6.5 The Queen’s Gambit

Part VI: The Great Escape
Chapter 5: The Queen’s Gambit
Timeline AO 295

Gawain is gone. At first Hecla did not believe it when her informants told her as much, but there could be no denying that fact now. Not after today’s emergency council meeting in which Monty Redstone reported on the situation. Her father was conspicuously absent from said meeting, but that didn’t surprise Hecla. The old goat couldn’t take the embarrassment so he pawned the proceedings off on his fat friend. 

This is going to be a nightmare. Hecla sighed, leaning forward in her bath to allow Jakki to scrub her back — the young handmaid was sitting behind the princess in the bath yet the tub was large enough to accommodate a couple more people had Hecla so desired. Jakki is enough. She’s a good servant — quiet and attentive.

The opulent bath chamber was a haven of warmth and luxury, its marble walls adorned with intricate carvings that depicted ancient myths and legends. Flickering candlelight cast a golden glow, reflecting off the surface of the water and creating a dance of shadows that seemed almost alive. The scent of lavender and chamomile filled the air, a soothing balm to Hecla’s troubled mind. The bath itself was a testament to wealth and power, large enough to accommodate several people comfortably, though today it was just Hecla and her handmaid Jakki. The princess reclined in the sudsy water, the bubbles caressing her skin as she tried to find solace from the day’s turbulent events.

Maybe Belgrath will play a song for me later? Even as she thought it, Hecla knew that wasn’t going to happen – for the rumor was that Belgrath had already left the palace. Not wanting to belive it, Hecla sank deeper into the bath, feeling the warm water envelop her like a protective cocoon. The heat seeped into her muscles, easing the tension that had built up during the day. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on the water’s surface, disrupting the silky bubbles that floated like delicate clouds. The bubbles glided smoothly over her skin, their touch light and ephemeral, adding to the sensory pleasure of the moment. The faint aroma of lavender and chamomile wafted through the air, mingling with the subtle scent of rose petals that floated in the water, creating a fragrant symphony that calmed her senses.

Jakki’s hands moved with practiced ease, her touch soft and almost reverent as she scrubbed Hecla’s back. The young handmaid’s fingers were gentle but firm, massaging away the knots of stress that had accumulated. Hecla could feel the contrast between Jakki’s warm, tender touch and the coolness of the marble tub against her skin. She knew Jakki would pleasure her if she so desired it, but she wasn’t interested in that right now.

As the minutes passed, the water began to lose its initial warmth, a slight chill creeping in and causing Hecla to shiver involuntarily. The cooling water mirrored the cold reality that awaited her outside this sanctuary, a stark reminder of the political machinations and personal betrayals she would soon face. Despite the external comfort of the bath, Hecla’s mind remained restless, the internal turmoil breaking through the surface like ripples on a still pond. Although she didn’t want to think about the implications of what Baldur losing Gawain may mean for her personally, she knew it wasn’t good. Something tells me I’ll find out soon enough — whether I want to or not.

As Hecla soaked in the bath, the tension within her grew. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the emergency council meeting and the ramifications of Gawain’s disappearance. Despite the council’s lengthy discussion — which included only sparse details from Monty about the situation — Hecla still didn’t know why Gawain had left. Yet one thing was certain: all agreed that the Derkka princess must be stopped before she could return to her family’s home in Babel.

That much is true — for if Gawain returns in distress and claims that she was abused by Baldur, the Derkka will most certainly use that as an excuse for war against us. It’s all rather ironic, eh? Hacktor may get his war after all – and with Baldur as the cause! Hecla knew it was dark humor to be sure, yet whatever the cause of the foreign woman’s distress, the fact was that she had fled, and even now Gawain was racing back to Babel via the Drokka Byways with her maids and eunuch guards.

But it’s barely been a day, surely she’s still underground. Most importantly she’s got at least another day till she reaches The Siq. Hecla knew that last point was the linchpin to the council’s plans.

Unfortunately for the king this plan was flawed. After advising the council of Baldur’s wishes, Monty Redstone then went on to explain why the Kon-Herr’s plan wouldn’t work. The fat financial baron warned against using the national emergency system just to stop a runaway, since such an event would spook the merchants and cause them to raise their prices due to the perceived uncertainty in the market — unexpectedly higher prices would then cause the people to panic and that in turn would cause further instability in the kingdom.

[“Perceived” Uncertainty – I love how the businessmen who control the markets blame the uninformed public when price panics start — yet it’s the supposedly ‘in-the-know’ businessmen who not only control those prices but who also control the media information that leads to the public’s perceptions in the first place! These real market movers know exactly what’s happening before it happens – and ultimately they get rich either way. The story has never changed for as long as I’ve observed your kind. As for Monty, if he had enough time to put plans in place to profit from the uncertainty, trust me he’d have recommended differently].

It was hard to argue that Monty was right. Hecla recalled as she stretched her arms and ran them through the warm bath water. Then she giggled as she thought about the paymaster’s initial suggestion — Monty’s first proposal was to just buy Gawain off and send her away to Mersia! After all, what girl would not want to live a life of luxury in Daytaxia — the most famous city in the world? Yet Hecla knew her father would never support that plan — for she knew her father was dead set on not only stopping Gawain from going back home, but more importantly on keeping her with him.

As could be expected, the prince’s idea was quickly shot down – with even Hacktor’s suppossed ally Malchior voting against him – under the watchful eye of Lord Aric. Yet I still think Hacktor will have the last laugh on all of them. 

In the end, it was Hecla herself who played the winning hand. Although now I wonder why I opened my mouth in the first place? Her idea was simple — they would indeed have The Siq’s gates closed — although not because of any national emergency, instead they would simply say it was because of ‘unexpected, but necessary, maintenance.’ With Gawain detained, Hecla would then lead a secret team to retrieve the Derkka princess and bring her back to the palace — willingly or not.

Lord Aric nodded and the council quickly agreed.

And now I have to leave upon the morrow. Oh joy. Hecla sighed, “Dearest Jakki, why must life be so complicated?” And the princess reached a hand behind her to touch her maid’s soft fingers that were massaging her shoulders.

“I wish I knew, Princess. Perhaps we should say a prayer to the gods?” Jakki replied gently.

“Ha, I doubt they would even listen.”

“Hush, Princess, you mustn’t say such things. What if they should hear you?”

Hecla turned around to look at her doe-eyed servant. Jakki had seen only twelve winters and was obviously still naive to the ways of the world, yet Hecla valued her friendship nonetheless. Like so many of the servants in the palace, she had no idea what peasant family had offered Jakki up, but she’d tried to remind herself many times over to find out so she could personally thank them. Although raven-haired Jakki was naught but a common peasant, Hecla found her beautiful, and often sat with her for hours at the looking glass table — painting Jakki’s face, setting her hair just so, and the like.

“Jakki, do you really believe there is a god?” Hecla asked.

The maiden’s face was aghast and she put a hand protectively over Hecla’s lips. “Gods. You mean gods, my future queen. Please don’t tempt them to curse you, lest they just might. Mother Kalyzpo. Father Rhokki, the great He Who Has No Name, Mezmer–”

“I know their names as well as you, my sweet, I just don’t think they exist.”

“But how can you say that?”

“I could just as easily ask why you do believe in them? After all, don’t you ever wonder why the gods are so fickle?” And before the maid could answer, the princess spoke on — perhaps talking more to herself than the girl. “If they exist, why don’t they ever answer? Surely they could do whatever any of us ask… if they wanted to? After all they are gods, right? Yet if they are so powerful, why do they have to use us as pawns? Why do they allow us to suffer if they love us so much? Is it necessary that we mutilate each other in war? That thousands die when the earth quakes or there isn’t enough food? That so many are slaves while a chosen few enjoy the spoils? For that matter, why must we even die at all? Can’t the gods use their power to stop death? Tell me, why does one man stab another on a dark road? Why does a baby die in its mother’s arms? Why does a father ra–” Yet here Hecla fell silent and laid her head upon Jakki’s shoulder.

[As I said before Hecla was supremely perceptive. Although most of you fools didn’t understand the game I was running on your people, Hecla had enough sense to peek behind the curtain and wasn’t afraid to ask some tough questions. Oh I didn’t intend to give her any answers, mind you, but I always found it amusing when a mortal like Hecla started making inquiries like this – so few of you ever did].

As Hecla sighed again, the maid was silent for a time, running her fingers gently through the princess’s wavy brown locks. At last Jakki responded, her voice barely above a whisper, “Not all the gods are… good.”

The princess opened her eyes at that, yet kept her head upon the girl’s shoulder. It feels too good to move. Why can’t we just stay here forever?

It wasn’t that what Jakki said was news to Hecla; obviously the princess knew more about the Drokka religion than her servant girl and that there was a pantheon of gods on both sides. Yes, Hecla well knew the names of the supposed ‘evil’ gods. And she also knew that there were some men who worshiped these ‘evil’ deities as gods of goodness, while portraying the Drokka’s chosen ones as the purveyors of evil deeds. 

[For those of you keeping track – in the Drokka religion, these were the supposed ‘evil’ gods: Baal (my alter ego), Zar (aka Gwar aka Samyaza), Shedu Mazai (their name for me!), and Hekubuz (aka Inanna). According to The Kroniklz these were our rumored powers — Hekubuz was the goddess of lust, Zar the god of war, and myself as Shedu Mazai was their bringer of death, while (my) Baal (supposedly) ruled over all of the evil godlings from Ragnarok (the underworld that was below Kawkawzuz)].

It’s all in your perspective. Hecla smiled, before asking Jakki gently, “Whether a man or a god, what makes someone good? Is it the deeds they do, the promises they make, nay the promises they keep? Or is it something else?”

The girl was at a loss, “My princess, they are the gods.” As if that simple statement explained it all. “Who are we to question them?” 

[I adored Jakki for her blind faith – the world needs more of her kind].

The slave girl’s last statement hit a nerve for Hecla, “The immortals need our praise in order to even be gods, so whether I be a princess or a slave, if a god wants MY praise then I have the right to question them all I want. I’ll grant you that there are gods that delight in evil things — although I sometimes wonder whether ALL the gods enjoy evil. But, let’s just talk about the gods we Drokka worship — the ones we call ‘good.’ Why does Rhokki want us to destroy other men? Mirkir and his priests tell us that war is holy. They make so many rules that we must follow if we are to worship the gods correctly. They imprison us with their religion — putting themselves between us and the gods and claiming that only they can speak with the immortals — driving a wedge between us, always forcing us to follow their decrees. And yet, I ask you, why? If it’s so basic to the fabric of life to love our gods, why must it be so hard? Why do we need so many rules? How can the gods allow this? Do they even care?” 

[I told you Hecla was smart. Unfortunately for her, she was too smart for her own good – this kind of knowledge is what eventually led to her doom].

As for Jakki, she didn’t answer Hecla this time, leaving the two women to sit in the bath and ponder individually.But by now the water was turning cold — much like Hecla’s heart. Gods or no, it’s time for me to act.