Part 2: Rainfall

- Chapter 13: Daddy Was No Diplomat -

"Let go of me, you useless witch!" Taela shrieked, striking the woman across the face. As she reeled back from the blow, her grip on Taela's arm was released, and her young captive was quick to bolt down the hall. As Taela reached the corner, where Rimeon was waiting for her, she turned and hollered, "You'll pay for this, you'll see! I swear to you, my father will have you begging in the cold wind by tomorrow!"

The old woman was still standing there, the tips of her fingers just touching the spot where Taela had struck her, apparently in shock. Satisfied, Taela gave a huff and strode away.

Rimeon kept pace with her, fidgeting as he always did in situations like these. "Maybe you shouldn't have done that, Taela."

"Why?" she said with faux innocence, then smirked. "You think I was bluffing?"

"No... I mean..."

"I know what you meant." She brushed a hand over the fur on her head, confirming it to be as perfectly smooth as always. "I swear, Rimeon, you're twice as nagging as a conscience." She did not pronounce this as a criticism.

"And... as easy to ignore?" Rimeon suggested.

"Hey, what do you want me to say? You think I should kiss the feet of every warty old hag I meet, and I think life's way too short for that. What's left to talk about?"

He darted one eye in her direction. "You could at least pretend to be nice," he said in just above a mumble.

"And you could at least take better care of your fur," she returned, tweaking one of the many loose tufts surrounding his ears. "Honestly, if it wasn't such a dark shade, you'd never get away with walking around like that."

"It's fine." He swatted her hand away. "I don't mind being a bit ragged, alright?"

Taela giggled. "I can't wait until you fall in love with someone, just to see you totally flip-flop on that position."

"Fat chance. In case you hadn't noticed, there aren't a lot of beastwomen around here."

"Heh, that's a problem you won't have much longer!" a chipper voice rang out, accompanied by a hand lightly slapping onto Rimeon's shoulder. "We're still going on our little adventure, right? I got my parents' permission last night."

It was Caleb, behaving two or three notches more lively than usual. Taela grinned. "You think we'll meet a lot of beastwomen on the road?"

"Sure! Anyway, we'll be getting out there in the world, right? That's what Rimeon needs to do if he's going to meet people of his own kind, right? ...Um. I didn't mean it quite like that."

"No worries," Rimeon said. "But Karis might not be able to get her parents' permission. She says they're worried it might be dangerous for her."

"Dangerous? But she'll be with us!"

"There's only four of us, and none of us have combat experience. Hadn't you thought of that?"

"Oh, you're such a wet blanket, Rimeon," Taela said, poking him with her elbow. "We don't have combat experience because there's no need for it. Cypress has hardly any bandits or monsters, and we're not going abroad, so what's your worry? I swear, sometimes I think you like to make up problems."

"I'm not the one saying that there's problems," he protested. "It's Karis's parents. Tell it to them."

"You bet I will! I'm not gonna be the only girl on this trip."

"Besides, she's our friend," Caleb put in. "We can't go without her."

"Well, sure." Geez. Why does he always talk all fruity and sentimental like that?

Rimeon was scratching his ear in a manner that made him look uncomfortable. "I really don't know if you can convince Karis's parents of this, Taela. You might be better at persuasion than anyone alive, but even you can't make a mother and father be unconcerned about their child's safety."

An authoritative voice cleared its throat and spoke, breaking up the friends' banter. "Parents have many concerns when it comes to their children. Safety is not the only one of grave importance." As the teenagers froze in their tracks, an elegant kyantol stepped forward, a silver staff firmly tapping against the castle floor. "Taela, come to my office right now. We need to have a talk."

Her friends were still frozen, but Taela didn't even shiver as she put her hands on her hips. "We can talk right here," she pointed out.

"In my office, Taela." When she didn't immediately waver, he said, "Don't make me embarrass you in front of your friends."

Taela gave Caleb and Rimeon each a regretful glance and a mumbled goodbye, then walked off towards her father's office. She hated to cave in, but... Oooooh... Who am I kidding? Daddy can be downright scary when he wants to, and besides, much as I'd hate to admit it to anyone but myself, I want him to be proud of me. Aside from being way too stiff, he's the coolest adult ever.

I just wonder what it is that's got his robes all in a stitch.

The door to the office closed behind her after she entered. She kept her eyes to herself and just sat down in the chair set in front of the desk, waiting until her father had taken the seat behind the desk and spoke. "I want you to apologize to Sara."

"Who?"

He placed his hands on his desk and leaned forward in a manner that made Taela shrink back. "The woman you disobeyed, insulted, and struck across the face just a minute ago."

"Dad, did she even tell you what she was ordering me to do? Or -"

"I don't care," he interrupted, his glare reducing her to immediate silence. "There is no excuse for you treating someone like that."

"But... she's just a servant," she mumbled.

"All the more reason to accord her basic respect. She works more in one day than you do in a month." Taela made no reply, so he went on, "You will apologize to her, and as punishment for your behavior, as well as a chance to give you some new perspective, you will help her with all her chores for tomorrow."

By this time Taela couldn't hold it in anymore. "Oh, come on!" she exploded. "You treat servants like the common dirt all the time! Especially that human... what's her name..."

"Yeesha," he filled in. "And the fact that she has since left this castle, married, and opened a school for young mages should make it particularly clear to you how misguided my behavior to her was. People in all walks of life contribute to the good of society."

"So I'm supposed to do as you say and not as you do?! I listen to what you say all the time, dad, but that's just ridiculous!" Taela shot up from her chair, her back stiffly upright as she glared at her father. Her face felt electrified from righteous indignation. She turned and seized the door handle.

"Taela!" The tone of his voice made her hesitate. "You will stay here and listen until I say you can go, or your trip with your friends is off."

Part of her whispered that she could just disobey. But her head told her that that was impossible. Her dad was smart; if he didn't want her to go on an adventure with her friends, he knew enough to tell Caleb and Rimeon about his disapproval. Rimeon was too much of a good little soldier to go along with anything a responsible adult had forbidden, and Caleb wouldn't dare go against her father. She sighed, and turned back around.

"Sit down," he ordered. She returned to her previous seat. As soon as she did so, her father got up from his. She sighed more deeply. He ignored this and began pacing around the room. "Taela, the fact is... I'm not a very good person. My discourtesy towards Yeesha is the least of the wrongs that I've done - that I continue to do. His Majesty turns a blind eye to most of my schemings... just between you and me, I think he makes use of them sometimes. It's very easy for me to continue doing them. Very hard to give up the habits that have carried me through life.

"Take Yeesha as an example. It took me a long time to realize that my uncivil behavior towards her stemmed from... from weakness and fear." This admission came out as a shuddering sigh. Taela stared at her father with dismay. These were not things she wanted to hear about him. "Fear that if she were ever to take a stand against me, I'd lose all the power I'd worked so hard to gain. But even after I realized this, and recognized how petty it was, I couldn't stop. I've tried to do the right thing, all the more so once you were born, and I like to think that I've succeeded a good deal of the time, and that I've benefited the world more than I've harmed it. But I am not proud of myself, Taela.

"And... I want you to be better than that. I want you to be a better person than me."

I swear, I could have lived my whole life without hearing this. How is this supposed to make me having to grovel before a servant any less unfair?

Her father appeared to get some reading of her thoughts off her face, and resumed, "You have to understand, Taela, how important you are. Your mother and I were not fortunate in our efforts to build a family. After the disappointment with your older sisters, you were a wondrous miracle to us."

"Huh?" she interjected. "I have sisters?"

"Your mother miscarried twice before we had you."

"Oh." There was a pause. "So... what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, dad! You've said a lot about why you should want to kiss up to old hags, but tell me why I can't live my own life! Did you do everything your parents wanted, huh?"

He stood still now. His face looked pained. "You're like this because of me. You learned this disrespect for other people from watching me." He sat back in his chair with a sigh. "And you're right; it's up to me to teach you why it's wrong. For now, we're going to go and apologize to Sara. Or you're not going on that trip with your friends. Is that understood?"

"Yeah..."

"Good." They both stood up, and he smiled slightly. "I do want you to go on this trip, Taela. You've... chosen some very good friends for yourself. It will be good for you to spend some quality time with them."

"Yeah? Well, we might not be going, anyway. Not if Karis's parents have anything to say about it."

"Is that so?" Her father cocked an eyebrow. "Well. You may consider that problem dealt with."

Despite the lecture she'd received, and the imminent trial of apologizing to the old servant hag, Taela couldn't help but smile at this. That was one of the coolest things about her father; when he said something would be done, then whether through his skills of persuasion or the sheer power of his position as minister, it was as good as done.

"I don't get it."

"One of Guardiana's most renowned warriors is due to arrive in Cypress in three days, and my cousin's arranged for me to have training with him. If I were to go on this trip, I'd miss it," Barro repeated. "What's so hard to understand about that?"

Rimeon shook his head. "I understand the excuse. What I don't understand is why you're making it. Or what reason you could have for not wanting to go on this trip. Or why you're telling just me, and not the others."

"Have you ever tried telling Taela you're not going to do something she wants you to do?"

"Fair point," Rimeon said, with a sympathetic grimace. "But, as to the rest...?"

"My training is important, Rimeon."

"Uh huh." Rimeon surveyed the prince. Not the true prince, since he was King Nicholas's first cousin, not his son, but Barro certainly looked the regal part. His attire was woven of the finest cloths, but in subdued colors. His handsome face seemed strong, confident, inviting in with a look all Cypressian subjects, and thoroughly dedicated to his regal duty. Except... "It's official, Barro: You're never going to be king. Prince Eli has come of age, so there's no chance of you being even an interim ruler. And honestly? There was never more than a spirit of a chance of that."

"I don't want to be king!" Barro snapped. "I've never wanted to be king! I -" He stopped, and let his head droop. He took a breath, and Rimeon swallowed, unsure of what to say. "Alright. You know I really want to go on this trip, Rimeon. Enough so that I'd miss out on a chance to train with Guardiana's most renowned warrior. But even though I'm never going to be king, I still have responsibilities."

"No, you don't. King Nicholas would agree to let you go on this trip if you'd just ask."

Barro nodded. "Actually, he'd insist on it. But I hold myself responsible for certain things. Like my cousin Eli."

"What about him?"

"I can't tell you. Let me just say - and don't breathe a word of this to anyone - that there's a chance, just the faintest chance, of him doing something to disgrace the royal family. On top of that, Nicholas says there have been some worrisome things going on at the courts of Emild, Sharland, and Guardiana. Nothing he's sure of, but it could be trouble in the near future. I... Maybe it's illogical, but I feel like I can't leave now. If the worst happens, I don't trust Eli to take care of himself."

"Barro, Cypress is at peace. King Nicholas and Queen Mayfair are the strongest rulers in history, and they have three perfectly capable children ready to step in if, may the gods forbid it, something were to happen to them. The kingdom isn't going to collapse if you leave the castle for a few weeks."

"I know, I know. Like I said, maybe it's illogical, but still." He looked to the left, as though expecting an eavesdropper. "There's something else. I told you about Eli and the foreign courts because I know you can be trusted to keep a secret better than anyone. I'm telling you this now because I know you're the only one of our group who won't be offended." He sighed. "The rest of you are all about the same age. You can't tell so much anymore, but I'm ten years older than you. I've always been the big brother, and that was fine when you were kids. But now?" He smiled sadly. "It's been getting a bit awkward."

Rimeon scratched the back of his ear. "You know, you could just try treating us as equals."

"I have tried, believe me. It just doesn't feel right. Especially not when Taela and Caleb are still looking at me as the chaperone. Plus, all of my other friends are too old now to be organizing an adventure like the one the rest of you are planning. It's hard to overlook that." He looked sad, yet somehow, accepting. "I feel like I've just... grown up. And I don't want to be the grown up around people I used to play with as a kid." He held out his hand to Rimeon. "But I'll always be there for you when you need me. I promise."

Rimeon took his hand and shook it. "Thanks. We'll... We'll try to enjoy ourselves without you."

"I thought we might try this," Varmo said as his friend walked in, pouring two glasses of wine. "It's a new import... from someplace called Protectora. It hasn't even been made available to the rest of Castle Cypress yet."

"Sounds good," Halron grunted and took the glass offered to him.

"Ah?" Varmo looked at him anxiously. "You have an issue with me?"

Halron took a seat. "Yes. I don't think much of your delivering threats - veiled or otherwise - to Karis's parents."

"I know, I know," he waved a hand in his direction. "But Taela isn't going on this trip unless Karis goes, and Karis won't go without her parents' permission, and they weren't listening to reason, so what else was there to do?"

"A man with any principles would have found a better way. And I thought you were trying to set a good example for Taela?"

"She'll never know about it." He took a sip of wine, and made an odd face. "A bit bitter, but... interesting."

"You honestly think you can be a good father when and only when Taela is looking?" He snorted. "What am I saying? Your little girl is almost a grown woman. If you were ever going to shape up for her sake, you would have done so by now."

"That's uncalled for." Varmo set his glass down. "I love my daughter. More than anything."

Halron nodded. "You're just not used to making sacrifices."

"I..." He floundered, and took a nervous sip of wine. "I suppose you're right. Taela deserves a better father than me."

Halron took a sip of his own wine, and stared at his old friend. "...It's lucky that we're not our children's only influences. This trip will only make things better."

"Yes," Varmo said, brightening. "It's a good group. Your son, in particular, is just what she needs: someone who cares about what's right and wrong, who is... who is..." - he snapped his fingers - "...conscientious. And brave. Karis will be a good influence, too. A sincere, gentle, compassionate girl her own age... just what she needs. Then there's Theo's boy." He grimaced. "Takes after his father a bit too much, I think. All ideals and no sense. But he'll probably do Taela more good than harm, especially with the others as a moderating influence."

"Mmm. I hope you don't mind, but I see your Taela as useful in the same way." He chuckled lightly. "Rimeon's a good boy, better than good, but too uptight. He needs someone like Taela to get him to lighten up."

Varmo gazed into his glass. "It's as if, somewhere between the two of us, there's a decent person."

"You're not that bad," Halron said, raising his glass. "For one thing, you're generous with your wine. Besides, you've kept your vices under control. It's not as if being Minister of Decorum is the consummation of your ambition."

"That's not keeping my vices under control... It's just keeping them petty." He sighed. "But it wasn't fair of me to put you at my level. That adventure we had 20 years ago really changed you, for the better. For me, it just... made me more self-aware."

Halron grunted. "That's an improvement as far as I'm concerned."

"...If you say so. Let's hope my daughter can do at least two or three better than me."