<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #FFBFBF">Sintrina Acantha</span></span></div><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #FFBFBF">Queen Sintrina</span></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://obraz-women.ru/sites/default/files/shutterstock_82491346-1.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><span style="color: #FFBFBF"><br/>"They will, Isolde,"</span>Sintrina replied simply. Her face was set in a determined expression, as if she had been carved from marble. The moment Isolde had begun to show vulnerability, Sintrina had hardened herself once more. They could not both break at the same time.<br/><br/>Often when one of them showed weakness, the other would harden themselves and stay strong for the both of them. It was just how they operated. Sintrina could recognize that Isolde needed this moment. Carine was a difficult child, more so than Freya. She participated in so many things that not even Sintrina had the heart to reveal to Isolde.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBFBF">"You have done all you can for her. Carine will understand in the future. For now, she is simply too young to realize all you have done. This will be a good opportunity for her to have the freedom she has been seeking and for you to get used to her absence. She will be of age soon to do as she will. Best now to give her a taste so that she is not so wild when she is fully out of your reach," </span>Sintrina said soothingly. She knew Isolde had tried her best to be a good mother. Hell, they both had and failed miserably in plenty of areas, but they had never failed in caring about their children--only in how they showed their love.<br/><br/>But they lived in a dangerous world--a world their ancestors had built and they had been forced to uphold. Sintrina was no fool, she was lucky that she had been born a noble, lucky that someone had designed her to take the throne. She knew that it was by chance. She may have been by design, but her mind, her soul--those were by chance.<br/><br/>Time would destroy the way Getalia was. The way they carried on, the way that nobles treated the lesser casts of people--all that would crumble someday and Sintrina knew it. It was why she and Isolde seemed like such cold, stern people. It was why Sintrina had gone to such questionably ethical lengths to ensure that her daughter would be a ruthless, firm leader. She did not want her daughter to crumble under Getalia, she did not want Getalia to crumble while her daughter was on the throne. She wanted to make sure she managed to get through life without having to face revolts and revolutions. She wanted to make sure her daughter would survive assassination attempts and any other dangerous situation that might present itself.<br/><br/>It seemed, however, that try as she might, the gods deemed it necessary to attempt taking Freya from her once more. She had heard of the monitors, what they had told about Freya's health. The girl had to have been gravely injured, as her pain spike had shot off the graphs--went beyond the measurements. It didn't happen usually, unless someone was dying. She could not lose Freya.<br/><br/>She did not share these thoughts, though, and instead simply said,<span style="color: #FFBFBF"> "I am sure Carine will succeed and I know that she will be a fine adviser..."</span>