(Part 1)

Not wishing to vent her spite on some nameless but quite dutiful errand boy, Azalea very grudgingly consented to cut her 'city trip' short ("Say hi to Akhi for me, 'kay, suckers?") and made her way back to the palace. Here she was told that Queen Mirani was at the backyard gardens, presently alone.

"Dear Mom," she greeted with a cynical smile when they met. "Hope ya got damn-good reasons to have had someone sound me out right at the city square!"

"Right now I'm in no mood for yer freakin' smart mouth, lass," Mama Viper scolded. "Sit down, and just hear me out- I'd rather keep this 'twixt ourselves at this point."

The daughter scoffed, but obliged. "Spit it out already!"

"Not until you calm down; this is a big deal."

"As in, bigger than Razin?"

"He had had a part in it too, so yeah. Now, listen--you always fancy yaself to value truth no matter how painful it could be; heck, most of the time ya wouldn't even care if yer words might have hurt anyone. Now why's that, hmm?"

"Most people dislike hard truths; should I have paused to care about what they might think?"

"And if I were to tell you now that I had had a crucial part in trying to off Mustafa, what will you do?"

"You... What?" This princess blinked. "Crucial how?"

"I planned it, supervised it, found the coin for it. Razin did the searching for able and willing bodies, but givin' the go-ahead was my part of the deal and I took it. The cover-up was nicer than I thought: none of the actual 'field agents' had survived, and others in the know, figured out 'nough to stay quiet. What I did not expect was that Urdin would hound the tracks even to the dead agents' place of abode, Melvir, thereafter putting it to siege-"

"Skip the frills, would ya," this princess blasted. "Did Mustafa get to figure the culprit out?"

Mama Viper shrugged. "Two of his maids did not last that night, we've seen how he so grieved 'bout 'em. Heck if he'd take that lyin' down-least my name's not surfaced yet, thus far. Yasnar, in time, may have suspected me and tried to warn the Amir 'bout that, but... Well, he's no longer with us either way, is he?"

It was more than even Zalea would care to stomach. Never known for patience, that princess now exploded; the spite and contempt with which she had held Mirani, along with the grief and anguish for a now-departed possible mentor, now bursting forth in raging torrents.

"DARN IT! To think ya've been livin' on the sole fortune of not havin' Akhi rat you out! To think I've been tryin' so damn-hard to regain yer love; to... to think you might still be the mom we deserve, me and Das! Had ya not comprehended the extent we'd been willin' to go for all that? And for the freak what, if it should've come to this?!"

The present Mirani, for her part, remained quiet-taking this as just a sip of what Mu's outrage must have been like, had the grisly fact been made known to him earlier.

"How am I to pass all that to Das, for that matter?" the princess went on, now with more passion than outright fury. "When we first came to blows in that freakin'- dungeon, he had chosen to stand by yer side, remember that? Should Mu prove deaf to yer pleas, poor kid's gonna have to choose 'twixt those whom he must've loved, and dearly... Freak it, Mom, do ya not fancy you owe him an explanation all to himself now for that much?!"

"It occurred to me," Mira admitted, "but I fear there might not be 'nough time before-"

"Fear?" the daughter sneered. "You who had inspired just that for so many... do know fear yaself after all, eh?"

"Only shows I'm human, darn you!" Mama Viper shot back. "And even if I were to break the news myself... very well, where the heck is yer brother?"

"Still 'round the city square, if he hasn't moved along. We could have him called back, the way ya did me."

Mama Viper considered this for several minutes.

"Listen, lass... can I not just trust you with this? 'Tis hard, I know, but no great feats are accomplished without sacrifices of similar worth to begin with; and while Das may not have realized that, you now do. Help him decide like any good sister would, alright?"

"Wrong kid." Zalea narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm too far a shot on bein' a good sister; that'd be Lei. 'Sides, even if ya were to bleed yer eyes out, don't think I wanna. You've gotten the ball rollin', now see it through. By lettin' Das in on this, you'd also be providing him with the chance to see ya one last time-a chance you well know he deserves!"

"I had seen yer father on that, if that helps," the mother snarled. "He was in fact quite okay with it; bygones be bygones. 'Sides, what have I told ya about not settin' standards to others that ya're not prepared to do yourself?!"

Azalea paused at this.

"I-I'm... just not freakin'-sure whether I've the courage to say that to his face without seein' him break too, Mom," the daughter conceded, her tone pained. "Forget that--right now I'm not even sure if this were a truth or a lie anymore. Easy for ya to yabber 'bout 'sacrifice' now, when things are down to a corner... but for yer part, since it has come to this, I daresay ya can't leave such a truth only half-uttered!"

...Mom's got a point, come what may, this princess mentally conceded, and this did much to vaporize her earlier anger at not being let in on the truth for so long. Can't continue to be so bossy myself! Behold where that had left her... 'Sides, I'm the one known for frankness, not her!

"And what truth would that be?" a new voice joined... and as the pair of proverbial vipers turned, they saw the figure they least expected standing-his head tilted in pure curiosity-at the threshold to the gardens. This time around, Azalea recovered first.

"The heck're ya doin' here, runt?!"

"I'm worried, 'kay, Sis?" came the reply. "To see ya bein' so abruptly called off like that... Let Mu's true siblings see to his welcoming; I'll attend to my own lot first, as any good kid--no, prince!--should. Now, what 'truth' were ya two yappin' on about?"

Azalea turned to regard her mother again, as if seeking to confirm whether she would like the princess to lay bare the hard truth at long last. Mama Viper, catching this, nodded with an earnest look.

"Dastra," the princess began, following a resigned exhaling, "if ya've anything to relate to Mom, best do so while we still can."

"What? Why?"

"Ya remember that night's incident three years ago, right in this palace?"

"Sure as heck I do. Akhi Mustafa and Rashid almost got to pay the ultimate price right off the whims of three Melviran catspaws; good riddance. Gosh, how Dad had freaked out the followin' morn! Somethin' to behold, that had been... But, really, what of it?"

"Well, the truth is..." Azalea gulped, she who had so seamlessly bluffed many others to doing her bidding, "our lady mother had in fact been behind it all. Been damn-lucky not to get tangled along the way, too."

"What the-" Dastra took an involuntary step backwards. "Mom, is that true..?"

Mira's silence gave him the answer. The princeling's little knees soon buckled beneath him, and he fell on both knees, right on the dry, dusty grass.

"I... I trusted you, Mom! I took yer side all this time, even back in that dungeon-like chamber! I've been tryin' to be the good kid ya asked of me, lest you see fit to get me in the same room with those seven-times-blasted centipedes ever again... and now ya're letting me know that ya've been at odds with the bro I've grown to respect! Darn it, how could you..?!"

The mother moved to help him up, but Dastra--with rarely-seen vexation--presently slapped her hand away. "Get off me! Not 'fore ya get to apologize to Mu and Rashid directly!"

"I already plan to, child," his mother pointed out, "although... I'm really not sure, at all, if either would forgive me so easily. In the meantime, this may well be our last time together. Have ya nothin' else to say to me outside damnably-true allegations?"

Such a realization perturbed even the usually-cheery princeling, to such an extent that he put into words the first thing that crossed his young mind.

"I, uh... How the heck am I supposed to be of use here then, Mom, would ya say?"

This, in turn, astounded the proverbial vipers.

"You..." Azalea said gingerly, trying not to wince, "you wanna help in this, runt, is that it? Even if that means standin' up to Akhi?"

"Yeah, well... nowhere too sure 'bout that yet, but that's the right thing to do... Right, Sis? I mean, to stand for one's parent..."

"Gosh dang it, runt, we're also talkin' about the same person responsible for such deep rifts here... Mom spoke of bein' handed proper justice too; won't yer standin' up for her be an obstacle to that instead?"

"In what way, though? Far as I know, proper verdicts of 'justice' could not be passed before the judges and arbiters had gotten 'round to listening to the arguments of witnesses... in this particular case, us. That not so?"

"Good point," Azalea conceded. "Other witnesses than us might yet be called in, though. The public trial of a queen would, in any case, cause quite a spectacle; something Mom might not want-"

"Oh, I'm quite prepared for that too, lass," Mirani put in. "That said... I would still feel more at ease if it could just be settled internally."

"If that be the case," Dastra chimed in, standing up and dusting himself, "we need only to wait for Akhi's arrival--only hours away now--and in time, hear out what he might have to say. Of Rashid we might not wanna worry so much, he's quite compliant; fat chance, he'll nod to his true bro's views. In the meantime, Big Sis, we'd better make our own preparations: keepin' a darn-sharp lookout at all times for other possible attackers, for starters."

The princess, having regained her fierce composure, nodded eagerly. "So we shall, Li'l Bro. I might not be able to do much to help Mom out no thanks to such whip-like tongue, of which Mu also knew-" here Zalea glanced back at their mother, who nodded, "-but you, I shall defend to my last."

The princeling now moved to embrace Mama Viper, a gesture which the latter did not refuse... and in which the princess was soon to join.

"Heck if we'll ever forget such brazen honesty, Mom," she admitted, sobbing softly before adding, "...belated as it might be."

"Good luck," Dastra added.

Mirani now moved each of her hugging hands from the royal kids' backs to their heads in gentle, motherly strokes. "Could've done better myself, dears. Stay united."

***

On such affable notes, this peculiar encounter ended... to be replaced very soon, Azalea surmised, by another, no-less-fateful one.

Great as her dismay still was following such an encounter, this princess nevertheless retained enough sense to realize that going head-on against Razin right now might not only result in her personal defeat (and as such jeopardize forever her chances to see her mother being forgiven), but always--and this prospect she liked the least--there was the risk of Razin turning her into little more than a valued hostage to further his own ends... even if that should mean having the Amir to actually step down.

"That sevenfold blasted-" this princess murmured intensely to herself as she walked on. "However the heck had Mom gotten 'round to obtain the services of such a mind?! Then again... why did she go ask for Dad's forgiveness first instead of waiting for Mu? Did she honestly think he's not gonna defy his father that way? As if his damnably-stubborn northern defense ain't enough for an example... Oh Akhi, so help me, have mercy! Lest I get to do things all might regret..."

(Part 2)

Shortly after that day's lunch hour (during which Azalea maintained a look of irksome silence), as anticipated, news of the eldest prince's arrival began to filter and then proliferate in the Amirate's capital city of Elbar. Throngs of people--with mixed feelings themselves, it must be said under the circumstances--were on hand to watch Prince Mustafa Husniris and his battle-tested commanders and legions make their way in in a goose-step trickle of steel, armor, horses and war banners--a good part of them no longer in good shape.

It also did not take very long for the masses to realize that, for all their ragged attempts at cheering, the Amir's firstborn (presently clad in leaf-green armor emblazoned with his Amirate's sigil: a yellow crescent in a faded green circle ringed in red, and with his sheathed kilij strapped to the left side of the waist, gently swaying as he moved) currently maintained airs of cheerless quiet.

Of the oft-rumored northern envoys there was no sign.

Before too long this prince began striding into the palace proper, his aide Azumi never too far behind, walking normally, until they came to notice the royal family--the whole lot--standing together in a considerably-spaced welcoming line; at which point Azumi stayed back and waited, hands clasped neatly together at his front.

Urdin was first to step forth and speak after planting a quick forehead kiss. "Mustafa, my valorous lion. Welcome home."

His firstborn smiled. "If you had time to credit me for valor, Father, at least dare to have some swords come my way a good while back; could've put each and every one of them to really good use, and none's the wiser. I trust all has been well in my absence?"

"As can be seen. I do not see your other confidant Khalid."

"Being left behind with Cousin Idris to see through quite a few things, the northern envoys being one such. Should be here after another week, insha Allah. Are we quite prepared for them?"

"We shall be."

"I have come to know of Vazir Yasnar's passing. May Allah Reward him well. Has a proper substitute been found, meanwhile?"

The Amir nodded. "Name of Ebrahim, being prepared for the official oath-taking as we speak. I'd arrange for your seeing him first thing when he's all settled in."

"I could only welcome it, Your Grace."

Urdin now stepped back into line to make room for his first consort.

"Dear Mu. Always a delight to see you, my cub," she said, cupping his face between her hands for some time.

Again the prince permitted himself a slight smile. "Likewise, Mother. How fare you?"

"Praying for you day in and out; we all did. That siege-"

"This is neither the proper time nor place for that, Your Grace. We can always talk more about it later, if you wish."

The emphasis was quite gentle, and Vestra found little reason to object.

Next came Mirani's turn, and here the jovial atmosphere subsided a little. "Glad to see you safely returned to us, Mu, seven days sooner though it was. Illness had been mentioned as a possible cause for that."

"Had indeed been the case most of the time," this prince conceded. "Extended field trips are never gentle to one's health, to which the Amir himself might attest. As it was, I recovered just in time, Allah Be Praised. I hope you've not pulled off anything too nasty in the meantime, Your Grace?"

Mama Viper could not help smirking. "You'd do well to suspect me a tad less from here on, child."

Mustafa held his gaze on her for a bit longer. "I'll decide."

Leia, beaming, managed a smiling curtsy. "Welcome back, Akhi. Got you some new shawls."

"Many thanks, Lei. I'll look at it at my leisure. Sell the rest."

Azalea's turn came. "'Lo, Mu."

"Been fine, Zal?"

"Freakin' happy as can be. What sort of person is this Dragoness, anyway?"

"Headstrong, damnably smart. Not someone to be crossed so lightly, much like yourself. One year your senior."

"A girl, sounds like. Lass got a proper name?"

"Brista, of House Sabri. Sole get of its current ruler, as we speak."

"Huh. Boorish but passable. My guess? Her envoy's gonna bring more n' just peace offers."

Zal could swear she noticed a slight blush on her eldest sibling's countenance then. "Just... Keep such thoughts to yourself, 'kay?"

This princess grinned. "For now~"

Next came the prince's two youngest siblings. They had been subtly jostling for show, but finally Rashid got to speak first after managing a perfunctory salute, to which Mu raised an eyebrow but responded in kind, muttering, "Hold it a bit longer. Stand straighter."

"Right. Good to have you back, Akhi!"

"Missed you too, Ras. How's your training coming along?"

"Oh, you'll be surprised. It was-"

"My turn!" Dastra chimed in, beaming. "Been trainin' with a spear myself, Akhi, believe it or not. Seen Big Bro Rashid's swordplay with Big Sis Zal too; and darn, did that go well!"

"Swordplay, is that it?" The eldest prince turned to regard his true brother with a slight frown. "You were just beginning to ask of materials for a proper bow, mere days before I left."

"As I was about to say, it's a long story..."

"That I'd like to know more of. For that matter, Dastra-"

"Yeah?"

"You seem to have... transformed. Less whiny, for one." This prince smiled again, stepping back in his turn. "Thank you all for this welcoming; so many things remain to see to in the meantime. Azu!"

"My prince."

Mustafa and his aide walked on, and people in the 'welcoming line' also began to disperse.

"Doesn't seem like he cares about that fateful secret, does it?" Azalea remarked to her mother as they customarily walked together, Dastra not very far behind. "If so, ya got less to worry about."

"Yeah, I'm still gonna apologize for that incident. So long as it remains unsaid, regardless of the possible outcomes, Razin's still gonna have his ace and that I cannot allow."

"Yer lapdog--yer call."

"But, Mom," Dastra put in, "Akhi might yet be complacent, let's not forget that."

"Why, yes, indeed," came the reply, "and in that case, what do ya suppose we are to do next, Das?"

"How's that even a question?" the daughter retorted. "Get Razin outta dear life!"

"Then what? He's got a family of his own, never forget, who'd be less willing to take that lying down. Far as they're concerned, he's been a loyal councilor serving such a wicked figure as myself. If we were to rid him-"

"Family?" the princess retorted. "Really shoulda thought of 'em before goin' 'gainst us!"

"Let's try this," Dastra suggested. "We'll focus on getting one thing done at a time, how 'bout that? Apologize to Akhi first, see how that'd turn out; more time for Razin to see the errors of his ways, too. Failing that, well..." he shrugged dramatically. "Got his chance, and so many more times before, to simply back off--for his family's sake if nothing else, yet still he pressed on. Can't always be excused for failing to act on that, yeah?"

Mama Viper and her daughter exchanged glances, and nodded knowingly. "Fair 'nough."

***

Whilst Mirani was practically debating with her kids that there was still hope yet, that Mustafa's verdict of her hitherto-unspoken-of misdeeds might not prove too harsh after all, the prince in question (on whose words so much of it was to hang) seemed--on the contrary--not to even be entertaining such thoughts.

As it was (and to Azumi this was already common secret) this prince's thoughts were still on Brista.

"Pray do not fret so, my prince," Azu--who had been assigned to attend to civil matters before the northern siege's outbreak and who had continued to serve in such function in its wake, until Mustafa had it in him to begin the march home--advised. "In my humble opinion, the young Dragoness may have had a sound point in not immediately providing a definite answer to your previous offer. She would not want to be seen giving up her 'edge' so easily, I daresay, by letting us try out samples of her so-called 'firearms'. Any other strategist with lesser tact might even accuse us outright of wishing to start engaging in an arms race."

"My thoughts exactly," Mustafa conceded. "That said, her envoys are a week's march from us, and they might have instructions to bring that thorny point up again. None of our officials here had had even the slightest hint of such a prospect... yet declining such an offer flat out in our very first encounter might not prove to be the friendliest option."

"For that matter, sir, acceptance at this stage might cause impressions of spinelessness just as well, especially for so keen an observer as Lady Brista. It might then be taken as a hint that, strategically, our venerable Amir is not quite up to the straps of a fifteen-year-old, begging pardons..."

This prince halted; they had reached the threshold to his study, and the talk did not resume before they had entered it and the door properly closed behind them.

"Mind your words there, Azu," Mustafa pointed out. "If Brista had wished to insult us, she would not have agreed to dispatch those envoys in the first place. I do realize that the dispatch might also turn out to be more of a play at formality, young as she is... All the same, don't even try to talk me out of that deal, alright? It must take place! We have lost far too much to back out now, get that?"

His aide sighed subtly, recalling how this prince's very stubbornness in refusing to give ground--while quite invaluable to work with in maintaining troop morale as a whole during their 'northern defense' against the now-executed fellow Wali Vasmir--had often been the source of rather-unpleasant whispers and grumbles back in camp.

Most had been willing to overlook it in view of Mustafa's relative youth ("Look on the bigger picture, we still came on top"), but others--including the Dragoness herself and some of her more vocal northern officers--had gotten so far as to wonder whether this might not be the best they could hope to expect from the current Lord Husnirid's purported heir.

What was more, a larger and much-fiercer clash had been so narrowly avoided owing to everyone, by this point in time, having been courageous and willing enough not to bring up the fact of these northerners having generally-different faiths and beliefs to those of the Amirate's servicemen... which, in and of itself, could have been a no-less-potent source of friction.

On another note, the younger but equally-implacable Brista might not have been willing to make the 'concession' of sending envoys to discuss prospects of formal alliance as well as--to use the diplomat Idris's words--"considerable improvements in our arsenal", had it not been for Idris's and Khalid's proverbial silver tongues... and then only after hours of point-by-point, under-six-eyes talks. Fortunately for all, Mustafa, when informed of the results, had once again proven capable enough to swallow his personal pique at having to accept 'any more help than absolutely necessary' from 'northern hordes'.

Presently, Azumi found himself having little choice beyond following the official line.

"Of course, sir," he replied. "In fact, I was about to propose that you partake in the negotiations in person. Those envoys might warm up slightly with the presence of a known face, just to say."

Mu huffed, leaning in his seat. "Your observations are so keen today. Yes, that crossed my mind as well... but until I get to know if Father's new pick of a vazir is someone I'm sure I can work with, I reserve the decision of making an appearance there."

"Very resourceful, sir. I am convinced this audience with the new vazir might take place before our northern guests' arrival."

"Let's hope so..."

Just then there were knocks on the door, followed by the bowing appearance of one of its attendants.

"My prince, pardons... Prince Rashid wishes for an audience."

Urdin's firstborn momentarily closed his eyes in graceful annoyance. "Just what I need. Get him in. Azu, retire for now."

"Sir."

(Part 3)

"Peace be to you, Akhi," Rashid greeted as he entered, and quickly saw that they were alone already—much to his surprise and dismay. He had hoped Azumi might have done his part as an intermediary in whatever was to come.

"And to you," came the dignified, if humorless, reply. "Have a seat."

The younger prince obliged.

"What do you want, Ras, mere hours after my arrival?"

"Well... I was wondering, Akhi, and I just thought it best to let it out sooner. Will you really act upon what Mirani did to us, now you're here?"

Mention of that name brought new animation to Mu's countenance. "Of course. Why'd you bring that up now? Has Azalea made you her mouthpiece?"

No wasted words, as always, Rashid thought. Very well, two can play.

"Came on my own volition, alright?" he pointed out. "Do be gentle with Mirani, will you, Akhi? Her kids need her, that much I can tell. About as much as we need ours."

The elder prince rose. "Then tell me, little brother, how have I not been so remarkably gentle with that spiteful snake and her cursed lapdog Razin? Huh? Two of my favored maids Vareena and Zahra were dead no thanks to their whims; we would too, most likely, had it not been for Idris's swift reactions. Instead, I had refrained from having that foul deed exposed before Father right away!"

"How... how did you get to figure out that it had been Razin, specifically? Mira has so many other henchmen at her disposal with more notoriety-"

"Heard that incident whispered about back in camp, one of the quieter nights during the siege," Mustafa admitted. "A soldier, perhaps unwisely, had made a remark on how only such a deeply-frustrated, conniving consort as Mira, with such gold and influence that but few others in our realm could hope to match, could have dared to have pulled off such a venture towards us.

"Moments later," this prince went on, "Cousin Idris stepped in and corrected a few names—and we know for a fact that he had been there for us. Razin's name surfaced as the one whom Idris believed to have supplied those catspaws with damnably-accurate sketches of the location where that nocturnal attempt had taken place. What's your story, then, little brother? How did you come to learn of this Razin's involvement?"

"Simple: a courtier calling himself Aldeer had accosted me on my way here moments ago and bothered to let out the essentials. Why had you not ratted Mira out right then, anyway?"

"Precisely because I cared for her kids—our siblings, come what may. Had I laid bare the hard truth that very night, Father would've been tenfold more infuriated—we heard of the Melvirans' fate even without that—and Zal and Das would most likely have ended up being orphans. With myself away for Allah Knows how long thanks to being a wali, who would then have put some resemblance of restraint to Zal's more boorish days, I ask?"

"So... can I take that to mean that you'd forgive Mira? I heard Father has done just that too."

"Now that is a separate issue." Mustafa approached his still-seated true sibling. "Her whims had helped cause the death of two innocent casualties. You well know what the proper punishment of that should be: execution. Not to mention, Father had not been in there in time to assist in preventing that-"

"Well, what 'bout yourself, then?" Rashid shot back. "Had you too not helped cause so many more casualties thanks to your campaigns, many of whom may have been innocent? What would the proper punishment for that be, Akhi, do enlighten me?"

"I... Mirani was not on a battlefield."

"Doesn't matter; justice is so often loveless. If you would not believe me, ponder on this: while you were away, Mira had somehow reconciled with her daughter, and she, in turn, had done much to help Big Sis Lei and myself. Zal trained me in using the kilij, for one; something I had not dared dream to be possible following that very attempt we were talking about. Think such a figure would so meekly have stood aside to the thought of her mother being so abruptly taken away from her?"

Mustafa flushed. "What would you have me do, spare a murderer?!"

"There are better paths, Akhi, and I'd like you to try embarking on those—please! I believe you could. Rather than think of Mira as a murderer—which, by the way, may have been 'cause of what Father had done to those dear to her in turn—why not regard her as your fellow mother, as worthy of love and respect as our own?"

Must be why that viper asked me to 'suspect her a tad less' earlier, Mu surmised, now massaging his own temple. Darn it, so much to consider already, mere hours back at home!

"Think I've heard enough for today, Ras. You may leave."

"Akhi, I..."

"Get out!"

The younger prince rose as well. "Fine, I will! Apologies for the intrusion. But please, Akhi, do make up your mind, and do so wisely... before Zal should arrive with arguments of lesser grace. Peace be to you."

Despite his mounting vexation, Mustafa managed a curt "To you as well."