by Robin Roseau
It took Mother longer to relax than Ahlianna, but it wasn’t much after that she put on a small smile, and kept it. “Darfelsa,” she said a while later, “Everything you said has been correct.”
“You wouldn’t have expected that of me,” Va said.
“No, I wouldn’t have,” Mother admitted.
“When you are ready, if you like, I will come to your room with you and offer a massage. The slaves have agreed that as the head of this household, and as the queen, we should rotate ourselves to see to your comfort. We hope you will accept.”
“The slaves decided this?”
“With permission,” Gionna confirmed. “The four of them will manage a rotation.”
“None of you have to do this,” Mother said.
“I think you should let them do it,” Ahlianna said. “I’m fairly sure they all want to. Va, do you enjoy the way you’re being held?”
“Very much,” Va said. “I don’t want to move, unless I’m squishing you, Queen Ralifta.”
“I’m quite happy for you to stay right where you are,” Mother replied. “And I’m going to take my daughter’s advice, in a while.”
“In a while,” Va agreed.
“In a while” was more like another hour. I don’t think Mother fell asleep, but she grew quiet. But then she whispered to Va, who nodded, and the two of them rose from the sofa. Va took Mother’s hand. With good-nights given, they headed for the door, Henra following along to see to Va later.
Ahlianna looked down at Sha-shi, whose eyes were closed, although I knew she was still awake. Then she looked across at me. “We’ll talk,” she mouthed, and I nodded. Then she kissed Sha-shi’s forehead and said, “I’m going to head to bed myself.”
* * * *
There was a knock. I sent Sha-shi to get it. She admitted Va and Allium. The two smiled before climbing up on my bed with Sha-shi and me, Tess having been delivered into Renishta’s care.
“We aren’t staying,” Allium said. “Va wanted to report to you.”
“She had a nice time,” Va said. “The king came in about halfway through. He was surprised and I think a little embarrassed, but I told him he didn’t have to leave on my account. Queen Ralifta told him to stay. He was surprised Henra was there but understood immediately when she explained.”
“It went well?”
“Very well,” she said. “She tried to talk a little.” She grinned. “That didn’t last.”
I laughed.
“My turn tomorrow night, then,” Sha-shi said.
We all cuddled together for a few minutes. I was dead tired, and then Va admitted it. “I think I’ll take her to bed,” Allium announced.
The minute they were gone, Sha-shi’s sleepiness disappeared. I told her she could do anything she wanted to me, but I didn’t know if I had much to give her in response.
She didn’t seem to care.
* * * *
I had a variety of meetings with Father. I’m going to talk about two of them.
One included pretty much everyone, or so it seemed. My household was there. Allium and Gionna were there. Rosaniya and Lyeneru attended. Ahlianna, Mother, and several of Father’s ministers and staff attended. And then he gave the floor to me.
I spent about fifteen minutes offering an overview of the trip, excluding anything that was personal. And then, by understanding, we spent two hours covering things in detail, with support from Allium, Gionna, and the rest involved.
We finished. Father sat quietly for a minute then asked, “Princess Gionna, how do you feel your mother reacted to all of this?”
“Personally reacted?” Gionna said. “Your Majesty, when she realized just what Darfelsa was offering, when she sampled some of the fruit, she let herself cry. It was only a few tears, but those were a few more tears than I’d ever seen from her. I’ve seen Mother display a wide variety of emotions, but I’ve never seen tears. I’d say that sums up her reaction quite well.”
“It is that dire there?”
“It isn’t as bad as it was twenty years ago,” Gionna replied. “We get enough food, but we don’t necessarily get the right kinds. Scurvy and other results of malnutrition remain common.”
“I saw signs of that everywhere,” Lyeneru said. “Almost none until we reached the mountains, and then it was rampant. I’ve never seen some of that before, Your Majesty.”
“Lisdee placed an order?”
“A small order,” I said. “She paid with silver.”
“Raw silver?”
“Coins,” I said. “I’ll need it valued, hopefully today.”
“I can handle that,” said Father’s Minister of Treasury.
“Priority,” said the king, and the man nodded.
“It’s not much. I don’t really deal with silver in that amount, but we think it’s enough for maybe three wagons.”
“That won’t feed a city for a winter.”
“It doesn’t need to feed the city,” Lyeneru said. “It needs to supplement the city.”
“I got the impression it was her entire emergency fund,” I said.
“Not all of it,” Gionna said. “Most of it.” She paused. “She was going to include her jewels. She doesn’t have many. I told her not to.”
“I want to add to it, as a gift,” I said. “I want the opinion of the people here, but this is my thought. I want a seasonal tin of candied fruit to Queen Lisdee. I want a second tin, although perhaps not decorative, for her household. And then I want several tins to the people of Ressaline City, to be distributed via the public houses. We can send them now, but I think I want those held and opened the day of the first blizzard. Gionna, what do you think?”
“I think that’s a lovely idea, Darfelsa.”
“This is a personal gift from me. I have funds.” I actually wasn’t personally wealthy. I received an allowance, and it was actually modest compared to, for instance, Valsine’s. It came from a portion of Father’s holdings, and it was how I paid for the things I bought for myself. “Rosaniya, can you handle this?”
“I would love to.”
“I’ll include notes,” I said. “Can we affix something to the tins?”
“Yes, easily.”
We discussed more details, but we had covered everything that was important. A short while later, Father dismissed nearly everyone, keeping only me, Ahlianna, and Mother. He set his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “You are a very good woman, Darfelsa, and I am very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“You asked about my short-term plans for you. I want you home for a while. There are things to do here, and I want you seen, out and about, handling things. Your sister and I will both have tasks for you. I also want you seeing to some of your mother’s choices. We need you involved in that side of things, as well.”
“I will,” I agreed.
“That should settle things for a few months. There are things around Flarvor, and I’ll be sending you to deal with some of them.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Of course, you will. Ahlianna, do you have more to say?”
“Only to say I’m also proud of her.”
* * * *
I met with Father, Ahlianna, and Major Hollsard. I made sure no one from my squad was listening at keyholes and then said, “Father, I would like to rest assured that Sergeant Felist may remain as the leader of my squad for as long as she so chooses.”
“Major, is that a problem for you?”
“Not at all.”
“Ahlianna?”
“I’m quite happy with that plan.”
“Good,” Father said. “You actually didn’t need to ask, Darfelsa, but yes, as long as you and she are pleased with the arrangement.”
“Good. I want her to receive a promotion. I prefer Captain. From things said to me, I gather that’s problematic.”
“Major, you get the joy of explaining this,” Father said.
“Of course,” said the man. “Princess, I’m actuall
y pleased you suggested Captain rather than Lieutenant. May I ask why you did so?”
“Because almost any officer outranks a lieutenant, but Captain is sufficiently lofty that we’re unlikely to get someone attempting to order her around. Anyone with a higher rank is probably sufficiently aware to know I outrank him.”
The major chuckled. “I can’t fault that reasoning. Now, here’s something you may not recognize. Generally speaking, officers do not issue orders to individual soldiers. They issue orders to the sergeants, and the sergeants handle it from there. ‘Sergeant, secure this location,’ doesn’t mean he does it himself. It means he gives the orders to have it done.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“This next part is less true of the Royal Guard than the army, but a lieutenant in combat is generally assumed to be utterly incompetent.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“That is because you assume that there is a progression from private, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, and so on.”
“Yes. That’s not how it works?”
“No. Someone with schooling probably begins as a lieutenant, after initial training.”
“A raw recruit?”
“I wouldn’t say raw, but yes.”
“Mariya is no raw recruit!”
“She certainly is not. Princess, a sergeant in the royal guard is at least as respected as a lieutenant or even a captain in any other force we have.”
“People like me don’t know that. And the head of Gionna’s team is a captain. In Barrish, there’s a major and a colonel who are Olivia’s right hands, when she needs a military officer. Felist is as good as either of them.”
“I have no doubt,” said Major Hollsard.
“I am fairly sure I need a similar right hand.”
“I agree with you,” Father said. “But at least for now, probably not so lofty a person as a colonel. But that person is not Sergeant Felist. She leads your security team, and you are not to send her hither and yon on other tasks.”
“I suppose I can understand that.” I paused. “Now I don’t know what I should ask for. If I ask for someone, it probably should be an officer, but that person will think he can order Mariya around, and I won’t have it. I won’t.”
“You shouldn't have it,” said the major. “She reports to you and only to you. She doesn’t even report to me, anymore.”
“She doesn’t?”
“No, Darfelsa. You have taken her into your household. You are her commanding officer, and through her, the rest of the squad.”
“I didn’t realize that,” I said. “Does she know that?”
“Of course, she does,” he said. “I’m going to complicate this a little further. An admiral in the navy or a general in the army outranks a sergeant of the royal guard, but if either tried to order any member of the royal guard, that person can rightfully tell him to get lost.”
“Really?”
“Politically, it’s problematic. One angers generals only with care, but at the same time, one angers the royal guard with care. That order, accepted or otherwise, would be reported up the chain to someone lofty enough to ask the general why he felt justified in ordering someone not in his chain of command.”
“And if that person wasn’t satisfied, he would come to me,” said Father. “And if the person in question was a member of your staff, you would be present while I dressed the man down.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I can order Sergeant Felist,” said the major. “At the risk of offending you. Instead, I would advise her, but it is only advice.”
“But a sergeant is foolish to ignore advice from a major.”
“Yes.”
“I still don’t know what to do.”
“Well, there’s one more aspect of all this you may not know. With promotions comes money. You probably don’t know this, but a sergeant earns more than a lieutenant.”
“How about a captain?”
“It depends on length of service. Sergeant Felist is relatively young, so she makes less than a new captain, but only a little less. But that’s not the end of it. That is base pay. We have add-ons.”
“Add-ons?”
“Hazard pay, travel pay, and pain-in-the-ass pay.”
I laughed. “It’s not really called that.”
“You’re right. It’s called inconvenience pay, but it is usually granted when the duty is particularly unpleasant, most notably because it involves dealing with people who are a pain in the ass.”
I laughed again. “I’m going to be insulted if anyone on my team is earning that.”
He smiled. “They aren’t, but direct detail to a member of the royal family who is frequently outside the palace walls automatically kicks in hazard pay, even without combat duty. Travel pay kicks in if a significant portion of the duty is away from Barrish. Your squad gets both of those. Princess Ahlianna’s only receives hazard pay.”
“Our summer trips to the coast don’t count?”
“No. There are a few other qualifiers. I receive one called Commanding Officer pay.”
“Mariya should receive that.”
“No. It involves running a significant department and is applied rarely. A ship’s captain does not receive it, but a fleet commander does.”
“On top of being an admiral?”
“Yes.”
“And there is also King’s Discretion,” Father said. “I apply it rarely.”
“And so, where does all this leave us.”
“You want parity for Sergeant Felist when dealing with others,” said the major.
“And I want her paid what she is worth,” I added.
“Your entire squad is well-compensated, by their standards,” replied the major. “Here’s one more thing for you to consider. Imagine we promote her to, as you have asked, Captain.”
“Right.”
“And then imagine you add a member to your squad, a sergeant.”
“Right.”
“That sergeant, and probably Captain Felist, will believe that the chain of command is you, Captain Felist, Sergeant Newperson, and then the rest of the squad. That is, Captain Felist will order the sergeant, and the sergeant will order the squad.”
I stared, thinking about the implications. “I’m not sure that’s what she would want, and that sounds inefficient.”
“That is because officers don’t assign people; they assign teams.”
“Oh. I didn’t know any of this.”
“Now you do. Princess, Sergeant Felist doesn’t need the parity you’re looking at, because you’re her captain. Princess Gionna doesn’t seem to have the same authority over her team as you have over yours. Perhaps that will change, but I am judging that on what I saw last time she was here, and what I’ve seen so far during this visit.”
“This is all very frustrating. Mariya told me she wants to introduce the other women of The Guard to me, and she said two of them are officers.”
“An older lieutenant, due for a promotion, and a younger captain, happy to have won a recent promotion. Both are struggling.”
“Why?”
“Because men of Flavor don’t like taking orders from a woman,” Ahlianna said. “Unfortunately for them, Sister, you snatched up most of the women from the guard, so we can’t give them enough of a team to make it work for them.”
“There isn’t outright disobedience,” said the major. “Both women have approached me about joining your team.”
I looked away, upset. “Give them to Ahlianna,” I whispered.
“You’ve perhaps met Major Jeffers,” Ahlianna said.
“Princess,” said the major gently. “Your loyalty to your team is inspiring.”
I spun. “Are you humoring me?”
“No. I was about to make a point you might appreciate. I feel no reason to assign either of the women to your team, and probably would resist it, unless you were on a mission that required a far larger team than you’ve taken so far, and that pr
obably means a military operation. The only reason to assign you an officer, given the high quality of your sergeant, is to offer experience to her.”
“At the cost of Mariya’s experience.”
“And yours, frankly. I am not inclined to do so, and the king has never suggested dissatisfaction with the current situation.”
“As far as we’re all concerned, Darfelsa,” Ahlianna said. “You’re getting command experience. Oh, it’s not remotely the same as if you lead a security patrol, but it’s command experience nevertheless.”
“And next year, you will be doing some security patrols,” Father said. “I haven’t decided further. Your sister needs more command experience as well. I may send her first, and you the following year. Or maybe one of you can find some close to home. We haven’t worked it out yet.” He smiled. “Maybe that should be with the navy.”
“You’d put me in command of a ship?”
“No. I might put you in overall command of a small patrol of ships.”
“That’s an admiral’s role!”
“No. Naval ranks are even more confusing. The ships would probably be captained by lieutenant commanders, and the patrol by a commander or captain. A naval captain is not in the same order as an army captain and is equivalent to a colonel.”
I shook my head. “That’s just silly.”
“I know,” he agreed.
“I’m not remotely qualified for that,” I said. “For anything we just talked about.”
“You wouldn’t order the ships. You would set policy for the patrol, much like you set policy for your team. You don’t tell Sergeant Felist how to do her job. You tell her where you’re going, and you trust her to handle the rest of it.”
“She’s acting like an officer of my team, and a sergeant, combined.”
“Yes,” said the major. “She is. Being the sergeant is hard work.”
“Is it wrong to think she should have a promotion?”
“No, Princess.”
“Am I doing it for wrong reasons, prestige or something?”
“Well, as you said, she’s serving two roles, and this would be acknowledging that. But it would also be highlighting that.” He smiled. “Which means perhaps we should ask her opinion.”