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Springtime
Topic Started: Dec 10 2010, 12:57 AM (382 Views)
Rhadamanthus
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Legitimist

Bells rang in the streets and flowers decorated homes and merchant stalls throughout the extent of the Queen of Cities. All the people of Constantinople were dressed in their finest and though business was still conducted, the atmosphere was that of a major feast day. Even if they had never met him, they loved him, and his wedding day would be a day of celebration throughout the City. He was the Born-in-the-Purple Michael Emmanuel Monomachus, the Prince of Antioch, the heir presumptive to the imperial throne. The dashing and charismatic prince had been a figure of admiration interest in the years since the end of the Third Catholic European War and the Fall of the Dominion. As the Roman nation left behind the seemingly endless war that had dominated the reign of the Emperor Constantine XIII, they had come to revel in the peacetime pageantry of the imperial court, now established in the City. For many, the new age, an age of peace and prosperity, was symbolized by Prince Michael Emmanuel, and his next brother Tobias Isaac, the "People's Prince."

Amidst the cheer, there would be tears as well. Many a girl or young woman had daydreamed that she would be one marrying the Prince of Antioch in the Great Church, whisked away to live happily ever after. Such dreams would have to come to an end, though Prince Tobias Isaac remained eligible, and his younger brothers would become more visible as they came of age. The imperial princesses were more limited in their exposure. While some men of rank might aspire to marry one of the emperor's daughters, they were not expected to live in the popular eye the same way that their brothers were. The empire remained a society where public life tended to be dominated by men, and a certain formality characterized public interactions between the sexes. This could be offputting to visitors from more liberal countries, and the veiled women and bearded men suggested a society that was not in tune with Western norms. But few would think of such things amidst the general revelry of the prince's wedding day.

The festivities had actually begun in the early morning hours. A great wedding procession had winded its way through the streets of the city, with crowds of people pushing and posturing around every marked street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the procession and the day's hero. The procession was led by the Patriarch of Constantinople, alongside whom was the commander of the Varangian Guard. The Varangians lined the procession on either side with several bringing up the rear. Various other hierarchs of the church and the archimandrites of important Constantinopolitan monasteries were given places of honor in the procession, either carrying relics, or blessing the cityfolk as they passed. Additionally, both parties to the wedding were in the procession: the Emperor and the imperial family accompanied Prince Michael Emmanuel, and King Tomislav III with the Croatian Royal House of Trepimerianus, as their name had been rendered by the Romans, brought the Princess Helena Anna. Also present was the apocrisiary, the representative of the Roman pontiff in Constantinople.

The end of the procession was the great cathedral church of Constantinople, the Temple of Divine Wisdom, the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the emperor's place of worship. After the procession arrived there, the preparations for the wedding began. The ceremony would be the traditional ritual of the Greek Church, modified with some aspects of the imperial court ceremonial, as well as the private rites of the Monomachus clan. Additionally, out of respect for the bridal party and any other Latins present, it had been agreed that the apocrisiary might also say a blessing. The Roman-Genesian church of Elder Rome remained an important power within the empire, and though the Romans still considered her schismatic, her relationship with the orthodox was not as heated as it had been in the old days. As the empire had largely inherited the lands and the people of the old Papal Empire, she had had to come to terms with the presence of the Latin Church in her lands. The prominent place of the apocrisiary, who resided in the old papal palace in Genesopolis, was a testament to this fact.

As the preparations were made, and the time for the wedding approached, it was time for the various guests to arrive. It was expected that the guest list would include the great leaders and people of importance from throughout the civilized world. After the ceremony, a lavish ball was to be held in Alexandria, and the emperor had made arrangment to fly all his guests to that other great city of the Eastern Mediterranean after the wedding. But even now, in Alexandria and elsewhere in the empire, celebration was in the air.
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Kasnyia
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Chairman of the Bank
A train from Alexanderhaven pulled into the main train station of Constantinople, where members of the Royal House of Ribbenzoph arrived, and in large numbers. A fleet of cars were awaiting them to take them to Church, needing to use only the bells that rang throughout the city as guidance.
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Sedulius
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Field Marshal
Nearly all of House Sedulii, or rather nearly all of them living within the Empire, came to attend the wedding. The Sedulii, ever since Stefanus (Stiofan) had set up in Syria, had become an important family within the Empire, overseeing the governance of the County of Edessa and ensuring the continuation of the Brotherhood's knights in the Empire's service. With them had come the Grandmaster Sedulius (Siadhal), who though this was perhaps not his first visit to Constantinople, this was the first time he would show his face to its public.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

In a somewhat awkward scene, Richard Nixon the Younger was greeted warmly by his Roman hosts, both governmental and civilian, and welcomed into Constantinople. Though the Roman Empire and the Republic of Porcu were never close, Nixon hoped that his presence would be taken seriously by his hosts as a sign of Porcu's continued openness and willingness to cooperate on matters of security and peace.
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
Doge Domenico Contarini was at a complete loss as to why he had never visited Constantinople before. Venice had been close to the Romans for some time, almost since the country came to be. It had taken far, far too long for the Doge to have the honor of visiting the Emperor himself. And for such a joyous occasion as the Prince's marriage! Contarini was glad his long delay had not been taken for ill.
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

The Russian entourage arrived in the greatest city on Earth with great excitement. Tsar Alexei Paulovich Romanov II, his wife Tsaritsa Atia Alexandervicha Drax Romanova were here for the ceremony along with Alexei's father, Grand Duke Paul Georgovich Romanov II and his wife, the Grand Duchess Aaline Alexandervicha Ribbenzoph Romanova. The former Tsar and his wife were now pushing 90 years of age and it was well showing on their warn faces. However, as the old Tsar knew his days were coming to an end, he felt he could not die at peace without having made the attempt at coming to the ceremony. Their arrival was therefore made that much more precious to the rest of Russia that the old couple made the trip.
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Deleted User
Deleted User

Stepping off the government plane, President William Tell and the rest of the Federal Council soon found themselves in the great city of Constantinople. Although there was great animosity between the Swiss and the Romans, the Swiss, with all their civility, were willing to put aside their differences to congratulate the lucky couple.

With leaders from each and every country, this wedding was sure to get interesting...
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Aelius
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Norman Warlord
While Lansdale headed for Ireland, Patrick Nielsen made his way into Constantinople, the great crossroads of the world. Along with the festivities, Nielsen intended to meet with his Imperial contact, Lord Aldebaran.
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Hastine
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Universi enim hic sumus.
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Having been tipped off by a assassination rumour that threatened to attack the King's royal train, Henry XII and his entourage decided to take to the high seas instead, and travelled by ship to Constantinople. Within a few days on the luxurious royal cruise ship, the Sperian representatives arrived in the harbour of the great Golden Horn, and docked at its side. As they disembarked, they were surrounded by Romans, who escorted the King and his men towards the festivities. The Sperians and the Romans had had good relations ever since the homeland of the former was freed by the Empire from the torturous grip of Catholic Europ, but they had never been exactly close. Now, Henry came to Constantinople in hope that this visit would change this status quo for the better.
Edited by Hastine, Dec 15 2010, 06:34 PM.
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Ulgania
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A better Zarathustra has never rode a horse
OOC: Better late than never.

IC: High Chancellor D'Annunzio and the total of the Families of Serpentine took to land, moving across the the East of Africa and the Mediterranean towards the Queen of Cities from the Jewell of the South. The route would be slow and steady, but timely.
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