It was a bright day. One of those days in the late summer that had you wincing to look outside the sun was so invasive. But the heat of the bright orb was more than welcome as it lit up the solar rooms and created a bright and airy atmosphere. While the sunlight itself might have turned the meeting chamber into an oven, bouncing around the highly polished marble and brightening the entire place, a light breeze accompanied it, allowing the sheer curtains around the chamber columns to dance.
Persephone stood by one of those columns lost in her thoughts despite the purpose of her presence being to welcome a guest. It had been several weeks since she and Lady Iris of Argyris had agreed to meet in person and while such a communion had been delayed by forces beyond both of their controls - first with the events that Persephone had been required to attend in the form of the Feast of Sinners and King of the Waves competition and then the Senate Meet only a week prior, their agreement to meet had been a small task at the bottom of a long list.
While Persephone felt awkward for not prioritising her long term, long distant friend, she hoped that the woman would understand. In their years of correspondence they had each grown to understand that the other was just as busy as themselves and had never taken offence when a letter was delayed or an event postponed.
Now that the Lady Iris was back in court, the two women - working in the roles of their fathers - had agreed to come together in person. And it was an engagement that Persephone had been eager to hold to. It just so happened that their talks of such a thing had happened at a time where change and upheaval had been the key words in both of their lives.
Now, of course, a meeting was almost impossible to avoid. For while they were both professionals in their fields and within the nobility of their kingdom and province a piece, they were also friends and women. And Persephone had a strong desire to discuss just what had unfolded on the day of the Senate Meet. For there was great news within both of their lives that Persephone was eager to discuss with someone objective. She hoped that the Lady Iris felt the same. She had a sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind that all that had occurred in the last week or so would not feel real unless it was mimicked back to her by someone unattached to the royal household and the plans they had been putting in place for the last eight days straight.
Distracted by her thoughts, Persephone was disturbed only when her lady in waiting Dianthe entered the chamber. With her came several serving girls, each carrying a tray. One supported chalices, another carried a container of wine - a third of water. Then there were a few slaves behind them carrying plate and serving trays of snacks and nibbles prepared by the chef. Persephone spied dry waifs and pieces of fresh bread with cheeses and fresh fruit. There were no olives to be seen for Persephone detested them with a passion.
Smiling at her friend and attendant, Persephone knew that Dianthe would also be in attendance of this meet and greet. A princess never interacted with anyone without her ladies present and she had no issues with Dianthe hearing anything that her and Lady Iris would state. It was likely that the three of them with chatter together for Persephone was close to them both in different ways.
Waving a hand to insinuate that Dianthe should collect herself a chalice and help herself to a drink, Persephone looked back out over the roaming gardens of the Xanthos Palace, her mind a buzz as it had been ever since she had set foot out into the courtyard below intend on attending to the Dikastirio a week ago...
How quickly so much could change in so little time...
(NOTE: Shifting this two 14 days from the senate meet instead of 8 with permission from JD.)
The whirlwind of the last fourteen days had been something out of nightmares and then dreams. Aetaea had been ravaged by a storm. Trees, brush, animals, and homes had been destroyed, but with the time that Iris and her father had had to dedicate to the control of the damage, they had settled their citizens into an easier temperament and directed the rebuilding and clean up. They had shifted the work of the lumberers to the section of the province that wasn't a mess and pull a group out to work on the break down of any and all fallen trees.
But that hadn't been the only excitement that the time in Aetaea had brought. Having accompanied them to Aetaea after finding Iris panicking over returning with her ailing father, Aimias had aided in the work of cleaning up after the storm. And then one morning, whether by accident or on purpose, Phillipa had presented her with a letter. The contents had been a proposal of marriage. Admist the rush of the clean up, the two had managed to get permission for both an engagement and wedding all the same.
Returning to Athenia a married woman felt strange. Having another Argyris man in the family was new and exciting, but still overshadowed by the ailing king and Aimias' firm duty to the man. She hadn't seen as much of her new husband as she might have liked, but Iris could hold no complaints. She respected the man far too much to give him trouble for doing all that was expected of him in terms of his position.
Besides, Princess Persephone had summoned her amidst all of the chaos. Their meeting had been planned long ago, but both of their commitments had clashed time and time again. It was a wonder that the princess had time for Iris now, but she would not reject the invitation. Not when Iris herself was buzzing and wanting for some time with her friend. Letters only did so much. The paper only held so many words, so much ink.
Dressed in a soft blue chiton, her hair done in a slight braid and soft curls, Iris was allowed into the solar room, her green eyes bright as she settled her gaze on the princess and her lady in waiting, Dianthe. Pausing at the entrance, Iris settled into a low bow before straightening herself up. "I think I would also struggle to sit still if I were to be Queen," Iris said with a soft lilt to her voice. "Princess Persephone," she then greeted, her gaze shifting to the redheaded lady settled on the lounge. "Lady Dianthe," Iris greeted the woman with a soft smile, her gaze conveying warmth in the additonal company.
The chatter among the palati after the senate meet filled the air almost everywhere that Dianthe went. Most were shocked, some were excited, but there were a select few people among the halls that were not thrilled about the decision. Of course, Dianthe was so happy for her friend, her princess and one day her Queen. However, with the many people who were unhappy with the outcome, it made the redheaded woman nervous as well. What did this mean for her station? That was another thing that worried her. Would she still be a Lady to the Queen?
Telling herself not to worry about what was in the distant future, she continued leading the way to the meeting chamber. She was bringing the wine and nibbles in which Persephone loved, leaving the awful olives out as well. It seemed that both girls did not like the disgusting things. Dianthe smiled to her friend and greeted her as she walked into the room with a small curtsy of sorts. "M'Lady. Your refreshments for you and your guest." She showed the servants where to place each item, laid out nice and neat in front of her.
With the servants leaving, Persephone asked her to collect herself a chalice and a drink. Things like this were not unfamiliar to Dianthe and she smiled and gave a nod. She grabbed one of the empty chalices and poured some of the dark wine into it. The auburn haired woman watched her princess, looking out upon the gardens. Dianthe always wondered what must go through her mind on a daily basis. She herself knew that the life that Persephone and Emilia was not an easy life. The strict way they held themselves and never let anyone see weakness, Dianthe found it so amazing and she looked up to both of them.
Dianthe was unsure if she had ever met the woman whom was coming to meet with the Princess today but the name had sounded familiar. It was someone the princesses had written many times and had a good friendship with. When the other dark haired woman entered the room, Dianthe looked her over. Not in any way of malice but more so just to remember her. She watched the woman in the soft blue chiton from the petite lounger and listened as she spoke.
It seemed they both understood the weight that must be settling in on their friends shoulders. The Princesses taut shoulders and way of standing out by the window. Dianthe's own mind wondering how she could help relax the princess and let her mind at ease for even just a moment. However, her thoughts were interrupted by another voice saying her name. Iris greeted her as she sat upon the lounge and gave her a warm smile. "Lady Iris, it is a pleasure. Might I get you some wine?" She moved to a position better for returning to a standing position, awaiting to see if the woman wished to join them with a chalice of wine.
When her handmaiden Dianthe entered the room, Persephone smiled at her in greeting. While nothing Persephone did in Dianthe's presence was overtly casual - she was raised to never be entirely at ease with anyone, even the women she was closest to and therefore considered friends - she was also not deliberately formal. There was no edge to the raising of her chin, no closure in her features. She was as open as it was possible for a princess of a realm to be and a woman who had been around her as long as Dianthe had would know this to be a sign of genuine liking and compassion. A slight dropping of the veil so to speak; even if the royal lady never stopped behaving as propriety dictated.
When the young woman they were each waiting for arrived, Persephone had been glancing back over the gardens and it was the sound of soft sandals and rustling material of high-quality silks that told Persephone her friend had arrived. Such a sound was not unfamiliar to a woman who made the same soft noises when moving throughout the palace. As such, the Lady Iris's voice did not shock Persephone as she stood over by the solar room's columned walls.
It did, however, prompt her to turn around with a soft smile on her face. Stepping immediately forward to cross the room and greet her friend, Persephone's soft champagne coloured gown shone and sparkled where the tiniest of glass beads had been sewn into the lining. Ignoring the glittering effect, they made over the marble floor as she moved beneath the sunlight, Persephone reached for her friend’s hands and clasped them in welcome.
"Lady Iris..." She said, her voice soft and her smile genuine. "Welcome back to Athenia." She had known her friend to be returning to Aetaea - Dianthe's birth place - in order to settle matters after the ravages of nature. She was glad to see the young woman had been able to return to the capitol and honour their agreement to meet; for a woman of Iris' determination to aid in ruling Aetaea, it was clear that she would only be able to be present now if things had finally started to settle down in her province.
Releasing her hands with one of her own, so that she might gesture towards the lowered seating area in the centre of the room, Persephone graciously encouraged the woman to make herself at home.
"Please, sit." She told the young lady, her eyes turning to Dianthe. "Dianthe, if you would bring one of those trays across and chalice of wine for the Lady Iris, the others may leave." She told the woman, indicating in her choice of words that Dianthe was welcome to stay and sit with the ladies as her guest - a compliment and favour Persephone often gave to the redhead for they had grown close over many years of her working in the princess's name.
"Come, Lady Iris." Persephone commented, before seating herself on one of the low loungers stuffed with small cushions and sweeping blankets of Persian craftsmanship. Resting an arm on the raised side of the lounger and securing her feet up onto its cushions, Persephone maintained an upright position but one more casual that she would take with other guests. "We must deal with business before anything else. How is Aetaea? Did you bring the requests for supplies as discussed? I can see that they are prepared and ready for your return, so as to ensure no delays."
To say that Iris was overjoyed to meet with her friend again was an understatement at best. Iris had long been looking forward to the point at which they could meet, though their duties often kept them separate. Years of writing letters back and forth, often for business and sometimes for pleasure simply didn't do either of them justice. Often the liveliest company was found when one could be found in the same room as their long-time friend and confidant.
Grasping Persephone's hands with a firmness that was befitting both the respect of a princess and a friend, Iris easily let go once Persephone motioned for her to sit. "Wine would be lovely," Iris noted, watching Dianthe with a kind smile. She had seen the woman in her times at court, though she had never truly given herself the time to converse with the woman.
Graciously accepting the cup of wine, Iris found herself settling on a separate lounge from the queen and her lady. Settled with her feet on the floor, Iris brought her cup to her lips, taking a slow, measured sip as she glanced about the solar room. It was a beautiful chamber. One she wished she had been able to frequent more often over the years when on short visits from Aetaea.
The fact that the princess wanted to get onto the business aspect of their meeting first wasn't surprising, nor was it insulting. She had walked in with a small stack of parchments. The requests that Persephone had asked for before she was to attend this meeting. Reaching slowly to her side, Iris picked up the small stack she had settled down when she had seated herself and set her cup of wine on an adjacent table in order to better focus.
"Aetaea was ravaged deeply, my Princess," Iris explained softly, "On my initial assessment of the lands beyond the provincial manor, many of the trees had been felled and much of the brush ripped up. We came across a number of vital game that had been killed or wounded by falling trees or flying debris," she murmured lightly, "I'm sure that my hus-" Iris caught herself, clearing her throat, "Lord Aimias took detailed notes," she concluded, "When we did a full assessment of the lands, I had to move many of our loggers to clean up the debris and find a new location for their harvest. Some of the floral and herbal crops have been damaged but I've been assured that farmers are working diligently to save what remains," Iris said softly.
There were a few more things of note, but Iris figured that she would wait for Persephone to speak before she continued. Instead, she lifted herself back off of the lounge and brought her the papers the princess had requested, "All of our orders for supplies are here. Cataloged... four times." Just to be sure.
Persephone sat with an expression of calm attention, her gaze focused on Iris and her mind clearly attuned to the conversation. Persephone was a multi-tasker when required but really her strengths game in when a singular task was needing her involvement. In fact, there was no such thing as multi-tasking. The brain did not operate in such a way. Instead, the only course of action was to allocate the order and priority of the tasks set before you, complete them as quickly as one could, giving each your undivided attention, one after another. The completion of the tasks was completed far faster than if one tried to balance all in a single moment.
And in this moment, her attention was on the Lady Iris and on Aetaea.
Nodding with an industrious air rather than one of sympathy - Persephone was concerned for the people and their welfare of course, but she could serve them better by focusing on the matter at hand in an efficient manner, rather than getting bogged down in emotions and empathy.
When the lady produced the parchment in hand and mentioned Lord Aimias - after a rather suspicious throat-clearing (Persephone's eye twitched slightly as she noticed it but she said nothing on the matter) - Persephone reached forward to take the sheath.
After years of pouring over the same kinds of testimonies and paperwork, it didn't take Persephone long to skin through it. She recognised the key information and the pertinent faces, lifting each sheet to inspect the one below. She would look through everything properly at a later time but she wanted to assure herself that there was nothing in the orders that would require longer preparation. When she found nothing to be out of the ordinary or unexpected, she nodded to herself, having forced the room into silence for a few minutes.
"This isn't anything I wasn't expecting." She assured the Lady Iris. "I can have these prepared by the time you leave the capitol if you would be willing to stay on for perhaps four days? You could escort it back to Aetaea yourself. O believe that the city reserves will cover most of what is required and I'll adjust taxes appropriately on the herbal and spice goods. Else their price is going to rise extortionately. We don't need a more season of sale on top of everything else."
Flicking through the sheets in order to take to one side one of the four copies, she handed it back to the Lady Iris to keep for her own copy.
"Keep this while in the city and once I have a full rote of the items to be expected you can measure it against your losses and start making contingency plans for the deficit. I'll have the items prepared within four days and then you may use the list to compare and double check the delivery."
She smiled kindly at Iris.
"Between the two of use, Aetaea will not suffer greatly." She assured the woman, as if they were making a vow and promise between themselves.
Settling the pile of papyrus to one side, on the small table by her lounger, Persephone moved a small and intricate vinyl box to sit upon it and keep the papers from shifting or blowing from their place.
"Now..." Persephone continued, as she turned a much more casual and slightly wicked gaze upon Iris. "With that finalised, it's time you tell me, Lady Iris why neither of my close friends decided to inform me that they were joined in matrimony last week." She stated bluntly with a faux expression of disapproval on her face.
If Iris and Aimias had thought they could keep their official affairs private, they had little confidence in the kingdom's Master Informer or Master of Law. Their marriage confirmation had been sent through the line of communication and found its way to Persephone's ears nearly a week ago. But she had kept her tongue still and her mind curious, determined not to question her friend until she could do so in person.
Dianthe watched Persephone move across the floor with such grace, not even making a sound other than her sandals scraping on the floor just slightly. She watched as she greeted her friend, her own eyes looking over the other woman, taking in her features. There was a likeness to her, one that she could not explain, other than Dianthe felt as though she had known here, seen her before. Brushing the thoughts from her mind, she listened to the welcoming pleasantries of the two friends. It brought a smile to her face to see her friend showing signs on even the slightest look of calm. Maybe it was this, in which Persephone needed, to take her mind off the many things that needed her attention.
Asking the woman to sit, Persephone then turned to Dianthe, asking her to bring the fruit and cheese trays, as well as the wine, over to the two women. Giving her a dip of her red head, Dianthe rose from her seat and headed over towards where the other servants had placed the trays. Looking at the lavish morsels, Dianthe picked up two trays with the most delicious looking foods and brought them over, setting them down on one of the tables. She then turned to go and grab another chalice and filled it with the delicious red wine. Returning to the two women, Dianthe held out the cup and offered it to Iris, "M'lady." She gave a smile and a dip of her head and waited for her to talk the cup.
Once she accepted the wine, Dianthe made for the cushions in which she had been seated before and gently set herself back down, ready to help with whatever would be needed again. She listened as the other two women started in about business of Iris's homeland, and her own for that matter. This peaked the redhead's interest. She sat there comfortably, with her hands folded in her lap, as she listened to Iris speak of what was going on.
Watching and listening to how her lady did her job, handling the paperwork and explaining what and how things were done, just made her respect the young woman even more. She herself did not know how Persephone did it. She always seemed to do everything with such ease and made it look so effortless. Of course, Dianthe knew, that when Persephone was behind closed doors and alone, she did not work so hard at hiding how she felt. Knowing her for so many years, Dianthe was Persephone's personal go to, to let out her thoughts and emotions. The red head wanted to think that she trusted her enough, it felt that way at least.
Shifting in her seat just ever so slightly, Dianthe pulled the chalice of wine to her lips and then back down. She knew she was able to drink with the lady's, however, she didn't want to drink overly quickly. Dianthe knew this was not a time to drink heavily, merely just a casual glass with friends. Setting her glass back down, she noticed the change in topics from business to what seemed matters slightly more personal?
Matrimony? Just last week? Oh happy times, Dianthe thought to herself. She dreamed of the day that she would be married. She quickly turned to Iris and gave her a smile, not interrupting Persephone. She held in her giggle as she noted the playfully serious tone in her voice.
Iris spent considerable time settled patiently on the chaise, her back straight and her hands in her lap. Save for the movements made to grab her wine, she didn't shift or show discomfort at the silence. It was something she had grown used to over the years. When she had spent years in Aetaea, toeing a fine line between her need to do her duty to her father and wanting something entirely different. At this point in her life, she was grateful to have settled herself and her wild heart. If she hadn't, if she had continued to find herself stubborn and unyielding in the face of her father's expectations and the expectations of the world around her, she might have fallen into an overtly aware and awkward silence.
Iris simply leaned back on the chaise, letting her gaze wander the room that they had settled within. She briefly smiled at Persephone's lady in waiting, but she didn't open her mouth to speak. Not for lack of being polite, but for lack of really having anything to say. She did not know the lady. Having a conversation with Persephone was one thing, as she and the woman were able to find common around. There was a bit of a barrier between herself and Dianthe. Iris really didn't know much about the woman and stale conversation would really do neither of them any good.
So she remained silent until Persephone went to speak. To say that Iris was relieved the princess was so forthcoming with the supplies that the province needed to rebuild was an understatement. She knew that the Antonis would do the same, but there was always this inkling in the back of her mind that she might be asking for too much. Even though Iris always asked for the bare minimum and simply balanced the next month's finances to cover their losses and help rocket them back to good financial standing.
Ever humble, both her father and Gaios had always said it was better to ask for just enough than too much. There was less waste, less overabundance of materials they didn't know what to do with, and it gave the impression that the province was working within its means and not attempting to make a dent in the Kingdom's overall finances.
Nodding slowly at Persephone's statement about having everything ready for her in a few days, Iris did not hide the expression of relief on her features. Giving a small smile, the lady dipped her head slowly, keeping her gaze on the princess, "I thank you, my Princess," Iris hummed, her smile only growing as she finished speaking. Honestly, as bad as the storm had been... Iris had not come here just to talk business. She had long enjoyed the missives that she and Princess Persephone had passed back and forth over the years, so getting a personal audience with the woman was not only ideal but rather exciting. Even to Iris. "I'm sure that Aetaea will come out thriving once more."
It was not the change of topic that threw Iris for a loop, however. It was the topic itself that made Iris straighten suddenly, her cheeks reddening slightly in minute embarrassment. Swallowing, Iris brought her green gaze back toward Persephone's face, "It was... such a sudden affair," Iris admitted quietly, trying not to smile too much. "Little Phillipa spoiled his surprise, actually..." she murmured, shaking her head slightly. "We were going to tell you, but in the rush to return, it sort of all slipped my mind," Iris then admitted, looking apologetic. Brushing a curl behind her ear, she shifted a little, hoping that Persephone was not actually disappointed and was just toying with her.
That would have been better than the shame she was feeling right then.