The Treaty of Connaissance Part Two

Princess Teslaimia and Emily were walking through the crowd of city elites and foreign dignitaries like two beautiful koi swimming in a clear shallow pool. The band suddenly began to play and the men all searched for women to dance. As if it were planned, King Andrew appeared in front of Emily with a bow extending his hand, "Lady Connaissance, may I have this dance?"

Emperor Polo was a step late as he watched Emily head to the dance floor with Andrew. He turned and made the same gesture to Teslaimia, "Princess, may I have this dance?"

Teslaimia took his hand and followed him out to the dance floor. Soon most of the other dignitaries and elites were out on the dance floor.

Polo looked at Teslaimia and smiled, "I am surprised that you would agree."

She looked down and said, "As am I, Your Majesty."

He pulled her closer and said softly into her ear, "I won't make excuses for what I did, I admit it was wrong. When I was a small child of eight years old, I was brought to the Windsor Kingdom to learn court etiquette and train for knighthood at the Windsor Palace. The color of my skin and my accent all left me all but ignored by the children of the Palace. It wasn't until she invited to play that the other children there started to talk to me. She was a few years older than me but went out of her way to make me feel welcome. I started to follow her around, I would even listen in on her lessons. You know, she noticed and I believe for my sake alone started to sit in on the knight's lessons so that I would also be able to listen in."

Teslaimia smiled and looked over at Emily who was laughing and smiling as she danced with Andrew. "She has a good heart, which is why it is easy for people to fall in love with her and assume she means more than she does with these acts of random kindness." Teslaimia looked at the Emperor, "I think I was much like you. I fell in love with the idea of you and when you couldn't live up to that idea, I thought there must be something wrong with me. I came here to see what it was you meant by your words... You need a Queen, not a flower."

He looked down sadly, "You know, I really didn't know you well enough to say such a thing, right?"

Teslaimia nodded, "I know now, but at that time, I really didn't know. So I came and met her, and followed her around and saw how she worked and how much control of her life that she really had that I couldn't even imagine being possible." She looked him in the eye and said, "Because of your cruel words, I came here and discovered that I could become a Queen, and I have."

He looked into her eyes and smiled, "It was in you all along, I did nothing but make an ass out of myself and chase away a great woman." He looked around the room and said, "Do you see? All those envious eyes staring daggers at us? It is because I have chosen to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room."

Teslaimia felt herself blush and giggled, "If I had met this version of you that day, we might be ready to welcome a child into the world right now."

He smiled and looked over at Emily, "Tell me the truth, would I have a shot at Emily under any circumstance?"

Teslaimia thought for a moment and leaned close to his ear, "Maybe if you had been born a woman."

He opened his eyes wide his mouth open just a bit, "Then you and her?"

She nodded causing him to look defeated. She smiled and said, "Don't feel too let down, not even King Andrew and his knights know that about her and they have known her their entire lives." They both looked over at King Andrew who looked incredibly happy dancing with the smiling and laughing Emily.

He shook his head and said, "No, it does make sense. She really wanted to learn the sword. She was always doing things, I just assumed it was for me, but... I think she always planned to become a King."

Teslaimia nodded and said, "I can barely get her to take time off from working for social activities. She would work all day if it wasn't for me bringing her food and pulling her out of the office to come home and sleep."

The dance ended and they all clapped a few men walked up and asked both Teslaimia and Emily to dance, both women turned them down and made their way back to their table to rest.

As everyone went back to dancing Teslaimia and Emily giggled and exchanged gossip from their dances. Teslaimia smiled and said, "You two seemed to be having a good time."

"We were talking about something from our childhood. Polo, Jon, Danny, and Andrew used to always compete with each other to try and be the first one to dance with me at social functions. It happened here again tonight. Andrew said the reason he always wins is that he bribes the band to start at the time of his choosing. So he can be right next to me when it starts." Emily snickered.

Teslaimia shook her head and looked over at Andrew who was dancing with an attractive woman but keeping his eyes on Emily, "Have you ever considered that Andrew might be in love with you? I mean, as in more than just familiar love."

Emily waved her hand dismissively, "That wouldn't make any sense, why would he have killed my parents and had me exiled if that were the case." Emily smiled and asked, "How about you, how was your date with your dream man?"

Teslaimia smiled and said, "Dreams are always better than reality. He apologized to me again. I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore. I think he has finally realized that he was in a one-sided love affair with you."

Emily looked over and saw him dancing with a young woman, "Mm, I wouldn't say it was completely one-sided. I think I might have accepted his proposal at one time. I just came to realize I didn't have to sacrifice for others and could still live the life I always wanted to live."

Teslaimia chuckled, "Oh, then tell me, which of these handsome men would you have considered marrying?"

Emily looked around and started to name off names, explaining why she thought they would be good husbands, fathers, or what she liked about them.

Teslaimia laughed at some of her choices and came up with reasons not to for others.

Emily giggled after a really harsh evaluation of a certain Knight they spent the most time around, "And you Mia? Are you going to regret not having children?"

She shook her head and looked around at the men in the room, "The idea of childbirth has always terrified me. When I was young I spent most of my time in my father's harem, so I saw many births. The women always looked awful and it was clearly so painful for them. Not only that, but their bodies rarely return to what they were before the child came. My father would almost never return to them after the first child. That's why he only had nine children from his ten wives. The only wife without a child is the one my father spends the most time with, she is a Sunshi woman too, there have always been rumors that she purposely stopped any children she might have had with him."

Jon managed to sit down at the table next to Teslaimia as they were talking completely unseen. The two women were looking around the room at the various guests when Emily giggled again taking a sip of her champagne, "I think we should slip out early. The new ship was already launched on its voyage to the Holy Chadtom Empire and all that's left is to dance and eat. I'd rather go home and eat if you know what I mean." She giggled again.

Teslaimia snorted and said, "Ok, should we let our guard know first?"

Emily shook her head, "If they don't keep up it's their own fault for not paying attention."

Jon spoke up, "I'll get our coats."

Teslaimia and Emily both screamed.

*****

The four heads of state sat in the conference room together for the first time. Emily also invited Cardinal Pujols since he was in town and might have an interest in the discussion.

King Andrew looked around the room and said, "My concern is that any war or minor skirmish that breaks out between any of us and the City of Connaissance will result in the complete destruction of our army and with it the loss of at least an entire generation of children that should have been born meaning that it could be two or three generations before that nation is able to defend itself again." He looked at each of the leaders, "That means losing your entire reign and possibly your heir's reign as well."

Emily watched all of their reactions as Emperor Polo spoke up, "Without the City of Connaissance taking action on our behalf the forces from Cardinal Pujols' Inquisition would have done much worse to my Empire. They killed not just the defenders but also the men, women, and children in the city and towns they destroyed. Do I find the thought of a few hundred men being able to kill so many frightening? I do, but that just leads me to the obvious question, what have I done to come up with a defense for this kind of attack? The Kreussion invasion proved to us that the Connaissance ships are not untouchable. Not only that but the City of Connaissance willingly shared that information with all of us."

Tesliamia's father, Darius spoke up next, "I believe King Andrew has a valid point about this new kind of war. I wonder though, would my young friend here have brought the Kreussians to this table after their long-distance weapons did much the same thing? As someone who is closer to the end of his reign than the beginning, I would caution against just ignoring the fact that this kind of war exists now, like or not and we all have to adapt. We should all be looking at new weapons and tactics that will limit the ability of this kind of war to take so many lives. It's as young Emperor Pao'ko-olo has so wisely said, 'what have I done to come up with a defense for this kind of attack?' I wonder, Cardinal Pujols what your Church would make of this?"

Cardinal Pujols rocked back in forth in his chair for a moment and then said, "Three thousand years ago there was a man named Léon Jean Reno. It was said that when faced with an impossible to beat enemy army, he took it upon his own shoulders to go to the heart of the enemy invasion force and surrender himself. He was put to public death taking the burden of sin away from all of mankind. Seven days after his death, he rose again presenting the secret of steel to the great blacksmith Peter and Paul. As such the Church has believed in the scared steel and forcefully put down any knowledge of better ways to do things as it would be a blasphemy against the great secret of steel.

As you all know I have been living in the City of Connaissance now for the better part of a month. I now believe that my Church has been making a heinous mistake. We have been making the same mistake that was made by the people of the West in Lord Léon Jean Reno's time. We are not using our most important tool as human beings. Our curiosity, our ability to create and use tools for the betterment of mankind. If our Church hadn't held the West back, I look at the City of Connaissance and weep for what should have been."

King Andrew looked shocked as he stared at the Cardinal, "It seems that I am actually alone in my desire to see these weapons banned then..." He turned and looked at Emily, "Lady Connaissance, I would like to know your opinion, and if you have a solution in mind."

Emily tapped her finger on the table for a while with a complicated expression on her face, "After speaking at great length with my uncle about this topic the other day I asked some of my researchers about possible answers to the basic problems he laid out. They unanimously returned the same answer. I should conquer all of you if it's a problem." She looked at each of them and then continued, "The basic rule in the animal kingdom is that the strong survive and the weak die out. My uncle identified many areas of weakness with my own personality as an example." She pressed both of her palms on the table and then stood up, "I have no interest in taking responsibility for your backward aging societies. So I won't be conquering you. With that said, should any of you attempt to hinder or halt the progress of my City? I will be forced to annex your territory as part of my own. This isn't a threat gentlemen. This is how things will be from now on. My City is small now compared to your empires and kingdoms. In the future, my City will become the largest City on Hanston, but I have no desire to create an empire. Cross my bottom line though and I assure you, we will have become an empire before you can even whine to your allies."

King Andrew frowned and then asked, "Then you really intend to keep fighting your wars in this fashion?"

She looked at her uncle without blinking, "No, I intend that in the future we'll be winning our wars without losing even a single citizen. I am building the city of tomorrow, gentlemen. That means I won't allow today or yesterday to get in the way. Am I clear?" She stared into her uncle's eyes.

King Andrew sighed, "I can't win against you, Emily. Very well, I withdraw my request to have these weapons of mass destruction banned."