This is for aldersprig and anyone else who wanted to see what Rune's relatives are up to. It runs to 861 words.

Caliburn Sjeldnjar was lying in wait for his only niece’s husband, Archduke Franz of Terrencia. That involved staying judiciously out of arm’s reach because he suspected that a fit, retired major-general on the shady side of sixty would not ( Read more... )

The official negotiations were done and the political deal had been struck.  Now the two people who were going to have to make the public, symbolic front- end of those agreements work were meeting in a conference room.  Archduke Franz had one of his uncle’s negotiators at his side while Vordamma Princesza Rune sat opposite him with a man who seemed ( Read more... )

Archduke Franz was exploring the back streets of a foreign capital on foot, alone and at night because he was bored.  He had spent two weeks shuttling between the Embassy and the palace to be trotted out when his Imperial Uncle’s negotiators wanted to point out that the ninth in line to the Terrencian Imperial Diadem was really quite a good deal.

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