Lyssa sat atop her throne with a soft, wry smile. Their honorable guests had finally arrived at the Palace, having already made their way throughout the town. The Aserits, with their entire family in tow, no doubt thought of the Capital as a dismal place; after all, this<em>was</em>enemy territory. These talks hoped to change the hostile relationship between the two warring countries, but Lyssa doubted the effectiveness of that. While she leaned towards a resolution without physical warfare, the Queen doubted the sincerity of the militaristic Aserits. Only time would tell, she thought.<br/><br/>The visiting royals had no doubt been meet with dirty stares and forced expressions, as the Theiri citizens had been instructed. It would only serve to make Lyssa's surprise all the sweeter, when she finally unveiled her lovely plans for their new friends. What was left of the Theiri treasury had been completely emptied out for this one occasion; even some of Lyssa's favorite jewels had been sold off to the free markets, but she hoped it would all pay off in the end. What was the price of a jewel compared to an end to the conflict, whether by peace or otherwise?<br/><br/>As the Aserits made their way towards the heart of the Theiri Palace, they would no doubt notice that it was disturbingly quiet. The usual hustle of servants, or the patrol of the Royal Guard was mysteriously absent, leaving only a handful of people remaining. They would undoubtedly be in a sour mood from the greeting of the city's residents, and tired from their long journey. All the better.<br/><br/>Now with her trademark, evilly sweet smile across her lips, Lyssa stood up from the lavish throne and descended towards the main hallway to meet her guests. It was impolite to be sitting above someone on a first meeting, after all. Her long, silky pink dress flowed behind her, the fabric soft and fluttery like the petals of a flower. It was time for the Queen to make her appearance.