A Battle Unseen

[Louis]

A Canrillaise Welcoming 
21:45, King's Study, Sorsuela Palace, Altea


LIVE CONVERSATION AUDIO

The car stops. The night is mild, starting to turn cool. The smell of the northern winds are in the air: bitter and cold. A man steps out of the car. He is wearing a white suit, with a red tie. He is guided by royal guard to the entrance of the palace, hopefully unseen. The man makes his way to the king's study, observant of the interior of the palace, and carefully eyes the familiar decor. He waits as the Royal Guards knock on the large dark oak door and make his presence known. 

"Ah, send him in."

The man walks in and immediately kneels.

"Majestad"

The man in the study has beautiful golden hair, deep hazel green eyes, and a commanding voice that says:

"Ven, Carlos"

He stands and approaches the king, and he proceeds to kiss his hand. 

"Vamos, Carlos. Stand up. You honor me greatly"

"Majestad, I am honored to be here. I am at your service"

"Gracias, Carlos. How were your travels?"

"Fair, except for turbulence we experienced over the Lorena. Windy for sure. I must say, Majestad, you have a natural eye for regality. Your court rivals even the splendor of Eroncourt."

"Ah don't flatter me Carlos! I could never be at the same level as cousin Maxi. His obsession with material goods after Tio Louis passed was insatiable. I pray for him every day. Tell me, how is Eroncourt?"

"Ah. Quiet. Lonely. Slowly going into decay. Conservatives in power don't do anything. Only empowered by Maxi's direct demands. It's lost its spark. I would not be surprised if the nation collapsed. But here, Majestad, you have created sanctuary. A hallmark of regality, of honor, of enlightenment."

"Egelion will be the nation of the enlightened. While others focus on the preservation of conflict, we shall instead focus on the betterment of our nation."

The king pauses and stares at Carlos.

"Do you have that of which was required of you."

"Si, Majestad".

Carlos reaches into his leather briefcase and pulls out a heavy folder. Classified in Canrillaise. 

"Majestad, I was not able to receive the full plans. My contact in Eroncourt could only scrap what he could--at the request of the Emperor."

"So these plans... were confirmed by Maxi?"

"Si, Majestad"

The King reads the documents full of valuable information. Yet, some pages of crucial information are missing.

"Can we work with this Carlos?"

"Majestad, based on the files. We have about 60% of the entire program, but we will need to engineer the rest of the program for it to be successful. I give us five years."

"Five years?"

The king stands heads to the open window. The moonlight illuminates his gardens. He observes the area and sees Altea's skyline, bright and true in the valley of Alflora. He motions to Carlos.

"Take this to Cartablanca. See to it that Royal Councilor Ortega and the Royal Directory sees this immediately."

"Majestad."

Carlos leaves the room after bowing to the king. He heads down the marble staircase, knowing that full power is within his grasp. He reads the file folder again. It reads in Canrillaise, Programme Soteria.