The first to arrive were Maria de’Finlyn and Derick’s cousin Ronius, followed by Maria’s parents and younger sister Calinda. Maria and Ronius were talking cheerfully as they rode up and dismounted.
	Derick did not understand how Ronius could be so friendly around Maria. Personally, he could not stand the girl. She had been okay when they were younger, but now his advisors were trying to pressure him and his mother to have him marry her because her father, Governor de’Finlyn of the third region, was the most influential and powerful of the six governors.
	Governor de’Saren, the governor of the fourth region--the northern islands--was the next to arrive, along with his wife Felicity. He was the youngest of all the governors, having inherited the governorship from his father just three years previous at the age of twenty five.
	After Governor de’Saren came Governor de’Andre and Governor de’Cornin of the first and second regions, respectively. They had been good friends for as long as Derick could remember and long before that. Their wives were with them, but all of their children were grown.
	Governor de’Ren, of the fifth region, came next, with his wife, sons, and daughter. This was surprising because he was usually the last to arrive at anything for some reason.
	Governor de’Laegan of the sixth region--Vatenveil and the North Lands--was the last to arrive, along with his wife Gabriella, his son Delaney, and his daughter Alexia. They had a third child, another son, but no one had seen their middle child in years.
	Once all the governors were present, there were the formal greetings that Derick had always thought were boring and had never understood as a child. He was still not a fan of them. Once that was done, he ushered everyone into the grand hall to wait for dinner.