310 Probing Questions
A lone guard was standing at a post by the front gates as the beast approached the castle, tackling the hill much easier than any mount would have. It was no surprise that he trembled as it rolled forth silently, the shifting of gravel beneath its feet and silent whirring of its breath the only sounds he could make out. He was very young, barely a teenager, and had taken up this position as a means to make himself useful. There was little he could do to help the adults in their efforts, his emaciated body only building on the disadvantages his scrawny build meant for physical labor, but he could don an oversized helmet and hold a pike straight up.
Well, he could hold it straight enough. The tip was far enough above him that he couldn't control the swaying, but he could keep it above his head if it rested on his shoulder. Naturally such a weapon would be useless for him in combat, not that he had been provided such training to begin with. Thus, he could only be commended for facing down this silent beast with such an unwieldy weapon, the glare of the morning sun silhouetting it in such a way that he could not make out the monster's eyes or mouth - his only hope at defeating the armor of something that could penetrate the city's walls without so much as a scratch.
"Stay your weapon, guardsman." A man hopped out of the monster's side, shocking the young boy into inaction. It was no beast, it was a mount! An opponent with even a basic level of training would be more than capable of defeating him. He would not falter, though. If death was going to take him, it would not take him quietly!
"S-state your n-name, n-nation, a-and reason!"
"I am not your enemy!" The glare from the mount's armor blinded him just as much as the sun, obscuring any detail beyond a simple outline. "I repeat myself, guardsman, stay your weapon!"
"YOU STAND BEFORE HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL CASTLE!!!" Desperation filled him. Even the Holifanians did not possess mounts like this one. "YOU WILL STATE YOUR NAME, YOUR NATION, AND YOUR REASON!!!"
A door opened on the side of the beast's carrying compartment, and another person stepped out. They were smaller, only a little bit taller than he was, but the man displayed a great deal of deference to this figure regardless. There was no doubt about the difference in status between the two. This figure took a moment to right its outfit, perhaps an attempt at mocking his adherence to protocol, perhaps a legitimate effort to appear proper, then approached him.
As they did so the effects of the sun diminished, and a few things became clear. The first was a lack of an apparent weapon - neither sword nor dagger hung from their hip, though this did not mean they were completely unarmed. The second was the ears, indicating they were indeed Nekh. This confused him greatly, indicating this person was unlikely to be an enemy. The last element was discovered as they stopped mere inches from the tip of his pike, something he could only just make out before they spoke. She was a woman.
"My name is Titanyana Strapper, Queen of the Nekh, and I have returned to carry out the duties of my station."
- - - - -
The little boy dropped his pike and collapsed into a kowtow the instant he recognized Titanyana, the oversized helmet rolling of his head as his forehead touched the ground.
"I-I-I apologize a thousand times, your highness!" Titanyana frowned as she got a better look at him. He looked bad enough from the front, sunken cheeks and discolored sclera evidence enough of the malnutrition he suffered, however the unfettered view of his ears and neck told a much worse story. Portions of those delicate pieces of cartilage atop his head were missing along the edges, the barely visible scarring a clear sign split decay had been the culprit, while the reddish-brown bruising along his neck indicated his suffering was likely to worsen. "I-I-I had not recognized you in the morning sun!"
"I will pay your transgression no mind, guardsman. I have arrived in a manner most unconventional. I ask you to open the gates so we may enter."
"O-o-of course! I will do so right away!" Despite this suffering, he was still full of energy, running off through the garrison door around the corner with a defined limp.
Titanyana, watching him go, could feel the composure she had maintained since her arrival begin to slip.
"Are we to punish him, my Queen?" Leno walked up beside her, hand resting on his sword. "Impersonation of a royal servant and trespassing on royal grounds are both criminal offenses."
"No. The child shall be granted clemency by my decree." Normally Titanyana would have been irritated by the mere suggestion of such. "Besides, the captain of my guard recognized him as a palace guard. You wouldn't mistake a child as a guard unless he had received your recognition as such, would you?"
She caught him wearing a subtle smirk for a moment as she turned to gauge his reaction, the amused expression rapidly replaced by one of tacit approval.
"Shall I induct him into our ranks, then?"
"If you wish to take him on as a pupil, I will not stop you. I have a feeling we will need individuals with initiative to weather the coming storm." She sighed, knowing herself to be someone without such initiative. "Besides, he is young. He will garner a much greater benefit from this migration than an older individual."
"A callous view."
"But not incorrect." Titanyana had adopted Donovan's logistical and material returns view of manpower and resources regarding this grand migration. "Don't act like our ancestors haven't been making similar decisions since time immemorial, sacrificing their pleasure and wellbeing for future generations."
". . . you are starting to sound like your father." Titanyana's ears perked up at the mention. "You're not quite there, don't get me wrong, but I can see how you've begun to assume the burden of leadership. It's very much something he would have said to the grandmasters."
"I-is it now?" She could feel her cheeks flush, the sudden compliment not the variety she was used to.
"It is." He smiled, evidently happy with her growth. "I think you'll make a fine queen."
"I see." She looked away from him, returning her attention to the gate before them. ". . . what do you think of Donovan?"
"What do you mean?"
"As a leader. Do you think you can stomach him?"
"I, well, I don't think I've seen enough of him to make such a judgement." He was still clinging to the desire for an independent kingdom. "What I've seen thus far seems . . . tolerable."
"That's awfully vague."
"Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt of his efficacy in the role of military commander or project supervisor, he's displayed clear prowess in such matters already, however I'm not sure if he possesses the proper disposition to govern us."
"Govern?"
"The Nekh are ruled by the Strappers alone. We will follow his instruction by your will, that much I can assure. Loyalty is another matter entirely."
". . . what would you need to establish that loyalty." If it was something he was aware of, it was something he could work towards. Knowing was half the battle, after all.
"Action." His tone was serious, the answer likely one he had thought about for a long time. "Perhaps I can only speak for my clan, but the people will not readily trust someone who has usurped the role your forefathers held. He will need to demonstrate both ample ability, and a loyalty to us. I doubt they will readily accept someone with priorities beyond our own."
Titanyana thought about his answer for a minute, silently standing with her eyes closed. It wasn't an objective one could strive for, not in a traditional sense at least, however she didn't feel it was too far from their current plan. She decided it wasn't worth it to further the conversation with that aim, elaboration liable to invite confusion, which left her with two possible avenues.
The first was to interrogate his assumption of the Strapper line, to accuse him of hypocrisy for accepting the rule of an as-yet untested and unproven Titanyana as his ruler without so much as token resistance. Unfortunately, she knew this would result in a needless argument. Leno was an old acquaintance and sparring partner, the person she knew best after Petunia, and she understood his views on the matter quite well. It was a position the entirety of the Nekh held, if the various staff she spoke with were to be believed, one steeped in tradition and past experiences rather than strict logic.
- The grandmasters would make up for the fledgling Strapper's insufficiencies as they learned the ropes.
- The people accept any missteps or inefficiencies as a fait accompli of the learning process.
- Could anyone else expect to do better?
- Could anyone else expect not to make mistakes?
- Could anyone else hold the position but a Strapper?
"What if I were to marry him?" She could practically hear the blood drain from his face. "Would you be loyal to him then?"
". . . you would need to form a bond with him first, no?"
"Assume I do, Leno." She was beginning to wonder what was taking the gate so long. "Assume I form a bond with and marry Donovan. Would you be loyal to him? To our children? Would the people?"
Probing a friend wasn't something she enjoyed doing, especially not when that friend seemed to desire more than friendship. Her problem was that she didn't know if this was a desire of his own or a push by the grandmasters to secure the bloodline, positioning a reliable male she had prior contact with and a good impression of to be a candidate. This probe was meant to reveal which it was.
". . . I don't know." His voice contained a hint of sadness, leading Titanyana to believe he might have caught on. "As much as I'd like to say I would accept such an arrangement, I don't think I could bring myself to. Maybe its just the uncertainty of an option I hadn't considered, but the scenario isn't one I like giving credence."
"I see." It was pretty clear now. Even if Titanyana was new to love, she knew enough about it to see the signs. She hated to break his heart like this, but he needed to know. "There's something I should probably tell you."
"Whatever it is can wait." The kid had returned through the garrison door, red faced and panting heavily.
"I, hah, I apologize profusely, hah, your majesty!" His attempt at a bow almost turned into a tumble. "I, hah, cannot move the gate."
"I should have guessed." Leno sighed, wordlessly signaling to the guards still in the rover. "We'll handle it, you stay put."
"Yes sir!"
- - - - -
"So what did you end up telling him?" Petunia whispered into Titanyana's ear, Titanyana having elected to occupy the rear of the vehicle in order to speak with her. It would probably take a minute or so for them to get the gate open, and they would meet again in the courtyard.
"Nothing. They had to go open the gate as soon as I resolved myself."
"You'll get another opportunity."
"I'm not sure he wants to hear it." Titanyana recalled his tone. "I think he might already know."
"Well, he will learn the truth either way. The real question is when you want to tell Donovan."
". . . he's going to want to be at the Convention of the Grandmasters, isn't he?"
"I find it hard to imagine otherwise." At the very least, Donovan would want to address the Grandmasters when they eventually arrived. If he had his way, and there was a good chance he would, he would capitalize on the authority, experience, and knowledge present to kick a few plans into motion. The issue was she also wanted to reveal her bond to Donovan to the Grandmasters at that time, if only to preclude them from machinations to find a partner for her. "Will we also . . ?"
"I think it would be a good idea to, even if it comes with an associated risk." She also wanted to announce the baby in Petunia's belly, Boromir, as her cousin and heir apparent to the throne should something happen to her. Historically there were complications with such relationships, offshoots of the Strapper family creating the possibility of fractured loyalties. Apparently the classic solution was to prevent the branch from having children, however it wouldn't be surprising to her if there were more radical solutions stemming from radical loyalists.
Her hope was that the prosperity and 'higher power' Donovan represented would discourage such radicals by making the schism irrelevant. There was definitely the possibility they would view Boromir and his offspring as the true heirs to the throne given some pretense of being Nekh purebloods or his father having worn the crown, however Titanyana felt comfortable in her ability to protect herself in such a scenario. Boromir would be protected regardless - if not by her word then by her sword.
"Would you like me to make the announcement, or should I grant you the honor?" Titanyana didn't think the identity of the messenger was going matter much, especially not when Leno would likely inform his superior of the pregnancy ahead of the meeting. "I know you aren't comfortable with the attention, but you are now the dowager queen."
"If you will grant me the honor, I would like to make the announcement. He only had the opportunity to convene with the grandmasters once after our marriage, so they are aware of our relationship. I imagine they will still be surprised by the news, he wasn't in the best of health at that point . . ."
Even if the mention was tangential, bringing up her uncle to Petunia was like scattering a bag of caltrops before her feet. Even if she had long since processed the loss, Petunia had been granted too brief a period with him to satisfy the craving in her soul. A few months was nothing compared to the lifetime they should have had together, no matter how brief.
". . . I will grant you leave to mourn, should you desire it."
"Thank you."