The Conference at Mezayn (IC/Invite)

[Lejira]

Chateau de Mezayn, Mezayn, Lejira

Lejira was a kingdom in the heart of the subcontinent of Jaria, a realm of fertile plains through which the Jara River flowed, its border lined with high mountains that were snow capped as winter approached. The village of Mezayn was itself located near the heart of Lejira, dropped in the rural countryside in a sea of picturesque fields, turned into amber waves by the autumn season. Rising above the field was the Chateau de Mezayn, after which the town was named. Built in the Aymonic style of the late 17th century, the modest chateau was a was an ornate building clad in finely carved stone , its terraced gardens spreading out from around the dry moat that surrounded the country seat.

The chateau was an unassuming local for a meeting of geopolitical decisions, picked at the direction of the Queen Grandmother of Lejira, Frederica of Riessany. The Queen Grandmother was an elderly woman, but despite her age remained a sharp and astute political figure in Lejira, and with the recent ambitions and designs of her grandson the current king, international politics. She had selected the Chateau de Mezayn precisely because it was small and unassuming. It had none of the pomp and circumstance of the Palace of Rovatomaz, were all the grandest ceremonial occasions in Lejira were held nor was it in the hubbub of the New Royal Palace in the capital.

This was, the Queen Grandmother hoped, meant to be a working meaning, devoid of the ceremonial duties or political scrutiny that other places would impose upon the proceedings. The Queen Grandmother had kept it small, intending to cut through the relative foolishness of petty squabbles and hang ups of politics in favor of brutal realpolitik. She had invited the Queen of Genes and the sister of the Celestial Emperor, older woman like herself representing the dueling superpowers of the continent. With any hope, they could set that ridiculous notion aside, the Queen Grandmother thought as she stood at the entrance of the chateau flanked by her two most loyal court ladies, the Countess Konstanze von Glockenstadtberg and Duchess Maja von Flensburg as well as her granddaughter, Crown Princess Frederica.

The quadruple of women waited straight backed for their invited guests to arrive.

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara of Derita was one whose mind went to first when one thought of the Celestial Empire. The youngest daughter and child of the late Emperor Andeja I and sister to the current Celestial Emperor, she was a woman well into her seventies, dressed in dramatic Imperial black— black was the preferred color of the Imperials, for it was the color of power and authority in Derita. Her dress was a simple black tea crown with a high collar, her hair short and braided close along her scalp, a string of pearls pined to a brooch on her chest and dangling from her ears. A long white mourning veil was draped over her bun, falling past her waist behind her.

Behind the princess followed her daughter, the Countess of Fionete. The princess’ only child— Princess Alara alone of her siblings had married a fellow Deritain, a wealthy nobleman, rather than a foreign royal and had been widowed for several years now. The Countess, Larella was dressed in similarly striking black, her ruffle bow neckline dress cinched at the waist, its long sleeves made of fine silk pinned with pearl buttons. She wore her curly black hair like her mother was braided in neat rows before twisting into a bun that had draped over it a white mourning veil that fell down her back behind her. Like her mother, the countess had lost her husband, a minor nobleman as well.

The two women had arrived in Lejira via jet, skirted around Thiranaedh, if just for precaution, and arrived in the Lejiran capital before traveling to Chateau de Mezayn. It had been a pleasant and quiet trip. The Chateau was quite the different setting that the countess was used to, spending much of her time in the Aukusa Bay Area, the metropolitan famed for its dense urban fabric and skyline dominated by skyscrapers. The Princess was pleased with the change of setting. While never a woman of great ambitions, the princess was no stranger to the world of politics, and found it pleasing that her brother, as their nephew Andeja III before him trusted her with political matters given her neutral deposition.

And if she was honest with herself, she had grown bored with sitting about in relative obscurity.

“Your Majesty,” Princess Alara said with a small curtsy. Given her age, the princess could only lower herself so much. “What an honor it is. Please allow me to introduce my daughter, Larella Mpangele, 2nd Countess of Fionete. We are your honored guests.”

[Lejira]

The Queen Grandmother smiled as her court ladies bowed, similar unable to fall quite as low as they might once have been able to. The two Frederica’s meanwhile greeted the two women with nods of greeting and acknowledgment. They wore dark steel blue and white ceremonial military uniforms, the elder’s with a skirt, whilst the younger’s with trousers and the metal breastplate of a Calvary officer’s uniform, a dark blue beret on his head over heir braids pinned into a bun.

“It is good to see you again, Your Imperial Highness,” The Queen Grandmother said. She couldn’t exactly recall if she had met Princess Alara before, when one had lived so many decades and met so many people, some things could grow fuzzy. But better to err on the side of polite caution. “Welcome to Lejira.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

“Always a pleasure,” Princess Alara said. It would have been decades the last time that the two would have seen one another. She and her daughter fell into step, turning to stand next to one another, the princess smiling with a mixture of weariness and amusement. “I take it that we are waiting on the Genoise?”

Of all the members of the Imperial Family, Princess Alara cared the least about the Valwa-Volonte Rivalry, being a woman who herself predated it, recalling her brother Antoine’s marriage to Louise of Genes. That the two dynasties had fallen out, well in truth it had largely unaffected her personally. Though she could tell that there was a growing sense of bitterness between her nephews and the Valwa princes. The princess couldn’t help but ponder on if it was a issue that would have to be left to the next generation to solve.

[Lejira]

“Yes,” the Queen Grandmother said, mildly pleased that her gamble had paid off. Gambles seemed to be the way of things these days given the current political climate. Jaria was a subcontinent that had been defined by both its conflicts and its tensions, with the four kingdoms never quite truly being able to come to terms, and each at one time or another looking to dominate the others. Though with the latest gambit by the Ambariz, that could be set to change.

[Royal Genes]

Queen Nicolette let out a small huff as the car came to a stop before the front of Chateau de Mezayn, looking out the window to see that the rest of the delegates had already arrived. Good. As the Queen of genes saw it, she was the highest ranking the three women, and thus it was only fitting that her arrival be one that served as best for last.

The driver stepped out of the limousine, opening the door first for the companion that the queen had brought with her, her cousin the Duke of Wessex. The Duke, a descendant of one of the cadet branches of the Valwa Dynasty, stepped out, dressed in the the typical emerald green and gold and grandeur of the royal family. Wearing a stiff emerald waistcoat that was cut low showing a simple silk shirt that protected his torso from the cooler air of autumn, golden bangles on his wrists, with matching slim trousers, along with a waist cape of green and gold that trailed behind him like the tail feathers of a peacock.

The Duke of Wessex made his way around the limousine and when the driver opened the door, he aided his elderly cousin out.

Queen Nicolette stepped out of the limousine, dressed in a monochrome emerald green dress, a twisting mandarin collar with a golden brooch in the shape of a peacock feather pinned to her chest. Matching golden earrings studded with emeralds hung from her ears, her graying hair pinned up with a golden tiara with dangling tear dropped shaped emeralds alternating with diamond. The Queen of Genes was an elderly woman, her light brown skin marked with thin wrinkled lines though most were hidden behind carefully behind makeup. She turned her nose up, as she let the Duke of Wessex escort her down the way and over to the queen grandmother and the princess of Derita. The Duke of Wessex gave a dramatic bow to the others, while Queen Nicolette gave a smug smile.

“Your Majesty, Your Imperial Highness, Your Royal Highness, your lady ships, may I present Her Majesty, Queen Nicolette of Genes.”

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Nicolette added.

[Lejira]

The Queen Grandmother gave a short curtsy to the Queen of Genes. Unlike her court ladies or the Princess of Derita she made no complaints or execused if her advanced age. While Nicolette might have married into her position— much as Frederica had— it did mean that she took precedence amongst them as the only current Queen consort. Which was in part the point. The Genoise the Queen grandmother had found enjoyed their pomp and circumstance. If not for the need to balance the work ethics if the Deritains, she was sure that they would have felt right at home in Rovatomaz,

“Your Majesty, you honor us with your presence, please, welcome to Lejira.” Said the Queen Grandmother as she rose back to her full height— not terribly high but still she seemed to loom with her back ram rode straight. He looked between the two delegations. “If you would not mind, but let us withdraw inside.”

The Queen Grandmother did a turn more like an about face, her court lady is and granddaughter following suit as they followed her across the bridge that lead into the chateau itself. They lead the Deritains and Genoise into the grand drawing room, with overlooked the interior courtyard garden on one side, its side walls lined with bookshelves and its far wall a a faded white washed stucco with ornate moldings at the head and foot, and were a giant map of the continent had been stretched out, Lejira, Genes and the Celestial Empire’s borders slightly bolden as to draw attention to them.

Sofas had been arranged in a loose U shaped, the table stacked with a fine imported Guallan porcelain tea set that was white and blue, as well as pens and papers and a hefty book with the family trees of various royal and aristocratic families in Meillur. The Queen Grandmother took a seat at the head, in the middle, her granddaughter taking a seat to her right while her court ladies took seat to her left, behind her.

“Please sit,” The Queen Grandmother said, gesturing for the Princess and her daughter to sit to her left and the Queen and the Duke to sit to her right.

[Royal Genes]

The Queen of Genes delighted in seeing the mighty Frederica of Riessany, of whom she had heard a great many stories of her strength and power over her husband, son, grandson and all of Lejira. She could relate in some aspects. While she had always differed to her own husband, the King, she had more than enough experience with wrangling and managing her children and grandchildren, reminding them of their importance and dignity as not just simply royals, but as members of the Valwa Dynasty, the greatest dynasty. Certainly the wealthiest.

Queen Nicolette descended gracefully into her seat to the right of Queen Frederica, a small smile on her lips as sharp as a razor.

“A pity that things sit so terribly unequal, for Her Imperial Highness,” Queen Nicolette said without the slightest hint of pity, “made to sit with two queens. The room suddenly feels so terribly lopsided.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara curtsied to Queen Nicolette, rolling her eyes as she followed after the royal grandmother of Lejira, she and the Countess of Fionete walking in step as they made their way over the bridge and in through the corridors of the chateau. As they entered the drawing room, the princess looked up and around, taking in the style of architecture and interior design of the space for a moment as she leisure made her way over to her seat next to the royal grandmother and opposite of the Queen of Genes.

“Who knew that peacocks could be so heavy?” The princess said without a humorless chuckle. That the other two leading figures of the delegates in turn felt more of a boon, than an insult to her. She was just a princess, here holding the ears of queens. Though it did made sense, as her brother didn’t have a wife or husband to serve in a role that would have been reminiscent of equal to that of Nicolette or Frederica, meaning of their generation the princess was the closest equivalent rank of women.

“What a lovely,” the princess continued on before Nicolette could say something, “tea set. Shall we be having a luncheon before we speak on the agenda?”

[Lejira]

“I hoped that we could have something of a working lunch,” the Queen Grandmother said, raising a bell that sent in a small group of footmen into the room, who brought with them a pot of tea and metal tiered stands of finger foods: mini quiches, fresh fruits in the forms of orange slices, blueberries, black grapes and sliced green apples— a clever nod to the colors of Lejira, Derita and Genes respectively; along with soft pretzel sticks and small tea sandwiches.

“There is much I wish to discuss with you both,” Queen Frederica said as the footman poured them tea, offering milk and sugar to be added in however the other women wished to have theirs. “First and foremost the dangers of this recent trend of Meilluran Dualism.”

[Royal Genes]

Queen Nicolette, instructing the servant to put on a little bit of milk and a lot of sugar into her tea before she took it up in its saucer, stirring the ingredients with a spoon with delicate and well mannered motions of her wrist. She looked to Frederica with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that phrase, what is your meaning?”

[Lejira]

“What I mean is this rivalry between the Valwa and Volonte Dynasties.” The Queen Grandmother said.

“It is, without a doubt, the great dualism of Meillur. If you ask anyone, save perhaps the Hospeans, who are in denial of their own importance, you two are the continent’s superpowers—one entrenched in wealth, opulence, and the politics of luxury,” she gestured to Queen Nicolette, “the other in sheer size, military might, and the shadow of empire,” she gestured to Princess Alara. It’s the kind of rivalry that divides the entire continent into two polarized camps, each with their own vision of the future. The Genoise are smug in their riches, while the Deritains are relentless in their expansion. And of course, the rest of us are stuck in the middle, watching as the two powerhouses throw their weight around, endlessly jockeying for control, influence, and dominance. It's exhausting, really.”

Queen Frederica picked up her own tea.

“But more than anything, it is inefficient and shall, in the long term I assure you, prove to be self-destructive.”

The Queen grandmother took a sip of her tea.

[Royal Genes]

Queen Nicolette’s eyes widen with a flutter of blink, her lips forming a slight O shape before pressing together in a stunned disapproving frown as she looked at the older woman with a mixture of emotions— almost none of them good. She help her tea and saucer frozen in place for a moment before managing a haughty scoff and saying, “You are bold, Your Majesty,” she said, taking dramatic angry pauses between the first three words.

[Lejira]

The Queen Grandmother set her tea cup back down looking to Queen Nicolette, she had been, given the range of expressions that had swept across her face, expecting something a bit more from the Queen of Genes. Instead it had been only a sound and short sound of indignation. That was Frederica’s fault though. She have expected that. She had been trying to veil her distain for the tip-toeing around the topic at hand, one she really hadn’t even gotten to. She didn’t particularly care about the rivalry, but it was an inconvenient thorn in her own geopolitical agenda, so it had to be removed. And she would do so, regardless of how unpleasant it might be for the two others.

“I did not get to where I am, to either my great age or high position for lack of boldness.” Queen Frederica said. “We in Lejira are the only people in Jaria with a spin, and it is made of iron. I do hope to find that we are not the only ones in the whole of the continent.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara was quiet for a moment. Queen Nicolette had made the mistake of speaking too quickly before she knew precisely what it was she wanted to say. And that was not not an approach the princess suspected would work with the former queen of Lejira.

“If I may, Your Majesties,” Princess Alara said, “My brother, the Emperor, has tried, repeatedly, to make overtures of peace and cooperation as their was in our youth between the Celestial Empire and the Genoise Crown. The Valwa have made it clear that they think too highly of themselves, and that their dynastic ambitions soar far too high, so much so that they have lost sight of reality, and the realities of the contemporary world.”

[Royal Genes]

Queen Nicolette scoffed. “The Celestial Empire are the epitome of arrogance. One marriage. That is all that we wished to arrange, as was and is our right, and your brother, the Emperor, spat at the very idea. You lot imagine that because you call yourselves imperials rather than royals that you are thus entitled to treat the rest of us as if we are nothing, no one is high enough for you to tie yourselves to, save perhaps your own. And you would rather throw away generations of tradition and friendship for your newfound ‘progressive ideals’. Ideals you happily scatter to the wind when it serves to your own convenience.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara rolled her eyes.

“Arrogant? The Genoise prance about as the peacocks they are with blind designs that they be not satisfied till they can whisper into the ears of every head of state on the continent from the mound of a pillow. And if they can not sleep their way to power and prestige, they intend to buy it, or perhaps failing that to slit throats until they are the only ones left standing in a wasteland of ruined realms, with the angry masses calling for blood in the distance.”

[Royal Genes]

“The Celestial Empire is an aging lumber husk of a giant rotting from the inside determined to liberate every person from whatever inconveniences of life that plague, or hurt your wilting personal beliefs, willing to destroy everything that has being built before for centuries. You say we Genoise are old fashion, but you Deritains are so idealist that you will set the world ablaze for a fantasy that exists only in your minds.” Said Queen Nicolette.

[Kingdom of Derita]

“Yes,” Princess Alara said with an exasperated shrug of her shoulders. “Blame us for having a conscience. My brother has spent his entire life dedicated to uplifting those less fortunate, of expanding the rights and freedoms of the people over who the likes of you trample over and squeeze for a profit.”

The Princess shook her head. “I understand the designs of the Valwa are built upon the political elements that got them to where they today, but for as much as you are willing to advance in your economic interests, you should perhaps consider that developing something akin to morals. Though that’s a difficult thing to accomplish when your entire nation is built upon the backs of slaves itself.”

[Royal Genes]

Queen Nicolette took a sip of her tea, unmoved by Princess Alara’s preaching and attempts of imposing some moral high ground upon the conversation.

“Yes, because the Celestial Empire was so famously built on peace and love.”

[Lejira]

“Do have some sense of decorum. It is a pitfall of diplomacy, I’m afraid,” Queen Frederica said looking from the Queen of Genes to the Princess of Derita. “You are not meant to agree on all things,” she said as if she were speaking too quickly before a pair of children she’d just pulled from a playground brawl. She didn’t feel that was far off from the reality.

“Let us not pretend the Celestial Empire is quite so humble,” the Queen Grandmother said with a roll of her eyes. “Or Genes so enterprising in their wants. Though you are correct in that there must be a return to the days when our nations were allies— more so now than ever. And we should be the strongest of allies, not squabbling over the particulars of things.” She was sure to use we as to insert herself into the conversation and the idea of allyship.

“No nation may agree on all, and our particular interests may not always align, but the bounds that connect us are far stronger than those that divide us. Particularly in those day and age. The Celestial Empire has size, and influence and power that had not been easily rivaled. The Genoise hold wealth unimaginable with the most brilliant minds for business and finances. In Lejira we play to our strengths, we are trained to dominant our martial opponents. To turn battlefields into glorious sites of victories.”

She gestured between the two women.

“Tell me, what victories do you imagine for your nations at this rate?”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara set her tea and saucer down in her lap at Queen Frederica’s snapping at them. It was not a thing that she was used to. Not since her own grandmother had been alive had any woman thought to speak to the princess in a way that might be called chastisement. It was an annoying feeling, but it did strike at something of a truth about the rivalry that had erupted out the fissure that had formed between the Valwa and Volonte.

Princess Alara let out a huff of a sigh.

“We in the Celestial Empire have always been open to compromise. It is importance for us to do wha5 we can to build a better future.”

[Lejira]

“That is a step in the right direction,” Queen Frederica said, with a bit of uplift at her tone as to lift up their spirits. “Compromise, is net another necessary part of diplomacy. And trust that in whatever losses that may string here in the confines of a room for negotiation, that they shall in time prove themselves to strengths paid over and over with the benefits of partnership. As all our nations know we could enjoy with unprecedented success and prosperity.”

[Royal Genes]

“Compromise?” Queen Nicolette scoffed. “It has always been so exceedingly easy for the Celestial Empire to claim they want to compromise, particularly when they’ve become so adept at throwing their immense wait around,” The Queen gestured to the Princess insultingly. “You are the mountain and we are all else Muhammad. The bad blood between our families is not wholly ours. And if we are be honest, as you say, then let us be honest. It is not Genoise wealth or Deritain strength, nor even our foreign politics, our difference in ideals that separate us. We are ambitious, and proud of it. We have climbed higher than all else, from the lowest rung of the gentry, to,” she spread her arms wide, “superpowers. Yes, we climbed over the back of slaves drenched in blood, destroyed our enemies when we were outnumbered seven to one, but that is how diamonds are forged, in heat and pressure. We have earned our seat here, generations ago. We shall not stand on your shadow again. And that is where the true problem lies. The Volontes are the sun… and they stand that there are other stars that shine brighter than they. Stubbornish.”

Queen Nicolette looked to Queen Frederica. “We may be willing to stand together, but it must be as equals. And for that to be made true,” she looked back to Princess Alara. “For once the mountain must come to Muhammad.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Princess Alara held her tea cup in her her grasp before setting it down, giving a deadpan expression to the Queen of Genes. “Let me guess, it’s a marriage.”