A Battle Unseen

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Private Office of Her Imperial Majesty, Wilson House, Kaliburg, Ananto
Early January 5592, 3:55 pm

The Empress finished signing the paper that returned Likatonia to the Embargo list.  Dame Diane Bolton, the Chancellor of the Empire, countersigned the order with a sigh.  "Well, at least this one was easy," she said to the Empress.

"Well, at least its not like we are losing something we ever had," said the Empress with a sad smile.  "Dame Bolton, We have wracked our brains over the matter, and it simply doesn't make sense to us, perhaps you may provide us with your insight."

"How may I be of service, Your Imperial Majesty?"  said Dame Bolton.

The Empress signaled that she was stepping out of the Protocol, something she did more often in private these days.  "We...  I...  I don't understand what Likatonia is doing.  We know there are camps in Kundrati.  The fascists have admitted it.  What does Likatonia hope to gain, do you think, by tricking us into thinking they have turned their back on the fascists, and then as soon as we try to welcome them back, they immediately go right back and embrace the fascists again?  I can't fathom what the thought process behind the policy is."

"Your Imperial Majesty, if I may speak plainly," said Dame Bolton, not herself able to let go of the protocol even if she wanted to.

"Please, Dame Bolton," said the Empress.

"Well, perhaps it is time that you stopped worrying about Kundrati."

The Empress heard what she said, but it didn't register with her immediately.  "Madame, can you say that again?" said the Empress.

"My Lady, it is probably time for you to stop worrying about Kundrati.  They are nothing to Kalistan, they are nothing to the Anantonese Empire, except the thing that keeps Your Imperial Majesty awake at night.  The Blockade is years old.  It has done nothing to change anything in Kundrati.  In fact, it has made the fascists there more resolute than ever.  But it has also hurt this Empire, both economically, and in terms of our standing in this world.  It feels like an obsession with Your Imperial Majesty.  And it is not good for your health.  It has aged you.  Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?  My Lady, you are losing weight, you are starting to wear darker colors, the joy in your life has gone away.  And for what?"

"Madame Chancellor, this is a principle," said the Empress.

"No My Lady.  It is not.  Why do these people vex you so?  This is what confuses me, Your Imperial Majesty.  They are no threat to our Empire.  Only your response to them is."

"Excuse me?" said the Empress.  "What does that mean?"

"Your Imperial Majesty, have you paid attention to the Finance Minister's briefings recently?" asked the Chancellor.

"Of course," said the Empress.  "All I ever do is look at her numbers, and read your reports, and Sir Christopher's Reports and the Defense Ministry's reports and go to briefings upon briefings about briefings..."

"My Lady, we had a good October.  We had a bad November and December."  The Empress' face seemed to ask what the Chancellor was talking about.  "See for yourself, My Lady.  These trends all point down for the foreseeable future, because you let those devils get under your skin and they have their hooks in you.  Its just what they want.  They win if you react.  Don't you see?"

The Empress snatched the reports.  "What are you talking about? This Executive summary said that things are picking up in October.  Is this report out of date?"

The Chancellor shook her head, "No My Lady, that report says they will pick up this COMING October, IF you were to end the blockade now.  If you take a look at page 14, you will see..."

The Empress glared at the report and turned to page 14.  "Madame Chancellor, these number are all bad.  I don't understand this report.  How can they have such a glowing executive summary and then show all of these trends in the dirt?  This says we're heading off a cliff!"

"My Lady, its because of the embargo.  It's killing our economy..."

"The Embargo is not killing the economy.  It is those god damned Kundratis..."

"It is the Embargo, Your Imperial Majes..." she was sharply cut off...

"It is the fascists, they are driving..."

"My Lady, if you would just..."

"You're wrong, Chancellor.  You are all wrong!  You want me to surrender my homeland to..."

"Listen to me, Carolina!" Dame Bolton knew it the moment the word came out of her mouth.  She had never... ever... spoken the Empress' name to the Empress before, not once in her entire life.  Referring to Her Imperial Majesty by her name when she was not immediate family was a serious violation of the law.  And the Chancellor had committed this act directly to the person of the Empress.  Both women were silent for a moment.  And then, the Chancellor went into automatic survival mode: Her only hope was to beg the forgiveness of Her Imperial Majesty, because she could not be sure that the Courts would have any mercy.  She immediately fell to her knees before her Empress and put her face to the carpet.

The Empress for her part was stunned that the Chancellor had uttered her name.  "The last person who called me that who was not my Husband was my mother..."  she sat, her voice trembling, as if she had been struck across the face.  She swallowed hard, and then said "Dame Bolton, please rise."

Dame Bolton remained where she was, afraid to move.

"Dame Bolton," she repeated.  "Please rise and stand before your Empress."  The Chancellor slowly rose to her knees, her face still looking squarely at the carpet, her mind furiously racing to prepare her explanation for her action.  Terrified, she slowly stood on her feet, but kept her eyes to the ground.  She was absolutely mortified and if she could turn invisible and escape, she would flee the country and never return.  Had she looked up, she would have seen the Dread Empress bathed in the golden sunlight of an early winter's afternoon that rolled through the window and illuminated her green eyes.  Her few gray hairs turned orange in the light and appeared like fire against her dark locks.  She was still beautiful, and in this light, it made her more terrible still.  But the Chancellor was too petrified to look.

Her Imperial Majesty abandoned the casualness of her previous language, and naturally adopted the high speech of her office.  "Madame, you have committed a grave offense against our person, which it is our duty to adjudicate here according to our law."  Dame Bolton stood motionless, petrified as stone, as the Empress spoke.  "That said, it is more in our interest that you continue to serve us, as you have, faithfully and loyally.  We therefore offer you our pardon without further prejudice, and enjoin you further to mind the Protocol when we are outside of this room.  However, within this room, we require your candor and your honesty, and wish you to know that you continue to enjoy our full confidence on all matters.  Do you understand us?"

Hearing the words of pardon, Dame Bolton dared to look at the Empress, whose face had grown softer, as her words softened.  She answered timidly, "Yes I do, Your Imperial Majesty."

The Empress nodded slightly.  "Let's forget about that.  Please retake your seat."  The Chancellor slowly sat back in her chair, the Empress' eyes locked onto hers, as if she was reading the Chancellor's mind.  

"Madame Chancellor," began the Empress again.  "We need help.  We cannot do this by ourselves.  We need your advice, and if what you propose makes sense, we will follow it."  The Empress, who had recently appeared as terrible as the Black Empress had ever been, now seemed smaller, weaker, and more... vulnerable.  

"Please..." said the Empress.  Suddenly, the Chancellor realized that of all the times the Empress had said please in the entire conversation this afternoon, she was merely being courteous while issuing orders, but this one felt not like a command, but like a genuine request.  The feeling of dread that the Chancellor had recently felt now felt more like pity.  Slowly, she nodded and the Empress smiled slightly.

"Your Imperial Majesty, may I call Sir Christopher?  We will need his help too."