Authors Note: So...wondering how Prince Henry and Fiona's storylines will meet up? This chapter should begin to give you an idea. This chapter is an addition to the current draft of the novel ( and was only briefly summarized in the previous draft). I'd love to know what you think of it ( and what you think of Henry's message to the Nita). As always, thanks for reading!! :-)

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Fiona

It had been roughly three weeks since a message had arrived though an official envoy of the Crown Prince Henry Bastario, requesting the presence of the Nita at Salam place. Fiona had graciously received the invitation before alerting Avery and calling an assembly of the Cainell Council. There was no disguising the tension in the room as Avery called the meeting to order and Fiona read the Princes words aloud in the nearly empty Meeting House.

The Crown Prince Henry Philip Bastario humbly requests the presence of Nita Fiona Amoral at Salam Palace for an audience with his royal Majesty. In the name of peace and harmony among the people of the Erestian Empire, it is his Majesty's great hope the Nita will send a message with the Crown's envoy when he returns in one week's time, indicating her acceptance of this invitation.

The brows of the councilmen remained furrowed as Fiona looked up from the invitation in her hand. From their expressions of confusion, it seemed clear that they had been hoping, with each word, to discern meaning from the Prince's vague correspondence, but had found none.

"There is no more than that?" Jasper Collin's asked when she had finished.

Fiona shook her head, sympathetic to his incredulity. She too had been dismayed at the lack of information contained in the message when she first read it. "I agree, Mr. Collins," she answered. "The Prince is certainly vague about this proposed meeting."

"He says nothing of why he has extended this invitation. I think we should be  wary of accepting."

"Indeed," Aaron Baker chimed in. "This seems highly suspicious. Not since King Grayson has any Senmin leadership even been officially permitted in the Capitol City. Fredrick made it very clear when he inherited the crown from his father, that he had no intention of granting us any rights under his rule and things have only grown worse since then."

"You are justified in your fears, Mr. Baker," Fiona replied, not entirely surprised by the councilman's reaction of distrust towards the Prince's unexpected correspondence. "Yet I will admit, it is my inclination to accept Henry's invitation.

She saw a frown twitch to life on Aaron's face. In fact, scanning the faces of the other men, it seemed clear that all were uncomfortable now that she had stated her controversial intentions aloud. Fiona watched as their eyes darted surreptitiously towards the Council Leader who had, thus far, remained silent.

"And what say you, Council Leader Trenton?" Ralph Perthy asked. "Surely you too are against this proposed meeting."

Fiona resisted the urge to scowl at the man. While the others may have had legitimate concerns, she was quite certain that Perthy was only interested in contradicting anything she might propose. But she had learned long ago to control herself among the Seven. Perthy was an unavoidable nuisance Fiona could not escape. She forced her mouth into the pleasant smile she had mastered well in her fourteen years as Nita.

"Indeed, Mr. Perthy," Fiona said, acknowledging him before turning to Avery. "I too would very much like to know the Council Leader's thoughts on the matter."

Avery met her gaze and nodded his head slightly, but kept his mouth closed for a moment longer as if deep in thought on the matter.

"I have to say, Nita Amoral, I do wonder the benefit of accepting this invitation," he answered finally. "It seems to me that there is great risk involved in doing so, both to yourself and our people."

"I can not disagree," Fiona agreed.

"Then why comply with the Prince's request?" Perthy shot back angrily.

A general grumble of assent traveled through the room.

"Too risky."

"What are his motives?"

"We cannot trust the Prince."

The words of protest piled one on top of the other until Avery held up his hand. "Gentleman please," he said, bringing the room back under control. "Let the Nita speak."

"Thank you, Council Leader," Fiona replied, surprised to see the man willing, for once, to hear her opinion. "While I do indeed agree that there are risks involved in accepting the Prince's invitation, I believe the potential benefits of,k doing so outweigh them all."

"How so?"

"As Mr. Baker stated, not since Grayson's rule have the Senmin been invited openly within the walls of the Capitol City. Perhaps in Henry, we will find a leader who, like his grandfather, will once again agree to treat our people with respect."

"But Henry is not King," Michelle Jenkins replied. "Since his returned from battle one year ago, rumors abound that the Prince and his Father are not on good terms. This invitation may be in direct opposition to Fredrick's will."

"Henry has already been named as his father's official successor," Fiona countered. "Even if his actions are not entirely in line with the King's wishes, The Senmin can hardly be blamed for accepting an official summons, from Salam Palace. If I agree to meet with the Prince I am doing no more than affirming our continued support of the Bastario throne. But in not accepting Henry's invitation, we might be offending a man who would have otherwise become our ally."

"I say we should decline," Peter Kerry said. "Respectfully of course. As the oldest member of this Council, I still remember the lasting effects of Philip's rule on the persecution of our people. The brief respite we enjoyed under Grayson was short lived, and Fredrick has made it clear time and time again that he wishes the Senmin nothing but ill will. 

"Our King nearly destroyed our people ten years ago for a supposed involvement in the burgeoning rebellion. Even now that the Vox Populi is defeated he takes his revenge on us as if our mere existence is traitorous. If this meeting is not sanctioned, he will have all the more reason to believe that we do not respect his will. Your sojourn to the Capitol could have disastrous consequences."

"I hear your concerns, Mr. Kerry," Fiona answered carefully. "But no matter how respectful we may be in rejecting the Prince's invitation, my failure to come before him will be interpreted as a slight. As you said, the Bastario throne has held ill will towards our people since their beginnings, but there is hope that the Prince will not follow the path of Philip and Fredrick. I see this invitation as our opportunity to secure a more promising outlook for the Senmin under our future leader. We should learn from our past mistakes."

"And what mistakes are those?" Trenton asked.

"When the Hapsben crown was defeated, the Senmin were too slow to show our support of Philip. We paid for that dearly."

"The Hapsben King was our friend," Darren Wood interjected scornfully. "Philip Bastario knew that well enough. Nothing our predecessors could have done would have convinced him that we were loyal to his newly won throne."

"And yet in attempting neutrality and avoiding direct support of the new crown, we suffered as if we had fought for the Hapsbens ourselves," Fiona countered. "We lost all representation in the royal court and were stripped of noble titles. Philip's distrust of our people led him to blame all of the Empire's ills on the Senmin people. We faced persecution for years. Our cities were burned, our jobs lost, our children denied schooling. As Nita, I do not wish to bring our people such suffering again if we have to opportunity to ingratiate ourselves with our new king and perhaps replicate the good fortune we found under Grayson."

Fiona could see the discomfort in the councilmen's faces as they listened to her argument, but none spoke to contradict her. It was a good sign. "I understand the need for caution," she continued. "The Senmin have been easy targets since the rise of the Kanjin faith hundreds and hundreds of years ago, this is not unknown to any in this room here today."

"And you hope that allegiance with the Prince will miraculously change all that?" Ralph Perthy asked with a scowl."

"I do indeed have hopes that Henry is as mild-mannered as his grandfather and that his desire to meet with me is proof of that," Fiona replied. "But I offer self-preservation as another reason we should consider answering his request favorably. While we may fear Fredrick's retaliation in journeying to Salam Palace without his official approval, I worry more of the potential repercussions of crossing the Prince. Given Henry's brutality in crushing the Vox Populi in the North, I think we can agree he is not a man to trifle with. 

"Fredrick is not young, and unless another successor is found soon, it will not be long before Henry wears his father's crown. If he were to take after his great grandfather Philip and see our rejection as disloyalty, there will undoubtedly be consequences. First impressions cannot be unmade. If we do not put our faith in Henry now, we may not have another chance."

The room settled monetarily into an easy silence as they considered her words.

"And what if this is a trap set by the King himself?" Wood pressed. "What if Henry only means to lure you the Capitol where you will be without defense? Where he and his father can take you hostage, or bring about your end without facing resistance from our people?"

Fiona did not hesitate. "Fredrick has made it very clear through his actions, that he fears making a direct attack on the Nita or the Initiate in spite of his distrust of our reported magiks. Even in his most vehement anti-Senmin campaigns, he has left Gregorn and Cainell alone. There would be no reason for him to suddenly seek my end now. As for the Prince, I am certain we have all heard the gossip Mr. Jenkins already alluded to. The Prince and his father do not get along. There is even speculation that the King was disappointed to see his son return from his battle against the rebels. As such, it is unlikely Henry would attack my person within the Capitol city and risk further angering Fredrick with such unauthorized military action."

As Fiona continued to wade through their myriad of concerns, she felt all the more confident that she had thoroughly considered every one of them when she had initially arrived at her decision to accept the Prince's invitation. Of course there was risk, but there was risk in any major political decision regarding the Senmin's dealings with the Crown of Erestia.

"Rumors are not enough to stake your life on Nita Amoral," Aaron said finally, a slight frown appearing on his face.

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Baker," Fiona replied. "But I believe we all know that these are not mere rumors. The King has been notably avoiding the Capitol since his son returned from battle. In the past year, Fredrick has scarcely stationed himself in Auresir for more than a month or two at a time. Meanwhile, his son has made himself quite comfortable in Salam Palace. There are many who claim the Prince goes so far as to make snide comments on his father's rule in public. Fredrick has done nothing to retaliate. I believe the Prince is brazen because he is confident he will gain the throne regardless of his father's ill will towards him. We have nothing to lose in supporting the Prince if he is truly willing to stand by the Senmin."

"You are wrong in that," Avery answered, once again joining the conversation. "There is still much we might risk, even if the Prince is indeed granting you audience as an offering of friendship. All reports of Henry Bastario note him to be a hard man to deal with. As you said yourself, the slaughter of the rebel troops in Murdale was said to be vicious. In court, almost all fear him and his famed temper. If you will forgive me for saying so Nita Amoral, your ability to withhold comment from topics of a volatile nature is often lacking. If you are to appear before the Prince I would advise extreme caution in anything you might say to him, for your sake and the sake of our people."

Fiona felt her cheeks grow hot at his condescension, but she would not prove him right by losing her temper. "Indeed Mr. Trenton. I too have heard of the Prince's nature and will of course be as respectful as the situation mandates."

"I still say we should not accept!" Jasper asserted.

"Forgive me, Mr. Collins, " Fiona replied calmly, " there is no we. The Prince invited me to the place and therefore I will have the ultimate decision on the matter." She ignored the glare he gave her at her response. While Fiona understood these men's concerns, she could not help but feel they were missing how great an opportunity this unexpected invitation might present. 

"Whether or not Henry could be trusted, for the first time in more than thirty years, a member of the Bastario family had officially sent correspondence to the Senmin. Moreover, the rumors of the Prince's nature made her quite eager to meet him. While it was true that he was said to be somewhat irascible, Henry was also said to be highly intelligent a vastly different than his father. If he was likely to become the future king, she very much wanted to meet and judge Henry for herself before he took the crown. This was her chance.

"If you do indeed accept this invitation," Avery replied, "we all must exercise the utmost of caution. We will not allow your impending audience with the Prince to become public knowledge. Should he ask anything of you, you will be as vague as possible in response and merely report back to the Council on the man's intentions as you see them."

Fiona nodded. "Of course."

"Council Leader," Aaron interrupted, clearly poised to object again, but Avery held up a hand to stop him.

"As the Nita said, it was her presence that was requested. I agree that the final decision is therefore, hers to make.

She was somewhat surprised at Avery's showing of support. Fiona wondered if he only wished that she would put herself in danger thus providing a chance that, with her demise, the Council would be able to take full control of the Senmin and eliminate her position permanently. She would not have put it past him. She had always believed that had been his goal eleven years ago when her daughter was born. Still, Fiona was eager to have her way on the matter, and Avery's support was welcome, no matter what his motivation.

Together she and the Cainell Council had drafted a reply to the Prince's message and given it to the royal envoy when he had returned to collect her response. It was agreed upon that Nita Fiona Amoral would accept the Prince's gracious invitation and be granted a brief audience with his Highness in assertion of their full support and loyalty to the Bastario Crown. Now, two weeks later, she rode to meet Henry Bastario in the flesh.

As Fiona's horse reached the top of Blue Ridge hill, overlooking the western gate of Auresir, she felt her heartbeat quicken slightly with exhilarated anticipation. When Fredrick had taken the throne so many years ago, it had been the intention of the Senmin leadership to maintain positive relations with the Crown. Fredrick's father Grayson was a kind ruler. 

 Unlike Philip, Grayson had no reason to resent the Senmin population and was content to maintain the relatively stable Empire his father had left him. It had been a time of great prosperity for the Senmin people. Trade restrictions were lifted, and the Senmin began to reclaim professions and titles lost under Philip's crown. Thus, when Grayson died suddenly, Manna had thought it wise to meet with the new King Fredrick to ensure that the Senmin maintained the positive relationship they had with the Crown under Grayson. Fiona had quite young at the time, but she remembered well the excitement she had felt at the prospect of journeying to the Capitol of the Empire. She had not returned since.

When Fiona and Manna had arrived at Salam Palace to present themselves, formally pledging the Senmin's continued loyalty and allegiance to Crown, Fredrick had refused to receive them and they were turned away without audience. The Senmin quickly learned that Fredrick would be no friend to their people. 

Fredrick was only nineteen years old at his coronation. While Grayson had been unconcerned with matters of religion, his wife Victoria was a devote Kanjin. She had held a strong influence on her son's upbringing and had raised him in the church. With Fredrick's ascension to the throne, Victoria's influence over the Empire, through her son, seemed to grow exponentially. Less than a year after Manna and Fiona's visit to the Capitol City all restrictions and penalties exacted against the Senmin population that had been abolished under Grayson's reign, returned tenfold.

Still, in spite of the less than positive outcome of her visit as a girl, Fiona remembered the city as a place of immense beauty, bustling, lively. She had not been able to understand fully the ramifications of their rejection by the Crown at the time, and had merely been enthralled with the beauty and grandeur of Auresir. Now, despite the precariousness of her current role as an emissary of the Senmin towards a hostile regime, Fiona could not help but feel a certain level of that childlike excitement returned.