by Robin Roseau
"Of course," she agreed. "What was the new toast?"
Although the food was excellent, conversation was strained. I grew quiet. I didn't care to discuss the business of the ship or the life of a sailor, and I didn't want to hold my own conversation within my household. And so I ate and sipped at my tea. Terél and Larien did not feel the same mood, and so they spoke quietly to each other and with Féla and Naddí.
Finally, the meal ended, and I was ready to escape to safety. The captain pushed back from the table and said, "Dessert will be along shortly, but we can stretch our legs for a moment."
And so we all stood. I moved to the windows at the rear of the cabin and looked out to the dark sea, Terél and Larien flanking me, offering comfort simply in their presence. "Are you all right?" Terél asked in a low voice.
I nodded. But I reached over and clasped her hand for a moment. "We're taking horses in the future. Is that all right?"
"Of course it is, Yalla," they both said.
"And we're not standing on protocol."
They chuckled.
"Could you do that serenity spell later though?" I asked.
"Of course," Larien said. I looked over my shoulder at her, and she was smiling. "We enjoy it as much as you do."
"Do you think we could include others?" I asked.
"It is said a priestess of Yahamala can work through the high priestess," Terél said. "But of course, we've never done that." She paused a moment. "The high priestess is supposed to teach us."
"Oh," I said. I looked back out the window. "I don't know how."
"Patience," Terél suggested. "We'll learn. Some of the older priestesses should know."
"And you can ask the Goddess, of course," Larien added.
"If she comes," I said. "I got the impression she isn't always there."
"I think if you call to her, she would come, Yalla. It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?"
I didn't say anything, and then I felt a fresh presence at my back. It felt like Juleena, but when I turned, Captain Jalice was there. "Might I have a word?"
I glanced at Larien, and a moment later, she and Terél withdrew. The captain stepped to my side, and we both turned to look out the window again.
"I am very sorry," she said.
"For what?"
"The toast. It seems to have upset you."
"Oh. I'm not as fragile as that," I said. "It put me off for a moment or two. But I fear, Captain, I would be a particularly poor sailor."
"Are you ill? The motion makes some people ill."
"It's not the motion. It's just the strangeness. In a way, the sea is like The Hippa -- Garneer, you would say. The Hippa is unending, rolling grass. The sea is unending, rolling water. But yet, I find it unsettling, and I find I would much rather have my feet upon solid earth, or perhaps my backside upon a horse's back. I mean no disrespect. Harsprite appears a good, sturdy ship."
"That she is, Lady Yallameenara. And no offense is taken. Perhaps you will walk upon the deck with me after dinner."
"I'd like that, as long as you know an invitation to me appears to be an invitation to my entire household."
She smiled. "I am starting to understand that."
A moment later, there was a knock, and then the servers returned, bringing dessert.
* * * *
I had my walk upon the deck. It was actually a group walk, including Juleena, my entire household, the captain, and Lieutenant Commander Nurain. I thought Commander Raleet would have joined us as well, but he had the duty and climbed to the aft quarterdeck to watch over the entire ship. Lady Margaletta chose to retire, and I wasn't sure whether I was surprised or not.
I didn't think she cared for me. I didn't care for her, either, so that was fair.
I walked with my hand tucked inside the captain's arm; Juleena had Nurain on her arm. For some reason, the arrangements amused me. Given my mood, that said something.
We strolled slowly, the captain speaking quietly to me, making small talk. I could hear Nurain and Juleena conducting a similar conversation. The remainder of my household was quiet, but I could feel their careful watch over me. That induced complicated emotions in me: love at their care, and worry that they felt concerned.
We made two slow circuits of the main deck, but then we found ourselves near the bow of the ship, standing at the starboard railing, Nurain and Juleena leaning against the opposite railing to the ship's port side. "We're lucky tonight."
"Why do you say that, Captain Jalice?"
"I wonder if I could make a request."
"Of course, Captain."
"Do you think you could call me Jalice, and I could call you Yallameenara?"
"Of course. I consider the titles distracting myself."
"A necessity much of the time," she pointed out "but definitely a distraction at other times, Yallameenara. We are lucky to stand here and not become quickly drenched."
"I am afraid I don't understand."
"We have good wind, but the seas are relatively gentle, and there is little spray."
"Oh, I see," I said. I gestured to the open water. "Do you ever go swimming?"
"Definitely not. The water is very cold. It warms if one travels further south. How far have you traveled?"
"The Arrlotta do not travel the southern portions of Garneer," I said. "The land grows increasingly dry. I have been well north during summer months, but we do not use maps, so I couldn't say how far we traveled. And I have been to Alteara, of course, but I paid little attention to my surroundings."
"And within Framara?"
"Other than the trip from Garneer to Marport eight years ago, I have never been more than a day’s ride from Marport."
"Ah. Along the coast, the sea moderates our weather. Do you understand?"
"My tutors explained," I said. "The sea dominates much of life in Framara. Some of that dominance is obvious; some is not. Open water is rare in Garneer, and seasonal besides. We do not fish, and so it was Princess Juleena who gave me my first taste."
"We have led such different lives," Jalice remarked. "Well, if you were to travel to the southern portions of Framara, near to Balstead, you would find people swim in the sea during the hottest months."
"I don't know how to swim."
"You should learn," she said. "But even if you don't swim, you can stand in the water."
"It is so deep."
She turned and offered a puzzled look, which then cleared. "Ah, you are accustomed to the shoreline nearest Marport. There are places with gentle beaches of white sand, and you can walk out into the water, sometimes a great distance, before the water is so high it reaches over your head."
"But the waves-"
"Ah, but perhaps there is an island offshore that offers protection, and of course there are countless coves and inlets."
"Like our harbor?"
"Yes. To have smooth sand, the land must be shaped just so. It is the pounding of the waves that wears the rocks into sand, you see, or so I was once taught. But some day the waves come from this direction, and sometimes from that direction."
"Ah, and so perhaps this space has shelter today, and that space has shelter tomorrow."
"Just so," she said.
"I might like to see such a place," I said. "But I am not sure I would be brave enough to step so much as a single toe into the water."
"Perhaps I could take you. I would keep you safe."
I glanced at her. "Jalice, are you flirting with me?"
She laughed. "I am hopelessly devoted to my wife, and I wouldn't wish to compete with Princess Juleena. Perhaps, however, I am offering friendship."
At that, I heard laughter, and when I turned to look, Nurain had her hand on Juleena's arm. "Your marine commander is quite naughty. She knows Juleena is mine."
Jalice glanced. "Are you jealous?"
"No."
"I believe they know each other," Jalice said. "I didn't ask."
I turned back to look at the sea and tried not to be intimidated. "I do not
believe you invited me to tell me about beaches and sand."
"What's she like?"
I had expected her to beat around the bush more than this. Well, I certainly didn't mind direct questions.
"We're talking about the Goddess, and not the princess?"
"Yes."
"I'm just learning the answer to that question myself," I replied. "She's..." I paused. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked, but I hadn't found a good way to describe her. "She looks like us, I suppose, but at the same time, there's no mistaking her. I haven't figured out why. It's like she glows, but she doesn't. I know that doesn't make sense."
"No one else can see her?"
"My mother," I said. "And my future daughters. Or so I'm told."
"That's why they stole you, isn't it?"
"Yes." I paused. "She's beautiful, of course. Physically, she appears to be perhaps Juleena's age. But at the same time she's like the oldest and wisest of grannies, the sort who always has fresh baked bread and hugs for anyone who asks."
"I think I know what you mean," Jalice replied.
"Her touch..." I stared off a little dreamily. "Our devotion is based on nine words. She doesn't speak Altearan; I had to learn Altearan to be able to talk to everyone else, but I also had to learn the language of the Goddess so I could talk to her. I'm still learning. I guess I'm still learning both. There are different words that mean god or goddess, each with a different connotation, but there is one that means the Goddess of My Heart, and that is the word we use for her. That is the first word I learned."
"An important word."
"Yes. And then there are eight more. Joy. Love." I ran through the list, finishing with change, but speaking only in Framaran to Jalice. I laughed. "It's odd."
"What?"
"I am accustomed to saying the words in her language. It is odd to say them in Framaran."
She flashed a smile at me.
"I don't know if I've explained very well. She's a Goddess, and any description will be lacking." I gestured. "It would be as if I tried to describe your ship. I couldn't possibly do it justice."
"Ah, now we speak my language," she said. "And a ship is different in different weather and different seas. I believe I understand."
We stood at the railing for a few minutes, each lost in our thoughts, but then she said, "We chased after you."
"Excuse me?"
"Two years ago."
"Oh. I never saw another ship until we approached Hergenseé."
"We knew you were on an Altearan ship, but we knew nothing about which ship. We learned later. But if you'd been aboard a slower ship, we might have caught up to you."
"I'm sorry to have been so much trouble."
"It wasn't your fault," she replied. "Although we didn't know that at the time. The Altearans have much to answer for."
"That is in our past, and I want the wounds to heal. You would do me a great favor if you could help to set aside the bad feelings."
She didn't answer right away, but then she said, "They got to you."
"I am and remain Framaran," I said. "But the two countries have been friends for a long, long time. I would hate to see that end over me."
"What would your reaction be if it had been Juleena they had taken?"
My lips tightened. That was such an obvious question, but I hadn't asked myself. Then I laughed. "I think I'd be more angry than I was."
"And would you have forgiven them?"
"I haven't forgiven all of them," I said. I thought about it. "I imagine Lady Margaletta is going to make the king and queen pay deeply." And that was when I realized why Ralalta had sent Margaletta instead of someone more palatable. She wasn't going as a diplomat. She was going as exactly what she was.
An utter hard ass.
I wondered if I owed her an apology, or at least more understanding than I'd offered so far.
My hands tightened on the railing for a moment, and then I pushed the thought aside for later. "I am only saying I would prefer there be peace, prosperity, and friendship again. Is that wrong?"
"No, Yallameenara," she replied. "That isn't wrong. Is that because your Goddess ordered it?"
"No. But my way is better, isn't it?"
"I suppose it is. There are those who profit during times such as these, but peace, friendship, and open trade are better."
"Who could possibly profit?"
"Smugglers and other criminal elements. And both countries have moved military forces nearer the border, which means other areas are not as well protected. That represents additional opportunity for those will ill intent. We're a courier ship and go where we're needed, but no one is pleased with fewer ships patrolling our southern waters."
"Are tensions with Balstead strained?"
"Not necessarily, but Balstead isn't necessarily diligent in chasing pirates unless those pirates prey upon the wrong people."
"Oh. Does the queen know about this?"
"Of course she does," Jalice said. "The queen knows everything."
I laughed. "I suppose that's true."
* * * *
It was some time later I stood outside Lady Margaletta's door. Finally I raised my hand and knocked. A moment later, the door opened, and I found Margaletta dressed in casual clothing, a glass of something in her hand.
"Lady Yallameenara," she said tightly. She looked past me, but I'd asked my household if I could please speak privately with Margaletta. "You're alone. How unexpected."
"I'm not sure, but I might owe you an apology." At that, she raised an eyebrow. "And it's possible you owe one to me, but I'm even less sure about that."
She didn't say a word, but she stepped backwards and held her door open to me. I stepped past her, and she closed the door. I came to a stop in the middle of her room, and when I turned around, she was watching me.
"Something to drink?"
"No, but thank you," I said. "You're not a diplomat."
"Figured that out, did you?"
"The queen both asked and ordered me not to interfere with you," I said. "But if I do not understand your true mission, I could easily undermine you without even realizing it."
She studied me for a minute, a full minute, before nodding. "Sit." She gestured towards her table, and then she topped her glass off and poured a second one, setting it down on the table before me. She took the seat opposite me. I considered the glass she had poured and then picked it up. "To understanding," she said. And then she slammed down her entire glass.
I sniffed at the glass and stared at her. "You just did that to..." I sniffed again. "A really fine cognac."
She folded her arms on the table and watched me.
And so I mirrored her action. Muranna would have winced at the injustice to the liquor. I made a face and covered my mouth. Margaletta smiled, but it seemed especially predatory. But I set the glass down.
"I won't do that again," I said when I had my voice. "I hope you don't intend to drink me under the table before you'll tell me what I need to know. This journey is difficult enough for me without making it worse."
"What is it you want, Lady Yallameenara?"
That question could mean different things. I picked one. "Peace and friendship between the two countries. I do not believe you're the woman to bring that about."
"I'm not," she said. "The queen predicted this conversation."
I wasn't sure if I should be surprised. "Did she tell you to send me away?"
"No. She told me to educate you."
"She could have done that herself."
"Not until you asked the right questions," Margaletta replied. "We are here." She set her left hand down on the table. "You want us to be here." She set her right hand down, nearly two feet away from the first. "How do we get from here..." and she wriggled the fingers of her left hand. "To here?" She wriggled the fighters of her right hand."
"Diplomacy."
She paused. "I need a third hand."
"Oh?"
Without waiting, she reached across the t
able, grabbed my hand, and set it down on the table. "Leave that there." Then she set her hand back down. So now there were three hands on the table, mine between the two but closer to her right hand than her left. "Diplomacy can get us from here-" and she tapped the back of my hand with her left index finger. "To here." She tapped her right hand. "But diplomacy does not get us to here." She tapped my hand again. "From here." And she set her left hand back down and wriggled her fingers. "Understand?"
"Fine," I said. "I'm not sure I agree. What gets us from your hand to mine?"
"I do."
"I don't understand."
"They have to pay, Lady Yallameenara. She leaned back, withdrawing her hands. "The queen doesn't use me very often. I am a businesswoman, not a diplomat after all. Can you guess when she uses me?"
"When she needs a hard ass. But for that she has Juleena."
Margaletta barked a laugh. "Juleena's emotions are currently an impediment," she said. "And she is given to absolutes. But you're right. She sends me when she needs a hard ass, but one who doesn't reach for a sword to do it. Juleena reaches for a sword. I reach for their purse."
"Money. This is about money?"
"Money is a symbol," she said. "And not just money, but I'm not going to explain that. Maybe someday." She paused. "Lady Yallameenara, you shouldn't worry about any of that. Do you know what you need to truly understand?"
"I'm not sure I do."
"You need to know that I am the gatekeeper."
"That I really don't understand."
"I am the one who guards the gate. And behind me are the diplomats. If Alteara wants the diplomats, they have to convince me to step aside."
"Don't we want to use the diplomats?"
"Of course we do, but not as much as they do. The current tensions cost us, but not as much as they cost Alteara, nowhere near as much. We enjoy good relations with them, but we don't depend upon them."
"Say that to the people whose livelihoods have been cut off."
"Yes, there is suffering for some, but it is limited, and if the current tensions do not ease, those people would find fresh livelihoods in other markets."
"And we redirect more of our military to cut off the smuggling."
She laughed.
"What did I say?"
