Imperial

Modern royal families revive and rise to conquer when certain members desire an old-fashioned absolute monarchy.

Royal heirs and descendants of former royalty have declared that their respective nations will be re-establishing the monarchies of old, back to a time bordering on the medieval. Absolute power will once more be strictly in the hands of the reigning king or queen, by fair means or foul.

 

The entire world is in an uproar, and a chaotic revolution at the hands of the 'new royals' slowly escalates, along with the changes they bring. Established monarchies find themselves becoming symbols with power, and ordinary people discovered with the DNA of lost dynasties are picked up and thrown without warning into lives of unwanted responsibility.

 

How will the world be set right again?

 

 

Kaishiro Heisei (The Prince Imperial)-  “In the end everyone has the same dream; sooner or later someone will have to realize that.” 16. Second prince of Japan. A normally mild and passive teenager trying to enjoy a full life, but Kaishiro's true quick-tempered, independent, and decisive self always lurks beneath the surface. He is frustrated by a life he compares to rare animals in a preserve, and as a result becomes an exchange student in the US. He takes the name of his father's era as a surname. When Haruhito becomes a new royal Kaishiro is brought back to Japan in the event Haruhito must be removed from his position as crown prince and replaced with Kaishiro. Aghast with this turn of events, Kaishiro delivers an ultimatum to his brother: Return to his senses or Kaishiro will do it for him, in good old-fashioned only-as-brothers-could-do kind of way, with a punch to the face.

 

Kaishiro is officially made the crown prince of Japan after Haruhito makes an attempt at patricide, and does not show up at the ceremony. Ironically the new royals' actions increase the unofficial power to the Imperial family, and with the emperor incapacitated by Haruhito's murder attempt, Kaishiro more or less takes his place as head symbol of the country. He regards that as another horror, since Kaishiro's pet peeves include the press and being in the spotlight.

 

 

Haruhito (New Emperor of Japan)- 20. First prince of Japan and a new royal. As strong-willed as Kaishiro but single-minded and stubborn. He too is frustrated with the Imperial family's strictly ceremonial status and lack of real authority, and believes a revolution is in order. He's removed from his position after his actions in Japan bring about human casualties, a fact he compares to 'regrettable but necessary losses', claiming that even bloody revolutions are necessary. This includes an attempt to kill his father to remove him from the position of emperor. Haruhito seeks to re-establish the old social system that includes a merchant class, a peasant class, and particularly a samurai class, since he admires the samurai of old.

 

 

Hanako- 12. Kaishiro's demure, sweet-natured sister, whom he nicknames 'Hana-hime', or flower princess. An extremely intelligent girl who worries for her eldest brother and is closest to her second brother. At one point Haruhito tries to take Hanako and their brother Akihiro partly to bolster his position and partly to use her as a hostage when he starts to develop a fear of being defeated by Kaishiro. After that Hanako is taken in by Jang Jae's mother and sister, living under the protection of Jae's grandfather as she pretends to be a cousin of their family.

 

 

Akihiro- 14. Third prince of Japan. Cheery and adventurous, Akihiro is hesitant to take sides as he also dislikes the Imperial lifestyle, thinking it dull and stifling. He admires Kaishiro for carving out his own way of life. When Haruhito attempts to murder their father Akihiro is finally shaken but stubbornly refuses to be hidden away like Hanako. Kaishiro finally allows him to stay with their parents for 'reasons of principle', acting as liasion between the Imperial household and Kaishiro.

 

 

Fujimiya Nao- Prime minister of Japan. Recently ascended to his position, Nao has lived a hard-fought life that makes him extremely reluctant to be second in power and authority to the Imperial family, particularly to a teenage prince like Kaishiro. He has a sincere concern for Japan's well being, but his concern for his position is even greater.

 

 

Jang Jae (The Merchant Prince)- “Let people dream.” 19. A descendant of the Yi dynasty of Korea, Jae is a quiet, somber college student planning to be a veterinarian. It is the new royals who cause a search for the world's royal lines and disrupts his once peaceful lifestyle, annoying him. Jae disapproves of his cousins' intent to re-establish a monarchy in Korea, an extreme, wild intent since it includes uniting North and South Korea by military force. His greatest worry in this is that the new royals might set off a nuclear war.

 

When South Korea asks the Jang family to represent the 'old royals' for the country, Jae's father accepts despite Jae's belief that other than condemning the new royals' extreme actions, they should stay out of the whole business. When it becomes clear that danger extends to his family, Jae breaks out of his passive stance and agrees to work with Kaishiro and the others, working to find a way to stop the new royals without the need for war or politics. Jae is similar to Kaishiro in that he initially dislikes the new royals for disrupting his desired way of life.

 

 

Jang Yong-il (New King of Korea)- 25. Descendant of the Yi dynasty, self-proclaimed king of Korea. Jae's second cousin.

 

 

Rosalinda Sicilias (The Princess of Fire)- “Words confuse, actions clear.”  21. Princess of Asturias, Princess of Spain. A proud young woman who admires Kaishiro's decisive manner despite his young(er) age. She immediately joins the unofficial alliance between the old royals like Kaishiro, rejecting the new royals' ways, and becomes responsible for maintaining relations between them and the world governments. Believing in the strength of women, she holds contempt for her romantic-minded sister Gabriela and the pacifist ideals of Princess Victoria, accusing her of only having words. She agrees to go on a date with Jae when the new royals are settled and done with.

 

 

Gabriela Sicilias (The Fire Queen)- 16. Princess of Spain. A self-centered teenager who dreams of a fairytale princess life and joins the new royals believing she can have her fairytale if she becomes queen. She acts on the urging of her adored boyfriend, Estavan Ruiz.

 

 

Estavan Ruiz- 20. An ambitious, cocky young man who easily gets Gabriela to fall in love with him. He plans to use her to become king of Spain and lord over those in his once poor, downtrodden lifestlye.

 

 

Enzo Donato (The Roman Prince)- “The things without words are the purest.” 15. Cousin to the Savoy family, descendants of the last Italian royal house. Despite his gentle nature and tendency to blame himself, Enzo is dependable in harsh circumstances and cares for people's emotional well being. He's taught music by relatives in Vienna.

 

 

Rashad bin Sultan (The Desert Prince)- “There's more to the heart than anger and hate.” 16. A grandson of the king of Saudi Arabia. Humorous, realistic, and difficult to put off guard, Rashad is always ready for a joke. He likes to observe and possesses a shrewd brain capable of analyzing situations to the point of making it seem as if he can see the future, making him famous in his country. This capable side of Rashad unfortunately (for him) causes him to be seen as the most desirable candidate to be the next king of Saudi Arabia should he become of proper age and continues to (without meaning to) prove himself. Also favored by his parents and his grandfather the king, Rashad is isolated by his envious brothers and cousins but is close to his sisters.

 

Due to his sisters' influence, Rashad favors the company of women and a simple life with nothing more than family responsibilities. He looks forward to having a family of his own one day, determined to have one wife and favor all his children as compared to the rest of his family, whose habit of choosing favorites causes strife amongst themselves. He's proud of his desert heritage, and unintentionally frightens people with his hobby of hidden weapons.

 

 

Jiayi (The Shaolin Prince)- “Kindness, acceptance, serenity.” 18. Descendant of the Qing dynasty of China. An orphan raised since the age of three by Buddhist monks in the local orphanage. Recognized for his intelligence and potential, Jiayi was taught everything the monks could think of as forms of meditation, including subjects such as the classics, art, Zen, music, calligraphy, history, and traditional self defense styles of kung fu. His goal is to be a teacher at orphanage schools to pass on the teachings of his 'grandfathers and uncles', looking after the younger orphans in the meantime. Neither Jiayi nor the monks knew of his Imperial bloodline until DNA and researchers tracked him down.

 

Jiayi favors meditation, mountain temples, and silence due to his upbringing, easily irritated by noise unless focused on meditating. He is calm, straightforward, and in favoring truth he has a habit of stunning or hurting others with his blunt phrases. Jiayi is somewhat lacking in a sense of humor, but he sincerely cares for one and all. His slow and patient ways clash with the more hot-blooded Rosalinda Sicilias. When discovered as a bearer of Imperial blood, Jiayi's initial choice is to turn his back on the outside world, but then Fei Ling brings trouble to the orphanage and the temple, so Jiayi decides to take the danger with him and leaves. He takes the fight to Fei Ling.

 

 

Fei Duyi (Emperor of China)- 19. A descendant of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Duyi was spoiled and sheltered all his life, adopting a rooster strut of a personality. While he expects obedience and service from others, he in turn is unquestioningly obedient to his mother, Fei Ling. Duyi develops an instant hatred of Jiayi, who despite being an orphan raised by monks (Duyi's view of living naked in the mud) has a much superior education, looks, and fighting skills, of which Duyi has none. (The looks and the fighting skills, and some of the education.) He is convinced that Jiayi exists only to make Duyi look a weak pathetic fool and is infuriated by a lack of response, as Jiayi sees him as nothing more than a common spoiled child.

 

 

Fei Ling (Empress Dowager)- Mother of Fei Duyi. A highly ambitious and power-hungry woman who is elated to find out that her son is of royal blood, and through her side of the family to boot. She is equally displeased to find out about Jiayi and recognizes his superiority over her son. Her plots to get rid of him is the reason Jiayi leaves the temple and the orphanage.

 

 

Connor Tarvy (The Prince of Freedom)-  “Only God can be God over other people.” 16. Son the president of the United States. An upbeat, mischief-loving boy with a lot of street smarts despite the haunting of the Secret Service. As a friend Connor is willing to do anything, but he hates gloomy moods and cannot be counted on to act seriously (however serious he might actually feel) at all times. Connor is not royalty but his friendship with Kaishiro and the others lead him to be active in their oppositon of the new royals until the press finally gives him his own title, which he hates.

 

 

Elizabeth Alice Victoria (The Princess of Peace)- “Just as hatred only leads to more hatred, so will violence never result in peace.” 15. Granddaughter of the Queen of England, daughter of the Duke of York. She believes in pacifism and keeps a strong, clear sense of mind, becoming popular among the younger public but not the children of the old royals. Her idealistic beliefs and speeches pushing for a peaceful resolution through talks earns her anger from Rosalinda Sicilias, who claims Elizabeth to be naïve and as narrow-minded as the new royals. She develops a crush on Kaishiro, but the Japanese prince holds pity and a growing irritation for Elizabeth and her ideals, which she persistently puts in his view despite his pointing out that the old royals don't want war either.

 

 

Gabriel Devereux (The Prince of Angels)- “Can't there be the sole purpose of making people happy?” 18. Descendant of the Capetian dynasty of France, the House of Bourbon. Raised by his aunt and uncle, Gabriel grew up in a bakery surrounded by a large number of loving relatives. He became a singing French idol at the age of fifteen, continuing to live with his family in the bakery. Unlike the other royals, Gabriel received his title when he became an idol because he always gave half of his earnings to churches and charity, splitting the other half between himself and his family. As per his idol status, Gabriel has an easygoing and fun-loving demeanor, enjoying large family gatherings the most. He has an insatiable sweet tooth for pastries and likes to cook himself.

 

 

Francois de Villiers (Emperor King of France)- 24. Descendant of the Bonaparte dynasty. Because he is a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte, Francois names himself the Emperor King of France.

Author's Note

Extreme creative liberty is taken with the royalties of the modern world.

Reviews

[James Watts]

Sounds interesting