[Lauchenoiria]

Daughters and Sons (Olivia Pierre Part 1)

Kerlile-Lauchenoiria Border
Approximately 1am

“You’re completely mad!” whispered Xia Chiu, though her eyes were lit up in excitement. The second in line to the Chiu seat on the Council was very heavily pregnant, and kept one hand on her belly even as she stared at the lights in the distance on the other side of the border. Next to her, Olivia Pierre, eldest and least-favourite daughter of Councillor Pierre chuckled as she leaned on her car.

“What do you think? It would cause chaos, which is what we want,” Olivia grinned in the darkness.

“What you want! I’m not nearly so sure. They’ll change the law, I’m sure. The reformists, there’s no reason to do this.”

“You can’t guarantee that,” Olivia countered, nudging closer and taking Xia’s hand. “Or that it will happen immediately, or quickly. The Council are stubborn and I know that this might be a step too far for some of them. You forget the religious angle.”

Xia scoffed and looked away. Truthfully, she was just scared. Chiu did not generally find out the sex of their children before birth. It was not done in her family. But in anger at her grandmother for the false imprisonment, Xia had done so, partly as a way of scorning her family and partly because she was terrified. Under Council policy, any male child of hers would have to be given up. And she just knew she couldn’t do that.

Olivia had arranged the whole thing, and when Xia’s fears were confirmed they’d started looking at their options. They would of course call for a change in the law, but it was actively dangerous to do so during Xia’s pregnancy, it would arouse suspicion. And Olivia was right, it would be a difficult law to change. It was far safer to leave the country before they could take the baby.

The Church of the Goddess, of which Councillor Natalia Hart was the best-known devout member, believed that women had a divine right to rule over men. In some ways the organisation was supportive of reform – they opposed torture, for one. But in others, they were an enemy of progress. It meant Councillor Hart sat squarely apart from both sides of the debate, and her vote could be swayed. But it also meant that some things were much harder to reform than others.

“What if they turn us away?” Xia whispered.

“The Lauchenoirians? They let every immigrant in who wants to come and they still have a decreasing population cause of emigration and low birth rates. They won’t turn anyone away, much less a pregnant woman.”

“A pregnant woman who is the granddaughter of a Kerlian Councillor,” Xia reminded Olivia.

“They won’t turn us away, and if they do, they won’t tell our government. Have you seen how weaselly they’re being on Xiomera? They’re terrified of getting involved in any conflicts. If you want to protect your son, we have to try.”

Xia paused for a moment, then nodded, barely perceptible in the moonlight. The two women walked back around and got into the car, where Xia's daughter slept. Olivia started the engine and Xia stared out the window as they continued down the winding road towards the border. It was an old crossing, one that wasn’t used very much – if at all – any longer. It would still be monitored, of course. They all were.

The road was bumpy from disrepair, and they passed the remnants of a wooden fence with visible bullet holes, to which Xia responded with a sharp intake of breath. Not so long ago, anyone travelling this road would’ve been ordered to stop at and shot if they refused to obey the order. Now, they wouldn’t – at least, they thought not. Xia took a few deep breaths to try and chase the thought out of her mind, but it was stubborn.

When they approached the border, about ten armed guards appeared and swarmed the car. Olivia rolled down the window and handed the woman who’d approached their passports. The woman, who’d initially sneered at them like she was happy to get the chance to arrest somebody, read the names, and then went pale, handing them back without a word and gesturing frantically for the others to move.

“You needn’t be so intimidating,” Olivia said to her, causing her face to blush beetroot red as Olivia drove on. The woman said something, but they were already on the move and Xia couldn’t quite catch it.

The Lauchenoirian border guards had been playing cards when they heard the approach of a vehicle. They jumped up and went outside their hut, staring in amazement at the car. Despite the lifting of the Kerlian emigration ban, getting a permit to leave was still difficult and never at this checkpoint had the Kerlians actually let someone through. The man in charge of the group walked up to the car really tentatively.

“Um… passports?” he said, confused. Olivia handed them to him. He read the names. Then he read them again. His colleague came over and they both stared at them for a few minutes. “Is this… some kind of trick?” he said after a while.

“No, we are merely…” began Olivia before Xia interrupted.

“My name is Xia Chiu, granddaughter of Councillor Chiu. I am carrying a male child and fear for his life and my own if this is discovered. I am requesting asylum for myself, my daughter and my unborn child.” Might as well go all-in, she thought.

“Um…” the border guard said, staring at the car. “I guess… let them through. But can you wait here a while? I need to call someone.”

He walked back to their hut quickly, to get to the phone. This is way above my pay grade, he thought.

The story of Olivia Pierre continues in Aftermath of War.