Encircled

by Robin Roseau

  “So this is the way it’s going to be,” Fennie said. “The men are off the council. They will sit down and shut up. We need to elect six women to take their roles, and I admit: there is some risk. Once they leave, we can hold proper elections, but we need at least six volunteers, and I’ve already been told that Claary isn’t to be one of them. We’ll get our volunteers, and then we’ll vote. Women only.”

  There was discussion. There was a lot of yelling, most of it from the men. Over and over, I screamed, “She’s not bluffing. You weren’t there. She’s not bluffing.”

  People started saying, “Claary was there. You weren’t. Sit down and shut up.”

  Ultimately, we had twelve volunteers. Maybe three were truly qualified to sit on the council. Three more might have been qualified if they weren’t ninety years old. But it was Mistee Freshleaf who stood, her canes shaking in her hands. Everyone shut up.

  Mistee was as old as they came, but she was still sharp, and I would have voted for her.

  “I’ve lived a full life. If there is risk, I will take it.” Then she looked at each of the other volunteers. She told half of them to sit down. Then she called a few more names and told them, “Get your ass up here.”

  It was Mistee who formed the council, four of them barely able to walk, but all of them women I could respect. As a city, we voted, but Mistee said, “We’re not even asking for nay’s. You say Yea, or you sit down and shut up.”

  It was, one could say, unanimous.

  * * * *

  I just wanted to go back to the inn, but the council immediately declared a meeting, and in the next heartbeat, demanded I attend. I was rather perturbed they didn’t ask the other women, although I saw each of them surrounded by townsfolk, asking no end of questions.

  I had little choice but to accept the council’s invitation.

  “We need to elect a leader,” Fennie said, the moment we were behind the closed doors of the council chambers. “I nominate Mistee Freshleaf.”

  Mistee stared at her but then said, “No, Fennie. I will support you, but you need to see this through. Call the vote to confirm Fennie as council leader.”

  Nine yea’s.

  Fennie gave a fresh report of events. At the end, she asked if I had anything to offer.

  “Only this: the woman isn’t bluffing. I’m sure of it.”

  “What do you think she wants?” Fennie asked.

  “I haven’t a clue,” I replied. “The truth? We gave her that, didn’t we?”

  “She didn’t come for us to admit that,” Fennie said.

  “Restitution of some sort,” Mistee said. “We’re going to have to pay her off.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “I think she’s going to want more than money, but I don’t know what.”

  Fennie studied me then said, “I think Claary is probably right, as much as I hate to admit it.”

  They talked for hours.

  * * * *

  I slept poorly. The council collected our representatives even earlier than they did the first day, and I didn’t fuss this time. I was tired of answering everyone’s questions, anyway. But I vowed I wasn’t going to stand out today.

  We didn’t wait. As soon as we were assembled before the gates, Fennie gave the order to open them, and we were in place long before the bells began to ring. We used a carriage for the women who couldn’t walk that far.

  Olivia was there with her assistant and her honor guard. The tables were there. The maps were not. When she saw the age of some of our council members, she frowned, but she gave orders, and after a minute, a wagon appeared from their camp, and soon she had chairs set up, right at the table.

  I helped Mistee to her chair. Soon the council was settled, and Olivia looked around for a moment. When she spoke, her tone was subdued. “Thank you for taking me seriously, but I am unsure whether I should be angry.”

  “You see the lines in my face and assume my brain is doddering?” Mistee asked. “I assure you, it is not.”

  “You think I’m going to have you all murdered,” Olivia said.

  “We think,” Mistee said, “that you gave us little time to prepare a council able to speak for the town. We think you placed certain demands.”

  “And so, you are the council leader?”

  “Oh, no. I’m far too old for that. Fennie was voted Council Leader by unanimous decision.” Then she cackled. “I will point out that I was voted to my position by unanimous decision as well.”

  “I find that unlikely. I find it likely the men weren’t at all happy.”

  “We chose to ignore the nay’s,” Mistee said.

  “Understandable,” Olivia replied. “Ms. Marsh, I made certain demands.”

  “We arrived before noon with a newly formed council. The former male members of the council were present at the town meeting, but they were not invited to the remaining meetings. Little was decided other than to confirm me to this position, and to ask what we thought you would want.”

  “And did you come to conclusions?”

  “Beyond truth? No, we didn’t.”

  “Queen Lisdee would have forgiven much of what has transpired,” Olivia said. “However, the leader of the force sent to evict your citizens from our land was her niece.”

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “Kiana was ill treated by your soldiers,” Olivia said. “I have been given very, very clear orders, and I will be following them. You have a choice. You may choose to defy me. If you do so, several things will happen. One. We will execute every male soldier we currently hold as prisoner. Two. We will enslave the female soldiers, and they will be sold. Three. We will enslave every Charthan citizen we have rounded up. They will be sold. Four. We will reduce the walls of this city to rubble. We will then invade the city. We will capture every woman and every girl. We will execute any man who raises arms against us. We will then enslave and sell every prisoner we take.”

  Lips tightened, but no one said anything.

  “Or.”

  “Or?” Fennie echoed.

  “As you attempted to annex a portion of Ressaline, and as we believe you would have extended your reach again and again, Charthan is annexed and is now part of Ressaline.”

  “You can’t do that!” Fennie said.

  “Ms. Marsh, I already have. I hold the entire country, and your town is surrounded. The only military forces left to you are the town guard. The city could stand for a while, but I could simply wait you out. I won’t. I will take the city, and I will do everything as I have said. I don’t want to do it that way. But I will.”

  Fennie said nothing to that.

  “As I was saying, if you wish a non-violent conclusion, then Charthan is annexed. With some notable exceptions, every male over the age of five will travel to the nearest border and exit our territory. They will be provided safe passage. With the exception of very young boys and the elderly or infirm, travel will be on foot. They may carry personal possessions, if they wish, as well as modest funds. However, as Charthan no longer exists as a country, I do not imagine your currency will hold value outside your borders. You will take no gems, no jewels. They will be left behind.”

  “For your army?”

  “The males will be leaving. No women will leave. You are now subjects of Queen Lisdee, whether you recognize that or not.”

  Fennie hung her head. We could fight, but if we did, we would die.

  “There will be no exceptions,” Olivia said. “The men go. I don’t care if they are on their deathbeds. If necessary, you will load them into a cart, and you can rest assured we’ll search for anything hidden.”

  “You would part young children from their mothers.”

  “I did not make this war,” Olivia said. “You may not have issued a formal declaration of war, but you invaded our country and you attacked our military. Those are both acts of war. And now I am ending it.”

  “What of the prisoners you hold?”

  “Those directly responsible for the ill treatment of
any Ressaline citizens will stand trial. I cannot promise a fair trial, but I am not the one conducting it. Instead of executing the males, they will be permanently pacified, enslaved and sold in markets outside Ressaline. This is more humane than execution. The females will be permanently pacified and become subjects of Queen Lisdee.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “There are drugs that make and keep someone quite tame,” Olivia said. “They are able to see to their needs. They can hold simple jobs and follow directions. But they’ll never raise a weapon again.”

  “You would punish people who had little to do with events.”

  “They marched on my countrywomen,” Olivia said. “And we do not accept ‘only following orders’ as an excuse. I don’t know if I particularly care how you feel about that.”

  “I see.”

  “I said there would be no exceptions, but earlier I said there were, and in a way, I contradicted myself. The members of the council as it was presented here yesterday will remain here. They will be pacified and transported to Queen Lisdee for questioning.”

  I sighed and stepped forward. “No.”

  Olivia pointed a finger to me and said, “You be quiet.”

  “I didn’t protest about the soldiers, but I am protesting now,” I said.

  “You may protest when I’m done, then,” Olivia said. “In addition, we have the names of seven individuals who held principle ownership of the operations in our country. They will also be pacified and sent to Queen Lisdee.” Then she smiled. “Are you going to protest that?”

  “No,” I said, “but I hold no authority.”

  “So I needn’t listen if you protest.” But she held my gaze, and I held hers.

  “Then what happens?” I asked.

  “Then we integrate Queen Lisdee’s new subjects,” she said.

  “You will withdraw the threat against the council.”

  “I will not,” she said. “Ms. Rosebush, they ordered the invasion.”

  “Some of them voted ‘no’, and you know it.”

  “No, I don’t know it, as no one would even admit there was any such voting. Now, if they wish to be more forthcoming, then I could adjust my demands. But if not, my demands stand.”

  “So we’re negotiating.”

  “We may negotiate some of the terms,” she said after a moment. “But if this council wishes concessions, they will offer concessions.”

  “Be quiet now, Claary,” Fennie said.

  “Fine.” I faded back, kicking myself for standing out, yet again.

  “Was there more?”

  “Those leaving forfeit all assets inside our borders,” Olivia said. “Those assets will be dispersed as per Ressaline law.”

  “I am unfamiliar with those laws.”

  “Inheritance follows the female line, of course,” Olivia said. “When there is no clear line of inheritance, assets revert to the crown or her representative.”

  “So this is a big money grab. That’s all this is?”

  “What would you have had us do, Ms. Marsh? We tried to be reasonable. You weren’t interested. So now we are unreasonable, and you’re going to suck it up, because you have no choice. You can submit to my demands, or you can consign thousands of people to death and even more to enslavement. Do you think you can beat our army? Oh, you can cost us. You can kill some of us, but in the end, we will take this city. If we have to, we could starve you out, but frankly, we’re not interested, and that wouldn’t be our plan. We want the city intact, and we want Queen Lisdee’s new subjects alive and hale. We’re willing to lose some of you to make that happen, but that seems quite pointless to me.”

  She stood. “You have 48 hours to open the city gates. Your males will begin their exodus no later than three days from today, by noon.”

  “Wait,” I said.

  “Ms. Rosebush!” Olivia said.

  “The council!”

  “They know what I want. I don’t see them offering.”

  “Perhaps you would let us discuss it,” Fennie asked. “You could send these other women back home and give us some distance.”

  Olivia considered. “Fine. Ms. Rosebush stays. The rest of you may go gossip about my unreasonable demands.”

  It took a minute for the women to turn and head back to the gates. I didn’t watch them. I watched Olivia, and she watched me. Finally she said, “Ms. Rosebush, you will walk with me. Ms. Marsh, do you expect a lengthy period?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “My soldiers will move out of earshot. You may signal to them when you are ready to continue these discussions. If we must meet tomorrow, we may. Ms. Rosebush, walk with me.”

  We turned from the city gates, taking the road. We walked for a minute before I asked her, “What did you want?”

  “I wanted you to walk with me,” she said. “Nothing more.”

  “I believe that is the first lie you have said in my presence.”

  “Well, well,” she said. She turned to me. “I wouldn’t call that accusation fair. I suppose I wanted a conversation. I want to get to know you better. Is that explanation all that different from the first I offered?”

  “I think you want something.”

  “I may decide I want something,” she replied. “I didn’t want to walk alone, and so I choose to walk with you. I noticed you didn’t protest being held back, and you didn’t protest as I led you further from your city walls. I could take you prisoner.”

  “You could, but you’re not going to.”

  “Not unless you attempt something foolish, which you aren’t going to do. So. Let us walk, and talk.”

  “Fine,” I said. We both turned and stepped forward.

  “What do you know about Ressaline?”

  “I thought I knew more than apparently I do,” I said. “How do you have such a large army?”

  “You believe we are a city-state, a city at the edge of the mountains coupled with a few valleys at the edges of the foothills.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “We were. We have grown over the last thirty years.”

  “In what direction?’

  “If it had been south, east, or west, you would know.”

  “North, into the mountains?”

  “Through the mountains,” she replied. “Queen Lisdee commands an area significantly larger than Charthan.”

  “And now she seeks to gobble up my country.”

  “She didn’t initiate any disputes, and she tried to solve this one peacefully. Do you doubt me?”

  “No,” I said after a minute.

  “Your council chose to bully us,” Olivia said. “They are like men everywhere, seeking to push women around. Well, we push back.”

  “Not all men are like that.”

  “Not all men. You’re right. But the former leader of your council is, and I believe most of the other men on the council are. Furthermore, not all men are like that, but they don’t do much to stop the ones who are. I’m not impressed with ‘not all men’.”

  I didn’t answer that. She was probably right. “You’re really making all the men leave?”

  “Yes, and that isn’t negotiable. Who will you lose?”

  “Two thirds of my customers.”

  “How many of them slap your bottom every Friday night?”

  “That isn’t really any of your business, though, is it?”

  “Ah, so that happens more than it should. Who are you personally losing, Ms. Rosebush? A brother? A father?”

  “Uncles, two cousins, and my older brother.”

  “Are you close?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s none of your business, either.”

  “You protested about the council, but you didn’t protest for your brother.”

  “Maybe I wasn’t warmed up.”

  “I’ve been honest with you, Ms. Rosebush. Are you going to play that game now?”

  “Fine. He’s a jerk. But one of my cousins is really nice.”<
br />
  “And the other?”

  “He’s best friends with my brother.”

  “And you don’t sound too upset I’m kicking them out of the country. What about your father?”

  “He took off years ago,” I said. “I barely remember him.”

  “So for you personally, we have discussed a father, two uncles, two cousins, and a brother, and in the complete list, it is only one cousin you will miss. What does that tell you?”

  “That I’m a bitch.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  “They do.”

  “Ah. And perspective matters, I suppose.”

  We reached the top of a hill, and I could see more of her soldiers as well as cages of prisoners. I stopped and stared. “You brought me here intentionally.”

  She followed my gaze. “No. And I probably shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. Should we walk another direction?”

  I gestured. “Are those all the women you captured?”

  “No, but I’m not going to talk about that with you at this time. Let us go this way.” She turned us away. “If you were Queen Lisdee, what would you have ordered?”

  “I have no idea. I’m only a barmaid.”

  “I thought we weren’t playing games like that.”

  “Did she decide just like that, or did she consult with advisors?”

  “Oh, I imagine she made quite a snap decision, although she’s also been dealing with this issue for two years, and others like it for two decades. Fair enough.” She admitted I’d had little time to think about it, and no one to advise me as her queen would have had.

  “I don’t know what I would have ordered after taking the land back,” I said. “Reparations.”

  “Money.”

  “You didn’t come here for money,” I said. “But you asked what I would have ordered. I would have prosecuted anyone who broke the rules. I would have confiscated the armor and weapons of the soldiers, and demanded an apology and reparations before releasing them. The people most responsible would lose what they value most: money. They would have lost their investments, and it could have been our council’s choice what else to do to punish them.”

  “The worst culprit led the council. Do you really believe he would personally pay?”

  “I don’t know,” I said.