by King Stefan Karkov » Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:40 am
The collective gasp of the people in the room was something to withhold, and Katarina looked like she might well faint again -- so much for getting on the King's good side!
The king paused for a moment, looking Jez up and down as if for the first time.
"This country has survived, independent and proud, through the attempted outside control of the Byzantines, the Ottomans, the Austrians, the Germans, the Soviets and the Latverians. Withstanding the pressures of those outside our borders who would do us harm is a key part of Symkarian identity," he said, coolly. "We have looked in the face of the greatest tyrants the world has ever seen, and they have blinked. To reduce us to that of a mere buffer shows the...arrogance of those from outside our walls. We are a power in our own right; an equal at the world table. And to pretend otherwise is folly.
Katarina was kidnapped by a Symkarian royal house, with the aid of a member of the Symkarian royal guard. These are enemies from within -- internal elements attempting to destabilize us. Out of a lust for the power I hold, the prerogatives I wield. An attack on my daughter is an attack on me, and an attack on me is an attack on Symkaria."
He took a step closer to Jez, bending down slightly to better look her in the eye.
"My daughter is...curious. By nature. She has many hobbies and interests I do not agree with. But that is fine, and I am willing to turn a blind eye to...things, as long as they bring her happiness," he said, staring straight at Jezabelle. "It is her right to learn as much as she can, and if that includes new ideas that threaten us? We shall have to learn to accept them one day -- or else she will have to step down and let another Royal Family reign, perhaps one who does not have the best interest of our people at heart. Perhaps one who welcomes being a buffer state -- or one who aspires to more active ends. It is a balance that is very difficult to walk, and one prone to causing falls.
And when those falls occur, I am there to catch her. It would be bad enough if this plot had threatened the Golden Girl of Symkaria, the People's Princess, the future Mother of Her Country from whom the next generation of leaders shall spring. But this is my daughter who was threatened. I shall spare nothing to keep her safe at all costs. And I shall not be driven from that path by freshman year political analysis."