Ælirn smiled as she say Princess Freya making her way to her. She was somewhat disappointed King David was unable to make it himself since she had actually met him before, but she understood that he was a Head of State and quite busy. And it was still an honor to host his sister, and with her making friends with East Moreland it did behoove the young Empress to meet other members of the Ironside family. "Good morning, your Royal Highness," Ælirn said with a polite nod to the Princess, before taking a look at the proffered gift, "It is a beautiful knife, we must say. It is a pleasure and an honour to have you here for our festival, Princess Freya. We heard you made quite the entrance; we expect most other delegates will have chosen to come either by ship or plane, not both."
After she was done with the Morelanders, Ælirn turned to smile at the Achkaerinese who had been quietly waiting their turn. When Peter introduced his niece Ælirn smiled and nodded, "It is a pleasure to meet you Cerys; we hope you enjoy your day. Although we imagine it's not as cool as you're used to up north." She chuckled at Peter's comment, "we heard that is was decent enough this year, though Mistress Vyr would know better than us. She is the, well, the Mistress of Xahalla. The equivalent title would be mayor, we think?" Then she turned to a stoic-faced older woman amongst the assembled Xæthoons, saying something in Xæthoon, who responded in kind before being translated by a younger woman standing next to her, "Mistress Vyr says that the harvest this year was satisfactory, and she thanks you for asking."
Then was one of the groups Ælirn was most looking forward to: the Tauredalians. Though they were also the only delegation present from a nation that she had yet to have any diplomatic contact with, so unfortunately for Ælirn it'd also be the most awkward. But the Empress quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head and put on a large smile. "Princess Sarrasia; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Royal Highness," Ælirn said with a polite, "We must admit that we were rather excited when Minister Tyraa received a response from your nation. For neighbouring nations to have as little diplomatic contact as Xæth and Tauredalia is nearly a crime, we sincerely hope you all enjoy your day here in our lovely nation." Ælirn smiled as she waited for a response, praying to all the Gods above that she hadn't laid it on too thick.
And once Ælirn had finished with the Tauredalians, she breathed a sigh of relief to see a familiar face. In truth Ælirn found it odd how fond she was of Beatrice since in truth the two of them hadn't actually spent that much time together. Perhaps it had to do with Ælirn's having broken down crying the first time they met; that was certainly something that set Rokkenjima's Empress apart. "Your Royal Highness," Ælirn said to Adriana with a smile, "We thank you for your coming." Then she focused her attention on Beatrice, "Things have been... Very busy as of late. We worry that we might have to start dying our hair to hide the silver before the year is out. But regardless of that, today is supposed to be a happy day! And we are elated that you could make it, your Imperial Majesty."
Once she had finished greeting all the various delegations present, Ælirn cleared her throat in order to speak to them all, "We are most happy that you all could make it to our festival today, though before we begin we suppose that some introductions are likely to be in order." At this, another young woman made her way before and gave a polite nod to the assembled delegations and grinned, ready to speak. And as she grinned Ælirn sighed; this was not something that she had been looking forward to, but she was reigning Empress now and was receiving guests in her own nation. If it wasn't done, she'd never hear the end of it from Aunt Llyri.
"Please, allow me to introduce Her Imperial Majesty Ælirn the Nineteenth of the Imperial House xy Thælyrn; the Most Serene and Celestial Empress of Xæth; Queen of Thælyrn, of Ynith, of Oova, and of Maashirn; High Queen of Jalyl; Lady-Protector of Maryrn; Sovereign Guardian of the Mountain Queens; Favoured Daughter of the Virgin Sun; Mistress of the Mountains, of the Hills, of the Forests, of the Rivers, and of the Seas; Warden of the Twin-Straits; and Rightful Ruler of all Xæth and its Peoples," the young woman gestured towards Ælirn with a flourish, who promptly forced a smile. Ælirn loved her titles, but she couldn't help but feel like their full recitation made her look pompous.
Then the young women went through each and every individual present, introducing them to the assembled delegates who may or may not be familiar with who they were. Ælirn's Aunt Llyri xy Thælyrn, Crown Princess and Prime Minister of Xæth, her two teenaged daughters Tylinæ and Zaxaal; her Uncle Prince Allan who at first glance would be mistaken for the Empress' brother; Ælirn's actual younger brother Aræv and his blood-father Tarak; the Minister for Foreign Affairs Ithana Tyraa, whose fair complexion made her stand out amongst the otherwise brown-skinned Xæthoons present; stone-faced Tyra Vyr, Mistress of Xahalla; and after a moment of forgetfulness, herself: Talyln xy Zaarn, the Empress' Herald.
Once she had finished, Ælirn clasped her hands together, "Well, now that that is over please follow us. The morning is still young, and we would like a chance to sit down and converse before we head out into the heat to join the festivities." All the various delegates would be lead to a meeting room that appeared to have been set aside and furnished for the delegates to sit and relax. There were seats and refreshments offered by servants to those present, and everyone was free to converse as they deemed fit.
