FOR THE HEARTH | A PROPOSAL

[critter 2473]

12th of Gronna & Droba | 482 ES

 

PRELUDE

By this writing, I hope to expand upon the structure and expectations of those within the Court. Make no mistake; the Court exists as a means of exercising the influence of the Monarchs by the hand of the Consort, and to serve the Palace and keep it lively. This, I do not dispute.

 

But since assuming my Post, I have also seen the Courts act as more. As the grounds upon which nobility and common-folk alike may come and be merry; may come and learn and share in their heritage; may, under the shelter of the Prikaz, be as one people. It has become a passion to fan the flame of this possibility.  

 

Accordingly, those who would claim titles and the posts which accompany them should, I think, be as guides. And by this writing, I hope to illuminate the values I wish to see those guides embody and aspire to; and through them, create a Court which acts as an Institution for the betterment of Our People.

 

FOR THE HEARTH

(in full, For the Hearth of the Realm)

 

I so propose this motto for the Esrova Prikaz as a reminder of the courtier’s ultimate duty. As those who dedicate their lives to the blade defend the Lands; as those who dedicate their lives to the law keep its Balance; so too should those who dedicate their lives to the court nurture its Hearth. Our task is not to lounge about, willfully idle: it is to fan the flames of the enduring Haeseni spirit; to protect Her traditions and pass our customs on to the next; to better ourselves in the pursuit of passion, and in doing so, open the doors for those who come after us to have bountiful paths upon which they may pursue their own joy. So we do at the guidance of the Queen, and by her will; and so we do for the Home and Hearth of our people.

 

 

THE TENETS

I so propose the following Tenets as a code of conduct for those who hold rank among the Court; as a guide for the values we seek to weave into our work; as a summary of the traits we have seen through the Queen-Consorts of Hanseti-Ruska, and which they sought to teach and impart upon their own courts, in their time. 

 

POISE

Virtue 4:9

And so I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not raise a hand in wrath, nor in envy, nor in any kind of sin.

 

If the Royal Court is to be the threshold of the Monarchs’ home, then it must be one where all may enter and be welcome; so long as they, themselves, are welcoming to the rest. It is the practice of poise which allows those of all Hanseti-Ruska’s many walks of life to share the Prikaz’s comfort with courtesy to one another. 

 

 So brings us to the purpose of Etiquette, which as I have so often challenged my students to know, is to speak the language of respect. To know the titles and honorifics of Court and Society is one thing; to act with respect towards those in your company is another, and is as the difference between knowing a vocabulary and speaking a language. Very few enter the Halls of the Prikaz with a full and complete understanding of every demand made by the formal codes of etiquette; but those who come to burn brightest are willing to learn and who forgive errors with grace. To have poise is to balance compassion and discipline – to be warmth without scorching – and to move with a sense of pride in the self and in the service at hand.
 

TRADITION

Spirit 2:17

So to you Sons of Joren I admonish: There is no innovation in faith. 

 

If the Royal Court is to shepherd the customs of Hanseti-Ruska; to invite its Houses to share and celebrate their own cultures; to protect and preserve the practices which have guided us through centuries, then it must always be with regards and respect to Tradition.

 

We are a people who have endured wars across Continents. Not all of our ways are ancient; but whether passed down from a decade, or a century, or an era forgot, it is Tradition which has long since guided the Court and those we serve. So it becomes the duty of the Court to keep Tradition as one keeps a flame; to know those which may no longer serve us as a people, but which have a place among the annals of our history; and to keep alive the ways of those who have come before us. Tradition shall guide the Arts; the Wardrobe; the Studies and the Way of the Court, particularly those of the Queen’s lineage, and shall always be bided as a guiding light.

 

REVELRY

Virtue 3:6

And I have given unto you the wine of sacrament, and the wine of merriment, and I have promised you the world and the Skies.

 

One cannot possibly tend a Court without celebration. Passion is what draws so many into the Court; passion in the purviews which they ascend to Master or Mistress of; passion for people; passion for, in healthy measure, libation, and this passion has been so demonstrated through the Revelry the Court so often hosts.

 

It is, in fact, the heart of the Court to host. We may speak endlessly of poise, and tradition, and etiquette, and demonstration, but it is all rehearsal for a show never put on if we do not open our doors and welcome the rest of the Realm into the hearth we keep - or bring its warmth to them. 

 

 

AND SO ON.

If this writing pleases Her Royal Majesty, Amaya of Venzia, and if it resonates true with the Courtiers who have been steadfast in their posts – some across entire continents – then so shall it be. If not, then I may have an early retirement before me. 

 

I would thank our Queen Dowager, Sofia of Hyspia, for her tutelage in my first years in my position, which I assumed not so long ago, though it feels as if I was a child; my mother, the Grand Lady before me, for her diligence in her duty; my late lord father, for teaching me in his way these very tenets; my wife and truest love; and, of course, my most honored friend Amaya, for her spark.  

 

SIGNÉE PAR,

His Excellency, Fabian Otto d’Arkent-Kortrevich, Grand Lord of Hanseti-Ruska

[sarahbarah 5030]

Amaya smiles as she receives a personal copy of the proposal, smoothing out the creases of the embellished parchment.

 

”We must tend to the hearth of our homeland,” the Queen murmurs; “for the Haeseni spirit is akin to an ever-burning flame that must be kindled.”

[PrimnyaQuorum 1047]

The Master of The Abstract read through the publication several times - at some point several hours later waking up at his desk, the elegantly-written publication now creased and crumbled slightly. He smooths it out as he briefly ponders why he was waking up at his desk, before scanning the document once more.

 

He scoffs in amusement as he notes the several references to fire, and warmth. He resoundingly agrees - idleness does not suit the Courts at all. Of course, a careless fanning of fire can leave poor results - though if ever anyone was suited for this task, it had to be his dearest friends Sofia, and Fabian - and now Amaya, too. 

 

Tired eyes, filled with scenes of a distant night sky, pondered over the last tenet. He scribbled a note next to the finely written heading, to speak with the Grand Lord - perhaps not everything ought require a grand demonstration.

 

The short blonde soon flipped the document over, adding it to one pile among many on the clustered desk. The next time he saw Fabian, The highlander mused, He ought to buy him a drink. 

Truly, Fabian had outdone himself. Haus had no question that whatever his Grand Lord wanted, he would see it through and to its end. On that note, his gaze wandered towards half written and crossed out versions of a publication, and he wondered when he would try aga-

 

A shadow  lurched forward, just in the corner of his vision - for the briefest of moments, fear gripped the blonde as he tumbled up and out of his seat - to find his room empty, as always.

 

With a exasperated, tired expression and made-up mind, he trudged off and away from that dimly lit room - heading out of Veldev with that ever present cloth over his eyes, and the best and strongest bottle of Haeseni Vodka he could find in his bag. He had a Pale Elf to talk to.

 

Though he really ought to speak with Fabian about his role in the Courts. The blonde had been silent for far too long.