In Which Dea's Tact Suits Her

January 29, 1199

"Then it's all settled: I'll write to King Oswald and tell him the truth, and I'll have the lords sign the letter as well. If he doubts anyone's sincerity, then he can verify with either my Uncle Farilon or Searle Minara."

"And the people here?" Anna asked, not quite letting herself smile but hopeful nonetheless. She'd been in Carvallon for many years now, but from how comparatively... uneventful other nations seemed to be, Dea doubted a century was long enough to forget life in Naroni.

"Well, since you've arrived, we've made no effort to make it a secret, so I'm sure the news is already spreading via the servants of the ruling households. I'll make the official announcement after I get word of you having crossed the border, so no one suspects that you're somehow forcing my compliance." Dea didn't think anyone with much of a platform would, but it was safer to cover any bases she could. "Really, I don't believe that most of the people care so much about who sits on the throne than they do what that person does with that power. They'll be surprised, but no one will be itching to go to war over it."

"If anything, some should appreciate it for the inspirational value--taking control of one's destiny and whatnot," Henry added. He ought to have been a bard, really, always seeing all these subtextual details that eluded literal minds like Dea's entirely. He did write in his spare time, though he'd been stingy about how much he'd let her read.

"I hope you're right. The Carvalli people probably won't care much either, after a time. The nobility might take some offense, but we do have Devidra on our side, and they all know better than to argue with her."

At Anna's side, Adrius nodded in agreement. "She's quite the force of nature, my mother--rather like yourself, your majesty, if you don't mind me saying. Though, to your credit, you have considerably more tact."

"When it suits me, at least." Dea smirked. Politeness had never been a consideration when her father had been involved, for instance, but he hadn't much deserved it. "If you treat me well, I'll treat you well in turn."

"And you've treated us much better about this whole thing than Mona and I would have dared hope in the early years of all this." Anna lifted her skirts in a light curtsy while Adrius bowed his head; Dea and Henry did the same in turn. "Carvallon will not forget your understanding."

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