For many years, King Lars and his queen, Ember, have ruled the kingdom of Eirini. They were good rulers, fair to their people and thus beloved by them. They had two children. James, their firstborn, was heir to the throne. Their younger child was a daughter named Cassandra. King Lars had been growing senile in his old age and his queen had become quite ill. The doctors feared that Queen Ember would not live much longer. It was decided that it was time for James to take the throne.<br/><br/>James, betrothed for a year and half, decided that if he was to be crowned king, then he would also marry his fiancee at the same time. That way his mother would be alive to see him marry. Although he had known since he was old enough to walk he would someday be crowned king, he was not truly ready for the day his father would step down from the throne. He had hoped to be an old man himself when he finally took his birthright.<br/><br/>Almost everyone in Eirini was excited for the royal wedding and the coronation that would soon follow. King Lars was loved by the people but so were his children. He and Queen Ember had raised kind children. James and Cassandra did not look down on their people. They had been encouraged to interact with their people. Unlike most people of royalty, James and Cassandra did not have arranged marriages. King Lars and Queen Ember had married for love and wanted their children to do the same. James had picked his own bride and someday, Cassandra would pick her own husband.<br/><br/>There was one person in Eirini not excited for the wedding and that was Prince Russell, the younger brother of King Lars. While he was a lord of a large territory in Eirini, he always wanted to be the king. It angered him that James would soon be crowned king. He found others that supported him that he would be the best choice for the next king. A time of change was coming and if King Lars had to step down as king, Russell wanted himself to become the next king. He planned to do whatever he needed to do to make sure James never had the crown on his head.<br/><br/>-------------------<br/><br/>The wedding of James was going to take place in the grand cathedral of Eirini's capital city. People from all over the kingdom and nearby lands were invited to his wedding.