NationStates Jolt Archive

Marek VI was quite anxious to be hosting the visit of the President of Lundastal and his family at the ancestral citadel where his forefathers had lived for centuries; he had spent much time exhorting his children to be courteous towards the children of the President and wandering if his wife would get along with the First Lady of Lundastal and himself with the President. The Foreign Minister would be present at the citadel to handle the diplomatic negotiations because the King didn't want to be bothered by them. What the King wanted was to focus on personal matters such as creating a friendship between leaders and between families. The King looked at his daughter, Seka, and hoped that she could learn something from this visit. There must be something that she could learn.

On the day that the President and his family were supposed to have arrived at the International Airport, King Marek VI gathered his family together for a quick lecture while the Foreign Minister waited for the visitors to arrive; dressed in a warm winter suit since the winter season was still upon Tagoria. Not many people were at the airport except for some tourists who were coming out of airplanes and trying to look for the flights that would take them to places as diverse as Greal. The Foreign Minister smiled at the tourists who took the time to look upon him as he waited by the terminal. People knew that he was the Foreign Minister and that he was one of the ministers of the Crown. The people didn't seem to mind that their political rights were nearly fully non-existent because the Crown seemed to be doing a damn good job in ruling them. "They should be arriving soon,' began the Foreign Minister, "and I'll make sure to handle the diplomatic negotiations early on in their visit so we won't need to worry about them."

Alexey Petrenko hadn't expected himself on a plane to a foreign nation so soon. Then again, he had never really expected to win the elections, nor see his brother having his left arm blown off by Soviet bombs...

..No, he couldn't remember that now. He had a job as President of Lundastal, and he couldn't let such old memories pollute his mind, just before landing in the Kingdom of Tagoria. He was reading over some notes from the Prime Minister abvout Tagorian culture, and he was shocked at the paganist ways. No chance of seeing Christmas trees, then.

Sergeu, his son and named after his late father, was reading Tom Clancy's Executive Orders, deep into it. He hadn't expected the massive differences between Sergey and his twin brother, Vladimir. Vladimir had the honour of a flea with cancer, as Sergey once put it.

The entire family were on the plane, named Lundastal Force. He was hoping this would go well, as it had to. For the future of Earth, it had to.

"Landing in.." announced the INTERCOM.

In several minutes, the President and family were walking down some metal steps to greet His Majesty and family.

And thus it begins.

The Foreign Minister was passing the time he spent waiting for the President of Lundastal by reading some notes that the Tagorian intelligence agents had collected prior to the day of the visit. It was a good way to refresh his memory in the hopes he would avoid any mishaps and misunderstandings. When the plane had landed, down upon the snow covered runway, the Foreign Minister looked over to see the chauffer was ready to do his work. King Marek VI and his family had already gotten to the airport, cleverfully hidden so that they wouldn't be swarmed by energetic monarchists, and they were all dressed in the finest winter clothing that they could afford; in royal circles, warmth came with a hefty price tag. The President and his family had already come off the plane when the honor band started to play some anthem dedicated to the ensuring of peace between Lundastal and Tagoria; the mere usual as the King had put it. The minister stepped up first to greet the family with the usual formula of "How are you?" and "I am the Foreign Minister, Mylo Karan...."

Once that had been finished with, the President and his family were led to the King and his family who all looked quite glad to be finally meeting their visitors. "It is a pleasure to welcome you all to our beloved nation. I am Marek VI of Tagoria, the current monarch, and this is my family.....if you follow us, I'm sure that we can get you all straight to my family's ancestral citadel. Mr. President, perhaps you can come with me? Don't worry about your wife; she'll be safe with my own. Besides, it's best to let women get their talking done with, eh?"

Marek smirked at his own jest before leading himself, his heir, and the President of Lundastal into one limosuine while the others took the other one down on the same stretch of road to the citadel. As the King's limosuine sped onward, the King began to speak. "This is my daughter, Princess Seka, and she's going to take power upon my death one day, Mr. President. I was wondering if you could, perhaps, give her some pointers on leadership; also, I'm sure she can show your sons around. If we let the children go by themselves, but under supervision, we can enjoy ourselves."

Seka nodded. "I would be honored to learn from the President of Lundastal and I wouldn't mind showing his sons around; Tagoria is a pretty neat place when you get around to looking at it in its entirety."

The minister stepped up first to greet the family with the usual formula of "How are you?" and "I am the Foreign Minister, Mylo Karan...."

"All is well for me, the same for you I trist?" replied the President, offering a handshake. "I am President Alexey Petrenko, but please call me Alexey or Alex."

"It is a pleasure to welcome you all to our beloved nation. I am Marek VI of Tagoria, the current monarch, and this is my family.....if you follow us, I'm sure that we can get you all straight to my family's ancestral citadel. Mr. President, perhaps you can come with me? Don't worry about your wife; she'll be safe with my own. Besides, it's best to let women get their talking done with, eh?"

"It's a pleasure to be here, Your Majesty," smiled Alexey, bowing to the King. "And that is the truth."

"This is my daughter, Princess Seka, and she's going to take power upon my death one day, Mr. President. I was wondering if you could, perhaps, give her some pointers on leadership; also, I'm sure she can show your sons around. If we let the children go by themselves, but under supervision, we can enjoy ourselves."

"It is an honour to meet you, Princess," Alexey replied with his unique charisma shining through. "And if you wish so, I will give Princess Seka a few 'pointers' on leadership. I agree, if Princess Seka agrees."

Seka nodded. "I would be honored to learn from the President of Lundastal and I wouldn't mind showing his sons around; Tagoria is a pretty neat place when you get around to looking at it in its entirety."

"Then it is decided. Whenever you ask, I can give you 'lessons', if we may call it such, on leadership," smiled the President. "And Sergey and Vladimir will certainly love being shown around Tagoria."

"All is well for me, the same for you I trist?" replied the President, offering a handshake. "I am President Alexey Petrenko, but please call me Alexey or Alex."

"You may refer to me as Marek without all the formalities typically assigned to men of the blood, Alex, and all is well for me and for the members of my beloved family as well."


"It's a pleasure to be here, Your Majesty," smiled Alexey, bowing to the King. "And that is the truth."

"I am glad to hear those words."

"It is an honour to meet you, Princess," Alexey replied with his unique charisma shining through. "And if you wish so, I will give Princess Seka a few 'pointers' on leadership. I agree, if Princess Seka agrees."

Seka smiled. "A few pointers on leadership would be appreciated, President, for I would enjoy learning from those who have experience in the world of politics. I've read that the empiricist believes in knowledge through experience and, to me, that sounds most logical."

"Then it is decided. Whenever you ask, I can give you 'lessons', if we may call it such, on leadership," smiled the President. "And Sergey and Vladimir will certainly love being shown around Tagoria."

Marek nodded. "The Princess can show them around Tagoria while you and I discuss matters of state, Alex, and while our wives discuss whatever comes to mind. So far, I'm quite glad to say that my marriage is nothing short of marvelous."

bumped.

"You may refer to me as Marek without all the formalities typically assigned to men of the blood, Alex, and all is well for me and for the members of my beloved family as well."

"Yes, Marek," replied the President. "So, please tell me about Tagoria. Unless you wish to hear about Lundastal first."

"I am glad to hear those words."

"Tagoria," remarked the President. "From my short time here, it does appear very peaceful and beautiful. I'm I correct in that assumption, Your Majesty?"


Seka smiled. "A few pointers on leadership would be appreciated, President, for I would enjoy learning from those who have experience in the world of politics. I've read that the empiricist believes in knowledge through experience and, to me, that sounds most logical."

"The golden rule of leadership is remembering you are not serving yourself, but your people," explained Petrenko. "Of course, this is forgotton regularly by some leaders..."



Marek nodded. "The Princess can show them around Tagoria while you and I discuss matters of state, Alex, and while our wives discuss whatever comes to mind. So far, I'm quite glad to say that my marriage is nothing short of marvelous."

"Brilliant," smiled Alexey. "And my marriage has been well since I was thirty, and still is! Nothing less, it is good to hear that all is well, in all aspects of your ife. I trust that is for all of us?"

Bump.

"Yes, Marek," replied the President. "So, please tell me about Tagoria. Unless you wish to hear about Lundastal first."[QUOTE]

"The Kingdom of Tagoria has been in existence for many centuries, having been dominated by the Crown which has centralized government here in the capital, and is a nation filled with hard working men and pretty women. I am the current King as you know and, keeping this in mind, I am directly descended from Tagor, our nation's founder, namesake, and first monarch. Tagor was a great man according to the stories about him. It's considered dishonorable to approach him with scant regard by some."

Marek smiled. "We are here in the capital which has served as the capital of the realm for about several centuries. It's a cosmopolitan city in my opinion. You've got plentty of stuff that you can do here. For example, as we drive through its streets, you can see posters advertising comic books and such. DragonsBlade, one of our foremost comic book series, has already released a new game adaptation. Long story short, it's one of the cult classics of Tagorian comics. I've seen that even royal teenagers enjoy its story of bloodshed, courage and love in a fantasy world."

[QUOTE]"Tagoria," remarked the President. "From my short time here, it does appear very peaceful and beautiful. I'm I correct in that assumption, Your Majesty?"

"We are surely blessed to have a very peaceful and beautiful nation untainted by the horrors of conflict and the disregard of rational thinking in politics. We may be an absolute monarchy, my friend, but we care for the people as much as many democracies say they do. At times, monarchies may do better than democracies."

"The golden rule of leadership is remembering you are not serving yourself, but your people," explained Petrenko. "Of course, this is forgotton regularly by some leaders..."

Seka smiled. "My father has always told me about this golden rule and I shall do my best to remember it during my reign. The people need to know someone cares about them."

"Brilliant," smiled Alexey. "And my marriage has been well since I was thirty, and still is! Nothing less, it is good to hear that all is well, in all aspects of your ife. I trust that is for all of us?"

"I have had an excellent love life with my Queen Consort ever since we first met back at that aristocratic gathering; she's the jewel of my eye and gets all those romantic titles we fine men attribute to our women. Everything in my life is great, neato as youth will say, and I am glad that my blessings seem set in stone. Of course, I acknowledge that they may take their leave, but thankfully that's not happening."

The limosuine eventually found its way to the front gates of the massive royal palace where the King and his family had lived. Architecturally speaking, it was a typical royal palace which could be described as the bastion of royal wealth and authority over the masses. As the two families entered its halls, seeing themselves face to face with palace workers and sculptures, King Marek VI took Aleksey with him down the hall while the Queen Consort went away with the wife of the President. The three children of the King were still in the lobby with the sons of the President. Seka smiled at them. "It's nice to meet both of you. I am Princess Seka and these are my siblings, Chani and Derik. Perhaps you'd like to see more of the palace? It's a rather lovely place."

The Queen Consort looked quite demure as she walked with the President's wife down the halls to show off the various attributes of her household. She was a slender woman, fit and obviously given to charm, and she was usually smiling. "First Lady, perhaps it'd be best if we talked about our interests. I'm sure there's a lot you do other than stand around your husband. Whenever I'm not doing that or spending time with my beloved offspring, I'm often given to finding out about things and just having fun. Have you been to a hot spring? It's a heavenly delight when you're all stressed out. We have plenty of them here."

King Marek was showing off the Royal Gallery to the President. "These are the pictures and portraits of Tagorian heroes and events such as Tagor's march into the last bastion of resistance - effectively uniting the entire land under his control. We may also see a picture of Loran, the Bard of Tagoria, whose plays are still very popular among the masses. He's our version of Shakespeare pretty much."

As Seka guided the sons of the President through the halls of the palace with Chani and Derik trailing behind them, she spoke rather elegantly about her home; explaining that it had plenty of features including a small dojo where she practiced wielding her sword. "I spend an hour or so training how to wield the sword. There are many schools in Tagoria - I subscribe to the tenets of the White Tiger School but that's only because my tutor came from that particular school. I don't know if he is here today - I could give you a show of my talent if you would like. I took up the way of the sword only because I had a deep interest in it coming from a duel I saw between two swordsmen. It was for show, I know this, but it got me hooked on wielding swords. I think about swords whenever I'm not being lectured on politics since, after all, I am my father's heir."

They went into the dojo, Seka picking up one of the swords in its sheath, and smiling as she pulled it out while assuming one of the poses she had learned while Chani was trying to get Derik not to fool around with the shiny pointy things. Seka began to explain. "A swordsman or woman must seek to become one with the sword so my tutor says. He or she must know how to rely upon reason and precision in combat. If you're going to fight someone, always strike when the time is right. Hesitation is anathema." She waved the sword around and smiled. "Would you like to see some moves or would you prefer to see more of the palace? Either is good with me."

"The Kingdom of Tagoria has been in existence for many centuries, having been dominated by the Crown which has centralized government here in the capital, and is a nation filled with hard working men and pretty women. I am the current King as you know and, keeping this in mind, I am directly descended from Tagor, our nation's founder, namesake, and first monarch. Tagor was a great man according to the stories about him. It's considered dishonorable to approach him with scant regard by some."

"Interesting. Shall I tell you of Lundastal?"

"Lundastal was founded centuries ago by a large group of Slavic travellers, looking to settle down and make a living out of the naturally rich land. A monarch was appointed, King Josef I, who ruled the land terribly and was the man behind thousands of deaths of Lundastalian men, women and children. Thus, the citizens rose up and overthrew the monarchy, starting the First Lundastalian Republic," explained the President. "The Republic was soon at war with the Russians, who took over the land and enslaved the people. After the fall of the czars and the rise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Lundastal was refounded as an independent nation, though the Soviets kept trying to add it to the, as it is known in Lundastal, the communist empire."

"However, the Soviet expansion plans were put aside whenever the Nazis invaded, and, wishing to destroy the fascisti the USSR and Lundastal allied. Many died, but the goal was achieved. Despite this, USSR/Lundastal relations went to hell for 50 years, a microwar taking place until the collaspe of the USSR."


Marek smiled. "We are here in the capital which has served as the capital of the realm for about several centuries. It's a cosmopolitan city in my opinion. You've got plentty of stuff that you can do here. For example, as we drive through its streets, you can see posters advertising comic books and such. DragonsBlade, one of our foremost comic book series, has already released a new game adaptation. Long story short, it's one of the cult classics of Tagorian comics. I've seen that even royal teenagers enjoy its story of bloodshed, courage and love in a fantasy world."

"DragonsBlade?" the President asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think I've heard of that..."







"We are surely blessed to have a very peaceful and beautiful nation untainted by the horrors of conflict and the disregard of rational thinking in politics. We may be an absolute monarchy, my friend, but we care for the people as much as many democracies say they do. At times, monarchies may do better than democracies."

"Military service is mandatory in Lundastal, but that was only because of the Soviet threat. It still is, but I plan to end that," smiled Alexey. "And the average Lundastalian would never agree with that, Your Majesty. Including myself."



Seka smiled. "My father has always told me about this golden rule and I shall do my best to remember it during my reign. The people need to know someone cares about them."

"That is good," replied the President. "I believe you will be a good leader if you follow that rule."



"I have had an excellent love life with my Queen Consort ever since we first met back at that aristocratic gathering; she's the jewel of my eye and gets all those romantic titles we fine men attribute to our women. Everything in my life is great, neato as youth will say, and I am glad that my blessings seem set in stone. Of course, I acknowledge that they may take their leave, but thankfully that's not happening."

"Fantastic, much the same for myself," grinned Petrenko.

The limosuine eventually found its way to the front gates of the massive royal palace where the King and his family had lived. Architecturally speaking, it was a typical royal palace which could be described as the bastion of royal wealth and authority over the masses. As the two families entered its halls, seeing themselves face to face with palace workers and sculptures, King Marek VI took Aleksey with him down the hall while the Queen Consort went away with the wife of the President. The three children of the King were still in the lobby with the sons of the President. Seka smiled at them. "It's nice to meet both of you. I am Princess Seka and these are my siblings, Chani and Derik. Perhaps you'd like to see more of the palace? It's a rather lovely place."

"I'd love to," grinned Sergey, clearly excitied at such a chance. Vladimir didn't say a word, as expected.

The Queen Consort looked quite demure as she walked with the President's wife down the halls to show off the various attributes of her household. She was a slender woman, fit and obviously given to charm, and she was usually smiling. "First Lady, perhaps it'd be best if we talked about our interests. I'm sure there's a lot you do other than stand around your husband. Whenever I'm not doing that or spending time with my beloved offspring, I'm often given to finding out about things and just having fun. Have you been to a hot spring? It's a heavenly delight when you're all stressed out. We have plenty of them here."

"I'm a microbiologist myself, which has given my husband reason to say she's using biological weapons! during games of Risk," she smiled. "A hot spring? I've never been to one, though it sounds lovely."

King Marek was showing off the Royal Gallery to the President. "These are the pictures and portraits of Tagorian heroes and events such as Tagor's march into the last bastion of resistance - effectively uniting the entire land under his control. We may also see a picture of Loran, the Bard of Tagoria, whose plays are still very popular among the masses. He's our version of Shakespeare pretty much."

"Interesting. Tagoria has a long and great history, it appears to me."

As Seka guided the sons of the President through the halls of the palace with Chani and Derik trailing behind them, she spoke rather elegantly about her home; explaining that it had plenty of features including a small dojo where she practiced wielding her sword. "I spend an hour or so training how to wield the sword. There are many schools in Tagoria - I subscribe to the tenets of the White Tiger School but that's only because my tutor came from that particular school. I don't know if he is here today - I could give you a show of my talent if you would like. I took up the way of the sword only because I had a deep interest in it coming from a duel I saw between two swordsmen. It was for show, I know this, but it got me hooked on wielding swords. I think about swords whenever I'm not being lectured on politics since, after all, I am my father's heir."

They went into the dojo, Seka picking up one of the swords in its sheath, and smiling as she pulled it out while assuming one of the poses she had learned while Chani was trying to get Derik not to fool around with the shiny pointy things. Seka began to explain. "A swordsman or woman must seek to become one with the sword so my tutor says. He or she must know how to rely upon reason and precision in combat. If you're going to fight someone, always strike when the time is right. Hesitation is anathema." She waved the sword around and smiled. "Would you like to see some moves or would you prefer to see more of the palace? Either is good with me."

"Sure," replied Sergey. "May we duel? I'm a swordsman myself."

"Interesting. Shall I tell you of Lundastal?"

"Lundastal was founded centuries ago by a large group of Slavic travellers, looking to settle down and make a living out of the naturally rich land. A monarch was appointed, King Josef I, who ruled the land terribly and was the man behind thousands of deaths of Lundastalian men, women and children. Thus, the citizens rose up and overthrew the monarchy, starting the First Lundastalian Republic," explained the President. "The Republic was soon at war with the Russians, who took over the land and enslaved the people. After the fall of the czars and the rise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Lundastal was refounded as an independent nation, though the Soviets kept trying to add it to the, as it is known in Lundastal, the communist empire."

"However, the Soviet expansion plans were put aside whenever the Nazis invaded, and, wishing to destroy the fascisti the USSR and Lundastal allied. Many died, but the goal was achieved. Despite this, USSR/Lundastal relations went to hell for 50 years, a microwar taking place until the collaspe of the USSR."

"The Tagorian nation had to spend many years of bloodshed before becoming a unified nation centuries ago when the sword and shield was used as a man's primary tools in the retainment of his existence. The histories of our nation record that a man named Tagor rose from the mountains to unify the masses under him and his descendants. Being his direct descendant, I was always urged to remember him. We, people of Tagoria, are always remembering the sacrifices of Tagor and his comrades in the conflict. We also remember his headstrong consort, Tira, who did much in her own way as well. There've been some problems along the course of our history but we've dealt with them."


"DragonsBlade?" the President asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think I've heard of that..."

The King smiled. "It's that cult classic comic series that many Tagorians seem to take an avid interest in. It was created in 1999 by Ahti Khoras, a comic artist and philantrophist who has done plenty of work since then with the series. Basically, it's about a young man and his Elven sidekick who must save their nation from a sadistic warlord and the people that they meet along the way of their quest. It's not the only comic series around but it is certainly one of the most popular you'll find. In fact, as we head into the city, you may see advertisements for the new game adaptation that's a crossover with other comics made by my nation's citizens. It follows the latest movie about the series which is actually a documentary on the making of DragonsBlade from its initial conception to the present period. I do know that royal and aristocratic teenagers are found within the ranks of fans."


"Military service is mandatory in Lundastal, but that was only because of the Soviet threat. It still is, but I plan to end that," smiled Alexey. "And the average Lundastalian would never agree with that, Your Majesty. Including myself."

"Military service is voluntary in the Tagorian realm although we generally would resort to killing our enemies as a last resort."


"That is good," replied the President. "I believe you will be a good leader if you follow that rule."

"One can only hope." Seka said.


"I'd love to," grinned Sergey, clearly excitied at such a chance. Vladimir didn't say a word, as expected.

Seka smiled. "I'm sure you will like it. There are other palaces around but this is the one where I live."

"I'm a microbiologist myself, which has given my husband reason to say she's using biological weapons! during games of Risk," she smiled. "A hot spring? I've never been to one, though it sounds lovely."

"You've never been to a hot spring? You should! It's a really good way to relax. Trust me, I've used it often. Also, some couples use hot springs to....spice up their relationship if you get my drift."

"Interesting. Tagoria has a long and great history, it appears to me."

The King laughed. "We have cultivated a great history indeed."

"Sure," replied Sergey. "May we duel? I'm a swordsman myself."

Seka nodded. "I would not mind a duel with you but don't go easy on me because I'm a girl. I've been taught plenty of moves by a truly experienced swordsman."