A Prince Abroad

[Lijiang]

Prince Chun had hoped to spend the Winter Break from University down on the coast of Lijiang. The weather there was pleasant, not warm but certainly more welcoming than the snow storms in the hills that dominated the south of the country. With just a sweater on you could walk the seafronts and enjoy the nice little seafood restaurants although what was most appealing to Chun would have been the surfing. The sport was relatively new to Lijiang since it had ended the mourning period and the youth of Lijiang had seemingly taken to it and seemingly also some of the beach based culture. Chun had wanted to check it out, as much for the bikini clad girls as the waves but instead his father had insisted that he visit a foreign land to broaden his horizons and help him develop some state craft for his one day future as Dragon-Emperor. Chun had initially suggested Lodja to his father, he hinted it would mean he could stay on the Isle of the Goddess and mingle with ambassadors and politicans all day but in truth he had read of the supposed beautiful women with loose morals and that had swayed his opinion. His next option had been Mersch. He understand his rank and title would ensure that a royal family anywhere he visited would have to ensure his visit was respected and the new Queen there was rather pretty. His father though had blocked both these options as he believed that the relationship blossoming with East Moreland still needed some cultivation. With that in mind phone calls had been made, the ambassador summouned and within 24 hours the two month long trip arranged.

The Prince would be joined on his visit to East Moreland by Ben Tau. Ben was one of many Lijiangians who had ventured away from the Majestic Empire during the period of mourning and while he may not have lived in East Moreland he had spent five years in Bakkermaya and that was effectively the same thing in many ways. Ben was now a member of the Imperial Household despite being only 26 years old he was the deputy on a "desk" there which meant he was responsible for being part of the link between the Dragon-Emperor and the government of East Moreland. For this trip though the fact he looked about eighteen and was all but fluent in Morelandish had been the key to his appointment. They travelled with two Imperial Guardsman who were trained for diplomatic protection and stood out a mile in doing so despite having ditched the ceremonial black scale armour for civilian suits. The Prince hadn't been too disappointed in the choice of East Moreland though. He had spent an interesting few months with Matilda Osman as one of a host of foreign VIP tutors and he considered her a good friend. She had helped him become an expert on the importance of the environment and in particular the oceans and he was hoping to go visit her aquarium in Portworth while he was in East Moreland. Their aircraft was not a private one, the Dragon-Emperor had insisted Chun do this trip as far as possible like a normal student but his mother on the other hand had booked out all the first class tickets so that the four men had the fore-cabin to themselves. Chun had even managed to get a snooze in on the flight and now as they stood ready to retrieve their luggage from the carousel at King Robert International Airport he was exicted to start the experience.

[DaveIronside]

When the request came through that Prince Chun wished to spend some time in East Moreland King David was rather excited. He immediately began considering things that he  could include the Prince in but upon closer inspection it was clear that the trip was more for education and tourist purposes than any deep diplomatic matters. Still that didn't mean that the King would not take an interest in the Prince's visit. It seemed strange to David that the usual pomp and ceremony of welcoming a visiting royal was being replaced instead with Keir Peters wandering the arrivals area of King Robert International Airport awaiting the Prince. Having sighted him he made his way over and showed his credentials as a member of the Royal Protection Agency. "Your Highness the King has asked me to ensure that your safe during your stay. If you and your companion would like to follow me I think we can skip the passport control desks." Keir picked up one of the Prince's bags and headed towards where people were lining up to get their visas and passports checked. There was a door marked for staff only and with a simple flash of his ID badge a security guard opened it with no questions. The crisp Northfort air welcomed them outside. "We'll be heading over to the other terminal" Keir explained as a small electric buggy awaited. It was a far cry from the armoured cars he'd recently been driving around Lodja but it was just as nippy and soon they were at the "Royal Terminal" used for welcoming VIP's on state occasions. The King was waiting for them as they had a fleet of cars waiting.

"Prince Chun delightful to meet you again. Congratulations on your Imperial Academy graduation. I do hope life as a student is suiting you." The King was momentarily distracted as a blue streak hurtled out of the airport.

"Good Morning Prince" Rhiannon had appeared. "I made you this. Its a list of the best sweet shops in Northfort. They're ranked in order" she handed over a piece of paper proudly.

"This is Princess Rhiannon, chief travel adviser" David chuckled as he invited the Prince and Ben to board the car waiting for them. The trip to the Palace was short and uneventful thanks to a combination of police outriders and a Red Legion escort. At the Palace the King had considered a formal banquet but again had been convinced, this time by Queen Stasya, to have it be less formal as the Prince and Dragon-Emperor seemed intent on this being a study visit rather than a series of high status talks. Rather than the formal meal the King had arranged for the rest of the Ironsides to come round and a vast steaming pot of Venison Stew sat casting a beautiful aroma around the private wing of the Palace. There had been rooms arranged in that wing for the Prince to use as he wished along with a room in the old student block that had once been home to King David at Royal Northfort University. The communal Royal Wing Kitchen had been set up by Princess Freya, Alex Redfern and Evie while Archduchess Sophie had arrived soon after. The King gave Chun time to get a shower and change if he wished and then began serving steaming bowls of stew while Queen Stasya rather unelegantly was carving some crusty white baguettes into chunks.

"Make yourself at home" Stasya placed a bowl of the thick brown stew in front of the Prince and then took her own, offering a tray of bread to Ben. Meanwhile David prepared everything required for the Cultist tradition of prayer. A candle was placed on the centre of a saucer and the King took a piece of bread, placed it briefly in the stew and then put it upon the saucer. A drop of his own blood with a small knife was drawn from his thumb and then he bowed his head, "Our Lord Helus and the Lady Marissa. We thank you for the gift of good food, good company and good health. May The Gods Watch Over Us and our lands know peace." The King opened his eyes and checked he had put the tiny bone handled knife away. Before taking a taste of the stew.

"Chun while your in Northfort I can recommend some good student bars." Sophie began and instantly saw the King look slightly disappointed. "He's here as a student Uncle, the worst thing we can do is let him end up in Brooks Nightclub on a Wednesday and report back that Northfort is a bad night out, its a Northfort College place and no right minded Royal Northfort student would be seen dead in it. These are the kinds of information you want right Chun?" Sophie suggested.