Clash of Kingdoms: Creeping Frost (IC)

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Much of the dinner was extremely awkward; Lidia, unwilling to continue the verbal duel with Leslen, found herself listening to his snide comments and suppressing her anger. Ehen, naturally, said nothing, and kept her head bowed in what Lidia assumed was shyness.

The courses, which hailed from locations all over Paralia, were truly scrumptious. Lidia found herself tentatively sipping the goblet of wine in front of her just because she could, and, while she found it was not to her liking, she gained a bit of satisfaction because it profoundly irritated Leslen.

"Do you not like wine?" Lidia tilted her head to the side as she set the goblet down after her fourth sip. They were on the main course, which was a traditional dish from Agcron that she was rather enjoying.

"I do not drink alcohol." Leslen glowered at his untouched meal. "I find its effects to be excruciatingly unpleasant."

Incapable of hiding her surprise, Lidia straightened, her eyes widening. "Oh. I wouldn't have known that."

"Shocking."

Lidia rolled her eyes and turned to her father, who was seated directly to her left. "Isn't this wine from Cadenhia?"

"I believe so. It is particularly strong, as most Cadenhian beverages are." He nodded in Leslen's direction. "I understand why he isn't too fond of it."

Being surrounded by alcohol, Wonderdaught, and gambling every waking moment of your life did not sound like a recipe for a happy childhood. Leslen's open rejection of it made sense, which was strange, seeing as this was Leslen. Lidia recoiled at the thought of agreeing with him on something.

"Excuse me, but what is that thing walking toward us?" Leslen's features were contorted in unmistakable disgust.

"I--what?" Lidia snapped her head to her left. The Cyclops queen, Edenia, Lidia thought her name was, was heading straight for their table. She walked with a regal posture, her head held high, the points of her crown capturing gleams of light and reflecting them in a way that nearly stole Lidia's breath. Her gown was a rich shade of purple that perfectly complemented the crown.

Lidia had only seen Cyclopes two or three times in her entire life; even so, she could not deny that Edenia was beautiful. Her singular eye drew Lidia in, and her confidence--

"Good evening, Councillor. Your Majesty." Edenia greeted Leslen and Ehen in flawless Paralian. The two other Elven leaders stared at Edenia, then one another, then Edenia again, dumbfounded.

Lidia tried, and failed, to quell an onslaught of panic. She had never spoken to a Cyclops before--what if--

"Queen Lidia of Silvensia. It is an honor to finally meet you in person; I've heard so many wonderful things about your nation." Edenia smiled, truly smiled, at Lidia, whose heart was racing. She wasn't sure if she was scared or in love or just stunned. Still, Lidia returned the smile, praying it didn't seem forced.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important." Truly, Edenia was accomplished in Paralia's international language. Lidia probed her brain for some sort of reply, anything, but she didn't really know how to react.

"You weren't--interrupting anything important, I mean. We were just discussing alcohol. Your Majesty." Lidia attempted a curtsy. If she kept talking, maybe Leslen wouldn't say anything s--

"Lidia was wondering how the brides would dare invite--how did she put it, 'vermin from the underground?'" Leslen stood up then, hands clasped behind his back.

If there were any color in Lidia's face, it would have fled. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as fingers of stupefaction clawed at her mind. Her thoughts were blank, utterly blank, as Leslen continued, "You came at the most opportune moment, Queen Edenia, for now you can witness Lidia's true colors."

Lidia ground her teeth, waiting for Edenia's response. When none came, she growled, "He's lying. Queen Edenia, I would never--"

"But you did. You cannot hide who you really are, Queen Lidia."

"You're right." Through her stunned state, Lidia saw an idea forming somewhere deep inside her chest. If this is how you're going to be, Leslen, it chided, well, you won't like the consequences.

"I beg your pardon, Queen Edenia," Lidia beseeched. "King Leslen's behavior does not reflect the attitudes of elves as a whole. And--"she lowered her voice so only Edenia could hear--"I think I'm going to have a little fun with him, if that is alright with you. He doesn't take kindly to anyone who isn't a High Elf." She grinned madly at the Cyclops queen. "You can talk to me at any time, Queen Edenia. And you look very beautiful regardless of what anyone says."

While she was speaking, Lidia mentally cast a spell on Leslen. It was a relatively minor charm that induced a strong craving of alcohol in the victim. Considering Leslen's earlier comment, it seemed fitting that her vengeance involved wine.

Lidia pretended not to notice as Leslen snatched his goblet off the table and began chugging it, eyes wild with the urge to drink. He finished his first goblet in under fifteen seconds and hastily summoned the nearest waiter.

"Would you like to go somewhere else to talk?" Lidia offered. "And...let's pretend this whole situation never happened. I'm sorry that this is your first impression of the Elves." She cast a sidelong glance at Leslen as he began consuming his second goblet. Fortunately, he seemed to be ingesting it at a more normal pace, but he would definitely be intoxicated before the end of dessert.

"I'll tell you some things about Silvensia and Leslen. And don't worry about him; I think he'll be distracted for the rest of the night."

[Nuridia]

Henriette sat closer to Tali in order to hear what she had to say, her new wife expressed an interest in getting to know her a bit better. She smiled when Tali complimented her home, she took great pride in not only her country but her palace.
“I thank you, my lady...but I think you should call me Henriette, seeing as we’re married now. Or Hettie, if you like. That’s what all my friends call me. Might I call you Tali? Anyway, I don’t think there’s too much that I can say about myself so I’ll start with the basics. My favorite color is red, I have a black cat named Alouette...I actually got her from Charles, you know he has cats running around that palace of his so there was no shortage of kittens. I prefer quiet time to well...parties. If it were up to me, I’d be with a cup of tea reading my favorite romance novels right now. I know it sounds cheesy to like romance novels but I do, I can’t get enough of the damn sappy things. I like white rabbits, I just think they’re really pretty and I used to own a couple when I was a kid. And about Agcron, maybe I’m being biased but to me, there’s not a more beautiful place in the world. It’s like our own little slice of heaven here, if you can get past the hellish heat that is. It’s always colorful, you see flowers of every shade blooming wherever you look and I think that’s my favorite part of it. It’s a whirlwind of color, we love our bright colors in our clothing, in our food, the people are so lively and animated and vibrant, it’s just a big, wonderful world of noise and color and I wouldn’t give that up for the world. Our way of life is just living it in as much happiness and color as you can, even down to the spices. We like to do everything a little bit extra here and I love this place and its brightness, I’d do anything to protect it. I heard a little about Termain but I think I’d like to learn a bit more from its actual ruler, as well as getting to know the woman behind the crown itself.” She put a bit of flirtation into the tone, but not enough to scare away her new bride, now THAT would be a faux pas.”


Charles and Helja were sitting quite close to each other, laughing and talking. "You're amazing, you know." the young king was smiling at her, Anthony was sitting less than a foot away just trying to eat his food and ignore his brother flirting yet again. "Hey Anthony, you alright?"
"Fine. I'd be even better if you didn't do this shit in front of me though, literally nobody wants to see that." the prince said with a wave of his hand.
“You’re acting like we’re making out, stop being a baby.”
"Stop being a baby.” he mocked before turning to Helja. “May I ask what happened to your face? Your scars...I've never seen anything like them before."
"Anthony!" Charles hissed.
"No no, it's totally fine." Helja said calmly. "I was about your age, trying to use my magic to harness lightning. Of course, I got overconfident and lost control of the lightning spell and it shocked me. Luckily all I was left with was these scars, I could've very well died."
“Whoa...that’s cool and terrifying at the exact same time. Charlie, keep this one.” While they were speaking, they overheard a conversation between Lidia (who in Anthony’s opinion was looking splendid in that blue gown) and some real smug-looking blond elf man? Woman? Who knew, it was hard to tell from here. Charles didn’t understand a word of it, but it didn’t sound pleasant in the least. Turning to Helja again, he noticed that her face had a thunderous (lol) expression.

“You understand them?”
“Of course I do, I speak Elven.”
“What are they saying? Whatever it is must be pretty shit, you look hella pissed off.” Taking a deep breath through her nose, the wizard turned toward the two brothers with a scowl. “This Leslen character just called Queen Lidia a “filthy Silver Elf” and said that he didn’t want to “taint” his bloodline with her.”
“What?!” Charles and Anthony said in unison.
“He also says that her proficiency in Elven needs work and...oh no, he’s mocking her mother’s murder?!” Anthony couldn’t even get a word out, internally raging while Charles’ hand clenched around his wine glass. “That bastard. Who the hell does he think he is, picking on a little girl like that?!”
“Lidia is NOT filthy! She’s the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“Tony, no time for being sappy, kay?”
“Oh, you’re one to talk.” Suddeny, the cyclops queen Edenia walked over to the delegation, presumably to go help out Lidia. This time, the conversation was NOT in elvish and so all the Marseillean delegation could understand it perfectly. Charles was pissed, to say the least.
“Why is he being an ass to Edenia?! Like the girl is so nice, look at her! She wouldn’t hurt a fly! She hasn’t bothered anyone this whole party!” The young king stood up and pushed in his chair when all of a sudden he felt Kate grab his arm. “Charlie, don’t do anything stupid, ok? Not in the name of being brave.” Kate looked gorgeous, she was in a simple golden dress with yellow flowers braided into her hair, the silver dust she wore over her eyelids gave her skin shimmer...but she still looked as frightening as she did in her armor, whose livery chain she still wore.

“Don’t worry Kate, I’m not going over there. As a matter of fact, doesn’t really look like I need to.” He observed Leslen suddenly grab and down goblets of alcohol, as if under some strange compulsion. “I don’t know what happened to that guy, but I think Miss Snowflake’s got this covered. I’m just going to go talk to the queen for a moment.” He made his way toward Henriette’s table, where she was conversing with Tali. “Your Majesty?” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Charlie. Something wrong? I’m a little in the middle of something here.”
“Don’t worry, this won’t take long at all. My friends and I overheard one of the delegations...I think it’s that Cadenhian guy, Leslen? He was saying some real outlandish shit to Lidia and Edenia, completely unprovoked. I mean...”
“Are you sure he was saying these things?” Henriette asked. “That’s a serious accusation.”
“I got my whole delegation and Helja, they’ll vouch for me. I’m sure Lidia and Edenia would also tell you if you asked them. Anyway, this guy is a total dick and I think he needs to be thrown out of the party. I’m sorry, I’m an older brother and I can’t stand seeing some bitchboy bully children. He thinks he can pick on little girls, I’d love to watch him try to step to a man.”
“I don’t know if I can just throw him out...” Henriette looked over to see Leslen drinking alcohol like it would get away from him or something. “What in the world?!”
“Even I don’t drink like that! In public anyway.”
“You did that one time...”
“That was my birthday party! Anyway, I understand that you can’t just throw him out...but I’d suggest we keep an eye on that one.”
“Very well, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Just, stay out of it for now, okay?”
“Alright. Seems like things are cool for now anyway.” He bowed to the brides before making his way back to his table.

[Ovesa]

Queen Edenia IV
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Edenia was shocked Leslen would insinuate that the Silvensian queen would even dare utter such words. She didn't know much about Lidia, but Edenia was certain that she wouldn't say such things. It was strange; she and Leslen had only just met, but Edenia could tell that there was something dark about him, something more than just arrogance...

"I beg your pardon, Queen Edenia," Lidia implored, frantically. "King Leslen's behavior does not reflect the attitudes of elves as a whole. And--" as she leaned in closer, a mischevious grin spread across Lidia's face. "I think I'm going to have a little fun with him, if that is alright with you. He doesn't take kindly to anyone who isn't a High Elf." Her voice almost instantly returned to its normal volume. "You can talk to me at any time, Queen Edenia. And you look very beautiful regardless of what anyone says."

Edenia blushed, but before she could thank Lidia for the compliment, the cyclops queen noticed something unusual. Leslen's eyes filled with an almost obsessive focus as he lunged for the untouched goblet, chugging it all in a matter of seconds.

Huh. So that's what she meant by that.

Silver elves were well known for their magical prowess, but Edenia wasn't expecting to see it used in such a context. Secretly, she was grateful that most cyclopes were immune to most minor magic, such as the charm Lidia had just cast.

Lidia beamed. "I'll tell you some things about Silvensia and Leslen. And don't worry about him; I think he'll be distracted for the rest of the night."

Edenia stifled a laugh, glancing back at the now-intoxicated Leslen. "Please do tell, I'd love to hear more."

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Once she and Edenia were a good distance away from Ehen and Leslen, Lidia met Edenia's eye and assembled some sort of explanation. "Sorry--that's Leslen--he became King of Cadenhia like a month ago--he's such a--aaauuugh, I'm sorry, Queen Edenia, I'm not normally like this--" She paused. Inhaled. "I couldn't take any more of him. He's been insufferable all evening, and I--I had to sit right by him. And then he started--I'm so, so sorry." Lidia took several shaky breaths, her clammy hands flitting with nervous energy.

"Uh--you probably know this, but I'm from Silvensia, which is...well, our country is over two thousand years old. When the Elves were--doing the whole 'ethnic cleansing' routine, Silver Elves were driven out of the main Elven region of Paralia. And we formed a small society in the forest--most of Silvensia is either plains or forest. There was a group of mages who had already been there for some time, and they, we mingled into a singular society. And we also got a king, Eedin Silvren." Lidia found herself studying Edenia's crown. She looked like an idiot, didn't she, stumbling over her own country's history and charming Leslen. Edenia probably thought she was tyrannical or unhinged.

"Most of our noble families have magical ancestry--I know I'm skipping a bunch of things, I just want to give you a general idea of Silvensia--and we're renowned for our Archives. We also have excellent universities, though Verantia insists their magical universities are better. It's sort of a thing. And pretty much none of the other Elven nations like us, though we do trade with one another, and...what else. Oh, my third cousin twice removed is the grandmother of Bartolomeo--that guy, over there. The one in charge of Verantia. I've interacted with him, like, five times in my entire life." Lidia was fidgeting with her gown now and occasionally glancing over at the table. Her father was glaring stormily, which probably meant he had figured out...why Leslen was going around the table and draining the wine goblets of anyone who let him.

"Do you have any questions about Silvensia? Or--Leslen?" Just uttering his name made her want to gag. "I am curious about your own country, Ignis. What is your society like?"

---

King Leslen XI
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Leslen couldn't consume enough liquid to quench his thirst. He seized the goblet from the place next to his and fervently swilled its contents, then reached across the table to Lidia's goblet. With the first goblet still in his right hand, he brought the mostly full goblet to his lips, his body buzzing with desire.

This cup he drank at a more acceptable pace, for he sensed that he was receiving peculiar looks from others at his table. He returned to his chair and studied everyone. Ehen was gaping at him, her doe-like eyes rounder than usual, and Leslen's own advisors were giving him concerned looks.

"I was thirsty," he informed them, left eyebrow raised. "This is premium red wine from Cadenhian vineyards. There may be nothing else hailing from Cadenhia on the menu."

The thirst that gripped his throat, chest, and stomach compelled him to drain his fourth goblet of wine. He was beginning to feel more at ease, more lightheaded--no, it was because he was so parched. Leslen motioned to the nearest server for more wine as he snatched the untouched goblet of his advisor, Deren Joldahn, setting down the two empty ones so he could satisfy his need.

"Your Majesty--" Joldahn gripped Leslen's shoulder. "What has gotten into you? You detest--"

"Do not interrupt me, Joldahn. I have hardly had a drop of liquid all day and am compensating for that." His vowels stretched out more than usual.

"With wine? As your humblest advisor, I implore you to slow down ere you do something you will ultimately regret."

Leslen furrowed his eyebrows. The urge to drink was so strong that he could hardly focus, could hardly think. "I will be prudent."

As the server refilled Leslen's goblet, Joldahn requested he bring water and bread rolls. Leslen barely paid him any heed. His ears were ringing as he finished his fifth drink and moved on to his sixth. He couldn't consume enough liquid to quench his thirst....

[Tomia]

Wedding Reception
"Of course, Henriette, I apologize for the formality. It is a force of habit I suppose. And of course you can call me Tali." She told her wife before listening intently to her discuss her interests and her home. Tali appreciated the passion she had for her homeland. Tali thought it was necessary for a leader to have such a passion if they wanted to rule their people justly. She found herself smiling as her wife spoke, she found she liked what she was hearing.

"I don't think it sounds cheesy." She said about the novels. "We have so many difficult decisions and hardship in our lives as royalty. There's nothing wrong with seeking out a happy ending. Besides I'm not dissimilar. I don't enjoy big crowds or parties, a book besides a warm fire sounds much better to me." Then her wife mentioned her country and its beauty. "Yes well, it is a bit hot. I suppose I will have to get used to it. But I would love to see more of it, if you would be interested in showing me that is."

She frowned slightly when Henriette asked about her. Tali wasn't one to speak about herself. She didn't want to come off as boring or uninteresting. However she could tell in her tone that Henriette was interested and maybe even trying to flirt so she couldn't just not answer.

"I'm afraid there's even less to tell about me. My parents died when I was very young, my uncle Oda and aunt Clara adopted me and my siblings. Since then Oda saw me as his future successor and I was trained as such. My childhood was...lonely but eventually I met Halja who I became very close with, and my siblings as well." She realized she might be getting too deep into her life and blushed slightly. "As for my interests...Well I enjoy dancing, it was one of the lessons I never dreaded as a child. Archery calms me as well. Also I have a pet myself, a puppy named Isis. My siblings got him for me as a coronation gift."

Tali found herself talking more that she did most days. Maybe it was because it was her wedding or but because she wanted to impress Henriette but she felt the desire to open up a bit.

"I must say...Hettie" She hesitated a moment before using her nickname. "I find it easy to talk to you. I'm comforted by your presence." She said, blushing slightly at her admission.

Meanwhile Percy sighed in a defeated tone as Kate had to convince Charlie not to engage in his usual behavior. He turned to Kate after the situation had calmed. He noticed she looked beautiful in her dress, a far different look than in her armor... not that she didn't look beautiful in her armor either. "I would say I hope that Charlie will behave better from now on but I think we both know better than that." He said to her as he took a sip of his wine. "Though hopefully we will be able to find moments to enjoy ourselves as well...between the babysitting that is." He smirked a bit at his last comment.

[Ovesa]

Ophelia Leolyn
Cadenhia
275 Orange Era

At the capital of sin and other vices, a high elf woman looked out from a stone window. The city almost looked unreal, with its denizens scurrying about like helpless ants. How quaint.

The woman was the epitome of high elven beauty standards, with her long golden hair, vivid blue eyes, porcelain-like skin, and pointed ears. This was Ophelia Leolyn, Leslen's right hand ma'am and draught supplier. She owned almost half of the city's Wonderdraught industry, along with a handful of casinos and taverns. She also ran a handful of other side businesses that were less legal, such as protection rackets and murder for hire services. Either Leslen was completely ignorant, or he willfully looked away from these businesses in exchange for the highest quality Wonderdraught in Cadenhia.

When Leslen was unable to attend his kingly duties, Ophelia would kindly take his place during his absence. Duties mostly consisted of consulting with advisors and other nobles; it was tedious work, but it gave Ophelia a sense of pride and power. Sitting atop the Cadenhian throne, one emotion captured Ophelia's mind...

Boredom. Even as she was on the throne, she felt little gratification from being there; to put it simply, it was all of the tediousness of leadership with none of the benefits. She longed to be back at her private suite above the Tiger's Eye Casino, sipping fine Cadenhian wine and reading romance novels while petting Jezebel, her beloved Oriental Shorthair. But here she was, stuck with administrative duties that gave her no prestige...

Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?

She knew the answer fully well; the other nations were less than happy about her Wonderdraught trade, trying to restrict it as much as possible. But Ophelia wasn't too worried; as long as Leslen remained diplomatic and respectful, the other leaders would surely warm up to her and her business.

A young wood elf woman entered the throne room. She wore a simple linen dress, with her dark brown hair tied back in a loose braid. Her name was Selene; officially, she was simply one of the maids who worked in the palace. In reality, she was also one of Ophelia's closest allies, offering an inside perspective on the inner workings of the palace.

Selene approached Ophelia, smiling sweetly. "Lady Ophelia, I have some good news."

Ophelia smirked, subtly. Despite being royalty, she had no title or land to call her own. Even if it wasn't her "true" title, it gave her a sense of importance. "Please do tell."

"There's a group of merchants from Jorik who are considering purchasing our---, erm, pardon, your Wonderdraught. It's not that Veratian group, like we hoped, but It's a good start. Besides, trade regulations are less strict in Jorik than in Veratia. Oh, and I overheard one of Leslen's uncle's speaking to another noble. Both are supportive of expanding our trade to other nations." Selene's round, amber eyes were alert, sensing Ophelia's distress. "My Lady, is everything alright?"

Ophelia sighed, resting her head into her hand. "It's nothing.....well, It's actually Leslen. As you know, our good king isn't exactly well known for his diplomatic skills, especially when it comes to speaking with non-elves. But this is about more than just a wedding; our kingdom's economy is stagnating. If we cannot expand our trade, I fear for the worst. I can't even begin to think about the Frost..."

"My Lady, There's no need to worry. Leslen fully understands how important this wedding is. It would be incredibly uncharacteristic of him to not act professionally. And don't worry about the Frost; most of the continent is already fighting it. We'll be able to hold our own."

Ophelia stood up from the throne, her late husband's black fur cape giving her an equally impressive and intimidating presence. The diamonds of her gold crown captured fragments of ambient light, the shimmering facets reflecting in Selene's eyes. Ophelia caressed Selene's cheek, tilting the wood elf's face up ever so slightly. Her open arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her ever so closer. "Selene, dear, where would I be without you?"

Just then, one of Ophelia's mercenaries entered the throne room. "Lady Ophelia," he said, ignoring the scene in front of him, "there's a group of merchants outside waiting for you."

"Well, duty comes first, I suppose." Ophelia let go of her, um... "friend", hastily adjusting her crown. "It was lovely getting to chat with you again, Selene." She said, with a wink. "We'll have to continue our conversation later..."

Queen Edenia IV
Santa-Eluira, Agcron

Edenia listened intently as Lidia shared the history of her nation. It was clear that Lidia was nervous, so Edenia did her best to come across as non-intimidating.

Her eye glimmered with excitement at the mention of universities. Despite being isolationist for most of its history, Ignis was a nation that valued knowledge, having expansive archives and a handful of universities to call their own. Hopefully, their nations would be able to share their knowledge and culture with each other in the near future.

She felt sad when Lidia mentioned the other elven nation's disdain for Silvensia. It was such a wonderful place with a vibrant culture and history; if only folks were less blinded by their ignorance...

"Oh, Ignis?" Edenia smiled kindly. "It's a lovely place. Our history dates back over two thousand years, when the cyclopes first went underground." Went was a euphemism in this case; everyone and their mother had heard stories of how the cyclopes were forcefully driven underground. Nevertheless, she continued. "We learned how to master life in the Underground, growing what little we could and learning how to master metalworking."

"Most of our noble families came to be during the journey underground. They're named after the ancient cyclops surface nations. My house, Valor, was named after a nation of merchants and scholars." Before the Great Descent into the Spire Mountains, the ancient cyclops nation of Valor was a thriving trade hub. Despite its small size, it was rich in knowledge and resources; some scholars even referred to it as the ancient Veratia.

"Most of Ignis doesn't follow the Order of Colors; they primarily worship the Suvial Pantheon, also called the Order of Flames. There's quite a few deities, but the chief goddess is Suvia, the Great Craftsman, goddess of fire and innovation."

"Hmm, what else is there...oh, right! For most of our history, we didn't use the Color Eras to record time, we used dynasties. According to the old calendar, It's the year 106 in the Third Valorian dynasty. Some scholars have gone about trying to compare and convert dates from one calendar to another, but nobody can seem to agree which calendar they should use..."

"Speaking of scholars, Ignis has quite a few scholars, and even some universities. Our Library has records spanning back centuries, which are currently being translated into Paralian." Edenia's eye seemed to light up as she spoke. "It's exciting, finally having our borders truly open. I'll be honest, I was nervous coming up here, but I am so glad I could make it. There's so much to learn, so much to experience!"

She backed up a little, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't get carried away." Edenia pushed some wayward strands of hair away from her face. "Thank you for listening, I hope I explained everything alright. Do you have any questions?"

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Lidia hesitated as hundreds of questions tumbled through her mind. What is the Order of Flames? What were your dynasties? Is there any way I could visit your Library? Are you scared of me after what I did to--stab me, what I did to Leslen. She hastily glanced over her shoulder. Leslen's advisors seemed to be restraining him, but not well. As the man on his right pried a goblet from Leslen's right hand, Leslen reached for a goblet with his left.

Frick. How could she be so stupid? This was a diplomatic event--a wedding-- and she was using her magic to make Leslen drunk.

Shutting her eyes, Lidia lifted the charm she had inflicted upon Leslen. Even he did not deserve to be used against his will, especially when leaders from all over (and under) Paralia were scrutinizing one another's every move.

"Sorry, Edenia, I--I was fixing something. With Leslen." Lidia gestured vaguely in his direction. "I'm so sorry, I was being a miscreant. I shouldn't have done that. I was being rash."

But the damage was already done, wasn't it? Leslen was almost certainly inebriated, and Edenia would never...she'd never fully trust Lidia. Not after this. And Lidia had been hoping to ally with the Cyclopes. To show them dignity and respect. Now, Edenia was in the middle of problems that should only have concerned the Elves.

Her father was glaring at her. He caught her gaze and motioned for her to return to the table; evidently, he was angry about her little outburst.

"I am afraid my father is summoning me, Queen Edenia. I hope we can meet again and get to know each other." Lidia curtseyed, and, after a goodbye from Edenia, excused herself to face the consequences of her actions.

"What the hell, Lidia?" He was hissing in Silvensian. Lidia's magic allowed her to sense that he was preventing anyone from eavesdropping, which meant she was about to get a verbal lashing. "He is the King of Cadenhia. He isn't some plaything for you to enchant just because he--I know why you do not like him, but you cannot start a conflict over snide comments at a banquet."

"Well, if he wants to prevent a war, he should start doing his job and act like a ruler of a kingdom!"

"And charming someone to develop a strong craving for alcohol is befitting of a Queen?"

"Well, no, but he was insulting me and I lost it, okay? I shouldn't have done it, I removed the charm, it only lasts until the person passes out." The words had hardly fled her mouth when she realized her error. "Alright. No. I won't enchant anyone else unless it's life and death or something. I'll apologize to him...Gods, he doesn't deserve this. I only did it because he said he hated alcohol." Lidia buried her face into her hands. "I can't do this. I can't stand him. I'm a terrible Queen." Tears began to form in her eyes, and she brushed them away furiously, then gave herself a calming charm.

"You're not a terrible Queen. Everyone makes huge, ridiculous mistakes. Sometimes--some people more than others." He took his daughter's hands, caressing them. "It will be okay. You will apologize to Leslen, explain your side of the story, and figure out a way to make amends. The diplomatic meeting will be the chance to work with the other Elven leaders and work toward unity."

"But they hate us. They'll never agree to anything we say. Why do you think Leslen's...what is he doing?" Lidia, perplexed, tried to make sense of Leslen's current actions. He was batting at an empty goblet, seemingly transfixed by its slight wobbling motion in response, with bloodshot eyes. "Oh gods. I have to fix this. I have to--"

"Wait." There was a mischievous gleam in her father's eyes. "Perhaps he will learn his lesson. As will you."

"I, really, I...I'm sorry. I was being so stupid, Dad, I--"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. For, in the middle of her breakdown, the wedding speeches began.

[Orostan]

The Health of The Empire

Emperor Nayan was the leader of a dying Empire. The Great Western Empire, which had existed for hundreds of years, was not being killed by institutional failure or the type of decline that normally claims the life of an empire. Rather, the land was killing it. Every year the winters were longer and the summers colder. Every year the wheat harvest was smaller and smaller despite Nanyan's late father attempting to stabilize the economics of the Empire's agriculture with increased mechanization and state support. Paying a bunch of engineers to put together better plows and seed drills and putting new land under plow could only do so much to alleviate a situation that was steadily worsening. Nanyan's father had always believed that the climate change was temporary, and that the Empire only had to remain stable through it to endure for another five hundred years. Nanyan disagreed with his father and because of that had alienated a great deal of his father's political allies in his reforms and reorganizations of the economy and political system. Fortunately those reforms had eliminated or replaced a good deal of the offices that those opponents occupied - although a few remained to appease the more conservative elements of the elected governing council of the empire.

Occasionally Nanyan's critics would ask him what gave him the mandate to take actions and make reforms usually reserved for the authority of the governing council. Nanyan would always tell those critics that he sometimes acted like an autocrat not because he was one, but because he was right. Nanyan was more motivated by a desire to be the most correct in politics and economics rather than to be the most powerful or the greatest. It was almost a petty motivation, but one that occupied Nanyan's time nonetheless.

But Nanyan, despite his style of governing and economic reform, could not overcome basic reality. Every square kilometer of farmland would give less wheat to the granaries of the Empire no matter what Nanyan did, and the snow would blanket fields and destroy winter crops as well. External trade to solve this issue was almost impossible, with the volcanic islands to the east and unstable earth shifting sea and land daily. To the south the Empire suffered similar barriers by sea, with sailing to what was known to the traders as the "Sorosan Republic" difficult due to the climactic effects of the volcanoes erupting in the east. With all the ash that floated in the air in some parts of the year, even above the far inland capitol city, Nanyan was inclined to agree that the volcanoes might be the source of much of the Empire's ills.

But they also proved that they could be a solution. A series of eruptions along the Empire's east coast had raised a land bridge up between the Empire and the unfamiliar continent called "Paralia" - if what the traders and explorers told Nanyan was true. The countries to the east were untouched by the volcanic ash that darkened the skies of the Great Western Empire and starved the crops of warmth and sunlight. They were also exceedingly wealthy according to the limited information Nanyan had.

Either way the Empire had a new world open to it - one that the young Emperor Nanyan intended to exploit.

The Gateway to the East

Nanyan sat on his horse with his two most senior generals, Bukha and Mide. Bukha was quite a bit older than Nanyan and had been a good friend of his father and an early backer of Nanyan's political reforms on his early days on the throne. Partly because of his father's close association with Bukha Nanyan viewed the man as an uncle or grandpa almost. Mide was a similar way, but took the role as more of a family friend. She'd been more distant to Nanyan in his childhood. Where Bukha was more of a bureaucratic general organizing armies and logistics from the Imperial capitol, Mide always enjoyed riding her horse through the interior steppe of the Empire where her ancestors had once rode their horses and moved in the great nomadic groups. She'd been more responsible for the drilling and training of the troops as well as the occasional campaign against rebels. Where Bukha was a good representation of the officers of the Imperial Army, Mide was closer to the average soldier. Despite this both the dark haired Bukha and the more lighter haired Mide occupied the same rank just under Nanyan in the military.

Bukha's horse adjusted itself under its skilled rider. In the heat near the volcano Bukha's armor and the armor of his horse made them both more than a little uncomfortable. "Nanyan, you may be making a mistake. Consider the risks involved in this, please."

Nanyan turned away from the rows of horses crossing the land bridge in front of him to Bukha. "You know how dire our situation is. We've talked about this before, this has to happen. I'd normally be more articulate..." Nanyan adjusted his helmet. A few beads of sweat escaped the rim of it. "But you can see the difficulty of that."

Mide interjected before Bukha could speak. "You forget, Bukha, that if we had things your way we would be sitting in the Imperial palace starving. If our effort fails, we have less mouths to feed at least."

Bukha chuckled. Nanyan didn't do the same as he watched a group of supply wagons begin to cross the bridge. Mide's attempt at dark humor was mostly an effort to cheer the hard to amuse Nanyan up. It was a good try, but Nanyan preferred to laugh at failure after he'd had success.

[Nuridia]

"Hopefully we do, handsome." Kate flashed Percy a grin and leaned into his shoulder, giving a snorting laugh when he spoke about Charlie. "I know, right? But surprisingly, he's been doing pretty good tonight. So far anyway...let's see how long the circus monkeys remain leashed." She took a sip of wine from her glass

Henriette stood up from her seat next to her wife and tapped a knife on her wine goblet, signalling for the attention of the other leaders. "It is with great pleasure that I could celebrate the happy union of my wife and myself with you all, surrounded by friends and loved ones. It is time to let those closest to us share a few words in celebration...I shall now turn things over to my trusted minister and master of ceremonies for the rest." Minister Falla bowed to his queen and addressed the assembled crowd of leaders, nobles and commoners alike. "Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, I am glad that you could all make it here on this most momentous of occasions to show your support for our queen and country on her wedding day. It is customary that after the wedding feast, members of the couples' wedding parties are allowed to give their blessing to their union and to a dear friend. And now firstly, King Charles of Marseille will deliver the best man speech for Queen Henriette...oh gods, I can't look." he mumbled before Charles rose from his seat and slowly made his way onto the floor.

"You know me too well, Faraday." Charles cleared his throat and turned to the assembled crowd.
"Hello everybody, I'm guessing you all know me...or know of me at least, which is the same thing to some people...Queen Henriette has given me the honor of being her best man on this most special of days, and part of my duty is to say something super deep and inspirational...but I'm terrible at that so I had to pre-write a speech. Look at me being all productive and proactive, shocker ain't it? Don't look at me like that, you lot...Hettie herself said that if I embarrassed her she would declare war on me. So you're all safe." Some of the room, including the bride erupted into laughter.
"But you know what, this isn't about me right now. It's about these two beautiful queens seated behind me, their union and the union of their dynasties. There are so many wonderful words I can say about the brides right now...nouns, verbs. Pronouns, adjectives, adverbs and the like...however, nobody here has time for all of that so I'm going to try to condense it into a five minute speech. I have known Queen Henriette most of my life, we actually met when we were really little. Our parents dragged us along to this diplomatic meeting or whatever, and we were supposed to "learn the art of ruling" at seven years old. The only thing we learned that day was the art of sneaking off and raiding the snack table." Henriette actually laughed at that. "All I thought was, this is the most beautiful and awesome girl I've ever seen...she gets me. She's smart, she's witty, she's amazing. She reads people like she reads books, and she can stab you and not get any blood on her fancy skirts. She beat my father at chess...and both of our Ministers of War. It was the most hilarious thing I'd ever seen, you ever get outmaneuvered by a nine year old girl? Not good for the male ego. Anyway, we became inseparable from that day forward. Best friends, two peas in a pod as our parents used to say. You never saw one without the other. At least we were inseparable until we, y'know...actually separated, but it's not like I'm not salty about that or anything so once again we're not gonna get into all that. Tali on the other hand, I've always had an admiration for my cousin. She was strong, she was fearless. She knew how to hold her own in court, she was a mighty warrior. The perfect queen, so basically the female version of what I aspire to be. You know, without the alcoholism and sex addiction and daddy issues."
Minister Falla turned to his queen in concern, but Henriette didn't seem ruffled or piqued at all. "You know, I expected this to be way worse." she whispered to him. "And I haven't laughed like this in months."

Charles continued. "Tali and I would often visit each other's kingdoms quite a lot, she's literally one of the only cousins I've ever spent time with. We got along pretty great, she was like the big sister I always wanted...although I got annoyed as hell with my dad comparing me to her all the time. "Be more like that", he would say. I said "fuck you Dad, I'll pass." Anywho, back to the speech. I remember one time we were thirteen, and we decided to have a sparring match in the arena when we visited Termain that one time. My father, we've all heard of him right? He wanted to mould his successor and potential successors into the ideal knights, the perfect warrior-heir who would reign with an iron fist after he was gone. Unfortunately that heir died and he got me instead...Tali must've been training from birth or Forsen is secretly her dad because despite being like a head shorter, she clobbered me. And not just once either, several times. I was so embarrassed I didn't pick up a sword for two years, can you imagine? But I got over it because Tali is an amazing fighter. She's fighting to defend her people and unite her country right now, while still managing to kill it in a designer wedding dress. That shit takes talent, I'm jealous because my only talents are drinking and giving bad speeches. She's got a big heart and an even bigger sword, so I know that she can protect Henriette just fine. Hettie is insanely intelligent, she's got a million different plans and backup plans for every situation so I know that she can help guide Tali in the right direction. It's an unlikely pairing...but when I look at them up there I can see that they fit surprisingly well together. Like cheese and apples or wine and...anything, because let's be honest. Everything is better with wine, amirite? Anyway, I'm going to close off with this. Tali, Hettie. I'm so happy for the two of you on your big day, I couldn't imagine a more dynamic and badass pair of queens getting married today and I hope that as your union grows stronger, the strength of your kingdoms grows as well. Now if we can all raise a glass and toast to the brides, for a long, happy and fruitful marriage. I would join you, but one of the rules was I can't drink and give the speech at the same time so I'll just wait until I get back to my seat. Thank you all for coming, and with that I say...enjoy the rest of your evening folks, I'll be here all conference." With that, Charles walked back to his seat and sat down next to Helja, who got up to go and deliver her speech as the music for the dance started to play.

"Charles, what the hell was that?!" Anthony demanded.
"Hey, Hettie liked it! And I was trying to be funny, people love a funny best man speech! I just couldn't go overboard, I think I did pretty well." He got up again and went go to make his way over to the punch bowl. "Where are you going?!"
"Hey, the formal part of the night is over. The dance is when everyone gets to relax and unwind from the day and now that all of the diplomatic obligations and nuances are out of the way, I can do what I do best. Get fucking plastered." The young king filled his goblet with the wine punch, it was rare that he got to have any of this stuff outside of parties and then didn't even bother to refrain from chugging it. Kate slapped her face so hard with her hand, she surely would've bruised it if she was still wearing her metal gauntlets. "I hope he doesn't go overboard this time...dear Forsen, no."

[Tomia]

Wedding Reception
Tali listened to Charles speech with interest, as she knew he wasn't prone to holding back. However he found his words to be sweet... if a bit eccentric. He complimented both of them sincerely and she found herself smiling at his words. After hearing the speech however she was more and more certain that the rumors about Henriette and Charles were in fact true. It hadn't bothered her much before but now that she was getting to know Henriette the idea of her being with someone else put a small pit in her stomach. She pushed that aside however as it was far from fair to feel that way. She had just met Henriette, if she still had feelings for Charlie and wanted to be with him instead that was very understandable. Still that thought didn't comfort her stomach.

With Charles speech done and the music beginning to play Tali turned to her wife. "Henriette..." She said pausing as she blushed a little. She hated how nervous she was right now but despite the many balls she had attended before she was horribly unprepared for an intimate dance with her wife. "Would you like to dance with me?" She asked as her shyness broke into her expression.

Meanwhile Percy smiled sheepishly at Kate's compliment and playful behavior, chuckling at her comment. They had known each other for a while but tonight he was seeing her in a different light. Her beauty and charm had always been there but they were becoming very obvious to him at that moment. He listened to Charlie's speech with nervous anticipation, praying to all the colors that he wouldn't say something irreparable.Luckily despite a few eye-rolling moments the speech was rather tame and he was able to breath easily once more. Once Halja's speech ended the music started signaling that dancing would soon begin. He glanced over at Kate who was drinking her wine. He found himself wondering nervously how she might react if he asked her to dance. Would it be awkward? Would she take offense? He did not know, but it was a party and he felt like he would be miserable the whole night if he didn't ask.

"Kate, would you like to, maybe you know, dance a bit? I'm no ballerina but I promise not to trip over your feet." He chuckled with a bit of a nervous smile.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

King Leslen XI
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

He made his way to the dancing area, unsteady on his feet, the world entertainingly tilting and blurring. He laughed softly at the distorted bodies around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a boy with dark, curly hair heading toward the alcohol--the Marseillan king.

Leslen dodged people who were beginning to dance as he ambled toward the leader of Marseille. What was his name? Clark...Chuck...Charles. A lowly human fond of hedonistic behaviors often found in Cadenhia. Yes, he was the perfect victim.

"You ever traveled to an Elven kingdom, Charles-y?" Leslen grinned, mildly confused about the thickness in his own voice.

"Been to Cadenhia, actually...took Hettie with me too. We had to disguise ourselves as elves, but it was the wildest three weeks of our lives, it was crazy."

"I do hope you did more than drink a bar's worth of alcohol and waste much of your inheritance. Say, did you leave heavier from all the drinking or lighter because you replaced your meals with Wonderdraught?" This boy was too easy to berate. Truly, Leslen did not understand how Charles had been allowed to ascend the throne.

Time seemed to become some sort of thread, or a tapestry, as he waited for the human to take the bait. "I don't touch that Wonderdraught shit, I need to get home somehow."

"Heavier, then. Explains your protruding stomach."

He watched the lowly boy's anger flare. "I'm not even fat, you ass!" he snapped.

"Perhaps not by human standards." Leslen peered down his nose with disdain. Eagerness leaped through him, eagerness at provoking this dullard and exposing him as the fool that he was--

"Seriously guys? At my fucking wedding?! Really?!"

Leslen pivoted to face whoever was interjecting. Noticing that is was one of the brides, he returned his attention to Chucky, only to wobble as he temporarily lost his footing. "Regardless, you do seem to have added a few pounds since I last saw you, Charles. And what is that...outfit...you are wearing?"

"This man needs to get laid, that always helps me feel better." One of them, or perhaps both, muttered this in the hope Leslen wouldn't overhear. Not that he understood their lowly human slang.

Laid...laid....

Oh.

"I am rather unfound of your uncouth manner, Charles. You reek of alcohol, by the way." The second part wasn't true, yet.

"YEAH, well YOU reek of arrogance! And I'll have you know..."

"You're an alcoholic, and you're stupid. You wouldn't last a week without having sexual intercourse." He crossed his arms, clumsily. Things were difficult for him at the moment.

"Wanna bet?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna bet?" Chuckles reiterated.

"Bet on what?" Leslen did not quite fathom what this useless king was asking. "Do you mean like...a challenge? A..." He pointed to where the alcohol was.

Which meant.... "You want to out-drink me."

He shouldn't be doing this. He abhorred drinking. But if it made Chazzy look bad, well...

It was Chars who posed the contest. "Bring it on then, bitch boy."

---

Councillor Ehen Tenar
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

She felt so powerless, sitting at this dining table with two foreign monarchs. They were the sole leaders of their nations, their sovereign nations, while she was part of a three-member council. And she hardly did anything but listen to what her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins told her to do, then take the blame for their decisions. She was their whittling bark. Their tool.

Ehen hardly spoke or ate for the entire meal. She just observed King Leslen of Cadenhia taunt Queen Lidia of...Silvensia. Though they had advisors, they were free to speak their minds without risk of retribution disguised as constructive criticism. How liberating it must be for them to say what they wished.

She pretended to not be disturbed by the approach of the Cyclops girl. She hid her shock and worry when Queen Lidia of Silvensia ran off with the Cyclops and King Leslen of Cadenhia began draining goblets of wine like they were filled with water. That was what everyone expected of her; that was what she was trained to do.

But she was fearful of King Leslen's erratic performance. Had Queen Lidia...enchanted him somehow? Was she truly that powerful? Yes, she reminded herself, she is that powerful. She's from a family of mages.

And here she was, little Ehen Tenar, the Child Councillor. She was a child pawn in a grown-up game. Her family was using her, just as they always had. As they always would, if she didn't do something about it.

Ehen studied the wine goblet she'd been advised not to touch before tilting her head back and slurping its contents.

[Ovesa]

Ophelia Leolyn
Cadenhia
275 Orange Era

It had been a long day for the false Queen of Cadenhia. Hours of arduous bureaucratic work had left her not only dissatisfied, but late for an important meeting.

Riding in a fine red carriage, she examined herself in a small, handheld mirror trimmed with gold. Her ice-blue eyes were accentuated with mascara, framed by her thin, drawn-in eyebrows. Her carmine-painted lips contrasted her porcelain-like skin, while complimenting her red bejewled gown. It was just perfect enough to look believable, without coming off as a mask.

A doorman helped her step down from the carriage, which was pulled by majestic Friesan horses blacker than night. Her fur coat fluttered behind her, hanging like an ominous shadow. Light illuminated her golden crown like a halo, its many diamonds appearing to glow like distant stars.

She entered through a door outlined with ornate brass carvings, the surrounding area practically covered with vases containing plants from across Paralia. She passed by a white marble fountain, complete with matching stone benches, before entering the main building.

Inside, there were nearly countless tables and bars, covered in fine cloth and dozens of goblets. High elves, wood elves, and humans could be found everywhere one looked. The scents of fine wine and wonderdraught melted together into a thick, euphoric aroma that practically choked the room with a smoky haze. While some tables were playing cards, others were enjoying Cadenhia's finest cuisine and drinks. A troupe of musicians performed in the background, while a lucky few patrons got first row seats to a dance routine.

This was The Tiger's Eye, one of Cadenhia's most famous casinos. It was a palace in its own right; more importantly, it was Ophelia's palace.

Ophelia had a way with creating many faces; to put it simply, she was skilled at presenting herself in a way that would gain favor. In the Royal Palace, she had to be haughty, cruel, and quick-witted, lest she lose the respect of her peers. But in the Tiger's Eye, she went with a different approach; while she stayed elegant and graceful, she shifted her mannerisms to fit a much different crowd.

Ophelia approached an elven bartender, who was clearly worn out from a long shift. Her sudden arrival caught him completely off-guard. "Madame Ophelia! I wasn't aware you'd be here tonight. How can-"

"No need to say anymore." She opened her gloved hand, revealing an exquisite gold ring. It featured a large, princess-cut ruby, surrounded by a halo of diamonds. The diamonds alone were worth more than the bartender made in a year. That ring was a wedding gift from some obscure family member, not that it mattered now. Ophelia smiled, speaking with a sickening sweetness. "That ought to compensate for your trouble. Take the rest of the night off."

The bartender's eyes lit up, his shaking body portraying a mixture of shock and excitement. "M-M-Madame Ophelia, I can't thank you enough!"

"There's no need to thank me. It's my duty and honor to serve Cadenhia, and all of its patrons." She then turned to the small bar, looking at the menagerie of bewildered patrons. "Gentlemen, tonight's drinks are on the house."

The bar erupted with roars of excitement, accompanied by the clinks of goblets and the chorus of laughter. As Ophelia walked away, she felt a distinctive satisfaction in her endeavors. Those patrons would almost certainly wear themselves out by the third or fourth glass; besides, what little she would lose would be greatly outweighed by their perception-fueled loyalty to her, a generous and kind-hearted benefactor who always looked after her patrons.

She made her way to a private room, lined with red velvet and guarded by thick doors and watchful mercenaries. She plopped herself down onto a chair of velvet and gold, seated at the head of a long rectangular table. There, she was in the presence of individuals from all walks of life; business owners, merchants, lowly nobles, and even some mercenaries found themselves as part of the menagerie.

This was the Briarheart Guild. Named after her late husband, Eldiron Briarheart, it was originally a coalition of merchants with similar interests and common goals. After his passing, however, Ophelia turned it into a much different type of organization...

"Gentlemen, I apologize for my late arrival, there were some administrative issues I had to attend to." Ophelia poured herself a glass of Cadenhian wine, its deep red color almost glowing in its crystal goblet. "Rest assured, I promise to stay here until I hear every last one of your issues."

Wearing a custom-tailored blue jacket, a silver elf sat with his fingers folded neatly on the table. He wore thick, round glasses, and, in defiance of elven tradition, his hair was cut unusually short. His eyes seemed to be locked in a perpetually angry phase, always scanning for yet another issue to pick apart. This was Kieran Valewood, the Briarheart Guild's finance manager. "Madame Ophelia, our dear friend Ferolin has refused to change his ways. He still refuses to allow non-elves into his establishment, and he refuses to speak with anyone who isn't a high elf. I've tried to reason with him, but he will not speak with me." His voice got louder and harsher. "Argent-scum! Can you believe It? The nerve---"

"It's alright, Kieran." A human interjected. although his voice was grizzled, there was a certain calmness to it. The man wore studded leather armor, carrying a steel greatsword on his back. The man was in his early 40s, with salt-and-pepper hair accompanying a reasonable amount of stuble. This was Markus Quinorus, the leader of a mercenary group that primarily operated in Cadenhia.

"Ferolin is threatening to tell the King about the protection racket we're running. Beats me how that fool learned so much, but now he's holding it over our heads. He's a major liability, and if he's not taken care of-"

"That's enough." Ophelia looked to the Guild Leaders, solemnly. "I hesitate to make any rash decisions, especially when we're finally expanding our productions to outside markets."

"That's another issue." Markus looked rigid and intimidating, almost statue-like. "Madame, with all due respect-"

"All this talk of outside markets is maddening!" Kieran snapped, polishing his glasses. "We should focus on strengthening our hold on Cadenhia before we even think about expanding our boundaries! We're already having enough issues keeping one nation in check, so how can we be expected to keep the operations within multiple nations functioning?"

Ophelia took a long sip from her wine glass, contemplating how to answer such a question. "Mr. Valewood, I understand your concern, but I can assure you that there is a good reason behind my decisions. Consolidating too much of our power in Cadenhia is bound to draw suspicion from the ruling class; after all, why would a group of merchants isolate all of their assets into a single, small nation? Besides, we won't be reliant on trading basic commodities."

Kieran's face turned pale. "What do you mean by that?"

Ophelia chuckled, before taking yet another sip of wine. "Darling, isn't it obvious? It's all about Wonderdraught."

Wonderdraught was a, um, plant with certain effects that made it desirable to anyone who wanted to live like they were in the Cult of Dionysus. Its name came from antiquity, when the plant had to be fermented in water for its effects to manifest upon consumption. Nowadays, it could be utilized in numerous other ways...

"By introducing large amounts of it beyond our borders, we'll have entire nations reliant on our trade with them. Millions of beautiful souls, dependent on us....." Her long, spindly fingers playfully tapped on the wooden table, as she giggled maniacally. "Isn't it perfect?"

Whatever energy that group had was completely gone now. While most of the others had come to accept what kind of business they were in, Kieran was in almost complete shock.

Markus broke the uncomfortable silence. "Alright, we can continue this talk tomorrow." He pulled out a pack of custom playing cards from his pocket. "How about a game of poker?"

The Guild was more than happy to oblige.

Maybe it was because of an excess of wine, or perhaps it was because of her tiredness. Whatever the reason, she failed to recognize a small, yet crucial detail on the specially commissioned cards being used in their game; the King of Hearts, modeled after her late husband, wasn't being slain by his own hand, but by the gloved hand of his beloved wife.

Queen Edenia IV
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Before she could even respond, Lidia was called back to her delegation by her father. Edenia felt bad for not being able to answer her; she didn't view Lidia harshly at all. If she had access to such magic, Edenia would've been tempted to do the same thing. There was so much happening at once, so much she still wanted to say, but she'd have to save it for another time. Quietly, she glided back over to the Ignician delegation to listen to the speeches.

The wedding speeches were so heartfelt and genuine that it almost made Edenia cry. It was sad to her that marrying off young rulers and nobles against their will was such a common custom, but the two Queens seemed to be handling it well. Silently, she wished for a day when such forced arrangements weren't deemed necessary...

The King of Marseille's speech was certainly the most memorable one. While a bit eccentric in some aspects, it was genuine and well-intentioned. Even though Edenia was somewhat familiar with the King's reputation, she chose to ignore it; after all, it wouldn't be fair to judge someone before getting to know them. Besides, he seemed to be a fair and just ruler who truly cared about his people.

As the dance began, the room's lighting slowly dimmed as music filled the air. Dancers made their way to the ballroom floor, gliding and swaying in sync with the music; it was an unforgettable sight.

These kind of events were rare in Ignis; Edenia herself had only attended two or three balls in her life. As nervous as she was, there was a strong feeling, a pull to go out and experience such a lovely and rare event. She had hardly gotten the chance to speak with anyone; besides, what kind of overlander would want to dance with her?

There was one person she had in mind; mustering up her courage, she began to approach the Queen of Silvensia. Suddenly, Edenia panicked, freezing in place. What was she thinking? What if she messed up, or embarrassed herself? What if Lidia was just being polite to her out of guilt, or what if she just needed an excuse to get away from Leslen? Not that Edenia would blame her, but those thoughts still strangled her mind.

Lidia hadn't noticed her yet (thankfully), but Edenia was still plagued with second thoughts. It's too late to turn back now. she thought. Besides, Lidia had been so friendly earlier; what did she have to lose?

"Your Majesty," She greeted, with a curtsey; "I'm sorry we weren't able to finish our conversation from earlier." So far, so good. "I wanted to say that.....well, I've never seen Silvensian magic in person before. That was an, um, interesting demonstration, but it wasn't totally unwarranted or anything. I mean---"

She felt like a fool, tripping over her own words. No amount of reading or rehearsing could've prepared her for this.

"What I'm trying to say is, I wasn't offended by anything that happened earlier today, and I don't want that to worry you."

Although she couldn't wink (for obvious reasons), there was a message she was desperately trying to convey.

You don't have to worry about the Leslen thing. I still trust you.

[Nuridia]

Charles snorted, nobody was able to outdrink him and he doubted that this wet rat would be any different. He said nothing, but merely polished off his goblet and filled it up with a second helping of punch, drinking it with the same vigor. "Okay, bitch boy. You asked for it, and you're going to regret this when you're stuffed under a table and nobody comes and gets you until the morning."
Meanwhile, Henriette would've blushed if she were a paler woman when her wife invited her to dance. Obviously it took some effort on Tali's part to even ask, well...if they were going to be married, they may as well have some fun together. "I'd love to, my lady." She placed her hand in Tali's and escorted her to the dance floor.

Kate's grin wasn't reserved or demure by any means, she was smiling from ear to ear when Percy asked her to dance. "Of course! C'mon, let's go cut a rug!" She nearly all but pulled the man toward the dancing couples, Charlie laughed loudly when he saw his advisor and best knight together, letting out a wolf-whistle. "Get it, guys! About bloody time!"

[Tomia]

Wedding Reception
Tali smiled when her wife accepted her offer to dance. When Henriette took Tali's hand her heart skipped ever so slightly and she followed her wife onto the dance floor. When they arrived they clasped hands and began to dance gracefully to music playing. Tali found herself enjoying being this close to Henriette. She was a good dancer, which was expected of a woman from court and her perfume was wonderfully intoxicating.

At first they danced with respectful distance but after the song ended and it switched to a slower tune, Tali found herself putting her hands around her waist. "Is this alright?" She asked a little self consciously.

Meanwhile Percy found himself nearly dragged onto the dance floor by Kate, though he didn't really mind. He was glad she wanted to dance after all and if she was enthusiastic about it that was all the better. He rolled his eyes at Charles' obnoxious shout however and focused on dancing with Kate. He lead as he was a bit more confident with traditional formal dances, however as the music turned slow Percy found himself less confident. He wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to put his hands on Kate's waist and so he decided to try to make small talk instead.

"You're a good dancer Kate." He complimented her. "Much more graceful than other knights I've known. Most treat the dance floor as if it is a haunted graveyard." He chuckled as they danced together.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

"What I'm trying to say is, I wasn't offended by anything that happened earlier today, and I don't want that to worry you." Edenia swallowed, awkwardly staring at Lidia. She seemed...nervous, almost. Not that Lidia blamed her; she must be feeling more out of place than the entire Silvensian delegation combined.

"Really? I...okay. What's the word in Paralian...thanks." Lidia offered Edenia a tentative smile. "This...this song is in a popular style in Agcron. It just started." What are you doing? You're going to be betrothed--

Not yet, Lidia.

You're not tied down to someone yet.

She reached for Edenia's wrists; the Cyclops girl accepted, and, gently, Lidia led her into the space cleared for dancers. "The steps are fairly simple. Right foot out, right, back, out, left foot out, right, back, out, I'll spin you, two, three, four, twist two, three, four, right--"

Lidia lost herself to the music, to the rhythm, the melody, countermelody, harmony. She wasn't sure how Edenia felt; perhaps she was being too forward with her potential friend. But this song swelled within her in such a way that she could have been at the center of the world. Life streamed from the instruments, the air, even the ground, the notes possessing a sort of magic that transcended everything any Silvren could conjure.

---

King Leslen XI
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

"Oh, I'll be the one snuffed under a fable? You, bring two nines of shots hither. Start with five." Leslen frowned, suddenly perplexed by something--oh, yes, Chimmy's ridiculous getup. "Your costume would make the most fixtravagant actor go blind."

Charles hurtled some petty insult that Leslen could not quite comprehend. "Yes. First one. You are flamiliar with the Cadenhian custom of shots, I presume." A haughty smile. "On my cow. Three, two, one, go!"

"Is that all you got, Leslie?" Car sneered. Or, what Leslen thought he sneered. He did not know, nor did he care, what the other king was saying.

Other king. Yes, because he was the King of Cadenhia, not his father. His father was dead. No one could ignore anything Leslen said now. His word was law. He was an orphan, and his word was law. "Round two." Another burning swig of...this was Cadenhian. Cadenhian gin. Yes, the only thing his home country had to offer other than gambling and Wonderdraught. That and rampant...crime, in other states. Things they called crime when they were not in Cadenhia.

He really began to unwind after his fourth or fifth. Really became dizzy. Confused. Struggled to remember where he was, who he was with, how he'd gotten here. He just knew he had to...win, by doing something he loathed. Which was strange. Why would...how....

Something slipped from his hand and shattered at his feet. There was dim laughter ere another glass appeared with his fingers wrapped around it. I am the king, he recited inside his head. I am the king, the king.

A king with a large cut slicing across his right hand. That he didn't feel. "You do not scare me, Charlie." He was hardly afraid of anything except turning into his dead father.

"You don't scare me. I am the law, but I am not my father, and not afraid of dimlings or Silvensians or even...death. Because my father is dead and I am not him and he's not me, and I know that I'm not you, which is a good thing because there are a lot of you and--"

---

Councillor Ehen Tenar
Santa-Eulira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

Her father saw her drinking and summoned a mage to cleanse her of the alcohol.

Her mother had forbidden her from dancing unless it was with a family member.

Grand Uncle Chorin specifically warned her to pay the Silvensians no attention, for they were lowly scoundrels.

Great Grand Aunt Lucina reminded her to have flawless posture at all times.

And Second Cousin Once Removed Aldo advised her to keep silent as though she was his five-year-old son.

She was their puppet, their shield. A shell, a nobody, a girl under a spell. But there was no magic involved; it was just the way things had always been. It was normal for every aspect of her life to be controlled. She was expected to obey without asking questions or even thinking twice about her actions. So what if she had not completed her schooling. She was on the Noble Council, the youngest on record, and, though no one cared to admit it, the least powerful. She could have never existed, and the course of Paralia would be the same.

Tonight was not the time to break free. No. She'd failed, miserably, and the binds were being tightened. She would have to wait days or weeks until she tried something like this again.

[Ovesa]

Queen Edenia IV
Santa-Eluira, Agcros
275 Orange Era

"This...this song is in a popular style in Agcron. It just started."

One step at a time, Edenia found herself being swayed by the slow, flowing music. A chorus of strings synchronized with each step, and every spin. Lidia proved to be an excellent teacher; it didn't take long before Edenia got the hang of it.

"The steps are fairly simple." Lidia explained, with Edenia's wrists in hand. "Right foot out, right, back, out, left foot out, right, back, out, I'll spin you, two, three, four, twist two, three, four, right--"

She could've easily gotten lost in that scene for forever, so heavenly and peaceful. The lighting, the music, her dance partner; it was the peak of bliss. No obligations, no worries, and not a single care in the world to tie either of them down.

As the pair swayed through the dance floor, Edenia pretended not to notice Leslen and Charles taking part in the Cadenhian tradition known as "shots". While she was in no place to weigh in, she sincerely hoped that those two would be ready for the conference tomorrow.

Those anxious thoughts began to creep in again. Should she say something? Was she doing this right? She hadn't tripped over herself, or anyone else for that matter, so she had to have done something right.

"I apologize if I'm making any mistakes; we don't usually have these kind of dances in Ignis." Edenia said, before being twirled again. Was she apologizing too much? Why wouldn't her heart stop fluttering?

"Thank you for being so understanding."

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

"Of...of course." Lidia nodded at Edenia. "You're doing really well, actually. Better than I did when I first learned this dance."

Not that it mattered how well Lidia danced. It shouldn't matter, not with Edenia; politically, this was excellent, for befriending another leader could signal the beginning of a mutual relationship betwixt their nations. But personally...it would never work.

This doesn't mean you can't be friends. Or have...am I crushing on her? Is that weird? We only met today.

That was what normal teenagers did. They fell in love, had flings, occasionally courted one another. Many, outside the nobility, had the freedom to marry for love. Lidia had never considered that as a possibility, and the betrothal requests by her father and grandfather confirmed her suspicions. She would, like Tali and Henriette, be matched with a virtual stranger.

How many weeks did she have left?

After two more dances, Lidia realized she should mingle with other monarchs. She thanked Edenia for going along with her spontaneity and hurried toward Bartolomeo, with whom she had a brief conversation, before she was intercepted by Annastasia. Lidia succeeded in not saying anything rash during the encounter. Once she was free of the Empress Dowager, she made her way toward Charles and Anthony.

She did not gain a chance to converse with the King of Marseille. He was engaged in a drinking game with Leslen, who was very unsteady, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Leslen, on the other hand, was a cross between angry and cocky, though he was so out of it that he sliced open his right hand and didn't even react.

You did this. You did this, Lidia. The tendrils of panic were slithering into her mind. She had to fix this, somehow, but how could she interfere without making it even worse?

No wonder Silver Elves were so loathed by the rest of the Elven tribes. They were too powerful; their abilities were unnatural; they meddled with things no mortal being should have access to. And Lidia had just proven to most of Paralia that she wasn't to be trusted.

"You don't scare me." Leslen was slurring his words, badly, but at least he was speaking in Paralian. "I am the law, but I am not my father, and not afraid of dimlings or Silvensians or even...death." He was bleeding everywhere. Crimson drops spattered onto his clothing and dripped to the ground. Some of it had gotten on the nearby server, who was not pleased in the slightest.

Maybe you should be afraid, Leslen. You should be afraid of me.

"Because my father is dead and I am not him and he's not me, and I know that I'm not you, which is a good thing because there are a lot of you and--"

Because I'm afraid of myself.

[Ovesa]

Amarynth
The Elvish spelling of the word Amaranth, a vibrant, red-purple (and sometimes golden) flower. The flower represents immortality in many cultures, its name meaning "unfading". In High Elven culture, the flower represents change and rebirth; many pieces of artwork that depict the changing of eras usually contain references to the flower...

Amarynth Tenar
Santa-Eluira, Agcros

Once again, Amarynth Tenar had pulled off a successful con. Who would've know there'd be so many spare uniforms lying around? She didn't even have to put much work into her disguise to make it look convincing; the waitstaff was essentially a revolving door, and with the chaos that was serving most of the continent's leaders, hardly anyone was paying attention. Considering how most of the continent was ruled by inexperienced youths (which was a disturbing fact within itself), the lack of security became even more concerning...

But it didn't matter. Amarynth had an important task to fulfill; she wasn't here to steal gems off of tipsy royals, or listen in to the nobility's juicy secrets (as fun as that would be). She was here for one thing, and one thing only; to see her cousin, Ehen.

The two had never been extremely close growing up (then again, Ehen wasn't very close with anyone), but they did have many shared memories and experiences. As much as Amarynth tried to distance herself from her past, there were some things that were just too important to leave behind.

Amarynth had sent letters to her cousin in the past, usually by courier. The letters would always come in unmarked envelopes, and they'd contain vague, but intriguing, stories about life in Cadenhia. Usually, they'd also come with a gift, be it jewelry or other small trinkets.

Maybe she reached out to Ehen out of loneliness, or maybe she secretly felt homesick (a prospect Amarynth could never openly admit). Maybe she felt guilty about leaving Ehen behind, and having their controlling family walk all over her without anyone to protect her. It didn't matter; now wasn't the time to reflect.

She approached the elven delegation, carrying a bottle of the finest Cadenhian red wine. Thankfully, she had arrived at just the right time; the entire delegation was focused on the Cadenhian King, who had drunkenly sliced open his palm on shards of broken glass, just a short distance away from their table. While they were distracted, she slipped a small sheet of paper out from her sleeve, sliding it under Ehen's napkin. The note read;

Go down the main hall and take the first right to enter the Courtyard. Meet me behind the yellow rose bush; you'll know it when you see it.
-A friend

Silently, she slipped away, discarding the wine bottle and making her way to the Courtyard. Surely, Ehen would recognize the handwriting, and know where to go from there...

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Councillor Ehen Tenar
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

When the waiter slipped a piece of paper under her napkin, Ehen realized she had not traveled to Agcron without attracting company. Only one person would dare give her clandestine mail right under the noses of her familial controllers. How she had gotten here was the real question; of course, that was always the question with Amarynth, who seemed to show up wherever and whenever Ehen was.

She took her napkin and folded it across her lap (the napkin she had used during the meal had been replaced by this one) and gingerly scanned the message.

Go down the main hall and take the first right to enter the Courtyard. Meet me behind the yellow rose bush; you'll know it when you see it.
-A friend

Like...now? During the reception? How would she successfully escape her family?

"Excuse me. I must go and use the facilities." Ehen stood, lowering her head bashfully. "I think I saw where they were located. I should not be too long."

Her mother gave an approving nod. "You may go. But bring your attendants with you."

She agreed, only so as to not arouse suspicion. Moments ago, she had been certain she would never have a chance to rebel for at least a week; with the arrival of the note, she now had two chances in one night.

Ehen initially followed the route to the facilities. When she reached the main hall, she ordered her attendants to wait on her, and promised them compensation for their silence.

The yellow rosebush was easy to locate, as the note had promised. She approached it silently, giddily, her heart racing with the thrill of doing something she wanted to do--no one was telling her to sit up, be silent, repeat the things written on this parchment. They had no idea she was meeting her estranged cousin, their first pick for Councillor after their great-grandfather had retired, the girl with the courage to defy.

Yes, this was really happening. She was sneaking out like some normal girl. And she was utterly terrified of every step she took.

[Ovesa]

Amarynth Tenar
Santa-Eluira, Agcron

The crisp evening air cut like a knife through the rustling leaves. Even in the encroaching dusk, the flowering plants of the courtyard were as vibrant as ever; saturated magentas and stunning cyans illuminated the stone pathways, accented by clusters of yellow and vermilion. In the center of the courtyard was a magnificent stone fountain, surrounded by snapdragons and hydrangeas. Everywhere one looked, there were plants from all across the continent.

The sight of the bustling, vivacious flora stung Amarynth. They were beautiful, yes, but their presence reminded her of memories best left forgotten, of endless days spent in the confines of a home that no amount of flowers could fix. Everything had to be rehearsed, everything had to be meticulously planned, and observed, and criticized. It was a life that was never her own, always having to live up to unobtainable expectations.

They told her that it was love.

If that was love, it came at much too high a cost.

She became more rebellious, speaking out against her controlling relatives and using half-truths to her advantage. Soon, she was sneaking out at night, exploring the world with no one to hold her back. This drove a wedge between her and her family, and an ultimatum was made; live out her life as a "proper" royal, or abandon her titles and never return to Aumen.

She chose the latter.

She hadn't even been appointed as Councillor yet the night she left. Unfortunately, that title was forced upon her young cousin, Ehen. Amarynth could only imagine how much stricter life got for her after she left. Amarynth felt guilty for leaving Ehen in such an awful, controlling life, and she was determined to make it up to her.

Amarynth never considered herself a role model; quite the opposite, in fact. But if there was any sort of advice or support she could offer Ehen, she'd be more than happy to oblige. The moment she heard footsteps entering the courtyard, she instantly knew who it was. Patiently, she waited by the yellow rose bush, as her cousin approached the meeting spot. Amarynth might have been anxious, but she didn't show it in her voice or demeanor.

"Sorry for such short notice. I hope it wasn't too much trouble getting out of there." It felt odd, making small talk at a time like this. But hey, they had to start somewhere. "So, how are things back home?"

[Nuridia]

Charles downed goblet after goblet, paying no attention to the room that was currently starting to blur like some alcohol-induced dream world (most of the dreams he had were alcohol induced, but we don't need to get into all of that as Charles would say). "Whatever dude, I could give less of a shit. Fuck you and the bird you rode in on, you fucking racist." The young king knew he should probably stop...definitely stop at this point, if he passed out now in front of everyone that would be bad news. But he also wasn't one to back down from a challenge, that was the Victor part of him.

Peering over his goblet, Charles noticed that Leslen's hand was bleeding...and profusely it seems. "Hey man, you okay? You need a doctor?" he slurred, grabbing onto the table to keep himself steady.” Leslen batted his hand away: “I don’t need help from a degenerate f...” The elven king stumbled backwards, swaying as if being moved by some unseen wind before crumpling dead away to the floor in a heap. Anthony ran to his brother when he heard the commotion. “Chaz, what’s going on?!”
“Tony..I don’t...tell the Queen...” The king didn’t finish his sentence, he passed out in his brother’s arms. Anthony nearly fell himself with the sudden weight, but managed to stay upright. Mostly upright anyway. “Oh no you don’t...get your ass up!” The prince’s eyes darted over time Helja with a pleading look, and the wizard walked over toward them. “Take care of him, please...or tell the Queen that the elf is bleeding out.” He looked at the elf that had been insulting everyone bleeding out on the floor. “It’d be bad for Hettie if the bastard died. I’m gonna go drag this one up to his room.”
“On it. Take care, ok?” Anthony nodded to her and put Charles’ arm around his shoulders. “You blasted idiot, you said you wouldn’t overdo it!” he hissed.


Henriette was dancing with her new wife, taken with his absolutely graceful Tali was as they twirled across the dance floor. “Tali, you’re an absolutely amazing dancer.” She grinned up at the other woman, suppressing a squeak when hands settled on her waist somewhat shyly. Tali asked if it was okay, and Henriette stuttered out: “O...of course! I don’t mind!” It was odd and kind of frightening to be caught wrong-footed like this, something that rarely happened. But being with Tali was absolutely exciting.
Meanwhile, Kate and Percy seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a bit. Kate blushed across her cheeks, a rare sight from the stoic warrior when Percy complimented her dancing. “Well, I grew up a noblewoman...so dance was part of my education. You’re not so bad on your feet yourself, Lord Jacquinot.”


Marseis, Marseille
“Your Majesty!” Queen Andrea was going over some bills that had been put to her by the ministers, sitting up when the Minister of Defense walked in without even bothering to knock. The gruff old man was a lot of things, forgetful of royal decorum was not one of those things. “How do you dare intrude on your sovereign in such a way, sir?” she demanded.
“Forgive me, my lady but there are barbarians! In the capital...it seems like they’re pillaging the merchants and stealing food! The citizens are terribly frightened!” The queen bolted up from her chair. “Is this true?!”
“Without doubt, there have been sights in other places as well! Luckily, nothing seems to be getting destroyed or burnt but this is most concerning! We need to recall the king at once!”
“No! We’re not dragging my boy back here where his life could be placed in danger...send out patrols of soldiers, we’ll investigate the marauders. Keep an eye on them. If any of them attack a citizen, shoot.”
“Yes, Majesty.”

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Queen Lidia I
Santa-Eluira, Agcron
275 Orange Era

It was Lidia who rushed toward Leslen right after he collapsed.

He was unconscious, his lips tinged blue, with blood pouring from his wounded hand. It was already spattered all over his clothes, and still more was spilling onto the ground. He must have hit his head when he fell, for she could detect injuries in his brain.

This is all my fault oh gods it's all my fault.

She gingerly placed two fingers on the side of Leslen's neck, recoiling at the thought of coming into physical contact with him. His heart was still beating, thank the gods... she'd never be able to live with herself if it wasn't.

Even with all her power, there was only so much she could do for him. She concentrated her healing power toward his head, where the damage was the most severe, and pictured the pain lessening, the bruises fading away....

"LIDIA!" Suddenly, she was yanked backward and dragged away from the prone Leslen. Energy crackled across her skin, and her body jerked violently as her father's punishing anger rained down on her. "Get away from him! If I ever see you near that boy, I swear to Forsen I will--"

"I was healing him!" she objected, voice spiking to a screech. "I didn't do this, please believe me, I undid it a long time ago!"

She couldn't see Leslen. Normally, she wouldn't have cared, but he was seriously hurt because of her.

Lidia broke free of Chiroen's spell and whirled around, eyes blazing with tears and desperation. "I didn't mean for him to end up like this, please believe me, I had no intention of him getting hurt--"

Leslen's attendants were encircling him, as were two people who were clearly not elves. Lidia stiffened as one of them bandaged his hand. This was far beyond humiliation; it was utter destruction, both for Leslen and his kingdom.

"I feel sick. Oh gods, oh gods, I feel sick...Dad, why did you swear to Forsen?" Her hands were gnarled in her hair. She was pacing, sobbing, everything within her screaming with regret. "Please, please don't let him...die."

Lidia flung herself into her father's arms. He pressed her against him, stroking her hair. "He won't die. He's not going to die from too much alcohol, Lidia. He's going to be alright. Just...what is the human term...hungover. He won't die."

Leslen was being carried out of the room by his attendants. Lidia forced herself to look upon this wretched boy, a boy suffering because of her. His mouth was hanging open, his body limp, his hair a bloody, sweaty mess. Even from this distance, Lidia could see that all the color had drained from him, as though we was half Silver Elf. Now there's a thought. Leslen with Silver Elf heritage.

No longer was she in the mood for revelry or dancing. She remained utterly still as Leslen disappeared into the Rose palace. In that moment, Lidia could have been carved from marble, or frozen in the Florvian snows.

"Please let me go to my room." Her voice was tremulous, which was the complete opposite of how a queen should sound. "I don't think I should be around these leaders anymore."

[Tomia]

Wedding Reception
Tali noticed Henriette's nervous reaction and silently cursed herself. Still Henriette said it was okay and Tali decided to take her word despite a small part of her wondering if she was just saying that to be polite. The warrior princess was finding that she quite enjoyed dancing with her new wife, their proximity intoxicating.

Tali smiled as she thought about her wife's compliment. "You're a very good dancer yourself." She said with a soft smile. As they danced the slow song they found themselves very close to each other.

Tali's heart was beating faster now and as she looked down she found herself looking into her eyes.

"You have really beautiful eyes... Hettie"

Meanwhile Percy smiled at Kate's reply. "Well, thank you Kate, I've always found dancing to be much more than fighting or hunting or other things nobles learn. I'd much rather be hand in hand with a beautiful woman than hunting a boar or getting shot at with arrows." He told her with a smile. Percy found Kate to be easy to talk to, which was a nice change from typical court interactions that were stiff and cold.

When the song ended and their dance ceased he spoke once more, "So, would you like to get another drink maybe? I hear the palace has a really beautiful view from the balcony, maybe we could go see it together?"

[Nuridia]

Kate smiled and slipped Percy’s hand in hers, looking from him to around the room. “Besides the poor elfin lad passing out...luckily he seeks to be in good hands, everybody else looks like they’re having an excellent time. Why shouldn’t we? I mean the night is still young and the party atmosphere is still in the air, I’d love to watch the stars with you.” With her free hand, she snatched up two bottles near the table. “But I’m bringing wine...wine makes the night fine.”

Meanwhile, the dance was still going on. “Why thank you, Tali...” Henriette seemed to be at a loss for words when her wife complimented her. The only time she’d ever felt this fluttery was when she was still with Charles, not surprising considering Tali was his cousin. Bloody Keroualles, what is it about them? “Your eyes are beautiful too...I’d never seen that color before, you know. I didn’t even think that humans could have violet eyes. You know amethyst is my birthstone? Your eyes are the same color.” Helja walked up to Henriette and Tali, dusting off her robes. “Terribly sorry to interrupt your Majesties, you look absolutely adorable together by the way...but a guest has just passed out, the king of Cadenhia. And he’s bleeding, like badly. I suggest we do something about it before we have an international incident on our hands.”

Speaking of Charles, Anthony had managed to get him to his room with some difficulty: “Maybe the fairy princess was right, Chaz...you have gained weight! Or were you just always this heavy?” He was hoping and praying that nobody in that room noticed, but luckily they seemed too distracted by Leslen’s sudden passing out (while Percy and Kate seemed to be distracted with each other’s company). Charles seemed to be waking up, as he was muttering when they finally arrived at the room they would be sharing: “Tony?”
“What is it, you absolute baby?” the prince rolled his eyes, looking down at his clearly still-inebriated brother.
“I’ve gone and fucked it all up, haven’t I?” the young king slurred.
“You damn near well did, you’re lucky that Sparkles over there passed out bloody and everybody was focused on him and not you! You said you wouldn’t overdo it, what happened?! You were doin so well!”

“And after I promised I wouldn’t embarrass her...I just hope she ain’t see it.”
“What about our country? Hettie would be mad at you for a little bit but Marseille is still fixing it’s reputation!”
“I couldn’t let that little shit get away with what he said...I couldn’t do it..oh gods, I’m gonna be sick!”
“Oh no you don’t!”

[Tomia]

Wedding Reception
Percy smiled at Kate when she took his hand and chuckled softly when she moved to grab two bottle of wine. "Well, that's a saying I can approve of." He commented as they headed toward the balcony. As he opened the door he saw the bright moon shining in the sky. As they approached the balcony he looked out at the view before them and was stunned at its beauty. The mountains cascaded across the skyline as stars shined brightly above them. They sat in silent for a little while, looking out at the incredible scenery.

"Wow, what a beautiful view." Percy finally said, still holding onto Kate's hand as they stood side by side. "With all that's going on, its remarkable to see the world so...calm and peaceful." He said, taking in the environment before looking back at Kate. "Thank you for tonight Kate, I really needed a night to relax. I feel very comfortable around you, like there's nothing I have to worry about." He said, moving closer to her before gently pulling her into a kiss.

Meanwhile Tali was very much enjoying her dance with her new wife, feeling emotions she had not expected or even thought to hope for the night before. However that was interrupted by Helja. Part of her was angry that their moment together had been ruined, but she knew that the situation she was bringing to their attention was important. "Thank you Helja, yes we should see to that he is cared for." She told her friend, her courteous political side coming back to the forefront. "We'll go check on the King personally, Helja go summon our healers here. They'll be able to take care of the King and make sure he recovers well."

With that, Tali walked off with Henriette out of the main ballroom and towards Leslen's room where he was being cared for. She approached one of his attendant's when they arrived. "Excuse me sir, would you be able to update me on your King's condition? I have sent for my own healers as well, when they arrive they'll be able to offer any help that you need in caring for him." She said in the diplomatic tone she had spent so many years honing.