Warm Hearts (IC) (Open)

[The Frozen Forest]

Ivan stood a bit confused by the odd gesture that Ylara preformed when they shook hands. Being unaware of Noretian traditions as he was, the sudden clang of a fist hitting a metal breastplate was enough to really catch his attention, to make him study Ylara a bit more carefully. In any case she stood out to him a bit more, though he tried not to show it through his body language. He leaned back on his heel, trying to look more relaxed. Without thinking about it he found himself drawn into her eyes. They were a darker blue, they reminded him of the cool water you could find in pools in underground caverns-or moonlight reflecting on a lake's surface.

Ivan would have rattled off the customary "It's a pleasure to have you in our nation" sort of greeting in response-except that he didn't. "I would like that-these sort of introductions were always too formal for my taste, even given the situation. After dinner tonight i plan on taking a walk through the Gardens, you're welcome to join me if you'd like." The Gardens were one of his favorite places to catch a few minutes of peace. They were filled with plants and trees and bushes and all manner of flora from around the country and abroad. The Gardeners went home after 9:00 P.M. so they would be relatively alone apart from guards posted periodically through them.

[Kyrenaia]

Truvaria, The Royal Palace

Princess Rasha-the oldest woman in the room and certainly the most experienced to try and court the Crown Prince. She was a curiosity, but her boldness was something that appealed to Ivan. She smiled as he approached and accepted his hand to shake, which had been standard among the girls that he had met. She seemed to understand her age and what it meant in regards to her competition as she greeted him with precisely that sentiment. Age, age wasn't important to him. To his father, perhaps, but to him it was nothing worth mentioning. Ivan let the comment pass by without reply, raising an eyebrow as the Princess brought up a proverb he hadn't heard before-about a Cougar and its tricks.

A shift in posture was something lost on Ivan. Ari may have picked up on it and his guards certainly did, being that they were trained to watch body language. A few looked away respectfully, most were alert for weapons or threats, though there was nothing to fear. Ivan offered the Princess a wider smile. "I have seen a lot of tricks from around the world. How do you know i haven't already seen yours? I'll be impressed if you can show me something new." Ivan winked at her and continued along to the next girl.

Another girl with blonde hair and blue eyes and a strange attire. She was also unique in her title as Princess of the Martial blood. Ylara Etria of Noretias was certainly unique. She was someone who had been around, much like Ivan. What else did he know about her? Not that much unfortunately. Noretias was a strange place that The Frozen Forest just didn't have any real contact with apart from this very event-this girl that was before him. Surely the first Noretian to have ever set foot on Frozen Forestrian soil. It could be history-certainly it would become history if he ended up marrying her.

"My Lady." He offered his hand to her and a smile as he was trained to do with foreign guests. Up close he realized how attractive she was. Not that the other girls weren't pretty-Princess Amana's eyes still fascinated him and Lady Kiaris's clothes were something he hadn't seen before. Ivan took the lead as he spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess. Ylara."

~~~~~~~~
Prince Ari felt out of his element among the many women around the room. As expected they all gravitated around his brother-but that was to be expected since they were effectively competing for his affections. Ari felt a small pulse of pity for Ivan-who he knew didn't want to get married at all. The whole affair was something that simply had to happen. He wouldn't have to go through with it though if he could have just fell in love when he was younger. Ivan was going on into what, his 30's? Prince Ari glanced around at the women in the room-They were all foreigners, pretty foreigners but foreigners all the same.

Ari bit his cheek and thought about all the girls that Ivan could have had from The Frozen Forest. What young girl wouldn't want to marry the Crown Prince? Then again, that same principle applied to Ari as well, so he couldn't blame his brother. In any case, there were likely hundreds of thousands of young women envying those in this room. A future Queen for the nation should have proper royal blood-that was his opinion anyways. Suddenly his brother was about, shaking hands with the girls-Ari was supposed to shake their hands as well, though none of them seemed quite interested in him.

After a few girls, Ari came to one with the body of a model and long black hair. She introduced herself as Penelope Sektbrunnen. Ari mustered his best smile as he introduced himself. "My Lady, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Ari, younger brother of the Crown Prince and second in line for the throne." His brother didn't particularly like titles but Ari relished them, and so he enjoyed introductions where he could flaunt it. The girl in front of him, Penelope, seemed interesting enough for a foreigner. "A lot of young women in this country would have given their left hand to be in this room right now. Are you nervous at all about courting my brother?" It wasn't the most formal question to ask, but being forward rarely caused him trouble.

(Image)
Elsewhere in The Royal Palace

An entourage of maidservants, guards, butlers and retainers trailed along after King Alvor. The Chief of Palace Security, Ivar Friis came along the aged man sovereign, a list in hand. Along with him were an army of more guards, most dressed in ceremonial armor but a few wearing tuxedos. Publicly they all sported ceremonial swords to match their armor but what couldn't be seen were small self defense pistols. A precaution in case it were necessary to truly defend the Royal Family from trouble. The Chief of Palace Security was the most experienced and loyal man in the entire Guard, which consisted of about 1,200 for the Royal Palace alone.

"I want patrols every half an hour and the men should be on high alert until i say otherwise. These girls should be treated like Royalty and given all the protections that it entails. All food should be tested before being brought to them and..." The King lost his train of thought gracelessly. He wasn't affected by any sort of disease-even those that appeared with age, but that didn't mean his memory was as clear as it once was. His doctors weren't optimistic as it pertained to his time left on the world-King Alvor was on his last legs and everyone in the Palace knew it. Such was the haste in which the search for a wife for Ivan had intensified, to ensure the Royal Bloodline continued then the Crown Prince had to marry and have kids.

Eventually the huge group of people came to a small room, a break room of sorts that had been set up a month prior. The Palace was a huge complex that handled the affairs of the nation, so it's size was necessary. The King was too old to traverse it though, so a few break rooms were set up throughout the building to allow him to rest.

"My King, remind me again why you invited these women in particular?" Chief of Palace Security Ivar Friis, posed the question to King Alvor. Normally it wouldn't be acceptable for anyone to ask such a question of the King, but Friis was one of his closest friends despite the huge age gap.

"You mean the women we invited to the Palace? Well, i suppose we aren't going anywhere until dinner. I'll tell you why we invited them." The King settled back into an old wooden chair with plush purple fabric. "The first family we considered inviting were the Ui-Kriegers of Camelone, the house that my daughter Freja married into. As you'll remember, it was yourself that pushed me to instead offer invitations to Camelonean Nobility instead. We narrowed it down a single potential lady with whom myself and my retainers thought was suitable. That would be Lady Ceit Ui-Sgaire. I lied-come to think of it, i believe it was a mistake on our part that she ended up with an invitation, given that she isn't a member of the High Nobility. Still, turning her back would have been an affront to the nation of Camelone, and given what we know about her, she shares some of Ivan's hobbies.

The next woman we invited was Baroness Yali of Amenria. From what we know about her, she is from a powerful bloodline. Unfortunately she is also the daughter of a concubine and is considered a starchild in her home country. Our intelligence doesn't quite know what a starchild is, but the Amenrians have assured us that it is nothing to be worried about. As for why i invited her here, i admit it had something to do with her supposed bloodline. Whatever a starchild is, a strong Queen could do some good in the days to come, after i'm dead and gone.

After that was another non-noble. Ms. Penelope Sektbrunnen of Gerrst, a movie star in her home country. She has no royal blood to speak of, and as far as we can tell she has no link to nobility either. I invited her against the wishes of my retainers because of her ambition, primarily. If Ivan falls for her, he would have a woman who doesn't appear to be afraid of taking risks, and who could help liberalize several industries here in The Frozen Forest. I think that she would be particularly popular with the younger generation-support for the monarchy would be improved with her as Queen.

Then there was Princess Rasha bint-Razia. I have to admit that out of all the women we invited, i had the most disagreement from my retainers regarding her. She is the oldest among them, and older than Ivan by almost ten years. In a few more, she will likely be unable to have children just because of her age. Why did i invite her then? Well first things first, she's a Major General in Utica. She has guts and her experience would be undeniably beneficial for the nation, and for my son if he ever has to go to war. Personally i wouldn't mind if my grandchildren were raised with martial traditions either-traditions best enforced if both parents understand them. If Ivan were to fall in love with her, i would need to..er... express to him the urgency of raising children. Apart from that, and given that she still has years before she cannot bear children, i saw no reason to not invite her.

"Ylara Etria? Yes, she is of Royal Blood. In Noretias she is a Princess of the Martial Blood. I invited her partially because she is somewhat like Ivan, well traveled and having served in her military. The other reason i invited her was because The Frozen Forest could use more allies and even if Ivan doesn't choose her in the end, Noretias and The Frozen Forest now have diplomatic contacts with one another. And if he does choose to be with her, then Noretias would become an ally of The Frozen Forest. The economic benefits for both countries gives more than enough reason to consider the invitation.

Princess of the Blood Desdemona Adah Elizabeth Davenant of House Obed. One of the younger women we invited, nine years younger than Ivan. She is a beauty in her home country and i would argue, even here in The Frozen Forest. She was invited on account of her youth, the prestige of her family and quite notably her personality. She is a fresh face and like Penelope, could be quite popular with the younger generation. That aside, she would be a good Queen to help lead us away from the Communist Party which has dominated our county for decades. I've been in talks with high ranking members, it's going to collapse soon and this girl is an anti-communist."

The King reached for a glass of water provided by a maidservant, so much talk had left him parched. After a long gulp and a sigh, he continued explaining the last three girls.

"There is real opportunity in Toraia and the so called Lost Princess. Despite no longer having a monarchy there are still those with Royal blood in the nation. Lady Kiaris Lukiva was the best candidate for an invitation, she is gregarious and from a good family. I suspect she will have no trouble asserting herself as Queen here in the Palace, if Ivan chooses her. This is not to mention that she also has a younger brother, a fifteen year old. If Ivan is ambitious enough, he could start a war or a coup and elevate this child to power in Toraia-being that he may end up marrying Lady Kiaris, you can see why this would be beneficial for our country.

Princess Amana bint-Samir was one of the only girls that none of the retainers saw a problem with. She has Royal Blood and her family is in power in their Khanate. She is young and i would wager that Ivan will find her attractive-she also has experienced with governance, which could be useful if she were to end up becoming Queen. And besides all of that, Ivan always had a thing for dancers and as it turns out, the Princess happens to be a dancer.

The lasts girl we sent a letter to was Countess Magdalene von Eylstadt from Kuronami. She was one of the last to be considered, but i doubt we could have forgotten about her. She is the older sister to the ruler of Kuronami, so the benefits of Ivan marrying her would be heavy-not to mention the fact that the von Eylstadt's are known in our country, whereas most other Royal Families aren't. She would make a smooth transition if Ivan chooses her, easily fitting into the palace, at least i expect so."

The King stood as he finished, as did most of the people around him. Their next stop was the kitchens, to make sure everything would go well for dinner. As the King led them away, Friis pondered the girls and what the King had said about them. It would be an interesting couple of days.

Princess Rasha bint-Razia.
I smiled as Ivan completely missed my slight shift in posture - Gods, this lad was precious! Or nervous, but that was all the same.
I noted, from the corner of my eye, how some of the guards looked away, respectfully - well, it seemed as if I still had it. So, the problem was Ari... for a moment, I pondered, if he would not be better suited to be courted by Princes instead of Princesses.
He was just nervous.
I would be, too. And had been.
Long story.
"I have seen a lot of tricks from around the world. How do you know i haven't already seen yours? I'll be impressed if you can show me something new.", he told me.
"You watch me.", I said with a grin, replying to his wink in kind.
Then he moved on to the next girl, Ylara, who greeted him with customary gestures of her homeland - and Ivan invited her to a stroll in the gardens. Oh... that was going to be interesting.
I glanced into the round... how the other girls would react?

[Noretias]

Ylara brightened visibly at the invitation. She was not so above pettiness that she did not feel a certain amount of satisfactjon and triumph at being the first among the women to be invited for some alone time with the Prince, but she was polite enough not to let it show beyond a vigorous nod, and her smile growing a tad wider and a tad more crooked. Her introduction had made a good impression (or perhaps just any impression at all was enough to stand out so early on), and she gave a quick mental prayer to Imarie and a promise of great offerings and sacrifices in the future for her blessing upon this first meeting.

"I would be delighted to join you in the gardens, Prince Ivan." She held his gaze evenly, not missing how he seemed absorbed in her own even as he shifted position slightly. "I always enjoy a stroll after a meal, and it will give us the chance to dispense with all tiresome formality and know each other more openly and honestly."

He really was quite a pretty boy. That first impression was only reinforced, standing close and staring into his face in this manner. She could grow used to looking at it, she thought.

[Gerrst]

Penelope was a little surprised by the directness of Ari's question, but also the comment with which he lead with it. The Gerrstin felt put on the spot. If this was a test she didn't know the right answer, so she might as well be honest. "Why, uh naturally" she said. "This is a new role for me in more ways than one, I have not much experience with royalty and I am used to the one being courted, that's the tradition in my home, the men court the women. Although many feel it is a bad tradition. Anyway, I am excited about the opportunity to expand my horizons, meet new people, and the chance to find love."

[The Frozen Forest]

Ivan was gifted with a bright smile from Princess Ylara after offering a stroll through the gardens with her. It was after he had said it that he realized that perhaps he should have done so more discretely. Not many of the girls let on what they heard which was probably a blessing. Ylara had said yes at least, along with a vigorous head nodding. It would be his first date in quite a while, the gardens were probably one of the best places he could take a girl on a night as nice as it was. The thought occured to him to have the guards normally posted in the garden to be sent away, to give them more total privacy, but Ivan shook the thought off. If for nothing more than the safety of Ylara, it would be best to keep the guards around.

Ivan's gaze held Ylara's for a moment longer than formality allowed and he turned to look at the floor in order to break it. "I'll have a maidservant come to your room and escort you after dinner. You should have a few minutes to unpack before she arrives. I should meet the rest of the girls, i'm looking forwards to our walk." He smiled and politely moved along towards a girl with long black hair, whom his brother was speaking to. His thoughts lingered back to Ylara for a moment, wondering about her crooked white smile.

~~~~~~~~

"The Frozen Forest is a massive country, there a number of regions and our people are different throughout with their traditions. Those in The South follow that tradition in almost every case, i mean that men court women. The Riverland is a bit more egalitarian, probably because they are heathens who worship some sort of white demon lady. Here in The Heartlands, men are typically expected to court women. The rules are a bit different for us though, the Royalty. My whole life i have had women trying to win my affection, it's actually annoying after awhile. Most of the girls never seemed to realize that they didn't just have to impress me or Ivan. They had to also impress our father Alvor and the Court. Dating was always difficult for us, given that the Court scrutinizes our choices in partners."

Ari stopped talking, realizing that he had said more than he probably should. "My apologizes, my lady. I'm sure that while you are here you will see many amazing things, and you will meet some spectacular people here in the Palace." The sound of footsteps caused Ari to turn.

Ivan stopped in front of Ari and Penelope. His body language was more relaxed than when he had first entered the room. Having spoken to most of the girls, his nerves had finally settled and a degree of confidence washed over him. The Crown Prince had been to war, was groomed to lead the country and who had once been a charming, flirtatious young man-it was absurd of him to be nervous while meeting women like Ylara, Rasha or Magdalene.

As he had with the other girls, Ivan extended his hand to Penelope. "My lady" he offered in a much more friendly tone than Ari had used earlier.

[A m e n r i a]

Yali looked at two of the other girls who already got men talking to them, though she didn't understand why Ari would be making a move on one of them. Wasn't this supposed to be abouy the other prince. "Eh, whatever" she thought to herself. To kill time and boredom, she glanced at the girl next to her, started leaning, and whispered. "Pssst..I'm Yali from Amenria. Where are you from?"

[Camelone]

Ceit was nervous, or beyond nervous, or nervous did not even come close to attempting to explain the level of nerves that she felt right now. Not only was she attempting to court a Crown Prince of a foreign kingdom but she was also running rather late which only helped to elevate pre existing nervousness. She knew that the other women that would also be there were most definitely from more illustrious houses than herself, she was only the daughter of a knight and while that meant she was in fact a noble it also meant that she was on the lower end and barely more influential than a wealthy yeoman. Despite all of this she was determined to win Ivan's hand, she was instructed and drilled in etiquette and procedure since a young age and she was a well trained and cultured noblewoman of Camelone. The Frozen Forest and Camelone have become closer ever since the marriage of the High King and his now Queen so there was that also to think of, which could be a benefit or a disadvantage now that Ceit thought of it. If they were going the political route in regards to marriage than she would be rather out of luck being both a daughter of a knight and from a country that already has a strong relationship with. Hopefully that would not be the case because Ceit had become rather infatuated with Crown Prince Ivan ever since she saw him at the baptism of the royal twins. Ever since then she had been trying to find a way to be around him to hopefully end up winning his hand.

Sighing in slight defeat she already felt like things were lost as the car moved through towards the palace. The Frozen Forest didn't appear to different from Camelone, though the differences were apparent such as the slightly more modern architecture and of course the presence of that Satanic ideology of Communism. It would not be long until she the car had arrived at the palace and she was guided by a rather polite and understanding well guide and she only hoped that the Crown Prince would be just as understanding. Ending up at the room where she was meant to go she profusely thanked the guide for everything and with a few brushes of her simple plain dress and deep breaths to calm herself down she entered more or less composed.

Ceit curtsied after entering well enough into the room "Many apologies your royal highness for my tardiness, I had not expected to be so held up at the airport." She said quickly in her accented Frozen Forestian before she quietly tried to hide herself out of embarrassment at the end of the line of the other women present silently praying that things would just blow over now.

[Gerrst]

"I am sure I will" replied the Gerrstin with a smile, before turning to Ivan. She wasn't sure what to think of Ari. He looked unusual in his armour, but his willingness to talk and openness she took as a good sign. Still, she wondered why he had apologized.

Penelope accepted the Crown Prince's offered hand. "Your Royal Highness" she responded with warmth, but also a bit of amusement that played on her face. It was not everyday one meet a Crown Prince. Added to that, she was suppose to be courting him and was surrounded by the blue blooded beauties who made up the competition. The whole situation was absurd if you thought about it, so Penelope decided not to think about it. "It is an honour to meet you sir" she added. "I wish you success and happiness in your courtship." The words sounded awkward to Penelope, but she had delivered them smoothly enough and hoped the sincerity and goodwill would make up for a lack of grace.

[The Frozen Forest]

Truvaria, The Royal Palace

Amber orbs reflected Ivan's image back at him and a soft hand gripped his. Penelope expressed herself using the typical formal language and Ivan wondered what she meant when she wished him success and happiness in his courtship. Was she speaking about the act of courtship or the end result, a marriage. Ivan smiled, it didn't matter what she meant-it was the same thing in the end. As though matching his, a smile colored Penelope's face and bright white teeth flashed. She had a pretty smile-straight teeth and white as pearls. They highlighted her hair and somehow Penelope seemed more attractive. She was certainly a movie star, both in appearance and demeanor.

"Thank you for your kind wishes, Miss Sektbrunnen. The country and this court both wish for a successful courtship. Irregardless I'm looking forwards to getting to know you better these next couple of days. I haven't met many women with such a beautiful smile" said Ivan with his attention focused solely on Penelope.

Ivan suddenly shifted at the sound of a door opening. Expecting the heavy body and white beard of his father his eyes shot down onto something far prettier. She had blonde hair and dark blue eyes that shone like precious gemstones. A light blush shading her cheeks indicated that she was nervous about something, or embarrassed. She was a contrast to his present guest. Whereas Penelope had a charming smile and confidence, the girl at the doorway looked frazzled and uncertain. That wasn't what surprised him the most though.

Ivan recognized after a moment that he was looking at the last girl, whom was thoroughly late. He didn't recognize her, though he felt he had seen her face somewhere before. Probably during the prep beforehand, where he learned about the girls who would be arriving to court him. Still, he felt that wasn't it. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl began to speak his native language. All the other girls had spoken to him in English or with the help of a translator. Albeit she had a heavy accent that he recognized as being Camelonean, she spoke in fluent Frozen Forestrian.

In a slip of accidental rudeness, Ivan turned away from Penelope and spoke to the newcomer. Foregoing a handshake he spoke with a bright smile. "You're forgiven my lady. You aren't the only guest to arrive later than expected. It's a pleasure to meet you miss..." Ivan trailed off, expecting the girl to tell him her name.

The Kitchen

Men in white clothes flew about with dishes and pots and freshly cooked cuisine made from the finest ingredients. The best chefs in the country were gathered in Royal Palace, producing food fit for a King. Tonight was not like any other night, there were foreign women in the Palace who were likely hungry from long travel. These women were esteemed guests, more so than even foreign ambassadors and diplomats-perhaps given even better treatment than a foreign King might have been given. The whole Palace was alight with talk about the girls and where they came from. One of them would eventually become Queen and that meant they would be boss so there was an unsaid demand that everything that came out of the Kitchen was to be perfect in taste and presentation.

The night staff had been brought in early to make use of the bigger Kitchen area. Their job was more intensive but didn't need to be so perfect, they would be feeding the Palace's normal staff-maidservants and butlers and lesser retainers and the like. It was a perk of the job for them, food was provided free by The Royal Family (though the ingredients used were typically older and less fresh, what couldn't be given to the most important men in the country). Simultaneously the smaller Kitchen area was reserved for the normal day staff. Normally they would make food for both the King and his men and the rest of the Palace throughout the day, but today their efforts would be solely focused on the highest ranking members of society in the Palace, and the foreign girls courting the Crown Prince.

Precisely twelve men were rushing about. They were led by Head Chef Gortwulf Whitemane who worked for The Royal Family for over forty years. Main Courses being prepared included Pear Tarte Tatin, Lamb Navarin, Lyonnaise Potato Salad with Herring, Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Apples, Bourride and Provençal Vegetable Tian. That isn't to mention native dishes such as Sovinbjerg, Sweet Salmon, Gravied Cod, Salted Eel and Frosted Maize. Drinks included Water, Lemonade, Several varieties of Juice, Tea, Coffee, Wine and Frozen Forestrian alcohols like Akafemiðr, Saefask and Vænn.

It was doubtful that everything would be eaten. Several dozen volunteers waited to be called on to come and pick up the leftovers-which would be given to local orphanages.

[Gerrst]

As the Crown Prince complimented her smile, Penelope had no choice but to blush. She was used to compliments, but the superlative nature of Ivan's remark as well as the context, it was too much, and she could not look him in the eyes. The movie star only adverted her eyes for a second, before expressing a slightly embarrassed "Thank you." Unfortunately, Ivan's attention was already drawn away. Oh, how confusing it all was.

[Rivienland]

The Royal Palace, Truvaria, The Frozen Forest

Princess Elisa admired the palace’s foyer as she waited to be escorted to Crown Prince Ivan. While the Royal Palace was pretty to admire, she could not help but find the architecture distasteful. Perhaps, she thought, it was because she was upset to be away from the Rivienland Summer Season. From May until August, Rivienland’s nobility would be moving from one mansion to the next enjoying the parties hosted by the highest of society. But, here is Princess Elisa, far from the Grand Duchy, visiting the Frozen Forest. An interesting trip with poor timing.

She would admit when her father, Grand Duke Joseph I, showed her the portrait from the Crown Prince she found him attracted. Though, a monarchy in a Communist country was a strange mix for sure. Sending both her servants away, Lucie would prepare Princess Elisa’s dinner outfit, and Adam Thys, cautious as always, would learn more about the palace’s security.

Finally, a servant approached the Princess, and led to her to the meeting room. Entering the room in her red and white dress, several women were present in the room, and two men. One she knew was the Crown Prince, but the other, in a full suit of armor, could perhaps be, the Princess wondered, a guard. While the Princess did not plan to arrive late, she was sure it could still be played out to her advantage.

Princess Elisa gave a quick curtsy to those in the room. “My sincerest apologies for arriving late, Your Royal Highness. I did not expect it to be such a long journey, but I know it was now worth it.”

[Camelone]

Truvaria, The Royal Palace

Amber orbs reflected Ivan's image back at him and a soft hand gripped his. Penelope expressed herself using the typical formal language and Ivan wondered what she meant when she wished him success and happiness in his courtship. Was she speaking about the act of courtship or the end result, a marriage. Ivan smiled, it didn't matter what she meant-it was the same thing in the end. As though matching his, a smile colored Penelope's face and bright white teeth flashed. She had a pretty smile-straight teeth and white as pearls. They highlighted her hair and somehow Penelope seemed more attractive. She was certainly a movie star, both in appearance and demeanor.

"Thank you for your kind wishes, Miss Sektbrunnen. The country and this court both wish for a successful courtship. Irregardless I'm looking forwards to getting to know you better these next couple of days. I haven't met many women with such a beautiful smile" said Ivan with his attention focused solely on Penelope.

Ivan suddenly shifted at the sound of a door opening. Expecting the heavy body and white beard of his father his eyes shot down onto something far prettier. She had blonde hair and dark blue eyes that shone like precious gemstones. A light blush shading her cheeks indicated that she was nervous about something, or embarrassed. She was a contrast to his present guest. Whereas Penelope had a charming smile and confidence, the girl at the doorway looked frazzled and uncertain. That wasn't what surprised him the most though.

Ivan recognized after a moment that he was looking at the last girl, whom was thoroughly late. He didn't recognize her, though he felt he had seen her face somewhere before. Probably during the prep beforehand, where he learned about the girls who would be arriving to court him. Still, he felt that wasn't it. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl began to speak his native language. All the other girls had spoken to him in English or with the help of a translator. Albeit she had a heavy accent that he recognized as being Camelonean, she spoke in fluent Frozen Forestrian.

In a slip of accidental rudeness, Ivan turned away from Penelope and spoke to the newcomer. Foregoing a handshake he spoke with a bright smile. "You're forgiven my lady. You aren't the only guest to arrive later than expected. It's a pleasure to meet you miss..." Ivan trailed off, expecting the girl to tell him her name.

“Ceit Ui-Sgaire, it is an absolute pleasure to make a formal introduction with you.” Ceit said returning the smile though the nerves were still a little visibly present but also she appeared more relieved now that she knew she had been forgiven. “We had met briefly in Cnoc na Teamhrach a little while back at the baptism if you remember. Only briefly though. I pray that we have the opportunity to get to know one another better now though!” She finished much more upbeat. Ceit stood there awkwardly for a little bit before realizing the silence “Uh thank you so much for the warm welcome.” She said before being rather relieved at the entrance of another woman.

Ceit didn’t know why she was so flustered and nervous now, everything had been forgiven but it seemed that she still did not have much to well actually speak about. Plus the situation was a little intimidating for her, she was surrounded by women who held much more sway than a young woman from a near nothing knightly house. She had to tell herself to calm down again and that everything would be alright due to making herself nervous again.

[The Frozen Forest]

Painting of Dragon, The Crown Prince's new puppy

Ivan thought back to the Baptism of his nephew and niece in Camelone. At the time he had met with nobles in the room but his attention had been mainly focused on his sister and her new family. He remembered having contemplated offering to take Frederick out for drinks-to ruminate over the stresses of being royalty-now though he wished he would have spent more time getting to know the guests. While Ceit looked familiar and it made sense that he met her at the Baptism, he simply couldn't remember doing so. Ivan suddenly realized that he was thinking and not talking and an awkward silence was beginning to settle in. Despite the silence, Ceit sprouted a blossoming blush that indicated that she wasn't comfortable. At least that was Ivan's first impression as he noticed it. "There is no need to thank me, the Castle staff are the ones working so hard to prepare everything for your visit" Ivan said.

The door from which the recent arrivals had come in from swung open once again and a girl with fulvous brown hair and sharp, ambitious eyes stepped into the room. Ivan's eyes immediately fell to her dress, tight at the waist but looser elsewhere. It was an unusual fashion-something he had never seen before. The Frozen Forest had never had that sort of fashion, especially in the colder Heartlands region. If nothing else it looked exotic and Ivan's eyes met those of its wearer. She was another girl that he hadn't be prepared to meet but irregardless Ivan turned to offer his hand.

"There is no need to apologize, thank you for coming miss...?" Ivan politely left his words on the air, leaving the new arrival to introduce herself. On the other side of the room where the Princes had first entered, a door opened and ten maids with heads bowed respectfully filtered inside and along the walls. After them came a woman wearing a long green cloak. Crown Prince Ivan's official Herald-Herald not being quite the same thing as it was in the Old World. Luciana Saye's job mainly revolved around organizing the Crown Prince's schedule and meetings each day. Her being a woman wasn't the oddest thing about her-rather it was the fact that she was born in the Lunar Kingdom, a vassal of The Frozen Forest. Climbing from the court of a vassal state to the Royal Palace in Truvaria was a feat.

Luciana's eyes fell on the Crown Prince and she offered a small bow of respect before looking towards the ladies gathered around the room. "M'ladies. It is time for Dinner to begin, i'm told that the courses are of an even higher quality than normal and that the King and his retainers are eager to meet you for the first time. Before that however, there is another matter that we need to take care of. At the insistence of our great King Alvor each young lady here-" Luciana's eyes narrowed on Princess Rasha bint-Razia for a short moment. "-Each guest here will receive a maidservant to accompany them while in our glorious nation. They will attend to your every whim as though you were their queen. Please rule over them as though you would any other servant."

Luciana gracefully stepped aside and the maidservants moved without prompting towards their new masters. Rose Treadaway walked to Countess Magdalene, Abigail Litwiller to Princess Amana, Rachel Levett to Lady Kiaris, Jeanie Maynet to Princess Desdemona, Priscilla Lanston to Princess Ylara, Louisa Harridan (one of the only Feruncians in the Palace) to Princess Rasha, Sabrina Mumford to lady Ceit Ui-Sgaire, Camillia Pierce to Baroness Yali, Lily Evans to Miss Penelope Sektbrunnen and Nora Alwick to Princess Elisa.

Luciana watched as the maidservants met with the guests. They weren't the same maidservants from around the palace-if that wasn't obvious from the different uniforms. They were from honored households across the nation, including a Feruncian from the Ferunce Confederacy-another vassal state of The Frozen Forest. Luciana had taken great pride in picking them from among hundreds of candidates. Now she had to move things along before Dinner could start. "Ladies! If you would please follow me." Luciana led the way to the dining hall with the guests, their new maidservants and the two princes in tow.

[Kyrenaia]

(Image)
Painting of Dragon, The Crown Prince's new puppy

Ivan thought back to the Baptism of his nephew and niece in Camelone. At the time he had met with nobles in the room but his attention had been mainly focused on his sister and her new family. He remembered having contemplated offering to take Frederick out for drinks-to ruminate over the stresses of being royalty-now though he wished he would have spent more time getting to know the guests. While Ceit looked familiar and it made sense that he met her at the Baptism, he simply couldn't remember doing so. Ivan suddenly realized that he was thinking and not talking and an awkward silence was beginning to settle in. Despite the silence, Ceit sprouted a blossoming blush that indicated that she wasn't comfortable. At least that was Ivan's first impression as he noticed it. "There is no need to thank me, the Castle staff are the ones working so hard to prepare everything for your visit" Ivan said.

The door from which the recent arrivals had come in from swung open once again and a girl with fulvous brown hair and sharp, ambitious eyes stepped into the room. Ivan's eyes immediately fell to her dress, tight at the waist but looser elsewhere. It was an unusual fashion-something he had never seen before. The Frozen Forest had never had that sort of fashion, especially in the colder Heartlands region. If nothing else it looked exotic and Ivan's eyes met those of its wearer. She was another girl that he hadn't be prepared to meet but irregardless Ivan turned to offer his hand.

"There is no need to apologize, thank you for coming miss...?" Ivan politely left his words on the air, leaving the new arrival to introduce herself. On the other side of the room where the Princes had first entered, a door opened and ten maids with heads bowed respectfully filtered inside and along the walls. After them came a woman wearing a long green cloak. Crown Prince Ivan's official Herald-Herald not being quite the same thing as it was in the Old World. Luciana Saye's job mainly revolved around organizing the Crown Prince's schedule and meetings each day. Her being a woman wasn't the oddest thing about her-rather it was the fact that she was born in the Lunar Kingdom, a vassal of The Frozen Forest. Climbing from the court of a vassal state to the Royal Palace in Truvaria was a feat.

Luciana's eyes fell on the Crown Prince and she offered a small bow of respect before looking towards the ladies gathered around the room. "M'ladies. It is time for Dinner to begin, i'm told that the courses are of an even higher quality than normal and that the King and his retainers are eager to meet you for the first time. Before that however, there is another matter that we need to take care of. At the insistence of our great King Alvor each young lady here-" Luciana's eyes narrowed on Princess Rasha bint-Razia for a short moment. "-Each guest here will receive a maidservant to accompany them while in our glorious nation. They will attend to your every whim as though you were their queen. Please rule over them as though you would any other servant."

Luciana gracefully stepped aside and the maidservants moved without prompting towards their new masters. Rose Treadaway walked to Countess Magdalene, Abigail Litwiller to Princess Amana, Rachel Levett to Lady Kiaris, Jeanie Maynet to Princess Desdemona, Priscilla Lanston to Princess Ylara, Louisa Harridan (one of the only Feruncians in the Palace) to Princess Rasha, Sabrina Mumford to lady Ceit Ui-Sgaire, Camillia Pierce to Baroness Yali, Lily Evans to Miss Penelope Sektbrunnen and Nora Alwick to Princess Elisa.

Luciana watched as the maidservants met with the guests. They weren't the same maidservants from around the palace-if that wasn't obvious from the different uniforms. They were from honored households across the nation, including a Feruncian from the Ferunce Confederacy-another vassal state of The Frozen Forest. Luciana had taken great pride in picking them from among hundreds of candidates. Now she had to move things along before Dinner could start. "Ladies! If you would please follow me." Luciana led the way to the dining hall with the guests, their new maidservants and the two princes in tow.

Princess Rasha bint-Razia.
When the doors opened to admit another late arrival, I smiled and watched on. Ivan was trying to charm his way through this potentially very dangerous diplomatic mine field. I knew, that Amana and I were rather nonchalant when it came to matters of courting, if it didn't work out, it didn't, end of story, but I was not sure, if other nations had the same viewpoint. Around a certain age, girls could be proud bitches.
Still, when the doors opened again, I expected another late arrival, but it was a member of the court, who called us for dinner - and assigned us a maidservant, a Handmaiden, in principle.
I did not miss her glare at me at the 'young lady'-part. Thank you, I know, that I am older then most here. No need to be jealous.
Still, the girl I got appointed to me was a green-haired young girl with aqua eyes and... let's call them 'argumentation amplifiers' and a cute uniform, which highlighted exactly those. Well, whatever floated her employer's boat.
I smiled at her and nodded. Closer introductions could be done later.
For now, dinner awaited.

Princess Amana bint-Samir.
Well, at least they didn't assign the bustiest to me... breast envy sounds funny, but it is not.
Still, I was surprised a bit. I was a bit of a do-it-yourself girl, mainly because my house never felt the need for many or even personal Handmaidens during our exile and now, that we were back in business, we still did not see any need for them.
I knew, how to behave around them and 'use' Handmaidens (Gods, that sounds worse then it is), but still... I had the feeling, that mine would either go crazy due to nothing to do or have smooth sailing.
I had to giggle at the glare sent Rasha's way, though. Served the hag right!
When we moved to dinner (without time to change from traveling clothes to something more befitting the occasion, but I would manage - my traveling clothes were a reflection of myself and if they would not be able to deal with that, then they could suck my metaphorical dick), I smiled at my Handmaiden.
"Hi.", I told her and offered a small bow, "Just call me Amana, okay? Not used to having a Handmaiden..."

[Kuronami]

Pleasant scents of food, drinks, and everything else besides the various fragrances and perfumes the other wore on this occasion, not one complaint from Maggie. She remembered just how hungry she was. Still not good to be rude until The Prince had the time to meet all the fellow women who came just as far (well maybe some not as much) to this. But finally that time had come, time to go to dinner. "Delightful." She said aloud not really concerned if it was out of turn. Added to that every girl was assigned a personal servant. Not expected but okay. Naturally a noble family like hers had plenty of staff to their care and Magdalene always made sure to treat them with respect. "Fine pleasure it is to meet you, I'll be in your good hands then, all right!" Then Luciana called for them to follow her.

[The Frozen Forest]

It was Abigail Litwiller's third day in the Palace and she had yet to control the bundle of nerves in her stomach. Coming from a small village in The Great Plains region, she had never seen anything quite so spectacular as the capital city, and the Palace was a marvel all on its own. She hadn't measured it, but it would be a fair guess to say that it was the biggest building she had ever seen, nonetheless worked inside. In a flurry her hosts had taught her as much about the palace as they could. Inexhaustibly she had memorized where the kitchens, stables, bedrooms, bathrooms, stables, laundry rooms, guard stations, entrances and exits were. It was still a blur in her head even as she stood in what she had been told was an old war room with nine other maidservants.

Abigail's felt her breath catch in her chest as she saw the Crown Prince and his brother. Her eyes roamed around their faces-the faces of men that were worshiped in her pious little village. Neither her father, nor her grandfather or his father before him had ever seen a member of the Royal Family in person. They were Gods-rarely seen but always present in their lives. The elders believed that if the village displeased them, the sky would fall onto them and crush them like bugs. Their crops would shrivel and the earth would turn to stone and the village would be wiped off the face of the earth. However if they honored them then they could expect to have bountiful harvest and healthy children for a lifetime.

The herald woman whom she had met in her village several months ago gave her cue and Abigail stepped forwards with the rest of the girls to meet her new master. Is it rude to not look at her? Abigail took her place beside Princess Amana and let her eyes drop to the floor. A woman who was courting the Crown Prince, who was invited to court the Crown Prince, she was someone to be respected-or feared. Abigail wondered what kind of a person her master was. As a maidservant it was her job to attend to any of her ladies needs, even if they were cruel or dangerous. A maidservant was no more valuable than her loyalty.

The sound of a voice beside her caused Abigail to look up into the bright red eyes of the Princess, who was bowing to her. Bowing! Abigail shot down in a bow of her own, one deliberately deeper than the Princesses. "My lady! Forgive me for my rudeness, but there is no need to bow for someone like me." Abigail's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she was asked to call the Princess by her first name. "My lady, i d-don't think it would be proper of me to call you by your given name. You are of noble birth and i am only a commoner. It would be improper of me, disrespectful even."

Rose's first action towards Countess Magdalene was to bow. After a deliberately long couple of seconds she straightened up and the Countess spoke to her. She bowed for a second time and spoke as she did. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my lady. Please know that i will do everything i can to assist you and make your stay here as comfortable as possible. Anything you would have me do, simply command and it will be done." As the Countess moved to go along with Heraldess Luciana, Rose fell in alongside her-eying the maidservant with the girl on her right.

Rose wasn't from the common stock that the rest of them were. Before becoming a maidservant she had been the daughter of the disgraced Count Treadaway. Her family had been in The South region of The Frozen Forest for about a hundred years and had dominated several local villages and towns. They hadn't been rich then, but they were proud and respected. That was before a fire in the garden caught their home and burned her family up-leaving her an orphan. She wouldn't be just an orphan though, she had worked for her position and had become a maidservant of a local household at the age of nine. Ever since then she had worked and advanced, being given to larger and larger households. Now she was eighteen and had finally been accepted into into the household of The Royal Palace-or so she thought.

She was to be the maidservant to the blonde haired girl beside her. One thing that she understood was that her only chance of staying in the Palace rested on this particular girl marrying the Crown Prince. If that were to happen then maybe she could stay on as Countess Magdalene's primary maidservant, but if it didn't she would likely be returned back to her last household. It went without saying that being a maidservant in The Royal Palace was prestigious, the most prestigious position a maidservant could hope to achieve. Rose just hoped that she had gotten lucky with Countess Magdalene-and resolved to do her best to help her win the Crown Prince's heart.

[Gerrst]

Penelope Sektbrunnen, found the entrance and the assigning of the maidservants the weirdest thing yet. The maidservants seemed to be chosen in part for their looks, which couldn't be described as modest. The servants themselves were however not as strange as how they were introduced, by a cloaked woman who requested that the guests "rule over them." It was not that Penelope had no servants of her own. She had people who cooked and cleaned for her, and even did her hair etc. However it was strictly in the modern sense none if them lived with her and she never called them servants.

As the maidservant assigned to her approached her, Penelope did not rely on her experience with her cleaners in her socialist homeland, but instead on the roles she had played, both as servant and mistress. This however brought her into confusion. She knew that in the movies, that normal maids went by their first name, but lady's maids by their last name. Unsure what the etiquette was, the actress decided to ask. "I am Penelope Sektbrunnen. What shall I call you?" She smiled believing that she had found a guide to the manners of the Frozen Forest

[Kyrenaia]

(Image)

It was Abigail Litwiller's third day in the Palace and she had yet to control the bundle of nerves in her stomach. Coming from a small village in The Great Plains region, she had never seen anything quite so spectacular as the capital city, and the Palace was a marvel all on its own. She hadn't measured it, but it would be a fair guess to say that it was the biggest building she had ever seen, nonetheless worked inside. In a flurry her hosts had taught her as much about the palace as they could. Inexhaustibly she had memorized where the kitchens, stables, bedrooms, bathrooms, stables, laundry rooms, guard stations, entrances and exits were. It was still a blur in her head even as she stood in what she had been told was an old war room with nine other maidservants.

Abigail's felt her breath catch in her chest as she saw the Crown Prince and his brother. Her eyes roamed around their faces-the faces of men that were worshiped in her pious little village. Neither her father, nor her grandfather or his father before him had ever seen a member of the Royal Family in person. They were Gods-rarely seen but always present in their lives. The elders believed that if the village displeased them, the sky would fall onto them and crush them like bugs. Their crops would shrivel and the earth would turn to stone and the village would be wiped off the face of the earth. However if they honored them then they could expect to have bountiful harvest and healthy children for a lifetime.

The herald woman whom she had met in her village several months ago gave her cue and Abigail stepped forwards with the rest of the girls to meet her new master. Is it rude to not look at her? Abigail took her place beside Princess Amana and let her eyes drop to the floor. A woman who was courting the Crown Prince, who was invited to court the Crown Prince, she was someone to be respected-or feared. Abigail wondered what kind of a person her master was. As a maidservant it was her job to attend to any of her ladies needs, even if they were cruel or dangerous. A maidservant was no more valuable than her loyalty.

The sound of a voice beside her caused Abigail to look up into the bright red eyes of the Princess, who was bowing to her. Bowing! Abigail shot down in a bow of her own, one deliberately deeper than the Princesses. "My lady! Forgive me for my rudeness, but there is no need to bow for someone like me." Abigail's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she was asked to call the Princess by her first name. "My lady, i d-don't think it would be proper of me to call you by your given name. You are of noble birth and i am only a commoner. It would be improper of me, disrespectful even."

(Image)

Rose's first action towards Countess Magdalene was to bow. After a deliberately long couple of seconds she straightened up and the Countess spoke to her. She bowed for a second time and spoke as she did. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my lady. Please know that i will do everything i can to assist you and make your stay here as comfortable as possible. Anything you would have me do, simply command and it will be done." As the Countess moved to go along with Heraldess Luciana, Rose fell in alongside her-eying the maidservant with the girl on her right.

Rose wasn't from the common stock that the rest of them were. Before becoming a maidservant she had been the daughter of the disgraced Count Treadaway. Her family had been in The South region of The Frozen Forest for about a hundred years and had dominated several local villages and towns. They hadn't been rich then, but they were proud and respected. That was before a fire in the garden caught their home and burned her family up-leaving her an orphan. She wouldn't be just an orphan though, she had worked for her position and had become a maidservant of a local household at the age of nine. Ever since then she had worked and advanced, being given to larger and larger households. Now she was eighteen and had finally been accepted into into the household of The Royal Palace-or so she thought.

She was to be the maidservant to the blonde haired girl beside her. One thing that she understood was that her only chance of staying in the Palace rested on this particular girl marrying the Crown Prince. If that were to happen then maybe she could stay on as Countess Magdalene's primary maidservant, but if it didn't she would likely be returned back to her last household. It went without saying that being a maidservant in The Royal Palace was prestigious, the most prestigious position a maidservant could hope to achieve. Rose just hoped that she had gotten lucky with Countess Magdalene-and resolved to do her best to help her win the Crown Prince's heart.

Princess Amana bint-Samir.
I smiled at the girl, who almost wanted to sink into the ground in nervousness and politeness and deference. I had no idea about how she or her village saw the local Royalty, but from the sheer amount of bowing she did, I had a rather solid clue, that she did not estimate her own station to be that high...
I still smiled.
"You know, where I am from, your job would be called that of a Handmaiden.", I told her, "Handmaidens are proud women, silent and graceful like cats, deserving respect for their skills and occupation. They might be serving, but that does not mean, that they are doormats." I smiled at her. "If you do not want to call me by my given name, that's fine, I don't mind, but I insist on you looking me in the eye, okay?"
Well... this was going to be more... different then I assumed. Luckily, I liked challenges!

[Rivienland]

Ivan thought back to the Baptism of his nephew and niece in Camelone. At the time he had met with nobles in the room but his attention had been mainly focused on his sister and her new family. He remembered having contemplated offering to take Frederick out for drinks-to ruminate over the stresses of being royalty-now though he wished he would have spent more time getting to know the guests. While Ceit looked familiar and it made sense that he met her at the Baptism, he simply couldn't remember doing so. Ivan suddenly realized that he was thinking and not talking and an awkward silence was beginning to settle in. Despite the silence, Ceit sprouted a blossoming blush that indicated that she wasn't comfortable. At least that was Ivan's first impression as he noticed it. "There is no need to thank me, the Castle staff are the ones working so hard to prepare everything for your visit" Ivan said.

The door from which the recent arrivals had come in from swung open once again and a girl with fulvous brown hair and sharp, ambitious eyes stepped into the room. Ivan's eyes immediately fell to her dress, tight at the waist but looser elsewhere. It was an unusual fashion-something he had never seen before. The Frozen Forest had never had that sort of fashion, especially in the colder Heartlands region. If nothing else it looked exotic and Ivan's eyes met those of its wearer. She was another girl that he hadn't be prepared to meet but irregardless Ivan turned to offer his hand.

"There is no need to apologize, thank you for coming miss...?" Ivan politely left his words on the air, leaving the new arrival to introduce herself. On the other side of the room where the Princes had first entered, a door opened and ten maids with heads bowed respectfully filtered inside and along the walls. After them came a woman wearing a long green cloak. Crown Prince Ivan's official Herald-Herald not being quite the same thing as it was in the Old World. Luciana Saye's job mainly revolved around organizing the Crown Prince's schedule and meetings each day. Her being a woman wasn't the oddest thing about her-rather it was the fact that she was born in the Lunar Kingdom, a vassal of The Frozen Forest. Climbing from the court of a vassal state to the Royal Palace in Truvaria was a feat.

Luciana's eyes fell on the Crown Prince and she offered a small bow of respect before looking towards the ladies gathered around the room. "M'ladies. It is time for Dinner to begin, i'm told that the courses are of an even higher quality than normal and that the King and his retainers are eager to meet you for the first time. Before that however, there is another matter that we need to take care of. At the insistence of our great King Alvor each young lady here-" Luciana's eyes narrowed on Princess Rasha bint-Razia for a short moment. "-Each guest here will receive a maidservant to accompany them while in our glorious nation. They will attend to your every whim as though you were their queen. Please rule over them as though you would any other servant."

Luciana gracefully stepped aside and the maidservants moved without prompting towards their new masters. Rose Treadaway walked to Countess Magdalene, Abigail Litwiller to Princess Amana, Rachel Levett to Lady Kiaris, Jeanie Maynet to Princess Desdemona, Priscilla Lanston to Princess Ylara, Louisa Harridan (one of the only Feruncians in the Palace) to Princess Rasha, Sabrina Mumford to lady Ceit Ui-Sgaire, Camillia Pierce to Baroness Yali, Lily Evans to Miss Penelope Sektbrunnen and Nora Alwick to Princess Elisa.

Luciana watched as the maidservants met with the guests. They weren't the same maidservants from around the palace-if that wasn't obvious from the different uniforms. They were from honored households across the nation, including a Feruncian from the Ferunce Confederacy-another vassal state of The Frozen Forest. Luciana had taken great pride in picking them from among hundreds of candidates. Now she had to move things along before Dinner could start. "Ladies! If you would please follow me." Luciana led the way to the dining hall with the guests, their new maidservants and the two princes in tow.

Entering the room, Princess Elisa was immediately greeted by the Crown Prince. She immediately shook the hand extended to her, and gave a quick curtsy. “I am Princess Elisa of Rivienland, Your Royal Highness.” She cleared her throat, and wondered why she seemed so off-balance meeting royalty. “I am so very pleased to be here.”

Interrupted by the sound of a door opening, both the Crown Prince and the Princess turned their attention to the entrance of several servants. A lady wearing a long green cloak announced that each of the ladies present would be receiving a maidservant. Princess Elisa, while interested by the thought of having additional help, was curious why she would be given another servant. She had already brought along a maid, and a bodyguard. She speculated if perhaps they were assigned to the ladies to keep an eye on what they did while in the palace. Regardless, as the maid approached, she changed her demeanor.

“It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Miss. I will be honest when saying I already have my personal maid accompanying me on this trip so I am unsure with how much you will be needed. Still, I am glad to meet someone from this country, and to learn more about you.” Princess Elisa grinned at the maid as she studied her interesting outfit. She asked herself if this is what these people considered “fashion”.

Hearing the other servant announce their immediate departure to dinner, Princess Elisa was immediately sour. “We cannot even change before dinner,” whispered the Princess to herself. “How can I meet the members of court wearing this!” Also, she questioned how she would be able to digest anything with her corset so tight.

[Kuronami]

Rose's first action towards Countess Magdalene was to bow. After a deliberately long couple of seconds she straightened up and the Countess spoke to her. She bowed for a second time and spoke as she did. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my lady. Please know that i will do everything i can to assist you and make your stay here as comfortable as possible. Anything you would have me do, simply command and it will be done." As the Countess moved to go along with Heraldess Luciana, Rose fell in alongside her-eying the maidservant with the girl on her right.

Rose wasn't from the common stock that the rest of them were. Before becoming a maidservant she had been the daughter of the disgraced Count Treadaway. Her family had been in The South region of The Frozen Forest for about a hundred years and had dominated several local villages and towns. They hadn't been rich then, but they were proud and respected. That was before a fire in the garden caught their home and burned her family up-leaving her an orphan. She wouldn't be just an orphan though, she had worked for her position and had become a maidservant of a local household at the age of nine. Ever since then she had worked and advanced, being given to larger and larger households. Now she was eighteen and had finally been accepted into into the household of The Royal Palace-or so she thought.

She was to be the maidservant to the blonde haired girl beside her. One thing that she understood was that her only chance of staying in the Palace rested on this particular girl marrying the Crown Prince. If that were to happen then maybe she could stay on as Countess Magdalene's primary maidservant, but if it didn't she would likely be returned back to her last household. It went without saying that being a maidservant in The Royal Palace was prestigious, the most prestigious position a maidservant could hope to achieve. Rose just hoped that she had gotten lucky with Countess Magdalene-and resolved to do her best to help her win the Crown Prince's heart.

Magdalene smiled at the maid called to her order and continued in a friendly tone, "Terrific, I'm sure you and I will get along just great! Ooh dear me I'm so sorry but did I ever get your name? I'm a bit spacey when I get hungry so if you told and I just forgot then I do apologize. I would very much like to call you by your name rather than just shout 'hey you' whenever I'm in need for your assistance for something." she giggled a bit.

[A m e n r i a]

Having drones follow her around, serve her dinner, and clean her belongings was nothing new to Yali, but a human? A living, breathing, creature with thoughts, emotions, and a soul? That was certainly something that caught the young woman off guard. Despite Luciana telling Yali that she could treat Camilia as she did her usual servant, she couldn't possibly treat a person the same way as a machine, so she tried to treat her maid as a friend.

Upon the maid moving toward her and introducing herself, she smiled and greeted her new acquaintance. "Hey, nice to meet you. You got a nice name by the way, reminds me of my sister. How do spell it?" Their conversation was cut short when Luciana asked the guests to follow her to the dining room though, as Yali's mind instantly moved on to food. "Alright, food!" With a wide grin, she did as told, making sure Camilia was following close behind. On the way, she glanced to her again to repeat her. "So yea, how do you spell your name?"

blue: spoken in English

[The Frozen Forest]

Lily Evans body lurched as she made her way over to her new master. It was the third time that day that she had tripped herself up, but it was particularly embarassing to have to catch herself in front of so many honored guests. She peered behind her certain that Lady Saye would be there to reprimand and replace her with another girl. Fortunate for her, no one seemed to have noticed the microstumble-not even her new master. Well, that or she didn't care given that her expression didn't express any sort of concern. Either way that worked for her. She smiled brightly and took her place near Lady Sektbrunnen. She's so beautiful Lily looked from the movie star around the room, realizing that most of the girls in the room were of high caliber in the way of outwards appearance.

Lily turned at the sound of her Lady's voice. She bowed quickly as she had been taught before she answered the question. "Lily Evans, my lady. Most of the other maids like to call me Izzy, and the staff always refer to me as just Servant Girl. Anything you would like to call me, i will respond to." Lily found herself accidentally examining Lady Sektbrunnen's dress as she spoke. She did her best to not seem impressed (though she very clearly was). In a different context she might have been intimidated to speak to someone like Lady Sektbrunnen, but somehow she felt at ease. Maybe it was because she didn't have Lady Saye breathing down her neck. "My Lady. Pardon me, but your dress is beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it before. Where did you get it?" Lady Saye would kill her for talking so informally to her assigned master. Before the Royal Palace though, being open had never caused her trouble.

Abigail allowed her eyes to rise steadily to meet the bright red orbs of Princess Amana. Something between nervousness and a relieved feeling flooded through her. She offered a small bow and her eyes dropped down as she did so, before returning as she rose back up. Abigail realized that she had never heard that phrase. To be a doormat? A doormat was supposed to welcome visitors to a home, and to provide an invaluable service of cleaning one's shoes. These didn't seem to be so bad, after all it was her job to be welcoming and helpful. Another interesting thing she picked up was that there were maidservants in other nations.

The idea that there were girls outside of The Frozen Forest who also had experiences like she did. She found the idea fascinating. Given that she hadn't really thought about life outside of her small village until a few months ago, she wondered how different people were in different countries. It was likely something she would never get to experience, but the idea was romantic.

"As you command, my Princess." Abigail bowed once again, not realizing that she had already bowed more than all of the other maidservants in the room. Showing reverence though, it was something ingrained into her since childhood. Standing among people akin to God's (or speakers of God's word for that matter) she didn't give her constant bowing a second thought.

Nora Alwick's feet hurt, she had a nasty headache and barely slept the night before. That is despite the fact that she couldn't have found a room anywhere in the rest of the nation quite as nice as the bedrooms of The Royal Palace. Nora had stubbed her toe on the nightstand and missed breakfast, and a young servant and accidentally tripped her down a dozen stairs. Miraculously she hadn't bruised nor had she been cut, but that didn't mean her body didn't hurt. As she stood with the other maids, her cascade of issues that morning plagued her thoughts. Why am i so unlucky? What did i do to deserve this?

She was a maidservant from The Riverlands (a particularly poor region). As a child she had nothing of her own and starvation had been a constant worry for herself and her young mother. When she was thirteen years old, she became a maidservant for a local household in order to pay for medicine to treat her mothers pneumonia. It had been in vain though, as her mother had died and left her orphaned. Still she remained a maidservant, being passed from household to household before eventually ending up with the Followers of the White Lady. They believed in a divine spirit unique to The Frozen Forest, and they had brought her into the faith.

Nora whispered a silent prayer to The White Lady as she approached her new master. Unexpectedly for her, the young lady already had two nearby servants. She was a Princess of a place called the Rivienland. Nora had immediately come to think that Rivienland sounded quite like Riverlands, and so had taken it as a sign from The White Lady. Now, seeing the foreigner in person, she doubted herself. "Thank you my Princess. While i'm sure you would rather have your own servants care for you, if i can be of any assistance do command me." Not a moment later though, such an opportunity to help presented itself. "Pardon me, my Princess. If you would like to change, i could show you to a private bedroom here on the first floor." I'm going to have to work harder. I don't want to be dead weight.

Rose Treadaway might have laughed along with the Countess, except that she was too serious for her own good. A flaw that she had since she had become a maidservant, possibly brought about by the hard rules that she had been taught about her profession. Rose bowed her head respectfully as she introduced herself properly to Countess Magdalene. "My name is Rose Treadaway, My father is-was a Count from The South Region. My family has lived in this nation for well over a hundred years as nobility, and longer as merchants and bankers. However those times are long since over. I am your faithful servant now please refer to me however you like."

Camilla Pierce loved her job as a maidservant. Having been in households across The Heartlands Region and The North Region, she had gotten to meet many lovely people. Though she didn't like to brag, she was one of the best maidservants around. She could make food better than other maidservants, she could play the violin, harp or piano and she knew multiple languages. She was lucky though, because most of her talents and skills had been developed by teachers who either pitied her enough, or liked her enough to show her what they knew. If not for that kindness she wouldn't be able to spend her time in The Royal Palace, set to a new master whom she had never met before.

Baroness Yali seemed at first glance to be the kind of person who had always had servants in her life. Camilla found herself slightly surprised when she asked her to spell her name, when most masters didn't bother to care as long as she did her job well. The call to eat was there, and she took a couple of seconds to spell her name for the Baroness as they walked. "C.a.m.i.l.l.a. My Lady. It's not a common name here, but my father liked it, or so i had been told."

As the girls entered one of the dining halls, Lady Saye slipped away back to her private room. Like clockwork the servants in the room stepped forwards to politely direct each girl to a seat. As custom dictated, maidservants did not eat with their masters, and such they lined themselves up along a nearby wall in case their masters needed them. The Chef meanwhile was finishing up the last batches of meals to be set ready for the girls. As custom also dicatated, no one could eat before the King allowed (if the King were in residence, or any Royalty for that matter.) King Alvor made his way through the halls as the girls were seated, stopping outside the heavy wooden doors as Lady Saye reappeared at his side.

She passed through the doors, holding one open for the King and simultaneously announcing to the room that the King had arrived. King Alvor took his place at the front of room and waited for the girls to settle before speaking. "My name is Alvor Bjork, and i am King of The Frozen Forest. You may or may not have heard of me before coming to The Royal Palace, but you have met my son. I welcome you all here as his suitors, and i look forwards to meeting you all more personally tomorrow. I'm sure you are all tired and hungry. My Chefs are some of the most talented in the nation. After you have eaten you are free to take your leave in your rooms. Your maidservants will direct you to them." Alvor took a long swig of water, looking frail.

"Without further ado, may dinner begin." Alvor sat down and a plate of gravied cod was brought to him. a flurry of butlers appeared out of the kitchen doors, wheeling carts with steaming meals and drinks on them. Pear Tarte Tatin, Lamb Navarin, Lyonnaise Potato Salad with Herring, Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Apples, Bourride and Provençal Vegetable Tian. Native dishes such as Sovinbjerg, Sweet Salmon, Gravied Cod, Salted Eel and Frosted Maize were brought out second. Drinks included Water, Lemonade, Several varieties of Juice, Tea, Coffee, Wine and Frozen Forestrian alcohols like Akafemiðr, Saefask and Vænn. The butlers effortlessly set to work describing each dish to the girls, offering them and the drinks in as great a quantity as they could ask for.

[Kyrenaia]

(Image)

Lily Evans body lurched as she made her way over to her new master. It was the third time that day that she had tripped herself up, but it was particularly embarassing to have to catch herself in front of so many honored guests. She peered behind her certain that Lady Saye would be there to reprimand and replace her with another girl. Fortunate for her, no one seemed to have noticed the microstumble-not even her new master. Well, that or she didn't care given that her expression didn't express any sort of concern. Either way that worked for her. She smiled brightly and took her place near Lady Sektbrunnen. She's so beautiful Lily looked from the movie star around the room, realizing that most of the girls in the room were of high caliber in the way of outwards appearance.

Lily turned at the sound of her Lady's voice. She bowed quickly as she had been taught before she answered the question. "Lily Evans, my lady. Most of the other maids like to call me Izzy, and the staff always refer to me as just Servant Girl. Anything you would like to call me, i will respond to." Lily found herself accidentally examining Lady Sektbrunnen's dress as she spoke. She did her best to not seem impressed (though she very clearly was). In a different context she might have been intimidated to speak to someone like Lady Sektbrunnen, but somehow she felt at ease. Maybe it was because she didn't have Lady Saye breathing down her neck. "My Lady. Pardon me, but your dress is beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it before. Where did you get it?" Lady Saye would kill her for talking so informally to her assigned master. Before the Royal Palace though, being open had never caused her trouble.

(Image)

Abigail allowed her eyes to rise steadily to meet the bright red orbs of Princess Amana. Something between nervousness and a relieved feeling flooded through her. She offered a small bow and her eyes dropped down as she did so, before returning as she rose back up. Abigail realized that she had never heard that phrase. To be a doormat? A doormat was supposed to welcome visitors to a home, and to provide an invaluable service of cleaning one's shoes. These didn't seem to be so bad, after all it was her job to be welcoming and helpful. Another interesting thing she picked up was that there were maidservants in other nations.

The idea that there were girls outside of The Frozen Forest who also had experiences like she did. She found the idea fascinating. Given that she hadn't really thought about life outside of her small village until a few months ago, she wondered how different people were in different countries. It was likely something she would never get to experience, but the idea was romantic.

"As you command, my Princess." Abigail bowed once again, not realizing that she had already bowed more than all of the other maidservants in the room. Showing reverence though, it was something ingrained into her since childhood. Standing among people akin to God's (or speakers of God's word for that matter) she didn't give her constant bowing a second thought.

(Image)

Nora Alwick's feet hurt, she had a nasty headache and barely slept the night before. That is despite the fact that she couldn't have found a room anywhere in the rest of the nation quite as nice as the bedrooms of The Royal Palace. Nora had stubbed her toe on the nightstand and missed breakfast, and a young servant and accidentally tripped her down a dozen stairs. Miraculously she hadn't bruised nor had she been cut, but that didn't mean her body didn't hurt. As she stood with the other maids, her cascade of issues that morning plagued her thoughts. Why am i so unlucky? What did i do to deserve this?

She was a maidservant from The Riverlands (a particularly poor region). As a child she had nothing of her own and starvation had been a constant worry for herself and her young mother. When she was thirteen years old, she became a maidservant for a local household in order to pay for medicine to treat her mothers pneumonia. It had been in vain though, as her mother had died and left her orphaned. Still she remained a maidservant, being passed from household to household before eventually ending up with the Followers of the White Lady. They believed in a divine spirit unique to The Frozen Forest, and they had brought her into the faith.

Nora whispered a silent prayer to The White Lady as she approached her new master. Unexpectedly for her, the young lady already had two nearby servants. She was a Princess of a place called the Rivienland. Nora had immediately come to think that Rivienland sounded quite like Riverlands, and so had taken it as a sign from The White Lady. Now, seeing the foreigner in person, she doubted herself. "Thank you my Princess. While i'm sure you would rather have your own servants care for you, if i can be of any assistance do command me." Not a moment later though, such an opportunity to help presented itself. "Pardon me, my Princess. If you would like to change, i could show you to a private bedroom here on the first floor." I'm going to have to work harder. I don't want to be dead weight.

(Image)

Rose Treadaway might have laughed along with the Countess, except that she was too serious for her own good. A flaw that she had since she had become a maidservant, possibly brought about by the hard rules that she had been taught about her profession. Rose bowed her head respectfully as she introduced herself properly to Countess Magdalene. "My name is Rose Treadaway, My father is-was a Count from The South Region. My family has lived in this nation for well over a hundred years as nobility, and longer as merchants and bankers. However those times are long since over. I am your faithful servant now please refer to me however you like."

(Image)

Camilla Pierce loved her job as a maidservant. Having been in households across The Heartlands Region and The North Region, she had gotten to meet many lovely people. Though she didn't like to brag, she was one of the best maidservants around. She could make food better than other maidservants, she could play the violin, harp or piano and she knew multiple languages. She was lucky though, because most of her talents and skills had been developed by teachers who either pitied her enough, or liked her enough to show her what they knew. If not for that kindness she wouldn't be able to spend her time in The Royal Palace, set to a new master whom she had never met before.

Baroness Yali seemed at first glance to be the kind of person who had always had servants in her life. Camilla found herself slightly surprised when she asked her to spell her name, when most masters didn't bother to care as long as she did her job well. The call to eat was there, and she took a couple of seconds to spell her name for the Baroness as they walked. "C.a.m.i.l.l.a. My Lady. It's not a common name here, but my father liked it, or so i had been told."

(Image)

As the girls entered one of the dining halls, Lady Saye slipped away back to her private room. Like clockwork the servants in the room stepped forwards to politely direct each girl to a seat. As custom dictated, maidservants did not eat with their masters, and such they lined themselves up along a nearby wall in case their masters needed them. The Chef meanwhile was finishing up the last batches of meals to be set ready for the girls. As custom also dicatated, no one could eat before the King allowed (if the King were in residence, or any Royalty for that matter.) King Alvor made his way through the halls as the girls were seated, stopping outside the heavy wooden doors as Lady Saye reappeared at his side.

She passed through the doors, holding one open for the King and simultaneously announcing to the room that the King had arrived. King Alvor took his place at the front of room and waited for the girls to settle before speaking. "My name is Alvor Bjork, and i am King of The Frozen Forest. You may or may not have heard of me before coming to The Royal Palace, but you have met my son. I welcome you all here as his suitors, and i look forwards to meeting you all more personally tomorrow. I'm sure you are all tired and hungry. My Chefs are some of the most talented in the nation. After you have eaten you are free to take your leave in your rooms. Your maidservants will direct you to them." Alvor took a long swig of water, looking frail.

"Without further ado, may dinner begin." Alvor sat down and a plate of gravied cod was brought to him. a flurry of butlers appeared out of the kitchen doors, wheeling carts with steaming meals and drinks on them. Pear Tarte Tatin, Lamb Navarin, Lyonnaise Potato Salad with Herring, Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Apples, Bourride and Provençal Vegetable Tian. Native dishes such as Sovinbjerg, Sweet Salmon, Gravied Cod, Salted Eel and Frosted Maize were brought out second. Drinks included Water, Lemonade, Several varieties of Juice, Tea, Coffee, Wine and Frozen Forestrian alcohols like Akafemiðr, Saefask and Vænn. The butlers effortlessly set to work describing each dish to the girls, offering them and the drinks in as great a quantity as they could ask for.

Princess Amana bint-Samir.
'My Princess' was a new one to me, but to be honest... I could get used to it.
Turning the girls' world upside down had to wait for a moment, though, as we separated as we entered the dining room, Abigail standing at the edge with the other Handmaidens to await us departing.
Now that felt quite at home, the Handmaidens ate not with their employers (in previous times, indeed, Masters), but in the cafeteria or mess hall or however one wanted to call it. At the Azure Hall, for example, the Handmaidens shared it with the Tabardariyya.
Was that how Aurelia felt? The Reverence and servitude Abigail brought forth when compared to what Aurelia received from her Handmaidens?
It felt... good...
Back to the topic at hand.
The King entered and he looked frail. I looked over to Rasha to see her reaction and her eyes were hard. She had, most likely, heard about King Bjork's frailty already and had been prepared. He reminded me a little of the late Aaron-Ilkhan, the Ilkhan of Kyrene, who had passed last year.
I understood why the need to get his heir under the hood was suddenly so pressing.
And then, dinner came.
And what a feast it was! Uncountable amounts of food and butlers came out of the kitchens into the room and I had trouble following all explanations and... I chose tea and told the butlers to get me something typical for this region of the Frozen Forest if it was not too much of a hazzle.
Let's see, what the local cuisine had to offer...

Princess Rasha bint-Razia.
I seated myself at my designated spot, glancing to the left and to the right before King Bjork spoke. Who would be the people next to me? Local nobility, loyal retainers, something else?
Well, plenty of time to find that out later.
Then the King arrived and he looked as frail as Army Intelligence made it sound. Not good. Ivan might find himself without his father's guiding hand then even an intelligence service assumed. Regardless, I looked forward to meeting him tomorrow, too.
I was not only here to court Ivan.
And then dinner began. I chose tea and then let the madness of new foods descent onto me. This was certainly turning out interestingly...

[New Edom]

Princess Desdemona looked at her new servant. She was actually feeling strangely awkward. They were all clearly being paraded before the Crown Prince and the court as prospective brides, but it felt suspiciously like they were all handmaidens themselves.

She beckoned to Jeanie Maynet, who had long, fair hair and wore a curious outfit, and said, “I receive your service and welcome it with pleasure. Please be sure to advise me of any matters of etiquette that are particular to the court here. And if you have questions of your own, please be sure to ask them.”

It was certain that the young woman was a spy, and perhaps what was discussed would reach the ears of the prince and his father in a positive light.

As they walked towards the dining hall, Desdemona said, “Tell me two things: first how are you customarily addressed by the person you serve?

“The other is this: is the meal going to be a very heavy one? I know that sometimes happens in northern countries, and I want to make sure I pace myself.”

[Kuronami]

Rose Treadaway might have laughed along with the Countess, except that she was too serious for her own good. A flaw that she had since she had become a maidservant, possibly brought about by the hard rules that she had been taught about her profession. Rose bowed her head respectfully as she introduced herself properly to Countess Magdalene. "My name is Rose Treadaway, My father is-was a Count from The South Region. My family has lived in this nation for well over a hundred years as nobility, and longer as merchants and bankers. However those times are long since over. I am your faithful servant now please refer to me however you like."

Magdalen listened to her new maid, a girl with the most unusual of histories, a family that had since lost their nobility and maybe hoping to gain it back. She did come off as stiff but I guess it wasn't a surprise given that kind of baggage she had to deal with. Honestly she didn't know really how to reply beyond "Then I'll call you, Rose. It's a very nice name and should be used. Now come, let's go to dinner." she ushered her new maid servant along to the dining room.

It would seem there weren't any formal seating assignments, no name plates or the Lady or maids pointing to anywhere so she simply took a seat where one was free, it'd be a good time to hopefully strike up conversation with one of the fellow ladies here. She chose a seat next to Princess Amana bint-Samir. Having struck up conversation with a friendly Kyrenaian earlier might as well keep the trend going this evening. Tomorrow she could be adventurous and brave and seek a new person.