Literary plot genre: Fantasy; adventure| Grodorax, Third Age
Main characters.
Lamie is the all-powerful queen of Grodorax, a wondrous planet divided into seven states, each largely unexplored. Lamie is a ruthless woman who has managed to subdue all other rulers except one: Moridur. The woman also desires her own kingdom, the largest in Grodorax. If she succeeds she would gain an unrivaled empire. But Moridur possesses trained and well-armed troops and has no intention of bowing.
Ragià is the young prince of the small kingdom of Bisia. Bisia was the first to be subdued by Lamie. Like most of the kingdom's inhabitants, Ragià is a man uninterested in violence and believes that true strength lies in being loved. His life purpose is the arts the attainment of outer and inner beauty.
The call to adventure
In Lamie's kingdom it is the women who choose their mates. The queen has greater power: she is the only one who can demand as many husbands as she wishes and when she is tired of them she can eliminate them. While Lamie is visiting Bisia, she spots Ragià and summons him to her court to marry him. The prince refuses, love is not for him, and then he must devote himself to his works. But the queen threatens to kill his king father and mother. Ragià is forced to accept.
The conflict
Ragià would not want to leave his kingdom so beautiful and peaceful to reach the queen's bloody lands. He meditates with his mentor and father about an escape, perhaps to Moridur, to seek alliance, but finally decides he cannot risk his parents' lives and joins the queen.
Something about the young man breaks through Lamie's edgy character. Although she is cruel and callous, she is struck by the young man's kindness, culture, and taste for beauty. Lamie does not want to admit it, but despite her victories and immense achievements, she is a lonely woman and for the first time feels true attraction for someone. This discovery makes her even meaner.
The key
Lamie prepares to wage war against Moridur. The queen is aware of Ragià's military unpreparedness, but she appreciates the young man's intelligence and sensitivity. She decides to make him her personal adviser to face Moridur's armies. The queen's generals object, but she orders that they be thrown into the dungeon and replaced. The conquest of Moridur does not go as planned, and the opponent defeats the queen's armies by putting them on the run.
Lamie blames Ragià for distracting her from her duties, deceiving her, and condemns him to death. But Moridur invades Lamie's state and reaches the gates of the capital. The queen realizes that there is only one person who has the ability to negotiate peace, and that person is Ragià. She frees the prince and he accepts the task.
He establishes an agreement with Moridur but suddenly betrays Lamie and allows Moridur's armies to kill her and destroy Lamie's forces. Moridur repays the prince with safety for him and Bisia and appoints him ruler of the kingdoms that were Lamie's, thus forging an alliance of peace.
Alternatives
You can build many alternatives with this plot: you can populate the kingdoms with different races or with wizards and elves, moving more or less strongly toward fantasy. But you could also choose to set the story on a distant planet, or in a galaxy, turning the tale into a Sci-Fi one.
As always you can play with the characters, turning the prince into a princess or the queen into a king. For this type of plot I suggest you use the omniscient narrator, but you could experiment with the first person focusing on the prince.
Want an additional original variation? Well, pair the prince with a trusted friend, or squire, or adviser. And then let him narrate the events.
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