June 8, 4000 BC, Outskirts of London, England
"There is our fine capital, Lord Bismarck," said Henry.
After inviting Henry and his Longbowmen into our Palace, with us as guards, Henry proposed a meeting between their ruler, a "Queen Elizabeth," and Bismarck himself. George looked ready to step in and inform Henry that Germany wasn't a country that just let their leader go out or a stroll in the dangerous wilderness, but before he could Bismarck agreed, and it was decided we should accompany him to their capital, London.
Once Bismarck had selected a temporary governor we all departed. Henry and his Longbowmen lead the way, followed by Bismarck who was closely surrounded by us. We were far more cautious as far as our situational awareness went, knowing that the fate of our ruler was in our hands, whether barbarians attacked or, worse, our English "friends" turned against us.
We traveled for eight weeks along the river and, at one point, through a pass between two things Henry referred to as "mountains." Eventually we reached a hill overlooking all of he English territory, where we stood now.
"It is a fine city," Bismarck remarked, "but what is that?
He pointed past the city to a seamlessly unending pool of water.
"Oh, that?" Henry replied nonchalantly, "That's just the ocean. She supplies us with fish to eat but not water to drink."
"If you don't mind my asking," Alfred interjected, "Why can't you drink the water? And what are fish?"
Henry smiled, but I couldn't tell if it was out of amusement or contempt. "Come. There will be plenty of time for questions in our Palace, which actually looks strikingly similar to yours."
Our group entered the English Throne Room. There sat Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth, like Lord Bismarck, did not look much different then as she does now. Of course, if I had known her true nature at the time, I would have killed her right then and there.
She smiled, stood, and outstretched her arms.
"Welcome!" she said in a booming voice, "To our city of London, capital of the kingdom of England. We have been expecting you, Lord Bismarck of Germany."
Of course we already knew she had been expecting us. Henry had sent a messenger ahead to inform the Queen of the meeting of our two nations, so as not to… arouse her upon our approach. Nevertheless, Bismarck returned her welcome with the same booming tone.
"Thank you, Queen Elizabeth of England. I hope our meeting today will secure an era of peace and prosperity for both of our nations for centuries to come. As a show of goodwill, we bring to you a gift, the knowledge of the technology of Masonry."
We knew the English didn't have Masonry when Henry and the other Longbowmen expressed such wonder at our stone buildings. When we questioned him about this wonderment, he told us that the buildings in London were either crude buildings of rock or constructions of sticks, hay, and mud.
Not to be outdone, Elizabeth replied, "And in exchange for such a generous gift, Lord Bismarck, we wish to share with you our knowledge of Sailing."
A kind gesture, to be sure, but not a particularly useful one. I made a mental note to always be cautious around these "English."
After that Bismarck and Elizabeth retreated into a private room to discuss the future of our two countries, leaving us Warriors and the English Longbowmen standing awkwardly in the Throne Room. During our journey we had not associated much, with us concerned with Lord Bismarck's safety and both parties having mutual feelings of distrust.
Peter was the first to break the ice. "I must say, your bows are very different from our own."
One of them, Samson I believe his name was, replied, "We found them in some ancient ruins east of here."
Alfred spoke up, "We actually found our Archery technology in some ancient ruins to our north."
Another Englishman, Gregory, said gruffly, "Perhaps a war was fought between two ancient civilizations. And the southern one won."
That sounded like a threat to me. Apparently my cohorts felt the same, as I saw some clutch their clubs a bit tighter.
We stood there in silence from that point on for another hour or so until Lord Bismarck and Elizabeth finally emerged from the private chamber. In an instant all twenty-four of us were at attention.
Bismarck was the first to speak. "I think Berlin has gone long enough without us, don't you think George?"
"Yes, sir."
Bismarck turned back to Elizabeth. "Thank you once again, your Majesty. I hope we can meet again soon."
She smiled, "Likewise, Lord Bismarck."
We spent the night in London before leaving in the morning. Once out of English territory Bismarck halted us to inform us of the "going-ons" of the meeting.
Both German and English troops would patrol a trade route to be established between Berlin and London. Germany would trade her cotton in exchange for English gold, which was conveniently the currency of both of our civilizations. Borders of both countries would be open for both countries, and a research agreement had been signed that would give a boost to both nations scientific progress. This all sounded well and good, except for…
"…the fact that I don't like her. Personally." Bismarck confided to us.
"Why, sir?" David asked.
"She comes across to me as arrogant, self-serving, and power-hungry," he said bitterly, "When we get back to Berlin the first thing I'm doing is putting in an order for more Warriors."
"You don't think they'll be war with the English, do you Lord Bismarck?" Ralph asked.
"I'm sure of it, son," Bismarck replied, "But let me tell you, when war comes, and it will, it won't be started by me."
Of course Lord Bismarck was right. But more on that later.
A/N: Just want to answer a quick question. Patriotgabe: I will be following the tech tree with more of a focus on era, for example a Civ might unlock many techs in an era quickly, but advance through eras more slowly.