A Katarina Vacation Arc
"Mother," Katarina said. Mili had never seen her daughter look this serious. "I don't want to be a fat, pampered noble who just spends money and doesn't do anything! Those kinds of people are even worse villains than I am, and really, really bad things happen to them!"
Mili was alarmed and horrified to see her daughter bow to her. "Please, help me so I can find something to do so I don't turn out like them!"
"Katarina, stand up," Mili said. "You haven't done anything requiring you bow that deeply." Really, it was almost parodic, that bow.
"Sorry, mother," Katarina said.
"And don't apologize," Mili said.
"Yes, mother! Sorry!"
Mili felt a muscle on her cheek start to twitch on reflex and forced herself to relax. "Now, while I'm glad you're finally putting some concern into how you're perceived, as a duchess I can definitively say you're nowhere as bad as those wastes of skin you're talking about. I assume from the word 'fat' you mean the kind of individual so greasy they seem like a melting candle and never seem to understand their downfall is their own fault?"
Katarina nodded, and Mili had to wonder how she'd ever found out about those deplorable wastes of skin. She was fairly sure they never showed up in any of the parties Katarina had been invited to– which had mainly been affairs among young nobles of good characters, as vetted by both Mary Hunt and his highness, The ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance– so she dearly hoped it was because of those novels Katarina read and nothing more.
"Yes, you're definitely not one of those, and as your mother I'm very glad of this fact," Mili said, and Katarina actually seemed to sag as she sighed in relief. "However, if you truly wish for my help in ensuring that you do not become like them… well, I will need to know what you think I can do." Really, at this point Mili had partially resigned herself to having Katarina be the family hedonist, if such a strong term could apply to her. Indulging in all those sweets was a form of hedonism, right?
"Tell me what to do!" Katarina said.
Mili gave her daughter a flat stare. "You'll have to be more specific."
"I need you to tell me what I can do so that that I can be… um, what the word…?" Katarina said, trailing off. "I had it, it's on the tip of my tongue. A 'p' word…?"
"Proper?" her mother suggested.
Mili had the unusual experience of her daughter looking at her like she'd gone crazy.
"No, I suppose it's not that…" Mili said.
"It's… argh! It's what Matthew does by being a knight, and what Iosefka and Adella do by learning to be doctors…" Katarina said, her forefingers poking at her temples as if trying to physically push the idea out.
"Productive?" Mili said.
"Yes! That! Tell me what I can do so I can be productive and not just a fat corrupt noble who's destined to be humiliated by some young hero or whatever!" Katarina said.
Mili thought she vaguely recognized that particular plot point from some novel or something. It must certainly be overused if she could identify it as such. That was probably where Katarina had heard of those people. "What do you think you need to do to not be a 'fat corrupt noble', as you put it?" Mili asked.
Because her daughter might be strange, her daughter might be innocent– except those times when it seemed like she wasn't– her daughter might be kind and a little naïve, her daughter might be occasionally embarrassing and improper, but Mili was sure her daughter was not an idiot. Often simple, occasionally stupid, but not an idiot. She had met an apparent fear of dying by being attacked by a sword by devoting more than half her life to learning how to protect herself with the sword, seemingly to the exclusion of any other aspect of the weapon, such that two trained knights found themselves inadequately skilled to pierce her defense. It was simple, childish logic, but it was definitely logic that thought of some kind had gone into. And given how long she'd been training with a sword, it was actually reasonably able thinking for a child of eight years old.
Her daughter's brow furrowed, but rather than exclaiming that she didn't know, that's why she was asking her mother, she clearly considered the question. Not an idiot. An idiot wouldn't even think about it, or at least not for long.
"Well, I should probably avoid getting fat," Katarina mused. "But my work on my fields and sword practice does that… um, stay away from government work so I don't become corrupt…" Mili suppressed a snicker. "Ah, stop being a noble?"
"Being a noble isn't inherently bad," Mili said dryly. "So you probably don't have to."
"Ah, good! I wouldn't know how to stop being a noble," Katarina said. "Uh, let's see… well, those kinds of people are always being mean to people, especially to heroes… I can be nice to everyone I meet!"
"Keep going," Mili said, struggling to keep the smile off her face.
"Hmm… I shouldn't spend money on wine and girls…" Katarina said, nodding to herself. "Or ugly clothes with thick collar ruffs. You can always tell they're some kind of evil fat noble if they're wearing a collar ruff…"
"Well, they're out of style, so that's not a problem," Mili said. Must not smile, must not smile, must not smile…
"Hmm… oh! And they don't do their duties like their supposed to, so I should do my duties!" Katarina finished triumphantly. Then she tilted her head like a kitten wondering about the light on the ground being reflected by a piece of glass. "Um, what are my duties, mother?"
"What do you think they are, Katarina?" Mili said, aware they might be getting close to the end of Katarina's knowledge on the matter.
"Uh… uh…" Katarina frowned intently, and her fingers started tapping her temples faster. "Get married…?" she said with a voice filled with fear and dread.
Mili realized once more that she'd been a horrible mother, to not have never noticed how her daughter had felt at his highness, The ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance's suit. The feeling was disturbingly easy to get over, considering how many times she'd made the realization recently. "Not if you don't want to," Mili said.
Katarina stared at her. "Really?" she said, sounding disbelieving.
Mili nodded. "While many consider it a daughter's duty to marry who their parents have chosen for the benefit of the house, I find the notion puts a bad taste in my mouth," Mili said. "Must be the Adeth in me. So no, marrying is not your duty. To marry should be a joy and a desire fulfilled, not a a chore that needs to be done."
Katarina looked confused. "But… if marrying isn't my duty… what is?"
"What do you think it is?" Mili said.
Katarina frowned. "We actually talked about this during the sleepover after graduation. I said I thought my duty is not becoming a royal and just staying at home so I can't be embarrassing."
Mili felt another twinge, recognizing the words. "And your friends? What did they say their duty was?"
"Maria said her duty was protecting the people, defending the land and upholding the law," Katarina said, and Mili was sure that was a quote. Not an idiot, and there was no doubting her memory for what she considered important. "Selena said her duty is to be by her prince's side, but it's Selena. She's really in love, so that's probably love talking a little. Diana said it's to constantly improve so she can serve the kingdom best. Sophia…" Katarina actually laughed. "Sophia said her duty is to make enormous piles of money to pay her taxes."
Mili found herself chortling as well. "That's certainly one way to put it," she said.
Katarina pouted, looking envious, a very strange expression on her daughter. "Ginger said her duty was to go home to her family and help them farm. I was really jealous when she said that. I'm good at farming. Fate said her duty was by becoming a knight because she was saved by a knight. I guess she feels since she was saved she should save others? "
"Those all seem very sound," Mili said.
"But it still don't know what my duty is!" Katarina said. "Help me mother! Tell me what I should do to fulfill my duty so I don't become a corrupt useless fat evil noble! I know I said it was not becoming a royal and an embarrassment and a royal embarrassment, but if I don't get married then that doesn't happen so… what's my duty, mother?"
"Do you think," Mili said, "that any of your friends let someone else tell them what their duty was?"
Katarina frowned, her head starting to move side to side like the pendulum of a clock. "No…" she said slowly. "Uncle Dan would NEVER tell Sophia her duty was to make a lot of money and pay taxes. And Maria's a natural heroine, so she probably thought up her duty herself once she was knighted. And…" she trailed off, her head moving side to side again.
Mili nodded. "Katarina," she said. "You know I've always told you what to do."
Side to side became rapid, enthusiastic nodding. Mili was bemused to see actual hope in her daughter's eyes.
A few months ago, she wouldn't have said this. She'd have told Katarina what she thought her duty was, then expected her to do it, then lectured her if she did it wrong. And to be honest, she'd probably still do that about some things when they got home, like not tracking mud on their hard to clean carpets! But only for some things.
"But I can't tell you what to do, Katarina," she said. "As nobles, we all have a responsibility, to those under our protection, to our station, to our king, to ourselves, to our holdings. But we each have to decide how to fulfill that responsibility. So I will tell you this, my daughter. The responsibility of a noble is to protect those under our protection. All our duty stems from that."
"Our responsibility is to protect?" Katarina said, tilting her head. "From what?"
"From all things," Mili said. "From hunger. From cold. From needless hardship. From poverty. From ignorance. From disease. From injustice. If it would hurt them, then it is our duty to protect those in our duchy from it. that is the purpose of the nobility. It is why we have the powers that we do. Over laws, over lives, over magic, over soldiers."
Katarina blinked. "With great power comes great responsibility?"
Mili's eyebrows rose. "Most say it's the other way around, but yes."
"So, my duty as a noble…" Katarina mused. "Is to find a way to help people?"
"At its simplest," Mili said. "Other nobles have duties to nobles they are sworn to and outrank them. Even the duchy has a duty to the king. But it is supposed to be all so the noble above us can fulfill their responsibility."
"Which is to protect…?" Katarina said. "The king protects everyone, so if he asks us to do something, it's because he needs us to do it to protect everyone, so if we do it we're protecting everyone too?"
"A simple way of putting it," Mili said. "In real life, it's a lot more complicated."
"So…" Katarina mused. "My duty needs to be to protect everyone…? No, wait, that's the king. So… it's do something to help the king protect everyone…?"
Mili watched as Katarina started pacing, muttering to herself. With her eyes narrowed, face intent with thought, they actually looked very much alike.
Eventually, Katarina wandered away, seemingly forgetting about her mother, still muttering to herself.
Mili stared after her daughter's retreating form. "Well…" she mused. "Hopefully she doesn't misunderstand this conversation too badly…"
The next day, Matthew offered once more to spar with Katarina.
"Hey Mashu," Katarina said as they finished that morning's sparring, using towels to wipe off their sweat and drinking water, "why did you become a knight?"