Chapter X: Secession and Union

Nothing happened that night. Or that morning. I woke up. Emilia was curled up against me. She was still naked as the day she was born, but there was nothing I could do to convince her that clothes were probably necessary for sleep. I wore my underwear, which she seemed disappointed by but did not mention outright. I did not want to move. It was warm and comfortable and I was sore from yesterday. But I knew I had to. I watched her sleep for a while. Eventually I slipped out of the bed. She whined and rolled over to look at me, pouting. "I was comfortable."

"Yeah, me too." I replaced my underclothes and pulled on some pants. I sat down to put on socks and boots. Emilia sat up and hugged my head to her chest. Her bare chest. I tried to continue clothing myself, but she wrestled me to the bed, never letting my head leave her chest. Meryl walked through the door and quickly closed it behind her, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

"I can't leave you alone at all. Every time I come in here, you're molesting my lovers." She said with a mock chiding tone. I extracted myself from the tangle of Emilia's embrace and looked at her. She was joking about it, but I think there was a hint that she was a little bit upset. I got up and pulled her close and gulped, staring at her. She stared at me. "W-what are you doing?"

"Testing something." I said breathlessly. I kissed her, holding her head in my hand. She gasped and kissed back, wrapping her arms around me. After a lot of heartbeats and only a few moments we broke apart. She motioned off to the direction of the courtroom.

"We, um... Court is doing... Dressed." She closed her eyes and gathered herself a little bit more. "What was that?"

"It's nice for you to be the one off balance for once," I stated, grabbing my shirt and pulled it on, tucking it in. She glared at me, but the effect was ruined when she could not keep a straight face. I looked back to Emilia who was considering me. She grinned at me and nodded. I turned back to Meryl and offered her my arm. "Shall we, my queen?"

She took it and leaned into me. It was hard to walk like this but it was also nice. When we got to the court, she did not separate from me, instead pulling me to stand next to her and only departing when she sat down. She had me stand within arm's reach of her for the entire procession. Today was going to be a busy day, full of her doing what was in her power to fulfill the needs of her subjects. Truthfully, I did not understand much of what people were asking for. A lot of the time it seemed as though they were speaking another language. Sometimes, they were literally speaking another language and Queen Meryl responded gracefully in the same language. It was amazing. A powerful mage, someone able to balance all of these queenly duties and being able to speak in at least four or five different languages.

After several hours of me trying and probably failing to understand much of what was going on, a petitioner in fine clothing bowed to her. He came closer than most of the others had dared. Something in the way that Meryl shifted in her seat told me that this was unusual. There was also something familiar about him. His clothes were well-made silks and the fashion was strange. There was also something in his face that poked at my memory, but I could not quite place it. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a sword at his hip and was wearing very expensive clothes. The sword stuck out to me. It's well-made, I thought. At least not until he spoke. He had a slight accent, but his voice and affect drove it home to me. "My queen, I am here to seek two arrest warrants for enemies of the nation."

It fell into place. My stomach dropped down into the pits. He has to be the brother to that Babryckian merchant, the lord from the duel yesterday. I did not look at the queen directly, but examined her from the corner of my eye. I was sure she had picked up on the same thing that I had. She straightened her back, doing her best to loom over the man who was on one knee twenty or so paces in front of her. "Oh? I typically do not issue warrants unless it is for a rather large crime, such as threats or acts of treason. Is this such an act?"

"These... persons' actions led directly to the death of a lord," The man said. He was not fully able to keep the spite out of his voice. A lord. I did my best to keep my worry from showing on my face.

"Oh, that is quite serious. Pray tell, which is the lord that was killed and... By whom?"

"Lord of Babrycg, Master Jonathan Sharcaol, may he rest in peace, was murdered in cold blood by the man at your side, who sources say is a blacksmith, Johann. No last name available." The man said, having regained control over his tone. "As a direct result of the actions of one Emilia Mia'Valur. I am here to demand that both of them are put to death."

The queen sat there in her chair, still as any statue I had ever seen. I bowed my head and gave her a few beats and as I was about to step forward and speak, she put out her hand and spoke. "You claim that Lord Sharchoal was murdered. Witnesses say that it was the result of a duel that broke out after he made treasonous statements. The blacksmith in question was doing a duty towards defending the kingdom and its citiz-"

"With all due respect," the Babryckian nobleman cut in, "the citizen he was defending is an enemy of the state! An elf has no place in our society and -"

"Am I an enemy of the state, sir?" Meryl asked in a voice that I swear could have frozen water.

"You are allowing potential spies and miscreants run about in the capital." He said in as even a voice as possible, after his explosion. "That woman provoked Lord Sharcaol and afterwards that blacksmith goaded him into a figh-"

"A duel. A challenge which the lord issued himself, of his own fre-"

"That duel was a farce! None of the rules of engagement were followed!" The man rose to his feet and shouted, pointing at me. It took more will than I care to admit not to take a step back. "No seconds were chosen, the timing and space of the duel was chosen with too much haste, never giving a chance for tempers to cool! Even the weapon standards were too lax! For all we know, you planted both the elf and the supposed blacksmith in the court to murder the lord of Babrycg!"

I had never considered how my actions would reflect on Meryl. How they would reflect on a queen and the nation as a whole. My head bowed further under the weight of this new responsibility. But there was something I could do to make it right. And perhaps save Emilia at the same time. I began to speak but one look from Meryl stilled my mouth.

"Lord Sharcaol drew his sword in this very court. He threatened me and my citizens and tried to kill the man you accuse of murdering him. He was given the option of yielding in the duel." The Queen emphasized the last word. "He refused and even dishonored the duel by attacking an opponent's back. This was after he dishonored me in much the same way that you are now. He insulted my valued staff member and accused me of betraying my people. My nation."

"Siding with an elf and a peasant over a lord proves that you are a traitor. In blood and in action!" The man was shaking with rage. "Prove that you do not value elves over your loyal subjects! Surrender the murderer and the knife-eared whore to us and we will distribute justice!"

"Enough!" Meryl had finally stood. She was shorter than him, but at that moment she seemed to fill the entire room with her presence. Her voice reverberated against the walls. "Justice! You want justice for the killing of a man who would have killed me for a maid that he did not approve of! As though he or you or anyone has any right to question who I employ! You demand justice for a man who bore steel in the court of his queen with the intention of killing my subjects. Of spilling the blood of those that I choose to have around me!"

The man had shrank back a step or two. There was still anger distorting his face. Deep lines etching their way through his flesh. His mouth worked for a moment before he found his voice again. When he did, his tone was a deadly calm. "Killing a lord is unforgivable. If you refuse to act on it, I, as acting Lord of Babrycg, Lord Damien Sharcaol, will act for you. You will lose the support of our city-state and all benefits, therein."

He paused for a few moments, seeming to wait for her response. "I came here in good faith, my liege. I came to ask you for a reasonable recompense for the death of one of your loyal lords."

"You came here to twist my arm for actions that were directly the fault of your brother. You ask me to excuse words and actions of treason because he is a lord. The loss of your support is unfortunate but the actions that preceded it are unforgivable."

"Unforgivable? You choose elves and peasants over your lords." He practically spat the words.

"Only when those lords choose to become a direct threat to my subjects."

"Babrycg will become its own nation. We will secede. Any interference in this will start a war, blood traitor." The man whipped his cape around and stormed out. The remaining few petitioners all but jumped out of the way. I looked over to Meryl.

She stared after the man for a few moments, her face made of stone, before sitting down on her throne. She smoothed her dress, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then she motioned for the petitioners to reform their queue. They did so immediately. The next couple of things that were presented to her were solved within a few words. Maybe a couple of sentences at the most. The last petitioner looked nervous when she got up to her. She stayed well back and bowed deeply, prostrating herself on the floor. "What issue do you bring to your queen, subject?"

"My... My... uh. My queen. I do apologize. I... am not sure that you can help me any longer." The woman said, hesitantly.

"And why is that?"

"Well, I-uh. I'm from Babrycg, my liege. And... Well..." Even from her place on the floor, I could tell she was trying to look back the way of Lord Damien.

"I... I see." Meryl was silent for a few moments and then continued. "Do you still consider yourself my subject?"

"Yes, my queen." The woman said so quickly that the words ran together. "Er... Well, I also consider myself a Babryckian, too, my queen. We grow up learning to love our queen and our city in equal measure."

"Yes. That is only fair." The queen's voice was somber. "I do not accept Lord Damien's secession. And I will try to find the most peaceful solution to this problem. I still consider you my subject."

The woman looked up, tears in her eyes. She was wearing a peasant's clothing. Clothing that before I came in here I might have bought for my future wife. Clothes worn by every woman in my village. And a few of the men. And those in-between. She nodded vigorously. She made her request, but I did not hear it. I had caused something so big. I had changed history with a few stupid words and a few stupider actions. I noticed she left after a few moments and Queen Meryl was staring up at me from her throne. I did not meet her eyes. She did not say anything as I left. I wandered around for a while until I found myself in the library.

I sat down and opened a book and did not read. I stared at the pages blankly for a while. I do not know exactly how long it was. I just went over the day before. I went over today and tried to think of anything I could have done differently. All this because I asked a woman to change her hairstyle. Secession. War. Over a fucking hairstyle and my big mouth.

"Johann?" I looked up and saw Meryl standing in the door of the library. "May I join you?"

I looked to the seat next to me and closed my eyes. "It is your library, my queen. You may do as you wish."

She stiffened at that, but forced herself to walk towards me. To take a seat next to me. She stared at her hands, which were piled in her lap. "What happened toda-"

"Queen Meryl," I began, sliding to the floor, prostrating myself before her. "I ask you to surrender me to the Babryckian. Maybe with my death, the nation can remain whole."

"Oh. You've read a few books now, blacksmith, so you know politics better than I do. Than the person who gave you those books. The person who has been training her entire life to navigate this world." Her voice was cool. Not cool. Cold. Frozen. I dared a glance at her face. Rage was etched into her every feature. Her mouth was turned down, I could see the muscles in her jaw working. Her brows were furrowed. Her ears were red and her face flushed. Her eyes were tight and focused on me. "Oh, thank the gods! I found a blacksmith to help poor little me with all of these complicated problems. A man to help me with problems too big for my tiny woman brain."

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist onto the carpet. She jumped slightly but managed to keep her face rigid. "I didn't mean it that way! You know I didn't! I... I am the cause! I killed a man. I killed your lord and should take responsibility for it!"

"Get off the ground." She said, looking at me. Her face had cooled some. There was still anger there. She was far from calm, but she did not speak until I got to my feet. She grabbed my hand and pulled me bodily to the love-seat. I honestly did not think she would have been able to do that. "You didn't cause this. Babryckians are hot-blooded and more importantly, this is something that has been boiling for a while. There have been rumors that they were looking for an excuse to secede since I was a girl. If it wasn't the death of Lord Jonathan, it would be something else."

"So, surrendering me wouldn't do anything, then?" I asked, tentatively.

"Oh, you'd be killed. Before you fulfilled any of your duties." She looked me directly in the eyes. "They would kill my future husband, before I got a chance to even play with him. They would kill my Inya Nute, too."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

"Men always cause trouble." She said softly, tangling her fingers in my hair. She brought me closer and laid my head on her shoulder. "Johann?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not going to run off and do something stupid." It was not a question.

"I-"

"Do you regret defending Emilia?"

"No, I don't. It's not right. People hating her just because she has cute ears. Ridiculous." I said, indignantly.

"Men," she said with a smile on her lips and a roll of her eyes. "So, wouldn't dying undermine that? Wouldn't it cheapen your defense of her? Of me?"

"I... Well, I guess so," I muttered. "But I also don't want to be the cause of a war. I can barely stomach the deaths I've caused directly. Who knows how many could die because of my fat mouth."

"Stop."

"But-"

"No."

I sighed into her neck and felt her shiver. Her sandalwood scent filled my nose and my lust shifted, my mind changing tracks. I welcomed the distraction. Hells, I dove straight into it. I blew on her neck softly again and she tried to suppress a shudder. "So, I have duties that I haven't fulfilled yet."

"Oh yes. Lots of the-em." Her voice cracked as I nipped into her neck and pulled at her flesh gently. I felt her tense against me and let out a slow breath. I kissed up her neck slowly and licked at random points. "I-I'm still mad at you... I didn't say stop."

"Oh." There was a voice and I pulled away from the queen quickly, looking up. Lady Carmella was standing there in the doorway. There was a small knowing smile on her lips. She strode over and grabbed me by my collar and pulled me away. "Come on. We have training to do. You can burn off steam with me."

I gave Meryl an apologetic look. She was glaring daggers at her knight, gripping her skirts with white knuckles. She muttered something, but I must have misheard it because it sounded like "Clam jammer". Which isn't a thing, to my knowledge. Training was longer and harder than ever. But the sparring had helped me almost forget me causing all that trouble for Meryl. Almost. By the time we were finished, she had to all but carry me to the dinner table.

"Men are such wimps."

"True," I agreed readily. "I don't even know how you could do that in full plate. I'm genuinely exhausted. I was exhausted just looking at you in it, honestly."

"Oh? Watch this." Carmella set me down against a wall, spread her feet apart and bent down slightly. Then she jumped and did a full flip. She crashed down loudly to the ground but she had flipped. Gracefully. In full plate. After hours of beating me up with a sword. She grinned down at me proudly as my mouth hit the floor.

"How?" I said, getting to my feet. I was a little unsteady, but I managed to stay on my feet. She returned to my side and I pushed her away playfully. "No, stay away from me. For all I know you will do another flip with me in your arms."

She laughed and pushed me back. We continued pushing each other all the way to the dining hall. It was empty. I glanced at the First Knight and she shrugged. I made my way to my room, figuring I could clean up and then figure out what happened. When I stepped in the room, there were candles everywhere, rose petals on the floor. There was a small table with a pair of plates and glasses sitting on it. I looked around and found Emilia standing off to one side holding a bottle of wine, wearing her normal maid outfit. Well, what was normal now. Then I saw Meryl.

Her hair had been done in what seemed to me to be impossible curls. Her face looked a little different too. It was enhanced somehow. It took me a few breaths to realize there were soft colors surrounding her eyes, on her cheeks and her lips. Her dress was amazing. I think if she had ever worn it in public, even the queen would have been arrested. It had a deep neckline. Well, I say that, but really, it was more neckline than dress. Her chest was covered by the loosest lines. I could see everything but the nipple and those were clearly outlined by the fabric. Apparently, it was cold in here. But the open neck did not stop there. It continued down to her hips, finally meeting at a point that I swear must have been just a finger or two above her pelvis. Her legs were also completely exposed, the dress barely wrapped around her hips. She walked forward and stood before the table in front of me, revealing her bare back. The dress was tied behind her neck and the dress was cut even lower on the back, revealing the top of her ass. She looked at me for a moment. Then her eyes fell on the chair at her side. She all but nodded to it.

"Oh, sorry!" I rushed forward and pulled out her chair for her. She sat gracefully, exposing even more leg somehow. I pushed the chair back in and spent another moment staring at her. I could not help it. Eventually I managed to realize what I was doing and went to the other side. I even managed to do it before I started drooling. I did almost fall over when sitting down but in my defense I was very distracted. There was a lot of blood being drawn to places that are not known for their good judgment of distance. Or anything, really.

"I thought we might have a nice quiet dinner here. Alone." She motioned to Emilia, who brought over the wine and sat it down on the table. I gulped a bit and looked up to the maid pleadingly. She smiled at me playfully, until the queen continued. "I said alone, Mils. Go make sure that Carmie doesn't disturb us."

Emilia pouted for a moment, then curtsied, which revealed that she still was not wearing any underwear. Not that I was looking. Not that there was a safe place to look. My eyes fell to the plate, until I saw the half-elf lean over and whisper something into her queen's ear. I tried to hear it, but it was impossible. Meryl's face broke into a wide smile and she nodded, then said "Now go."

Emilia practically danced out the door, which did interesting things to her maid's outfit. After the door closed behind her, I turned my attention back to Meryl. She was leaning forward, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. Her elbows were on the table. Her eyes were intent upon me and I shifted uncomfortably. "S-so, I... Um. You..."