An Unexpected Gift

Another day, another noon. The same sunlight once again scorched Stork Port's flagstones, but the air was filled with a scent entirely unlike yesterday's.

The Wesen Army had spent the night cleaning the harbor and sprinkling it with floral water. A faint fragrance of flowers now hung in the air.

A sea of people stretched from the docks deep into the streets. The crowds jostled shoulder to shoulder, packed so tightly that it was impossible to see where they ended.

The soldiers maintaining order stood tall and proud. They had all changed into dress uniforms and pinned on every medal they could find. Their boots had been polished until they gleamed like mirrors.

The residents of Stork Port stood shoulder to shoulder, craning their necks as far as they could. The weather-beaten faces of them all shone with a pure, fervent light, almost like that of pilgrims, driving away yesterday's gloom.

From every towering mast to every pointed tower roof, the Duchy of Weissen's red-and-gold Double-Headed Eagle Banners fluttered in the wind like a spreading wildfire, their grandeur almost blotting out the sky.

King Rudolf stood at the edge of the castle's high, cold stone terrace. The rough stone balustrade dug into his tightly clenched hands, his knuckles white.

A legendary sail-less speedboat—the Flying Tulip—glided through the waves like a proud silver swan, accompanied by the Flying Cornflower and other steamships. Swift and graceful, the flotilla pulled into Stork Port's harbor.

Its prow rose high, and the enormous red-and-gold Double-Headed Eagle Banner at its bow reflected the blazing noon sun, shining like burning gold leaf.

On the bow deck stood a slender, upright figure, alone against the wind: Countess Maria von Ertal, the Grand Duke of Weissen's plenipotentiary, Minister of Culture of the Duchy of Weissen, and the Grand Duke