PLANET 5 / CH. 7: DOCKSIDE INTERVIEWS
THE PORT, CANETH
“Sailors,” Hal said, there were ten of them, “Now, I forgot to tell your captain that if there looks like there's any fighting on the quayside then that's another cause for the Royal Dragon to lose it's mast and rudder, and I'm sure that you don't want that on your consciences, do you? So, everyone be polite, answer truthfully, and you'll get shore-leave. Did you hear what her highness said concerning the conditions for shore-leave?”
They agreed they had.
“Any of you planning to commit a crime while you're here?”
“Is getting drunk a crime?”
“It depends what you do when you're drunk,” Esme said. “Chair smashing, for instance is only allowed if you pay for breakages or if it's to put an end to a far more serious crime. A bit of good-natured brawling between friends is acceptable as long as the worst the other guy gets is a few bruises and you stop as soon as the city watch tell you to. But again, you pay for damages, new for old.”
“And visiting the ladies?” One of the men asked.
“You've not been here before, have you?” Esme asked. “Payment for personal services such as enjoyable conversation or a massage is legal, but that is all you are paying for. Anything that goes beyond that is considered an act akin to buying a slave, or rape, depending. The penalty for both is severe.”
She turned to one midshipman, and said “Promising to marry and failing to turn up for the wedding is also a crime. Marriage to a legal resident grants you residency rights, you may apply for citizenship a year after your marriage or when your first child is born in wedlock. We do not extradite law-abiding residents, and failure to serve in a foreign military is not illegal here, but it might well get you in trouble elsewhere. As we were just discussing, there are no forms of slavery in Caneth or the Isles, that includes compulsory military service except, theoretically, in the most desperate times of war. Princess Yalisa might be able to tell you about laws regarding foreign wives on Tew naval vessels, or whether a foreign wife would be allowed to live there. Next question for you all, did anyone hear anything about prince Henk hiring mercenaries or kidnapping anyone before you pulled into the harbour?”
A chorus of 'no's followed, and Esme said “lying to me gets you confined to ship, does anyone want to change what they just said?”
“I heard we'd maybe be taking prince Henk's prisoner back with us, highness,”
“As rumour, order or overheard conversation?”
“Rumour, highness.”
“And did you hear who the prisoner was?”
“A princess, highness.”
“But no name?”
“Princess E, highness, that's all I heard.”
“And without naming names, what sort of source did you hear this rumour from?”
“Pardon?”
“A navy officer? a soldier? someone who works in the palace? Someone on board?”
“Someone on board, highness. He got it from someone at the palace.”
“Thank you. Last question, imagine that Tesk, the Isles and Caneth were all united in some kind of pact that meant their laws were roughly the same as now, and their system of government likewise, except there was some kind of emperor and empress, or grand high council over them all, one foreign policy, one military and so on. Would you want Tew to join it even if that meant a change of law that meant things like there were no more land-slaves or bond-slaves, would you want Tew to fight because it's too big and scary, or would you think 'nice for them, but I like things as they are, thanks'”
“You mean like, rebuild the Windward Empire?” one sailor asked.
“A modern version of it, acceptable to Tesk, even. Lots of differences. No sacrifices or slaves, more freedoms, much less centralised control.”
“Not asking much are you?” another asked.
“Just your immediate gut reaction.”
The sailor who'd mentioned the Windward Empire said “I want Tew in it, because if we're not in then we're going to be squashed underfoot by the invading hordes of Dahel, and you'd be able to starve us out if we opposed you.”
“Interesting thought,” Esme said, “Got your chit? Enjoy your time in Caneth.”
“I'd want us to attack. If we stop the alliance, we don't get squashed.” another sailor said, handing over his chit.
“Idiot, the only way to stop it is to kill the prince or the princess before they get married, which is certain to get us starved and sunk,” said a third.
“Maybe I'll ask a nice girl I know in port here what she thinks about getting married. I like the idea of no land-servants,” a fourth said.
“That's mutiny,” the third one retorted.
“No it isn't, that's just jumping ship before Tew gets starved or squashed. I'm pretty sure she's got some friends if anyone's interested,” the fourth said.
The midshipman Esme had addressed earlier said “I'd want Tew to join; my parents are land-slaves, joining the navy was my ticket out of that, but I've got a sister and a brother.”
“If you become an officer, your family become freeholders,” Yalisa said.
“With respect, highness, many lords do not agree, according to what I've heard, They interpret it to mean any wife and children, but not siblings, parents, or aunts, uncles and so on.”
“If you can find someone who was affected by that restricted misinterpretation, please ask them to contact me or a lawyer. The law has been clarified. It applies to all who were born to your parents, or born into your family household between your fifth and fifteenth birthdays or who lived there for more than five years at least one year of which was in that period. It further applies to your wife and children, any spouse of those who are freed because of being in your family and any children born to them. If any of them have wives or children, to them too. So if your grandmothers were living with you, your aunts and uncles will indeed be freed as well as your cousins.”
“The law is more generous than I thought, but my parents live in a small house, my grandparents lived on another farm. My parents wrote, my siblings have been told they will not be permitted to marry by our lord.”
“Because you serve in the navy?”
“Because I did not know I should have his permission to join,”
“Ah, and so he has classed you as a run-away?”
“Yes.”
“A run-away will be barred from becoming an officer, will he not, princess?” Hal asked.
“He will, yes.” Yalisa said.
“Even if the recruiters came straight to his house, and said nothing about needing the Lord's permission, and lots about becoming an officer, and were operating with the Lord's permission,” Esme said.
“That is true.”
“Foreign minister,” Esme said, “the protective citizenship we offer to spouses: is there a reason that it cannot be applied to other classes of people, or indeed any land-slave?”
“Other than international relations, you mean? At the moment it is just one or two per month, and Tew grumble and moan. There's also practicality. If there were queues of land-slaves at the embassy door, then they'd all be arrested as deserting their land.”
“I expect the princess-regent believes that a citizen of Caneth in good standing could apply for protective citizenship for his or her friends and family, minister,” Yalisa said, “and then be granted those documents based upon their testimony. They'd have to get the beneficiaries the paperwork and garments that don't shout 'wandering land-slave', of course, just like with spouses, which would be difficult if they were on a watch-list for jumping ship. I expect that a well informed sailor in such a position might make a claim of being unethically recruited because his lord or the lord's son likes the look of his sister, which would mean they can leave ship without further penalty. But as a princess of the crown, I couldn't possibly comment or give that sort of advice to a sailor in my father's navy.”
“Minister, I think princess Yalisa's hypothetical speculations are quite on target, but I'm personally convinced that a resident rather than a citizen should be able to make such a request, don't you think?”
“And so, in fact, it would not be the embassies issuing such documents, but our internal affairs ministry? I don't think I'd have any objection to that.”
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“Excellent,” Esme said. “Thank you for your hypothetical speculations, princess, if I may ask you to speculate a bit further, would you consider it appropriate for someone in the aforementioned situation who was hoping to marry a girl in a foreign port to invite his captain and other dignitaries who might be around to the wedding? And should the unethical recruiting complaint be issued before or after that invitation?”
“I think the unethical recruiting paperwork would need to be submitted first, perhaps before even asking the girl about marriage. Otherwise rumours might spread and the captain might not understand and retract permission for the shore leave. But certainly, once those papers have been submitted and the girl asked, that sort of invitation could be made.”
“Forgive my interrupting,” the Captain said, “Prince Hal has just apprised me to the nature of the delay. I wasn't aware of your family situation, Jenks. I'll file the unethical recruitment complaint myself. Go ask your girl.”
“Thank-you sir!” the midshipman said, and ran off.
“There will be no problem for him if he leaves ship, highness?”
“The law is quite clear: his marriage will grant him residency rights.”
“It seems that Caneth is happy to give a home to waifs and strays from all levels of society, captain,” Yalisa said. “Not just semi-exiled princesses sent to marry against their will and faith. You two sailors have not given your answers.”
“I think it's going to end badly, highness. I hope it won't but like Longface said, Dahel will probably come knocking.”
“How the emperor responds to events this side of the mountains depends on many things, Sailor.” Hayeel said. “But it is not honourable to fail to answer the princess's question.”
“I'd like Tew to move somewhere else, but we can't do that, so I say please let us stay out of it.”
“Thank you,” Esme said, signing his pass.
“I'd like us to join you, highness,” the sailor who had asked about girls said, getting a signature on his slip. “Seems like you're not such a scary bunch as some people would have us think. Princess, it's probably not my place to ask, but why were we at war with Caneth a decade ago?”
“Because Caneth didn't think Father's dream of the future was that great, and Father decided to try to force them into it. I'm not sure he actually asked them about it either.”
“He sort of asked,” Esme said. “It roughly went, 'I'm going to be your emperor one way or another. Do you want to fight about it?'”
The captain looked at the two princesses in surprise. “What of the great insult, highness?”
“The 'great insult', so called, was Caneth's reply to that, Captain. If Esmetherelda summarises Father's carefully worded insult as she has done, I hope she doesn't mind me saying that her Father's reply was 'You might like to check your maths and listen to your advisors when they tell you that you can't win,' and of course stopping the food exports, even those already on their way, and emptying all the barns along the border. That didn't make Father happy. Oh, and of course ambassador Hagberry delivered that reply while catching father in a four move checkmate.”
“Not the best timing,” Esme murmured.
“I think that he is quite proud of it, actually,” Hal said. “He told me that he'd only ever caught your father out that way once, and the timing was quite appropriate.”
“Hmm. No comment,” Esme said. “Captain, you wish to ask something. You are free to do so.”
“What did you ask the sailors?”
“I'll ask the next batch, feel free to listen in.”
And he did listen, and struggled to contain himself when she asked about the potential alliance.
“Captain, now you know what is being asked. Would you like to give your reply?”
“Tesk are in agreement?” the captain asked.
“Not yet. Nor are the Three Isles yet, either, of course. It's an idea. The Tesk ambassador sadly seems to have misunderstood some of the things I told him, and thinks I threatened to invade when I only said I'd make sure I had a body guard if I ever decided that I had to visit and Tesk had ignored my advice. But perhaps you should talk to him, Ambassador Hayeel, and update him on today's changes?”
“Yes, perhaps I should. I do not feel so scared and friendless as I did.”
“Will you need a referee?” Hal asked, noting her tone of voice had a touch of steel in it.
“A referee?”
“To help you to not get carried away and kick him too hard.”
“Don't be silly, Hal.” Esme said. “I'm sure that the honourable ambassador who represents her people so ably does not need help of that nature.”
“I will think on these matters of statecraft, highnesses. I certainly will not be approaching him this evening. I am more interested in the captain's response to the question, however, than I am in a formal duel with another ambassador.”
“I expect that the prince was suggesting an informal duel, rather than a formal one,” the captain said, “since they do not have formal duels on the Isles, as far as I understand. As to my answer to the princess's question... She and prince Hal present themselves as a friendly and reasonable people, unhappy with the empire building of my king, and I am sure they will be stern to punish and swift to forgive as their faith dictates. The king I grew up under was of a similar persuasion, but his son takes a more militant line. What guarantees would Tew have, or Tesk, even, that whoever comes after them would not introduce a new Windward empire and bind all in slavery once more?”
“Only those guarantees that the academy of Tesk can think of and write into the constitution, captain,” Hal said.
“My father, may he live a long time, in particular long enough to explain his thinking to everyone, including me, arranged with king Val that Hal be... encouraged to seriously seek my hand. He did this in a way that carefully hid from king Val, ambassador Hagberry or ambassador Raleph that I was Regent-in-Waiting. When I spoke to him earlier, captain, he was adamant that we marry quickly. This we intend to do. I also know that father intends to leave the crown to me, and that that has nothing to do with how Hal feels about me. I don't know what father had planned for the future, but as we understand things now, we will have the burden of two crowns upon our heads, which sounds like a complete pain for us and our children unless we can somehow unite them. I trust you'll forgive us for not having it all worked out, but my brother's only been under arrest for two days.”
“The storm delayed us three days, highness,” the captain said.
“I thank God for that storm, then.” Esme said. “I presume my future would have been as your unwilling passenger?”
“I had sealed orders that I have not read, highness. As they related to events that will not occur, they are now ashes.”
“Most careful of his majesty,” Hal said, but noticed the captain pulled a slight face. Yalisa also noticed it.
“Captain, I give you my personal commendation for your actions. I do not know if that will count for nothing or will eventually count for quite a lot, but independent action to prevent national embarrassment should be honoured, and if it ever comes to be within my authority, I intend to honour you for them publicly. If the Tesk academy does their work well, would you consider joining Esmetherelda's trade and security alliance to be a good thing?”
“I am not a young man, highness, that I yearn to prove myself, nor so old that I remember only past glories and forget the miseries of conflict. I have no desire for war. If, when I see your constitution and listen to you more, I think your aim is to impose your will on all nations, I would be concerned; I would not want to join and might fight. If your desire is to bring peace and happiness, I would recommend Tew stay out of it, because your project is doomed. If your plan is to obey your God and spread your religion, or to bring about the Last Kingdom, I would recommend we join soon, else we will surely have to join later or be crushed.”
“The Last Kingdom is a children's story, Captain.”
“No, highness. The prophecy concerning the Last Kingdom is a central plank of the thinking that brings the ambassador from Dahel here, is it not, Lady ambassador?”
“I must study my late husband's papers more, captain. He did not confide much to me directly, and I would not presume to guess the mind of the minister for foreign affairs.”
“Then, Lady ambassador, I suggest you read quickly, and pay attention to who has given the orders, and do not misunderstand your position, for how else can you fulfil your duties? With your permission, highnesses, I must return to my duties aboard.” He didn't wait for that permission, however, but gave a smart bow and left.
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LETTER TO HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCE OF DAHEL
Most noble highness, if you read this letter then justice has prevailed and I am dead. That justice is not untinged with mercy, in that I have had time to recognise the gravity of my sins and repent, I have also seen the selfless devotion of the beautiful woman you assigned me as wife. I apologise for the bluntness of this letter, and my rushed hand, but Hayeel is even now preparing another poultice for my wound. It helps, but the animal that attacked had poor dental hygiene, and I feel the signs of an infection that no poultice can heal. Hayeel, highness, was never mine. You were wrong there. How could I have her as wife, when it was her father who I unlawfully wounded and infected? I spoke to you, highness, of the sadness in her. I asked her, on our wedding night, what was her story. That is when I learned of her past, of her mother, treated by her foreign — Teskan — husband as free, but willed to him as a legacy and so trapped by the law as a slave forever until she died in the slave-pens. I learned this before our departure, most noble highness, and I hate myself that I did not tell you. I hate myself that I killed her father and caused such misery to her. I hate myself that I look on her with such longing. I hate myself that she thinks I detest her. I hate myself that I have not taken her as my own even once, and that our marriage remains unconsummated. I hate myself for keeping all these secrets from her, for I have been most secretive about this mission, and I hate myself that she thinks me noble. She is the noble one, highness. It is no act for her, as it was for my mother and sisters, who became ever so vindictive at home. I do not know if she is the one we came searching for. Is this gift something that can be acquired in later life? I do not know, but if that is possible, then perhaps I have crossed the continent with the one I searched for. I pray that you will forgive me my selfishness that I wanted her for myself. With that one missing aspect, she seems to fit the other criteria. What I believe, is that I die. What I know is that I now share her faith in the saviour, and that even though I killed her father, she has forgiven me. I pray that you and God will too, I did not tell you that either, did I, highness? It came as a surprise to me, she hid her forbidden faith well until we left the central zone. She has strength, my wife. May I still call her this? It is a comfort to me, as the fever returns, but she is timid of officialdom. I do now know if she will dare to open my letter chest without authorisation. But I have learned one thing about these people in Caneth: their foreign minister is a woman. Perhaps, then they will accept a woman as ambassador. So I have left my Hayeel, this kind and wonderful woman, instructions in the top of my letter chest, saying that if the authorities are willing to accept her as ambassador, she must accept, the rough parameters of our mission, and how she must report to you. There is a trade-war here, highness. Caneth blocks the trade they need from their usual allies, the Three Isles. I do not understand it. The Three Isles are accused of piracy, and Caneth's armies and navy watch that way. Meanwhile Tew seemed to my ignorant eyes to be preparing for a war. Is the Last Kingdom to come from some surprise move from Tew? My studies said that neither of these three kingdoms could successfully wage a war against one of the others, let alone two, yet still they bicker like brothers over the last slice of meat. Truly their politics are strange, these barbarians. But... the city is clean, there are no slaves, no prostitutes, no beggars. The people seem to have little visible respect for their monarch, I saw people leaning against the palace wall, even, but they seem to view his pronouncements as unerring. I asked about the trade war, while I still could move, and the reply was always 'it hurts, but the king knows best.' Even traders said this. Beautiful, graceful Hayeel calls she will be finished soon. The pain is great, but the officers have their instructions, and will entrust this letter to a sea-going merchant who has made the journey before. I beg you to look after my Hayeel, most noble highness, she is a treasure beyond price.