History Literature / TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms

* BreakTheHaughty: Many, many arrogant, discourteous people have this done to them by Godmothers, Wizards and Sorceresses. Example: Prince Alexander of Kolhstania. Actually is a good thing for them since The Tradition would ensure they have a very sorry end if the don't repent and redeem themselves. The good Magicians at least ensure that nothing truly horrible happens to people in need of redemption. Aleksia engages in this more than the average Godmother; Kay is only the latest in the line of those needing redeeming.

* DistractedByTheSexy: This is the official duty of Katya's very beautiful sister Galya. Many beautiful evil Sorcereses and Witches do this to random kings, but magic enters the equation here as well. The witch that plagued the Kingdom of Nippon used this as her main shtick to power.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Sometimes Sasha feels this way but shakes the thought of pretty quickly.

* EnthrallingSiren: Mostly mentioned and not shown, but Katya has siren blood on her mother's side and the most beautiful of her sisters shows it more than most. [[spoiler: King Vladislav has not bothered to manipulate The Tradition on their behalf since they do not recognize his authority as King of the Sea. The mermaids who do have had different paths forged which protect them.]]

* FairestOfThemAll: A few unlucky princesses. Rosamund is the fairest in her kingdom, albeit is a small kingdom. The Queen of Copper Mountain is said to be the loveliest creature upon the earth.

* FinancialAbuse: A tactic of {{Wicked Stepmother}}s to keep their exploited stepchildren under control, especially stepdaughters. In Elena's case, her stepmother held authority over her inheritance, and spent it on her daughters and herself. But Madame Klovis also ensured that Elena would have nowhere else to go, by making sure that no one would hire Elena. The laws of Otraria wish make a parent or stepparent ultimate authority over a girl's life until she has married are fodder for that. Likely many other kingdoms have similar laws given the prevalence of Ella Cinders girls.

** The Drachenthal girl carried of by the Jinn was more impressed with Lesser Skalds, who guide and manipulate paths and her homeland's equivalent of Songweavers, rather than Greater Skalds or Bards who forge new paths that might bring about lots of grief.

* JerkAssGods: The Drachenthal panthenon which mirrors the Norse pantheon is a prominent example but also the Olympia gods.

* WomanScorned: Rusalkas, Wilis. All are young women used and discarded by men who after their deaths walk as otherworldly beings bend on revenging themselves on all men that cross their path. But they are capable of redemption if they truly forgive the man that caused their pain and despair. But it is very difficult to forgive both the men and themselves. [[spoiler: Guiliette the Wili manages it in a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming combined with a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.]]

* BrainlessBeauty: As a rule, beautiful magical creatures will also be dumb as a post (to paraphrase: "Intelligence, beauty, magic--pick two"). Exhibit A: Unicorns.

* CurseEscapeClause: The Tradition doesn't like unbreakable curses, so there is almost always an escape clause, generally the more dire the curse, the simpler the escape clause.

* DoubleStandard: Virgins; a.k.a. unicorn bait. Girls don't get much of a reaction for their unicorn problem, other than a raised eyebrow on the Rusalka's case. Virgin boys on the other hand, are sources of humor. In Acadia there was a large number of girls in the drawing for the VirginSacrifice, even after girls would have started taking steps to render themselves ineligible. When three unicorns bond with three new (male) knights, one godmother laments at how difficult it will be to keep them virgin.

* PowerBlonde: King Vladislav

* FinancialAbuse: A tactic of WickedStepmothers to keep their exploited stepchildren under control, especially stepdaughters. In Elena's case, her stepmother held authority over her inheritance, and spent it on her daughters and herself. But Madame Klovis also ensured that Elena would have nowhere else to go, by making sure that no one would hire Elena. The laws of Otraria wish make a parent or stepparent ultimate authority over a girl's life until she has married are fodder for that. Likely many other kingdoms have similar laws given the prevalence of Ella Cinders girls.

* TheGenericGuy: Leopold's older brother Theodore and also heir to the throne is completely average despite being basically a nice guy. Leo got kicked out because his natural charm was eclipsing and outshining his brother.

* ImpossibleTask: All too often, especially issued from WickedStepmothers.

* JerkAssGods: The Drachenthal panthenon which mirrors the Norse panthenon is a prominent example but also the Olympia gods.

-->"That kind of startled my parents, they had no idea that there was magic in their blood,but the sibs in question are the seventh born, the ninth born, and the thirteenth born, so that probably explains it."

* HairOfGold: Many princesses or destined princesses. And a few Heroes.

The books center on the Fairy Godmothers. These women have huge amounts of magical power as a result of the Tradition trying to force them into a role that either circumstances or their own personalities made impossible. They use their GenreSavvy and experience to try and minimize the harm The Tradition can cause. For example, they might send a woman to rescue a heterosexual [[DistressedDamsel princess]] in order to avert the tragedy of a married woman falling in love with another man just because he happens to be her rescuer.

* ApothecaryAlligator: In ''One Good Knight'', a character comments that the Tradition ''requires'' Acadian Sophonts to have a stuffed crocodile hanging from the rafters. If they doesn't have one, it supplies one. Whether they want it or not.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Several, of which one is to be completely cut off from The Tradition and condemned to live a completely ordinary, entirely non-magical life. (Unless that's what the person actually ''wants'', and some do.) Rosalie being a prime example, after finding out what the Tradition intended to do with her she practically begged Godmother Bella to take it from her. As her life would have mirrored that of Fair Rosalinda, no one can blame her.

* TheForce: The Tradition. Unusual for this trope, it makes both heroes and villains, since every story needs an antagonist.

* KnightInShiningArmor: Many Traditional heroes, but particularly Champions.

* MeaningfulName: Useful in certain circumstances, especially if a Traditional hero with the same name as you succeeded in doing something you're trying to accomplish.

* NobleDemon: Arachnia before her HeelFaceTurn, Adamant and Periapt the Dragons (on first appearance -- they turn out to be straight-up heroes once people stop trying to slay them and actually listen to what they have to say).

* FateWorseThanDeath: Several, of which one is to be completely cut off from the Tradition and condemned to live a completely ordinary, entirely non-magical life. (Unless that's what the person actually ''wants'', and some do.) Rosalie being a prime example, after finding out what the Tradition intended to do with her she practically begged Godmother Bella to take it from her. As her life would have mirrored that of Fair Rosalinda, no one can blame her.
* FinancialAbuse: A tactic of WickedStepmothers to keep their exploited stepchildren under control, especially stepdaughters. In Elena's case, her stepmother held authority over her inheritance, and spent it on her daughters and herself. But also, Madame Klovis had ensured that Elena would have nowhere else to go, by making sure that no one would hire Elena. The laws of Otraria wish make a parent or stepparent ultimate authority over a girl's life until she has married are fodder for that. Likely many other kingdoms have similar laws given the prevalence of Ella Cinder girls.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen

* TheGoodKing: The kings that started out as valiant peasants or that won an EngagementChallenge as a rule and several of those born to the throne if they had a Godmother to guide them or were made aware of tradition in other ways. Also redeemed Arrogant Bully oldest princes eventually become good kings.

* GuileHero[=/=]Guile Heroine:

** Most of the major focus characters of the books are guile heroes in fact.

* IncestIsRelative: Siegfried was supposed to fall in love with his aunt Brunnhilde due to the path assigned to him by his homeland's JerkassGods. Needless to say, every time he sees her sleeping on her slab of stone, surrounded by a ring of fire, he runs as fast as he can in the other direction. He is on a personal quest to find another Prince to shove across the flames to wake her.

* LadyInRed: [[spoiler: After Klava starts training as a fairy godmother she chooses to be the Cardinal Fairy, after the red cardinal vine.]] In Nippon, Lady Tamiko in her first appearance is wearing a red kimono. Also, Katya is wearing red when she meets Sasha.

* LowerDeckEpisode: Some subplots are full fairytale stories in their own right, seen from the perspective of the characters who assist the heroes and heroines to their happy endings.

* NiceToTheWaiter: It's a very good idea to be nice to the old beggar woman at the crossroad and give her food, she may very well be a magician in disguise. Sasha makes it a point to always be kind to everyone in need, and even show compassion to enemies. Typically in the verse, those that are nice to the waiter get richly rewarded, while those that are not set themselves up for a break the haughty.

* OfCorsetHurts: Daphne, Elena's rather plump stepsister has to be fitted into one in ''The Fairy Godmother''. Elena even has to put her foot on the back of Daphne's back to make it lace. But since Daphne gained the weight by eating everything on sight so Elena would not get it, is hard to feel sorry for her discomfort.
* OffTheRails: The only way to guarantee the Tradition won't mess with you is to take a violent swerve off the normal path.

* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: Some Kings oust the Tradition from their kingdoms, thus weakening its power, but the cost is the loss of magic in the lives of their subjects ''and'' a heavy burden of GenreBlindness if something Traditional goes wrong.

* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Since the Tradition invests a great deal of magic in those it is trying to control, evil magic users benefit from attracting Questers and Abandoned Children in the Woods, and from kidnapping certain would-be protagonists so that they can continually drain off the power that the Tradition is shoving at them.

* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Elena in ''The Fairy Godmother''. Most characters who really understand the Tradition come to resent how it interferes with the lives of others.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Aleksia in ''The Snow Queen''; Elena for much of ''The Fairy Godmother'', Lily [[spoiler: playing the role of Queen-Consort Sable]] in ''The Sleeping Beauty''. Single women in power must beware of loneliness in case the Tradition sends them a Cad, a Rake, or some other betrayer who will take advantage of them.
** Making sure that the elements aren't in place for the Tradition to do this plays an important part of ''The Fairy Godmother''. The would-be Cad is turned into a Knight Protector, ensuring that the Tradition is now more interested in making sure that he lives up to ''that'' role rather than keep trying to shove him into the Cad role. This also ensures that Elena can have a successful relationship with him, which stymies the Tradition from sending any more Betrayers after her.
* [[WickedStepmother Wicked Mother]]: [[spoiler: Queen Cassiopeia sacrifices her own daughter to a dragon via a rigged lottery when it looks like Andromeda is becoming a threat. Even her co conspirator Solon the Evil Sorcerer is disgusted at how eager she is to murder her own child.]]

* WomanInBlack: Most evil witches and sorceresses. [[spoiler: Lily's persona of Queen Sable]] and Arachnia.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Perhaps the worst fate to befall anyone in the Five Hundred Kingdoms. Alexander's father, King Henrik is a prime example. He rules as a real world ruler would, dismissing magic and tales as foolishness. It almost costs him all of his sons. A GenreSavvy king in his place would only have send the youngest son to the quest, after making sure said young man was equipped to pass all Traditional tests. Instead he sends all three of his sons. The first two would never pass the first test and is obvious from first glance. The third son, Henrik send in an effort to get rid of him, deeming him an embarasment.

A series of fantasy books, mostly light romance, by MercedesLackey. In the realm known as the "Five Hundred Kingdoms," a force known as "The Tradition" tries to force people to live out "traditional" stories from fairytales, fables, and even bawdy bar songs.

The books center on the Fairy Godmothers. These women have huge amounts of magical power as a result of the Tradition trying to force them into a role that either circumstances or their own personalities made impossible. They use their GenreSavvy and experience to try and minimize the harm the Tradition can cause. For example, they might send a woman to rescue a heterosexual [[DistressedDamsel princess]] in order to avert the tragedy of a married woman falling in love with another man just because he happens to be her rescuer.

* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Mostly averted, intelligent animals are typically explicitly magical, ordinary animals are generally no brighter then you''d expect, except cats, though this may be because CatsAreMagic (and AuthorAppeal).

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: GenreSavvy characters make it a point to never wish out loud for anything. It invites the Tradition to cause mischief galore. Kay especially got his wish.

* BlessedWithSuck: Many people whose lives the Tradition is attempting to steer, especially when their Happy Ending can't occur for one reason or another. The Fair Rosalinda and Ladderlocks girls get it particularly bad. It makes one wonder about other fairytales that don't end well.

* BloodBrothers: A way to invoke certain Traditional paths. Andie does it with Sir George in ''One Good Knight'' to fend off the RescueRomance that the Tradition is pushing on them, claiming that the Tradition never allows BrotherSisterIncest except in cases where the siblings don't recognize each other.

* BreakTheHaughty: Many, many arrogant, discourteous people have this done to them by Godmothers, Wizards and Sorceresses. Example: Prince Alexander of Kolhstania. Actually is a good thing for them since the Tradition would ensure they have a very sorry end if the don't repent and redeem themselves. The good Magicians at least ensure that nothing truly horrible happens to people in need of redemption. Aleksia engages in this more than the average Godmother; Kay is only the latest in the line of those needing redeeming.

* CapitalLettersAreMagic: Many, many things dealing with the Tradition are capitalized.

* ClingyMacguffin: If it's Traditional for someone in your role to have something, you'll have it -- whether you want it or not. Acadian Sophonts, for example, always have a [[ApothecaryAlligator stuffed crocodile]] in their offices, so the Tradition will supply one. No matter how often one throws out or destroys the thing, it will always come back.

* DarkIsNotEvil: While the Tradition encourages Evil Villains to take on certain motifs, Arachnia uses these same symbols while actually working for the Godmothers as a tester. And her troll of a stableman is actually a decent fellow. Even if he is a bit ignorant of the conditions that might cause a pampered Prince to sicken and die.

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Step-parents, particularly stepmothers, will become wicked due to the Tradition unless they are very careful to avert it.

* EnthrallingSiren: Mostly mentioned and not shown, but Katya has siren blood on her mother's side and the most beautiful of her sisters shows it more than most. [[spoiler: King Vladislav has not bothered to manipulate the Tradition on their behalf since they do not recognize his authority as King of the Sea. The mermaids who do have had different paths forged which protect them.]]

* EnthrallingSiren: Mostly mentioned and not shown, but Katya has siren blood on her mother's side and the most beautiful of her sisters shows it more than most. [[spoiler: King Vladislav has not bothered to manipulate the tradition on their behalf since they do not recognize his authority as King of the Sea. The mermaids who do have had different paths forged which protect them.]]

** [[spoiler: Also averted with Prince Siegfried in ''The Sleeping Beauty''. He is revealed to be unicorn bait much to the hilarity of his friend Prince Leopold, who plays it straight himself.]]

* BreakTheHaughty: Many, many arrogant, discourteous people have this done to them by Godmothers, Wizards and Sorceresses. Example: Prince Alexander of Kolhstania. Actually is a good thing for them since the Tradition would ensure they have a very sorry end if the don't repent and redeem themselves. The good Magicians at least ensure that nothing truly horrible happens to people in need of redemption. Aleksia engages in this more than the average Godmother, Kay is only the latest in the line of those needing redeeming.
* [[BreakTheCutie Break The Silly]]: Aleksia has to do this to Gerda, the love blind sweetheart of Kay in order to open her eyes to the reality.

* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: After being waken up by Leopold and married to him Brunhilde does this to her father Odin in the Royal Palace garden of Eltaria. With an audience consisting of her own husband, her nephew Siegfried, his queen Rosamund, their Firebird companion and her father's own two ravens and eight legged horse. The ravens snicker and the old man leaves with his tail between his legs.]]

* CurseEscapeClause: The Tradition doesn't like unbreakable curses, so there is almost always an escape clause, generally the more dire the curse the simpler the escape clause.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Most successful Evil Wizards, Dark Sorceresses, etc. A notable example would be Solon in One Good Knight.[[spoiler: Up until he invites a Demon Lord to possess him and makes the mistake of going after Andie. Her dragon pal Periapt promptly incinerates Solon in retaliation.]]

* FateWorseThanDeath: Several, of which one is to be completely cut off from the Tradition and condemned to live a completely ordinary, entirely non-magical life. (Unless that's what the person actually ''wants'', and some do.) Rosalie being a prime example, after finding out what the Tradition intended to do with her she practically begged Godmother Bella to take it from her. And her life would have mirrored that of Fair Rosalinda no one can blame her.

* IncestIsRelative: Siegfried was supposed to fall in love with his aunt Brunhilde due to the path assigned to him by his homeland's JerkassGods. Needless to say, every time he sees her sleeping on her slab of stone, surrounded by a ring of fire, he runs as fast as he can in the other direction. He is on a personal quest to find another Prince to shove across the flames to wake her.

* LadyInRed: [[spoiler: After Klava starts training as a fairy godmother she chooses to be the Cardinal Fairy, after the red cardinal vine.]] In Nippon, Lady Tomiko in her first appearance is wearing a red kimono. Also, Katya is wearing red when she meets Sasha.

* MagicalSeventhSon: Sasha has some small magics, in part because he's a seventh son. Also, in One Good Knight, Gina mentions that three of her siblings have magical abilities.

* MassiveNumberedSiblings: both Sasha (seven kids) and Katya ('''fourteen''' kids) from ''Fortune's Fool''

* MyMasterRightOrWrong: This is how unicorns feel about virgins. [[spoiler: In Fortune's Fool a male unicorn show up to protect a malicious dark ghost because she is a virgin female. Never mind that she is a creature of darkness.]]

* NiceToTheWaiter: Is a very good idea to be nice to the old beggar woman at the crossroad and give her food, she may very well be a magician in disguise. Sasha makes it a point to always be kind to everyone in need, and even show compassion to enemies. Typically in the verse, those that are nice to the waiter get richly rewarded, while those that are not set themselves up for a break the haughty.

* OfCorsetHurts: Daphne, Elena's rather plump stepsister has to be fitted into one in The Fairy Godmother. Elena even has to put her foot on the back of Daphne's back to make it lace. But since Daphne gained the weight by eating everything on sight so Elena would not get it, is hard to feel sorry for her discomfort.

* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: Queen Cassiopeia in ''One Good Knight'' makes sure her daughter's name is drawn in the LotteryOfDoom, shutting down claims that the drawing is rigged and terminating the kid's research into certain things in one fell swoop. Also King Henrik in The Fairy Godmother hints that he would not feel particularly sorry if his [[TheUnfavorite Unfavorite]] third son dies in his quest for Princess Kylia's hand in marriage. Elena makes sure he suffers for it.]]

* VirginPower

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Aleksia in ''The Snow Queen''; Elena for much of ''The Fairy Godmother'', Lily [[spoiler: playing the role of Queen-Consort Sable]] in ''The Sleeping Beauty'' . Single women in power must beware of loneliness in case the Tradition sends them a Cad, a Rake, or some other betrayer who will take advantage of them.

* WickedStepmother: Played straight and averted. The Tradition can turn previously decent women bitter when they become stepmothers unless outside forces act to help. Aleksia's stepmother just barely averted it thanks to counseling by Godmother Verushka.

* WomanInBlack: Most evil witches and sorceresses. Lily's persona of Queen Sable and Arachnia.
* WomanInWhite: Aleksia the Ice Fairy, Snow Queen and Godmother of the northern lands. Also Guiliette the Willi wears a white dress reminiscent of a wedding dress at all times. Likely snow maidens as well.
* WomanScorned: Rusalkas, Wilis. All are young women used and discarded by men who after their deaths walk as otherworldly beings bend on revenging themselves on all men that cross their path. But they are capable of redemption if they truly forgive the man that caused their pain and despair. But it is very difficult to forgive both the men and themselves.[[spoiler: Guiliette the Wili manages it in a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming combined with a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.]]

* BadassDamsel: Andie in ''One Good Knight'', bordering on GuileHeroine. She doesn't fight any dragons, but she does learn how to use a sling and pick locks in preparation for her ChainedToARock moment.

* BreakTheHaughty: Many, many arrogant, discourteous people have this done to them by Godmothers, Wizards and Sorceresses. Example: Prince Alexander of Kolhstania. Actually is a good thing for them since the Tradition would ensure they have a very sorry end if the don't repent and redeem themselves. The good Magicians at least ensure that nothing truly horrible happens to people in need of redemption. Aleksia engages in this more than the average Godmother, Kay is only the last in the line of needing redeeming.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: The Queen of Copper Mountain pulls one in the climax of Fortune's Fool.]] Generally the job of Champions and Heroes, they show up when things are dire and save the day.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Queen Cassiopeia full stop. She looks like the TheHighQueen but in actuality is a classic GodSaveUsFromTheQueen. [[spoiler: In The Sleeping Beauty Prince Desmond is one too. He is secretly an evil Sorcerer that kickstarted everything in the book by sending the Huntsman against Princess Rosamund.]]

* ApothecaryAlligator: In ''One Good Knight'', a character comments that the Tradition ''requires'' the Acadian Sophont (the royal sage, basically) to have a stuffed crocodile hanging from the rafters. If he doesn't have one, it supplies one. Whether he wants it or not.

** In Fortune's Fool Prince Sasha also is unicorn bait. [[spoiler: Until Katya shows up that is. Cue mournful weeping unicorn.]]

* BlueEyes: Many Heroes and Princesses.

* HedgeOfThorns: Practically every evil stronghold.

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Sasha has small magics being a Songweaver, Seventh Son and Fortunate Fool, but used creatively and wisely he has kept Led Belarus peaceful and prosperous, which is more than one can say for powerful magicians.

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