The Royal Rearrangement (Meillur Only)

[Caraintos]

The Villa di Teranto was located in the southeast of the Kingdom of Caraintos and following a purchase by the Princess Regent had become a private royal retreat for her and her family from the crammed and crowded halls of the urban palace in the capital. Not that the regent left behind the politics of the capital. The country estate was also perfectly positioned for her to better inspect the military and turn her attention, if needed to the south towards the war with Turanda or the east towards the rising tensions with Hantuonia, all while being safe in the interior of the realm.

But for the moment the regent was not concerning herself with politics. Instead she was concerning herself with horses. She rode a beautiful Lajastinean mare, Lajastine breed the very best horses in the world and she when had traveled north to marry her late husband, her grandfather had been turn to gift the young couple with several of the majestic animals. Her husband was gone now, but she still had the horses. A small comfort, but a valued one for her as she galloped across the green hills of the vast estate.

Meanwhile Prince Angemar the Elder and Colonel Daris Moreland, the regent’s grandfather and one of her military advisors and head of the Queen’s Regiment, from which the royal guards were selected, stood at the front steps of the villa, due to meet new arrivals. Concerned by the divisions in Caraintos’ allies in the war against Turanda, the elderly prince and colonel had made an unlikely alliance to smooth things over by taking advantage of the serendipity of Prince Philip of Great Hyruke’s recent arrival in the kingdom to serve in the military. However, instead of sending him to the frontline as he had requested, they saw a more advantageous future for him as one of the Queen’s Men.

[Great Hyruke]

Prince Louis watched as the gates opened before the Caraintese villa, the small glossy black sedan that he and his brother road in making its way down the length of the long gravel driveway, turning softly as it came to an end of its long journey before the steps. The driver killed the engine and stepped out of the car and opened the door for Louis. The crown prince consort of Colfico stepped out of the car with an aura of confidence.

Louis wasn’t the lion his elder brother Charles was,tall and broad chested, but he certainly had the attitude of one. He wires tailor made suit and loafers, his blond brown hair finely groomed. He looked up at the villa, admiring it, before letting his eyes drift back down to the two men waiting for them.

For with Louis was his younger brother, Prince Philip. Just three months away from his 18th birthday, Philip had been determined to go into the military like their grandfather, Prince Arthur of the Netherlands, some that was not popular in Great Hyruke. Aside from the king, men weren’t welcomed in the military, so he had volunteered to join the Caraintese Army and fight in the war against Turanda. His plans however had been dashed and now he found himself here, miles away from the border, let alone the front line, unsure exactly as to why.

Philip was handsome, taller than his older brother and with a thin muscular build. He had tawny brown skin, a clean sign of his mixed heritage, a sharp jaw and short cropped brown hair that was already starting to grow back thick and wavy after leaving basic training. Instead of a uniform, which he would have preferred, his older brother had insisted on a slimming tailored suit, gold cuff links and shiny brown dress shoes. He squinted in the sun.

[Caraintos]

Prince Angemar the Elder had a small smug smile on his lips as he watched the two princes step out of the car. He put his hands behind his back. “Your Royal Highnesses, welcome to the Villa di Teranto,” said the prince with a thick Lajaz accent. Unlike Colonel Moreland, Angemar wasn’t actually Caraintese, nor did he try to assimilate. Caraintos was his granddaughter and great-granddaughter’s home. His was Laja. And he intended on returning back to it once the war was won. Till then Caraintos, if cold by his standards, was a fine place to stay.

“Second Lieutenant Caister,” said Colonel Moreland, referring to the younger of the princes by his official commission and the name they had agreed for him to go by, as not to draw attention to him during training. Moreland had never had to deal with a royal in the military as an active, even commissioned officier, for the Cressys, the actual royal family of Caraintos, had lacked any safe supply of sons to be anything more than honorary or ceremonial figures, meant to wave at parades, during his life time.

[Great Hyruke]

“Greetings, sir,” Philip said automatically going for a salute before hesitating as he wasn’t in uniform. He tugged on his jacket’s hem, smoothing it and playing at the button.

Prince Louis just barely acknowledged thr military man’s presence. Louis was not a man of warfare, he like diplomacy and compromise, agreements that worked out in the long term the best for everyone. He found that diplomacy was generally much more difficult to master than military life was. He didn’t know why his brother wasted such a life. Their grandfather hadn’t been exactly a role model for a Hyrukian prince to follow.

“You must be Prince Angemar,” said Louis, “the elder I presume, not the Genoise Princess’s reportedly beefy fiancé?” Louis laughed. He hoped to ease the tension on the villa steps as he climbed them, Philip a few steps behind him.

[Caraintos]

Prince Angemar only smiled at the slight jape. He was more than aware of his grandson’s strengths and weaknesses, and his winning over the future Genoise Queen was precisely why they were in this situation. He didn’t quite care if the Genoise and Hyrukians fought once the war was over, but that was the key, after Lajastine was free. Till then the Safars had to play a balancing act between the two and keep them focused on the issue at hand.

“Perhaps in my younger days that’s be more easily mistaken,” said Prince Angemar the Elder. “You must be Prince Louis. We met briefly if I recall correctly at my granddaughter’s wedding. And you must be Prince Philip. We are happy to have you join us.”

“Please,” said Colonel Moreland, “come inside, we have much to discuss about arrangements here at the villa.”

[Great Hyruke]

“Certainly,” said Louis as he climbed the steps, Philip following in step behind him. Louis admitted he never quite got used to seeing men in military positions, though he had grown more used to it as he spent more and more time away from Great Hyruke. “Much to discuss indeed.” With that the two princes followed the others inside.

[Caraintos]

The elder prince and the colonel turned and led the two Hyrukian royals inside, withdrawing to the aptly name drawing room of the villa. The room looked out over the rolling hills of the estate, the distant figure of horses seen on the horizon. The men took a seat at a polished mahogany table while a Lajaz servant, the regent’s grandfather like to keep his own household of his fellow countrymen as they were the only ones who could pour a decent cup of Lajaz coffee, served them. Lajaz coffee was served via cerzve with the finely ground beans still in the coffee poured into porcelain cups.

“The war effort goes well,” said Prince Angemar the Elder, “and with the entry of the Hyrukians, Colficoans and now the Genoise, soon enough Lajastine will be a free nation once more. That is of course if we continue to work together with the same goal in mind. The liberation of Lajastine.”

[Great Hyruke]

Prince Louis nodded, though he eyed the coffee with a bit of suspicion. Coffee wasn't particularly popular in Great Hyruke, certainly not in the face of their paramount beverage of tea. Still, Prince Louis was not one to outright refuse a beverage. He had always been the most adept at the matter of diplomacy of his siblings, and that often meant being a bit more polite than one might wish. Not that Louis was always the most polite. He found that diplomacy also sometimes meant taking charge and being a bit more forceful. The key was knowing when to do which.

"Indeed, and I assure you that our nations are all united in our goal to achieve the very best for the Lajaz people and nation."

"Which is winning the war," said Philip, "which I could do better at helping with if I was at the frontline fighting, and not," the young prince let out a small huff as he looked around the villa's drawing room. "...here."

[Caraintos]

“Yes,” said the elder prince, “our restored independence and a safe and secure homeland is very much the interest of my people.”

“And one can not be so sure of your… aid in the frontline,” said Colonel Moreland. “You have a great deal of fire in you second lieutenant, but you are still young and inexperienced. And your position and title would naturally draw extra attention should your deployment be discovered by the Turandans. Which is why we believe it better if you cut your teeth on a different assignment.”

“You will be assigned to the Queen’s Regiment,” continued the Lajaz elder, “as a chief security officer for the regent.”

[Great Hyruke]

Louis picked up his cup of coffee while the Lajaz prince spoke, taking a sip. His eyes widened in surprise. It was actually quite good. He would definitely need to introduce it to Marie once he got back home. "That sounds like a wise decision. I am sure you will find that such a posting is well suited to my brother's strengths."

"It is not," Philip protested. "It sounds like I'm going to be a glorified bodyguard. I can do more."

[Caraintos]

“Protecting the regent is incredibly important,” said Prince Angemar. “Not only is she my granddaughter, but she is the head of government of Caraintos, sovereign in all but name, and she is the rallying point around which this war is raged. That has… angered some.”

“We believe the Turandans are planning to attempt an assassination against Her Royal Highness,” said Colonel Moreland. “It is in part why we relocated to Teranto, away from the capital. Her Majesty is still some two decades away from being capable of ruling, and the government may not be able to survive should something happen to the Regent. Thus her protection is a great priority.”

“And honor,” added Prince Angemar.

“You wanted to join the military,” added Colonel Moreland, “well this is the military. You are not a prince here, you are a soldier now, and soldiers follow orders.”

[Great Hyruke]

Philip opened his mouth to protest further, but the words died in his throat at Moreland’s comment on soldiers following orders. He was right. Philip had wanted order and direction. He had signed up for this. He’d just thought he’d be getting his orders on a battlefield against an enemy. Not over coffee in a country villa.

“Yes sir.”

Louis, drinking more of the delicious coffee set down his cup and smiled. That had gone rather well. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his little brother so obedient and polite to authority. He had grown up over the last few years.

“Excellent then. What will be his duties as a chief security officer in the Queen’s Regiment?” asked Louis. “I find myself curious.”

[Caraintos]

“Second lieutenant Caister will be joining a four man, or rather now five man team of guards assigned to keeping the Regent safe,” said Colonel Moreland before turning his gaze to the royal turned soldier. “The Cressey have long supported the idea of allowing guards and charges to get to know one another so that security may be done in anticipation for any action of the charge. You shall accompany the regent where ever she goes, be discreet. You are also to assist the regent in her continued self defensive training.”

[Great Hyruke]

“The Regent is learning self defense?” asked Prince Louis. He knew some royals were more militant than others, or have more worried over their safety than most. The Hyrukian royals were a relatively at eased family in terms of their safety in their own country. They enjoyed popularity and it was hard to feel threatened when one lived in the absolute fortress that was Wattingham Palace.

Philip nodded his head has he took mental note of each of the duties Moreland presented him. He was sure he could do them all. And perhaps once he proved that he do this, they would realize that he was better suited in the actual fight.

“Have there been any attempts on the Regent’s life so far?”

[Caraintos]

Colonel Moreland nodded. “Shortly after the start of the war, the Regent was intending on making a visit to Great Hyruke to speak with Cecily Leal in person. It was kept secret, but it seems someone let it leak out and a bomb was found in the boat that was supposed to carry her to Londres. Luckily a security sweep found it before she ever got near to the dock. It was disarmed and the travel plans canceled.”

“There have been a few other incidents,” said Prince Angemar, “individuals unhappy with the war have been flagged and arrested, found to have crude plans to try and assassinate her. Though they weren’t organized. But as the conflict presses on it may be only a matter of time before someone with some actual competence ha murderous intentions.”

[Great Hyruke]

Philip considered the words from the colonel and the older man. He thought of the Royal Guards who protected his father from any and all threats. Maybe if he thought about himself like that, preventing assassination of a world leader. Now that would a way to show his competence and ability to be a soldier.

“I will protect the Regent from any who would do her harm, I will show you.”

“I’m sure Her Royal Highness will be be quite safe in the hands of my little brother,” Prince Louis coughed, clearing his throat, “I mean Second Lieutenant Caister. Her safety will be his top priority, I assure you.”

[Caraintos]

“That is good to hear,” said Prince Angemar. He turned looked out the window over the green fields of the estate. In the distance there was a certain speck, one growing larger as it grew nearer to the villa.

“Ah, it seems it is perfect timing. Let’s go out on the veranda.” With that the prince set down his cup and rose from his seat, Colonel Moreland following suite. They lead Louis and Philip outside and into the sunlight.

[Great Hyruke]

Prince Louis smiled as he and Philip rose up from their seats and followed after the Lajaz and Caraintese men. This was going far better than he had expected. But in the end he probably shouldn’t have been too surprised. It was Philip who’d he’d been sure would need convincing but playing to his desire to be a hero seemed to be more than enough of a carrot. Philip looked very serious as he stepped punt Irish the sun, quintet beneath the Caraintese sun, trying to make out the approaching form.