Her Rightful Place

38: The Adversary

"I hear there was a bit of excitement after I left the Hall of Private Audience this evening?" Jerôme inquires with his usual disinterest as Xavier enters his suite.

"Please, Jerôme, it is nearly midnight. Surely this can wait--" the Prince begins, massaging his temples with his forefingers.

"Only if the news I have from the Vyrunian court can also wait."

Prince Xavier, heretofore moving with all the excitement of half-frozen sludge, suddenly perks up with a mixture of interest and irritation. "Fine, have it your way," he relents before launching into a brief account of the Khandazarian invasion of his meeting with the Royal Advisers and how Queen Bêtel resolved the situation.

"Oh, for the love of all that is good," the Duke of Pelanshire groans. "Please tell me you managed to write something sensible to the Grand Chancellor of Khandazar and that there is a chance that we will not go to war over this."

"I believe our message to them is perfectly acceptable, under the circumstances. The real trick will be keeping the Queen from torturing her prisoners before His Chancellorship arrives to rescue them and make restitution--assuming he does. Based on my interview with the leader of the Khandazarian...delegation, we will call them, it is entirely possible that the Grand Chancellor will sacrifice them for the sake of denying that this incident even occurred."

"Fantastic. What message have you sent them?"

"The opening makes the traditional wishes for the health and prosperity of the Grand Chancellor and his country, you know, the usual insincere nonsense. Then there is a paragraph beginning 'We regret to inform you...' that details the incident I have just related, and then comes the tricky part, where we explain that, until a formal apology is made and explanation given for this delegation's dreadful misconduct, they will be our prisoners. Well treated, to be sure--I made sure that was in there, for whatever good it might do--but prisoners nonetheless. I also made it explicitly clear that we have no interest in war but that economic sanctions might be in order if the requested apology and explanation are not provided."

"Well played, sir, well played."

"Your fears are assuaged?"

"As much as they can be, under the circumstances. This is Khandazar we are speaking of. They have been fairly isolationist since their ill-fated attempt to overrun Vyrunia, but in the past year or so they have been getting bolder and more erratic in their international affairs."

"I know it well, and am not myself entirely at ease with the situation. But for now, all we can do on that front is wait. In the meantime, perhaps you would deign to tell me of Princess Mireille's Holy Sanctification in the One True Faith, and anything else you might have learned in Vyrunia?"

"I suppose I will indulge you. The ceremony was beautiful, the usual Vyrunian spectacle of five hours in length, complete with the incense and chanting and white dress that these things normally entail. I believe Queen Généviève was enraptured by it."

"Five hours?! No wonder preparing for it was so extensive," Xavier mutters, realizing for the first time the magnitude of what Mireille must have gone through and feeling guilty for his part in bringing the torture about, not to mention his inability to attend the event himself.

"Aye, quite. But the Princess seemed in good spirits, and her staff seem to like her very much. They say she is excelling in all her studies. I suppose it is fortunate for you that she has been able to rise to the challenge you have inadvertently given her," Jerôme teases, ignoring his own guilt when the Prince winces at that last remark.

"Please, do not remind me. I feel bad enough as it is. I was not thinking, when we decided to send her there, about all the ramifications of returning her to her family."

"As I say, she seems happy enough now."

"Did she have any messages for me?"

"She is looking forward to the Midsummer's Eve Ball, and she was very blunt in pointing out that her Holy Sanctification is an announcement to the world that she is marriageable and will be sold off to the highest bidder."

The thought makes Xavier's blood boil. Not if I can help it, he thinks savagely. The Duke observes the look on his friend's face and smiles inwardly. It is the first time he has ever seen the Prince care enough about a woman to be jealous about her affections.

"And I suppose you got to spend a bit of time with Christelle, as well, while you were there?"

"A bit. She was more excited to see Enzo than she was to see me. Nothing of excitement to report," Jerôme responds stiffly. A likely story, Xavier thinks while arching an eyebrow at his friend, but when Jerôme makes no move to elaborate, the Prince decides to let it go.

"Well then. What, if anything, do you think we should tell Their Majesties in Vyrunia about this...interference from Khandazar?"

"The situation must be handled delicately, to be sure. Not telling them could put them at risk, whereas telling them might cause undue panic."

"My thoughts exactly. But I think the risk of Khandazar trying something crazy, like kidnapping the Princess, outweighs any panic our message might cause."

"Perhaps. Do you really think they would try anything so ludicrous?"

"I do not put anything past the madmen in control of Khandazar. The last time they wanted something from Vyrunia, they tried to assassinate Mireille and her parents sent her into hiding." Both men pause for a few moments, contemplating the enigmatic nature of their dangerous foe and how best to defend their would-be allies. "I will word my message very carefully and address it specifically to King Christophe. He is wise and will know what best to do, without my suggesting anything."

"Be sure to send the Princess a private warning. If her father chooses to take any security precautions, she will likely be one of the most affected by them."

Xavier winces. Jerôme is absolutely right, of course. I don't want to make her life more difficult than it already is, he worries. But what could come of it if I don't warn them to be on their guard against Khandazar? She disappeared once because of them. I can't let that happen again.

"Of course. You might write something to Christelle, as well, seeing as she is so fond of breaking rules. Whatever security measures they put in place, if any, ought not to be flouted so easily as the usual etiquette of the Vyrunian court."

"It shall be done. Tonight?"

"Tonight. The sooner they learn of the potential threat, the better."