image [https://i.imgur.com/CYfqSa9.png]
A dull and cloudy afternoon arrived as Azhane sat at her desk, flipping through multiple papers. She had unfortunately gotten incredibly behind on her Queenly duties and there seemed to be no end in sight.
After setting aside a few documents, Azhane happened upon a thick folder brandished with a crest of an intricately designed B next to the face of a lion. She opened it up and scanned the contents inside.
‘Hmm, is the Bridgeford Family wanting another budget rework? I could’ve sworn we just approved their previous request.’
Azhane sifted through the pages until she heard her door open. She looked up to see Solana walk inside, stretching and yawning as she approached her couch.
“What did you want, Sola? I’m busy right now.” Azhane asked with a slightly annoyed tone.
“Oh nothing, just wanted to see what you were up to. I’m taking a bit of a break from my latest novel. I don’t think my heart can take any more abuse.”
Solana gripped her chest with a saddened expression, remembering the somber direction her book decided to take. Azhane simply nodded at her reply and continued to read through her documents.
"Have you heard from Carmen lately? Sounded like your baby sis went through something serious at that school." Solana inquired, making herself comfortable on the couch.
"No, I haven't and yeah, Zalthia briefed me on the matter. LaVeda's always been a sketchy school, so I'm not surprised in the slightest that something went terribly wrong there. Even when I attended, something felt off about it."
"Hmm, interesting... Well, are you going to do anything? You seem rather uninterested."
"Hadn't planned on it. As long as Carmen is fine, I've got nothing else to do with it. Besides, I've got my hands full with our own national matters."
Azhane continued flipping through her many documents, scrunching her eyes as she tried her best to focus. Solana cocked her head to the side with great curiosity and decided to head over towards Azhane’s desk. She walked around and peeked over Azhane’s shoulder. After a brief gander, Solana scoffed at what she read.
“Oh my, the nerve of these people. They must really think you’re stupid.” She said with a slight snicker.
“What do you mean?”
“Look there at the 2nd clause. It says ‘We hereby request that we receive an additional 30% in funding for each province under our jurisdiction and that the amount received increases by 5% per quarter. This funding will be instrumental in helping us cover unforeseen expenses and maintain a comfortable lifestyle for our many citizens in Eastern Volaire.’ Seems like a bit much, don’t you think?” Solana asked, pointing directly at the excerpt she just read.
“Hm, you think so?”
Azhane took a moment to review the content once more, but couldn’t see the issue that Solana did.
“Think? I know so! Tell me, how many provinces are there in Volaire?” Solana asked as she took a seat on Azhane’s desk.
“There are eight in total. Two in the Eastern region, three in the southern region, and three in the north western region.”
“Okay, and if they’re to the East, that means those provinces share borders with The Siestro Kingdom, arguably the least hostile threat to this nation. Correct?”
Solana looked Azhane directly in the eyes and waited for confirmation.
“Yes, that would be a fair assessment.”
“Alright and how is wealth obtained in Volaire? What is your most valuable asset or industry?”
“Since we’re at the center of Resotera, we have the best and, in some cases, the only trade routes for other nations to use. We collect tariffs for every import and export that crosses through our borders, essentially driving significant and consistent revenue from every nation. We also are responsible for 30% of lumber exports in Resotera.” Azhane casually explained.
“And how is that wealth distributed throughout Volaire?”
“Well, after every trade, each region keeps 20% of the initial tax and sends the other 80% to us at the Capital. Then, after each quarter, the three regions receive another percentage of everything earned. That money is then put back into the provinces and distributed fairly to help maintain those territories. But, why are you asking me about this?” She wondered, not entirely following Solana’s train of thought.
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“Don’t worry, just try to keep up. Now, which region of Volaire sees the most trade traffic annually?” Solana asked with great interest.
“Umm, that would be the Eastern region. The high quality medicinal herbs and supplies from Siestro have been in high demand from just about every nation, especially The Olun Kingdom. Pound for pound, Siestro distributes the most content through our trade routes.”
“Alright, now let me ask you this. Does it make any sense at all for the Eastern region to get even more funding despite them being in the most favorable spot in Volaire? They’re in the safest location, drive the most profits from the eastern routes, and they have the smallest amount of territory to manage. If anything, they need the least amount of funding.”
Solana concluded, laying out her thoughts in the most plain way possible. Azhane took a moment to process everything as she looked down at the document in front of her, piecing together everything Solana had said. Seconds later, her eyes went wide once she realized that Solana was completely right.
“Instead of giving them this ‘additional funding’ from the Capital’s pockets, how about you just increase the percentage that region takes in from each initial tariff? If they’re keeping 20% per trade, increase that to 35% and slightly lower the amount they receive after each quarter. This would be a fair increase that will not only cover whatever ‘extra expenses’ they have in the short term, but would save you money in the long run.” Solana added with a determined nod.
“Yeah, that would be a much more balanced approach to this. I honestly didn’t even consider those factors until you mentioned them. Gosh, I still have so much to learn…”
Azhane sat back in her chair and sighed, wondering if she were responsible for any other potential screw ups.
“I mean sure, but I also blame whoever is in charge of your Eastern region. They’re clearly trying to play games here, because no one in their right mind would ask for such a ridiculous rework to their budget.” Solana said with an irritated tone.
“The Bridgeford’s have overseen that region for many years, way before I was even born. They do a fairly good job of maintaining those territories and honestly haven’t given me much reason to be concerned. I think they might just be getting a little too-”
Before Azhane could finish her reply, Solana held up her index finger and wagged it side to side.
“Nope, you’re sounding incredibly gullible right now. Rule no. 1 of being Queen is to always be skeptical. As someone that is in charge of an entire nation, you cannot afford to assume that everything and everyone has your best interest at heart. If something seems off or strange, nine times out of ten it’s because there is something strange or off about it.” Solana said as she got to her feet.
“I guarantee you they were laughing their ass off when they wrote that proposal, fully believing that their young and naive Queen would agree to it with very little question. It may not seem that way on the surface, but this document is teeming with unsavory amounts of disrespect.”
Azhane was taken aback by Solana’s fairly harsh statement. However, deep down, she knew that there was a lot of truth behind her wisdom.
“Hmm, I fear you might be right. Ever since our response to the Boundless invasion and having our secrets leaked by Briddle, I can definitely feel the lack of respect amongst those under my rule.” Azhane replied with a heavy sigh.
“Wait, what do you mean by ‘secrets leaked by Briddle’?” Solana asked, her expression growing more confused by the second.
“Remember when I said I killed all of the Boundless citizens last year? Well, I only did that because they had captured Carmen and threatened her life. In retaliation, Briddle sent a lengthy document to every nation that covered every little detail about Volaire. Information about me, the royal family, my subordinates, tax percentages, revenue, military strength, base locations, everything. Ever since that happened, it’s been quite the mess to clean up.”
Solana sighed and palmed her forehead in disbelief, having never heard of such a thing happening before.
“Oh Azhane, please tell me you’re joking.” She softly asked, hoping her story wasn’t true.
“Nope, not a joke at all and I don’t regret making that decision either. I would do it again in a heartbeat, my nation be damned.” Azhane replied with fiery determination.
Solana simply rolled her eyes and raised two fingers towards Azhane.
“Rule no.2 of being Queen! Never put your personal feelings above the security of your people and your nation. If whatever personal decision you’re going to make affects those that aren’t involved, don’t go through with that decision. Regardless of the situation, your own desires should never take precedent over the good of your people.”
Azhane clearly didn’t agree as she sat up in her chair, sending a red eyed glare towards Solana.
“If I didn’t act when I did, Resotera would have become overrun with Boundless and Carmen might not be here today. I did the world a favor by intervening.” She sharply replied.
“Did you really, though? Does anyone outside of your immediate circle even know that you ‘did the world a favor’? Because the way I see it is that you went out of your way to cause a problem that could’ve been avoided had you stayed put and formulated a better plan. Which brings me to rule no. 3, keep your emotions in check.”
Solana held up three fingers, staring back at Azhane without an ounce of fear. Azhane leaned back and crossed her arms, having no response to give at the moment. She remained silent as she processed her thoughts, frowning something fierce. Solana’s expression softened up and she let out a playful chuckle, finding Azhane’s pouting to be quite amusing.
“Alright, I’ve decided. I will teach you everything I know about ruling a nation.” She said with a smile. Azhane’s eyebrow furrowed with great confusion.
“Huh? You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fin-”
“Nope, I insist. I’m not about to let my best friend continue to be a laughing stock on this continent. Besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything else better to do.” Solana replied with a big stretch and yawn.
“Wait, best friend?”
Azhane was beyond confused at this point, but she didn’t hate what she was hearing.
“Yup! To be honest, you’re the only one in this castle I actually care about and I feel the closest connection with you, so yeah, you’re my best friend. Now, can you stop with the questions! We’ve got work to do!”
Solana reached out and grabbed Azhane’s hand, pulling her up and out of the chair. Her sharp toothed smile radiated as Azhane’s eyes stared with great surprise. In that moment, Azhane’s heart fluttered in a way that it hadn’t in quite some time.
Growing up, the many friends she had always seemed to be around because of her status as a Belouis royal or out of fear of her abilities. Solana, for some reason, shared none of those similarities and simply wanted friendship for the sake of friendship. The feeling was unlike anything Azhane had ever experienced.
Solana led Azhane to the couch before handing her a small notebook and pen. She remained standing and proceeded to impart all of her knowledge, not missing a single detail. The first lesson continued well into the night time hours and many more lessons occurred over the next few weeks.