Prince's speech to the Senate and the Nation

[Nathaniel]

It was just when the sun began to set this Eljere afternoon in Eliria. The Senate was convening. A few gentlemen sitting in a majestic room with great windows to the west and a beautiful view of the sunset in the hills beyond the city gates.

But as usual, Senate meetings are mainly plays, already written up and directed by masters of theatre, so that they could be televised unto the world, for the world's envy.

This day was special. The people had been promised to meet their Prince. Nathaniel, the people's prince, the prince of Elwynn, would address them through the Senate, this council of the Wise of Elwynn.

The Warden of Elwynn Proper, this province of Elwynn in which the free dwell in happiness and indulgence, spoke.

"Senators!" he began and then repeating himself, "My Senators... of Elwynn". His voice was dark and powerful, it conveyed confidence that Deimos never had as Prince. It was pure poetry to the listeners.

As Nathaniel sat in the corner of the Senate chamber, away from the cameras, he liked listening to Deimos's voice and words. They were, in a way, without him paying note to any of the individual words, comforting, reminding him of childhood preachers speaking of the love of the gods and the beauty and truth of the world.

When Deimos finished his speech, Nathaniel could only smile. Being in the Senate, being among people, among cleanliness and civilized manners, it was amazing, it was almost orgasmic. These feelings of freedom, although as his "bodyguard" had said, "freedom under responsibility, intense responsibility", were fantastic, they were like drug to him. He'd do anything to have this sense of freedom again.

He checked his reflexion in the mirror. He did look better than he thought he would. His bruises were covered my make-up, and his hair seemed alive and full of colour. He practised his smile, just as his bodyguard said he should. He wanted to convey the same confidence as his predecessor, Deimos, did now. Nathaniel wanted to be a good prince. He wanted freedom. Most of all, though, he wanted to be good.

"Be good!" he now heard his bodyguard whisper in his ear. It was almost as if the bodyguard had read his mind. But Nathaniel didn't care, he liked this reminder.

"Senators of Elwynn, Fellow Elwynnese, I have the honour to present to you your prince. After a period of illness, in which sadly he still lingers, our Prince has asked to address the nation to give it his thanks for the unity of the people and their prayers for his well-being.

"Senators, I give you His Serene Highness the Prince of Elwynn, Nathaniel Ayreon-Dariolin!"

The Senators all stood up. Their backs were straights. Their gazes showed respect and awe. Nathaniel felt great. He was being good. If he only could keep being good. He had learnt the speech given him by heart, and he knew exactly when to raise his voice, when to make a rhetorical pause, and which words to stress and which words to whisper. Yes, he had to be good. He wanted to be good. He wanted to please.

"Senators of Elwynn, my brothers and sisters across the world -- all of us -- Children of Elwynn, thank you for listening to me here today. As you know, I have been... unwell...quite unwell..."

Nathaniel spoke with fire in his voice. It captivated the audience. He didn't pay any attention to what he said, it was already there for him to say, but he made his best to articulate exactly as he was told.

The audience across Elwynn and, perhaps, the world would hear Nathaniel speaking greatly of his uncle, of his long-lost family that he had been reunited with. He spoke of the beautiful things that the Conducator had done for this country.

As Nathaniel was ill, he needed a legal guardian for the duration of his illness. His uncle, out of love and kindness, took care of him from the first breath of his nephew's illness, of his affairs, of his work, of his princeship.

Nathaniel shed a tear, just as he was told to, when he spoke of hiis illness being chronic and, sadly, there was not much hope for any greater improvement.

"But I promise you" he said and love shone through his eyes, "I will be your prince for as long as I can and for as long as you will have me your prince. But the Conducator will be the man in government, and along with his Steward -- our Steward of the State -- great things will happen, just as they have been foreseen."

[Verion]

(Can you please change your avatar?)

[Kaiser Aiomide]

Please use the one where his shirt is open and he's sparkling.

[Nathaniel]

When Nathaniel left the Senate chamber, once the cameras were out, he heard how the Senators in the chamber ridiculed him. He was determined to be even better next time. One day, he would be so good that they would actually like them.

"You did okay, I'm glad" Nathaniel's bodyguard told him. "Next time you'll be better, yeah?"

Nathaniel checked the mirror once more. Yeah, the make-up was still on. No bruises could be seen still. He chuckled when he likened himself to a vampire.

For a second he was a child, showing his teeth to himself.

"Nathaniel? Stop checking your teeth, don't be so vain. Who knows, we might change that smile of yours one day... Your uncle has a nice hammer..."

"Okay...."

"I'm just kidding. As long as you're good yeah?"

"Yeah" Nathaniel smiled. He liked his bodyguard, a kind and friendly man.