With no other persons to bond with beyond the family that loved them, Artemis and Ajua did everything together. Playing, sharing, keeping secrets, even bathing, the two were inseparable and shared a bond that was unbreakable. Where there was one, there was almost inevitably the other. Only death could sever the ties of their friendship and their inseparable companionship.

Being the first to emerge from the womb, Ajua held the title of, Crowned Princess. She would be the one to adopt the mantle of ruler and would one day be her country's leader. It was also her privilege and her blessing to, unlike her second born brother, decide for herself the man that was to be her life mate. For Artemis, his wife would be chosen for him by his father. He would be assigned a woman to wed that was not his own choosing or acquaintance. Whoever it was that Kosuda believed would be a suitable partner in life for his son, would be the woman that would be his bride. Artemis had not a deciding voice in the matter.

As it was, Kosuda chose a bright, beautiful, well-mannered, redheaded girl that was the youngest daughter of a well-to-do ostrich rancher named, Avalon. Avalon and Artemis had never met and were, essentially, complete strangers. Everything that Artemis knew of the girl, was whatever that his father imparted to him...and that wasn't much. She was intelligent, beautiful, hardworking, even-tempered, and strong. It was as if Kosuda was describing one of the woman's giant, longnecked fowls, rather than a young lady, still, even that was the custom of the royals.

To keep the bloodline of the monarchs healthy and robust, youthful villagers were sought out to be mated to any prince or princess that was not lucky enough to have been the first to have clawed their way out the safety of their mother's womb and into the harsher chill of the real world. The diversity of peasant blood infused with the strength of regal blood, would keep the line healthy and strong. In this case, the Princess Ajua emerged ahead of her brother, who was 23 minutes behind her. As such, she would one day have the honor and the burden of carrying the crown of the empress, but also, she would be able to decide for herself who she desired to be her husband. ...she had the privilege of falling in love, and marrying for love. A blessing denied to her younger sibling. No, Artemis would not be fortunate enough to marry for desire, instead, he would be forced to marry for the good of the Crown, to maintain the health and stability of the blood of the monarchs.

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