No longer a Child - Coronation of Orion the First

[KrisNord]

Finley and Cait had been content taking a back seat as the day was all about the new Emperor and not them being some important foreign guest. In all honesty Neu Uburzis hadn't really popped up massively on Ui Cenneslaig's diplomatic radar, but today could be a change to that. This new Emperor may be just a boy but he'd said many a truth and that was something Finley respected. The pair had been enjoying a bit of a dance and a catch up, with Cait being the Queen of Cantabria these days the siblings didn't get too much chance to catch up. "So how is your fella" Finley asked as he and his sister twirled on the dance floor.

"On the mend" Dwyn, the rather sickly and weedy King of UC's neighbours Cantabria had recently been in a car accident and while the injuries hadn't been serious they did require Dwyn to undergo physio and some follow up treatment on his back, this had left Cait doing much of the day to day royal duties, but she liked it that way.

"Sad to hear" Finley's dislike of his brother in law was well known to Cait, the marriage had been one their father had arranged and in some way it was good for UC as it meant that it now had a foothold in two Celtic Kingdoms. "We could get a nice new King if we played it right" Finley added dead pan.

"Dwyn's fine" Cait grinned, "For now" adding as an after thought, he was a rather weak King and in the six weeks Cait had assumed his power she'd achieved probably more than he had in six months previously, almost forcing Parliament to follow her will through a programme of manipulation, forceful persuasion and cold hard cash. She was probably now more popular too than her husband.

Finley stopped dancing and made his way over to the seats, "I'm having five minutes" he said to his sister who had followed.

"You're getting weak....old" Cait teased as she collected two glasses of wine and took a seat.

"So what do you make of this Orion lad?" Finley asked.

"Hard to say, one minute seems rather commanding just getting treaties signed, but then at the same time comes across like a scared little lamb. He's someone worth keeping an eye on for sure, could be a useful ally.....or someone easy to take advantage of, depends how his next formative year or two go I guess." she shrugged. "The Morelanders seem to get on with him though" she added. "Especially that arty type he's with" she pointed to Jocelin.

"Jealous?" Finley returned the teasing.

"Well he is single" the pair laughed as they watched the hall.

[Norgeras]

Kurt rolled over to Finley, parking himself next to the King and his Queen:

"I hope you are enjoying yourself." before parking at their Table: "Orion is a little preoccupied, i am afraid. He himself is a bit of a Hobby Artist so ever since meeting Jocelin last time he wanted to show her around."

Turning a little more  serious as he picked up some cake: "Orion sadly became that scared little Lamb, i hope you don't mind i overheard that, during the last year. The Kidnapping and loss of almost his whole Family left some Marks on him. My Son Albrecht is trying his best and spends a lot of time with Orion to help him get over his Fears, it will take some Time."

Leaning back and watching Orion from the distance for a short moment, he turned back to Finley: "I hope, your Majesty won't mind we don't give the lad Whiskey just yet. Talking about sad, will I be seeing you during next Years Mattariki in the Iwi as well, or will you abstain?"

[DaveIronside]

Despite the issues it could often cause with his back the King had taken to dance with Jocelin, it was something that was to be expected and the young artist was at least somewhat used to the miss steps of the King who had never been the most graceful of dancers. David was pleased with how the event had gone, it had shown a willigness to befriend nations they'd not had the chance to such as their hosts while allowing him to catch up with old friends like Finley. "You seem to have hit it off well with the new Emperor" David said as he turned with Jocelin.

"There is something about him, I think its the fact he's been so isolated and protected and that his only experiences outside his bubble have been horrendous, I think he stands capable of going two ways, what he's seen is going to traumatise him the rest of his life and paralyse him, or make him stronger." it was a more detailed analysis than the King had expected from the often scatty grand-daughter of their Court of Canley's leader.

"So you feel sorry for him?" David asked as he dipped his partner.

"I see a little of you in him." Jocelin knew she may be speaking out of line but things like that seldom mattered to her, "You've seen your parents murdered, sister gunned down, a bitch of an ex-wife nearly die in front of you and held a dying son in your arms. I'm not sure if what we get told in the gutter press is true, well its the gutter isn't it so I guess that answers that" she chuckled a little nervous, "yet you keep going, and you've done a good job for us all....so far" she smiled and kissed him on the lips catching the King by surprise. "We're proud of you.....although at times it's like you've a stick up your ass."

"Wow....you really give with one hand and take with the other don't you" David smiled, he'd heard comments like the later most of his life, his efforts to toe the line between royal formality and that of being a real life human being a hard one to juggle.

"Lets just keep an eye out for the young Emperor yeah....you did a good job helping the Lodjain's young Queen, who says you can't do something similar with Orion. I'd like that." Jocelin placed her hands around the King's neck, "Consider it a favour to me."

"Very well then" David replied as the music came to an end, "I'm going to need a seat" David could feel a twinge in the small of his back and lead them to a seat by the edge of the dance floor. "We'll have another Lodjian Queen to befriend soon as well, maybe I can start some kind of Monarch Apprenticeship Scheme, like a youth club or something" he chuckled as he accepted a glass of wine from a passing steward and stretched his legs out trying to release the pressure on his lower spine.

[Norgeras]

The evening was coming to a slow close.

There had been a Photo opportunity at the Throne, with Orion sitting on it guarded by the two golden Wolves at it's side, the Scaffolding for the Roof Repairs conveniently shoved aside to make some good shoots possible. There ahd been dance and laughter, and in the end, almost everyone was tired.

Orion the pulled Jocelyn aside, and past some staircases and through some backroom corridors, several buildings, and what felt like a disused dungeon, they made it on top of an old bulky stone tower at the outskirts of the central part. still wrapped in scaffolds, Orion sat on a small chair, surrounded by canvas paint and a room that would be bright lit during day. Only there he pulled off the covers from two pictures. no master pieces, but still finished oil pictures. one showing a woman in bed, looking away from the view as hair falls out, someone holding her hand as she turned her back to that person.

"That's the last time i saw Mother alive." Orion said, sighing heavily: "She didn't watch, she didn't talk much, she mostly let me hold her hand and looked away."

the Second canvas showed a dead Teenager dangling from a ruined archway, a sword lying stained on the ground to his feet as his lifeless body was illuminated by the moon of the night.

"I don't think that one needs much Explanation." he said, tilting his head: "I just... tried to get it out of my system. it pains me, but i felt like i at least understood it better when painting it." Orion said silently, shaking his head: "I don't want more people dying for me, because of me, in my name. But it probably won#t stop. Will i just get used to that?"

he Yawned as he looked down: "I have a small room richt below here. it's not my official room, but it is the place where i spend my free time. I am going to have even less of that. Let's get back to the others." he said, nodding slowly: "Maybe this year i can come visit your Place, too. But now i think my dorm Mates are waiting." Orion smiled with his eyes to the ground: "Hope you think them adequate for a young painter like me."



Else the lights started to get turned off as people slowly made their way to their Stays for the night, lights getting out. Neu Uburzis was going to sleep with one Child less, and one Emperor more.

[DaveIronside]

Jocelin stopped Orion as he was leaving his art room. "Look, I have no idea what you went through and how hard it can be, I was always lucky to have my family, especially my grand-father around me, but you've good people around you too." She turned him to look at his paintings, "These two people have made you who you are today and they both believed in you." she took a deep breath, "You know King David had both his parents and his sister murdered, watched his son die in front of his very eyes. I know he feels that everyday and it makes him more determined that no one else in his Kingdom has to go through it. Now the sad thing is as an Emperor more people are going to die because of you, every decision you make will have that impact. Now ask yourself this, if you weren't there trying to limit that impact how worse could things get? Your people now have a ruler who values life, that's the best kind of leader, because it means they want the best for their people. So everyday when you wake up you should come in here, look at these pictures and then remember that you can try and make these the last people to go through this." She smiled at him, "And you'll find time to do things you love, you'll find time to find someone to love and the world will be one great big adventure for you, and that will definatly include a visit to East Moreland where I expect you to bring me something to hang in my shop." She threaded an arm through his, "Now you can escort me back to my own King." she wondered what the future would hold for this young man, would he raise to the challenges that the throne would cast on him or would his past be too much.