The Vileness of Man: Mission Six – Rumors
"Chapter 3, page 27:
The tools of the rich are oiled with the blood of the poor.
The truth is, with money and power comes the ability to avoid outward scrutiny. However, the gossiping hens will always find some way to further puff their feathers by clucking behind your back, where you cannot defend yourself against their sharp beaks. I had always believed that rumors were lies started by men who had nothing better to do than to marginalize the reputation of better men. However, it took me creating one to realize how autonomous they really were.
The rumor itself is independent from status and wealth. It transcends beyond national borders and unites people from all classes of life. It is a living entity. Simply breathe life into it with some menial falsehood and watch it take form. Nurture it as you would a child though, with tenderness and care, and always make sure to know just whom your rumor has been conversing with. Safeguard them against the unwanted, lest they grow into deviants and squirm out from your control.
The rumor I started dates back approximately seventeen years, when Empress Jessamine Kaldwin was still amongst the living. She was a beautiful young woman in her mid adolescence, with long raven-black hair and porcelain skin. While I was not much older than her at the time (she was sixteen and I had just turned twenty), I always perceived her to be a very lively and exciteful woman. She loved to dance and draw, a quality much reflected in her daughter even now. Much of her time would be spent out in the Tower gardens, drawing the many flowers or simply enjoying the springtime breezes. I distinctly remember that whenever she thought I wasn't looking, she would sneak pear blossoms into my coat pockets and then blame it on the servants when I pretended to find them later that day.
The summer of that same year, the Kaldwin family took their annual trip to their estate in Karnaca. Of course, the "Kaldwin family" of that year merely meant the Lady Jessamine, for the emperor's health had begun its silent decline, and as every citizen of the Isles know, the empress regretfully died in labor after delivering her only child. The royalty of Serkonos, who resided in the elite city of Karnaca are all sniveling swine, with nothing better to do than talk ill of people of the nobility and spit upon the less fortunate. Even today I cannot fathom what qualities the princess saw in Prince Aeton Trinci, nor will I ever know, as both of them have departed from this plane. My best assumption would have been the fact that her father always hated the Serkonan monarchy, the Trinci's, and Jessamine had a nag for being overtly rebellious. Nevertheless, she became romantically interested in the young prince, and he her. Despite all my forewarnings, I could not stop the inevitable, as nothing in this realm can cease the stubbornness of a teenage girl.
At the end of the summer, all my concerns had taken shape. The young princess had learned the hard way just how slimy the Trinci's were, and how she had been naïve to ever think that they could care for someone other than themselves. Prince Aeton had used her to attempt to further his family's power, and unbeknown to him it had worked. Before I continue, I want to make one point very clear. Though I swore to Jessamine I would take this secret to my grave, the conditions surrounding this rumor have since become muddled, and against my will, the truth has begun to peer from the shadows. As I do not intend to publish this work until the day of my death (and surely the truth will have ousted itself before then), I do not see a problem with writing it here.
Upon returning to the capital a few months later, Jessamine was antsy with the reaction she would get from her father upon learning the news of her unexpected pregnancy. Back in Karnaca, I had brought up the possibility of a quiet abortion, but her gentle heart forbade the notion. She actually wanted to keep the child, saying how she had always wanted to be a mother, despite the somewhat discomforting identity of the father. Thankfully she had broken off her relationship with the little prince before returning to Dunwall, thus concealing the fact he had impregnated her. Jessamine's greatest fear was the possibility Aeton would attempt to claim rights to the emperor's title, effectively removing the Kaldwin family name in future generations. The idea haunted her for months, causing her sleepless nights and poor health. The emperor died the following winter, and Jessamine took the throne, belly half stretched with child. The Isles had seen a long line of male monarchs before Jessamine's coronation, and so the nobles began to chat amongst themselves about the identity of the child's father, in hopes to see a male ruler again.
Empress Jessamine came to me with her concerns, begging for me to advise her on the situation. A solution had been brewing in my mind ever since we left Serkonos, and then was the time to lay out my carefully conceived plan. I told her to start a rumor. A simple white lie in which should could discreetly impart upon one of her ladies-in-waiting, perhaps by "accidently" leaving upon a journal entry for them to happen upon, or causing them to overhear and "unfortunate" piece of information. The rumor was small and simple, and it would fix all of her worries without causing too much of a scandal. The rumor I told her to spread was that I, Corvo Attano, was the child's father."
Corvo sighed deeply as he laid down his fountain pen on the small galley bar, stretching his arms out and cracking his cramped fingers. Nearly thirty pages of writing in the span of…6 hours? Then again, the pages were hardly full-sized. More like note pages, about the size one would find in a relatively small diary. On top of that, he had written sections of the book in prior weeks, when he was first contemplating even starting an autobiography. All and all, it was still fairly impressive. He was beginning to run out of ink cartridges though, a frightening discovery; however they would surely last him until he reached Serkonos. If all went well, they would land in the port of Cullero, by the end of midday. Cullero was a popular travel destination that saw its fair influx of fishermen, whalers, and other seaworthy merchants, which unfortunately included pirates. Thankfully, this ship had nothing to worry about from piracy. It was far too small to be considered a target, and carried nothing of immense value, besides a bunch of delicious, slimy hagfish and the ex-Royal Protector.
After watching the sun beautifully rise, Corvo had taken himself down to the galley, hoping to fill his growling stomach. The cook had been all but helpful, and asked more questions than the nobleman wished to answer. Among them was the infamous rumor he had just written about, which had spurred the idea for his current chapter. It was amazing how even on the open seas people would still hassle him about his "undeniable" relationship with the late Empress Jessamine, to which Corvo would simply give a small smile and continue with his business. He would not confirm nor deny the rumor, despite its complete falseness. Its importance of its integrity had greatly faded since Emily turned of age to rule her empire, and yet the lie was so engraved into his past it was almost a part of his identity.
However, this identity was slowly becoming compromised with every passing day that his relationship with the current empress continued to grow. How would Jessamine have reacted if she'd had been aware of their intimacy? Could she have predicted her daughter's ever-increasing affection? Emily reflected so much of her mother that it was as if she was a living reincarnation of Jessamine's younger self. Her rebelliousness, her fiery temper, her relentless stride—the only quality Emily had that was truly her own was her looks, though she did get her beauty from her mother as well. In truth, Emily shared more features with Aeton than her mother, with her rich chestnut colored hair and moderately tanned skin, like the warm sands of the Serkonan coastline. How that skin would pale and stain with salty tears as she spent the next few weeks mourning for her missing love, a mental image that caused Corvo's stomach to tense and his strict composure to waver ever so slightly at the inevitable sorrow strung across such an innocent façade.
Perhaps his departure would ultimately be for the best, though. Half the city still believed that he was a murderous traitor anyway, despite being publically cleared of Jessamine's assassination. Of course, no one knew of the other dark deeds he had committed under the guise of the Masked Felon, a persona that now lay dormant within the recesses of Piero's workshop—but their ignorance never ceased the unwelcomed speculation. It was amazing how the entirety of Dunwall wasn't sanctioned for their Lying Tongues, the second of the Seven Strictures declared by the Abbey of the Everyman, the bearers of the religious doctrine and law of the land.
It didn't matter if the gossiper's words had an underlying truth, for their actions promoted the continued slander. Corvo was no better, though. He had perpetuated one of the more favorite of lies murmured amongst the majority of the empire. If the truth ever did manage to break through the tempest of whispers rolling off of the perpetuators tongues, and if somehow it was traced back to him, the punishment the former Lord Protector could be held accountable for was unfathomable. Such was the way of this crackpot religious order, with their inflexible statures and superior mindset which would no doubt eventually burn through the Isles with their purifying fire. But actions like these were reserved for a more desperate time, worse than the slow recovery Dunwall was currently facing.
Yes, perhaps his early retirement would, in the end, prove to be a necessary evil. By removing himself from the court, the blather about Corvo and Jessamine would eventually become passé, and fade into the Void. He could prevent the truth about Emily's father from flickering into the light, and cease the whispers of electral love plaguing the Tower's hands. Certainly that would be better than letting the slander spread under the breaths of drunkards and smite its subjects whilst they slumber, right?
After Corvo had taken a short break from his writing to relaxed his cramped muscles and scarf down the fried hagfish and ale the galley's cook had served to him (which had seemed to be the only food available on the vessel), he picked back up his fountain pen and finished the remainder of his chapter.
"After the rumor first spread, Jessamine's demeanor towards me began to change. She acted less formal while I was near and was far more affectionate and physical. She would grasp my hands, or whisper softly into my ear, and for a while even I believed that she was beginning to develop feelings towards me, though they turned out to be of a different sort than what others believed. As are the nature of rumors, they spread and spread until they drown themselves under a wave of infinite whispers. What made this particular rumor so volatile though, was that it fit so perfectly. The beautiful young empress and her loyal bodyguard—yes, the stereotype was almost too perfect. The gossip of our "relationship" soon stretched even past the Royal Court and into the common people's hands. Everyone knew (or thought they knew) I was "screwing" the empress, and Jessamine never minded overdoing her part. She even asked me to marry her once for image's sake, but I declined. I had no ambition for power, and was content in my role as a protector.
I would be lying if I said I never had intimate thoughts towards her, as did all the men in the Royal Court at that time. However, she thought of me as an older sibling—an only brother—and I was glad to be considered it. Brothers defend their siblings, as was my duty. Even today people still believe this seventeen-year-old rumor as if it were fact, and some are even brash enough to spit it back in my face. By the time she had passed, the empress and I had a connection that surpassed any intimate relationship. Our bond was pure, unadulterated friendship, as true as if blood-bound. We trusted each other with our lives; secrets had no bearing. Even little Emily saw me as a father-figure, or a close uncle and I loved her just the same. I have never met another person in this world like Jessamine, one with whom I feel so freely around, nor do I believe I will ever meet one again."
Finally, I get this chapter put up! I actually started this fic by writing this chapter first, and I definitely didn't expect it to wind up being presented this far into the story. But anyways, THIS is my personal interpretation of Emily's origins. Take it however you wish, hopefully optimistically and with an open mind. Corvo should be getting off of this damned boat soon enough. I'd estimate…two more chapters? That sounds about right.