=== Alfred & Diamant ===
--- C ---


[Alfred]
Good morning, Prince Diamant. I see that
you're an early riser, like myself.
[Diamant]
Not quite, Prince Alfred. "Night owl into early
bird" would be more accurate.
[Alfred]
You mean you've been up all night?!
[Diamant]
That's right.
[Diamant]
I sat down to handle a pressing task before bed.
Next thing I knew, I was watching the sunrise.
[Alfred]
What was it you were doing?
[Diamant]
I was drafting requests for funding to send to
Brodia's nobles. Our military needs support.
[Diamant]
Any loans will be used as political leverage in
the future. I'm worried...but out of options.
[Alfred]
Huh. I mean, I see. I can sympathize with
your plight.
[Alfred]
Every crown prince has the same troubles, it
seems, no matter what realm they rule.
[Diamant]
Hmm... I don't doubt it.
[Alfred]
Well then. I must carry on with my
morning patrol.
[Diamant]
Would you mind if I joined you? It would be
foolish of me to try to sleep now.
[Diamant]
A walk and talk with the prince of a neighboring
kingdom sounds much more enjoyable.
[Alfred]
That's kind of you. Sad that we only get the
opportunity during hard times, isn't it?
[Alfred]
But a long walk might be just the thing we need
to get to know each other.
[Alfred]
Let me start with a question for you.
[Alfred]
What's your favorite muscle?
[Diamant]
What? Haha, that's your opener?
[Alfred]
Oh, whoops.
[Alfred]
I was trying so hard to keep up the act, but I
guess I blew it with that question.
[Diamant]
No, you're fine. I think I'll take a page from you,
actually. I could stand to be a little less formal.
[Alfred]
No fooling? Aw, that'd be swell,
Prince Diamant!
--- B ---


[Alfred]
Hey there, Prince Diamant.
[Diamant]
Prince Alfred! Are you on your way to another
workout session?
[Alfred]
Yep! I thought I'd ask if you wanted to tag
along. Is this a bad time?
[Diamant]
It's a great time. I was just getting ready for
some exercise myself.
[Alfred]
Nice. So let's head on over.

[Alfred]
HYAH!
[Diamant]
Hgh! HYAH!
[Alfred]
Agh! That all you got?!
[Diamant]
Ha! Hardly. Let's see how you handle this!

[Alfred]
I'm...ready to call it a day.
[Diamant]
I think I am too. That was really great.
[Diamant]
It's funny...
[Diamant]
I never thought I'd end up crossing swords with
a rival prince outside of a battlefield.
[Alfred]
Heh, while smiling, at that. It was a good
workout.
[Diamant]
I know our kingdoms signed a nonaggression
pact, but I never pictured this as an outcome.
[Diamant]
It was...nice.
[Alfred]
Come on! You can do better than, "It was nice."
What about this?
[Alfred]
"It was better than I could've dreamed!"
That's the way I'd put it.
[Diamant]
Haha, that sounds about right.
[Diamant]
If our countries hadn't become allies in this war,
we wouldn't have been able to spar together.
[Diamant]
I suppose that's something to be thankful for.
[Alfred]
There you go! That's thinking positive.
[Diamant]
It's nice to think that the two of us will come
out of this war as friends.
[Alfred]
Hate to break it to you, but I'm not so sure
that's possible. Things won't always be like this.
[Diamant]
They won't?
[Alfred]
Afraid not. By the time the war's over...we'll be
even better buddies!
[Diamant]
Haha! I like the way you think, Prince Alfred.
--- A ---


[Diamant]
Prince Alfred, may I speak with you?
[Alfred]
Sure thing, Prince Diamant.
[Diamant]
Let's find a quiet spot.
[Diamant]
This needs to be a private conversation.

[Alfred]
Now that we're settled, what's the big deal?
[Diamant]
...
[Diamant]
Prince Alfred, I share the following concern not
as a friend...but as the crown prince of Brodia.
[Alfred]
...
[Diamant]
As you know, the kingdom of Brodia prioritizes
military might above all else.
[Diamant]
Our kingdom is home to many ambitious people.
That might explain those priorities.
[Diamant]
Our culture also teaches that it's honorable to
gain things by force.
[Alfred]
Go on...
[Diamant]
Thanks to Queen Ève, our two kingdoms have
signed a nonaggression pact. However...
[Alfred]
You're saying you can't promise it'll last.
[Diamant]
That's right.
[Alfred]
What do you think will happen?
[Diamant]
I have my own hopes, but I won't just force
them upon my kingdom.
[Diamant]
The will of my people must come first. I have to
fight for whatever future serves them best.
[Alfred]
I understand. I'm in the same tight spot.
[Alfred]
That said, everything'll be fine. You've got
nothing to worry about.
[Diamant]
How can you be sure?
[Alfred]
Well, I mean... Everyone from Brodia seems
so nice.
[Diamant]
...
[Diamant]
I'm not sure if you're joking.
[Alfred]
I can't speak for the whole kingdom, but all the
Brodians I've met were nice enough.
[Alfred]
I don't think they want a war over nothing.
I think things are gonna work out.
[Alfred]
I trust the good folks of Brodia that way.
[Diamant]
You trust in the goodwill of others? Even the
citizens of neighboring kingdoms?
[Alfred]
People are people, no matter where they're
from. Is trusting in them so bad?
[Diamant]
Haha.
[Diamant]
No, it's not bad at all. In fact, trust might be the
most important quality for a leader to have.
[Alfred]
Heh heh, I'm with you on that one.
[Diamant]
I'm glad to have met you, Prince Alfred.
[Diamant]
Here's to our growing friendship─and trust─as
fellow crown princes of allied kingdoms.
[Alfred]
Looking forward to working with you,
Prince Diamant!
[Alfred]
I think this is the start of something beautiful
between our kingdoms. And between us.
--- S ---