The Opening Ceremonies

A great crowd has gathered at the square as you arrive to officially open the festival. The main square has been cleverly built into the side of a hill, such that you and a fair number of distinguished guests may stand upon a raised platform and address nearly the entire city's population. On this day, the crowd spills well beyond the confines of the town square, so the town criers have been stationed such that they can hear your words and repeat them to those who otherwise would not.

"Sire," Duncan says, as you approach the railing, "Queen Alayna has arrived."

You turn and see that the Queen has come onto the balcony, with Sir Callahan at her side. She is dressed in a lightweight breastplate of boiled leather, dyed red and trimmed with gold, a long cape of red velvet, a pleated plate mail skirt enameled in black, and high black riding boots. The sword at her belt is the one which General Ferdinand gave as a peace offering. The sunlight off her hair makes it appear even more fiery than before. Those around her step aside as she approaches, not because she makes any move to compel them to do so, but simply because her presence seems to demand that she be given space.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Queen Alayna," you say to her, taking her hand to kiss once again, and then you indicate the square behind you with a sweep of your arm. "I am sorry there is not a larger crowd to welcome you, my Queen... but, these are all the people I have."

She laughs, as you had hoped she would, and the tension in the vicinity drops somewhat.

"I'm afraid I must make a speech now," you continue. "Please, would you do me the honor of taking the seat next to my own?"

"The honor is mine," she replies. Sir Callahan goes to stand next to Captain Navarre at the rear of the balcony, and you take a seat in your chair, prompting the noble guests present to do the same. Sir Magnus of the Kingsguard steps forward, ready to put his mighty voice to work at your service. He throws his arms out wide, and the trumpets sound out over the crowd, bringing their chattering down to a low murmur.

"People of Elyssia!" Magnus bellows once you give him the nod. "Honored guests and visitors from distant lands! King Xavier, First of that Name, Ruler of Elyssia and Defender of its people, comes before you now!"

He steps aside, and you take the royal sceptre from Duncan and step to the railing. The crowd goes truly quiet now, to the point where you can here a baby's babbling to its mother near the back. All eyes are upon you.

"People of Elyssia! On behalf of our Kingdom, I welcome our most honored guests... Subhi el-Zamani, the Sultan of Al-Mansoura, who we of Elyssia know well as our longest and truest ally! Bwana M'Kubwa, Chieftain of the M'Kubwa tribe, who has traveled across jungles and deserts from his home deep in the southern continent! Sir Reginald, Duke of Cottingham, joins us this day as he has on many occasions past! An unexpected but most welcome guest, Kuronuma Kuma-san, a great Samurai from the Land of the Rising Sun!" You pause for just a moment, and then shout, "And, the honor is mine to introduce to all of you, Her Majesty Queen Alayna, the Unbloodied and Undefeated; known far and wide as the Warrior Queen, but she comes to Elyssia in peace and friendship!"

The people cheer each name, and you allow them to do so. The applause for Queen Alayna seems to be somewhat uncertain, until you extend back your hand to invite her to stand next to you; the cheers come more loudly after that, and she nods to each side of the square to accept the accolades gracefully before resuming her seat.

"Two days hence, the Kingdom of Elyssia shall celebrate its tenth anniversary. I am proud and honored to wear this crown, and I proclaim that all citizens of Elyssia should likewise be proud of this great city and great kingdom which we have built together! Let us enjoy the fruits of our labors, and show hospitality to our guests, and may our descendants join together here a thousand years from now to celebrate once again!"

Again, the people cheer; Duncan seems to have written an excellent speech for you. You look down the scroll which is held before you, and deem the rest of it far too long, too full of tedious details about how the kingdom came to be, how hardship and troubles were overcome... certainly not the stuff of festivals.

"I am not one for long speeches," you say, "especially when the day is so fair and there is much celebrating to be done!" A laugh rises up through the crowd, and you laugh along with them, in spite of the fact that you can sense poor Duncan despairing that you've once again ignored his scroll. "And so, my people, if you would turn your attention to the edge of the square, you will see that carts laden with barrels of ale and wooden cups have been lined up along the bridge of the Grand Avenue. I invite everyone to enjoy a hearty drink, compliments of the crown!"

This brings the biggest cheer of all, and even Magnus' booming voice declaring the official opening of the festival is barely heard over the clamor.

The square thrives with activity, dancing and drinking and merriment, while the balcony above remains more subdued. It is unfortunate that as King, you must attend the party which is less to your taste, but upon the morrow will be the feast in the square where you will be able to mingle more freely with the commonfolk. You are kept busy speaking to your various noble guests, being introduced to people you will likely never talk to again, enduring flattery from some and veiled condescension from a few - those who have never really accepted a former commoner as a king. It's at least an hour before you are able to come back to Alayna.

"I see that you wear the sword which was gifted to you this morning, Queen Alayna," you say to her. "You may wish to know that the hilt was crafted by Methodius, who I understand has a reputation which extends far beyond Elyssia's borders."

"May I have your leave to draw the sword?" Alayna asks.

"Of course," you say to her, and with one hand you flash a quick signal to your watchful Kingsguard, a sign which essentially means, "That which is about to happen does so with my approval."

Alayna slowly pulls the sword from its sheath, keeping the point downward, and then lifts the blade up to rest on her other palm. She looks it over from the pommel to the tip. "The great swordmaker vanished from the world before I was born," she says, "but those few lords and kings fortunate enough to own one of his swords take great pride in them. It was sometimes said that he was not dead, that he had come here to Elyssia - it always seemed like wishful thinking to me, a story told by those who craved the possibility that Methodius might still be alive somewhere, so that he might craft just one more weapon which they could possess."

"There is truth in both tales. Methodius did indeed come here, where he worked the forge for nearly thirty years. Sadly, he left this world some ten years ago."

"I am proud to now have one of his creations, King Xavier," Alayna says, "or I should say, half of one - for it is clear that the blade was not wrought by his hands. It is a well-forged blade of good steel, but it is merely functional, certainly not the work of a master. It seems to me that you should discipline your current blacksmith, who really had no business attaching a lesser blade to a hilt created by the great Swordmaker."

"You will be pleased to know that the people collectively demanded that the guilty one should no longer be a blacksmith in Elyssia," you tell her.

"Really? That seems harsh judgement," Alayna says, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, yes. Clearly, the people did not wish for this fool to ruin any more good steel, so they saw to it he was relocated here to the castle where he could do no more harm."

"But, that is -" she stops for a moment, looks sideways at you, and smiles. "Praytell, what became of this brash young rogue?"

"He was duly punished for his crime. He must spend the rest of his days bearing the weight of a crown and the responsibility of running the entire kingdom, dealing with scheming noblemen and threats from deadly warlords. But we must not feel too sorry for the wretched soul; every once in a while, he is privileged to spend an hour in the company of a splendid, charming, and beautiful woman who he otherwise might never have had the chance to meet."

She laughs out loud, a sound as lovely as the lips from which it comes. "If you speak of the woman I assume, perhaps we should feel sorrier for him still. But in all seriousness, King Xavier... this is a sword which I am now doubly honored to have. There are others who may claim a weapon crafted by the great Methodius, but none of them were also forged by the King of Elyssia! From this moment onward, I shall wear this sword always upon occasions when I wish to be at my most impressive." She returns the blade to its scabbard. "Your own sword... it is also the work of your master's hand?"

"Hilt and blade. It is the last complete sword he ever made. With your permission?"

Alayna nods, and you withdraw your longsword from its sheath, holding it horizontally before her so that she may examine it. "This is truly an exquisite sword," she says softly. "Damascus steel... the very finest! And both edges honed to perfect sharpness. The hilt... what is the metal? I know something of your former craft, King Xavier, as anyone who wields a sword in battle must; but, I have never seen anything like this."

"It is not of this world," you tell her, unable to keep the pride from your voice. "Your Majesty, this is iron from the heavens - the very heart of a fallen star. Methodius saw it streak down across the sky when he was younger than I. He searched for weeks before he found the place where it landed, a great hole gouged into the earth, with a heavy iron stone buried at its center. It was blackened and pitted on the outside as if it had burned in a fire hotter than any blacksmith's forge. Over all the years of his life, he cold-worked the metal into this hilt, never daring to heat it because he feared the star's own fire might be re-awakened. When he presented it to me... I have to say, to receive this sword meant as much to me as the crown of Elyssia itself."

"Extraordinary," she whispers, peering at the hilt as if she expects it to come to life. "How does it perform in combat?"

"It never has. The sword is perfectly balanced, and I have wielded it in the practice yard so that I can know the feel of it. It can cut through a solid oak staff clean, without leaving a splinter. But, the blade has never drawn blood. We are fortunate here in Elyssia, Queen Alayna; we have known peace since long before I was born."

She looks up at you then. "You must realize that your fortune will not hold for much longer, Xavier," she says, her voice still quiet. "There have always been rumors and songs about this place, but now the lords and kings of the Earth are learning of the reality. Elyssia holds riches, not in the simple manner of gold and gems, but in ways more subtle and more grand. The people here are artisans, scholars, engineers, and the very finest of craftsman; any king would gladly trade all his wealth for such subjects. This castle is of unmatched beauty and grandeur. I have traveled far and wide, and I can tell you that only the Great Pyramids on the banks of the Nile are more impressive to behold - and they are not castles from which a King may rule! Even the bathing pools are spoken of as a wonder of the world. When this celebration is over, and the visitors return to their homes, they will spread word of what they have seen here... and before long you will have more visitors, except they will come with swords and battering rams. The mountains protect you, but they can be breached by one who knows how. General Ferdinand is a superb strategist, this is known; but even the finest general cannot win a battle without an army, and you have none to speak of. Your allies are loyal, but their kingdoms are hundreds of leagues away, and they could not come to your aid in a time of need. Unless you make preparations now to defend your kingdom, you will find yourself one day kneeling before your conqueror, surrendering this magnificent sword into his hands."

"Alayna, you and I seem to share a preference for directness," you tell her. "Are you suggesting that your own army could be put at our disposal, and if so, what would you seek in exchange?"

"I am indeed suggesting that very thing," she says, "but this is neither the time nor place for such a discussion; you have other guests who you must not neglect, and as you have said, it is a time for celebration. Today will be full of activities, but perhaps we could meet upon the morrow to speak of these serious matters? I am sure that you have little in the way of free time during this festival, but this is an issue of grave importance."

Alayna is right, of course; but the price of her army is certain to be a high one. An army needs food, clothing, shelter, and coin... doubtless, the Queen looks to Elyssia to provide these necessities, and your people would be required to make sacrifices for it. Perhaps you can lower that price by making a more personal connection with Alayna before the negotiations - though you must be careful not to make it seem as though you are trying to flatter her insincerely, as she is certainly shrewd enough to see through such tricks.