In Which Dea Considers the Needs of the People

May 1, 1194

"Uncle Lorn!" Dea kissed her uncle on the cheek, then stepped back. Dealing with the lords, she'd learned, was over-complicated by the fact that three of the four of them were close relations. The Baron of Tetran was her beloved grandfather, who'd bounced her on his knee as a toddler and told her bedtime stories as a little girl. Lord Ravenhold was her brother, who admittedly had not been raised as such but who had been making an effort and with whom she'd been making an effort in turn.

The Duke of Armion--the highest-ranking of them all, though it was rare that he demonstrated that--was her uncle by marriage, her father's sister's husband. As with her grandfather, he had been a not-insignificant figure in her childhood, the father of the cousins who had once been her playmates. More often than not, if they met outside of an official capacity, they acted as niece and uncle rather than queen and duke. But, if he'd come alone, and asked for her alone... well, then he was probably acting as a duke.

So, greeting aside, she would treat him as a duke, as a queen would treat a duke. Queens and dukes got to the point. "Willott didn't say what you wish to discuss."

"I didn't tell him. I thought this would be a matter best kept to your inner circle for now."

"So nothing with an immediate impact on the people."

"Indeed, no." Her uncle--the duke--smiled, sheepish rather like his son Ricky often did. It wasn't the sort of smile one often saw when meeting with lords. "I do hope my mention of this matter isn't intrusive. It is something you will have to decide for yourself, but I do believe that it would be important for you to consider."

Not immediate, intrusive, herself, important. She had a reasonable guess as to what this was about. But, she'd hear him out. A good queen heard what her lords and people had to say before she made her final call. "Continue."

"All right. Now that you've adjusted to the roll of queen--and very well, I daresay--I wonder if it might be time to start thinking about... your heirs."

Not immediate, intrusive, herself, important. Exactly. "You think I should look for a husband."

"Yes. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm sure that both of your sisters would make excellent queens in their own ways. I just don't believe, from what I know of them, that either would have much interest in ruling. An heir who grows up with the expectation of succeeding you would adjust more easily to the role of monarch."

"I suppose--though, Hollie grew up with the expectation of succeeding my father, and she was only relieved when she didn't. Nonetheless, a not-yet-thought-of-person might care to rule, whereas I know for a fact that Gennie and Hollie do not."

"Indeed. Of course, it is a matter of who, given the current lack of suitably aged noblemen here and in Dovia at present. I'd offer you Ricky, but he is my own heir, and he couldn't be duke and prince consort at once."

"Of course not." And the thought of marrying her cousin Ricky was almost as repulsive as the thought of marrying her brother anyway. "I believe it might be time that we expand beyond our immediate neighbors anyway in terms of international prominence. A foreign prince consort would be a solid start to that."

"So... you will look?"

Dea bit her lip. She did not think herself quite ready to marry--in truth, she hadn't thought much about marrying at all. But, she was the queen. And sometimes, queens had to consider the needs of the people before their own wants. "I will. Send Brother Sieron to me tomorrow morning; I suspect he'll be a great help in combing the genealogies."

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