Rajenlif watched the shuttle descend toward the pad, as she had hundreds of times before. But for the first time in a very long time, she felt her nerves jangling as it approached. When was the last time she was worried about a visitor to the Palace of the Three Shaars? Could it be so long ago as the first time she had met Tiernan? Yes, that was probably it.

This was a different worry than that had been. That fear had been of the new and the unknown. This was a fear of the known. Rajenlif had crossed paths with Rixie Carey dozens of times, had granted her the Sword of Savarna, had made her an honorary Throden, had stood by her at her wedding….

…and all the while, hid a secret from a woman who had deserved to know the truth.

She didn’t know how Rixie would react to that. However she did, Rajenlif knew that it would probably be with more equanimity than she deserved.

The shuttle grounded, and some air vented as pressure was equalized. Then the hatch opened, and two Imperial officers stepped out, one to each side. She smiled, as she noted that one was a cadet that she knew quite well; her granddaughter gave only the slightest echo of a nod in her direction, which was perfect protocol. She hoped Tylum would have a chance to visit for a little bit before the Bay of Tuaut left. But she was glad to see that her granddaughter looked at home in her job.

Tylum and the other officer turned, and both saluted as Tiernan led a small delegation off the shuttle. Rixie was over his right shoulder, while over his left, Thyllia Carey walked with Asteria by the hand. Alex split the middle; Rajenlif could hear the faint whir of gravitics powering his scooter.

She fought the urge to go to Rixie first; there was protocol, and besides, she really was glad to see her husband again; she was always glad to see Tiernan.

“Your Imperial Majesty, my husband, welcome back to Jutuneim,” Rajenlif said, stepping forward and reaching out her hand.

“High-Born Rajenlif, my dear wife, thank you for your hospitality,” Tiernan replied, first shaking her wrist, and then pulling her into a tight hug. “It is always good to be back at our second home.”

“It is always truly home when you are here,” Rajenlif said.

Tiernan stepped back, and said, “High-Born Rajenlif, may I present Senator Alex Carey; Lady Thyllia Carey; Magister-Imperator Rixie Carey, a joined member of the House of Throden and ColVanos; and Ms. Asteria Carey, a delegation from the House of Carey and the family of Captain Ryan Carey.”

“Thank you,” Rajenlif said. She turned briefly toward Alex – Imperial protocol would have her greet him first – but she paused, and turned to her niece.

Rixie was wearing Jotnar variant dress uniform, with the Sword of Savarna on her hip. She had the mop of braids that she had just begun wearing when Rajenlif had first seen her, so many years ago. And Rajenlif fought again the urge to embrace her and pull her into the palace. Especially in front of the functionaries who were present for this meeting.

But that did not mean she would allow protocol to be shackles.

“Renowned Rixie, of House Throden and ColVanos, Bearer of the Sword of Savarna,” she said, in Jotnar. “Welcome back to the home of your ancestors.”

Rixie quirked an eyebrow; she knew the protocols, knew that Alex was supposed to get the first mention. She also knew that Rajenlif was not going to call out her relationship casually, not here.

But she had come about as close as she could. The exact phrasing of Rajenlif’s welcome would sound to others as if she was simply welcoming a Recipient of the Sword of Savarna back to Jotnarherath. But Rajenlif knew that Rixie was smart enough to catch the double meaning, and Rixie was smart enough to know Rajenlif would know.

“High-Born Rajenlif,” Rixie said, bowing. “I am honored by your greeting, both as the head of our people and the house with which I stand as a joined member.”

Rajenlif nodded, and smiled. Rixie had taken pains to add “joined” before “member,” a term that denoted her honorary status. However she felt about it, her niece was demonstrating early that she was not here to make waves.

“Our house is honored to have you as a joined member of it, Renowned Rixie. And we are honored by your presence, Senator Carey.”

Alex grinned, and tipped the scooter forward in a bow. “Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. The honor is mine.”

“Lady Carey,” Rajenlif said to Thyllia, “your husband continues to serve our Empire well. And soon you will be a mother, I know. I am glad as always to see you, and I hope that you will convey my regards to your sister when you see her.”

“As always, High-Born Rajenlif, it is an honor to greet you,” Thyllia said, bowing. “And my sister asked me to tell you that she remains an obedient servant of your husband, and a great friend of Jotnarherath.”

“Indeed. And finally,” Rajenlif said, kneeling down, “Asteria Carey. You have grown even in the time since your mom and dad got married. Welcome to Jutuneim.”

“Hi, Empress!” Asteria said. “I’m gonna be an aunt, did mommy tell you?”

“She did! You are very lucky.”

“Yeah. And mommy said that we’re gonna see Jotnarath, which is where she’s from!”

Rajenlif chuckled. “You are! In fact, you are in Jotnarherath right now. These woods….”

Rajenlif paused, because she had very nearly told the little girl that it was in these woods that her grandparents had first met.

“These woods have been in my family for a very long time. They are where I met the Emperor for the first time. I hope that you will get the opportunity to see them while you are here.”

“In truth, my dear wife,” Tiernan said, “I would be happy to show them around the grounds. I know that you had something to discuss with Renowned Rixie.”

“Indeed I do,” Rajenlif said. “Some duties for you to attend to as a Bearer of the Sword. If my husband were to take your family around the grounds, we could attend to this business quickly.”

Rixie smiled. “High-Born Rajenlif, I am at your service.”

* * *

Rixie and Rajenlif did not speak much on the walk up to the palace. Indeed, the only conversation of significance was between Rajenlif and her Chief of Staff, Azhborn Niearn.

“Will you be heading to your offices, milady?” Azhborn had asked, checking her pad.

“No, Azhborn. I believe that the Renowned Magister-Imperator and I will meet in the Antero IV Room.”

This had elicited a long pause from the functionary, who said, finally, “High-Born Rajenlif, I do not wish to correct you, but….”

“She is allowed in the Antero IV Room, Azhborn; she is a Joined Member of the House of Throden and ColVanos.”

“Ah. Yes, that’s…that’s true, she is. However, I am unable to follow, as you know, so….”

“Yes, Azhborn, I know,” Rajenlif said. “The meeting between the Renowned Magister-Imperator and myself will be private. Please instruct the staff of this.”

Azhborn Niearn stumbled a bit. “High-Born Rajenlif…I…this is unusual.”

“Indeed it is,” Rajenlif said.

Rixie could not help but smirk; that sounded very much like something Rixie herself would say. Perhaps, Rixie thought, it was genetic.

“Very well. I…if you should need anything, while you’re meeting….”

“I have prepared the room myself,” Rajenlif said. “’A Dronung is not a child, nor a porcelain plate,’ after all.”

“Yes, of course milady. You will alert me when you are done?”

“Of course. However…Azhborn, you should know that there will be some meetings with my brother and his family over the next few days. You are a friend and a loyal servant, but…I will warn you in advance that these are family gatherings. Renowned Magister-Imperator Carey and her family may accompany me to them, but these are personal affairs.”

They walked into the palace, and Rajenlif guided them through a small door and down a cramped hallway. It was not quite a secret passageway, but it was clearly not meant to be an area that guests would traverse.

They paused outside a doorway, and Azhborn said, quietly, “Milady…I know of the last time you brought a joined member of the house to this room. I was with you then, you know. Is this…an instance of a similar nature?”

Rajenlif turned to Azhborn, and smiled. “You are very perceptive, Azhborn, and you have been very loyal. Lean more on the latter, and discuss this with no one.”

Azhborn nodded, and bowed. “Yes, High-Born Rajenlif. And it is an honor to meet you…Well-Born Rixie.”

Rixie’s breath caught at that, but she forced herself to say, “I claim no such thing, Ms. Niearn. I am but a servant of the Dronung.”

“Well-said,” Azhborn said. “And I shall never say anything but that.”

Rajenlif opened the door, pausing to shake her head at Azhborn. She couldn’t hold it against her; Azhborn had been her Chief of Staff on Jutuneim for thirty years, and she was as good a friend as Zhalem Ro was to Tiernan. And at some point, she would detail Rixie’s parentage to her, exactly as she’d laid out Aud’s. But not right now.

She guided Rixie into the room, and closed the door, and locked it behind her.

It was a room in a palace, and so it was nice enough, but it was not overly splendorous. The things that caught Rixie’s eye in turn were the old radiators by the window, the desk with a real bookshelf (and real books!) behind it in the corner. And of course, the many paintings along the back wall, and the one that hung over the fireplace.

“Azhborn would have made a good Imperator,” Rajenlif said. “But in truth, I expected she would catch on quickly; no matter what I said, joined members of the House of Throden and ColVanos are not allowed in this room. Nobody who is not of royal flesh or the direct kin of same is allowed in here. This room is my family’s room, and only my family’s room. And thus, it is your room.”

Rajenlif walked over to the painting nearest the door, and shook her head. “This is your grandmother,” she said. “Dronung the Ninth Hirera, ‘Matchmaker.’ She would have hated that epithet. It refers to her role in marrying Tiernan to me. She would have hated that she was remembered as an accessory to me. She always thought it was the opposite.”

Rixie looked at the woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Rajenlif. She appeared genial, but it was a painting, and it was hard to get a sense of the true woman behind it. The painting was set in this room; the painting over her shoulder was the painting over the fireplace. “This was painted by a relative, then?”

Rajenlif smiled. “Your great-uncle Uđjjus’s wife, Princess Serakkah, was a painter of great skill. Though she was getting on in age, mother asked that she paint her official portrait, as she wanted it to be done here. My mother was quite proud of her heritage, and saw herself as the guardian of the House. Which led her to make…some catastrophic mistakes. Do you know how your grandmother ascended to the throne?”

“I know Prince Uđjjus died in a shuttle accident. And Prince Kullervo.”

“Yes, they did. Mother should not have been Dronung; it was an accident of fate that left her as the only child of Hegri V. She was, I think, a good Dronung, but she was not as good a mother as she could have been.”

Rixie was quiet; she stared at the portrait a good long time. The woman in the painting had, according to Swipul, been the driving force behind Rixie being sent to live with the Hoplites.

She tried to feel something – love or hate, she didn’t really care which – but she just felt numb. She could never tell Hirera Matchmaker how wrong she had been about her. Could never tell her how much she had hurt her grandchild. And she could never call her grandma, like she should have been able to.

She looked over at Rajenlif, finally, and saw that the Dronung was far from placid. The Empress was staring daggers at the woman in the painting.

“Mother, this is your granddaughter, Rixie Carey. You attempted to cast her out of the family, and you have failed. You took her birthright from her, but you are no longer Dronung, I am. And as Head of the House of Throden and ColVanos, and High Dronung and Queen of Jotnarherath, I give her back her name, and her bloodline.” Rajenlif turned toward Rixie. “Hyrikken Throdr Skamøld, daughter of the House of Throden and Clade Niethur, you are my niece, and a Princess of Savarna. Whether you breathe that truth aloud outside these walls, or whether you hold it as a secret next to your heart, I do acknowledge you as flesh of my flesh, and it shall be recorded in our family records.”

Rajenlif took a few quick steps to a book that had been left open on the desk. She took and old-fashioned pen, and wrote in Jotnar script,

Hyrikken Throdr Skamøld
known as Rixie Tam, and later by marriage as Rixie Carey.
Born 2076 on Sininentavas
Raised on Archavia by the Hoplite Order

Daughter of PRINCE KULLERVO KALEVA THRODEN of HOUSE THRODEN
and Vwokhu Pyvjatar Skamøld of Clade Niethur.
Wife of Sen. Alexander Edward Carey of Avalon and Terra
Mother by adoption of Lord Ryan Alexander Carey, IC OTE HOA GE
and by flesh of Asteria Lemm Carey

Served honourably as an officer
in the Imperators Corps,
and later as a trusted adviser to
Sen. Pryvani Tarsuss IC OTE GE.
Gained renown as a competitor
in the sport of Tol-Bot.
Assisted in the defence
of the people of Avalon.
Assisted in successful First Contact
with the Peoples of Terra.
And worked to secure the equal treatment
of humans in the Empire and Jotnarherath.

Through Her Own Actions and By No Favour
She Became a Bearer of the Sword of Savarna,
a Member of the Order of the Emperor,
and a Member of the Imperial Clade.

Alive as of this date of attestation,
and continuing her noble service
to Jotnarherath, to Avalon,
and to all the peoples of the Empire
and its allies.

Undeclared Yet Attested

Hardronung 16 Rajenlif

2128

Rixie noted that there was another record above hers, for Audara Bjalki; the next entry beyond that was for someone born thirty-nine years before Rixie. Five more were visible on the pages that were open, and though two others noted awards that had been won, and all noted family relations, she saw that hers was by far the longest. Each record was signed by a Dronung or Jofur. All ended in “undeclared yet attested.” Only hers and Aud’s had been signed by Rajenlif.

“This is known as the Book of Bastards,” Rajenlif said. “It is not comprehensive; those who are in these pages were acknowledged as the offspring of Throdens, at least within the family. There are others who were not, of course. There is a part of me that wishes I could simply publish this. Every person attested to in this book is a relative of you…and of me. And not one of them is any less worthy than the known princes and princesses. Quite a few of them are more worthy. Including you.”

Rajenlif put the pen down, and stood up, and faced her niece. “You have many questions, I’m sure.”

“So…my name isn’t Riksa?”

“It is. Riksa is the pet form of Hyrikken. A fine name for a princess, the name of Dronung the First Throdr’s mother, and in Savarnan myth, the name of the one who pushed the hero Baldra’s funeral pyre into the ocean.”

“I remember the story. I…remember she was said to be ugly.”

“And yet the only one strong enough to do the deed. Not even Otna could do what she did. But I suspect your mother was thinking of your heritage when she named you; Hyrikken is the mother of a Dronung, and your middle name, Throdr…well, she is both a hero and a queen, and your mother admitted to me, that name was an allusion to your true heritage. She knew it would not survive your upbringing, but it is the name she called you when you first drew breath.”

“I’m not sure I like it that much…‘Riksa’ is okay, but Hyrikken….”

“The good news is that you will have little cause to use it,” Rajenlif said. “You are Rixie Carey, and that is a name that is renowned, and not just because of the sword you carry.”

Rixie looked down for a moment, and looked up. “There is something I did want to ask you. I…do you remember, maybe forty years ago, you visited the campus of the Hoplites?”

“I remember it very well.”

“I don’t know if you remember this part, but you met a young Jotnar Tam. Me. I don’t know if you put it together, but….”

“Rixie, I was there looking for you,” Rajenlif said. “Meeting you is the only part of the visit I remember, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Why did you leave me there?” Rixie asked.

Rajenlif took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to. I wanted to take you with me. Especially when you told me about your braids….I wanted to take you home. I probably should have, and damn the consequences. I wasn’t certain you were you, of course, but had I wanted to be sure, I could have been. I knew even then how strong you were, how fierce you were…and how wounded you were. And I did nothing about it, and I…I have no excuse for that.”

“So you helped with the wedding to, what, make up for it or something?” Rixie asked.

“Oh Rixie, it was the least I could do! I found out about your wedding from Pryvani when I was planning to award you the Sword of Savarna. I want you to know that it was no mere gift, no make-up present. You earned that on your own, and I would have given it to any Jotnar who had done what you had to defend this Empire and, by extension, Jotnarherath. You were already in the Imperial Clade, and while I may hold the Sword of Savarna in more esteem, that is proof enough of your worth.

“I still suspected, of course, that you were my niece. I had for many years, but there was no urgent reason to act on it. Especially as you had settled in as an advisor to Pryvani – you were safe and secure and, by all accounts, happy. I did not want to intrude on that happiness. But then Pryvani told me you wanted a formal Jotnar wedding, and while you can marry with no house, you can’t have the full ceremony without one. I could have given Pryvani information about the Cladic Rite, and declared you a member of the Niethur Clade – any Jotnar can claim membership in the Niethur Clade if they want, by simple declaration – but I knew that it was likely you were an heir of House Throden. I couldn’t deny you the right to marry with your house behind you. It was not difficult to obtain your genetic records, and once I did…well, there wasn’t any question after that. And even if I couldn’t tell you…

“But you still didn’t tell me the truth,” Rixie said. “You brought me on as a joined member, let me think of it as a favor.”

“Yes, I did,” Rajenlif said. “And I know that you have every right to hate me for it. For all of it. I continued my mother’s decision. And though I’m tempted to tell you that your half-sister’s experience shows that you may have benefited…that would just be me justifying the unjustifiable. You deserved to know the truth, from the day you were born. It is my mother’s fault that you didn’t. And it is mine. And nobody else’s; we are the ones who failed you, and we are the ones you should despise. And if that is what you feel toward me – hatred, anger, sorrow – then I accept it. But….”

Rajenlif stopped at that point, because her niece had thrown her arms around her, and hugged her tight. And almost as quickly, she found she had done the same.

“I…should be angry,” Rixie said. “I should be. I have every right to be. Hells, I want to be. But….”

“You are,” Rajenlif said, “as strong a person as I have ever known. As strong as your boss, as strong as your son…as strong as my son, your cousin. And there are very few people alive of whom I would say that.”

“No, I’m not,” Rixie said. “I’m…I’ve always just…I just wanted to…I wanted my family to….”

She took a deep breath. “You didn’t leave me there because I wasn’t good enough.”

Rajenlif half-laughed, half-sobbed. “Oh, my…no. No, Rixie. No. You were the best of us. I left you there because I was not strong enough, not good enough. It is my fault. And perhaps your grandmother’s. And nobody else’s. Especially not yours.”

“Thank you,” Rixie said. “And I forgive you.”

Rajenlif held her niece tighter. “Thank you,” she whispered.

They held each other for a long time, before Rajenlif said, “Now, Rixie…we do have a bit more business to attend to before we get you some rest. It is important. It is about the possibility of you becoming Dronung.”

Rixie laughed, and wiped away tears. “I have no interest in becoming Dronung. Vallero will be a good one.”

“She will, but that is not what I’m referring to. As I told you, your grandmother was not supposed to be Dronung. Had her brother not died, she would not have been. Let us imagine a horrible but possible future in which Tiernan and I are visited by our two daughters, when catastrophe befalls us all.”

Rixie was about to say “Let’s not,” but something about the way Rajenlif said this made her pause. This was not idle speculation; this was the same kind of planning that she had done in the military, so very many times. Imagine the Induperator and Centurium both buy it, and I’m out of commission. What happens next? Who carries on?

“All right,” Rixie said. “I mean…in that case, wouldn’t Kaleva take the throne?”

Rajenlif smiled tightly. “Under the rules of succession for the House of Throden and ColVanos, he would. But those are different from the rules that govern succession to the Carba Throne. Once Vallero takes both thrones, the rules will be altered for the Carba Throne as well, with Vallero beginning a new ruling house. But right now, the succession laws are based on the rules of succession for the House of Throden, and they are…very complex.”

“How complex are we talking?”

“Several times in our history, we were faced with the possibility that the throne would pass to a child. Several more times, a potential Jofur or Dronung was considered unfit to serve, either by temperament or because their politics were too far out of step with the Jotnardiggi and Jotnarherath. Rules were altered over the years to give the Jotnardiggi some power to, if not outright reject an heir, then to voice objections strong enough that different heirs were ultimately crowned. Over the years, some practices became standardized. For one, if a crown prince or princess died before they took power, then the throne would be at least offered to their siblings before their children, especially if the children were below the age of majority.”

“That shouldn’t matter now, though; Kaleva is an adult.”

“As are Vellamo, Hirera, and Ulysses. But you see…well, it would take several hours to explain how this came to be, and it’s not that important. What is important is that should I die, and should Vallero and Rhionne predecease me, or refuse the crown, or should the Jotnardiggi strongly object…well, at one point, the throne would have been offered to all other grandchildren of my mother, in order of age. It was eventually determined that the eldest grandchild would be given right to refuse or accept on behalf of the others, and to allow other grandchildren the right to do the same if they wished. If not, only then would it then go to my grandchildren. Hirera’s eldest grandchild,” Rajenlif said, “is you.”

Rixie looked at Rajenlif for a long time. “Well…um…that doesn’t matter, though, I haven’t claimed the title of princess, and nobody knows I’m your niece outside the family, so…it would just go to…Swipul, right?”

“Swipul is the eldest known grandchild outside of my immediate family, that is true,” Rajenlif said. “But you have another illegitimate sister.”

“Aud, right,” Rixie said. “I…helped Pryvani figure that out. I’m not…she wasn’t very nice to Ryan, but I don’t know if that was just her having a bad day, or being upset at the merger of houses….Based on what Ms. Niearn said, she knows?”

“She knows she is a princess, just as you do. And she does not claim it, as you do not. But if things were to fall out badly….”

Rajenlif sighed. “Rixie, I did not go through all of this with her, not to the degree I will with you. I did have this talk with her, as I have with all reasonably-likely heirs, and at the time, she told me she was not interested in serving as Dronung. But…she was record-keeper for the House of Throden while it existed; she knows these rules as well as anyone alive. If disaster befell the family, she would have every opportunity to stand forth and claim the throne, and the Book of Bastards would back her claim.”

“Why? I mean, I know we’re both actually Kullervo’s children, but he gave us up – well, gave me up, but I know he didn’t claim parentage for Aud; I’ve seen her birth registration. Anyhow, we aren’t legally his children, even if we are genetically.”

“Jotnar law is clear, Rixie. There may be a Book of Bastards, but the title has long been meaningless. There is no such thing as a bastard child in Jotnarherath. One can sever parental rights, or have them severed, but that requires affirmative steps. You and Aud were both hidden, and those steps were never taken. And so you both are legally Kullervo’s children, as sure as Asteria is your child. All it would take to enforce that is a simple petition of a court and a DNA check, and you would not have to go that far; you know exactly where to find a book where the Dronung herself attested that you were Kullervo’s children.”

“So…Aud could claim she was the oldest grandchild, she doesn’t know about me, but…would she be a bad Dronung? I don’t know her as well as you do.”

Rajenlif sighed. “I like Aud, even though she can be frustrating at times, but Dronung? She is too headstrong, and too self-centered. She has spent much of her life angry that she was not told she was a princess at birth. No, I would not trust Aud. But I would trust you.”

Rixie stared for a long time.

“No,” she finally said. “No way.”

“It is very likely that this will never be necessary,” Rajenlif said. “That you will never have to do this. But if things fall out badly, it may be necessary for you to take the Carba Throne to prevent Audara from sitting upon it.”

“I don’t want it,” Rixie said.

“Precisely the reason I trust you with it. You would not be shackled to it; Throdr held the throne for all of three days, after all. Once you were Dronung, you could pass the title to a worthy successor, whether that was Kaleva, or Swipul, or someone else who had proven their worth. Or you could keep it, and someday, pass the title to my grand-niece. It would be your choice.”

Rixie shook her head. “Gorram it,” she said, finally.

Rajenlif smiled, and put her hand on Rixie’s shoulder. “I hope and pray that you will never have to fulfill this duty. And not just because it would mean that my daughters were dead; I understand better than you why you don’t want to be Dronung, and I don’t want you to have to be Dronung. But if it comes down to it….”

“…If I was Dronung, I could pass the throne quickly to Kaleva, right? Or Ulysses, or whomever ended up succeeding as Emperor? Do what Throdr did, just give it to them, and let them found a new house?”

“Yes, you could,” Rajenlif said.

“Okay,” Rixie said. “If it all goes wrong, I will do that. Now please, please, don’t let that happen.”

“I will do all I can. But I will sleep much better tonight. Rixie, I could have written many pages on the actions you have taken to defend others, with no regard for your own safety and security. You understand that to lead is to serve, and that, Rixie, is the most important thing a leader can understand. If disaster should come, and you should sit on the Carba Throne, you would, I know, immediately look at how you could stabilize things, and what you would do to help Jotnarherath recover. You would put others first, because you always have.”

“You make me sound a lot better than I am,” Rixie said.

“No, I don’t think I do,” Rajenlif said. “At any rate, I have spent enough time lecturing; you should get a nap. Tonight, you get to meet your father. And I know he is very excited to meet you.”

“I’m excited to meet him,” Rixie said. “But you could have all been excited about this forty years ago.”

“I wish we had been,” Rajenlif said. “We missed so very much.”