Chapter 2.4 TLOS: The Dowager Empress Abalina, Duchess of Tandras
Foto de Linda Gerbec en Unsplash
The Dowager Empress was in her chamber, before going to the private Audience Chamber that was now hers. Tall and lanky, the four pregnancies she had had had not changed her figure, although when she looked in the mirror she was aware of the passage of time. Yes, she had had children but she could not trust all of them, she thought while looking at herself in the mirror. Her children were weak (some more than others), she had known this since birth.
She looked at herself in the mirror again and understood that she had only a few days left until one of those events that she had been able to conceal from her entire family during those long years. She would have to seclude herself again but there were still a few days left before it happened and she had to attend to the Imperial Court in the company of her eldest son. It was better that they did not suspect anything of what she really was. She needed more time to reveal herself in all her splendor but that moment had not yet arrived. In the end, her family's dreams were going to come true. It was unfortunate that she had actually fallen in love with her husband which had delayed all her plans, but now the late Emperor could no longer interfere with her condition or her purpose in life.
There was a light knock at the door.
The door of the Chamber opened and her two morning maids appeared: women whom she herself chose from those already selected by her agents in Tandras. She had followed this procedure since she arrived in Bonardia on the occasion of her marriage to the Emperor. Those girls only did not accompany her in her periodic retreats: the rest of the days they were her shadow, going where she went.
The two of them knelt, putting their foreheads on the ground, as imperial protocol dictated; then they stood up and went towards her.
-Good morning, Your Highness.
-Good morning, Lárata and Táwara. Today I want the red dress with gold ribbons, the hair in a bun adorned with gold ribbons, the matching slippers and the necklace and the ruby earrings. For lunch and dinner, come back because I will give you new instructions.
They both nodded and busied themselves preparing the Empress properly for the day’s meetings. In less than half an hour, she was ready and both maids left the Chamber as they had entered.
At the door were already waiting her three ladies-in-waiting, who accompanied her throughout the day. The first was her cousin, Aliana of Káradas, who was petite and lively and still held her small barony on the Island of Tandras, within the duchy that the Empress had inherited. Then came the Illustrious Kálada of Sinarden, the wife of the Chief of the Council of Wise Men, a rather unattractive woman, but extraordinarily intelligent and lacking any kind of scruples when it came to securing her position. And finally, Tawlas, the Margrave of Irianada, a small territory in the easternmost part of the Empire’s territory. It was generally considered that Kalada was the most intelligent and Tawlas was the most beautiful of them all: she had been an exotic beauty in her time, with her jet-black hair in very flattering waves and her eyes as green as a ripe grape. Both Aliana and the Margravess were now widows, the former living with her children in the imperial complex, while the Margravess’s only son lived, since he had been knighted, in the margraviate.
«Good morning, Your Highness,» they said.
«Good morning, Aliana, Kalada and Tawlas. Chancellor Astano will be arriving shortly and I need to speak with you before he comes.»
«How are the preparations going for Prince Holingen’s wedding?» said Aliana, smiling.
– Everything is going well – she said proudly – although it still takes some time. We want everything to go very well.
– They will make a very good couple – said Tawlas, smiling flirtatiously.
– Yes, as soon as I met the Margrave of RocaStretta, the Illustrious Harioukku, I understood that he could be a very interesting collaborator for my plans. His daughter, the beautiful Dánira, meets all the requirements: there are people who say that she is innocent, although you already know that I think that she is actually a little bit stupid.
Kálada was not at all convinced that Dánira was as stupid as the Empress wanted to imply, but she did not want to contradict her either. However, instinctively, she raised her eyebrows, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the Empress, who asked her:
– Dear Kálada, do you think that she is not as stupid as I think?
Kálada looked at her calmly and replied.
– No, Your Highness. I think you are confusing wish with reality: you wish that she be stupid, and the reality is that I do not believe that she is as stupid as she seems. In fact, the times I have spoken with her, she has shown me she knows well what she can and cannot say and that she chooses her words carefully. Prudence is always a sign of deep intelligence and, therefore, it is better not to despise it.
A large woman with a large double chin, she rose resolutely from the seat where she had sat and went to stand beside one of the windows, through which, in that part of the glass that was almost transparent in colour, the courtyard could be seen.
«I understand,» said the Empress.
Kalada turned and looked at her. A feeling of heaviness was coming over her. Sometimes she was fed up with how many people wanted something to happen and insisted that it would happen, without examining the reality. Then if it didn’t happen, they always blamed people or issues that had nothing to do with the fact that they had refused to see the reality because it was different from their plans. Although she knew that it was not convenient to contradict the Empress, as much as she called herself her «friend», she needed to tell her in a way that she would not show her bad mood.
-No, Your Highness, I don’t think you understand me. The girl is very innocent: she is very young and has been very protected and guarded, something that your son surely likes.
-Yes, and me too.
Kálada looked at her, understanding more than the Empress would have liked.
-Think that she is only 17 years old and that her father is an intelligent man. Even though many of the nobility, including the Emperor, who is at peace with the One – she said while leaning forward with her hands together – did not want to admit him to the Court, he has even ended up being a member of the Council of the Wise. Today, no one can deny that he has a chance of becoming its president, as my husband has told me on repeated occasions, for which the marriage of his daughter may be very necessary. We also know that her father has built a lucrative commercial business that goes beyond the borders of the Empire. With that father, the girl will also be intelligent. She is even clever at hiding it: that way she is not perceived as a threat.
The Empress lowered her head and understood what Kalada meant but that only forced her to think of some way to subdue her future daughter-in-law. Despite her attempts, she now knew that Kalada had understood her extremely well and that was not good for her plans that should remain secret. They should be much more careful, from that moment on.
– Your Highness, if he is so clever as to have deceived you, I think it would be much more useful if you put that intelligence to your service. Danira has agreed on a significant dowry, as you know, something that certainly suits you. The problem is that Prince Holingen is going to have a very clever father-in-law…
The Empress thought that she should not be so open in front of that clever woman. But then, Aliana spoke up and added:
– Yes, Your Highness, it seems that he is in business with some country in the East, beyond Esmedriana. The Empire has become too small for him. He is ambitious, like Prince Holingen.
There was an awkward silence, as if they had all thought at the same time that this might not be the most convenient thing. That silence was interrupted by Tawlas who asked:
– Is there any news from Prince Erevin?
The Empress’s expression changed and, blinded by fury, she rose from her chair and went to the central stained glass window that represented the Empire’s animal, the tiger, crowned by the imperial crown.
-«No,» said the Empress, leaning on a part of the windowsill, as if she wanted to influence her son, squeezing the stone, one thing being as impossible as the other, «no, not yet. It has always been a problem, but I think they will locate it now and bring it to me so that it does not cause more problems.»
«It has been very difficult,» replied Tawlas, «always.»
Then, Aliana contradicted her.
– No, not always. It all happened when the boy was 12 years old. Many thought it was his adolescence. I seem to remember that he had been a very sweet and quiet boy before.
The Empress stared at her:
– Do you think otherwise?
Aliana made an elegant genuflection.
– No, Your Highness, I was simply pointing out the rumors about it. The truth is that Prince Holingen is a sweetheart, especially considering the difference with his brother. It is curious that Prince Erevin was always considered the best mix of Their Imperial Highnesses among the children since he was little.
The Empress remembered that: that boy had been a dream that turned into a terrible nightmare with many consequences that obviously those three ladies were not aware of. She thought she maybe had to talk, in the end, to Duke Guonlorth about Erevin, even though it wasn’t at all pleasant: the Being with the Silver Voice had that inhuman, metallic voice that aroused nothing but deep repulsion in her, but she couldn’t deny how effective he was.
Someone knocked on the door:
– Come in, shouted the Empress.
The two maids came back in. They once again followed the protocol and saluted when they finished with it.
– We came just in case you needed anything else.
The Empress smiled and said:
– No, my dear creatures. You can retire until lunchtime.
They left, again following the protocol.
Kálada, as always, gave her opinion:
– The age difference between them is noticeable: Lárata is not only thinner but anyone can see that she is still a child. But Táwara has improved a lot since she arrived: she is now an attractive woman. She will soon have to marry and she will not lack suitors.
The Empress laughed:
– Of course, at 22 years old, Táwara will have to marry soon. That is why I have asked that other possible maids be sent to me so that I can choose the one that best suits us in a few months and we will have to train her replacement. However, Lárata, who has just turned 18, can stay here, at my service, for a few more.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door:
– Come in.
A butler from the Imperial Palace entered and announced:
-Chamberlain Astano is already waiting for you in the Audience Hall, Your Imperial Highness.
Then he genuflected and left, without waiting for any order. The Empress stood up and the Ladies followed her.
They left the Chamber and walked through the corridors to the Empress’s Audience Hall, in perfect silence, enjoying the moment, the perfect synchrony of their movements and the reflections of the gold and precious stones that adorned the four women due to the play of light and the colors created when passing through the different stained glass windows. They had not spoken of Astano, thought the Empress, but she preferred not to mention that. «I have begun to detect a certain weariness in him, so he will have to be watched carefully. Let’s see who I can send to do that task«.
The guards opened the double-edged doors of the Audience Chamber for them, and the Empress walked to sat down on the elegant chair under a silk canopy on which the Empire’s coat of arms was intricately embroidered. The ladies sat on other stools on either side of the chair.
Then the door opened again and Chamberlain Astano entered, dressed in his finest clothes.
«Good morning, Chamberlain,» said the Empress, smiling. «What news do you bring me?»
NOTICE: I have updated the index. I only have to add the micro stories that I have been writing related to this second part.
The next chapter of The Legend of Sinardia will be about the prankster Spirit Awlin, who has to made a difficult decision…