Annika of Reza

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Annika of Reza Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska Tenure: 1823-Present Crowned: 12th of The Amber Cold 1823 Basilica of Saint Henrik, Karosgrad, Haense Predecessor: Mariya of Aurveldt Successor: Emma of Jerovitz Countess of Reza Tenure: 1829-1837 Predecessor: Henry II of Haense Successor: Henry II of Haense Born: 1st of The Sun’s Smile, 1795, Astfield, Arcas, Haense Died: 6st of The Snow's Maiden, 1858, Arcas, Haense Spouse: Henry II of Haense House: Vyronov Father: Anton Boleslav Vyronov Mother: Milena Katterina Ludovar

Annika Anastasija (Common: Anna Anastasia) (1st of the Sun’s Smile, 1795 - 6th of the Snow’s Maiden, 1858), regally known as Annika of Reza (Formerly Annika of Astfield) and monikered The Traditionalist, the Socialite, the Disowned, was a Haeseni noblewoman born to the House Vyronov and the second wife to King Heinrik II. At the age of twenty-eight, she was wed to the King of Haense, Heinrik II, following the assassination of his first wife, Mariya of Aurveldt, and ascended to the regal position as 16th Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska upon her marriage.

She was the first Haeseni Queen to be the second wife of a reigning King, with only one other King remarrying during their respective monarchical tenures.

Biography

Early Life

On the 1st of the Sun’s Smile, 1795, Annika was born to Lord Anton Vyronoc and his wife, Milena of Otistadt. She would be the only daughter of the pair and from birth was separated from her brother, Stefan, due to her muddied upbringing ending with familial abandonment. Other details of her youth were minimal amongst historians, yet it was believed that it consisted of strict rules in a traditional Haeseni household filled with unknown relatives. This formed the very basis Annika would view the world, seeing it through tradition, ethics, law, and religion.

In fact, Annika would stay very close to her religion throughout her life, taking many confessions and penances for her grievances. This is thought to have come from her great uncle on her mother's side who served briefly as a priest and was well educated in the Holy Scrolls. This knowledge was later passed to Annika who spent most of her adolescence hidden away behind pews in her home's tiny church.

Her whereabouts remained unknown by the general populace of Hanseti-Ruska until the early months of 1814 when she would finally gather support from her parents to let her venture into the capital, Karosgrad. The bustling city had been unlike anything she had ever known in comparison to the life of quietude she was familiar with. This exposure to an entirely new lifestyle was not met with shock or fear, proving herself a brave woman, but instead, a desire to pursue all that was now at her fingertips.

As a Jovenaar

Annika expressed her interest in law at a very early age and when she made her home within Karosgrad, her appointment to Jovenaar was swift, especially after the assassination attempt in 1814 known as the Wives’ Plot. In a desperate measure from King Heinrik II to swiftly trial one of the assassins, Lady Speaker Irene Sarkozy, Annika was charged with the position to conduct the said trial.

The sudden appointment to the position of Jovenaar only heightened the ambitious Vyronov’s desire for more in her life, thus leading her to the royal courts, which were still run at the time by the King’s wife, Queen Mariya of Aurveldt. As written by the chronicler Dmitry of Reza, “With never before seen noble ardor the Lady Vyronov threw herself into the quiet courts with aspirations to uplift it into a refined state." She was commonly remarked to be interested in how Mariya had structured the courts, the different etiquette, and the fashions. In the span of only one year from her arrival in Karosgrad, Annika had forged a name for herself among the other highborn ladies and the otherwise general population of the Kingdom.

Family

The relations between Annika and King Heinrik II in the late months of 1814 are still speculated today, though the pair were never officially seen with each other. It had been no secret to the populace that the King and Queen held no love for one another and that their marriage would most likely end in chaos. However, no one dared to speak of such, leaving it all to hushed rumors and ill-bred stories. But the abhorrent nature of their marriage had not only taken its toll on the family, but on the royal courts which were left quieter than they had been in decades.

Little happened under Mariya’s charge, and in 1815, one year following Annika’s appointment to Jovenaar, the assassination of Queen Mariya took place which shook the Kingdom and Hanseti-Ruska into a state of emergency. Queen Mariya had been the youngest Queen in the history of Hanese to die, and Annika was among those to see the horrific aftermath of the consort’s death. She rushed to her brother’s comfort - the Baron of Astfield, Stefan, who had been one of Queen Mariya's confidants since their early squireship to become knights. The halls of the Nikirala Palace were hung with mourning banners as funeral plans were quietly hushed among those still left in the courts, which had mostly been abandoned.

After a period of mourning and reflection, Annika would take it upon herself to attempt to revive what had been lost of the courts, being appointed as Palace Custodian to the Grand Lady, Rosalind. In the years following, Annika would grow closer to Heinrik due to her presence in the Nikirala Palace as the Custodian and around the city as a Jovenaar. The two would frequently hold private discussions, confiding in each other. Her focus slowly moved away from the law, seeing her chance to make her aspirations come true within the newly budding courts.

Heinrik would ask to formally court Annika through more traditional means, knowing the woman's fondness for tradition. He would travel to his vassal, the Barony of Astfield, and hold a discussion with Baron Stefan to ask for Annika’s hand in courtship. However, Stefan would grow sour, having held Mariya as a close friend. Brazenly, Stefan demanded Heinrik to leave Astfield at once, and against her brother's words, Annika would write to Heinrik, accepting his offer.

For nine whole years, Annika would toil in the royal court under the pseudo title of Queen-To-Be by the side of the Grand Lady. The courtship, and later engagement, were highly controversial considering the circumstances in which Queen Mariya had passed and how she and Heinrik behaved publicly, most believing Annika either seduced the king or Heinrik had murdered Mariya himself. But these were only rumors and did not prevent Annika on her path to queenship, nor did they halt her passion for work in court life.

Royal Wedding of 1829

Finally, in 1823, the pair would set a wedding date. However, tragedy struck when the invitations were distributed, and Annika’s own brother, Stefan, would threaten to disown Annika if the wedding occurred. The nuptials would commence nonetheless, with Heinrik stubbornly allowing Stefan to attend even after his half-hearted threats.

The wedding would take place in the Basilica of St. Heinrik where Annika wore a gown designed by the Orenian seamstress Joanne de Selm, who was building a name for herself within the city of Karosgrad. Much like Annika herself, which is why she was chosen. King Heinrik pledged himself to Annika during the ceremony, bringing some in the crowd to tears with his speech and walking out together as King and Queen-Consort. A grand feast was hosted followed by an evening of drunken dancing. Many lords and ladies attended from all over Almaris to celebrate the new Queen, even those bitter or still in mourning of Mariya forgot all woes.

As Queen-Consort of Haense

- focus on fashion - fell out of favor with many people due to her stubbornness

As Countess of Reza & Queen Mother

- opened a shop for jewelry

Titles and Styles

• 1795-1814 Her Ladyship Annika Anastasija Vyronov
• 1814-1823 The Honorable, Annika, Jovenaar of Hanseti-Ruska
• 1823-1829 Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Hanseti-Ruska
• 1829-1838 Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Hanseti-Ruska, Countess of Reza
• 1838-1858 Her Majesty, Queen Annika of Hanseti-Ruska, Countess of Reza

Style as Queen Consort

Her Royal Majesty, Annika of Reza, Queen-Consort of Hanseti and Ruska, Countess of Reza

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage
Prince Andrik Nikolas, Duke of Akovia	11th of The Deep Cold, 1826	11th of The Deep Cold, 1870	Nikoleta Barbara Bihar-Kovachev (d.1845)	Son of Henry II and Annika of Reza, Twin of Anastasia.
Princess Anastasia Isabella, Baroness of Antioch	11th of The Deep Cold, 1826	11th of The Deep Cold, 1870	Eirik, Duke of Valwyck	Daughter of Henry II and Annika of Reza, Twin of Andrew.
Prince Marus Aleksandr, Duke of Alban	9th of The Deep Cold, 1829	1854	Henrietta Theresé of Cathalon	Son of Henry II and Annika of Reza