Arachne Alexios, Queen-Consort of Plegia, formerly just Arachne of Naxos, sat in a spacious, sunlit room in the Palace of Thebes. The floor to ceiling windows allowed her to see the majority of the city below, whilst the walls of the room were full of bookshelves and a portrait of herself as a child with her parents. It was her private study within the palace, where she conducted her business and responsibilities.

She was, at least legally, commonborn. The daughter of a garrison commander that just so happened to be so unusually competent at his job, that what was meant to be a two year posting at the Naxos Garrison turned into twenty years. She had grown up surrounded by soldiers, healers and merchants, and eventually found her place with the chaplins, and the comforting holy words of Grima, even serving as one of the elite Dark Fliers of the Grimleal for a time. To them, and the Plegians in general, Darkness, with all its possibilities for change via creation or destruction both was an inherently good thing. That change, and good times and bad times and happiness and joy and sorrow and anguish and birth and death...all part of life, all unknowable and shrouded in the darkness of infinity, all good things. Of course, to the east, where The Faith of Naga was prevalent, 'darkness' had very negative connotations.

She cared little for the thoughts of her neighbours. It was at a Yalda Festival Market over a decade ago where she had first met the man that was now her husband. Of course, back then he was still a Priest and she a Priestess, but as marriages within the clergy were all but encouraged, there was little complaint from either of their parents. Truthfully, it was her own mother that had the most issues with the match, due to the frankly minor fact that Validar had a bastard daughter, and even then it was merely a token compliant as the elder woman had found the then two year old to be adorable (and on a far more serious note, and due to the markings of the Shadowgift, it would not do to hate her for her bastardry when she was so obviously blessed by Grima for greatness).

And now..a decade of marriage and a war later, she was Queen. Her son, the future King and Prince-Consort of Ylisse if all went well. Her Grandchild would rule the majority of the continent. Grima was certainly generous sometimes.

A knock at the door brought her out of her reverie. Running her fingers through her now slowly greying hazel brown hair, she called for them to enter. A moment later, a finely dressed servant entered the chamber carrying a tray. Without even glancing around the room once, he strode towards the Queen's desk, and placed it down. Upon it was a small demitasse cup, filled nearly to the brim with coffee. The servant took a step back, bowed once, and departed the room.

Arachne let out a calming sigh, and brought the small demitasse cup to her lips. Savouring the taste of the rich coffee in the peaceful quiet of her private study. She allowed herself only a single cup of the drink a day and would be damned if she didn't enjoy every sip. There was another knock at the door, but Arachne ignored it, allowing for the rich aroma of her favourite beverage to wash over her.

There was another knock, and her composure snapped.

"I swear to Grima, unless the Almighty has returned or the Palace is on fire, I really don't care, and won't for at least an hour!" The Queen all but roared from her seat.

"Ah. I take it you are taking your coffee, my dear." The voice of Validar, her sweet, loving, sometimes exasperating husband, drifted through from the other side of the door. It was a statement, not a question. "Might I come in, My Lady?"

Arachne let out a calming sigh. "Of course, dear."

Easing the doors open, the King of Plegia and the Plegians strolled in with a broad smile on his face. Barely a step behind him, and wearing smile that matched her father's, was Aversa. Arachne eyed the pair with a suspicious eye, and sipped her coffee.

"If the both of you are here, dare I ask where our son is?"

Aversa simply grinned. "He's on his way. With his letter to Princess Emmeryn too."

The Queen raised an eyebrow, and lowered her cup down onto her desk. She slowly eased herself up to a more imposing, regal stature. "And you're here grinning like mummers for…?"

"Father is happy because dealing with politics is easier than he thought, Robbie's happy because he got to ramble a little in his letter...and I'm happy because classes are done for the day and now I can pamper Vitora for a few hours. Why wouldn't we be smiling?" Aversa smiled.

"Vitora must be the most well cared for pegasus in the Kingdom by now, Ava." A young voice chirped. Robin Alexios, Crown Prince of Plegia strode in, and placed a letter down onto his mother's desk. He turned to look at the trio stood around the desk. "Could you look this over for me? I've got lessons."

"No you don't." His sister fired back with a smile as the King and Queen watched the siblingly back-and-forth. "You mean you're sneaking out Robbie."

"I-I don't-" Her brother stammered.

"Yes you do. You know you do. I know you do. Mother and Father know you do. That pickpocket of a friend of yours knows you do. I'd wager that even that adorable little Argead girl knows you do." Aversa teased her younger sibling. "'S better to just admit it."

Robin let out a sigh, and headed out of the room. "You're no fun, sister! And it's hardly sneaking out if Mother and Father know I do it."

"Have fun son!" Validar cheerfully offered a wave, waiting until the door closed before turning to his wife. "..I'll have the usual guards watching out for him, don't worry."

Arachne hummed, and sipped at her coffee again, and fought back a scowl. It had cooled. She placed the cup down and glanced at the letter on her desk. "So...who's going to read it first?"

Father and daughter turned and held one anothers gazes for a few moments, and both lunged for the letter.

Emmeryn Lowell, Crown Princess of the Halidom of Ylisse.

A thousand apologies for my presumptiveness in writing to you. Grima only knows how you must be feeling receiving this letter, especially so soon after the end of the war.

I am Robin Alexios, although I would have preferred to introduce myself in person, if I am being entirely honest. But as my father and yours are trying to arrange a meeting for us, I thought it prudent that we not be complete strangers when that happens.

Like you, I am blessed by a divine brand, although unsurprisingly my brand is that of Grima, not Naga. I am also blessed with my family's typical silver hair (my father dyes his hair black for some reason or other. I think he thinks it makes him look younger?)

Truthfully, I don't think I make for a good Prince yet, for the last few years I have actually been training and studying to become a priest, like my father. Father's predecessor, King Hasdrubal even suggested that I might have been able to serve as our equivalent of your Hierarch later in life. Alas, I fear that, barring the legitimisation my beloved sister Aversa, I will succeed my father as King of Plegia and the Plegians one day, so those plans are likely to remain unfulfilled. It matters little, as history called my father to Kingship, so too shall I answer as he did.

I believe it only right that I clear up a major misconception that Ylissean's, rightly or wrongly, believe about the Faith of the Grimleal. As our faith is as important to us as yours is to you. I sincerely apologise if any of what you read insults you or yours, that was not my intention.

We that follow the Grimleal faith believe that 'Darkness' does not mean evil. For do we not come into being in the warm darkness of our mother's womb? Do we not rest and sleep under cover of darkness? And when we die, are not our remains consigned to the cool darkness of the grave? To us, the dark represents infinite possibilities for creation, not merely thoughtless destruction.

That is not to say that we consider all darkness to be sacred. Whilst dark magic is accepted as merely just another magic, black magic is illegal in all circumstances, and sometimes it is even thought of as heretical in the most extreme and heinous abuse of it. Dark magic is pure, the power of the creation through destruction or change. Black magic is corrupted, the power of destruction for destruction's sake...or used to create abominations.

I wish you the best, and look forward to meeting you in person soon, or a response should you wish to send me one.

Respectfully Yours, and may the blessings of Grima and Naga both be upon you.

-Robin Alexios.