Khaneel Island

Khaneel was first ruled by Queen Martha and Prince Consort Jonathan. The story of how they became rulers is one of discovery, war, and two people falling in love. But just how did these two future lovebirds and rulers come together, that is the real story.

Martha was a sailor’s daughter from Praychem, and Jonathan an orphan from Yewn. They met by what must be fate, or maybe dumb luck. Martha’s father was commissioned to go to a newly found island called Khaneel and take it for their country. Coincidently, the country of Yewn wished to take Khaneel. Both the Praychemians and Yewnians docked on Khaneel and claimed the land for their own. Both believed that they docked their ships first, but it was too close to call. As might be expected: war broke out between the two nations. 

Martha lost her father in the war, and Jonathan was desperate to stay in Khaneel. After two years of war, Martha was old enough to look for a husband and as a recent orphan was interested in doing so in order to remain in Khaneel. Every single man from Praychem fell over each other trying to romance her. She saw through them; they only saw a pretty girl whose family would take control of the Island when the Praychemians won. 

Most important young women would stay inside during a war, but Martha was not most women. At one point she went over to the Yewn side, hiding in some greenery. Suddenly, Martha saw a young man a distance in front of her and stopped in her tracks. He didn’t see her, he was helping his people. Martha was immediately attracted to him.

Martha prayed that this man was her future husband. She really hoped it was; he looked handsome and hardworking. She called to him, he looked up, straight into her eyes and Martha felt certain that this was the man she would marry. She did not know, at this time, that he was only two years older than her. He looked through her eyes to her soul, not at the beauty that was on the outside but the beauty on the inside. He went with her in secret to the Praychem side. They whispered to each other all the things that they should say, according to the Praychem and Yewn traditions. 

The young man, Jonathan just wanted to end suffering, both within himself and in the war zone. Martha and Jonathan were both shaped by their national tradition: Praychem’s non-interference tradition and concern for emotional responses versus Yewn’s tradition of everchanging modernity, while refusing to prioritize emotions and look only for facts. While Martha cared for Jonathan, by applying warm water to his wounds, the two found a way to form a marriage bond uniting both Praychem and Yewn traditions in their new household.

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 Now Khaneel is its own country. As long as the Kha-ah-Neel (“Island of Peace” in the language that has been established) exists, no war should plague the world. But if it should fall, the world’s peace will be extinguished. Each of the firstborn descendants of Martha and Jonathan will be raised in one tradition. The first of each generation must then take a spouse from the tradition (Praychem or Yewn) in which they were not raised. In this way the traditions of both nations are forever tied to Khaneel, and peace will remain over the world.