Dear Vangelis, Honoured Prince and Loyal Friend,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and I hope in my heart that fortune's light favours your endeavours. I write to you with a heart heavy and beset by a burden most troubling, and I find myself in need of your wisdom and friendship - one who knows the weight of royal duty.

My father, who once was a mighty oak, now bends beneath the weight of an illness that has seen me undertake more and more of his official duties. Now he contemplates the future of our fair realm, and he recently put in motion a plan to alter the ancient laws of our land, so that I might inherit the throne. A path that no woman in our history has walked, and the weight of it fills me with both fear and doubt.

Though I have tried to fulfil my duties as a princess to the best of my ability, the prospect of ascending to the throne fills me with a profound sense of inadequacy. The thought of failing my people, of making mistakes that could harm Athenia, haunts me. I am not sure I am capable of bearing such a responsibility.

Yet even as these doubts assail me, I cannot turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation. Should the law remain in place, the crown will go to my cousin Elias and sadly, this whole situation has caused some friction.

It is this dilemma that drives me to reach out to you. As Crown Prince, you have been groomed for leadership from a young age, and you understand better than most the demands and sacrifices that come with such a role. Your counsel, your experience, and your friendship are invaluable to me in this time of need and I am in need of your perspective.

I would be most grateful if you would accept my invitation to visit Athenia so that we might discuss these matters in person.


Yours respectfully,
Persephone of Xanthos