The Brush Tiger of Derven Ch. 30-31

Part of her thinks she must be losing her sanity, until she hears the faintest of clicks and the cylinder splits in half, opening in reaction to her offering. She forces her hands to steady while she pulls the two halves apart, unwinding a thick piece of leather that is attached to it at either end.

Her heart almost stops when her eyes scan the image and she sees a map of the island. Before she can look at it in too much detail, her gaze is drawn towards the edges of the leather. Delicate loops of scrolling handwriting alternate with symbols she recognizes from the cipher and she realizes she has found the key.

She startles when she hears a gentle knock at the door, knowing that it is Eunice. Hastily, Mora closes the cylinder before securing it back into the wooden box just as her handmaid opens the door, "Good morning Eunice."

"I am surprised to see you awake, Queen Namora," she says softly before curtseying. Mora has difficulty focusing on anything and doesn't argue when Eunice insists on helping her dress.

When she hears a voice asking her a question, she looks up to realize that she is in the breakfast room with Irving.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" She replies while picking up a hardboiled egg and bringing it to her lips.

Irving studies her for a moment, "I found some very interesting things in the book of Alumenian laws." He shifts awkwardly for a moment, "Have you ever heard mention of a Sovereign King?"

"I have," Rick's deep quiet voice cuts into the room as he enters. He hesitates for the briefest of moments before taking the seat at Mora's other side. He continues, "It isn't a position that has been filled for years, though, as relations between the countries have been strained. The last man to hold that position was an ancestor of mine."

"Indeed," Irving says, turning to Rick.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to explain this to me," Mora says.

"The Sovereign King rules over all of the countries," Rick replies while adding a few things to his plate. "Each nation still has their ruling family and conducts the business within their realm as they see fit but when it comes to negotiations beyond their borders the Sovereign King makes all of the decisions."

"I can't imagine that would work very well," she replies with a frown, "what is to stop the King from slighting one side of a deal or playing favorites?"

"The Sovereign King marries into each royal family," Rick says. "My great grandfather three times over was married to the Queen of Sceadu as well as the sisters of both the Derven and Alumenian Kings. He was from the ruling family of Geofen, that is why I do not look like a typical Sceaduian."

"While this interesting, Irving, I am afraid I don't understand your reasoning for bringing it up," Mora says while glancing at him. "There are no females of the Geofen royal family that could be attached to a Sovereign King."

"True," Irving says. His eyes flicker to Rick before they drop down to the table; he tenses slightly, as if in preparation for the backlash of his next words, "But Geofen does allow a man of stature to take a second wife." When they stare at him, he adds, "And there is nothing saying that the Sovereign ruler has to be male."

Her shock at his words is so great that slightly chokes on a piece of fruit and has to take a large drink of her water to quiet herself. When Rick speaks, it startles her, "That is actually a very good point."

Mora's eyes dart to him, "I'm sorry?"

Rick leans back in his chair; he appraises Irving for a moment before his gaze drops down to his plate, his voice quiet, "I realize how tenuous of a peace there is between the countries right now. I know that I have possibly ruined my chances of obtaining your hand in marriage, Mora, but if you were able to find forgiveness in your heart and accept my offer, the alliance between our countries places the other two in a defensive position. If Irving takes the Alumenian throne I imagine he will maintain a working relationship with Derven; that would put Geofen at a disadvantage. Their contacts beyond the sea could pose a threat."

"I highly doubt Sheyenne would approve of any of this," Mora stammers out.

"I believe you are correct in that assumption," Rick says.

"From what I understand of Queen Sheyenne," Irving adds, "her desire for power is unprecedented. While Prince Varickan is set to gain the throne eventually, he has little say in ruling Sceadu at the present; it is quite possible that she and King Wallace could form coup. I've been thinking it over a lot lately and those two have to realize the threat that you pose."

"Their approval wouldn't be necessary, either. Granted it would be an underhanded and difficult way of going about it but if Prince Philip was in agreement with this, we could get this accomplished without their knowledge," Rick adds.

"I—I am not sure how this would affect Derven," she says as the first thing that comes to her mind, "We rule as a pair, how could that be possible if I were married to three different men?"

"That, I am not sure," Irving says, "perhaps after breakfast we could look through the archives."

"I would be happy to assist," Rick says earnestly.

When Mora looks at him he avoids her gaze. She is truly shocked that he would have an outburst over Irving but be agreeable to the idea of sharing her with other men. They eat the rest of their meal quietly; Mora's mind is spinning with the notion of Sovereign reign and she finds that she is adamantly against it. She does not want the power over the other countries, in fact all she wants is to lead a quiet life with a loving man, raise children and provide stability for Derven. Her heart sinks when she realizes that her desires aren't possible as long as Sheyenne and Wallace are able to make a ploy for power. If she does nothing, Derven is in danger; she struggles to grasp onto the hope that there will be another way.

After breakfast, Mora leads the two men into the archives. The castle servants take care to keep the room clean and tidy but even so, the lingering smell of dust and mildew cling to the stale air. She pulls open the large curtains, exposing the floor to ceiling shelves full of books and scrolls dating back to the beginning of Derven.

As if he can sense the tension between them, Irving wanders off towards the far corner of the room, leaving Rick and Mora alone. She stands, staring numbly at a row of scrolls.

"Mora," Rick's voice softly drifts to her ears, "I am sorry for the way I behaved towards Irving. I should have waited to hear you out before reacting; time and time again your judgment of the character of people proves to be uncannily correct, which unfortunately means that your assessment of me is as well."

She sighs, "I said that out of anger, Rick. I should have told you of my intentions before I carried them out, I just...honestly, I am just not sure who I can trust anymore. It seems like every time I feel comfortable around someone I am hit with another surprise."

Hesitantly, he reaches for her, his fingers brush her cheek. Mora closes her eyes and leans into his hand, savoring the feel of his skin against hers, something she has adamantly missed over the past few days. Rick drifts closer to her until his lips brush hers. She can feel him tremble.

"I want to earn your trust again, Mora," he whispers, "You are everything to me."

She stares deep into his blue eyes, "I can't imagine you are all right with the thought of me being with others." Her cheeks begin to blush when she realizes the concept is even hard for her to grasp. Not that long ago being this close to Rick put her into a tailspin; she isn't sure if she could survive repeating the nerve-wracking experience again, let alone two more times.

His gaze drops from hers though he takes her hand, "No, I am not all right with it but as you have said many times before, I must learn to put others before myself. You are a formidable woman Mora but beyond that you are the only one who can bring true peace to all of us. This is a sacrifice I must make, to ensure the future of Sceadu, the future of Derven. I—I want you, most ardently, please know that."

She can see the fear in his face, his worry that he is losing her to Irving. Realizing that he is doing what is necessary for the greater good over being selfish, Mora knows that Laren was correct—Rick can learn to become a great King. Unfortunately, she knows that she must also put her own personal wishes aside and it doesn't bode well with her. She swallows hard and nods, "You have me, Rick."

Their morning passes by rather quickly; all three of them dig through the books and scrolls, looking for any information that might help them. When it is almost lunch time, Mora is the one who stumbles across the useful information written on an ancient scroll and it makes her stomach drop.

Clearing her throat, she reads out loud, "When the nations of the land were first formed, roughly one hundred years ago, they waged war upon each other in an attempt to gain more land and resources. Hundreds of men died in this travesty until the very first King of Derven, King Seamus, called for negotiations of peace. He made the proposal for a Sovereign ruler, a King to unite each country and to see to it that peaceful arrangements could be had across the borders. A vote was called for in which each King could not declare themselves the nominee; King Seamus was the victor with three votes in his favor. Thus, the first Sovereign King was declared. In order to ensure fair treatment, the other three Kings offered the hands of their daughters to Seamus; though he already had a wife, he was inclined to accept the proposal, producing a child with each of them in order to seal the peace between the four countries." Her hands start shaking when she sets the scroll down.

"Then it seems our question has been answered," Irving says, taking a seat in a chair opposite her. "The Sovereign ruler, regardless of which land he or she is from, must take a spouse from each and produce a child."

"Assuming we get Prince Philip on board, would she have to find a Derven man to marry before she could be crowned Sovereign Queen?" Rick asks.

"I wouldn't think so," Irving says, "she already holds the crown. I think the only issue that would arise would be who ascends to the throne after her; if she does not produce a Derven heir, then a vote will be held for a new ruling entity."

"The royal family of Derven is voted into position?" Rick asks Mora, surprised.

"In a way," she says, clearing her throat, "the royal family assures their reign by fulfilling their duty to Derven to the highest; it has never happened, but if a majority of the country was opposed to the King and Queen they could demand another take their place. My ancestors were voted into position when a King failed to produce any heirs."

"It appears," Irving says softly, "the only loose end is Prince Philip. He is Wallace's only son, so your option is limited."

"He already has a wife," she reiterates.

"Yes, he does, but their law allows for men to have two. And you will have four husbands," Rick says with a frown.

Mora rubs her face, drawing in a deep breath, her voice grates with irritation, "I have had about as much of this as I can take. Let us get some lunch and set this topic aside for the moment."

The two men exchange a glance. "Mora," Irving says softly, "I apologize, we never did ask for your feelings on this matter."

"No, you didn't," she snaps, rising to her feet and walking to the door, "because if you had you'd realize just how absurd this is."

She leaves the room without bothering to wait for them, drifting down the hall before they have a chance to catch up to her. When she makes it to the small dining room, she finds the remainder of their party already seated and beginning to eat.

"We have been looking for you...three," Sari adds as Rick and Irving catch up; the men appear surprised to see everyone there.

Mora sits down, frustrated, but thankful for the moment as she will get a small reprieve from their previous conversation. She grabs two thick slices of bread and slathers some jam on them, intentionally making her feelings known to both Irving and Rick. When she takes a large bite, Franklin frowns at her.

"Is everything all right, my Queen?" He asks.

"Fantastic," she snaps before stuffing more bread into her mouth, "Where is Jackson?" After looking around, she frowns, "And Eric?"

Franklin's displeasure at her subject change is clear; his voice comes out soft and kind, "Jackson conscripted Eric to assist him with delivering the supplies to Sceadu, as you asked, my lady."

Mora nods, dropping her gaze down to the table; Franklin's tone is always a jarring reminder to her that she is acting foolish, "Very well, thank you Franklin."

"Supplies?" Lucas asks curiously.

When she looks up, she realizes that everyone has turned their gaze on to her. She clears her throat, glancing at Rick before speaking, "It has come to my attention that Sceadu might be in need of assistance, after the battle. We have some grain and meat to spare and I thought it would be a nice gesture if we shared our excess."

Tentatively, Rick reaches out his hand to take hers, "Thank you, Queen Namora, that is a very generous gesture. I am sure my people will be most grateful at your kindness."

She allows him to take her hand in his; he briefly holds it, squeezing her fingers before he lets her go. Rick takes care to make the touch affectionate but doesn't cross a line suggesting their familiarity. Mora appreciates his thoughtfulness, though she doesn't want the touch to end; she aches to be back in his arms again, to feel the gentleness of his lips on hers, of his fingers on her body. She realizes now that despite his shortcomings, she will always desire him as he is her first true love, the first man to kiss her, the first man to have her body.

Her heart almost breaks at knowing that she could potentially have to be parted with him and share herself with others; while she feels a pull towards Irving and could possibly love him as well, she has little knowledge of Philip. She can't even imagine how she would even go about broaching the subject with him and what if he refuses? The thought of trying to find a man of Derven to rule with her causes her hands to shake; she had waited a long time for someone to make an offer of marriage yet no Derven man had—who would possibly want a wife that he would have to share?

The tenuous balance of power feels like it is eating away at her soul. Hastily, she drinks down her glass of wine, seeking comfort; her mind tries its best to quell the fears of her heart, reminding her that she is a servant to Derven and it is her duty to ensure the safety and security of her country by whatever means necessary—if she cannot find an alternate path then she will have to come to terms with becoming a Sovereign Queen. Not that long ago she had resigned herself to being married to a heartless, wicked man who would have treated her like nothing more than an object; at the very least, she would have Rick and Irving at her side. This is something she can survive if she must, even if she doesn't want to.