International Relations is Hard

 “So, mind repeating yourself?” Diana asked as she and Marie strode through the hall, every person in the room gawking at the pair. She fwipped her sword to the side to extinguish the flame as they approached, sheathing it. These two have too much fun being badass.

As Diana and Marie arrived at the foot of the dais beneath me with Finley and the Deighsel duo, she gave Finley’s spectral dog a pat on the head. “Hi, Madadh.” It wagged its ghostly tail.

Margot glowered at the two, shooting daggers from her eyes with killing intent.

Friedbert snorted. “It doesn’t matter how many people come to try and save the day for you, Elisabeth. We are in control here. And we will be wed.” He curled his lip.

Margot stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this is clearly a crime of the highest order. This barbarian woman here appears to have broken into the dungeon and released a prisoner.”

Before King Lumineuse could respond, I knelt next to him and grabbed his hand. I squeezed tightly and put on my cutest, most innocent face. “Please, Father. Please. Let them finish. Diana and Marie are both guiltless.” Well, that last part might be a bit of a lie. Pretty sure Diana did 100% actually break into the dungeon to free Marie.

“You must be joking,” Margot scoffed.

“While we are in my throne room, I shall permit who may speak, Margot,” the king said resolutely. He looked at Diana. “You have one chance.”

Duke Deighsel folded his arms. “Gaspard, you seem to have forgotten what we announced mere moments ago. This throne room is anything but under your control.”

The King’s confidence disappeared once more. “...Right. Elisabeth… I’m sorry.”

Friedbert laughed. “That’s right, old man. Tremble before the might of the Duchy of Deighsel!”

“Hey, uh, am I missing something?” Diana interrupted. All eyes turned back to her. She pointed between her and Finley. “Do you not know who we are?”

Finley joined in, “Right. The Crown Prince and Princess of the Andraste Empire stand before you, you know.” Gasps filled the air.

Friedbert scoffed. “And?”

“You don’t understand? And to think you used such language to insinuate your very own power just a moment ago,” Finley tutted.

“Truly, amateurs,” Diana chimed in. “You threaten the kingdom of our close friend Elisabeth, twist her arm into an illegitimate marriage, and coyly play at becoming king? And you expect us to sit through that?”

My gaze connected with Finley’s, and he smiled at me, then nodded towards Diana like watch this. Diana continued, “Before you stands Diana Caestra,” she enchanted her sword with a brilliant glowing blue, and held it above her head, shouting, “Captain of the ciadreisimeid, First Regiment of the Andrastian Army!” She lowered it, pointing it directly at Friedbert’s neck. “And I will not tolerate threats to my dear friend, nor her kingdom.”

The king stuttered, “You would extend such protection?... After all I’ve done?”

Diana flashed a charismatic smile. “Of course, Your Majesty. Our families are tied to one another whether you like it or not.”

I wanted to pump my fist in the air and tell the Deighsels to eat it, but I restrained myself. Instead, I looked at my father, silently asking permission. Once again, he nodded.

At the top of my lungs, I shouted, “MODS— er, I mean, GUARDS! Seize them!”

Whoops.

The ring of soldiers that had trapped the twins raised their halberds, and ran to surround the Deighsels instead.

The two fell to their knees.

I can’t believe it. I… we… we did it!?

As I was about to run to Marie and the twins and trap them in a bear hug, Finley interjected, “We aren’t finished quite yet.” He flipped around, turning to… Huh? The maids?

Glowering, he pointed a magical finger out as he condemned a single person. “There stands another in this room who lives a duplicitous life. Margot— No… That’s not right. Margaret Ausspionieren, foreign operative of the Durssk Kingdom, I stand here to bring your crimes to light!”

WHAT?

She put a hand on her chest. “What on earth are you talking about, Master Finley?”

He lowered his accusatory arm. “I noticed a strange fluctuation in the mana beneath the palace before you all had left. I wasn’t sure, so I took time to investigate. Father and I met multiple times to discuss it.” Is that what those secret meetings were about? “But after you brought out that decree from King Lumineuse, I was absolutely certain.” He stepped up onto the dais next to me and Dad. “You yourself use magic. A highly advanced, powerful kind — the school of spatial magic!”

“And what’s your proof?” She sneered.

Finley turned to the king. “Your Majesty, could you confirm for me whether or not you have had meetings with Margot in secret, using magic?”

The king seemed hesitant to respond.

Finley spoke for him, “Ah— don’t worry, there’s no point in denying that you use it.” He gestured to me, as I still held the book. “We’ve evidence that the line of succession has maintained the use of mauvais, as you call it, in secret.”

The king sputtered, “I- I- You-” He looked out to the staring audience, every Lumineusian in the room boring into him. He hung his head. “Yes, I have used magic. And I can confirm, Margot, too, has used it. It’s how I ensured that I could keep watch over Elisabeth during her trip.”

Finley smiled. “Thank you. Now, as for Bridd Palace… Well, I know that spatial magic developed in Durssk, due to its very nature, bends space around it. The mana signatures it leaves behind are extremely subtle, but viewable to the highly trained eye,” he said as he pointed at his own face. Omigod, what a dork.

Wait, is that what he and Stuart had been investigating?

“I had a little friend keep watch.” Summoning the cute little fox, he continued, “and when I heard you speaking with not only Duke Deighsel, but the King of Durssk himself, that was the nail in the coffin.” He waved the fox away, dissipating it back into mana.

Margot spat — like, literally spat — on the floor. “Tch. Found out, have you?”

Whoa.

She scoffed, “No matter. With the failure of these incompetent fools,” she glared at the surrendering Deighsels, “my purpose here ends.”

With a finger of her own, she pointed at me and the king. “Loathe as I am to say it, I believe we will meet again. Until that day…” Suddenly, the room started rumbling. Margot (or, uh, Margaret?) became outlined in a deep, dark violet glow.

Finley shouted, “Diana, stop her!”

Diana started to run, but it was too late. We watched as the glow intensified, and felt the room shake more and more, until Margaret disappeared into nothing, a purple void consuming her from the inside in an instant with a loud bsschzorp.

Holy moly.

The room fell silent.

King Lumineuse stood up, trembling. He extended a shaky arm towards the doors at the end of the throne room. “Subjects… please return to your stations. I will explain everything later,” he commanded. The crowd reluctantly obeyed.

“Guards, hold the… duplicitous Duke and his son captive outside. Spare no effort.” The ring of soldiers, too, then left, prodding along the Deighsels with their weapons.

A few moments later, the twins, the king, Marie, and me were the only ones left in the massive hall.

“Sorry about the window, Your Majesty. We were in a hurry and I couldn't deal with guards and such,” Finley broke the silence.

The king turned to look at him. “I think you more than earned the right to a few smashed windows with… everything you’ve done today.” He collapsed back into the throne. “To think that Margot was an agent of Durssk…” His voice was entirely deflated, weak and ineffective. Without an audience to signal to, it appeared a truer version of the King was with us.

“Luckily I noticed the activity in the palace,” Finley added. “Did you not suspect anything with her ability to teleport matter through space?”

The king sighed. “Frankly, no. I am not well-versed in magic. When she applied to work at the palace, she said she was originally from a fringe province where mauvais was common. She appealed to me with the idea of being a personal servant to me.” He shook his head slowly. “What a fool I was.”

“She was always so adamantly against magic!” I cried. “I never would have known.”

The king, my father, stood up and strode to me. He placed a weathered, masculine hand on my shoulder. “Elisabeth, you were not permitted that knowledge, being but a woman.”

I started to speak, ready to say something indignant about how stupid that was, when he continued, “But I feel as though today, I have been shown something I did not realize possible.” He smiled. “That you possess far greater strength than I ever have.”

“Father… Do you really mean it?”

“Without your knowledge, your courageous efforts, we might be stuck under the wicked finger of the Deighsels still.” He looked up at the windows along the ceiling. “Though our troubles are… far from over considering the Duchy.”

Finley and Diana both stepped forward. Diana spoke, “You know, Dad has wanted to reconnect with you again for a long time.”

Finley joined, “Truly, he told me even recently that he had been so happy to see Elisabeth come. That it perhaps was an olive branch of sorts. He permitted us to command the full might of Andraste towards that end, should it come to it.”

“You two…” The king looked as though he was about to break down. “I have been so foolish. Thank you both for your aid.” He put on a pained smile. “Perhaps with the virtuous might of Andraste, we may ease our worries of the Duchy and Durssk.”