The Empress is offering peace for all (Sheena-Tiger x SultrySilhouette)

[Sheena-Tiger]

Slavica Kolar looked out of her window, seeing the city below her castle almost as far as she could see. It was a large sprawling city, bustling with life, even though the colors of the banners at the watchtowers were not her own anymore.Looking back it was hard to say if she could have changed anything but was doubting it. The queen, or former queen, had received a messenger a week ago. He had reported that ships had landed at the shores to the west, ships with unknown flags and of a never seen design. At first she had thought they might be from the lands she ruled over to the east, after all the island nations there had many good shipwrights but she never had heard of any ship able to make this theoretic travel. The people in the cold south had entirely other issues, using their trees for ships was out of the question and the scorching hot north barely had any trees at all. The whole report had sounded fantastic and she had send a messenger, the best diplomat she could send, knowing the young woman was a master with words.

Sadly, that very woman must have been without success as, 2 days later, now 5 days ago, she woke up to people shouting within the castle at the top of a stony hill, always thought impossible to take with walls that never had been penetrated. Nevertheless, some soldiers had stormed her quarter, her maids and other personal running in fright from the invaders who had at least not harmed her, some bruises from her struggling aside. All together she could be happy, she was alive after all, and by what she had heard from the guards their ruler was about to arrive, going by the title of Empress, a title of old, never having been used in at least 200 years until the Queendom had been formed to rule over all the known land. For now she was sitting in her study, a place she had loved, filled with literature from all over her lands, including historic documents as well as poems and scientific studies. But even her large study was pale compared with the library in the town, after all it was the capital of many cities.

The blonde queen let out a soft sigh, standing up and walking through the room. She had been left alone, only a maid was allowed to visit her every now and then to help with her clothes and other minor things. Otherwise at least one guard was in front of the door all the time, at least that many she could see when the door opened but going by the muffled voices through the door, she was expecting maybe 3, more than enough to discourage at least her to attempt to flee, not that she had a place to run and hide, all she could do was wait and hope for a good outcome with this so called Empress from out of nowhere.

 

[SultrySilhouette]

Empress Aiko Matsumoto I was a regal and powerful woman, dressed in a fine multi-layered carmine dress, along with heels that clicked on the floor of the palace she had recently conquered. Her army had cut a swath through the west to the capital and captured it as well as establish a firm hold on the west itself, to be improved upon later. For now, her focus was on decapitating the head of her enemy. Or rather, incapacitating the head, no sense in wasting a pretty face when it wasn't neccesary. Flanked by her two eunuch guards, the empress walked through the castle like she owned it and in a way she did. She went to the queen's study and pushed the doors open. Rather then adress the queen, she looked around the room and upon confirming that it was empty, she turned to her guards.

"Leave us. Don't let anyone enter or exit without my permission. Only disturb me for emergences," she commanded in her harmonious yet firm voice. The guards nodded obediently and left, so that Aiko could turn to the queen. "I am Aiko Matsumoto the first, Empress of the Empire. You are the former queen of this nation. Depending on how you play your cards, you could be queen again," the Empress said, granting the women opposite of her a tantalizing smile.

"You see I don't intend to govern this land myself. I will merely leave a loyal officer, who will serve as steward, making sure you meet imperial standards and aren't plotting a rebellion. At least, that is my intention. But that is something you will have to earn. If you fail, the steward will rule instead and his rule will be a heavy-handed one. In which case you'll either be executed or used a figurehead. So tell me, are you willing to submit to the Empire?" Aiko asked, as she calmly sauntered to a chair and took a seat, crossing one leg daintily over the other.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

The queen, or former queen, rose from her chair as she heard the door being opened and saw the dark haired woman striding into the place as if she owned it. Well, there was hardly a way to actually discuss the ownership with the guards outside and the flags all over the city showing what must be either this woman's colors and men or her superiors. That last part was cleared up quickly though with how Aiko introduced herself. What struck Slavica about her most was not the title or demands, she had expected something like that, but how that woman looked. If they had run into each other under other circumstances, Slavica would have thought that woman was from one of the many islands to the east. The clothes did not fit to that but her skintone and especially her facial features would be right at home over there.

"I welcome you in what little of my home I might still call that. Let me thank you for having your people at least treat me with dignity and I would have hoped for other ways to meet, without any bloodshed, but what is done, is done." The young blonde queen let out a soft sigh, walking up and down in front of Aiko who had sat down. "I am pretty sure, you have already learned that, but, my name is Queen Slavica the second of the Kolar family, ruler of the whole known continent, stretching from the freezing south to the scorching north as well as the many islands to the east and reaching as far west as... I guess just outside the gates of the capital now since your ships have landed at the shores to the west which had been part of my land as well." The blonde woman finally stopped and turned to face the sitting Aiko, showing no intend to jump at her in dire hopes to suffocate her by strangling her before the guards could react. Something like that was not the proper way of royalty and she was sure she would not lower herself to something like that.

"With these kind of politics and introductions out of the way, I see we are in a bit of a stalemate. I doubt your troops are strong and many enough to take the whole land by force. On the other hand, I am your prisoner and my nobility will hopefully not endanger my life, nor are they united enough to take you on but they would strike if you move your troops to attack one of them. I even suspect there are some hoping to take my place as queen after dealing with your army." The woman took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. "What exactly do you offer? I don't want to see my people suffer and would do almost anything to protect them. Still I have to inform you, just because I would bow my head does not secure the support of the other rulers. This land works so well as it does, because every ruler has a lot of freedom."