The Young King

[Achkaerin]

To the Nations of Mundus,

A few months ago my late Husband, King Richard Silverwood of Vafleon and Head of the Commonwealth of Eswen passed away following a long battle with cancer, since then I have ruled as Regent until such time as my late Husband's eldest child could take the throne. That time has now come and so I hereby invite you to the coronation of my step son Crown Prince Manius Silverwood as King of Vafleon and his accession to the title of Head of the Commonwealth. I hope that the work he and his siblings have already begun in the ending of Eswen's long isolation will continue under my step son's rule and that you will support him and all the other leaders of the Commonwealth in this.

Signed

Queen Isabel Silverwood

[Norgeras]

To the future King of Vafleon Pince Manius Silverwood and his Regent Queen Isabel Silverwood,


the Emperor of Neu Uburzis, Orion the First, will attend the Coronation Ceremony for the New King of Vafleon, alongside myself, his Regent. I hope both our Nation can stay on the Path of opening up more to the world, even if it is a rocky one.


Prince Albrecht of Uburzis, Regent to Emperor Orion the First of Uburzis

[The Young Pope]

The Ecclesiastical State

To Queen Isabel Silverwood,

Unfortunately a Pope's duties are quite demanding and as such I'm not able to attend and represent the Ecclesiastical State, however I do send my regards to the future King, Prince Manius Silverwood, as well as my trusted Viceregent Cardinal Emilé Fava; it's our hope that our nations will open up the world more despite shaky times.

Take Care and God Bless

Pope Peter II of the Celestian Catholic Church and the Ecclesiastical State

[DaveIronside]

To:- Queen Isabel

East Moreland consider ourselves friends with all nations who share our continent of Alba Karinya. As such we are honoured to be able to attend the coronation. In that regard I will be attending along with my sister Princess Freya in order to pay our respects to your new monarch.

May The Gods Watch Over You and Your Nation Know Peace

King David III of East Moreland

[Major Jaws]

OFFICIAL LETTER FROM THE PALACE OF QUINTELIA

To: Queen Isabel Silverwood

I send you my deepest condolences to your Majesty, as I've dealt with death one too many times in my life. However, let's not make this more emotional. As a king myself, I believe that it is my duty to accept your invitation as a gesture of friendship. I hope that this will start a long-term diplomatic relationship. May God bless you all.

Truly Yours,

King Lapu

[Achkaerin]

OOC - anyone who's not yet replied feel free to turn up.

The sun shone down on Redwall Castle in the Vafleon Capital of Oakshield, it was a big day for the Silverwood family, for the nation of Vafleon, the Commonwealth of Eswen and also probably for Mundus itself as a new Monarch would be crowned. Princess Catrain walked the halls of the Castle it was mostly deserted save for the staff but the majority of the family were already making their way to where they had to be that day which was the Cathedral just down the imposing and picturesque Chivalry Mile, the streets lined deeply with citizens hoping for a look at any of the Royals, it was according to the television coverage she'd seen so far the same story around the square where the Cathedral stood, only the well wishers there were probably hoping to see the likes of some of the more famous names on Mundus's international stage. She wouldn't disturb Manius until she needed to, her older brother needed all the time he could get to compose himself.

Over at the Cathedral, the meeting point for the event, letters and notices had been sent out to clarify this, Queen Isabel Silverwood, soon to be Princess in recognition that she was no longer the regent, walked up the aisle towards the building's entrance, all was in readiness, the crown jewels safely brought and under guard. She could still remember the day her husband the late King Richard had been crowned in this very place, though she'd watched from the sidelines that day, and now the baton was passed from father to son. She wasn't Manius's biological mother she was the step mother to the eldest five and true mother to the youngest four. She took one last glance around the Cathedral, the other Eswen notables were there, the key players were there it was time to get their game faces on. It was time to welcome the world.

[DaveIronside]

King David and Princess Freya didn't have a particularly long flight. They'd gone directly from Ostlake where both had been preparing for the upcoming Ostlake Games and associated festivities. The city was already beginning to fill up and the media descending, it would be a nice chance to get away before the craziness of that ocassion. David particularly liked events like this, it meant he wasn't the centre of attention and could generally absorb the culture of the day.

Freya meanwhile wasn't a big fan of diplomatic visits, she preferred the order of the military duty she carried out on a day to day basis and would have if her brother had permitted travelled in her Light Scouts uniform, but he had insisted she wear civilian attire and so the pinstripe trousers and business jacket would have to do. The only nod towards the Morelander siblings military heritage where the swords hanging from their leather sword belts, signs of their nations culture not just a nobleman's weapon. The pair exited the aircraft along with their two security agents and made their way towards the Cathedral, David wasn't a fan of the Christian faith in practice but he found the stories fascinating and you had to admire their buildings. The King made his way up the steps first, Freya a step behind, the King recognised Isabel and made his greeting before addressig her, "Your Majesty, we were saddened by the death of King Richard, I knew him only half as well as I should have being a neighbour of sorts. I hope we can ensure a repeat doesn't happen with King Manius" David reached back and took an item off Freya. "It's become a slight tradition of ours back home that when visiting new monarchs we give them a book. It symbolises knowledge and wisdom, after all none of us will live long enough to learn all there is from experiences alone. This particular one is a history of our nation written 400 years ago. This copy is one found in a library in Keepton" he handed over a box containing the ancient book, "I know it may sound odd but the book choosen is often symbolic, I hope it will allow Manius to know more of his southern continental neighbours and that one day he will bring a similar book of your nations history to Northfort, allowing our two nations to better know each other. I have another gift I wish to present him, but would wish to do so face to face, if that is possible later. I understand he's a busy chap today." The King noticed the arrival of the next guest and so gave a small bow and made his way inside with his sister.

[The Young Pope]

Cardinal Émile Fava arrived well in time for the upcoming coronation, as he was there to represent the Ecclesiastical State as well as Pope Peter II, which was what he preferred to do, socializing with Mundus' elite, rather than spending an eternity in the Vatican doing the bidding of that false Christian God in such a red attire although the perky benefits it gave to his family, the influence and prestige it carried...it outweighed and mattered more to him than ever. The Cardinal was riding in a horse-drawn carriage in full ornamental splendeur, accompanied with Guardians of the St. Peter's Throne on either side, their colorful uniforms and ceremonial halberds surely impressed bystanders who were in the celebration mood.

The carriage came to a halt outside the cathedral and as he stepped out, was greeted by the royal Eswenian hosts. "A splendid Good Coronation Day, your majesty." Fava greeted. "I come only with utmost respect and gratitude...as well as gifts for being able to attend Prince Manius, soon to be the righful King and Ruler of this great land. It shall be a delight in other words. This is a Classic Doverian Delicacies Basket, filled with the very best ES has to offer. I would also like to present him this in a more private manner: The Chronicles of the Kings Collection, as these epic tales of struggle and triumph bring the Old Testament story of King Hezekiah to vivid life, so to speak. Granted it may be a 'strange' gift to give, but one can learn a lot from reading these, especially those who become Kings." Fava said, making his way inside while taking the opportunity to greet other guests.

[Norgeras]

Orion came in his Imperial Silk tunic alongside his imperial purple toga and a gilded wreath, while Albrecht at his side had decided for a white parade uniform.

"Looking sharp, Orion." he gently nudged his younger Cousin as they where driving past the audience, waving to the people, before Orion turned back to Albrecht:

"So, if i get this right, we do not have a delay in a new Monarch, which is why i have you as Regent but already am the Emperor, but they have a Regent and you aren't Coronated until you can rule on your own?"

Albrecht nodded slowly, and as they stepped out of the Car, waving to the masses waiting for their own king: "Very much so, ours isn't traditional to start with. Talking about it, i do like the church. It's impressive."

"Kinda reminds me of the city temple." Orion added, before the pair made their way to the hosts.

Orion produced a glass of Jam, offering it to the Queen:

"Your Majesty, it's a pleasure that you have us participate in this important event." the young Emperor then proceeded to hold the Conservation Jar with a ribbon, proclaiming it as 'Orion's Apple Jam', to the soon to be Princess: "We aren't having as long standing traditions with gifts yet as Moreland, but i Hope you and the royal family can appreciate this little token. It's made from the Fruits of the Tree planted at my Birth."

Albrecht resorted just to a small "Your Majesty." Before they stepped aside, making space for other Guests and arrivals.


"How are you keeping up?" Albrecht asked Orion as the young emperor took slow deep breaths: "Overwhelming, Nervous. But i think i'm getting used to this. This is important for them so i am rather sure the security is high."

Shoving his cousin gently towards the Morelanders, Albrecht turned to the Ecclestial Guests, positioning himself between them and Orion: "Peter didn't make it, i assume then? Such a busy man. Cardinal Fava, i assume?" he said, putting on a cold smile.

Orion had made his way closer to the morelanders, nodding slowly: "A pleasure to meat you again, King David." he smiled while nervously shuffling his feet: "I assume you are Princess Freya?" he polity said, then scratching his head: "The answer is, yes we will see each other at the Ostlake games. I'm admittedly rather curious to finally get to moreland myself."

[The Young Pope]

"Well yes you got that right Prince Albrecht, hello it's good to see you and Emperor Orion here on this festive occassion" Cardinal Fava greeted, with a cold smile as well, their hands shaking each other. "The job that is required by Pope Peter craves utmost attention, both physically and spirituality speaking and as such am here to be his extended presence in other words...In any case, I notice that Orion's getting the hang of it all slowly but surely, which is great." Fava remarked as both gentlemen made their way to the inner part of the Cathedral, waving at King David and Princess Freya too.

[Rhodes]

The sedate, midnight blue SUV's rolled up to the castle with a small escort. Not waiting, Joshua opened his own door and popped out. Offering his hand to the ladies in the vehicle he helped first his wife and then Beatrice out of the SUV, the last to exit was Josiah. Joshua smoothed out his suit as Evanthe locked her arm in his. Joshua smiled at his son and flicked his head to the side, indicating he should lead the way. At the top of the walkway the three met Queen Isabel. Standing before the Queen the three bowed in greeting.


"Your Majesty." Said Joshua. "Allow me to congratulate you on successfully completing your regency. It's a great day for Eswen."


Evanthe then took the lead, exchanging pleasantries with the Queen and urging Josiah to present their gift, a sterling silver replica of the iconic warhammer of the Seaforth Gallowglass. About the size of a judges gavel, it signified justice. Josiah presented the velvet lined wooden box that contained it and when the Queen took it, stepped back and awkwardly bowed.

Greetings made, the three went into the Cathedral so as Beatrice could make her own manners to the Queen. Inside, Evanthe gave Joshua the rundown on who was who and from what nation. There was so much catching up to do and was glad to have Evanthe take the lead. Spotting Freya looking as uncomfortable as he felt, he caught her eye smiled and winked before turning his attention back to Evanthe.

[KrisNord]

King Finley had arrived from Cliath and was keen to get to the Cathedral, he'd spotted to Seaforthian plane arrive shortly before his own and this meant there was every chance that the new King was here. That probably excited him more than the coronation, which it was the after party he was more interested in. He was accompanied by his sister Cait, who was the Queen of neighbouring Cantabria and the two arrived just in time to see the Seaforthians make their way inside.

"Your Majesty" he greeted Queen Isabel. "Please pass my wishes onto your son for a long and happy reign. I do have a gift for him but I wish to present it personally if you do not mind." He bowed once more, allowed Cait to almost word for word repeat what he had said before the siblings made their way into the Cathedral, he spotted King David and Freya, it seemed therefore fashionable to be accompanied by sisters today. He nodded to the Morelander King before sighting the newly crowned King Andrew. Finley called his name before walking over and embracing the man. "It does me good to see Seaforth again" he said warmly, "Any time I see a Celt doing good I'm happy and nothing makes me happier than a Celtic King, or should I say an old one." he put an arm around Joshua's shoulders as he walked, "If you boys in the Illumic need anything....and I do mean anything then you call my aide Adeen ok." he reached into his sporon and produced a business card. "She's much more organised than I'll ever be, a logistical genius and she may be just 20 years old but she scared the bejesus out of me." he smiled, "This is my sister Cait, Queen of Cantabria, running the show there while her husband recovers from a car crash."

Cait gave a small nod to Joshua, "Congratulations on the restoration, sad circumstances I know. Like my brother, if there is anything Cantabria can do we'll try, sadly we do not have the manpower my brother does but I'd not see kin stuck". The pair made their way to their seats and got settled.

[Achkaerin]

Catrain was getting slightly irritated, it was around an hour before the ceremony and still no sign of the King in waiting, so without much hesitation, and a whole lot of an educated guess she opened the door to Manius's bedroom and found her older brother still asleep, well he looked like he was still asleep but Catrain knew better than that, she walked to the en suite bathroom, returning moments later with a glass of water that she proceeded to throw on Manius.

"What the heck are you doing?" Manius asked
"Good you're awake." Catrain said "I was worried for a second there that you were going to sleep through your big day."
"My coronation, talk about a ba...ba...bad idea." Manius said, his stammer evident he hand a hand on his head "It should be you Cat."
"It doesn't work that way." Catrain said "Your the eldest this is your birthright and as someone once said great men don't choose greatness they have greatness thrust upon them." she sighed and sat down next to Manius "I believe in you, I always have, you know that. You, me, Adela, Robin and El we've always been there for each other and we're not alone these days, there's another four of us so you've got more than enough support and you know there are a lot of good people out there, some possibly over in the Cathedral right now. Now come on Your Majesty you need to have a shower, a shave and get dressed and all in a little around half an hour. So move!"
"I'm moving I'm moving." Manius said, he headed for the bathroom.

At the Cathedral Isabel had conversed with each group of guests as they had arrived, it was an excellent turnout so far she turned her attention back to the door as the Achkaerinese Emperor Peter Azurewind and his sister Esme, who was fresh from her duties at the Winter Games, arrived. There were introductions and then there was conversation before Isabel had to turn her attention to the next group of arrivals, it was getting nearer the time now.

"There's something in the water." Peter muttered to Esme upon seeing David and Freya as well as Finley and Cait, brother and sister seemed to be the choice in terms of who was turning up, Peter also had to smile if Joshua had brought Harper along they'd have had the full set wouldn't they? Still that wasn't about to distract the Emperor's attention from the sight of his Seaforthian friend.
"So that's Joshua Rhodes is it?" Esme asked
"Yep." Peter said "Fun fact the last time myself, David and Joshua were all in the same room it was the Conference Suite at Leonaise Arena."
"The football stadium?" Esme asked
"Yeah it was the end point for the parade during the CIS anniversary celebrations." Peter said
"Well this Cathedral's a major improvement." Esme said, Peter chuckled and made his way over to Joshua.
"I may not be able to offer the East Moreland beer bike from a certain stag night." he said with a sideways glance at David "But I hope after the ceremony you'll join me for a drink."

Now they were joined by another woman, this was Natalie Keane, wearing a formal, flowing, ceremonial robe she had the responsibility of conducting what was shortly to take place.

"Good morning Your Majesty's, Royal Highness's, Lords, Ladies and gentlemen." Natalie said "I am Natalie Keane, I am the First Minister of Vafleon which in simple terms makes me an advisor to the Royal Family. I'm happy to answer any questions any of you may have regarding todays events but I should first explain the dual nature of the ceremony that will take place shortly. In the first sense it is a coronation, you are clearly as monarch's and close family of monarch's familiar with what that means so I won't go into details there except to say that this will be the coronation of King Manius as the ruler of Vafleon. The second layer of the ceremony goes beyond that it's the confirmation of the new King as the head of the Commonwealth of Eswen, this part is done in a very ceremonial way it's done by what's known as a standing vote, it sounds like a political process and technically it is, what will happen is that a motion will be put by the leaders of the other two nations within the Commonwealth and the people will be invited to stand to record their approval, it is the wish of Crown Prince Manius that the invitation to participate in this vote be extended to all of you, so at the appropriate moment if you wish to stand please do so. We have just under half an hour before we need to be in our seats so if any of you have any questions I'm happy to answer them."

[DaveIronside]

David was pleased to see see the familiar faces, Joshua looked in a far better state than he had when he had seen him at the Ranger station. He had to smile when Finley made a line for the Seaforthian, it was to be expected as Finley essentially saw anyone with a Mac or O' in their name or was even connected to someone who had as family. Freya had made her way over to Joshua and without much said between them passed a business card into his hand, "Best butchers in Ostlake, he's expecting a call from you" she said before rejoining her brother. David meanwhile had been chatting with Peter.

"Sure we'll find a drink or two, Finley's here so no doubt he'll have his own supply stashed somewhere" David knew the Ui Cenneslaig King never went anywhere without a hip flask of something special and truth be told he looking forward to sampling it. They stood quietly as Natalie explained the ceremony and when finished David spoke. "Is there any way of not standing but respectfully" David asked. "You see I firmly believe a nation should determine its own direction. The selection of your Commonwealth's King is something for your people and while I am honoured to witness it I feel I should have no vote on the future of the people of your nation. I however have no wish to cause offence so if there is no way then I shall go along with it."

"Me too" Freya said, "Today should be a day your people pick their new leader, not Morelanders being part of the process."

[Libby]

There was one thing you could count on with the Lodjains and that was that they would arrive mob handed. Queen Klara was keen to make a good impression on her first formal event overseas and as a result she had determined that she would take all four of of Her Ladies in Waiting, as well as the Lord of the Conclave Besarian Ivanov. The flight over had been somewhat of a disappointment for Besarian who had hoped to spend some time with Lady Jasmina the youngest of the Ladies in Waiting and the one who had been his choice for Queen but sadly he'd been outvoted before they got the now deceased Queen Viktoria.

While Jasmina and the most senior Lady in Waiting, Anna Immich dealt with the Queen's formal dress it was left to the Queen's secret favourite Lady Roksana to read over the schedule for the day and ensure she was familiar with who was who when they got there. This was a job that was getting much much easier as the Lodjians attended most events these days. Roksana had noticed the Queen hadn't asked for her to attend on her now for a few days and was getting nervous, had the young monarch found some other interest?

In the bed chamber of the plane it was left to Lady Stasya to help the Queen with her hair and make up. "So will King David be attending?" Klara asked the newest Lady in Waiting who now blushed slightly.

"I wouldn't know Your Divine Majesty" she lied.

"Oh come on Stasya" Klara spun round on her bedside stool. "Viktoria asked you to "take care" the young Queen made speech marks with her fingers as she spoke. "And now the man can't stay away from Lodja and I know your father has brought property near the Palace. Don't be ashamed, he's a good looking guy."

"Yes Ma'am" Stasya said as she gently spun Klara back to face away from her.

"That a yes you know he's coming or a yes he's good looking." Klara grinned as Stasya teased her hair into a delicate design woven around the Queen's silver travelling crown.

"Both Ma'am" Stasya smiled, she knew Roksana knew her secret and the other two wouldn't need to be detectives to work it out so why keep it from her Queen, the influence it could bring may also help her family and that couldn't be a bad thing. There was a knock at the door and instructions were given for entry, Jasmina and Anna where carrying the Queen's dress, as tradition dictated it was a long flowing one, dark blue but embroided in gold, this showing patterns on a a Dragon that she'd seen on the invitation. She was helped into the dress and once more she refused the heeled shoes instead choosing a pair of comfortable flats. Stasya, the most fashionable of the court tried to persuade her but Klara wasn't changing her mind.

"I'm the Queen, if you keep moaning I shall wear trainers and be done with it ok" Klara joked as she practiced the change in gait that was needed, she was expected to take short smooth steps almost as though floating. Her background as a dancer helped give this impression and so when the aircraft touched down she did her best to glide down the steps and into the waiting car, her Lord of the Conclave a step behind and the four Ladies in Waiting forming a box around them.

They arrived at the Cathedral just as the others had gone inside and the Queen was escorted up the stairs to their host. "Your Majesty" Anna as senior Lady in Waiting addressed Isabel. "It is my humble pleasure to introduce Her Divine Majesty, the Guardian of Sessifet and Queen of Lodja Klara II." Anna stepped back allowing Klara to step forward and kiss Isbael on both cheeks.

"Thank you for your hospitality" Klara said before making her way inside. She recognised a few faces and Roksana pointed out those that she didn't. She felt it prudent to first say hello to King Finley and King David, both being CNN allies and monarchs of course. She nodded a friendly greeting to Cardinal Fava another CNN man before making her way over to Joshua. "I believe you are Joshua Rhodes" she said before Anna could carry out her formal introductions, "I know you are held in high regard by East Moreland, King David has been like a mentor to my predecessor and thus to me." She was unaware how much this man would know of their faith but that could be explained in time, "I therefore am happy to meet a close friend of his" she kissed him on both cheeks before making her way back towards the Morelanders, she could see Stasya exchanging glances with David as they were told about the ceremony. As King David addressed his concerns and being unsure what to do herself she added her own voice. "Perhaps I can make a suggestion" Klara realised she had raised her hand like back in school and instantly put it down. "I support what King David has said, perhaps then I may see, if it would fit, a way forward without harming the conscience of those with views like King David but not being insulting." She suddenly felt nervous. "Ask the monarchs here to act as witnesses to the vote, permit them to stand and face the congregation before the vote is called. That way we shall be stood but would not have been part of the vote. Of course I would need to be more familiar with the ceremony to know if this is possible." She wondered if the others looking her way were maybe thinking she was a stupid little girl, after all with the exception of Orion she was the youngest here by some way and probably shouldn't be making comments like she had.

[Rhodes]

Joshua grinned at his celtic cousins, enjoying the jovial King Finley's manner. He slipped the card into his pocket next to the one from the East Moreland butcher and assured Finley and Cait both that he and King Andrew would be in touch.


"Ah Peter. It has been a long time since we were all in a room together."

Joshua warmly shook his hand and slapped his back.

"I haven't been that drunk in a long time. I will of course join you for a drink and you can tell me all about those kids of yours. I can't believe they have slowed down at all over the last years."

Queen Klara was flat out gorgeous. Joshua mentally gave himself points for a lovely segue as he told Klara he was pleased to meet her as well followed promptly by introducing his wife, Evanthe. As she walked away after kissing his cheeks he felt an elbow dig into his ribs and saw Evanthe rolling her eyes.


"Lodjans." She said.

He'd have to tell Andrew about that one...

Listening to Natalie Kearn, Joshua and Evanthe agreed with the East Morelanders and the Lodjans and Joshua took the time to thank Helus for probably the third time this week, that he wasn't King.

[Norgeras]

Albrecht shoved his Emperor gently towards Klara, David, and the rest before giving him a short wave:

"Tell me what you decided on once your come inside. i see for our seats."


Orion was slightly startled, but nodded slowly before turning to the explanation himself, listening to Klara explain then titled his head.
He wasn't sure if he was supposed to speak up, but, he was supposedly the emperor after all. Glancing around he slightly fake coughed: "I agree with Queen Klara here."

Glancing around for anyone looking at him to strangely, he quickly added: "It just might seem odd if the Monarchs of other Nations take a vote on your Monarch." He scratched his arms slightly, nervously adding: "I like the idea of seeing us as witnesses rather than voters. This is your King, and your Nation. Not his Kingdom..." he nodded to David: "not her Queendom." he nodded to the Seaforthians: "Not their People. And not my Empire." he scratched his arm some more before inhaling deeply:

"I just say, i think Queen Klara and King David are right, alright?"

[Major Jaws]

King Lapu is probably the last monarch to arrive in this occation. He wore a fancy tuxedo along with a few jewelry from Seleucid, such as the pair of cufflinks and a watch. He stepped of his limousine, as he joined the rest of the guests inside the cathedral. First of all, however, is that he needed to aproach his hosts. “Your majesty.” He bowed in front of her for a good two seconds, before standing up and continuing. “I’d like to give you these black pearls, cultured back in Quintelia. As tradition, we nobles would give expensive gifts to fellow nobles who are grieving. I may be babbling a bit here, and I’m sorry, but I wish the best wishes to your son.” Finishing his monologue, he once again bowed down and went about his way.

He approached the group of probably most prominent and popular royals in the world. “Nice seeing you again, Orion. Is Albrecht here?” He nodded to the young emperor as the King continued on with the other leaders. “So, heard you in the news lately, Joshua. It’s an honor finally meeting you.” He shook the hands of Joshua.

[Achkaerin]

"Is there a problem First Minister?" someone else asked, Natalie turned and was a quite thankful to see who it was
"Everyone allow me to introduce Stella Lia" Natalie said "She is the President of the Republic of Thaeros, one of the other members of the Eswen Commonwealth."
"A pleasure to meet all of you." Stella said
"I was just explaining the details of the ceremony to them and they have some reservations about the standing vote portion." Natalie said "I may not have explained this too well."

"I see." Stella said "Ok then let me see if I can perhaps explain it in a different way and hopefully smooth out some concerns." she paused for a moment before continuing "If you were to go back a thousand years you would find a very different Eswen to the one that you are today guests of. A thousand years ago this wasn't a commonwealth of three nations it was more a loose alliance of powerful families in a system where they ruled over their own lands and chose a leader from among them, this was decided at a meeting of all the heads of families and was done by vote in much the same way that the Pope is elected. Over time that has changed, there are now three established nations in place of what used to be. The decision as to who the future head of the Commonwealth will be is a decision taken by the heads of the three nations and it was in this case taken several weeks ago when plans for today were being drawn up. The standing vote we are inviting you to participate in is a simple ceremonial function, a tradition that has no legal bearing whatsoever it's nothing more than a show of support for a new King and Head of the Commonwealth as he aims to bring Eswen out into the world. As has been said you are welcome to participate in this part of the ceremony, we're certainly not going to force anyone to stand if they'd rather not stand as we respect that your participation is ultimately your decision." she glanced at her watch "I hope that helps clarify things, I'm happy to discuss it further but I am aware that we're approaching the time for the ceremony to begin and we really should be taking our seats."

[The Young Pope]

"It's much more clearer now, thank you President Lia, I'm pretty sure everyone here will display their support for Crown Prince Manius, soon to be King...it's show time folks." The Cardinal said as everyone more or less proceeded to take their seats; it was very much fortunate that King Lapu of Quintelia decided to attend, being ES' closest ally and all.

"How does the majesty fare today? His holiness Pope Peter sends his regards, alas couldn't attend but has to attend to his duties towards the faithful and the Lord." he tried to spark a conversation, asking similar questions to the other attendees.

[DaveIronside]

David was next to speak. "I am happy to support Manius, but I will not do so by standing. I have long internationally said that East Moreland will always support the people of a nation to make their own decisions. I wrote our nations first formal constitution and within it there is even a clause that allows the people to replace me if need be. I therefore can not in good conscience stand if even symbolically to determine the leader of another nation. I therefore apologise and understand if you wish myself and Freya to make ourselves scarce during the ceremony."

[Norgeras]

Orion slowly nodded, somewhat stepping next to David, before taking a slow breath:

"I have to agree with King David. The senate would be breathing down my neck for years to come. We have just walked out of the MCUR with sovereignty one of the main reasons. It might be symbolic, but it is an important symbol."

Glancing up to david, klara and the seaforthians, he seemed almost like a pleading child, before slowly nodding:

"My people want to make statements, and won't tolerate it without discontent if i now, even if only symbolic, would participate ein a symbolic Kingsvote."

[Achkaerin]

It was showtime up at the Castle Manius, now showered, washed, groomed and fully dressed in the clothes that befitted the occasion, was with the rest of his siblings climbing onto a horse, tradition had it that the would be Monarch travelled to the Cathedral with family and journeyed back with the whole pomp and pageantry thing. Manius waited until all nine of them were mounted and comfortable in their saddles, and then with a nod he led them out and down the road towards the Cathedral the others were riding in pairs behind him, the crowds gathered at the sides of the road were packed deep and cheered the group it was an event that the country hadn't seen for a fair few people's lifetimes, Manius smiled as he and his siblings acknowledged the crowd as they rode, he knew how much of a tough day this was going to be for him mainly on the mental side, get crowned King of Vafleon, get made head of the Commonwealth of Eswen and then once the ceremony was over there was the reception at the Castle which would see him meet several important players in Mundus's international community.

It took them about ten minutes to travel the distance to the Cathedral, when they arrived the youngest six of the children entered leaving just Manius, Catrain and the third oldest Adela outside for a few moments.
"Are you ready?" Adela asked
"Yes." Manius said
"Then let's go." Catrain said
"Two minutes girls." Manius said telling his sisters how long it was going to be as Catrain and Adela entered the Cathedral.

Two minutes later with the congregation in the Cathedral settled and ready Manius stepped inside waiting at the back for a few seconds until he met Natalie's eyes, the question asked with a look by the First Minister and the would be King's answer given with a nod. Natalie looked to her left and nodded, three buglers all decked out in their military finery sounded the Royal fanfare. Manius flanked by Catrain and Adela made his way down the central aisle, the congregation on their feet. Natalie took a step to the side when Manius reached the front so that the future King could sit on a chair facing the assembled people, Catrain and Adela now took their places in the front row.

"Your Majesties, Royal Highness's, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen." Natalie said "Today we come together to crown a new King of Vafleon and swear in a new head of the Commonwealth of Eswen. I did not have the honour to serve our late King Richard for that long however I have in the months since had the privilege to come to know his children and to see how they have prepared the Crown Prince for today and the days that lie ahead. Today's ceremony falls into two stages one concerned with Vafleon and another with Eswen. We will begin with the affirmation of Manius Silverwood as Head of the Commonwealth." at this point Isabella and Stella along with the King of Asmeir Caelus Castus stood and walked to the front so now the leaders of all three constitutent parts of the Commonwealth were assembled. It was a little odd that they were for symbolic and ceremonial purposes essentially duplicating something that had been done weeks ago. Natalie had a piece of paper on a clipboard.

"The statement reads as follows." Natalie continued "By the agreement of the leaders of the Kingdom of Vafleon, the Kingdom of Asmeir and the Republic of Thaeros it is resolved that on this day the twenty third of June in the year two thousand and eighteen that Manius Silverwood be proclaimed Head of the Commonwealth of Eswen." she paused for a moment "I now invite the three current leaders of the constituent nations to affirm this declaration. Queen Isabel of Vafleon?"
"Vafleon says Aye." Isabel said, she signed the statement with a pen handed to her by Natalie
"President Lia of Thaeros?" Natalie asked
"Thaeros says Aye." Stella said, she signed her name
"King Caelus of Asmeir?" Natalie said
"Asmeir says Aye." Caelus said, he signed his name

"I now invite the people gathered here to show by standing vote their support of this declaration that Manius Silverwood be made Head of the Commonwealth of Eswen." Natalie said, at this point everyone who was going to stand did so Natalie waited a few seconds "Please be seated." everyone who had stood sat and Natalie turned to Manius with a smile "Congratulations."
"When was it decided that we were doing the ceremonies in reverse?" Manius asked
"Last night actually." Natalie said "Blame Catrain and Adela for thinking of your confidence."
"I will." Manius said
"With your permission shall we move on?" Natalie asked
"Yes." Manius said

Natalie took a deep breath as matters now moved to the coronation itself this was in relative terms the simple part of the day.
"Is Your Highness willing to take the Oath?" Natalie asked
"I am willing." Manius said
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the Kingdom of Vafleon according to their respective laws and customs?" Natalie asked
"I solemnly promise to do so." Manius said
"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?" Natalie asked
"I will." Manius said
"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the Kingdom of Vafleon the Christian faith established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Christian church in Vafleon, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in Vafleon?" Natalie asked
"All this I promise to do." Manius said

Natalie smiled again, everyone in the inner circle knew the importance of keeping Manius's confidence high, now she awaited the procession of five Royal Guards coming down the aisle one of them carrying on a velvet cushion the crown, more specifically Manius's crown, there was a tradition in Vafleon that when a King or Queen died their crown was destroyed and a new one made for the next ruler, Manius being who he was hadn't opted for a particulary fancy one, it was more of a circlet than a crown. Natalie took the crown from the cushion when it arrived at the front of the Cathedral and approached Manius, she lifted the crown high.
"I crown you King Manius Silverwood of Vafleon." Natalie said, she gently placed the crown on Manius's head "Long live the King.", Manius stood as the call of 'Long live the King' echoed through the Cathedral. Now the eight siblings went and stood in the aisle as Manius, now the ceremony was completed, walked down the central aisle with his siblings as a sort of honor guard. Stepping out into the open air to loud cheers Manius acknowledged the crowd again which considering he'd almost got away with oversleeping on his own coronation was something. The nine Silverwoods mounted their horses again, this time for the procession back to the Castle but there was one more tradition to be observed first.

"Whenever we crown a new King in this country we light a beacon." Natalie said explaining again to the international guests who were gathering just outside the Cathedral, she felt a lot more relaxed now, she was indicating where a ready to be lit beacon that looked like it belonged in the Medieval era stood atop a stone column monument "This starts sort of a relay of beacon lighting around Vafleon as other beacons are lit." she fell silent as Manius glanced at one of his younger sisters Elianor
"Go on El." Manius said "Just don't miss."
"I never miss." Elianor said, her horse was carrying her quiver and her bow, she took the bow and notched an arrow to it, Adela lit the arrow once Elianor had drawn the bowstring back she let it fly straight into the beacon's kindling, the beacon caught fire and started to burn. Then the nine Silverwood children were on their way back to the Castle.

"If you would like to follow me." Natalie said to the international guests "We have transportation waiting for you, His Majesty King Manius looks forward to meeting you all at the Castle."

Upon arrival back at the Castle the Silverwoods got off their horses and after a few seconds they dropped their shields and there were hugs all around as they slowly made their way back inside.
"We've got the reception in the ballroom." Catrain said "So best foot forwards and all that."
"Yeah we know." Adela said
"Anything else?" Manius asked
"Yes." Catrain said, she hugged Manius "Dad would be so proud of you though probably not as proud as me."
"Thanks." Manius said "So time to mingle?"
"Cars should be getting back any moment now." Adela said "Just remember there are nine of us plus the other Commonwealth VIP's. Let's not get overwhelmed."

[DaveIronside]

David and Freya kept firmly in their seats as the call to stand was made, David had made it clear his thoughts on standing and the message that it sent. He glanced around to see who else if anybody stood. David was impressed with the beacon lighting, it was little traditions like this that he enjoyed, especially if a throw back to the medieval times which was a period of history he and many Morelanders found fascinating.

David and Freya chatted about the day's events as they travelled back to the castle, "Time for some dancing with that Stasya" Freya teased her brother. She'd picked up on the rumours from Sir James Colville the ambassador to Lodja and was rather enjoying watching her brother squirm. "It's ok you know. You've been divorced well over a year now, you're allowed to see other women and be happy about it" she suddenly became supportive.

As they reached the castle David made a point of finding Manius. "Your Majesty" David gave a small bow as he approached, "Thank you for allowing us to witness that. I hope my remaining seated is not taken as a comment upon your appointment, just I felt it was not appropriate for a Morelander to be seen, even ceremonially, to be having a say on the appointment of a foreign monarch." He hoped his explanation was welcomed but continued before being told. "I gave your sister a gift on our behalf but I suspect that will be more a national gift. I wished to present you with this" he reached into his inside jacket pocket and removed a box about the size of a TV remote and flipped the lid open to reveal two objects, the first a fountain pen seemingly made out of wood with gold banding." Every Head of State needs a good pen, something that gives a nice signature, hopefully in the coming days you'll get some opportunity to try it out" he explained. The second object was a solid silver sword shaped envelope opener, smaller than the pen. "You probably know our opinion on swords" David smiled tapping the hilt of his own, "but this will help you get into all those tricky envelopes you'll be getting now, while remembering a duty to protect your people. Its smaller than the pen because....well as they say the pen is mightier than the sword. I hope both get many happy long years of use" The King gave another short bow, "May the Gods Watch Over You and Your Nation Know Peace" the King said before backing away three steps and heading off into the reception.

[Norgeras]

Orion had his stomach turn as he walked into the Cathedral, his head swirling inside as he considered if it really was a good choice. Do they feel insulted? Would the Senates Flip at his Face if he stood up?
As he reached his seat next to Albrecht, the Regent patted Orion encouragingly on the shoulder. watching David staying seated, relieved Orion a litte, helping his courage a little to not stand up either, with albrecht giving his young emperor a quick thumbs up when he thought no one was looking.

As Orion stepped to the Reception with Albrecht, he smiled to the newly crowned King: "Your Majesty, i must admit, i didn't think your coronation would already be the next i'd attend after seeing you at Queen Klara's." Orion scratched his head as he shyly looked up to albrecht then back to Manius: "I hope you like we jam we already gave to Princess Isabella. It's best shared. May you rule long and peaceful." before scouring off to the the rest of the People.

[The Young Pope]

Cardinal Fava thought that he was going to stand up at first, although the overwhelming consensus shared by his foreign colleagues and after analyzing the situation during the coronation ceremony, decided to remain on his seat as well as to not break the harmony of events so to say...well it would have been more than perfect if it weren't for someone who was quite overly eccentric and loudmouthed all the way. "Y'all must be tired or something, come on just stand up will ya'?" Grandmaster Trump of New Zion tried to miserably urge the others before realising that he was potentially disrupting the ongoing elaborate service taking place right in front of him. "Oops, hehe, sooooory" he said quietly while wifting his hand around him. The cardinal could simply sigh in disbelief, to think his day was about to get any better from now on.

The Grandmaster managed to catch up with Fava who was naturally trying to avoid his presence as much as possible. "Hey there Fava my man. how ya' faring?" Trump greeted obnoxiously, giving the cardinal a big pat on the back before in a sort of forceful way grabbing his hand to shake it erratically and almost uncontrollably to the point it looked completely humorous and ridiculous from everyone else's point of view.

"Grandmaster Trump, a privilege to finally meet you properly in person, his holiness would simply..." Fava began although was interrupted, naturally.
"Oh man, I gotta tell you, ever since I enforced restrictions on these BG terrorists, my life has been quite hectic you see I have this intuitive feeling that everywhere I go, there's at least someone in the vicinity who'd trying to kill me, right? Well at least I can feel safe with your presence around, ain't that true Emilé hehe?"

At this point as expected, the cardinal's rage had been filled to the brink that he would erupt any second; to be frank, in reality he didn't really care a lot about the Church he was falsely serving with utmost loyalty although he felt embarrassed and shocked that the Order's chapter general voted for a orange buffoon, tycoon-oriented so-called 'grandmaster' who seemed to only care about whether his crappy TRUMP branded products sold a single dime every day or not. HE INSTANTLY GRABBED ORANGE BUFFOON, SHOVED HIM TO THE GROUND TO THE POINT WHERE HIS TEETH WERE BITING THE SIDE OF THE PAVEMENT, AND WITH ONE SWIFT FAVA STOMPED THE HELL OUTTA TRUMP'S HEAD. "THAT'S FOR MY PEOPLE...THE DIVINITY...RAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!...." Alas, that was simply a figment in his imagination if he ever let his emotions control him, he wasn't going to of course.

"Damn, you got quite the grip there Fava, been exercising lately, focusing on your arms?" Trump commented in a clueless fashion as the cardinal simply stood there and absorbed every word that the grandmaster managed to spit out, whilst putting on a fake smile hiding the true intent of his feelings. "Oh yes, regarding killing...There's simply an art of it...let me tell you further...".The conversation went on for a few minutes before Fava simply took command of the situation and forced his way out of it. "I suggest we chat a bit later, mind if I remind you that we have an reception to attend to? Farewell..." he simply ended without giving him a chance to reply. At one point did the cardinal get the chance to meet the new King Manius, giving him the congratulations, the Holy Father's wishes and blessings and finally assuring him that the Ecclesiastical State would be open for any positive relations in the long run; Fava's gift had already been given some time before. "God Bless Your Majesty and his Nation...Oh might I just say that one has to be delicate with the grandmaster" Fava said giving a hint before he proceeded to greet and meet the others in the reception.

"Manny, Manny...It's alright I call you that? In any case, may I first extend my deepest apologies for almost missing the entire fancy spectacle, apparently something fuzzy going on with the immigration procedures but nothing to worry about hehe. Well, besides my obvious gratulations and blessings, I have a gift I wanted to give you in person. Trump gesticulated one of the knights accompanying him to bring forth quite beautifully crafted and ornate boxes with ancient, intriguing symbols. "These my friend, are Puzzle Boxes, a famous craftsmanship having their origins extending far back in time thanks to us Knights of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; it's a popular gift to give to someone especially in New Zion..." the grandmaster explained accordingly as possible what one had to do to solve this fun and exciting mystery.[1]"A wise ruler or even a successful business man such as myself needs to widen and maintain his intellectual abilities, these may seem 'childish' although I can assure his Majesty that they benefit greatly and yes can even surprise you as one tends to diminish one's capabilities and senses. I'll see you later...Manny" Trump ended, giving Manius the typical hard pat on the back, before heading to the reception as well.

"Mmm, seems it's time for some booze..." he uttered while his Knightly companions and bodyguards felt slightly uneasy.

1.	Details found in the link and don't bother about the giftcard, it can be anything.