You apologize to Minerva. You were tired, and shaken by the news (she nods sadly). You get more sleep for a few days, if only because Maria is sleeping in your bed and clinging to you like a limpet, and you can't get out without waking her up. You start thinking of a project you can trust to your younger sister as the days warm and fruits start to ripen.
Then the envoy arrives, bearing the banner of Grust. His cloak is black, but his armor is blacker – this is one of the members of the famed Sable Order. He bears an impressive mustache. He is accompanied by a barefoot woman with hair of palest violet, and a bearded man wrapped in heavy robes. The woman is not dressed richly, but on her brow she wears a thin gold diadem set with a dark stone.
The party is odd enough that a crowd gathers to watch you receive them in the throne room. You search the gawkers for Matthis – there! – you grab him. "Is it her?" you ask. The excited chatter covers up your question.
"Yeah," he whispers, almost too scared to breathe – and not just because you're touching him. "That's her. The earth dragon."
You release him and go to your throne. Your sisters stand beside you. Maria looks so breathless; half-hoping, half-fearing news of Lena. Minerva just looks like she wants to give that power armor a poke. You give the Grustian knight a tiny nod.
He kneels. "Your majesty. I am Sir Sternlin, a knight in the service of King Ludwik of Grust. I bring a message, and a request."
"The messengers of King Ludwik are welcome here." Yes, but this is no simple messenger. They wouldn't waste a Sable Knight on letter-carrying, especially not when Camus insists on keeping as many as he can in the Holy Kingdom! Your gaze travels over the two others. "But your traveling companions do not carry any emblems. I would hear their names and allegiances as well."
Sternlin rises, and the woman steps forward. In a clear, practiced voice, she says, "I am Sigyn, daughter of Maera, who was hatched by Lord Loptous the magnificent and terrible. I am a Princess of the Earth Dragon Tribe, and I am here on behalf of my lord uncle, Medeus, to represent his interest in this meeting." While a low murmur sweeps throughout the room, she turns her head and motions to the last one.
The bearded man steps forward. "I am Xemcel…of the Mage Dragon Tribe. I…guard the prince." His pale eyes look at the gathered crowd with undisguised paranoia and disgust.
Sigyn lets him step back. "If you will pardon him, he does not speak much of your tongue. He is merely here to serve as my protection." You are not sure a princess who can turn into a dragon needs all that much protection, but perhaps it's a matter of principle. Or perhaps the manakete are not invincible. Unless someone tries to take a swing at her, who's to say?
"I see." You incline your head politely, to the dragon princess. "The messengers of Emperor Medeus are also welcome here. Especially ones so honored." You fix them all with a piercing gaze. "But you are not simple messengers, are you? This matter must be of grave significance. Shall we discuss it in a more private setting?"
"No need, your majesty," Sternlin replies simply. You see his lips purse, a little. "My orders are to deliver this wherever you receive me, and then be on my way." Orders, hm. The rumor is that Sable Knights are totally incapable of disobeying orders. They are apparently capable of disliking them, however. Sigyn's nervousness is even more visible.
"…Go on, then."
"In order to…" he has to pull a paper out and start reading from it, "In order to strengthen ties between the vassals of Dohlr, the Emperor Medeus is organizing an exchange. Highborn youth from each nation will travel abroad and learn from the other tribes of Archanea. In this way shall alliances be forged unto the next generation." Well, it's clear that not even he believes in the words he's reading.
Cringing, Sigyn cuts him off. "You have already welcomed a young nobleman of Adrah's kingdom, yes? One – what was his name – Saias Cohen?"
You regard her coolly. "Gharnef did ask me to hold on to someone by that name. I was under the impression that this was a matter of Khadein's internal politics – not that we were supposed to be swapping hostages like feastday gifts."
She continues nevertheless, holding onto a pained smile, "The good King Ludwik has asked for Princess Maria of Macedon, and my lord uncle finds the request suitable."
You hear Minerva's outraged scoff; and others' too. You quickly glance to your younger sister and see her looking disturbed.
Sigyn follows your gaze. "Is that--? No. No! That's a child! That's surely not what he meant!"
"Princess Yuliya and Prince Yubello have been in Khadein for a year now. They are younger than her," the Grustian knight says, an edge of bitterness in his voice.
Sigyn claps her hands together, unravelling. "But – ah, are you sure you don't, perhaps, have any other sisters? Your majesty?"
"Does it matter which one? You are asking for my sister. As a hostage. You dare?" Sigyn can't meet your eyes. Xemcel looks alert, but you doubt he really understands the conversation – he's just looking for a sign that violence will be necessary. You stare at Sternlin, and through him, Ludwik. What is his master's game, here?
He meets your eyes and his nervousness flows away. Suddenly he seems cold as snowmelt. He adjusts his grip on his spear. "I will not leave without her." You begin to understand why they sent a Sable Knight for this. Anyone else told to walk alone into a castle full of dracoknights and publicly announce that he was taking an innocent and beloved girl from them would have deserted rather than carry out such a suicidal mission.
…Yes, he was told to ask you in public, wasn't he? Where you have the most face to lose by capitulating. The crowd's outrage is still building, palpably. Instead of an intimidating display of force, they sent one knight. They sent one knight and two dragons. This isn't really Ludwik's play, is it? This has Medeus's stink all over it, his and Gharnef's.
You could tell them to pound sand. Sternlin would escalate to violence, of course – he has to. You doubt Sigyn will join him, and Xemcel seems like he will only act if the princess herself is threatened. One Sable Knight versus a room full of angry Macedonians is still a dead man.
…And then what? Screw Ludwik – if the man wants to attack you, he can try his knights against the most defensible terrain in all Archanea. But the possibility of Medeus's anger…worries you. The day he awoke, the entire plateau shook. Earth rippled like water.
You rise from your seat. The room quiets, waiting for your judgement. For your spark to the dry tinder filling this room. "You will not move from this spot?"
"I will return to Grust with a princess of Macedon, or not at all," he says cleanly, easily, as if it were an observable fact of the world. His utter calm is remarkable.
"Will you at least sit down in a waiting room of some kind?" you ask, putting on a façade of sarcasm.
"No." Oh, fuck all the gods. There's no way you're getting out of dealing with him publicly, is there?
"Then wait here," you tell him. "I am going to deliberate with my sisters."
The hubbub erupts again – you quickly signal to some of the Whitewings to keep some order while you're gone – and you return to your apartments with Minerva and Maria. It's a long walk, but you absolutely need privacy for this discussion, you don't care about Sternlin's comfort, and a long wait will surely cool some tempers down there. Perhaps some people will get bored and drift away. Less of an audience in case…in case.
"Michalis? What are you—" You shush her. "Michalis!"
"We can't talk about this in the halls, Minerva!"
As soon as the heavy lock thunks into place, Minerva releases all her pent up steam and demands: "MICHALIS! What do you think you're doing, here? What is there to deliberate?"
"I-I think—" Maria tries to say.
"The only reason to deliberate is if there's the slightest chance that you will actually accede to his delusional request! Why would any of us willingly go to be a hostage? What is this absurdity? Do they not even respect us enough to make us vanish with spooky dark magic? Is Gharnef on vacation? It makes no sense!"
"That is correct, Minerva. Gharnef could just kidnap one of us with dark magic," you agree tightly, standing fast in the tide of her words.
"They sent one man to take her from us! And he just walked in and asked! Are they trying to humiliate us?" she continues.
"They are trying to humiliate us, Minerva."
She has finally noticed what you're saying. "So then what's the point of all this?" she cries, with one last burst of anger.
"Medeus wants to know how well he has me on a leash," you say. Your voice is even, but the words leave such a bitter taste in your mouth.
Your sister tosses her head. "He ought to learn that we cannot be leashed. Yes? Michalis? Michalis, we can kill the knight and send the dragons back empty-handed. If they want to fight, well, Matthis told me that a dragon's not much bigger than a wyvern. And I've slain wyverns with this axe before." She pats Hauteclere.
"Minerva, think beyond today, please. Sigyn is not the one I'm worried about. You've never seen Medeus. He is longer than this room." There is more you wish to convey to her, but the words do not come. You have not much spoken of that day, the day the ground rippled like water. The day Lucrecia tried to flee. The day his voice ground into your bones. You were not even able to make your father understand, in the end.
She gives you a searching look. Are you getting through to her? "Brother," she says, "I know you're scared."
"What? No, of course not. Minerva, you're not taking this seriously—"
"I am. Michalis, who are we if we bow to a tyrant for fear of violence? Are we still the carriers of Iote's dream, then? How many slaves were stirred to flee here in order to protect their children, in order to keep families from being separated?" You don't have the words to respond. She has struck you in your heart.
Maria does: "Minerva…" She takes a deep breath. "I'm not a child."
The two of you both stare at her. "An adult is someone who does the work of an adult," you say. "You're not quite there yet—"
"Well, maybe that's because you haven't given me any work!" she bursts out, before immediately apologizing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I…what I'm trying to say is, I don't want anyone to die because of me. If this is how I can protect Macedon, then I'll go. I'll go to Grust. And I'll come back someday."
"No!" Minerva cries. "Maria – dear one. I made a promise. If anyone ever were to touch you in anger, I would remove the offending limb. If any enemy were to strike at you, I would stand in the way. I cannot willingly let you walk into danger! Even if I must stand against dragons, I will stand in your defense!"
"Minerva, please!" her little sister begs.
"Minerva, do you think Medeus is going to offer you a duel? What do you think an earth dragon can do to people who live in a mountain?"
You've gotten her to be silent, at last. You've gotten her to think. "…You're actually going to agree, aren't you?" she murmurs, eventually.
It feels like a fist is clenching your heart. "I…don't know. I called this meeting to stall for time. If I can think of a way out of this – well. Any ideas would be appreciated."
"I can go," Minerva says. When she's quiet like this, she's more frightening than when she was ranting before. "I can take whatever they'll visit upon me. Medeus's niece will be satisfied. I can probably manage to escape, even if Leonidas isn't allowed to come with me. In fact, it will probably be easier in that case. I'll leave him here."
"D-do you think they will be very cruel?" Maria asks. "I thought being a hostage was mostly about sitting in one room and not being allowed outside. Like Saias. Minerva, I think you'd be far more miserable than me in those circumstances. I can sew and weave. Really, the only things I'd miss would be you two. And the chance to attend the Gala, of course."
"There's an idea," you say suddenly. "We keep stalling for the rest of the summer."
Minerva raises her eyebrows. "Oh, that's stupid but clever at the same time. Sternlin can't leave without a princess, and he'll fight if we tell him to leave, so we just never tell him to leave?"
"We can't stall indefinitely, of course. He will eventually lose his patience. But if we make the excuse that Maria wants so badly to attend the Pales Gala, and we'll hand her over as soon as it's finished…then that gives us time. Time to come up with another solution."
"What other solution?" Minerva asks.
"The possibilities are endless. Everyone will be at that Gala." You begin to pace, willing those endless possibilities to arrive to you. "I could convince Ludwik to rescind his demands, just off the top of my head. I could…"
"Oh," Maria says, "You could arrange a kidnapping! You can't give me to Grust if I'm kidnapped by someone else!"
You nod along. You like that idea. "They will be suspicious if you disappear before the handover, of course. There must be absolutely no evidence that we were involved."
Maria continues. "We don't really know how Dohlr will react if we anger them. But can we predict it? Let's go back to the beginning. What does Medeus want?" She's taking your lesson to heart, bless her.
"I don't know," you admit.
[ ] Let Maria go She is willing. She will appreciate this show of trust. But this will not be a popular decision. [Lose Maria, for now.]
[ ] Offer Minerva instead She is willing. This is less humiliating than offering up your baby sister. [Lose Minerva, for now.]
[ ] Stall until the Gala There must be some gambit you can pull together between now and then. [The Pales Gala paralogue will be at the end of the turn. Maria must attend. If whatever you plan fails, you will lose her at the end of it.]
[ ] Refuse and bear the consequences. Macedon does not bow to tyrants. [This will be bad for you, but it's not a game over.]
