The Royal Family
"These are the Empress' children. The oldest ones stand in a row at the back. The Redundant Heir holds a goblet in one casual hand. The drip that runs down its stem seems too treacle-like for wine, and too brightly red. To his left stands the Dutiful Daughter; to his right the Brooding Captain. Before them, the younger children sit on stools: the Heartbroken Bibliophile, the Recalcitrant Sculptress, the Bellicose Prince, and the Delicate Duke (who is still much mourned in patriotic corners of society).
At the very front, cross-legged on the floor, sits the Playful Prodigy. She has the cheeks of a cherub and blue, mischievous eyes. In her arms is a baby, wrapped in a black swaddling-cloth: presumably the Captivating Princess.
Only the oldest child is absent: the Empress' Shadow, who did not Fall."[1]
The Royal Family comprises the Empress, her beloved Consort, and their ten children.
A Strange and Terrible Tragedy[edit | edit source]
"The carcass of a goat stretches across the table. Around it, horrors congregate. In the Brooding Captain's chair crouches a thing of blackness and teeth. The next chair is filled with flopping serpentine coils. A weeping, horse-sized grub half-mounts the table, while opposite, a gaunt thing shivers in a coat of glass feathers. An abhorrence of rusting quills screams at you, flaring its spines like an iron sun. Only the Captivating Princess looks as she did in the mirror. Among the nightmares, her beauty is worst of all. It rakes your eyes like fire. Mercifully, your senses flee."[2]
After the Fall, the Empress' children were eager to dabble in the Neath's unique vices. They began cultivating bees,[3] and took great delight[4] in using their own servants as test subjects for gaoler's honey.[5] At some point, however, the royal offspring consumed a contaminated strain of red honey[6] that caused all but two of them to be transformed into monsters.[7] The eldest remained on the Surface, while the Captivating Princess, who was born in the Neath, managed to avoid the effects (at least superficially).[8] One may see the siblings as they were before, but only in a mirror.[9]
Thanks to this predicament, many of the royal children suffer from severe insecurities and other character flaws, but they still seem to retain sapience despite their appearances. Their quarters are hidden beneath the Shuttered Palace, behind five locked doors.[10] A senior Keeper of the Cage-Garden in the Shuttered Palace speculates that the royal children's transformation must also have something to do with their heritage.[11]
Meet the Family[edit | edit source]
"They were a cold and unfeeling bunch even before the Fall, and what happened to them. [...] They have... changed, you know. But whatever they are now, you can be assured that they are only more themselves."[12]
The princes and princesses, ever the embodiment of the British stiff upper lip, share a rather distant relationship with one another.[13] They largely keep to themselves, with only the Captivating Princess making any real effort to engage with her siblings.[14] From eldest to youngest:
The Empress' Shadow[edit | edit source]
"The Shadow's business will be worth knowing. Her son – the Kaiser – rules Prussia. Everything she does is a move in the Great Game, intentional or not. Why else would she go to such a bother to surround herself with strangers, and to keep them from learning anything about her? For that matter, even if she has no secrets of her own, the Traitor Empress' eldest daughter is always of interest. And she is so rarely in London."[15]
Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise (born November 21st, 1840), the Empress' Shadow, the Princess Royal, nicknamed "Vicky," remained on the Surface[16] and married the future Kaiser Frederick III of Germany. Frederick only ruled for three months in 1888 before his untimely death,[17] leaving his and Vicky's son Wilhelm II as Kaiser. This does not appear to have changed in the world of Fallen London, besides some minor details.
The Shadow has a troubled relationship with her son, as she would like to bring him to the Neath to cure him of the physical and behavioral consequences of his complicated birth.[18][19] As her title suggests, she feels inadequate next to her mother, and has considered selling Berlin to the Masters to follow in her footsteps.[18]
The Redundant Heir[edit | edit source]
"Even hunched as he is, he towers over you. You speak soothingly. Does he understand? Perhaps. He shuffles aside, dragging one foot behind him. It seems you may pass."[20]
Prince Albert Edward (born November 9th, 1841), the Redundant Heir, nicknamed "Bertie," seems to have transformed into a gigantic humanoid creature; he is described as hunchbacked and walking with a severe limp.[21] He occasionally visits Flute Street to presumably alter his deformed appearance. In his youth Albert was quite the playboy, visiting London's brothels with other high society men.[22] Bertie's wife Alexandra of Denmark and now-grown son Prince Albert Victor have history surrounding London's politics.[citation needed]
In our world, Victoria blamed Bertie's carousing for Prince Consort Albert's death, but Bertie succeeded her as Edward VII anyway. Prince Albert Victor died of influenza in 1892; he avoided this fate in the timeline of Fallen London.
The Dutiful Daughter[edit | edit source]
"The carcass of a goat stretches across the table. Around it, horrors congregate...The next chair is filled with flopping serpentine coils."[23]
Princess Alice Maud Mary (born April 25th, 1843), the Dutiful Daughter, has become "the Serpentine Coils."[24] In the mirror, she is a tall, thin, and neat woman wearing a brocaded gown.[25] She married the Prince of Hesse in Germany. Her youngest daughter Alexandra (now Tsarina of Russia) is known to exist, born in 1872;[citation needed] we may presume she raised her family on the Surface as in real life, making only occasional visits to London. Her final trip to England was in late 1876, so perhaps it was around this time that the siblings all took red honey.
Historically, Alice provided comfort to Albert as he died, then provided moral support to Victoria. Alice and Victoria's relationship was rather turbulent toward the end of Alice's life; she died of diphtheria in 1878.
The Brooding Captain[edit | edit source]
"You dart into the passage as razored teeth clash at your heels. The floor vanishes beneath you, and you tumble through the splinters of a ruined stair. You land hard, but feet-first. Above you, your hunter shrieks in rage. You see a winding red tongue; tatters of something ragged caught in its teeth."[26]
Prince Alfred Ernest Albert (born August 6th, 1844), the Brooding Captain, nicknamed "Affie," is now "the Shadow with Teeth,"[27] a black mass of razor sharp teeth with a long red tongue.[28] His movement is restricted to some extent by his current form.[29] In the mirror, he is a heavy-set man adorned with gleaming Admiralty medals.[30] He brought his ship, the HMS Galatea, down to the Neath,[31] and has a running rivalry with the Captivating Princess.[32]
The real Affie joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14, and became captain of the Galatea in 1867 at the age of 22. He held this position until 1879, before being promoted and assigned to other ships.
The Heartbroken Bibliophile[edit | edit source]
"...An abhorrence of rusting quills screams at you, flaring its spines like an iron sun."[33]
Princess Helena Augusta Victoria (born May 25th, 1846), the Heartbroken Bibliophile, has become "an abhorrence of rusting quills."[34] She has a unique taste for red honey that is distinct from her siblings; namely, she partakes in honey extracted only from one individual, who is kept separate from the other prisoners.[35]
In our world, Helena helped write a biography of Prince Consort Albert and translated several books from German to English. She was considerably devastated when her father died, and began to court Albert's librarian, who was dismissed when the flirtation was discovered.
The Recalcitrant Sculptress[edit | edit source]
"Before each step, you nudge the feathers aside with your toe. The glassy sounds are shrill in the cellars' hush. There are shapes in the dark: statues. The Recalcitrant Sculptress was gifted when she still had hands. Now, her works are crude; as twisted as dying oaks. This one has a set of stubby, vestigial arms protruding from the sides of its head. Another, further in, has a narrow torso covered in mouths. You pass between the monstrous statues as swiftly as you dare."[36]
Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (born March 18th, 1848), the Recalcitrant Sculptress, is "the gaunt thing with a coat of glass feathers."[37] Since her transformation, her sculptures have taken on the appearance of horrifying and warped humanoid shapes.[38] She was known as the prettiest of Victoria's daughters and a skilled artist.
In our world, Louise pursued an artistic career despite her royal status, and enrolled in the National Art Training School in 1863. She ultimately produced several famous sculptures.
The Bellicose Prince[edit | edit source]
"It was all and yet none of these. You must return, and return again, until you have eaten your way through to your own rotten core, and devoured it. Until then, this torture is no less than you deserve."[39]
Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert (born May 1st, 1850), the Bellicose Prince, has become "the weeping horse-sized grub."[40] After a string of costly errors during his service in the Campaign of '68 against Hell, he began consuming his own red honey as "penance."[41] He had initially been put off by the honey his siblings were taking, and thus avoided becoming a monster at first,[42] but his relapse resulted in his eventual transformation.[41]
In our world, Arthur spent his life in the military, and was said to be Victoria's favorite child. In the Fallen London timeline, however, it appears she paid him little mind.[43]
The Delicate Duke[edit | edit source]
"Black ribbons tie the doors closed. Cobwebs fill the corners. You pass through a parlour, into a dressing-room, into a bedchamber. The floor is littered with pebbles. You pick one up. Beneath a rust-coloured crust you discover a nodule of cloudy crystal. When you scrape it with a nail, it powders like salt."[44]
Prince Leopold George Duncan (born April 7th, 1853) had hemophilia, a blood disorder common among the royal families of Europe, which left him in poor health. In the Fallen London timeline, he has died,[45][46] possibly permanently.
Historically, he was made the Duke of Albany in 1881 and died in 1884.
The Playful Prodigy[edit | edit source]
"The Playful Prodigy makes no sound as she stirs from the ceiling. You do not hear her unfold her spindly limbs. You do not see her long hands reach down, or the frightened, child-like faces that peer from each palm. You feel the needled finger, though, as it pricks a vein in your neck. Sharp as a bee sting."[47]
Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore (born April 14th, 1857), the Playful Prodigy, is "the spider-thing with face-hands and needle-fingers."[48] In the Sunless Skies timeline, she was able to return to human form, and has become known as the Generous Princess.[49]
The real Beatrice was babied by her mother, became Victoria's constant companion after Albert's death, and married a German prince (to Victoria's exasperation at losing her innocent baby daughter).
The Captivating Princess[edit | edit source]
"It is very hard to pretend not to notice when the Princess enters a room. Her skin as pale as the lost moon, on which so many poets have broken similes like ships against cliffs. Her eyes of no single colour. Her scent, so distinctive, so almost like honey. Her presence: she draws the air from the room like a fire."[50]
The Captivating Princess was born during the year of the Fall, and thus does not have a historical counterpart. The Princess initially suffered the same fate as her siblings,[51] transforming into a giant insectoid horror.[52] Unlike the rest, she eventually recovered[53] by reconstituting her human form by stealing bits of others' personalities,[54] and became supernaturally beautiful and alluring in the process.[55][56] The Princess still has some traits from her monstrous self, like excellent night vision, a thirst for blood,[57] and a fondness for snacking on large wasps.[58]
References[edit | edit source]
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