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A bit of peace and a Royal Feud
The following Queens Aurelia and Aquila saw a return to stable times. During the reign of Aquila the grand Forum was built along with the Banque d’Aquaria in Mara and there was a prosperous period on Galatea, Pollux and Zephyrus providing the raw materials of granite (quarried), Mythril and Amethyst respectively for the construction. The plans were bringing wealth and employment to Aquarius and the planet began to found a close friendship with its bi-polar ‘sign’ of Leo. Unfortunately another change was to come before a final 200 years of peace. The change was centralised within the Royal Family with the reign of Amejisu III. She had an innate dislike for the wealth her predecessors had thrown about and hated the decadent new architecture especially of her own costly palace. She had originally been named Caecilia, a Roman name, but changed her name to Amejisu when she was 17 in defiance and homage of her ancestry. Yet not only was Amejisu in opposition to the new society, she did not like her wealth so went to the other extreme and vacated her Palace. She sold the property to the state and lived in far more frugal surroundings of a normal Maran apartment. Ironically this did not endear her to her people who firstly felt she was going to bring about another change and reverse a system they had just got used to, and secondly felt her ‘down classing’ was patronising to them. Her senate did not take kindly to her either as she retained an autocratical position and they felt they could talk down to her. Amejisu III was ridiculed by many of her subjects, and most prolifically her daughter who missed the court life of her ancestors and the parties, which under the miserly Amejisu were banned. The daughter, named Tourma rebelled furiously. She was even more angered that in the past the name of Amejisu had been associated by high points in culture or economics and her mother bearing that name had the gall to ban the cultural points and did not have the sense to help the economics. Amejisu III lived in perfect health, even up to her death, which was sadly the result of a very frustrated Tourma. Tourma desired the high life so much she took her vengeance out upon her mother. On Amejisu’s 58th birthday, Tourma defied her by ignoring the birthday and arriving home drunk after some illicit celebrating. Tourma had planned her actions carefully and even had the backing of the senate! She coerced her mother to enjoy a simple cake to celebrate her birthday, a cake, which Tourma had drugged with ground Valerian root, a narcotic then as Amejisu was falling asleep gave her a deadly drink made of nightshade and pure alcohol. As a final insult the funeral of Amejisu III was less than regal, the people didn’t care and Tourma buried her mother in what she felt would be the most fitting way, a small insignificant stone grave in the general cemetery just out of Mara.
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