Coronation Dress of Prithyanka Dandelion

"Make way! Meihomei on her way!"

"Make way!"

"Please, come this way."

"Thank you Nellun, is it?"

"Yes, that is my name, much honour you do me, by knowing it."

"It seems Amarat wasn't the only one with a Nisan tutor."

"I have learned a little from the Magelord, he knew so much about politeness, which is, of course, my purpose. My master will want me to announce you and your purpose, what can I tell him?"

"Tell him his first cousin once removed is here, to speak of family matters."

Nellun busied himself with the required message on his portable jade bank, observing her dress in good lighting for the first time. This wasn't, couldn't just be a family matter, not with her in the coronation dress of Prithyanka Kagomé, néé Dandelion. He had been there, just a lad, when the silk train had unfurled when she stepped off her horse, fully 5 meters long, floating above the ground. It did that again, just as impressive as in his memories.  Then he remembered what she was doing, she had said: "Her HORSE!" "Oh, Elements Above!" Nellun keeled over in a dead faint.

"Meihomei, I come as bid." Amarat walked in, wearing a snappy Brescian suit, all in charcoal, with a sky blue shirt, no tie.

"In the knowledge of the fact that your mother refuses to be the heir to the throne, I come to you, Amarat Kagomé, my son Shen is dead, will you take his responsibility to our Empire, to our Blessed Isle?"

"I can only hope I am worthy." He struggled to remember his next lines. "Are there witnesses that can be called, that will witness my answer?"

"I, Dan Ma, Domei of Didina have travelled to this place on my horse, I have come to bear witness."

"I, Mikhala Kagomé, Nameihomei and Domeita of Garay, have travelled to this place on my horse, I have come to bear witness."

In the background, Flora reanimated the fainted Nellun, the asked him, in a fierce whisper. "Why do they all insist on the horse part?"

"It is a requirement of the ritual, no one can come to the coronation on foot, and the ritual was written before cars or aircars, and never changed. They all are stating that they have come in accordance with the rules."

"And they are here for?"

"Master is moving to first in the line of succession, again, he is again Bameimeito of Kagomei."

"Will you have to move?"

"I don't think so, there are provisions for the Bameimeito and Meihomei to live apart, especially in times of war."

"Does he become Nameihomei  too?"

"No, not when Bameimeito and Nameihomei are parent and child."

"Why is that different?"

"Because, legally, a parent is expected to train their child for their responsibilities, so Nameihomei Mikhala was already training Amarat to be Nameihomei, when she feels he is ready to be, she can just say so, then he would need to work in the palace, and live somewhere within the vicinity of the city."

"How close?"

"He is the Domei of Megamisama as of today, moving into the Palace in Megamisama would not be a bad idea."

"Moving in with Auntie?"

"Legally, we'd be the landlords of the city, and she'd be our guest."

"Isn't the palace hers?"

"No, her legally defined palace is the Mei Imperial Palace of Kagomei at Innu."

"I didn't know Innu had a palace?"

"It's in the middle of a small village, by now. Innu hasn't had a settlement larger than a village for more than two centuries."

"Must be horribly expensive to upkeep?"

"Wait, I am so stupid, you visited it with Master?"

"What?"

"He mentioned going there with you, said you were unimpressed."

"I don't remember going to any palace..."

"Oh, silly me, you went there with him on your Hérévale, he probably didn't point out it was a palace."

"Oh, the Tomb of Innu Yesugai?"

"Oh, that's what it would be now."

"Isn't it a bit creepy, living in a tomb?"

"The tomb was its own wing of the palace, I wonder what happened to the rest..."

"A wing? The thing was the size of a Flycarrier!"

"The palace of Megamisama was about a third of the size of the one in Innu, as I recall..."

"But thousands work in the one in Megamisama! And it's hundreds of metres long!"

"The one in Innu is a five-winged star, with each branch almost three hundred metres long Ten stories, each."

"..."

"Are you ok?"

"I can't process a building that large... I mean a fly carrier task force houses just under five divisions!"

"Well, if, Elements forbid, something happens to Meihomei, you'd live there too... At least on the proper feast days."

"Wait, what?"

"My Master, your husband, has just accepted the diadem of the Bameimeito, you're the wife of the future Meihomei."

"Poor Robin, you should have rode with me ontop of Dancer." Spoke Meihomei.

"Mow!"

"Poor Robyn Frobanasynnia, I told you Chihirapniri was going to run. Honestly, I'm amazed you arrived here only ten minutes after we did."

"Mau!"

"Yes, you're a good kitty, probably knows a few shortcuts too.

"I'm sure you agree, thank you Aiden."

"Mau."

"Yes, such a good kitty, very polite too..."

"Will you be our guest for endday meal, Meihomei?"

"'Our' guest? Who does the cooking around here?" She teased.

Amarat gulped. "Sometimes I do."

"Oh, how can I possibly refuse the cooking of my own Bameimeita?"

"Gulp."

"Now, now I'm sure you'll do fine.

"Did Amarat say what he was going to prepare?"

"No, he only knows a few dishes though, but those he knows, he is very proficient with..."

"Oh, so he has prepared food for his bride? What is part of your courtship?"

"No, he told me before we became Herevallin, that's quite a dress!" Flora opined, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, yes. Wait, those eyes of yours, are you a Dandelion?"

"Yes, Soorana Dandelion would be our closest common ancestor."

"Oh, Soorana? We're somewhat distantly related then.

"Yes, perhaps as close as fourth cousins.

"I wouldn't let my Dandelion relatives hear you say that so casually..."

"Why? They've been uninterested in me, in no small part because I bear the name of my mother, first and foremost."

"They'd still give you a hard time for not letting you tie me to them, if they heard... And his cooking?"

"Rather good, if you like noodles, for once in life, he's a specialist not a jack of all trades."

"Oh, it irks you too? How he seems to just bowl over any difficulties?"

"You have no idea, after all, I live and serve with him."

"You are his commmanding officer, certainly it's gotta be reassuring somehow that he can pull victory from the jaws of defeat?"

"But he makes it look so easy, it makes it seems like I should have planned for him to have a more important objective."

"Oh, I can see why that would be irksome..."

"Meihomei, and guest, please come this way, Master has prepared the Brescian Dish Cacio E Pepe, goat cheese and pepper, on a bed of noodles."