[center][b][h3]Lalrial Estate, the Heartlands[/h3] 8th of Gerna | 1200 AU[/b][/center] Aethlar bristled uncomfortably as Allianna was disrespected again, but as Diende vowed to vote for Ralltene she allowed herself a small smirk. She leant into her son for a moment as the old man departed, the beads and pearls that held her greying brown hair in place clinking softly against each other. "You do know that, should it arise that the Merchant-Prince becomes Emperor, your cousin-by-marriage Victoria shall be Empress?" She said simply, her green eyes twinkling for a moment. Aethlar merely frowned and sulked away to join his sisters as Sarapis made her overtures. The Queen-Dowager turned imperiously to face Sarapis, taking a not-insignificant swig of amber wine as she did so. She acknowledged the peculiarly egotistical way that the Kawachians showed respect with outward grace and appreciation. Inwardly, she thought it thin-skinned of them to be so averse to bowing, but years of experience had proven to her that any sign of respect from someone from the ruling houses of the most southerly isles of the Empire was something to be recognised and cherished when it did so rarely show itself. "I thank you for your greeting, Madame-Governor," Hiltruda ruminated as Sarapis spoke for a moment. Her mouth drew itself taut for a moment and then relaxed. She took another slow sip of wine. "My defence of the Princess was nothing but protocol. My voting intentions in this election aside, I remain firmly convinced that we must respect the system of this Empire for it to benefit us all," She regarded Sarapis coolly for a moment. It was at that moment that Prince Jakinius and Sophsi entered, along with their erstwhile spouses. Aethlar, Haldetrude and Eadgifu turned to face them, and Hiltruda too was momentarily distracted from her conversation with Sarapis as a hush descended over the room. Aethlar, who had been busy filling a glass to the very top with wine, narrowed his eyes as the procession made its way across the room. His face reddened as he saw Sophsi's costume, and he rounded on Eadgifu, whispering in low but deadly tones. "What affront is this...?" Eadgifu paused, running a hand through her silvery hair as she observed Sophsi's own dyed mane. "I am not sure. Whatever it is, it's quite sad," "It's like a girl playing dress up with her mother's clothes," Haldetrude observed primly, her nose firmly in the air. She and Eadgifu nonetheless gave the appropriate curtseys - though they were aimed mostly at Jakinius, for he outranked them more than Sophsi. Aethlar turned to his mother, who raised a silent finger to her lips to silence him and shook her head ever so slightly. He sighed, deflated, and turned back to Eadgifu, engaging her in animated conversation. Hiltruda's lips were firmly pursed for a few more moments as she coldly ran her eyes up and down Jakinius and Sophsi's figures. "Dear," She said at last, turning back to Sophsi. "I feel our royal scions have made something of a misstep," "That is not the Prince's 'chatelaine' as you so tactfully put it though, Madame-Governor. It is his cousin, Sophsi," Hiltruda took another long sip of wine. "She is in contention for the title of Empress too.... or should I say was?" Hiltruda's laugh rang out momentarily across the courtyard. "But yes, I should be well pleased to hear of whatsoever it is with which the House Caernavir can aid you. The Kingdom of Gwethydd," She said pointedly, arching an eyebrow. "Is always happy to help its compatriots and allies within this illustrious Empire. If you wish for the assistance of Master Graeton you shall have to write to him yourself, however. He is, I am afraid, often too indispensable to leave Gwethydd for long. His capacity as Chancellor of the Eldva entitles him to also serve on the King's Council as his Temple-Master," Hiltruda snapped her fingers for a servant to refill her wine glass. "Tell me, did you ever spend time at the Eldva? I hear so often how enterprising Kawachian students are in their study of the sciences in particular. Truly an underrated academic powerhouse," She said with a soft and accommodating smile. In contrast to Sarapis' chilly demeanour, Hiltruda's was warm and almost kindly. There was something unruly and slightly mischievous about the twinkle in her eye, but the way that she held herself was a projection of her station, filling her corner of the room with her elaborately styled hair and not insignificant size. *** [center][b][h3]Castle Austri-Heinder, Autrisia, County of Ygris, Kingdom of Gwethydd[/h3] [img]http://cgimg.s3.amazonaws.com/t/g12/517812/1215540_orig.jpg[/img] 8th of Gerna | 1200 AU[/b][/center] Autrisia was the capital of the County of Ygris, a windswept and relatively small city encircled by a low granite wall and dominated by the towering black spires of Castle Austri-Heinder, one of the only stone buildings in a settlement where most of the population lived in timer framed homes. Its position in the centre of the great Adrathine Plain meant that it was one of the agricultural centres of the entire Kingdom of Gwethydd and its population could swell to over 30,000 during the harvest season as scores of rural farmers flogged their wares in its enormous markets. Today however, it was much less populated, and the streets felt almost empty in comparison to the bustling and boisterous atmosphere of Harksmoor. Queen Eadrith sat in a window seat in one of the tallest spires of the castle, her hands poised protectively over her swollen stomach. The sixteen year old Queen-Consort of Gwethydd was watching the comings and goings of the Ygrissians far below, who moved slowly and easily through the empty streets about their business. The sky was overcast and there was a chill in the air outside, but the lodging that she had been provided was heated by a myriad of imported woollen blankets and a roaring fire. The Queen-Consort had been sent into a confinement in Autrisia for the final stages of her pregnancy - the windy plain was said to be good for removing foul humours from the air, and the fact that Eadrith was so heavy with child and so slim and small herself had been a cause for concern for the King. Separated from her husband and from her court for a few months now, Eadrith had found it increasingly hard to stay active. The Count of Ygris, Magwin di Reckmansworth, had a brutish and bovine appearance, but was beginning to show his sixty-three years as his face began to sag. He was, nonetheless, a jovial if not somewhat distant host, and had accounted for all of the luxuries that a Queen could need in a castle as illustrious as his own. His wife, the Countess who had been born Princess Gerberga as the eldest child of King Lethlin II, was a handsome woman with an enormous bosom and a permanently ruddy complexion - the counterpart of her brother King Aethlar V and her Veletian sister Ariette rather than the once delicate beauty of her deformed sister Alissera. She had welcomed Eadrith most warmly of all, but the Queen had caught a wariness in her eye when she gave Gerberga the thanks and warm sentiments of Queen Hiltruda and Princess Alissera. Eadrith turned her head away from the window and into the room. Three of her ladies were accompanying her there, including Lady Alysandra di Reckmansworth, the Count's only daughter. Her brother Valdemar served on the council in the capital, but Alysandra had been a pariah and an exile from the royal court ever since her defilement and pregnancies at the hands of King Aethlar V. She was beautiful, with long silvery hair and sad green eyes with a more refined beauty than her licentious daughter Lady Eadgifu and none of the sturdiness of her parents. She was playing the lute beautifully, plucking the strings to a melodic tune as another of the ladies sang for the Queen. Eadrith smiled warmly and raised a hand for silence. "My ladies," She said, brushing a strand of her auburn hair across her front. "How do you think the king fares in the capital?" Lady Adela di Cantaviri, perchance one of Queen Hiltruda's nieces, spoke up first. "I should love to visit the imperial court in Lalrial one day," "And you will," Said Eadrith with a smile. "All of you. When the children are born I shall travel there with Aethlar surely to pay homage to the new Emperor," "...Or Empress," Alysandra said. Her voice was melodic but slightly gravelly. Her eyes lolled slightly when she looked at Eadrith, and her hand grasped for the glass of red wine on the table next to her seat. "It could always be an Empress," "You are right, dear cousin Alysandra," Eadrith smiled to herself. It always brought her great pleasure that women were not confined in the entire empire as much as they were in Gwethydd. "There is always that chance. I do hope it is so," "Could you not write a letter to the king and tell him to make it so?" Teased Adela, jumping up and taking an orange from a nearby fruit bowl. She was stout like her aunt the dowager, but as daft as a brush and nowhere near as cunning as the rest of her family. Eadrith supposed. "Perhaps. I shall tell hi--" Eadrith was cut off by a sharp and sudden pain that ricocheted through her entire body. There was a gurgling tension inside of her body, and suddenly the cushion on the window seat was soaking wet. The Queen's eyes widened. "Majesty?" Alysandra noticed first, rising from her seat and quickening her step towards Eadrith. The Queen looked up, her eyes glazing over for a moment. "I think it's time," Came the reply, barely audible in the now silent room. The orange thudded into the carpet as Adela went skittering out into the corridor and flying down the stairs to find the physician from the Eldva that the Queen's party had brought with her. Alysandra stroked Eadrith's hair as the pain returned. "The king..." The Queen muttered as stars began to fill her vision, and then everything went black as the whispers in the room turned to panicked shouts.