Five days after Urdin's departure for his campaign.

For once the mayoress was not in her chambers or study, but out in the open, strolling around the courtyard that her late husband had engineered. Aside from the open space for training, it was also adorned by roses, lilies, daisies, daffodils and other kinds of flora, arrayed neatly in lines dotted with stone benches and fountains.

Her thoughts, however, was not as merry as many would have expected; and this aside from her information-gathering efforts for the former general.

"Potential disruption of prices in one single day, eh..."

That incident in the eastern market district was quick to spread, and while Urdin was sorting through names to lead his archers afield, Asha was sorting through heated complaints from those merchants surrounding Tiana's stall: how they had been exposed to this glittering sight of long queues of people, only to find they weren't buying anything at all from them; and this because of--to some of them--Tiana's happenstance acquaintance with the figure whom her son was using to promote her wares.

To that end, those disgruntled merchants demanded compensation, in cash or otherwise.

The mayoress had chuckled when she read some of the reports and considered them, taking note on those merchants' financial short-sightedness... until it dawned on her that, should she fail to meet their demands, those merchants might take the issue to their own hands by disrupting Tiana's livelihood and all. While the possible ruin to the person herself would indeed be regrettable in itself, Asha saw that more was at stake here: her commitment to Hospodia.

Tiana had been making and distributing cloaks bearing the Hospodian sigil; and if the mob came for her with such a purpose, who could guarantee the cloaks would not be trampled on or otherwise during the ensuing hubbub? Less delicate Estreans might well interpret the incident as a categorical insult to Urdin's House, and Asha would thus be held responsible for connivance.

Now afield, the Eagle might not be able to immediately do anything about it, but such was not the kind of issue he would easily let slide... especially when he had literally fought for its cause for his entire soldiering life.

On the other hand, those hot-headed merchants were part of Asha's people. In such a situation, arguably, it would be tough to have them listen to reason. Nor could she afford to use force, as it would likely bring up other simmering issues--of which her being a female was one. Not new perhaps, but who would like being blamed for something you simply cannot change?

As such, two days after the incident, Asha had agreed on a hearing with representatives from those 'deprived' merchants. Just one day after that, Urdin--who had not been entirely let in on the developments on this front given his share of problems--had finally headed east with his motley army, a man with a mission. Asha had made the necessary gestures and formalities during the departure, but soon aptly realized that she would have to fight in this economic struggle on her own.

Well, not entirely alone.

"Mother?"

A familiar voice dragged her out of the reverie. Vestra looked down on her slightly slouched posture with some anxiety

"You seemed... off just now. Are you ill?"

"No, Ves, thank you..." the mayoress straightened up and rested a hand on her own temple, slowly massaging it. Her daughter was there when the hearing occurred, on the witness bench. The results, Asha had promised, would be out in three days, given the complexity of the issue.

"Have you drawn up the necessary conclusions?" she now asked. "Must we condone this sentiment-based 'offense', if it's that?"

"I can see why you wouldn't want to, Mother, but doing so would require a valid reasoning. People's livelihoods are at hand here."

"In the first place, they ought not be too sentimental about it," she retorted.

"That's as may be... but while you can and do apply punishments for stealing, you can't do the same for being sentimental, now, can you, Mother? Those people knew that, and they think Tiana was stealing their share of fair trade."

Asha cursed under her breath. "What would you have me do, kick Tiana off our markets? What of her children, her home? Her livelihood, dear, is also at hand, and I can't risk it just to pacify a few avaricious hotheads!"

"Say so to their faces, then, see how they like it."

The mayoress exhaled, considerably piqued, while walking away from her daughter a few steps.

"It was Tiana's boy who started it," Vestra resumed. "The kid spied Urdin and I together. You can guess what he was thinking when he had a spare cloak at hand."

"The lad was only helping his mother find a customer as he did every day, and this time it happened to be one who could potentially skyrocket her wares' sales. Could he be held responsible for that much?"

"Those merchants seemed to think so, you listened to them during the hearing."

"So what, am I to yield to the larger force just like that?! Darn them!"

"Mother, please, lower your voice..."

Vestra laid both hands to her shoulder to calm her, and Asha gradually quieted down.

"Darn them," she repeated, more softly. "It's their ill sentiment that's to be held accountable, to begin with. They ought also to consider that Tiana is a fellow trader trying to earn an honest living, just like themselves, and that day was when she was destined to have more income than usual. They could strive to earn their living in other days."

"That's... fair enough... but the punishment?"

"None for now, for our part," Asha growled, "but if they try to take from Tiana what is not rightfully theirs, then we could act with clearer conscience."

"Have you considered the possible whispers of Hospodian favoritism, Madam Mayor?"

"Hospodian or not, we should uphold fair-minded justice. When Urdin is king, by The Infinite One's Grace, we'll see if their kind would still have anything to whisper at all."

***

The verdict, when it did come out, caused another uproar. Some heartily commended the mayoress for being able to sift through such humanitarian issues; others, as Vestra said, growled about her not upholding the majority rule. Still others frowned, but did nothing that merited mention.

"Such are the twists and turns when you are entrusted with some power, dear. What happened today was less than a sip..." Asha intimated to her confidant-daughter the night after that verdict was passed, "and this despite the enjoining to obey one's leaders."

"So... that must be why leaders who manage to stay on course in goodness are going to be rewarded handsomely in the Realm After Death."

"There you have it." Asha smiled while patting Vestra's head--a gesture that had become habitual between them despite the girl's age. "More, each of us is a leader to ourselves. That aside, I'm so glad we could get over it without too much fuss. We have still worldly matters to attend to..."

"The fresh troop movements, to name one," Vestra joined--and at that, her mother's expression became serious.

"You knew about this... but kept quiet from me?"

"Apologies, Mother. I would gladly have informed you, had this market affair not surfaced."

Asha delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin, after that day's supper. "Go on."

"In response to Urdin's eastward campaign, the Skandians to his south are rumored to have mobilized one thousand men and horses, directly from Nakria, their capital. Apart from this the rebels, from their base of operations in Elbar, are mustering a force of equal numbers. A quarter of the latter is said to be mubarizuns, former Hospodia's elite corps..."

Ashara Darys, for all her self-composure, paled noticeably.

"Two thousand... to a mere three hundred? All when the general knows hardly anything about it?"

"I have taken steps. Immediately after the hearing, I had sent two of our swiftest messenger-pigeons. Let's hope one of them reaches the proper destination..."

"And let's not forget to hope that the other does not fall into the wrong hands, or even Urdin is doomed!" Asha massaged her own temple once more. "Rumor or not, with such odds..."

"Let's not lose hope at this fateful moment, Madam Mayor. We have given our pledges to support him through thick and thin, and we know as he does that his cause is worth struggling for."

"Yes," the mayoress nodded with conviction, "and when we give pledges, we honor them. I have no wish of my domain being the second Elbar as it is."

Vestra raised her hands in supplication. "Infinite One, kindly allow Urdin's cause to prevail."

"Grant it be so," her mother responded, before they wiped their faces in unison. The next minute was spent in awkward silence.

"It appears," Vestra cut in, "that all that can be done, has been done."

"On our part, yes," came the reply, "and at this point we cannot afford to send reinforcements. Afield, well... many things could happen. Don't ask what, just trust."

The girl, not yet twenty, nodded ardently. "So trust we will."