01-27-2024, 04:54 AM
Lumiere, Auria
Pens, Rula Lēbela (Five Dragonfly Road): a truly famous (and infamous) address within Aurian collective memories. The white stone house sat inside its own small park, largely clouded by old trees dotting the property. The small private driveway was lined with uniformed police officers, who had presumably been given the high honor (or the short straw) of being the first line of defense for the Prime Minister’s personal residence.
The shiny new security gate slowly slid open, revealing two black trucks with tinted windows. The officers immediately snapped to attention as the miniature motorcade passed, turning back to the gate as the trucks stopped in front of the house. Surrounded by a group of royal guards, Queen Katherina stepped out of the second van, her deep purple Halar matching the colors of the flag that waved on the nearby flagpole. Despite the beautiful weather of Auria's temperate summers, the Queen did not bask in the sun. She quickly made her way inside, moving with a purpose.
One of Prime Minister Arquette’s staffers was waiting for her in the open foyer, and she gave a bow as the Aurian head of state and her entourage made their ways inside. “Welcome, Your Majesty. He is expecting you upstairs, in his study. But he was quite concerned at the sudden need for a meeting, and frankly, so is his staff. Could you tell us what the issue is, so we can help and prepare him?”
Katherina shook her head and made her way up the stairs, passing a few paintings that had been recovered from the residences of coup conspirators. At the top of the grand staircase, she took a right, facing an ornate oak door. She cracked it open and peered through it, making sure that Arquette was alone in his lavish office. She entered quietly, shutting the door behind her.
Arquette stood at the sight of the young monarch, an indiscernible emotion on his face. “Your Majesty. What may I do to help you?”
Katherina’s gaze was cold and unyielding. “Well, nothing much, really. I was more wondering why our troop commanders in the North are saying that you ordered them to stand down from their pursuit of criminals. I was about to call Chancellor Stendē and talk about their interference, until I heard that you had already told the front commanders to stand down and stop preparing for a siege.” She tilted her head. “What game are you playing, Kuren Arquette?”
The politician sat, gesturing for his guest to do the same. “I don't play games with the lives of our citizens, whether they be soldiers, dissidents, or otherwise. Preventing a bloody struggle for Juraceda should be our utmost priority. The UAC aren't Andrew or Michelin. They are our own citizens. I'm not going to order them to be assaulted and killed if I can avoid it.” He cocked an eyebrow with a slight smile. “Speaking of playing games, what were you doing calling my commanders in the field?”
Katherina resisted the urge to snarl. Condescending bastard. “I just want to make sure that our nation is secure and that justice is served properly And neither of those things will happen if we roll over to militant communists. We will just look like weak cowards with no legitimacy. And you wonder why we're a joke on the international stage.”
“Massacring UAC members would only make us look worse on the international stage than we already do. Besides, I have been working with our allies on our next steps. As we speak, a Milintican negotiator is making his way into Juraceda to contact leaders of this band of the Commune. Once he comes back with an offer and a plan, we can start to move forward, ideally without fighting.”
The Queen was incredulous. “You trust an ambassador from a radical socialist nation to be a reliable negotiator for our interests?” She rubbed an eyebrow tiredly. “Sure, sure. I'm certain that that totally won't go wrong at all. You have to stop this, Kuren. If you don't want to siege the city, fine. Let the Lauchenoirians do it! They were more than eager to march the first time. Our hands would be cleaner and this whole situation would be over. We could finally be at peace.”
“And that peace means nothing if it costs even more Aurian lives. And, even though I don't agree with their methods, some of their requests are sound. The rest are incredibly naïve, of course, and I'm pretty sure that Bonnet is some type of narcissist. But regardless, they are a political group. And I will not let you interfere further to prevent a peaceful solution to this crisis, Katherina.”
Katherina's face contorted into a sneer. “You ‘will not let me’? I'm appalled at your sudden boldness. You never were this active and confrontational before…” She kept eye contact, practically staring into Arquette’s soul. “It’s because my mother is gone, isn't it? You had her do all of the heavy lifting in exile and all of the rebuilding once we came back. But now that we are more stable and secure, you want to take the responsibility and authority that you neglected, especially because you think that I'll just sit here and take it. Well, Jaques, I will not sit by as you hoard power and drive this country into the ground. You don't have what it takes to rule this country.”
The Queen stormed out of the office, and the slam of the door was so strong that it shook the nearby paintings and portraits on the wall.
Pens, Rula Lēbela (Five Dragonfly Road): a truly famous (and infamous) address within Aurian collective memories. The white stone house sat inside its own small park, largely clouded by old trees dotting the property. The small private driveway was lined with uniformed police officers, who had presumably been given the high honor (or the short straw) of being the first line of defense for the Prime Minister’s personal residence.
The shiny new security gate slowly slid open, revealing two black trucks with tinted windows. The officers immediately snapped to attention as the miniature motorcade passed, turning back to the gate as the trucks stopped in front of the house. Surrounded by a group of royal guards, Queen Katherina stepped out of the second van, her deep purple Halar matching the colors of the flag that waved on the nearby flagpole. Despite the beautiful weather of Auria's temperate summers, the Queen did not bask in the sun. She quickly made her way inside, moving with a purpose.
One of Prime Minister Arquette’s staffers was waiting for her in the open foyer, and she gave a bow as the Aurian head of state and her entourage made their ways inside. “Welcome, Your Majesty. He is expecting you upstairs, in his study. But he was quite concerned at the sudden need for a meeting, and frankly, so is his staff. Could you tell us what the issue is, so we can help and prepare him?”
Katherina shook her head and made her way up the stairs, passing a few paintings that had been recovered from the residences of coup conspirators. At the top of the grand staircase, she took a right, facing an ornate oak door. She cracked it open and peered through it, making sure that Arquette was alone in his lavish office. She entered quietly, shutting the door behind her.
Arquette stood at the sight of the young monarch, an indiscernible emotion on his face. “Your Majesty. What may I do to help you?”
Katherina’s gaze was cold and unyielding. “Well, nothing much, really. I was more wondering why our troop commanders in the North are saying that you ordered them to stand down from their pursuit of criminals. I was about to call Chancellor Stendē and talk about their interference, until I heard that you had already told the front commanders to stand down and stop preparing for a siege.” She tilted her head. “What game are you playing, Kuren Arquette?”
The politician sat, gesturing for his guest to do the same. “I don't play games with the lives of our citizens, whether they be soldiers, dissidents, or otherwise. Preventing a bloody struggle for Juraceda should be our utmost priority. The UAC aren't Andrew or Michelin. They are our own citizens. I'm not going to order them to be assaulted and killed if I can avoid it.” He cocked an eyebrow with a slight smile. “Speaking of playing games, what were you doing calling my commanders in the field?”
Katherina resisted the urge to snarl. Condescending bastard. “I just want to make sure that our nation is secure and that justice is served properly And neither of those things will happen if we roll over to militant communists. We will just look like weak cowards with no legitimacy. And you wonder why we're a joke on the international stage.”
“Massacring UAC members would only make us look worse on the international stage than we already do. Besides, I have been working with our allies on our next steps. As we speak, a Milintican negotiator is making his way into Juraceda to contact leaders of this band of the Commune. Once he comes back with an offer and a plan, we can start to move forward, ideally without fighting.”
The Queen was incredulous. “You trust an ambassador from a radical socialist nation to be a reliable negotiator for our interests?” She rubbed an eyebrow tiredly. “Sure, sure. I'm certain that that totally won't go wrong at all. You have to stop this, Kuren. If you don't want to siege the city, fine. Let the Lauchenoirians do it! They were more than eager to march the first time. Our hands would be cleaner and this whole situation would be over. We could finally be at peace.”
“And that peace means nothing if it costs even more Aurian lives. And, even though I don't agree with their methods, some of their requests are sound. The rest are incredibly naïve, of course, and I'm pretty sure that Bonnet is some type of narcissist. But regardless, they are a political group. And I will not let you interfere further to prevent a peaceful solution to this crisis, Katherina.”
Katherina's face contorted into a sneer. “You ‘will not let me’? I'm appalled at your sudden boldness. You never were this active and confrontational before…” She kept eye contact, practically staring into Arquette’s soul. “It’s because my mother is gone, isn't it? You had her do all of the heavy lifting in exile and all of the rebuilding once we came back. But now that we are more stable and secure, you want to take the responsibility and authority that you neglected, especially because you think that I'll just sit here and take it. Well, Jaques, I will not sit by as you hoard power and drive this country into the ground. You don't have what it takes to rule this country.”
The Queen stormed out of the office, and the slam of the door was so strong that it shook the nearby paintings and portraits on the wall.
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