A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Cliff House, Kaliburg
Early March, 7:37 pm

"Carolina, have you finished your homework?" Nicki called to her adopted daughter from the sitting room. The sun had long set out over the Wilson Bridge and the lights of the City were twinkling off in the distance well past the bridge. She stared out over the water, deep in thought.

"Yes, Aunt Nicki, its all finished," yelled her 15 year old charge from her bedroom. "I already said that!"

"Then you have to come out here. Your grandmother is coming soon and we need to have a talk." In a few moments came the gawky, almost lanky girl- Her long dark hair was tied up in a loose braid, she was already in her pajamas and some band t-shirt... fear of the unknown, something... a horrifying photo of a meteor or comet the size of a continent slamming into Terra.. Carolina dragged her feet as she scraped into the living room.

"Does she have to come over tonight?" Caroline asked, almost half whining.

"Carolina, you have five months until you debut. There is still so much to teach you. Yes, she's coming over tonight."

"We aren't doing the debut stuff until May, you said..."

"We aren't talking about that," said Nicolette. "There's another matter, and I don't want to make any decisions without you here."

Carolina reluctantly half shuffled to the chair: "Fine but I get later 'lights-out' tonight, because I am missing my video game time."

Nicolette rolled her eyes and shook her head in resignation. She already didn't really feel comfortable telling her niece what to do, and now that she was almost 16, those days of the young Empress needing a mother to remind her to do basic things were almost completely over. In just a short time after that, Nicolette wouldn't be able to tell Carolina anything at all--Carolina's word would be law after that. So this window of being a mom, and helping Carolina learn self-discipline and responsibility was closing very quickly, and Nicolette was never really much of a mom to begin with.

As she was deep in thought, the door to the walk way between the East Wing, where the offices and the guest apartment, most often inhabited by the former Empress and occupant of this very house, and the West wing, where there Royal Family has their official residence, along with their personal staff, opened and in walked Mary. She came into the room and sat next to Nicolette.

"Did you ask her yet?" asked Mary.

"No mom, she just got done with her homework, and we were waiting for you."

Nicolette and Mary sat next to one another, looking at each other, each waiting for the other to speak. Carolina's attention shifted from one to the other.

"Ask me what?" she finally said.

Neither lady wanted to start: Mary certainly did not feel it was really her place anymore, and Nicolette never thought it was her place to begin with. Neither wanted to even say it, Nicolette especially. She flashed a look at Mary that said "You ask." and Mary shook her head ever so slightly to throw the lead back to her daughter.

Carolina, who was watching this dance of slight, almost imperceptible motions constituting silent communication from her aunt and grandmother, finally got tired of this. "Well, if neither of you are going to say anything, why am I out here instead of playing video games with my friends?"

Nicolette threw her hands up in the air and clapped them loudly on her knees. "Well. It's... We would like your thoughts on what should happen to the Diamond."

Carolina was confused. "What diamond?"

Nicolette now shot a look at Mary that Mary couldn't deny. "your turn" the look seemed to say.

"The Hulanevek Diamond, dear," said Mary. "You know which one I mean. Its the one your mother, while she was alive, liked to look at and hold and wear sometimes. It's one of a kind."

"That diamond is called a hulanevek diamond?" she asked. "What's a hulanevek?"

Nicolette smiled a knowing smile, and Mary did as well. "Well, sweetie," said Mary. "For one, you are a Hulanevek." Carolina was confused.

"No, I'm a person grandma."

"Well, you're a special kind of person." Mary saw that that didn't make any sense. "Your great great great grandmother, you won't remember her at all, I never even met her myself. She would have been my great grandmother. Her name was Pavlina, you know who she is, I hope."

"Of course, The Black Empress. We studied her in school: A lot of the girls thought her story was tragic and romantic."

"Well, I am sure they teach in school that she was also not born here in Kalistan," said Mary "but in the nation of Kundrati."

"Yes, it gave us a reason to study Kundrati, the teacher said. Otherwise we wouldn't care at all about them."

"Yes, um. That's probably somewhat accurate," the Princess of the Empire stammered, and looked at Nicolette, who just shrugged. "Anyway, when she was born, her name was Hulanevek, Pavlina Hulanevek."

Carolina then said "...like the diamond..."

Mary smiled, "Yes, like the diamond."

Carolina asked, "So is that why its called the Hulanevek Diamond?"

Mary was glad she caught the Empress up, but realized that Carolina knew almost nothing about this diamond at all. "Um, no. We just called it the Hulanevek Diamond in this nation because it was given to Pavlina by the Kundrati Hulaneveks as a wedding present for her adopted daughter, the foundling Carolina Hulanevek."

"Carolina Ananto, right?"

"Well, see she was born Carolina, but her last name was lost. When she was adopted, her last name became Hulanevek, and just before he died, your great great great grandfather Fredrick adopted her. And her last name became Ananto. So you are technically the last born of Carolina's descendants. Carolina was my Grandmother, and I spent a lot of time with her when I was your age. She's been gone a long time now, but she was the founder of our line of the Anantos, so, we're Anantos, but by adoption. Our family is whatever Carolina was born as--we don't know really, but it was Pavlina who adopted her when she was a baby and gave her her last name, Hulanevek, and so we are as much Hulanevek as we are Ananto."

"What happened to the other Anantos?" asked Carolina.

Mary was not expecting that question. She knew it, but had not really thought about it. "They are called Alvarez now," said Mary after a second.

"Like Lady Alvarez," said Carolina.

"Yes, Carolina, like Lady Alvarez," said Mary, about the Viceroy of Gaduridos, Lady Anantonia Alvarez-Urquizo. "The Direct line leading back to Nicolette Ananto--whose family's last name was originally Guerra--died with my Great Grandfather Fredrick and his relatives eventually became Alvarez' to maintain the line which was no longer permitted to be named Ananto. But his adopted daughter, my Grandmother and the person you were named after, was the first of our line. And you are, I am sorry to say, the last, unless you get married and have children of your own. And then it continues for the next generation."

Carolina was in awe to hear this family history. It almost felt like the adults had skipped this, because maybe they had told it to her brother at some point but she was too young then. She had so many questions. Why was she named after Carolina? Why do all the Fredricks seem to die? Before she could get too far into the questions, however, her Aunt spoke up. "Mother, the diamond..."

"Oh yes," said Mary. "So the Hulanevek Diamond. I'd like you to tell me and your aunt what you think should be done with it? If you have strong feelings, those will weigh pretty heavily in our calculations."

Carolina thought for a moment. "What's being done with it now?"

Mary answered: "It's on display at the Museum of the Empire at my home in Eveari."

Carolina smiled, "I think I'd like to see it someday. So I say keep it there."

Nicolette grew very uneasy. "Well... I... I'm not sure that's such a... ummm..."

Mary sensed that her daughter was very unsettled by this proposal. "Sweetheart, your aunt thinks there is a problem with the diamond."

Carolina looked unsure herself now. "A problem? What's wrong with it?"

Mary said: "Well, some people believe that there's bad luck associated with it."

Carolina, who was not superstitious herself said "I don't believe in bad luck. How can a stone be bad luck?"

Nicolette blurted out: "No, girl. It's cursed. Bad luck..." she turned to her mother, "Bad luck is when you get ready to go to the beach and when you step outside it starts raining. Bad Luck is you break your only pencil when you are trying to take a test. That's bad luck. Bad luck doesn't k---"

"Nicolette!" her mother sharply interrupted, silencing her daughter. "Get ahold of your self. You'll frighten that child."

"Frighten me about what, grandma?" Carolina asked. "About what Aunt Nicki?" Neither woman said anything. "Tell me. I want to know."

Nicolette was about to tell her, but Mary interrupted her again. "No Nicolette. She's not old enough yet."

Carolina was now more convinced that this was something that she wanted to know, and so she decided to try something out on her aunt. "Aunt Nicki, you will tell us now. What should we be frightened of?" The use of the plural pronoun was something she had heard her own mother and father say regularly, especially when they were speaking to someone powerful and awful like the Chancellor. Carolina was learning what it was like to be the Empress.

The imperative struck both Nicolette and Mary like a bolt of lightning, and silenced them immediately. Mary because she knew exactly what it meant, and Nicolette because she prayed that it did not mean what she believed it did. It's too early, she thought. She's not ready yet. It's too early. Nicolette begged the universe for just a little more time. But alas, it was not to be. She may not be legally allowed to wear the crown yet, but Carolina had just taken the mantle of Imperium and draped it fully over her own shoulders.

Mary, who had just a second ago thought Carolina was too young, now realized that Carolina just proved her absolutely wrong. The former Empress knew that to downplay or ignore this command and talk to her grand daughter like she was a child was the biggest mistake she could possibly make. She knew that Carolina was trying out her power for the first time. "Your Imperial Majesty," she said, as her head bowed reverently. "We beg your indulgence. Your aunt believes the Hulanevek Diamond is cursed. She believes that it has something to do with the loss of your parents, and she believes you should be kept far away from it, as far as possible in fact, so you do not get hurt by it too."

Nicolette, whose eyes began welling with tears once more, because she realized, like Mary did, that her little precious ward had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed ever again, lowered her head and responded correctly, in full obedience to the protocol: "It's true, your Imperial Majesty. I do believe that, and fear for Your Imperial Majesty's safety around that stone."

Carolina, who was by this time pretty shocked at these two powerful women's response to her simple, almost petulant command, said "You guys don't have to call me that, you know, right?" She tried to dial it back, but even she knew that in that moment, something had changed, something had been broken. She tried to change the subject, thinking maybe she shouldn't have said all that "we" and "us" stuff after all. "So, um. I think if Aunt Nicki thinks its dangerous, I just don't go near it. Right? Can we put it in the vault?" She put stress on "me" and "I" in her sentences.

"That is one choice, Carolina," said Nicolette, also very eager to let her off the hook for using those pronouns just yet, though she knew she would never be able to speak to this Empress as if she were a regular little girl ever again. "But it will make it very difficult for you to visit your grandmother, and something tells me that I will hear about it from AYIC if it went back into the vault."

"Well, what other choice do we have?" asked Carolina. "I mean, we, um I mean I and you all."

Mary smiled. "Do you mind, Carolina, if your aunt and I talk about it with some people and see what our options are, and then come back and give you a list as well as the arguments for and against, and you can pick the one that suits you best?"

Carolina smiled. Her Grandmother was very sensible. She loved her adopted mother very much: they always had so much fun together. But she was also growing more and more aware every day that even her aunt, who tried to keep everything as stress free for Carolina, was far more than just a fun aunt: She was the power while Carolina was growing up, and the stress of that life was slowly aging her beautiful aunt. So Carolina, then and there resolved to learn everything she could, about being the Empress, and about everything else, so she could help her aunt, and then maybe finally take over soon enough for her aunt to maybe go back to surfing again in Luxon.

"I think *I* would like that very much, Grandma. Thank you," she said in a very serious, and somehow more mature and poised way. Mary and Nicolette looked at each other, Nicolette's face was ashen, while Mary faked a smile, realizing that from this day on the real training would begin. Nicolette got up off the couch, and walked into the next room to cry without Carolina seeing her. Carolina knew she was doing this anyway, but also knew that her aunt cried on a regular basis, about anything, so she didn't follow her.

Meanwhile Mary said, in a low voice, to Carolina, "Don't worry about your Aunt. She never wanted you to have to be Empress either. She's really very happy for you, but she misses your father and mother very much: they were best friends throughout their lives. And she's kind of scared for you. But she'll get through it: Your aunt is a tough old broad. And I know something about that. As for you, my little Princess. Tomorrow you need to begin learning about the Peers and the House Law. You'll need to know it the way you know your own name, or those bastards will just walk all over you. I know something about that too. Trust me: You and me, kid." she said with a wink, and then stood up, called to Nicolette that she was going home, and left Carolina sitting in her chair. As the front door closed, Nicolette came out of the room, and called "Mom?" but it was too late.

Carolina stood, walked to her aunt and looked at her. She was as tall, maybe even a little taller than her aunt now. Nicolette looked at her, and he eyes were clearly red from weeping. Carolina reached out and gave her aunt a big hug. "You and me, kid," Carolina said to her aunt, imitating her grandmother. Nicolette started laughing softly as a new round of tears came to her eyes.

"Go play your video games now, Carolina," said Nicolette. "I hope you win."