Polishing

Hello, all! Scarlet back! I am planning on converging two stories, Seven Nights and Kill the Man. But on going back to reread them so I could write the new story, I realized I needed to polish the stories a bit, and I might change the titles. Honestly, though, right now my writing life is just repolishing. But I did enjoying going back through and rereading my stories. Is it just me, or does reading something you've written just make you feel awesome? That is definitely how I feel, although I cringe because I regret sometimes ever writing that sentence or something. Ya feel me? 

I interrupt this fairly cohesive and strictly writing post to bring this months edition of Scarlet's Travels! (Joke, that is. Yoda, I am.) So I went to Italy! (in the beginning of August...yeah, this post is late. Very.) This time instead of doing the art and city visit, we took a more relaxed country/sea side approach.

 We started off in the Cinque Terre, which is just stunning. It is five town all relatively close to each other perched on clifftops or down on the rocky beaches: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. We stayed in Monterosso and hiked to Vernazza, then from there to Corniglia. In Vernazza, we swam in part of the port, with all the locals. It was so amazing and the water was sooo warm. Sadly the cops came and threw everyone out. Apparently I'm a criminal now. (Joking). That night we also so a jazz band out in the square singing songs in Italian, French and English. The next day we hiked from Corniglia to Manarola via this three hour trail. It was the prettiest hike we did, but also the most challenging. We were so tired we just took a train to Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre was definetly amazing.

Our next destination was Tuscany. There wasn't much we wanted to do in Tuscany, it was mostly about the place we stayed at, Il Paluffo. It was just amazing! It had a natraul pool, which meant no chlorine or salt water, and it was like swimming in silk. Seriously it felt amazing. From the side of the pool, you could see stunning hills and the towers of San Gimingiano. While we were there, we met an Italian and a French guy who taught us how to play Scopa, a classic Italian card game. (we also battled it out in an all out game of poker) They were very kind and generous and even invited us to make pizzas with them. (they were delicious) Also, we stargazed, something I haven't done in forever, and we were able to see Saturn and its rings, which was so cool.

Last, but certainly not least, we stopped in at the Amalfi coast for two days. We spent our one full day on a boat, exploring grottoes and the clear blue water. It was amazing! I got a long jagged scrape (actually 9 injuries in total) from exiting a hidden tiny grotto. Not going to forget that in a hurry! 

And in two days I leave for Croatia. I cannot wait!  

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"Your Majesty?"

Clara woke with a start. Sweat rolled from her brow onto her starch white sheets. She panted, struggling for breath, trying to remember where she was and what had happened.  It was the day before her coronation and her maid had awoken her for her lessons.

So much had happened in the little time between her Mother's death and her coronation. Clara was queen of Cannon, the nation of the Living Dead. Cannon was not filled with zombies; no the title self-assigned to the small but hardy nation was merely in reference to their history. The people of Cannon were survivors of a ship wreck. The enormous ship had patrolled the galaxy for illegal practices until the ship malfunctioned. Later inspection revealed nothing; it appeared as if destiny had caused the wreck. The captain of the S.S Lusitania, Clara's grandmother, managed to land the dying ship on the planet that Cannon now called home. 

The crew of about 500 became Cannons first settlers. They found an abandoned city underground, deep below the surface, in the heart of the planet. The city itself was built around a giant waterfall of magma, hollowed out from the rock the plant comprised of. Stalactites decorated the ceiling of every house in the Cannon. Nearly a hundred years past, and the crew of the S.S Lusitania became a nation. They nicknamed themselves the living dead; they crashed on a deserted planet, all was lost, they were as good as dead. And yet still they managed to revive and grow a nation.

The right of ruling past from Clara's grandmother to her mother, Cornelia. And when Cornelia died, it passed to Clara. Clara, a child. She was barely over sixteen, and yet was responsible for the governing of the small but rough nation. Being members of the Royal Space Force, they were not your average citizen. These people were weathered, easily angered, and brutal. Small fights that escalated to destroying houses and killing people erupted monthly in Cannon. Cornelia had ruled with an iron hand and had ended these petty fights. But Clara didn't think she could. Already small scuffles had broken out, Felice, queen's counsel and Head of Defence, told her. 

Her mother had died suddenly nearly a fortnight ago. The grief Clara felt was dulled by the fact of that she was suddenly thrust into responsibility. Immediately, Clara had to inspect the The Guards of the Lusitania, Cannon's police force. She had to meet the hundred of high ranking officials and the countless other civilians. The cotton farms and orchards had to be visited and approved of. She was measured and fitted for clothes to wear on her coronation day. She was presented with an array of varied and exotic dishes to try and to approve of. Clara and her tutor wrote and rehearsed her speech for hours a day. Felice drilled her with false situations and difficult choices; Clara almost always felt she chose wrong.

The coronation day came with great cheering and excitement, for the new queen, of course, but also for the new holiday. Cannon didn't have many holidays; the only holiday's celebrated were the anniversary of the queens and the day the S.S Lusitania had crashed. Clara was woken up at precisely 6:00 A.M by the crowds cheering outside her window. It seemed that they didn't want their queen to miss her big day, but believe her, Clara couldn't. She had stayed awake till an unholy hour pondering and worrying about her new queenship.

That night, after being crowned queen and celebrating with a huge feast, she wearily mounted the stairs and fell asleep, throwing off her expensive dress in a pile and donning a light, white shift dress. She fell asleep to the sound of the drunken citizens of Cannon singing God save the Queen, a feature retained from the past life on Earth. 

At six that morning, Clara was woken up by the crowd outside. Still drunk and rowdy, I guess, she thought. Ringing the bell for breakfast, she went over her coming day.Review judicial cases between two officials. Approve the menu for next weeks feast between Clara and her officials. Learn more politics and manners. All in all not a bad start to a regency. 

Her maid, Elle, knocked and entered. She placed the tray on the queen's table, then proceeded to make the bed. Funny, Clara thought, the same as yesterday: cakes with berries. 

"You nervous, miss?"

"For my first day as queen? Absolutely."

She laughed. "Well, not yet, at least. No one expects too much ruling from you on your coronation day."

Elle moved towards the door.

"My coronation day was yesterday, Elle."

"Unless you had a private coronation, miss, it's today. I'll come in a few minutes and help you get dressed. Can I take the tray?" 

She nodded. What is going on? Clara thought. It was obvious there was some mistake, but whose mistake was it? She didn't imagine the whole coronation, she knew. Clara peered out the window. It was clear that this was not a drunken residue from a party, on the contrary, they looked as if they hadn't had a celebration in quite a while. 

Elle returned with Clara's dress: her coronation dress.

"Shouldn't I wear my state robes? This seems a bit showy."

"Ma'am it's your celebration! Not a death sentence. Cannon doesn't get much fun, let them have your coronation. Funny, you don't seem to mind wearing dresses, why do you care now?"

"Elle, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, miss, anything." She began fixing my hair.

"What did you do yesterday?"

"Mostly prepared for today. I saw my mummsie and Pop. Why?"

"Funny, I can't seem to remember what I did. Just curious." She lied.

Clara was escorted out and to the state building, where crowds gathered and cheered as I entered, escorted by Felice. 

"Felice," she asked him, just short of the door, "yesterday, wasn't that my coronation?"

"I hope not," he said through a laugh, "I missed it! Don't be silly, your coronation is right now, isn't it a bit obvious? I thought the crowds and the dress might have given it away."

And so they entered the building: one excited at the prospect of a new queen, the other reliving it for the second time. 

Clara fell asleep to the sound of the drunken citizens of Cannon singing God Save the Queen.

At six the next morning, she was awoken by the crowd. And Elle came and dressed her in her coronation dress and Felice walked her to the throne, and she was crowned queen for the third time. 

Clara fell asleep to the sound of God Save the Queen. She was awoken by the crowd the next morning. 

Her coronation day again. 

And she fell asleep and was awoken to the sound of a crowd. It was the fifth morning. 

At last Clara could take this confusion no longer. She slipped out of her room before Elle came in. In the hall she passed two of Cannon's army, who saluted her. Maids stared, but didn't say a word. Clara went straight for Felice's office. He was inside, polishing his officer's sword, though it already shone. 

"Clara! Pre-coronation jitters?" He asked in a jocular way. "Don't worry, if you mess it up, you can always sentence yourself to a painless death. It might be easier than living with that humility. 

"Ha, don't worry I don't mess it up. I've had plenty of time to perfect it."

"What? Practiced yourself to death?" 

"Felice, take it seriously! I have been crowned queen five times. Five."

"No, I think the people of Cannon might rebel if it took their queen five times to be crowned."

"I have lived my coronation day over and over and over and over. And it's here again. I don't know whats happening, but it's like we are stuck on a loop. An endless loop stuck on my coronation day."

"What are you saying?"

I explained everything to him.

"No, it can't be."

"Really? When I'm coronated, the priest misspeaks and says 'to protect and serve the Empire,' instead of 'to protect and serve Cannon.'. Officer Bentley asks me to the first dance. On the way back to the castle, a drunken man grabs you and twirls you round and then pukes."
"On me?"

"No, no not on you. I would tell you if that happened." 

"You'd best be right, otherwise I'll have to report you as crazy, mostly because I don't want a crazy person as my queen."

And so it was the sixth day. The priest misspoke, I danced first with Officer Bentley, and a drunken citizen danced with Felice and then puked. 

That night, Felice snuck into my room.

"So say if you are right, what should we do?"

"I think we should find out what's happening and create a plan from there." 

"Okay. Start in the library?"

Part One. What d'ya think? Better or worse? Anyway, Part Two on it's way! 

Happy Writing!
Scarlet