Internal V.1: Child of Discord (Internal, third draft)

(26) Avenger?

(Part 1)

The following morning.

The first light snows had begun to fall even as Mardan prepared himself for the thankless task of finding out whether Mama Viper's earlier act of trying to deprive her royal stepsons of dear life, might not bring her one step closer towards recrimination; namely, from the families of maids who had actually fallen in womanly defense of their young charges.

Those same charges, in the meantime, were concluding their morning repast... and near its end, Leia appeared to have something to offer as well, having discreetly asked her eldest brother to remain ("Please?") in the dining room after the repast, and taken the seat opposite that of his as a further precaution.

Only after she was sure that the others--even the servants--had left and the doors properly closed, did this princess begin to outline her offer.

"Akhi, do you have a moment?"

"You've seen to that," came the reply. "If this is about Mira, out with it; everyone's been at it since yesterday. Couldn't say I'd sent each off with satisfaction. Well?"

Leia cleared her throat delicately, her silence giving Mu the answer he required.

"Start talking."

"I, I just think... before you get to make any pronouncement on her, would it not be best if you were to come to the city and observe darn-similar cases?"

"What are you going on about, Lei?"

"Her fouler deeds aside, Mira is still a mother," she pointed out. "How many mothers would no longer get to see her husbands or sons again thanks to your campaigns? Had it occurred to you to speak to them, listen to them describing what it's like? Oh, I know 'twas partly due to manpower pressures afield, and yes, how high they must've been... but what about now? This time you're seeking to knowingly deprive children of their mother. Is that what a wise ruler would do, I ask?"

"If we are to touch on 'wisdom', Sister," Mu replied, "methinks Father should never have taken another wife. Spared so much fuss, it would have."

"Who are you to judge him like that, anyway? You weren't there, nor any of us; we could not possibly know what it had truly been like, how necessary it might have been to have two in support rather than one. Anyways, past is past; I'm talking more of the present--and you know you can act on it!"

"The present it is, and act on it I will." The prince sighed. "So if I somehow could not bear to look at those nameless widows in the eyes even as I personally offer them condolences for something they knew to be meritorious, Leia dear... it might not be proper for me, at all, to pass judgment to her whom had actually tried to have myself and my brothers assaulted multiple times, right under our father's own roof? Is this your notion of 'wisdom', Sister?"

"But to do so knowingly..!"

"Because the foul deed too had been knowingly performed! I won't trouble you with the 'why', either; past is past, and in the meantime the results had spoken for themselves. We have victims, casualties, witnesses, and most importantly, culprits. To not hold that trial 'cause Mira's a heck of a queen... I don't think that's how Father or anyone else, not even Idris, would want this realm to be governed in decades to come!

"And what of our duties before Allah," he pressed on, "to dispense justice when we could; to right wrongs with every authority at our disposal? Would you now advise me to throw all that away, you of all people? Has our mother taught you nothing while I'm not here?!"

"Nothing of this sort, I must admit," Leia affirmed, her tears bubbling. "She's been spending too many hours second-guessing what Mira and Zalea might do to us, rather than actually telling us how exactly to prevent that from even occurring. 'Twas Zal who'd made the most effort in reaching out to all of us. The irony, huh?"