Monday, February 4, 2008

A galley sails...



On a bright sunny morning in the Duchy of Tradgardland a galley pulls out of Althavn harbour under oars. On board is Alisona , daughter of Duke Karl Frederick, who is setting off on a mission of great delicay and importance . She is accompanied by her lady in waiting who will be her companion on the long voyage. Alisona is aware of the importance of this mission and the letter she is to deliver...

2 comments:

abdul666 said...

Always read with great interest the adventures of Alisona. Let's hope this will be less dramatic than her sojourn in Ny Tradgarland.

Gallia said...

Narrator: Tonight we find King Louis XV in discussion after dinner with Cardinal Richilieu at Versailles, Gallia.
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Cardinal: "Your Most Christian Majesty, may I raise the matter of your nephew?"

The King: "Oui Your Eminance. Please do. Which one?"

Cardinal: "Lieutenant Général Pierre l'Duc de Galantier."

The King: "He has just come home from India. The climate was no friend to him though he performed with skill and credit to me opposing the Britannians there these past three years. He rests now in Normandie at his estate near Caen."

Cardinal: "He is just thirty Your Majesty and unmarried. The Prince de Charade [Gallian Foreign Minister] and I beg to suggest that young Galantier should be wed. The Prince thinks last year's inquiry of a nothern state for suitors might serve several causes."

The King: "Oui and these may be what?"

Cardinal: "Well of course he should be wed and share his life with a devoted spouse, a natural state surely for mankind to do God's will and to preserve order. Since he is of royal lineage, it also falls to him as a matter of course to perhaps be a suitor to seal freindships or alliances with allied states. Finally there is no heir for his branch of the family to retain the title of l'Duc de Galantier. A son would...."

The King: "Your Eminance. I am flattered to consider the idea. However, my nephew is recently promoted Lieutenant Général and will be serving in Germania in a matter of weeks. I should think his time between then and now will be filled with rest and then absorbed with military matters to advance his career and the interests of Gallia. I also believe before he left for The Carnatic, he had an interest in Lady Cherish Masquerade. How they feel about each other now is unknown to me. Still I see your point."

Cardinal: "I am due to depart for Chartres to say Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral with Father Charpentier and therafter to Caen. It would be no trouble to visit your nephew during my travels. I could make inquiries, if it is your wish."

The King: "Your Excellency. Let me give you an answer on the morrow."

Narrator: A dead end? Is the King unsure? What about Lady Cherish Masquerade? Is she in residence or having returned from the escapade at Mühlenberg where a battle was fought some weeks ago? Is Galantier still interested in her? What northern state is the Cardinal thinking of? Why?
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