Van is 50 now. Thus sayth the king. Calling him a half-elf kinda sounds like indirectly calling him a bastard child, but I assume it's all just a joke. Establishing a friendship with the biggest of wigs is definitely going to be valuable.
I'm surprised Panamera is having trouble with marriage. Or rather, I'm surprised she cares about it because she strikes me as the type to have very strict standards for her husband and will mercilessly throw out every man on earth if none of them pass.
Hmm. A sword, huh? What is the actual ideal weapon to make orichalcum into with it's magic resistance, durability, and rarity in mind? A spear head might be good, but perhaps a shield with a thin layer of the stuff coating normal Van-grade material would be better.