Lady-Protector

by Jr. L. E. Modesitt

  “I’m here by the power and grace of the Lady-Protector, First Seltyr. It is unwise to disregard either.” Areyst smiled politely.

  Khanasyl bowed to Mykella. “Lady-Protector. Perhaps a dance and a word later?”

  “Of course.” Mykella inclined her head.

  As Khanasyl and his wife eased away, Areyst glanced at Mykella.

  He’s actually a bit jealous. She reached out and squeezed his wrist gently, even as she turned to greet Seltyr Pualavyn.

  Before long, after High Factor Barsytan and his daughter, a stocky wide-eyed young woman, came Seltyr Klevytr, with his daughter, surprisingly to Mykella.

  “Lady-Protector, my daughter Kietyra, whom you met in less pleasant circumstances.”

  “Less pleasant, Seltyr, but she comported herself with character and poise.”

  Kietyra flushed as Mykella turned to her. “Lady-Protector, I cannot thank you enough…”

  “Your safety and your father’s presence in Tempre are thanks enough.”

  “You are kind, Lady-Protector,” murmured Klevytr.

  “To those who support Lanachrona,” she replied even more quietly.

  Somewhat later among those entering were High Factor Hasenyt and his wife, and even later, Seltyr Thaen and his wife, both very quiet and subdued, in contrast to his reputation.

  When the last of the guests had presented themselves, Mykella and Areyst walked toward the low dais on which the orchestra players were seated, a permanent platform set against the midpoint of the long inner wall of the ballroom. Salyna and Rachylana followed, and the four stopped below the orchestra.

  “Everyone was most formal and polite,” offered Salyna, dryly. “Not a word less or more than proper. With a few acceptable exceptions.”

  “You didn’t see what happened at the other end of the line, did she, Commander?” asked Rachylana.

  Areyst smiled. “I would defer to the Lady-Protector.”

  “Wise man,” replied Salyna. “That also means that Mykella conveyed warnings without speaking.”

  “I was most polite to everyone,” said Mykella demurely.

  “Polite can be…” Rachylana stopped and looked to her right, from where Khanasyl approached Mykella.

  The First Seltyr bowed deeply. “Lady-Protector, if I might have this dance?”

  “Of course, First Seltyr” Mykella wasn’t thrilled about dancing with the tall Seltyr, but she did want to know exactly what he had in mind and what new concerns had roused him to request the dance, and her questions of Salyna and talk with Areyst could wait a bit.

  Khanasyl took her hand, barely touching her, as if she were both fragile and deadly, as he guided her into those already dancing. “Might I ask what you intend of the commander since you have informally named him your heir?”

  “Must I intend anything beyond that? I designated him as heir so that everyone would know that, in the event of the unforeseen, a strong Protector would follow.”

  “Yet you had him beside you tonight.”

  “Exactly where the designated heir should be.”

  “Then I must needs be more direct, Lady. Do you intend to wed?”

  “At some time, that will be necessary, but questions of matching and marriage, First Seltyr, must wait until all Corus is satisfied that a Lady-Protector can rule effectively…”

  “That might be a long time, Lady…”

  “The way many now think in Corus, the matter will be settled within the year, I believe, and then, if you have questions, we shall talk once more.”

  Mykella could see, past the First Seltyr’s shoulder, Areyst dancing with Rachylana, and her sister apparently asking a question.

  “You seem most confident, Lady.”

  “All the past Lords-Protector have been confident. For some, that confidence was justified. For others, it was not. Seldom were the predictions of those observing all that accurate. So we shall see.”

  “Your words and actions have doubtless angered both Southgate and the coastal princes. Do you honestly believe Lanachrona can stand against all?”

  “Anger and actions are not the same,” Mykella pointed out. “Prince Skrelyn has already forced out most of the Seltyrs, has he not?”

  “So it is rumored.”

  “Southgate does not have enough armsmen to attack Lanachrona. Would the Council of Southgate ally itself with Skrelyn? They may not be pleased with Lanachrona, but a Lanachrona controlled by Midcoast and Northcoast would be far less to their liking—or their purses.”

  “That suggests you can prevail against the two coastal princes.”

  “If they choose to attack, we will defend. If not, we will trade.”

  “Lady-Protector, I would that your actions be as effective as your words, but how are we to know?”

  “Acts are decided by actions, and for a ruler who has just come to power, no words will suffice in the minds of the doubtful.”

  Khanasyl laughed softly and ironically. “I do not think you have answered me.”

  “In time, you will see that I have. Wait and see how I act before you do, First Seltyr.”

  “I have no choice, do I?”

  “No other wise choice,” replied Mykella with a smile she hoped was enigmatic.

  As the music of the dance faded, Khanasyl had almost guided Mykella back to where they had begun. “My thanks for the pleasure of your company and your words, Lady-Protector.”

  “And for your words,” replied Mykella.

  Mykella waited as Areyst and Rachylana returned to join her and Salyna.

  “That was interesting,” observed Salyna. “What did the First Seltyr want?”

  “He wanted to know how Lanachrona would stand against Southgate and the coastal princes. I told him that Southgate wasn’t about to attack us, and they won’t.”

  “They won’t?” asked Rachylana, looking to Areyst.

  “No,” replied the commander. “They are not equipped to ride or travel long distances. They have no way of supplying such a force, and our towns and hamlets are spread too far apart for raiding to support a force until they are well inside Lanachrona.”

  “That didn’t make him happy, I’d wager,” said Salyna.

  “He’s the type that’s seldom happy,” observed Rachylana.

  As the orchestra began to play another melody, Areyst turned and bowed politely. “Might I have this dance, Lady?”

  “You might.” Mykella inclined her head and smiled. The smile was anything but perfunctory or forced.

  Areyst took her right hand, placing his left hand at waist level on her back, guiding her gently into the flow of dancers. His fingers felt warm to Mykella even through her gloves.

  “The last time we danced, Lady, I believe we talked of numbers and ledgers, and I observed that was an unusual preoccupation for the daughter of the Lord-Protector. I had no idea how wrong I was, for it is certainly necessary for a Lady-Protector.”

  “Necessary, but not always followed by all Lords-Protector,” replied Mykella. “That failure, I fear, led to my father’s undoing. Golds tell far more than glib words.”

  “What do the golds tell you now?”

  “That the Seltyrs still doubt but fear me enough to pay their tariffs although it appears that most will wait until the last moment. That many of the golds diverted from the Treasury went to pay Northcoast to increase its cavalry.”

  “Can you prove that enough to convince the Seltyrs?” Areyst guided her past another couple. The woman eyed Areyst speculatively.

  “No. That matters little because we face what is, not what might have been.”

  Areyst laughed. “So few understand that. They worry about what they might have done otherwise when that but wastes time and effort.”

  “I tried to find where you were this afternoon, to tell you what I discovered in the Table, but Captain Maeltor said you were occupied with the auxiliaries. What did you determine?”

  “I was about to ask the same of you.”

  “Indulge me,” said Myke
lla with a smile.

  “The women are better trained than I could have hoped for the time they have been under discipline. The Southern Guard squad leaders who have watched say that Undercaptain Salyna is merciless, but not quite impossible, in her demands of them. I fear that she will insist on bringing them to Viencet as support.”

  “Fear? Would that not allow every Southern Guard in Viencet to oppose the invaders?”

  “It would.”

  Mykella understood what he meant … all too well. “It may be a risk we must take. It took me almost two days, but I did determine that the Midcoast forces accompanying Cheleyza and Chalcaer look to be equal to those of Northcoast.”

  “Could you tell how many companies of each?”

  “It is hard to tell with the Table. I would guess fifteen of each.”

  Areyst frowned, if momentarily. “With ten companies already on the border, we will be outnumbered by more than two to one.”

  “Are your troops not better trained and more experienced?”

  “For the most part, I believe so.”

  “How long do we have before the princes enter Lanachrona?”

  “They have moved more quickly than they might have. In his last dispatch, Commander Choalt estimated that they would reach Thesma a week from the coming Octdi, if not before. Your information suggests it may be sooner.”

  “Isn’t that hard on the mounts?”

  “They stockpiled grain along the highway south, and they had sent spare mounts south to just north of the Vedra weeks ago.”

  “They had to have planned some of this well before…” Mykella didn’t finish the sentence.

  “Well before you became Lady-Protector. It would appear that way.” Areyst smiled ironically. “I do not think that they are using those mounts for what was once planned.”

  “Joramyl and Chalcaer planned to attack Midcoast and split it between them? I’ve thought so for some time.”

  “You never said anything, Lady.”

  “I had one torn scrap of paper that suggested it. Nothing else. Who would believe that? Besides, it’s better to let people believe that we were the target all along. Otherwise, Southgate and even Deforya might think that the Lords-Protector—and now the Lady-Protector—have aims of great conquest.”

  Areyst looked directly at her, his pale green eyes fixing on hers. “You would unsettle any man or woman, Lady.”

  “I believe you told me that when last we danced, Commander,” Mykella replied dryly.

  “It is no less true now.”

  “Do I unsettle you?” Mykella’s question was direct, if softly offered.

  “Might I be honest?”

  “Please.”

  His eyes again sought hers. “You unsettle me more than I thought anyone ever could. Yet”—he took a not-quite-deep breath—“I would rather be unsettled by you than pleased by anyone else.”

  What do you say to that? Her fingers tightened slightly around his, and her other hand squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  For another few moments, they danced without speaking, before the music died away, and Areyst escorted her back to the position before the orchestra and her sisters. As he did, Mykella could tell he was worried that he had offered too much or perhaps exceeded his position.

  She was about to ask him to dance when Chief High Factor Lhanyr approached.

  “Might I ask for a dance, Lady-Protector?”

  “You might.” Mykella glanced toward Areyst, who immediately turned to Salyna.

  Lhanyr was definitely not the dancer that Khanasyl had been, and Areyst was. Mykella paused mentally. Was Areyst that good a dancer, or did you enjoy dancing with him so much that you really didn’t notice? Areyst certainly wasn’t a bad dancer; but the rest hadn’t mattered, she realized.

  “Zylander said that you have been most supportive in allowing him to pick his own assistant minister.”

  “So long as I approve of his choice,” Mykella said lightly. “Some of the assistant ministers in the past have been less than satisfactory.”

  “How can one tell before the fact?”

  “One cannot tell about exactly how well they will do, but one can tell if they are honest and willing.”

  “You can tell that, Lady. I do not know that others can.” The freckles on Lhanyr’s face stood out more when he smiled … or they seemed to.

  “We all have talents.”

  “Some are more valuable than others.”

  Mykella merely nodded.

  “You know that the Seltyrs are displeased with your choice.”

  “I am certain that they are, but none of those recommended to me were satisfactory. If a Seltyr of ability and probity had been suggested, I would have considered him. I do not have time to meet with every Seltyr in Lanachrona to determine if he happened to be interested and if he had the ability for the position. I must rely on you and the First Seltyr. You offered better men.”

  “Had I not?”

  “I would have asked you and the First Seltyr for other possibilities.”

  Lhanyr nodded thoughtfully, then eased her through the other dancers back to her position before the orchestra dais.

  Mykella surveyed the dancers, catching sight of Salyna and Areyst, then turned to Rachylana, who she found talking to Kietyra.

  “Oh … Lady-Protector … I didn’t mean to intrude…”

  “You’re not intruding. It is a ball. Please keep talking.”

  Kietyra swallowed.

  Mykella looked to Rachylana.

  “You were asking what it was like to be raised in the palace,” Rachylana said. “If we hadn’t had sisters, it would have been very lonely.”

  “But … my sisters and I…”

  “Don’t always get along?” asked Mykella with a laugh. “We didn’t either. Sometimes, we still don’t. But we’re still sisters.” She shifted her weight from one boot to the other. She was already glad she wore formal boots. She couldn’t have imagined how she might have felt wearing dancing shoes.

  As the music for that dance faded, Areyst reappeared with Salyna.

  Mykella looked to him—blond, green-eyed, and handsome—and said, “I believe the next dance is mine, Commander.”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  Rachylana had kept glancing to the far side of the ballroom. Abruptly, she looked away and back at Kietyra. “I’m sorry. You were saying that your sisters…”

  “They all think they know so much more because they’re older.”

  “We have had that … discussion,” said Salyna. “I’m the youngest as well. That was one of the reasons I took up arms training.”

  Kietyra’s mouth opened. “You … you were the one in the parade.” Her eyes went to Rachylana. “Both of you.”

  Rachylana put a finger to her lips. “Talk about Salyna, not about me. She is the accomplished one.”

  Mykella glanced to one side, where she saw another officer in a formal uniform moving toward them. She frowned for an instant but said nothing as Maeltor appeared and bowed to Rachylana as the music swelled once more.

  “If I might, Lady.”

  Rachylana offered a polite smile, one that seemed false in a different way to Mykella, and replied, “You might.”

  Mykella stepped toward Areyst, who immediately took her hand.

  “The Lady-Protector asked him to dance…” Mykella could hear the marveling tone in Kietyra’s voice as Areyst guided her away from the others and into the dancers.

  Areyst had also heard those words, because he looked down at Mykella and murmured, “She knows you little, Lady, for no man would refuse such an invitation.”

  “Many would, were I not Lady-Protector.”

  “I would not,” he replied.

  The truth Mykella sensed behind those words made the next moments the best of the evening … and of the ball.

  54

  Despite how late it had been before Mykella retired on Novdi evening after the Ball, she woke early—and hungry. After dressing, she
hurried to the breakfast room. Salyna was already there, and Rachylana quickly followed Mykella, scrambling into a gray auxiliary working tunic even as she entered the room.

  Muergya arrived with two large pots of tea. “Be back with ham-and-egg casserole, Ladies.”

  Mykella took her seat and immediately poured the tea into her mug. “I think we avoided any real problems last night.”

  “You might say that,” offered Salyna. “In the near future, anyway.”

  “Mykella, you looked happy when you were dancing with the commander,” said Rachylana. “I don’t know as I’ve ever seen you look that way.”

  “Love will do that,” suggested Salyna.

  “It’s not love.” Not yet.

  “You could have deceived us,” retorted Rachylana. “Will you marry him?”

  “He has to agree, and I haven’t asked him. There’s no point in it until after we deal with Chalcaer, Cheleyza, and Skrelyn. I told you that.”

  “After last night, I wondered if you’d changed your mind.” Rachylana grinned.

  “What if he says ‘no’ when you ask?” A mischievous smile followed Salyna’s question.

  “I won’t force him.”

  “As if you’d have to with the way he looked at you before the ball.” Rachylana laughed.

  Mykella looked back across the table at Rachylana. “I didn’t know that a certain captain was on the invitation list.”

  “Yes,” added Salyna. “How did that happen to come about?”

  Rachylana returned Mykella’s look with one perfectly guileless—even if Mykella could sense both embarrassment and amusement behind the innocent expression. “The two most senior officers of the Southern Guards in Tempre are always invited. Commander Areyst is the most senior, and, at present, Captain Maeltor is the next most senior.”

  “Very convenient,” suggested Salyna.

  “He was very impartial. He asked both of us to dance the same number of times.”

  “You kept count?” Salyna raised her eyebrows.

  Mykella couldn’t help herself. She began to laugh.

  After a moment, so did the other two.

  The laughter died away as Muergya returned with a single casserole dish and a basket of bread. Mykella lifted her mug, then set it down at the insistent rapping on the outer door to the main palace corridor.