by E. P. Clark
“No!” shouted Princess Velikokrasnova.
Sera gave her a stern look. “I beg your pardon, Tsarina,” Princess Velikokrasnova continued, her voice still trembling, with rage or fear I couldn’t tell, “but how could he have given his consent? I am his mother. I must give my consent!”
“This is his twentieth summer, is it not?” inquired Sera mildly.
“Ye-es,” answered Princess Velikokrasnova, sensing a trap.
“Then he is of age, is he not? His consent it his own to give? May I remind my sister princesses that one of the changes my own gracious mother made was to give princes the right to speak for themselves upon coming of age, and dispose of their personal fate and fortunes as they see fit.”
There was some muttering about this, as there always was. The law forbidding those under age from entering into marriage and other contracts, but giving them freedom to dispose of themselves and their own property once they had come of age, had originally been made by our foremother Krasnoslava, as a way of preventing princesses from marrying off their daughters too young and against their will, and originally only been meant for noblewomen. Of course, as witnessed by the betrothal of Aleksey Aleksandrovich to his twelve-year-old bride, there were ways of wiggling around the law, but no marriage could actually be made till both parties were of age, and gave their free consent. The law had been extended to women of all classes during the reign of Darya Krasnoslavovna, and had only recently come to encompass men as well. After setting aside her first husband, Sera’s father, Sera’s mother had made the change in order to facilitate her marriage to a much younger man whose mother, perhaps wisely, considering Sera’s mother’s personal qualities, opposed the match. The general feeling amongst the princesses was that this new law not only undermined the authority of mothers, to which the older princesses were to a woman vehemently opposed, but it also encouraged young men to take foolish, perhaps irrevocably harmful, steps at a time in their lives when they were most in need of a mother’s guidance, and left them prey to selfish schemers such as the former Tsarina (or myself). There was hope that Sera, as the mother of three sons, would see the folly in this law and undo her mother’s thoughtless decision, but thus far she had shown no inclination to do so, and I could see the alarm that spread amongst all the princesses in the hall at this sign that Sera intended to use this unpopular law to her own advantage.
Princess Velikokrasnova, who was even more shocked than the rest of them, stared at Sera in horror for a moment before rallying and crying out, “He…he was born in Autumnmoon, Tsarina! He has not yet come of age!”
“But he will on Midsummer,” said Sera. “Such is our law. If necessary, he can give his consent again then, should he still wish to give it.”
“Tsarina! You do not mean to…!!”
“My sister is head of this mission. She has full rein to choose her companions, and indeed, I approve of her choice and her reasons for it. Since he is of age, or shortly will be, and is yet unmarried, this is a matter between Ivan Marinovich and her. As his mother, you may, of course, attempt to oppose it, even though in a few days’ time you will have no standing under Zemnian law to do so. But if you do try to oppose it, you will be going against the Imperial will.”
Princess Velikokrasnova, too angry to reply, bowed stiffly and stepped back, looking as if she might have a fit and collapse at any moment. I thought I would have enjoyed seeing her set down like that in front of the Princess Council, but in fact it made me feel…bad, I would have said, if that hadn’t seemed so unlikely. Sera appeared much less upset by the confrontation than I would have expected. But then, she had been Empress for a number of years, and had had to get used to this sort of thing.
I scanned the other princesses. Seeing Princess Velikokrasnova outflanked like that had shocked and frightened them. Some appeared to approve, but many looked upset and resentful. The other black earth princesses, in particular, were already gathering around her and shooting me (they didn’t dare aim their ire at Sera) venomous looks. I hoped we hadn’t just won the battle but lost the war to tame them and regain their loyalty.
As I had expected, the rest of the session disintegrated into arguments with little purpose and less sense, and after listening silently to various princesses put forth their unreasonable reasons for why this person or that person should or should not be chosen for the mission, and why we should not go on this mission at all, I suggested to Sera that perhaps the Severnolesniye, Pristanogradskiye, and Iridivadze should present their choices for their representatives tomorrow to me in private. She agreed, and called an end to the session.
Many of the princesses seemed taken aback by this outcome, and loitered in the Hall of Council for a while afterwards, as if that might change things. Sera was escorted away by her guards, and Aksinya Olgovna and I were making our way out of the hall ourselves, when Princess Velikokrasnova, who had disappeared into a knot of other black earth princesses, suddenly reappeared in front of us, blocking our path.
“How dare you!” she shrieked. Such an imposing woman should not have produced such a shrill cry. Once again, I felt…almost bad for her. I could suddenly imagine how I might feel, and I might react, if I were to find out that Ivan Marinovich were courting Mirochka and making plans to steal her away behind my back.
“It has been too long, Marina Yekaterinovna,” I said, bowing.
“You…one wasn’t enough? You weren’t satisfied with…with what you’d already done? Is this…is this some kind of cruel jest? Some mean-spirited joke on the part of you and the Empress at my expense? I can see no other reason for it!”
I would have expected myself to brush her off, or say something cutting, or perhaps strike her down right there in the Hall of Council, but much to my surprise, I found myself saying to her gently, “I realize that it must seem like that to you, Marina Yekaterinovna. But it is not the case. I swear to you, Marina Yekaterinovna, that no ill will is meant towards you or your family, and that the Tsarina and I are acting only for the good of Zem’.”
“You…I heard word of what has been going on as soon as I arrived, servants came and told me that my son had been in your company, not once, but many times, and when I confronted him about it, he didn’t even have the grace to be ashamed of it! He even dared to try to defy me! Well, I assure you, I put a stop to that, I gave him such a dressing-down…and I have ordered that he not be allowed to stir from his chamber, but now this! You actually think that I will allow him to go off with you on this…mad adventure! I would not consent to it under any circumstances, but to think that he would be allowed to go anywhere with you, do anything with you, let alone travel unsupervised for months at a time, is…!!” She choked, apparently unable even to put what it was into words.
“Of course he could be accompanied by a trusted guard, if it would set your mind at ease,” I said.
“And he even had the gall to say that you seemed…nice!” she burst out, having found her voice again. “Decent! Even trustworthy! I…I have half a mind to have him whipped for sheer stupidity!”
“That is unlikely to endear you to him or to further your cause,” I said before I could stop myself. Princess Velikokrasnova’s face turned almost purple with rage, so that I began to feel genuinely alarmed for her health.
“Well, I shall certainly…I shall certainly keep him locked up here for the rest of the summer! He won’t set foot out of his chamber until…” She suddenly fell silent.
“Come, Marina Yekaterinovna,” I said, as gently as I could. “There is much we should discuss in private. Come, let us retire to a quiet chamber, and order some refreshment. You must be tired after your journey.”
“Much we must…in private?? What have you done to him?!?”
“Nothing,” I said. “But there is still much…”
“You’ve ruined him!” she cried out in despair. “I knew…I knew…somehow already…”
“Marina Yekaterinovna!” I said sharply. “I am willing to be patient with you, for I know this m
ust be difficult for you, but I will not let you insult me, nor, in fact, your own son in front of the assembled princesses of Zem’.”
“It isn’t an insult if it’s true!”
“You have nothing to fear on that score, Marina Yekaterinovna,” I told her. “You have my word on it.”
“And why should I believe you? Why should I trust you now, when you couldn’t be trusted before?”
“Because I am a mother now too!” I shouted. My voice rang out unexpectedly loudly in the Hall of Council, and I realized that everyone else had fallen silent, and was listening to us intently.
Her hand rose up and swung towards my face. I caught it and held it in midair, despite her struggles to free it. Her face was convulsing as if she were about to have a fit, or cry.
“Marina Yekaterinovna,” I said. “I am a direct descendent of Miroslava Praskovyevna, and second in line for the throne. My sister may be a woman of mercy, and so, in some ways, am I, but you must know that even so, to strike me would bring exile or a life in the mines. Even to attempt it could bring you to the Hall of Judgment. Please, Marina Yekaterinovna, if you value your life and the life of those in your family even a little bit, do not do such a thing again. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, but other things are more important right now. Please, Marina Yekaterinovna, if you are not in a fit state to speak with me now, then do me the honor of speaking to me later, perhaps tomorrow, when you have had the chance to collect your thoughts.”
I loosened my grip on her wrist, and she wrenched it out of my hand, breathing fast.
“And one more thing, Marina Yekaterinovna.”
“Yes?” she said bitterly.
“If I hear that you have mistreated Ivan Marinovich,” I leaned in closer to her, “I shall make sure you rue the day you ever caused him to suffer. Do I make myself clear?”
She blinked and opened and closed her mouth, but could not seem to find any words to respond. Princesses Yuzhnokrasnova and Malokrasnova, normally sworn enemies, both stepped forward then, and, giving me looks that seemed equal parts rage and…apprehension? Incomprehension? Respect?...they took Princess Velikokrasnova by the elbows and led her away.
Chapter Eighteen
I went to the training ground the next morning, where I found Vitaly Mariyevich but no Ivan.
“Spar with me?” I requested. “I think my training partner may have deserted me.”
“Of his own free will, do you think, Valeriya Dariyevna?” asked Vitaly Mariyevich. He brought up his training sword.
“I’m not sure that someone in his situation can be said to have free will. But on this particular morning I suspect that he has been locked in his chamber, if not worse.” I brought up my sword too, and we began to attack and parry slowly, more as a way to hide our conversation than to train our muscles.
“Worse, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
“His mother spoke yesterday of having him whipped as well.”
Vitaly Mariyevich’s face darkened. “I’ve trained a lot of men, Valeriya Dariyevna, if you’ll permit me to say it, and there are some that can’t stand the taste of the lash, just as there are some horses that can’t stand the taste of the whip. Use it, and you’ll ruin them. And I could see straight off that young Ivan Marinovich is one of those men, my head for beheading.”
“I know,” I said.
“Do you have a plan, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
“First I was going to come here and wait a little while to see if he showed up. If that didn’t work, I was going to move on to phase two.”
“And what’s that, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
“I haven’t gotten that far. I suppose I need to see him, to make sure he isn’t being mistreated.”
“And to see if he still wants to go East with you, Valeriya Dariyevna. Don’t forget about that. It is the Tsarina’s will, after all.”
“I know,” I said. “But for both things I need to be able to speak with him, and I doubt very much that Princess Velikokrasnova is just going to let me walk into her palace and meet with her son.”
“That is if he’s even still there, Valeriya Dariyevna. I haven’t heard any reports from my guards of him leaving, but the easiest way for Princess Velikokrasnova to solve her problem would be to send him home.”
“I know,” I said. “But I don’t think she’s going to do that.”
“Oh? Why not, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
“Yesterday, after you had escorted the Tsarina out of the Hall of Council, we had a little…encounter. And she talked about having him punished, and having him locked up for the rest of the summer, but nothing about sending him home. So either she was being very clever and casting false trails for me to follow, or she has no intention of sending him home because she needs him here in Krasnograd all summer.”
“Oh? Why would that be, do you think, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
I wondered how privy Vitaly Mariyevich was to Sera’s plans and concerns. He would have to know at least a little bit, as the Captain of her Guard, but how much she had told him of her suspicions regarding the black earth princesses, and her strategies to counter them, I didn’t know. “I don’t know,” I said cautiously, “but if I were to guess, I would say she has marriage plans for him.”
“I see, Valeriya Dariyevna.” A couple of guards wandered within earshot of us, and Vitaly Mariyevich suddenly pressed the attack, so that neither of us were able to speak until I had pushed him back, and he disengaged and called for a rest. The two guards, catching his eye, suddenly remembered urgent business elsewhere and took themselves off to the barracks. “And those marriage plans do not coincide with those of the Tsarina, I take it?”
“Well…no.”
“I see, Valeriya Dariyevna.” He looked thoughtful. “What are you going to do now, Valeriya Dariyevna? It’s well past the time he should have been here, and he still hasn’t arrived.”
“I’m going to go back to the kremlin and see if a message has come for me,” I said. “Then I’ll proceed from there.”
“And if a message has not come, Valeriya Dariyevna?”
“I guess I’ll go to the Velikokrasnova palace and see what I can see. I might even call on Princess Velikokrasnova. After all, I told her yesterday that I would.”
Vitaly Mariyevich grinned. “Should I send in guards after you if you aren’t back by suppertime, Valeriya Dariyevna? Since you are the current heir to the throne, lightly as you seem to take it. Guarding you is my responsibility.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” I said, grinning back. “But maybe you should be prepared to send word to the Tsarina, just in case.”
“That I certainly will, Valeriya Dariyevna. And take comfort in the fact that he is almost of age. She can only hold him for a few more days.”
“In theory,” I said. “But in practice, who’s going to go against a mother’s will in a case such as this? I’m afraid we can’t really expect the other princesses to storm the palace and demand freedom for a young man who’s been locked up for consorting with shady characters and hatching plans to go off on ill-advised adventures.”
“You’re not a shady character, and your journey is not an ill-advised adventure, Valeriya Dariyevna. You are the Tsarina’s second-sister and heir, and acting on her behalf.”
“I know,” I said. “But that’s not how some see it.” I bowed. “Thank you for sparring with me, Vitaly Mariyevich, and even more for talking with me. And if you don’t hear word of my return to the kremlin by suppertime, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to investigate my whereabouts.”
“You can count on it, Valeriya Dariyevna,” he said, and, giving me the look a concerned father might bestow on a daughter about to set off on a perilous quest, bowed and took his leave.
My hopes were low as I set off back to my chambers, but in fact as I was passing outside the kitchens I heard a childish voice whisper, “That’s her,” and a girl and a boy, both a little older than Mirochka, popped out from a side alley.
“V-V-Valeriya D-D-D-Dar
iyevna?” stammered the boy.
I stopped. “That’s right. Do you have a message for me?”
“H-h-h-how did you…?”
“I told you,” whispered the girl. “I told you she knows things!”
“I’m expecting a message,” I said mildly. “It seemed likely that you might be bearing it. So do you have a message for me?”
“Y-y-y-yes, Valeriya Dariyevna…” He gulped and, falling silent, gave a clumsy bow.
“Is it written down, or do you need to tell it to me?” I asked, when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to volunteer any more information on his own.
“W-w-written down, Valeriya Dariyevna.”
“Can I see it, then?” I asked, as patiently as possible.
“Oh! H-h-here it is.” He fished a scrap of paper out of a dirty pocket, and handed it over. I unfolded it. It was half the size of my palm, and said only, in a clear but blocky hand, Locked in my room. I.M.V. The free corner of the piece of paper had a small and simple but surprisingly well-drawn picture of a sad face on it.
“Is there anything more to the message?” I asked.
The boy shook his head.
“How did you come by it?” I asked.
He gave me a fearful look. “I only want to know about the state of my friend,” I told him. “I am sure you came by it honestly.”
He gulped. “S-s-s-sister’s a s-s-s-scullery maid, Valeriya Dariyevna.”
I nodded encouragingly.
“W-w-w-with Princess Velikokrasnova.”
I nodded even more encouragingly.
“Sh-sh-she gave it to me, and s-s-s-said there’d be a grosh in it for me if I got it to you.”
“So I pointed you out to him, Valeriya Dariyevna!” said the girl, much more boldly. “I work in the kitchens here and I’ve seen you before.”
“You both did very well,” I told them, and reached into my pocket. “Here’s a grosh for each of you, and there will be more if there are any more messages for me, do you understand? And…if someone else should try to offer you money for my messages, I will offer you more. Are we understood?”