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The court of Rome admits all diplomats from around the world, and allows them neutral ground to parley. The quarters and meeting hall, graciously provided by the Roman Legate with the blessing of His Holiness, are lavish and the delegates find themselves lacking for nothing.
The English diplomat takes up his position with a page by his side and a scribe to note down his words. He is an aged man of fourty-two, broad shouldered but rather short, with a hawkish nose and deceptively calm blue eyes.
"William d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel, at your service. I am a distant cousin of William the First, for those of you whom are unfamiliar with England's many noble houses."
The Danish diplomat enters the room and sits down.
"Greetings. The King of Denmark wishes to let it be known that he bears no ill will to any christian nation, orthodox or catholic, and is open to all forms of diplomatic negotiations. However, he also asserts that he considers the provinces of Aarhus, Oslo and Stockholm to be the very heart of the Danish Kingdom and that if any foreign soldiers or agents are discovered in these lands then it will be taken as a declaration of war."
The Roman diplomat enters, a somewhat surprised look no his face
Well well, it looks like the Germanics are at least learning to appreciate a kind of beauty. In any cases, the Basileus wishes to make it known that the Germanic peoples shall have nothing to fear from Rome so long as they do not stray into Roman lands.
As to the Fatimid Sultan, he shall be met with civility so long as he is willing to speak plainly and respectfully to Rome. We have some negotiating to do as you now reside in lands that could be justly claimed to be ours.
To the Prince of Novgorod, we extend a hand of friendship as it is clear to us that you are making great strides in bringing the Scythians to our north into the warm embrace of our lord God.
The English emissary, who has been speaking in French (Norman dialect) now addresses the emissary of the Eastern Roman Empire in scholastic Latin:
"I do not wish to sound hostile, but how can you speak for Rome when it has been seven centuries since your people abandoned it to the barbarians from the east? Rome is the seat of His Holiness the Pope, as you are most assuredly aware, seeing as he is our benefactor and host."
He waves his hands around to showcase the meeting hall.
"It would be good to hear which provinces the Eastern Roman Empire considers their sovereign land, to avoid any confusion. As to England's own immediate concerns, we claim the British Isles, Ireland, and the provinces of Brittany, Normandy, and Calais, and express strong desires to consolidate the Flemmish cities along the coast which are now independent."
The Spanish diplomat enters and sits down
My king sends you all his regards. Anything you say to me will be as if you said it directly to the king of Spain. My king considers all regions on the iberian peninsula to be his sovereign land. The Moors will be the first to taste his wrath followed by the Portuguese. I would like to have a mutual agreement with the roi de France to not cross the pyrenees.
Furthermore is it in my kings first interest to trade. He is willing to accept envoyees of the merchant guilds.
By Rome I of course refer to our grand Empire, not the desolate remains of this once great city. As to our claims, we have long granted the rule of the Western Empire to you German guardians, but the Eastern Empire, meaning all that is East of the Adriatic and South of the Danube, is by rights the territory of the Basileus. As to Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, we are willing to negotiate with the Fatimid Sultan to see if he too may be a dutiful guardian of the Empire's territory. If he claims it as his own right though, his lies shall be clear to all and war shall be the likely result.
It has long since been our King's intention to have Jerusalem in Christian hands.
Really then? Well, perhaps the Basileus will grant you rights to claim it for the empire, but I suggest you word your proposal most carefully. It is, after all, Roman land.
Hieronymus Bloch, the emissary of the Kaiser, raises an eyebrow at the words of his Byzantine colleague, but diplomatically decides to pass over the matter.
Greetings gentlemen,
Kaiser Heinrich sends his regards and best wishes to the assembly. He extends the hand of friendship to the rulers of Europe. To the King of Denmark he would like to make it known, that he will gladly recognize the claims he has voiced at this meeting. Equal respect he would like to extend to the King of England.
In his immediate concern is a call for help, which he has received from the free burghers of Hamburg, who are currently in a distress being threatened by the armies of a local tyrant who is seeking to bring the city into his own control. Hamburg and the Hanseatic League shall always have the protection of the Empire.
"Ah yes, the local warlord is terrorizing the Flemish. It is, of course, a matter of who goes there to lift the yoke from their backs first. I am sure we all care deeply for the peons who toil there and the acquisition of a major province and a good port city is of little concern to either England, France and the Holy Roman Empire."
The Englishman smirks and returns his gaze to the Eastern Roman envoy.
"You are likewise a Christian realm, if one tends to ignore the ecclesiastical bickering and specific details, which both me and my King tend to do. In that regard, my remark was to be taken as "The King of England should like it if Jersualem is held by a Christian ruler, be it Catholic or Orthodox."
The Russian diplomat enters, a great bear of a man. Ignoring the rest of the diplomats, he stands on a table, pulls out a piece of parchment and begins to speak.
"The Grand Duke claims the territories of Smolensk, Riga, Helsinki, Sarkel, Bulgar, Kiev, Vilnius and Caffa to begin with. He also offers trade to the Danish King Knud, with the offer for an alliance if desired. He also offers an alliance and trade to the Roman Emperor Alexius. That is all."
The Bear leaves the room.
The Englishman snorted out a laugh and rubbed his chin with an amused look on his face. He remained silent.
The spanish diplomat suddenly looked confused. What is going on?
If I didn't know better I would swear I had not yet begun talking. anyway all my earlier proposals still stand.