NationStates Jolt Archive

Queen Sarah sat on board the Royal Lockheed Jetstar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_JetStar). She had been invited to visit Neo-Ixania, and the jet was taking her there. She thought about the whirlwind of events that had befallen her.

Four months ago, she had just been a normal 23-year old girl, studying at University. Then PM David Foulke had announced that the monarchy would be re-instated, and that's where it all began. As the only remaining heir to the throne, she had been thrust into the limelight of the public eye. So far, she had been asked to attend the funeral of Emperor Quaeus of Roma V, the Oured Conference in Osea 767 - and now this. Suffice to say, she was a little nervous. This was made worse by the fact that during the last two diplomatic functions, she was accompanied by Frank Griffen, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. This time, however, he was occupied elsewhere. And with PM Foulke still not returned from his meeting with the President of Uiri, he wasn't with her either.

But she took comfort in the fact that she knew Neo-Ixania from her studies. As far as she was concerned, it was a nice place.

She sat back and tried to relax. Inside the small jet, it was almost empty. Only a soldier in a black beret and camoflage fatigues was present. It was Colonel John Lynch, her bodyguard. He was asleep. Outside the jet, a pair of F/A-40 Warhawk fighter-bombers escorted it across international waters.

A voice came from the cockpit

"Ma'am, we're approaching Neo-Ixania now" said the co-pilot

"Thank you Tom" she said, sitting up.

Tom looked around to see John sleeping. He rolled his eyes at Sarah, then threw a pen at John, waking him with a start

"Ah! Wh-Who-What?" John exclaimed as he woke

"We're almost there" Tom said, before dissapearing back inside the cockpit. She could just hear them request landing clearance.

OOC: Is it okay for the fighters to escort the plane all the way to the airport? If not i'll remove them.

OOC: The fighters can escort the plane to the airport, sure.

Ivan Rucinsky waited at the airport with a smile on his face and his hands dug into the pockets of his suit that he was wearing for the meeting with the Queen of Ustio North whom the Empress was interested in meeting as a fellow monarch and, if Fortune willed, as a good friend. Rucinsky knew that Her Majesty's Government wanted good relations with Ustio North and he knew that they considered this visit by the Queen to be an important part of that dream since the Queen could easily defame Ixania's reputation as much as she could lift it to great heights. Rucinsky looked around to make sure his security guards were in top condition since he was, after all, the Foreign Minister and he began uttering words about how he hoped this visit would go off without a hitch. When the plane was finally spotted, Ivan Rucinsky ordered the honor band to proceed with the playing of Ustio North's anthem while the honor guard stoically stood on both sides of the red carpet laid out for Her Majesty the Queen to walk upon as she would head to the motorcade waiting for her. Rucinsky, upon noticing the Queen, bowed and welcomed her with open arms. "A pleasure to see you, Your Majesty. I am Ivan Rucinsky, the Foreign Minister of the Ixanian Empire. Follow me to your motorcade."

Ivan held the door of the limosuine open for the Queen and let her get inside first before he got in and shut the door with some orders for the chauffer to take them to the Imperial Palace admist the jubilant flag wavers who were very happy to see the Queen of Ustio North's motorcade. Ivan smiled at the Queen and pointed out various sites of significance. "We will be heading to the Empress' Palace so you can meet the Empress of Ixania and then we'll be going on a tour of Tzargrad. We have a long itinerary for you and hopefully we won't have any problems!"

"Thank you, Mr. Rucinsky" Sarah replied as she got into the limosuine "It's an honour to be visiting Neo-Ixania. I'm looking forward to the tour - I hear Tzargrad is an amazing city"

Behind the limo, she could see Colonel Lynch talking with the two Warahawk pilots, before he headed over and got in the limo too.

Ivan Rucinsky smiled at the Queen while the motorcade drove through the streets of Tzargrad; he had entertained plenty of royalty before and found Sarah to be no different from them. She was young but professional, he thought, and he hoped that image of her would be able to endure for the entirety of her visit although he was sure it would. "Tzargrad is just one of our many cities, Your Majesty, but it is our capital from which we govern our nation and all of its colonies."

Rucinsky smirked. "Her Majesty is very eager to meet you and she's told me that she had procured for you a suite in a five star hotel room which overlooks the city and that you will be given a tour of the Imperial Palace and the city as well. There's a pretty good itinerary waiting for you, Your Majesty. Anywho, tell me about yourself. What's it like to be a monarch for you? What's Ustio North like? Are you single like our Empress?"

OOC: In my next post, they'll arrive at the intended destination.

Ivan Rucinsky smiled at the Queen while the motorcade drove through the streets of Tzargrad; he had entertained plenty of royalty before and found Sarah to be no different from them. She was young but professional, he thought, and he hoped that image of her would be able to endure for the entirety of her visit although he was sure it would. "Tzargrad is just one of our many cities, Your Majesty, but it is our capital from which we govern our nation and all of its colonies."

Rucinsky smirked. "Her Majesty is very eager to meet you and she's told me that she had procured for you a suite in a five star hotel room which overlooks the city and that you will be given a tour of the Imperial Palace and the city as well. There's a pretty good itinerary waiting for you, Your Majesty. Anywho, tell me about yourself. What's it like to be a monarch for you? What's Ustio North like? Are you single like our Empress?"

OOC: In my next post, they'll arrive at the intended destination.

OOC: Okay.

"Well, up untill 4 months ago I was just a normal Ustian I guess - studying at Univeristy. Then the re-introduction of the monarchy came along, and as I was the last remaining heir to the throne, I ended up here" she said "I try to keep in contact with my old friends at Uni, but with the diplomatic functions i've been asked to represent Ustio at, it does become quite hectic"

She looked out of the window at the crowds waving flags, and she smiled

"I don't think i'll ever get used to this" she chuckled "Ustio - well, the north is wracked by constant snowstorms and blizzards, and the middle and east are a no-fly zone. Most cities are in the south or the west, generally where the best weather is, but Pelagious get's it's fair share of snow every now and then"

She paused

"I am single, at the moment - as i said, these diplomatic functions keep coming thick and fast, so I barely have time to socialise outside of them"

"Well, up untill 4 months ago I was just a normal Ustian I guess - studying at Univeristy. Then the re-introduction of the monarchy came along, and as I was the last remaining heir to the throne, I ended up here" she said "I try to keep in contact with my old friends at Uni, but with the diplomatic functions i've been asked to represent Ustio at, it does become quite hectic"

"You are the last remaining heir? Don't you have any relatives or siblings? I know that the Empress of Ixania has plenty of siblings and a multitude of relatives and I myself have my share. I do wonder what shall happen to the Monarchy if you are gone. How did it get abolished anyway?"

"I don't think i'll ever get used to this" she chuckled "Ustio - well, the north is wracked by constant snowstorms and blizzards, and the middle and east are a no-fly zone. Most cities are in the south or the west, generally where the best weather is, but Pelagious get's it's fair share of snow every now and then"

Ivan smiled. "Why is the middle and east of Ustio North a no fly zone? As for snow, we get our share in the Ixanian Empire and its colonies but we usually can handle the occassional snowstorms, etc. We have a well kept disaster protection service to help the masses."

"I am single, at the moment - as i said, these diplomatic functions keep coming thick and fast, so I barely have time to socialise outside of them"

Ivan nodded his head. "The Empress has tried her best to socialise outside of these diplomatic functions as have several ministers and monarchs, probably, from around the world. I'm sure that you must have some admirers since you look quite beautiful but don't let it look like I'm trying to court you...for I'm a happily married man."

Ivan smirked and then noticed that they had reached the Imperial Palace. Immediately, he got out of the limosuine and helped Sarah not only out but to the front door where, upon entering through, they saw the stunning look of the Palace lobby with its portraits and various trinkets. A man walked up towards them and bowed. "My name is Vladimir; I'm the Empress' personal assistant. She'll be here in about a few minutes since she is occupied with a matter of state. Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you at last."

Minutes passed before the Empress of Ixania, Anastasia II, had arrived from what had appeared to have been a usual but, in this case, annoying meeting since she wanted to focus on Sarah's visit. Dressed in a simple but expensive business style suit, Anastasia smiled at Sarah and bade her welcome. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty! I hope that you don't mind letting me call you Sarah; you can simply call me Anastasia. Please, come with me for a walk around the Palace. I have much to ask you."

"You are the last remaining heir? Don't you have any relatives or siblings? I know that the Empress of Ixania has plenty of siblings and a multitude of relatives and I myself have my share. I do wonder what shall happen to the Monarchy if you are gone. How did it get abolished anyway?"

"Well, it's been almost 100 years since a monarch occupied the throne - I was an only child, but other members of my famliy weren't in line to be on the throne. Most were very reluctant to acknowledge their heritage"

Ivan smiled. "Why is the middle and east of Ustio North a no fly zone? As for snow, we get our share in the Ixanian Empire and its colonies but we usually can handle the occassional snowstorms, etc. We have a well kept disaster protection service to help the masses.

"The middle and east is home to Bedivere Tower - that's all I know. I guess it's some sort of government or military facility"

Minutes passed before the Empress of Ixania, Anastasia II, had arrived from what had appeared to have been a usual but, in this case, annoying meeting since she wanted to focus on Sarah's visit. Dressed in a simple but expensive business style suit, Anastasia smiled at Sarah and bade her welcome. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty! I hope that you don't mind letting me call you Sarah; you can simply call me Anastasia. Please, come with me for a walk around the Palace. I have much to ask you."

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too" Sarah said to Anastasia "Of course I don't mind you calling me by my name, and I would be honoured to walk with you around the palace"

-Bump-

"Well, it's been almost 110 years since a monarch occupied the throne - I was an only child, but other members of my famliy weren't in line to be on the throne. Most were very reluctant to acknowledge their heritage"

"Was there a revolution led by republicans or some other anti-monarchist group which was so stringent in its goals that many of your nation's royal family's members were against revealing their heritage?"


"The middle and east is home to Bedivere Tower - that's all I know. I guess it's some sort of government or military facility"

"The Queen does not know about the use of the tower?"

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too" Sarah said to Anastasia "Of course I don't mind you calling me by my name, and I would be honoured to walk with you around the palace"

Anastasia took Sarah through the many galleries and corridors of the Imperial Palace on a grand tour of the place where she lived and it looked as if it had been made to look aesthetically appealing just in time for Sarah's visit although it always looked appealing to any visitors and occupant. Portraits of old Ixanian monarchs hanged on the walls while sculptures of Ixanian cultural icons were around as well. The gardens blossomed with all sorts of exotic flowers and everyone bowed and curtseyed whenever they saw Queen Sarah. "Sarah, tell me more about yourself. There must be more to you than your title."

Anastasia smiled at Sarah. "Whenever I'm able to break free from politics, I rely on my several interests such as horse riding and astronomy."

"Was there a revolution led by republicans or some other anti-monarchist group which was so stringent in its goals that many of your nation's royal family's members were against revealing their heritage?"

"In truth, the abolition of the monarchy was perpetrated by John Mordred, the PM of the time" Sarah told "It was one of the catalysts for the Revolution about 14 years later, where Arthur Foulke - Ustio's Greatest Hero - led the people to remove Mordred from power."


"The Queen does not know about the use of the tower?"

"No, I don't" Sarah told her "I wasn't Queen untill 4 months ago, and before than I was a civillian, and the Tower was 'Off-Limits', so to speak"


Anastasia took Sarah through the many galleries and corridors of the Imperial Palace on a grand tour of the place where she lived and it looked as if it had been made to look aesthetically appealing just in time for Sarah's visit although it always looked appealing to any visitors and occupant. Portraits of old Ixanian monarchs hanged on the walls while sculptures of Ixanian cultural icons were around as well. The gardens blossomed with all sorts of exotic flowers and everyone bowed and curtseyed whenever they saw Queen Sarah. "Sarah, tell me more about yourself. There must be more to you than your title."

Anastasia smiled at Sarah. "Whenever I'm able to break free from politics, I rely on my several interests such as horse riding and astronomy."

"This palace is amazing" Sarah said, marvelling at the portraits on the walls "It's much more than what we have in Ustio - the House Of Knights and Clouded Moon Fortress - the original seats of power for the Prime Minister and Monarch respectively - haven't changed in years"

She looked around at the gardens, which were stunning - the different colours all blended in together - the weather was never good enough in Ustio to support such a beautiful garden.

"Well, I studied Literature at University, so I love to read - I take comfort that the new Palace that is being built has an enormous library" she said to Anastasia "Other than that, I do enjoy music and cooking - I love to cook, though it's difficult these days!" she joked "But, as nerve-wracking as it is, i'm enjoying the Political side of being a monarch"

Bump Up.

"In truth, the abolition of the monarchy was perpetrated by John Mordred, the PM of the time" Sarah told "It was one of the catalysts for the Revolution about 14 years later, where Arthur Foulke - Ustio's Greatest Hero - led the people to remove Mordred from power."

"Can we consider Foulke to have been a reactionary of monarchist tendencies against the possibly republican Mordred? Do you know why the monarchy was abolished?"


"No, I don't" Sarah told her "I wasn't Queen untill 4 months ago, and before than I was a civillian, and the Tower was 'Off-Limits', so to speak"

"Do you ever plan on asking about the truth behind the Tower?"


"This palace is amazing" Sarah said, marvelling at the portraits on the walls "It's much more than what we have in Ustio - the House Of Knights and Clouded Moon Fortress - the original seats of power for the Prime Minister and Monarch respectively - haven't changed in years"

"Thank you for the compliment....this palace really is quite good and satisfactory for me."

She looked around at the gardens, which were stunning - the different colours all blended in together - the weather was never good enough in Ustio to support such a beautiful garden.

"Well, I studied Literature at University, so I love to read - I take comfort that the new Palace that is being built has an enormous library" she said to Anastasia "Other than that, I do enjoy music and cooking - I love to cook, though it's difficult these days!" she joked "But, as nerve-wracking as it is, i'm enjoying the Political side of being a monarch"

Anastasia smiled. "You sound like quite the interesting woman, Sarah, and I must say that it truly is a pleasure to be meeting you as last. I believe that you'll have a good time here. By the way, do you have a husband back home? If so, he's more than welcome to visit Ixania as well!"

"Can we consider Foulke to have been a reactionary of monarchist tendencies against the possibly republican Mordred? Do you know why the monarchy was abolished?"

"It's very possible that Arthur Foulke had Monachist tendancies" Sarah replied "But, his main reason for leading the Revolution was that Mordred was corrupt. In Ustio, the monarch must give Royal Ascent to any bill which the Government wishes to make a law. When the Last of the Grand Dukes died, Mordred came to power and abolished the monarchy. With no monachy and the Governmnet under his thumb, Mordred could pass any law he wanted"


"Do you ever plan on asking about the truth behind the Tower?"

"I suppose I will" she said thoughfully "But, at the moment, it's not much of my concern"


Anastasia smiled. "You sound like quite the interesting woman, Sarah, and I must say that it truly is a pleasure to be meeting you as last. I believe that you'll have a good time here. By the way, do you have a husband back home? If so, he's more than welcome to visit Ixania as well!"

"Thank you Anastasia" Sarah replied, smiling "I can't see any reason why I wouldn't enjoy my time here. And no, I don't have a husband back home. My studies left little time for that, and since I became Queen i've had even less time"

"It's very possible that Arthur Foulke had Monachist tendancies" Sarah replied "But, his main reason for leading the Revolution was that Mordred was corrupt. In Ustio, the monarch must give Royal Ascent to any bill which the Government wishes to make a law. When the Last of the Grand Dukes died, Mordred came to power and abolished the monarchy. With no monachy and the Governmnet under his thumb, Mordred could pass any law he wanted"

"From that information, Your Majesty, I can interpret it to being that Mordred was a mere power hungry madman who abolished the monarchy in an attempt to make himself the sole holder of power with no one to oppose him or his ideas."


"Thank you Anastasia" Sarah replied, smiling "I can't see any reason why I wouldn't enjoy my time here. And no, I don't have a husband back home. My studies left little time for that, and since I became Queen i've had even less time"

"Perhaps you will find someone one day to love and cherish and perhaps that someone is in Ixania...I can't tell you about how you should go around in that department of life. Anywho, are you hungry?"

"Perhaps you will find someone one day to love and cherish and perhaps that someone is in Ixania...I can't tell you about how you should go around in that department of life. Anywho, are you hungry?"

"Well, maybe" Sarah said "Yes, I am hungry, thank you"

"Yes, Mordred became a greedy for power. If it wasn't for Arthur, who led the Revolution Army and fought Mordred to the death in the House Of Knights, Ustio could have been a very different place today"