Kalistan

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Empress Consort attends Memorial in Eshar
Joined by Minor Princesses at Gathering
Eshar, Duchy of Odufaray
April 17, 5616


Their Highnesses the Empress Consort Monica Ananto-DeLaurentis and the two Minor Princesses Mary Natalia and Margaret Nicolette in Eshar

Her Highness, the Empress Consort Monica Ananto-DeLaurentis, and the two Minor Princesses Mary-Elizabeth Natalia Ananto-DeLaurentis and Margaret-Carolina Nicolette Ananto-DeLaurentis were in attendance at the Eshar Rebuilding Anniversary ceremony which marks the completion of the third year of rebuilding in Eshar.  Similar celebrations were held in Port Swedes and Kaliburg, and while His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick III Ananto spoke in the capital, the Princess Consort was asked to deliver the Key Note Speech in Eshar.  Eshar suffered 10,423 casualties overall, and given its size, it was proportionately the largest loss in the attacks of August 5612.  This is compared to the 14,820 lost in Kaliburg, and the 5,100 lost in Port Swedes.  Below are Her Highness' remarks, which she delivered at the Eshar Memorial in Downtown Eshar Free City.

I would like to thank you for inviting me and my family here to see you all again today.  During the war, His Imperial Majesty believed it is so important that our family visits with as many people as we could, to show solidarity, to hear what you all have to say about how things are going, and to try to lift morale when it began to fall during the war.  But now, peace has come back to Kalistan.  We have buried our dead, we have had our parades and our commendations, and we are now nearly completed rebuilding our nation from the devastating attacks of that night in August where a sleeping nation was attacked and nearly 30,000 people were murdered.  We will never forget those victims of that horrific attack, and we will strive to continue to meet with you all, to talk with you, and to be a part of your lives.

Part of my task here is to raise the Imperial Standard over this memorial.  This place is not only a tribute to the hard work of the people of Eshar and to the people of Odufaray who pitched in with their time, effort, and money to restore our city to a place where people can live, grow and play, but also to care for the dead, many of whom will never be identified.  So if it is ok with you all, when I raise the flag, and the color guard plays Taps, I will raise it to the top, but then lower it down to half mast one last time to honor your lost family members, friends and neighbors.  I am aware that the Emperor has ordered an end to the period of mourning in Kalistan, but I think this act of respectful tribute is not a mourning but a celebration of the memories you all share about those loved ones you knew and lost.  And it is a tribute to all the work you have done to rebuild your community and make it a safe place for you to build new families, to make new friends, and to add them to the long list of the people you know, love and care for.

My husband is not a Hosian.  He doesn't necessarily believe that there is an afterlife.  I do, for my part.  I want to believe there is something after this world, to know that this isn't all there is to it.  And I believe that if I am right, the spirits of your loved ones live on.  They visit you, they watch over you, and in the end you will see them all again.  Whether I am right or not, I can say I really believe that it is their spirit who has animated you to pick yourselves up, and after the shock wore off, to start working to rebuild what others ruthlessly destroyed.  I encourage you to let their spirits continue to motivate you to finish this job, whether they were lost, either in the attack or during the war, or whether they are standing next to you right now, not lost but alive as you are, let them boost you up, lift up your own spirits, and do good work here on Terra.  And then when you think you are done, do an extra ten percent just for the good of all in Kalistan.

I thank you for allowing me to speak with you all.  Many of you I know, and feel that over the years, we have become close.  When I first arrived in September of 5612 to lend my efforts and my energy to the reconstruction of Eshar, I felt myself motivated by the Spirit of Empress Pavlina, my husband's grandmother, who performed similar national service right here in this very city, helping the people of Eshar clean up after civil disruption.  I felt that I was called to do this.  Since then, I have been here every single month to do service.  And maybe that's the Brethrenist way:  to listen to your callings.  Maybe my Husband is rubbing off on me a little.  And maybe there is something to both traditions.  Either way, it has been a pleasure for me to get to know all of you, to work with you and alongside you, and to see this project through to its completion.  Both The Emperor and I are so proud of how well the People of Eshar worked together to rebuild this town, and I personally am so grateful that you welcomed me into your community time and again and allowed me to work next to you all.  Thank you, and I will be here until we are officially done, and then I will come back to see how things turned out.

The Empress-Consort's speech was met with a loud standing ovation from the more than 3,000 people in attendance, which carried on for more than half a minute, until the color guard arrived on the podium, presented the Empress-Consort with an Imperial Flag, and then assisted her as she attached the flag to the flag pole.  As the brass ensemble played Taps, all stood silently.  The flag creeped up the flagpole, unfurling as it rose, and then once at the top, caught the wind and flapped briefly, before being lowered to half staff, at which point the halyard was handed to a member of the color guard and the Empress Consort stepped back and stood at attention until Taps was completed.  A minute of silence was observed, and then the cheer erupted once more as the Empress Consort stepped off stage.

The Empress-Consort's frequent appearances in Eshar have been largely responsible for the recovery of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor's popularity in Eshar, Senvias and both Odufaray and Vrassa following the start of the war.  She served primarily with Odufaray NSP, but also went on Morale Tours of the Mainland during the war to keep people's spirits boosted.  Her speech today was delivered extemporaneously, not from notes.  Because of Her Highness' popularity, there has been a public drive to name Empress-Consort Monica as "Empress," while so far, Her Highness has demurred at the attention and has said she hopes to not get the title of co-sovereign.

@The Republic