TVisTV Book 4: Chapter 4 (RAW) (Patreon)

Chapter 4 - Curiosity

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

- Walt Disney.

The young girl had predicted this might be one of the demands, though she had judged it an unlikely one. Even so, the prospect was not entirely distasteful—provided she could seize some measure of control over it. Some of the Empire’s princes were, after all, quite pleasing to the eye. She had personally seen to that, back when her input had been sought for the game.

“I most certainly will not,” she snorted, defiance coming easily even as her thoughts raced to find some way to twist this to her advantage. “None of this was ever my fault. It was that hussy, Este Lize!”

“Are you going to cry about it?” her grandmother replied sternly. “Tears are for widows after the dying is done. You will, and you must marry well. You do not belong to yourself alone,” Adelaide replied smoothly, taking her seat and setting her secateurs upon a white-painted cast-iron table. “I have already begun the arrangements.”

Seraphina knew she had to show that this cost her something. If she yielded too easily, she would gain nothing from the negotiation. To her grandmother, she was not merely a granddaughter but the centerpiece of an ambition that spanned generations. If this succeeded, their family would eventually rule Aranthia with the Empire as its ally, controlling—or at the very least influencing—most of the known civilized world through inheritance and marriage. In time, Seraphina’s children might even make a claim for the Broken Jade Throne.

It was a terrifying play, and most importantly, it would mean that Seraphina would be queen.

“Este Lize was responsible for what happened in Meridian,” Seraphina protested, sounding petulant even to her own ears. “The incident with the Dragon was her fault. Surely that must count for something.”

“The Dragon? The Skylord?” Adelaide snapped, her composure slipping for a moment. “Have you no idea what people are saying, child? They claim the Dragon was turned aside by the Goddess’s blessing—or that the Goddess herself sent an angel to drive it off. Accusations rely as much on perception as they do on truth and evidence.”

“I will choose my own husband…” Seraphina began again, studying her grandmother closely and noting Adelaide’s utter stillness. “But I may be amenable to guidance from my elders. For the good of Aranthia.”

It was exactly the right thing to say, delivered with precisely the right degree of resistance. Far too deft, in truth, for a girl not yet sixteen.

“And, girl,” Adelaide said, “tell me, what is it that you want?”

“What I have always wanted—and what you have always wanted for me. To sit upon the Lion Throne as queen regnant,” Seraphina declared, summoning all the pride she possessed. It was more than a declaration. It was a promise.

Her grandmother laughed, loud and rough, a sound with no business coming from such a noblewoman. It belonged more naturally to a barmaid in a noisy tavern. But laugh she did.

“You do not ask for things by halves,” Adelaide said, a note of pride creeping into her voice. “But such things take time, especially our planned patriotic activities. Fortunately, time is precisely what you have. The Church’s Conclave has declared that it will wait until the Saint’s eighteenth birthday before wedding their living saint to the Crown. They say they must make her into the perfect queen and Mother of the Nation. So, you see, we have until then.”

Adelaide’s casual certainty struck Seraphina as far too convenient. She had planned this.

“And am I simply to twiddle my thumbs while we prepare?” Seraphina demanded, folding her arms. “To sit here cooped up in this castle?”

“I am glad you asked, girl. Since you are so intent on choosing your own husband, it is only sensible that you meet them face to face. You will go to the Hanging Palace as a potential imperial bride. You will learn their ways and become more like them than they are themselves. And in the process, you will save me the inconvenience of preparing for a possible siege by Elidion’s army.  Everything then will resolve itself quite nicely indeed.”

“But I can hardly go alone. You cannot send me into that pit of serpents all by myself!” Seraphina objected at once. “I will need escorts. Servants. A retinue suitable for my station. I cannot simply arrive like an uninvited beggar. And what about my schooling?”

“And that is why the de Laney girl will go with you. Her mother was of the Empire, and she will be a loyal hand to teach you their ways. She is only minor nobility. There will be no great loss to the Kingdom. And as for schooling, the tutors of the Imperial court are more than up to the task.”

“But what of her schooling? My schooling? You cannot simply uproot her from Meridian. I will not allow it. Desdemona will be more than enough.”

“Then, you will still need someone else,” Adelaide said smoothly with a wicked smile. “Which is why one of your maids, I am told, is coming to join us. She has made quite a name for herself. They say she has become one of the wealthiest women in the country. Perhaps she, too, will find herself an imperial husband.”

She laughed again as though this were all some grand game—which, in a way, Seraphina supposed it was.

What Seraphina disliked was how much of it had already been decided without her. Still, she was clever enough to know that her position in this negotiation was a weak one.

“So,” Adelaide continued, “you will go to the Imperial Court, and you will become the perfect lady of both this realm and theirs. You will be the bridge that forges a final peace between our nations. And when I am satisfied that bond is all but secured, and only then, I will commit my men to your cause.”

“You will, will you?”

“Yes, and by the blood that binds us, yes. Perhaps it is time a queen sat upon the throne. And, young Sera, being able to lean upon a husband is not a weakness. You cannot be strong at every moment. In times such as these, they can be a support,” she vowed, a long sadness entered her voice then, quiet but unmistakable.

“In times like these, they can lend you their sword—and all those sworn to them. Choose a powerful prince, Sera. Don’t marry only for love, nor only for power. Aim for both. If you choose wisely, you can have both. Think not just of who your husband is, but who he could become—and what you can forge him into. That was my mistake in my youth. I hope you don’t repeat it,” she finished, a shadow of regret lining her voice. “Believe it or not, I do wish you happiness.”

Oh, I’m sure you do, was the bitter thought that surged in Seraphina’s mind, but she restrained herself, masking her reaction.

Her grandmother’s gaze drifted toward the middle distance. “And your beauty—enjoy it while it lasts. In your case, I imagine it will last a long while. But the spring of youth comes but once. Be mindful of whom you share it with. Time, like beauty, is a coin you spend, and it is not infinite. You are not of the First Children of the tales, who measure life in centuries. Time, too, is a resource.”

Seraphina wished her grandmother would spare her these tired platitudes, but as a captive audience, she had no choice but to nod, pretending this was fresh wisdom.

“Now then, let us speak of lighter things. Let me speak to my granddaughter,” the Duchess said, the faintest crinkle at the corners of her eyes, though the steel beneath her warmth never faded.

***

[STATUS] Seraphina de Sariens - Noble/Oracle (Human lvl.27)

STR:

DEX:

CON:

INT:

WIS:

CHR:

LCK:

58

29

56

32

13

43

32 [37]

Health:

Stamina:

Mana:

Experience:

1147/1147

99/99

19/19

238/11447

[Skills & Proficiencies]

Improved Swords

(lvl.1)

Bows

(lvl.3)

Crossbows

(lvl.4)

Throwing Weapons

(lvl.2)

Dodge

(lvl.3)

Improved Critical Hit Mastery

(lvl.1)

Improved Riding

(lvl.4)

Monster Taming

(lvl.5) [Imp. lvl.2]

Herbalism

(lvl.2)

Daggers

(lvl.5)

Improved Unarmed

(lvl.1)

Improved Rest

(lvl.1)

Power Strike

(lvl.4)

Slings

(lvl.4)

Polearms

(lvl.3)

Medium Armor

(lvl.3)

Heavy Armor

(lvl.3)

Improved Blind Fighting

(lvl.1)

Stealth

(lvl.2)

Dash

(lvl.3)

Power Throw

(lvl.3)

Dual Wield

(lvl.3)

Club

(lvl.2)

Axes

(lvl.1)

Endure

(lvl.2)

Spiral Fury

(lvl.1)

Spells & Magic

Heal

(lvl.5) 5

Silent Casting

(lvl.3)

Wail of Judgment

(lvl.4) 10

Crystal Dagger

(lvl.5) 1

Mana Regeneration

(lv.5) [Imp. lvl.3]

Crystal Spear

(lvl.2) 2

Identify

(lvl.1) 1

[Gifts]

Strength of the Old Ones:

+25 Strength

Resilience of the Old Ones:

+25 Constitution

Legacy of the Dragon Turtle:

+1 Constitution, +1 Luck, +10% Water Resistance, +10% Physical Resistance

Undead Exorcist

+10% Dark Resistance,

Chance for all attacks to be imbued with Holy against Undead.

Well, it seemed her flight from Aran had not been entirely without merit, she mused as she bit into her breakfast. A few of her skills had improved, and her experience bar had crept a fraction closer to the next level. Most importantly, her base Mana Regeneration had increased.

Her Silent Casting skill, however, was nearing the limit of how many spells it could actively “contain.” She had felt the restrictions it imposed on her general casting speed during a few practice shots with her magic along the long road here. She would either need to invest in it at her next level-up or find some clever way around the problem. Fortunately, she already had an idea in mind.

Then there was Identify, of course—the result of her poor decision to choose Oracle. Rather than granting her some game-changing ability, that important class choice had saddled her with just a utility spell, albeit a rather rare one. A pity, really, since she had no particular interest in becoming an antiquarian.

Still, she had time before she would have to leave Carcaronne and make her way to the Empire. Such things, of course, required time—time for coded messages to fly on the wings of their feathered bearers. And Seraphina, wisely, had decided she would use that time well.

The next chapter of her life at the Imperial Court, she predicted, would not rely solely on raw physical prowess and her ability to reach deep into the well of her own private reserve of violence. At least not at first. No, it would demand a subtler and deadlier game. And in such games, one required subtle and deadly tools of one’s own. Things that operated outside the rules.

First, she would see to her defenses.

Cornelia, the stupid serpent, was still in a torpor. That, however, did not stop Seraphina from forcefully rousing her complaining familiar and milking her for venom. With her formidable Constitution attribute, Seraphina was fairly sure that most deadly poisons would have little effect on her, but it simply would not do to attend a formal ceremony only to find her stomach unsettled. That would be most trying. And one could never be entirely sure.

Seraphina knew all too well that Cornelia’s venom functioned as more than mere venom, having already seen what even a little of it could do to the local vermin and nearby plant life upon mere contact. In her estimation, her pet Hydra’s poison had grown even stronger and had developed a distinctly corrosive quality besides.

It still made for a rather stimulating addition to her morning Adelberry pie. A pity that Desdemona and Frest were both reluctant to imitate her, being decidedly less adventurous than Eloise.

Yes, Eloise.

Seraphina reminded herself, not for the first time, that she could not bring the girl with her to the Empire. Eloise was needed in Aranthia, where she was meant to enjoy what time remained to her at the Academy. Seraphina had promised her as much, and on that matter she would not break her word. That was settled. Despite Desdemona’s advice, she would not be moved.

Well, there was nothing for it. It was time to begin the day. Dismissing Miriam and her sister, Seraphina decided she would go hunting in the woods, where the more ferocious creatures roamed, and harvest them for experience. Yes, she thought to herself, that was exactly what she would do.

But as she went to gather an escort and discover where Sir Frest and Desdemona had got themselves to, she was overtaken by an overwhelming itch to know more about an interesting vase she had passed once in the hallway the other day.

Mildly annoyed, she made her way back to the spot, only to find the original vase missing. In its place stood another: a sea-green vase of such refined delicacy that it seemed to hold the morning light within its glazed body. Its neck rose in a graceful taper, long and elegant as the throat of a swan, before flaring slightly at the lip in a soft, petal-like curve. The porcelain itself was thin enough to suggest fragility, yet so perfectly fired that its surface gleamed with a hard, glassy luster. 

Beneath the glaze swam subtle variations of color—pale jade at the rim, deepening into richer shades of green lower down. Fine painted reeds and pale silver fish wound about its body in a pattern so restrained and precise that Seraphina immediately suspected Selasian hands. There was a very captive, liquid beauty to it. If her eyes did not deceive her, it was Selasian indeed. But the itch remained. She wanted certainty.

And there was, of course, only one way to obtain it.

Vase - [Porcelain]

Durability 3/3

She cast Identify, seeking to quench her curiosity. As predicted, there was a distinct lack of useful information. That only fueled her determination. The girl needed to level up the spell if she wanted to find out more.

So, Seraphina spent the greater part of the morning repeatedly casting Identify on every item she could find—paintings, rugs, people, suits of armor, even mundane fruit and simple trays of food. Once she had begun, she found she simply could not stop.

The initial stubbornness of each object, its refusal to yield up its secrets, only fed the fire of her curiosity. She simply had to know, and she would simply brute-force the world itself into answering her.

Eventually, when her Identify spell reached level three, the vase at last relinquished its secret—a fact she had, in truth, already guessed. 

Selasian Vase - [Selasian Porcelain]

Durability 3/3

Finally, she felt satisfied, and the repeated use of magic had not been without benefit. Her Intelligence attribute had actually increased. The morning had not, in her judgment, been entirely wasted.

It never occurred to her that she might simply ask one of the maids or servants about the history of the various antiques, furnishings, and works of art scattered throughout the keep.

It seemed that the morning trip to the woods had been completely forgotten.