33, A discussion

It had been a fun couple of weeks. The initiations of new aari, her uncle’s visit and trying out new tasks. But in the end, Ayya was happy when life settled back into its normal pace. She was sitting in her office, going through her usual bundle of letters, when she noticed a letter that looked official. The outside consisted of thick white paper with embossed edges in gold and red. It held the official seal of Ne’xsiss, which made Ayya hesitate. She already knew that this would be the first letter she would send directly to the Lady. She opened it, skimmed through the content and got up and opened her door. As several of the aari working with letters had their offices close to Ayya’s, it was never hard to find a prospect. In fact, Ayya spotted one as soon as she opened her door. 

“I need you to take this letter straight to the Lady, it needs to be delivered to her hands,” Ayya told him. He nodded and hurriedly disappeared along the corridor. Ayya went back into her office and started to get ready. She suspected she would soon be called to the Lady’s office. After about half an hour, there was a knock on the door. The same prospect that she had given the letter to, stood outside. 

“The Lady asks you to join her in her office as soon as possible,” he told Ayya. She nodded and handled him the letters she was done with. 

“Can you please make sure they get to the right department?” she asked. He took the letters and set off in the opposite direction of Ayya. Ayya made her way to Tariana’s office. As she walked up to the doors, guarded by riders, they nodded at her. 

“She is expecting you,” one of them said as he opened the door for Ayya. She thanked him and walked inside. Tariana was sitting at the head of the table in front of the fireplace. Ayya’s father stood behind her. About half of the council was seated around the table. Tariana smiled as she saw Ayya.

“Come and join us, Ayya,” she said. Ayya nodded and walked over to the chair to the right of Tariana that was reserved for her. Not long after Ayya had arrived, Mikhalie joined them and took the seat on Tariana’s left side. Soon all the council was gathered and Tariana stood up.

“We have received an official letter from Ne’xsiss. The emperor’s second son is ready for his introduction tour. They are asking if we are willing to receive him and his party at the end of the summer,” Tariana told them. There was a low murmur around the table as the council talked about the news. As Ayya listened in on the different conversations, there seemed to be a consensus that they would agree to host the emperor’s son. But there seemed to be some difference in the opinion of where, when and who should be attending. 

“It’s not the successor to the empire. He did his tour five years ago, and we received him with all the splendour that was suited for his status. I’m not saying that we refuse the second son. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t have to go through the same excessive procedure this time. Why can’t we scale it down?” one council member said.

“Since when do we make a difference in who it is we are greeting?” aari Gregic objected.

“Of course we do. You don’t see us greet every merchant like this, do you?” another one said. 

“We need to think about the expenses this will bring,” aari Furlow told them. Ayya knew they weren’t in any dire situation in regards to the economy. Salmisara was a thriving nation with good relationships with most of their neighbours. But she also knew that in Dermes, the sickness was taking hold once again, and that sent the global economy into an unsteady state. As a result, the council had become more cautious, preparing for worse times. To top it off, the old king in Dermes had passed away and the crown prince had taken the throne. He had yet to prove how he intended to run the country, which led to further unease. 

“We can’t ignore this. Ne’xsiss is one of our closest allies. It would be an insult to them if we refused.”

“We are not suggesting we refuse, we are suggesting we look over how grand of a reception we give him.” The arguments kept going back and forth until Tariana stood up. Everyone stopped talking. 

“Thank you all for your input, but I would now like to hear from Mikhalie and Ayya. Mikhalie, why don’t you go first?” Tariana said and sat down.

“Of course, thank you,” Mikhalie said. She paused for a while before speaking. “I think it’s vice to not over spend with the economic climate as it is,” she started. “I also think that Ne’xsiss’ emperor is just as well aware of this as we are and would not take offence at us being cautious. We should receive him, but limit the celebrations to one larger event and suggest that the party stays for no longer than three days,” she concluded.

“Thank you. Ayya, your turn,” Tariana said.

“Thank you. I agree it is wise to not put a strain on the economy. But I also know how important this stage in the life of a member of the imperial family is. We all know that a male member of the imperial family goes through three stages after his coming of age before he can take his place to serve the country. The first is five years of military service, the second is the introduction tour to forge bonds with allies and the final is the receiving his office from the emperor,” Ayya told them. They all nodded. “I’m afraid that the emperor and his son won’t be as forgiving as we may think. In Ne’xsissian culture, these three stages are seen almost as divine. To fail in one is to bring shame upon the emperor and the individual will never hold an official office. I would hate for our frugality to create the image that we don’t accept the emperor’s second son,” Ayya paused for a moment. “I suggest we try to save money on hidden costs,” she said. 

“And what would those costs be?” Furlow asked.

“We should offer to host him in Archam instead of in Salmi. It would be easy to say that it is to spare him the extra travel time. It will cost us a little to relocate the aari and riders needed for the two weeks he would be there, but that should be earned back at the logistics of not having to shuttle guests back and forth from the sanctum for two weeks. The cost of supplies are also lower in Archam as a coastal city, as are the labour costs. We can use the Orechal palace and we can have the guest stay there as well as the necessary aari and we can hold all functions there,” she finally told them. 

“Thank you, Ayya,” Tariana said. “Well, two good options. It’s almost time for lunch. Let’s get something to eat and then reconvene to talk about how we do this. We can choose one of the plans laid out for you, a combination of both. Or you can come back with a new plan. We will come to a decision before the end of the day,” she then announced, and they all broke for lunch. 

When they all sat down around the table a while later, they started their discussion up again. It went on for about an hour before aari Gregic asked for the word.

“I think I may have a solution that will suit everyone,” he said. “I think the best thing to do is to combine Ayya’s and Mikhalie’s solutions. Let’s set the event in Archam and let’s do the full two weeks. But let’s limit it to one major event, a ball with dinner, and the rest of the time I suggest more modest activities that aims to reinforce the bond between our two countries. Lunch with merchants that operate in both countries, field trips to the irrigation systems, debates on common topics and so on,” the aari said before taking his seat.

“I like the idea,” Tariana said. “It will be less costly and it will put emphasis on what this visit should be about, letting the emperor’s son make connections.” There was an agreeing murmur around the table. The council voted, and it was unanimous that they agreed. “Well, that was the easy part,” Tariana said with a smile. “I will respond to the emperor and we will all need to start preparing this thing. We have about two and a half months to get ready. That isn’t much time. I would like for all of you to hand in ideas of what activities we can fill the two weeks with. This will be an excellent opportunity for my two candidates to get a feel for official visits. I there for think the activities should be split between the two of them, me taking only a few, and let them be responsible for them.” She then turned towards Ayya and Mikhalie. “I expect you to read up on etiquette for these situations as well as the different activities once they are given to you. If you feel you can’t handle a task, or need more help, let me know.” Both Ayya and Mikhalie nodded. Ayya felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness take a hold of her. As they were dismissed, Ayya caught up with Mikhalie. 

“My friend Hinat is the daughter of the Ne’xsissian ambassador. I’m going to ask her to give some lessons in how to behave and what to think about and maybe teach me some Ne’xiss, even though two months won’t give us much time to learn it. Do you want to tag along?” Ayya asked.

“Oh, do I? Thank you, that sounds amazing,” Mikhalie told her.

“Please tell me you are nervous about this. I don’t want to be the only one,” Ayya said.

“I would love to say that I feel confident and think this will be a walk in the park, but I’m so nervous,” Mikhalie confessed.

“At least we have each other. We can help each other out like we always do,” Ayya told her.

“I would like that.”