Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK II - Scene VI

The Merbird sat anchored, a good distance from the coast of the Kingdom of Caster. The small sailboat that carried Maleeva pulled in slowly alongside it. The fact that the King of Tunid could no longer even enter the harbour of Eldbee said quite a lot about how much things had changed. Whether it was a direct order from King Mizmeam, or simply the Eldbee merchant class recognising which way the wind was blowing, was unknown. Either way, it was a telling reflection of the situation.

Madame Maleeva was always indifferent to the sea. Neither was she in awe of it, nor was she fearful of it. It was simply another pragmatic consideration for her; a way of getting where she needed to be. It held no especial romance, and the swaying waves and desolation added nothing to the occasion. As she stepped onto the deck of the Merbird she did so with the same mannerisms as she would were she stepping into a parlour or an assembly room. The King of Tunid couldn't help but notice this, and even in such dark circumstances he felt a brief moment of fondness for her idiosyncrasies.

"Why don't you just surrender, offer fealty, and we can move on with things," Maleeva asked curtly, not even offering the King of Tunid the chance of a formal greeting.

"That's not an option."

"What you mean is you can't bring yourself to pay homage," she pushed on, the bluntness excessive even by her usual standards. "It is the only option though. You don't have the black powder, and even if you forge some deal with the Brynnyfirdians - who are currently being crushed by King Mizmeam - you'll still be hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered."

"It's not an option," repeated the king, with a grimace, glancing out at the endless waves beyond the ship, as if to watch out over the entire world they were now discussing. "It's just not that simple, ..and you know that."

The king had the air of a beaten man, though he didn't feel as such, and his failure to recognise how weakly he was coming across was a large error in his judgement. It only made Maleeva more secure in her position. His world-bearing weariness offering a soft target for the cold steel of her purpose.

"It is simple though, this is your problem," she laid in, putting a heavy emphasis on the word your, as if to amplify the personal nature of the criticism. "The old snake-like order is over. Caput. I've now recognised this myself. The intrigue, the lies, the endless games. From now on things will be different. Perhaps this black powder is a blessing. One king, ruling from the centre, from the largest kingdom. Not through deception, but through divine kingly right. No more rituals. A simpler, more straightforward world. You must see the way the wind has blown."

It was difficult for the King of Tunid to counter this, especially given the venom with which Maleeva was speaking. It was true there were untruths, and it was also true that knowledge was withheld - hidden behind curtains and pageant. He knew this, as did she - they'd always both known this. Only now she knew she wasn't privy to everything, and that to some degree she also belonged to the ranks of unknowing pawns.

"Sometimes there are reasons for secrecy," intoned the king, after a moment trying to search for a justification.

"When you say secrecy you mean lies."

It was uncharacteristic of Maleeva to argue like this - with emotion, and appeals to higher ideals. Normally she was clocklike and precise. Pragmatic. The penchant discipline that the King of Tunid had noted as she stepped onto the boat - that was so typical of the woman he'd known for so long - had quickly disappeared.

"You've changed quite dramatically," he observed, almost without thinking, "You never used to be uncomfortable with lying."

"I've seen the light."

The king let out an exhausted laugh. It was beginning to dawn on him that any halfway accommodations, or tacit understandings were well and truly off the table. The mood in the world had changed. He expected the tone to be like this from King Mizmeam, he'd already gamed that into his thinking, but the new-found ire from the petite, but forceful Maleeva was something new. Inwardly he held out hope that her more calculated nature would return, once she'd expelled the heartfelt words from her system, but as she continued it became ever less likely.

"You've lied to me from the beginning. You've lied to every Head Treasurer - to me, to my people. Your family - you've used us all, from the very start. From time immemorial."

"It's not like that," protested King Tunid, wanting to explain more, but unable to do so.

"You've lied. You told me the other kings were just shown 'appearances' of distant lands. It seems they were shown more than appearances."

"Things aren't so simple."

"No, it's not that it isn't simple," she simmered, "This is just another lie you utter. You need the secrets, and the rituals, to keep the others in step. You need their ignorance ..and my ignorance. How else could one tiny island hold such sway? Year upon year, century upon century? I always understood the system. It's nothing new. Let's not pretend it's some noble endeavour."

The king hesitated again before replying.

"Sometimes lies are needed. You understood this perfectly well until you realised you yourself were on the other side of it. There are things you have not been told, and you will not be told, but believe me, it's for the best. States have secrets. What's important are not the lies, but the intention. Do you really think the intentions of Mizmeam are benign? As he rules over his kingdom of serfs and slaves."

"You come from a kingdom where you execute your own brother before you take the crown," snapped Maleeva.

The King of Tunid wanted to respond, but couldn't.

"And who killed Aralak?!"

"That is a mystery."

"It's a mystery to me, but you know - you must know. How can you not? King Mizmeam is convinced he was killed in the Maiden Lands, and that it could not have happened without your say so. I don't share his certainty regarding the place, but I'm inclined to agree with him regarding the motive."

"Why would I engineer the death of Prince Aralak? Where would the logic be in it?

"He is the very heir to your rival. It's also given the Maiden Lands the perfect impetus for their pre-emptive attack. Don't act like you don't understand this. That arrow was the starting pistol for your war to reassert order over this world. The advent of black powder was always going to change things, but unfortunately for you it was discovered on the mainland at precisely the wrong time for you to do that. Still, it's all history now. I've came with a simple message from King Mizmeam. He has declared war on your kingdom. You can offer homage, or you can be defeated."

"There will be no homage," remarked the king, regaining some of his composure. "I can promise you I didn't order the killing of Prince Aralak, but now this war has begun it will be prosecuted from my side to a resolution. There are still things you do not know. This fact you now understand yourself. So bear this in mind as you make your way back to the mainland. I will always be open to offers of peace. I do not want war, but aside from that there is little more to say. Hopefully, we may meet again under better circumstances."

That the meeting was over was the one point of agreement. Drua Maleeva returned to her ship. She gave a nod to the captain and hastened back to the Kingdom of Caster.