Metal Birds

Chapter 16: Speeches and Banter

Kafr Saad, Egypt, August 1934  

The Summit began early the next morning. No anthems were had, no promises were made, as there were none. They all merely rose, cleaned and dressed themselves properly, and had gathered to be seated where Imhotep wanted them.

How the man did it, he had no idea. Their host had to think through every hostility and turmoil in order to place them without complaint. The amphitheater fit everyone snugly, but no one complained about it over a whisper. By the time the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, they had all settled, their flags stood beside them on small blocks in order to distinguish who was speaking properly.

He sat with a soft yawn, watching as Imhotep moved to stand in the center of the amphitheater, what would have once been a stage or a battleground, now highlighted by the wall of rubble behind it. The chatter died down quickly as he raised his arms and wings to silence everyone, his eyes drifting about the crowd until a true silence had fallen over the place.

Even then, he paused, before finally speaking.

"We have all gathered here today to follow the traditions of our ancestors. When unrest comes to our world, we take it among ourselves to settle it. We will do this through diplomacy-" he paused, "Or, if we see fit, combat. However, we must all remind ourselves that this gathering was designed for the greater good of all Nations. We must consider those we question, and we must consider those who question us. Now, we have all been through trying times recently. We mustn't let this turn us from the ways of the ancients. We must think wisely of our words and motives. Now, please. Let us begin."

He took a step back, and a few other Nations stood from their seats, shifting towards the steps with their flags. Those who wouldn't be speaking stood around the edge, just beneath those viewing the whatever was to come from the bottom row.

"Aarav Rajput, India!" Imhotep stated loudly, extending a hand to welcome the man.

The meeting began.

Arthur listened intently. Each speaker had many things to speak about. Most asked for assistance in recovering from the recent downward curve in the economy. Others asked for payment for the acts of their people during the Great War. Others, still, asked for independence with a clear and forward reasoning. Many of them gained a private conversation with those they asked aid from. Arthur found himself nodding and accepting a lot of the requests asked upon him, though he accepted them solemnly. Aarav was the first to ask this, and Arthur saw why. But there was still more to discuss.

By the time the sun could be seen over the edge of the ruins, and the sky was beginning to turn from pink and yellow and into blue, he saw Ludwig step forward.

He stepped forward stiffly, not facing towards those observing at all before shaking Imhotep's hand, exchanging a few words, and then finally turning to them. Arthur quickly glanced at those surrounding. There was no doubt that some others discussed things before the meeting, and he needed to know who.

He quickly noted that Ivan sat forward, quickly followed by Gilbert, of course. But he spotted Poland -Felicyta- and Czechoslovakia -Hynrik- seem to shift back slightly. Much to his surprise, he also spotted Austria -Roderich- shifting uncomfortably far to the left. Arthur looked forward, blinking in surprise. He hadn't seen Roderich the previous night, or anywhere around the previous days either. Why was he here now?

He flicked back to attention as Ludwig began to speak.

"The Great War has left us all in shambles." He started. The silence as he spoke was unnerving, but Arthur felt as if there was no choice but to listen to the man. He walked slowly, side to side as he reasoned, his wings kept tucked to his back unless he came across something almost revolutionary. "We have lost more now, than we could have gained in our successes. So we must work together in order to recover from our losses. I would like to propose that, in order to better recover, some of us... share territories. That we share produces. Perhaps we may even be able to open up trade routes for each other."