The wedding and coronation of Prince Gwydion of Avaluna and Princess Meara of Venus was finally upon them. In the wake of all that had happened, the people of Avaluna were happy to have something to celebrate, though the wedding was controversial to many. To some it was seen as an extravagance that could ill be afforded, to others an attempt to hold onto that which had already been lost, and to others still a promise of hope and prosperity, as had been John Arthur's ascension to the throne some twenty years ago.

Whatever it was, the celebration was decidedly the center of the Solar System for several cycles as anybody who was anybody had filled Avaluna full to bursting. While Mars had neglected to send an official delegation, there were still members of the Martian court present, though kept under careful watch--Sir L1-4MNT, as Dame Freyr's date and Sir RHY-S32 as an invited guest of Princess Meara.

The-Queen-In-Mourning, Valerie La Guin, had rarely been seen in recent weeks and the news of her abdication in favor of her niece had caused quite a stir within Venusian society. Many Valkyries felt that Meara La Guin of Chonaill was not ready for such a burden. They thought less of Prince Gwydion. The Vespers were hardly any better, feeling that the new heir demonstrated an unpredictable temperament ill-suited for rulership.

Amongst the Knights and Nobility of Avaluna, and in the Solar System beyond, opinion was much divided. Many thought well of the pair, while others believed that they only served as an indictment of John Arthur's failed ideals.

Other whispers filled the halls regarding the Lord and Lady of House Stjernevold. Though Lord Brun had sometimes been regarded as eccentric, it was now known that he had not returned from his ordeal unscathed. In the chapel which had once been Euryleia's armour bay, they taught that upon seeing King Arthur struck down, Sir Brun had been so moved by the King's sacrifice that he, in turn, had sacrificed his wits so that his True Love could be born. Euryleia had then slain the Dragon to save her Knight and the Kingdom. The pair had developed an often literal following.

Avaluna was, indeed, a hotbed of whispered opinions and in such a hotbed, there was always room for a little profit. At least that's what Enid intended to make with her "speciality-imported" Venusian brandy. She quickly clamped the top back on the shipping case when she saw Dame Freyr enter the corridor along with an Avalunan Tech named Rose. What were they doing here? Didn't Dame Freyr have wedding business to attend to?

OOC: From whom did Enid get her smuggled brandy and just how does she plan to offload it?

What are Freyr and Rose doing on Scathach?

I thought it would be fun to explore some of our minor characters as we build toward the wedding.

Enid deftly picked up her dataslate and began checking it.  Just filling out boring inventory reports.  Surely nothing worth the notice of Dame Freyr and Chief Rose.  Nope.  Check.  Check.

She dared a peek over the slate at the pair as they walked along.  Did she know?? Did the Dame catch Annalina offloading from the Venusian cutter that brought the delegation?? Enid had known trusting her cousin was risky, but she was in the right place at the right time and, let's face it, the wedding was a bit rushed...  Dammit Annalina if you get me caught.....

Freyr had barely gotten started organizing lessons for the new recruits when she had received the news about the wedding, which, after the news of the King's death, had not surprised her.  Like Meara's mother, Duchess Ceilidh Le Guin du Chonaill, she had her fingers on the pulse of political intrigue at all times.  It was necessary for success and survival, as well as ensuring the people's well-being.  And unlike Meara's father, Duchess Consort Baughb du Chonaill, Freyr was not as torn over the fact that Meara and Irina were no longer to be wed.  It was sad, certainly, but such is the reality of royalty.  She considered herself fortunate she could still court Sir L1-4MNT, although her status as technically being Saturnine by birth gave her a technicality others did not have.  She was also glad to hear that Sir RHY-S32 was allowed to attend as a guest of Meara.  Such things showed that there was still a possibility to reconcile with Mars.

As she walked down the corridor with Rose, she made small talk to catch up on the more minute details of what had been going on in her absence.  Meara had made her proud.  Meara's performance was far from ideal, but in the few weeks since she left, Meara had apparently made several decisions (not all of them proper, of course) that benefited both Venus and Avaluna as a whole, even if they did not win her any favors with the nobility.  Such had always been Meara's way, and Freyr laughed at the story of Irina suddenly turning red when Meara showed additional examples that she had, in fact, paid attention during some of her lessons and thus caused the poor Lady to lose her composure and pull Meara to (hopefully) a bedroom.

As she caught sight of Enid, she gave the quartermaster a smile and a wink.  "I see you are hard at work as usual."  She knew about the 'smuggling'.  She also had assisted by ensuring things were overlooked, at least for this instance.  Enid performed a valuable service that, specifically because it was not through strictly legal channels, made her all the more important to keep around.