Meeting of two kingdoms

[For Bekah as the king, Everest Ellesmere , and Maddox Oldenburg ]

Lorelle and Max had agreed to leave for Newbridge two days after king Thedrick Ellesmere had responded to her letter about arranging a meeting between Max and Everest. She had told her brother that Illemore's king wasn't capable of traveling to Allure, and that instead they would visit them in Newbridge. 

A carriage had been prepared for the siblings, accompanied by a small troop of soldiers. They would ensure the royal siblings' safety on the journey. The weather was pleasant and didn't slow them down, so right before evening on the third day, the party arrived at Newbridge. They made their way to the Tower - the royal palace - and were greeted by courtiers and people working for the royal court. A Illemoran soldier would notify the royal couple of the arrival of Almeran. 

Lorelle walked with her chin high and a smile on her face. They would then be brought to the king's library. When they were shown to the room, she would curtsy politely and offer the king, who was seated in his chair, a smile. "Good vending, your majesty. It's a pleasure to be here. I hope you are doing well." She looked at Maddox Oldenburg, expecting him to greet the king as well  

Max had been a delight on the trip. He was jovial, making light conversation and jokes, and just keeping the long journey generally enjoyable. Inside, hidden from anyone else, he was definitely feeling a little nervous. If this went well then his whole life could be changing rather suddenly. After all, he'd be marrying the Crown Princess, the one who'd be stepping up to rule when it was time, which meant that he would be moving away from the only Kingdom he'd ever known and starting over somewhere entirely unique to him. It was a lot of pressure.

Dressed to the nines for their arrival, Max walked in with confidence and a warm smile that wasn't cocky in the slightest. He might be a Prince but his demeanor had always been inviting rather than pompous. He bowed to the King as his sister greeted the man before speaking as well. "We're so grateful you agreed to have us, your Majesty, it is such an honor and pleasure to make your acquaintance and to be in your beautiful Kingdom."

His gaze traveled the room until he spotted who must be Everest. She looked so regal and while he had heard she was beautiful, he was still taken aback but just how lovely she was. But personality was no small thing either. Would they get along? If she looked his way he'd offer her a soft smile and a dip of his chin.

King Thedrick waited patiently in his private library, he had been dressed in some of his finer clothes and would be sitting at the desk when his men would let him know Princess Everest was waiting to be shown in. She seemed to be in much better spirits than a few days ago when he told her of the upcoming visit.

She hadn’t protested, at least not in so many words. It was clear in her expression that she hadn’t been thrilled to hear they were already discussing marrying her off, but she had agreed the match had its own merit, and she wouldn’t snub the visiting royals or insult them by refusing to at least meet the prince.

That, had been good enough for him.

She greeted him with a polite curtsy and placed a soft kiss to his cheek. “It pleases me greatly that you’re taking this seriously.” he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and her hazel eyes softened as she nodded. “Of course, the good of the kingdom should always be taken seriously.” It was in a moment such as this, that Thedrick couldn’t deny he was relieved that Everest was inheriting the crown. She’d always had the good of the kingdom in mind, even when that meant supporting her brother as successor. His passing had been such a disappointment, but being fragile in health wouldn’t project strength to his subjects. Everest had always been the stronger of the two, and Thedrick trusted her to act in the best interest of everyone.

When the doors opened and Queen Lorelle and Princess Maddox entered, he offered a wide, welcoming smile and dipped his own head. Had he the strength to stand, he might have received them more respectfully, but his nerve issues left much to be desired.

“The honor is ours indeed, for your kindness and willingness to travel. I thank-you for making the journey, we have rooms prepared for you, and Everest will show you to them whenever you’re ready to retire for the evening.” He extended a hand toward the window where Crown Princess Everest stood, her blonde hair had been curled and half twisted back and up, a simple gold and pearl diadem graced her head. She stepped forward to take his hand as he presented her. “This is my daughter, Princess Everest Ellesmere.”

Everest had taken little pleasure in being caught off guard with the notion of considering a marriage for an alliance. But even she could acknowledge that it would be foolish to get upset or refuse without considering everything. She wasn’t foolish, nor would she risk insulting neighboring monarchs. So, she allowed herself to be pampered and dressed up for the occasion.

She wore a flowy cream colored dress with a light blue bodice that was embossed and detailed in gold. Her hair had been curled and styled partially up and back, just enough to give the gold and pearl diadem a way to be secured. When she was finished and showed into her father’s private Library, she greeted her father and smiled at his words as she story from her curtsy.

“It pleases me greatly that you’re taking this seriously.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and her hazel eyes softened as she nodded. “Of course, the good of the kingdom should always be taken seriously.”
And with that, she moved to situate herself in the window, watching at the soldiers patrolled the grounds and showed the visiting soldiers toward the barracks. She couldn’t help the sudden flutter of nervousness that threatened to take her as she took a few slow breaths.

Why was she nervous?

As the Almeran monarchs entered the library and made their greetings, Everest watched with inquisitive eyes. Queen Lorelle was beautiful, and ever so poised and commanding, how Everest hoped to project herself as such. Hazel eyes shifted to Princess Maddox and was pleasantly surprised to see the smile and slight dip of his chin. Everest returned the smile, before her father’s hand was extended toward her and she tentatively stepped forward to be introduced. He most certainly was handsome, but she couldn’t help wondering if he was one of those princes who cared more about his looks than anything else, or if there was more to him that just his pleasing face.

Everest curtsies and offered a polite smile. “‘Tis a pleasure to receive you both, I do hope the journey wasn’t too much trouble.” Her tone was gentle, but clear, as she wasn’t typically once to stumble over her words. “Shall I have some tea, or perhaps something else brought in for us all?”