Reassurances

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

To say that life within Demeria and its Court was tumultuous was putting it mildly. The relationship between Demeria and Sarkozsy was on the brink of disaster. Yet, Riordan was determined not to let it become such. He still held on to hope that a resolution could be reached that would satisfy all parties. He wouldn't be surprised to hear, however, if the various nobles of his country weren't too pleased with their foreign guests. Not surprising considering how popular Princess Emmaline was with them.

Of the party, Anya seemed to be the most reasonable. Katya, of course, was quite reasonable herself, but he had already met with her. For now, he wished to focus on Princess Anastasia. She was an interesting woman, he had to admit. Quiet, calm, gentle and graceful were qualities he would beg to her. If he were honest with himself, and he was, she was quite a lovely woman, too. It made him all the more glad that he had put his more rambunctious days behind lest there be the stirrings yet another scandal in Court!

He invited the princess to his pavilion in the afternoon, when the bulk of the Court was involved in general activities. His men were also doing their best to keep others from prying into his business. The less people knew about this meeting, the better. Refreshments had been laid out in the form of water, lemonade and various fruits. All he had to do was wait for her arrival.

Princess Anastasia Fyodorov

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

By the Mother, she was tired. Drained, empty, feeling hollow, but duty compelled Anastasia to keep moving and to maintain face for the sake of her homeland, her family, and her people. Aware that Prince Riordan wanted to speak with her, she took some time to gird herself as if for battle. Her armor was a fine gown in a rich hue of blue, and her weapon of choice was quiet, eloquent grace. Ensuring that her sister and brother were otherwise occupied, she made her way through the camp to where they agreed upon meeting, unaccompanied but for a single guard to maintain some measure of propriety.

Pausing outside of the pavilion, Anya sought permission to enter, squaring her shoulders and preparing for whatever might come of this clandestine-like meeting.

Prince Riordan Carlisle

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

She was given permission to come in without hesitation and he moved to a stand to straighten out his tunic. "Your Highness, thank you for agreeing to see me." He stated formally and then smiled, "I appreciate it. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. I've some lemonade, but if you prefer something on the more bitter side, I can request tea."

He knew she would be stressed. Who wouldn't be? If their positions were reversed, he wasn't certain he could handle it as well as she could. She certain dressed for the part! She looked every part the lovely, elegant and confident Princess of Sarkozsy.

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

Entering, Anya greeted the Crown Prince with a formal curtsy and a quiet greeting. "Good day, Your Royal Highness. I came as soon as I could." Anya was admittedly nervous about this interview, but she had her marching orders and had every intention of living up to her brother's and parents' expectations of a Princess of Sarkozsy. "Thank you, but I am fine. Shall we begin?"

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

Riordan leaned back in his chair to gaze thoughtfully at her. "Yes, we shall begin." The question, where the hell did they even begin? It was all a horrible damned mess and they were right in the middle of it. Two sides angry and hurt. "First off, I want you to know that I do not feel you had any role in this fracas. The choice was entirely Nikolai's and it is only him that I blame." He paused, "I am still interested in a relationship between our two nations, but I do not know how the Court will feel."

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

Easing into a chair, Anastasia made a point of glancing down as she settled her skirts, the better to ensure her mask of composure remained firmly in place. She needed those few minutes to prepare herself, lifting her eyes as he spoke candidly. "You are generous to feel that way, Prince Riordan, and for that, you have our humble thanks. I speak as much for my parents and my brother and sister, as much for the people of Sarkozsy. Again, I can only apologize that I did not have any involvement in Nikolai's choices, and that I failed to see this coming. Had I known, perhaps I could have intervened. We will never know, I fear."

Aware that for the foreseeable future, candor was her only true option, Anya didn't couch her reply in overly flowery or diplomatic terms. They were back at square one, if she was lucky. "I appreciate your willingness, but I fear we have lost a significant amount of ground with the Court. I expect no support, frankly, and a great deal of negative criticism, if not outright hostility." She might as well say it; there was no avoiding the truth on that point.

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

"No, we will never know," he agreed, "And that will be frustrating for a long time." Though, he did hope that Darton was successful in tracking the man down. Nikolai had answers, no matter what they were going to be. The quicker this was put behind everyone, the quicker everyone could move forward. A sigh escaped him as he briefly rubbed at his chin in thought.

"Yes, you are correct. I believe your most staunch opponents are going to be the St. Claires, possibly the Lancasters. The de Veres will certainly have an opinion on the matter, probably for ill. The ones I do not know, however, are the de Winters, Jardiniers and Roses. They're the quiet Dukes, so to speak." The smile was a tight one. "Any plan that hopes to salvage the relationship between us will probably have to be approved by them. While my Father is King and his word is law, having the support of the Nobles will make this progress more smoothly."

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

Anya appreciated the blunt honesty. It was better to know the worst than have it coated in honey, leaving her ill-prepared for what was likely to come. For not the first time in several days, she briefly considered cursing her eldest brother's name, but put it aside. That would be a waste of time, emotion and energy that was better spent in damage control.

Glancing back at Prince Riordan, she nodded wearily. "I agree. Certainly I plan to issue a formal apology for my brother's behavior before the Court, and a personal apology to Princess Emmaline if the King will allow it. I have no wish to distress her more than she already is, but I need to begin somewhere. Katya is innocent in all of this," Anya added almost warningly, "and I have no wish to see any of this put on her. It is for me to take on the responsibility, so I will do so as best I may. If you have any suggestions, I welcome them, Your Highness."

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

"Let me talk to Emmaline first and see how she feels about such." He requested with a faint smile. He had no idea just how she would respond to such a request at this point. He didn't want to make things any worse for her than they already were and he knew she wanted the same. "Prove to them what good you can do for our land. Remind them why you are here. Yes, you are here for a trade agreement, but in exchange for our food you will offer us security."

"You see, it is my hope that practicality will help to override the emotions that are no doubt running rife in this Court. We have to focus on the reasons we are here, rather than the emotions associated with them. I know that's hard. It's even challenging for me."

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

A dry, ironic laugh rang out before she could stop it at his expressed hope. "Forgive me if I am less than optimistic on that point, Your Highness. In my experience, it has always been profoundly the opposite. Reason flees in the face of emotions and justifiably wounded pride, and it is perhaps the slowest to return. I will do what I can, as will my sister, but we are both aware that we are in for some very hard times ahead."

Trying not to wince or feel her spirits sink lower at the understandable obstacle, Anya merely nodded. "I have no wish to distress her further, naturally. I'm sure Katya and I are the last people with whom she'd want to speak, and naturally, I will respect that. When she is ready, will you let me know? It is best to leave it in her hands."

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

Riordan smiled understandably in the face of her sardonic laugh, but he did not crack in his resolution. "Princess, I am going to share with you a vision I have for Demeria. It is ambitious and I am not all that certain it is going to work, but I am going to try, anyway. In my opinion, the nations of this world have been living entirely too separate from each other. We all have needs. We all have certain items that we need to live happy productive lives. While I am not suggesting that we trade openly and without fee, I am suggesting that we keep that in mind." He paused for a moment.

"To that end, I see the relationship between Sarkozsy and Demeria as the beginning. You need food and we need protection. Linten needs protection, too. Treniata needs help keeping its home strong against its many storms, but they have so much to offer to make our lives more enjoyable: fruits, spices and other riches. If we establish a relationship, my nation and yours, we set a president. We provide food. You provide protection. Soon, Linten can use its navy to protect us and provide you with precious hardwoods for construction. Treniata can share its riches to make us all happy all for the price of giving the materials they need to survive. Against such a unity, the Empire cannot hope to compete against us. Perhaps, even, they will see the error of their ways." He watched her, "Do you understand my thought process?"

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

Unable to help herself, Anastasia felt her gaze narrowing in suspicion. While there was a part of her that very much wanted to accept his words as sincere and his intentions as pure, she was also not that naive. The reality was far less idealistic, pleasant and consequently, infinitely more likely than his expressed vision. Still, she listened quietly, refraining from comment until he invited her to speak.

"I understand your process well enough," Anya answered quietly, "but I hope you will forgive me if I find it unrealistic. You expect a great deal of the people of these lands, and my experience has told me that you will like as not find yourself sorely disappointed. It is a lovely idea, and a noble intention. I wish you the best of luck with it, yet I feel compelled to warn you that generations of mistrust, suspicion and cultural conflict will not be put aside so easily. Forgive me for saying this, but I doubt you will convince your own people of this, let alone those of my lands. Still, I will not stand in your way if you wish to promote the idea, but I will also be honest. You need an ally who is viewed with less... disdain than I."

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

He had a feeling he'd encounter arguments against it, and he wasn't surprised to hear it from Princess Anya, especially in light of what she just went through. "I understand what you mean," to his credit, he was not offended by her criticisms. "Your statements are very true. I know there are going to be those who are openly opposed to such relationships and understandably so. Trust is hard to regain once it's been lost," he gave a sad sort of smile. "I believe me, I know." Riordan had to work incredibly hard himself.

"I don't know if my idea will be implemented in this generation, but I have hope for the future generation. I recall reading a passage that more or less stated that we do not plant trees for ourselves, but for our children and children's children." He spread his hands. "Something has to give, Anya. If we continue down this path of self-servitude, fear and anger, the world will not become a better place."

"But... that does not help us or you immediately. What I can offer you is my friendship and support, for what it is worth. I will do everything in my power to see this deal go through and your people get what they need."

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

"Thank you. You are very kind." Anya bowed her head, lowering her eyes to hide her obvious dismay. Chances were good that Prince Riordan would be the only ally they might find in the court for the foreseeable future, and even that risked his relationship with his family. Then again, wasn't her family effectively torn asunder because of her brother's choices? Forgiveness for Nikolai would be slow in coming, if ever he stood as a man and took responsibility for his actions. She wasn't willing to wager on that, and decided that she would plead with her father to disinherit him. It was the only logical choice for the good of Sarkozsy.

When Anastasia spoke again, it was slowly and with precise care. "I am aware that any negotiations from here out will be fraught with difficulties, and that the terms must change accordingly. You have my word there will be complete transparency on our part; Nikolai does not represent Sarkozsy or her people any more. We have nothing to hide, and we have our honor to regain."

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

"I try to be," he answered her thanks slowly and then listened closely. "Good, that will be good. Like I said, I know this is going to be challenging but I'll stand with you. My father is coming to respect my word more and more. Those previously mentioned Dukes will be good to persuade, as well. What I cannot predict for you is how the arrangements will be handled. There is no telling what the Court and most importantly, his Majesty, will accept."

He gave a small smile. "Is there anything more I can do for you, Your Highness?"