A/N: Elsenthia has regrets. So she decides to do something about them.
-x-X-x-
Sitting listlessly on her bed, the Crown Princess Elsenthia of the Holy Empire finds herself staring at the wall. It's not the first time she's done this in the last several days either. She's gotten very familiar with her quarters in the past week, mostly because her mother has had her confined to them and Elsenthia has not been able to go anywhere save for meals.
It would have been enough to drive her absolutely mad, but to be fair, she had a lot to think about. Marcus was gone. The tender moments they'd shared together meant little at this point. He was in the wind, and Elsenthia remained behind. Still the Crown Princess. Still a member of the Royal Family. Still part of an institution that he had every right to hate.
And she didn't doubt that he hated it. Maybe he even hated her. She couldn't say. If she'd gone with him, if she hadn't been so stupid, then maybe she could have asked. But no, she'd made her choice and Marcus had made his. Elsenthia couldn't be angry at him for what he'd done either. She understood why he did it, while at the same time fearing he did not understand why she had done what she'd done in turn.
They'd both had the same impulse, in the end. They'd both wanted to stop the so-called 'Divine Justice' that the Church was planning to visit upon General Roka-Ra. The woman might have been an orc and a warmonger, but she did not deserve such a fate in Elsenthia's opinion. No one did. A quick death would have been fine… SHOULD have been fine if they were to be more than the savages that they stood as a bulwark against.
Unfortunately, such thinking was apparently in short supply within the Capital. Elsenthia's method of saving Roka-Ra had failed. Marcus' had yielded immediate results. Rather than be upset with him for actions that some would deem rash or reckless, Elsenthia couldn't help but feel more like it was the Holy Empire itself she should be upset. Marcus hadn't failed them. They'd failed Marcus.
And worst of all, Elsenthia didn't know what he thought of her and her actions. She hadn't gone with him, so he had no way of knowing she'd set out to try and save Roka-Ra by talking to her mother. He had no way of knowing she'd failed. And most of all, he had no way of knowing she would happily be riding to his side right this moment, if it weren't for her house arrest.
… As well as her lack of a steed. The Royal Stables had no shortage of mounts, but none were as reliable as the warhorse she'd lost in her fight against Roka-Ra. If she still had her mount, Elsenthia would have chanced an escape attempt. As it is, she's well aware that her mother has people watching every exit, including the stables.
Nor can she hope to rely upon the Church for help at escaping her mother's clutches either. To hear Lisanna speak on it, the Church was in turmoil, but Serafina was still on their side. It was why the… hunt for Marcus was still being kept relatively low key. The story had been spread amongst the Nobility that Marcus had been led astray, likely ensorcelled by some of the Dark General's magics.
Apparently, the Church was currently hard at work in hunting them down so that Roka-Ra could be slain and Marcus could be freed of her mind control. Needless to say, Elsenthia found this cover-up quite… laughable. As though someone like Roka-Ra would be capable of a lick of magic. She'd fought the Dark General face to face. She'd watched the orc woman do battle. Roka-Ra was indisputably a barbarian.
When she'd told her mother this, Lisanna had given her a thin lipped smile and a simple response.
"They do not need to know that daughter."
And so it was settled. Marcus was still the Destined Hero, and of course the Church was raring to get him back. Frankly, Elsenthia didn't think they would have much luck in that. She knew Marcus wasn't mind controlled. And killing Roka-Ra wouldn't suddenly make things magically better, even if a clean and painless execution should have been her punishment in the first place.
Elsenthia didn't know why Marcus had chosen to free the Dark General and flee with her, instead of killing her himself. Perhaps it just didn't sit right with him, cutting down a defenseless woman in her cell. It hadn't sat right with Elsenthia when Roka-Ra had surrendered on the battlefield, after all.
What she did know… was that she couldn't just continue sitting here and doing nothing. But neither could she escape. That meant she needed to find something to do here in the Capital. Things needed to change. Maybe… maybe that was what she could do. Maybe that was the role she had to play here. Marcus would not return so long as the corruption was so deeply rooted in the Holy Empire's heart. But if Elsenthia could… yes. That would work. It had to.
Abruptly standing from her bed, the Crown Princess makes her way over to the door to her chambers. It's not barred from the outside or anything quite so extreme as that, but the moment she opens it, she's unsurprised to see the Royal Guard standing just outside.
"Princess."
Giving him her best smile, Elsenthia tilts her head in a respectful nod.
"Adam. Please let my mother know I wish to speak with her."
"As you wish, Princess."
She waits a moment, but Adam does not move. He stays at his post, causing Elsenthia's lips to thin out.
"Guard Adam. I notice that you are not moving to convey my wishes to my mother post-haste."
Keeping his eyes straight forward, the Royal Guard clears his throat, the front of which bobs nervously.
"Apologies, Princess. But my orders from the Queen are clear. I cannot leave my post for any reason. It will either have to wait until I'm relieved by the next shift, or until the next meal."
Both of which were hours away. Elsenthia's eyes narrow, and she steps out of her room. Adam startles at this, torn between his duty to the Queen, which told him Elsenthia was to remain confined to quarters, and the incredibly undesirable task of either drawing his sword or manhandling her.
In the end, his indecision results in Elsenthia reaching him before he can choose any option. Now, Guard Adam isn't a bad sort. Nor is he a pushover or anything like that. However, he is not a Knight. Not all Royal Guards are created equal. Despite the Royal Family being reduced to only two people these past ten years, the Palace is utterly massive and requires hundreds of guards to patrol it.
Not every Royal Guard has the Knight Job like Elsenthia does. In fact, most don't since they don't really need to excel at mounted combat in order to patrol the Palace Grounds. However, the Knight Job doesn't just excel at mounted combat. It's also just plain better than your average Swordsman in every possible way.
And so, despite being shorter than Guard Adam by a handful of inches, Elsenthia has no trouble grabbing him by his gambeson and pulling him off of his feet and up the wall. He gasps as she does so, looking down at her with a truly panicked expression now.
"Guard Adam. Your Princess has given you an order. Since it seems you are unable to follow that order… I shall amend it."
She starts off harsh, but lets her tone turn gentler by the end of her last sentence. Adam's brow furrows in confusion, as Elsenthia gracefully sets him back down and brushes off the front of his gambeson.
"Now, you may be under the misunderstanding that your post is outside of my quarters. But I think you'll find if you were to ask my mother, she would concede that your actual post is wherever I am. Would you agree?"
"U-Um… p-perhaps, Princess?"
"Good. Then escort me to my mother… or follow me as I go in search of her. Your choice, Guard Adam."
She gives him all of a moment to decide before turning on her heel and stalking down the hallway. It only takes a second for him to rush after her. She tenses, ready to react if he tries to grab her and take her back to her room… but instead, he steps a little ahead of her, his head high as he pointedly avoids looking in her direction.
"… R-Right this way, Princess."
Elsenthia can't help the small smile that graces her face, along with the miniscule feeling of victory. It might not be much… but she needed that win. Especially given what she was about to do next.
-x-X-x-
To her credit, her mother doesn't make a big scene when Elsenthia shows up uninvited. Still, the glance she directs Adam's way as the Royal Guard bows at the waist and makes his way from the room is enough to make Elsenthia speak up.
"Don't take your ire out on him, mother. You and I both know he couldn't have kept me confined to my quarters even if he'd wanted to."
For a moment, the Holy Empire's Queen seems to consider it, but in the end Elsenthia doesn't get a satisfactory answer to Lisanna's intentions one way or the other. Gesturing to the seat across from her, her mother waits for her to sit before finally speaking.
"Well, daughter? You've come before me. I presume you have something to say."
Lisanna's expectant tone makes it clear she's anticipating an apology. For the briefest of moments, Elsenthia hesitates as she finds herself wondering if an apology might be in her best interests. Would it increase the odds that she got what she wanted out of this if she did so? But no, not only has her hesitance likely cost her the chance, Elsenthia simply can't bring herself to do it in the end. Ultimately, she is who she is and it's about time her mother started learning to accept that.
"You told me if I'd put a stop to Roka-Ra's fate, everything we'd worked for would be ruined. The Nobility would have likely seen my actions as overreach and united against me, wouldn't they have?"
Lisanna's lips thin out at that.
"… Yes, daughter of mine. Astutely put. We have our allies among the Nobility. We have our enemies. With the Holy Pope's backing, we remain the Royal Family of the Holy Empire. But without the support of certain individuals in the Nobility, you will never be Queen of the Holy Empire."
Elsenthia lets out a breath as Lisanna lays it out so… clearly. It would seem she does indeed still have much to learn. And yet…
"And those certain individuals… among them are men who would have been at Roka-Ra's execution, is that it? Among our allies are those who would have gladly visited so-called Divine Justice upon the Dark General, correct?"
Lisanna grimaces, closing her eyes and taking a moment to inhale and exhale slowly. Finally, she opens them again, fixing Elsenthia with a stare.
"Yes."
Elsenthia just nods, taking this in. She does not rage. She does not throw a fit. She does not surge to her feet to tell her mother how wrong that is. That they have to rely upon such dishonorable men… it sits heavy in her gut. After all, deep down inside, the Crown Princess knows this is not the first time this must have happened. This is not a unique incident, save for how it failed to come to pass. These men that they've been forced to lean upon are no better than their enemies.
… No. These men that would call themselves the allies of her and her mother are WORSE than their enemies. At least their enemies are honest about what they are and what they stand for. Those who support her ascension to the throne, while paying gold to exert their power over a helpless female prisoner… they are so, so much worse.
"No more, mother."
Lisanna stiffens at Elsenthia's words, her eyes narrowing as she stares at her daughter.
"Excuse me?"
Elsenthia shrugs. There's nothing for it. She only has one card to play. Looking off to the side, gazing off into space, Elsenthia… tells her mother the honest truth.
"If these are the noblemen that I must placate in order to have my throne, I do not want it. I would rather forsake any claim to the crown and make my way as a sellsword. I would rather allow you to return to your people on the Higher Plane then leave you among us impure and corrupt mortals for a moment longer. It's not worth it, mama. None of this is worth ignoring the rot at the heart of our Empire."
Because Elsenthia is not looking her mother directly in the eye as she speaks, she does not see the flash of pure horror that spreads across Lisanna's face at the mere mention of returning to the Higher Plane. However, she does hear the note of panic in her mother's voice when the Queen finally musters up a response.
"E-Elsenthia… you can't mean that!"
Now Elsenthia turns her gaze towards her mother, allowing her to see the steely conviction in the Crown Princess' eyes. She does mean it. That's the greatest weapon in her arsenal at this moment. She means every word that she says.
"If these are the pieces on the board that we are left with… I refuse to play. I would rather turn the board over… and remove the rotten eggs from our Nobility instead."
At this, Lisanna pauses. The High Elf Queen hesitates for a moment, before looking at Elsenthia with new eyes.
"My daughter… what exactly are you saying?"
Straightening up, holding her head high, Elsenthia tries to ensure that she looks as regal as humanly possible in this moment. Sure, it's just her and her mom, but considering that the Queen has always been one of her harshest critics, Elsenthia knows she has to sell this and sell it good.
"As I said before, there is rot in the heart of our Holy Empire, mother. I refuse to rule as some puppet for the sort of scum that would purchase the right to abuse a defenseless prisoner. It would be no better than marrying the sons of one of our enemies who seek to usurp the throne for me. If you would rather I not set aside my claim… then we need to clean house."
She can see in her mother's eyes that Lisanna is beginning to realize exactly what sort of corner Elsenthia is backing her into. She can also see from the way Lisanna is peering at her that the Queen is trying to test if Elsenthia is putting on a brave face or not. Is this bravado? Does Elsenthia mean what she says?
Yes. Yes she does. She means all of it, and she can tell the moment that her mother comes to terms with that, because Lisanna sits back in her chair, suddenly looking weary.
"… Very well, daughter. You're right. We have let the Nobility run amok for far too long. Perhaps I should have done something years ago. Perhaps they would not be so capable of throwing their weight around if I had not let them gain such power in the first place."
Elsenthia finds herself quickly shaking her head at that, her heart going out to her mother as she reaches for Lisanna's hand and takes it in her own.
"Mother, no… I know you've done your best. I know you haven't had it easy, trying to keep everything together for me as I grew up. This was never meant to be your role."
Lisanna flashes a brittle smile to her daughter at that, before shaking her head.
"No, it was not. And yet… here we are."
Elsenthia just nods, giving her mother's hand a tight squeeze.
"Here we are."
After a moment of surprisingly comfortable silence in which some of their fractured bond feels… restored, Lisanna pulls her hand away and clears her throat.
"That said, we must move carefully, daughter of mine. Otherwise we will see Civil War… and it will not be one we can hope to win."
Elsenthia frowns at that, her hands curling into fists. She knows her mother is right, but at the same time…
"What would you suggest then, mother? I am loath to sit idly by and do nothing."
Pinning her with a single look, the Queen just sighs.
"You will have to. Neither of us are made for sneaking about. If we are to clean house, it will have to be done with some degree of subtlety. I shall reach out to a friend and ask for her help… and in the meantime, you shall help me keep up appearances."
Raising a hand to forestall the obvious objection on the tip of Elsenthia's tongue, Lisanna shakes her head.
"I am not trying to trick you, dear daughter. But we must not be tied to what happens next, no matter what. We are the Royal Family. We must remain above it all for the time being. Trust that you have convinced me of the necessity of a purge. Trust that I will see it done. You WILL be Queen one day soon, Elsenthia. And together, we will make sure you are Queen of a Holy Empire you can be proud of."
… Very well then. Elsenthia slowly nods, swallowing her distrust for now. She would give her mother a chance. And if Lisanna failed to deliver… she would take matters into her own hands.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Elsenthia uses Ultimatum! Its Super Effective!
Next time we're back to Marcus and crew as they seek to escape the elements of the Church not entirely under Serafina's control.
As always, hope everyone enjoyed and be sure to let me know what you think!
Chapter 39 will come out on Friday like usual, or you can read six chapters ahead right now over on the P atreon!