[img]https://i.imgur.com/MQ1gtzU.png[/img]

So it transpired that Erick was indeed the first to arrive at the Astalian palace, the others however, weren’t far behind him much to his relief - he gathered they too had perhaps made camp on the periphery throughout the lands so that they may arrive at the proper time of the invitation. The second suitor, a Prozdy warrior of immense size, heralded his arrival with the battering of metal which indeed caught Erick’s attention, it was not a noise he was unaccustomed to, in fact, quite the contrary. When the figure of Vyarin emerged into the spaces of the palace, the Jörda prince surveyed him with discretion; each and every man would surely be looking to secure their hold on Astalia by means of the eldest daughter as Erick too, had been advised. He wondered if she, in her particular misfortune, would at least have any say to whom she was to be wed. 

The third prince, an elf, lean but too appeared to be well trained, moved with the grace and aura that the people of his realm seemed to do so. The elven prince acknowledged him, and Erick had blinked and dipped his head slightly in due response.

The final prince, for there were four daughters of King Harold, was the half-orc prince of Afdan, the desert country at the far-flung reaches of the continent, the climate far different from that of Jörda. The Afdan prince had a handsome appearance, his heavy orcish features somewhat subdued by what Erick assumed was human blood, his demeanour seemed fairer too than what the reputations spoke of the orcish race. Erick it seemed, standing only at an average height for his people, was the shortest in stature amongst the princes; it didn’t faze him however, and he held his space just as the other suitors.

The group of princes, now assembled, were ushered into the main hall where the Astalian King was prepared to greet them, the princesses were also waiting for their arrival. A smaller division of Erick’s entourage had followed with him into the hall, each of them knelt to one knee and bowed their heads to the King, not dissimilar but certainly different from the Prozdy gesture, Erick uttered a bold “Your Grace” before they once again arose. Erick understood the Astalian language fairly well, for they were neighbours across the great river, but he spoke with a thick accent of his native tongue. The Jörda prince regarded the King’s greeting in his own language to be an expression of deep respect, despite the slight falter in pronunciations. King Harold went on to describe the events that were to occur and confirmed his daughters would indeed take a suitor of their choosing, or at least, within the constraints of what little choice there was. Erick feared given the arrangement, that his spouse regardless would have little association with him outside the scope of the marriage contract; would they be the kind of woman, wives that would make themselves scarce save for their nuptial duties, as perhaps their culture and their kingdom demanded? He could think of almost nothing more miserable. He examined the daughters each in turn as they were introduced, all very beautiful in their own way, and noted that Annalise was the eldest.

As the King concluded his speech, giving the guests permission to disperse (this admittedly was a great desire Erick had to resist), one of the daughters stepped forward to speak before addressing each of the princes in turn. She was small and particularly slender with dark features, despite her small frame, her voice and demeanour had a presence that would not be ignored. Erick wasn’t sure how to describe it, besides the creeping feeling of a bad dream that you couldn’t quite remember once you awoke. When Sulhana spoke to him directly however, he could detect the sincerity in her condolences and he received her remarks with appreciation, “thank you for your kind words Princess Sulhana, my brother has brought great honour to our House, he will dine well with the Gods at their table” he expressed, suppressing the flicker that threatened to cross his brow, as such he could not muster a smile for the princess, but tightened his jaw and nodded gently before she turned to take the platform. The Princess made her announcement - Erick would have some Court games to play it seemed.

Another daughter, Loreena, stepped forward. Erick sensed a gentleness in her character and, as she presented the thoughtful gifts to each suitor in turn, also some enthusiasm in meeting with them. He received the gift from her with both palms, meeting her gaze, “Princess Loreena, you have my gratitude, I already feel most welcomed” he bowed his head modestly clasping the gift but not yet examining it, as he was not sure if it was quite appropriate to do so. As the Princess moved on, he passed the item with particular care to one of his attendants for safe keeping - he would open it later that evening.