by Robin Roseau
He glared at me but said nothing further.
“Very well. Grandmother, I accept your offer for the southern portion.”
“She can cut the berries,” muttered Mr. Rorel.
“Excuse me? I didn’t quite hear you.”
“You heard me just fine.”
I stared at him, and it was a less kindly look than I’d offered Grandmother a minute previously. No one else spoke until finally I said, “You know, Mr. Rorel. I think the last time I insisted someone treat me with the respect of my title, I was probably seven and upset I didn’t get my way on something. I’m not going to reverse that now. Grandmother, you added twenty-five percent on top of the valuation you contracted.”
“I didn’t want you to determine I made a low offer, Princess Darfelsa,” she replied.
“You can’t do that!” exclaimed Mr. Rorel.
“I haven’t done a thing yet, Sir. But yes, I can.”
“Princess Darfelsa,” Grandmother said gently. “If I could have access for solstice berries, I am satisfied.”
“Is there a path from this side?”
“There’s a footbridge,” she said. “I’ve maintained the path on this side.”
“I will see to the path on the other side,” said Nylith.
“Perhaps,” said Grandmother, “You would like to stop in for tea from time to time as well.”
“I think I’d like that.”
Well, well. “I believe, unless there are additional objections from Mr. Rorel, that we have an agreement.” He said nothing, so I nodded. “Very good. Ms. Sessen, the deed for both properties will need to be amended on my signature as well as a right of use entered into the registry. Mr. Rorel, if you do anything to impede Lady Alaxina’s ability to access the parcel, I will make a special trip to this region, and you will be decidedly unhappy with the results.”
He said nothing but got up and stomped from the room. I shook my head. Grandmother had been right. But Nylith stepped up to me. “Princess Darfelsa.” I turned to her. “Perhaps you could tell your mother I sent my regards.”
“I will do that.”
“And tell her…” She trailed off.
“Perhaps, Nylith, Grandmother would invite you for tea, or even a meal, and you could tell me what my mother was like when you knew her.”
“I think I’d like that.”
We had a lovely evening.
* * * *
Not all the issues I addressed were this simple. Yes, some of the problems I faced disappeared in the face of royal attention. People wanted to know the king cared about them, and sometimes that’s all they needed. In one case, I held a town hall meeting to discuss the issue, hoping to simply understand it better, and in front of me, with little effort on my part, the villagers proposed, discussed, and decided upon a solution. They thanked me effusively, when all I’d done was call a meeting then ask a few questions.
One of the problems involved a poorly-maintained road and a crumbling bridge. The village was on the end of the road, and their efforts to maintain it hadn’t been expert. I wished I had Allium along. In the end, I would have a conversation with Javish Rutile, the Minister of Transportation, as well as the crew chief responsible for this area. The crew chief, in front of my eyes, said, “The princess is mistaken.” Apparently, it wasn’t possible a road in his region could be in such a sorry state.
“I’m fairly certain you don’t mean to call me a liar,” I said calmly. “Does the ministry keep records of work the crews have done?”
“Of course,” said Minister Rutile.
We had a map. I reviewed what I had seen, using the map to ensure understanding. “Check your records. I’ll wait.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” said the minister.
“Mr. Hesden seems to feel I can’t read a map, and the road I saw was actually not within the borders of our country,” I said. “Or perhaps he feels I can’t tell when a road is impassible to wagons if there’s been the slightest rain. Or maybe he is casting aspersions on the judgment of the Royal Guard, who refused to allow me to cross that bridge and instead directed me to ford the river. I’m sure they were just being alarmists.”
“It’s a road to nowhere,” Mr. Hesden replied.
“Ah, so now you admit your poor maintenance has cut off Flarvorian citizens from the rest of their countrymen?”
“You are overstating the problems and don’t understand the difficulty of our jobs.”
“I am most definitely not overstating the problem, although I admit that I don’t know the first thing about maintaining roads and bridges. Apparently, neither do the local villagers, as they’re the only ones who have done any maintenance to that road for at least the last twenty years.”
I turned to the minister. “Frankly, I don’t care how it happens. If you have records showing this man’s crew have maintained that road, the records are falsified, and you have a personnel problem to resolve. Perhaps you both are aware that I worked directly for Allium Cuprite for three years, and that she is a close personal friend. I am sure you are both aware of who she is. And from conversations with her, I know that not all road crews are equal, and not all crew chiefs are equal. It is possible this particular crew has too expansive of duties, and they should cover a smaller region. Or it could simply be this particular crew chief is not up to his job. Frankly, without spending far more time on this than I’m willing, I can’t make that determination, and I consider it your job, not mine.”
“Princess,” said the minister.
“I expect an investigation,” I said. “I want an independent review of each road in this man’s region. I want an independent review of this man’s records. I expect the initial results on my desk within three days, and final results when the on-site review is complete. If this man has been falsifying records, I will refer the issue to Minister Varora personally. I expect you, Minister, to oversee the initial reviews personally, and if there are accounting irregularities, you will come to my office and tell me personally.”
“Am. I. Clear?”
“Perfectly, Your Highness.”
I turned to Mr. Hesden. “You’re an idiot. You may be an excellent road crew chief, and I don’t hold someone in that job to the same standards as I might a minister. But there are exactly two people in this country with more authority than I carry, and you called me a liar. Well, I am not a liar, and this review will corroborate my analysis. Rather than questioning my judgment, you would have been far better served to simply point out you do the best you can, and more important roads receive the bulk of your crew’s attention.”
I stood up. “Captain. I want these offices under guard, especially any rooms containing records.”
“Princess Darfelsa,” said the minister. “That won’t be necessary.”
“These two gentlemen will remain in this office until the sanctity of the records can be ensured. They will communicate with no one. Do I need to explain more, Captain?”
“Not at all, Princess.”
“Not one piece of paper will go missing,” I added. “What assistance do you require?”
“We’ll need clerks,” she said.
“Use my staff until we can get some.” I moved closer to her and said quietly, “Can you get me out of here?”
She nodded. “Sergeant! You heard the princess. Secure everything. I’ll get staff back here to watch the papers, and replacement guards.”
“We’ll take care of things,” Henra said. She immediately began making orders to the squad. Mariya nodded to me, and together we swept from the office.
Before we left the perimeter of my guard, she had my sword and scabbard from her back and pressed it into my hands. “We’re riding,” she said. “I’ll take the lead, and we’re moving quickly.” She eyed me. “You look too much like a princess.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“We’ll be fine,” she said. “Keep up.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
She had to help me ont
o the horse, which was a little embarrassing, but we made it back to the palace without problems. Once inside the gates I told her, “Get the guards there. I’ll do something about clerks. I’ll probably be with my father or sister.”
“I’ll find you.”
“Thank you, Mariya.”
“I hate corruption.”
“There may not be corruption. It may simply be a case of an overworked crew and a crew chief who shouldn’t be reporting to a princess.”
“You don’t tend to respond well when called a liar,” she said.
“You had my blade,” I replied with a grin.
“You think he’s falsifying records.”
“I don’t know, but if he is, he was probably also selling the supplies he supposedly used. I think you’re going that way.” I gestured then turned for the palace door. Inside, I hollered, “Where are the king and my sister?”
It took a moment, but then it was a page who said, “I brought the Minister of Culture to the king’s office a half hour ago.”
“Was my sister there?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I don’t know.”
“Do you have duties more important than helping me?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“Please come with me.” And then the poor lad had to hurry to keep up with me, but that was part of his job. At father’s office, two of the guards saw me coming, saw the way I was hurrying, and had the doors open before I arrived.
Father’s office was rather full. Father, Mother, and Ahlianna was there along with the Minister of Culture and several of her staff. There was serving staff in the corner, Bellard, and one of Father’s secretaries.
They all looked up, several with annoyance. Father was one, but annoyance turned into concern when he saw who I was. “Father,” I said. “Is there any reason this meeting can’t be rescheduled?”
“No. Everyone out.”
Mother, Ahlianna, and Bellard didn’t move. I turned to my helpful page. “Help these people find the front door. Thank you.”
He gave a little bow. “You’re welcome, Your Highness.”
I waited until the room was clear and the door closed, and then said, “Father, I might be overreacting.” I then relayed everything. I was far from done when Mother said, “If Allium were the minister, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Allium is far happier where she is,” Father said.
I finished then asked, “Father, am I overreacting?”
“No.”
“I left Renishta and most of my guard. Captain Felist is sending guards to replace them. We need a small army of clerks to ensure the sanctity of the records, and I want Renishta back. I have no idea how many are required. I don’t know where they keep their records, but I’m convinced if there are records indicating maintenance had been performed, those papers would have disappeared.”
“Minister Rutile is a good man,” Father replied. “But it’s best to control the situation. Bellard, can you see to this?”
“Minister Varora will want to know about this,” Bellard replied.
“I’ll inform the minister,” Father said. “But Princess Darfelsa offered a chance for Javish to perform an investigation. We’re not going to second-guess that.”
“Did I make a mistake?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“If Allium-” Mother started to say.
Father turned to her. “You’re right. If Allium were there, none of this would have happened. If Allium were running the ministry, we would have been able to trust her absolutely. I’m aware of that. Do you think she wants that job more than the job she has?”
“I suppose not,” Mother replied. “But you didn’t know that at the time, did you?”
He sighed. “Our daughter will be queen. This country has never had a ruling queen. Our second daughter will be the second-most powerful person in the country, which has also never happened. Maybe, in another ten or twenty years, Allium could have taken the ministry and not face the sort of politics she is most certainly not capable of handling, but right now, she’d have six knives in her back within a month of assuming power, and everyone in this room knows it.”
I’d never in my life seen the two of them like this. No one else spoke, and then Mother looked away. “You’re right,” Mother said eventually. “But that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“It doesn’t mean I like it, either,” Father said. “Maybe I should have given you more authority the day I was crowned, but the country wasn’t ready for it, and frankly, neither were you.”
“I know,” Mother said in little more than a whisper.
“Bellard, see to this,” Father said. “Talk to them personally before you send them, and get the Guard to escort them. Assign a team leader, and I want 24-hour supervision until the reports are reviewed.”
“I think we should make copies of records for that region,” I said. “Maybe we only need summaries. I don’t know. Maybe we should pull the records here. The on-site investigation will take time.”
“Let’s see the scope of the problem before we go through that.”
“Bellard, you may use Ara and Laerdya, if you need them, but I want Renishta back.”
He nodded. “I’ll take care of this.”
“Thank you, Bellard,” Father said.
In the end, there was no sign of corruption, just a combination of a team that wasn’t as efficient as one might have liked, and a crew chief willing to sign off on lesser roads as requiring no maintenance. I withdrew from events once Minister Rutile assured me the road in question, and any other suffering roads, would receive the attention it required.
Of course, all of this happened once we returned to Barrish, so I got slightly ahead of my story.
* * * *
“Tenisi,” I said. “I never asked. Why do you want to go with us, if you don’t mind explaining?”
She puttered about, not answering immediately but then said, “I had a girlfriend.”
“It ended?”
“Her family didn’t approve.”
“Of you specifically?”
“She married a man.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
She didn’t say more right away, and I thought I’d gotten as much as I could, but then she said, barely loudly enough for me to hear, “I made a scene at the celebration.”
“Oops,” I replied.
“It wasn’t a big scene. My brothers dragged me away before I could get too into it. Everyone knew we’d been together, so it wasn’t like I was sharing secrets.”
“I imagine it was difficult for both of you.”
That was when she finally turned to me. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I came to your grandmother because I thought she could help me find something in Barrish.”
“And then she told you about me.”
She nodded. “Is everything Shalendra said about Ressaline true?”
“Quite true,” I said. “I think my biggest problem is you’re going to want to stay.” She smiled at that. “Tenisi, so that you understand, if that is what you decide, I would support you. I don't know what range of options you might have, but if you decide to stay, you would have my blessing. All I would ask is that you ensure yourself a good life, and I’d want to talk about the choices you intended to make.”
“I don’t know what I’ll want,” she said. “But I know I want to go. I’ve never been very far, Darfelsa. I’ve lived here my entire life.”
“You can ride?”
“Of course.”
“Riding for an hour or two and riding all day for nearly two weeks are two different things. But if necessary, you can ride in the wagon, too. We nearly always have a wagon. Or you can ride with whoever drives the coach. We usually take a coach, too.”
“You won’t hear a complaint.”
“If you are struggling, Tenisi, I need you to tell me. I can’t make adjustments if my people don’t tell me the things I need to know. Promise me.”
“I
promise,” she said.
“If you don’t think you can tell me, you can tell Tess or Renishta, and they can decide if I need to know.” She nodded at that.
* * * *
In all, we spent a little over two months in Sharden. I could have spent longer, but Ahlianna had indicated I should return to Barrish ahead of Lady Olivia. And so, we spent one final night with Grandmother.
“I’m proud of you, Granddaughter,” she said in front of practically everyone.
“Are you getting soft in your advanced age, Grandmother?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you I’m proud?” I lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t worry so much. I’m only learning how to get what I want from you. I’m unable to communicate with your mother the way she prefers, so I do what is necessary to force her to use a style we both understand. With you, that’s not necessary. On the other hand, you respond positively to honest respect.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“I suppose they do, but some more than others.” She paused. “Darfelsa, if you have a weakness, it is possible this is it.”
“Beware of false flattery?”
“That’s good advice for everyone. You’re on your guard with me, which I don’t necessarily fault. You respond positively to respect.”
“Which means I might overlook false intentions.”
“Yes,” she said. “And you respond poorly to a lack of respect. Oh, you don’t push your tiara in everyone’s face. You’re not spoiled.”
“Grandmother, I’m not sure we’re describing me.”
“Do not be impertinent,” she said. “I am three times your age and have earned a little respect of my own.”
I thought about what she was saying. No one else spoke, waiting for me, but then I nodded. It was a lesson that would take time for me to learn, and perhaps the events in Minister Rutile’s offices are an example of what she meant.
On the other hand, I imagine Father wouldn’t have responded more calmly than I had.
