlight. Her smile brightened up, the gloomiest of days. A shapely figure that betrayed traces of femininity and an athletic body, as befitted a Nord. She was tall, equal to boys her age.
Zonna was well-mannered, behaving as befitted a princess and heir to the throne. Elegance and grace were her indispensable elements. The intelligence with which she was endowed made her unrivalled among her peers, as well as many adults. Her cheerful disposition and kindness towards others made her popular with her subjects, who were not afraid to come to the young princess with their problems.
It was through dealing with the troubles of the kingdom's Maji that Zonna gained respect and recognition. Her intelligence helped to find solutions to even the most difficult challenges posed by requests from the kingdom's residents. She never finished a case unless she felt she had done her best. She would consider every case her subjects brought to her and, when something was impossible to do, she would calmly explain why the request was unworkable, giving arguments in such a way that the subject would fully understand them and agree with the princess' opinion. This approach made the subjects love Zonna.
She seemed to be the perfect creation of her parents- King Ivi and Queen Est. Unfortunately, Zonna had one disadvantage, she could not become a mage naturally, without help of mna'practice. She had one day a week reserved for training with magic cores. For the time being it proved of little help. However, the royal family did not give up, they continued to invest in Zonna believing that one day the mana would exceed the level needed for her to become a mage. It was an investment in the future of the kingdom, for a ruler with skills such as Zonna's with a few hundred years to live would build a strong foundation for the next millennia of the state's existence. There were now only a few mages ruling in the whole of Altea, but the countries in which they ruled were growing in strength. Even so, no one thought to fill thrones with long-lived mages. What mattered was the priority of birth or the designation by the current king of the most competent prince or princess. Zonna was the only child and, apart from her parents, the last of the Sochi family. In her case, it was sure that she would be the one to sit on the throne.
Zonna had one passion, magic. Although she could not use it herself, she loved to read about it in her spare time. The various theories, the workings of spells and the creation of new ones, how to control mana or, for that matter, the various studies of mages, were her daily readings in breaks from lessons, or duties, designed to prepare her to be queen. She also liked to have long conversations with mages about various topics related to magic and mana. Many times, despite the princess's young age, such conversations brought about a breakthrough in the work of some research or new spell. The mages themselves initiated the discussion hoping that Zonna would help them with their magical problem. The entire mage community in Balmaszeglodia lamented that the princess was not a mage. They believed that with her knowledge and understanding of magic, she had the potential to become a great mage.
Zonna had many friends, but only one she had a special affection for. He was a young count named Enzo. He had blue hair and bright green eyes. The young, handsome Aisen spent a lot of time at the royal court keeping company with the princess, who was two years younger. His presence there was because King Ivi himself decided to teach Enzo. This happened after the king saw that the then 12-year-old Aisen was the only one able to keep up the pace of discussion with his daughter. The rulers of Balmaszeglodia were always highly educated and happened to teach the children of their subjects if they were bright enough and of high birth. This was a great distinction, as history has shown that the kings' pupils over the years became vassals with the greatest influence in the kingdom. A few times they even became the spouses of the heirs to the throne.
Enzo was an eager student and very quickly absorbed the knowledge passed on by King Ivi. Importantly, he was later able to put it into practice. At the age of fourteen, he was given an official position despite the age of majority on Altea being sixteen. He gained fame and notoriety, but did not get carried away by it. He accepted compliments with calmness, occasionally mentioning his shortcomings. This made him look like a modest young man in the eyes of others. He skillfully evaded the advances of noble young ladies. In his heart was already Zonna.
The king and queen, seeing the youngsters' developing affection, were not opposed to it. What mattered to them was the happiness of their daughter, and Enzo too was an excellent candidate for the husband of the future queen. The young men spent a lot of time together, honing their knowledge and training on each other's acquired skills in dealing with others. Mixed in with all this was discreet courtship. Sincere smiles, eye contact, hand rubs, brushing hair off their foreheads or small contacts became their daily routine. They flirted with each other skilfully so as not to cause a scandal. After all, Zonna's partner's position as future king was coveted by many. A small mistake, could have given Enzo's competitors a reason to remove him from Zonna's entourage.
Just when it seemed that everything was heading in the right direction, sad news arrived at the royal castle. Enzo's mother, while riding her horse, fell badly from her horse. She could not be saved and died on the spot. It was a bolt of lightning that struck the young couple. This information meant that the then only fifteen-year-old young man had to become a count and manage his territory. He could not do this from the capital, where his beloved was located. This meant a separation that would test the affection of young Maji.
Zonna and her parents were concerned about how Enzo would handle this challenge. He had the knowledge and skills necessary to manage the county, but it is the Maji subordinate to a ruler or nobleman who is always an uncertain element that can surprise even the most prepared landowner. No one was sure how they would react to the juvenile count.
However, these fears proved unfounded. After the initial chaos in his county, Enzo quickly got the situation under control and his talent in managing the domains began to shine through. His knowledge combined with his good sense of the situation and the mood of the Maji quickly won him over his subjects. With their support, he made reforms and investments in the previously prosperous lands. His mother may not have been a genius like him, but she was a good administrator. The county began to earn much more than before. In just one year of Enzo's reign, his territory became the most prosperous in the whole country. While the Count's subjects had previously supported him for his potential, they now loved him for the prosperity he provided for them.
Nobles and royal officials praised the king for recognising the count's talent, and in curt, implicit words congratulated the future son-in-law. Zonna, in turn, heard compliments praising her for her choice of partner, as it was an open secret that the princess and the count had a close relationship.
Zonna thanked them with a smile, but the then 13-year-old girl was not entirely happy. The success of her beloved Enzo was ransomed by the death of his mother. Because of his preoccupation with the affairs of his county, she had not seen him for over a year! The only contact was limited to letters. As heir to the throne, she should be happy with the successes of her likely future husband. His prosperous county strengthened Enzo's position as a candidate for her hand. Despite all this, the young woman's heart said she didn't care. She wants to be by his side here and now. She had him by her side and he was taken from her. The separation filled her with sadness and regret. The uncertainty of whether their feeling would be the same when they met again wanted to burst her breast. She couldn't know when she would see him again, whether he had met someone new.
Despite her internal grievances, during this year of separation Zonna also worked hard, and as a result King Ivi gave her some new responsibilities. In addition to her previous meetings with her common subjects, there were also meetings with the richer part of them and the noble who asked for audiences to help solve their problems. In this way, Zonna, as the future queen, established direct relationships with important figures in Balmaszeglodia. Zonna performed excellently in this task. Many stakeholders were very happy with the way their problem was resolved, and where nothing could be done the young Sochi would factually explain developments leading to this that the subject himself was able to accept it. She did not stop there, however, but suggested a different course of action that could help. Zonna wanted that even if she could not fulfil the request directly, some advice would at least help her subjects. This engagement meant that Zonna's position was strengthened in the circles of the nobility and the wealthy of Balmaszeglodia's Maji. They stopped treating her as just a future monarch and began to see her as an heir to the throne ready to be a partner in conversation and business with them.
For the past year, she has been filling the void caused by the absence of Enzo at her side with lessons and duties. Her only source of joy has been the time she has been able to devote to studying subjects related to magic. However, here too, the first signs of frustration were appearing as time passed. Her mana training was of very little benefit to her. Her dreams of being a mage seemed to be slowly receding. Still, she was the heir to the throne, she was one of only a few dozen Maji on the entire continent who could boast that position. That alone made her unique in the whole of Altea. In addition, she was one of the most intelligent young Maji. This allowed her to think positively about her future. In addition, maybe even if her dream of magic does not come true, the case for a happy love with Enzo is not lost. It just takes more time for things to work out her way.
