A/N: Elsenthia goes to her mother to demand answers.
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Divine Justice. It was a concept Elsenthia had believed she'd understood all her life. The Church of the Most Holy Light was not the only source of Justice in the Holy Empire, but they were a large part of it. There were courts outside of the Church of course, where criminals were tried and sentenced. Except, in some cases the Church had the final say on matters of punishment and discipline. Divine Justice, it was called.
Things like the execution of demons, or the collaring of thieves, or the long-term observation of other certain 'evil' Jobs. All of these fell under Divine Justice. As a Dark General, and an orc besides, Roka-Ra also fell under Divine Justice. The Crown Princess hadn't thought otherwise, not even for a moment. She'd always known that Roka-Ra would be remanded into the custody of the Church. She'd always known that the Church would handle the Dark General's execution behind closed doors. That was just how Divine Justice worked.
… Mind racing, heart pounding a mile a minute in her chest, Elsenthia has to lick her suddenly dry lips in order to wet them and keep them from cracking. After overhearing that conversation between those two drunkards along with Marcus, Elsenthia no longer knew exactly what Divine Justice was. She didn't want to believe that what she'd heard was true. And yet…
"Yes, as you can see, we are-!"
"Mother, I must speak with you immediately."
Having made her way through the banquet hall without drawing too much attention or causing a scene, Elsenthia feels relatively entitled to her mother's time as soon as she reaches Queen Lisanna's back. Turning to face her, Lisanna furrows her brow in some confusion, clearly taken aback by Elsenthia's breach in propriety. After a moment, her face smooths over and she even develops a small smile, though it does not quite reach her eyes.
"Ah, you all know my dear daughter, of course. Elsenthia, I'm sure you recognize-!"
She does recognize them. Her mother is holding court, so to speak. The High Elf Queen is currently surrounded by some of their most ardent supporters. By all rights, Elsenthia SHOULD be making every effort to keep things running smooth. She definitely shouldn't be cutting her mother off mid-sentence. And yet…
"Mother. It's important."
Whether the Queen sees something in Elsenthia's eyes that convinces her, or whether Elsenthia's second interruption is just too much for Lisanna to continue ignoring, it matters little. Either way, her mother's smile drops and her lips thin out.
"… Very well. If you'll excuse us."
The Princess and Queen quickly retreat from the banquet, down a hall and into a side room. Only once the door is properly closed behind them does Lisanna whirl on her, looking positively irate.
"You best have had a good reason for doing that, Elsenthia. Those were our allies you just snubbed back there. If we're lucky, they'll be magnanimous to forget your lack of manners and the breach of proper decorum! I know I taught you better than that!"
Elsenthia's ears, pointed but only half the size of her mother's, do droop a little bit at the rebuke. It's hard not to feel chided when your own mother is taking you to task for behavior you've been drilled on all your life. Even still.
"Mother, what exactly is Divine Justice?"
Lisanna freezes. Only for a fraction of a second, but Elsenthia sees it all the same. The Queen tenses up and then almost immediately relaxes… forcibly so as her eyes shine with a certain something Elsenthia can't read.
"I don't believe I raised you to ask such stupid questions, daughter. Divine Justice is exactly that. The Church of the Most Holy Light visits it upon the wicked and the evil. Divine Justice… is whatever they deem it to be."
Whatever they deem it to be. Surely not, right?
"Her Holiness…"
Here, Lisanna cuts her daughter off with a snarl.
"Her Holiness is not a dictator, Elsenthia. No more than your father was. No more than you will be. Her Holiness leads the Church by the grace of the Cardinals, just as you will lead the Empire by the grace of the Nobility."
All her life, the Holy Pope had seemed like a monolith of power within the Church. Elsenthia was aware that there were politics and power struggles inside of the Church of the Most Holy Light, just as much as there was politics and power struggles within the Nobility. But Serafina had always seemed to be so far above it all in a way that Elsenthia and her mother could not be.
Now, Lisanna was telling Elsenthia that the Holy Pope's power wasn't nearly as absolute within the Church as she thought it was. The Crown Princess wants nothing more than to deny it, but how can she? Especially when she herself knew that Serafina must have been hoodwinked in some way for the battle against Roka-Ra's Warband to have turned out the way it did in the first place. They never should have had only five hundred Paladins against two thousand orcs. That they did… was proof that Serafina was neither infallible nor unassailable within the Church, wasn't it?
"I see you begin to understand now, daughter. The world is not as black and white as you apparently want to see it. I believed I taught you better, but now I see I sheltered you too damn much."
Her mother's tone is harsh. Perhaps in order to cow Elsenthia into submission. Likely, Lisanna believes that if she presses the attack, her daughter will back down and bow her head. And in most situations, Elsenthia might have. She really didn't have much of a leg to stand on, after all. She'd slipped out of the city from under her mother's nose in order to lead a force of holy knights against monsters four times their number. She'd very nearly been killed or worse… captured alive.
That she hadn't, that they'd ultimately won the day, was only due to luck and the Destined Hero. By all rights, Lisanna had every reason to be upset with Elsenthia. By all rights, Elsenthia should have been presenting nothing but contrition for the next long while. And yet… the Crown Princess couldn't let it go.
"… What is to be done to the General Roka-Ra, mother? What is HER Divine Justice?"
"Elsenthia-!"
"No, mother! Answer me!"
She had to know. And as she stares at her mother imploringly, determination filling her gaze, she likes to think that the Queen sees the depth of her resolve in her eyes. Suddenly, Lisanna looks tired. Weary, to be sure. Shaking her head, the High Elf looks away.
"You don't want to know, my daughter."
Elsenthia gapes for a moment. Her mother, who just got done telling her the world wasn't what she thought it was, who just admitted she'd perhaps sheltered Elsenthia too damn much… was still trying to shelter her, even now! Outrage overtakes any feeling of guilt Elsenthia might have as she grinds her teeth together angrily.
"I already do, mother! I overheard them talking about it! Two drunken noblemen, speaking out their asses on the 'Divine Justice' they were looking forward to visiting upon the Dark General! Tell me I'm wrong, mother! Tell me they were lying!"
For a moment, Lisanna looks like she just might do so. Elsenthia can see it in the Queen's eyes. She's actually considering trying to convince her that what she heard was a pack of lies. And yet, just as Elsenthia can see the consideration in her mother's gaze… Lisanna can see the knowing expression on her daughter's face.
Silence reigns between the two of them. As the seconds drag on, her mother's opportunity to try and claim what she heard was false passes them both by. There's no real point in her attempting to do so now. It's much too late, the silence alone is telling enough. And yet, Lisanna doesn't seem to know what else to say. It eventually becomes apparent, as seconds turn into minutes, that she's not going to say anything unless Elsenthia prods her.
"What will they do to General Roka-Ra, mother?"
This time around, Lisanna grimaces for a moment before finally giving her a straight answer.
"They will use her body to satisfy their carnal urges until she expires, dear child."
And there it is. The insinuation from the overheard conversation that Elsenthia had desperately wanted to debunk. Unfortunately, deep down inside she'd known all along that she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. In the end, she'd known exactly what those drunken noblemen had meant by their words.
"Who, mother? Who will visit this fate upon the General?"
Lisanna looks drawn and even more tired now. Downright exhausted even as she clasps her hands in front of her and lifts her head.
"The noblemen who have paid for the privilege, I imagine."
Elsenthia's jaw drops open at the sheer bluntness. But then, she'd pushed her mother to this. The Queen had done everything in her power to hide the truth from her daughter. This was what the Crown Princess had demanded. This was what she wanted. The truth. Even still, she can't help but choke on her own spit as she gets out her response.
"The p-privilege?!"
Lisanna scowls, though at least she looks disgusted at the idea. Suddenly, things are starting to make a lot more sense. The look on her mother's face when she passed custody of Roka-Ra to the Church. How she'd acted when they'd spoken about Elsenthia bringing the General back to the Capital.
"The Church has recently fallen on hard times, Elsenthia. Faith can only go so far. Even her Holiness requires gold to advance her great projects, just as the Holy Empire requires gold to stay as prosperous as ever. In order to expand the Church coffers, sacrifices must be made. And better those sacrifices come from monsters rather than the common citizen."
Elsenthia's nose wrinkles, and she shakes her head in disbelief.
"So the Church has auctioned off the right to… to abuse the Dark General to a hundred noblemen. Later this evening, they will all take turns using her until she has expired. And Serafina dares to call that Divine Justice?"
Lisanna's eyes flash angrily.
"You will address her Holiness with respect, Elsenthia! And I see no reason I should shed a single tear for that monstrous creature you brought back in a cage! She very nearly killed you!"
"She was going to accept my surrender!"
Elsenthia's words bring the Queen to a standstill. Her mother stares at her uncomprehending until Elsenthia explains.
"She had me dead to rights, mother. If the General wanted me dead, she could have had me dead. She was going to let me live and was even willing to let my troops go if I surrendered myself to her custody. The only reason it didn't happen was because Marcus showed up before I could say the words! But if her aim had been to kill me outright, he would have shown up too late!"
There's a long moment of silence as Lisanna processes these new revelations. For a brief instant, Elsenthia thinks she might have gotten through to her mother. And then the Queen's face hardens up and she scowls mightily.
"She wanted to do to you what they will do to her. She wanted to toss you into the arms of her warriors, let them use you as an elven fuck toy until you broke. She would have had your limbs removed, reduced you to nothing more than a set of holes on a torso for those monsters to satisfy themselves with. And you think I should feel sorry for her? You think I should pity her for her fate? It seems to me she's getting exactly what she deserves."
For a moment, Elsenthia could only stare at her mother, wide eyed and mouth open. Then, she finds herself snarling.
"So what, because of your sick and twisted fantasies of what orcs do to elves, the General deserves to be fucked to death?! We're supposed to be better than them, mother! Not stoop to their level at the slightest provocation! We're supposed to be the Righteous! The Just! This is not righteousness. This is not justice! This is WRONG! I don't care how you dress it up, mother. Divine Justice is WRONG!"
Far from being chastised by Elsenthia's words, Lisanna, Queen of the Holy Empire, stands up all the taller, staring down the bridge of her nose at her daughter.
"We are better than them, Elsenthia. Our civilization proves it. The orcs are nothing but mindless, savage creatures. If you wanted the General's death to be clean, you should have killed herself when you had the chance. Now? Now it's out of both of our hands, daughter. It's too late."
Elsenthia flinches. Was her mother right? Not about the first part, but about the latter. Was it too late? No… no, the 'execution' hadn't begun yet, the banquet was still going on. There was still time.
"I refuse to believe that mother. Her Holiness can still be convinced to see reason. This can still be called off."
However, when she begins to make for the door, Lisanna stands in her way, looking properly panicked for the first time since their conversation began.
"You cannot!"
Elsenthia refused to be deterred however, and her mother wasn't nearly as strong as she was. She stalks forward, only to find the Queen continues blocking her path, all the way to the door, where Lisanna's back bumps into it.
"Think, daughter! Think of all of the good will you've gained from your actions so far. Even if I wish you had not run off as you did, there is no denying that our position is better than it has been for years!"
That brings Elsenthia up short. She almost immediately feels guilty for it, but her mother actually praising her is enough to give her pause. It's the first true compliment Lisanna has paid her since she returned home. The first time that the Queen has acknowledged the Princess did well by going to stop the Orc Warband herself.
"… If you go out there now, if you go to the Pope and demand she put a stop to the Dark General's punishment, you will undo all of your hard work. The gold has already been paid. The noblemen have already received their tickets. It's disgusting, I'll grant you that. But if we cancel it now, everything you and I have been working for will be ruined."
For the briefest of moments, Elsenthia finds herself being swayed. Then, she feels a burst of self-loathing as she realizes she's actually considering going along with this… this farce of justice. Her hand drops down to her waist, but the pommel of her rapier is not there for her to cling to in comfort. She's not wearing her armor either. Instead, she's adorned in a luxurious, beautiful dress.
Despite that, Elsenthia has already made up her mind. Reaching out, she grabs her mother by her upper arms… and bodily picks her up, setting Lisanna aside. Grabbing the door knob, she looks to her mother with fury suffusing every fiber of her being with purpose. In comparison, her volume is actually quite low as she speaks, barely above a whisper as she looks her mother in the eye.
"I don't care, mother. It's wrong. And I'm going to put a stop to it. Even if I have to shove a sword through Roka-Ra's heart before this detestable debacle can take place myself."
With that quiet promise delivered, Elsenthia turns the door knob and flings open the door, ready to step out into the hall. She's brought up short however by a panicked-looking servant standing there, looking like he was about to throw open the door on HIS end. Taken aback, Elsenthia blinks owlishly.
"What? What is it?"
"P-Princess Elsenthia! Queen Lisanna! Its… it's the Dark General! She's escaped!"
Elsenthia's eyes widen at that, even as her mother is at her side almost immediately.
"What?! How?!"
Before the servant can answer, Lisanna is already whipping her head to Elsenthia.
"Daughter, where is the Destined Hero? You were with him tonight, weren't you?!"
Barely buried horror is building in her mother's questioning tone as Lisanna realizes what must have happened. The Queen is certainly no lackwit. Elsenthia, meanwhile, can only nod dumbly. The servant… the servant fills in the rest, not at all catching onto the silent understanding passing between mother and daughter.
"That's just it, your Majesty! The rumors… the rumors are saying that the Dark General escaped… with the help of the Destined Hero and his Party!"
… She'd known, she realizes belatedly. She'd barely paid Marcus a single thought since they parted ways, despite him occupying her EVERY thought for the last several days. Ever since she'd confronted her mother, she'd put him completely out of her mind. Why? Because she'd known. The two of them had overheard the same drunken conversation. And without a word, they'd split up. Elsenthia knew what she was going to do. She was going to confront her mother.
But she hadn't stopped for a single second to contemplate what Marcus was about to do. Because deep down… she'd already known what he was going to do. She knew what Marcus was. She knew what kind of man he was. He was a good, righteous man, through and through.
Things happen quite quickly after that, with her mother pushing past her without even one more glance in her direction, shouting orders not just to the servant who came to give them the news, but to anyone in her path. All the while, Elsenthia stands there listless, staring off into space, eyes wide.
Marcus has freed General Roka-Ra in defiance of the wishes of the Church, the Nobility, and the Crown. He's the Destined Hero, and by all rights he can get away with almost anything… except perhaps this. This will see him on the run. This will see him hunted by… by everyone.
And yet, as she stands there reeling, only one thought keeps going through the Crown Princess' mind over and over again.
She should have gone with him.
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A/N: Elsenthia is about to enter her emo phase over getting left behind.
Anyways, final chapter of this arc will come out on Wednesday and be from Roka-Ra's POV.
This chapter might be a little bit contentious. Eager to hear what people think of it and happy to answer any questions that don't spoil too much of the future of the fic.
As always, hope people enjoyed!
Chapter 35 will come out on Wednesday like usual, or you can read six chapters ahead right now over on the P atreon!