A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Ananto Estate, Eveari, Friday Afternoon, 4:30

"Madame," said the voice from the Hall.

"What is it Lady Southern?" asked The Empress. She had been in a mood all day, and couldn't quite tell why.

"Her Highness, the Princess Monica is here waiting."

That's why. Since getting remarried some years ago, Mary's mother had more or less often been too busy to spend much time with Mary in Eveari. She seemed to be enjoying her life and her artistic pursuits, and though Mary had remained close with her sister and grown somewhat more attached to her aunt, her mom had become more distant, more formal, and less... motherly. Mary was about to turn 30, and had seen her mother much less over the past couple years, when Mary thought she should be closer to her to advise her through the war and through the variously difficult times her Empire was going through. Mary felt... isolated... and she also kind of resented her mother for not noticing it.

"You can show her in Lady Southern." The door remained open as Princess Monica was followed into the room by Lady Southern, the personal secretary of Her Imperial Majesty. "Will that be all, Madame?"

"Yes, thank you," said Mary, and as the Secretary left the room, Mary invited her mother to sit on the couch.

"Would you care for some tea, Mother?" Mary asked?

"Yes, thank you, that would be very nice," said Monica. Mary quickly brewed some hot water in her convection kettle, and then poured water over a wire mesh tea strainer inside a highly decorated, gold inlaid ceramic tea cup that released a strong scent of black tea and bergamot. She then performed the same task for the second cup, and following steeping for about two minutes, she lifted the mesh strainers out of the cups, placed them on saucers and brought them both to the table. There she opened a matching small ceramic vase that held the powdered and highly refined opium that Kalistani nobility add to their tea, and dipping a tiny spoon into the brown powder she pulled out a spoon full, levelled it ceremonially and brought it to her mother's cup.

"No Mary, none for me..." she said as she placed her hand over the cup. Mary was confused for a moment at the rejection of a commonplace and purely reflexive offering, but took the powder, dumped it back into the container, mixed it in with the rest of the powder, and then pulled out a heaping spoon full and dropped it rather deliberately into her own tea. Usually the leveled spoon held about a half a gram. Mary appeared to put a full gram and a half into her own tea. She then used the spoon to stir her own tea, still smarting from the rebuff from her mother.

At length her mother, after watching her, spoke tentatively. "That's a... lot, Mary..."

"It's fine Mother," answered Mary without looking up. Mary had always been rather distant. Today she just seemed disinterested. She sipped the very hot tea from her cup, and the opium instantly provided mild analgesic relief.

"You know, your father used to take his tea like that as well," said Monica.

"Yes, I know," answered Mary. Aunt Michelle and Margaret also drink their tea this way too.

At length Monica tried to change the subject. "You know Meg is graduating this Spring... and..."

"Of course I know that, Mom." Mary said, a little annoyed at her Mom's attempt at small talk. "She's going to work for IBSI, did you know that?"

"No... I guess she hadn't said anything about it... Why'd she... I mean... how'd she get involved with them?"

Mary put her tea down. "Meg has been involved with them from the beginning. She's been training with them since she got out of NSP."

Monica was taken aback at the news, and set her own tea back onto the table. "She hadn't said anything to me about that..."

"Look Mom, are you going to get to why you've travelled all the way here, or am I just going to guess?" Mary was slightly perturbed by now, and a little agitated.

"Well, ok. I'll tell you. I think maybe you should come visit me and Cal in Luxon this month."

"Luxon?" Mary asked. "Why would I go to Luxon? I'm extremely busy here..."

"I don't know," Monica said. "I just thought it would be good for you to get out of this house, spend time with your family maybe around New Year's Eve, maybe relax, maybe meet some people, you know, kind of socialize..."

"Who in the world would I meet in Luxon that I don't already know, Mom? There's you, there's Calvin. There's Calvin's kids..."

"I don't know, Mary. Maybe we'll invite someone from Church over for you. I know this nice guy, he's your age, and he's a..."

"Mom, are you trying to set me up on a date?" Mary said, almost laughing. She could feel that first little taste of opium start to calm her, but she didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of that suggestion or be upset. Her mother was hardly involved in anyone's life, but she had set Margaret up with Matthew Westmoreland and now they already had wedding plans for the summer. "Oh Man, I kinda knew this was coming. Surely you can't be serious, Mom."

"Well, actually, Mary, you might like him, he's very handsome, and has a great personality... and..."

"Mom, let me be straight with you here. I don't want a man, I don't want a date, I don't really want a husband. Men bore me."

"Mary!" her mother said, shocked.

"Well, what can I say? There's not a one I have met so far, whether its you, or Michelle, or Meg who tries to throw these men at me. They come here, they talk about money or politics, like I am interested in any of that stuff, and then they leave, and some of them try to call back, but most never do. You women are a bunch of busybodies when it comes to my love life, and all your suggestions are terrible dates."

"Well do you put in any effort into the date?" said Monica.

"Mother, I am the god damned Empress. Effort?! What are you even talking about? These people come here and grovel. Its always 'yes your imperial Majesty', 'No Madame.' They all want something from me. Not a one of them is interesting, like at all. Is every man in this country a god damned slave?"

"Absolutely not, Mary, but yes you said it yourself. You are the Empress, and as such, your job is to produce an heir, before its too late. A Monarchy without an heir is doomed."

"Margaret is my heir, Mom."

"No, she's not," said Monica.

"She is, she's the Crown Princess."

"That isn't how it works, Mary. Your Dynasty's legitimacy depends on the unbroken line of succession that means from YOU. You cannot give that to your sister."

"I can, Mother, and if you don't believe me, just watch."

"Mary," Monica said with consternation. "You can not DO that to your sister. Not if you love her." This line drew silence from Mary. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for Michelle when your father died? We had to delay the news of your father's death until we had the regency settled. The Party begged her, for twenty hours straight, to take the Regency. We all did. We begged her, a grieving sister, because a crack in the dynasty will lead to the old Gaduris making a claim on the title, and then where would you be? We begged her for your sake, to let you get old enough to take your place on the throne. She refused a million times. At the end of the day, she only agreed to do it if she could pass it to you the moment you were ready, and not one moment longer. In the end, she never really had a choice--It was either she take the regency or you lose your birthright. And even though I know you are miserable, you do have that choice, Mary. You cannot do that to your sister."

"Then why should I do it to my child?" Mary asked after a moment.

"Because that is your burden to bear. You are the Empress. Your title gives you the right to do what you desire. But all of that, all of this... it all comes at a price. This is your destiny, and it will be your child's destiny, and you may be above the law, Mary, but you are the state, You are OUR state, and without you, our state falls. Your responsibilities to your people, to all of us, always come first. They always come first. And I feel so sorry for you. But if you think that your father didn't feel this way too, and your aunt, and your father's mother, and her mother... You should understand that this burden is more than any normal person, even me, can carry. It is a weight that only one person could carry, and we are lucky that you happen to be that person. You are unique in that way."

Mary pondered her mother's words. Of course her mother was right. Margaret was not meant to be Empress: She was far too well liked to serve as her nation's lightning rod. Finally, she spoke up. "I'm not marrying a Hosianist, Mom."

"Who said anything about marrying him?" Monica said. "Besides, what do you have against Hosians?"

"No offense, but I happen to find your religion insane," answered Mary.

"Well, if you can do better than a Hosian, by all means. But just find someone, Mary. You're isolated here, and I don't like seeing you use so much of that opium in your tea, especially when there is nobody up here to look out for you."

"What about Brethrenists," asked Mary.

"How do you mean?"

"What if I went out and met a Brethrenist? Would that satisfy you?"

"Your father was a Brethrenist, and yes, while he was a little boring, he was a good man, and he made me laugh, all the time. You could do a lot worse." answered Monica, as she felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought of her late husband.

Mary sipped another draught of her tea, and Monica mirrored the activity. "You're right about one thing, though."

"Which one thing," asked Monica.

"I am very lonely up here by myself. It's so easy to get lost in the trees, and find myself looking up and realizing that I'm miles away from home and night is just about to set in. I've gotten really good at making camp and foraging for mushrooms and berries in the woods, but some nights, its just me and the stars and the trees and the birds."

"Mary..." her mom said, trying to be reassuring and placing her hand on her daughter's.

"I think I am ready to move to Kaliburg, Mom," she said suddenly as she looked at her mother with a start. "Carolina was right: This place is a tomb. There's something different about Eveari... its like something out of a different time. Do you think I can take over Cliff House?"

"Of course you can," said Monica. "Your Sister isn't using it: She lives in the City now. And Michelle is in Dulnerstaad. That house is yours and I would be very happy if you moved back in there. Your father and I put a lot of love and joy into that place, and it would make me so happy to see you there again."

"I'll move in the Spring, then," said Mary.

"What about Luxon?" asked Monica.

"For New Years?" asked Mary.

"Yes, just for a visit, just to celebrate the new year," said Monica. "We miss you so much, and Cal's kids just adore you and think you're like the closest thing to God they will ever meet."

"I'll come on one condition," said Mary.

"Name it," said Monica.

"No blind dates," answered Mary.

"What about just dinner?" asked Monica.

"No blind dates, Mom. Please don't embarrass me by setting me up with someone from your church. The last thing I want is some commoner falling all over himself to keep up the Protocol."

"Oh, very well, Mary. No blind dates."

"Deal," said Mary.