David
_As the fateful day approached the youngest of the Praevadas had been busy, though she kept her activities a secret so as to not alert her siblings of her plans. After all they had no way of knowing that she had known of their planned trip down to the land kingdoms, no she had been very careful not to tip them off otherwise there was no way she would have been able to sneak out at the same time they had. Her heart bursting with excitement and curiosity, after all for the most part they tried and succeeded in keeping her cooped up in the castle grounds, a whole new kingdom would be more than a breath of fresh air! She had spent much of the previous days in the castle kitchen, and with some guidance from their top chefs (of which many regarded her a pseudo-apprentice) had managed to whip up a variety of foodstuffs, all tied in some way to Ambrosia. Now the goods were neatly packed away in an ornate basket, shunted into interdimensional space in one of her rings for the journey ahead._

_As it was, she knew she would not be able to slip past Cyrus and Scylla by a long shot. No, those two knew her too well in that regard and could easily intercept her. So carefully she waited, hidden from view near the pillars that surrounded the wayshrine. It was a trick she knew all too well, as most Aasimar couldn't hide behind pillars and columns due to their wings many disregarded them as a place one could hide, luckily for her though she could. As she heard first her brother, then her sister state the location she grinned in excitement, giving only a moment after she was sure her sister had gone through before leaping into action. In a flash the girl leapt and sprinted, slipping past the guards with an ease that spoke of her experience of doing so. Quickly placing her hand on the shrine to what was likely the shocked faces of Lulani and Kress as she uttered the words that would take her away and into the white mist that would transport her to Alynthi._

** **
_The sight of the next sibling was a stark contrast to the two that had entered previously, rather than a grand entrance and floating down as her sister and brother had. The girl that appeared was more than a foot shorter than the others and lacked perhaps the most defining trait of the Aasimar, wings. Indeed the appendages seemed to be completely missing from the young woman as she blinked for a moment, a disarming smile on her face as she took in the room. Her own dress was simple as well, a white and cream affair that was modest yet styled just enough that it could be called fashionable as it brushed the floor. She wore one ring on each hand, plain gold bands with the slightest of runes inscribed on them. The only other jewellery she wore was a plain gold necklace with an amulet depicting Kamara and rather then a crown or tiara or even as her sister wore opals in her hair, the woman had a simple gold chain that clipped in just above her ears before looping around the back of her head over the simple braid she wore._

_Now she had to be on her best behaviour, Scy would certainly be mad regardless but upsetting her oldest brother was not what she wanted to do. So she had to remember her edicate lessons as best she could, she could not afford to make a bad impression here after all! Noting the man who was most certainly the King of Alynthi she quickly descended the stairs on her feet like a regular person, her grace natural and bubbling like her personality rather than the poised stiffness that some nobles had. Finally reaching the point where she could properly greet the king she had to stop herself from almost squealing in joy, finally! People she wouldn't have to constantly look up at to talk to!_

** **
"Your Majesty," _She said politely as she did her deepest curtsy, after all deeper ones were how one showed more respect right? Well it sounded right to her anyway, so she would continue under the assumption it was._ "It is a great honour to be invited into your country and your castle." _Thinking that was likely long enough spent in the curtsy she straightened up, her pose as relaxed as her smile as she regarded the man before him. Her eyes like her smile were bright and open, white flickering orbs of light that were without any hint of guile as she continued her introduction._ "I am Princess Auriel Praevada and it is a pleasure beyond words to meet you in person. Perhaps for once I will not have to crane my neck up to actually speak to someone, which I am sure my physician will appreciate."

_Oh poop, that part was supposed to be inside her head! No matter how earnest the words were they had slipped out before her filter could catch them. The woman's face showing her own surprise and embarrassment at the slip as she continued, hoping to quickly brush it under the rug as it were, after all this was her first real experieicne having to actually act as a princess and hopefully the King could tell as much._ "As this is our first official visit, I thought it proper to bring a small token of our thanks for being invited to this unique occasion as well as to your kingdom." _With that, a small puff of magic appeared between her hands, now holding a large ornate basket with an exquisite aroma emanating from within._ " This contains two bottles of Ambrosia wine, a vintage I am told is rather good. A selection of tarts, cakes, pastries and honey all with ties to the same ingredient, all prepared by myself under the guidance of our head chefs."

** **
"And for your sisters, a special gift I had commissioned from the Mothfolk smiths of Kir Chult." _She continued as two small wooden boxes appeared on top of the basket, each open and containing a single ornate ring set with glittering, glowing stones._ "I am unable to pronounce what they call the stones exactly, but they are only found on their island. A piece of our lands to show our regard for your own."
Isabel
*When the first of the Kara-Tur party entered the castle via the wayshrine, he wondered for a moment what to expect - though the kingdom purported to support the freedoms of others, he could not fathom how it was that they were slightly more receptive to Gantrick and the rest than Alynthi. His kingdom had not fought a war of aggression in thousands of years, they had guaranteed the sovereignty of Thyseer and let Dazvaz become its own nation - all land concessions made to avoid war, and for the right of the people who lived in those nations. 

How, then, was he to take their approach? Blind at best, and hypocritical at worst. They turned a blind eye to slavery, widely, as they owned slaves themselves, and he supposed that was to be expected - Khisfire did much the same. But to preach freedom at the same moment was incomprehensible to him. One could not exist without the other - freedom of the people, freedom of nations. Alynthi had long since supported both, been a leader across the continent in both the rights of citizens and unilateral legal processes. They had ensured the freedom of nations they were under no obligation to release. It mystified him, stuck like a grain of sand under the collar, became a constant irritation. He knew little about the goings-on of Kara-Tur, but whatever was occurring, its effects were not pleasant. 

The boy that stepped through the door first bore the same angelic appearance of his guard Winrae - and the same large stature. Aasimar, he knew, were almost unreal in their physical appearance, and often looked much like they had descended from heaven themselves. Looks could be deceiving - Winrae was certainly no angel, and he had struggled enough to stop her from causing an international incident when her sister had made a decision she disagreed with. No, these were no angels. They were mortal, like the rest of them, and had to be held to the same standard, their appearance disregarded in favor of their actions.*

_ _
*And in action, as the party emerged, they were much different from one another. First the boy, overeager and accidentally pretentious, bowed deeply, spoke without full decorum. He stared Astalios in the eye as if that was the measure of a man, as if it were supposed to impress him. He did not quite know what to think of the boy - foolish, certainly, but perhaps his intentions were not to offend. Young, he decided. It was the best way to describe him in a word - young, with all the highs and lows of youth.

His sister, taller than him, with opals braided into her hair, emerged after him to clarify, and she held herself with the expected decorum that suggested either she was the elder or the wiser, though he was in name leading. For a moment, it reminded him of the Khisfirian party. As she clarified the boy's name - Prince Cyrus - Princess Scyllakhalari reminded him of his mistake, and it was evident what had occurred. With so little practice at meetings such as this one, or even contact with the kingdoms beneath the sky, it was inevitable that they would be inexperienced. It was a skillful rescue, for if had been left to his own devices, and not corrected by a member of his party, the infraction would have been much greater.

Each moment fed him further information, and he filed it away as if it were data on a set of alloys in ledgers long forgotten since he had become king. Their relative inexperience made them unknowns in the world of politics, and their very presence was indication of a change...

His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of another woman - no, too small in terms of Aasimar for that. She stood nearly even with him, perhaps an inch either way. A girl, it seemed, though she was dressed similarly to the others. She seemed to have similar features, as well, but those wings were absent, and he wondered for a moment whether she was some sort of human before reminding himself that her eyes were solid colors, and she was Aasimar indeed'.*

_ _
*What had happened to her wings? She curtsied, and suddenly it was apparent that she was another princess - perhaps the second that the boy had spoken of. Auriel was her name - and a basket of gifts within her hands. The word 'ambrosia' lifted his eyebrows for a moment - with what little he did know of the sky kingdom, ambrosia was a forbidden food, only meant for the Aasimar to eat lest they offend the gods. Yet here she was, offering it at their meeting, and it was a powerful gift to make. 

The breaking of patterns, the establishment of new traditions. The rings, too, were beautiful, and such a statement must be answered in kind. He knew the stones as he saw them. Decorum was a sword that swung both ways, and as they made their gestures, so too was he obligated to make his. Though a second prince and an advisor also entered, confusing the numbers the boy had given, that was a small issue at the moment.*

"Your Highnesses." *He inclined his head politely to the party, speaking slowly but with purpose.* "Welcome to Alynthi." *His eyes turned to Scyllakhalari.* "It is a small thing, Your Highness, especially in lieu of the rarity of such meetings. You spoke well." 

"I thank you for your gifts, Your Highness," *He addressed Auriel now, eyes fixed on the rings for a moment. Some stone from the mothfolk, she said? No hint of the common metals within them. An itch in his mind wondered what they were made of - if only this was his study!* "The ambrosia is fully appreciated. I know it was not lightly given. The rings, too, are beautiful."

"My guards will collect any gifts and weapons brought. Please step into the Circle of Truth, and state your name and full intention in attending this meeting, beginning with the phrase 'My full intentions at this meeting are'. Once that is accomplished, the chamber is along the path lined with guardsmen, who will see you to it. When all are assembled, I shall join you to open the meeting."
Theresa
*Kamara, help me.*

Cryus now had not only made a fool of himself once, but twice in the presence of a king. If his father was here, surely he'd have been sent straight back through the wayshrine. Was it nerves? No, Cyrus wasn't known to be a nervous man, not ever- though with today's proceedings, perhaps it was. Cursing himself a thousand times in his head, Cyrus did his best to hide his woeful thoughts from display, but when his youngest sibling rushed forward out of the wayshrine to present herself to Astalios, Cyrus felt his heart stop for what felt like an eternity. Cyrus has always been a hard man to upset, even when his was a baby. Their mother had always said he was quietest of all her children, never fussy, never crying. But the look on Cyrus's face was unmistakable; pure disappointment and irritation.

Staring holes into the back of Auriel's head, Cyrus gave his twin a look of dismay before looking back at the interaction between the princess and Astalios. She had brought gifts for him, something Cyrus would surely appreciate later, but now he was more than embarrassed of this entire interaction. Lulani closely followed Auriel, leaving Cyrus's mind in an irritated spiral. First, he forgot his name. Then, Scylla had to introduce him. Now, he had practically lied to the king of Alynthi about how many would be with him. Praying to Viviana, Kamara, Ora- anyone would offer guidance and calm to this situation, Cyrus watched Auriel like an eagle watching prey. Normally, Cyrus would shoo things like this to the side, understanding that Auriel was young and mistakes her normal. But today of all days?

_ _
Scylla would surely get to Auriel long before Cyrus would, most likely after today's meeting. Auriel would not go unpunished, that would be certain. Nevertheless, Cyrus did mentally commend his youngest sister for her wit about bringing such lavish gifts for the royalty of Alynthi. It very well may have saved Cyrus from certain doom- at least in terms of embarrassment. Eyeing the other Alynthians watching them, Cyrus's eyes settled upon the two princesses of Alynthi, though he did not know their names. There was a third woman with them, though Cyrus did not know if she was another Alynthian princess he had not read of or if she was a simple noble. Nevertheless, the prince's focus returned to Astalios when he addressed the Kara-Tur party as a whole.

Cyrus would be first to step up to the circle of truth, though he first removed his sword still in its sheathe and gave it to the receiving guard, offering a nod in respect to them as he did. Once his sword had been taken, the high prince turned to King Astalios and stepped within the circle of truth before answering the asked questions. "I am Cyrus Praevada, High Prince of Kara-Tur. My full intentions of this meeting are to gain a better understanding of the grave matters and potential threat reported in Thyseer during the Sorevelle festival, create a rapport with the other kingdoms should this threat prove true and real, and come up with a solution to combat or nullify this threat immediately. Additionally, as I cannot lie, see the land kingdoms for more than what we've read in the history books back in Kara-Tur." Finishing his introduction, Cyrus moved out of the way to allow his siblings their own turn.

_ _
All Cyrus could think of were the implications of his actions only a few moments ago, but with a gentle inhale, the prince remembered what he had taught himself over and over again. Fate will be, as fate will be. If it is Viviana's will that King Astalios sees Cyrus as nothing more than an idiot tripping over his own words- so be it. Gazing around idly, the prince's eyes once more fell upon the two Alynthian princesses, most notably the taller of the two- with emerald green eyes. Offering a deep nod in her direction as a sign of respect, Cyrus held his tongue so as not to interrupt his siblings speaking to the king. Still his eyes remained gently stuck on the princess. It was silent admiration, though the last thing Cyrus needed after the last five minutes was to seem like a creep, staring at a princess in what could have been seen in an unsavory way.

*Still, Cyrus offered a gentle smile the princess's way for the last time, looking away for good afterwards.*