Tiara- Part Two

by Robin Roseau

  I smiled, closed my eyes, and brushed her hand before withdrawing. A moment later, she was lightly moving again, just touching, teasing a little. “I think I’m still struggling to catch up,” she admitted. “Tell me that you’re mine.”

  “I am yours, Shalendra, and you are mine.” I turned my head back to her and looked into her eyes. “You may do anything you like to me, or ask me to do anything you like.”

  “We did the second part. If you open your eyes again, I get to blindfold you.”

  I laughed and closed. And then let her do whatever she liked. She wasn’t the only one who liked it.

  * * * *

  We reached Grandmother’s estate mid-afternoon the next day, but before I discuss that, I think I should explain a little about the various regions of Flarvor.

  Countries aren’t born spontaneously. It wasn’t like one day someone woke up and said, “This land, from the western mountains to the Ressa River, from the Verlies River to the southern coast, shall be a single country named Flarvor, ruled by a king in Barrish.” That’s not at all how it happened. Flarvor came into being a little at a time.

  If one goes back far enough, there was little organization. There were isolated farms, and isolated villages, with little contact to the other, equally-isolated villages. This remains a reasonable description of some regions of my country. Over time, and no one is really sure how much time, that changed. Sometimes it changed when people from one village began more actively trading with other villages in the area; sometimes it changed when someone, hungry for power and strong in arms, decided it was going to change.

  If one goes back six hundred years or so, Flarvor as a nation didn’t exist. Barrish did, and it would have been considered a city-state. Its political influence was limited to the area we refer to now as the Central Valley.

  Now, Flarvor has nine major regions. To the west, along our border with Tellen, we have the High Mountains and the Low Mountains. This is the same range in which one finds Ressaline City. To the north, the mountains are higher. As one travels east in the northern regions of Ressaline, the land remains rough, rougher than the region we refer to as the Low Mountains. Within Flarvor, The High and Low Mountain regions are both sparsely populated.

  Lying southeast from there is the region of Lorafar, where Tess was from. Lorafar fills the region from the southern coast, which by then has turned south-southwest, to the foothills of the mountains. The northeast border is poorly defined, but is generally considered the region in which the fruit the region is famous for begins to become difficult to grow. Due to the vagaries of climate and weather, the region has heavy rains with significant sunlight in between, perfect growing weather. The south border is dry land, marking the beginning of Karishten.

  If one follows the coast to the northeast, turning east-northeast, one next encounters Whitecliff. The region is named after a specific section of pure-white cliffs overlooking the ocean. This is the region where my family preferred to spend our summers.

  Next along the coast are Sharden, where Grandmother lives, and past her, tucked against the Ressa River, and thus tucked against Gandeet, is Wells.

  The other three regions are the vast Central Valley. Barrish is near the northern edge, a half-day’s ride. There is no clear border between The Central Valley and The North, but is instead based on growing seasons. The Central Valley supports a wider variety of crops. The North is still quite verdant and describes the region all the way along our border with Ressaline.

  And in the east is, simply, The East. The border with Wells is clear, and one can still find remnants of an ancient wall, built so long ago no one remembers, and deteriorated almost beyond recognition almost as long ago.

  The various portions of Flarvor became part of our country over time, with borders between our neighbors becoming settled as they did. It began with trade treaties between Whitecliff and Barrish, which grew to include Lorafar and Sharden. But a country was formed when Sharden experienced several catastrophes in short order.

  First was a storm, a massive storm that centered on Sharden. Much was destroyed. By the time the storm waned, there wasn’t a surviving fishing boat from the middle of Wells until deep inside Whitecliff. But Sharden was hit hardest. Not only did they lose their fleets, but the villages themselves, those closest to the coast, were crushed. Inland, crops were destroyed, and the fields left so wet that anything remaining rotted in the fields.

  It was a terrible catastrophe, and Sharden appealed to her immediate neighbors. Unfortunately, Wells was hit hard, and it was an unfriendly relationship, anyway. Whitecliff also suffered, and while they didn’t need the same sort of help that Sharden did, they couldn’t help, either.

  Together, Sharden and Whitecliff sent emissaries to Barrish. Those emissaries quite literally got on their knees and begged for help.

  And Barrish listened, appealing to those living throughout the Central Valley to help. The people were good and kind, and while Sharden suffered, they didn’t starve.

  The second catastrophe was far more localized. Sickness struck Sharden’s small military. No one knows what it was; that knowledge has been lost to time. Other than the trauma to the individuals involved and their families, this would not have been of sufficient note to make any history books at all.

  Except that the people of Wells realized their western neighbor, one they thoroughly disliked, was weak. And they invaded.

  It was a slow invasion. Wells wasn’t after subjects to rule; they wanted more land. And so they began along the coast, then moving inland, once village at a time. No one was spared. Villagers either fled their homes, heading west, or they were captured and most killed; young women may be spared if they were sufficiently comely, and were instead enslaved. What became of them is also knowledge lost to time, but everyone assumes the worst.

  One can call the people of Wells barbaric, and perhaps they were. But the relationship between the two regions had always been contentious, and while one might not choose to forgive Wells, one can, perhaps, understand.

  Again, Sharden sent emissaries to Barrish. And again, they knelt. But this time they said, “If we are to be ruled, we would rather be ruled by our friends, who saved us in our time of need. We have a new time of need.”

  And that was the birth of Flarvor.

  * * * *

  As I said, the borders between the regions of Flarvor were typically poorly-defined. So were the politics.

  Lordships were generally ancient positions and began simply as recognition of existing status. If a family owned sufficient land, the head of the family was frequently called “lord”. At some point, that become codified, and eventually relatively static. One could petition the king for a lordship, or the king could grant one at whim, but it was relatively rare. By the time of my 21st birthday, Father had done so a total of five times during my life, and revoked one other.

  Lords held dominion over their own lands, and through economic and perhaps political strength, influence over a greater area. Not all land was overseen by a lord. We had regions, but they weren’t duchies or counties. We had no dukes or counts. There were no lords living in Lorafar, although there were families with holdings sufficient that a request for the title would probably have been granted.

  Interestingly, the sons of a lord were not also called “lord”, but the wives and daughters were called “lady”. Technically, I could have used that title.

  Formally, Grandmother was Lady Malthria Alaxina of Cressis. Cressis was the village nearest her estate. Grandmother didn’t hold the largest or richest land of Sharden, not by far, nor even of the area closest to Cressis. But through Mother, and the implications of being the queen’s mother, she was the most influential woman of Sharden, if not the most influential person.

  There were two or three lords who might differ with that last part, however.

  As for politics: some of the regions had very little political structure. A village may or may not have a mayor. None of the regions had any sort of centr
al government, but the coastal regions tended to be the most organized and were most likely to send delegations to Barrish to offer petition to the king. But when you get more than, oh, one person in a room, there are politics.

  And Sharden was no exception.

  * * * *

  Grandmother stood on the front steps of her home as our troop came to a stop. She wasn’t smiling; smiling wasn’t an activity Grandmother experienced in excess, shall we say. But as others saw to their duties, as Mariya directed Henra, as Henra distributed the guards, I approached the steps, and at that, Grandmother smiled, briefly.

  “Darfelsa,” she said, with as much warmth as she typically allowed. “Welcome.”

  We didn’t hug or offer any affection, but I held out my hand, and Shalendra caught up to me. Grandmother nodded to her. “Have you visited Sharden before?”

  “No, Lady Alaxina.”

  “We’re not doing that,” I said immediately.

  “Doing what?” Shalendra asked.

  “I am Darfelsa. You are Shalendra.”

  “I would like you to call me Grandmother, if you can bring yourself to do so, or Malthria, if you cannot. Perhaps you will begin with the one, but maybe in time, the other.”

  I raised an eyebrow. Well, well. I wasn’t sure what she was doing. But I decided I wouldn’t question it.

  “I will begin with Malthria, then,” Shalendra said. “I don’t call Ralifta ‘Mother’, so I’m not sure I see you as ‘Grandmother’.”

  “I understand entirely,” Grandmother replied. She shifted her gaze. “I do not want your daughters to prepend ‘Great’ when addressing me.”

  I smiled. “I understand. We’ll work on a way of making sure it’s clear when they are referring to Mother and when to you. Perhaps you will be Grandmama.”

  “I most certainly will not! That can be my daughter.” She looked about and began counting. “I cannot house everyone. I have beds for the two of you and up to eight others, if people are willing to share. The Clennens have offered their bunkhouse, or the village inn has four rooms available.” To Shalendra she said, “The Clennens are my nearest significant neighbor.” She gestured. “You can just see the roof of their home, if you look quite carefully.”

  Shalendra stepped beside grandmother and followed the gesture. Then she nodded. “That’s your nearest neighbor?”

  “No. My nearest significant neighbor.”

  “By that she means someone with land half as large as hers,” I clarified.

  “Oh, I see. How far a ride is it?”

  “It isn’t so far a horse can’t trot the distance, and I used to ride it in ten minutes or so. The route isn’t entirely direct.”

  “Shalendra,” I said. “You asked for duties. If I asked you to settle this, what would you do?”

  “I would explain the situation to Captain Felist and ask her if we can make this work while keeping your staff close.”

  “Perhaps we can take a tour,” Grandmother said. “And then you should do just that?”

  * * * *

  “I have three women for you to meet,” Grandmother said, twenty minutes later. “They are waiting in the library.”

  “I wondered why you barely gestured to the closed door,” I replied. “I do believe this is the first time I’ve seen those doors closed, Grandmother. Is this an introduction for my entire household?”

  “Let us limit this to you and Shalendra.” And then she hooked my wife’s arm, and I followed them. Of course, two of my guards got to the doors ahead of us, and it was a full library with all of us.

  There were, as Grandmother had indicated, three women. One was young, and I knew immediately Grandmother was offering a personal maid. The other two were older than I was, perhaps near Allium’s age, and were well-dressed. Grandmother introduced the offered maid as Tenisi Elhana. The other women were Ara Faesys and Laerdya Syrric.

  “I recently met a woman named Tynnelia Syrric,” I said to that woman.

  “My half-sister.” Laerdya eyed Shalendra. “You have good taste, Princess Darfelsa.”

  Shalendra coughed a laugh and asked, “You don’t get along with your half-sister?”

  “Not particularly. Let’s just say she’s deeply aware of how pretty she is.” She eyed Shalendra again. “And you?”

  “No one has ever accused me of trading on my appearance,” Shalendra replied, “at least not to my face.”

  “Well,” Grandmother said. “Darfelsa, you are establishing your own household, but you do not have a personal maid. I thought Ms. Elhana might be a good choice. She is not fully conversant with the workings of the palace, and so Ralifta’s maids will need to take her under their wing for a week or three, but I can’t imagine that will be a problem. She is assigned to you and Shalendra for your stay here, and if you are satisfied, perhaps you will take her on.”

  I nodded at that. Grandmother wasn’t really letting me make the first half of that my decision, but it would give me time to get to know the woman.

  “Ara and Laerdya are younger than I am, and they can help with your mission here,” Grandmother continued. I thought it was interesting she’d switched to an informal mode of address. “If there are to be important meetings, perhaps they can be held here, so I do not need to travel so much during the winter.” It wouldn’t be cold, but it could be cool and wet. Keeping Grandmother near a warm fire was probably the best plan.

  We spent a little time talking. Ms. Elhana served tea and said not a word, but Grandmother didn’t dismiss her. Finally, I nodded. “I would like five minutes to discuss plans. Could the three of you step down the hall for a few minutes. Someone will retrieve you.”

  They didn’t argue. Mariya herself watched at the door then pulled it closed and nodded to me.

  Grandmother was watching me. “You do not approve?”

  “I didn’t want to say this in front of them until I had talked to you. Grandmother, anyone joining my staff is expected to travel with me. Ahlianna has indicated she wants me with child, sooner rather than later, and that means a trip to Ressaline. I think you understand the implications.”

  “You could leave them in Barrish.”

  “I could, but I’m not going to.”

  She studied me and then I think she came to a decision. “And this gives you a chance to ascertain their loyalty. We’ve discussed that.” I said nothing, and she eventually nodded. “And?”

  “And, have you talked about it with them?”

  “Not in detail. I presumed you would prefer to do it yourself. I would like to know what you intend to do when you add your first man.”

  “I’ve done a good job avoiding that so far.”

  She pursed her lips. “I am going to give you some advice. We can talk about this all you want, whenever you want, but I won’t hound you.”

  “I am always happy to hear your advice.”

  She didn’t comment on that, especially as historically it had been far from the truth. “Your current plan is a mistake,” she said bluntly. “You’re going to alienate too many powerful people. Furthermore, you need to be seen as capable of leading men.”

  “You’re probably right.” I think she was surprised I agreed so easily. “However, I am barely 21. I have time. But in addition to that, I keep putting myself in situations where housing is short. We double up, and I don’t want to add the complexity of men on my staff. Perhaps we can have this conversation in two or three years.” I smiled. “You must not completely disagree with me. You gave me two women to work with, not two men.”

  “That is because I am not entirely stupid, and didn’t want to disrupt the nature of your staff while you’re solving problems I really would like to see solved.”

  I smiled. “That’s fair. We still have the basic issue that if any of them remain on my staff, I won’t finalize that decision until somewhere in Ressaline.”

  “And you intend to talk to them about that now?”

  “It gives them a chance to decide whether they’ll return to Barrish with
me. I thought you might want time to respond if one or more of them withdraw. But I can wait until we get to Barrish if you prefer.”

  “No, no,” she said quickly. “Now is fine.”

  “Excellent. Mariya, if we could let them back in.” Then I turned to Shalendra. “Remember that part where you asked for duties?”

  She laughed. “You want me to explain it.”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “You’re the expert.”

  “Was that a serious request I handle it directly?”

  “Only pointing out that you’re better at this than I am.”

  “Practice.”

  She nodded. The three women entered, and we got them settled. And then Shalendra talked about Ressaline. They barely blinked, and Ara said, “That sounds like an interesting adventure.”

  When I looked pointedly at Tenisi, she said simply, “That’s one of the reasons I want to go.”

  “It is?”

  She nodded.

  “Ms. Elhana approached me some months ago,” Grandmother said. “She asked for this introduction. There are others who perhaps are more familiar with the sort of needs you may have, but she landed in my lap, so to speak, and I am convinced she can learn anything necessary.”

  “Have you been a maid very long, Ms. Elhana?” I asked.

  “She’s been serving as my maid,” Grandmother replied.

  “And before that?”

  The woman looked at the floor. “I was a housekeeper, and before that, I watched over young children.”

  “Did you enjoy doing so?” I asked. “Watching over the children?”

  “Yes.” She looked up. “I was 14, so my duties were limited, but it was easy. Mostly I played with them. I wasn’t a tutor or anything like that.”

  “Did you change diapers?”

  “Yes, although that was for my niece and nephew. I have an older sister. When I was a child sitter, the children were older than that, from five to eleven years old. If watching over your children is part of my duties, I would like that.”

  “We’ll see,” I replied. I looked at Shalendra.

  “We’re happy to have your services,” she said to the woman. “We have a few weeks to get to know each other better, and that will give all of us a chance to see if we think you should return to Barrish with us.”