Princess Yue of the Sāngshu Empire

"Well," you say, "I suppose, if you agree, that it might be best to form the alliance with the Sāngshu Empire. They are well known for their constant innovation and great learning."

"That is probably for the best honey," replies your mother, "But you know that her legs don't work. You will probably have to take care of her for the rest of your life. She won't even be able to take care of your household."

"Mother, I know she isn't able to move like you or I, but I'm sure she still is capable of taking care of herself. If not, well, I will do what I must." Personally, you are thinking that she is still a person and as such is equal to all others, but you don't know that your mother would be convinced by such reasoning.

"But John, we do not even know if Princess Yue can have children," your father whispers. "Do you really want to marry someone who might never give you children?"

"Father, my duty is to my people, not myself or my family. If I never have children, well, then you will have to have another child to continue our family name." You think that the Princess not being able to have children would actually be sort of ideal. The alliance would be formed, but Creagachtír would remain free from a ruler who would probably be raised in the ways of another country.

"Father, mother, do you disagree with my assessment of the benefits of the alliance? If you don't, then I am honorbound to protect my people and go through with this marriage." Their faces fall. Both know the demands of duty and thus cannot deny that you must do what is best for your people, no matter whether or not they approve of the choice in spouse.

"Let us get back to dinner. Tomorrow we can write to the Emporer accepting the hand of Princess Yue and thank him for the generous marriage proposal. Next we will just have to begin preparing for the journey."

That night you slept poorly. Despite knowing that this is best for your people, you are frightened and saddened by the prospect of leaving your home forever. You will never again work on your family's land, getting it ready for planting and reaping. No longer will you be able to picnic in the mountains, collecting wildflowers on the journey back to liven up the castle. And, while you didn't show any fear at dinner, you are concerned about whether or not you and your future wife will even like each other at all.

The next morning you try to banish all of the doubts of last night while you check on the livestock and crops and subsequently drew up your bath, a copper tub filled with spring water you had collected, then placed by the hearth to warm.

Baths had always cleared your head in the past and it worked again today. While you don't know what life as part of this new country will be like, you know that you will be able to endure it, for you will forever work to the good of your people, just as all your ancestors had.

You go down to break your fast where your parents are waiting. They seem anxious and run down, as if they hadn't slept last night. You calmly fill your empty plates with blackberries, cheese, and dark bread. From the pitcher you pour out rich creamy milk, which you had collected this morning during chores, into the waiting goblet. After eating the entire meal in complete silence you look into your father's eyes and say, slowly and deliberately, "I think we should write that letter and send a messenger bird today telling the Emperor of Sāngshu about our decision." Silently, your father nods his head.

All three of you head to the tower where the birds are stored and write out a letter to the Emperor, who is now your future father in law (despite the importance of the message, you were able to write it calmly enough that you only had to write two copies of the letter, the first having a misshapen seal). You put the vellum letter in a small case and tie it to the leg of a messenger raven dedicated to communications with Sāngshu and throw the bird out the window. You know that it will probably be two weeks until you get a reply and then two or three months until the traveling party comes to take you to your future wife.

In the meantime you begin to pack up, filling a large trunk with the essentials: a whetstone and oil for your longsword, a razor, a polished copper mirror, a shaving basin, several pairs of boots, and about two weeks worth of clothes. Your next task will be much more difficult; telling your people you will be leaving them.

Two weeks pass and a tired-looking bird comes to the castle with a message from Sāngshu. Before you open it you examine the strange casing for the message. The container feels like wood, but it had not been carved by the looks of it, almost as if the wood naturally grew into messenger tubes. You open the case find two messages written on some odd type of vellum which felt extremely odd to the touch, quite dry and thin. The first message is from the Emperor himself and after sorting through the great numbers of honorifics and formalities and essentially came down to "We are quite pleased that our nations will grow closer together as part of this partnership. An escort is coming to safely bring you to the royal palace." Below that was his seal- some odd sort of serpent with legs and wings seen in profile. The next letter appears to be from Princess Yue herself. It said, "Prince John, I am anxiously awaiting meeting you. I know that it probably feels odd marrying and spending your life with someone you haven't met. It feels that way to me at least. Even if we cannot grow to love each other, I hope that working together to protect our nations will make us friends. I look forward to meeting you." No longer can you deny the fact that you will be leaving your home, so you take a few days to prepare your speech to the country, to make sure they do not become angry or frustrated at the fact that you have to leave them.

In a few days you have prepared five copies of the speech for criers to tell all of the villages spread around your kingdom. You look down from the small platform build for your oration and look upon the curious people of the local town. Forcing down tears, you begin your speech.

"My friends and countrymen, for yes, I hope that each of you might think of me as friend, not merely ruler, I must leave this, the country of my birth. In about one full cycle of the moon I will have to do my duty, no matter how difficult it will be to see the mountains grow small in the distance. As you may well know, our country is caught between four strong empires who threaten to tear us apart. Thankfully, I have accepted a proposal from the Emperor of the Sāngshu Empire to marry his daughter, Princess Yue," The crowd grew silent. Every one of them knows that you would sooner die than leave and are mourning your suffering "I think this alliance will provide us the protection we need to survive this great conflict. I do not regret anything about this marriage, for the King, Queen, and I all think this is in the best interest of the kingdom. But know this my friends, even if I never again step foot in the moors or peat bogs in our country, if I never again hear the song of wind through our mountains, if I cannot feel the pride of working our rocky soil anymore, even then I will be thinking about you and trying my best to do all that I can for the great land of Creagachtír. Though my body may leave, my heart will remain with you until my dying breath!"

You almost collapse after this, feeling like you had carried a millstone up the mountains by yourself, not like one who had just given a speech. Your father steps onto the platform and holds you discretely, not wanting the crowd to see you falter. "Know this, my subjects," he cries, "you will dishonor my son's actions with your tears. Be proud to know that your greatness as a people have inspired my son to do what is best for you, even if it means he must leave you. Now, we have taken enough of your time- go back to your homes and your fields remembering that this kingdom is the greatest in the world, not because of the royalty, but because of the hard work you do every day."

Taking you off the stage he says, "the people of Sāngshu will be very lucky to have a ruler who can give such a rousing speech. I know I probably don't say it enough, but I really am proud of you, my son."

All that is left is to wait for the journey itself.

Over the few remaining weeks at home you say your goodbyes to the people you know, study your betrothed's language, and hike to try to soak in enough of the beautiful country to last you a lifetime away.

Finally, you receive a message that the guards who will be protecting you have entered the immediate area, so you get into your most regal clothes, ones which you had only had to stitch back together once. Then you take your bronze crown off your shelf and try to polish it, especially the bluestone inlays.

You leave the castle, heading out to face your destiny and the journey ahead.