A/N- I have been inspired by the number of excellent ficlet collections in this fandom to try my hand at my own. I've drabbled before, but decided not to go with the stiffer one-hundred-word format. And besides, it was time I did something other than torture Deryn in my stories.
I'll be adding onto this as inspiration comes.
And by the way: I do not own Leviathan any more'n you do.
Alek knows what the ideal empress is supposed to be like. She should be beautiful in an ornamental way; empty smiles and sweet diplomatic words should hide her thoughts and feelings. She should have few opinions of her own unless they align with the traditions of the court, and if she simply must think for herself, then she should do so quietly.
"Barking dresses! You sure we can't just get me a really nice pair of trousers? No? Oh, stuff it, then!"
She should be adept at courtly manners, political niceties, and general imperial decorum. The perfect empress speaks softly and quietly, with perfect elocution. She showers those around her with tasteful compliments. She knows almost instinctively what to say to defuse any tense situation, or feed to a newspaper to sate angry citizens.
"What a barking b- What? You trying to tell me she isn't? Yes, I know she's a duchess. She's still a bum-rag."
She is of high birth. This is a given of course, as common girls are far beneath an emperor. They are not even fit to be his mistress. After all, to interbreed with commoners would sully the royal line. An emperor must marry a woman of high station. Anything else is simply asking for disaster.
"None of them look very happy, do they? I mean, you'd think they'd be a little more pleased with their aristocratic wives, if that really mattered. Perfectly daft law, I think."
She is subordinate to her husband. Her primary purpose is to be a vessel for his children. No matter how much she may despise him, she is never to talk back or challenge his authority. She will appear amicable to him whenever others are around. She always supports him in public. She walks two steps behind him, when she is not on his arm.
"Mm, no, I really don't want to go to the opera. What? I'm tired. Go with some duke or somebody like that. I'm sure he'd appreciate it more."
Yes, Alek knows what makes the ideal empress. Judging by that scale, Deryn Sharp is somewhere between "terrible" and "the greatest scandal ever to disgrace the Hapsburg royal line". Which could explain why he feels a little guilty that he wouldn't change a thing.
"I love you, too."