NationStates Jolt Archive

Princess Sarah ni Beaumayn, recently ambassador of the Resurgent Dream to Pantocratoria and now on her way to be accepted as ambassador to Excalbia, was thumbing through her notes on recent events as her plane through over the Atlantic. Next to her, in a specially modified chair, sat Ubba Awair, a large Trollish man and one of her advisors. "So...you think that the attack upon General Norland is of international significance?" Sarah asked.

"I do." the Troll answered. "It is connected with other events. The return of Sebben ap Balor to haunt the dreams of the Danaan, Pantocratorian, and Marlunder Sovereigns and their families. The recent rise in paranormal crime. The recent abductions of people being tracked by the Department of Paranormal Affairs."

Sarah nodded. "So Sebben is still a very real terrorist threat to not only the Resurgent Dream but also all her allies. As are the Sons of the Reformation, Kahane Chai Ambara, these maniacs in Finara, those other maniacs in Upper Viriginia...The list just seems to keep growing.

Citadel Excalbia

Amanda Myers stood patiently in doorway of the VIP terminal at the international airport just outside the capital. The new Danaan ambassador was arriving today and Amanda would be there to greet her. As a Protocol Assistant in the Ministry of State’s Office of Protocol it was her job to greet foreign dignitaries and welcome them to the Holy Empire. In the ambassador’s case, she would also be delivering an invitation for her to attend a welcoming reception tomorrow after she presents her credentials to the Minister.

She glanced at her watch. If Her Highness’ plane was on time, she might even be able to meet her brother Jeffrey for dinner.

Sarah was getting so depressed by the ongoing list of threats she was being briefed on that she was almost relieved to arrive. She graciously disembarked from the plane, moving towards Myers with a broad smile.

Amanda Myers approached Princess Sarah with a warm smile on her face. She curtsied in what was known in Excalbia as the “Pantocratorian-style” and dropped her head slightly. “Your Highness,” she said brightly – sounding bright and cheery was part of her job as a protocol assistant, “on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, David IV, and His Imperial Highness, Prince Regent Joseph, welcome to the Holy Empire of Excalbia.”

Returning to a standing position, Amanda subtly signaled to a young boy, who approached the princess and bowed deeply. He presented her a small bouquet of flowers and scampered away.

“His Excellency, the Minister of State, regrets that he was not able to greet you in person, your Highness,” Amanda handed the Ambassador square envelop made of a heavy, but quality grade of paper, “however, he does hope that you will be able to join him tomorrow for a reception, after presenting your credentials to the Prince Regent.”

Inside the envelop was an engraved invitation from Sir Albert Cummings, the Minster of State.

“Your Highness,” Amanda said after giving the princess time to read the invitation, “if I may introduce myself; I am Amanda Myers from the Protocol Office of the Ministry of State. If it pleases you, your Highness, I shall escort you to your car. And, if you would like, your Highness, I would be pleased to escort you to your Embassy and give you a brief tour of the city.”

"Thank you. I'm very happy to be here." Sarah said. She smiled broadly as the little boy handed her some flowers, bending down and giving him a small peck on the forehead.

Sarah rose again graciously and accepted the paper Myers handed to her. She went through the motions of reading it even though she already knew what it said. She'd never met the Prince Regent herself although she supposed she was, in a certain distant sense, related to him. His wife was her cousin's wife's sister, her cousin was his cousin's wife, and her other cousin was his brother-in-law's wife. But Prince Joseph was something of a mystery to the Danaan Royal family. Only Grand Duchess Gwendolyn had met him in person yet, although Prince Brendan had expressed a desire to see Joseph's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who was the niece of Princess Theodora and therefore of Brendan as well. Sarah wondered if other people's family relationships were this complex. "That all sounds most agreeable." Sarah said. "Although I must confess that I had hoped the Emperor would have recovered sufficiently to resume his post by the time of my arrival. The reports I last heard in New Rome were promising. His health is in my prayers always."

"I would be most grateful for the company, Miss Myers." Sarah answered the protocol assistant. "I have read a good deal on this city but this is my first visit."

Amada covered her smile with her hand as she watched the little boy blush and run off. She found herself immediately taking a liking to the new Danaan ambassador; she made a favourable first impression, coming across as noble, yet warm. In her job, Amanda never knew whether the dignitaries she would be meeting would be gracious but aloof, total boars or pleasant, normal-seeming people. The pleasanter and more normal the dignitaries were, the easier her job was and the happier she was to do it.

“His Imperial Majesty is recovering quite well, your Highness,” Amanda said in reply to the princess’s comment, “though we all continue to keep him in our prayers.”

Amanda turned slightly and gestured subtly towards the waiting motorcade. A limousine bearing the Danaan flag waited behind an idling police car, with a larger van waiting behind it carry any additional passengers or baggage.

“Actually, your Highness,” Amanda continued as they began to make their way towards the waiting car, “His Imperial Majesty has made the Prince Regent’s appointment indefinite. Some observers believe he envisions something of a joint reign with His Imperial Highness, the Prince Regent, serving as something of a co-emperor.” She smiled warmly at Sarah. “However, I am sure he would be pleased to receive you, if he were in the capital; he is currently in Tartarus with the Empress.”

As they reached the car, an Excalbian Imperial Guard held the door open for the princess and saluted. Amanda gestured to the car. “Your Highness,” she said. “As you mentioned this is your first time to Citadel Excalbia, I would be happy to give you a tour of the city before we proceed to your residence. If there are sights in particular that you would like to see, I can make sure we include them in the tour.”

Sarah nodded somewhat at Myers' words even as the two women moved towards the waiting car. "So as to give his son experience ruling? I remember that such a thing was sometimes done in ancient days but I can't think of any modern examples until now. It does certainly sound like an interesting idea."

As they settled down in the car, Sarah again turned her attention to Myers. "I will leave the sites to your discretion, Miss Myers. I'm quite certain that you have a better sense of what would prove of interest than I do."

Sarah paused a moment, looking out the window thoughtfully. "In my briefings, they mentioned seven major Christian churches, many of them centuries old and of great cultural, architectural, religious, and historical import. However, they didn't mention ... I would prefer to worship in a local synagogue if that is a possibility. In Pantocratoria, arrangements were made at the embassy but it wasn't quite the same."

As Amanda escorted the princess to the waiting car she turned slightly and nodded. “I suppose, your Highness,” she said, “that giving His Imperial Highness experience wielding the sword is one of His Imperial Majesty’s reasons for his decision.” She started to say something else, but thought better of sharing too much of her opinion and local rumour with a newly arrived foreign emissary.

After settling into the car on Princess Sarah’s left, Amanda leaned back slightly and glanced out the window. “Our trip from the airport, your Highness, will take us through the Right Bank district and bring us the northern end of Citadel Island; we’ll drive to the southern end and loop back to your Embassy, on the eastern shore of the island just across the street from the Ministry of State…”

Amanda paused at the ambassador’s question. “Well, your Highness, there is the National Synagogue, not far from the Northern Gate and St. Mary’s Cathedral. Rabbi Lippmann is the chief rabbi of the capital. It’s a Traditionalist synagogue – I suppose somewhere between what would be labeled Orthodox and Conservative in other countries.”

Amanda blushed slightly as she continued; she was not used to getting personal with foreign dignitaries so quickly. “Or, your Highness, you would welcome to attend our synagogue; it’s on the northern tip of the island, past the University – my father is the Chancellor at Imperial College and we live in that area – the so-called academic quarter. Ours is more typically what one would call a Conservative congregation…

Sarah folded her soft hands in her lap as she considered her host with an interested, lively expression. She took a few moments to just look out the window at the people and the buildings they were passing. She was, of course, looking forward to Myers’ exposition on the more historic parts of the city but it was always the little things that made an arrival in a new country most interesting: The street signs, the way people dressed and moved, the way the storefronts were arranged, a thousand tiny details, most of them the sort of thing one would be hard pressed to describe or even remember, which drive home the fact that one is in a foreign land, the wholly unfamiliar urban landscape with its undeniable but almost unreal different placeness which Sarah nonetheless realized was simply daily routine to its countless inhabitants. It was invigorating.

Sarah considered Myers words. “I think I would like to visit the National Synagogue at least once. It seems like something I’d do well to experience. Is this Traditionalist school dominant in Excalbian Judaism? That’s actually … It’s actually fairly interesting. Pantocratoria is a beautiful country but it is extremely different from the Resurgent Dream in many ways. In Excalbia, I see a great many more similarities but they make the differences more … I suppose nuanced although it doesn’t seem quite the right word.” Sarah spoke freely and enthusiastically, making the same sort of chit chat about her new post as one might expect of a young woman her age.

She smiled reassuringly when she saw Myers blush. “I’d love to attend services with you, Miss Myers. It’s very hospitable of you to offer.”

Sarah was settled in for a pleasant tour. She had only just disembarked from her plane but already she almost at home. Myers’s invitation and the discussion of her local coreligionists had made her feel, perhaps somewhat prematurely, that she might belong in this community more thoroughly than at New Rome. This was not to say, of course, that she had felt in any way an outcast in Pantocratoria, but merely that here in Excalbia she might have more common ground with many of the people with whom she worked.

Amanda paused, even as she continued the main conversation, to point out occasional points of interest on the Right Bank – the glass and steel AzIntel Tower, the baseball and European football stadiums, the Museum of Modern Art, a few chic restaurants and clubs – before they crossed the bridge to Citadel Island. As she spoke, she gestured in a friendly fashion and wore a casual smile, proving that she felt surprisingly at ease with the Danaan princess.

“Of course, your Highness, it would only be proper for you to visit the National Synagogue at least once.” Amanda smiled warmly. “I would be happy to escort you there, your Highness. And I will look forward to having you join us at our congregation. At your convenience, of course.”

Her eyes twinkled and she leaned back in her seat. “As for those… nuances, I have heard some people observe, your Highness, that Excalbia strikes some as having elements in common with both the Danaan High Kingdom and Pantocratoria. We certainly share your nation’s commitment to democracy and freedom, yet,” Amanda smiled and shrugged, “we are, without a doubt, a conservative society – especially in terms of religion and morals.” The young protocol expert almost seemed to wink in a rather undiplomatic fashion. “In fact, they say, your Highness, that an Excalbian liberal would be a moderate, at best, in most nations.”

The ambassador’s car, and its police escort, cruised leisurely across “the Red Bridge” – a steel and concrete suspension bridge linking the Right Bank and Citadel Island. The Island generally made two strong first impressions – the towering ridge and cliffs of Citadel Mount, topped with the ancient Citadel and Sweyn Castle, and the multitude of church towers, spires and steeples that seemed to dominate the lower city.

Passing by the first of many churches, Amanda leaned slightly towards Princess Sarah. “We’ll pass by the National Synagogue shortly, your Highness. And, to answer your question, yes, the Traditionalist school is dominant here. It tends to have more of the theological and mystical overtones of the Orthodox and even Hasidic movements, but – for lack of a better word – is more accepting of modern society and modern dress. Though leadership is still restricted to men only.”

Sarah looked concerned and thoughtful as she mulled over Amanda’s words. She looked at her hands for a few moments before she looked back out the window. “This city has a real sense of history.” she said at last. “But more than that it has a real sense of continuity. My ancestors on the side of the Dukes of Tasat have been Danaan Royalty since time immemorial and my ancestors on the side of the Dukes of Sayar have been in the Resurgent Dream since 1291, one year after they were expelled from England by King Edward I but sometimes it feels … the Shattering and, I suppose, the Homecoming War five centuries before it, aren’t just tragedies which occurred but radical breaches in the historical continuity of the national story, more than any war or even foreign occupation ever could have been. I don’t know if that makes sense but it’s always seemed that way to me and I think a lot of Danaans feel the same.”

Sarah shook her head slightly and for a moment there was a pregnant pause in the air. The princess started to say something and then thought better of it. When she did speak, it was to change the topic. “We can talk more about things like that when I join you Friday evening, I suppose. I am interested to hear more about your Synagogue and the Imperial College.”

Amanda watched the princess look out the window as they drove across the centre of Citadel Island. She seemed melancholy as she spoke of the Shattering and the historical blows the Resurgent Dream had suffered. There seemed a longing in the ambassador, but Amanda attributed it to the young royal simply being a stranger in a new land far from home. And if she could make Princess Sarah more at home, then she would do so gladly.

“I think I understand, your Highness,” Amanda said softly after a moment. “Your nation has certainly experienced a number of sudden and radical shifts.” Amanda’s gaze drifted for a moment to the dome of the Senate, where Chancellor Davis Robb – who held office but a day – had been murdered, and beyond it, to battle-tested medieval Citadel perched on the crest of the ridge overlooking the city to one side and the river to the other. “We have certainly had our moments of strife and war. Even civil war, or nearly civil war,” her voice trailed off. “Yet, in general, I think most Excalbians think of our history as a progression; a journey towards,” she laughed lightly, “I don’t really know, but people often do talk of it as a ‘historical journey’.”

She sighed and leaned back. “We’re turning into the Academic Quarter now, your Highness.” The car turned to the right, driving slowly past a large green compound filled with redbrick buildings in an early 19th century style. “The main campus of University of Excalbia is to your left. It was originally established in the 17th century as an academy of arts and sciences in service to the Highland kings. Some European influences were introduced in the late 17th century and in the early 19th century; it was formally re-established as a modern university. The Imperial College was established during the reign of Samuel I as a school of science and engineering. Today, of course, it’s much more.” She smiled. “Of course, my father is the Chancellor of the College and could tell you all about it.” She pointed to a rather old-looking three-story building nestled beneath the shade of a tall tree. “His office is over there on the third floor.”

The car continued on its way. “Additional buildings of the College and University are scattered through out this area.” The campus gave way suddenly to a towering gothic church. “That is St. Mary’s, the Catholic cathedral.” Across the street a large modern building rose is stark contrast. “And that is the Imperial Museum of Art. Just behind it is the Institute of Advanced Scientific Research, which is also part of the University.”

As they neared a narrow but impressive-looking building, Amanda nodded. “And that, your Highness, is the National Synagogue. One of my ancestors, Jefferson Myers, the first Lord of New Raleigh, built the synagogue during the reign of Samuel I.” Amanda looked around. “In fact, much of this part of the city was built around that time. All according to a Master Plan devised by the Emperor and, in part, financed by Jefferson Myers.”

They turned right and right again and began heading back in the direction from which they had come. “We are in the Theatre District now, your Highness. Apart from the National Theatre and Imperial State Opera, which are in the Government District, and some smaller venues and art houses on the Left and Right Banks, most of the theatres are here.”

Amanda gestured over her left shoulder towards the north. “We live a little further north; most of the academics do. Our synagogue is there as well.” She smiled. “It isn’t nearly as impressive looking as the National, but it does have a very strong sense of community. We will all be looking forward to having you join us Friday evening.”

The car turned again. “Ah,” Amanda said, “we’re approaching your Embassy, your Highness…”

Sarah listened quietly as Amanda pointed out each of the sites in turn. She didn’t see fit to venture much comment on them. She didn’t have much intelligent to say about architecture. Here and there, however, she affirmed the beauty of this structure or the dignity of that. She assumed that at some point during her tenure as ambassador, she would have occasion, whether official or of her own making, to visit each of them.

Sarah smiled as she was escorted to her embassy. “I look forward to seeing you on Friday, Miss Myers.”

The next day, Sarah presented her credentials to the Prince Regent. She was delighted at the chance to finally meet him and moved through all the courtly ritual with the ease of one born to it. Excalbian protocol was, of course, not exactly the same as that of the Resurgent Dream or Pantocratoria. However, what differences there were, she had subjected to a thorough study.

That evening she attended a reception in her honour hosted by Sir Albert Cummings, the Minister of State. Sarah smiled and chatted amiably with all the other guests, making a point of getting to know all the people who she might have dealings with during her time as ambassador. To the extent that she discussed business, she generally sought to get opinions on the situations in Finara and Marlund and on the Entente and the Commonwealth. She had a lovely time.

And so it was that Friday afternoon Sarah found herself being driven to the Myers residence. Her state car pulled up in front and her driver climbed out of the front door to let Sarah and her protection officer out.

The Myers’ home was spacious and well-kept, yet far from ostentatious. It was build in the style of 18th century English country home and had, in fact, been built in the early 19th century when the northern tip of Citadel Island had still boasted a few small farms and woods still filled with game.

Other houses, built in a similar style, had begun to spring up around the house as the nearby University began to grow. Once professors, doctors and scientists began to move into the former country homes, the neighborhood received a name – the Academic Quarter.

The house now occupied by the Myers’ had been one of the first purchased by the University and now served as the official residence of the Chancellor of the University’s Imperial College.

Of course, being the descendants of Lord Jefferson Myers, the Emperor’s financier, the Myers owned several large estates around the Empire, including an historic townhouse in the heart of the island’s governmental centre. However, Dr. Solomon Myers preferred to live simply as the College’s Chancellor rather than as a wealthy lord. That trait had been passed on his daughter, Amanda, who maintained both a room in the family home and a humble studio apartment – one she could afford on her bureaucrat’s salary – in the centre.

As Princess Sarah’s vehicle glided to a stop in front of the Myers’ home, Amanda Myers opened the door and waited on the top of the stairs. She smiled and nodded politely as the Ambassador and her guard stepped from the car.

Amanda descended the stairs and curtsied “in the Pantocratorian style.” “Your Highness,” she said, “welcome to our home.” As she turned to lead the princess into the house, Dr. Myers and his wife Nora stepped out and nodded to the visiting dignitary.

Dr. Solomon Myers was a tall, handsome man with slightly thinning salt-and-pepper hair, a trim beard and small, square rimmed glasses. Nora Myers was considerably shorter and wore her golden brown hair in a neat bun. The coupled bowed as Princess Sarah approached. “Your Highness, welcome,” Dr. Myers said in a deep, rich voice.

Standing behind his parents, just inside the doorway, Jeffrey Myers stood in an expensive, dark blue suit. Tall, with an unruly mop of brown hair, the twenty-something man bowed deeply and smiled.