Augustus joined in on the toast, the Epiphani table yelled "AVE!". he was excited to show the couple his presents. He would provide them with golden laurel crowns and some vintage Imperial wine. Augustus and Beatrix sat at their table and eventually they went with their translator to go and speak with the delegation from Yamantau. The Imperator looked at Svrtan and said in his heavy accent "Do you speak mercanti?"
He then waited for the answer, Beatrix who did not speak even a little mercanti stood there and had to wait for the translator to tell her what Augustus had said to the premier. Augustus noticed the man was standing looking nervous, he thought that he could use something to make him more confident, to this end he had someone bring the man a shot of vodka. Augustus who had been known to be a drinker in his younger years began to have the drink flow more fluidly, as he was speaking he was always with a full drink. Beatrix who was not as much of a heavy weight tried to keep up as much as she could. However it became very apparent that the two were very drunk, they looked at each other and excused themselves from the conversation and made there way over to dance. The duo began to mingle with people they found, even though they were not of the same culture they wanted to bring a little Umbral flair to the reception.
"Evíva?" Tobias asked his wife curiously, and then called it out himself before Anthony and Claire came over to them. Tobias adjusted himself ever so slightly. Anthony was one of those people he had the upmost respect for. He'd been one of the first foreign leaders to reach out to him too.
"Thank you so much" he replied as Claire handed them their gifts, his voice rather cordial after the previous exclamations of revelry.
"And thank you for being here. It means the world. Please, enjoy the evening yourselves."
Tobias turned to Alycia when she asked him about the gifts.
"Let's leave it for later, don't want a bunch of loose gifts around" he mused. He sipped more beer and smiled. Between the alcohol, the revelry, and just the way Alycia made him feel? He felt no need to hold anything back.
"I fall for your smile every damn time I look at you" he said with a happy sigh.
It was certainly an unusual ceremony, but they chalked it up to the different culture and religion of their hosts. Like any good Santonian would, the Santonians applauded respectfully after the wedding.
At the reception, the Santonians were seated in the same table, too big for the size of their delegation. Thorsteinn went back to the table with his plate piled high with food from the Prydanian section of the buffet.
"You eating all of that?" Prince Timothée teased him.
Thorsteinn blushed. "Your Highness... I'm sorry, I just missed Prydanian food."
"Don't apologise," Prince Timothée grinned. "I'm just amused that you're enjoying yourself. I presume you haven't eaten that kind of food for a long time."
After a few minutes, the time has come to offer gifts to the newlyweds. The Duke of Champagne and the Princes of Saintonge stood up and picked up the gift baskets from underneath their table. Thorsteinn followed them, carrying another gift basket too.
"Congratulations!" The twins said in unison. "We hope you have a very fruitful married life."
"We and Saintonge wish you all the best," the Duke of Champagne said in Mercanti. "Please accept these humble gifts we have for you."
The identical twins laid down their identical gift baskets. Each basket contained three exquisite wines: an 1819 Abbaye de Saint-Éloi Wine of the Centuries, a 2015 Sainte-Rose sparking pink wine, and a 2014 Château Vauvilliers Côte de Dropt champagne. "Santonian wines," Prince Thibault said, pointing to the cards inside the basket, "we have written descriptions about them too!"
Thorsteinn also laid down the gift basket he was holding. "More Santonian goodies," Prince Thibault said. The basket contained carefully-wrapped and airtight-sealed Kyle's sausages and a selection of Santonian cheeses. There were also exquisite Vanceunebrock chocolates and artisanal chocolates in luxurious boxes.
The Duke of Champagne then also put his gift box down. "We had this specially made for you... we hope you like it." Inside the box were two Dion bags - a blue purse for the Empress of Norsia, and a blue crossbody satchel for the King of Prydania. The leather was custom-marked with the wedding monogram.
Also inside the box were sets of high-end men's and women's fragrances from Griffonné... and another smaller box. Inside the smaller box were two jewelled gold-and-platinum paired brooches, also depicting the wedding monogram, made by an famous artisan from Ratisbonne.
The Santonians didn't expect the couple to open it right there and then, but they hoped they would like the gifts.
The twins were greeted by the same smile Alycia had been wearing for a while now. She had the urge to get up and hug them but had to refrain. Whether all of these people just came out of some political obligation or out of genuine care for her and Tobias, having them all here made her feel warm and comfortable, though the alcohol probably wasn't going to be much help with that either.
"It's so good to have you two here, thank you for coming it means a lot. I have him by my side, I can't lose. Thank you both for coming for the lovely gifts."
When they had gone she turned back to Toby. Alycia snickered at Tobias' comment. "Good love, because as cheesy as it sounds, being near you is reason enough to smile. And Evíva means cheers. Speaking of cheers..." She reached to the basket and pulled up the 1819 Abbaye de Saint-Éloi Wine of the Centuries, and put it on the table.
"I must confess, when it comes to wine Saintonge has Norsos thoroughly beat. And a wine like this is special, should we open it here? There's not going to be many more occasions as special as now. I'd feel guilty drinking it, but I think I'd feel even more guilty drinking it on an improper occasion or never at all."
Tobias lit up a bit. The Duke of Champagne and Princes of Saintonge were family. Family he'd barely gotten to know. He was excited for that. He had the whole Severyn clan on Alycia's side now, and his own relatives in Saintonge. For someone who had very few relatives to count on for so long....he was excited to have family again. Still, now was not the time to get to know his cousins.
"Thank you all" he said with a soft smile. "It means a lot to us, to me, that you're here" in Mercanti. He nodded at Thorsteinn with a friendly smile. He knew he wasn't a member of the Santonian royal family, but his face seemed familiar. He could have sworn he had seen him before. Something about seeing his picture in a file? It would come back to him, Tobias was sure of it. For now he joined his newlywed wife in wishing the Santonian party well.
He smiled as he turned to his wife.
"As cheesy as it sounds" she had said. His soft smile grew into a wider one. He was prone to...symbolic gestures one could say? He couldn't help it. He'd grown up reading pulp fiction. Knights saving damsels, fighting off scoundrels. Gallant gentlemen fighting pirates. The words was always cold and bleak growing up in the War, but his own imagination was as lively and happy as he could make it. And sincere, if cheesy, dramatic gestures and language was the foundation of that.
That Alycia not only appreciated that, but seemed to find it charming, had helped make himself feel comfortable with her early on after they had met. He remembered that day too, in Haland. How utterly unworthy he felt knowing he'd see a Princess. Yes, he was a Prince, but he never felt like it.
Then he saw her. And as they got to know each other...she cared for him. She let him confide in her his fears, his insecurities. And she'd made him feel stronger. Made him feel like he could be himself. And felt like he was worthy of her.
Then Alycia mentioned the wine and he blushed just a bit. That was another thing from the War. He never had wine. He'd read about it, heard about it, even seen it. He'd cultivated an idea of what it was like. Intoxicating and sweet! It had to be sweet! It was made from grapes, like jam. The first time he'd tried it then, he'd been disappointment. It was weaker than Prydanian brennivín or whisky and its taste wasn't anything like what he expected. Still, a lesson of married life was already dawning on him- don't insult something your wife likes! He was married to a Norsian now. It would be a cold day in hell he dared to insult the concept of wine in front of her!
"Yes, let's open it now" he said with a nod.
"This occasion won't ever be surpassed. Let's enjoy it."
President Sidorov Pevlovich was excited for the wedding of Tobias and Alycia. He and his wife Melaniya had been for some months now; it’d be a nice event to attend and an opportunity to get away from Arcanstotskan politics and the stress and anxiety that came with it they had been dealing with since Sidorov’s victory in the presidential election two months prior. They had made it clear to the children - three-year-old Vadim and four-year-old Sergey - that they were expected to be very respectful and on their best behavior.
None of the Republican Guard would come with him, much to the concern of some advisors and security officials. After all, the President never went anywhere without the Republican Guard. Sidorov had insisted though that this was a wedding, not some state meeting. Besides, there was no way two-hundred armed men and women would be allowed to attend a wedding simply for four people’s security. The wedding would have plenty of security already.
Sidorov and Melaniya had spent some time trying to pick out a wedding gift for the couple. The two had spent some time researching the cultures and whatever they could find on Tobias and Alycia’s hobbies and interests. They would give Tobias an Arseni Lupoy hunting rifle from Sidorov’s own personal collection of rifles and a large bundle of roses to Alycia, straight from the gardens within the Presidential Palace. The Arseni Lupoy was a modern design from the company Arseni Arms, which Sidorov felt would serve the King far better than that older rifle he had seen him use before. Alycia’s roses were picked from the healthiest roses the Palace gardens had to offer. They would also give the couple a bottle of vintage Arcanstotskan wine.
The flight was short, as it was only one country north. Vadim and Sergey had fallen asleep only about an hour or two after takeoff while watching Matvey Cat* cartoons. The children loved flying in the Golden Eagle, a plane reserved specifically for the POTSAR** and his/her family for their travels and had a large number of staff and security onboard.
Melaniya was deep into her book. She had always been quite a fast reader, often reading at least forty to sixty pages in an hour. She had been enjoying the Presidential Palace’s vast library the past two months and had made a bet with her husband that she could read all 15,000 books before his term as president would be up in 2024; sixty vyrin*** said she couldn’t do it. Deep down she knew she couldn’t; there was no way anyone could read 15,000 books in just five years, but it’d be fun to see how far she could get by the end of his term.
Sidorov, on the other hand, wasn’t much of a book person. He was busy surfing through various news sites and organizations from back home, trying to keep up-to-date with any and all happenings in Arcanstotska which may develop while he was headed to the wedding. The Siloyev Times, Ramelensk Daily, The Arcanstotskan Observer, you name it. The truth was that Sidorov had always been extremely nervous about being president, always scared that he wouldn’t be good enough at the position as the nation needed him to be. Even during the Revolution Day parade he was nervous and shaking before he went out to make his speech before the parades began.
“Honey,” Melaniya looked up from her book to see Sidorov glued to the screen of his laptop. “Maybe you should leave the news articles alone for a while.”
“I’m sorry lovebug,” he replied, rubbing his eyes. He closed the laptop screen and took in a deep breath before letting it out.
“I know being president now has you nervous and worried, but you’ll get used to the flow of how things work over time, I’m sure of it. Besides, the whole point of coming to this wedding was to take a break from it all, right?” She smiled as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Just relax, okay?”
Sidorov nodded in response and put his laptop back into its compartment.
It was then that a voice came over the intercom. “Mr. President, First Lady, and children of the Presidential Family, we are about to land at Astissa, Norsos.” Melaniya leaned over to wake up Vadim and Sergey as the plan started to descend and finally land on the runway. Apparently they were the last of the foreign invitees to arrive.
The ceremony itself was beautiful. Before coming to the wedding, Sidorov had joked that he would have to hand Melaniya a handkerchief because she’d be tearing up. Instead he had started to show signs of tears in his own eyes and started laughing when Melaniya handed him a handkerchief. Their gifts had been moved over with the rest of the gifts. The two had joined in with the toasts with glasses of wine while their children were simply given apple juice.
Sidorov finally felt relaxed, at least a little bit.
2019年12月7日
Sometime after the wedding
Star Day 6
Astissa, Norsos
It was surreal. Shi is sitting at the Zhen party's assigned table, right next to Meng. The man who is currently holding her country hostage with Zhen's nuclear arsenal. She has been swallowing constantly in the entire experience. There was not a moment when her nerves were calm around him. Not ever since that night.
You're it.
Shi's shoulders slightly tensed at the memory. Barely noticeable to the wandering eye. One man, whose attention to Shi has been undivided the entire day, had his eyes do more than just wandering. They were trained on her, studying every movement. Meng threw his head back and chuckled every time she made a distinctive jitter.
Apart from Meng could see her fidget a fork or quickly expand her chest at sharp breaths, her darting eyes and constantly swallowing was going away too much. Meng yawned, slouching on his chair as he thought of chances for an interaction. He looked around, thinking but how. He looked beyond their table. Somewhere at a visible distance, he spotted the Emperors of Goyanes and Syrixia. He gulped down his wine glass as he watched them. He perked up his ears.
"Look..." Meng broke the silence like it has been normal, pointing at the two recognizable figures. "Trainman and the All-Pimp of VTubers. One of them is an adjective for a nation who has historically fooled and deceived nations too powerless to fight against them. The other one is an adjective for animated porn stars... Wanna bet a million lives to guess which is which?"
Shi turned to face him. Her own face flushed and jaw clenching. ...What is wrong with you?
Smirking, after watching Shi dart her eyes away every time their eyes met, Meng finally watched his younger sister turn those little brown irises to his direction. He raised his empty glass to her. "I can arrange one missile to level a mainland city. All you have to do is tell me and we'll play this game."
"I don't want to play a game." Shi looked down her empty plates, either stained or filled with inedible, chalky leftovers. "I want an end to this...madness. Blood has been spilt and bones have been broken. Yet here I am, sitting next to the man behind the slaughter."
"Now, now." Meng went wide-eyed, or at least that's what he wanted Shi to see. She could have sworn that Meng did a little jump from his seat. If it is, he raised his hands in defense to add dramatic effect. "You had the choice to keep me out. I was only signing the declaration. You also signed the provision allowing me to enjoy the privileges of a head of state, without much of the responsibilities, save for attending an event like this. You validated my presence here."
"Yes, I signed under threat of nuclear winter. I was forced to agree with your terms. We had no choice. We had no other option but to play your stupid game."
"What?" Meng straddled his chair. "You had plenty of options! You always have a choice. You just happened to choose the easy way out. And look where it brought us." He sat up and waved his hand at the table, at himself, and at Shi. "Here, having witnessed the union of two heads of state, we now sit closely to each other. Just like when were such good siblings. Eating and having an engaging conversation." He raised his arms out. "Don't you miss that? Isn't this peace?"
Shi crossed her arms, rubbing her elbows. No matter how futile it was, she wanted to get out of the Grand Hall. Yes, she knew nothing good would come out of it as a guest. She knows what's at stake as the Zhen head of state. But if it means taking her mind off Meng for a little while, that's all that matters.
Shi was about to stand up, looking down and away as she did, bowing her head at the thought of other people who saw two leaders still at war talk almost casually. When she straddled her chair to push it backwards and help herself up, Meng grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her back down. "Oh, no you don't!" He hooked his arm around hers for good measure. "I'm still curious as to what my regent is up to next." Meng closed in on Shi's ear, leaning on her to whisper, "I'm pretty excited to know what it's like to be a...stand-in monarch of barely half a country."
"Let me go, Meng." Shi tried to pull her arm back, but Meng only tightened his arm hook and pulled her closer. Shi frantically looked around, afraid people would see this. She noticed her body was trembling. Stirred at Meng's sudden movements around her. She crossed her legs, pushing her body in front of the table, and partially concealed Meng's hold. It should make it less conspicuous. Narrow-eyed, she stared Meng down. "Meng...there are people watching. Let. Me. Go."
"Things aren't going to end that easily, Shi. Remember this: I'm going to make them pay for what they've done to our country."
Shi shook her head. "The people ARE our country. They shouldn't be held responsible for things they had no control over. Our family was to blame. Now they're all dead..." She pulled Meng closer and leaned forward. Difficult without tightening her lips, she smiled at him. Here goes nothing. "It's time to end this war, Meng-didi." She noticed Meng's eye twitch at her use of the honorific. She gulped. Eyes wide and staring into Meng. "I can help you leave all of this. You don't need to carry on the burden." Shi took his other, free hand and grasped it as tenderly possible in her growing tenseness. "Pass it to me and I promise you... I'll show you."
Meng held a pregnant pause, raising his eyebrows. He froze and stared at her with wide eyes. Then he slipped his hands off Shi and pushed his chair backwards. He stood up and paused to look down at the floor. He sighed, shaking his head, with a smug smile growing on his face.
"Nice try." He clicked his tongue. "I will not let our people go. I'll proudly fight by myself, for myself, for everything I believe in. Call it revenge or desire. I don't care. Our countrymen always pushed down on each other, stabbing anyone if it helped them climb up the bucket. They all share the same crab mentality... They're not worth it, Shi."
Shi watched the distance between her and Meng grow. He left the hall.
