[Imladris]

A knot of naseating sickness welled inside Arshalous as she heard the Princess whispered words, as she watched her flee their presence. She should have refused...the King would ask nothing but evil of her...what if she was corrupted as he had been? But she pushed the thought away....the princess did not know how she was bound by the King, how she had had no choice but to accept. After all, how could she be of use to anybody if she was dead or poor and an outcast? Maybe she should not have agreed to help him with his plots against Korak...but...she didn't have a choice. Nobody did when the king asked something of them, did they? She breathed quickly, wishing that the dark shadow had not fallen over Pashtia.

And then he asked her what she would like as a wedding gift...what could she say? Gold was crass as he had said, shallow and useless -- the toys of ladies who thought of nothing but of hair and jewels...she did not want gold -- she was not like them. She wanted love, but not his love. What could she ask that he could bestow? "This is what I want of you," she whispered softly, forcing herself to stare deep inside his eyes, "it is but a little thing, easily granted. Hidden in twilight shrowded rooms are scrolls that tell of the forming of this country and of this earth. Read them, my lord...glean their wisdom if they have some. What better way to be a king," she said, "than to learn from the deeds of other kings?"

She could not ask him to learn the lore of the elves for they were not welcome in his eyes anymore. But, maybe, he would read these and learn, and maybe he would realize that all was not well in his realm, and that he was not the king that he once was. She smiled at him then, as winning a smile that she could summon under the present conditions.

The king nodded, and said, "An easy gift it is, lady."

Bowing, Arshalous said, "I ask permission to leave, my lord. There is much to be done, and I still have not properly visited my aunt which is the only reason I come here."

The King nodded and, with a bow, Arshalous slipped from his presence. Oh, yes, there was much to be done...she must make contact with the Princess, let her know that she was not on the King's side, that she would not fall under his corruption. Corruption was a choice -- this she was sure -- and she would not make that choice...she would not fall. Still, she could not help but wonder that, before the Emissary had arrived, the King would have said the exact same things that she was telling herself now. She must not think of that...she must not. There was always a choice. Always.

When she reached the Lady Hababa's chambers, she found that she was sleeping and that a maid was in attendance. Smiling a little at her, she kneeled beside the bed and took her aunt's hand. She was afraid, so very afraid...She must help the Princess, yet she could not let the King know of it...yet how could she do that when he heard all, saw all...What if the King discovered her purposes?

Arshalous slapped herself, forcing herself to see reason. The king was not all powerful, he had no power to see into her mind, read her thoughts...the only thoughts that he could read were the ones that people allowed him to see, or those left carelessly about for the very clever and cunning to work out...

"Fetch me pen and paper," she told the maid. Dropping a short curtsey, the girl hastened to bring them. When she returned, Arshalous wrote this:

My lady,

I must say that the King's proposal today surprised me as much it surprised you...I have never fancied myself a queen...in fact I know that I will not make a good queen but the King thinks otherwise. He said that I was wise, imagine that! I who am so foolish, who was stuck in my world of legends and stories, oblivious to the going ons around me...I, who have only wished to see my cousin brought low before my feet...it is such foolishness...

But I suppose that he sees that I have changed, that I don't care about that any more, that I don't care for gold or for petty court intrigues, or for power. As a noble, I must be concerned with the good of Pashtia -- if that means becoming queen then so be it...I will do my utmost to help...it will be my honour.

I am afraid though that I do not have the courage to be a queen....for a queen cannot hide when there are troubles, when whispering connivers seek to force the the realm astray for their own benefits...And if the realm was lost to evil doers, I would hope that I would have the strength and courage to fight against them...

Arshalous


The lady dropped the pen, and read the letter again. It was vague, perhaps too much so...but the Princess was a smart girl -- surely she would see the subtle hint that Arshalous was not going to let the realm be overrun with evil without a fight, even though the King had crushed the first step.

Arshalous frowned, wishing that she was better at the art of subtlety and deception...but this would have to do.

Sealing the letter, she noticed that her aunt stirred a little. "I will return shortly, my lady aunt," Arshalous whispered in her ear. Hastening down the corridor, deep in thought about what was to come, trying to keep the fear and dread at bay, she almost collided head long with Morashk.

The little weasel! What was he doing here? Arshalous narrowed her eyes at him, wishing that she had not run into him. Despite her claims in the letter, Arshalous did still care about taunting and angering her cousin though it was no longer a top priority. In fact, she often wondered who she disliked the most: Korak for having Morashk poison his words for him or Morashk for serving Korak so faithfully in the first place. And, oh did Morashk have a vile tongue inside that head of his. The thought flickered through Arshalous' head that, if Korak were smarter, he would ask Morashk for his opinion more often instead of keeping him as a convenient champion when he was unable to fight his own battles...

He seemed distracted, but so was she. She must speak to Hababa, especially since they might have a chance to speak privately with Korak off somewhere and the Princess off on her own as well. "Morashk! I need you to give this letter to the Princess when she returns." She held the letter out to him, hoping that he would realize that he was a servant after all...she did not wish to take the time to play any games he might have in mind.