You're the Queen - Now What? [CK2ish Character-Focused Quest]

Vanessa had never really spared a lot of time thinking about large royal events, or similar, smaller pageantry among the nobility, either in Veldros, or in Halrun, before becoming Queen.

As a result, she hadn't really thought about the question of if these large public events were stage-managed or spontaneous. As it turned out, a lot of was all planned in advance, she'd found out. While hearing petitions and offering judgements wasn't, most things that happened in her throne room absolutely were managed from the beginning to end. Perhaps not to every word, or every single movement, but in the broad strokes, and even often in many of the minor ones, things were planned out in advance.

And so it was with Princess Essinya's arrival. The other woman's title had been a bit of a finicky detail to work out, as the Kingdom of the Necromancers didn't actually formally have a title of Princess, as the heir to the Archnecromancer technically wasn't automatically their successor, especially given the longstanding penchant for coups in Darkmoon Forest, even if Lyrus Serriados had broken that streak.

On the other hand, Lyrus was a King, and afforded that dignity in foreign affairs, and so it had been decided Princess was appropriate, at least in Halrun itself.

Having decided to do away with any pretense, once Essinya arrived, that this was merely a diplomatic visit, it necessitated letting Essinya know that - since the woman had crossed the border, indeed, there had been a steady stream of official correspondence to set up the formalities for her arrival, and her welcome to the Kingdom. Vanessa had been tempted to take up a personal correspondence as well, to make some forward progress on getting to know the woman she might be marrying (and she'd considered doing the same with Prince Lothar and the other suitors), but in the end, had decided against it. They would all be here soon enough, or eventually would, and she would have plenty of time to get to know them.

Arandel had, just the day before, presented a 'starting list' for what sort of things the Kingdom of Halrun might want from the Kingdom of the Necromancers.

• Mutual defense. A pretty standard expectation of any marriage pact, though the particulars would be a question to work out. Open-ended, specific periods, terms for if Halrun would have to agree to shared peace terms with theirally first
• A number of adjustments on import and export tariffs that would make it easier for Halrun to buy and sell goods in Darkmoon Forest - and one would have to assume Darkmoon Forest would want the same.
• An agreement by the Necromancers to buy more of their food imports from Halrun - that would do wonders for the Kingdom's farmers and magnates
• Undead labor. Especially for the roads, but any number of other things could be aided by labor that needed neither payment, food nor sleep. Halrun would want essentially limitless access, and the Necromancers would presumably not
• Sharing of magical knowledge. While the Necromantic knowledge would only be of limited interest to outsiders, the Necrotic Empire hoarded ancient magical tomes and items like the Dragons of old had supposedly hoarded gold. Vanessa suspected this one would be the first to be removed, however, come negotiations.
• Support for more offensive military action. Vanessa had no plans to invade anyone, but various degrees of support for any attacks Halrun did make - perhaps against the goblins, or if a first strike against Morvak proved to end up being necessary... things like who might be acceptable targets, how many soldiers the Necromancers might be expected to provide (and vice-versa, in the unlikely event the Necromancers decided to strike first somewhere), for what length of time, would the aggressor have to support said soldiers, and so forth.

Arandel's list was of course heavily weighted in Halrun's favor, as Essinya's likely would be in turn - Open-ended defensive commitments for Halrun, the Necromancers expected to provide open-ended access to labor, multiple Bone Legions for open-ended time periods if Halrun invaded anyone, and adjustments on the tariffs that very explicitly favored Halrun, and left them entirely dependent on Halrunian farms for food.

Of course, the Keeper of Envoys had provided additional details on both how far Halrun could bend before the changes would just be too much in the Necromancer's favor, especially on tariffs, and arguments for and against various fallback positions on the labor and shared offensive parts, as well as the food imports.

Vanessa ran these arguments through her head as she sat on her throne, glad that cushions weren't against protocol, because the marble of the thing would be hell on her ass otherwise. But the back was not a particularly comfortable thing to recline against, carved into the shape of a griffin with its wing's spread, and so she usually sat leaning a bit forward, hands on the arms of the throne, resisting the urge to rest her elbows on the thing as she leaned.

The Throne Room had a great many people in it now - Arandel stood at the base of the raised dais upon which the throne sat, an assortment of nobles, wealthy merchants and gentry that served to represent the Estates, informally. There were a number of ambassadors in attendance, and several representatives of the churches. In honor of the fact that Selras was the patron goddess of the Kingdom of the Necromancers, the local High Priestess of Selras was given a pride of place among them, while the Church of Adun had sent someone as well, a high-ranking cleric who looked distinctly uncomfortable (and who was likely to be more so very shortly, once he learned of the real purpose of Essinya's arrival).

Lady Balmain was also in attendance, as was Count Vallefor - Vanesa wasn't sure which one of them had resolved to come first, but she suspected the other had come only because the first had come. Rienne was busy with her inspections still, and Rucdorn, Rykall and Itrick all had other reasons to not attend as well. General Darach, while still in the capital, had been invited as a formality, given that she was a high-ranking envoy and the highest ranking general in the capital, but to Vanessa's utter lack of surprise, had made polite but paper-thin excuses.

The doors to the throne room swung open, and a procession entered, led by the black-robed bearded Ambassador who had attended her coronation. He was followed by four men and women in black armor, left faceless by the helms covering them, swords at their belt. Behind them came a woman that Vanessa recognized from her scrying.


(Her dress doesn't look exactly like this, she doesn't have the wine, and she doesn't have the little metal claws on the ends of her fingers)

Essinya Serriados was a dark-skinned woman with long dark brown/black hair, a soft curl to it that she had artfully arranged to fall around her face and along her shoulders and back, emphasizing her neck. She wore a black dress that had a plunging, scandalous neckline, the dress sleeved, extending down to her wrists, the sleeves made from what looked like lace, partially see-through and revealing skin of her arms below it. On her wrists were bracers of a sort, rings on her fingers attached back to the braces with thin, delicate chains - the bracers were black metal trimmed with gold, and the rings were gold, with onyx gemstones inset in them.

Her dress extended down to just maybe an inch above the floor, preventing it from trailing on the ground, but it had slits on the side up to the knee, preventing the dress from restricting her motion at all - she walked with a fluid grace that Vanessa couldn't deny drew her eye.

Not that you didn't know she was beautiful beforehand, but... Vanessa at least avoided staring in some sort of gormless way, or let her breath catch, so there was that.

"In the name of Archnecromancer Lyrus Serriados, King in the Deathwood, King of Darkmoon Forest, The Black Sovereign, Master of the Undead Arts, Heir to High Necromancy and Blessed of Selras," the Ambassador said loudly, "I bring before you Essinya Serriados, daughter of the Archnecromancer, Princess of Darkmoon Forest."

Behind Essinya came another eight Death Knights, marching in pairs, and behind them about a dozen courtiers, servants and diplomatic attaches. The dozen Death Knights were perhaps a bit much, ostentatious in their black armor and black capes and perfect formation as they marched in unison, but Vanessa supposed even if the Archnecromancer didn't love his daughter - and from everything she could gather, he likely did - he wouldn't want his daughter going into another realm without enough protection.

Something I'll probably experience in turn, if I ever have occasion to send a child to another realm... Vanessa grimaced. She still really wasn't ready to imagine being a parent.

The Ambassador and the four Death Knights in front stepped aside, leaving a long, clear path along the black and silver carpet leading up to the dias for Essinya. Essinya approached, the Royal Guard watching her carefully, but making no move to stop her as she reached the bottom of the dais.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Essinya bowed slightly, just enough to be a genuine sign of respect, but not acknowledging subservience or significantly lower rank - she was a Princess to a Queen, not one of Vanessa's subjects, not just any foreign noble or emissary. "I come to you today not only to speak on behalf of my father about the future of our two realms, but to lay suit for your hand in marriage, as a security of peace forevermore between our realms, for as long as we shall live."

There was a sudden hush that cut through the room. Some had known, many had suspected (couldn't keep this sort of thing entirely under wraps), but hearing it confirmed that Essinya was here to court the Queen, that the possibility of marriage to the heir to the Archnecromancer was being considered...

You could have heard a pin drop. The representative of Adun's priesthood, who had been impassive so far, grimaced and twitched, fighting the urge to say something, or make some sort of reaction...

The correspondence back and forth had made it clear to Essinya that Vanessa was not going to hide what Essinya was here for, that indeed this would be a formal ceremony to accept the arrival of a suitor for her hand.

"Much history has passed between the land now called Halrun and the land your father rules, Princess Essinya," Vanessa said, using a touch of her magic to make her voice project without needing to raise it. "And yet, as Archnecromancer and King your father has never been a foe to Halrun, or to anyone who has not been a foe to him first. You are a woman of nobility and power, and you are welcome in my Kingdom to speak on behalf of your father."

It would be a lie to say there was a collective gasp from the courtiers who hadn't known what was coming, this wasn't the theater, but many people were bracing for what came next - would Vanessa reject the suit out of hand, or leave it there, an option.

Of course, she would hardly reject it, now that it was laid out. Only in storybooks did royals travel to another land to lay suit for anyone's hand without getting agreement that the suit was possible, but still.

But still.

"As for the suit for my hand, I am unmarried and unpledged, and your character is known to be sound and pure," formalities and probably not entirely true, though no significant issues had been raised about her character by anyone, including Vallefor, "I will hear and consider your suit for my hand, and consider and hear what your suit brings to the peoples and lands under my protection and rule. You are welcome in my Kingdom, and in my palace." Vanessa stepped off her throne and walked down the dais, standing on the lowest step, but not stepping off the dais, so she still stood above Essinya.

"Welcome to Halrun, Princess." Vanessa gestured grandly to the guards and attendants. "Rooms have been set aside for you, your attendants and your guards. Ambassador," she nodded to the bearded man in black robes, "Keeper Arandel will speak with you about the preliminaries."

"Of course," The Ambassador nodded, and approached Ardandel, while the attendants and Death knights - eight of them anyway - were led off by the Palace Seneschal and by a contingent of Royal Guard.

"Please, Princess, will you indulge me with a moment in the Palace Gardens before you retire to your quarters?" This was also fully scripted, more or less, but the walk in the garden, away from public eyes, would not.

She needed to at least get to know the princess a little. It was too early for any question that would really let them get to know the other person - or at least, real answers to those questions - but still. Something.

"Of course, your Majesty." Essinya stepped away from the dais, and Vanessa stepped off as well, gesturing grandly to several guardsmen to fall in behind, the Death Knights doing the same as they departed one of the larger doors from the Throne Room down a hallway and then into the Palace Gardens.

They had fortunately escaped any fighting during the battle in the Palace, but they did show some signs of the fact that the Kingdom wasn't doing as great. Exotic flowers were not as numerous, and the hedges were, while still in carefully maintained condition, were not quite as perfect. But still, it was a beautiful and calm place for some, but Vanessa wasn't generally one for nature.

But what it was was private. Or mostly, anyway. They were hardly at the point where either of them could go anywhere without people following them.

"A great deal more color than the gardens at the Necropolis," Essinya observed, looking at the carefully and artfully arranged flowerbeds and bushes, complimentary colors arranged to be pleasing to the eye, or at least the eye of Syrokis.

Vanessa hardly hated it, but there were some things she'd have changed, if she cared enough.

"I may have never been to Darkmoon Forest, but I rather doubt the place is monochromatic, or else there'd be no gold in your color scheme, Princess," Vanessa pointed out, walking side by side with Essinya, their respective guards a close but not too close distance behind.

"Hardly black and white, but you'd be hard pressed to see reds brighter than blood, or blues... and orange?" She paused to look at some orange flowers on a bush, leaning to inhale the scent a moment. "Yellows other than a touch of gold? Hardly," Essinya turned to Vanessa now.

"You surprised me, you know," she said. Vanessa raised an eyebrow, and the Princess went on. "When you sent the message first. It's not as if a marriage between our realms would be a choice that would naturally occur to most."

"If I am to be an unconventional sort of Queen, why not embrace it?" Vanessa asked, cocking an eyebrow. "But it would be a lie to say the idea came to me natively."

"Divination then."

"My skill for it precedes me, I take it?"

"Among those who pay attention to these things, your Majesty," Essinya agreed. "We do not know each other well, but I have done much to learn what I can about you, in preparation for the suit I intended to lay in a few months time."

"Before I preempted you, and ruined your scheme?"

"More of a plan, than a scheme, your majesty," Essinya met Vanessa's thrust with a parry. It was hardly much wordplay from either, but a good place to start.

"Fair enough." Vanessa let out a slow, careful breath. "It would not be much of a surprise to say that until I accepted the throne, the prospect of marriage remained a fairly distant one for me. I've only had a few months to get used to the idea of marriage for political reasons."

She tilted her head to the side, "There is much that could be gained by accepting your suit, though you know as well as I that I am considering other offers for my hand."

"If you weren't, my estimation of your intelligence would have to be dropped significantly," Essinya agreed with a smirk. There was something about the way she spoke, the way she stood - having a goblet of wine in hand would complete the image she struck, of the carefully poised, detached, beautiful necromancer.

From a purely aesthetic level, Vanessa could stare all day. But then, from what she could tell, that would be more or less true of all her coming suitors.

"But regardless of whatever benefits any suitor offers, I have to live with whomever I marry." Vanessa found herself wishing she had a goblet to hand, something to sip from as she let her words linger. "This is our first walk through the gardens, I'm sure we will have more to come. I propose that, before you retire to your quarters, we each ask one question of the other, to get a measure of one another."

"A fair plan," Essinya agreed. "Agreeable."

"You may ask first." Vanessa allowed, curious what sort of question Essinya would open with. "I promise truthfulness, even if not perhaps... completeness, in my answer." Knowing what she knew, such as it was, about High Necrotic culture, Vanessa suspected playing mysterious and secretive and close-to-the-chest would be more appealing.

"You know how a good game is played, your majesty. Acceptable terms." She paused, lips a thin line, before she asked her question: "Where do you think you'd be today, had the rebellion against Syrokis not broken out?"

Vanessa considered the question. She could see why Essinya might ask it, and wondered which reason she could imagine was motivating the other woman. And of course, what sort of question she might ask that would serve as an equal.

(Winning answer will be true, if perhaps not the whole truth)
[ ][ESSINYA ANSWER] Continuing to serve as a mage for hire to patrons who could afford my services. I had skills in demand, and a woman must make a living.
[ ][ESSINYA ANSWER] I had considered moving to Selissa's capital, Varyos. Merchants and bankers could pay handsomely for divination, and the city is friendly to mages.
[ ][ESSINYA ANSWER]Eventually? A return to Veldros, letters of introduction to high society in hand, and enough wealth that I could not be so easily ignored again.
[ ][ESSINYA ANSWER] Write-In (Subject to QM Veto, but I intend to allow a broad spectrum here)

[ ][ESSINYA QUESTION]"How soon after I became Queen did you start pondering laying suit for my hand?"
[ ][ESSINYA QUESTION]"Did you have other considerations for marriage before Halrun's throne... opened up?"
[ ][ESSINYA QUESTION]"I've never heard of any relative of any Archnecromancer making a foreign marriage pact. Was it hard to convince your father this - laying suit for my hand - was an endeavor worth pursuing?"
[ ][ESSINYA QUESTION] Write-In (Subject to QM Veto, but I intend to allow a broad spectrum here)

---

It had been but two days since Essinya's arrival, and she was already greeting another suitor. The whole court and indeed the city had been more than a bit abuzz, according to Vallefor (and her own servants and Royal Guard) by her public acceptance of Essinya's offer of suit for her hand. Questions raised about her sanity, of course, whispers that she trafficked in necromancer herself (though by all accounts, only the most gullible believed those, given her apprenticeship to Cyril, whose reputation was all but impeachable among the common people). More whispers about Essinya herself, of course, claims she used magic to ensure Vanessa's senses, though again most considered that insane. Still, her choice to accept the suit was not... popular.

But there had only been so many whispers. And there'd been some voices who had said the same sentiments Vanessa and her Inner Council had expressed - 'I'd like to see Morvak try a new invasion and face some undead'. And though the Knights of the Golden Throne were reasonably well liked, they were detached, so it upsetting them only mattered to so many.

There was a great deal of 'wait and see'. The merchants of the capital city seemed to be pretty firmly on the side of 'Her majesty knows what she's doing', which was nice, and that sentiment was starting to spread.

The nobility who had heard was of greater concern than the common people (as long as they weren't rioting), and so far, they were split pretty evenly between wait and see or 'gasp, scandal', but again, not enough that it did too much to affect her popularity, she suspected.

Of course, accepting a suit is not the same thing as saying yes.

But, by all evidence, the options remained open. Which was good.

Vanessa had little doubt that Lothar Aldogun would be a more agreeable option, to most in Halrun. Selissa was not exactly universally beloved - conservative nobles and even common-born gentry tended to have the predictable bias against 'a nation of bankers and merchants', as if Selissa didn't have a powerful nobility all its own, but there was no strong constituency that didn't like Selissa.

As with the Kingdom of the Necromancers, the lists Ardandel drew up had various specifics for numbers, which as with the others, would provide Halrun with well-prepared arguments and positions for the negotiations, but when boiled down, the basic points were fairly simple: Money.

Money, money and more money.

• Mutual defense would be useful to have, as Selissa could pose a threat to Morvak come a war, but Selissa would kick and scream on this point, Vanessa believed Arandel's certainty on that front. Even mutual defense aimed solely at Morvak would be a hard sell.
• Mutual offense - again, same problem. Selissa wanted someone they could pay to fight on their behalf.
• To put it bluntly, a direct payment simply for the marriage - Arandel had said that he considered anything less than a hundred Dureks, as long as mutual defense in all things was off the table, to be a non-starter. Vanessa had to admit the idea of putting a price on herself so bluntly was a discomforting thought, but, needs must. Arandel planned to open with asking for more. This was straightforward and likely to be accepted in principle.
• Requirements that Selissan banks give favorable rates on loans, approve loans faster and easier, and so forth. There was some room to wiggle here, around the exact percentages (Arandel and Rucdorn wanted at least 2 percent off whatever rate they might normally expect). This could be harder, but doable. Some more progress could be made, Arandel had suggested, by limiting it to favorable loans for specific things, like military expansion, defenses on the Morvak-facing frontier, that sort of thing, but more open-endedness would be ideal, of course.
• Direct subsidies during time of war. Especially with Morvak, but if Selissa wanted to avoid the more conventional marriage defensive-pact, then they'd have to pay more generally. Covering the cost of the expanded army and levies was the baseline, but more subsidies would allow the hiring of mercenaries. There was also the question on what Selissa would want from a future such war. Take territory from Morvak? Invade? Keep up the pressure on the frontier? Would Selissa demand to be an equal party to any peace talks? A lot of open questions.
• The Zar question. Selissa would want Halrun to provide soldiers, likely, to help North Zarsim against the South. Money Selissa had locked down, but soldiers, with Zedarsh no longer helping the northern Kingdom, would be a critical balance against Morvak. Halrun really had no strong incentive to help North Zarsim except insofar as it hampered any potential Morvakian threat, so this would be a point worth trading to Selissa for better deals elsewhere.

Vanessa once more sat on her throne, again with Arandel, Balmain and Vallefor in attendance. General Darach was here as well, along with the usual throng of courtiers and hangers-on. And then additional gawkers. Now that it was known publicly that Vanessa was courting suitors, any diplomatic embassy that included someone eligible could be another suitor.

A Prince rarely traveled secretly. Lothar Aldogun hadn't even tried to be quiet about his travel to Eridia. The man had proven to be charming at every noble estate or town he stopped off in, by all accounts, the perfect guest, generous with payments at inns or as tips to servants, bold at the gambling tables, and magnanimous in victory and accepting in defeat, and showing enough prudence to not gamble more in sums than he could bear losing.

He seemed to be a man who liked to enjoy himself, and had gone out of his way to avoid roughing it at any point - no camping in the countryside, go a bit further to get a better inn, or find a noble's estate - it was an honor to host a foreign prince like Lothar Aldogun, after all, and though few nobles in Halrun would be so crass as to charge for his visit, Lothar's open hand and purse had clearly opened doors.

By all reports, he drank freely and greatly, but never got quite so drunk as to create problems. Which fit with everything else she'd heard about Lothar Aldogun since ordering Arandel to reach out to Selissa regarding the prospect of marriage.

Rich party-boy. Handsome, charming and clever, but ultimately, the sort of overbred, entitled bastard she'd hated at the Academ, albeit Lothar did not have magic. Being Selissan might have also made him less insufferable than the ones in Veldros, but Vanessa had to admit she was just a touch wary.

On the other hand, he was a man who knew his limits well, and there weren't many reports of him abusing the servants in any way, nor did they feel the wrath of his sharp tongue (other nobles and merchants did quite expansively in Selissa, but so far, no one in Halrun had experienced it) which put him above some people like him Vanessa had known at the Academ. He had little personal ambition, which might make him easier to be married to from a political standpoint, as long as she could tolerate spending time with him. He was prone to sleeping with any willing woman, by all reports, but had restrained himself on his trip here.

Vanessa doubted he'd be inclined to affairs, which was quite important. She would not just sit aside and accept her consort sleeping with others, fathering (or mothering, for that matter) bastards. They'd be no direct threat to her reign, but it was the principle of the thing. The disrespect.

And it might make her sympathize with her mother's husband, and that sounded violently unappealing.

The doors to the throne room swung open, and as before an Ambassador led the procession, this one an older woman in a silk dress dyed an extravagant bright red color, a specific shade Vanessa knew was absurdly expensive - she knew, because before she'd become Queen, she'd never had the money to afford a dress in that shade, despite trying.

As Queen, she could now, but it would need to wait until after the debts were seen to.

The Selissan Ambassador dripped with jewelry and gemstones, showing off her wealth to a degree even a dwarf might find gauche, but she supposed that was a Selissan thing. Lothar's guards were not as imposing or as... unusual as Essinya's Death Knights, but they did number a dozen. Their armor was lighter, less encompassing than the plate of the Death Knights, but still, top quality, Vanessa had to assume. They each had two swords - a normal one, and a rapier, and they wore finely sewn tabards with the Rampant Dragon of the House of Aldogun in green on gray.

The same spread of attaches and servants and attendants followed behind them, but Vanessa kept her eyes on Lothar as he approached. He was as handsome as Vanessa had been told, a tall, lithely-built man. He wore finely made clothing, perfectly tailored to his physique, and a long cape that he carried off with a surprising panache and flourish. He was blonde, his hair seemingly just a little messy, but Vanessa suspected it was deliberately arranged like that, as it did give him a rakish, roguish look that a younger Vanessa might have...

Well, I wouldn't have swooned over it, but... She could see why he was popular with women. And some men, by all accounts.

He had a single rapier at his belt, and though Vanessa had had some pushback from her guards, she'd decided he wouldn't be expected to surrender it when he approached her throne, or when they walked into the garden.


(Again, he doesn't have the thing around his neck and his clothes he's wearing right now don't match this exactly, but, you get the idea)

"In the name of King Elaric Aldogun, Second of his Name, King of Selissa, Dragon of the Inner Sea, Grand Admiral of the Azure Waves, The Golden-Handed, I present to you, your Majesty, Prince Lothar Aldogun, son of King Elaric, Prince of Selissa."

As before, the guards parted and Lothar approached the dais, giving a bow, this one with more of a flourish aided by his cape than Essinya.

"Greetings, your Majesty," Lothar said, and Vanessa had to admit that Lothar's pale blue eyes caught her attention. He looked at her like he'd never seen a woman like her, like he was enraptured by her. Vanessa could see himself easily making her feel like the only woman in the room - she'd met a few men and women like that, and it could be quite thrilling, in the moment.

Lothar stared for a long moment, in something that was not scripted as far as Vanessa knew, and there was a murmuring in the throne room, but then he finally spoke:

"Forgive me, your Majesty. I was told of your power as a mage, before coming. I was told of your wise and judicious rule thus far. I was even told you were a woman of beauty, but I must admit, I was not prepared for just how much until seeing you up close."

Vanessa didn't flush - she was no teenager - but she had to admit, a rather instinctive part of her did find his flattery, and the way he'd stared, even if it was probably an act, to be... appealing. No one hated being called beautiful, and he spoke the line with such perfect, probably well-practiced genuineness she again could have seen a younger version of herself being... quite moved.

Even now, it had her giving him another look, letting her eyes rake over him. Two could play at the game of staring.

"Stories of your silver tongue have reached me, Prince Lothar, but they would not appear to do you justice either," Vanessa said after a long pause of her own. "You wear your royalty well, Prince." He did have jewelry and finely made, richly dyed clothing, multicolored in a tasteful, complementary way, but he was not so extreme as the Ambassador. Probably had less to prove, since he was Prince. "But I doubt you crossed so great a distance to sing my praises."

"I would cross many a distance to sing the praises of a woman such as you, Your Majesty, but you do speak the truth," Lothar said. Vanessa bit the inside of her cheek for just a moment, schooling her features to prevent any sign that he was charming her, but the way he said it, his smile.

Again. She was hardly swooning, but she could appreciate it. And him.

"I come to you today not only to speak on behalf of my father about the future of our two realms, but to lay suit for your hand in marriage, as a promise of friendship forevermore between our realms, for as long as we shall live."

This was not met by the same sudden hush as with Essinya. There were murmurs, but no one was surprised, and this was a far, far more conventional choice of suitor. He was handsome, like a heroic prince out of a storybook, Selissa was a kingdom of wealth and the House of Aldogun was a great lineage. Whispers and gestures as various courtiers reacted, but no one could really doubt the fundamentals of Vanessa's response.

"Selissa and Halrun have never before stood as enemies or rivals, and indeed, have shared many commonalities in the past," Vanessa said. "Your House is ancient and storied, and your nobility of character and blood cannot be doubted. Your father has long reigned as a King of foresight and farsight, governing with a peace and prosperity that other realms have cause to envy." By paying everyone else to fight for them, but still. Impressive.

"As for the suit for my hand, I am unmarried and unpledged, and your nobility of character and merit of your person," and the size of your father's vaults, "do you and your House great credit. I will hear and consider your suit for my hand, and consider and hear what your suit brings to the peoples and lands under my protection and rule. You are welcome in my Kingdom, and in my palace." As before, Vanessa stepped off her throne and walked down the dais, standing on the lowest step, but not stepping off the dais. Lothar was taller than her, so he was almost level with her at her current position, but not quite.

Parts of the script were different, and yet, much remained the same.

"Welcome to Halrun, Prince." Vanessa gestured grandly to the guards and attendants. "Rooms have been set aside for you, your attendants and your guards. Ambassador," she nodded to the woman in question, "Keeper Arandel will speak with you about the preliminaries."

"Of course," The Ambassador nodded, and approached Ardandel, while the attendants and eight of Lothar's guards - were led off by the Palace Seneschal and by a contingent of Royal Guard. They would be going to the same wing of the Palace as Essinya, one set aside for visiting dignitaries, but a different floor.

"Please, Prince, will you indulge me with a moment in the Palace Gardens before you retire to your quarters?" Again, more or less the same thing as before, a moment in relative privacy to speak with something resembling honesty and frankness.

"With pleasure, your Majesty." In another unscripted move, he reached a hand towards her, slowly and in the open - even still, a few Royal Guardsmen took a step towards him, but no one drew any weapons.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, looking at him for a long moment, looking in his eyes, trying to read his gaze, then extended her hand to him - he took it in his, and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a feather-light kiss to the back of it.

"Any moment spent with you is a moment well spent," He said in a quieter tone - others heard it, but still, it was not pitched specifically to carry.

Vanessa took back her hand, and gestured for him to walk alongside her as they moved to the gardens. Once they entered a hallway, however, Vanessa spoke, not turning to him as they walked.

"Laying it on a bit thick there at the end, Prince Lothar?"

"Your Majesty?" Lothar feigned innocence. "I spoke genuinely. You are a very beautiful woman, and I have lived my life under the principle that time spent appreciating beauty is never wasted."

The worst part was, Vanessa was fairly certain Lothar wasn't even misrepresenting his position.

"Duly noted, Prince Lothar," Vanessa considered, stepping out into the gardens. She walked with him down a different path than the one she'd walked with Essinya. "You have spent your life preparing for a political marriage, no?"

"It is the price royalty must pay for their elevated status, or so our tutors told my siblings and I as we grew." Lothar agreed, easily. "I must assume it was quite the thing to come to terms with for yourself."

"Quite." Vanessa agreed. "You are a handsome man, and you know it even better than I do, I suspect." She told him, pausing in a section of the gardens ringed by rose bushes holding roses of red, pink and blue, turning to look at him. Lothar was smirking slightly, but rather than his smugness detracting from him, it only added to that appealing roguish air he cultivated.

It's almost annoying how well he pulls it off. Vanessa wondered how long it had taken him to perfect it.

"But for all that you are, and for all that you cultivate this... charming roguish, rakish air, you have to know that's hardly going to make me marry you alone."

"Hardly. Whatever my looks, whatever my charm, if it were not for my father's vaults and his Kingdom's prosperity and banks, there's no world in which I would be here." Lothar admitted freely. "But I like to think I bring a few things to the table."

"Just a few, perhaps. But handsome and charming or not, if I am going to marry someone, I need to know I can live with them. I'm allowing myself that much freedom."

"Such is the prerogative of a Queen in as much demand as you. You do have many options." Lothar observed. He leaned forward, "Is Essinya Serriados as statuesque as the stories say?"

Vanessa couldn't help but laugh just a touch, incredulous at the brazenness of his question. "I would not call her statuesque, no. She is quite beautiful, but not in so impersonal a way to be called a statue."

"But clearly I still have my work cut out for me then. Princess Janera is no doubt on her way, and I'm sure there are others."

If only you knew. Actually, Vanessa wondered how Selissa or Nerinthar or Illegorst would react to her openly accepting Regara's arrival to lay suit.

If Vanessa actually did that. Even opening talks as cover could have an impact on the way those three kingdoms saw the prospect of marriage negotiations. Something to consider, quite carefully, she supposed.

"Tell me, your Majesty - what do you do when you're not governing? What does Queen Vanessa do for fun?"

Fun? What's that? I don't remember.

That was...

It wasn't that she was literally all work and nothing else, but she had had very little time truly to herself, since taking the throne.

"My focus has been on my Kingdom, since taking the throne. And the Queen can't exactly go to gambling halls and salons the way you can, Prince Lothar."

"A fair point, but when you're Queen, the fun would come to you, should you but request it. As for ruling... it seems a shame that you waste away only focusing on rule, your Majesty. I have not ruled myself, or been given much real authority by my father. But I have watched my father, and he does take his time to himself. He attends the theater, Royal Box and all. He patronizes musicians in the palace itself, and," Lothar looked around, as if to make sure the only people around were her and their respective guards, "he whittles. He's quite good at it, actually. I asked once, why he chose such a mundane craft, and he told me that 'a man cannot be sustained by duty alone - they must have an outlet all their own.'."

Lothar settled back, looking her over. "I'm sure you know how I've spent my time, my outlets - the gambling tables, a good drink, a duel. What did you do for fun before you became Queen, your Majesty? I may not have quite the same range of choice as you do, but I would like to know my prospective and possible wife too, after all."

"A fair question, I suppose." Vanessa probably would feel less stressed if she could take a bit more time to herself, to pursue the pastimes and hobbies she used to have, but she really hadn't had the chance. There was too much to do right now.

(Pick 2. They will be true for Vanessa.)
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Like you, I did have a fondness for a game of chance."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "I studied magic. It was not just my work, it was my passion."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "My studies extended beyond magic - history, natural philosophy, distant lands."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "I sung. Quite well, actually, to my mind."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Buying and considering buying new dresses is both more time-consuming and fulfilling than you might think."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "I liked the theater, many of my patrons would play host to traveling performers at various points."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Stories and tales of adventures and excitement, true or not, could be quite engrossing."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Caligraphy. It is a skill that benefits magic, and one I found quite enjoyable."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Entertaining myself with complex illusions, making them fight or perform out before me."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] "Archmage Cyril made sure I knew how to sew and mend my clothing, among other skills. I developed a fondness for embroidery during my apprenticeship."
[ ][VANESSA'S PASSTIME] Write-In (Subject to QM Veto, but I intend to be broad-based in what I allow, but do keep in mind what makes sense for Vanessa i.e. she's not a warrior so 'practicing with a blade' would of course make no sense.)