02-05-2020, 08:53 AM
Texōccoatl sneezed. "Mother. Must that thing be in here?"
The "thing" in question, a sleek black cat named Necuametl, gazed coolly at the Crown Prince from the lap of the Empress. Yauhmi petted the cat's head gently. "All rulers of Xiomera have a pet, it's tradition," she replied with a rather similar cool gaze at her son.
"But they all had dogs. My father had a dog. Dogs are useful, unlike this destroyer of furniture and producer of fur," Texōccoatl said with a sigh. The Crown Prince brushed at the lapels of his Xiuhtaca designer suit in a futile gesture.
"I presume you didn't come to see me because of my choice of pet," Yauhmi said as Necuametl leaped off her lap and padded off in search of a snack. With a gesture, the Empress waved at a nearby maid, who swiftly produced a jar of treats for the now loudly-purring cat.
"Of course not." Texōccoatl laughed as Yauhmi stood up, brushing at the fur on her A'pilne dress. "See? Cats are horrible pets. You have fur all over you too."
The Empress sighed, waving at a different maid, who immediately produced a lint remover and removed the offending fur. "Now I don't have any fur. And you're stalling," Yauhmi chided her son. "If you have something to say, say it."
Texōccoatl smiled; he had never been able to get anything past his mother. Next to him, his wife Tlalmaxxi shook her head with her own soft chuckle.
"Mother....I'm worried. You know I support your goals for Xiomera, as does Tlalmaxxi. As do many Xiomerans....but not all, as you surely know." Texōccoatl took a Cala Companion tablet out of his pocket, scrolling through a series of news headlines. "Xiomeran business community revolts....New tax plan raises concerns....Reforms upsetting traditional Xiomerans....Is the Empress leading Xiomera to socialism?" The Crown Prince shook his head in concern. "We may be moving too fast."
Yauhmi shook her own head, in vehement denial. "We aren't moving fast enough. Time is indeed of the essence. When Wu Zhou died, I realized just how quick one's time can run out. If I want to achieve my goals for Xiomera, I can't afford the luxury of moving slow. Besides, the people who hate my plans now will hate them just as much if I drag them out months, or years, or decades, if I was even lucky enough to live that long. They will never be happy with what I plan to do, Texōccoatl. I plan to change.....everything. And the people who will stand in opposition to me.....are people who hate to change anything." Yauhmi walked over to one of the windows of the Golden Chamber, looking out over the Palace gardens. "I find it amusing that some are comparing me to Camaxtica, when I want nothing more than to undo the worst of what she did to this land. But the comparison is fitting - Xiomera was prosperous and successful on the surface before she took power, but was stagnating and was in fact beginning to decline. Xiomera is in the same state now. After so many decades of rule by the iron fist, we have fallen into the same state of stagnation and blindness as before the Great Reformations. And as before, it will take dramatic change to save Xiomera from that stagnation."
The Empress turned back to Texōccoatl and Tlalmaxxi. "I have had to scheme, and lie, and bribe people to gain this throne. I have had to debase myself through the worst of the crime that is the Great Selection. I have had to lower myself and bargain with the corrupt, the venal and the base to gain this throne, and the power that comes with it. I put myself through all of that for one reason, and one reason alone: to save Xiomera. And the only way to save it is to attack the worst facets of it head-on. No delay, no negotiation, no scheming."
"Mother, I don't believe you're wrong, but...." Texōccoatl was momentarily lost for words, so Tlalmaxxi jumped in. "What we are worried about isn't Xiomera. It's you. The people you're challenging won't take this passively. You are placing yourself at great risk," Tlalmaxxi said with concern.
"What's the point of having the power that I have, if I don't do anything with it to serve the nation or its people? Risk comes with my job just as much as it does yours, Tlalmaxxi. You wouldn't let someone afraid of risk into ASI....you surely wouldn't want someone afraid of risk on the Obsidian Throne," Yauhmi replied calmly. Tlalmaxxi was the one left at a loss for words at that point; Yauhmi was right, after all.
"I know you're both worried about me. And I love you both for it," Yauhmi said after a moment of silence. "But after Topilpopoca died....I never wanted to be the ruler of Xiomera. That would probably surprise most people to hear," the Empress said. "But I saw the kind of people that were lining up to replace Topilpopoca. Corrupt businessmen, repression-minded tyrants in the making, naive fools who had no idea what it would take to navigate the dangers of this job. Someone needed to ensure that this country, and its people, would be protected. I am going to be that protector. Protectors, unfortunately, don't get the luxury of themselves being protected. That, too, comes with the job," Yauhmi replied with a slightly sad smile. "There are indeed many who may come after me, as we move forward. Let them. I want them out in the open. Enemies skulking around in secret....that's dangerous. Enemies who are kind enough to reveal themselves - they're so much easier to defeat."
Texōccoatl sighed again. "We have never been able to talk you out of anything. But you are wrong about one thing - there are plenty of people who will protect you. The two of us, for starters," he said, as Tlalmaxxi smiled. "But if I'm as good at reading the mood of the people as my father was....I think if you're planning a revolution, that there will be millions of Xiomerans joining you."
"Let's hope," Yauhmi said. "Because I do plan to start something."
----
Several hours later, in the Chamber of Whispers, the Great Council of Xiomera gathered. The purpose of the Great Council, at least in theory, was to give the leaders of the other three Huenyan tribes a chance to express their concerns to the Obsidian Throne. In theory, the Great Council was supposed to give the other three tribes a say in how Xiomera was run. In practice, almost from the moment of its creation centuries ago, it had served as a rubber stamp for whatever the Palace of Flowers dictated.
As the tlatoani and cihuacoatl of the other tribes waited, the Empress walked into the Chamber and sat down. "Thank you all for coming. I know this meeting was called on very short notice."
"We were told the meeting was on an urgent matter," Chipatzal, the tlatoani of the Itotemoc tribe, replied. "Is there something of importance occurring that we are not aware of?"
"There is, but not in the way you're thinking. This is not a current issue. This is about the future," Yauhmi said.
"Are you referring to the criticism you're beginning to receive about your policy changes?" Tapatecuhtli, the tlatoani of the Tepiltzin tribe, said with a look of confusion on his face. "We had previously said that we would support you through any troubles related to your agenda. That has not changed."
"I appreciate that, Tapatecuhtli. But I am referring to what I plan to do, not what I have already done." Yauhmi looked at the others, one by one. "I am the cihuātlahtoāni of Xiomera. Foreigners always mistranslated that as 'Empress', much as they always mistranslated huēyi tlahtoāni as Emperor. But as we all know, in our language, it means something different."
"It means 'great speaker'. We all know this," Cuicatia, the cihuacoatl of the Itotemoc, said with an expression of confusion. None of the others understood why the Empress was giving them a lesson in basic Huenyan language.
"The first among us is meant to be the speaker for the people of Huenya - for all of us, not just Xiomerans. That is how it should be. What if I told you that we can make it that way once more?" Yauhmi asked.
The expressions of the other tribal leaders shifted from confused to curious, as they waited to see where Yauhmi was going.
---
Several hours later, back in his palace in the Necatli tribal capital, Noxochicotzin, the tlatoani of the Necatli, placed a phone call. The call was brief, aggrieved, and to the point.
"Thank you for informing me of this. Speak to no one else of this," Undersecretary Calhualyana said, hanging up her secured line. The Undersecretary stood up from her desk in her office at the Cauhloc, looking out over the brightly lit Tlālacuetztla nighttime skyline.
The "thing" in question, a sleek black cat named Necuametl, gazed coolly at the Crown Prince from the lap of the Empress. Yauhmi petted the cat's head gently. "All rulers of Xiomera have a pet, it's tradition," she replied with a rather similar cool gaze at her son.
"But they all had dogs. My father had a dog. Dogs are useful, unlike this destroyer of furniture and producer of fur," Texōccoatl said with a sigh. The Crown Prince brushed at the lapels of his Xiuhtaca designer suit in a futile gesture.
"I presume you didn't come to see me because of my choice of pet," Yauhmi said as Necuametl leaped off her lap and padded off in search of a snack. With a gesture, the Empress waved at a nearby maid, who swiftly produced a jar of treats for the now loudly-purring cat.
"Of course not." Texōccoatl laughed as Yauhmi stood up, brushing at the fur on her A'pilne dress. "See? Cats are horrible pets. You have fur all over you too."
The Empress sighed, waving at a different maid, who immediately produced a lint remover and removed the offending fur. "Now I don't have any fur. And you're stalling," Yauhmi chided her son. "If you have something to say, say it."
Texōccoatl smiled; he had never been able to get anything past his mother. Next to him, his wife Tlalmaxxi shook her head with her own soft chuckle.
"Mother....I'm worried. You know I support your goals for Xiomera, as does Tlalmaxxi. As do many Xiomerans....but not all, as you surely know." Texōccoatl took a Cala Companion tablet out of his pocket, scrolling through a series of news headlines. "Xiomeran business community revolts....New tax plan raises concerns....Reforms upsetting traditional Xiomerans....Is the Empress leading Xiomera to socialism?" The Crown Prince shook his head in concern. "We may be moving too fast."
Yauhmi shook her own head, in vehement denial. "We aren't moving fast enough. Time is indeed of the essence. When Wu Zhou died, I realized just how quick one's time can run out. If I want to achieve my goals for Xiomera, I can't afford the luxury of moving slow. Besides, the people who hate my plans now will hate them just as much if I drag them out months, or years, or decades, if I was even lucky enough to live that long. They will never be happy with what I plan to do, Texōccoatl. I plan to change.....everything. And the people who will stand in opposition to me.....are people who hate to change anything." Yauhmi walked over to one of the windows of the Golden Chamber, looking out over the Palace gardens. "I find it amusing that some are comparing me to Camaxtica, when I want nothing more than to undo the worst of what she did to this land. But the comparison is fitting - Xiomera was prosperous and successful on the surface before she took power, but was stagnating and was in fact beginning to decline. Xiomera is in the same state now. After so many decades of rule by the iron fist, we have fallen into the same state of stagnation and blindness as before the Great Reformations. And as before, it will take dramatic change to save Xiomera from that stagnation."
The Empress turned back to Texōccoatl and Tlalmaxxi. "I have had to scheme, and lie, and bribe people to gain this throne. I have had to debase myself through the worst of the crime that is the Great Selection. I have had to lower myself and bargain with the corrupt, the venal and the base to gain this throne, and the power that comes with it. I put myself through all of that for one reason, and one reason alone: to save Xiomera. And the only way to save it is to attack the worst facets of it head-on. No delay, no negotiation, no scheming."
"Mother, I don't believe you're wrong, but...." Texōccoatl was momentarily lost for words, so Tlalmaxxi jumped in. "What we are worried about isn't Xiomera. It's you. The people you're challenging won't take this passively. You are placing yourself at great risk," Tlalmaxxi said with concern.
"What's the point of having the power that I have, if I don't do anything with it to serve the nation or its people? Risk comes with my job just as much as it does yours, Tlalmaxxi. You wouldn't let someone afraid of risk into ASI....you surely wouldn't want someone afraid of risk on the Obsidian Throne," Yauhmi replied calmly. Tlalmaxxi was the one left at a loss for words at that point; Yauhmi was right, after all.
"I know you're both worried about me. And I love you both for it," Yauhmi said after a moment of silence. "But after Topilpopoca died....I never wanted to be the ruler of Xiomera. That would probably surprise most people to hear," the Empress said. "But I saw the kind of people that were lining up to replace Topilpopoca. Corrupt businessmen, repression-minded tyrants in the making, naive fools who had no idea what it would take to navigate the dangers of this job. Someone needed to ensure that this country, and its people, would be protected. I am going to be that protector. Protectors, unfortunately, don't get the luxury of themselves being protected. That, too, comes with the job," Yauhmi replied with a slightly sad smile. "There are indeed many who may come after me, as we move forward. Let them. I want them out in the open. Enemies skulking around in secret....that's dangerous. Enemies who are kind enough to reveal themselves - they're so much easier to defeat."
Texōccoatl sighed again. "We have never been able to talk you out of anything. But you are wrong about one thing - there are plenty of people who will protect you. The two of us, for starters," he said, as Tlalmaxxi smiled. "But if I'm as good at reading the mood of the people as my father was....I think if you're planning a revolution, that there will be millions of Xiomerans joining you."
"Let's hope," Yauhmi said. "Because I do plan to start something."
----
Several hours later, in the Chamber of Whispers, the Great Council of Xiomera gathered. The purpose of the Great Council, at least in theory, was to give the leaders of the other three Huenyan tribes a chance to express their concerns to the Obsidian Throne. In theory, the Great Council was supposed to give the other three tribes a say in how Xiomera was run. In practice, almost from the moment of its creation centuries ago, it had served as a rubber stamp for whatever the Palace of Flowers dictated.
As the tlatoani and cihuacoatl of the other tribes waited, the Empress walked into the Chamber and sat down. "Thank you all for coming. I know this meeting was called on very short notice."
"We were told the meeting was on an urgent matter," Chipatzal, the tlatoani of the Itotemoc tribe, replied. "Is there something of importance occurring that we are not aware of?"
"There is, but not in the way you're thinking. This is not a current issue. This is about the future," Yauhmi said.
"Are you referring to the criticism you're beginning to receive about your policy changes?" Tapatecuhtli, the tlatoani of the Tepiltzin tribe, said with a look of confusion on his face. "We had previously said that we would support you through any troubles related to your agenda. That has not changed."
"I appreciate that, Tapatecuhtli. But I am referring to what I plan to do, not what I have already done." Yauhmi looked at the others, one by one. "I am the cihuātlahtoāni of Xiomera. Foreigners always mistranslated that as 'Empress', much as they always mistranslated huēyi tlahtoāni as Emperor. But as we all know, in our language, it means something different."
"It means 'great speaker'. We all know this," Cuicatia, the cihuacoatl of the Itotemoc, said with an expression of confusion. None of the others understood why the Empress was giving them a lesson in basic Huenyan language.
"The first among us is meant to be the speaker for the people of Huenya - for all of us, not just Xiomerans. That is how it should be. What if I told you that we can make it that way once more?" Yauhmi asked.
The expressions of the other tribal leaders shifted from confused to curious, as they waited to see where Yauhmi was going.
---
Several hours later, back in his palace in the Necatli tribal capital, Noxochicotzin, the tlatoani of the Necatli, placed a phone call. The call was brief, aggrieved, and to the point.
"Thank you for informing me of this. Speak to no one else of this," Undersecretary Calhualyana said, hanging up her secured line. The Undersecretary stood up from her desk in her office at the Cauhloc, looking out over the brightly lit Tlālacuetztla nighttime skyline.
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