Chapter Ten – Izzy
Izzy heard the lady’s maid walk in and clear a plate away, but only looked up when the maid cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, Princess. Was there something wrong with the food? the maid asked.
Izzy stared at the platter. Two fresh scones, both drizzled in honey and pecans, stared at her from the platter. Next to it, the tea sat cold. “No, I don’t think so. I was just busy. My apologies.”
“Do you want me to fix you a hot meal? I can have the kitchens prepare you something else before the branch meeting.
“That seems for the best. Yes, thank you.”
The maid nodded, quickly departing.
Izzy sighed, rubbing her face as she tried to make sense of all the work around her. Remy had been right; she should have thought more strongly about the chain of command when she was not reachable due to long distance travel. But she hadn’t. And so now she would have to spend days organizing the multiple reports from each committee. It had taken her all day yesterday simply to get them sorted, and she would probably spend most of today after the meeting further addressing each one and adding it to the slate to be voted on.
Then she would start with the letters from the Outstretched Hand. It seemed as if, fresh from their success in bringing Branch Caillan into the Empire, they now wanted to try the same thing with the groups who lived in the Koving mountains; the Koving dwarves and the Karstian elves. She didn’t think it was a great idea; she knew that Laurentino was not the biggest proponent of expansion, and there was a very real chance of this whole experience going poorly if Laurentino accidentally offended Remy. It’s not that Laurentino wasn’t capable of holding his tongue, and making concessions, but Remy could scent emotions. Coupled with his razor-sharp intellect, they would all have to be careful.
But she knew Remy. He was kind, capable, and honest. Laurentino enjoyed all of those talents—besides which, they seemed to be getting on well enough so far. She was decided, then: after the meeting she would finally talk to Laurentino regarding the courtship proposal. By the time the maid had returned, Isabella had finalized her work, eaten the cold scones, and was on her way towards the Lodge room.
~*~
The rest of Branch Echtarch was assembled throughout the room, with a set of clerks from each major branch in attendance to take notes on the proceedings and bring them to the Caller’s office. Carmine was already in position next to her lectern, as the ceremonial soldier on duty.
“Ah, Isabella,” Carmine grinned. “I was worried you had gotten buried in that study of yours under all that paperwork.”
“Yes, there is a reason why I don’t have you on my team, brother,” she teased, setting her things down on the desk in the front of the room. “I think my desks would be clean and Aurelia would be in ruins if I left it to you.”
“You wound me, sister,” Carmine said, and then set a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps Aurelia would be in ruins, but at least the ruins would be tidy.”
“Such a jester. I’m sure I can find you some bells,” Isabella said. “Anyway, do you want to call people to order?”
“In a moment. Laurentino is still speaking with Remy,” he replied, gesturing to the door leading to Laurentino’s office. “Once they’re in, I’ll call us to order.”
Isabella nodded, suddenly nervous of what Remy might think. Then she steeled herself; this was her domain, after all. Her place of power. If anyone should be nervous, it should be him.
The quality of Remy’s that most intrigued her was his mind, more so than any of the… physical attributes that Isabella had come to find appealing. He had not only memorized the Code of the Crown as well as any of her clerks, he had also sought to analyze every aspect of it, looking for inefficiencies that had emerged. In a few short weeks there had been several redundant passages that they’d both earmarked to cut out of the next iteration of their rules of order, and Remy had been eager to get his hands into the reports, to see where Onson could most help. It was a welcome surprise; she’d been so worried that Branch Caillan would be reluctant to do much but observe, but clearly that wasn’t going to be the case.
As she moved behind the desk, the door opened, and she watched as Laurentino and Remy walked out. They were clearly in good spirits with each other, laughing about some sort of jest that Remy had made. She watched the cocksure confidence in his walk, and took a deep breath as she walked towards the both of them.
Remy’s gaze, sweeping the room, stopped on Isabella briefly before returning back to Laurentino, then back to Isabella again. She smiled, setting her arms in front of her, sure to situate herself carefully to her best angles.
Remy’s eyes widened, and the spines on the back of his head flared once, his eyes dropping lower on her frame momentarily, although he said nothing yet.
“Brother, the empire waits for no one, not even its emperor,” she said after a moment, giving him a short curtsy.
“I’m sorry, Isabella. Remy and I had just been discussing the hunt that we went on a few evenings past. We were trying to find a pack of angry badgers that had been terrorizing one of the farms nearby.”
“Princess, my deepest apologies,” Remy said. He was dressed in his typical attire, but with more elevated elements: a crisp white shirt and a black sleeveless tunic that was well tailored to his frame with gold and silver buttons. The new emblem of Branch Caillan shone on his chest, studded with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The shirt bunched and strained against the muscles of his shoulders before falling more loosely on his arms. She already imagined the sleeves rolled back, thinking of his scaled, muscular arms from that morning outside the barn.
Then she chastised herself greatly. Enough with these distractions.
“I accept your apology. If you’re both prepared to begin?” Isabella said, giving him a reassuring smile before turning back to the desk, making sure to linger, to put a sway in her walk as she did so. Remy strode to his position at a nearby desk, with a chair that had been carefully prepared for him. Even so it creaked softly under his weight. Isabella noted that the chairs at court would have to be altered for their new courtiers.
Laurentino took his place at his chair and looked over among those assembled, holding up his right hand. “Please, everyone, take your seats. We have a lot of ground to cover now that Isabella is back where she belongs, mm? I cede my position as speaker-in-tempore back to Isabella, in her role as Branch Scribe and Legendkeeper.”
There was a round of applause and Isabella softly thanked everyone before she moved to her lectern.
“I will start with the roll call and the review of our prior meetings. Please bear with me as I shake off some of my cobwebs.”
The dance of bureaucracy came back to her quickly, moving through the protocol and procedures of the meeting with the same usual efficiency that she had before. There were a few times where Remy would look up, as if in thought, and then return to his own notes, carefully filling a notebook with looping lines that she’d come to recognize as the written draconic language.
She truly did admire him; to be able to translate in real time, and parse it enough to gain an academic understanding of it, was a skill that even she didn’t have. She’d learned some of the Dexmaran and Orcish languages, but they typically spoke Aurelian in court.
He did interrupt her one time, and, surprisingly, it was to correct her as they were about to take a vote.
“I put forth a point of clarification,” he said, raising his off hand, even as he finished scrawling on the last line of a page.
“I recognize you, Vicomte Remy.”
“In terms of the code, shouldn’t the youngest member be the first voter of a rule, and not the highest ranking during branch meetings and committee meetings? At least per the 1438 doctrines.”
Isabella blinked, and the rest of the assorted members of her family turned to her. She gave a wry little smile, sitting up a bit straighter.
“Why yes, I suppose that is the case, isn’t it,” she said, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. “Then, yes, I believe we will reverse the order of who speaks for the rest of the session.”
“What is the purpose of that?” Laurentino asked, surprised as he sat up.
“Order, brother,” Isabella said, giving him a soft hand. “Vicomte Remy is correct; it was changed nearly twenty years ago, after a particularly thorny issue regarding the Council of Education. That those who vote last are typically unable to get their points across before the room loses interest. Since our youngest members are almost always in lower rank, it led to those younger never having an individual say in most matters, especially among the Council of Education, where it most strongly impacted them. As a result, matters are much less likely to be pushed through to a vote before everyone gets a chance to address the topic on the table. It isn’t often enforced… but perhaps it is a good practice to get into prior to Summer Court. I will ensure to send that out in the primer.”
Laurentino’s eyes flickered to Remy, who gave what was probably a sheepish smile on anyone else, before returning quietly to his notes.
Isabella thanked him publicly, and slowly turned to the rest of the matters for concern, finishing with the last committee. “And finally, we have the slate from the Order of the Outstretched Hand to discuss. Do I hear an objection to passing it whole?”
“You do,” Dahlia Echtarch said.
Isabella nodded, pulling the full list out. “Then we shall address it point by point. The first manner of business is whether or not we choose to explore the Koving mountains in the desire to extend said outstretched hand. Do I hear an objection to voting without discussion?”
“You do.” Laurentino said.
“May I have a show of those who have something pressing and pertinent for the discussion?”
Four hands raised and then, afterwards, a claw from Remy.
Isabella nodded, marking him down on a separate sheet. “As a member of the Aurelian Empire, but housed within another branch, you will have your ability to share your insights once members of the Branch Echtarch have said their piece,” she said. “Then, I suppose per the 1438 doctrines, we would start with Claudio Echtarch.”
The usual issues came up, in a familiar pattern. The elves and dwarves that lived in the Karst mountains were unapproachable, unlikable, and unwilling to come out of the mountain to treat with the Empire. Claudio asked what possible use the Empire would have for those who lived that far underground or within the caves. Her uncle, Giuseppe, asked what harm the Empire could potentially bring to communities that had isolated themselves so much. Her great aunt, Diana, wondered whether those surrounding the mountains, those of Branches Linklater and Lilliplover, might have more to say on the matter, and debated whether they should cede the decision-making to them via a potential exploratory committee.
Finally, Laurentino stood after being recognized. “I think that the best thing to do is to send an envoy of our own, a small party of couriers—armed of course—to prepare for the worst, with a message that we would simply like an audience with their heads of state and that we would like to meet on neutral territory. I think it’s sensible, rational. It protects our people and allows us to meet them where they stand.”
Isabella nodded, taking note of his recommendations and added it to the potential list of options to pass on a ballot. Finally, she looked up, and gave a smile to Remy. “I call for the statement of Vicomte Remy Legrand of Branch Caillan.”
Remy stood next, and clasped his hands behind his back, tucking his tail behind him. “I think the Emperor’s advice is measured and respectful. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take into account the potential for other people to be less measured, and less respectful.
“Branch Caillan was the last recipient of the Empire’s outstretched hand. We were similarly met with a group of armed couriers brandishing the Emperor’s peace. I know that if my primary, Lysander the Fearsome, had not been of a mind to listen, that sort of message might have forced Lysander to call for the drums of war, instead of an open hand. Luckily, Lysander was in the mind of collaborating with the Empire, instead of working against it.
“I do understand why you would have armed couriers, and why you would want to meet at a neutral setting; however, this can come across as setting a sword down on a table. I believe that you must be careful in how you choose to word your response, and who you choose to send. Perhaps a platoon can be in wait, if you truly fear violence. But, prior to that, I would send a simple missive, perhaps one in Dwarvish, as we have dwarves among our contingent in Onson, or in Elvish, to speak with the elves that live below the mountains. But coming from a place of mutual collaboration would be more effective than forcing a meeting with their heads of state. I would be happy to speak with those among our number who speak Dwarvish. I’m near fluent in it, but near fluency and true fluency are different indeed.”
Izzy smiled at Remy as he finalized his thoughts.
“I understand that we cannot put it to a vote based on my words alone, but hopefully I can at least convince you to think carefully about your decision making in the future,” he said, and then returned to his seat.
Izzy finished off the written statement noting Remy’s opinion with a flourish in her notebook, and then looked to see Laurentino coloring. He leaned forward, his lips pressed into a tight line as he turned to Izzy, giving her a slight shake of his head.
Izzy blinked, settling her hands in front of her. “Do we have any final thoughts from you, Your Eminence? Shall we call this to a vote?”
Laurentino stood, back straight, with a commanding expression. “We shall not. I have decided that this is a private matter that I will make the final say on for our house. I will note each of your perspectives as I ruminate on which decision I choose to go with. Thank you all for your counsel.”
Izzy sighed, quickly noting it down in her journal before looking back to Remy. He seemed stunned, his eyes flickering to hers in confusion, his tail tapping quickly on the floor, a sharp staccato beat that showed his clear annoyance at the situation. Izzy quickly turned to her agenda, and moved them through to the next topic. Remy stayed uncomfortably silent for most of the rest of the meeting, speaking only at the proper times to second a motion, or to call to adjourn the meeting. Laurentino seemed also subdued, and appeared to check out from the rest of the meeting as he continued through his own votes.
A disaster was brewing, Izzy surmised, as she crossed off the last item for business within her docket. She adjourned the session and everyone began to filter out of the room, save Remy, whose face darkened like a thunder cloud. It was clear that he was not pleased by the turn of events that had happened.
“Izzy, can I have a word with you in my office?” Laurentino said as he stood, his tone one to brook no arguments.
“Ah—yes, of course, Laurentino,” she replied. “Just let me collect the rest of my things.”
Laurentino looked between her and Remy and nodded. “Don’t linger too long, please,” he added, before striding off.
Izzy sighed, and then turned to Remy, who had already closed the distance between them.
He stopped himself before he got too close for comfort, clearly annoyed. “What was that?”
“Imperial prerogative, I’m afraid,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring shrug.
Remy stared at her, eyes narrowing. He did not appear appeased—if anything he looked even more annoyed than he had been before. “Imperial prerogative?”
“We are not a parliament, as much as some would like us to be,” Izzy said, holding herself a bit straighter. “While there is a sort of unspoken rule that the emperor only puts his thumb on the scale, so to speak, on matters where there is a split decision, in truth, any decision can be returned to the Emperor’s docket to be decided upon by them instead.”
“Isa!” Laurentino called sharply.
“I’m coming!” Izzy said, turning back to Remy. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’ll be right back.”
Remy gave a short nod, returning to his notes and picking through his book, flipping from one annotated section to the next.
Izzy turned to follow Laurentino through the door and to the study that lay just past the Lodge Room. “Brother, did you really have to call me like that? It is mortifying, especially in front of guests. I was already en route.”
“Not fast enough,” Laurentino grumbled, glaring at her. “Explain, please. Quickly.”
“Explain what?
“Him. Why he thought it appropriate to speak out of turn. It was your job to teach them courtly manners.
“No, it was to teach them procedures and protocols of the Crown, by our codes. And I did. He did not speak out of turn. He spoke when he was allowed to, and offered his own advice.”
“I didn’t ask for his advice,” Laurentino said quickly. “How is he speaking as if Branch Caillan is some long-established nation with its own history of diplomacy with these elves, these dwarves? They live on the other side of the continent, and, before two months ago, none of them even knew who I was. And now this, this lizard—”
“Don’t call him that,” Izzy snapped.
“Fine. Fair, that was uncalled for,” he muttered, sitting back in his chair and thinking. “This person has the gall to correct me? I am the emperor.”
“He is brilliant, brother. Truly. In the midst of him learning the Code, he has already provided me with so much insight.”
“It’s easy to provide insight when you’re looking from the outside in. You don’t do yourself enough favors. You were sent there as an advisor, someone to help them find their way in this new empire. We brought them in as acting members, yes, but that comes with the expectation of bowing the knee and listening to our ways, our strategies. We didn’t go to Onson to conquer them or to intermix with them. We’re allowing them to stand on their own merits. But they should not be coming in here and trying to force their ways onto us.”
“I hardly think Remy is trying to do that. If anything, he has been more willing to listen to our ideas than to try and force his own.” Izzy fiddled with her signet ring, briefly running a thumb over the pair of laurels denoting her branch. Did she tell him about the courtship now? Before, she’d just thought she could slip it in on Remy’s own merits, but now? With Laurentino so annoyed? It seemed like it would simply do more harm than good. “Brother, he is trying.”
“I commend him on his effort. He needs to learn how to try harder,” he said. “Izzy, it is your duty to bring them to task. That’s why I chose you, and not any of your senior clerks. You are committed to our family, our history. Our ways. Let him know, so he can let the rest of Caillan know. I will always take his counsel, but he should not insult me by telling me that my ways, my ideas are bad.”
“You can’t surround yourself with yes men, brother. You should be challenged. He was only giving his experiences and you just—”
“I made a decision. As emperor.” Laurentino said, with a tone that indicated he was finished having this discussion. “Consult with Remy. I mean no ill will to him personally. He seems a genial sort. But he’s going to spend this time here with us, and then you will probably only ever see him again during the summer and winter court seasons. Your duty is to the Empire.”
“Of course, Laurentino,” she murmured, feeling something within her stretch taut and snap. She gave a low curtsy. “Your Eminence,” she replied, her voice strangely flat even to her own ears.
She expected Laurentino to give her that look, the one he always gave when he was annoyed with her adherence to his titles. But this time, he just nodded, turning back to his own paperwork. Izzy rose from her curtsy and walked back into the hall.
Remy still remained outside, and it was clear that a young waiter had been held by Remy to ensure that they would not be going through the meeting unchaperoned. Even now, when he was clearly upset, Remy was trying. Why couldn’t Isabella find it within herself to do the same? She chided herself, feeling an old wound of guilt reopen as she pushed her own feelings aside.
She was faithful, loyal to the Empire. If she had to choose between backing her brother and backing Remy, it would have to be her brother. No matter how right it felt with Remy.
“Princess, I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this at all,” Remy said, his voice carefully measured as she approached.
“If you’ll remember, the earliest parts of the code dictate that—”
“That we are not the ones who make the decision. That the branches act as their advisors and counsel. But that was written centuries ago. Long after the doctrines of 1142 and 1438. This seems ludicrous. If the emperor has the ability to do whatever he wants, regardless of the sound and prudent counsel of his ‘advisors,’ then why does any of this matter? Remy scoffed, standing back. “In Onson—”
“We are not in Onson.” Izzy snapped, feeling the first flush of a headache. “We are in Vinitore. We are in the Aurelian Empire, which Branch Caillan is joining. You will have to learn, as will Lysander, to bend the knee if it comes to it.”
Remy stepped back as if slapped, turning away from her. “I don’t understand,” he said again, quietly. “You’ve been so kind, so interested in learning our ways, my culture. What is the point of asking us to join your Empire if we can’t help each other?
“When the Emperor speaks, all of us must listen. That is the way of Aurelia,” Izzy said primly.
Remy settled back on his heels, curling his tail protectively behind him. For the first time, Remy truly did look lost for words. Finally, his face smoothed, the confusion settling into something sharper in his eyes as he clasped his hands behind him. “I suppose that the Emperor also decided something else, with his prerogative?”
“I’m sorry? I don’t catch your meaning.”
“The courtship,” Remy pressed. “What did he say?”
Izzy hesitated. “I haven’t told him yet.”
Remy didn’t even flinch. He simply nodded. “I see. Well. I suppose you’ve made your intentions plain, then. My mistake, it seems.”
Izzy wanted to say something, but instead, he was the one to talk first. He ran a claw over his snout gently, shielding his eyes. “I don’t... often do this. Set myself on a path like this. Courtship. The last time I tried was with a courtier in Onson. A woman named Olivia. The Matisse cluster. She wanted a great many things. But none of those things she wanted was to be serious with me. She was of a mind like yours. She always looked ahead. And I was merely a stepping stone. I had promised myself that I would never feel that way again. I suppose I’m twice a fool now.”
She felt the sharp sting at her eyes and willed herself not to cry, to fold. “Remy, I just—”
“My apologies for wasting your time,” he said, and quickly exited the room.
Izzy fought herself. She wanted to call out to him, to say how pleased she had been to be courted. She wanted to tell him that it was alright, but it just wasn’t time, that she wouldn’t want to go to Laurentino with that sort of declaration when he was already in a mood. She hated this, hated herself for letting this happen again.
Instead, Izzy sighed, sinking into the Caller’s chair.