NationStates Jolt Archive

When Siri stepped into her chambers for the night, she found Agwene sitting on her bed with a wry grin. She had not been officially informed that the Sidhe monarch was even in her country, although MISSION likely picked up on it. Sirithil blinked a bit as she enters. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise."

Agwene grinned at her. "I thought you'd like it. Would you like to take a walk with me in the starlight?"

Sirithil smiled. "I'd love to."

Agwene rose, offering her lover her arm. "Where can you see them best?"

"Out in the garden... there's a couple hours each night when we dim the city lights so people can see the stars."

Agwene blushed. "I should have known, given your culture. I've just normally been...busy then when I've been here before." She waited for Siri to take her arm. Sirithil took Agwene's arm in hers, and led her outside onto the terrace, over a mile above the city below.

Agwene looked up at the night sky. "How's married life?"

"It's lovely. I'm very happy with Mephet'ran."

"So you're sure you don't want to trade? I mean...as much as I love Connor...I could make the sacrifice for you." Agwene said, clearly joking.

"Fraid not, my dear." Siri grinned.

Agwene smiled a little. "I miss you. It's hard to make time for personal matters for women like us. Still, it's been too long."

"It has indeed... Far too long." Sirithil answered. Agwene turned to look at Sirithil, tilting her head up slightly. "So, my dear... to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" the Elentari asked.

"I'm getting there. Can't I enjoy the pleasure of your company a little first?" Agwene complained, running a hand over Sirithil's cheek. "You have yet to give me a proper hello." Sirithil leaned down and gave Agwene a gentle kiss. Agwene kissed back slowly, before pulling away and looking up at the stars. "They are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Mmm, yes... but not so much so as you."

"They pale before your beauty as well, oh bright star of my heart. Do you trust me, Sirithil?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to introduce you to someone tonight. I vouch for him completely. What trust you have in me, place in him as well."

"Sounds important... and all right."

"Thank you." Agwene squeezed the Elfwoman's hand lightly. "We'll go in a few moments. I'm savoring this." Sirithil smiled, enjoying Agwene's company. After awhile, Agwene stepped back. "I'll take you to him. Do you need to summon some of your security people?"

"Depends where he is."

“At my hotel." Agwene answered. Sirithil nodded, and calls for some Mornahossë to accompany her. Agwene took Sirithil with her to an inconspicuous middle-income hotel where she had registered as an ordinary Danaan tourist. She helped Sirithil out and glanced about, wondering if any of the few people out at night would recognize their queen, Sirithil. Most of them would, certainly, but Sirithil managed to be as discreet as possible for someone with several armed guards. Agwene showed Siri into her room, where a Sidhe woman and a Human man, both in casual dress, were sitting. They rose and bowed as soon as the monarchs entered the room. "This is Lady Haladriel ni Beaumayn and Duke Owain." Agwene said. She then turned to her people. "As you doubtless gathered, this is Her Eternal Majesty." Sirithil gave them a little bow of her head and a warm smile as she was introduced. Owain smiled to Sirithil. Agwene looked between them. "Your Grace, the Elentari is one of our most cherished allies. I thought you two should meet in person."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Halafriel inclined her head. "Likewise, of course."

"So, what brings you to Menelmacar?" Siri took a seat opposite them.

The three sat down. Halafriel frowned slightly. "It is hard to say exactly. Duke Owain has some hard days ahead. I saw that he would likely need allies in the coming years."

"Why's that, Agwene?"

Agwene frowned slightly herself. "It's...it will become evident in the fullness of time, Sirithil. It is just important to me that you meet him."

"Well... all right. It's a pleasure, Duke Owain."

"It has been an honor, Your Eternal Majesty." He answered.

"Though, I wish Agwene would tell me more."

Halafrield nodded. "I understand. But you shall have to trust her on this. She does truly love you. Whatever else may come, you should know that."

"Talk like this always worries me... though I will trust her, and the two of you as well."

Agwene nodded. "Shall I take you back to the palace, Sirithil?

Sirithil nodded. "Probably a good idea."

Agwene rose, helping Sirithil up. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." She said to her companions.

A rather short sidhe woman walked towards the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator. Despite her aura, rather strong even for a Sidhe, she was not dressed like she belonged inside. Rather, she was another foreign tourist, come to gawk at the sights. She stood about 5'4", with raven black hair cut short. She wore simple jeans and a t-shirt. A taller sidhe woman and a redhaired human man walked with her, equally casual in attire.

"Monsieur, mesdames, do you want to go inside?" asked the Varangian officer in front of the large gate. Two guardsmen flanked the gate, and there was a small booth where security checks were carried out. Ordinary people were allowed into the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator under normal conditions, providing they posed no security risk, and they looked like Danaan tourists.

"Yes, please." The short woman answered.

"Are you here with a tour group?" he asked, leading them over to the booth.

"No, it's just the three of us." she answered.

"Can I see your passports please?" he asked, moving the mouse of the computer inside the booth to wake it up out of its screen saver.

The woman blinked, as though confused for a moment. Her passport gave her name as Elfrida ni Gwydion and the other two carried passports naming them Owain and Halafriel ni Beaumayn. The officer typed the passport numbers into the computer, which brought up the IFIS and IDIS reports on each of them. He didn't really read the reports, however, and only looked at the red number in the top right hand corner of the screen which graded them from 0 to 10 as a security threat. None of them had a rating above 0, so he had no second thoughts. He picked up the wand scanner, and flicked the computer over to display the results. It was essentially a sophisticated metal detector - but its instruments could find more than metal objects. It used x-rays to determine the shapes of objects it scanned, which the software would then assess as a threat or not.

"Are you carrying any weapons or dangerous goods?" he asked, before passing the wand over each of them in turn, running from their legs up to their head.

"No."

When the wand didn't pick up anything alarming, he set it back down, and left the booth, taking them over to the gate.

"There are English language tour guides available on request, if you go to the desk at the visitor's office, which is in that building over there, where you can see all the other tourists." he told them, indicating through the gates as they opened up towards a wing of one of the smaller buildings in the palace complex. "I hope you enjoy your visit to the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator!"

"Thank you!" The woman grinned beyond gorgeously. The three then proceeded into the actual palace proper. The woman kept her face looking down mostly. While she was rather hard to recognize from video or photographs, there were at least a few people in the Imperial Court who had seen her before.

They got just beyond the massive bronze statue of Constantine the Great and to the beginning of a long set of gradual steps up into the antechamber of the great hall when a fresh set of Varangians stopped them.

"I'm sorry monsieur, mesdames, but this area is off-limits to tourists at this time of day." a guardsman told them in a thick Norwegian accent. "If you want to see the great hall before then, the tour guides at the visitor's office can take you up onto the viewing galleries. If you hurry, you might arrive in time for the Emperor's return from his morning business."

"Thank you." the woman said, face still lowered. "We will make our way to the viewing galleries."

And so they went to the visitor's office, and got a tour guide to take them to the viewing galleries.

"...is marble in-laid with bronze." the tour guide explained in English as they reached the top of the staircase up to the viewing galleries in the great hall. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And we've arrived in the viewing galleries in the great hall. I would ask you at this point not to speak too loudly so as to not interrupt the conversations below."

There was a marble railing along the edge of the long balcony. Down below (and it seemed like quite a way down from this height), the courtiers buzzed about the floor, gossiping, mingling. The throne was still vacant. The Emperor hadn't yet arrived. The tour guide checked her watch.

"The Emperor will probably arrive in a few minutes. Would you like to stay here and watch, or would you like to continue the tour?" she asked.

The short woman shrugged. "I suppose we'll stay here and watch." She didn't expect anyone to actually take any kind of look up here, of course. However, her aura was such that it would catch the eye that even happened to be briefly lifted upwards. It was a matter of waiting. Until the right time, she kept her face slightly obscured, looking down.

After a few minutes there was a beating of drums, coming from an orchestra on a balcony beneath them, out of their view. Then the rest of the orchestra burst into bombastic strains of trumpets and horns, and the doors at the rear of the great hall opened. The courtiers turned and bowed and curtsied as the tall, imposing figure of the Emperor entered, dressed in the same courtly style as the other gentlemen (although his jacket was more elaborately decorated), flanked by Varangians and the figure of a middle aged, heavily scarred man.

Halafriel and Owain instinctively started to bow before they realized that they were so out of the way that such obeisance would both be noticed and be above their current position. It never seemed to occur to the shorter woman to bow. It seemed almost as though it would be unnatural in her. She just waited.

"The man standing next to the Emperor, who isn't in uniform, is the Imperial Champion, Sir Constantine." the tour guide whispered.

Below, the figure of the Emperor made its way through the sea of courtiers slowly, nodding to acknowledge this person and that person. They could see the Emperor glance upwards about half-way through his progress. He doubtlessly saw the brightly shining aura. Nevertheless, he didn't stop to wait, instead continuing to make his way to the throne. Behind them they heard the rapid steps of boots on the staircase. Two Varangians, followed by their officer, emerged behind them on the balcony.

"Your High Majesty, His Majesty sends his greetings and bids you join him below." said the officer, between puffs. Running up the staircase was no fun.

The Emperor glanced up at the balcony again from the throne, suppressing an uncharacteristic smirk as he saw Agwene turn around to face the Varangians he had no doubt just arrived.

There goes being sneaky! Of course, Agwene had not really expected Andreus to abandon this kind of formality. Ah, well. "Of course." she said to the Varangian. "Might I bring my attendants?" Out of the corner of her eye, she gauged the expression of the tour guide.

"Naturally, Majesty." said the out-of-breath officer, bowing politely. "If you will follow me?"

The tour guide looked stunned and curtsied as soon as she gathered her wits about her. She started mumbling quiet apologies as the Varangians led Agwene and her companions down the staircase and through a side corridor into the antechamber. The guards all acted as if her arrival had been perfectly normal, although they were naturally curious as to why she had entered the palace as a tourist, and more curious still as to why the Emperor, when he had been told, had instructed them to wait until he entered the grand hall to run up and fetch them. If they didn't know better, they'd almost have thought that the Emperor was playing a little joke.

"Thank you." Agwene said to the guide, before moving with her companions to follow the Varangian.

"Her High Majesty, Agwene, High Queen of the Resurgent Dream, Commander of the Faithful of Dana." announced the herald, as Agwene was led into the great hall through the proper entrance.

The courtiers looked totally taken by surprise, and there were audible gasps. Not only had the visit not been forseen, but she was dressed like the lowest brow tourist, not like the courtly, serene, otherworldly sovereign they had expected. Her appearance was, however, unmistakable. They parted a way to the throne for her.

Agwene walked towards the throne, going over all kinds of calculations in her head. Owain and Halafriel bowed deeply when they arrived before the Emperor. Agwene inclined her head. "Your Imperial Majesty."

"Your High Majesty," the Emperor replied, bowing back from the throne. "We had not expected you, this is a most welcome and delightful surprise."

"It is always a pleasure." She grinned. "This is Owain, Duke of Tasat, and Halafriel, High Lady Beaumayn." she said, introducing her companions.

"Your Grace, Madame," the Emperor nodded to each of her companions. "A pleasure to meet you both. I wonder, Your Majesty, to what we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Perhaps we might discuss such things less publically, Your Majesty."

"Of course." the Emperor replied, rising to his feet. He stepped down from the dias and towards Agwene, who was a full foot shorter than him. "May I escort you someplace more private?"

"Certainly." Agwene answered, slipping her arm into his. The other two fell in behind them. Agwene idly wondered what the courtiers thought about all this.

The Emperor led her back to the doors at the back of the great hall, and into a corridor, which then led into the French Suite. In the Charlemagne Room, amidst medieval trappings and decorations, were several couches running around the walls. The Emperor motioned to the couches.

"Please, sit down." he said, waiting for Agwene and her companions to sit down before he sat down across from her. Agwene and the others sat. She crossed her legs with casual elegance.

"I am still getting used to this." she commented idly.

"Getting used to what, Majesty?" the Emperor asked.

"The ensemble, Majesty." she said with a half-playful grin.

The Emperor eyed her attire again and contemplated asking, but instead decided to avoid the topic of her surprise visit for now.

"Oh?" he asked.

"The fabric is...obnoxiously coarse."

"Indeed?" the Emperor asked, unable to surpress a slight smirk at this point. "Why, may I ask, are you wearing it then?"

"I was attempting to go unrecognized and unnoticed." she said. There was something like a minor concession of victory in her tone.

"You very nearly did." the Emperor replied. "Why, may I ask, would you want to do that?"

Agwene paused a long moment. "To an extent, it is an old custom. People will do many things for royalty but opening up is rarely one of them. To learn much about the daily life of a people, her own or a foreign people, a monarch must walk among them. It has always been our custom to go about in such a way every fifty years or so. However, there is...more..."

"Please, go on." said the Emperor.

"I am not sure of its exact nature, but a number of signs point to something substantial happening in the Danaan High Kingdom in the near future. It is hard to be precise."

"It would seem so." the Emperor replied in response to the comment to the last part of the statement. "I'm afraid this is very vague, Madame."

"I know." she answered frankly. "I am here to commend Duke Owain to you."

"Commend him?" the Emperor asked, shaking his head. "What do you mean?"

"To convey my support for him."

"I'm afraid I don't follow." the Emperor continued.

"It is vague. I barely know exactly what this means myself."

"Your Majesty, if you're afraid that some disaster is going to befall your country, there's no shame in asking for help from your allies." the Emperor told her. "Pantocratoria would gladly assist your country..."

"I don't need help, Your Majesty, at least not material help, not medicine or troops or anything of that kind. Every material aspect of what is to come is likely to remain well within the control of our forces."

"Our forces?" the Emperor asked. "Madame, you know more than you've admitted. Please, tell me."

"Our forces as in Danaan forces." she clarified. Agwene paused a moment, sighing and looking at her companions. "I would speak to the Emperor alone." They rose and they left as ordered. When they were gone, the Emperor leaned in.

"Recognition and acknowledgement as what? In what capacity?" the Emperor asked.

Agwene gritted her teeth. This was the worst part and the part she had managed to avoid discussing with Sirithil. "All my geneologists, my legal scholars, my household historians...concur that Owain, Duke of Tasat is the next in line to the throne after all of my family."

"Are you expecting something to happen to the entire House of Gwydion?" the Emperor asked, aghast. "Including yourself?"

"The House of Gwydion is far larger than my family." Agwene answered evasively. "The dynasty begins with High King Timon. Gwydion's brood had already branched before the dynasty began."

"I meant..." the Emperor started. "Well, surely you don't expect something to happen to your entire family, including yourself?"

"I truly don't know what is going to happen. Signs are not clear things. I do know that something will happen which makes it wise to make arrangements for the eventuality and that it would not be wise to make such arrangements publically yet. I do strongly fear that my family will soon no longer be in a position to fulfill the duties that come with the throne, one way or another."

"Madame..." the Emperor said. "This is disturbing, shocking news. I can't believe that we are powerless to assist you, surely there must be something we can do!"

"Some things are decreed beyond the will and powers of man." Agwene said calmly. "Unable to fulfill the office might not mean what you're thinking." she added comfortingly. "And even that is just a worry. I am just making certain that all eventualities have been prepared for."

"Well... if something does happen to Your Majesty, and it comes to that, Monsieur le Duc will certainly be acknowledged by Pantocratoria." the Emperor assured her.

"Thank you." Agwene said. "I am sorry to have disturbed you." She paused, forcing a smile. "Perhaps there is somewhere I might change? As Your Majesty has already made my presence known, I might as well be present as my proper self."

"Of course." the Emperor nodded, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. "There was one other thing I had hoped to discuss, however..."

"Oh?"

"Grand Duke Sebben." the Emperor said.

"Is dead."

"Your people are immortal." the Emperor continued.

"In a sense. I do not believe he will return to the world for centuries, if ever."

"I want him to return." the Emperor said, a little coldly. "I want him to pay for what he did to my daughter."

"I do not blame you. I read the reports." Agwene looked away. "I cannot make him come back, not to face justice or for any other reason."

"The reports?" the Emperor asked, horrified. "What do you mean?"

"They weren't sent through the chain of command. All relevent information went straight from the soldiers who rescued your daughter to me. No one knows anything more than what you already knew they witnessed."

"How much did the soldiers know?" the Emperor asked, his eyes distant and filled with pity.

"They knew that...the terrorists, Sebben's men...they bragged about it, laughing and making the crudest of barbaric remarks, even as they were taken captive. I'm sorry to tell you that, but you needed an honest answer."

The Emperor closed his eyes in concern, and nodded.

"I would like to meet their commander." the Emperor said, opening his eyes again. "The commander of the soldiers who rescued her."

"I will arrange it. There was also a woman...another captive...who got herself paralyzed from the chest down to save Her Highness' life."

"I'm aware of that." the Emperor replied. "Theodora has told me that she'd like to see her fellow captives again, but she isn't ready yet. When she is, I will invite all of them to attend court at their leisure. I imagine they are all going through what my daughter is going through right now with their own families. I have asked my staff to see to finding them and assisting them all with any medical or therapeutic expenses."

"The new representative government of Marlund wants to pay those expenses, as one small gesture of national penance."

"I can't thank your people enough for finding her..." the Emperor said. The last word sounded strained, and he cut himself off so as to prevent himself from getting too emotional. "Let's see you to this room to change, shall we?"

"Of course." she rose, touched to see a man like Andreus showing emotion, though she didn't show it.

The Danaan ambassador, an old, balding human man, a little thick in the belly, approached Aurora palace. With him were a young redheaded man and a sidhe lady, both in suits. A little further behind walked a sidhe lady wearing a veil. As they walked forward a group of Imperial Carbineer Guards were drilling. A glum lone protester stood outside the palace with a sign that read "Stop Methodist Oppression". As they came up to the Palace an officer politely asked their business. "I have an audience with Her Imperial Majesty." the ambassador said simply.

"Yes, your Honour, your papers please?" the officer said, feeling it was necessary to be polite but firm. The man handed him the papers. "Ah, Ambasssador Williams, welcome back to the Palace. Please proceed inside." said the officer. Ambassador Williams smiled and the four stepped inside.

They were led to the diplomatic entrance, and there found themselves waiting for a short time with some other foreigners until a slender young man dressed in black and silver emerged, saying, "Ambassador Williams? Please come with me."

Williams rose when his name was called. He and his party followed the man. "Thank you." he mumbled as he was led.

In a formal sitting room, whose ceiling was decorated with scenes of a rosey dawn that had Norse looking gods and goddesses, with finely embroidered chairs and tastefully carved dark rosewood small tables Empress Aurora, Baroness Toll, Baron von Bresnvorts, and Thirty Camelias sat. The young man bowed, saying, "His Excellency Ambassador Williams, Majesty, of the High Danaan Kingdom of the Resurgent Dream."

Empress Aurora smiled and nodded. "Welcome, Ambassador."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Williams said with the kind of perfunctory and almost tired deference typical of an aging diplomat. He bowed, as did the man and the woman in the suits. The veiled woman nodded politely.

"You may state your business." said Empress Aurora in a polite manner.

Agwene lifted her veil. "Actually, it's my business, Empress." She smiled warmly at her friend.

"Oh, gracious." exclaimed Aurora in surprise. "Why did you come so discreetly, queen Agwene?"

"Can we speak alone?" Agwene asked quietly.

"Yes." said Aurora. "If you think it necessary." the courtiers looked somewhat disapproving, but they all departed at Aurora's nod save for Thirty Camelias.

The ambassador and the other two people left as well. Agwene moved swiftly to Aurora and embraced her. "It's been too long."

Returning the hug, Aurora sighed softly. "It is good to see you. It is good."

Agwene finally let her go, moving to take a seat. "I'm sorry if I worried you by coming so...unexpectedly." she said softly. "I think I upset the good Baroness."

"Everyone worries about me, ever since my mother got kidnapped and then she and my brother got killed." Aurora reminded her gently. "Do you need anything, Queen Agwene, anything to drink or eat?":

"That's just Agwene to you...in private anyway." the sidhe said with a slight smile. "And if anyone harmed a hair on your head in my presence, it would have to be over my dead body."

"Yes, but she did not know it was you, and the surprise was disturbing." suggested Aurora.

"Probably. But it was still a good pretext to speak of friendship, which you know I am fond of doing." Agwene winked as she spoke.

With a smile, Aurora nodded. "Well...may I ask why you've come? Since you know you are welcome anytime, there must be a reason for such secrecy."

"Very well. Things are still very unclear. One way or another....I am not sure I shall be around much longer." Agwene said quietly.

Aurora's eyes widened. "Wh...what do you mean?" she stammered.

Agwene blinked a little at Aurora's reaction, taking a moment to respond. "I don't mean I'm going to die." she said it hesitatingly, like she wasn't so sure of her survival after all. "But I think the bonds between our worlds are growing more distant. I'm not sure I ever managed to convey this sucessfully to you but...my people...we're not like Elves, just another race with DNA and organic composition and all of that. We are, to quote Shakespeare, such things as dreams are made of. When people lose contact with their dreams, it weakens our ability to be in the Waking World."

“You mean...you really are Fae?" asked Aurora in wonder.

"You didn't believe me before?" Agwene said, more surprised than bothered.

"I thought you just meant it as a kind of...um...phrase." said Aurora.

Agwene nodded a little. "Do you trust me? I don't mean with regard to affairs of state or or houses. I mean personally, do you trust me?"

Aurora hesitated, and had to reply honestly. "I don't know."

Agwene's eyes widened slightly and she paused a moment, thinking. "I just wanted to let you know." she said plainly, standing up.

Softly, Aurora said, "I don't trust anyone. Not really. I can't lie to you." she looked sad and somehow very young and alone.

"I have many enemies, Aurora. I have been hated by millions, perhaps billions, in my life. To my knowledge, this is the first time I've been mistrusted. It is a much worse feeling." Agwene said quietly, since Aurora seemed to want to talk about it.

"I don't KNOW you." Aurora burst out in frustration. "Yes, you've been kind, you've been even loyal, as a national leader. But are you asking if I trust you personally? How CAN I?"

Agwene stared at her a long moment, trying to reconcile this Aurora and this account of how Aurora say their relationship with the way things had been at Aurora's wedding. She couldn't, really, but people change. "Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty." she said, her voice toneless.

"Why on Earth," said Aurora with a suddenly narrow eyed look, "Did you ask if you didn't want an answer? People are so foolish. Good bye."

Agwene turned and walked out without another word, trying not to cry. She hoped Aurora would be happy with those being the last words she'd ever get to speak to her and idly wondered if the girl would ever know what she was going to offer her. Aurora said softly, "Agwene...please understand...I don't mean I don't care for you. Go with God."