Chapter 67: Facts and Disclosures

Pedro and Marta sat stoically as Elena and Jonathan explained the requirements for annexation.

“It is not as simple as simply saying we own this,” Elena noted.

“You do not wish us!” Marta said bitterly.

“It is not that,” Elena said. “We have already started to load a ship for you. Jonathan and I went to the merchants to tell them that no reasonable request was to be denied – even if it meant some project nearer to us was delayed. We will continue to do all we can to ensure Paxifica’s survival and welfare.”

“We have laws and rules,” Jonathan cut in. “Elena is our diplomat. I’ll just tell you like it is. We need assurances from not only your elders but from your populace that they will adhere to our laws. The king knows that you have some customs and rules there that are in opposition to ours. Our laws take precedent and they must be followed.”

Marta nodded but Pedro looked troubled.

“The laws in Tyrell are observed everywhere in Azkoval?” he asked.

“Everywhere,” Jonathan confirmed. “The king sent soldiers home from Court with those that had flouted our new laws. He will ensure that they are followed.”

“I see,” Pedro said.

“I don’t,” Marta said.

“In Azkoval, you would be queen right now,” Elena said. “Or, at the least, you would have a viable claim to the Crown. Your gender does not forbid you from anything.”

“Except...” Jonathan started his standard reply but Elena pointed at him and frowned.

“Except ... what?” Pedro asked. In Paxifica, the female was not subjugated but she had fewer rights. She could not own land or join the elders. Her marriage was often arranged by her father. All coin she earned was legally the property of her father or her husband or her brother (whichever had stewardship over her). In the rare event a woman was left without male family, the elders governed her.

“It’s nothing,” Elena said with a dismissive glance at her husband.

“If we must follow the rules, we need to know what these rules entail,” Marta pointed out. “I would like to know what a female cannot do.”

She, too, looked directly at Jonathan.

“Relieve yourself standing up,” the interior minister answered. “The king said you are not forbidden by law from attempting it but you are forbidden by nature from succeeding in your quest.”

Marta stared at Jonathan for a moment.

“Please excuse him,” Elena said with a sigh. “He spends too much time around our king to really grasp diplomacy.”

Marta shook her head and laughed as she finally understood Jonathan’s joke.

“No, and he is correct,” she said. “I have made the attempt and failed.”

She shifted her gaze to Elena.

“Deeds not words,” she said. “You can say anything that suits your needs. I know some that have lies roll off their lips as easily as driftwood slips into the sea. Your king believes in actions – as I have seen with my own eyes this very day.”

Jonathan and Elena exchanged glances.

“You’ve spoken to King Joseph?” Elena asked, surprised at the breach in protocol.

“Not as such,” Marta said. “But I worked side-by-side with him and his ... ladies.”

“Your king walked to the dock to help load our ship,” Pedro explained.

“His ... Nadia said they are his protective detail so I suppose that is the case,” Marta began. “His protectors tracked him and joined him. I am ashamed to admit that I had stood idly by and watched while others did the work. I learned today that we are expected to help ourselves, too. Your king and his people dived right into the work so we joined them. Once the mission was complete, your king slipped away without waiting for a single word of praise or thank you. Deeds, not words.”

“Yes,” Jonathan said. “I did not know of our king’s journey but I am not surprised by it. He feels a strong affection for the Pax. Please do not believe otherwise. He has offered to take Paxifica as a protectorate while you determine – in no uncertain terms – that you wish the joining to be permanent. That is the other requirement the king seeks. This arrangement does not end in a decade or a century. Paxifica becomes part of Azkoval for as long as Azkoval exists. Your people will no longer be Pax. You will be Az – forever.”

Pedro nodded his understanding.

“We understood that this would be permanent,” the dignitary said. “I will confess that we did not discuss the dissolution of some of long-term customs. I believe we must take that under consideration before we take this step. Our traditions have become ingrained and they will not be easy to change.”

“You will be surprised,” Elena said, smiling. “It took us three years to change our entire culture. You are much smaller than us and I think it will take you less time than that. But you should consider it. I am going to speak to our king about sending a contingent of artisans to Paxifica to assist the rebuilding. We have many apprentices that are ready to strike out on their own. They will help to rebuild. We will support you until the crisis has passed. Once your people are safe, I think we should revisit this decision. It makes sense for you and it provides us with additional ports. But I think it would be better for us to wait until it is a joining of equals.”

“That will never come,” Marta said sadly. “Our leadership is gone. We need someone strong to guide us. The elders are old and out of touch. They will be dead in a few years and we have none to replace them. We need someone like your king.”

“As Elena has said, we will be there,” Jonathan replied. “If you would like, we can send some of our soldiers down with you.”

“Would King Joseph consider appointing a governor for the interim?” Pedro suggested.

“I do not know the term,” Elena admitted.

“A steward,” Marta rephrased.

“I am certain he would appoint you as steward since you have a valid claim to the land,” Jonathan said.

“No,” Marta said. “I have no training in governance. If I am honest, I have no training in anything but cooking and cleaning. I am the daughter of the king’s sister. I have no knowledge of how a country operates. It should be a male until we can push our people to a more progressive agenda.”

“I will suggest it,” Elena said. “Let us formalize the requirements so you can take our answer back to Paxifica.”

Celestine looked down at the coins on the desk and then back to the man across from her. She had seen the man in the castle before but she had never had any dealings with him.

Now he had come to the castle – with a woman that was obviously closely related to a woman her sisters were overseeing in a dingy inn – and asked for Celestine by name. He had given her five gold coins and a letter she had yet to unseal.

“I believe King Olaf’s words will explain all,” Siegfried Mueller said earnestly.

Celestine nodded but she had her doubts. She broke the wax on the letter and opened the parchment.

“To a young woman in Azkoval,” Celestine read aloud. She had wondered if the Denayian envoy was attempting to mock her status by insinuating she was illiterate.

“He did not know who you were,” Siegfried interrupted. “His ward learned that information on her trip across.”

“Sailors and soldiers should have their lips sewn shut,” Celestine muttered. Siegfried laughed and she looked up from the letter to see genuine mirth on the man’s face before returning to the parchment.

“I know mere coins cannot undo what has already been done but I wish to compensate you for permitting a man from my country to do you harm,” she read silently to herself. “Although I do not claim the man as kin, it is true that he was married to my sister. I hope you will accept my gift and my sincerest apology that my inaction compelled you into a fight for your very life. Please know I mourn for the people that have already fallen to the man’s dagger and I thank you for the service you performed not only for your country but also for mine. We both live in a safer time because you acted when I would not. Should you ever feel a desire to visit Denaya please know that you will be met with open arms and open hearts. Again, I hope you will accept my apology. I remain...”

“Your grateful friend, Olaf Muhlenberg,” Celestine read aloud again before looking up at Siegfried Mueller. She nodded but pushed the coins back across the table. “As I’m certain the sailors have told the king’s niece, I am employed in the service of my king ... not only in the castle but in other affairs. I believe it would be unseemly for me to accept a payment of any kind from a foreign land. I will write a letter informing your king that his kind words are payment enough and you may return the gold to him.”

Siegfried knew a resolute soul when he met one and he nodded.

“I will give these to your king then,” Siegfried said. “Please know that none – at least none with any sense in his head – would dare question your loyalty. But I understand your point and I find I agree with your decision. I would feel uncomfortable accepting a payment from King Joseph while I was in service to King Olaf. You are a wise young woman.”

“What of the woman with you?” Celestine asked. “I know she is Annika von Schumann’s sister. Their look is unique.”

“She is the daughter King Olaf removed from her parents’ care at a young age,” Siegfried answered. He had come to understand there was little use in trying to keep a secret from this woman. “She has never met her sisters and, from what I understand, knew absolutely nothing of their existence until your soldiers arrived in Denaya last month. If there was a plot, and if Annika was involved, you can rest assured that Nadia is not. She has come to learn as much about your land as she can in a few months and then take that knowledge back to her uncle in hopes to implement it in our country.”

Celestine stared hard at the man for a moment and then nodded her acceptance.

“I ask one additional favor from you, if I might,” Siegfried continued with a sigh. “I have been tasked with delivering coin to Annika von Schumann to ensure that she does not lack for essentials while she is here. As with you, I have a code of ethics I try to keep close. In my eyes, an official from Denaya conveying the letter and the coin to this woman would give her legitimacy. I do not believe that is in either of our country’s interests at this point. It is my understanding that your ... confederates ... have taken up the task of keeping near to her. Is it possible that you might deliver a letter and a few coins to Annika?”

“I know nothing of the workings of government but I believe your words to be said honestly,” Celestine answered after a pause. “In truth, I was going to the inn this very day. Her father had a large amount of coins hidden in his belongings and my king has declared them to be Annika’s property now.”

“If I might ask, how much did he have?” Siegfried inquired.

“Enough to purchase about a third of Tyrell,” Celestine answered in a tight voice. “He had 41 gold coins, more than 100 silver coins and perhaps 500 copper coins. Of course, that is in addition to the other items we found. Have the stewards informed you of the other contents?”

“No,” Siegfried said, lowering his head and shaking it sadly. His salary was 25 silver coins a year and it was more than enough to support his family. “I am certain I do not wish to know.”

“I believe you should make your king aware,” Celestine replied. “We found at least one vial of poison and perhaps two. They are being examined. We found other implements of assassination ... and we found what appears to be a diagram to ingratiating someone – a female – to our king. Perhaps you are simply being diplomatic but it appears to me that you doubt there was a plan to harm Azkoval. Doubt it no more. The coinage alone would be enough to draw suspicion. The fact the man’s bag was specially made with hidden compartments and traps would increase the suspicions. The writings we found are all the proof I require. If I had found them while von Schumann was still alive, I would have killed him on the spot. If I had my way – and Lady Elena had hers – the king’s niece would be in our dungeon this moment awaiting trial by jury and her death. I have told my sisters that one action they deem dangerous is to her final one in this world. I have met with this woman and I have taken the measure of her.

“She is not unlike her father in her motives. She wishes to rule despite the fact that she is singularly unsuited for the role. She wishes power and influence. I have, with little effect, pleaded with King Joseph to withhold the coins we found in the bags until she is put aboard a ship to Denaya. I fear my king allows sentiment to undermine authority in many cases. Oh, certainly, I would not wish to work for a tyrant but I also see no value in permitting him to die for his beliefs. I believe, with the coin her father has bequeathed and that which your king has offered, Annika von Schumann will have the financial means to create havoc – and she does not have the sense to avoid it.”

Siegfried found himself nodding and then tilted his head to the side as a thought struck him.

“Please correct me if I am wrong,” he said, “in Denaya, bequeaths are made to the eldest child. Is that the case in Azkoval?”

“Traditionally,” Celestine replied, her eyes widening. “Yes, I see.”

“I know you are distrustful of all you meet and ... well, I find it a bit endearing,” Siegfried said. “But perhaps you could convince your king that the coins rightfully belong to Nadia. Her uncle sent coin across with her, of course, but...”

He sighed.

“I fear she spent most of it outfitting ships to take supplies to Paxifica,” he finished. “She has enough for the necessities but if she wished for anything more she will be short. I will advance it to her out of the funds King Olaf has left for me but allowing her access to her father’s fortune would solve a potential problem for both of us.”

“If she is as you say, she would no more accept von Schumann’s coin than you would,” Celestine noted.

“True – on both accounts,” Siegfried said with a smile. He was pleased that the young woman had found him honest. “But nothing says she must know of where the coin comes from. I would be content to leave it to you – or King Joseph if you prefer – to control her purse. I ... I also do not believe it beneficial to leave Annika with nothing. It is my experience that those that have little have little to lose.”

“True,” Celestine said, nodding her agreement. “I would not wish to manage Nadia’s funds. I am not long for my job and I believe she would create quite a stir were she to visit the military barracks seeking coin.”

“I like you,” Siegfried declared. “I’m certain your king has developed quite a fondness for your forthrightness and fortitude. If you should ever wish to freelance, I’m certain my king would dearly love to have you set up a similar network in our country.”