Rartenian-Leriyan Royal Visit (Atten. Leriya)

[Rartenia]

Niraja, Rartenia
The Volomparasy Royal Palace

After private introductions between King Radaros of Rartenia and King Jarratos of Leriya, the two monarchs had agreed to have a meeting between them and their royal families. King Radaros had invited the King of Leriya to make an official visit to Rartenia, at the capital city of Niraja and to stay at the Volomparasy Royal Palace, the official residence of the kings of Rartenia.

King Radaros ruled a small nation of just over 2.4 million people, nestled on the windward side of the Doaro Mountains on the western edge of the Inland Sea, which wasn’t actually a sea, but instead a vast freshwater lake, the largest on the continent. Rartenia was a parliamentary monarchy, which under the National Democrats took a democratic socialist approach to running the nation.

Niraja was the largest city and capital of Rartenia, though it was small compared to many foreign city. It was a port city, a series of small canals running through it woke a larger deeper canal curved around the city like a moat protecting a fortress. Volomparasy Royal Palace was a low lying building surrounded by gardens on the north end of the city, looking out over the Inland Sea.

[Leriya]

King Jarratos watched as Niraja drew closer and and closer as his yacht sailed towards the foreign capital. It was his first time leaving Leriya for an exotic local abroad. Not that it was all that far. Rartenia and Leriya were next door neighbors, with them sharing each other’s longest border with one another.

The King, his wife Queen Xata and their son Crown Prince Xarabar had left the capital of Leriya, Zagra, traveling along the route of the rail line under construction to the port of Toresydon, and from there board the royal yacht, Senalsham and set sail to Rartenia, feeling that it was the fastest way short of air travel to reach their neighbor as their border was lined with mountains, lakes and sparse grassland savannas.

As the yacht entered the canal to reach the palace, the Leriya royals prepared to disembark.

King Jarratos was tall by Leriyan standards, standing at 178 cm. The monarch was a man of 70 years old and had sat on his throne for 22 of those years. He had coffee brown skin. His hair had turned gray, and as he’d been handsome while young, the king had aged well enough. The King wore an Leriyan oba suite, wearing a white fipari and white stockings, blue loafers, along with a mandarin collar kanzu jacket and shirt in complementary shades of blue with silver buttons and a blue kufi hat on his head. A heavy silver state ring gleamed on the King’s finger.

At his side Queen Xata walked with an arm around her husband’s. The first Queen consort of Leriya, as Jarratos’ predecessor had had no consort, she was grandmotherly figure, with crows feet at her eyes, a stripe of gray through her short black hair, but her face shined with a smile. At 164 cm she was much shorter than her husband. She wore a white dress in the same high waist fashion of Marijani d’Aurelains, with a sliver necklace and matching tiara, a blue fiaipari wrapped around her waist and a matching sari draped over her shoulder.

Crown Prince Xarabar followed after his parents, the 26 year old heir apparent standing above both of them at 183 cm, he was consider very tall by Leriyan standards. The crown prince was handsome with his short curly black hair styled in an undercut. He too shared the coffee brown skin tone of most Leriyans, and wore a similar outfit to that of his father, the white and blue oba suit, but lacked the kufi hat or the silver ring.

[Rartenia]

Attendants rushed to aid in the docking of the yacht at the private marina of the royal palace, men rushing down to tie off ropes and help the Leriyans disembark. As they did, King Radaros and his family made their way down the trail from the main building of the palace, with its purple peaked roof and line of arched walkways that caught the wind and kept the complex cool.

Rartenians, like their Leriyan neighbors had dark skin, like smoothed umber rock from the Doaro Mountains. But their fashion couldn’t be more different. King Radaros, a many of fifty, some twenty years younger than his Leriyan counterpart, wore a traditional salaka, a type of loincloth that wrapped snuggly around his waist and covered all to half way down his thighs. Over that he wore a kosa, which was secured at his waist by a gold belt and fell in two long pleated panels down his front and back past his knees. The kosa was a deep purple color and the front had long strings of purple and gold beads. On the king’s wrists were heavy gold bangles with one also on each bicep, long strings of beads hand from there as well. A gold choker necklace rested proudly around his neck while a long beaded necklace dropped down his chest. On his head he wore an ornate chada crown, a heavily embroidered cloth headband with gold circle with purple beaded tassels hanging on either side of his face.

To the King’s right we’re his eldest daughters by his late wife, Princess Olitiana and Princes Olya. The princesses, while not twins, were close enough in age, 24 and 22, and appearance to be often mistaken for them. Both had deep dark brown skin and curly back hair tied up in buns. They wore salakas though theirs covered to well below their knees and their purple kosas were beadless. They wore heavy gold bangles on their wrists, along with one also on each bicep, long strings of beads hanging from there. Purple wraps covered their breasts, with matching chocker necklaces, the same as their father’s, around their throats. Beaded earrings were pierced in their ears while gold diadems rested on their heads.

To King Radaros’ right was his fourth wife, Queen Blandine. The Queen was much younger than her husband, at just thirty five. She was beautiful, with coco brown skin, large brown eyes and full lips. Her black hair was cropped short, almost entirely hidden beneath her crown, which was a less ornate version of her husband’s. Her attire was similar in style to that of her stepdaughters, though one would note that she didn’t wear purple, instead her salaka and kosa were dark red.

To the left of the Queen and last of the greeting party was King Radaros’ eldest son, heir, and only child by his late third wife, Crown Prince Rajomaros. Rajomaros, the youngest in attendance at just 20 years old, was short and lean and dressed similarly to his father sans-chada crown. He had slightly lighter brown skin than his father and his hair was thick and curly as it fell around the golden diadem on his forehead.

“Tongasoa,” said King Radaros with a smile, a purple and golden scepter in his hands. “Welcome to Rartenia.”

[Leriya]

King Jarratos tried not to let his eyes go to wide as she saw the traditional dress of the Rartenians. It was certainly much more revealing than Leriyan fashion. At the same time it was quickly fascinating to look upon. Queen Xata mentally agreed, but she kept up her smile. King Jarratos bowed his head to King Radaros.

“It is an honor to visit your country, your majesty,” said King Jarratos.”And a pleasure to meet you and your family. Please allow me to introduce my wife, Xata and our son, Xarabar,” the king said gesturing to his wife and son respectively.