[1] Exit
Donovan
Perhaps a week after Princess Mercury's recovery from the injuries sustained at the naval engagement on the Shimmering Sea, Prince Donovan came to visit her bearing three items.
The first, wrapped in cloths and about the size of a sword he handed to his sister with a solemn expression. "As I promised," he said. "Cast of semi-hollowed bronze with reinforced leather straps and a padded coupling fitted to your thigh. It's articulated at ankle and knee. I think it will serve as your body heals..." The smith uncovered one part of the parcel, revealing what appeared to be a delicately crafted metal foot, then covered it again.
"You get used to the limp in time," he said with a sad smile. "It may surprise you how quickly..."
Then he shrugged and shook his head as though banishing uncomfortable thoughts. Forcing a crooked smile, he handed his sister two folded sheets of parchment.
"I've been briefly in correspondence with Asterion," he said. "Trying to get the fool to surrender before more needless slaughter. My letter...and his response...are there. Thought you should know. I was thinking about giving them to Dala and our mother as well."
The texts of the two letters were as follows:
| To: His Royal Majesty Asterion, King of Y'Nobe and Brother
From: His Royal Highness Donovan, Prince of Ebony We send you greeting, Majesty and Royal brother, and hope that this missive >finds you hale and well despite the tragedies that have befallen us all. In such times of trial and tribulation, we fear that death and pain color your Majesty's days and nights as they color our own, and undoubtedly all those of good character within both of our kingdoms. A sage has said: "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." We trust that to one of your Majesty's knowledge and wisdom, such words have particular weight to them. The "rightness" or "wrongness" of a cause is always intrinsic to those who wage war on behalf of that cause, and rarely are opinions changed by clashing swords. Often, violence strengthens convictions. Therefore, we do not seek to convince your Majesty of the justness of the Ebony cause, or the injustice of Y'Nobian one. Our words would hold little weight in any case, but particularly when colored by the blood and tears of so many sons and daughters of both our lands. Rather, we seek to reach beyond the assignment of further blame, or the accusations that grow in weight and fervor at each unnecessary casualty. We remind your Majesty of the horrific powers the Ebonian throne may still bring to bear in further pursuit of conclusive victory this war. We remind your Majesty of the tragic deaths on both sides at the naval engagements in the Shimmering Sea, which resulted in the veritable eradication of your Majesty's only source of reinforcement. We shudder at the casualties which have resulted and will continue to result from the ongoing siege of the undersea kingdom by our inestimably skilled siblings, Prince Grobian and Princess Mercury. In short your Majesty...brother...we would bring this war to a close in a manner befitting those of noble character. We ask that you surrender your claims on the Y'Nobian throne and pursue a course of peace with Ebony. Our mother is not unjust nor unmerciful. Though we cannot (and should not) speak for her Majesty in this or any matter, we believe that she would parlay justly with a willing penitent seeking only an end to the death and fear of those who look to him for leadership and guidance. We trust that your Majesty's honor is of a sort that pride and intransigence will not overcome reason and decency in the face of such clear and likely outcome. As the son of the late and lamented King Neptune, we recognize your Majesty's position regarding the monarchy of Y'Nobe. We have said before, and do again -- it seems reasonable that one of Neptune's sons should govern in Y'Nobe. Should your Majesty seek a humble peace with Ebony, perhaps accommodations may be reached for your Majesty to maintain reins of governance in some fashion. In your Majesty's veins runs the same royal blood that flows in our own. You are our brother in Blood, if no longer in title. We would see that status restored in full, and welcome you back to our fold with open arms -- a Royal Prince once more. We would see an end to further sorrows between the kingdoms. In short, if all wars are crimes as the sage said, we would seek an end to this crime. We hope to speak with you in this, or any matter with which your Majesty would choose to approach us. We pray by the Unicorn that accords may be reached and peace restored. All men are brothers, like the seas throughout the world; so why must winds and waves clash so fiercely thereon hereafter? We remain, your Brother in the Blood, Donovan, Son of Faiello
|
Dear Brother, I thank you for your letter. At the time I am writing those words, I am hale and well -- at least assuming you are asking about my body, since my soul is as far from hale as one can imagine. You have chosen a wise sage to quote, although I do not understand how his words relate to our current situation. You are certainly aware that there are bigger crimes than war, and that a man is rarely free to choose his own destiny. Where you are wrong, however, is how loudly clashing swords speak. There are very few things so convincing and so conclusive, and words can never be on par with swords. You yourself acknowledge that your blood-stained words have little weight, and yet you offer nothing except them. At this very moment I can hear voices of my people, my friends, dying in their own homes, doing nothing but protecting their own wives and children, and I read words of Queen Titania not being unjust and unmerciful... Which, do you think, should I believe? My ears or my eyes? I can see right now, and I will continue to see for the rest of my life, whenever I close my eyes, how our mother parlays with those who seek nothing but peace, with those who look at her for guidance, and with those who have never done her any harm. For the past century I did nothing but seek humble peace with Ebony, only to see all my efforts ignored or turned against me and those who have entrusted me with their lives. I am deeply sorry, brother, that it will not be possible for us to meet face to face. I may be naive, but I do learn from my mistakes, and, as much as I would like to see you, I will not allow others to pay for my sentimentality ever again. Princess Mercury's betrayal could be forgiven if she had struck at me, but I have no power to give absolution in the name of countless souls she has murdered. Your words are sweet as honey, yet man's actions speak much louder than his lips. If you try sufficiently hard, some day both your words and your actions may be telling the same tale. Asterion, son of Neptune, King of y'Nobe |
Mercury
Mercury sat for a while in silent contemplation. Eventually she responded, "I am not sure that I would show these to Mother. For myself, I would not be so quick to bestow titles on Asterion, especially ones Titania does not recognize. I appreciate the thinking behind the gesture, but I think it unwise to publicize it further. As you say, and as I have now long suspected, Asterion is at best two-faced, and more likely a fool to boot. I fear that he will pay for his presumption with more than he bargained. I only hope I am not the one selected to execute the judgment, as it were." She favored Donovan with a frown.
Donovan
Her brother sighed. "To some extent, you already have been, sister. We all have. The problem is that others will continue to be punished for Asterion's pride. And I have no desire to see that."
His eyes grew distant and thoughtful. "But I've known little but war during my life, Mercury. Perhaps my years are a single drop in the ocean of your experience, but I hate it. There is no beauty or honor or value in it. I would see it ended permanently, no matter the cost. The only one who can end the bloodshed now is Asterion, and he has made his position clear in the matter..."
The smith's face grew hard.
Mercury
Mercury's face opened into a wide smile, "ah dear brother, without adversity, we would not so fully appreciate the peaceful and pleasant times. I do not think that Asterion is the only one who can end this, although I suspect that he will have to act or be acted on in order for peace to have a real chance."
Donovan
Her brother shrugged, his face still stone. "I was saying the same thing, if obliquely," he responded. "To put it a different way, his decisions will determine the nature of the inevitable peace. The decision is his, and his letter indicates he has already made his decision. Blood-thirsty Fool."
Mercury
Mercury shook her head, "I think you give too much credance to Asterion's influence at this point. He has backed himself into a corner and his options are limited and unpleasant. The question now is whether he gets to live and if so, where. He is unlikely, given his attitude, to get much say in this. The longevity of the peace will largely be determined based on how Asterion is disposed of, who takes over as Governor, and how that person treats the Y'Nobians."
Donovan
'Unpleasant' is always preferable to dead," her brother growled, but then he nodded his head.
"I suppose I merely hoped for more. We have to judge others' ethics by what we ourselves would do in the same or similar circumstances. Where I in Asterion's position, if even a painful peace were possible, I would not continue a hopeless war.
"Then again, I would never have declared myself King of Y'Nobe either, so..."
Mercury
The Princess shrugged non-committally, "if I believed in the justness of my cause, I would not necessarily backdown, no matter how hopeless the situation. But then, it is difficult to tell what Asterion actually believes."
Donovan
Donovan considered his sister, or her words for a long moment. It appeared that he was about to say something further, but a miniscule shake of the head canceled it.
"At this point, nothing else is relevant aside from how we deal with him. If Asterion cannot be convinced of the necessity of stepping down to save his people, then his people need to be made aware of that fact. Foment rebellion through agents; make peace overtures to others in power. The Y'Nobians need to know that their 'King' cares nothing for them, and will drag them down with him if they do not overthrow him." The prince smacked the folded letters against his open palm for emphasis.
Mercury
"I am not sure that Asterion commands now, or for that matter ever commanded, a great deal of respect or loyalty among the Y'Nobians. He always ruled with fear and violence. But then, sometimes people grow accustomed to such treatment and are sorry for its passing." The Princess gave a sad shrug.
"I had certainly hoped to reduce not only Y'Nobian fighting strength, but also morale and support for Asterion with my naval attack. I would hope that Dala had similar intentions. I hope that it will not take too much more at this point to topple Asterion," Cymneo's daughter concluded.
Donovan
As though Mercury's words had a different meaning entirely, the princess saw the earlier anger seemingly evaporate from Donovan. Suddenly, the man regarding her just looked sad and tired.
"Hope," he repeated with a pale smile and a nod. "Yes. Well, I'm no soldier. But perhaps I may help us find hope in other ways. We shall see wherein our hope lies..."
He folded the letters into two smaller sqares, and then slipped them into a pouch at his waist. Leaning forward, the burly royal pressed his lips against Mercury's cheek.
"No matter what happens, may the leg serve you well, princess," Donovan said, nodding towards the silvery replacement limb.
"We must speak again soon. You know where to reach me should you wish to. Until then, be well Mercury."
[1] Exit