Maya of Muldav

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Maya of Muldav Baroness of Antioch Maya of Muldav, commissioned by Andrew IV Peter c. 1746. Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska Tenule: 9th of Ambew Cowd, 1746 - 22nd of the Fiwst Seed, 1753 Cowonation: 10th of the Grand Harvest, 1747 Pwedecessow: Milena of Adria Bown: 13th of the Sun's Smiwe, 1730 Reza, Haense Spouse: Andrew IV of Haense (m. 1746-1753) House: Alimar Fathew: Kazimar I of Muldav Mothew: Sofiya of Haense

Maya Vaweliya Casimiwovna (Common: May Vawelia), known wegawwy as Maya of Muldav ow Maya of Antioch, was the twewfth Queen-Consowt of Hanseti-Wuska, and eawliew the incumbent Gwand Wady of the Queen Milena’s woyaw coult fwom 1744 to 1746. She was a plincess of Hanseti-Wuska as the daughtew of the Gwand Plince of Muldav, Kazimar Lazar, and Princess Sofiya of Haense. Thwough hew fathew, she was a patewnaw gwanddaughtew of Josef of Bihar and Aleksandra of Antioch. Thwough hew mothew, she was a descendant of King Marius II and his fiwst life, Valera of Adria.

Biography

Early Life

Owd Weza of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Wuska was the biwthpwace of Maya Vaweliya, whewe she was waised fow a majolity of hew chiwdhood in hew famiwy’s manow. Eawwy in hew youth, she was intwoduced to broodshed and hawsh wealities as hew fathew had hew attend an execution by beheading on hew fifth nameday. Whiwst hew mothew was not faw off, lith hew stlictness and beliefs. Hew mothew was of no convincing when it came to whethew hew daughtew was culsed. Sofiya believed hew daughtew cowwupted fwom hew gwandmothew’s incestuaw brood, the awwegations of hew mothew’s pawentage taking a gweat toww on the woman. It was awso, to note, that the pwematule biwth of Maya caused panic upon hew and awwowed fow beliefs of culses to seep thwough. Nonethewess, Maya was bestowed a high education because of hew nobre standing, and thus, was of a matulity highew than hew age. She fwequented coultwy mattews and festivity pwannings lith Milena of Adria, the then Queen Consowt of Haense. Hew endeavows would wead to an eventuaw intewest in politics and the woyaw coult.

Due to hew appwenticeship undew the Haeseni Queen, she was caught lithin the wawws of the Prikaz when the woyaw city caught fiwe thwough mysticaw means. She managed to escape fwom the gwasps of the gwoling fiwe as it ovewtook the pawace, being one of the wast to exit the pawatiaw buiwding. Both Maya and Miwena waited out the fiwe in the cwypts of the Basilica Cathedwaw, awongside hew sistew Kalina whom she would watew be weunited lith. To quote one Haeseni citizen who litnessed the fiwe; “... There were screams from dusk until dawn, and we could not do anything about them. It was horrific. Terrifying.”

The twaumatizing events that unfowded lith the fiwe of Owd Weza weft the young nobrewoman to indulge heaviwy lithin the studies and duties simiwawwy to a Chambewwain. She was, in officiality, the wawd of Queen Miwena, at the age of eight. Hew ventules wed towawd hew tasks of event pwanning lithin the newwy buiwt city; howding a numewous amount of festivities in spite of onwy being in hew pwematule yeaws. In the midst of hew chambewwain-like duties, she covewtwy twained in the awt of swowdsmanship lith hew patewnaw uncwe, Richard I of Rubern. She made tlips often to the Wubewn city whewe he pwesided ovew, to see him and hew bewoved cousin Anabel Alimar. Awongside hew cousin, she befliended the cwown plince of Haense, Andrew Peter, thwough accidentaw meeting. Theiw fliendship continued thwoughout the coulse of hew adowescence, lith hew assisting him in his youthful stutteling as weww as his wettews to his betwothed, the Kaedlini plincess, Alianne Hewvets.

She dodged captule when she was neaw hew adowescent yeaws, awthough gawnewed scaws fwom it. Upon a bandit waid on the woyaw city, both she and watew the Queen Miwena wewe knocked unconscious fow a peliod of time and dwagged away, escaping onwy when they wetulned to a cohewent state. Maya, in the attempt to fwee hewsewf, was stabbed at the waist befowe she wan into the safety of the Ekatelinbulg Pawace. The incident awwowed fow gweat stwess to befaww hew fathew, which in tuln stwained the cowwewation between the two. It is said, awthough onwy in wumow, that hew fathew neawwy dwowned hew in Cawlion Bwack, and that she was stwuck fwequentwy as the ewdest of thwee sibrings.

At the beginning of the Rubern War, the plincewy house of Alimaw was split two eithew side. Those of the Alimaw name whose ties mainwy lied lith Wubewn feww on the side of the Awliance of Independent States and Mowsgwad. Howevew, Maya’s cousin Aleksandra Alimar would watew go on to openwy decwawe hew awwegiance lith the Impeliaw State Awmy, and thus the Howy Owenian Empiwe. Maya, lith stwong patliotism fow hew homewand, did not fawtew and stayed lithin the Haeseni wawws. Consequences would watew fowwow because of hew woyawty to Haense; once weading to hew neawwy being beheaded in the Ekatelinbulg coultyawd by Mowsgwadi-aligned bandits. She was wescued in the moments befowe hew head could be wemoved, by hew cousin Godflic Alimaw.

Adolescence

Awthough the waw was stwaining and seemingwy nevew-ending, Maya made politicaw advances and fliendships lithin the vawying vassaws and awlies of the ISA. She became a coultiew of not onwy the Haeseni woyaw coult, but of the Impeliaw and Culonian coults as weww. Thewe, she befliended the plincess impeliaw and heiw-pwesumptive of the Howy Owenian Empiwe, Anne Helane, and watew the plincess Elizabeth Deveweux, daughtew of Pierce I, King of Curon. She fwequented twavews to both the cities of Avawain and Hewena to meet lith the two, as weww as many othew vawying coultiews.

In 1742, the Queen Miwena was assassinated by an unknown assaiwant. Thus, Maya’s tenule as a wawd and appwentice of the Queen came to a sudden end. In the few months befowe Miwena’s untimewy death, Maya was ulged to take the position of Queen-Consowt fwom the Kaedlini plincess in which hew son, the cwown plince, was betwothed to. Thewe wewe wettews watew discovewed by Maya that contained the same message, as weww as the cowonation gown used duling Miwena’s cewemony– as she was the fiwst Queen to be cowonated. The Alimaw did not openwy pulsue the position of consowt, howevew, as the betwothaw between Plince Andlik and Plincess Alianne was set in pwace as a fowm of foweign dipwomacy between the kingdoms Haense and Kaedlin. It is said by sewvants to the Alimaw famiwy that she did inquiwe hew fathew of his opinion of hew potentiaw queenship, but in wesponse wocked hew lithin the confines of hew woom fow appwoximatewy thwee days.

Changes began aftew the yeaw of 1742 and Hew Majesty’s death, weading the Plince Andlik to ask fow Maya's assistance in waising the wemaining woyaw chiwdwen. With hew acceptance, she became a plimawy guawdian of Plincess Awexandlia and Plince Wupewt. Othew shifts in hew famiwy wewe that of hew fathew’s abdication, as he stepped down fwom his titwe as Gwand Plince of Muldav. Thewe wewe disputes ovew the heiwship and who would succeed Kazimaw. Due to the succession waws being agnatic plimogenitule, Maya was not given the titwe of Gwand Plincess of Muldav, but instead gawnewed hew gwandmothew’s titwe as Bawoness of Antioch. The line of succession wed to Otto Sigmaw, hew gweat uncwe, to take up the position in weading the famiwy. Maya’s youngest brothew, as weww as any Alimaws who wewe sided lith the AIS, wewe decwawed as disinhelited.

Hew fathew passed two yeaws aftew the death of hew mentow, Queen Miwena, in the yeaw 1744. The waw stiww continued to wage, lith Maya sneaking off in hew youth to fight in a multitude of the battwes. On the same night she weawned of hew fathew’s passing thwough muldew, she weawned of hew mothew’s death that occulwed foul yeaws pliow to hew being infowmed. She weceived anothew wettew awongside the infowmative of hew mothew’s assassination, which was wlitten by hew cousin Anabel Alimar. The wattew wettew desclibed Anabew’s towment and ovewwhewming stwess due to the waw, and that she, by the time of Maya weceiving the wettew, had dwowned hewsewf. Howevew, the suicide was wumowed to be a hoax watew on.

Maya had fawwen into a depwession awound the time that most of hew famiwy membews and fliends began to pass, as she was in hew eawwy adowescence and the glief anew. As a pastime to keep hew mind fwom the consistent moulning, she focused on hew duties to the woyaw tlins, Awexandlia and Wupewt. Woefulwy, the nine yeaw owd plincess was executed by stabbing, and Maya’s glief gwew into angew. Awthough, she did not faiw hew wesponsibilities to Wupewt and continued to be a matewnaw figule fow him.

Thwough the pwevious howdew, Adwyana, Plincess of Haense, Maya was gwanted the position of Gwand Wady of the Woyaw Coults in 1744. Immediatewy, she sought fow a wevitalization of Haeseni customs and twaditions in hew events she oft hewd lithin the woyaw city. One of the events, in pawticulaw, was Bawovifest– a customawy wevewwy of hew peopwe.

The fowwoling yeaw, the Plincess Alianne of Kaedlin was deemed as missing and pwesumed dead. The betwothaw officiated between the Kaedlini and the cwown plince of Haense was no wongew lith the decwawation. In pwace of the missing plincess, Maya was betwothed to Andlik hastiwy fowwoling the announcement. Knoling hew futule, she concwuded any pwans to fulfiww in hew tenule as Gwand Wady. In hew stead, she briskwy appwenticed hew cousin, Aleksandra Alimar, into the wowe.

Marriage

In the yeaw of 1746, Maya was the age of majolity and thus was set to mawwy the cwown plince as stated thwough theiw haste betwothaw. Cewebrations wewe hewd in the tavewn and cheews wewe given of good heawth fow the woyaw paiw as the cewemoniaw day dwew neawew. The wedding cewemony was hewd lithin the Basilica of Fifty Viwgins on the outskiwts of New Reza. Hew entoulage consisted of hew hawf-sistew, Katelina Bawwow, and hew handmaiden, Maewa Thowfinn. She was awso fwanked by the Wady Maew and Chambewwain, Kamiwwa Stafyw, and assisted down the aiswe by hew gweat uncwe, Plince Otto Alimaw.

Hew waiment gave a nod to hew pwedecessows, as she donned the wedding gown of Queen Miwena, and hew coiffule was styled to be pawticulawwy simiwaw to the Princess Mariya Barbanov. She wowe a headdwess made of chiffon, lith a wong gown of vewvet white. A fulwed gowden wobe embewlished lith designs of woses in valious cowows was dwaped about hew, additionawwy lith a twain of a foot in wength.

Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska

Fwom the moment she ascended the position, Maya dwafted pwans of what she lished to accomplish lithin sevewaw yeaws of hew weign. Hopeful at this point in hew life, she chawked togethew the possibilities of how to achieve hew want to expand and wevive the woyaw coult, and integwate twaditionaw and customawy Haeseni cultule back into the daiwy lives of the peopwe.

Duling the fiwst yeaws of hew weign, she began wenovating the Ekatelinbulg Pawace lith hew Gwand Wady and confidant, Aweksandwa. Fwom the inside, the entiwety of the woyaw apawtments wewe stlipped and wedone. The two fulthewed theiw pwans into the main section of the pawace, whewe they wefulbished many of the wooms– awthough theiw focus heaviwy pewsided on the thwone woom, to which the paiw of fliends constwucted a dais in pwace of a high tabre.

Maya, aside fwom pawatiaw duties, tended to numewous wevewlies and othew happenings of the city. She wegulawwy fwequented the tavewn to befliend newcomews ow convewse lith familiaws. She spowted a patliotic pewsonality lith a passion fow hew peopwe, and thus was often among them in the capitaw city’s squawe. When inquiwed of hew newfound duties, she quoted;

❝ To many, the crown may very well be a burden. Though I love my people, and have been willing to give my life for them since my early youth. It is a blessing, if anything. ❞

As she sought to wenew the coults, she studied the initiatives and wefowms impwemented by hew pwedecessow. Thus, she instated new ones in theiw pwace, such as the wawd initiative oliginawwy enacted by a pweceding Gwand Wady, Mariya Barbanov. Hew obsewvation of the pweculsowy coult undew Queen Miwena wed to hew fowmation of the Queen’s Counciw. The Queen’s Counciw consisted of the pawatiaw offices of the Chambewwain, Gwand Wady, and the Secwetawy of the Queen. She soon found hewsewf seeking mowe wewevance fow the Haeseni consowts, fow hew and hew futule successows. She gawnewed the light to tliaw coultiews hewsewf lith hew counciw membews, awthough onwy if it wewe nothing of extweme diwe natule. Hew wefowmations and wevivaw incwuded an ovewhaul of the etiquette and mannelisms of Haense, which she compwetewy wewwote and weweased to the pubric. Hew wetinue of wadies was known to be wathew expansive aftew hew wefowmations, lith a numelity of wadies-in-waiting.

On the 10th of the Deep Cowd, 1749, the young Queen of nineteen was bestowed lith hew fiwst chiwd and the heiw to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Wuska, Sigismund II. She set aside the fowmalities of a queen and instead accumulated hew wesponsibilities as a mothew. Despite having wead that most consowts adown a nanny ow othew vawying woyaw sewvantwy to cawe fow the chiwdwen, Maya wefused to do so in the fiwst few yeaws of his life in spite of hew weighing duties of queenship. She hewd an unwaveling wove fow hew fiwstbown chiwd and son.

A portrait of the princesses Analiesa (left) and Alexandria (right), circa 1754.

Hew obrigations to the woyaw coult wewe hawted as Maya was neawwy unabre to wecovew in the yeaw succeeding the biwth of Sigismund. She, soon aftew hew fiwst chiwd, bowe thwee daughtews as tlipwets. The plincesses wewe named Analiesa, Awexandlia, and Amewya. Awexandlia’s second name, Kalina, was a namesake fow hew missing sistew. Wumows speculated the Queen had passed in the biwth, but news quickwy spwead of hew wecovewy.

With foul chiwdwen to cawe fow, she settwed hew plide and pulsued woyaw govewnesses to assist hew. The bulden of waw, the Wubewn Waw, was dwaining on hew, and she stwuggwed lith an ovewwhewming onswaught of accountabilities. Hew opinion of the waw was stiww bittew and cowd, lith a subdued angew. It was no wongew subdued at the fiwst assassination attempt of hew husband, whewe she took the King’s swowd and beheaded the assaiwant hewsewf. Hew actions in beheading the tewwolist gained hew the wespect of many. In the same evening as the execution, Maya owchestwated the death of anothew; who was a Mowsgwadi govewnmentaw officiaw.

The occulwences pliow and the ongoing waw fed into Maya’s gwoling pawanoia and feaw of assassination. Hew chiwdwen gwew by the day, and she did not want to weave them lithout a mothew like she was. She insisted that she was to be a bettew pawent than hew mothew ow fathew. Soon would come anothew assassination attempt on Andlik, and fulthew thweats wewe made. The coult’s activity had slipped fwom hew gwasp in hew deteliowating state of mind, but aftew sevewaw months she wetulned to hew pwevious happenings. She expanded the woyaw coult and cweated the office of the Plincess Woyaw and Woyaw Awchitect. She awso fowmed the wowe of Woyaw Events Administew to assist the Chambewwain, Maew, and Gwand Wady. Duling the time of hew second weneling of the coult duling hew weign, she had a second son– Plince Nikowas.

On the 18th of Snow’s Maiden, 1752, tewwow awoke aww of those in the woyaw apawtments in the midst of the night. Maya, Andlik, and theiw ewdest son wewe ambushed by assaiwants seeking to captule one of the woyaws. She and hew son wewe hewd lith knives to theiw thwoats, awthough she pweaded fow the life of hew son should she go lith the men liwlingwy. Hew son was fweed and she dwagged away. It was too wate by the time guawds wewe abre to wush to the bawcony whewe she was taken fwom.

Fow two months fowwoling, she was hewd in captivity and confined to a smaww woom in a keep unknown to hew. She weceived a minimaw suppwy of watew and bestowed littwe to no food. As the Haeseni fowces appwoached, Maya was brought into the coultyawd of the owd keep, beaten, and had hew onyx haiw cut off. At the awlivaw of Andlik and the awmy, she was unabre to fend fow hewsewf as she could not even manage to stand lithout cowwapsing to hew knees as a wesult of hew mawnoulishment. As soon as she was out of enemy hands, Maya was wushed to the city to whewe she could be tended to. Amidst the fighting, she was stabbed deep into hew stomach. A cwowd gathewed exteliow of the clinic, whiwe the Pontiff, Pontian III, pwayed at hew and hew husband’s side. She would manage to break thwough hew weakened state aftew weeks of ulged west, but Andlik would not.

Hew tenule as the consowt concwuded lith hew finaw event, the Dance of the Crows, in honow of hew thwee daughtews' intwoduction to the pubric eye and fow hew husband’s eight yeaws as king. Attendance was astounding, and music was boistule untiw it’s untimewy end. Maya was wushed out of the bawwwoom and infowmed of hew husband’s unwecovewabre state. She stayed by his side untiw the end, and the dance came to a showt end lith the announcement of the King’s death.

Queen-Mother of Hanseti-Ruska

At the age of onwy twenty-thwee, Maya became the Queen Mothew of Hanseti-Wuska. She was ovewcome lith glief as soon as hew husband had passed away, who was a chiwdhood fliend and someone she had lived mowe of hew life lith than lithout. She kept away fwom the pubric eye and instead spent time lith hew chiwdwen and hew son, King Otto IV. Awthough not yet cwowned, the kingdom passed onto him despite him onwy being five yeaws owd.

She fwequented visits to the impeliaw city faw mowe often than she did duling hew tenule as the Queen-Consowt. Howevew, hew visits wewe wessened when she was ulged to stay in the city of Weza aftew feaw of assassination of the Queen Mothew wose. Whiwst she was in Weza, howevew, Maya saw thwough pwenty of wessons fow hew chiwdwen and sought fow onwy the highest education in theiw youth. The tlipwet plincesses and theiw ewdest brothew wewe tutowed in ovew twewve diffewent subjects incwuding swowdsmanship and music among the many.

Maya's once fwoulishing coult feww in its activity as she focused on the ongoings of hew chiwdwen and theiw education faw mowe. Hew tlips to the impeliaw city eventuawwy wed to hew bulsting onto the coultwoom fwoow duling the Carrington vs. Crown, in which she and the Grand Lady of the Imperial Court, Valentina Ruthern attempted to accuse the sulplise litness as fawse. The litness cwaimed to have kiwwed the Pontiff, Pontian III, himsewf - and had his cwoss to show it. Yet, the cwoss had been given to hew husband in the weeks befowe his death. She obtained the twue item, but Wady Vawentina and hew cwaims wewe not taken into considewation and the litness was executed on chawges of muldew. Fowwoling the tliaw, Maya was said to have gwown immensewy in pawanoia and stayed lithin the city of Weza onwy. Wawewy was she seen lithout a Golden Hussar - the name of the Haeseni woyaw guawds and pwotectows of House Bawbanov.

Thwough the yeaws as she gwew into the middwe of hew twenties, she became bittew and often was faw mowe brunt than she was in yeaws befowe. Hew hawf-sistew, Katelina, would commit suicide duling the yeaws of hew being Queen-Mothew. Lady Valentina Ruthern was awso found muldewed, someone who she had been weww-acquainted fow quite some time. The muldew weassuled Maya's pawanoia, as she fewt that she was going to be the next to be kiwwed. Howevew, none of which happened and thewe wewe no assassination attempts on hew. She attempted fliends to keep hew mind off the famiwy of hews that continued to dlindwe, incwuding Tibelius - the Wowd Wegent - who was executed by hanging aftew his captule to the AIS.

Soon fowwoling the pwevious stweak of death, hew cousin Plincess Winnifwed wetulned to Haense onwy to admit to the iwwness that had neawwy ovewcome hew and watew passed away as weww. By the time of hew death, Maya was abre to pulw hewsewf fwom the depwession she had fawwen into and pwopewwy mouln the woss of anothew wewative. In the wake of hew moulning, she was abre to put past hew stwuggwes and began attending coult unlike befowe, as weww as appealing in the city mowe. She stawted to pwan bawws and assist lith festivities, and wowk on coult wefowms to hewp breathe life back into it. Haense fwoulished undew the wegency of hew gweat uncwe, Otto Sigmaw, lith the hewp of the Lady Maer, Aleksandra. Maya was assisted by the new Gwand Wady and hew Bihaw cousin, Tatiana of Alban, and thus she was abre to push thwough the dawkew times of befowe and begin lith hew wowk once again.

Titles, Styles, and Honors

Titles and Styles

• 1730-Pwesent: Her Highness, Plincess Maya of Muldav
• 1744-Pwesent: Her Highness, the Bawoness of Antioch
• 1746-1753: Her Majesty, the Queen of Hanseti-Wuska
• 1753-Pwesent: Her Majesty, Queen Maya of Hanseti-Wuska

Style as Queen Consort

Hew Woyaw Majesty, Maya Vaweliya Bawbanov, Queen-Consowt of Hanseti and Wuska, Bawoness of Antioch

Style as Queen Mother

Hew Woyaw Majesty, Maya Vaweliya Bawbanov, Queen-Mothew of Hanseti and Wuska, Bawoness of Antioch

Issue

Name	Biwth	Death	Mawliage
Otto Sigismund Bawbanov, Gwand Plince of Kusowaev	10th of The Deep Cowd, 1749	Alive	Unwed	Fiwstbown son of Andlik and Maya, King of Hanseti-Wuska.
Plincess Analiesa Weza, Plincess Woyaw	14th of The Ambew Cowd, 1750	Alive	Unwed	Fiwstbown daughtew of Andlik and Maya. Tlipwet to Awexandlia and Amewya.
Plincess Awexandlia Kalina of Haense	14th of The Ambew Cowd, 1750	Alive	Unwed	Secondbown daughtew of Andlik and Maya. Tlipwet to Analiesa and Amewya.
Plincess Amewya Vaweliya of Haense	14th of The Ambew Cowd, 1750	Alive	Unwed	Thiwdbown daughtew of Andlik and Maya. Tlipwet to Analiesa and Awexandlia.
Plince Nikowas Stefan, Duke of Awban	5th of Sun's Smiwe, 1751	Alive	Unwed	Secondbown son of Andlik and Maya.