7:58 AM ETC+3, Sunday, October 23, 2022. Letograd Memorial Park, Letograd, Kingdom of Pelinai.
“… And on this day of mourning, Lord, let us remember those who have perished in thoughtless conflict and forever hold them in our hearts as we continue forward. Let us forgive our fellow man and purify our hearts of malice as You have forgiven us. For the people of Pelinai confess to sinning against you, Lord. We confess to the sin of raising our hand against our brother in anger, and to tainting Your creation with his shed blood. We confess to failing to love our neighbor, and to hating our enemies and inflicting cruel harms upon them. We pray for forgiveness, Lord, for the grievous sin that we have committed against You. For we know that the blood of the cross washes away our sin and gives us hope that we may be with You again. We pray that You will guide the souls of the fallen to Your light, Lord, and we pray that they will be granted eternal rest in Your presence. We pray that you will bless us with Your wisdom, so that we may walk in Your example and act with mercy and compassion towards our neighbor as You have commanded. It is in Your name that we pray; Amen.”
Amen.
Izumi Yekaterina opened her eyes as the closing prayer ended. The white sky of an overcast morning cast a pale light over the park and the small clearing in which the service was held, illuminating the processions of butterflies and the seas of lilies. Izumi looked around her and watched the fields. Every individual lily plant represented a life lost to the Pelinese Civil War, and the grounds of Letograd Memorial Park contained millions of them.
How unfortunate it is that such a beautiful garden would symbolize so much death.
The other people around her, mostly upper government officials and MPs, began to stand up from the wooden benches and leave or engage in conversation with one another. A gust of frigid air blew across the field as Izumi turned to address Chancellor Müller, and she folded her arms as she spoke: “I’m very glad that you and Weisserstein could participate in this year’s Remembrance Day, Chancellor. The Pelinese people thank you for your presence here now and forty years ago.”
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“It was more than an honor to be able to participate, your Highness.”
The Chancellor observes the field of iris plants. Amongst the millions of iris plants there, some were dedicated to the brave Weissersteiner and Sugovian volunteers who fought under the banner of the Pelinese Provisional Government.
such a beautiful garden, yet it symbolizes such a terrible tragedy
“Sometimes, I think Pelinai went through a miracle. Millions of lives lost just forty years ago, and somehow today, the scars of war and bloodshed have been mostly healed.”
The Chancellor looks down on some of the flowers in the ground.
“Of course, scars won’t truly disappear from life; they’ll always leave their mark. But one thing is almost always certain: scars heal over time.”
The Chancellor turns back towards Queen Izumi.
“If anything, I’m glad that Weisserstein was able to help Pelinai during those tough times. Let us hope that our nations’ ties would remain strong hereafter.”
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As Izumi listens to Müller speak, a small butterfly lands in her hand. Butterflies, especially the image of the Pelinese star butterfly, were made into a symbol of mourning and loss in Pelinese culture by the Civil War. “Unfortunately, Chancellor, not everything that is broken can be mended. But we can pray that the Pelinese people will some day be able to put this sin behind them.” Izumi looks out into the distance of the park. “The friendship between Weisserstein and Pelinai, however, will be eternal. The Pelinese nation will never forget Weisserstein’s kindness during the civil war or after.”
Izumi understood that Weisserstein’s willingness to intervene in the Pelinese Civil War was no small matter, especially after the poison gas and the hot springs came into use. She stopped to wonder for a moment how much Müller learned about the subject before continuing: “Our nations have spent years performing joint military exercises, sharing research and intelligence, and hosting visits from each others’ troops. We’re glad that the recent difficulties with the League of Cordilia haven’t jeopardized our relationship, Müller, and I believe that you’ll be glad to hear that Pelinai has scheduled a state visit from Huawan’s Peony herself so that we can eliminate the last traces of animosity.” Izumi looks around for a moment. “Speaking of visits, where is Minister Al-Husseini from Sugovia? I haven’t gotten a chance to speak with him since he arrived in Pelinai.”
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“Minister Husseini?”
Chancellor Müller looks around the park. But there was no sign of Minister Husseini.
Husseini was here moments ago
Sugovian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad al-Husseini, arrived in Pelinai alongside Chancellor Müller, they were even on the same flight. The chancellor looks around.
bingo!
There he stood, doing small talks near the field of iris plants. In a fancy black suit with a noticeable orange tie. Husseini isn’t all too well acquainted with members of the Pelinese government, unlike Müller. That however hasn’t stopped him from making small talks with members of the Pelinese government.
he did say he wanted to make sure Sugovia’s image internationally to be a positive one.
Müller then had eye contact with Husseini. Müller gave a quick nod before turning his attention back to the Queen, while Husseini continues his talks with other Pelinese government officials.
“He’s here. I could call him over if you’d like?” says Müller to Queen Izumi.
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“Please do. I believe that now would be an appropriate time to speak with Minister Husseini, especially since I missed the opportunity to greet him on his arrival in Pelinai with you.”
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The Chancellor calls over Minister Husseini. Husseini knew this would happen. The queen of a foreign country, no less one of his nation’s ally’s closest ally…
that was quite a mouthful
…he needed to represent his nation in his very best. A dark blue suit mixed with his orange tie, it’s simple, it’s fancy, and it gives of a sense of readiness, professionalism, and confidence.
Husseini walks over to both queen Izumi and chancellor Müller, fixing his suit and tie as he did so.
The Chancellor believed it is now time to properly introduce Husseini to the Queen.
“Queen Izumi, I would like to introduce you to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sugovia, Muhammad Al-Husseini Ja’far.”
“Greetings, and God’s blessings be upon you, your highness. I am Al-Husseini, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Sugovia.”
It was quick, it was simple, and it tapped into Pelinai’s religious background.
hopefully it wasn’t too rigid of an introduction
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The foreign minister of Sugovia. Although the Kingdom of Pelinai had no significant relationship with Sugovia, it was a major ally of Weisserstein; it would be in the best interests of Pelinai to maintain friendly relations with it.
“God’s blessings be with you as well, Minister Al-Husseini. Although today isn’t the happiest of days in our fair nation, we hope that you’ve been able to enjoy your visit at least a small amount. Tell me; how has your trip here fared so far?”
Izumi hoped that Minister Al-Husseini’s impressions of her nation had not been affected by the sombre atmosphere that always accompanied its observance of Remembrance Day.
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“Well, although I hoped to be able to visit Pelinai in better circumstances, I’ve enjoyed the visit so far. Pelinai, it’s people, culture, and landscape has been nothing short of remarkable and friendly.”
Husseini looked at the field of flowers representing the lives lost during the Pelinese Civil War…
the 70s and 80s were quite the hectic time period huh? Although, to be fair, it was in the middle of the Cold War, so it’s not all too surprising
“I’m glad I’m able to tag along with chancellor Müller for today’s visit, and I hope Pelinai, alongside Weisserstein and Sugivia, continues to be under God’s guidance.”
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“It will be, Minister. The people of Pelinai were faced with the choice of their name and their identitiy during the civil war, and they chose to throw off the shackles of communism and stand as a nation that lives under God’s light. While it was a decision that came with immense sacrifice, I sincerely believe that it was the right one.” Izumi fidgets with her bracelet as she continues to address Minister Al-Husseini: “Thankfully, though, the Kingdom of Pelinai has left that era of its history. I hope that you will be able to enjoy more of what our nation has to offer during your visit and see that it is not defined solely by the tragic events that we commemorate today.”
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“Of course. I would be more than happy if I ever have the chance to visit Pelinai again.” says Minister Husseini.
It was a decent visit Husseini thought to himself maybe with this first step, Sugovian-Pelinese relations could improve further down the line, God willing
visit…
That word reminded Müller of something…
that’s right, the Queen will be visiting Kaiserslicht
After Husseini finished his sentence, Müller decided to discuss it with Izumi.
“Speaking of visits, I would like to discuss regarding your visit to Kaiserslicht if you don’t mind, your highness.”
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“The one that was postponed because of the Rycco-Cordilian War, I assume? Of course. Now is as good of a time as ever to discuss my itinerary, although I’ll have to relay everything to Minister Akirov later.” Queen Izumi says as she opens a small notebook. “What exactly did you want to discuss regarding it? Schedule, locations to visit, accommodations…?”
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"Well, back home in Kaiserslicht the itinerary isn’t anything…concrete… so if your Highness would like to add anything to the itinerary it would be more than welcomed.
Besides a visit to the Imperial Palace in Kaiserslicht, we haven’t really have much planned in mind."
Chancellor Müller looks at his watch, which has
October 23, 2 days before Unification Day
“If I wasn’t mistaken, Pelinai would send delegations to observe Weisserstein’s unification day? If you’d like, we could hold the state visit after Unification Day celebrations, which would be sometime in 4pm. Of course, that is if your Highness is attending in person.”
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“Of course I will attend in person; it would be terribly rude of me to not attend your nation’s celebration after you participated in Pelinai’s holiday. But while we’re on the subject, I happen to have some notes saved from when we last discussed my visit to Kaiserslicht.”
Queen Izumi opens her notebook and leafs to a specific page.
“I have the Cathedral of Our Lady Mary, Little Lileanen, Kaiserslicht Imperial Beach, and the Old City listed here. Were these locations still able to be added?”
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“Haha, those were locations I mentioned during my ramblings way back during my visit, I presume? Well, for the most part all those locations are still up to be added into the itinerary.”
Müller writes down the locations Queen Izumi mentioned,
“I will add those locations for consideration. Besides the mentioned locations, everything from transportation to the place you’ll be staying have been prepared well in advance, not to mention the security force just in case, so Makarov and the Pelinese parliament wouldn’t have to worry about your safety. Would you like anything else be added?”
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“Of course they are. After all, I wasn’t asking you about places to visit just for idle conversation. It’s good to hear that everything’s already prepared; Minister Akirov will need information on the travel arrangements to properly plan everything on Pelinai’s side.”
“On the subject of additions, I would again have to ask you for recommendations. I am visiting your nation, after all, and I feel that it would be best to ask you for your opinions on whether I should make any adjustments to my travel itinerary.”
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