Parthenion, Parthenopias
8.8.2018
Ioulian was fixing his tie and looking over the other members of his house. His grandfather, parents and siblings were all present and dressed the part of the Imperial House. It was his cousin though that really commanded the air of authority and respect though, after all Alexandros was Emperor, Kyriarchos ton Parthenion. The young leader of the nation, while he had been merely the Head of State from December on till last month he now stood as the Head of Government. The weight of the responsibilities now on his shoulders showed from the way he carried himself to the discoloration under his eyes. A weight that none in the family would willingly wish upon any other, Alexandros however seemed to manage it well enough.
They all stood on the steps to the Palatul pe Stanci, the official residence of the Kyriarchos in Parthenion. It was quite a bit warmer in the Capital than it was in the highlands where House Atrus hailed from. The mountain air was sorely missed by those present. Banners fluttered in the gentle breeze as birds chirped about. The city was awash with the official colors of the Imperial House of Parthenopias and the Royal House of Aldenfojur as their Crown Princess was visiting. Well she was visiting Ioulian again as he had done a handful of times by this point. They were courting in a sense.
Yes some might say that it was a rather archaic method to going about things. Arranged marriage was not something he would call it though as the powers that be were making sure the pair were comfortable with one another and the matters at hand. Ioulian however was rather thrilled by the prospects of a new culture and country to call home. He had always been interested in the foreign things and as such had chosen to major in International Affairs when he attended University. His interest had never waned and when Alexandros became Kyriarchos his interest grew. Thankfully his cousin had even allowed him to sit in on a few Foreign Policy meetings.
This courtship was something of an unexpected but quite welcome surprise. Today was yet one more step in the ongoing journey. The princess would be coming for a visit, tonight would be a dinner and then over the next few days they would be spirited away to the highlands and thus to the Atrus Estate. There they would enjoy a rather simplistic few days of calm and quiet. Then a large ball would be held and then that is when Alexandros was set to make some kind of announcement. Ioulian admittedly wasn’t sure what the announcement would be about but he had his suspicious it would be about the Kyriarchos’ boyfriend. They had, after all been in an on again off again relationship for the better part of six years. Who knows, perhaps it was them finally tying the knot.
Trumpets blaring signaled that the motorcade carrying the Princess and her entourage had finally arrived at the Palace and it would be only a moment before they pulled up and doors were opened, greetings exchanged and everyone was ushered into the palace’s reception rooms for some cordial relaxation and conversation.