| An Invitation to the Ura'sia of Erinor |
To her Excellency, Ura'sia Yena Yamera-Hyudo of Erinor,
In the short time the Imperium has been involved on the world stage, it has come to our attention that our two nations have yet to establish closer ties beyond that of our respective embassies. As such, we wish to invite you and your family to dinner at the Imperial Palace in our capital of Elysium, if you so wish. We look forward to your reply, and to further developing the friendship between Pax Dracon and Erinor. Walk in Peace, Hestia Drakar V Empress Hestia Drakar V Octavian Viranius Grand Minister Octavian Viranius
To Empress Hestia Drakar V,
In our relatively brief dealings since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Erinor and Pax Dracon, I have not failed to be impressed by your culture, promise and welcome and so it is my very great pleasure to accept your invitation. My husband, Adaro Okhrensa-Maralto will accompany me. We look forward to enjoying Drakari hospitality and getting to know you face to face. Yours, Ura'sia Erinead Yena Yamera-Hyudo.
The Imperial Palace was a flurry of activity. Cooks ran from kitchen to kitchen, preparing the various dishes that were requested for the formal meal, and custodians frantically scrubbed the halls clean to the last pillar. The guest suite was the first to be rendered completely spotless to ensure the Ura'sia and her husband had naught but the finest comforts the Imperium could provide. Not to mention security.
All the while, the hosts of this event readied themselves in their own way. Octavian simply combed back his thinning, white hair in the Empress' one of the washrooms in the palace. He was clad in the same suit and robe combination he had for his work at the Senate, including his lovingly cared-for bright red sash. It was unfortunate his son was unable to attend, but Agrippa and his wife were on holiday, and he would not rope them into matters of state during said holiday. When he left the washroom, he decided to check on his dear friend and her family. Just as he knocked on the door that led to the Empress' personal quarters, he could hear... "OW! Mama, don't pull!" A young voice shouted, likely to be Princess Calpurnia. "Callie," another voice said, "you said you wanted to look pretty for our guests. Were braids not part of that request-- who is it?" "Octavian, your Grace." "Please enter, my friend." And so he did, taking in the sight of the Empress and her children all in formal robes. Hestia was busy braiding her youngest child's hair, while her twin sons made the final adjustments to their clothing. Crown-Princess Valeria stood by her mother's personal vanity, putting on a necklace she undoubtedly felt fit the occasion. All had their circlets nearby. "I was just wondering on how you were holding up, Hestia. This is the first foreign leader we have hosted in..." he tried to think through his people's history. "Well... ever." The Empress chuckled. "If it is any consolation, old friend, I am just as anxious as you are. I am just hoping that we make a good first impression on the Ura'sia." She turned to look at the twin princes. "That means no mischief, boys!" Titus and Cassius groan, but comply. Valeria shook her head. "No matter what these two jokers pull off, I look forward to meeting our guests, Grand Minister," she said with practiced grace and a smile. The Empress and the Grand Minister smiled. Everything was set.
Yena had slept for the last portion of the flight. As much as she enjoyed watching the mountains of the western continent pass beneath them, and she did - from above it was so easy to see why her ancestors had named the continent Khardunaja, the mountain expanse - even the craggy peaks and their permanent crowns of snow grew tiresome and samey after a few hours. Besides, she was getting used to all these long-haul flights and the rhythm lulled her to sleep with ease.
Not so Adaro. From what she could tell as the change in cabin pressure roused her to wakefulness, he had been staring out the window the whole time. His job didn't allow for trips outside of Erinor very often. "Do you like what you see?" she asked as she sat upright and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "The architecture is meant to be astounding." "Take a look for yourself," he replied and so Yena did. I don't want to describe your country, so I'll leave the view to you.
Far below the plane, rolling grasslands and scattered forests spanned the countryside beyond the mountains bordering the eastern edge of Pax Dracon. Various farms, towns, and and larger cities dotted the landscape, undoubtedly teeming with happy and eager citizens. That was when they saw it: a great city on built between a wide river and the coast.
It was a massive, glittering, walled city of white and gold spires and temples arranged in a semi-circular fashion. Ships both modern and antiquated could be seen entering the harbor, ferrying goods to and from far off ports. Business was undoubtedly booming. Out of all the buildings within the city, out of all the two in particular stood out. At the approximate center of the city was a round, buttressed complex that had many people and vehicles entering and leaving relatively regularly, statues lining the road leading up to its main entrance. The other, built atop a hillock a kilometer or so away, was a large palace built from greyish-white stone, its gates wide open to any who entered. Even at the height the plane was at, one could faintly make out draconic shapes atop the palace walls and towers. This city was none other than Elysium, the ancient capital of Pax Dracon. The heart of the Imperium. (Here is some artwork I found that best fits the city as a whole: http://ishutani.deviantart.com/art/Capit...-481440567 Palace: http://tommyscottart.deviantart.com/art/...-560143557 )
She couldn't quite believe her eyes. She had seen some images of the city before, of course, but seeing it in reality and especially from the air was quite a different experience indeed. Her breath actually caught in her throat for a moment at the beautiful complexity of it all and she thought, This is what the architects were dreaming of as they strove to build Ciria...
"It's beautiful," she managed at last and her husband simply nodded. And so they remained, staring out the window together, as the plane made its descent to the airport. After the landing, there was the usual degree of hurrying about by aides and efforts made to spruce up the first couple to alleviate some of the tired, crumpledness of a long-haul flight. Then the doors were opened and, hand in hand, Yena and Adaro stepped out into the light of Elysium.
The gaggle of journalists quickly took photographs as Yena and her husband disembarked from the plane. They were eager to get a glimpse of these strangers from afar, even if they were cordoned off from approaching the couple by a small barrier.
In front of the plane's door was a light blue carpet that led to a small limousine, the driver standing by the door dutifully as he awaited his country's first guests in a long, long time. On either side of the carpet, though, stood a group of soldiers a hundred men and women strong. They were clad in bright, almost lovingly maintained armor that was undoubtedly ceremonial in nature. Their open-faced helms were hammered into the shapes of dragon's heads, their breastplates unadorned save for the familiar image of the Imperial Seal over their hearts as silver cloaks draped from their shoulders. In their hands were short battle rifles. These soldiers were a small contingent of the Imperial Guard, the dedicated elite defenders of the Imperial Family and the Senate. "Imperial Guard," one of them called out, "present arms!" At their apparent commander's order, the Guards stood at attention, stock still. |
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