Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 11

14th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 1700 Hours

Draudillon fought to keep her regal mask from crumbling into incredulity as she gazed down at the top of Captain Inserra’s head. It was nice to see that he was an honest man, but she felt that he had crossed the line between honesty and idiocy.

Confirmation that Highfort’s garrison had survived proved to be a heartening piece of news for Draudillon and her court. It was a tiny achievement in the vast sea of failure that was the Draconic Kingdom’s efforts to resist the Beastmen, but everyone clung to those bits of hope nonetheless. In the past, such a feat would have merited a great banquet; criers dispatched to praise the garrison’s determination and resilience against their dreaded foe.

They couldn’t afford the banquet, but her court made sure that the people knew of Highfort’s valiant stand. For her part, she could only welcome him with a smile and lavish her gratitude upon him and his men for their exceptional efforts.

Before she could speak, however, the Captain cast himself to the floor in a magnificent flying kowtow to grovel at the base of her dais. He begged her forgiveness while at the same time accepting his fate for violating the sanctity of her laws. His display left her speechless for a good dozen seconds before she could say anything, which spilt out of her mouth of its own accord.

“You,” Draudillon said, “are an idiot.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I am an idiot!”

Draudillon’s tiny frown shifted as she glanced at Baroness Zahradnik. The woman was definitely laughing behind her expressionless mask. Her courtiers, however, were half aghast at and half condemning of the man’s conduct.

“Your Majesty,” Salacia said, “please do not soil your hands with this foul miscreant’s blood. We’ll have him taken out behind the palace to be eviscerated.”

“We just emptied the palace quarter of corpses, Lady Soruel.”

“F-forgive me, Your Majesty! We’ll have him taken outside the city walls and eviscerated. Captain Scavo, take Inserra away–”

“Oi! Stop trying to eviscerate Our officers! We have few enough as it is. You bunch have spent too much time studying the law and not enough time practising it.”

Draudillon turned her gaze back to Captain Inserra, lavishing a smile upon him.

“Raise your head, Captain Inserra. You have Our pardon for your transgressions and may return to your duties once your audience is concluded.”

The man pushed himself off of the ground, his face a mess of tears and mucus.

“Y-your…Your Majestyyyy!”

He stumbled forward to her dais with a sob, reaching for her crossed ankles. Draudillon tucked them against her throne. Ioena stepped forward and interposed herself between them. Two guards caught the man and dragged him back to a safe distance. Draudillon frowned at Ioena’s back.

You’re the Prime Minister right now, Ioena, not my lady-in-waiting…

Draudillon glanced at Sebas, who had not budged from his place at her shoulder. There were whispers going around about how her ‘escort’ was not protecting her properly and was in reality a spy. Draudillon, however, sensed that no physical attacks would be allowed to reach her so long as he was around.

“Know your place, Captain!” Ioena’s voice was cold, “You’ve just been forgiven for a crime, are you attempting to commit yet another?”

“I’m shorreeee…”

Draudillon let out a quiet breath. They wouldn’t be able to get anywhere like this.

“Now is as good a time as any for a recess,” she declared. “We shall reconvene in two hours.”

She waited as her court filed out of the hall, taking note of the various cliques that had formed. They had changed somewhat from before the siege of her capital, mostly due to the duties of the court and her ministries being redistributed to the palace staff. Though court factions were not prevalent in the Draconic Kingdom’s politics, they still formed as a product of Human nature.

‘Faction heads’ had appeared in the form of her interim ministers. Their following mostly consisted of other Nobles working in their departments. The relationship between each faction was cooperative, so she felt that there was nothing to fear when it came to destructive internal rivalries impeding the recovery of the country.

When all that remained were her ladies-in-waiting and her guards, Draudillon rose from her throne.

“Lady Wenwyn will attend to Us,” she said. “The rest of you can take a break until everyone comes back. Captain Scavo, please invite Baroness Zahradnik to join Us for dinner.”

Draudillon rose from her throne and stepped out onto the balcony, allowing herself a small sense of satisfaction as she watched a river barge disembark from the port and unfurl its sails. It picked up speed, gliding west towards Seagate.

River traffic was always one of the greatest indicators of the Draconic Kingdom’s health. It was not just the primary driver for her country’s economic well-being, but also the lifeline to lands which were so often ravaged by their Beastman neighbours.

This time, however, nearly all of her support was sourced from the Sorcerous Kingdom. As promised, their strange barges continued to deliver all manner of goods to the capital in an unprecedented effort to aid in the Draconic Kingdom’s recovery. While it should rightly be considered a miraculous boon, the Sorcerous Kingdom’s assistance also brought with it worries harboured not just by herself, but also by her court.

Well, I should be able to address at least one of the big ones now…

Dinner was served a half-hour later. Baroness Zahradnik entered the throne room and headed to the table set aside for the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegates, but Draudillon gestured for the young noblewoman to join her.

“Come, Lady Zahradnik,” she said, “there is no need to be so distant. We would rather not have three different people at three different tables shouting at one another across the hall.”

At her prompting, both Jolene and Lady Zahradnik came to join her. Unfortunately, Sebas remained standing behind Draudillon’s shoulder. She knew that it was the proper place for him to be, but she would have far preferred that he sit beside her.

Draudillon stirred the thick oat porridge that had become a regular sight at her meals. It was greatly at odds with its marbled black porcelain bowl and her silver spoon. She decided to start with a safe topic.

“Lady Zahradnik, Countess Corelyn mentioned that the grain delivered to Oriculon comes from your demesne. Is this true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lady Zahradnik replied. “It is most of my territory’s production from last year.”

“Having such a surplus is, to be frank, absurd. Our Minister of Internal Affairs here has been going crazy trying to figure out how such a thing can be possible.”

“…I’m not sure what speculations have been circulating in Your Majesty’s court,” the Baroness replied, “but it’s fairly straightforward. I am a Frontier Noble and my territory was over ninety-nine per cent undeveloped when the Duchy of E-Rantel was annexed. My demesne has seen unprecedented industrial growth since then, but the Human population remains relatively small – around fifteen hundred subjects. Nearly all of what we produce is exported.”

If that was the case, it was likely that Baroness Zahradnik and her subjects were ridiculously wealthy. Draudillon and her subjects were facing a similar situation, though the cause was different. The Baroness’ territory likely hadn’t seen a mass depopulation of its tenants as the Draconic Kingdom had.

“You mentioned ‘Human population’, Lady Zahradnik,” Jolene said. “Who else do you count amongst your subjects?”

Oof. Why did you go there?

Though the fact that the Sorcerous Kingdom was a multiracial nation was known by her court, many of the realities that came with their relationship with the Sorcerous Kingdom had not truly sunk into the collective consciousness of her people. As Countess Corelyn had mentioned in her exclave proposal, it was probably best to ease them into the aspects that involved other races considering the Draconic Kingdom’s history.

“Some of the populations are challenging to keep track of, Lady Wenwyn,” Baroness Zahradnik said, “but there should be somewhere in the vicinity of twelve thousand Goblins, a thousand Ogres and forty Trolls in the Upper Reaches of the Katze River. Warden’s Vale – my original barony – has an additional two hundred Lizardmen.

“The mountains around my territory have at least one Mountain Troll and his tribe and two races of Demihumans that I jointly refer to as the ‘Krkonoše’. One race is a species of druidic Demihuman that I haven’t seen elsewhere and the other is a race of large felid Beastmen. The Krkonoše keep filtering into my territory and they’re spreading all over the place…I think there are around two hundred of the Druids and over a thousand of the felid Beastmen now.”

“You have Beastman subjects?” Jolene’s eyes grew wide.

“They’re fairly reclusive, but yes. They aren’t the only race of Beastmen in the Sorcerous Kingdom, either.”

“But…what do they eat? You have all sorts of carnivorous races in your territory.”

“Well, the Lizardmen are farming fish. As for the rest, they exist much as they always have.”

“I believe that the Sorcerous Kingdom’s subjects are prohibited from eating one another…?”

“That is broadly the case, my lady, but I was permitted to make an exception for my subjects in specially-designated areas. While the reign of the Sorcerer King brings about great change, I am afraid I lack the talent to bring about that change overnight. For the most part, I let my subjects live their lives while attempting to facilitate the formation of a society wherein everyone can participate. I feel that forming that sort of civilisation ‘naturally’ would be better than attempting to force the existing Human-centric society of E-Rantel upon everyone.”

The fact that she was facing such a monumental task would go a long way in explaining why she had such a broad perspective on everything. To Draudillon’s right, Jolene wore a silly sort of blank look, as if unable to comprehend the Baroness’ words.

“So to achieve this level of agricultural production,” Draudillon said, “What do you do? Are other races employed as labour since the population of Humans is small?”

“While I would like for that sort of interaction to start happening between my subjects soon,” Lady Zahradnik replied, “it is only Humans and Lizardmen that engage in large-scale agriculture. The Lizardmen almost exclusively practise aquaculture, while Humans tend to fields much as they appear to here. The Undead are used for labour in my territory, which allows my tenants to manage much more than they otherwise would be able to. Druidic magic is also employed, but I don’t believe that particular part is a foreign concept to the region.”

It wasn’t, but Druids weren’t so common that every field could be augmented by magic. She doubted that any even existed in the Draconic Kingdom at this point. Still, it was something to keep in mind for the future. Maybe she could entice some Druids to migrate from elsewhere? She wasn’t even sure how she would go about doing that.

“I find it hard to believe that Druids would so willingly work with the Undead, Lady Zahradnik,” Jolene said. “Druids protect and promote the natural order and the Undead are anathema to that order.”

“What is ‘natural’ is sometimes difficult to define, Lady Wenwyn,” Lady Zahradnik said. “Negative energy ecologies are naturally opposed to what might be considered positive energy ecologies, but, at the same time, negative energy is a part of our existence. As a Ranger, my understanding is that defending the ‘natural order’ is not so much the explicit promotion of living ecologies, but maintaining the greater balance of the world.”

Draudillon’s brow furrowed slightly at the Baroness’ words. How she expressed herself suggested that she was more well-versed on the matter than she should be. It may have been a bias on Draudillon’s part, but Lady Zahradnik sounded almost draconic in her understanding. What she shared was not something a Human would usually be able to wrap their head around.

Perhaps I’m just noticing things that aren’t there…

“We are curious, Lady Zahradnik,” Draudillon said. “Are you acquainted with any Dragons?”

“I am, Your Majesty,” Lady Zahradnik nodded. “Frost Dragons dwell in the Sorcerous Kingdom and I am acquainted with several of them. One of them lairs in my territory, but it feels like she is away more often than not.”

“...away where?” Jolene asked.

“She’s been wandering around the Baharuth Empire since early winter with a Beastman Merchant from the Sorcerous Kingdom,” Lady Zahradnik answered. “I think they’re in Arwintar right now.”

The stupefied look returned to Jolene’s face. Draudillon leaned back in her seat, idly swirling a goblet of wine. Frost Dragons were extremely naturalistic, so the Baroness may have been influenced by the Dragon’s views. Frost Dragons were also solitary in nature, so the ones she was acquainted with one sounded like deviants.

“We are unsure how the topic has wandered so far,” she said, “but there were some other topics that We wished to explore.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the Baroness replied. “How may I be of service?”

“Countess Corelyn delivers regular reports on your liberation efforts, but they are very…technical. We would like to know how Our people are doing in a more personal sense.”

“They’re very resilient. In a way, they remind me of my people back when we were still a part of Re-Estize. Our relationship with our Demihuman neighbours was tenuous and death was an ever-present possibility. Yet, the people still held together; still managed to do what needed to be done…does that make any sense?”

“It does,” Draudillon nodded. “What is the sentiment like up there?”

“I think most of the people’s energy is focused on the upcoming recovery efforts. Some are even eager to take the fight to the Beastmen. All of them appear to be appreciative of your grace.”

Even after all that, these people are still…

Though she knew better than to doubt it, it never ceased to amaze her. At the same time, she felt a crushing sense of shame. Her people never lost faith in her, yet she always hesitated to do what needed to be done.

“If I may ask, Your Majesty,” Lady Zahradnik said. “How would you like to proceed with your armed forces? At first, I thought it would be possible to raise Commanders from the soldiers we relieved, but I didn’t realise that Commanders could not be commissioned from the ranks of common soldiers.”

“Something similar should be true in the north, no?” Draudillon asked, “In Re-Estize, Nobles and Knights command their respective regiments, companies and squads. While the majority of the Imperial Knights are from common backgrounds, the Imperial Army’s Commanders and Generals are all Nobles, as are the majority of its Captains.”

“That isn’t incorrect, but…well, I understand why that is and I suppose it is simply where the Draconic Kingdom is in the development of its military. Your Majesty’s army will be able to function at the company level and that is sufficient for the duties that are being assigned to them. Revisiting legislation can come at a later time should your court deem it necessary.”

Draudillon took a sip of her wine, comparing Baroness Zahradnik’s demeanour to that of Countess Corelyn and her party. In a word, the Baroness appeared to be far more tempered, though Draudillon wasn’t sure whether it was due to the young noblewoman being reserved, strict or wise.

Countess Corelyn tended to actively pursue the Sorcerous Kingdom’s political and economic agendas in the Draconic Kingdom. Draudillon had a measure of patience for the Countess’ energy, but her court did not. As Royalists, they had little tolerance for any foreign influence that crossed certain lines.

As the days went on, it felt that four out of every five of Countess Corelyn’s proposals and avenues of discourse did so. Draudillon spent most of her energy guiding the proceedings in a manner that prevented too much antagonism from rising between her court and the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegation.

As the scion of a Merchant House, Countess Corelyn was a bold risk-taker. She was intelligent and she was sensitive to the reactions of Draudillon’s court, but only in the sense that she understood that her proposals were meeting staunch resistance. It didn’t deter her, however, and she went on to attack the ‘issue’ at hand from countless other angles in an effort to find workable solutions.

The problem was that the problems Countess Corelyn saw were not recognised as problems by Draudillon’s court. To her court, there were no workable solutions as there were no problems to begin with. Continued attempts to address that problem were seen as the Sorcerous Kingdom’s attempts to stick its nose where it didn’t belong.

Baroness Zahradnik, however, stepped lightly and rarely ‘struck’. When she did, it was in a way where people went ‘huh, what happened?’ but by then it was too late. Despite being from the same duchy, she was very different from the other noblewomen who had come from the Sorcerous Kingdom. If Corelyn and her delegation were ‘Merchants’ who pushed to make deals and seize opportunities, Zahradnik was a ‘hunter’ who stalked and ambushed her prey.

Well, she did say she was a Ranger.

“We hope you do not take this the wrong way, Baroness,” Draudillon said, “but you seem more mature than the members of Countess Corelyn’s party.”

“I feel that this shouldn’t be the case, Your Majesty,” the Baroness replied. “I am the oldest amongst us, but Countess Corelyn is only one season younger. Baroness Gagnier is the youngest, and she is my junior by merely two years.”

“Yet you are the only one dragging apprentices around,” Draudillon noted. “Most envoys representing a country would have larger teams of diplomatic staff, which would have many apprentices acting as aides.”

“To be honest, this entire process was supposed to happen more…normally. Over a span of four or five years, at least. We ended up rushing things because we found out what was going on down here.”

“And We are most grateful for that. Perhaps everyone involved will cultivate a measure of understanding for these unique circumstances. To help with this…ah, since you are doing what you are doing, We would ask a favour of you.”

“Of me specifically, Your Majesty?”

“Umu,” Draudillon nodded. “Given the findings so far, We feel that it is prudent to appoint a new Marshal.”

Both Jolene and Lady Zahradnik stared at her. The corner of Draudillon’s mouth turned up in a smirk.

“Worry not,” she waved her free hand lazily. “While We will probably have plenty of lands to parcel out in the near future, We do not plan to turn you into a Noble of the Draconic Kingdom. What We meant was that the Draconic Kingdom needs new Marshals, but our army has lost the means to groom new ones for the position. We have selected a few candidates and We would ask that you act as a mentor to them.”

Lady Zahradnik quietly examined the tabletop, which had been cleared of empty dishes.

『Must it be this way, Your Majesty? Your army still has fine, loyal officers that these candidates can learn from.』

『A Marshal is also a courtier. We do not wish to cripple them politically.』

『I feel the need to note that both Nobles and commoners would receive the exact same standard of education as Commanders in the Royal Army of the Sorcerous Kingdom.』

『Even so, the fact that they are being instructed by a Noble is what matters. It is simply how the Draconic Kingdom’s culture works, and culture does not change so easily. If one pushes too hard, the people will push back even harder and grow more stubborn. You understand this, yes? Besides, We trust that you will do more than simply instruct them: you will set them on the proper path.』

In a very short time, Draudillon felt that Baroness Zahradnik had proven her steadfast character. When possessed of great wealth, authority or power, the true nature of an individual was revealed. Entrusting her with the very broadly-worded royal writ shortly after her arrival was meant to be a test. In hindsight, given how much wealth, authority and power was already at her disposal, it was an unnecessary one.

Lady Zahradnik was more than steadfast – it was as if she was a great Captain sprung forth from the most fantastical of legends; an impossible paragon. Even if Draudillon couldn’t secure her for the Draconic Kingdom, she hoped that the Baroness could at least inspire her prospective Marshals to aspire to her example.

“I am honoured by Your Majesty’s trust,” Lady Zahradnik lowered her head. “Though time for proper instruction may be limited, I will do what I can.”

“Excellent,” Draudillon smiled. “They will be sent to you once they have made their preparations.”

Their discussion remained casual until the time came for the court to reconvene. Captain Inserra had composed himself once again and delivered his report. It felt like a harrowing tale to Draudillon, but, going by the reactions of her court, they were all uplifted by the Captain’s account. The Captain, too, looked like he was ready and willing to invade the Beastman country with nothing but a stick rather than traumatised by his experiences.

“In lieu of our Marshals,” Agha Binici said, “I would humbly suggest that the results our good Captain Inserra has reported be explored to their fullest extent. Our people have long suffered under the belief that they are no match for the Beastmen, but Highfort has proven otherwise.”

“Hear, hear,” Kipler Oras raised his voice. “We must naturally ready ourselves for the next Beastman incursion. It would be foolish to not recognise the strength of the forces so graciously leased to us by the Sorcerous Kingdom, but we would be remiss in our duties to rely entirely on their power.”

“Your proposal holds a number of merits,” Ioena nodded. “But our resources are focused on restoring industry…Lady Delerose?”

Lina stared at Ioena for a moment before exchanging looks with Agha and Kipler, who appeared to be equally at a loss. Draudillon’s Minister of Finance licked her lips and looked up at the throne.

“We would have to research the costs and whether our budget can afford it…”

Ah, so cute and helpless…

Draudillon let out a small sigh. If they were older, she would simply expect the members of her Royal Court to do their best despite their overwhelming task. Since they were young, however, they tickled the instinct to protect and nurture.

“Our government is busy enough as it is,” Draudillon said, “so that research will have to wait. However…Lady Zahradnik, what are your thoughts on Binici’s proposal?”

“There are areas where supporting his notion will not necessarily be at odds with the court’s plans for economic recovery,” the Baroness replied. “Broadly speaking, this is the case for every industry that might be set aside in favour of those that are perceived to be more important. There are many specialised artisans and other vocations whose loss would also mean the loss of artifice, tradition and culture unique to the Draconic Kingdom or at least desirable for the future.”

“Could you provide examples in the case of the military?”

“A nation’s military is not simply a body of soldiers that fights when called upon and nothing else. Many of the skillsets required by the military also carry over into other fields. For instance, Highfort’s logistical staff can be employed to help with logistics that need to be handled by Your Majesty’s government. They have engineers who can participate in civil works. All institutions constantly search for talent, but, in the current environment, that talent will go to the places with the best prospects.”

“So you are suggesting that to ensure that sufficient talent in these fields remains in the military, the court should allocate resources to the army and employ the army to assist with civilian recovery efforts?”

“Where it can be applied,” Lady Zahradnik nodded. “The Baharuth Empire also practises this and they deem the results satisfactory. Industries that support your military should be subject to similar considerations. Unfortunately, this notion can’t be applied to everything, so Your Majesty’s court must decide how to balance the rest.”

Draudillon mulled over the idea. The high fatality rate in the Draconic Kingdom’s army usually meant that certain vocations were kept ‘out of reach’ of the Beastmen to preserve the investment that went into them. At least as out of reach as they could make it, which usually meant urban centres along the country’s water transportation network. If they were needed for one task or another, they were deployed after Beastman attacks when the risk of losing them was lowest.

The Draconic Kingdom’s army was rather ‘basic’ due to this. Lady Zahradnik’s assumptions about their military were actually incorrect, but the members of Draudillon’s court were latching onto the ideas that she was presenting. Her Nobles took turns asking questions of her, which she answered with her characteristically cool grace.

Zahradnik has accommodated my manoeuvring very smoothly, but she does it with such a straight face that I can only see her as being cheeky. Well, whatever – so long as it works…

The collective tension created by the Beastman occupation, the Sorcerous Kingdom’s diplomacy and the Draconic Kingdom’s domestic crisis had culminated into a ‘battlefield’ where a different sort of war was being waged. Two ‘sides’ had formed – at least when it came to the main conflict.

Her government fought to preserve the Draconic Kingdom’s identity while staying in control and facilitating a recovery on its own terms. Countess Corelyn’s delegation offered the assistance of the Sorcerous Kingdom, but they wanted to ‘fix’ everything in the process. The two sides did not mesh very well despite aiming for similar objectives; the fact that Countess Corelyn’s party was increasingly seen as a group of overreaching Merchants only made things worse.

Draudillon’s entire court was being slowly backed into a corner by Countess Corelyn and sentiment for the Sorcerous Kingdom was growing poorer by the day. To counter the ongoing developments, Draudillon decided to recruit Baroness Zahradnik – whom she had been grooming as a piece to put into play since the day of her arrival – to her cause. Manoeuvring her into position did not take much effort, but the payoff looked promising.

The first step was gauging her character and ensuring that it suited Draudillon’s purposes. The next was to entrench the idea that the Baroness was someone who had earned their Queen’s trust. Her court had picked up on this and had adopted her as an arbitrary existence that vaguely framed her as a Commander or General – a position that was always appointed out of the ranks of the Draconic Kingdom’s nobility.

Countess Corelyn appeared to be oblivious as to what was going on, though Draudillon knew that at least one other person in the Sorcerous Kingdom’s group of Nobles understood the game that was being played. It helped that she also saw Baroness Zahradnik as someone who was naturally trustworthy and treated Draudillon’s trust as a matter of course. The idea that the Baroness was helping to ‘fix’ another aspect of the Draconic Kingdom also played into her expectations.

Now, Lady Zahradnik was in the process of conducting an ‘ambush’: one that broke through the resistance of Draudillon’s court while at the same time offering a reprieve against Countess Corelyn’s diplomatic assault.

The army was traditionally seen as an institution run by the nobility. Baroness Zahradnik’s proposals sought to solidify the army and cultivate its power as a national institution. Thus, she appeared to the court as an ally who was helping to increase their power. Practically speaking, it wasn’t much, but what mattered was that it would hopefully stabilise the sentiment of her court and allow them to perform their duties with confidence.

Since it was the Baroness who was building this ‘bastion’ for the nobility, it was one aspect where the Draconic Kingdom would become impervious to Countess Corelyn’s advances. If anything, she would see it as another agent of the Sorcerous Kingdom somehow acting in their favour and would endorse Zahradnik’s efforts.

The energy of her court grew around the ongoing discussion. Lady Zahradnik kept purposely pulling Captain Inserra into the conversation and, eventually, the court’s hunger over the information he provided and how it could be used to their advantage had them completely disregard their difference in station.

Draudillon smiled to herself as she quietly watched the proceedings. Of the four Nobles from the Sorcerous Kingdom, two understood what she was doing and were already on her ‘side’. As long as things kept going the way that they were, the future looked bright for the Draconic Kingdom.

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