Courtly Matters Part 5

All movement stopped when the Royal Processional began. Lords and Ladies of the Court pausing, making reverence in one way or another to the passing Royalty, as protocol demanded. Men removed their head-wear before bowing at the waist, while the women dropped into the deepest curtsy that their skirts allowed before suffocation set in. Silence reigned as the Crown made their way to the thrones. The Barons and their Baronesses, the Dukes and their Duchesses- everyone stood as the Crown Royal slowly made their way to the raised dais, their heavy robes flowing out behind them, trailing on the floor that had just been swept after all other nobles had taken their seat. The herald spoke, introducing the Court to the Crown Royal's presence, his voice almost echoing in the vast chamber.  He called Court to begin at a nod from the King, and then stepped back, his duty temporarily over as the King chose to address the populace himself for whatever matters of business were to be attended to that day. The usual ceremonious protocols were dictated by the silent mandate that all title-bearing nobles had understood for years, and so they danced the game of politics, hidden by the elaborate and showy presentation that Court so conveniently held over all.