Keeping the Fire: Bargain and Compromise

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1And Denza, who even in those days was called “Luminary” by the People for the light she brought to them spoke unto the Indivisible. 

2 And Luminary Denza said “Lord Genwith, the Niccanoran Kings have taken so much from me, yet there are those who have suffered more. How might I help them?” 

3 And the Indivisible said unto her “You must never call me Lord, for I am of the People, just as are you. And If you would wish to be closer to the People then you must be with them. 

4 And as you know the highest, who rule by fear, you must know the lowest, who live by it.” 

And Luminary Denza heard the Indivisible, and she became the Creace of the People. 

5 So she took up a stone and broke the windows of a butcher's shop and let the hungry take from it. when the watchmen came to take her she put up no fight. 

6 So terrible were the laws of the Domineerists, that she was given to twenty years of hard labor for the crime of feeding the hungry. 

7 Now after three months of labor she had become close to those poor souls that were imprisoned beside her. So great was her communion, that they set the swing of their mauls by her strike. 

8 Now came the nearing of Dark Night, and by his communion the Indivisible sent word to Luminary Denza that the People must be free. So she set about the seeds of rebellion. 

9 Breaking was the labor, but the People bore it gladly that day of Revolution, and they set their strike by Denza, who did, with her maul, break the locks of the laborers and free them to fight. 

10 Breaking the locks they went from prison to prison, slaying those wicked men who served the Domineerists, and those snakes, those lords that slipped away crept lamenting to Flin in the cold north. 

~ The Third Book of Wisdom, 2nd Work of Accounts, Verses 1-10 

For nearly three hundred years Flin and the Alliance had been enemies. Indeed, the alliance of the People had been to oust the Niccanoran lords and send them into exile with their Flinish relations. Nither side had forgiven or forgot. But business and the compromises of business could still bring them together and so it was with Luminary Polena and Tavya, the Duchess of Lete'yat when she was in Flin and a Minister of the Keepings when she was in the Fortress. They met on Polena's balcony, late in the evening. Their first bargain and compromise had been in speech. Though Tavya understood the Eddinite Polena spoke she was loath to speak a commoner's tongue herself and though Polena knew Niccanoran she would not let a Domineerist control her words. They decided on Djashar instead, and in the words of Fiedjan began to craft an alliance. Of course, that required some accounting, by Tavya, of her motives. This was simple in the telling.

“If Fiedjan beings the Fortress into a war we can not count on them either as allies or trade partners. More than that, though, we have so few ways of speaking to you... People, that we need the Edgarans. I think you feel the same way yes?”

“Myself or my People?” asked Polena, loathe to be caught in a rhetorical trap.

“Oh do be honest with me Polena. I have granted you the right to call me by name and do you the same honor, don't mince words. Your nation uses Fortress Edgar.”

“We don't use them.”

“Then what do you do?” asked Tavya taking the break to pour herself another glass of the wine she had brought.

Polena considered carefully before responding.

“It is a bargain. We help them and they help us. We care for their well being. That's not “use” as you say it.”

“I care for the well being of my children dear Luminary, as I care for the well being of my slaves. Call it any name you wish. It is a relationship, if you prefer. You want to keep it whole don't you? You don't want to lose the Fortress?”

“I'll give you that,” offered Polena feeling she spoke literally.

“Good. Listen Polena, I felt what you said to that Djaught needed to be said. In fact, I want to hear more of it. To it, if you can prove that this claim of Djaught Mehethe's is nothing more than dross, or at least find something that will rot his support in the court then I will let you into the Royal Archives. I do believe you would be the first Luminary to ever be granted such a right. Isn't that so?”

It was no secret that the Edgaran's had kept some things sacrosanct. The Royal Archives was one of them. The line of Edgar had kept a perfect library, kept it for a thousand years, and no one save Flin or the most expectational of visitors had been allowed its use. Just thinking of passing through those doors made Polena's heart swell. There would be the answers to questions beyond counting, there would be laid bare all of the ugly, messy parts of the neat histories of modern times, there would be truth. It was too good a deal, and her caution bade her to act carefully.

“That might work,” she replied, “but I need some assurance.”

“Such as?” said Tavya.

“Two things,” said Poelna, “firstly, a note in writing and with your seal promising me freedom from prosecution or punishment for anything I read from the archives.”

Tavya paused, s long as a chess player might before saying “agreed, and the second?”

“The second I have yet to name, but a promise that you will grant me a favor.”

Tavya smiled in a way that seemed to hint a hidden anger or offense.

“Alright... we can do that, but I want something in else as well then.”

“Go on,” said Polena, feeling the heady delight of finally making progress.

“Your Knight Luminary, the one called Coaralm. He does not like me. You must not tell him of our bargain. If I find out that you have, I will lock you out of the Archives and our bargain will be forfeit.”

Polena paused, perhaps not quite as long as she should have.

“Agreed,” she replied.

“I'm glad we see eye to eye then,” said the Duchess taking a long drink of her wine. Echoing from the city one could hear the last calls of the hawkers and they closed their stalls. Somewhere beyond the balcony, in the darkness of the valley below was the buzz of a nighthawk diving for it's prey.

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