Tiara- Part Two

by Robin Roseau

  “I could explain more to a smaller audience,” she added.

  “I might like that.”

  “To some extent, the magic requires some people to live here for us to share it beyond this immediate region. The number living here is larger than what is required. But we are not farmers, and this is our home. I believe it is as simple as that. I am quite willing to be heavy-handed, but I do not want to order anyone to leave. I’m afraid I’m not very good at cajoling.”

  “And I would never recommend you order anyone to go become a farmer,” I replied. “Thank you for helping me to understand.” She inclined her head. “So it may be that Gionna could cajole a few into becoming farmers, but not in large numbers.

  Lisdee’s eyes widened a moment, and then she began laughing. I was immediately embarrassed and blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Darfelsa, I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you; I’m laughing at the situation.”

  “Sure. You’re not laughing at me; you’re laughing near me.”

  “Darfelsa, what you just said never occurred to me. Not once.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It never occurred to me to suggest asking Gionna to cajole. During what was a fairly simple conversation, you made a suggestion that had never crossed my mind.”

  “Oh,” I said. I looked around. “Lisdee, you strike me as someone who knows how to delegate.”

  “No. I’m someone who knows how to order. And in many ways, I am a typical mother.”

  “There’s nothing typical about your mothering, Mother,” Gionna said.

  “In this, there is: I struggle to see my daughter for the woman she has become.”

  “My own mother suffers from that.”

  “Gionna is good at cajoling. Daughter, what do you think of your friend’s suggestion?”

  “I think, if done carefully, I could convince a few people to pursue opportunities in Charth.”

  “What would you need?”

  “More cans of the fruit,” she answered. “And we’d have to support them.”

  “How?”

  “Grant the land and working equipment,” she said. “And partner them with people who can help guide them.”

  “That isn’t unlike some of the programs we’ve already done,” Olivia said.

  “I wouldn’t get many,” Gionna said. “Not at first. Perhaps more in the future.” She paused. “It would be hard to be away from Ressaline City. The next best choice is Charth, but the nearest farms are already spoken for.”

  “We can treat any who wish to become farmers the same way we’ve treated the Flarvorians who have come north,” Olivia said. “There is some expense.”

  “Significant expense?” Lisdee asked.

  “We still have land that was formerly occupied but has stood untouched for a decade and a half. The structures have not seen maintenance. And the best equipment is taken; we would need to see to maintenance of what we have.”

  “There’s a policy that interferes,” I said.

  “What policy?” Lisdee asked.

  “The requirements of the monthly event,” I said. “As I understand it, the law reads like this: anyone born outside of Ressaline City must partake. That doesn't affect the women you would send, but it affects any children. I would suggest that policy has achieved its goal, and I would suggest Lisdee and her council discuss whether it’s time to change it.”

  Lisdee gave me a hard look, but it didn’t feel like any malice. “You didn’t suggest we eliminate it.”

  “It’s actually popular in Charth,” I said. “I suspect that’s because Olivia convinced the right people to support it, and so it became popular. If it were me, I would consider a variety of changes.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, I would consider dropping the requirement, but I don’t know if that’s the decision I’d come to. I would listen to what other people have to say, especially Gionna and Olivia. I might visit Charth and talk to other people there, first, but perhaps the people in this room properly represent the city’s opinion.”

  “I’d actually prefer that discussion include a few others,” Olivia said. “If it were a serious consideration.”

  I shrugged. I didn’t feel strongly about it. “I would also discuss the reverse: requiring it for everyone.”

  “What?” asked several people at once. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Let her talk,” Lisdee said. “Keep going.”

  “If I kept the requirement, I would protect the participants. Right now, they can be lured to a permanent challenge three days later, which was the entire original goal. I don’t know what the rule should be instead, but I would end using this event to produce a high rate of conversion to permanent slaves. I would also at least discuss shortening the duration from two weeks to three days. And now I’ll say I don’t know which of my suggestions I’d take. I’d discuss all of them. But I learned about leadership from Father, and he leads by consensus.”

  “Did someone write down Darfelsa’s suggestions?” Lisdee asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” said one of the clerk slaves.

  “Darfelsa, did you have more?”

  “Not on that particular topic, no.”

  “Olivia, what do you think?”

  “I think Darfelsa makes some good observations.”

  “Did you prompt her with that.”

  “No, Your Majesty. She and I have never discussed what she just said. She doesn’t know I’ve talked to you a couple of times about eliminating it.”

  “I’m not sure I want to eliminate it,” Lisdee said. “But I think it’s worth talking about. Did you care to be involved, Darfelsa?”

  “If you asked me to be involved, I’d make myself available,” I said. “But let’s recognize the situation. Of the people in the room, I’m not the least capable of having an intelligent opinion, but I’m in the bottom half of the list.”

  “And yet, you were willing to share your suggestions.”

  “Yes, but I can’t tell you which ones are stupid suggestions.”

  She smiled. “If I want an outside opinion?”

  “I can attend those conversations, but I think I’d trust Allium’s opinion on this ahead of myself, and possibly several members of her staff. Valsine, for instance.”

  “Your cousin.”

  “Yes. She tends to think… creatively. Sometimes too creatively. You would need to be careful.”

  “I want to let everyone think about this, Darfelsa. Thank you. Was this the only policy you find problematic?”

  “I don’t know if there are others that affect Ressaline women,” I said. “When we get to the discussion of Flarvorians coming north, I have a lot more to say.”

  She nodded. I sat back for perhaps fifteen minutes while they discussed opening more farms with their own people. Finally, Lisdee said, “We don’t need to belabor this. We have a lot of people here, and they don’t all need to be involved. Let’s address the other half. Darfelsa, you believe we could get more Flarvorians moving north, but our policies interfere. Would you recommend I stop insisting people undergo their Firsts?”

  “No,” I said.

  The queen cocked her head. “No?”

  “No. Everyone in this room knows this: until you’ve experienced your first, as an outsider, you don’t understand. I imagine the Flarvorians understand that better than the Ressaline women do, excepting those living in Charth. And I believe you recognize that, Lisdee.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Now, if you ever want to see my mother north of the border, you need to offer an exception. I have no idea how important a visit from her is to you, but under the current policy, it will never happen.”

  “So what would you do?”

  “I would talk about what I’ve just said. This goes back into the realm of being unsure which of my ideas are stupid. But I would look at the question of duration. It will be very rare that you’ll get a 16-year-old Flarvorian woman accepting her First. That is due t
o our culture’s views. You’re not going to change that. Under the current policies, rather than a two-week First that most of your subjects accept, a woman from Flarvor will undergo a two-month First. Two weeks is already an intimidating period. Two months is four times worse. It was inconvenient for this mission. It dramatically increases the duration of the aftereffects. And that fact complicates everything else.”

  “You’ve made an observation, but not a recommendation, especially not one I may decide is stupid,” Lisdee said with a light smile.

  “All right. I would first ask: is Darfelsa wrong? I don’t think I am. There may be a reason why two months is better. It may be that I wouldn’t really have understood after two weeks. I don’t know. But I would look at what I could do. Can I reset the period for Flarvorian women so instead of beginning at 16, it begins at 18, two years later? Or maybe I could have an initial two-week period, but then if a woman decides to stay, she is obligated to have several practice challenges over the next two years, or whatever really seems to work.”

  “Interesting,” said the queen.

  “The idea is to reduce the level of intimidation and inconvenience. I can say this: the current requirement is a significant impediment.”

  “And a shorter period?”

  “Would be a smaller impediment. I wouldn’t remove the impediment, but I’d look at ways of reducing the size.”

  “Every little bit helps,” Lisdee said.

  “Exactly.”

  “What else, Darfelsa?”

  “I would look at two or three other issues. Currently, you will not sell land to Flarvorians. Nor do you offer permanent leases. There is a ten-year maximum. You are basically telling my people to come improve the land so you can take it back.”

  “We have offered very attractive terms,” Lisdee replied.

  “And yet, I am telling you how those terms are perceived, whether fair or not.”

  “We would grant them the land immediately if they become my subjects.”

  “Which I understand. If Father were unpopular, that might be more attractive.”

  “Do you have a proposal?”

  “Yes, and this time I don’t think there’s room to call it stupid.” She smiled briefly at that. “I would eliminate the ten-year limit. I would offer lifelong leases. I would also agree to guarantee to grant the land to any daughters or granddaughters who become subjects. Right now, there is no such guarantee. By recognized international agreements, anyone born inside Ressaline is automatically a Ressaline citizen.”

  “Subject,” Lisdee corrected.

  “And by recent agreements between our countries, we allow dual citizenship, meaning that woman is now a citizen of Flarvor and a subject of Ressaline.”

  “Which means she could be granted the land,” Lisdee replied.

  “You would need to take proper steps. You wouldn’t want to grant the land so they can turn around and sell it.”

  “Land grants come with requirements,” Lisdee said. “Both sides are already protected. We are satisfied with those requirements, and I do not believe there is controversy. But Darfelsa, this is already the law.”

  “Well, they may not realize it,” I said. “It’s not my job to tell them.” I grinned. “It could be Gionna’s, but I have proposals for that. In any case, the ten-year limit is a significant impediment. I strongly suggest you revisit it.”

  “Olivia?”

  “I believe you know my thoughts already, Queen Lisdee.”

  “What she means to say,” said Lisdee, “is that Olivia is one of the few people willing to argue with me, and we argued about that. My councilors argued the other position.”

  “Perhaps, Your Majesty, it was appropriate to try it the way we did, but there is room for negotiation.”

  “Don’t give away the farm, so to speak,” I said, “Without at least exploring a less drastic path first.”

  “Ambassador, your thoughts?”

  “I argued with Olivia,” Allium said. “I agree with Darfelsa. The program will be far more successful if the women felt more secure.”

  “No one can fault someone for wishing to feel secure. We would need guarantees.”

  “What sort of guarantees?” I asked Lisdee.

  “One reason for the ten-year maximum is so we could remove someone who wasn’t grossly violating our agreements, but was underperforming.”

  “Oh,” I said. “You see? I didn’t know that part.”

  “Neither did I,” Allium said. “We could work with that, but I’m not an expert.”

  “More than I am,” I said.

  “The program is too young to come to conclusions regarding the existing women involved,” Lisdee said. “Some are performing quite well. Those who accepted poor land have not had sufficient opportunity. We don’t know how well they’ll perform.”

  “I bet they perform better if they know they won’t leave in another five years,” I said.

  “That is a very fair statement,” Lisdee declared. “Are you done, Princess?”

  “On that topic, yes. I have at least two others.”

  “Let us discuss them, so everything is on the table.”

  “This is one that could be quite stupid of me. You have a requirement for your subjects to accept a permanent challenge upon reaching a certain age, if one is presented.”

  “That is a cultural norm within Ressaline City and a requirement for anyone born elsewhere, yes.”

  “I would argue,” I said, “that, like the monthly event, that law has served its stated purpose.”

  “And I would argue,” said the queen, “that while it is a cultural norm within Ressaline City, it has not become a norm more widely, and would certainly not be felt like a norm for any new subjects.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “But it is another impediment. Perhaps this isn’t necessary, but let us look at the status quo. A woman of Flarvor is interested in the opportunity your open land represents. She has older brothers and will not inherit the family farm. Her family certainly isn’t going to offer to settle her on new land, in part because such land is uncommon, but more so because they expect her to settle down with a good man.”

  Several of the Ressaline women offered a variety of expressions, none of them pleasant.

  “As my suitor is a woman, I understand your thoughts quite well, I think,” I said. “So she looks north, and she is intrigued. She knows farming is hard work, and she wouldn’t have the support of her family. It’s a difficult decision. Everything you do that makes it more difficult, well, makes it more difficult. So she looks at the terms. Ten-year max? Why would I do that? Oh, I can become a citizen.”

  “Subject,” Lisdee corrected.

  “Yes, but that’s not the word she’ll use in her head. She is a citizen of Flarvor and sees it as becoming a citizen of Ressaline.”

  “Or perhaps dual citizenship.”

  “Yes. But she looks at the requirements, and maybe she’s already 23, and she realizes in two years some woman can walk up to her and say, ‘Accept a permanent challenge with me’, and she’s obligated to accept. That woman has had challenges since she was 16, but this woman is 23 and hasn’t had a First yet. I know I will tell her, ‘you will lose. I guarantee it.’”

  “She doesn’t need to become a subject immediately, Darfelsa.”

  “No, but if she’s making a plan for her entire life, she has to think about it. Your subjects have been your subjects for 25 years before they face this requirement,” I added. “But your new subjects could be forced to face it the day after deciding to settle permanently.”

  “I think I see your point.”

  “Queen Lisdee, your current policy, in effect, isn’t recruiting more citizens; it’s recruiting more slaves. I don’t know how long someone would need to live here before she could safely become a subject, if she doesn’t wish to be permanently enslaved, but it’s a long time.”

  “You make good points, Darfelsa.”

  “I would add to that. Someone living in
Charth would have ample opportunity to accept practice challenges. But Charthan is vast and sparsely populated. Opportunity away from Charth will be poor, and even if a woman can beat her nearest neighbors, they will all have practiced together.”

  “But not have been exposed to those with more sophisticated experience.”

  “And maybe not everyone realizes that, but still, it isn’t really fair. Lisdee, I came as a friend to this country, but under your current laws, I have a very, very difficult time recommending anyone become a subject, even when Ressaline is a better fit for her than Flarvor.”

  Lisdee turned to the available councilors. “What do you say to Darfelsa?”

  There was a pause. They shared looks. And then one said, somewhat cautiously, “Darfelsa brings perspective we haven’t previously discussed.”

  Lisdee turned back. “Everyone in the room knows I am not naturally an empathic person. But I can understand logic when presented to me.” She nodded. “We will add these to our discussions. Your next suggestion, Princess Darfelsa?”

  “I have an observation and several things to think about,” I said. “Flarvor has a permanent presence in Charth. Granted, that’s not all the way here, in Ressaline City, but it is inside your country.” Lisdee inclined her head. “I personally lived here for three years, and I have since made two more visits.” I glanced at Gionna. “I have friends here. My duties will probably not afford me the continued opportunity to live here, but I certainly hope for periodic visits.”

  “You are quite welcome,” Lisdee replied. “I know Olivia and Gionna value your friendship.”

  “And I, theirs,” I replied. “In addition to this, my sister has now visited twice, and I believe she intends to also come periodically, but perhaps not often. If we have business, she is more likely to send me.”

  “I understand.”

  “To counter that, you have no permanent presence in Barrish. It was agreed that Charth was a good midpoint between your home and my father’s, and I do not know that an embassy is necessary. I wouldn’t want to bypass Allium in any negotiations, after all. But Flarvorians see we have an embassy in Ressaline but no Ressaline presence in Barrish. Furthermore, Olivia has visited exactly once, to the best of my knowledge. Gionna has visited once. I believe that should change. Right now, the Verlies River acts as a wall, preventing friendships from forming. Well, Gionna is an excellent ambassador, as is Lady Olivia, especially when you include her wonderful household.”