Reign

From MiddleWiki

A period of rule by a king and queen. In the Middle Kingdom, a royal reign lasts for six months.

The winner of a Crown Tournament in either May or October becomes Crown Prince or Tanist for the following six months, along with his consort, the Crown Princess. During this period the prince and princess serve as heirs and deputies for the king and queen. (And also have the opportunity to become comfortable in their role as royalty, especially if it is their first time.) At the end of the six months, the prince and princess mount the thrones in a Coronation ceremony and reign for six months. They immediately supervise a Crown Tournament, in which another prince and princess are chosen.

Sometimes the reign as prince and princess is referred to seprately from the reign as King and Queen; also the term can refer to both time periods and therefore a full year.