(Part 1)

Unbeknownst to Mira and her allies at court, Ilyas had--after strenuous efforts, and with Yasnar's tacit knowledge and approval--had managed to make several approaches to Aldeer, in order to sound the latter off against Razin, back when the Razin-Mirani alliance had loomed so large. Yasnar had hoped to detach that 'pair of malcontents'--in his own words--and deal with each in detail.

In this, the 'Copper-counter' had been moderately successful... though the vazir's untimely passing had floored him about as much as everyone else. In sheer grief he had not paid real attention to the servant Aska's later moves, nor come to know of Zaeed's fate.

When news of Mardan's 'defection' reached his attention, therefore, Ilyas was naturally less than happy.

"What was that all about?" he whispered fiercely during a meeting with the 'defector' in an unspecified location. "That witch seems to have grown bolder with her only true nemesis now out of the way, granted... but to think she'd be able to sway even you, Mardan! You, upon whom the late vazir had placed such great trust! Zaeed won't like this one bit, hear me?"

"Zaeed is, I'm afraid, no longer in this world... which is why I have been trying to seek you out."

"What..!" Ilyas, stung by fury, left his seat. "Brazen wretch! Not only did she engineer the vazir's demise, but Zaeed's as well?!"

Mardan rose with him, considerably calmer.

"Dear sir," he said, "pray do not misplace your senses in such uncertain times! This is the queen herself you're seeking to accuse; you must be doubly certain, else it would be better to not press the matter should you wish to still keep that neck. Rather, I have come to know, from the late vazir himself, that Queen Mirani had had a fallout with a certain Razin in place of a reconciliation with Princess Azalea... then the vazir himself died, and our trusted comrade Zaeed not very long after."

Ilyas, still flushed, nevertheless began rubbing his own chin in thought. "Well, we know that scum Razin to be that charlatan's prime lapdog. That fallout might well have been a ruse, for the mastermind to somehow escape the blame. She knew darn-well that her own days would've been as good as numbered, should the Amir come to sniff that fat ploy."

"I beg to differ, sir. The queen is a mother first, and for a mother to make amends with her daughter is only natural. Princess Azalea, however, and as we know all too well, would not have settled with half-measures; it might have been demanded that, if the queen were in earnest about her self-reform, she must first divest herself of all malicious influences. This the queen had seen to, leaving Razin strung up high and dry. Where do you suppose that'd have led to?"

"In which case," Ilyas joined in, following a brief silence, "Razin would no longer be acting at the queen's behest, but rather on his own accord... and for no baser motive than sick vengeance." The Copper-counter shrugged. "Such people will have their due, and heck, it might not be very gentle. That single instance aside, Mard, do look at the bigger picture!"

"How do you mean, sir?"

"You say you're willing to serve her now when the goal happens to match yours; but you can believe me when I say, there will be times when that will not be the case. What will you do then, break faith? Knowing Mirani... oh, no, that might not end too well for either of us--especially since you've neglected to ask her for any mark of good faith, blinded as you were by the fishy prospect of that scum Razin being out of the way, this time for good! Oh, such a wily figure, this queen of ours... and to think you were just going to fall for it headlong!"

Mardan paused, acknowledging his interlocutor's point. "What would you have me do, then?"

Ilyas adjusted his seat. "It's me that witch's currently after; and as far as Mirani is concerned, you are but a chip--quite expendable either case. I say, humor that and let me have an audience with her in person, the better to gauge what's really on that fertile mind of hers and thereafter find out just what price she'd settle for, that she might then aid in guiding the realm back on the proper course again. Fair enough? Good evening."

On such a notion, Mardan's first attempt at persuading the 'Copper-counter' was concluded.

***

Points of this first talk got to Mama Viper's attention shortly after that day's dinner, owing in no small part to the 'new loyalist' Aska; and this revelation left her brooding.

"Clever," she conceded, touching the base of her own nose with a thumb; her children on either side of her. "Little wonder Yasnar allowed him to remain in observance of financial matters for this long. Heck, that Ilyas had even had the prescience to sniff out the very sort of role I had in mind for Mard... Not to mention, this will be one of those rare times for me--me, this mental web-weaver!--to be talked off of anything!"

"Sucks to be you," the daughter quipped, snickering. "What ya gonna do, break him?"

"No-go, lass. Ilyas is among the last to be selected personally by my erstwhile mental opponent; can't very well turn him down now, can I? Not without havin' to tell everyone else what this might be about. 'Sides, this might well be the answer to my long-cherished dream of seein' eye to eye with Yasnar... or part of his legacy, no matter."

"Can I go watch?"

Mira smiled as she turned to regard her only daughter. "Thought you were just gettin' smitten by that Lancer. What's to become of that, eh?"

Zal pouted. "Freakin'-Pighead won't let me pick instructors for it anytime soon anyway."

"Do listen to her, Sis," Dastra chimed in, giggling. "Might be she's aware that ya suck at riding."

"Come again, ya little prick?"

"Just sayin'. Ya beat her in swordplay, sure, and in that kinda game, a touch of ferocity does pass... but for horses, ya'd need extra patience. Big Sis Lei knows ya don't have that, quite yet. Not by a long shot, if I got any say."

This princess flushed, pointing at her true sibling. "Walk the talk, runt! Ya're a man; get yaself a steed, ride the heck out 'round the yard!"

"Oh, Mom, please do let her know it ain't time yet~"

Mirani nodded silently with a meaningful side-glance, and Zal did nothing worse than a "Darn you!"

"Now, now," Mama Viper mediated, putting a hand on each kid's head. "Zal, you may 'go watch'. Das--that's no way o' talking to yer sister. Own up. Love ya both."

"Ya heard her, Big Sis~ We good now?"

Zal huffed despite herself. "Just... Train well."

***

That day the Amir saw fit to grace Vestra's chamber, and therein the royal pair (both already in their respective night-dresses) were presently discussing results of the 'pick-a-vazir' game to date.

"Five names so far," Urdin confided. "Given this is the highest position that could be offered, the number of candidates in itself is only to be expected; but it may come to pass as Mira had pointed out, and I'd have to handle the talks with those northern envoys myself."

"Wonder how they'd look like," Vestra, still seated in bed, joined. "For a part of them to have been doing their part in escorting our firstborn... What's he to them, anyway?"

"Mu's currently ill," the father reminded. "I believe any sort of faith would have some room in its teachings for the indisposed. Heck, it could even be that the Dragoness is simply being courteous to the son of a fellow ruler, so why the panic?"

"I know! It's not like I'm against that kind of idea that much nowadays, see, thanks to Lista... but if one were to just sit back and ponder on how Mu, his youth notwithstanding, is able to inspire those people to such an extent, that's just--dazzling. Anyway, who are these five lucky ones?"

"Well, there is Tariq, currently a vice-overseer in Mers, has been for some ten years; then there is Ebrahim, an aspiring logistics officer for the garrison in Ardis; and Hassan, a courtier here in Elbar. The other two, I haven't had the time to consider very thoroughly."

Vestra narrowed her eyes. "What's that logistics guy even doing in the list? Officers are supposed to be apolitical!"

"One major reason against his actual appointment," her husband reasoned, "but his name is on the list when few others of his caliber would have dared apply, and I did hint in the announcements that the position is open to 'individuals with the necessary competencies'; how could I not have given it some thought? Heck, I was from the ranks myself, and here I am!"

This consort facepalmed, shaking her head. "For crying out loud, Urdin..."

"So many things to ponder on when you're in charge of pretty much everything." The Amir yawned, covering his mouth, and lied down, his back to her. "Competency's all that matters, all said; why I let Yasnar 'round for as long as he lasted, may Allah Reward him well. Get some rest already, dear~"

(Part 2)

The following day, after the morning repast, Mama Viper sent for Aska and expressed willingness to grant Ilyas an audience, with the condition that Zalea too be allowed to take part; to which Ilyas agreed.

"Got some nerve, this one," the princess observed as they waited for their visitor. "Ordinarily, mention of our names alone would be sufficient for any peon to have second thoughts..."

"They are gettin' used to it, dear; might as well be. Mustafa, for one, would hardly have moved a muscle at the sight of one of yer tantrums--if anything, you would be the one being compelled to go along with his way of seein' things. Why do ya suppose that is the case, hmm?"

"I'd say... 'cause Mu's that good of a talker. He's been through way rougher waters than mine."

"So has Ilyas, it would seem; entering the big leagues here if ya ask me. That said, we might have to readjust how to approach things from here on; we can no longer go 'round flaunting our sense of authority, relying on that to have those small fries do our bidding. We have to be... subtler, methinks. Less explosive."

The daughter narrowed her eyes. "Lowerin' my standards to match those of Pighead Lei's, ya mean? Will that work?"

"Heck, she ain't without merits! Think of it: Lei might not have solved problems as directly as ya so often did... but far as I've observed, many of the results were brighter, the people involved happier. Hope we can pull off at least that much with our soon-to-be visitor; otherwise, so help me, we'd have another serving o' lies goin' on. Too much o' that in the long run ain't gonna prove very gentle with one's health, y'know?"

Azalea, usually so ready with biting remarks, quieted down in stunned silence for once; she even had a look of slight concern.

"Alright now, Mom, freakin'-get it together! For ya to be uttering such tepid words like those... Almost sounds like a different person, know that? Wouldn't have believed 'em one bit had I not been given this kinda chance; and because I had, I shall now correct it!"

"Look, lass, just..." Mirani half-raised her hand as if to slap, but after some effort ended up caressing her only daughter's cheek. "Ya wished to 'go watch', right? Now, if you're able, clam up and please do just that: sit there, listen well, and freakin-draw yer own lessons. Talk later."

This princess smiled sweetly. "Aye! Now that's more like it!"

***

Ilyas made his appearance and obeisance some ten minutes later, by which time the hostess was just a little more predisposed for the upcoming discussion.

Some ten paces from the prepared seats, the visitor dipped his head in greeting.

"Peace be to you, my queen... Ah, I see the princess is in attendance too."

"Fancy seein' ya," the princess chimed in.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ilyas," Mira rejoined. "Do have a seat."

The visitor obliged. "With due respect... you know why I'm here, my queen."

"Does that mean I still cannot persuade you otherwise?"

Ilyas smiled. "Now, that... is what I hoped we might make adjustments to. With Yasnar taken from us, many have come to regard you as the one with sufficient mettle to carry on his legacy. At the same time, your past attempts at undermining our Amir's legacy did come to light for me. That was why the late vazir had undertaken to stand in your way, enlisting aid from individuals such as myself..."

"What's this now?" Mama Viper smirked. "You're all too willing to give credit to his accomplishments, if they could even be called that, while bringing my faults to light with gusto... but shirk from doing the same with his shortcomings? Well, I'll tell ya now: Yasnar was a traitor to his ruler and realm, and it's only through him that Urdin had managed to get about as far as he did--at the expense of my homeland--all these years! Now Yasnar's gone; where do ya suppose that'll leave the Amir? Hmm?"

"As to my erstwhile ill-mannered agendas," she continued, "sure, I wouldn't deny having tried to concoct them... to little avail, as it developed. 'Sides, let's just say I too had had my moments of realization, as in, I've become very much reconciled with my homeland's invader. Heck, I--the very last survivor of my line--had became his spouse for the world to see, and ya can also witness the first fruit right here... such as it is. With Yasnar gone, I'd naturally have to readjust my aims from seeking to undermine the Amir's rule to helping to preserve it, because... darn you, this is still my homeland and--presently--that of my children. All said, detractors are abound, and it would seem I'd need to steel myself yet again in order to hand 'em their fair share. Which side are you on in such an endeavor, Ilyas?"

The silence was allowed to stretch, during which Azalea nodded to herself in subtle satisfaction. At no point in this talk did Mirani raise her voice, yet the necessary points could still be delivered seamlessly enough...

Seems Mom ain't lyin' about 'reforming ourselves', she thought. 'Take yer lessons', she had said... and this has to be one of 'em!

"And who, my queen, will be the first of such detractors, do you think?" the visitor spoke up at length.

Zalea looked again at her mother's expression... and soon wished she hadn't.

"Razin," came the reply, stoic in tone but of the sort that screamed for retribution with every letter. "He's tampered, so far, with the lives of Yasnar and Zaeed--one of yer other colleagues, I take it? A mere peon doing his duty to the last, deserves way more value than a downright wretch donning a courtier's robes; wouldn't you say?"

Ilyas rose. "I would, my queen... but you'll have to pardon me if--in spite of your reasoning, much as I've come to understand and appreciate it--I still feel this meeting had not quite reached the point. Were you not seeking to have me in your service? I am refusing it... and you're acting as if you're fine with it? Forgive my being blunt: this does not sound like the queen I've come to know at all! Where is the force?"

"Force?" Mama Viper smiled. "You would actually dare me to play that ace again, is that it? Careful what ya wish for, Ilyas. I could have had a pair of guards strong enough to pin ya down and threatened to have that pigsty ya call 'home' torn down brick by brick, its residents put to the dagger before yer very eyes 'til ya consent to my offer--your sweet last glimpse, incidentally, 'fore I had those same eyes put out should you still prove bothersome... And yet, would that be any way to treat one of Yasnar's last errand boys? Heck, I may be out for Razin's blood, sure; but to accomplish this, I'd need people who would join my cause as willingly as he had deserted it... or I'd be no better than him. Are you such a man, sir?"

"My queen, you are seeking volunteers for a murder! Why would anyone in their right mind nod to that?!"

"For the greater good," came Mira's astonishingly-calm reply. "Left alone, Razin's caused the demise of him whom we both respected and whose very position we thought to be unassailable. How many more innocent lives would ya let him slip away with 'fore you'd finally act against such a menace, hmm? With luck, yours might well be in his list next: last o' the Yasnarites, whatnot. Never say you weren't warned~"

"Such frankness..!"

"Yes, Ilyas, I know." Mama Viper left her seat and walked past him. "You're a copper-counter, not a veteran spy. Regularity is your thing... yet now we have the irksome situation of havin' a hostile veteran spy in our midst; ya may believe me when I say that you're that much safer with us here than out there. Wanna leave? There's the door--we'll see how well yer morality should stand against a quick slash 'cross the back of that comely neck."

"And how will I be that much safer in your employ, Your Majesty? Razin might still gut me, this time with far better justification!"

"All the more reason to put that scum's tricks to rest," Zalea put in. "Soon. Together."

Another round of silence, longer this time, as Ilyas sank back to his seat.

"If this is indeed the case, excellencies," he murmured, "why not haul Razin to the Amir's presence and let the latter's justice do the rest?"

"Because, to begin with, that'd mean affording him the chance to get that much nearer to Dad," the princess observed. "Zealots are often not the sanest beings around; the chains might, in retrospect, make that mongrel bolder. Ya sayin' we should put the prime leadership of this entire Amirate at risk, with no suitable substitute as yet, just to rid a single power-hungry lunatic. How bizarre is that gonna appear, think you?"

Mirani went back and patted her daughter on the head for that. "Excellent, dear; you're learning."

"But 'nough yapping," the daughter rejoined, shrugging herself off. "Ilyas--ya with us or not?"

This time the visitor did not need too long to recollect his thoughts. He rose again.

"Since you both have seen fit in treating myself to doses of hard truths, excellencies, I plead now to be allowed to return the favor. As the queen had sagely pointed out, regularity is my thing--to that I might add frugality... and the nature of what you're trying to put on my proverbial table will be anything but; so with due respect, I must turn this one down. Instead, please let me retire. Should death befall me then, at the very least, your august names would not soon be implicated."

Mama Viper nodded after a few minutes' consideration. "Fair enough; since Mardan still has two chances to try and convince you--what, told ya as much?--I'll tell him to just drop the matter in view of yer stand just now. A token of my appreciation."

"Your Majesty is too kind. As you have fathomed, I too have raised a family and would now love to see to their proper safe upbringing. I wish you well on your reformed role in the meantime, my queen... Oh, there is one last point. It might not be much, but I have begun making overtures over the past few days to a certain Aldeer: a fellow courtier that, as I have come to realize, is quite close within the circle of our pertinent, ah, subject of interest. Such as they are, Your Majesty might find it worth looking into. If there is nothing else..."

Again Mirani smiled. "Just one more thing. You've so blatantly declared that you won't be joining me; now you seek to retire, when you know the threat of Razin is not properly dealt with. See, had you agreed to join me under whatever terms, I might then have extended the protection to include your family... but as it is, and were you to fall to that scum's blade--which, yes, could happen at any moment from now--what, I wonder, is to become of this family?"

The visitor visibly paled at this. "I... suppose I had not thought this deeply enough... But, yes, I might still make up for it! That scoundrel might try and deal with me all he wishes, but my family... they are innocent!"

"Now we're talking," this queen murmured.

Ilyas turned to regard Zalea. "Princess--might you be in need of a handmaiden?"

"Might," she repeated, no longer beating around the bush. "Whom have ya to offer?"

"My daughter, Mariam. She is all the way down at Mers; is two years your senior... but banking on that, I daresay she'd be of use to you right from arrival!"

The princess stifled a yawn. "I've little use for anything I cannot get my hands on, see. How soon 'fore ya can get her here?"

"I'll write to her at once! Posthaste! Perhaps bring the mother along as well, oh... Excellencies, pardons, but I would now truly require your-"

"Leave," Mirani commanded. "Be as clear as you would've liked to be, had you been face to face with them. Impress the need for caution."

Ilyas retreated with some haste out of the chamber.

***

"You're horrible, Mom," Azalea remarked jokingly when they were alone. "Not gonna gain yaself a strong ally anytime soon, so instead ya angled to get yer lovely daughter a possible handmaiden through sheer fear... and got away with it too! Wicked."

"'Twas his cooperation I needed, not his love," Mama Viper shot back. "That's gonna be your share o' the deal; make doubly certain ya won't screw it, so help me. Besides, that errand boy did not even bother to ask yours truly concerning this handmaiden--he only looked to you. Know what that implies?"

Azalea gasped with mock-surprise.

"Could it be that... he did not want you to have any say in that matter whatsoever?"

"Not improbable," Mama Viper conceded, indignant. Her daughter snickered.

"Takes more that that to really flap the likes o' ya, Mom, chin up! This Aldeer bit, now-"

"Oh, yes--on that I'm in full earnest. If, as hinted, this Aldeer is as close in Razin's confidence as might be hoped... Well. The sooner that particular nuisance can be made to bite the dust, the better."

The princess laughed openly this time. "Read my mind there. After that, though--what d'ya suppose we gonna do? The new vazir will by then have been in place to help Dad see to affairs at hand, and we definitely are gonna need more men of Ilyas's caliber..."

"One game at a time, lass." Mira moved to kiss her, which the girl did not refuse. "With luck, that new vazir will prove to be another power-player with whom we might coexist. For now--run along. Improve yaself, aim big, and go all-out as ya've seen me do."

"Heck if I won't. Love ya~"

(Part 3)

Not feeling quite ready to search for new names to be her riding instructor yet, Azalea decided to invite herself to the training grounds where, she knew, the princes were perfecting their respective skills.

"Been a while since I trained, huh..."

"Big Sis!" Dastra waved at her with an excited yell. "Fancy seein' ya here!"

The princess waved back, but did not deign to reply... until she came to notice Leia, seated on one of the spectators' long wooden benches.

"Well, well, Pighead. Fancy some fresh air?"

"Could ask you the same." This time Zalea waited until her sister nodded to the unoccupied spot beside her, before actually sitting. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Leia!"

"Yes."

"Do ya... think our relationship might still improve?"

"What are you talking about? 'Tis already good enough."

"I mean... I been callin' ya names n' all... and just now I thought I'd better try and improve relations with some. Yer name came off first in mind, so-"

"Would you really feel so good about having to alter that informal speech pattern that you've been at for so long, Sis, I ask? For my part-" Lei shrugged, "-I've grown so used to that snappily-blunt side of yours, it no longer really irks me--yes, even the names. So too, I think, is the case with our other siblings. Be odd for every one of us if you were to try speaking in my way. No need to pretend to be something you're not, really."

"I-if ya put it that way... Still, I feel I'd have to do something!"

"My word. Could it be that you're finally getting anxious that, as it is, you might not fit as well as might be hoped, in the kind of society that you'll have to enter as a proper noblewoman in your own right?"

"Whatever. You're the one with proper words, for cryin' out loud."

"In that case, yes, you'll have to learn refining your courtesies, for starters. But when you're with us, your siblings, do feel free to be your current snappy self. That helps?"

Zalea facepalmed, remaining silent with her head down for some time. "It does... a little... but, sheesh, now I'm floored! Learnin' courtesies; riding; swordplay... the list goes forever and I don't freakin'-know where to start!"

Leia tapped her currently-dejected sister's shoulder a few times. "Now, now. Think this is the right place to discuss-"

"Might as well, darn you! Never ya mind those twerps, it's me we're gettin' at here!"

"...Alright. So then, what would you have liked to accomplish first, out of all those?"

"Hum... they all look so good, now that I think of it. Were I to dispense with either riding or swordplay, feels like I'd have little means to defend myself with. 'Sides, courtesies are just that--they just aim to gain sympathy of more of those same buffoons at court... and gosh, do I hate false smiles!"

Leia pursed her own lip. "May I take that to mean that you're not going to listen to your mother?"

"...Freak it, there's that too for ya, huh... I-I do wanna be like Mom, with regards to her coolness in handling tricky situations such as during that talk with Ilyas; or when reinin' in my and Das's quarrels; or even in deciding to make up with myself... Yeah, perhaps havin' some courtesy might not be so bad."

Her counterpart nodded. "That'd definitely take time and patience anyhow... in your case, tons of it. Which of your other current pursuits would you be holding off to make room for it, in the meantime?"

"Definitely not swordplay. Would not wanna be caught napping."

"Riding, then?"

"Can't be helped--ain't too much of a choice there anyway. But, since I've gone so far as to pick my steed, I might also have to have someone take care of it. I wonder who-"

Lei smiled. "Ron did say he'd help you pick the steed and care for it, remember? You've done your part, might as well let him hold up his."

"...Darn you, Sis. Perhaps ya ain't that big of a pighead after all. And, um... thank you."

Mustafa's true sister laughed as she rose. "What do you know; off to a decent start already! Keep it up, 'kay?"

For the rest of that particular day, the younger princes wondered between themselves why Leia was so much more cheerful.