King Ferdinand Clemente VI

"'Bend the knee, and swear fealty to your true King.'  ~Ferdinand Clemente arriving at Madrid in 1749."

"'And I tell you now Ezequiel, a crown may rest on the monarch's head, but the realm must always remain in your heart.' ~Ferdinand Clemente speaking to Ezequiel Clemente"

King Ferdinand Clemente VI (also known as Cadet) was the righteous King of Spain, and the Patriarch of House Clemente. He was universally loved among his people, and revered as a true and just leader around the globe. Under his glorious reign, the Spanish Empire had prospered like never before. Ferdinand was the first born son of the former King Philip Clemente V of Spain and Queen Grace Goldtimbers of France, and older brother to Archduchess Hannah Clemente of Austria, Prince-Regent Benjamin Clemente of France, Prince Ezequiel Clemente, and Silus Clemente and the grandson of Prime Minister Johnny Goldtimbers of Great Britain and Queen Marie Antoinette of France, as well as King Spartan Clemente I of Spain and Queen Pearl Petalbee-Clemente of Spain, and the father of King Lawrence Clemente.

In the Beginning...
Ferdinand began his days as a simple-minded boy. He grew up in his father's palace and rarely stepped outside of it, never knowing anything of the realm beyond himself and his large family. Being the first born son of his father, Philip Clemente V, Ferdinand highly looked up to him and followed him whenever possible. There were also the numerous siblings that he had, and he spent most of his time with them while growing up. However, as time went on, Ferdinand was given more duties and responsibilities than the rest. It did not take long for Ferdinand to start to despise this, and the young prince often said that he did not want to be his father's heir. Regardless of Ferdinand's intentions, the law was the law; one day he would have to inherit the throne. It was and always had been about duty, never desire or choices. This was always on the back of his mind.

Tired of being so isolated in a stiff lifestyle, Ferdinand set out to be extremely hands-on. At an early young age of 13, he began to learn activities such as fishing, hunting, horseback riding, sword-fighting, archery, along with many more. It was the most enjoyable time of Ferdinand's life, when anything was at his disposal, and he had a beautiful environment around him. It, however, did not last long, concluding when his father started to reveal his intentions on expanding Spain's borders enormously.

The Campaigns
At first, Ferdinand was excited to finally see some action and fight alongside his father and his people. It was thrilling and invigorating, to have an ambitious goal and to slay your enemies. It did not, however, take long for Ferdinand to start to see the dark side of his father. To make matters worse, he was at war with the nation of his grandfather, Great Britain. Being at war with his own family caused a great deal of issues and internal conflict within Ferdinand, for now he was unsure if his family was, in fact, his enemy. How could he convince himself to draw the sword against his own blood? As this question rung in Ferdinand's young mind, he knew had a duty to fight the enemy. And that enemy was Great Britain and all of its East India Trading Companies, and whoever else aligned themselves with the Brits.

When Philip began his wars, it begun with astonishing success. Phillip was extremely diligent, passionate, and determined. With a leader of such traits, Spain saw endless victory. Ferdinand never felt more proud to be apart of Spain. But the war endlessly continued, and it started to take its toll on Spain and its people. Continued war brought extreme taxes, losses of loved ones, stress, war devastation, and just overal war exhaustion. Spain's borders had expanded so far and so quickly that it simply could not handle all of it. By the peak of it, nearly every man in Spain was involved in the military in some shape or form. Farms, civic/consumer industry, arts, education, clergy... all of these things and more started to vanish as war became absolute priority. Regardless, Ferdinand Clemente fought in all battles and rarely left his fathers side. The only time he was away from Phillip is if Phillip himself sent Ferdinand on a seperate mission that could only be trusted to a selective few. Ferdinand slayed many of his enemies, but also saw many of his friends either betray Spain, or perished in battle. None the less, battle after battle, skirmish after skirmish, he kept going forward and always did what was required of him.

TO BE CONTINUED

Quotes
"Fools love a fool, I grieve for Pearson as well. For the King he once was, not the animal he came to be." -Ferdinand Clemente

"A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, 'but I was told by others to do thus." or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that." -Ferdinand Clemente (From "Kingdom of Heaven," King Baldwin IV)

"I never asked for this crown. Gold is cold and heavy on the head, but as long as I am the king, I have a duty... If I must sacrifice one child to the flames, to save a million from the dark... Sacrifice is never easy, or it is no true sacrifice." - Ferdinand Clemente (From "Game of Thrones," Stannis Baratheon)

"The Crown may rest on the head, but the Kingdom will always be in the heart." - Ferdinand Clemente