Queen and Ace (Closed)

[New Edom]

A Hotel Suite in Laconia, Republic of Adiron

Following the presentation on the Les Cristaux Bank’s encouragement for new investors, Count Thomas Lalery had invited a man called Heike Friedrich von Vineta-Flamenfecht.

He and others of his cousin Mara’s court had been searching for and eliminating marital possibilities. The Region was unfortunately not yielding much. Too many prospective Heirs Presumptive or Heirs Apparent. In the case of Gavinium Magnus or Free Garza, tempting, but the last thing New Edom needed was being drawn into another dynasty’s troubles. Rome was unthinkable—the only one worth considering was the Emperor; everyone else rose and fell on the whim of he and his backers. Wielkilas had been tempting—a stable monarchy, long united country, but very much opposed to what New Edom intended to achieve in the region.

However the man that Lalery had been corresponding with a bit had suggested that the two of them meet at this presentation, where things were being discussed in terms of pure finance, and happen to run into one another.

As Heike came in, as they exchanged polite bows (he was not averse to handshakes but they did not come casually to Lalery) and as they spoke of the presentation and of the solidity of Les Cristaux, He thought, as the man came in and as he offered a drink from the cabinet in the suite that he fitted the description from the intelligence report very well.

“My dear fellow, a good thing we can sit down and talk at last.” He said after the bonhomie and chitchat—not that this fellow was, according to what he’d heard, much up or that. An intellectual, but a pragmatic one. Interesting. A Frankenstein’s Monster of a marriage this might well be…

“I realize that correspondence can only go so far, and so I wanted to talk in practical terms, and personal I need be, about the prospect of a marriage between yourself and my cousin, Queen Mara. First, let me make some things plain though. First—you and the Queen are very different people, to be blunt. While she’s intelligent, she is no intellectual. She enjoys athleticism, she enjoys music, she is kind and sentimental. Frankly, she needs a strong but also a devoted and fond husband. This is a matter of state, of family and of the importance of her being treated kindly and well.” He paused. “If I give offense, I do not intend to. But I needed to stress the importance of that, before we continue—though I would like to say that you are at the very top of the list for the characteristics we are hoping for—a person of integrity, capability, and soundness. So I would like to know, first of all, if this match would generally be pleasing to you.”

[Neo Prutenia]

“Well, I certainly appreciate the bluntness, or rather the directness of your approach to these matters.”

He did not. He really did not appreciate the direct, almost confrontational manner Lalery choose to employ in their very first eye to eye conversation. Or perhaps he just wasn’t used to the crude ways of what were for him essentially foreigners. Of course, he didn’t let his disproval of Lalery’s methods show. A trained eye might have caught the minute split second twitch of Heike’s left eye, a trained reaction to stress common among Prut, but one would have to be very familiar with Prut and Prut customs to deduct the sign of displeasure from that single instance. Instead, Heike just smiled pleasantly, almost nonchalantly. He did know after all that the man in front of him did not mean to offend and that he was merely concerned about his relative.

“And you flatter me too much, Herr Lalery. I didn’t get the impression I was even on the list, bare mentioning in the top spots of the list of potential candidates. Given the distance between our realms, my legal background, and the rather private nature of my ‘candidacy’, as opposed to the more formal state-level appeal of other potential suitors, one does wonder why you’d gift me with so much consideration. Well, not you personally, but whomever made the peculiar list. I understand your concerns for your cousin. If nothing else, than at least the good queen knows how to surround herself with reliable allies. So…”

Heike broke eye contact slowly and made a sideways glance, then said to himself, in a somewhat lower tone than what was his usual voice:

“Oh look at me, prattling about my personal concerns. Just embarrassing.”

He shook his head unhurriedly and elegantly, while at the same raising his fist in front of him, at about the height of his neck. Then he interrupted his own seemingly lackadaisical movements, by exploding in both sound and motion. He opened his hand, as if presenting strong evidence to a judge, while looking Lalery straight in the eyes and said:

“Yes. Yes, very much so. “

He placed his now open hand over his heart.

“While Les Cristaux's speech for new investors certainly had its merits, I did not cross two and a half worlds and twice as many oceans to listen to a shrewd merchant telling me where to spend my money.”

He continued in a jovial manner:

“Yes, Herr Lalery, I came here, in then vain hope, to see her majesty for myself. She has a certain je ne sais quoi about her, that only a blind man would miss. Yet I won’t lie to her cousin. It would be rude. It would be disrespectful. Until I actually do meet with the queen, and exchange impressions with her, I cannot honestly tell you that it would please me. I believe it would. I won’t pretend to know if it would, but I believe it would. What can I say fair Herr Lalery, besides the honest truth.”

He then added, in a serious tone:

“Would it please her?”

[New Edom]

Lalery hid his amusement; he could tell from a few things—the inflection of tone on the word ‘bluntness’, the little eye twitch, the turning of the head; he had annoyed Heike. Good. It was always best to get these things out of the way first, rattle someone a bit and see how they responded. Heike was purposeful in response. But then he would be.

Prutenia was a very different kind of country. They had moved into the arenas of national life New Edom aspired to—with all the great potential and energy of her people, and he alluded to this.

“Oh, I agree completely, Meinherr. Not only that Her Majesty has a je ne sais quoi…and a lot of je sais vraiment quoi, donc vouis avez la remerci de vous recontrer avec la Reine” he added mischievously in his casually and confidently bad French, “But I think she’d like to meet you as well. You are very different, of course, but vive la difference. Naturally though I had hoped to have something of a conversation beforehand. First of all: I wanted to have a look at you myself first. Second, you mentioned, what was it, the rather private nature of your suitorship…suitorship. Is that a word? Ah well. You are nevertheless of impeccable pedigree, and the lack of complications…yes, complications…is very desirable. You see, I am sure you know this, but New Edom is in recovery from civil war and other wars—much as your country was a generation ago, I believe. We are a nation with vast potential, but we are also at a time of difficult change and fragility. So this is not a position to take on lightly. And that is the main point I wanted to bring up. Not only is the general political climate and economic situation very challenging, but we lost two monarchs in the last two years to assassination,.”

He paused and sipped his wine. “God rest their souls. King Mark killed by Elwe extremists, King James II by Anarchists. And then there are the controversial policies. We are a Christian nation, and we are often threatened for it. We have to deal with our people’s prejudice against homosexuality and other religions. So a sense of…adventure would be necessary…and having said that…you mentioned meeting Queen Mara. If you are fond of polo, the Queen enjoys watching it and there will be a tournament this coming weekend in Padan-Aran. I have an invitation for you.”

[Neo Prutenia]

“Herr Lalery, I hail from a race of intrepid merchants; we’ve produced our fair share of adventurers. You speak of New Edom’s issues as if they were problems. Those are merely challenges to be overcome. All societies have them. I didn’t expect to be handed a safe, cushy throne to place my bottom on the moment I stepped foot on your nation’s soil. Quite the contrary, I fully expect danger and annual assassination attempts to be in the job description. If you’re testing me or trying to convince me to abscond from New Edom before I’ve even tried to find my place here, I dare say, and wishing you no offence of course, you’re not succeeding.”

He took a nip of wine, then continued:

“Before we get to this ‘polo’ event, which I will attend of course, I do have concerns I need to address. Herr Lalery, I cannot escape the feeling that you might be a bit, shall we say unsatisfied? Or perhaps not unsatisfied as such, but not completely satisfied. One would assume you’re concerned for your cousin, which is commendable and relatable, and I surely commend you for having such concerns, which might make you a hint more scrutinising than would be appropriate. On the other hand, you might be perfectly fine with this suitor as a husband and companion for a more than deserving queen, but you may not be convinced that the same man would be a good king. Again, I understand, you love your nation and you worry about its future. Which true patriot isn’t troubled by his home’s suffering? It certainly would give a plausible explanation for you mentioning the dangers involved in royal matters in New Edom. Or perhaps you don’t find fault within me, but rather your compatriots, individuals and malcontents with whom you share ancestry and identity and nothing more, but which you find lacking in quality and character, and thus regard them as a source of agitation for yourself, the good queen, and the nation itself. Are these malcontents then the primary concern?”

Heike laughed, maintained a pleasant expression, and jovial tone:

“Since we’re here, and you rightfully wanted to meet me before we proceed with anything serious related to your cousin… tell me Herr Lalery, do you find me lacking as husband, king, or target? Or all three? Or none of the mentioned? Is perhaps my native scepticism voicing itself inappropriately here. So far you’ve mentioned my difference, and a fondness for my sufficiency of blood and lack of baggage to bring into the marriage, but little beyond.”

[New Edom]

Lalery was thus far pleased—Heike wasn’t standing on ceremony, getting indignant, or sneering at him. Most of the foreign aristocrats he had met did just that. Sock puppets. This guy had some brass at least, and enough brains to realize something of the way so the world. He set his wine glass down a moment. You say I’m not succeeding in testing you. Well we’ll see, my dear von Vineta-Flamenfecht. “We’ll see if you’re naïve or not. I don’t think so. I like that you have genuine interests, that you have a sense of purpose in life beyond just enjoying yourself or dabbling incompetently in politics like so many purple and blue bloods I’ve met. In fact in some respects you resemble the Queen’s late father.”

He was very quiet for a moment, for the first time seeming reflective—only for a few seconds, but he found it difficult to speak of King James II—who had been more like a father than an uncle to him. “He was a very good man—he had his eccentricities of course, but as I’m sure you find, few genuinely interesting and worthwhile people do not. She—we all—miss him greatly. What we will need from you most of all is that you should find that you can love her. By that I do not mean passion or wild desire. I mean that you should epitomize what the Epistle to the Corinthians emphasizes—that you should be patient, kind, encouraging, generous and loyal to her. I mean by this no impunity to your honour. So you tell me if you’re lacking or not.”

[Neo Prutenia]

For an instant there was that twitch again, in the same eye as well, involuntary as it is by now, but Heike wouldn’t let minor instinctive reactions affect his composure. He just raised one eyebrow and made a half smile, without showing any teeth, before replying to Lalery’s question in a deep, slow, and constant low pitch:

“Eigenlob stinkt.”

He switched to a full smile afterwards and increased his pitch, continuing in his usual jovial tone:

“An old saying among my kin, one that we take to heart. Herr Lalery, I very much prefer my deeds to do my talking. So allow me to interpret your last question in a more liberal fashion and answer your inquiry with a rhetorical question of my own; ‘Has my behaviour and my actions so far indicated any sort of deficiency?’ I trust they didn't.”

Two can play this game, fair Lalery. Still, well played. Well played. These were just a few thoughts that passed through his mind at the moment. Lalery did compare him to the old monarch, which Heike choose to regard as a compliment. After all the king’s subjects still seemed to hold fond memories of him. Playing on these memories might be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offered a useful avenue to endear himself to his future circle of associates and the people of New Edom, on the other hand he’ll have to be careful not to overtly exploit it or disappoint. What a delightful challenge New Edom will be!.

“Well, let’s raise a glass to the people we love, past, present, and those yet to come, Herr Lalery.”

After the silent exchange in polite nods and the required ceremonial reminiscing, Heike asked Lalery about the Polo event and conspicuously and deliberately changed the subject to more mundane and happier topics, probably to both men’s preference.

[New Edom]

Heike had upon arrival in New Edom first touched down in Fineberg, the capital, and then his plane had refueled and flown on to the northerly smaller city of Padan-Aran, where Shiloam Palace, the seat of the Royal Family was following the destruction of Betharan Palace. It was a rather green looking city, Padan-Aran, with many boulevards and parks, and was also more prosperous proportionate to the population. Like Fineberg, it had mostly bungalows and villas for homes, few tall buildings except for churches, palatial estates and a few government buildings. It was the Royal Enclave during both Civil Wars, and so much of the population was Monarchist.

Heike was greeted by one of the Count's aides called Elizabeth Corbulo, a friendly young woman whose raven hair was in a dutch boy cut and who wore a pretty and elegant sundress, and had a sleek Rolls Royce waiting for them. He had been invited to stay at the Palace but would be heading to the match first; he could freshen up in one of the private rooms at the Polo Club if he wished. Elizabeth was very courteous but also friendly in manner, and would answer any questions he had about the city and the event, though if he preferred silence she was amenable to that also. Her manner was that of a junior public servant or diplomat.

Polo Park, Padan-Aran, New Edom

A great emerald green field lay spread out. Under a row of fully grown oak trees stood a row of polo ponies, polished till their hides were shiny and their muscles jumping under their skin, hitched to iron rails, with attendants nearby under the shade. Tossing heads and shaking necks; manes plaited, tails plaited. Beyond there was a white colonial style mansion house with the flag of the Allied States, the heraldry of the Royal Family and a cross flag hanging. This was the Padan-Aran Polo club. Not far off from this were the stands, and beyond there a parking lot. The parkland had only a few points of access, and they were guarded by Padan-Aran police.

People strolled around the stands as they prepared for the game to begin. It was generally a well dressed crowd, sprinkled with uniformed grooms, waiters and other staff. Summer military dress uniforms showed flashes of colors as of male birds of paradise or peacocks; the crimson and gold of dragoons, the white of Cavalry Guardsmen, naval officers and the dark blue of Hussars. Women in sun dresses strolled in high heels, joking that they were divoting just by happenstance. While New Edomite gathers were a little light on the liquor, there was lots of fruit juice, sparkling water, sangria, wine and other refreshments. Here and there dogs were reined in. Some were perched on blankets spread over hoods of cars, others sitting on elegant wicker padded chairs, and some in the stands.

It was an Army vs. Navy game, with Colonel Steven Horvath (Queen Mara’s Private Secretary) as one of the referees, which he was excited to do. Though he was an avid lover of the game, he rarely had time to play anymore, but he loved supporting it, and was a patron of five childrens’ clubs. Looking hawkish and beautifully tanned, he was standing talking to the other referees and the Club President and Vice-President.

Count Lalery was accompanied by his wife, the Archduchess Victoria, a delicate pale fair haired beauty of melancholy aspect, who seemed graceful and dignified and seemed to at times catch her breath or look slightly dismayed by her husband’s energetic and at times rough manner. He was wearing a polo shirt and summer slacks and shoes, looking very casual, and was in conversation with his beautiful sister, Olivia, who was with her husband, Crown Prince Alois of the Vorindun, a tall powerfully built young man. Also present was Vice-Admiral Prince Elijah Shalmaneser, who had escorted his younger sister Princess Ava.

A falcon thought about alighting in a tree close to the equestrian centre, but the commotion below ensured it soared away to more peaceful climes.

Colonel Simon Daniel, walking along with Count and Countess Merodach, was in agony; it was all he could do to comport himself. Only his eyes watched the Queen; others would simply see him pleasantly conversing with others near him; he looked splendid in his white Cavalry Guards uniform with his gold braid and decorations, and unlike Mara wore his sword with expert ease.

When Heike arrived, he was greeted by Lalery with a friendly bow. “Well, we’re in for a good match today, I think. Of course you are to come and sit with the Royal Family as my guest. May I present my wife, the Archduchess Victoria?” Lalery was fond of his pretty little wife; he enjoyed her naïvete, her subtle charm, her little dramas with her mother. He also liked her in his bed, shocked and blushing at the feelings he roused in her, and enjoyed reminding her of this. It amused him to see her in contrast fully dressed and smiling and exchanging meaningless courtesies so splendidly with people when he’d seen her grabbing her ankles and making startled delighted exclamations just that morning while staring up at his bedroom ceiling.

However the main point wasn’t to introduce his wife, or even the others he made a show of introducing—though indeed Heike would need to get to know all of them. It was the woman approaching to whom others were bowing, her arrival the signal that the match would start soon.

Queen Mara, with her servants (wearing light floaty chitons in honour of the foreign guests, that suggestively revealed their slim or shapely bare legs and a flick of curvy hip and thigh when the wind blew), aides and staff hovering around as well as members of the RPS in plainclothes sprinkled around, walked with a glass of fizzy and blackberry juice, Precious padding along with her. Mara’s supple legs and curvaceous rear were accentuated delightfully by the tight white jodhpurs she wore and swayed with the high heeled riding boots she was wearing. She was generally wearing a female version, tailored for her, of the Cavalry Guards uniform, of which she was Colonel-in-Chief. She wasn’t wearing the sword because she had never learned to wear one; it pissed her off when it whacked into things when she turned around. While Mara was very fit and capable of handling violence if need be, she preferred to avoid it. She could fire a gun and use a knife, but she was no soldier and in this outfit she looked very feminine because of the tailoring.

“Ma’am, may I present the gentleman I had referred to that I met in Adiron, Heike von Vineta-Flamenfecht?” Lalery said with a bow.

Mara smiled at him; she felt as she had begun to lately almost embarrassed to meet a suitor—she had such awful luck with this sort of thing. Her disastrous ‘engagement party’ and her sexless brief annulled marriage had been a bit hard on her confidence, though if they’d met at a party or something she would have been totally at her ease. However little of this showed except for a slight blush; her eyes were friendly, direct and seemingly guileless as she said, “Oh yes, I heard about you, you’re the man who knows a lot about finance and wine, right? The funny thing is, I don’t know a thing about wine, but my Daddy was really good at finance. People didn’t really know that until a few years ago because he did it more as a hobby, but he and uncle Philip did a lot to revive and improve our economy. It’s nice to meet you, you must come and sit with us! Is this your first time in our country?”

[Neo Prutenia]

“I see Herr Lalery has been generous in his praises of me, and didn’t hesitate to talk at length about my peculiarities. But why bother with such mundane things, I ask, when I’m in such extraordinary company?”

Heike finished off the subtle compliment with a confident grin, baring his perfect, white teeth, and ending with a simple, elegant nod to the queen. He then considered to take her hand, but he changed his mind before even making a motion; for one, she didn’t offer her hand as a greeting, and more importantly, it might not even be a custom in this land, and he really didn’t want to botch the first impression or commit a faux pas by touching royalty if such thing was neither expected and perhaps not even permitted. Instead, he just continued the almost attempted motion by pretending to fix something on his clothes.

He straightened his posture, to use his natural height to his advantage, but tilted his head down, just a notch, to appear non-threatening. Heike considered if his dress was appropriate compared to the other people present. Before Elizabeth Corbulo had left him alone in his quarters, he inquired about the usual dress code. After he got a heads-up about it, he dressed in his typical business wear. After all, one should strive to look professional and elegant in the company he’s enjoying right now.

He wears expensive and stylish linen trousers, dyed in a light, cool grey colour, which go well with his plain-toes shoes of black leather. His belt is likewise made out of black leather, with a simple single square frame and prong belt buckle, made out of white gold. He’s wearing a slightly loose dress shirt made out of silk, of white colour, beneath an elegant waistcoat matched with the trousers in colour. The waistcoat’s buttons and cosmetic accessories, similar to the belt, are made of white gold as well. He even bothered with actually using a pocket watch to complement his appearance, the chain of the watch could be seen properly threaded through one of the upper buttonholes, while the watch itself was in the front pocket of the waistcoat. The watch and chain were silver, but polished to a nice shine, so as not to look dull or dim. He skipped on the jacket, as it was warm enough outside, and he deemed it acceptable as daywear in this instance; that is, watching a game outside. He also didn’t wear any sort of tie, but not deliberately. It simply wasn’t a custom among either Prut or Heliandists, especially the latter, since they vastly preferred to have nothing around their necks.

After assessing the situation, and doing a bit of cold-reading to get the cues from Mara, he continued to talk, without hiding his strong accent, as he presumed his foreign pronunciation would sound exotic and interesting to the people here, and because this way his strong voice sounded more natural:

“Thank you for the invitation. As a proper guest, I cannot do otherwise, but join you at your request. And indeed, it is my first time in your fair land, although I feel the need to apologise. To apologise to you, and to reprimand Herr Lalery. I apologise for my ignorance, for had I known such beauty reigns over this pleasant land, I would have come here right after Adiron. Nay, even before that.”

He smiled mischievously, before turning to Lalery, and obviously jesting said:

“Herr Lalery, how could you keep to yourself that Edom and her queen are such a delight? Why delay such splendor for this young fool’s eyes and ears?”

He laughed as he pointed to himself, then turned back to the queen.

[New Edom]

“Are you a young fool? That’s okay I suppose…you must meet some people…” she strolled to the royal box, set aside by black and white bunting and by a banner with a rampant griffon on it, and said, “First, my best friend in the whole world—Precious!” she took the little black fluffy Pommeranian from her maid and made the dog’s little paw wave at him. “Say hello Precious! My very best wonderful friend. And I don’t know if you know my cousins—Princess Olivia of The Vorindun, Prince Elijah, Princess Ava, Count and Countess Merodach.”

Princess Olivia’s hair glowed with reddish highlights and fell to her shoulders; unlike Mara she was wearing a yellow and white sundress and white high heeled sandals, and she seemed very friendly. Any research done about her would say that she was Queen Mara’s closest cousin/friend and confidant, and that she spent roughly half her time in The Vorindun with her slightly younger husband, Crown Prince Alois. For the moment she limited herself to courtesy; she was a novelist and liked to observe people.

Prince Elijah on the other hand, a tall lean man of melancholy aspect wearing a naval uniform, leaned forward, stooping a bit in the manner of the tall, and said, “Are you interested in polo? I enjoy watching it very much but I fear I am not good at it at all.” He said this without any self deprectating humor, rather as though he was just reciting facts. “However today should be a good match. What sports do you enjoy?”

As they were talking the band moved into their box marching expertly, their plumes nodding above their shakos, instruments catching the light in flashes, the drum major pausing, watching as they took their places. People were getting settled.

[Neo Prutenia]

Heike followed the queen, listening to her comments. When Mara made her pet greet him, he remarked: “Cute Zwergspitz!” , while suppressing one of the barely noticeable eye twitches typical for most of his people when they encounter something inappropriate in their perception. Taking the dog and “waving with his paw” instead of letting the animal do it out of its own volition or perhaps training, or greet him naturally seemed like borderline abuse to him. It’s not that he was a friend to all living beings, but he has a very healthy respect for other creatures, and this was a jarringly artificial handling of what the queen described as her best friend. Perhaps it’s nothing unusual for her kind, is what he went through his head.

He didn’t mind too much and certainly didn’t get the chance to overthink it, as Mara continued to introduce him to the others. He decided to let it slide, as would be expected and appropriate. A far bigger concern was introducing himself with the new faces. He did recognise a few of them from news articles and pictures he perused over during his preparatory travel phase. So, he politely responded to each and everyone Mara pointed out to him. In Olivia he found a particular kindred spirit, so to her he didn’t say a word, just giving her a knowing look in silent understanding of both of them habit’s of being more observers than actors. This was accompanied by a slight nod and subtle smile.

To Elijah he reacted a hint more confrontational; for a second he examined who of them was taller. It was just a simple, trivial and short display of vanity, but a luxury he couldn’t deny himself. And it was really just a spell, nothing to be offended by. Almost right after that, he responded to the prince, by pressing his right hand against his own chest, to point towards himself, followed by shaking it as a gesture of negation, while saying:

“Me? Not in particular, I must confess. This is the first game of this type I’m seeing live.”

He deliberately didn’t mention that he watched a dozen games online and learned the rules and background of the game in preparation for the event, just to be on the safe side.

“And I’ll gladly join you in the league of the not particularly gifted players. I’m not much of a rider myself. I have sea legs. Equestrianism is far more popular in the northern and central part of the realm I’m from. My home is the serene, pelagic east. So maritime sports and events would probably be closest to my heart. Those, and association football, which I can be passionate about.”

He looked at the bands and took the hint, moving with the others to their designated places.

[New Edom]

The parade began. On they came: chestnut, bay, dark brown, dappled grey, palomino, the occasional extravagantly spotted Appaloosa, ears pricked, tack gleaming, stirrups and bits glittering. There was a shifting kaleidoscope of coloured shirts, and the great, ever-moving millipede of ponies' legs in their coloured bandages. Many of the riders wore face-guards like visors in a tourney, mallets over their shoulders like lances, as the Royal March played.

'Oh, don't they look lovely?' Suddenly the tears trickled out of Mara's eyes and she had to turn away and bury her face in Precious’ furry coat. Next moment a handkerchief was stuck into her hand by Olivia. A minute later, when she'd got control of herself, Thomas Lalery was there with glass of fizzy water and blackberry juice for her with ice riming the glass. Mara accepted it gratefully.

'And here we have the other finalists….' Major Hamor, the announcer, an officer clearly old to be a major but hale and hearty and enthusiastic about the sport, from the media stand.

The Army team rode with a swagger and there was no doubt their ponies were the sleekest, fittest and most expensive of all. The officers on the team were from the 14th Hussars, the Cavalry Guards, the Royal Dragoon Guards and the 21st Lancers.

'I'm sure you all know that Lieutenant Leah Mallarhyde, the daughter of Mike Mallarhyde, Chairman of Paladin Cinemas and our sponsor, is Army’s Number One in the final today,' announced Major Hamor. Leah lifted her whip.

'She's left her hair loose, the little tart,' said Olivia excitedly. "That'll cost them the form prize even if they win everything else. Oh, I wish Alois was here, he loves this sort of thing.'

"I can't believe they let her in the Academy--she's so common, from such a common family," said Ava with a sad shake of her head.

"Ava don't be such a damn snob," Mara said irritably. "Mike Mallarhyde's an oaf and an idiot, but his daughter only got in; she still had to prove that she could be an officer. And Mike Mallarhyde may be an oaf, but he's given lots of people jobs and he's shown enterprise."

"He got his start selling monkeys," Ava said. "He's a creep."

'Ladies and gentlemen,' said Major Hamor, 'I give you the 3rd Match of Army vs. Navy'
At the sight of these serried, beautifully turned-out ranks, this huge army with their polo sticks on their collarbones like bayonets, a deafening cheer went up. People lifted video cameras.

When the noise had begun to die down a bit, Prince Elijah said warmly, suddenly with interest, "Ah, now yachting is something I love! To be honest, as an admiral I regret at times the age of motors. And the Queen loves being on the water too, you know. In fact when she was a little girl it was hard to get her out. One incident--I shall never forget--she was in another country, in Wielkilas, during a tour, and it was the wintertime, and she was a little dumpling in a snow suit, and she saw a pond, wintertime, all steaming and with chunks of ice, and rushed towards it to jump in! My father was there, he grabbed her by the belt and yanked her back. How we laughed later." he smiled at the memory.

Colonel Horvath, who was having great difficulty controlling his dapple-grey pony, which seemed to have been startled by something, hurled the ball in. The lead navy rider's pony was almost shying and skittish at it. It took all the strength of her rider frantically squeezing legs to stop her ducking out. Reaching over, however, she managed to hook her opposite number's stick, so her #2 was able to tap the ball away. Thundering towards the centre of the field, giving two Navy players the slip, she picked up a beautiful pass from her #2, skedaddled easily round their #4 and hit two glorious offside forehands towards goal, before cutting the ball perfectly through the buttercup-yellow goal posts. Up went the yellow flag.

"Bah," said Prince Elijah, but Mara was clapping excitedly. Precious stood tall and yapped on her lap.

[Neo Prutenia]

After getting comfortable in his seat, Heike just followed the spectacle, half-attentively and half-listening to what was going on around him. He managed to last about twenty seconds into the anthem before he gave up on the game per se and switched to following discreetly what the people around him were doing, an activity he determined to be more important in his situation and quite a bit more interesting. The queens reaction in particular draw his attention, as he subtly examined what everyone was doing and how they handled it. Quite emotional the queen is, he noticed. He made a mental reminder that blackberry juice might be handy in such cases.

Heike didn't mind too much her lack of restrained as he was familiar with her recent history. Given the circumstances, he even admired how she managed to retain this degree of composure. However, her stance towards ‘commoners’, as her attendants referred to the lot, impressed. He sure was impressed by her pragmatism. Or at least her ability to recognise pedigree in persons of usual origin. He was just about to comment on it when the prince interrupted his trail of thought with his story. He shifted his attention to him and listened to what he had to say.

“You should come to visit the Pelagos then. The part around Prutenia is particularly beautiful, although it’s rather wild during the autumn and spring months. Then again, for an admiral with a passion for sails, that would be a great challenge indeed. I think my people are the only ones whose first use of the steam engine was to enhance ships traversing that sea. Of course, there’s always the mild Pruton sea to the south. I do have a mansion there. Perfect spot, pleasant during the entire year, natural harbour, a bit away from the hectic cities.”

Horvath’s manoeuvre apparently attracted the prince. At least enough to make him comment on it, which Heike interpreted as a good opportunity to chat up Mara. Since she was excited about the game, he chose that subject.

“A very decent goal. Can’t wait to see how the other side will retaliate after they teams change directions now. But I’m curious, dear queen, you’re dressed appropriately and seem to have a strong passion for the game; why aren't you playing? Why restrain such energy in this box?”

He made puppy eyes while looking at her, and was interested in her reply.

[New Edom]

“We will have to visit you there then,” said Prince Elijah approvingly. “It sounds a perfect spot. And we have a nice resort here at Quality Bay and another in New Azura, both are excellent places for boating, and we have very good deep sea fishing here…” and then he was distracted by the game again.

For some reason, in a fatal second Leah Mallarhyde paused, allow the Navy’s Jacob Elon to gain valuable distance. The ball was ahead on her left. As she stood up in her stirrups, stretching over her pony’s nearside shoulder to hit the forehand, her right leg automatically swivelled up in the air. Lined up along the south of the field, the; crowd could only see her left side. One umpire, Prince Enoch Tubal-Cain (a navy Commander, the Queen's cousin-in-law) was up the other end, the other, Colonel Steven Horvath, was too busy controlling his refractory pony to watch what Jacob was up to. A second later he had neatly kicked her right stirrup out. Leah mis-hit wildly, and only by some miracle stayed in the saddle, by which time Jacob had backed the ball upfield to his #3 who scored.

“Bravo, Navy!” shouted Prince Elijah.

Mara applauded politely as did the others.

As Heike spoke to her, Mara turned to him with a warm friendly smile, her eyes dancing. "Mmm, well you know I dress like this because while I love the water I'm shamelessly a fan of the Army! I know enough to hear people talk about it but that's it--but I love the uniforms, I love cavalry parades, and I love riding myself, but you know what? I'm not a great polo player. Watch me play and you'll watch me score a goal on my own side because I get too excited and forget what I'm doing!" she laughed at herself, clearly thinking this was fun.

"I wish she was joking," said Count Lalery drily.

"She's worse than me," said Prince Elijah, making Ava and Olivia giggle.

[Neo Prutenia]

“Oh Father in heaven, let’s stick to the water then. Trust me, I can relate to you at least in that regard. Me and horses have an agreement. I don’t embarrass the proud creatures by trying to ride them, and they in turn respect me for that. So far it’s been a wonderful relationship.”

He laughed with her, after adding his own peculiar problems with equines to the talks. He then made a sideways glance towards the playing field, grinned, then turned back to Mara and commented in a more serious tone, while still maintaining the jovial expression and attitude he naturally seemed to be cultivating and sporting with ease:

“If it wouldn’t be a slight nudge on the bold side of appropriate, and surely a bit too early given the current circumstances, I’d invite you to that mansion, next to the sea.”

He got deliberately quieter while continuing to talk, but remained audible and clear, essentially switching on purpose to a sotto voce, both for the effect and to make Mara move closer to him to hear him better:

“A calm place, azure in colour, with black sand beaches. Have you ever walked on obsidian sands? The mansion is of white marble, with decorative elements made out of the darkest of granite. Firm, strong, and lasting. It’s a great contrast to the sands, with the sky and sea playing between, around, and above those two. Behind the house is an old forest, proudly stretching several kilometres in all directions. Walking in the forest proper makes everyone feel reverent and demure. Only two things were carved into the arcane wood; a road connecting the mansion with civilisation and an orchard.

It has all kinds of aromas and colours. I grow there apricots and peaches, the hues and nuances of them being as beautiful and healthy as your skin, light and soft. And the scent. The scent from the orchard mixes liberally with the strong fragrance brought inland by the coastal winds. An experience which even the most masterfully crafted and concocted perfume will never be able to reproduce.”

When they both were closer, he just ended it with a intentionally loud whisper, jocose in tone:

“I’d love to show it to you one day. Would you like such a place?”

[New Edom]

Colonel Horvath, who'd finally got control of his pony, gave Army a penalty for a stirrup kick.

Leah had the line and was cantering a wilting pony down the boards, her roan coat turned the colour of autumn leaves with sweat, her breath coming in huge gasps. Ahead, the ball was bumping and slowly losing momentum over the divots, and the Navy Number Four, was galloping over to ride her off and back the ball up the field. Leah faked by pulling up her weary pony; Navy #4 checked his big, black thoroughbred. She checked her roan even harder, he followed suit. They were both so near the boards there was a loud thumping rattling of their hooves next to it, clods and dust flying around them. Then the Army Number Two was able to lunge in and whip it away, dribbling it for a few yards, then powering it to their Number Two, who took it up field.

Esau, who'd been covering for his Number Four and protecting the Navy’s goal, cleared once again, but Leah blocked his shot. She could have tried for goal, but Marcus Cotta had an easier shot so she gave him a lightning, nearside, under-the-neck pass. The whole ground groaned as Marcus hit the post. As he blazed past the royal stand his knuckles looked white on the mallet, his face taut and dusty.

“God, she’s got a nice ass,” muttered Count Lalery, leaning back, feeling the tension he’d felt as he had been hunched forward to watch the match. “And a good seat too.”

“Gross,” Ava said, shaking her head. “And her father abuses animals. Do you know what he said when a human rights activist told him monkeys belong in the wild? That it’s better for them to be in a nice safe zoo or circus than in a nasty jungle where they might get eaten by an elephant. An elephant….”

Mara was partly watching the match, but also listening, and she turned, at first just watchful, and then her eyes opened a bit more and her mouth softened and she smiled at him. “You make it sound very beautiful. Black sands, think of it! The sands at Quality Bay are white as refined sugar, it’s different. You make me picture it…” she gasped in delight suddenly as Precious jumped onto his lap, lifting an inquiring little muzzle up to him. “Oh! She likes you.” Her voice was soft. “That’s a good sign.”

[Neo Prutenia]

At this point Heike completely ignores the game. He had the attention of Mara and he was not going to waste a moment of it watching the backsides of horses and their riders jumping around trying to hammer balls through hoops. He sported a small grin and exhaled a titter instead of a full laugh. Satisfied, he continued his dignified expression and petted the dog. His movements are delicate and careful, he’s very calm and relaxed while doing so, and he pays attention to the animal’s reaction and tries not to bother it or hit an unpleasant spot. He continues with Mara, this time in normal voice:

“Yes, the realm I’m from is famous for its black sand beaches. We have white sand beaches too, but only in a few spots, and they are generally not as appealing. If you want to imagine it, close your eyes and picture the following.

A clear blue sky over a mighty mountain. The earth shakes, the summit of the mountain cracks. Where once a peak stood, a lithe column of flame dances and kisses the sky. Where red and blue touch, vapour, ashes, and grey clouds are birthed from their passionate embrace. Then the fire cannot see the sky it kissed just moments before and searches for it. It spots the sea below and hurries to hug its lover again. Down the mountain it gracefully pours, hot and blindly in love, almost levitating irresistibly to catch its loved one. Then it touches the sea, and in another act of passion and lust, another cloud, and steam, and all manner of intimate sounds are given shape.

The moment passes and the flame is no more, the sea calms down and the sky shows itself again. The mountain is quiet. The sea now caresses its silent lover, until it’s as fine, refined, and insubstantial as it itself is. And so they are locked in an eternal embrace, with the waves touching the sands, and the sands holding the sea. And you, my dear Mara, you are walking through that scene. Your bare feet feeling the ground, traversing the border between the water and fire created in act of divine passion, an embrace which countless lovers will try in vain to imitate. Such are the beaches of my home.”

He then gestured gently to Precious:

"Come, kleiner Spitz, back to your mistress again."

[New Edom]

Mara was spellbound, but one thing that Heike perhaps didn't know about her was that she also liked science, and so even as she shivered a bit, enjoying him...noticing things about him, how he was very precise and yet had a sense of passion stoked more like a furnace than an open flame, she said, "It sounds amazing...but it's a volcano right? So...isn't it dangerous? I mean do you have seismology and vulcanology labs nearby or anything?" she blushed. "It may seem silly but I'm scared of stuff like that, stuff that reminds you how human we are, how insignificant we are before the earth...even as you make it seem so beautiful that I could be there, imagining the grit under my feet and the warm air touching my body, as though the very place is welcoming me." Unconsciously she moved a bit in her seat.

Precious bounded back to Mara, wagging his curled furry tail, and she stroked him, then let him turn a few circles in her lap before settling down with a small huff, watching Heike.

Count Lalery, his sister Olivia, and their cousins observed this out of the corner of their eyes; while somewhat focusing on the match the whole point of this from their point of view was this meeting. Thus far Heike seemed to be striking the right balance between being a good conversationalist, taking the lead and being kind to Mara. Ava wasn't sure she liked him; he had a bird like precision she found off putting. Olivia found him romantic and interesting, and felt a bit jealous. Alois was a fine young man but not very intellectual, and while fun to be with often left her aching from his intimate assaults; it was both flattering and disconcerting at times. Thomas Lalery however was thinking it was a jackpot, exactly what the doctor had ordered, and discreetly texted the Dowager Queen, who was off at the family resort in New Azura. So far so good.

[Neo Prutenia]

“Clever girl!” he retorted with new found respect for the queen, while breaking eye contact for a second and looking down, hands raised in resignation, followed by looking back at her and crossing his arms, and continuing in a mocking, but friendly tone for comedic effect:

“I could have said ‘that the orogenic origin of most mountains in the realm of Neo Prutenia is of volcanic nature, resulting in many tall mountain ranges and only occasional fault block type mountains, which is conductive to the formation of black sand beaches mostly being a mix of ironsand, placer deposits, and broken lava segments, a plurality of which is crumbled rock and obsidian’, but that would have been a hint dull, mechanical, and would probably have sounded artificial. I don’t think people talk that way, unless it’s a specific class in school or when they’re at a geological convention.”

He switched back to normal pronunciation and tone, again jovial:

“Besides, I did exactly describe how the eruption of a volcano and the cooling of the subsequent lava flow results in black sand in the coastal area, I just avoided the technical terminology. Would you like me to be technical next time?”

He throw her a wink and continued:

“And there’s nothing to worry about. While I don’t have a lab in the mansion, I do have a sure fire way to tell if an eruption will happen.”

He pointed to his eye, flapped with his hands slightly to make a gesture of flight and pointed to the sky looking in the direction his arm was showing:

“When the birds fly away, a volcano will erupt. I also have seismoscope of Raionese make in the living room. A silly looking, but effective device, not unlike a vessel made of bronze with several lion figurines bolted on its sides, all of which have metal balls in their mouths. When the ground is about the shake, the vibrations make one of the figurines drop its ball, showing the direction the quake comes from. Of course, we have actual stations monitoring the mountains all around the realm, so it kind of suffices to just watch the telly or have internet access.

No need to panic. Plus, there hasn’t been a volcanic eruption in ages and we have only two active volcanoes in the realm, using a very broad and liberal definition of active, both of which are relatively small and far away. It’s as safe as we can get in this world gifted to us.”

To further ease Mara, he touched her knee gently, just with the tip of his fingers, and asked her:

“What about your home? A nation with such a beautiful and clever queen must have many wonders. Would you share one with me?”

[New Edom]

Mara giggled. "Don't worry, Mein Herr, I like the poetic descriptions better. You know I love a good documentary because of the music, the voice actors, all that...if I'd been allowed to go to university I would have gone into science and technology--probably botany." As she heard him describe his machine, she clapped her hands. "An Earthquake Machine! I love it, and now I totally want to see it! I've always loved hearing about those and wish I had one."

"Well sure...the rain forests of northern Bara and Raith Immel...are home to a natural wonder that there are few of in the world today..." Mara said, leaning in a little as though sharing a secret. Out on the polo grounds a whistle blew, horses cantered to their lines. "New Edom is mostly isolated by mountains, deserts, and a big lake from the other nations surrounding, so for some weird reason we have animals that are extinct everywhere else. Terror Birds--that's the Griffons that we have heraldically but are actually big flightless carnivorous birds. We have no tigers, no leopards, no bears, no lions, our top predators are birds. But they haven't survived the 19th and 20th Centuries too well, in fact several species are nearly extinct, so we're trying to preserve them, breed them in zoos and special habitats. Can you imagine them? Imagine a big tall bird, head taller than a person's, with golden eyes with a black bold center, a big curving beak like a hawk or eagle's, wings you can barely see unless they're displaying, and some of them are blue, white and yellow. They have big yellow feet with short strong sharp claws that can disembowel a bull. But you know what makes them vulnerable? They're so big they have to nest on the ground. When more and more people began settling these lands, that was it for them--dogs, rats, cats and pigs. And then of course they love livestock."

[Neo Prutenia]

Get a seismoscope for Mara, noted.

Heike listened to her attentively, but he didn’t pay too much attention to what she was saying exactly, but how she was saying it. In his perception, this was far more important than the actual content. And why wouldn’t it be? It was an artificial situation under the supervision of a rather important circle of functionaries in the court; Mara couldn’t just say anything. In addition, he was a very strong suitor, and anything the queen said or even implied would show her actual sentiments and opinions about him and whole affair.

Of course he already knew about the unusual avians that dotted some areas of this country. That information is one of the easiest to discover given even minimal research about New Edom, and the nation didn’t exactly shy away from advertising it. Heike would rather have continued in the direction Mara seemed to be going in first, in particular the mentioning that was she never allowed attending university, which to a young Prut, any Prut actually, sounds like a crime against humanity. Even when considering her royal status and background, the experiences of a student can’t be compared to the experience of having one or several tutors. Somehow, or so he felt, Mara missed out on a lot, and those particular events she never experienced might be something she could use in her current situation. Poor queen.

On the other hand, it also made her really endearing to Heike. That and the cute gesture of enthusiasm she made when he talked about the device for monitoring earthquakes. That he deemed a good sign, but her leaning closer to him was even more auspicious in his mind. How far could he go given the circumstances, the spectators, and the queen herself and her uncertainties? In his culture it would be acceptable to risk it and respond in kind, going closer, and trying to connect a slightly more intimate manner. It was what the meeting was essentially about after all. Then again, Heike wasn’t in merry old Prutenia where the concept of prudishness had to be imported from abroad. And this was abroad. So, in spite of himself and what he would do naturally, he slowed down, and continued in a safer manner. That way he could give Mara more room and opportunities to show him what she’s thinking and feeling, something only the two of them would perceive, instead of saying it, which other ears would also hear.

He leaned closer to her, reciprocating her own gesture, but well within limits of good taste and tact. He smiled while she kept talking, and humoured her. When she stopped, he pretended to want to say something, but halted and raised his right hand slowly and gently towards her face. He adjusted a lock of hair of hers back behind her ear, but while doing so he deliberately caressed her cheek, softly rubbing against it with the back of his hand. When he moved his hand back, he touched her face again, just for single blink of the eye, with the tips of his fingers, very lightly and invitingly. He paid special attention to how she reacted to the whole motion, and said to her:

“We can’t have a rogue hair tarnish your appearance, can we?”

[New Edom]

“Thank you, you're my hair hero now,” Mara said with a smile. “Well you knew all about the Griffons didn’t you, and yet you let me run on about them…I’m not sure if that’s sweet of you or if you were just waiting to see how long I’d talk about them. Well, after this we’re going to Shiloam Palace and there will be some guests around but to be honest, I like things pretty casual like my father…did….so there’ll just be a buffet and people can go swimming or see the grounds.”

“Woo! Go NAVY!” shouted Ava, jumping up and applauding excitedly, even her brother Prince Elijah stood up to applaud.

“Damn it to bloody hell,” growled Count Lalery bitterly, shaking his head but applauding courteously.

Olivia smiled and patted her brother’s hand.

“Geeze, you’d think these people were watching a sport the way they carry on!” Mara said mischievously to Heike. She was finding she liked him. He was gentle and yet confident at the same time with her; she liked how he handled her dog and how he handled her.

God she missed her father. Don’t cry. She took a deep breath. “Anyway I’d love it if you saw one of my homes. And if you’d like, after that we could travel to Fineberg. I don’t really have a home right in the main city proper, but in the Greater Fineberg Area at Quality Bay. Hey…what’s your LEAST favourite kind of state occasion?” she asked, forcing good humor into herself again.

[Neo Prutenia]

“My least favourite state occasion?”

Heike repeated it aloud after her, in confusion, then did so again in his mind, pondering what to answer. He wasn’t expecting such a random question, but he needed to think quickly to find a proper response. Which was much harder than it sounded, since he hailed from a functional stateless society and has been born in one. Quite frankly even his parents were among the first generations born after the abolition of the state in the Prut realms. So, he didn’t exactly even knew what state occasions were.

He tried to recall something about the public events in the countries neighbouring the Prut Meritocracy. Not a single thing came to his mind, beyond some speeches and some ceremonies. Then it hit him, he just burst out with:

“Military parades!”

He looked at her confused himself, and a bit startled. At first he fumbled with his hands while explaining, but then he got the curve and started gesturing properly after the first few sentences:

“The feathers… and… silly uniforms… yes, they look kind of ridiculous don’t they? And the way they’re all marching. What’s that about? I mean, the whole affair is just an exercise in pointlessness. It serves no pragmatic purpose beyond showing off, and who wants to watch people showing off, especially in such a lame manner. Yes! Soldiers ought to show of with their martial prowess and success in the field. That’s why we give them medals. I see a uniformed person with a medal, and I know ‘Aha, this person is a Landser, a seasoned soldier, someone who’s served society. And when I see those comically dressed columns marching I don’t see that élan, nor any dignity in their doing. It’s all play, make-belief.

And even the spectators don’t really enjoy it. You can’t go away, because it would be disrespectful. You have to pretend that marching music is your most favourite tune ever, and everyone knows the songs, since everyone’s heard them a thousand times, so it becomes very tedious very quickly. And you have to stand, to show respect to the people in the costumes waltzing through the street, in spite of those people doing nothing dignified or useful or interesting during such a parade. They last forever, they hold up traffic and generally are always annoying. Yes? Yes!”

The last “yes” came with a nervous expression, he wasn’t even buying his own bluff. He looked at Mara with a hint of desperation in his eyes, pleading with her mentally to change the topic. Please? He continued right away, trying his best to switch to a more comfortable subject.

“But let us concentrate on pleasanter, more interesting things. Shiloam Palace and Fineberg sound very attractive. And I’d love to see one of your homes as well. I must admit that such a setting would be more suitable for conversations, since it would have more space than this locale here, some privacy, and wouldn’t seem so forced and artificial. Where would you be most comfortable, dear queen?”

He felt he was back on track and in control again. He played on his charm and managed to display confidence in his demeanour, while placing his hand again on her knee, this time a bit more than the previous time, a slightly higher, and certainly showing more boldness.

[New Edom]

Something about him was rattled. Militarism. He didn’t want it in his face, didn’t like public homage. No that wasn’t it. Mara was looking at him thoughtfully as he was talking, smiling to encourage him to talk, but she wondered at him having to search for something to say.

Then it came to her. Thomas had warned her that he came from a society that was stateless; it was a kind of genuine capitalism and so even his aristocracy was more of…an art form or a kind of familial integrity mingled with pedigree.

This could work.

“I’d really like that. Let’s make it Shiloam for today then, and then I have meetings to attend in Fineberg in a couple of days, so let’s go to Fineberg and Quality Bay tomorrow,” she suggested. “I should really look like I’m interested in the last part of the match!” with a little wink at him Mara turned back to it, but she was finding she liked him. She found him attractive.

Lieutenant-Colonel Simon Daniel, observing quietly, was feeling a confusion of jealousy and self loathing. Of course she had to get married. And quite right that the man she married should be attentive, should spend some time getting to know her. He hardly wanted the kind of blank state marriage that had wounded her before for her…and yet his foolish fancies overwhelmed him.

It wasn’t the man that bothered him, it was Mara herself. He knew she didn’t love him back; in fact he suspected it was more loneliness than desire that had made her respond to him. That made him feel guilty too. But surely she had responded with enthusiasm? He forced himself to concentrate on his duty, yearning for her but knowing she was growing beyond his reach with every moment.

Following the match (which turned out to be an Army victory, but barely, exciting the fans enormously) they all drove up to Shiloam Palace for a relaxing after match party.

Shiloam Palace

It was not really a typical European style palace in that it was fairly open and airy on the inside, with light colors and avoiding the overwhelming in decoration. It was bright, with big winding staircases and open corridors, painted cool and delightful shades of salmon and yellow in the interior, surrounded by gorgeous gardens The general atmosphere was of peace and calm, with its cream and salmon walls and ceilings, its occasional paintings showing New Edomite historical figures (from Bargun the Awful, the bulging eyed tyrant king of the dark ages to King Josias the Martyr to King David the Lawgiver to Queen Adah the Liberator, to the recent late King Mark I and present King David III) animals (flightless griffon birds, goblin monkeys, flying fish and so on) and artistic decorations. The gardens were very nice and showed a love for geometric arrangements of flowering plants and shrubs. Colorful lamps decorated the pathways of the garden and the tree lined road leading up to the palace itself.

Artfully nude and painted servants of slim and beautiful build moved here and there carrying trays or standing on attentive duty. They had been painted so that they resembled china vases with delicate arrangements of flowers, or in one case the night sky, in another an imitation of a bridal gown, in yet another blue, green and gold feathers.

The buffet supper included the following: grilled fish of various kinds, kebabs (griffon, salmon, red and green pepper, yam), sliced cold ham and chicken, quinoa salad, chopped mango, grapes, lobster halves, shrimp salad, various kinds of toasted bread, cheeses, cakes and puddings.There was wine, beer, liqueurs, soft drinks, juice and spring and carbonated water.

Among the guests were members of both Polo teams, their families and backers, Mike Mallarhyde the tycoon wearing a tuxedo and gazing around goonishly, bowing awkwardly to people and speaking with an accent different from the people that Heike had been speaking with. However talk broad shouldered Admiral Charles Rand, the Minister of Transport, came up and put an arm around his shoulders and began talking to him in a friendly way, which made Mallarhyde grin.

As the guests made their way in, they were greeted by the Dowager Queen Rebecca, still slim, attractive, with short neat chestnut hair, and invited to enter, relax, partake of the buffet and enjoy the grounds. For Heike she had a particular welcome. “So you are the young man who is our guest from Prutenia!” she said. Up close it was clear that Rebecca had married young—she was a very attractive woman in her forties, with a dazzling smile like her daughter’s. “You must tell me all about your country when we have the leisure. But you see on this occasion I have promised my daughter a little break, for she has been run off her feet these last months, and she very much enjoys walking in the gardens here so that she can let her mind wander a bit. I have been assured that you are a gentleman of the highest quality, and wonder if you would be kind enough to accompany her?”

Mara herself was sitting in one of the chairs not far from the buffet, talking to her cousins, wearing a white strapless flowing dress now and while she was wearing similar high heeled sandals to before she also had anklets made of lilac flowers on. The young women were talking animatedly about something.

[Neo Prutenia]

Heike smiled back at the Dowager Queen, and replied in feigned surprise and jovial tone:

“Daughter? Surely her majesty meant to say younger sister, for I would not give her more than perhaps five years seniority over our Mara. Yet I must admit, I thought Mara a gift from heaven, judging by her looks and mien; now I stand corrected. Her beauty is certainly terrestrial in nature, and obviously runs through the family blood. How blessed I am to meet two such wunderbar, delightful women on the same day.”

A charming laugh accompanied the compliment, and Heike gave the Rebecca a respectful nod, than continued in a serious tone, taking advantage over his voice naturally deep sound:

“Your majesty, you honour me greatly with so much trust as to let me be the queen’s escort. I will make sure to repay that trust many times over. Whenever her majesty fancies it, I will be at disposal to spin tales of my pretty Prutenia. Now if you would excuse me, I can’t let the queen wait, not after her mother requested me to be by her side.”

Without words, he gestured to the guests nearby, greeting them and excusing himself, before departing towards Mara.

He liked the castle. In design and space allocation it reminded him of some buildings back home. The interior was certainly a pleasant surprise, as he would have expected more something along the lines of either Neo-Baroque or Art Nouveau. The gardens in particular were a nice touch. Only the choice of colour confused him a bit; for him they were more sacral, rather than regal. Of course, he understood it was cultural differences, but it was a curious impression. He did pay attention to the paintings as well, while he was entering the castle, but couldn’t really recognise more than a few of the persons depicted on them, and of those he did recognise were of recent monarchs. Well, recently deceased ones anyway.

He passed the buffet while going in Mara’s direction, and examined it. Nothing in particular drew his attention, except for the wine. He struggled there for a spell. The divine drink was rather alluring, but he didn’t get to eat properly today, due to the game and travelling, so he felt a bit weak for strong alcohol. He couldn’t risk getting drunk on wine, not here and most importantly not now. He couldn’t afford to even get tipsy. But the temptation was there. Nevertheless, he decided to soldier on. In case someone was paying attention, and doesn’t someone always do so in such circumstances and company, he pretended to merely having examined the various dishes displayed in the buffet. Not to long after, he went for Mara’s table.

He approached in a slow pace, up front and directly towards Mara, so she could clearly see him coming. When he was close, he addressed the assembled people there in a manly, deep tone:

“Ladies.”

While straightening his pose and placing his left fist on his chest, mostly to draw their attention. He then continued more jovially:

“I apologise for interrupting the lively conversation. I am Heike Friedrich von Vineta-Flamenfecht, and I must steal your queen for a moment.”

He laughed pleasantly, then looked at Mara, saying:

“Dear queen, would you give me your hand… for a moment?”

The last part was added mischievously after deliberately waiting for a second, as if he had ended the sentence. He stretched out his left arm towards Mara, inviting her with his open palm to give him her hand.

[New Edom]

Queen Rebecca flashed a smile as she listened to Heike's dazzling compliments and charm, and said, "My goodness, I'm going to have to watch out for you, silver tongued man. I will look forward to speaking with you later." He heard, as he was leaving her, her greeting warmly a man she called "My dear Prince, it has been far too long since you graced our home with your warm presence..."

"Oh my gosh, an abduction," said Olivia, as Heike bowed and talked of stealing Mara.

"Before you start, you've already written three novels with that theme," broke in Ava merrily. "Though Mein Herr doesn't seem the type."

"We'll have to figure out what type he is," agreed Olivia.

"While you two speculate," Mara said, taking the hand and rising, "I'll bid you adieu for now. I take it you haven't seen the gardens yet, Mein Herr?" As she went to go with him, discreetly her maid Tegan followed demurely, but at a distance.

The walk was long, and variously descending planted with limes, elms, and other trees, and there was a e hornbeam hedge, which being high and stately, buts full on the fountain. Towards the farther end, was an excavation intended for a vast fish-pool, but never finished, and near it was an in- closure for a garden of simples, well-kept; and here the Royal Family kept tortoises in great number, who used the pool of water on one side of the garden. Here is also a conservatory for snow. At the upper part of the garden, towards the palace, was a grove of tall elms cut into a star, every ray being a walk, whose centre is a large fountain. Peacocks strutted languidly here and there. A short distance off some of the guests and members of the court were playing a game of croquet while an audience sat in fine wicker lawn chairs watching.

"It's strange to think that only a couple hundred miles away my country is suffering. This is an island of peace." Mara said sadly, blurting it out at she watched the croquet game a moment before turning away to the elm grove. "One of our cities, Glasstower, might as well be on the moon. Oh you should see the old pictures of it from twenty years ago, a pretty small city in the old way, round domed churches and sloping roofed villas, nearby a river, all surrounded by farmland. Then there was the First Civil War, and a Free Congress army occupied it and then a Monarchist Army besieged it. Then it was recovering, and occupied by peacekeepers, and after that the Anarchists came and blew up the infrastructure, wanted to terrify the world with what they could do to a city. And then the ETC militia came to save it, and have been occupying it, but there's almost no power, no fuel, no airport, no rails...and we have foreigners coming in to help but I grieve. I wish I could serve my guests millet bread and distilled water like they're feasting on." Mara turned to him and put a hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry...God what my mother would think, blabbing, I'm sorry, Mein Herr, let's talk of more pleasant things."