A guest from far away

Eventually, you are able to find a moment for a quiet word with Lord Duncan.

"I am guilty of neglecting my guests before the feast, Duncan," you say to him. "It was unmannerly of me."

"We need not speak of it, Sire," he says, but in his eyes you can see he is pleased that you noticed your misstep and acknowledged it.

"Tell me, Duncan," you say, "what do you know of one Lord Eduoard of Bernhoeft?"

"Beyond the bare facts of his family lineage, only hearsay," Duncan says. "He is not well-loved, to be sure, but he does seem to have a hidden influence. Certainly, King Olivier has shown him much in the way of favor, though it is difficult to see what Eduoard has done to earn it. His current seat is the Castle Moselle, on the river of the same name, but he was granted it only recently; it was formerly held by Lord Raymond de Beaumanoir."

"Do you know why the Beaumanoir family was **** from their ancestral manor?"

"The circumstances are vague, and as it happened not long ago the word which has reached Elyssia is even less informative than it might be." Duncan raises an eyebrow. "If I may be so bold, Sire... why do you ask?"

"Because Queen Alayna is the granddaughter of Raymond de Beaumanoir, and the point of her campaigns is to reclaim her family's lands and castle."

Duncan raises the other eyebrow. "Indeed! Yes, that would explain much..." Duncan's voice trails off as he engages in thought.

"Duncan, we will need to meet with Queen Alayna upon the morrow. I should like to meet with you early, before we break fast, so that you may give me a brief summary of who Lord Eduoard is and the circumstances surrounding his assumption of the lands and holdings formerly granted to the Beaumanoir house."

"Of course, Sire. I shall take my leave as soon as I am able. It is somewhat advantageous, sometimes, to be a man of advanced years... everyone naturally assumes that I need to retire to bed early, and so I am frequently able to devote the late evening to reading." Duncan gives you a rare smile of genuine humor.

"Would that I could do the same, Lord Duncan, especially when Sir Cottingham has something to say."

As Duncan departs, you have a moment to yourself - a very unusual thing, at events such as this! The party seems to be going exceedingly well, and you are pleased to see that most of the guests are freely associating regardless of rank or social class. The village blacksmith, Omar, converses in his native tongue with Subhi El-Zamani, Sultan of Al-Mansoura; you are quite confident that outside of Elyssia, such casual banter between a blacksmith and a Sultan would be unheard of. By the fireplace, one of the castle maids whispers with Arethousa, proprietor of the bathing pools; from the looks of them, Arethousa is offering advice to the young maid regarding a man she admires from across the room. The older children, of which there are about a dozen, have claimed the east balcony as their spot; among them are both Elyssians and visitors from far distant lands, and they seem to be getting along splendidly despite some language barriers. About ten yards away is Valerie, who is... waving to you.

In a moment, you have joined her, and Valerie gestures to a delicate and quite lovely woman from the far east, who you recall is with the party of the Samurai, Kuronoma Kuma. "Xavier, I believe you have met Nakamoto Kishi-san? I was telling her the story of how you became King in Elyssia, and she was incredulous that a simple blacksmith could rule a kingdom such as this."

"I meant no disrespect, Great King Xavier-san," she says in a voice that almost trembles, and bows before you in the manner of her people, hissing quietly.

"None is taken, Kishi-san," you assure her (Duncan informed you that among Kishi's people, the family name comes first). "I take pride in my early life as a blacksmith's apprentice; it is an honorable trade. And I, too, have often wondered whether I truly have what it takes to be king, but so far it has worked out well enough. Please rise, Kishi-san; though your hair is quite lovely, I would prefer to see your face."

"Apologies, Your Majesty. Among my people, one such as myself would not presume to look directly upon a king."

"You are in Elyssia now, Kishi-san, and I have always felt that to look someone in the eyes while speaking with them is to show them respect. I understand if this is uncomfortable for you, but it would please me if you did."

Hesitantly, shyly, Kishi raises her eyes until she catches yours - and then immediately looks away, giggling behind her hand.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" you ask Valerie.

Kishi's golden skin pales suddenly. "I do not laugh at you, Great King Xavier-sama!" she whispers.

"And I would take no offense if you did, Kishi-san," you tell her gently. "Have no fears, for you are my honored guest and it is my wish that you enjoy yourself while you are here in Elyssia. And if you would be so kind, please address me as 'Sire', or even 'Xavier-san'." You pause for a moment, and then say, "There is a greeting which is customary among my people between a man and a woman, Kishi-san. May I?"

You hold out your hand, and after a moment, she carefully places hers into yours. You lift her hand to your lips and gently kiss her slender fingers.

"Welcome to Elyssia, Nakamoto Kishi-san. This beautiful land has become even more so by your very presence."

Kishi blushes, and her lips curve into a smile once again.

"I ought to have warned you, Xavier fancies himself quite the charmer," Valerie says. "Fortunately, he's usually right about that."