A royal discussion (Anora)

[Gespard de Chalons]

Strong wind, tall waves, flickering banners. It was midday and upon the Waking Sea one from the city of Highever could behold the Orlesian Emperor`s ship and escort returning from Antiva. The journey had been long and treacheries, yet it had all gone well. In Antiva Emperor Gespard had gained new allies and soon he would set foot in Cumberland, where this year’s Grand Tourney was supposed to be held, but before he did that there were other plans to put in motion, and those regarded his rival Celene and his country neighbor Ferelden.

Almost none knew about Celene`s current existence and Gespard hoped to keep it that way, already had he sent a messenger to Ferelden asking for Celene`s head, although the request had been blankly refused by King Alistair. Now he hoped to negotiate with a stronger mind, one who perhaps could settle it peacefully. Queen Anora had requested an audience with the Emperor himself, a meeting in Highever, of which he had agreed on. If she was as great and beautiful as the people said she was, then he had no doubt it would go his way. Rumours had it that Alistair were traveling north, and since Anora were left in charge it became more likely that she wanted the conflict about Empress Celene to be settled in a proper manner, where the need of war would be unnecessary.

With a serious look Emperor Gespard scouted Highever in the distance as he stood upon deck, while the crew around him was busy doing their work. He was dressed in his black and dark blue colors, wearing a black cloak with the sigil of his Empire. The wind made his long hair wave backwards, and close to where he stood standing were his servants and guards. Knowing the Fereldens, Gespard knew they would not be happy to see him set foot in their lands, although he was sure Queen Anora had it all under control. If anyone tried to raise a hand at Gespard there certainly would be a war, and then there would be no turning back.

Once the ship approached the harbor, the sails were tucked together in the mast and the oars were brought out to bring them slowly closer. The three other escort ships remained vigilant in the background, and once the Emperor`s ship docked a ramp was laid out such that Gespard and his folk could come ashore.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Today was an important day. The current Emperor of the Orlesian Empire was coming to Highever at her request. This was of course, to deal with the matter of his rival for the throne, Celene. It was true that Anora was no fan of Orlesians, but she wasn't about to let her own hatred cause a war. If this matter could be settled peacefully while Alistair was away, it would be. Truth be told, she would prefer to have Celene on the throne of Orlais, and she was not at all opposed to helping her get there again. She was not going to mention this little fact to Gespard de Chalons however. Though she did not like it, he held the power in Orlais right now, and it would not do to make him suspicious of Ferelden's queen.

She smiled softly at the people of Highever as she rode through the streets to the place she was meeting Emperor Gespard. She knew that they were questioning her actions in inviting the Orlesian here, and would be keeping an eye on the Emperor and his entourage just as she was. She looked directly in front of her and saw the banners of Orlais. The Emperor had arrived. She could feel the people watching the two royals, as well as the guards she had brought with her, who continuously altered between watching her and watching the Orlesians, waiting in case their 'visitors' made to attack her, but also ready to stop any Fereldens from inciting a war.

She put on a pleasant smile as Gespard descended the ramp and officially set foot on Ferelden soil. "Emperor Gespard! It is our pleasure to welcome you to Ferelden." She proclaimed warmly for all to hear. Anora had always been a good actress. Since childhood she had been practicing the skills she would need for the royal court and when she was, in her father's words, 'the undisputed ruler of the whole world'. Her father. Oh, how she missed him! What would he think seeing her now, here welcoming the Orlesians back onto their soil? He may have understood. He had been a wonderful strategist after all. Now was not the time to think of her deceased father however, now was the time to focus on Orlais' new emperor. "I hope your journey here was pleasant?" She asked the man politely.

[Gespard de Chalons]

Seeing the waiting crowd on the dock`s made Emperor Gespard smile of satisfaction, none of them seemed very pleased, except for the Queen who had awaited his arrival longer than anyone else. For once the rumours about Ferelden`s women were not quite true, this Queen actually looked beautiful and she intrigued him to turn on the charm. Oh how he would enjoy stirring up the population with his appearance, this would be fun he thought and with his head held high, he along with his servants and guards begun to walk down the ramp and toward the Queen, still smiling as he listened to her words of greetings.

“Bonjour, Queen of Ferelden. It is an honour to finally meet you.” Gespard said with his Orlesian accent as he gave her a cocky smile, bowing low as he kissed her hand and looked intensely into her eyes. Finally meeting the daughter of the man who drove the Orlesians out of Ferelden years ago was amusing to Gespard, never had he thought that would happen, but how glad he was that it did. In Orlais there had been much talk of her father Loghain and King Maric after their glorious victories, and Gespard remembered how upset his own father had become by the disastrous news from Ferelden. Just thinking about it made Gespard`s intentions for being there stronger and once she asked her question on how his trip had went, he answered politely in return as he stood up straight. “I wish the journey could have been better, but setting foot on land again is most pleasant, especially now that I am in the presence of a beautiful woman such as you.” He said charmingly, hoping to gain some sort of positive response.

For a long time he had looked forward to their meeting, and now that he was there he would not let the opportunity pass without achieving what he desired. They had a lot of things to discuss and much concerned their countries, but if the moment presented itself he would not mind discussing personal matters, which could influence them both greatly in other ways. Luckily for Gespard he had prepared himself well and he had things to show Anora when the time was right, something that he was sure she would be surprised to learn about, and it was all carried in the box of the elven servant that followed him.

“I hope my arrival has not caused too much of a disturbance, especially among the nobles and your husband.” Gespard continued, knowing that Alistair was gone, yet mentioning him to get Anora`s answer about the matter. With that said he turned to look at the crowd and with a slight movement with his hand, he waved to them, almost mocking the people for having been granted an audience with their beloved Queen. The smell of Ferelden was unlike his home, it smelled like wet dogs, and being so close to the peasants made him wary. “I am looking forward to our private discussion; I sincerely hope we may get the chance as soon possible.” Gespard said and waited, wishing they could soon move from the area to somewhere more silent and less...filthy.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora sank down into an elegant curtsy as Gespard bowed to her. "A flatterer are you mon empereur?" She said, a little amused by the flattery. If Gespard thought he could win her over that easily, he was going to be very disappointed. What would my father think, if he could see me now? It was a thought that had crossed her mind many times since she invited the Orlesian Emperor to Ferelden. He would not have been pleased, she was quite sure of that. To have fought for so many years to drive the Orlesians out of Ferelden, only to have his own daughter invite them back in would undoubtedly anger him greatly. This was for the good of Ferelden though, and she hoped he would have understood. She did not want another war with Orlais, not if she could avoid it.

She smiled softly as Gespard mentioned causing a disturbance with her husband. "King Alistair is not in Ferelden at the moment. He was required to attend some matters outside the country." As you well know. She thought to herself. She said nothing to reassure him of the nobles opinions of him being here, because there was nothing she could say that wasn't an obvious lie. She watched silently and raised an eyebrow as he waved to the people of Highever, seeming to mock them. Not a good move while he was on enemy soil, and there could be no mistake that her dear Ferelden was his enemy.

She gave him a small nod when he hinted that he wanted to go somewhere private and gestured for him to follow her as she turned toward the Teyrn of Highever's estate, which Fergus had generously agreed to let them use for their meeting, even though he too did not like Gespard's presence in Ferelden, and much less in Highever. They eventually stopped at one of the rooms where Fergus usually entertained small groups of guests, and she took a seat, motioning for him to sit also. She briefly surveyed Gespard's entourage, vaguely wondering what was in the box that one of the elves held, before focusing on the emperor again. "I am certain that there are many things we need to dicuss, but is there anything particularly urgent you would like to discuss first?" She asked, clasping her hands together and resting them in her lap.

[Gespard de Chalons]

Being confirmed by Anora herself that Alistair was out of the country, made Gespard smile even more as he then knew Anora did this without his consent, oh what would he think if he got words about this? Or what would his advisor think should this rumour get out? It was something to ponder, but Gespard remained focused on the beautiful Queen he now had an audience with. Meeting her eyes with his gaze he noticed her nod and gesture, which he proudly responded to by following her to the Teyrn`s estate, constantly watched by guards and servants.

Once they arrived, Emperor Gespard was shown the way to the room where the guests were taken. It was a somewhat filthier place than what he was used to, but at least it wasn`t as filthy as the places in Antiva. Gracefully with his head held high, Gespard moved to sit down shortly after Anora did, but before he took a seat he lot one of his elven servants clean it, watching the surroundings as he waited.

Hearing Anora`s question and then seeing her clap drew Gespard`s attention again and once he sat down, he replied firmly to what she asked as his eyes ventured across her body. “Now that you mention it, there is something I`d like to show you…” Gespard said and then gave his other elven servant a nod, telling him to show the box he had brought along. Slowly the young elf approached nervously, apparently afraid of his master and carefully he opened the box in front of Anora, showing a few letters that had King Cailan`s seal on them. “I know Empress Celene is hiding in Ferelden somewhere, and well, out of respect I thought I`ll let you know who you are dealing with. This woman is not what she seems to be, read these letters and you`ll understand. Once I took the capitol Val Royeaux I found these in her personal chambers, apparently it seems she and King Cailan had something going on…” He said and then went silent as he watched for Anora`s response, hoping it would make her understand that Gespard was not such an evil man which the Empress may have portrayed him as.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora refrained from raised an eyebrow as she watched one of Gespard's elven servants clean the chair before he sat down. Honestly, it had not been dirty to begin with! Orlesians...

She raised an eyebrow when Gespard told her he had something to show her and watched as an elven servant came forward. She smiled encouragingly at the young elf as he opened the box he had been carrying. Her smile quickly fell when she saw what was inside. Why would Gespard have some of Calian's letters? She grabbed the letters and pulled them out of the box as she listened to Gespard. She knew that Celene was a cunning woman, she had to be to rule a country like that, and the thought did not make her excited to read the letters that had just been shown to her. She frowned as she read the letters, wanting to strangle several people once she finished, Eamon most of all. How dare he! Put Anora aside hmm? Oh, if he weren't already dead...

She took a deep breath to calm herself before thinking about the letters Celene had sent Calian. She had to admit it was a smart move on Celene's part to offer to send in her own Grey Wardens and Chevailers to help Ferelden fight the Blight. No doubt, Calian had thought it a brilliant idea. If they had the Chevaliers from Orlais fighting with them, not as many Fereldens would need to die fighting the Blight. Calian had never been a very perceptive person though. Once Orlais' chevaliers were in Ferelden, who's to say that they would have left once the Blight was over? Who could say that the Orlesians wouldn't just try to take back the already weakened Ferelden for it's own? Thankfully, Calian never had the chance to follow through with this plan, and their own two Grey Wardens had successfully ended the Blight. She couldn't deny that they had done well, even if she did still hate the two of them.

It was the last letter that truly concerned Anora. Empress Celene had addressed Cailan so informally, almost as if they were friends, or possibly more than that. A permanent alliance between Orlais and Ferelden. What would that have entailed? Her thoughts drifted back to Eamon's letter. It might be time to put Anora aside. Was it possible that Cailan might have taken his uncles advise and planned to replace her with Celene? Having known him for so long, Anora could honestly say that yes, it was entirely possible. Oh Cailan, what have you started? She thought with a soft sigh.

She looked back up at Gespard calmly. "It is true that I am less than pleased with Empress Celene at the moment, but you yourself do not have a sterling reputation either Emperor Gespard. How do I know this is not merely a ploy?" She asked in a tone of polite curiosity.

[Gespard de Chalons]

"A ploy? Oh non, what sort of man do you take me for? I only present you the truth, this is Celene`s personal letters and the box itself belongs to her, it was locked, but I opened it, and this is what I found oui? It even confirms the rumours that swirled around at that time. It also has the seal of King Cailan, how could I from Orlais forge something like that?" Gespard replied with his Orlesian accent and looked at Anora cunningly, glancing at her eyes, knowing that he wasn`t as popular as Celene, but at least he tried to seem just and fair. After all his schemes against the Empress in the past he was quite certain most of the people would follow his lead now instead. In Celene`s last days of rule she had failed in her attempt to stop riots in Val Foret, an elven rebellion in Halamshiral and other problems, all which had been begun with a little bit of help from Gespard`s part. It was things he had done in the hidden, which none knew about, except for his closest spies, assassins and generals.

Leaning forward in the chair, Gespard reached out for Anora and he placed his hand on her thigh. “I know it must be hard to believe, but I am not an evil man. It is Celene who is the evil one.” He spoke with a whisper and then leaned back in his chair, continuing. “Did you know Celene is doing the same to Alistair? She already has him, has she not? To my knowledge the two of them have even met before she came to your land in exile. My little birds tell that Alistair and Celene were seen in the free marches before the Mage-Templar war begun, who knows how long their affair has been going on? And what do you think Celene desire the most, a husband? Power? Or both?” What Gespard spoke were true, Celene had never before desired a husband. In Orlais it was well known that she had many lovers and that she often spent time in her royal summer house, and Gespard knew certainly she desired power, because why would she kill his father and claim the throne had she not?

“Do not worry though, if you wish it, I can lend you my assistance, and I would gladly help a pretty woman such as you.” Gespard said and waited on the Queen`s response, hoping she would accept his offer, maybe she then would hand him Celene and maybe they then together could get rid of her awful husband Alistair, who he knew Anora disliked.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora’s mouth thinned, but she dipped her head, partially in thought – and yes, in grief if that’s what Gespard wanted to think – and partially to hide her annoyance. Did he truly think her so blind, so easily swayed by her emotions that she would not see beneath the kind pretence? Yes, the confirmation burned a little, but it was distant enough for her to be able to put it aside, lift her head and meet his eyes squarely.

“The truth, yes, but the truth is not always necessary. Tell me, what is the use of unearthing a decade-old dalliance? There is nothing that can be done about it now; Cailan is beyond her reach now just as he is mine. Is it a kindness, to bring this back to light? All I can see this causing, for me at least, is more pain and heartache,” she said, keeping her voice carefully moderated even as she looked down and away, seemingly to hide her pain. Be polite, but be firm.

Her eyes narrowed marginally as the weight of his hand fell upon her thigh, but she left it for now, allowing him to press his point. She had more to gain here by staying quiet and listening than rebuffing him outright. If he thought he was convincing her, he might be more inclined to reveal more of what he planned.

She managed a tight smile at his offer. Of course, he would help a pretty woman, regardless of her intelligence or political prowess – or that she didn’t need to sleep her way to the top.

Apparently most of his cards were on the table. That he wanted Celene’s location was easy to guess – what better way to end the civil war than to capture and execute the opposing leader? It had certainly worked for Ferelden’s beloved Wardens when they had cut off her father’s head.

Was now the best time to call his bluff? Or should she wait, draw him out a little longer? The more information the better, after all.

...No, address him now. There was something in his tone that made her think he was pressing for a conclusion.

Very well.

She shook her head and squared her shoulders, pulling away from his hand under the pretence of straightening her skirts. She lifted her head and met his eyes once again, with no trace of the implied distress from earlier in her steely gaze.

“So tell me, Gespard, what would your assistance entail, and what would it cost me? I am not so naive as to think that it would be free, nor that people can be defined by such polarising terms as ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Not after what happened to my father. Many would call him evil, but having seen both sides of him, that is one thing I will never be able to do, regardless of his failings. Similarly, I doubt the label can be applied to Celene, as tempting as it is right now,” Anora lifted the letters briefly in emphasis, her mouth a taut line.

“Alistair is debatable, and I will deal with this information in my own manner, but that Celene desires power is no secret. Yet the same could be said of you, and yes, of me, could it not?” Again, she flourished the letters, taking an odd satisfaction in crumpling the pages with Cailan’s careful handwriting on them.

“I do not believe you forged these; whether you could or not. However, that does not mean you did this purely out of the... goodness of your heart, Gespard. Let us do away with the pretence that you did not hope to gain from revealing these to me, and instead speak plainly,” she said firmly, before setting the letters aside on the small table next to her chair.

“You came here in the hope that I would surrender Celene to you, did you not? Tell me, how would I benefit from that, and why should I comply?” She asked, blue eyes flashing. “State your offer, Gespard, and perhaps we can negotiate.”

[Gespard de Chalons]

“I apology madam, I did not intend to offend or cause you any harm. I simply wanted to tell you what sort of woman you are dealing with.” Gespard answered concerned, wanting the Queen to understand the dangers she allowed by keeping the usurper around. It was something she should be wary about and for good reasons. If she had tried to seduce King Cailan and King Alistair already, then what would she do next? Make Alistair divorce Anora and unite the two countries through marriage? The very thought about what could happen made the Emperor feel sick, and especially worried for Anora`s safety, as he himself had experienced the schemes of Celene in the past.

She was a woman he hated with passion and having her captured or executed was actually less than she deserved, but finding her exact location proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. Queen Anora was a clever woman and she would not bend easily, this he quickly discovered as she pulled away from his hand and continued to speak with a more serious tone. With the gaze fixed on her, he noticed her expression change due to the letters and it seemed she wanted to go in a more direct approach, which was entirely fine by him.

Anora was correct however, none were good or evil and many desired power, they all had their flaws, even the two of them, but still Gespard believed it was a mistake if she decided to keep Celene. “Very well, as you wish, I will speak plainly then.” The Emperor said and lot out a sigh, before he sat himself straight back into the chair and replied. “Oui, I do wish that you surrender Celene to me, so that our Orlesian civil war can finally be over. In return I offer your country peace, trade rights and assistance in times of need, for as long as I live. From what I have understood, your country have suffered a lot since the Blight; famine, disease and now…this brewing barbarian invasion in the south.”

“If I wanted to take your kingdom, I could already have done so, instead I offer you this...and if you so wish it, I can lend you my assistance against these barbarians and help you rebuild. All I want is to capture the usurper who named herself Empress after the death of my father. She committed treason and everyone believed my father died by natural causes, when it was poison that killed him. Because of her I had to live in exile, and surely under her rule the Empire prospered, but do not think she is innocent, because that she is not.” He spoke seriously; angered by simply thinking about all the things Celene had done to him and his family.

The look he then gave Anora was filled with hatred and sadness, and if she looked closely he was sure she could spot the truth in what he told. For years he had suffered, but by hiding in the shadows, while crawling his way back, he had managed to outwit the Empress and reclaim his birthright. Some would perhaps say he was a visionary with bad intentions, but the truth was far from it. The people who once served Celene were blind and they had not seen the true colours behind her doings and they did not know what she was capable off, which was why he often have had to play her game to win.

“I can imagine she has already offered you peace, just as I have, but what rights does she have? She is no longer Empress and she is not even the legitimate heir to the throne. I am, I am the rightful son of Emperor Florian. And therefor only I can promise you this. If you wish to go with her words and trust that she will deliver you what is promised, then I will let you side with her, only so that you can see that I speak the truth. The choice is yours.” Gespard offered, but was open to ideas that could sweeten his deal.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora sighed, closing her eyes in thought. Peace, trade rights, military assistance... all standard offers of an alliance. All ones she was certain Celene would also make, when she had the opportunity to speak with her.

Of course, ‘for as long as I live’ only gave Ferelden a few decades of peace at most, a few weeks at least, with this war raging. The chances of Gespard dying on the field were as high as any soldier’s, after all.

Anora knew there was no such thing as a permanent peace, but the longer the promise of peace could last, the better.

If Anora did not have to worry about the repercussions on Ferelden, she would have happily sat back and watched as Orlais tore itself apart. That in itself would guarantee a kind of peace; in the aftermath of a civil war, Orlais would be in no state to attack Ferelden for several years – decades, even – until it had recovered.

Yet things were never that simple.

What Gespard had said was true; Blight, famine, the barbarians. Part of her – the part that most often spoke with her father’s voice – said that Ferelden alone could stand strong in the face of these trials, and emerge triumphant. Yet it had been that same thought that had driven Ferelden to civil war during the Blight, of all times.

It hurt sometimes, but Anora couldn’t always trust that part of her anymore.

Of course Gespard would assume he could have taken Ferelden if he had chosen to – although Anora was certain he would have found it far more difficult than he seemed to think.

The mention of his father’s death stung slightly – they both knew the pain of having a father ripped from them, after all – but Anora firmly put the emotion aside. You could not afford to let sentiment blind you when you belonged to a royal court; assassinations were the norm, particularly in Orlais with their ‘Games’. Yes, it was unfortunate that Florian the father had died, but Florian the Emperor was just another ruler passing to the Maker’s side.

What was more important was who made Orlais stronger, and safer, and who could be trusted to keep their word of promised ‘peace’ should they win. Even Gespard had admitted that the empire had thrived under Celene’s rule.

Anora had no real sway over Gespard; no leverage to make him keep his word once Celene was dead. The Empress, however, owed Ferelden – owed Anora her life and safety. Anora would quite happily hold that debt over Celene for the rest of their days.

Yet if she chose poorly – if she sided with Celene and Gespard won regardless, then Ferelden could be next. Yes, Gespard had designs on Nevarra after the civil war, but after that?

Anora sat back in her chair, finally opening her eyes but staring into the fire, her gaze unfocused.

Personally, she couldn’t care less which Orlesian fop got the crown, rightful heirs or no. However, for Ferelden, she had to care, and she had to choose wisely.

Who, truly, was the stronger force? Celene or Gespard?

Idly, to herself, Anora faintly shook her head. She didn’t have enough information, not yet.

She needed to speak with Celene before any decisions were made.

With a soft sigh and a blink to refocus, Anora turned her eyes back to Gespard, lifting a hand wearily in uncertainty.

“This is not something I can decide in an afternoon, Gespard,” she said quietly, almost gently. He could not think that she was refusing him now; it could be disastrous for Ferelden. “I need some time to think. How long will you stay in Ferelden?” It must be several days at least, surely? He had only just landed from Antiva, and sailing back to Orlais would take a few weeks; Gespard and his men would need some time to resupply and rest before they set off.

Still, Anora wanted all the thinking time she could get. “I can have your answer by the evening before you leave; that I promise.”