Part Three – New Rules

A couple of days since the departure of the President of the Eagle Union President and his 'escort' of Washington, the fact that he had used that word rather than date left me wondering just who was blocking those kansen rights in the EU, that however was neither here nor there. Right now I'm in an office with the heads of the various parties that make up my Senate and I slam my open palms down on a desk as I all but yell out, "What do you mean I don't have the power to grant her asylum?!"

The three members of the Senate looked at each other and a woman in her late forties cleared her throat as she said, "Your Imperial Majesty, it is simply not done by you. Traditionally the office of foreign affairs deals with that."

"She raised me, god damn it!" I nearly bellow out at the three of them.

"We understand that, but there are limits to what the Crown can and cannot do." She says, holding firm.

Taking my hand off the desk I close my eyes and breath in and out slowly before I say to her, "Is there a list?"

I watch as she slips a hand into her desk and takes out a book and hands it to me as she says, "Yes."

I take the book with one hand and sigh out, "Thanks."

She gives me an all too polite smile as she says, "You're most welcome your Imperial Majesty, you best go and read that to figure out what you can and cannot do."

I bid them all good day and take the book with me to the car, as I get into it I slam the door behind me. My Aunt Littorio tilts her head to the side as she takes on a tone that suggested she knew this would happen as she said, "I warned you about them."

"Did you know there's a book with all the stuff I can and can't do?" I ask her as I toss the book down on the seat beside me.

"I had no idea about the book, as far as I knew it was simply these rules; Number one; you get to decide if we go to war. Number two; you can create or dissolve the Senate. Number three; you can bestow titles and lands to people as well as approve all matches for the nobility. Number four; you can appoint ministers and lords to oversee the interests of the Empire. Number five; you sign laws into being. Number six; you can pardon criminals, Number seven; you command our armed forces. And lastly, number eight; you get to issue passports." She says, almost smiling as she got to the last one.

"Seriously?" I ask with an eyebrow raised.

She nods and flicks some of her long green hair as she nods and says, "Seriously, that's it."

"What happens if I dissolve the Senate and just take power for myself?" I ask, not that I actually wanted to do that.

Littorio gives me a sideways look before saying, "A lot of bad things, we've had a long history with monarchs doing that and it never ends well, well for the people it ends well. For the monarch that did it, their head usually ends up on a pike."

Flopping back against my seat I groan out, "Wonderful. Is there any way I can put pressure on Foreign Affairs to give Yorktown asylum?"

She looks thoughtful for a moment before crossing her legs and looking out the window as she says, "You could, but then it would look like you are trying to force their hand."

Folding my arms across my chest I sigh, "Because that's exactly what I would be doing."

She reaches over and pats me on the head as she laughs and teases out, "You're learning, Vittorio would be so proud." She then goes back to looking out the window for a while before she says, "I'm a little worried about what you said was going on in the EU, it sounds like the kansen there are slaves in all but name."

With a sigh, I nod as I say, "They are, and I said to Tillman, that I wouldn't deal with a nation that wouldn't treat their kansen as equals."

Littorio smiles a little as she shifts in her chair and says to me, "I'm glad to hear it, perhaps we should reach out to some of the other nations that treat their kansen with respect and see about forming an alliance that has that as a requirement."

"Aside from the Royal Navy and the Iron Blood, who else would you suggest?" I ask as I look out the window.

"Those two for sure, but perhaps also the Sakura Empire, that way the EU would feel pressure from both sides." Littorio says.

"Several weaker fighters can bring down one stronger fighter." I muse to myself, thinking about the letter my father had left for me.

"What was that?" she asks when her eyes drift to me.

I shake my head as I say, "Something in the letter my father left for me."

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After returning to the Winter Palace, I was in a bit of a mood, finding out I have very little real power was a little disheartening, but I understood why it strikes a balance between moving forward as a nation and holding true to our traditions. Still, it was frustrating that my hands were tied when it comes to helping Yorktown. As I start to make my way to the residence, I can hear Zara and Pola arguing and I say to myself, "Oh what fresh hell is this?"

Taking a moment to compose myself before I open the door and see Zara standing with a letter in one hand with both arms folded under her bust and one leg out to the side, whereas Pola was red in the face, hands on her hips and leaning forward into Zara's space as she hollered out, "WHY?!"

Tilting my head to the side and walking in, Zara looks over her shoulder and smiles at me before handing me the letter as she says to her sister, "Because, you are my sister, and that makes you very both very desirable and valuable to others."

Unfolding the letter and giving it a quick skim, I see that it's a request from the Queen of England for her second grandson to be matched to Pola. It hit me right then, that I'd be asking Pola to do what Hood had been asked to do. I fold the letter as I move to the couch to sit and look out the window as I recall that alliances are key to being a strong and wealthy nation, something my father had wanted the Empire to be. After a little while I finally speak, "Zara, could you give us a few moments?"

"Si, my love." She says before stopping to kiss my forehead and she went off to the bedroom.

Once I heard the door click shut I turned my attention to Pola who was still looked rather mad and I sigh out, "It sucks, and I hate that I'm even considering this, but," I pause to look off to the side as I add, "but for the health of our Empire and to be in a position to effect change in other nations this," again I pause and lift up the letter, "represents our chance at a strong alliance."

"But I don't even know this person!" Pola protests.

"You're right, but you are going to be part of the Imperial Family soon and this means things like this are going to happen." I say to her as I get off the couch and go to look out the window and add over my shoulder, "If I could offer you a match here, I would, but none have been offered yet."

I see her relax a little but she folds her arms under her bust and puts on a pout as she says to me, "I still don't like it."

"And I don't like asking you to do it." I say to her, taking a deep breath as I add, "I hate that I'm likely going to ask my aunt Littorio and Mamma to do something similar at some point."

She's quiet for a moment before saying, "Maybe ask Giulio and Trento to be used like that, I'm not sure asking your mother and aunt would be the best idea."

I nod and smile at Pola as I offer a hug to her as I say, "Thanks for the suggestions, I'd feel better asking them to do this for the Empire than asking my Mamma to do this."

Pola rolls her eyes and comes over for a quick hug and a tight squeeze as she says, "At least vet this boy before you send me to meet with him, alright?"

"I will, you can count on that." I answer as I let her out of the embrace.

Pola turns to leave and when she gets to the door she says over her shoulder and says to me, "I think Zara is feeling a little," she pauses to wink as she says, "frisky today."

It took me a moment to catch her meaning as I blink a couple of times and grin as I say, "Thanks, Pola."

She gives me a dismissive hand wave as she leaves the residence and I head to the bedroom, once I step inside I see Zara's clothing on the floor in a trail to the bed, and in there I see her with the blankets up to her chin as she teases, "What took you so long?"

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After some much-needed intimacy with Zara, I'm sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard and looking out the window, my mind not where my body is. Zara picks up on this and squeezes my left hand as she asks, "What are you thinking about?"

Twisting to look at her and the glow she had, I smiled at her as I say, "The weight and limited power of the crown."

Zara lifts our hands to kiss my knuckles before letting go of my hand and slipping out of the bed to start getting dressed as she asks me, "Do this have anything to do with Yorktown?"

I nod and sigh as I say, "She needs help, needs my help, but there is so very little I can do for her. I can't grant the asylum request that has to go through the ministry. I can't pressure the ministry to do it, lest I'm putting for undue influence on them for personal reasons."

Once she has slipped on some underwear she flops onto her belly facing me, resting her chin on her hands as she says, "Why does she want asylum?"

That was when it hit me, I hadn't talked to Zara about all of this yet. I had been so wrapped up in it, I had forgotten to talk to her, hanging my head I sigh and tell her, "Things are getting bad in the Eagle Union for Kansen, racism, likely government-supported racism, is running wild and they are slaves in all but name there." I pause and see her eyes narrow and her nostrils flair out as I continue, "So I can't send her back there without it being a human rights violation."

Zara was quiet for a few moments before asking, "And what did the senate say to you?"

"To let things take their course." I say as I ball my fists beside me and sigh.

Zara moves up the bed and places her hands on my left fist as she scolds me, "This is what you've been carrying on your shoulders? Why didn't you talk to me about this sooner? I am going to be your wife, you need to share these things with me."

I nod and smile at Zara as I say to her, "I know, I know." I pause and look off to the side as I say, "And I told Pola that we are going to consider this marriage request."

Zara moves again to be sitting in front of me, her hands going to my cheeks as she looks me in the eyes as she says, "Cristiano, you did what is needed with Pola. I love my sister, but I'm not blind to the fact that she has value for an alliance with another power." She pauses to kiss me before adding, "Just make sure she is used for something good."

I smile at Zara as I continue to talk, "I also got a letter from my father the other night, he had written it before he died, and it said much the same thing."

"Oh?" she asks as she sits back.

I move forward to push her onto her back as I start to kiss her neck and whisper, "Do you know how hard it is to think about other things right now."

Zara adjusts her hips and legs under me as she whispers back, "You want to go another round, already?"

"Yes." I whisper in her right ear as I playfully nip her earlobe.

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A few days later I'm pacing around the Winter Palace, really I should rename this place to the Imperial Palace as I'm spending more time here than in Roma. At least President Tillman had started his return trip and Yorktown was due back in the port next week. Today however an important meeting was going to happen, today I was meeting with the Chancellor of the Iron Blood. This was something I was both dreading and looking forward to, I mean they had tried to kill me as a baby, had a hand in the tempted coupe by my great uncle and his children. My mother had told me not to take such political games personally as all is fair in the political arena, so long as you don't get caught.

Taking a slow and deliberate route to the gardens I adjust my grey jacket and stop to look out into the gardens. A table had been set up under a temporary gazebo, sitting at the table I see a young man, not much older than I am at most, beside him a tall, very beautiful blond woman in a very elegant looking black dress. Damn, I should've asked Zara to stick around the palace today for this. Giving my clothing one last adjustment I step outside and make my way to the table.

Once I'm there, both the young man and the woman stand just before they bow and say as one, "Your Imperial Majesty."

"Hello," I start in a slightly puzzled tone before I regain my footing and ask, "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else."

He nods as he says, "I understand, but this was too important to be left to the former Chancellor Kiesinger." He pauses for a moment before adding, "So in his place, my father felt it would be better to send me, Prinze Georg of Prussia." The prince extended his hand to me and gestured with his other to the blond as he added, "And allow me to introduce my wife, the flagship of the Iron Blood navy, Bismarck."

I give his hand a firm, if quick handshake before I kiss her extended hand as I say, "A pleasure to greet you both."

Bismarck blushed a little as I took a seat and they both followed suit, I did a quick look at the table to see the document pouches at each space, just as I reach for mine, the Prince speaks up, "Wait, first, allow me to show you this." He pauses and takes out his phone before giving Bismarck a sad look as he says, "The headline from tomorrow's paper in Berlin."

I look at the image and I see the man I was expecting to see here surrounded by police officers and cuffs on his wrists, the headline is in German and I'm having a hard time making sense of it. As if she was reading my expression, Bismarck spoke up, "My adoptive father has been arrested and charged with conspiracy against the Crown's interests."

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the Prince reaching over and squeezing Bismarck's hand as he says, "We couldn't have done it without you."

She nods and looks down and away as she says, "I know, but it is still painful to know that I turned him in."

The Prince turned his attention to me as he said, "The Iron Blood crown would like to extend our apologies for all the misfortune that has befallen you by the actions of the former Chancellor. We would like this to be a step forward for both of our nations and move past the poison of the past."

This I wasn't expecting, but I know I need this, with a nod I say to him, "I thank you for that, we two of the Empire would like to put the troubles of the past behind us, as we have much more important things to deal with."

"Such as?" he asks, it wasn't lost on me his posture and bearing, he was clearly born to his potion and was more than ready for it.

I take a deep breath as I say to him, "As I'm sure you are aware of the events that led me to this position," I pause to see him nod and I continue, "my adoptive mother from my time in the Eagle Union, the U.S.S. Yorktown, brought some information to my ear that is extremely concerning." I pause again and shift my position in the chair as I open the document pouch and see that everything is laid out there. I see the both of them do the same, Bismarck's blue eyes narrow while the Prince's lips compress before he says, "How can they let something like that happen there?"

"I'm not sure, but it needs outside pressure to stop." I say to both of them.

Bismarck and the Prince look at each other and nod before looking to me and saying, "We will help with this, but we ask one thing of you."

"And that is?" I ask, a little curious.

"We would like to introduce you to one of our kansen," He says to me, pausing as Bismarck picks up right where he left off, "we both understand that marriage for Kings and Emperors are often done for political reasons."

I put a hand up as I say, "I'm sorry, but I'm engaged already."

"We are aware." She says to me, pausing before adding, "But we would like you to make room in your court for one of our kansen, her name is Wesser and she is one of our aircraft carriers."

Zara is going to kill me.

I force a smile on my face as I nod and say to them, "I will at least meet with Wesser then."

The Prince smiles as he slaps the table and says "Gut! Now with that out of the way, where is this Zara you are going to make Empress?"

I blink a couple of times before I say, "She's spending the day with her sister Pola, actually."

"Even better, we should find them and join them." He suggests smiling at his wife as he playfully teases her, "It could be a good example for you and Tirpitz."

Bismarck gives a little laugh as she says, "I could use some pointers there."

With a nod, I start to stand as I say, "I think they are at the beach that's not too far from here, actually."

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A/N: Things are starting to build against the EU and build for kansen rights!