NationStates Jolt Archive

One month after the Lavenrunz Civil War...

Once again, the Presidential jet was heading for Lavenrunz. It was still unescorted. Onboard was President Mark Albert, and two bodyguards from the President's Guard unit.

This lack of security had caused a spectacular argument between Albert and Colonel Kenneth Bloom, the commander of the President's Guard. The argument had revolved mainly around how much security the President of Glorious Humanity would have with him on this, his second and hopefully less eventful trip to Lavenrunz. Albert had wanted to stick with the traditional pair of guards. Bloom had been more inclined to send a platoon, and a fighter escort for the jet. Albert had pointed out that this was supposed to be a diplomatic mission, and landing with a platoon of elite soldiers could be taken the wrong way. Bloom had pointed out that Albert had been taken hostage on his last visit to Lavenrunz. Back and forth it went, until Albert finally suggested that if Bloom was so concerned, he could be one of the guards.

Thus, Colonel Bloom was along for the trip, and spending every moment he could trying to figure out ways to limit what the President could do without a chaperone. Albert was wishing he'd brought his bottle of aspirin.

Actually, Albert's headache was finally fading, largely due to the teenager across from him. The President of Glorious Humanity was instructing Thomas A. Pierce, the son of the Minister of International Relations, in Lavenrunzian courtesies.

Thomas Pierce was fifteen years old, with sandy hair, blue eyes, and that slightly gangly build that all teenage boys get as they go from kid to man. His father and the President had pegged him for diplomatic work early on, and thus Thomas was getting the beginnings of his statecraft education by tagging along behind Albert and the elder Pierce as the older men went around the world on diplomatic missions. Thomas had a definite gift for speeches. Unfortunately, like many teenagers he also had a tendency to shoot off his mouth before his brain was fully loaded.

"So I bow to her, and kiss her hand?" Thomas was asking.

"Yes," Albert nodded.

"And I do this with all the other high ranked ladies too?"

"Yes."

"Then what makes her so special? If she's the Empress, shouldn't she have a special greeting?"

"I didn't make the rules of courtesy," Albert chuckled. "I just follow them. And so do you."

"Attention everyone," the pilot interrupted over the plane's PA system. "Please sit down if you're wandering around and buckle up. We've just received landing clearance from Hofburg International, and we're starting our descent."

Thomas and Albert both fastened the seatbelts built into the plush executive chairs of the plane. They were silent as the descent began.

"Mark?" Thomas finally asked. He was one of the few people allowed to address President Albert by his first name.

"Yes?" Albert looked over at him.

"Is the Empress hot?"

"You don't really expect me to answer that question do you?"

The plane touched down, and received proper honours as befitting a head of state. The Empress herself was there, along with a small entourage and an honour guard which presented arms and played the anthem of Glorious Humanity.
With her were: Baroness von Toll, Colonel von Paderborn, the Foreign Minister, and Archduke Carl as well as a number of aides and equerries. The Empress was wearing a dove gray coat trimmed with black lambskin, that set off her fair hair and blue eyes nicely. When the anthem ended, she said,
"Welcome to Lavenrunz again, President Albert. I hope it will be a more pleasant stay this time."

"Don't we all?" Albert grinned, bowing to the Empress. "Well, so far no disasters have happened. May I present Thomas Pierce, the son of my Minister of International Relations. Thomas is learning the diplomatic business, so I brought him along." He put a friendly arm around the young man's shoulders, nudging him forward.

Thomas, for his part, was staring at Aurora. When Albert introduced him he gulped and hastily fumbled a bow. "You have a beautiful kingdom, your Majesty. I'm glad to be here." Albert hid a smile behind his hand as he pretended to cough.

*************************************************************

Ein Sargos paced back and forth. This day had been coming for a long time. Theodore Bolan, his comrade, was ecstatic about finally being able to go home, and had been irrepressible for most of the week. Ein though, was still feeling blue about having to go. He and Erica von Fischer had hit it off, and he'd been hoping to spend more time with her.

"Hey, Albert's jet just touched down," Bolan came bounding into Ein's quarters. "Get ready man, we gotta be presentable."

Ein nodded. "I know."

Bolan stopped, fixing Ein with a look. "Man, if you don't stop mooning over that girl, I'm gonna throw you over the moon. This ain't the end of the bloody world you know. Albert will come back here, and you can see her again."

"Yeah. You're right." Ein nodded and squared his shoulders, standing straight at attention.

"That's better," Bolan grinned again. "Now, let's go. We're finally going home man!" And he walked out of the room, Ein following.

"It is nice to meet you, Herr Pierce." says Aurora, smiling at him. He seemed nice, but Aurora found the few boys she'd met her age quite annoying after a while, and was bracing herself. "This is one of the nastiest winter's we've had in a while though. Let me introduce you to my staff, Herr President. This is Baroness von Toll, my media secretary--" the buxom, handsome young woman bowed. "Colonel von Paderborn, the commander of my bodyguard, Foreign Minister von Konigsmark, and of course my uncle, Archduke Carl."
The Archduke, an athletically built man with the same fair hair and eyes as Aurora, bowed politely. He wore a full dress Imperial Air Force uniform and had several decorations. One patch was curious, a blue field with white stars and a moon.
"This time I have invited you to stay at the Autumn Palace, Herr President," Aurora said after the introductions, "Which is where most of the affairs of state occur."

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As Ein and Bolan are leaving, a Jaeger officer they vaguely know comes up and says, "Excuse me, but Major von Fischer wanted me to give this to you. Oh, I understand your President is here--you'll be able to go home soon!" he adds in a friendly congradulatory manner. Both have found that after the events immediately following the ball that the Jaeger Regiment has accepted them as honorary comrades.

Herr Sargos:

I had a wonderful time skiing with you. You should not be chagrined at falling; if you are used to downhill skiing or snowboarding the longer skis are hard to get used to.
Unfortunately I have had unexpected duty, an important training mission. It would be nice to be posted together sometime, so for this reason alone I hope that the powers that be find a way for closer relations between our countries!
Please do not take this the wrong way, but you must know by now that for people like us relationships outside our unit are hard, so maybe it is good to take some time over it.
You will be interested I hope to know that I have been selected for the Empire's Pentathlon team for this coming year! I am very excited!
Looking forward to seeing you:
Erica von Fischer

Ein thanked the Jaeger and saluted smartly. He took a few moments to read the note, and he couldn't help sighing. Erica was right of course. Duty always called, and soldiers had to answer. That made it hard for anything but duty. Ah well...

Squaring his shoulders, Ein left the barracks behind Bolan, slipping the note into his pocket. He made a mental note to write her a letter of some kind as soon as he had an opportunity.

*************************************************************

Albert responded in kind, although he had only one other person to introduce. Kenneth Bloom, the Commander of the President's Guard, bowed stiffly to each of the assembled nobles. He was a powerfully muscled man, looking every inch the archetypical soldier. His brown hair was in a military buzz, and he was clean-shaven. His brown eyes were sharp, and his face didn't look like it was accustomed to smiling. He didn't smile at any of the people there.

"Well, if there are no further pleasantries," Albert said when all the introductions were complete. "I think we've all stood out in the cold for long enough. I assume there is some form of transport planned? I've just been on a plane for five hours, and the jet lag is getting to me."

Thomas wondered what he was supposed to do next. He'd kind of expected the Empress to be snooty and look down her nose at him, like he'd read about royal people acting. Her friendliness had caught him off guard, and Albert hadn't instructed him beyond introductions. So he just stood quietly beside the President, waiting for something to happen.

Some of the Lavenrunzians stiffen slightly at this. After all, it was only polite to make introductions, and the President's manner was also not within etiquette at all...
Empress Aurora gave President Albert a pleasant smile. "Certainly. Here are the cars coming now."
As the dignitaries entered them they were saluted, and driven into Hofburg.
Motorcyles that say "Hofspolizei" on them escort the cortege into the city.
"I understand that you intend to support the Drakonian Imperium in Fyreheart." says Aurora rather directly to the President.

"Yes, yes we do," Albert answered, settling back in the seat of car he was led to. "We've helped Drakonia in the past, although they've yet to return the favor. Truthfully, I kind of hope they never have to. Glorious Humanity has been in enough wars that I'd rather one not be fought on our soil."

Thomas just sat quietly. He had a feeling Albert had said something wrong earlier, but he didn't comment. Respecting his elders and all that. Although, he realized after a moment, Aurora wasn't his elder. In fact, he was older than she was. Funny how this royalty stuff worked. Thomas instead focused on taking in the sights as the cars moved through Hofburg.

#finally someone else who doesn't ICly think the Royalty stuff is normal tag#

#finally someone else who doesn't ICly think the Royalty stuff is normal tag#
OOC: If there's one thing I really dislike in this forum it is people who force you to quote them so you can find out what they didn't have the balls to say in normal letters.

Passing the industrial district, all those factories over there. Not far from the main airport is the Imperial Air Force base and the Imperial Dragoon Guards barracks.
Much of the city President Albert has seen before, but this time it is during the day and he has opportunity to see people bundling into trains and such.
Empress Aurora says quietly, "Do you know that there were actually bombings here during the war with the Reich? I was hustled into a bunker, but Mother actually walked around and talked to people. See how bright the walls of the Cathedral are? It was blown up by a five thousand pound bomb. Having a strong alliance means a lot to me, but so does independance. I wonder sometimes what some of our allies mean when they talk about necessary this and necessary that. If they know what it costs."

Albert nodded, looking out at the building Aurora was pointing out. "There is merit in what you say. A little less war could mean a lot to a lot of people. I know I'd rather discuss peace than war. Much more fun in the long run to have trade and embassies and all those good things." He shrugged. "Then again, sometimes people come looking for a fight, and somebody's got to tell them they can't do that."

Thomas was only vaguely paying attention to the conversation. He seemed completely spellbound by the sights of the city, and was peering closely at everything they passed. Even ordinary things like street signs were interesting to him, since they were written in a language he only knew a few words of.

Some of the sights they see include:
A group of ecology activists protesting the existance of the whaling fleet. Although most of the signs are in german, the intent is clear.
Large boats and small ships moving up and down the river Sprey, the occasional bridge opening and parting for the larger craft.
The occasional presence of armored cars or soldiers near important buildings.
Rotting human heads on the spiked walls of an impressive brick and stone building.
That there are no warning signs on tobacco advertisements.
That there seem to be no poor residential areas; all areas seem neat and clean.

(OOC: Do I really have to mention this was co-written?)

Being a teenage boy, Thomas naturally was immediately fixated on the hanging heads as soon as he saw them. "Whoa, what are those for?"

"Those are the heads of the traitors who seized my palace." said Aurora, glancing at them with an 'oh, those' expression.

Thomas blinked. "Ouch." He looked at Aurora. "Why stick them up like that? I thought everybody loved you, and nobody was going to try to hurt you again."
"Ha!" Aurora exclaimed. "I thought that was how they felt before, and yet they gassed me and tied me up. No, it is a reminder that no one should mess with me."

"I see," Thomas fell silent, contemplating that.

"Well, I'm glad to see things are back to normal." Albert took up the slack in the conversation. "That coup was bad business."

"It was a coup that failed." Aurora said. She was silent and brooding for a moment.

Albert looked out the window at the passing scenery. For a moment the car was silent. "Well, I'm glad you got through it okay," Thomas finally said, a little awkwardly as he realized he'd hit a nerve.

Aurora looked at him gravely and sadly. "I'm sorry I spoke like that. You could not have known what it was like."

"No, no I couldn't. I read stories, but that can't be anything like being there." The teenage boy offered her an apologetic smile.

Albert changed the subject. "Ah, I don't believe I've seen the Autumn Palace. Is it like the Moon and Stars?"

"It's a good deal bigger." Aurora explained. "And it is also near a hunting park. Do you hunt, Herr President?"

"Not often, but I can learn," Albert replied. "What do you hunt around here?"

"Deer and boar mostly." Aurora replied. "Or we go deep sea fishing. Most exciting that, though this is a bad season for it."

Albert nodded. "Sounds interesting. Perhaps if your people are going to have a hunt, we will join them. Thomas?" He looked questioningly at the boy.

"Sure, I'd love to," Thomas smiled. "My dad likes to hunt."

"What do you hunt back home?" Aurora asked.

"Deer on the plains, big cats in the jungle." Thomas was glad to finally have a subject he knew about. "My dad's got a mounted jaguar he got before the quotas got put on them."

"It's illegal to hunt leopards or greater hairy rhinos here." Aurora said. She grinned. "We hunt with leopards here sometimes."

"With leopards?" Thomas stared at her. "You have pet leopards?" He looked very impressed.

"Yes. I have one called Thirty Camelias." she said with a grin. "But it's also customary for Lavenrunzian nobles, you know."

"Wow," Thomas grinned. "That's cool. Being Empress must be great." Albert was still looking out the window, one hand on his chin as if in thought, though actually he was concealing another smile.

Archduke Carl, who had been a bit quiet, said, "You might be interested, Herr President, to learn that Count Mirbach has been elected Chancellor of Lavenrunz."

"Oh really?" Albert looked over at the Archduke. "And how is he doing?"

"I really couldn't say at such an early time." the Archduke replied. "But he wrote Her Majesty a very nice letter."

Aurora giggled. "Count Mirbach censors newspapers at home for his family."

Albert chuckled. "And how many people have had apoplexy and seizures over this election?"

"The opposition, I imagine." Archduke Carl said with a faint smile.

"Indeed. Not to mention a bunch of world leaders," Albert grinned.

"Look...here we are." said Aurora as they arrived at the Autumn Palace.

The chambers shown to the President and Thomas were provided with elegant sitting rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. Discreet gilt, ornate woodcarving and handsome rugs from exotic lands were among the decorations. Paintings depicting hunting scenes and religious themes were here and there.
Count Chemnitz, the Imperial Chamberlain, was presented to them, and he in turn presented a young under-chamberlain called Mittelstaedt, who would look after their needs.
The wing they were led to was the private wing of the palace, the others being devoted to government business.
Empress Aurora had told them that they would be given time to rest and refresh themselves, and that they were most welcome guests.

Both Thomas and Albert grabbed showers in their respective rooms, then the President took a nap to sleep off his jet lag. Thomas, however, was blessed with the energy of youth, and once a shower had refreshed him, he dressed and set out to explore the palace as much as he was allowed.

He spent a long time examining the paintings in great detail, and then the various ornate furnishings. Once he'd exhausted the possibilies of his quarters, he lifted the phone that he'd been told would call Mittelstaedt. He wanted to know what else there was that he was allowed to see around the palace.

"Well, mein herr, there is the gallery of course. There is the Memorabilia, which is a sort of museum. There is the menagerie, and of course the very palace itself is renowed for the beauty of its architecture. If mein herr is interested, there are also places of government to see: courts of justice, the treasurey." replies Mittelstaedt. "If you require a guide, I will provide one."

Thomas considered the options laid out to him. "Hmmm, a museum sounds interesting. So, this Memorabilia would be fun. And yes, I probably will need a guide, since I uh, don't speak your language very well."

He suddenly grinned. "Any chance I could learn some of it while I'm here?"

Mittelstaedt replied, "I'm sure a tutor could be arranged, mein herr. I will send the guide directly."
The guide turned out to be a young officer in the dress uniform of the Imperial Life Guards, which was a bright blue tunic with scarlet trousers, gold epaulets and a sword. He bowed, clicking his heels and introduced himself as Captain Rupprecht von Ostermann.
The Memorabilia was a small museum. Tattered battle flags from another era that suggested an ancient hint of black powder smoke and the sound of drums; armor of gorgeous design--with piercings by broadsword, round shot or crossbow bolt.
The ornate lacquer and leather saddle of Emperor Heinrich the Fowler was on proud display, before a handsome bronze frieze of that martial monarch on his favourite charger.
There was the astrolabe, gilded now, of the famed navigator Ulrich Keppler, and a map from his circumnavigation of the globe.
Accompanied by signs saying: warning! This specially shielded glass is for your protection! was a little leaded device that contained the nucleus of one of Lavenrunz' first atomic devices.
Copies of treaties, also under glass, elegant signatures flowing in ink.
The last written up was that of Lavenrunz joining the Drakonian Imperium's treaty, signed by Empress Joanna von Sachshausen.

Thomas looked at everything, paying attention to every detail. The flags in particular fascinated him, and he spent a long time examining each one in detail. The armor also got his attention, as he did his best to read the little descriptions next to each suit to find out who had worn it for what.

The saddle was interesting, even though Thomas didn't know much about horse riding, and the statue behind it captivated him, as he imagined the man charging into battle on the powerful horse. He carefully looked over Keppler's map, noticing how surprisingly accurate most of it was.

It took him a long time to decipher what the warning signs around the atomic device meant, but with Captain von Ostermann's help he finally understood, and was fascinated. Glorious Humanity had abandoned building nuclear weapons in favor of using atomics for power, and Thomas had never been allowed to see the places where the few remaining operational warheads were stored. He spent a long time wondering how powerful the device on display had been.

Finally, he looked at the treaties. Some of these had been written in nations that spoke Thomas' own language, and thus here he finally found something he could read unassisted. He understood legal speak well enough to know what most of them said. As he read the Drakonian treaty, he found himself wondering if any treaties Glorious Humanity made with Lavenrunz would be on display here someday.

There was more to be seen:
A beautiful hologram of Athenysian priestesses doing the morning invocation to Isis. This was a gift from Empress Athena Gius to Empress Joanna. The white robed women sang in a strange and lovely harmony and then vanished until summoned by the push of a button...
An ancient hornlike device retrieved from the depths of the sea, part of some strange ship sunk millenia ago, recovered by a deep diving bathyscape.
The stretched hide of a dragon of Kalessin, killed in the 2nd Ienotheisan War filled an entire wall of the Memorabilia. The teeth in a row were like daggers. In a transparent glaziers jar, its venom swirled like gasoline lit in low oxygen.
Captain Ostermann politely waited until the youth was done, before saying, "Is there anything else you would like to see?"

Thomas examined each new wonder, marvelling at everything. The big dragon in particular got his attention, and he walked back and forth in front of it, examining every part of it with the same meticulous detail he'd observed the other exhibits with.

Boy am I going to have some stories when I get home, he thought to himself. Hearing the Captain's question, he turned to face the man, surprise evident on his face. "You mean there's more? Wow..."

Captain Ostermann looked startled in turn. "To the Memorabilia? Not really...I was referring to the rest of the palace. The gallery and so on..."
"Heh heh, more!" says a scratchy voice from a robe clad, wispy haired hook nosed person, shuffling into the hall. "More there certainly is...not where most can see though." bleary eyed, the person, whose sex is intederminate, peers at Thomas. "Want to see, young Herr?"
"Don't listen to him." said Ostermann flatly. "It's a cruel proletarian trick to disturb you. You'll have weird dreams after."

Thomas stared at the old... man? Woman? He couldn't tell, and that all by itself disturbed him. The Captain's words made him further uneasy. At the same time, he was morbidly curious about what this old one was offering to show him. Finally though, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm supposed to stay with the Captain. Diplomatic stuff, you know? They want to keep an eye on me." He offered the old one a smile and a bow, then turned to go.

The old creature chuckled, shuffling off behind a suit of armor to a door that Thomas hadn't noticed before.
"Well," said Ostermann, "What would you like to do next? Ah, there's the barracks in addition to the other wonders of the palace. Would you like to see some parade drill? Or would you prefer to see the galleries?"

"Barracks, that sounds like fun." Thomas grinned. "You've got a really nice country, Captain. I like being here."

As they walked back through the museum, Thomas paused periodically to take another look at his favorite exhibits. So many things fascinated him about this country, and he'd only been here a few hours. This museum was full of amazing stuff. Everything he'd seen so far, save for the heads, was totally different from what he'd expected a royal country to be like.

Not the least of which was the royalty herself. Thomas had never met a Queen, let alone one his age. He still wasn't sure how to deal with Aurora, since he'd never had to bow and scrape to anyone who was actually younger than him before.

"Umm, Captain?" he asked. "How long has her Majesty been on the throne?"

Ostermann smiled at the youth's compliment and led him to a hall that accessed the way to the barracks most readily. He noted Thomas' great interest in the museum and was curious about what he thought, but did not interrupt the passage of the young man's reverie.
At his question, he paused as he went to a closet and produced a greatcoat. "Here, you'll need this. Her Majesty? Oh, about a year now. Since Her Majesty Joanna of memory every glorious perished."
As he spoke he led Thomas out into a courtyard of the palace, where they could see a number of men and women in greatcoats in formation with rifles while sergeants were shouting at them. One, even as he screamed, "You're not in the slack-ass infantry now, boy, you're in the Imperial Life Guards!" to a grim faced young soldier snapped a salute at Ostermann, who saluted back.

Thomas mentally added "slack-ass" to his list of things to call people, then pulled the greatcoat more tightly about him. The Captain had not been kidding about needing it.

He stood quietly, watching the soldiers, taking note of how they resembled, to at least some degree, the men and women in the armed forces of his homeland. Finally finding something that was at least vaguely familiar in this country was a relief for some reason.

"Captain," he spoke after watching them for a while. "What do the Imperial Life Guards do? I mean, I assume from the name they protect people, but who do they look after?"

"Ah, well, that's tradition. Come over here, let me show you something." says Captain Ostermann. "See this patch on my coat--and on all their's? Shows a hound with a spiked collar, you see? We are the monarch's dogs, Herr Thomas. We would die for her. If we had been on duty roster instead of the Cavalier Guards...in four hundred years, no LifeGuard has ever failed the monarch save by dying. Not one of us comes to this regiment save by being a loyal and proven veteran. We are one of the smallest units in the army, and our duty is to the Imperial Family itself. All of us proven in direct service." he added proudly. "There are only four hundred of us. Our regiment began from a time when a rebellion was sweeping the land, fed by foreign gold and led by traitors. The Emperor was surrounded and all but taken when a small band of knightly gentlemen and a company of commoners--barely more than levies--arrived to rescue him and his family and fought a way out. They were nearly all slaughtered doing it. There's a picture that shows it in the gallery. It shows them crossing a river, and most of them dying doing it. The Emperor wept at the end of the retreat and called them his life guards. It was the first part of the army ever to be made permanent that had both commoners and gentry in it, both comrades."

Thomas listened raptly to the story. When the captain was done he grinned. "Wow. You are important."

He looked back at the soldiers drilling in the courtyard. So these guys were the royal guards who kept the Empress safe. He wondered if they were anything like Glorious Humanity's President's Guard, the special forces division of his homeland assigned to protect the President. Same basic job, keep the most important people safe.

Thomas had already figured out that this place was older by far than his homeland, and it had a lot more history to it. The Memorabilia, the Imperial Life Guards... this whole place seemed to radiate history, and a certain stability. Thomas had based a lot of his opinions of this country on what he had read, and the materials he'd read hadn't exactly built up a complementary opinion of the place. But the more he saw, the more those prejudices collapsed. Suddenly he felt profoundly honored that they were showing him all these things.

Supper was to be 'light formal'. The two GH VIPs found that this meant that they were serenaded into the dining hall with the flowing melodies of Johann Strauss. Archduke Carl, smiling, walked forward to offer his hand in friendly greeting. Also present were Count Chemnitz, Mittelstaedt, an officer from a different regiment called Colonel von Paderborn, Baroness Toll, an elegant lady in her late thirties called Baroness Bennigsen, and Count Mirbach, who looked austere and was deferentially listening to the Empress when they came in.

Albert warmly clasped the ArchDuke's offered hand. Thomas made with the "children should be seen and not heard" thing again and just stood off to the side quietly. He noted all the new faces, and as each was introduced he memorized the name just like he'd be taught.

"The music is beautiful," Albert commented to ArchDuke Carl. "Much like everything else in your country, your Grace."

Once Aurora had greeted everyone they made their way into the dining room. The brooding dappled form of Thirty Camelias was present, as always.
Aurora sat first, the Lavenrunzians not even attempting to, and at her nod they all sat. President Albert noticed that as Aurora was sitting down a chair was held out for him: clearly, as a head of state, he was considered Aurora's equal.
With the music muted somewhat, the meal began.
The Lavenrunzians were all eager and made sighs of appreciation as a large dish of shellfish, crustaceans and other seafood appeared as the appetizer course.
Mittelstaedt said quietly to Thomas, "We Lavenrunzians love our seafood, I'm afraid. If you don't, you would be wise to request something else."

Thomas grinned and whispered back. "Seafood is fine. I don't think I'm ever had some of the things in that dish."

After they had been served, Albert ate slowly, savoring each delicacy and voicing compliments about his favorites. Thomas stayed silent and focused on eating, although periodically he'd look at the other people at the table, mostly Aurora.

Mittelstaedt smiles and says, "I am glad you are enjoying it, Herr Thomas."
Count Mirbach eats very sparingly, though Albert notices that he is very fond of the scallops wrapped in bacon. He asks, as the servers remove the appetizer plates, "We know far too little, Herr President, about the religious customs of Glorious Humanity. Ah--the very name creates a frisson of admiration in myself and my party, you know...would you care to tell us a little?"
Empress Aurora discreetly makes a droll face at Thomas at Mirbach's diction, as new servers parade in in tandem with the departure of the others, bringing a huge roast of beef surrounded by vegetables roasted with it. She rises and draws her own dagger to carve it.
Mittelstaedt whispers to Thomas, "This is an informal meal, but even so, as your first in the house of your host--and as your host is of the Blood--meat from the herd of the host must be served, and the best meat. And the host must carve it and serve it."
Aurora then rose and handed slices of the meat to each person at the table, each bowing and thanking her.

"I see," Thomas murmured back, trying not to snicker at the face Aurora had made. Both Albert and Thomas bowed and thanked her, then when everyone had been served Albert answered Mirbach's question.

"We do not have a state religion, milord. Instead, our country was founded on an ideology. We believe that humanity should set aside the petty things that have held us down for so long and aspire to be as great as we can. Mankind has a place in the universe, but we can't take it until we get past the problems that have plagued us since the birth of our race."

He took a sip of his drink and continued. "Glorious Humanity wishes to see mankind become a better race, a stronger race, a race that can be respected everywhere we go and in everything we do."

Thomas ate his food in silence, listening to Albert. He'd been being taught the same general thing since he was a baby. He could quote most of the basic teachings from memory. Finally he tuned the President out and focused on Aurora. When no one was looking he returned her earlier silly face with one of his own.

Count Mirbach nodded gravely. "I see." he said.
It creeps all around us. This cancer... "Well, that sounds very similar to the philosophy of the Spartans, if you don't mind my saying so. But how does that affect the basic moral teachings of your society?"
Aurora stiffled a giggle and stuffed some meat into her mouth.
Uh-oh thought Baroness Toll, glancing between them.
Thirty Camelias lapped a plate clean off in the corner that had had enough beef piled on it for several big men.

"The Spartans? Oh no, not like that." Albert thought for a moment about how to explain better. "Are you familiar with the philosophy of eudamonia, milord?"

Thomas made clever use of his fork and knife to make an impressive pair of tusks to compliment the next stupid face he sent Aurora's way. Then he quickly put his utensils back to their normal use before any of the adults noticed... or at least he hoped before any of them noticed.

Baroness Bennigsen gave Thomas a rather curious look, like a giraffe regarding a guppy.
Aurora began to eat busily. She said, "What do you do normally at home, Thomas? What do you study?"
Count Mirbach was listening carefully to the President. "I'm afraid I'm not, Herr President, but I would like to hear you expound upon the subject." he did not let his disquiet--after all, the world was full of heretics and worse--take away the rich succulence of the beef on his plate.

Thomas smiled. "I ride dirt bikes at home. I competed in a big tournament a little while ago. I took second place in jumps and tricks." He paused to take another bite of beef. "My dad takes me hunting, and I like history stuff. You know, museums, stuff like that. It's cool to see how people used to be."

A pause for a drink. "Now, as for what I study, well mostly now I study politics. My dad's a Minister, and most of his friends are government big shots, so everyone thinks I should follow in Dad's footsteps."

Albert, meanwhile, had started explaining to Mirbach. "Eudamonia is a philosophy of peace and personal achievement. Everyone strives individually to be the best person they can, in whatever way they can. We prefer peaceful, diplomatic solutions to problems, and when we do fight, we seek to end the fight as quickly as possible, and with as little damage as possible to everyone involved. We're also very tolerant. People are free to follow whatever religion or philosophy they wish, provided they do not harm anyone else with their beliefs."

"I see." said Count Mirbach, who didn't.
Baroness Toll was fascinated. "I see...so this is an existentialist philosophy, Herr President?"
Count Mirbach lifted an eyebrow.
Archduke Carl was bored out of his mind. He hated discussion of philosophy, religion and art. He glanced at his niece, who thought she was being discreet with Thomas. Curious how attraction made fools of the cleverest people.
Somehow it made him feel tender, but he decided something would have to be done. Nevertheless, it reminded him of Alira--and of the wife he loathed who could not be set aside so easily. Moodily, he pushed at his fork.
Aurora quietly said to Thomas, "Do you like roller blading? It's fun--some of these marble halls are totally fun in them, you like have to be on your toes or you fall on your butt..."

"I can rollerblade," Thomas nodded. "I can stay on my toes and fall on my butt too. Maybe later you can show me where the best places to blade are."

Albert nodded in response to the Baroness' question. "Of a sort. We don't hold to the idea that the universe is hostile. We do stress personal responsibility and freedom of choice though." He paused to take another sip of his wine. "This is excellent stuff."

Carl brightened a bit. "That's a Brieg Riesling, a nice supper wine. In fact it comes from our estates, we like it a lot. White grapes, only the best, and my father's overseer always used to say that you added enough sugar so that an egg would bob down and try to float up. In fact it is definitely an art, a demanding one, making good wine..."
Oh, God. thought Aurora. She was bored, and also embarassed at getting tongue tied with Thomas. He was just some foreign guy, for God's sake, who would be going home and doing whatever he liked back there anyway. And would probably turn out to be an idiot like most guys did anyway.
Even the grown up ones.
The dessert arrived, fortunately, which to her delight was an ice cream beast. That was her nickname for the ice cream sculptures the Imperial Chef excelled in; it brought an aura of cold to the table and was in the shape of a pheasant made of different flavours of ice cream that made up the plumage, it was entirely realistic looking with candy buttons for eyes. Apart from that, the whole of it was a carefully put together slab of multiflavoured ice cream that was quickly re-frozen and then presented.

Albert listened attentively to Archduke Carl, letting the man ramble on without comment. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and Albert wasn't about to stop him now he seemed a little more comfortable. The President hadn't missed how the Archduke had been acting earlier.

Thomas leaned over and whispered to Aurora. "Bored? How do you stand sitting around listening to all these people talk about nothing? Whoa..." his eyes went wide at the ice cream beast, and he just stared at it for a moment.

"Now that's cool," he said out loud. "Cold, even."

Aurora, annoyed still, gave him a 'whatever do you mean glance, and said, "Would you care for some ice cream sculpture, Herr Pierce?"
Count Mirbach applied himself to the dessert with well concealed distaste. He hated sweets.
Archduke Carl fought not to take extra. He had been thickening around the waist lately and didn't want to look an overfed oaf when he next met Alira...

"Ummm, sure," Thomas said, straightening back in his chair and looking at Aurora like one would look at a live grenade. Then he looked across the table at Albert, giving him a helpless "What'd I do?" look. The President's only answer was a small shrug.

Both of them accepted their ice cream with polite thanks and began eating it. Albert savored each bite, Thomas barely tasted it as he ran over in his head everything he'd said and done, trying to figure out why Aurora was suddenly as frosty as the dessert.

Count Mirbach cleared his throat. "Herr President, the concern of Her Majesty is principally this. We are charmed by you in person, we admire the pride and independance of your nation. But the question in the end comes down to: what can you do for us, and what can we do for you? Are you interested in ties within the alliance we are already a part of, or something simply between us as nations?"

"SATO, you mean?" Albert chuckled. "No, my visit here is for relations between Glorious Humanity and Lavenrunz. My nation has tried to get into SATO, but we are not looking for anyone to prop us up there." he paused. "If you don't mind a slightly blunt observation, it might be just as well that we didn't make it. SATO seems to be coming apart at the seams lately."

He paused to sip his wine again. "But anyway, Glorious Humanity prefers to develop one-on-one relationships with other nations. We like to know our friends personally."

"I see." Doesn't want to come to the point yet, eh? thought Mirbach.
"You must know, though, that Lavenrunz is in all likelihood going to move away from SATO, forging new territory in international relations. May I ask what your intentions are in that direction? For in spite of your aims you must admit that inevitably the tangle of alliances are encountered."
Baroness Toll listened like a cat. Aurora sat very still as well,her blue eyes giving nothing away.

"Agreed," Albert replied. "I suppose you could call this a 'feeling out' trip. My first visit to this country encountered... problems. Despite the trouble, I still want to establish relations, trade agreements, and so on." He paused to collect his thoughts. "As for military alliances, Glorious Humanity might be interested in a mutual defense pact. As you said, wide-ranging alliances can be a tricky tangle, which is why we prefer to develop one-on-one relationships. It gives us a better idea what we might be getting into. However, our greatest goal is to develop new friends based on trade and trust, rather than getting allies just because we all happen to be in the same bunker if you know what I mean."

Thomas listened to the conversation, putting his confusion aside and immersing himself in the political discussion instead. It was easier than trying to figure out how he'd managed to get on Aurora's bad side, and more interesting than thinking about how he might've blown his chance of befriending the Empress.

"We have a similar agreement with GMC Military Arms and the Glorious Hack." said Mirbach, smiling. "And in fact such arrangements are prefereable to us than entangling alliances with their multiple interests and endless useless intrigues. What trade arrangements does Glorious Humanity have to offer, Herr President? And what foreign affairs are you currently engaged in?"

"We produce many different electronic devices," Albert replied. "We also have automobiles, in fact that's currently our largest industry. Glorious Humanity cars are fine things."

Thomas tuned Albert out again as the President started listing brands and such. He looked around the table at the others, who were listening to Albert talk. Then his eyes fell on Aurora. He almost sighed, but caught himself. Finally he went back to his ice cream, finishing it off.

Empress Aurora interrupts the discussion by standing. "Forgive me, gentlemen, but there will surely be plenty of time to discuss these things. Herr President, in Lavenrunz, hospitality is very important to us, and it is customary now that we show you some fine dancing and music."
Violinists plucked strings, and the sounds of Tchaikovsky began to fill the nearby ballroom room, light as floating petals in spring. Aurora smiled. "Do you dance, Herr President? Herr Pierce?"

"I'm still learning," Albert replied, grinning wrily. "It'd take a patient woman to dance with me. I have been practicing since my last visit here though."

Thomas shook his head a little. "No, I don't really. At least, I'm not very good. That's another thing my dad is trying to teach me." He felt his cheeks reddening a little, wondering just how many more times he was going to say stupid things tonight.

Aurora smiled warmly. "This is not really a formal event, Herr President--if you would prefer, we can simply listen to a recital then! Are you fond of music? The Chancellor loves Beethoven!"
"You are no doubt familiar, Herr President," said Mirbach with enthusiasm, "With the warmth and passion of the 6th Symphony. Ah, it makes me think of our own peasants at this time, plagued by the snows of winter, but then joyously bounding about at their tasks in spring and summer. As a man of the country myself, let me tell you that it warms my heart to think of them!"

"I'm sure it does," Albert nodded to Mirbach, smiling wryly. "Well, I suppose it's really up to you what we do. I know from my last visit you do love to dance." He tilted his head. "I'm not as familiar with Beethoven as I probably should be. I think I would like to listen to more of it."

Thomas went back to doing his silent act. He figured he'd embarassed himself enough for one evening. He didn't really want to sit through a recital though. Idly, he wondered what his chances were of slipping away undetected.

The music began as a murmur, an ebb and flow like the tide in a lagoon. But then a brisk cheerfulness arrived, and notes bright with energy swelled in the room. It was clear to see that Mirbach was enchanted, Archduke Carl listening patiently with the air of someone who is used to the splendid antiques in his house.
Aurora sat still, and her thoughts were invisible.

Albert also listened raptly, apparantly the music was having some of the same effect on him. Thomas wasn't much for classical stuff, but he had to admit he kind of liked this. Not enough to shake his brooding though.

When the first piece ended Albert burst into effusive applause. Thomas politely clapped a couple times, then went back to thinking.

The Next Morning...

Aurora laughed as Thirty Camelias charged playfully at a tame deer in the grounds of the palace. The deer, mouth gasping in panic, leaped away as the leopard smashed through a bank of snow and into a hedge. Growling, she shook herself and bounded up to the young Empres, rubbing her big spotted head against her leg affectionately.
Aurora fondly touched the big round ears and stroked the dense fur. Her eyes were soft and gentle as she did.

In the palace, servants stood ready to respond to the needs of their guests when they awoke. Count Mirbach and the Empress were unusual in their rising habits and had been up since before dawn.

Albert slept in very late. The President almost rose early out of habit, but then he remembered that he wasn't at home and didn't have to jump up to make decisions. Thus, he took advantage of the extra sleep time.

Thomas was already up and about, blessed with teenage energy and curiousity. Unfortunately there wasn't much for him to do, since he wasn't sure how much he was allowed to do. Finally he settled on going for a walk, and inquired with Mittelstaedt if it was alright for him to go for a walk.

"Well...please remain on the grounds, Herr Thomas, but apart from that..." Mittelstaedt lifted a hand. "You are a guest, of course."
Breakfast, Thomas discovered, was provided to order. If he wanted, there was also someone who help him dress.
The water in the bath tub--which had a hose for showering--was very hot by Glorious Human standards, almost scalding.

Thomas took a shower, wincing a little at the heat of the water, then dressed and went out to walk around, forgoing breakfast until it was time for everyone else to eat.

The cold winter air blasted his face as he stepped outside, but he didn't really mind. The white snow looked pretty, but Thomas wasn't feeling like playing at the moment. He wandered around the grounds, looking at everything, once again immersing himself in his curiousity about every part of this country.

A deep coughing roar broke into his thoughts, followed by a lithe, prowling form of a leopard appearing at the end of a path, malevolent yellow eyes staring at him, muscles bunching as it began to crouch. He could see a broken lead dangling from its neck.

Thomas gulped. "Umm... shit. Nice kitty..." He started backing away slowly, remembering reading somewhere that quick movements could incite a big predator to attack. He also tried to keep his face calm, remembering from what his father had taught him about hunting that predators could sense fear.

He quickly glanced left and right. No one appeared to be around. How far had he wandered? How far was it to the nearest building? He considered calling for help, but dismissed the idea. A shout might bring guards, but it might also bring the leopard's attack. The path he'd been on turned just a few feet behind him, but he doubted he could get around the corner fast enough.

Shit, shit, shit, why wasn't I paying attention?

Then there was a sound of voices. "--got loose!" one stammered.
"This way..."
The leopard turned its head, snarling, ears flattening, as Aurora and a youth with a long stick with a loop came into view.
Aurora swiftly took in the situation.
She turned pale but her voice suddenly rose to a lash. "Petra! Komen sie hier!" she snapped. The leopard lashed its tail and bared huge teeth, glaring. Aurora snatched the stick and threw it at the beast, which, enraged, snatched at it with its paws. Immediately Aurora had lunged after the stick and seized the leopard by one ear, hissing something that sounded positively inhuman into it. The hissing continued, and the leopard slowly sunk to the ground, making a soft and petulant sound, and became calm.
Aurora gently looped it round the neck. At that moment Mittelstaedt appeared with a guardsman who had a rifle at port.
"Where were you?" she said coldly.
"Fetching a guard, Majesty." he said, bowing.
"A lot of good that would have done by now." she turned her gaze on the attendant with the loop, whose face was the colour of whey. "And you...you stupid bastard. You're demoted to stablehand--if the Head Groom will have you. Get out of my sight."
She realized she was sick with dread at the thought of the untrained two year old attacking Thomas, and it was the only thought she had. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Thomas found his voice. "Yeah... yes I'm okay. Cat didn't jump." He took several breaths to calm his heart and put color back into his face. "Thanks. I guess that'll teach me to go anywhere without a guide." He chuckled a little... and then realized Aurora was staring at him. For some reason, he was very touched by her concern, even though he knew she was probably only upset because he was a state visitor.

Or was she? He couldn't tell, the way she was looking at him... grow up, Thomas. Let's get back to reality. He straightened and offered her a bow. "Again, thank you, Aur- your Majesty. I apologize for causing a disturbance." Dammit, dammit, dammit, come on! She's right here, and she's talking to you. Say something better! But he couldn't form the right words, and what was he going to say anyway? She was an Empress for Christ's sake, not a girl from his high school.

Aurora suddenly wished she could vanish.
You idiot. Did you think you could just buy or order anything because you're the Empress? she sneered at herself. He's thinking: wow, psycho land has wild animals running around.
She felt stupid for wishing he would break into that handsome smile he had just because she'd done the only thing possible to do. "Oh, it was nothing. Really." she said.

Thomas couldn't help it. Her offhand response was just too much. As he was straightening back up he burst into laughter. The shock of almost being leopard food, the whole intervention, everything all came together at once with a loud crash in his mind, and it was all he could do to laugh, peal after peal of mirth.

He realized that everyone must be looking at him like he'd grown a second head, and finally he composed himself, though he was still grinning. "Well your Majesty, I don't think it was nothing. I like my head where it is." He debated trying to explain why he'd just been laughing like an idiot, but decided not to. They wouldn't get it, he was sure. They just wouldn't get it.

"What's so funny?" exclaimed Aurora, astonished. "Why are you laughing?" she wondered if perhaps he'd been driven crazy. The courtiers exchanged glances. Meanwhile, the young leopard was take away on it's lead...

Thomas shook his head. "Never mind your Majesty. I'm okay now. One of those reflex things you know? Ah, nevermind." He suddenly was blushing, fumbling to explain his outburst. He realized what she must be thinking. "I've not gone crazy. I'm okay, really, I..." he finally gave up and just stood there, head down and face flaming.

Way to go, Thomas. Now we've graduated from idiot to crazy.

Aurora suddenly couldn't help but giggle. It was just so absurd, and his laugh and then perplexed look after so funny. "I'm sorry...I...you must have been scared--and I never did that before, not without a good handler to back me up. Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked. She was determined to keep things normal, nice. Friendly.

"No, no I haven't," Thomas replied, now looking at her oddly as she giggled. What was so funny? Her laughter was infectious though, and he had to fight down the urge to start laughing himself. Suddenly, he felt a whole lot better.

"Well, I think I would like to go eat. Getting scared half to death on an empty stomach is no fun," he said.

"Let's go. This way." she said, unsuccessfully hiding another giggle. "Wouldn't want you to get lost. My uncle Friederich went for a walk in the hedge maze before breakfast a few years ago. Still isn't back." she nodded gravely.

*************************************************************

President Albert found, with his breakfast, a note from Count Mirbach and an eyes only military report stating that Glorious Human, Lavenrunzian and Drakonian ships had engaged Ardan forces in the Gulf of Fyre.

"Oh dear," Thomas nodded equally gravely, although his eyes were twinkling. "Wasn't there a search? Helicopters, dogs, maybe satellietes, that kind of thing?" The grave look was starting to slip, and the beginnings of another grin were tugging at the corners of his mouth.

*************************************************************

Albert read the note, then wolfed down his breakfast, barely tasting it. Once he was through, he showered and dressed in record time, not even paying attention to the scalding heat of the water.

It's started. Well, I left my government in capable hands, but still... He decided to go talk to Count Mirbach and find out what had happened so far.

"Oh, yes, even called in a medium--just in case." she shook her head sadly. "Oh wait...I never had an uncle Friederich. I wonder who that guy was?" she burst out laughing and gave him a shove.

*************************************************************

Count Mirbach looked calm but grave. "Ah, Herr President. A difficult situation, eh? The Praetor has not been entirely forthcoming with his allies." he shook his head ponderously, but Albert noticed a gleam in his eye. "Very, very bad..."

Thomas also cracked up, and pushed her back playfully. "I wonder who he was indeed!"

God she has such a pretty smile, he thought, looking at her as they both laughed. This trip wasn't turning out half bad at all.

*************************************************************

"The Drakonians are always trigger happy," Albert replied, dropping into a seat. "Nothing new about that. Nice people most of the time, but they love gunboat diplomacy. How long's the battle been going?"

Aurora shrugged. "Who knows? Wait, look!" she exclaims, eyes widening. In the brief second that elapsed, she ducked away, grabbed snow and tossed it at him.

*************************************************************

"Not long apparently. Maybe half an hour. The Drakonians have apparently gone in piecemeal..." Mirbach said grimly.
A female voice interjected, and a woman stunning enough to be a single name supermodel, but wearing a tailored uniform that slide lovingly over the curves of her slender body stepped into view. "The whole thing is attritition. Why an attack actually took place--trigger happy, as you say. I believe two of your submarines are crippled. We've lost one cruiser sunk, one so fire damaged it is useless right now, and we've lost two submarines as well. ECM caused the worst of the damage, they got the jump on us with that." she was reading from a report and looked distracted.
"Excuse me, Herr President. Baroness von Hentzau, Minister of War." said Mirbach.

Thomas looked in the direction she indicated, confused. "I don't see any- Oof!" He turned back just in time to catch a facefull of glistening white snow. "Hey!" He stumbled, fell, and ended up sitting on his butt in the snow. He eyed the Empress with a wicked grin.

"Oh, it's on now!" he scooped up a handful of snow in each hand, melded them together into a snowball, and winged it at Aurora.

*************************************************************

"Good morning Baroness," Albert greeted her pleasantly. Under normal circumstances he might've admired her a little more, but right now his mind was on business. "So the Drakonians started, and we followed. Fun. Any idea which Ardan forces we're engaging?"

Aurora shrieked and dodged for cover, scooping up snow off a hedge as she laughed.
The hedges made an excellent ground for snow fighting, and the snow was perfect, just damp enough to pack together but dry enough not to fall to mush and ice. Their breath hung in the air as their laughter rang out over the grounds.

*************************************************************

"Ardan forces committed were those of Lost Americans." replied Baroness von Hentzau. "But at the moment there's little that can be done--local storms are still interfering with transmissions and the information is coming in slowly."

Aurora shrieked and dodged for cover, scooping up snow off a hedge as she laughed.
The hedges made an excellent ground for snow fighting, and the snow was perfect, just damp enough to pack together but dry enough not to fall to mush and ice. Their breath hung in the air as their laughter rang out over the grounds.

*************************************************************

"Ardan forces committed were those of Lost Americans." replied Baroness von Hentzau. "But at the moment there's little that can be done--local storms are still interfering with transmissions and the information is coming in slowly."

Within minutes, Thomas was covered in snow, soaked, and cold from dodging and weaving through the snow-covered hedges and Aurora's frequent scores. He didn't care, this was too much fun to let a little discomfort stop him. Relentlessly he chased the Empress, letting fly with snowballs every time he saw her. The earlier incident was all but forgotten.

*************************************************************

Albert nodded. "Great. So we don't know much except that there's a battle in progress."

He thought about contacting home to see what they were doing, but decided against it. He couldn't direct a war from here, and he had picked capable people. They could manage. This diplomacy was important.

"Do we have any idea who fired first?" he asked after a moment's pause.

Aurora took off her scarf, holding in her laughter with an effort, and draped part of it behind a hedge so that the wind blew just a little of it, hinting at where she was, and snuck around to another one where there was a good ambush spot. Biting her lip, eyes bright with anticipation, she put three snowballs on the ground and waited, listening carefully.

*************************************************************

"Apparently even though we could have gained all just by waiting, the Drakonian Imperium's fleet went full steam ahead in response to a bombastic challenge from Lost Americans." Count Mirbach replied drily. "Our hand was forced. Well, Herr President, I'm afraid that all we can do for now is wait."

{Tag; For Reading Purposes}

Thomas scooped up a handful of loose snow, looking around. He spotted the scarf and crept carefully towards it, being very quiet and stealthy. Then suddenly he leaped forward, seizing the edge of the scarf with the intent of dumping his handful of snow down the Empress' dress.

But instead of grabbing Aurora, all he grabbed was a scarf. He stared at it for a moment, then looked around as he realized he'd been set up. "Uh oh."

*************************************************************

"Wonderful," Albert nodded. "Anything else happening that might result in a world war?" He was getting tired of never being able to go on a trip or take a vacation without a crisis coming up. Can't the world just be quiet for a little while? he thought to himself.

Wham! And a splat of cold snow smashed into the side of Thomas' head. Laughing delightedly, Aurora threw another snowball, and as quick as she had thrown that, bent down to throw another.

People who were nearby paused, wondering. They hadn't heard the girl laugh like that since before the tragedy that had befallen her family. It was a cloudy day, but for those most loyal to her it was as if the sun had come out...

Thomas yelped and tried to use Aurora's scarf to stop the other snowballs, but to no avail. That girl was just too accurate. He heard her laughing as he ran behind the hedge, plotting how to get even. Her laughter sounded very nice, sweet as sun... Thomas shook his head. There were tricks to be played.

Very quietly he stalked through the snow, scooping up another handful as he came up with his next idea. He knew exactly where she was from her laughter. He came around another hedge, and saw her. She had her back to him, obviously looking for him to toss his response from the other direction.

She was pretty from this side too. Thomas stopped a moment, watching her. Why'd she have to be an Empress? His reverie only lasted a moment, then he snapped out of it and resumed creeping forward.

With a triumphant cry he leaped the last foot forward, catching the Empress around the waist and spinning her around. Both his arms went around her, and his lips pressed tightly to hers for a second. Then he released her and danced away, whooping and laughing, leaving her to deal with the handful of snow he'd put down her dress during the liplock.

Aurora shrieked as she was grabbed, and even as her hands came up to push on his chest her eyes widened as she felt his lips on hers...
and then freezing cold snow down her neck made her yell, "You! I'm so gonna get you!"
Stooping, she packed a ball and threw it as he dodged behind a hedge, but it hit the hedge instead. She realized she was trembling...she was wondering if the kiss was a joke or what. "That guy..." she muttered as she dug snow from the neck of her coat. "He is gonna get it..." but a grin came to her. She didn't reflect on it but she hadn't had so much fun in ages...

Thomas dove behind the hedge. God, that had been fun! Her face had been just priceless, and the kiss...

Thomas stopped suddenly, crouching behind the hedge. He'd kissed her as a joke, a distraction for the prank... or had he? He certainly had liked kissing her, and he candidly admitted to himself that he had chosen a kiss as a distraction because he'd wanted to kiss her anyway. That wasn't a bad thing, was it?

Her running footsteps brought him back to reality, and he took off again, back in the game, eager to evade her... and maybe get an opportunity to steal another hug or kiss. He'd never thought snow could be this much fun.

"Your Majesty!" they heard a voice call. Aurora crept out from the hedge she had been hiding behind.
They could see a young man in a uniform with epaulets and gold buttons calling. Seeing Aurora, he bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, it is nine o' clock."
That seemed to remind Aurora of something, and she glanced at Thomas, feeling a bit flustered at being caught between having simple fun, having snow in her hair and the tingle of his lips on hers still there and the call to duty. "I have to go. But I think I won." she winked at him and ran off...then slowed to a dignified walk.

"Yeah well, rematch at noon!" Thomas called after her, laughing. Then he stood up, dusted himself off, and followed them inside. Now that he'd worked up an appetite, he decided to seek out some breakfast. Then he'd see what further havoc he could cause to amuse himself.

As he stepped inside, he was suddenly aware of his boots squelching. Breakfast could wait a few more minutes, he decided, turning to head for the quarters he'd been given. First, he needed some dry clothes.

But for Thomas, the day dragged on. The President and the Chancellor remained in conference for most of the day. Aurora had a series of audiences and then went to Church--though she invited him to come along for that.
The Cathedral, with it's great flying buttresses, elaborate painted ceiling of heavenly scenes, stained glass windows several stories high was hardly an intimate setting. But Aurora appeared to pray with all sincerity. Her eyes focused on the Virgin and on the Christ with earnest longing, and he could see her lips forming words when they were closed and her hands clasped her rosary and cross.

Thomas knelt and bowed his head as well out of respect, though he didn't really understand this. Neither he nor any of his family members were religious, and he was only vaguely aware of the tenets of Catholicism. He'd heard sermons from time to time of course, Glorious Humanity being the religiously free nation it was, but he'd also heard Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and a dozen other faiths preach their doctrines. He tended to lump them all together and stick them in the same box marked "Fantasy".

He kept surreptiously glancing at the Empress, wondering what she was praying so devoutly for, and at the same time wondering why she was praying so devoutly at all. Being a confirmed athiest, religious devotion was something he just didn't understand.

Aurora prayed along with the congregation, her eyes shining with sincerity. "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, ws crucified, dead and buried: he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the Communion o Saints; the Forgiveness of sins; the Resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting. Amen."
She moved forward with the others in the congregation--all were of her court--to receive Holy Communion.
Thomas watched as the Archbishop blessed the wafers and the wine. He saw them receive, as the priests intoned, "O corpus Christi est..."
At last, the service was over. Aurora met with him cheerfully as they went out. "Well, what did you think?"

Thomas fumbled. "I uh, don't really know what to think. I've never sat through a whole sermon before. Heck, I've only sat in a sermon a couple times, and I usually sneak out when the praying or preaching starts. That stuff just makes me uncomfortable."

He paused, then added quickly. "Not that I'm dissing it or anything, I just don't think it's for me." Strike three, Thomas. First you piss her off last night, then the leopard thing, and now you just dissed her feelings. Way to go man, why don't you just ask her out now and get the slap to the face over with?

Aurora was astonished and turned and stared at him as if he'd said, 'Normally I just stuff fish down my shirt during sermons.' "You what? But why? Are you actually an atheist or something?"

Well, you've already killed dating chances. Might as well be honest. "Truthfully Aurora, I've never seen any reason to believe that there's some great and mighty being out there watching over us," he answered her. "If God is supposed to be so great and caring, why isn't He down here doing something about all the problems in this world? Where's the miracles? Where's all the good things He's supposed to give?"

Aurora shrugged, though the question bugged her. "Why believe in anything then? Why believe that people can be...what was it the President said? Be able to control their own destiny's and whatever in spite of all evidence against it? God wants to love us, but we don't let Him. The world is ruled by evil: people who believe are like part of a resistance." she said earnestly. "And if you see that things are bad, then...why couldn't you see that? Have you ever read the Bible?"

"Bits and pieces," Thomas answered. "'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.'" He grinned at her. "John 3:16. An evangelist gave me a book of quotes from Jesus Christ. Sounds like a nice offer, but I have trouble believing it."

He thought about what she'd said about his country's ideology, then shrugged. "As for what the President said, where's the evidence that says we aren't in control? Things out of our control happen all the time, but that's not a sign of divine intervention. Other people are choosing their destinies too, and sometimes their choices affect us." In spite of himself, he was getting into this debate. He tried to tell himself it was just because Aurora was pretty and he wanted to talk to her more, but that was only half true. Most of the really fervent religious types he'd met were old people, the idea of someone his age as devoted as Aurora obviously was piqued his curiousity just enough to make him interested in hearing why she was so sure of her beliefs.

Aurora was annoyed. She crossed her arms. "Oh? Let me ask you this: are you perfectly rational all the time? Do you always do things that make perfect sense according to some kind of...of...periodical table of feelings? Or do your feelings sometimes not make sense...but things happen anyway? Life isn't just about a bunch of facts." she took a deep breath and said, "Look at me, getting angry now." she forced a smile at him. "I'll tell you: maybe I need Christianity as a reminder." she nodded to her staff and walked briskly down the stairs towards her car.
The under-chamberlain Mittelstaedt looked at Thomas rather strangely and said, "This way, Herr Thomas..."

No, not everything I do is rational. Talking to you, for instance, Thomas thought but didn't say as he watched Aurora go. He turned towards Mittelstaedt as the under-Chamberlain spoke to him. "Sure. Lead on."

Why'd she get mad at him? All he'd done was answer her question. She'd gotten annoyed, like all Christians did. Thomas had run across this before, and it was one of the reasons he didn't believe in any organized religion. Religious types were never willing to talk, to explain or defend their beliefs, all they ever did was get mad at people who disagreed with them. If all religion gave people was a superiority complex, Thomas didn't need it.

Even so, he felt bad about making Aurora angry. In spite of her religion, she was still pretty, and still a nice girl. He just wished he could stop sticking his foot in his mouth every time he said more than three words to her.

Thomas saw an odd sight on the way back to the palace. People in jersey style sweaters with animal skins draped over them--fox furs, bearskins and other things--were shouting, waving beer bottles out of vehicles, holding signs with numbers on them and acting very excited.
Then it began to make more sense...as the cars passed a large stadium, they could see the parking lots filling up, and state police in black leather uniforms out watching the gathering crowds. A group of young men and women naked but for their team colours in spite of the weather went jogging through, inspiring a few rolled eyes and a number of people laughing and clapping. As they ran by, buttocks bouncing, some of them waved at the car. Mittelstaedt chuckled. "For many of these people I suppose it is a time of release, the futboll games..."

Thomas watched, openmouthed, then he burst into laughter. "And here I thought my country was the only one with nutzoid sports fans." He gestured at some of the streakers. "The same kind of thing happens in Glorious Humanity with baseball and football games. The scary part is, some really old and obese people have been known to get in on the fun. I don't mind a little skin, but seriously... man boobies are not pretty."

He was back at ease again, the humor back in his eyes as he watched the assembling crowds, periodically pointing out a particularly outrageous costume or lack thereof.

Aurora lowered herself into the bath. It was just hot enough--by the standards of Thomas almost hot enough to scald. She needed it, she was fuming but also confused.
It made her feel frustrated that she hadn't been able to refute a single one of his arguments. That she had sounded so stupid, so blockheaded. But she knew that she was also hesitant to show him how strongly she felt about her religion, how much it meant to her.
Because she didn't dare give in to her feelings.
She sighed and closed her eyes.

When the car reached the palace, Thomas headed inside immediately. The weather was taking a turn for the colder, and he didn't feel like lingering outside. He went straight to his quarters, part of him startled by how quickly he'd memorized the layout of the place. He'd only been here... two days? Three? It seemed like longer. A lot longer.

"You have fun out there?" The voice startled him, and he turned around to see Albert behind him. The President had just come from one of the side corridors Thomas had passed without paying attention.

"Yeah, I guess," he answered. "I thought you were spending the day arguing with the Chancellor."

"He had a church service to attend," Albert answered.

"You should've gone too," Thomas told him, grinning. "The cathedral's a pretty impressive place."

"You went I take it," Albert fell into step next to the boy.

"Aurora invited me," Thomas replied.

"Oh," Albert nodded. "I see." They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Thomas stopped and looked at him.

"Okay, say it."

"Say what?" The President tilted his head.

"Say what you're thinking about me and the Empress," Thomas' voice was testy.

"It's none of my business." One corner of Albert's mouth twitched a little though. "Still, if you really want my opinion..."

"I don't," Thomas cut him off.

"Then I won't give it."

"Good." They walked a short distance further, and arrived in front of Thomas' door. "Well, this is my stop," he told Albert. "I'm going to take a nap. See you at dinner."

"Alright," Albert nodded. Then as Thomas started to open the door, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "One thing, though."

"Yeah?" Thomas looked back at him.

"Don't get too cozy with her," Albert advised. "Remember, you and she are from two different places. Almost two different worlds."

"I know, I know," Thomas replied. "I won't push it any further." He offered the president a smile, then went inside and closed the door. He walked straight to his bed and threw himself onto it. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if he'd just lied to Albert.

Supper that evening was greeted with much anticipation by Aurora, who said to President Albert, "You'll like this--there's been so much diplomacy lately it's been beef, beef, beef--tonight we're going to have fruits of the sea!"
There was a general good humor about the Lavenrunzians. Count Mirbach dryly remarked that the Summit about the mediation council was like running a playgroup. Von Effner almost told the story about the cow-thing in the bar of the Klefburg hotel, but decided at the last minute that it was too vulgar. Also present at the dinner were Archbishop Heinz Wittmar, elderly and frail, and Claudia der Waal, the former Chancellor. There seemed to be little hard feelings; in fact Count Mirbach was treating her with civility and good humor. Mittelstaedt whispered to Thomas and Albert, "Her Highness Claudia der Waal was made a Serene Princess by Empress Joanna for negotiating us out of a conflict with half of Lodoss. She's also the richest woman apart from the Empress in Lavenrunz."
Supper arrived, in three courses. The first was a bouillabaise of giant shrimp, scallops, and clams.
It was followed by roast baby harp seal with bullkelp bulbs stuffed with herbs and spices.

Albert and Thomas both ate more than was good for them. The President ate slowly, savoring every taste and complimenting his favorites. Thomas, of course, inhaled everything that touched his plate.

Thomas did have to pause several times to ask what several of the dishes were though. The responses surprised him, and more than once he looked with genuine suspicion at some of the foods, particularly the harp seal. He ended up eating everything though.

When they were finished Albert nodded. "Outstanding. You eat very well here indeed." Thomas concealed a quiet belch behind one hand.

The seal tasted rather like lamb, and it was discreetly explained that a special marinade took away with fishy taste. There was it's own unique flavour along with the suggestion of lamb.
Aurora was amused by how much Thomas ate, but gravely hid her humor behind suggesting he try other things. "What sort of things do you eat at home?" she asked him.

"Burgers mostly," Thomas answered her, grinning. "Or steak. I eat lots of things. I don't usually eat at formal dinners though." He took another bite of seal. "Not if I can avoid it at least."

Albert just shook his head at Thomas and reminded himself the kid was a teenager through and through.

"Lucky you." said Aurora drily. "Oh! Count Mirbach, Thomas was asking me all about our religion today, but I thought it would be wise to leave it to a man like you or the Archbishop." she smiled sweetly at Thomas.
"Ah, yes." said Mirbach, his penetrating gaze falling on Thomas. "And, young Herr Pierce, how did you enjoy the Cathedral?"

It took every muscle in Albert's body to prevent the President from laughing at the expression on Thomas' face. The boy suddenly looked like a deer in a car's headlights. Then he looked suspiciously at Aurora before turning to Mirbach with a smile.

"I was very impressed," he said truthfully in response to the Count's question. "A grand place indeed."

"Ah, but what did you think of the service itself?" Mirbach asked. "Are you acquainted with Christianity, Herr Pierce?"

"Yeah, I am," Thomas nodded. "We have churches in Glorious Humanity. I've heard a couple sermons." He was on the spot now, and was looking increasingly nervous. Albert almost felt sorry for him. "I know some of the Bible," Thomas continued. "And I've heard all about Jesus and such. I'm... not sure if I believe it though."

His eyes slid briefly towards Aurora, then snapped back to fix on Mirbach. He could tell the Chancellor was measuring him up. What's he looking for? Thomas thought. Is he hoping to convert me?

"Well, some of us feel the same way at times." said the Archbishop mildly. "Now, Chancellor, don't raise your eyebrow, sir! You see, we all at times feel doubt. To have faith in something that is not always proven--that is the difficulty of life itself, is it not? To believe someone truly cares for you, that a way of life is worth following, that an idea is worth supporting--people do this in spite of all evidence. To be a Christian is to desperately hope and believe in the promise of a better world."

"Sounds kind of like us," Albert nodded. "Our ideology does not put a Godhead at the top, but we too hope for a better world." He smiled a little wryly. "And we too sometimes wonder if this world ever will improve."

Thomas leaned back in his chair, considering what to say next. "I haven't really paid much attention to any religion, even Christianity. For various reasons, I haven't found much cause to believe in a God, or another life after this one."

"My faith sustains me." Aurora said quietly.
Count Mirbach says with a smile, "Well, perhaps you may discover some new things, here in Lavenrunz." with a nod towards Thomas.
Aurora interrupted and the others were respectfully quiet. "My hope--my belief--is that the hymn sung at my Mother's funeral is true. That the righteous appear to die, but that their souls discover rest. And that the wicked seem to prosper, but that it is for a season only."

Both Thomas and Albert were silent after that. The President concentrated on finishing up his food, Thomas just was thoughtful, sitting quietly in his chair.

Aurora's words had struck a chord with him. His parents were divorced, and like many divorced couples, they squabbled over a lot of things, particularly him. There were many days when he resented it, hated them for it, but had he ever wished they were dead? No, Thomas decided, he hadn't. As much as he hated their constant fighting, he didn't want them to die. Though he sometimes wished they'd leave him alone and out of their battles, he didn't want them to be gone forever.

Aurora's parents were gone forever, at least forever from Thomas' point of view. He now understood why she believed so fervently. According to Christianity, good people who believed in God went to Heaven. As long as she believed, Aurora had a chance of seeing her parents again sometime in the future.

Thomas looked at the Empress, wondering how it must have felt to learn that the people she loved the most were gone, possibly forever. He had a sudden urge to embrace her, hug her and tell her that he understood now. That he understood why she believed so fervently.

Of course I can't hug her and tell her that stuff, he thought to himself. Gotta be all proper with the Empress and all. He still wanted to though.

He wanted to tell her that he cared.

Thomas, as the others had wandered off to discuss matters of commerce and state, found Aurora in a solarium. A semi-tropical warm breeze from ceiling fans made the plants sway gently. Small tame tortoises and quail moved among the trees in the garden plots, and fountains trickled gently. Thirty Camelias sat glowering nearby.

Thomas carefully picked his way towards the Empress, taking care not to step on tortoises and small birds. He saw Thirty Camelias and started, remembering the leopard from earlier. It took him a moment to assure himself that it wasn't the same cat. Then he moved forward again, keeping a wary eye on the leopard.

A sudden squawk underfoot made him jump again, and look down. He'd been so busy watching the cat he had almost stepped on a quail. The bird had nimbly skittered aside and was now voicing it's annoyance at the situation. Thomas sighed and gave up trying to approach quietly.

"Pretty place," he said to Aurora by way of hello, still about fifteen feet away.

Thomas realizes at that point that he had missed the pathways. Aurora looks both amused and annoyed as she says, "You are not supposed to just walk through the planted areas. I know the paths are a bit shaded but...oh well. Come sit here."
This part of the palace is on a rise, so that they can see below the snowy hedge maze, guards walking around it in greatcoats, the the lights of the city and the dark ribbon of the river. She is sitting on a stone and wood bench. In a pool nearby, fat lazy koi and slim rainbow trout are swimming around. "I'm sorry about dinner." Aurora said quietly. "I guess I put a damper on things."

Thomas realizes at that point that he had missed the pathways. Aurora looks both amused and annoyed as she says, "You are not supposed to just walk through the planted areas. I know the paths are a bit shaded but...oh well. Come sit here."
This part of the palace is on a rise, so that they can see below the snowy hedge maze, guards walking around it in greatcoats, the the lights of the city and the dark ribbon of the river. She is sitting on a stone and wood bench. In a pool nearby, fat lazy koi and slim rainbow trout are swimming around. "I'm sorry about dinner." Aurora said quietly. "I guess I put a damper on things."

"No you didn't." Thomas put a friendly arm around her shoulders. "We've all got things we wish were different. I understand."

He was suddenly tongue-tied again. He knew what he wanted to say, but now that he had a chance he wasn't sure how to say it. He didn't want to make her feel worse by opening an old wound.

"You made me think," he said finally. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should pay more attention to Christianity. Maybe there is something to it."

Aurora looked at him with shining eyes. "Would you Thomas? Would you?" she laughed. "You mustn't just to be kind to me...but if you like I could lend you my own Bible, it is a study one and has good notes with it." she sighed. "My sister gave it to me. My bloody selfish sister." her face was still smiling but was now grim.

"Ah, sure, I'd love to," Thomas hesitated as he saw Aurora's face when she mentioned her sister. He wondered if it was okay to pry, and finally decided to ask. "You don't like your sister? Why?" He'd been an only child, and sometimes he'd wondered what it would've been like to have siblings.

"She's older than me. She's married to the Hegemon of Terraus." Aurora said, her voice bitter. "And...she's brave enough physically, they actually met when they were captured by terrorists...but she abdicated. I guess it would have made things complicated for him politically...his country is sort of a republic...so she abdicated her claim to the throne. I try to forgive her but it's hard."

"You don't like being Empress?" Thomas asked, visibly suprised. It'd never occurred to him that Aurora might not like her position. He'd thought that royal families were all groomed to rule and liked being in power.

More misinformation, I guess, he thought to himself. How much more of what he'd read about nobles and royalty was going to be proven wrong? He finally decided that he was just going to have to be open-minded about everything.

"I don't know if I like it." she said wearily. "I just know that a few months ago my older brother...Valerian...was Heir. And it was the farthest thought from my mind. I had the most fun of all; no one really thought I'd be ruling anything. My father died of cancer; my mother was murdered along with my brother; my sister claimed the land of her husband. I sound so self pitying." she said with a rueful smile. "But I'm just telling you--the throne somehow chose me. I never chose it."

Thomas nodded. "And here you are. You're the Empress, and everybody expects you to be the big ruler person who makes decisions and stuff." He chuckled, flashing her a broad grin. "Well, for what my opinion's worth, you're still a pretty girl to me."

The humor was probably out of place, but he didn't like the sour turn the conversation had taken. He wanted her to smile easily again, with genuine happiness, like she'd been doing before.

Aurora turned red, and then her eyes blazed like sapphires in a fire. "Oh, so I'm pretty? Can I maybe get my hair done anywhere I want? Can I dance and smile and look nice? How dare you patronize me!" furious tears streaked down her face as she stormed out of the solarium. Thirty Camelias gave Thomas an almost sardonic look before padding after her.

Thomas stared after her. "Aurora, wait! I didn't mean-"

And then she was gone. Thomas turned his attention towards the solarium, looking around. Those tree trunks looked thick. Probably could withstand a few punches. For just a moment, he seriously considered kicking a tortoise.

Finally his reason reasserted itself, and so he did not vent his frustration on plant or animal. Instead, he sat on the bench and unleashed every single swearword he knew, starting with common expletives, then moving on to a few special curses unique to his homeland. Finally he let off a couple he knew from other languages. When he was done, he buried his head in his hands and wept.

What had he done wrong now? He was mad, at Aurora for getting mad at the compliment, at Albert for telling him to back off, at all of Lavenrunz for just existing, and at himself for being such an ass without realizing it.

Every time, every time I strike out. It's a wonder she still talks to me at all, he thought. Then again, she may not talk to me again now.

Once she was out of the solarium, Aurora fled down the hall, infuriated as well that she couldn't hide the tears squeezing out of her eyes.
What a jerk! I hate him. Why did he have to come here? It occured to her that the only reasonable way she could get him away from her was to have the President tell him so. How could she do that?
He didn't even want to listen to her when she was confessing something so important, something she had not told anyone else. It was humiliating, maddening.
She flung herself on her bed and wept.

(OOC: Normally, I'd ask first, but since I won't have access to my home computer for at least a day, I'm going to go ahead. If you'd prefer the thread stay private, let me know, and I'll wipe the post.)

IC:

The footfalls were soft -- quiet enough that he might have missed them. But if so, he would not miss the voice. She was too near by the time she spoke, and her tone contained too distinct a combination of compassion and curiosity, though her words were ordinary enough. "Are you all right?"

She was a young woman, of about the same age as Aurora... no more than a year or two older or younger, at any rate. She was dressed rather boyishly, wearing clothing vaguely reminiscent of (but obviously different from) a military cadet's uniform. Her skin had a gold tinge to it, and her features likewise had a slightly Asian cast. She had long, straight hair, so black as to possess blue highlights, and bright amber eyes -- in fact, one could say golden. She also had triangular ears positioned near the top of her head, and a long, bushy tail like that of a fox, with fur as dark as her hair.

"No," she continued, "that's obviously the wrong question. Why are you not all right?"

OOC: I don't have a problem with it. Check your TGs.

IC: Thomas jumped up from the bench, whirling around to face the speaker. "And just who-" he cut off, starting at her. His eyes took in her face, ears, and tail, and the anger and frustration on his features was replaced with puzzlement. "Who are you?"

He suddenly realized how he looked, with his eyes red from tears and his hair messed up from his hands in it. He hastily dried his eyes, combed his hair as best he could with his fingers, and straightened his posture.

"I'm Raven," she said, clicking her heels and bowing in the Lavenrunzian fashion as she introduced herself. When she straightened, her expression bore the hint of a smile, though her voice remained concerned. "I'm sorry if I startled you. I wasn't expecting you to be here. You must be with one of the diplomatic delegations, right? But why are you so angry?"

(Meanwhile, an operative of the Ministry of Normalcy shoots a double post with a silenced pistol and quietly drags it away...)

"I'm Thomas Pierce," he replied. "And yes, I am part of the Glorious Humanity delegation. As for why I'm upset, well, long story. The reason is stupid." He shifted uncomfortably. "A... rather large disagreement between myself and the Empress."

He watched the foxgirl suspiciously as he spoke, wondering why she was so curious anyway.

"It must have been pretty serious, if you managed to make her that angry. Not to mention yourself. You might already know this, but Lavenrunz has some fairly strict customs about civility and politeness and so on." Raven's smile wavered briefly. "It wasn't something about family, was it? That's... sort of a touchy topic. You can understand why. What do you plan to do about it?"

"It wasn't about her family, at least I don't think so," Thomas replied. "Or maybe it was. She was talking about her sister, and how she hadn't been in line for the throne until her older sister abdicated. She seemed kind of down, sad. So I tried to cheer her up. I told her I think she's pretty."

He shook his head. "Just like that, she went off on me. She screamed at me not to patronize her, then stormed out of the room. I don't know where she is now. I'd like to apologize, but... the way she was acting, I don't think she even wants to be on the same planet with me now."

"Pretty? You told... the Empress of Lavenrunz... you think she's pretty?" Raven was clearly trying to hold back laughter. It was a valiant effort. "I'm... sorry, really. It's just... well, it's not as bad as it could have been. But it really wasn't the best thing to compliment her on, either. I think you hurt her pride."

Some of the relief vanished from her tone as her expression suddenly grew pensive. "No, I'm not doing her justice. It's more than it sounds like. Aurora is Lavenrunz, sort of." She began to pace slowly back and forth along the path, a habit she'd picked up long ago. "It isn't easy for her, you know. It's a hard job, and there's nobody else who can do it. Magda abdicated, and she lives in Terraus. It's just too far away. Of course, it wasn't her fault. She never thought it would happen. But the rest of their family..." She stopped, facing away from Thomas. "There's Archduke Carl and his daughter, but they're another branch of the family really, and I don't think I count, so it's just her, mostly. Other people can do some things for her, but she's the one who has to be responsible, in the end. I feel sor--"

She bit off the torrent of words suddenly, turning back toward Thomas. Staring blankly at him for a long moment with suspiciously shimmering eyes, she amended, "I feel certain she saw it as a belittling remark, rather than a compliment. After what she's done, it's... a little superficial." Blushing slightly, eyes downcast, she added, "Sorry. But she won't stay angry at you for too long. I'm pretty sure."

"Superficial," Thomas repeated. "Wonderful. Just f-" he cut himself off before he said something offensive. "Just wonderful. I can't say anything right!" He turned to face the window, looking out across the gardens below. "Great, just great. I've been trying to be nice to her. I know that she's got a lot of responsibility, more than I likely ever will." He sighed. "And the way she talks and acts... I just..." He couldn't put it into words. He'd probably sound like a fool.

Well, you're already a big fool. Might as well be honest. He was getting tired of saying that to himself. "I want to let her know that I care. I know it probably sounds stupid, I mean I can't possibly understand everything that she's going through. But I want to help her somehow if I can, just being a friend she can talk to if nothing else."

"You've fallen in love with her?" While Raven had learned some tact since coming to Lavenrunz, she obviously still lacked a firm grasp of when to apply the concept. "That's sweet." Her smile was dazzling, but also short-lived. "But it'll probably be painful for you. Unless you're nobility, or something. Are you? But anyway, I think she knows you care. Or she will, once she thinks about it. She's really perceptive, you know. Maybe even more than Magda, and she's, well, she's so amazing that I can't even think how to describe it. But if you wanted to tell her, Aurora I mean, that yourself, I can take you to see her. I think I can. If I'm right about where she'll be. But it might be better to give her some time first. But it's up to you." Everything after the question was delivered at a rapid-fire pace in a single breath.

Now it was Thomas' turn to stare at Raven and try desperately to withhold laughter. "Love? I didn't say anything about love." His cheeks were suddenly flaming, and he couldn't make them stop. He distracted himself by trying to make heads or tails of the rest of Raven's hyperactive speech.

When she was done, he just stared at her for a moment. Then quietly, he started to laugh, a grin spreading wide across his face. "Did you inhale at all while you were saying that?" He couldn't help it, he was laughing openly now.

Raven bit her lip lightly. "Oh. Sorry. I have a habit of doing that," she apologized again. "Aurora always asks the same thing. I'll try to slow down. Um, did you want me to repeat any of that?"

Thomas just shook his head, still laughing. "No it's okay. You said that the idea of me being in love with Aurora is sweet, even though I'm not. You also said that unless I'm nobility I wouldn't have a chance. Well, I'm the son of a Minister, which is the closest thing to an aristocracy my country has. Then you said that Aurora probably already knows I care about her, and offered to take me to go talk to her. That everything?"

Suddenly he felt a lot better. He'd needed that laugh.

"Yeah! More or less," Raven acknowledged. "A minister? If it's the appointed-for-life kind, or at least a long-term post, that might work. Some people wouldn't be happy, but that's almost guaranteed anyway. And there's always me. And she's really strong. Did you decide whether you wanted to?"

"My father has been Minister of International Relations since before I was born," Thomas told her. He was still trying to figure out this girl. He'd never seen anyone that looked like her before, and though she obviously wasn't Lavenrunzian she behaved like a native, if a little more tolerant than the regular people.

He thought about her question, then nodded. "Alright, where would she be?"

"In her room, probably. It's one of the only places she can really have any privacy. I mean, there are likely still guards, but they can stay further outside than usual. Or she could be flying, but I don't think she would do that, if she's in that mood. It's usually a happier thing." Raven smiled slightly. "You want to go there now?"

Aurora dried her tears. She felt an ache inside, but she looked coldly into the mirror and began to fix herself up.
She could not afford to let herself go to pieces because of some stupid foreign boy. She had to delicately balance being a fourteen year old ruler with dealing with someone she suspected of conspiracy and murder. For the good of her country. She didn't dare rely on anyone entirely...except perhaps Thirty Camelias.
And she knew that Thirty Camelias had not been enough to rescue her mother from Whispering Voices' agents.
In the end, she remembered reading the words of her grandfather, the ruler of Lavenrunz is alone, with the glory and agony of the crown.

Thomas nodded. "Yes, let's go." He wanted to get this over with, one way or another. It was better to apologize now, and either make nice or get slapped, rather than stew over it any longer.

"All right," Raven said cheerily. She all but bounced down the path, leading Thomas from the solarium toward Aurora's chambers. "I'm sure she'll appreciate what you're going to say to her, even if it takes a little while. She's really a very understanding person."

She navigated confidently through the corridors. "Do try to be a little more sensitive this time, though. She's in a difficult position, and nobody ever expected it, least of all her."

"I understand that much," Thomas muttered. The area they were going through was new to him, but he didn't really have much time to examine the surroundings, as he had to concentrate on keeping up with the foxgirl. By the time they'd taken a couple turns, he was hopelessly lost and could only follow his guide.

Perhaps surprisingly, nobody the two came across challenged their presence as they continued on. "It's right up here," Raven informed Thomas, unnecessarily. "If you're going to change your mind, this is your last chance. You know what you're going to say to her, right?"

They found Baron Erhfurt quietly talking with some of the guards near the doors that led to Aurora's suites. He turned and bowed to Raven. "Your Highness. How may I serve you?"

"I'm not going to back down," Thomas replied, smiling. "I made my choice. I'm pretty sure what I'm going to say to her." Actually he wasn't, but he wasn't going to say that. He stayed silent as Raven talked to the Baron.

Raven returned the bow -- not quite as deeply, but more so than strict protocol would require. "Hello, Excellency. I was hoping to speak briefly with my sister." She spoke almost like a different person than the one who had met Thomas in the solarium. Her words were crisper, their cadences more regular, and their tone more formal. On top of which, she was being exceptionally polite, or possibly hadn't quite got the hang of usage of titles and forms of address yet. "Is Her Majesty at leisure?"

Baron Erhfurt sighed in regret. "It is my sad duty to inform Your Imperial Highness that Her Majesty is currently indisposed. Is there a message that I could convey on Your Highness' behalf?"
One of the guards seemed to be staring intently at Thomas--but then he realized that he was actually staring at a spot on the wall past his head. Standing almost unblinkingly at attention.

"I see." Raven's eyes flickered to Thomas for a moment before she continued. "Could you please tell her I am here? Perhaps she will speak to me. If not... please convey my best wishes for her speedy recovery and future good health."

"I will, Highness." Baron Erhfurt bows and moves away to the antechamber of the Empress' suites.
After a short time he comes out and says, "Her Majesty will receive you, Highness."

"Please excuse me for a moment," Raven says to Thomas. She proceeds into the antechamber. Okay... so now what? "Aurora?" she calls hesitantly.

Aurora is not in the antechamber, though two ladies in waiting are; they rise and bow to Raven, one indicates that Aurora is in her bedroom. A caged grabbit watches Raven with big eyes as she goes by.
Thirty Camelias looks up, growling, as Raven comes into the room. Aurora turns from the window. Her expression is somber. "Hello Raven. What is it that is so urgent?"

"Well... it's not urgent, exactly. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You do take a great deal upon your shoulders, sister. I know you have to, but you don't have to bear the entire burden on your own shoulders. I... can't do much for you, but at least I could listen. And whatever I can..." She closed her eyes, chuckling nervously. "Ah, I'm getting it all mixed up. But you don't have to be completely alone. Not always. You know that, right?" Tentatively, she stretched out a hand.

But she couldn't lie to Aurora, even by omission. "And there's something else," she heard herself say. "I went into the solarium a few minutes ago. I guess I must have missed meeting you there. But not him. He's with me... well, outside, I mean. He wants to apologize, and... well, I'm not sure of the whole story. But I think he's sincere, Aurora. He's, he feels like a nice young man. I told him you might not want to see him yet, but... I kind of think you should hear him out. He seems really concerned."

Aurora was a bit exasperated. Raven could be such a meddler sometimes. She said quietly, "Raven, I know you are concerned for me..but really...I can't just have some foreign boy in my room!" she shook her head. "If you're here I guess it's okay...if you could wait just outside..."
One of the ladies in waiting came out and bowed to Thomas. "Herr Pierce? Her Majesty will see you now."

"Thank you." Thomas returned the bow, then walked into the royal apartments. He tried not to compare every footstep to a condemned man's final walk to his execution. He took a deep breath, screwed up his courage, gave Raven a look that plainly said "Here goes nothing", and walked into Aurora's bedroom.

"Your Majesty," he greeted her, bowing again. "I... I'm not sure how to say this exactly. I messed up. I wasn't trying to offend you or patronize you, only say something nice. It just seems that I'm really good at sticking my foot in my mouth lately. I'm trying to understand, to learn, but I just don't seem to get it. I'm sorry, for anything I've done or said that's come out wrong." He straightened and looked at her eyes, sincerity reflected in his own, as well as the care that kept him trying again to befriend her in spite of all his mistakes, and that had brought him here to try to make amends for his blunders.

Aurora had not been expecting that...and it nearly disarmed her. She felt like crying again, but she held it back.
"We accept your apology." she said quietly. "It is most gracious, and it entirely buries any offense." There was a ritual sound to her response. "And now...I will see you tomorrow...I am very tired."
Please, go! I'll die if I start to bawl in front of you...and besides, she was tired. It would help a lot if she didn't have to muddle through her thoughts and feelings, and was just able to rest for a night....

Thomas nodded, adopting the same formal tone. "It has been a long day, your Majesty. With your permission, I will withdraw. Sleep well." He bowed again and left the room. He passed through the sitting room, bidding Raven goodnight and bowing to the ladies in waiting, then left the royal apartments.

He had to stop servants and ask directions twice before he finally got into familiar halls and was able to find his own way. He kept up his formal stride and expression until he got back to his own quarters. Not until he was in bed did he finally relax. Then he allowed himself to be flooded with relief and joy. He'd done it. He'd finally said something right!

Thomas Pierce fell asleep feeling much better than he had in days.

After seeing Thomas off, Raven poked her head back into the room. She was grinning from ear to ear, but she resisted the temptation to tease Aurora. Not tonight. "'Night, sister. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Thomas did not sleep well. He was too keyed up, too excited. Around midnight, he suddenly came back to the real world, his mind finally unable to stay asleep any longer. This rather annoyed him, as he'd been having a very pleasant dream, the type of dream teenage boys have frequently.

After a few minutes of trying to get back to sleep, he finally gave up and threw off the covers. There was hardly any light in the room, the only sources of illumination being the fireplace that kept the room heated, and some moonlight coming through one window. Thomas pulled on some clothes and then sat on the edge of his bed debating what to do next. The logical part of his mind knew he should go back to sleep, but logic had not been having much voice for the past few days.

There was no one to talk to, everyone except the night shift of servants and guards having gone to bed hours ago. Nobody would be drilling... Thomas stood up as an idea came to him. The Memorabilia might be open, and exhibits didn't go anywhere. He could look at the stuff in there again, and take all the time he wanted since no one would be watching him. His decision made, he found his shoes - stubbing his toes twice as he felt around for them- and then headed out. He knew the way to the museum now, so he didn't need to ask any directions, and none of the servant he passed questioned him about where he was going.

Apart from lighting just to keep people from bumping into the displays, the Memorabilia seemed quiet and closed down. At the far end of the hall, Thomas could see a guard pacing.
Then a creaking voice muttered, "Oh ho, young Herr...come to see the hidden Memorabilia are you?" a flashlight, muffled by a coat, was held up to Thomas' face, and he saw the grinning features of the old creature that the captain had shooed away.

Thomas paused, about to tell the old person "No" again, but something stopped him. He'd come here to see the Memorabilia again, but had he really come to see the same exhibits he'd already checked out? He decided that the answer to that was no.

So why had he come here, really? He knew the answer to that.

"Sure," he nodded slowly. "Show me."

"Ahhh..." the old fellow nods, assessing Thomas and seeming somehow approving...but no less odd.
The little door led down a flight of stairs, to a landing and then down to a hall. Stone walls, bare stone with protected wires running to lights behind mesh cages. The first thing to see was, behind a case, an old leather hide, inscribed with words in Lavenrunzian.

Thomas stopped and looked curiously at the hide. He tried to read the writing on it, but he didn't speak the local language well enough to understand. He also couldn't tell what the hide was made of.

After a few minutes of trying to figure it out on his own, he asked his strange guide. "What is this? It doesn't look very bad to me."

The old man put on a pair of incongruous bifocals. "It says 'Behold the skin of a traitor'." he chuckled. " A memento of the reign of His Majesty Emperor Carl-Heinrich the 2nd of...blessed memory." he glanced up to see Thomas' reaction.

Thomas stared openmouthed at the display. "Why would anyone keep something like that?" He didn't seem horrified so much as disgusted and even more puzzled. Maybe it was because the tanned hide looked like any other cured skin, so it did not seem as horrible as if it had been easily identifiable as human, but he found himself more curious as to why it was still around than appalled at what it was.

Staring at the skin, he suddenly recalled the rotting heads he'd seen on his first day here. Lavenrunzian justice apparantly was very heavy-handed. And it had been that way for a long time it seemed.

"You cannot judge any monarch negatively." if it had been said by Mittelstaedt, there would have been perhaps a grandeur to it. However, in this case it came from a cracked voice and leering face. "But...Empress Joanna didn't like it, so it's down here. With the other stuff." he chortled. "Want to see the rest?"

Thomas nodded slowly. "Yes. Show me more." He glanced back one more time at the display as they moved away from it. All the stories he'd read about monarchies were coming back now, and he wondered if some of what he'd read was going to be proven right after all.

He was troubled by this, but the old man had said that Empress Joanna had had it moved down here. Joanna, Thomas thought to himself. Aurora's mother. Maybe Lavenrunz was getting away from that sort of thing.

The rotting heads wouldn't leave his thoughts though, hanging as grim reminders in his mind that though the nation might be changing, it hadn't gotten rid of making examples yet.

A strange cross between a giant thumbscrew and stocks was on display...somehow it required the person to lean forward onto what appeared to be weighted pedals.
"Confusing, huh?" the old man chortled. "The pedals are linked to the screws that are on either side of where your head is locked in...and watch." he stepped on the pedals and the screws began to turn. Where the neck would be a circle of wire slowly grew into a smaller and smaller circle. He glanced at Thomas with a grin. "The one invention of Emperor Leopold I. Not necessary to even have more than an executioner's assistant. Leopold is known mostly for one thing...blessed be His memory." he spat on the floor. "He executed twelve thousand people during His reign."

Thomas cringed. "I take it you don't think much of the older monarchs." He looked at the device curiously. "But this thing is just a display piece now. Nobody uses it anymore." He looked back at the device, and shuddered. He'd seen brutal tools such as guillotines and iron maidens before, but this was something new. It was amazing how creative humans could be in killing each other.

"This next one." the old man shuffles over, and shows Thomas a scroll under a glass case that sits on a podium like pedestal.

To Hans von Goetz
Minister of Justice

You are hereby instructed that a nonhuman servant of the palace, named Lise, has been discharged from duty, and is to be considered vagrant and an undesirable.

Baroness Wolfmar
Imperial Chatelaine


Above it hung the portrait of a stern looking man in a formal black and gold uniform, decorations gleaming on his chest.

"Nonhuman?" Thomas repeated. "But there are nonhumans living in Lavenrunz right now." He remembered his encounter with Aurora's "sister" Raven.

"Your nation's history has not been very happy, has it?" he asked the old man quietly. It seemed so sad that these things were moldering down here, monuments and headstones to all the horror that man was capable of.

"Ah, she's adopted, is Her Highness. Ja..." he gestured with the flashlight at the man on the wall. "Know who that is? That is His Imperial Majesty Emperor Frederick II, Her Majesty's grandfather. He, young Herr, ordered this..." he gestured at the scroll. "And come. See..."
There were shelves of what looked like leopard pelts. But as Thomas looked in the dim light he realized that the proportions were slightly wrong...and that the leopards appeared to have had wrists...

Thomas' mind shuddered away from the implications as he grasped who the pelts must have been. Had to have been. "My God..."

He looked at the old man. "Why is the stuff kept? Aren't you trying to get past these things? Why not just throw them all out and be done with it?" The pelts seemed to have gotten to him. Inwardly, he was picturing Raven's skin being added to this gruesome collection.

The old man turned and looked at Thomas, his yellowish eyes glinting. "Why, eh, young Herr? Why indeed...who would dare throw them out? They're part of the Memorabilia...the way you hide your shame in your heart, eh? You believe in the Christ, young Herr? That he shrives all sin away? Ah, how we all hope so." he chuckled and scratched his thinly covered pate. "Want to see more?"

Thomas slowly nodded. "Yeah. Sure." As they moved on to the next exhibit, he answered the old man's other question. "No, no I'm not a Christian. I thought Christians preached peace and love for all. 'Do unto others as you would have other do unto you.' 'Love one another as I have loved you.' Stuff like that."

He thought back to Aurora talking about how she wished her family was still alive. She'd been so sincere, so hopeful. Did she know about the things down here, about what her family had done? Of course, from everything he'd heard, her mother had been trying to change things. Was that why she had been killed? Had Aurora's mother died because the Lavenrunzians didn't want to stop being brutal and barbaric?

The old man wheezed laughter. "Ah ha ha! Young Herr, don't you know that's why that stuff is preached?" he chortled as if telling a dirty secret. "It's easy to love what's good and honorable and true. Love! Love is long suffering and kind. They translate it as 'patient' these days."he grimaced and scratched a bristly chin. "Longsuffering sounds a bit more true, doesn't it, young Herr?"
"Ah, but here's the piece de resistance." he pointed to a cabinet, locked heavily with a steel lock that looked nearly invulnerable. "Only I and one other have the key." he grunted. "Journals. Of rulers past. For the Von Sachshausens, past four hundred years."

Thomas nodded softly. "No need to open it, I don't really feel like reading anybody's diary right now." He didn't say that he might come back later to do so. For now though, he'd seen enough. He was feeling a little sick. "Thanks for showing me this stuff, sir. It's... interesting."

"Heh heh...as you wish, young Herr, as you wish." the old fellow, his long coat and robe dragging on the floor, shuffled off. "I'll lead you back then. You know, shadows are always there. They get bigger, when its dark, and they get really small on a really bright day..." he winked as though he was imparting a nasty and salacious secret, as he led Thomas back to the staircase.

OOC: just as a sidenote, this is a very nice read :)

Thomas followed the old man back to the staircase, then politely bade him goodnight, adding a formal bow for good measure. Then he headed back to the palace, and his quarters.

His mind was whirling. He knew people could be nasty, horrible creatures, but he'd never experienced fisthand the depths of human brutality. It saddened him that members of his own species could do such things as had been shown in those exhibits. He remembered the way the Captain had tried to keep him from seeing those things. Were the Lavenrunzians embarassed or ashamed of their past? Not likely, after all they were still doing things like hanging heads out.

Everywhere he turned he was confused. First he didn't understand the country. Then he thought he had the country figured, and had no idea how to proceed with Aurora. Now he was finally getting somewhere with the Empress, and the country was confusing him again! He finally decided that what he needed was some sleep. He filed what he'd seen away in the vault of his mind where confusing things he didn't want to think about were kept, and firmly shut the door.

At first, Thomas thought he had slept in the following morning. But a look past the drapes showed that it was snowing so heavily that he could barely see more than a foot or two!
There was a little sound like someone sliding something under the door. It was a note that read:

Dear Thomas
I'm sorry about my part in our misunderstanding. I forget that you are a stranger.
The blizzard is so bad that it will last a few hours. So all my appointments are canceled! Would you like to come to the pool with me? Just ask Mittelstaedt for directions.
Aurora

Thomas read the note as he tried to banish the last of sleep from his head. His first thought was that Aurora was out of her mind. Swimming? In a blizzard? Then it occurred to him that it was probably an indoor pool. Right on the heels of this realization was a vision of Aurora in swimwear. That served to wake him up fully.

Unfortunately, he hadn't planned for swimming when he packed his clothes for the trip. However, a pair of black shorts made an acceptable substitute for swim trunks. He pulled on pants over the shorts, a shirt, and his shoes, then rang Mittelstaedt and asked where the pool was.

Mittelstaedt in fact sent a young man in livery to escort Thomas there. The pool was in the back of the palace; a lattice of metal and glass formed a half cylindrical dome over it. Adjacent to the pool were exercise rooms, a sauna and a steam bath. The showers, elegant yet utilitarian in stonework and brass, had signs insisting on showering before entering the pool, the instructions written in german and english. Thomas found that apart from an elderly pair of men, stoutish with greying hair, he was alone. They were both draped in towels and talking about how long they could each stand to sauna for.
"Depends on what level bench I'm on." said one.
A towel attendant stood nearby like a statue.
On the walls were posters depicting advice about hygiene and about fitness and water safety.
When the two old men saw Thomas, they politely bowed in his direction but continued their conversation.

Thomas returned the bow, then headed for the showers. As per pool instructions, he showered before heading out, then went out to the pool wearing his swim shorts. No one had pointed him towards any lockers, so he just carried the rest of his clothes until he found out what to do with them.

Thomas realizes that he missed the lockers; they appear at a glance to be elaborate metallic wall scrollwork. In spite of the elegance, at the end of the day they are simply lockers.
The pool room has that echoing watery sound that all pools have. It is large, olympic size, and there are benches here and there. He sees a fair haired buxom woman climbing out wearing a black one piece; she smiles and waves at him, and he realizes it is Baroness Toll, the Empress' Press Advisor.
"Hello, Herr Pierce. It is good to see you!" she smoothes water out of her hair and pads along the side of the pool towards a towel on a bench.
Beyond her, he can see Aurora walking towards a second pool, which is clearly for diving only, as it has four boards of varying heights. Not far off, Thirty Camelias is sitting, looking rather sullen and flinching away from splashes made.

Thomas smiled at the Baroness and waved back. "Good morning milady." His attention wasn't really on her though, and anyone following his eyes could see he was focused more on the diving pool, and the girl walking to it. He crossed to that end of the room, giving Thirty Camelias a wide berth. He still didn't trust leopards yet.

Aurora looked like she was getting ready to dive, and Thomas didn't want to break her concentration, so he didn't call out a greeting yet. Instead he sat down by the edge of the pool and watched her.

In her bathing suit, Aurora was revealed to be on the edge of womanhood; she was athletically built but sweetly curved, revealed prettily by her bright bikini. Climbing up to the highest board, Aurora walked to the end. raising her hands, she sprung off the board and dove like a knife into the water, her feet barely splashing as she went shooting under.

Thomas couldn't help admiring her form, both in dive and in body, as she made her entrance into the water. To him, it was almost unfair. It would be so much easier to deal with her if she wasn't so pretty, if how she thought of him didn't matter so much. But she was, and it did, and he was once again confronted with the very real problem that he really had no idea how to deal with her or what to say to her most of the time.

He was suddenly self-concious again, and made a point of checking himself over quickly to make sure he looked okay. He didn't dwell on the silliness of making sure one is neat when one is preparing to swim. Now that he was half naked, one could see that his entire body was lightly tanned, the kind of color one gets just from living in a country that has short winters and long, hot summers. He was physically fit as well, although he wished he had a little more muscle. Not that he'd even mention that of course.

As Aurora came back to the surface from her dive, Thomas called to her. "Morning, your Majesty! Nice form."

Aurora blushed and laughed. "Thank you. Do you dive too? Let's practice a bit!"
Aurora grinned at him and led the way, with the unconscious grace of a young deer.
I like doing things with him, she thought. Why can't it always just be like this?
She made her next one a double flip...and she barely made it, but she was exhilerated. Lucky for you, girl...what if you'd just smacked your legs like last time?

Thomas laughed. "Nice job!" Now this is fun. We should just play more often.

It is a well known fact that a teenage boy attempting to impress a teenage girl will do reckless, even blatantly stupid things. So it was with Thomas. He attempted to one-up Aurora's dive by adding a spin off the board before he tucked for the flips. Of course, he wasn't any sort of competitive diver, and lacked the trained reflexes to accomplish such a series of moves. Thus, instead of straightening out to cleanly cut into the water, he hit it half unfolded. The result was a splash much like a cannonball, and a mouth- and nosefull of water.

The only thing really hurt was his pride, although his back definitely didn't like the sharp contact with the water. He came back to the surface looking decidedly sheepish, and spent a couple seconds blowing water out of his nostrils before speaking.

"Okay, that didn't work like I planned," he told Aurora with an embarassed grin.

Aurora was thrilled that he had tried even if he knew he wasn't that good at it...she began to show him some pointers and demonstrated herself.
Inevitably, they ended up hanging out in the pool, having a wild good time seeing who could hold their breath underwater longest and so on. Some of the younger courtiers started a game of water polo and splashing and laughter ensued...
Finally, Aurora confessed, "Whew, do you know we've been in for two hours? I'm kind of beat...I need a sauna. Want to come?"

Thomas nodded. "Sure, I'd love to." He had to admit he was feeling decidedly waterlogged after several dozen dives under Aurora's direction. Still, he was pretty sure his form was improving. At least, he hoped it was. He was going to get that dive right someday.

Aurora led him into the sauna room. In the anteroom, which he noticed had access to the dressing rooms, Aurora slid the straps off her arms and before he could really blink, took off her top and skimmed down the bottom. "Coming?" she asked. She opened the door and heat and steam breathed out, he got a glimpse of one or two others inside.

"Eh... umm..." Thomas managed. His face was suddenly flaming red and he was trying to look elsewhere.

It was not that he was a stranger to semi-public nudity. Back home, he'd routinely stripped to shower in locker rooms and such. He'd even on occaision gone skinny dipping, sometimes with women and girls in the group of swimmers. He'd never felt any physical attraction to the various females he'd swam with.

Aurora was a whole different story. He was definitely attracted to her. Now she was naked, and certain embarassing parts of his anatomy were standing up and taking notice. Suddenly, he did not want to take off his shorts. At all.

"Umm, one moment," he finally told her. Dammit, soldier stand down already! Oh God, I am so dead...

Aurora suddenly realized he was embarassed. She remembered that some countries wore their bathing suits in the sauna or the hot tub--which she thought, like most Lavenrunzians, to be counter productive and unsanitary. And it suddenly made her flush with selfconsciousness. Until then she was just being normal; suddenly she was aware of her nakedness.
However, she gave no sign of this, simply gave him a direct blue eyed stare and said, "I'm going in, I'll see you there." and walked into the room. He caught a glimpse of her greeting Baroness Toll and Baron Ehrfurt, who were already there. An attendant flung water on the rocks and steam obscured the view before the door swung shut.

It took almost a minute for Thomas' groin to calm down enough that disrobing would not be very embarassing. The whole time he was wishing he could sink into the floor, or fly away, or something besides go into the sauna. He did not want to have to explain why he had had to wait.

Finally, when he was convinced his body was under control, he shed his shorts, opened the sauna door, and walked in. He still wasn't Christian, but right at that moment he was very devoutly praying to any God that would listen that Aurora would not ask any questions.

Aurora raised an eyebrow when he came in. She was sitting on the top bench, where it was hottest, and looked quite rosey already. She patted the place beside her. "If you can take the heat that is." she said with a grin.
Baron Ehrfurt was wincing and rubbing a shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Baroness Toll asked.
"Squash." he said by way of explanation. She nodded sympathetically. Glancing at Thomas, she said, "Did you enjoy your swim, Herr Pierce?"

Thomas nodded to Toll, moving up to sit next to Aurora. "Yes, Baroness, I did. If my visit here lasts much longer, Her Majesty might even be able to teach me how to do a fancy dive without landing on my head."

The heat was certainly powerful, but Thomas welcomed it. His head, back, and shoulders all ached from hitting the water at odd angles, and the sauna did wonders to ease that.

Aurora laughed. "You aren't that bad! You just haven't practiced much yet."
"Her Majesty is an excellent diver." said Toll.
"Thank you Toll." Aurora beamed. "I wanted to be on the Olympic Team...that'll never happen now. Did you know my Mama was on it for Lavenrunz? For the relay. But we have a good team this year." she looked wistful.
The head surrounded them, got in their noses and mouths, made the air heavy. The attendant, a quiet young man who sat on his own bench, now and then poured water over the rocks.
Aurora languidly said, "I could do with a thrash. Toll?"
"I could too, Majesty, though I will do the honours if You wish it." said the Baroness politely. She went to the attendant, who pulled a bundle of stiff branches from behind him that were in a little stand like an umbrella stand.
Aurora clambered down from the high bench, presenting a glistening array of motion to Thomas before lying down on her front. Toll proceeded to thrash her with the sticks, not with wild abandon but with short wrist snapping chops.

Thomas, much to his credit, kept a perfectly straight face and position while Aurora was being spanked. This is not to say that he didn't think about anything naughty, just that it didn't reflect on his face. Or his body. Once he had control of his other brain, he was able to keep it from flaring up again.

He started to feel a little lightheaded himself. The heat and steam was doing funny things to his thoughts. Firmly, he clamped down on said thoughts. They kept coming anyway though.

At last Toll stopped; Aurora languidly sat up, stretching. "Mmm, Thomas, you should try it! It really gets the blood flowing. What are you smirking at?" she demanded of Ehrfurt.
"Nothing, Majesty." he said. "I was thinking of seeking out a massage though..."
Aurora nodded and raised an eyebrow at Thomas. "Then you can do Toll after." she suggested.

Thomas shrugged. "Ah, thanks for the offer, your Majesty, but I'm perfectly comfortable right here. In fact, I don't think I'm going to stand up for a couple minutes more at least." His arms were crossed over his lap.

Thomas had underestimated his second brain. It was now taking interest in the proceedings below, embarassing interest. He just prayed it would go away as quickly as it had before.

Aurora shrugged. She was thinking that maybe Thomas didn't like the sauna...but then something occured to her. Her eyes widened for a moment and a blush came to her--but fortunately her fair complexion didn't betray her because she was already so pink from the heat. Suppressing a giggle, she offered to thrash Toll instead.
It made her feel rather strange, realizing that she was making him feel things she had never intended to. For a moment, she wickedly wanted to offer for him to take a dip in the cold pool--and then suddenly, glancing at his tense features, she felt sorry for him. She remembered being in Freebodnik, and feeling more naked than she was now. There, her mother's authority had meant little--the kindness of the Freebods more than anything had helped her.
Toll rose when she was done and stretched a bit. Aurora said, "You know, I think you win the heat test, Thomas. I'm going for a shower now. Shall I see you for lunch?"
She went to the door and paused there for his answer before leaving along with Toll, whom she beckoned to follow her.

"Certainly," Thomas nodded quickly. He waited a couple minutes after they had left before getting up and leaving himself. He towled off, found the locker he stored his dry clothes in, and dressed quickly. Then he walked out, debating what to do until lunchtime.

Without even conciously thinking he headed back to his quarters, lost in thought. Which is why he almost collided with President Albert in the corrider outside his quarters.

"Hey Thomas," Albert greeted him, deftly stepping out of the way and waving a hand in front of Thomas' face.

"Huh?" He looked up. "Oh, sorry Mark, didn't see you there."

"Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just step out of the way and see if you'll keeping walking into a wall," Albert chuckled. "What have you been doing with your morning?" He fell into step next to Thomas.

Thomas grinned. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Oh, nothing much," he said in a deliberately offhand manner. "Swimming, diving, staring at the Empress naked, just boring things like that."

Albert coughed, and turned to look at him. "Swimming, diving, and staring at the Empress? How'd you pack all that into one morning?"

"Well," Thomas began. "There's a diving pool and a sauna. Aurora was teaching me diving tricks, then we hit the sauna. Lavenrunzians strip down for that just like we do back home."

Albert stared steadily at the impishly grinning boy for several seconds. Then he shook his head and laughed with Thomas. "Any chance you could turn this blossoming romance towards helping the talks?"

"Mark!" Thomas stared at the President. "One, I'm her friend. I'm not going to mess that up with politics. Two, I'm not even an official diplomat here... or have you forgotten? I'm not official till next year." Sixteen was the age of adulthood in Glorious Humanity, and everyone was expecting Thomas to go right into International Relations. Thomas wasn't sure what he thought of that, although it might be tolerable. Maybe he could get a posting in Lavenrunz...

"Good young man," Albert grinned. "I wasn't really serious. As much as I dislike fencing with Mirbach, he's the one we have to deal with. Still, never hurts to be in with someone higher up."

"For the last time, Mark," Thomas said flatly. "I'm befriending her because I'm her friend. I'm not playing politics here."

"Of course." The two of them stopped in front of Thomas' door. "Well, what are you doing until lunch?"

"I think I'm just going to read a book or something," Thomas replied. "I've had enough exercise for one morning."

"Lucky you," Albert replied. "I guess I get to go enjoy Mirbach's company some more. Once more unto the breach, as they say." He said goodbye and headed off down the corridor. Thomas went into his room.

The courtiers were astonished by the change in mood of the Empress, who came in to lunch with a sunny expression and friendly looks. She was suddenly delighted with everything about Thomas; his thoughtfulness, his casual manner, his physique, which made her think of a young wolf...
When she burst out laughing at a joke that Baroness Toll told, people paused. It sounded so much like Empress Joanna's laugh, so full of life and strength and the beauty of her soul that Count Mirbach, hearing it, frowned.
Baroness von Hentzau leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.
The Count's cold blue eyes settled on Thomas for a moment, and then glanced back at his soup.

Thomas met Mirbach's look, and nodded politely to him. He was far too caught up in his own private euphoria to realize the implications of von Hentzau's whisper or Mirbach's look. Aurora was happy, and she was happy with him. He'd said the right things, been very friendly, and had finally been able to avoid sticking his foot in his mouth. Her smile and laughter were both pretty, even angelic, to the smitten young man.

Albert, however, did not miss the way Mirbach was acting. The President had been dealing with the Chancellor for most of his stay here, and he still didn't trust him any further than he could throw him. Mirbach had been very confident, sure of himself, as if he knew something everyone else didn't. Albert keenly remembered that overpowering smugness when Mirbach had tried to convince him Drakonia was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Now Mirbach was suddenly concerned about something, and it seemed to be something related to Thomas. The President was not a fool, he had no doubts that the problem involved Thomas' association with Aurora.

Albert did not say anything, however, instead he just concentrated on eating.

"The Draconian Imperium, they say, is in a terrible mess." commented Mirbach. "Yes...the world is growing so bad, wrens perch where eagles dared not to. And yet, in the face of this, we have managed to finish up our mediation treaty. The end result is to be called the International Mediation Council." he smiled at President Albert, but inside he was seething. You rotten atheist bastard, you've been swanning around here for days, flirting with negotiation like a damned debutante. What do you want?
Aurora said in a soft voice that forced others to lower theirs, "I'm so glad it is finished. It will be a great legacy for this country to bestowe upon the world. My Mother would have wanted it. Those who say Her work was in vain need only see how when the diplomatic call went out, people answered."

Albert smiled back. "We received word of the Mediation Council, but unfortunately some other matters prevented us from sending representatives. My country is interested in hearing more about what was decided though, and perhaps joining in the future."

What are you looking for Mirbach? What magic tricks are you expecting us to play? Albert had gotten the sense that the Chancellor was waiting for something more. They'd agreed on trade treaties, embassies, and other standard political drivel, but Albert had the feeling Mirbach was expecting him to suddenly come up with something else. An ulterior motive, a hidden agenda.

Snakes seek their own. The proverb from his homeland jumped into Albert's head. If there was ever a snake, Mirbach was one alright. An ironic metaphor, given his religious beliefs.

The visit was nearly at an end. And Aurora was pensive. She missed Eulalia and her Mother very much; she needed someone she could confide in.
She felt that Magda had made mistakes, and the biggest had been her marriage. To marry a commoner, however exalted in rank, from a nation without aristocracy, had forced her to chose between his country and her own. Aurora thought Witzig a most honorable, man, but at the end of the day his country came first.
She felt herself a bit ridiculous, thinking about marriage already. But where could a relationship go?
How bearable would it be, to maintain diplomatic gravity with someone she was beginning to care for a great deal?
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith that I might move mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
Those words were making her heart ache, because she knew how true they were. And she wondered now if some of the 'mistakes' that Magda and her Mother hand made, that her brother Valerian had made and others she had admired but been puzzled by had made were just beyond her current wisdom...

After lunch Thomas found himself wandering the halls, unsure and insecure. He suddenly had a burning desire to talk to someone, to spill out exactly what was going through his head... and his heart.

Normally, in the past, if he needed to unload, he'd gone to his father or a close friend. Albert had usually been willing to lend an ear when his dad was busy. Thomas couldn't take this to the President though. Albert had already warned him about getting too cozy with Aurora. He knew exactly what he would say.

He'd say what I already know. She's the Empress, I'm a Minister's kid. According to my country she's a foreign leader, and I have to treat her as such. According to her country I'm a nobody.

Thomas didn't miss the irony of all this. Their respective positions had been what gave them the chance to meet. Now their positions were what was keeping them apart. How many times had he read about stories like this? How many cliched pieces of "great literature" had his schooling subjected him to, and how many times had he scoffed at them as junk?

The difference was, in the stories there was always a way out. Real life didn't always hold a door open. Thomas wished it would.

Thomas, lost in thought, nearly ran into Baroness Toll. Not far off was the Empress and Thirty Camelias. Aurora started.
"Toll...could you please excuse me?"
The Baroness bowed and went just out of hearing distance.
They were in a gallery; paintings lined one, and windows the length of a person lined the other. Outside the winter snow lay as in the song, "deep and crisp and even".
Aurora found herself smiling. "I had a really good time yesterday, that was fun."

Thomas smiled back. "Yes it was. I like it here." Not in small part because of you. He looked towards one of the windows for a moment, unsure of what to say next, then back at her.

"I... I'm going to miss this place," he said slowly. "I enjoyed my time here... a lot." He took a breath and fought the slow flush crawling up his cheeks. He looked towards the window again, biting his lip.

Aurora caught a hint of meaning in his words..."I liked having you as a guest. But I bet you've got a lot to look forward to going home."
She lifted an eyebrow. "School and all that...but would you write me? Call me?"

"You can count on it," he nodded, grinning. Yeah, he thought. So much to look forward to. More training, going back to the same places I've been seeing since I was a little kid. Nobody interesting to talk to, nothing really fun to do besides ride my dirt bike.

He wanted to say more, wanted to tell her more. It was so hard not to blurt out exactly what he was thinking. He was carefully not meeting her eyes directly because he was afraid that if they made eye contact for too long everything would be said without a single word being uttered.

He opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, then stopped. The breath came out as a sigh instead of language. He realized he had to say something, what he was thinking woul only stay suppressed for so long. He took another breath and tried again.

"You're a very special person, Aurora," he told her. "I'm really glad I met you."

"I'm glad I met you too." she said softly. She was suddenly aware of finding it hard to breathe; the moment and the quiet of it seemed so natural and she felt so trembly, barely able to think what she was going to say or do...

Thomas stepped closer to her. He started to say something more, but he could not come up with any words now. She was so perfect, her beauty much deeper than just physical looks. He wished so much that things were different, that they could just be normal people.

Their faces were very close now. Stop it! his rational mind screamed. She's the Empress, you can't-

He could feel her breath lightly brushing his face. His eyes were locked with hers. His rational mind was drowned out by the pounding of his heart, so loud it almost seemed that she had to hear it as clearly as it thundered in his ears.

Softly, their lips met.

Footsteps rapidly moved towards them, but Aurora did not hear at first.
She had never imagined that a kiss could be so sweet, so intoxicating. Her whole being was encompassed in a moment of softness and fascination, and when they broke away, she could only look into his eyes.
"The President of Glorious Humanity is ready to leave, Your Majesty." said Baroness Toll tactfully.
But this was the true goodbye. Aurora leaned forward and kissed him again.

Thomas kissed her back, losing himself in it. For a long, beautiful moment, he didn't even realize they were being watched, and didn't hear the Baroness. Without even thinking about it, he'd put his arms around the Empress, and held her as they kissed. It was the most wonderful feeling he could imagine.

When the second kiss ended, he finally became aware of their audience. For some reason though, he wasn't abashed or embarassed.

Finally though, it had to end. Regretfully, Thomas let Aurora go and straightened, resuming his formal posture. The twinkle in his eyes though, said louder than words that on the inside, he was still kissing her, and that he was happy.

Hofburg's Emperor Frederick International Airport

Not far from the President's plane, Ein and Bolan were waiting near elements of the flight crew and a security team. A joint group from both nations had just finished going over everything with a fine toothed comb. Refuelling had just been completed.
One of the Lavenrunzian officers handed Ein a message and wished him bon voyage.


Dear Ein

I'm about to become a mother. Yes, I know that we haven't been even near that intimate, and no I'm not seeing someone else. There is a teenaged girl that I'm adopting. She has no home and has been through more hell than nearly anyone I know could stand.
Rank hath its privileges. I sent this via a consul I know, so that no one could tear it up. Sometimes, Ein, I feel such a love hate relationship with the service. If it wasn't for the people I serve with I'd quit. The bullshit just piles up so fast sometimes.
One thing apart from that has kept me going; Empress Joanna was worth serving. This is not a very Lavenrunzian thing to say but I hope her daughter is too.
But apart from that I've found some good reasons for living that have really opened my eyes. There's sport; I just got news that I've made the Olympic tryout team for the pentathlon. But that's a passing thing; I know that even while I'm so excited about it I can't sit still.
The things that are more lasting I guess are this girl--her name is Monika--and you. I'm really looking forward to seeing you. Maybe I'm being unfeminine, putting my heart on a sleeve, but if you want to see me I'd be more than happy to see you. Maybe you could meet Monika too.
with all fondness
Erica


It was hard, in the limousine, to not just sit right beside Thomas, or even not to look at him a lot. Aurora barely remembered what was said; when she did see him looking at her it made her feel so good that strangely her stomach felt like it hurt. She was nudged by Toll when they stopped, and she got out, making herself look regal and pleasant. She put out a hand. "Goodbye, Herr President. It was wonderful to meet you."

Albert accepted the hand and kissed it. "And you, your Majesty. I have enjoyed my time here."

Thomas also bowed and kissed Aurora's hand. "I too have had a wonderful time, your Majesty," he said in his best formal tone. "I look forward to visiting your country again in the future." That wasn't all he said, but the rest of it was spoken without words.

The two of them walked to the plane. Colonel Bloom and the other guard were already waiting, as were two people that caused Albert to do a double take when he saw them.

The President stopped in front of Ein, staring at him like he was a ghost. "Wait a second..."

"Good afternoon sir," Ein greeted him pleasantly. "It's good to see you again."

Albert looked from Ein to Bolan, then to Bloom, then back again. "You two, you're supposed to have been MIA during the revolt."

"We were, sir," Ein told him. "The Imperial Jaegers were nice enough to take us in."

"Bloom..." Albert now looked at the Colonel.

"We were informed shortly after this mission landed," Bloom said. "We've already seen to getting what few things they have on board, and rearranging the seating so they have a place to be. The President's Guard is thrilled to have them back." The Colonel kept a perfectly straight face.

"And it never occurred to you to pull me aside and inform me of this?" Albert asked slowly.

"I did not believe it important enough to inform you, sir," Bloom answered. "Certainly not important enough to interrupt the negotiations."

Albert stared steadily at the commander of his guards for a second, then shook his head and went on into the jet, muttering to himself. Bloom and the guards followed. Thomas was last. As he stepped into the jet, he turned around and looked back at Aurora one more time. He smiled at her and winked. Then the door closed.

"Ahem..." Thomas was suddenly aware of the President standing behind him. "We have to go sit down so this bird can take off," Albert told him, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Let's get strapped in, then we can hear Sargos and Bolan's war stories. And," he added with a lopsided grin. "You can tell us all about your visit with her Majesty."

Thomas turned beet red at that. This was going to be a long flight.

Count Mirbach looked outside, watching the Empress playing with Thirty Camelias in the snow.
No.
He would not be disturbed. The Empress might take an interest in affairs of state, but she was little more than a child. She had fallen for this boy from Glorious Humanity, but ultimately would marry for the state, as her mother had.

As Aurora playfully wrestled with Thirty Camelias in the snow, a stray thought came to her.
She was happy. She suddenly couldn't wait to tell Raven.