[PRP]Raise Your Cup! [King Astarand & Queen Rhiannon]

[Rhia Kolareny]

It was a busy day for the queen. Tonight was a formal dinner to welcome the emissaries from neighboring kingdoms, and everything had to be in perfect order. Preparations were well underway in the kitchens, as the menu she had picked was having the final touches put on it. Delicacies from kingdom near and far had been brought in over the past few weeks, and the dinner tonight promised to be one for the record books. She and her husband, King Astarand had only recently risen to the throne. Tonight's dinner, and the next couple of days would show the other kingdoms what manner of ruler her husband was, and what they could expect from him. She would not let him down, by putting on a poor reception and dinner for them. She was reviewing the seating chart for tonight's dinner when her husband entered the formal dining room.

"Darling, there you are! I need you to look at this seating chart, and make sure I have everyone where you want them."  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

He'd been in a meeting all morning with Sir Kerma, making sure his knights were prepared for any trouble that might crop up over the next few days. Not that he thought any of the guests coming would be the cause of any trouble, but there were those factions in the kingdom that didn't like the fact that he was looking for treaties with their neighbors. So he had ordered extra guards around the castle while the meetings took place, as well as escorts for his guests if they chose to venture outside the protection of the castle walls. The meeting had taken longer than he had wanted, and his stomach was crying out for the meal it had not yet received, so he was headed to the kitchens to see what he could pilfer from the cooks. The queen had put all of her effort into tonight's dinner reception, and he didn't want to spoil it by eating something that was allocated for tonight.

He entered the dining hall and saw her bent over the massive oak table, looking at sheets of parchment. She looked up when he entered and called to him. "Let me see what you've got here," he said, taking the seating charts from her and looking them over. "Everything looks to be in order sweetheart. Don't worry, everything is going to come off just fine. I have every faith in you." He took her in his arms and held her close, taking in the smell of her perfume. "Now, do you think I might find something to eat before tonight? I'm starving."  

[Rhia Kolareny]

Rhia loved it when he held her in his arms. All the cares of the world seemed to evaporate when he did that. She breathed a sigh of relief when he approved of the seating chart. She'd spent days going over all the notes on the various dignitaries and their likes and dislikes, so that no one would be seated next to someone they didn't get along with. This would be her first state dinner, and she wanted to put forth a good impression for both herself and Astarand. If all went well over the next few days, they would be able to breath easy for a while. Starting a new reign was always an iffy thing, especially when there was civil discord in the kingdom to begin with.

"Hungry? Didn't someone bring you and Sir Kerma lunch? I know I instructed that to be done." She sighed again, but this time in frustration. There were still members of the staff who were none to happy with their new queen, and they were finding subtle little ways of showing her their displeasure. Was this one of them? She would ask, but she knew already that she wouldn't get a truthful answer. "Come, sit down my love. I will go get you something right now. It would probably be best if you didn't go in the kitchen at the moment. I don't want the cooks distracted wondering what their king is doing invading their domain." She left him in the dining room and went to see what she could put together to tide him over until dinner.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

He sat down at the table and spent the time going over the seating chart more closely. He knew his queen wife had given quite considerable attention to where each dignitary was to be seated, but he wanted to familiarize himself with where those places were before dinner tonight. He noticed who would be sitting closest to him, and who would be at the other end of the table, closest to the queen. She had really done her research, for those mearas who were more inclined to take politics, were seated at his end of the table, while those more concerned with social issues were seated near her. He knew they had their work cut out for them, as their predecessors had left the kingdom in dire need. Many of their people would go hungry tonight, and the idea that he and his guests would be dining on delicacies from all parts of the world, made his stomach turn. But they could not afford a poor showing tonight. In the days to come, the fare would be more subdued, and less abundant, but for tonight the wine would flow freely, and the tables would be showered in food. If he knew the queen like he believed he did, any left over food would not go to waste. Baskets of food would be taken into the nearby town and villages and dispensed to the needy.  

[Rhia Kolareny]

The noise level as she approached the doors to the kitchen area was quite high, but as soon as she entered, and those within saw her, she could have heard a pin drop. The head cook came rushing over to see what she needed and she wasted no time in telling him. As he instructed others to prepare food for the king, she inquired of him why her earlier instructions, to have lunch brought to the king and Sir Kerma had not been followed. She could tell that the look of surprise on his face was genuine when he heard her question. He assured her that food had been prepared, and sent to them, and that he would find out why it had never been delivered, and take the necessary actions to reprimand the person or persons responsible. She liked this man, and had from the very first day they had taken rule over the kingdom. She knew she could trust him to follow through on his word. She told him to send her a report with his findings and then waited for the meal to be brought to her. She would take her husbands food to him herself this time, and not rely on others to see that he was fed.

It took only a few minutes for them to put something worthy of a king together, and she left the kitchen with two plates in her hands. A servant boy followed her with a cup and carafe of wine. "Her you are my king," she said as she put the plates of food before him. She filled his cup with wine and set that before him as well. "Now, if you need anything else my darling, this young man here will fetch it for you," and she indicated the servant boy who had carried the wine. "I need to return to my own preparations for tonight, so by your leave, I will get back to work." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

He thanked her, and watched her leave before turning his attention to the food before him. He began to eat and after a few minutes, realized that the serving boy was still standing off to the side, just out of his line of sight. He turned his head slightly in order to see the boy, and noticed how frail he looked. Calling him over to the table, he asked if the boy had eaten yet today. When the boy hesitated, he knew the answer was no, or at least the boy had not had enough to eat. Not wanting to embarrass him, or cause trouble for him with the other kitchen staff and servants, he handed the boy a few apple slices, and told him to eat them quickly before anyone noticed. The boy gratefully took them, shoved them into his mouth, and chewed quickly. In less than a minute there was no evidence that he had eaten anything. The king finished his meal and left, leaving the boy to clear away the dishes. Things were going to change not only in the kingdom, but in his castle as well. He knew full well that a happy staff was a loyal staff, and if he wanted his staff to be loyal to him, then one of the first things he needed to do was make sure they were eating well. He was not going to be one of those kings that feasted every night, while his people starved.  

[Rhia Kolareny]

She was out in the garden, choosing which flowers were to be cut for the table displays. The gardens were a legacy from the previous queen, and though she had been gone for some years now, the gardener had done an excellent job of keeping them alive and beautiful. Roses, lilies, gladiola's were all in bloom at this time of year, and they were going to bring a wonderful splash of color to the drab dining hall. She had already met with shop owners from the nearby town, and selected the tapestries that would be hung on the stone walls before the dinner tonight. There were so many things that required her attention in her new home, and there just weren't enough hours in the day for her to attend to them all.

As she reentered the castle, her maid intercepted her to advise that the dressmaker had arrived for her fitting. This was news she welcomed, and she hurried off to see the new dress she would wear tonight.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

As he left the dining hall, his mind was racing with all the things he still needed to do before the guests began arriving that evening. He made his way through the castle and into the courtyard. He stopped and began to survey the castle walls and their interiors. Guards were already manning their posts in the towers and along the tops of the walls. They had been instructed to keep watch for anything suspicious beyond the castle walls. He was not about to let some disgruntled civilian disrupt these meetings. He decided an inspection of the castle walls was in order, so he climbed the stairs closest to him and began his walk. The guards greeted him as he approached, and he gave them encouraging words in return. He reached the first tower and climbed to the top where he looked out over the city below him, as the tower guard stood aside to give him room. From this vantage point, the guard would be able to see anyone approaching the castle well before they were within range of any weapons. He finished his inspection and went in search of Sir Kerma again. Now that he was satisfied with the castles outer defenses, he wanted to make sure that everything was in place for inside.

show spoilerhide spoiler

[color=#435D36][b]X[/b][/color]

 

[Rhia Kolareny]

Arriving in her chambers, the dressmaker was already waiting for her. Laid out on her bed was the dress she had been working on for the last couple of weeks. It had taken hours for her to make up her mind which of the beautiful fabrics she wanted her dress made from, and then which colors to choose. But the dressmaker had done herself proud in the final creation. The queen wasted no time disrobing and stepping into the dress with the help of her maid. She stood in front of the full length mirror for what seemed like hours, taking in the full effect. Finally, when she was satisfied with how she looked, she allowed herself to take it off, and let it be hung up for that nights party.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

He found Kerma in the barracks, assigning duties to the men for that nights dinner, and the following days. Guests would begin arriving later that afternoon, and everyone needed to know what was expected of him or her. Astarand was not one of those kings who excluded females from joining the ranks of his guards and soldiers. He knew that among the Gwilith, their queen was a seasoned swords-woman. With this meeting of emissaries from across the land, he hoped to form alliances that would keep his and their kingdoms at peace. He was looking forward to meeting the emissary from the Sword Kingdom, and one day of meeting the queen herself.  

[Rhia Kolareny]

A week had passed since the last of the emissaries had left, returning to their respective kingdoms to inform their rulers of the outcome of the meeting. What was strange was that the emissary from the Sword Kingdom had never arrived. Considering that confirmation of his intention to attend had been received, the King had sent messages to their rulers to inquire as to his absence. However, no answer had been received yet, which was also strange. She could only guess that their messages had never arrived in the Sword Kingdom, and therefore they either did not know of their emissaries absence, or they had decided not to attend, and had not seen fit to notify her husband. Either way, it made for a few very awkward days. But the castle had swung right back into its normal course of daily life once they were all gone. The one bright spot of the whole thing was the court jester's entertainment factor. Kester was one of her favorite people in the court, and she was very happy when he had agreed to perform for them on their last night in the castle. He had however, gotten uncommonly deep in-the-cup as they say, and they had had to carry him out of the hall and up to his quarters. She had not seen him since that night, and guessed that he might be somewhat embarrassed by his behavior, and therefore keeping a low profile around her and the King. She was sitting at her dressing table, brushing out her hair when the door opened.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

Astarand walked into the queens chamber and found her brushing her hair. "Greetings my love. You are looking beautiful as ever." He walked over and placing his hands on her shoulders, bent down and kissed her. "So, you have not said much since our guests left. I think things went well, although the absence of the emissary from the Sword Kingdom still bothers me. I don't understand why they have not answered our inquiries." He walked over to the balcony door and went outside. From there he could see down into the town that surrounded the castle, outside the walls. People were busy closing up their shops and preparing to head home. Torches were being lit along the main roads, something he had ordered done not long after taking the throne. He didn't like the idea of people walking the streets in the dark of night. He turned as he felt the queens body brush up against him. He turned, taking her in his arms, and kissing her gently on the lips.