Princess Ruki of the Friendship Lands

The blue water that stretched out before her was calm this morning. In the clear sunlight she could easily see the main land on the other side. The sand was still moist from the rain which had woken her up last night. The sun was still low on the horizon behind her, and Ruki was sure all the other guests were still sleeping. Getting up at sunrise in the middle of summer... Ruki wouldn't miss it for the world.

On this deserted island off the coast of Madash, peaceful got another meaning. Nobody lived on this island and the only building was a small house, property of Madash's royal family. They only used it to have some peace during their holidays or for special meetings. As Madash was in charge of this year's alliance meeting, they had decided to hold it here, where the rulers of the eastern queendoms could talk without getting interrupted.

Old queen Katine had been the last to arrive yesterday. Ruki was slightly surprised Katine was still in charge of Kin. She was as old as her grandmother, and she could definitely not imagine Regina as queen anymore... and sure enough, Katine looked old. Really old. She had two servants accompanying her at all times and she had trouble walking. But she wouldn't give up her throne in favor of her son until she really really had to.

The meeting would start officially today, after breakfast, so Ruki wanted to take some time for herself. If things would be even remotely like last year's meeting, she would definitely need her moments alone. She was grateful to queen Lenna, who had arranged the meeting here on this remote island. While Lenna was barely older than she was, she had been queen for almost four years now, and she had proven to be a good queen so far.

“Princess Ruki.” One of the maids was walking towards her on the beach.
“Good morning.” Ruki smiled.
“Good morning, my lady. Breakfast will be served soon.” The maid bowed slightly.
“Oh! Is it that late already? Thank you for warning me! I will get back to the mansion soon.” Ruki smiled.
The maid bowed again and turned back.

Ruki gazed out over the water once more, admiring the shore that stretched out before her. She had less time to herself than she had first thought.... well, it couldn't be helped. This was part of her job. As she turned towards the mansion she watched the maid who had called her enter. Well, it was time for her to join the kings and queens and mayors of the east... and whoever else claimed any authority over parts of the continent.

So much time had passed, and still there were parts of the east no one seemed to want and parts ponies were constantly arguing over. Sure, there were the four countries no one seemed to dispute... The Friendship Lands, Kin, Madash and the Tokowa Lands. Oh, and of course the old Friendship Lands. No one argued about that. Although deserted and not much more than a wasteland, the old Friendship Lands belonged to the new Friendship Lands.

Beyond that, however, the east existed mainly of a few cities which had grown vastly over the past ten years and some important trade towns. And while these cities were a blessing, for the ponies who lived in them and for the east as a whole, their rulers were constantly seeking to expand and had recently begun to claim the land surrounding their city, effectively creating a nation. Unfortunately, sometimes these claimed lands overlapped.

As the division between the west and east had all but disappeared, the leaders of the east had decided to create an alliance to face the growing influence of the west. The western nations were strong and united, and their merchants were quick to realize a whole new market was open to them now. The smaller eastern states and cities were not able to face this alone, so a few years ago they had decided to work together to set up regulations and laws.

Ruki had reached the mansion and opened the door. The sweet smell of freshly baked bread welcomed her, making her realize she had indeed not eaten anything yet. She quickly glanced in a mirror, hoping her hair was not too much of a mess, before she proceeded to the dining room, where she saw her fellow rulers already enjoying breakfast.

“Good morning, Ruki!” Lenna exclaimed.
“Good morning Lenna.” Ruki smiled as she sat down next to the queen of Madash.
“Did you enjoy the morning air?” Lenna asked.
“I did. This island is wonderful. The air is so pure and fresh.”
Ruki smiled, well recalling last year's meeting in the city-state of Areste. The young city, close to the breach, had grown so fast every street and every square had been crowded, and the air hadn't been exactly fresh.

“I thought you would think so.” Lenna smiled as she handed Ruki a slice of bread. Ruki gazed across the room and noticed almost everyone was gathered here. Only Katine was not there yet.
“Once Katine gets here, you should give the opening speech.” Lenna said.
“Me?” Wasn't the host supposed to give the opening speech?

“Yea, you. I know I should do it but... I think it will make a bigger impression when you do it. Force them to listen to you already, as everyone very well should.”
Ruki sighed. Not this again.
“They don't have to listen to me. We're all equals here, Lenna.”
Lenna shook her head. “Ruki... this whole alliance was your idea. You made all the arrangements. Everyone listens to you. They know who you are, even if you sometimes forget that yourself.”

And I'm not even queen yet... Ruki put her bread aside, no longer hungry. It was a wise decision, Ruki reflected, to put her in charge of foreign relations. Her mother nowadays only concerned herself with the Friendship Lands themselves. As the only pony known who can wield both prana and eastern powers, Ruki was both feared and respected in the east and the west. She knew that. There was no way she could not know that. And there was the not so small matter of the Guardians who always stood by her side whenever she needed them...

And it put her in a position where she could negotiate with western merchants and rulers without being looked down upon, something her fellow queens had faced all too often. But she did not like being put forward just because of that. She wanted everyone to unite and work together, not listen to whatever it was she had to say only because of what she could do.

“You should do it, Lenna. You're the host. It's part of the job. They'll listen to you as well.” Ruki smiled.
“Yea. Okay. I know. I just thought...”
Lenna didn't finish her sentence when she spotted Katine entering the room, guarded by her two servants and followed by her son Stanno. Ruki didn't recall seeing Stanno last night, but she was glad he was here. He had to take over one day...

Once Katine was properly seated, Lenna got up.
“My fellow queens, mayors and rulers of the east. I welcome you to the sixth annual meeting of the alliance of the east! It is a great honor and pleasure to host this event this year. I hope you will all find the arrangements I made suitable, and I hope you can enjoy your stay on our family island.

After we have finished our breakfast, I would like to ask you all to proceed to the conference room, so we can start our negotiations. I trust you have all received the schedule in time. Now, please continue your breakfast, and if any of you have any questions or complaints, please do not hesitate to approach me or any of my staff. Thank you.”

Lenna sat down again as ponies continued talking.
“See. That wasn't that bad.” Ruki smiled.
“No. It wasn't.” Lenna smiled back. “They just don't listen to me the way they listen to you.” she added.
“They should, though.” Ruki said as she spread the butter on her bread. Lenna didn't reply, but she didn't have to for Ruki to figure out what her friend was thinking. Lenna didn't agree with that at all.

“If my country does not step up, those western merchants will roll over us like we are nothing but sweet cupcakes! We need to protect our own, and for that we need land to create farms on and to expand our city.” Angry, the mayor of Areste sat down again. Ruki shook her head slowly. With that tone of voice they'd never get anywhere.

“There is no reason why Areste should expand in our direction!” The ruler of Frayea stood up.
“South and east of you, there is plenty of unclaimed space with only a few farmers who would embrace the advantages of being part of a kingdom! Why must you expand north? We claimed those lands three years ago!” “And proceeded to do nothing with them!”

“LADIES!” Ruki yelled, much louder than she had intended. Two hours in, and she was already at the end of her patience. Everyone fell silent and stared at her.
“Please. Arguing like this is not going to get us anywhere! We've only been here for two hours and already you two are fighting! We are here to find solutions to problems that affect us all, not to make matters worse!”

“I... You are right, Lady Ruki. Of course. I was out of place. My apologies.” The mayor of Areste bowed slightly before she sat down once again.
“Good. Now. I think we all agree that we need to step up with our policies against the west. As we all know, the opening of the breach has given us many advantages; their trade has created many jobs, their products brought us luxuries previously unaffordable.

But I personally feel like things might be going a bit too far as of late. Wherever I look, I see western products or merchants. They let us create their products because we accept lower wages, but if we are not careful our ponies will be exploited only so that they can make more money. So yes, we need to stand strong. And Areste is an important city for dealing with the west. It is one of the largest city in the east and it is closest to the breach.

But that does not mean you can just go and claim lands as you see fit! If we want to be strong, we need to work together. We need to agree on our regulations and stick to them! Now, I propose that we will discuss this problem of those lands later, with just the three of us. It doesn't concern anyone else. But please, can we for now focus on what does concern us all?”

Ruki fell back in her chair. Everyone was silent, and she knew they'd agree with her.
“T...Thank you, princess Ruki.” Lenna said as she got up.
“Now, I do think we can all use a little refreshment. Why don't we have our coffee break now and we shall proceed in twenty minutes.”
This suggestion was the best one Ruki had heard in two hours.

Everyone rushed out of the room to get coffee, but Ruki decided to get some fresh air instead. She opened the large door of the conference room and stepped outside into the green garden. The skies were clear, all traces of last night's rain gone. She heard the seagulls cry in the distance and the waves hit the shores of the island.

“You did well.”
 Ruki didn't have to look to recognize Stanno. He was one of the few males here.
“Thanks. I hate it when they do that... pressing their own pitiful problems on others, while we have such larger problems to face.”
“I know. But you solved it well.” Stanno smiled.
He was so ready to become king, Ruki realized. If only his headstrong mother would see it too.

“Where are your wife and children?” Ruki asked, eager to change the subject.
“Oh, they are on holiday in Madash. They traveled with us but stayed behind in a mansion we rented. The kids still love the ocean... it's such a rare thing for them.” Ruki smiled, thinking of Stanno and Togli's four children.

“What about Yuuro? I thought I would meet my little brother here.” Stanno asked.
“Oh. No, he ended up going to Frayea and make some deals for food for the winter. My mother and father and aunts were all so busy, he offered to do it.” Ruki was grateful to her husband- if he hadn't offered, she would have had to go to Frayea after the meeting here.

“Ah. Such a shame. Well, I am sure I will meet him again soon.”
“Of course you will.” Ruki smiled.
Thanks to her marriage to Stanno's brother Yuuro, the relationship with Kin had improved greatly, and their two countries worked together on almost everything now, and helped each other out. When a village was flooded two years ago in Kin, nobody in the Friendship Lands hesitated to go and help out.

“And how is your daughter doing nowadays?” Stanno asked.
“She's growing up... way too fast.”
“Oh, I know what you mean.”
Her daughter... her beautiful, wonderful daughter. She had begged her to come along, but Ruki didn't think Caleantha would find these meetings as exciting as she thought she would.

When Ruki was the age Caleantha was now, she had been traveling the world alone, searching for her mother. But now that she saw her own girl being fourteen years old, she could not even begin to imagine how worried her parents must have been. Thankfully, Caleantha was safely at home with Taira, and Ruki had nothing to worry about.