by Robin Roseau
“I won’t disappoint you.”
“All right, Ms. Elhana,” I said. “In less public settings, I prefer informality. I am Darfelsa. Will you be offended if I call you Tenisi?”
“No, um. Darfelsa. Thank you for this opportunity.”
I glanced at Grandmother. “Thank you, Ms. Elhana,” she said. “You are dismissed.”
“Thank you. I’ll see to the wardrobe.”
* * * *
We spent the next two hours going over the issues Grandmother wanted me to handle. We had been through them in Barrish, but I wanted to do it in front of Ara and Laerdya. Between them, they appeared to have an understanding of each issue as only someone local to the region could have. Renishta took notes. The household staff kept us supplied with tea and small snacks, both of which were appreciated.
From time to time, I turned to Tess and asked her, “Do you know how you would solve this?”
For each, her answer was similar. “I want to talk to the people most directly involved, but if this is an accurate summary of their views, then I think this is what I would recommend.” Twice I thought she wasn’t considering something, but the first time, she and Ara talked it out, and Tess adjusted her position. The second time it was Laerdya, with Grandmother chiming in.
Once I asked Shalendra.
“I think I must be missing something important,” she replied.
“I doubt it.”
“This sounds like two neighbors who don’t get along.”
“Or?”
“You think it’s something else?”
“You might be right, and when I invite them to say so, one of the three locals will have an opinion. I want to hear another possible explanation.”
“All right. A cry for attention, although probably not necessarily royal attention. This sounds trivial, and I can’t imagine Leander would send you just for this.”
“All right. Tess, what do you think of those two explanations?”
“Shalendra didn’t ask when this issue popped up compared to when it was announced we would be visiting, but it sounds like it’s part of a longstanding series of minor quarrels.”
“It does, which would support either hypothesis, or perhaps both working together.”
“Tess is right; it is part of a long series of minor disputes that’s been going on for nearly two decades.”
“They should stop being children,” Shalendra said. “Am I being unfair?”
“No,” Ara said. “Not in my opinion.”
“What you perhaps don’t know,” I added, “is that both people involved are older than anyone in this room.” But I shifted my gaze. “Or has the dispute engulfed the younger generations?”
“Well one of the people involved is my great-uncle,” Ara said. “And on the other side, the grandfather of my best friend. She and I both think they should just stop being…”
“Assholes?” I supplied.
“Stubborn,” she countered.
“How did it start?”
“How do these things typically start?” Grandmother asked.
“Over a cow that wandered off?” I supplied.
“Did you just call me a cow?”
“Excuse me?”
“It started over a girl.” I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. “Although yes, the cow, as you say, wandered off.”
She let me laugh, then I stuck my finger up, asking for a moment. I got myself under control and then said, “Grandmother, even during those times we haven’t gotten along, I have never in my life considered that word for you.”
“I should think not!” Grandmother said firmly.
“This doesn’t make full sense,” Shalendra said. “You said two decades.”
“Ralifta’s father had recently passed,” Grandmother explained. “One of the gentlemen hadn’t yet married.”
“My great-uncle,” Ara added.
“Folmar always did prefer a rose-colored mirror.”
“And Ara’s friend’s grandfather?” I prompted.
“Yes, well,” Grandmother replied. “Voron had what I considered poor timing.”
“Poor timing?”
“Yes. I prefer my gentleman callers to be free of other entanglements prior to calling on me, but he felt afterwards was better timing.”
“Grandmother, am I seeing a glimpse of a different woman than I’ve always known?”
“The last time we spent any appreciable time together, you were a teenager,” she pointed out. “Your mother is evidence I’ve had some experiences.”
“Well, this has been interesting,” I said after a moment. “But we haven’t determined the nature of this particular dispute.”
“I believe it may be due to both hypotheses,” Ara said. “The dispute would not exist if not for the longstanding inability of both men to simply grow up. But I believe the timing of the current outbreak of hostilities, shall we say, is due to your impending visit, Darfelsa.”
“Which means one of them wants something,” I said. “Any guesses?”
“I’m sorry, no.”
Twenty minutes later, I thought we had wrapped up as much as we could, except for one tidbit. “I would like to speak to Grandmother alone for a few minutes. Ara and Laerdya, I didn’t ask; where do you each live?”
“Currently, here,” Laerdya said. “We’re sharing a room.”
“You can tell me it’s none of my business,” I started to say.
“We’re not sharing bodies,” Ara supplied. “Only a room.”
“All right. Grandmother, what are dinner plans?”
“I presume anyone living under my roof will join me for dinner, assuming they are back under the roof by about this time in the afternoon. The staff would prefer knowing when that is not a safe assumption.”
“All right. I’ll see you all for dinner.” We waited for them to leave. Once the door was closed again, I turned to Grandmother. “I’m fairly sure you know what I’m going to say. Did you want Shalendra to leave?”
“She can stay.”
“The issue on your border is new.” The stream dividing the two properties had cut through a bank during a storm, and now the neighbor was claiming land Grandmother’s family had been using for decades.
“It is.”
“Why did it take more than five minutes to resolve without me?”
“Because the neighbor in question is a cantankerous old bastard,” Grandmother replied. “Unfortunately, the judge most likely to listen to the dispute is the cantankerous old bastard’s brother, and little brother has never in his life recused himself from a case.”
“Am I missing something, Grandmother? The law is on your side.”
“No. Past precedent is on my side,” she clarified. “Which I could force, but it would take two years, and I’ve had to camp four men on the plot in question to keep the bastard from razing the outbuilding. If he gets away with that, my claim grows weaker.”
“Just the threat of my arrival should have resolved this.”
“I want you to force me to compromise.”
“Excuse me?”
“The stream didn’t cut through one bank.”
“It cut through two.”
“The second section should shift to me, and legally I’m in my right.”
“He’s not using it.”
“It’s a copse of trees. The law lets me keep my land if I have improvements on it, and the law doesn’t recognize a fence as an improvement.”
“And yet, you want a compromise?”
“I want to keep my land, which legally is my right, given the terms used in the descriptions of both properties coupled with my continual use of the land. I want his land because it is also legally my right.”
“I don’t hear a compromise, then. You want me to let him keep it, anyway?”
“Of course not. It’s mine!” I suppressed a smile. “But it is the only source of white solstice berries.”
“I haven’t caught up to you yet.”
“The bastar
d’s daughter decorates his house and her own. I want you to let me keep it, but order me to have a bridge built so they may access it. I want you to order me to allow them to harvest a modest amount of berry sprigs for the winter solstice festival.”
“You don’t need me for any of this.”
“I can’t offer it, Darfelsa. The cantankerous bastard will think I’m growing soft.”
“It sounds like you are.”
“I am doing no such thing! He might be a cantankerous bastard, but his daughter and your mother grew up as friends, and she spent many, many days playing in this very household. I remember her fondly.”
“You can be sweet.”
“If you ever repeat that, I’ll deny it and then go out of my way to prove you wrong.”
I laughed. I thought she might be serious.
“You’re skipping something, however.”
“I am sure I’m not.”
“When a dividing stream shifts course, the new owner must offer fair compensation.”
“You want me to pay for my own land?”
“It’s not yours until I decide it’s yours,” I replied. Then I cocked my head. “You wanted to know if I already knew all of this.”
She ignored that. “And what do you consider fair compensation for the land in question?”
“The law states you will make an offer,” I replied. “Grandmother, please do not put me in the position of judging your offer as poor.”
“I will acquire two independent estimates,” she replied.
I didn’t think that was a sufficient answer, but I had staff to review the quality of the offer, and if she chose not to hear what I’d said, that wasn’t my fault. So I nodded. “I want both parcels examined tomorrow morning.” I turned to Shalendra. “Will you serve as my agent?”
“Of course.”
“Captain Felist,” I said. “I presume you’re listening.”
“Of course, Princess Darfelsa.”
“First thing in the morning,” I added. “I presume you have someone who can serve as a guide, Mother.”
“Of course.”
* * * *
I’m not going to speak too much about the various issues I addressed. Half of them simply required me to get the interested parties in one room to hash out their differences, with me or my staff asking pointed questions. Twice I asked, “Do you intend to destroy a lifelong neighborly relationship over what is ultimately a minor issue?” The second time I did it, I intentionally asked the neighbor I thought was most aggrieved, and when I did so, the offending party admitted the greater guilt. That in itself directly led to an amicable agreement five minutes later, as the two worked out their issues and a few other minor differences besides.
The land dispute between Grandmother and her neighbor was more difficult. Mr. Rorel was adamantly opposed to selling his land but at the same time equally adamant on taking Grandmother’s. The situation probably wasn’t improved by hosting the conversation at Grandmother’s dining room table, but my other choice was the town pub, and I thought that was entirely the wrong message.
I began to agree with Grandmother that Mr. Rorel was, indeed, a cantankerous old bastard. Finally, I said, “Let us start over and see upon what we agree.” We had a map out, and I used a pointer to gesture. “Grandmother, it is your assertion that the path of the stream, as of the beginning of this year, followed this path.” I traced it on the map.
“Yes.”
“Mr. Rorel, do you concur.”
“I suppose,” he said, a little sullenly.
“I have reviewed the deeds to both properties, and they both describe the border as the path of the stream.”
“Which is the entire point!” he said.
“I agree. No one wishes to suggest the deeds I reviewed were false?”
“Of course the boundary is the stream.” Grandmother simply nodded, and as she’d given me the copies, I didn’t think she’d suddenly suggest they were false.
“Can we now agree that after a storm this winter, the stream has cut a new path.” I indicated the two changes. “No one has suggested foul play to date, so may I assume everyone here agrees this was a natural change and not due to the careful use of a shovel.”
“Of course it was the storm!” said Mr. Rorel. “I fail to see your point.”
“Princess Darfelsa,” Terla said. “Show some respect, Mr. Rorel.”
“Princess Darfelsa,” he amended. He gave me a look that suggested I had a pretty good idea what he thought of women getting involved in business he felt belonged to men. Unless he actually voiced that opinion, I was going to ignore it.
“The law is clear. The boundary is defined by the course of the stream.”
“Which is what I keep saying.”
“Except,” I said, “The law also states that if there are improvements made to the land, then it remains the property of the original owner, unless that person offers to sell it. We have already heard testimony that there have been such improvements and they show all signs of having been there for years. The testimony from Lady Alaxina says it goes back much, much further than that.”
“That clause of the law always requires judicial confirmation to apply.”
“So it does,” I said. “The law also states that the new owner must make an offer of fair compensation to the previous owner. I have in front of me an offer for the southern section. I have no copy of an offer for the northern section. It seems to me if you were serious, you would have produced such an offer. I guess I’m confused why this isn’t already resolved.”
He said nothing. I shifted my gaze, looking at the other people with him. I set my gaze on the only woman on that side of the room, taking a seat behind Mr. Rorel. “Are you Nylith?”
“I am, Your Highness.”
“Then if I am not mistaken, you and my mother were once friends.”
“A long time ago.”
“I’m sure if she had known we’d be meeting, she’d have extended her good wishes.”
“Oh, I rather doubt that. We had a falling out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Could I ask why?”
“It was over a man.”
“Ah. I wasn’t aware my mother held interest in men before my father.”
“She didn’t.”
“Ohhh,” I said slowly.
“In fairness, I wouldn’t have been half the queen she’s been, although it took me a long, long time to come to that conclusion.”
“My grandmother spoke kindly of your visits to this home.”
“She did?”
“And she indicates you cut white berry solstice twigs from the southern land.”
“I do,” she replied.
“You should have recused yourself,” muttered Mr. Rorel.
“As should your brother,” I replied. “Mr. Rorel, the law is clear. I double-checked myself, and my staff triple-checked. In instances like this, the land transfers subject to several simple criteria. The shift in the stream’s course must be natural and appear relatively permanent, barring interference. No one has suggested the shift was induced by shovel or other artificial means, and so that portion of the law is satisfied. You and Lady Alaxina both seem satisfied on that case.
“In addition, for the land to be eligible for a change in ownership due to a change in the stream, it must be undeveloped. There are structures on the northern portion of property, and the structures appear to be in good repair and have not been abandoned. Therefore, the law states the land remains with the original owner.
“However, it is also required that you make a fair offer to compensate the previous owner, and there is no evidence you have made any attempt to do so, although you have had opportunity. I do not believe you seriously thought the property would become yours, and you’ve made no effort to comply with the law.”
I looked around. “Regarding the southern portion: there are no improvements. It is a copse of trees. My agents found not so much as a standing fencepost. The only sign of any use is a
small network of trails through the land, and those trails seem to take some use. Furthermore, Lady Alaxina has tendered an offer I feel is fair. Do you wish to argue otherwise?”
“Nothing that woman has ever done has been fair,” he muttered.
“That’s not fair, Father,” said Nylith. She shifted her gaze. “He’s hated Malthria since I didn’t become the new queen.”
“Ah. Well, there is little I can do about that. However, in light of an old friendship between you and my mother, I can do this. The northern property will continue to belong to Lady Alaxina. If you wish to acquire it, Mr. Rorel, you must convince her to accept a purchase offer. The southern property will shift ownership, subject to the financial offer from Lady Alaxina. However, I will order her to build a footbridge across the stream to connect the now bisected pathway, and to offer reasonable use of the property consistent with your past use, Nylith.”
“I don’t even know why she wants it,” Mr. Rorel muttered.
“You do, too, Father,” Nylith said. “She wants it because she was the one who showed Ralifta and me how to cut white berry sprigs for the solstice, and you stopped letting her cut them the day Ralifta married Leander.”
I turned to my grandmother. “You want it for sentimental reasons?”
“You never asked why I wanted it,” she replied. She paused. “If he grants me the same access you just ordered me to grant, I’d let him keep it, but then he’s the one who has to build a bridge. Or, I suppose, Nylith could approach from this side. I’d allow that.”
I stared at her until she said, “Don’t look at me that way. I know I seem like a crotchety old woman to you, but I try to be a good neighbor.”
“Well,” I said. “Mr. Rorel, it seems you have a choice to make.”
“I don’t want that woman traipsing all over my property.”
“My traipsing days are behind me,” Grandmother admitted.
“It won’t be your property in another minute and a half, Mr. Rorel, and then you won’t have to worry about it.”
“You should have recused yourself,” he muttered again.
“Are you making the claim that I have deliberately misunderstood the law, Mr. Rorel, in order to benefit my grandmother? Does anyone here think I have misrepresented the law or I am treating this issue unfairly?” I raised an eyebrow. “I am, after all, very young. This case seems rather simple, but perhaps there are implications I have missed. Perhaps if I have, you should make that argument, Mr. Rorel.”