06-09-2021, 06:24 AM
Outskirts of Chuaztlapoc, June 3rd
Metztli was tired. He had been on his feet for hours, traveling to different properties in the countryside around Chuaztlapoc. He was one of the top realtors in Huenya, and normally, would go to any length to make a sale. But even his normal determination was beginning to flag. If I had her energy, I could sell half the country, he thought wryly.
Yauhmi, the former Great Speaker of Huenya, had been traveling around with Metztli since 7 am that day. They had viewed ten properties extremely thoroughly, and none had met with the approval of Yauhmi. Metztli had almost, out of exhaustion, recommended that the former ruler just build a property to her specifications and settle for selling her a vacant piece of land. But he had one more property left on his list, and he was hoping this one would finally be the one.
The property was a former Xiomeran noble’s estate, located on a high hill to the west of the city limits. Metztli had been trying to sell it for months without success; it was once a very grand property but was in severe need of restoration. The fact that it had been the site of a battle between Imperial forces and Itotemoc rebels had not helped.
As the caravan of vehicles traveled up the road leading inside the estate to the main house, Metztli noticed Yauhmi looking around with renewed interest. He allowed himself to feel a tiny spark of hope. If he could make a sale to someone as important as Yauhmi, his reputation as a realtor would be assured.
Yauhmi stepped out of the car, looking around the courtyard in front of the main house with a contemplative expression. From its lofty position, the property had an excellent view of the countryside around Chuaztlapoc, and the city itself. Even in its deteriorated and damaged state, the complex was quite impressive. A long, high stone wall surrounded the entire perimeter, dotted here and there with towers. A series of outbuildings dotted the fields around the main house. There were even disused stables and a barn, and a solarium attached to the rear of the house, surrounded by formal gardens that had gone wild.
“This property does require a fair investment to restore it to its original condition,” Metztli said with hesitation. “However, in the right hands, it could shine once more.”
Yauhmi stood in the courtyard, listening to the birds chirping in the trees and the wind gently blowing. The old estate seemed to be a world removed from the politicking she had endured in Chuaztlapoc.
The silence lengthened, until Metztli mentally sighed to himself. He was about to suggest that they return to Chuaztlapoc, when Yauhmi nodded once. “This is the place. Prepare the paperwork and send it to my aides,” she said.
Metztli nodded happily, already counting the Huenyan credits that were about to flood his bank account.
—-
June 8th
A caravan of official vehicles, flying the flag of Huenya from their front fenders, pulled up to the hilltop property. Passing through the restored front gate and its attendant security, the cars rolled under a new sign: Xomaxtli Hill.
The vehicles stopped in front of the entrance to the main house. A Shorn One opened the door to the official limousine. Texōccoatl stepped out, followed by Tlalmaxxi. “Your mother is certainly doing wonders with this place,” Tlalmaxxi said, looking around at the crews already working nonstop to put the shine back on the property.
Texōccoatl looked around, not quite as pleased as his wife. With a slight grunt, he walked inside the main house, his wife following with a slightly bemused expression.
It took a moment for the new Great Speaker to arrive in the grand reception room that was at the heart of the house. Yauhmi was busily discussing plans for the renovations with a group of workers and engineers. Along with Yauhmi, two other people were involved in the discussions who Texōccoatl had not expected to see. “Good morning, mother. Good morning, General, and Tlacochcalcatl,” he said.
Yauhmi looked up from her plans, a smile on her face. Next to her, Huatli gave a smile on her own. Etlahuatzitl, the tlacochcalcatl of the Shorn Ones, nodded to the Great Speaker with her usual impassive expression.
“I was not expecting a visit so soon, son, but it’s good to have you both here,” Yauhmi replied. “I would offer refreshments, but the kitchen is not quite operational yet. Would you like to look at the plans?” she asked with the eagerness of any new homeowner.
“Perhaps later, mother,” Texōccoatl said calmly. “I need to ask you something first. Could we have a moment alone, please?”
Yauhmi nodded, and asked the workers and engineers to leave the room. Only Huatli and Etlahuatzitl remained. “What’s on your mind, son?” Yauhmi asked.
“I think the better question is what is on your mind, mother,” Texōccoatl replied. “I was surprised and concerned when you decided to move out of Xochuaxte Palace after you stepped down.”
“Well, I didn’t want to be in your way. You need to establish your place as the new monarch quickly. Having me hanging around like some ghost haunting the palace would only make things harder for you.”
“I honestly felt it would be safer and better for you to remain with us, but I do understand what you’re saying. I do appreciate it, mother. However, I do have a request,” Texōccoatl replied.
“What is it, son?” Yauhmi said.
“That we cut the crap and discuss why you really moved out here.” Texōccoatl looked his mother squarely in the eyes. Both Huatli and Etlahuatzitl bristled slightly at him addressing her in such a blunt way. Tlalmaxxi, by contrast, simply smiled. She had been in on enough conversations between mother and son to see that they tended to be quite direct with each other.
“I guess you didn’t buy the story about me wanting to retire to the country and step back from public life,” Yauhmi said after a moment with a smile of her own.
“You are hardly the sort to retire and spend the rest of your days in the country tending gardens and chatting up the locals,” Texōccoatl replied. “I also noticed some interesting things about this new house of yours. It’s big enough to house dozens, even hundreds, of people. It’s on a highly defensible hilltop with a nice secure set of walls and watchtowers. It’s also rather close to an army base,” he added, looking meaningfully at Huatli. The General looked down at the table and whistled under her breath. “This place isn’t some retirement home in the country. It’s practically a fortress in the making. So, mother, be honest with me. What are you planning here?”
Yauhmi finally sighed. “I am retiring out here, son, at least as much as a nantzintli of Huenya can retire. But other than the somewhat ceremonial and relatively limited role of honorable mother and occasional international ambassador that I have been given now, I have to have something to occupy my time, don’t I?”
Texōccoatl simply stared until Yauhmi finally continued. “So....I have decided to give myself a project.”
“A project,” Texōccoatl said in a dry tone. “Do I dare to ask?”
“The death of the Aurora we sent to free Tlalzixiūhxa and Cozamalotl, and the other who was captured, have made me think. I used to believe we were so much better than the other nations who encountered Auroras. But in the end, we used them just like the Kerlians did, and now one of them is dead and another will wish she was, if my experience with Calhualyana’s prisons is any indication. That is our fault, Texōccoatl. We sent them to that fate. I sent them to that fate. I must make recompense for that, however I can. So.....I intend to open this home - my home - to any Auroras who need a refuge. Not just Xiomeran Auroras, either. Any Auroras.”
Texōccoatl looked at his mother for several moments of utter silence. “You don’t really intend to do this,” he finally said. It was now Yauhmi’s turn to simply stare until Texōccoatl finally continued. “Mother....why would you do that?”
“Someone has to. The Auroras never asked to be who they are. A choice was forced on them, without their consent or free will, before they were even old enough to understand what consent even is, much less exercise it. And now, the world either uses them or hunts them like animals. Even we used them. It’s wrong, Texōccoatl. And I have the power to do something about it.”
“But you don’t have that power. Not anymore. Not in Huenya,” Texōccoatl said. “This is a democracy, mother, and we have to work with the democratic leaders of this nation we are building. If you do this, you’ll be defying Tiacihitli, Huacue and the other leaders of our nation yet again.”
“What are they going to do, throw me in jail?” Yauhmi said, her voice conveying her opinion of Huenya’s democratic leaders quite well. “I should like to see them try.”
“So would I,” Huatli said, looking firmly at Texōccoatl.
“I, too, would be rather amused by such an attempt,” Etlahuatzitl said quietly. “So would millions of Xiomerans living in Huenya, I suspect. Although, amused may not be the word. Enraged and violent might be better ones.”
“Mother....I have to govern with these people,” Texōccoatl said in exasperation. “Not to mention, once the Councillors of Kerlile discover your intent, they will probably be furious, and I have to maintain relations with them somehow.”
“The Councillors are the ones who created the Auroras, stole their childhood from them, sent them away from their homeland and sent many of them to their deaths. The Councillors are the ones trying to imprison and execute them for supposed treason now. The Councillors are the ones who left them alone abroad when governments around the IDU did unspeakable things to them. I can honestly say that when it comes to the subject of the Auroras, I don’t give a damn what the Council of Kerlile thinks anymore,” Yauhmi replied. “And since the government of Huenya saw fit to pressure me to step down for their own reasons and agendas, I must be honest when I say that I don’t give a damn what the government of Huenya has to say about it as well. Since I am now ‘retired’, I don’t have to care what the Chamber of Executives or the Vice-Speaker think anymore either. I am free from their restraints, and I intend to exercise that freedom.”
Texōccoatl shook his head. “But why? Mother, I feel as badly about what has been done to the Auroras as you do. But it is not our doing, and I am not sure that it is our responsibility to try to fix it.”
“It isn’t our responsibility, true. But we want Huenya to be a nation of principle, a nation that is an example for the world of doing the right thing. What is more right than providing a refuge for victims of circumstance who have been abused, hunted and killed literally everywhere else they go - and who can’t even go home, some of them, because their own government will execute them?” Yauhmi said. “We would provide refuge to anyone else needing asylum and a safe place to go. How is this any different?”
“I would also make a point in defense of Yauhmi’s plan,” Tlalmaxxi said. Texōccoatl turned to her in shock. “Not you too!”
“Yes, me too,” Tlalmaxxi replied. “I have another good reason not to give a damn if the Kerlians object to this, at least one example of which is standing in this very room right now.” She looked at Huatli. “The Kerlians took Xiomerans and did this to them. They abused and tortured our own kin and blood for the sake of this program of theirs. What right do they have to make demands on our kin now, or on us? They may have been Kerlian citizens, but in literally every other way, they are our kin. And as far as I am concerned, that takes precedence. Now, if we can rescue or help any other Auroras, so much the better as far as I am concerned. But at a minimum, any Aurora of Xiomeran heritage has every right to expect and demand that we protect them. And I certainly will.”
Huatli looked at Tlalmaxxi, her expression one of surprise mixed with gratitude.
Texōccoatl grimaced, throwing up his hands. “I thought I was in charge now, but literally nothing I say seems to matter here.”
“You may be Great Speaker now, but I’m still your mother. That’s my trump card,” Yauhmi replied with a smile.
Texōccoatl sighed. “They really would literally have to throw you in jail to stop you, wouldn’t they?”
Yauhmi simply continued to smile.
Texōccoatl finally gave up. “Well, since I would rather not see my mother in jail, or have to topple the very democratic government I am trying to help create to prevent that, I’ll run interference for you. This won’t be easy, though.”
“You can handle it. I have complete confidence in you,” Yauhmi replied, earning her a snort from Texōccoatl. “There is one other thing I would mention,” she continued. As Texōccoatl listened, Yauhmi tapped the table. “Being stuck in this new government was like being trapped in a box, for me. Now that I am out of the government for the most part, I am free from that box. But they will try to put you in the same box, son. That’s the downside of democracy. It is the best form of government, in the end. But in democracy, you deal with leaders like Tiacihitli, whose heart is in the right place but whose brain is often in a different part of his anatomy. And you deal with leaders like Huacue, who lead from fear and from arrogance. And opportunists, like Cusuyo. You’ll be facing dozens of men and women who will try to put you in that box, to limit your power, to limit your influence. Don’t let them. We don’t need any more tyrants, our history has certainly been full of enough of them. But we do need Great Speakers, to be the balance that keeps the elected leaders in check and makes sure they truly represent the people and serve the nation, not themselves or their agendas. From what I understand, democracy works best with those checks and balances. I could never fill that role - I don’t have the patience or the mentality to have to deal with such people. But you can. I will try to protect those I can protect, here. It’s your job to protect all of us, now. You can stand up to Tiacihitli and the others, and make sure they do things the right way. You can be the leader Huenya will need in the months and years to come. Just remember - avoid the traps they will set for you, keep them honest, and keep them on the path of what is right, even when they want to stray. And they will.”
Texōccoatl nodded, his expression a thoughtful one. “I suppose we are long overdue to do what is right,” he murmured, speaking about the legacy of rulership bred into his past as much as the Huenyan government of the present day. “Very well. You do what is right, mother, and I will also. And everything else be damned.”
“That sounds like a good new motto for Huenya,” Tlalmaxxi said. Texōccoatl simply nodded, his expression a bit more determined.
Metztli was tired. He had been on his feet for hours, traveling to different properties in the countryside around Chuaztlapoc. He was one of the top realtors in Huenya, and normally, would go to any length to make a sale. But even his normal determination was beginning to flag. If I had her energy, I could sell half the country, he thought wryly.
Yauhmi, the former Great Speaker of Huenya, had been traveling around with Metztli since 7 am that day. They had viewed ten properties extremely thoroughly, and none had met with the approval of Yauhmi. Metztli had almost, out of exhaustion, recommended that the former ruler just build a property to her specifications and settle for selling her a vacant piece of land. But he had one more property left on his list, and he was hoping this one would finally be the one.
The property was a former Xiomeran noble’s estate, located on a high hill to the west of the city limits. Metztli had been trying to sell it for months without success; it was once a very grand property but was in severe need of restoration. The fact that it had been the site of a battle between Imperial forces and Itotemoc rebels had not helped.
As the caravan of vehicles traveled up the road leading inside the estate to the main house, Metztli noticed Yauhmi looking around with renewed interest. He allowed himself to feel a tiny spark of hope. If he could make a sale to someone as important as Yauhmi, his reputation as a realtor would be assured.
Yauhmi stepped out of the car, looking around the courtyard in front of the main house with a contemplative expression. From its lofty position, the property had an excellent view of the countryside around Chuaztlapoc, and the city itself. Even in its deteriorated and damaged state, the complex was quite impressive. A long, high stone wall surrounded the entire perimeter, dotted here and there with towers. A series of outbuildings dotted the fields around the main house. There were even disused stables and a barn, and a solarium attached to the rear of the house, surrounded by formal gardens that had gone wild.
“This property does require a fair investment to restore it to its original condition,” Metztli said with hesitation. “However, in the right hands, it could shine once more.”
Yauhmi stood in the courtyard, listening to the birds chirping in the trees and the wind gently blowing. The old estate seemed to be a world removed from the politicking she had endured in Chuaztlapoc.
The silence lengthened, until Metztli mentally sighed to himself. He was about to suggest that they return to Chuaztlapoc, when Yauhmi nodded once. “This is the place. Prepare the paperwork and send it to my aides,” she said.
Metztli nodded happily, already counting the Huenyan credits that were about to flood his bank account.
—-
June 8th
A caravan of official vehicles, flying the flag of Huenya from their front fenders, pulled up to the hilltop property. Passing through the restored front gate and its attendant security, the cars rolled under a new sign: Xomaxtli Hill.
The vehicles stopped in front of the entrance to the main house. A Shorn One opened the door to the official limousine. Texōccoatl stepped out, followed by Tlalmaxxi. “Your mother is certainly doing wonders with this place,” Tlalmaxxi said, looking around at the crews already working nonstop to put the shine back on the property.
Texōccoatl looked around, not quite as pleased as his wife. With a slight grunt, he walked inside the main house, his wife following with a slightly bemused expression.
It took a moment for the new Great Speaker to arrive in the grand reception room that was at the heart of the house. Yauhmi was busily discussing plans for the renovations with a group of workers and engineers. Along with Yauhmi, two other people were involved in the discussions who Texōccoatl had not expected to see. “Good morning, mother. Good morning, General, and Tlacochcalcatl,” he said.
Yauhmi looked up from her plans, a smile on her face. Next to her, Huatli gave a smile on her own. Etlahuatzitl, the tlacochcalcatl of the Shorn Ones, nodded to the Great Speaker with her usual impassive expression.
“I was not expecting a visit so soon, son, but it’s good to have you both here,” Yauhmi replied. “I would offer refreshments, but the kitchen is not quite operational yet. Would you like to look at the plans?” she asked with the eagerness of any new homeowner.
“Perhaps later, mother,” Texōccoatl said calmly. “I need to ask you something first. Could we have a moment alone, please?”
Yauhmi nodded, and asked the workers and engineers to leave the room. Only Huatli and Etlahuatzitl remained. “What’s on your mind, son?” Yauhmi asked.
“I think the better question is what is on your mind, mother,” Texōccoatl replied. “I was surprised and concerned when you decided to move out of Xochuaxte Palace after you stepped down.”
“Well, I didn’t want to be in your way. You need to establish your place as the new monarch quickly. Having me hanging around like some ghost haunting the palace would only make things harder for you.”
“I honestly felt it would be safer and better for you to remain with us, but I do understand what you’re saying. I do appreciate it, mother. However, I do have a request,” Texōccoatl replied.
“What is it, son?” Yauhmi said.
“That we cut the crap and discuss why you really moved out here.” Texōccoatl looked his mother squarely in the eyes. Both Huatli and Etlahuatzitl bristled slightly at him addressing her in such a blunt way. Tlalmaxxi, by contrast, simply smiled. She had been in on enough conversations between mother and son to see that they tended to be quite direct with each other.
“I guess you didn’t buy the story about me wanting to retire to the country and step back from public life,” Yauhmi said after a moment with a smile of her own.
“You are hardly the sort to retire and spend the rest of your days in the country tending gardens and chatting up the locals,” Texōccoatl replied. “I also noticed some interesting things about this new house of yours. It’s big enough to house dozens, even hundreds, of people. It’s on a highly defensible hilltop with a nice secure set of walls and watchtowers. It’s also rather close to an army base,” he added, looking meaningfully at Huatli. The General looked down at the table and whistled under her breath. “This place isn’t some retirement home in the country. It’s practically a fortress in the making. So, mother, be honest with me. What are you planning here?”
Yauhmi finally sighed. “I am retiring out here, son, at least as much as a nantzintli of Huenya can retire. But other than the somewhat ceremonial and relatively limited role of honorable mother and occasional international ambassador that I have been given now, I have to have something to occupy my time, don’t I?”
Texōccoatl simply stared until Yauhmi finally continued. “So....I have decided to give myself a project.”
“A project,” Texōccoatl said in a dry tone. “Do I dare to ask?”
“The death of the Aurora we sent to free Tlalzixiūhxa and Cozamalotl, and the other who was captured, have made me think. I used to believe we were so much better than the other nations who encountered Auroras. But in the end, we used them just like the Kerlians did, and now one of them is dead and another will wish she was, if my experience with Calhualyana’s prisons is any indication. That is our fault, Texōccoatl. We sent them to that fate. I sent them to that fate. I must make recompense for that, however I can. So.....I intend to open this home - my home - to any Auroras who need a refuge. Not just Xiomeran Auroras, either. Any Auroras.”
Texōccoatl looked at his mother for several moments of utter silence. “You don’t really intend to do this,” he finally said. It was now Yauhmi’s turn to simply stare until Texōccoatl finally continued. “Mother....why would you do that?”
“Someone has to. The Auroras never asked to be who they are. A choice was forced on them, without their consent or free will, before they were even old enough to understand what consent even is, much less exercise it. And now, the world either uses them or hunts them like animals. Even we used them. It’s wrong, Texōccoatl. And I have the power to do something about it.”
“But you don’t have that power. Not anymore. Not in Huenya,” Texōccoatl said. “This is a democracy, mother, and we have to work with the democratic leaders of this nation we are building. If you do this, you’ll be defying Tiacihitli, Huacue and the other leaders of our nation yet again.”
“What are they going to do, throw me in jail?” Yauhmi said, her voice conveying her opinion of Huenya’s democratic leaders quite well. “I should like to see them try.”
“So would I,” Huatli said, looking firmly at Texōccoatl.
“I, too, would be rather amused by such an attempt,” Etlahuatzitl said quietly. “So would millions of Xiomerans living in Huenya, I suspect. Although, amused may not be the word. Enraged and violent might be better ones.”
“Mother....I have to govern with these people,” Texōccoatl said in exasperation. “Not to mention, once the Councillors of Kerlile discover your intent, they will probably be furious, and I have to maintain relations with them somehow.”
“The Councillors are the ones who created the Auroras, stole their childhood from them, sent them away from their homeland and sent many of them to their deaths. The Councillors are the ones trying to imprison and execute them for supposed treason now. The Councillors are the ones who left them alone abroad when governments around the IDU did unspeakable things to them. I can honestly say that when it comes to the subject of the Auroras, I don’t give a damn what the Council of Kerlile thinks anymore,” Yauhmi replied. “And since the government of Huenya saw fit to pressure me to step down for their own reasons and agendas, I must be honest when I say that I don’t give a damn what the government of Huenya has to say about it as well. Since I am now ‘retired’, I don’t have to care what the Chamber of Executives or the Vice-Speaker think anymore either. I am free from their restraints, and I intend to exercise that freedom.”
Texōccoatl shook his head. “But why? Mother, I feel as badly about what has been done to the Auroras as you do. But it is not our doing, and I am not sure that it is our responsibility to try to fix it.”
“It isn’t our responsibility, true. But we want Huenya to be a nation of principle, a nation that is an example for the world of doing the right thing. What is more right than providing a refuge for victims of circumstance who have been abused, hunted and killed literally everywhere else they go - and who can’t even go home, some of them, because their own government will execute them?” Yauhmi said. “We would provide refuge to anyone else needing asylum and a safe place to go. How is this any different?”
“I would also make a point in defense of Yauhmi’s plan,” Tlalmaxxi said. Texōccoatl turned to her in shock. “Not you too!”
“Yes, me too,” Tlalmaxxi replied. “I have another good reason not to give a damn if the Kerlians object to this, at least one example of which is standing in this very room right now.” She looked at Huatli. “The Kerlians took Xiomerans and did this to them. They abused and tortured our own kin and blood for the sake of this program of theirs. What right do they have to make demands on our kin now, or on us? They may have been Kerlian citizens, but in literally every other way, they are our kin. And as far as I am concerned, that takes precedence. Now, if we can rescue or help any other Auroras, so much the better as far as I am concerned. But at a minimum, any Aurora of Xiomeran heritage has every right to expect and demand that we protect them. And I certainly will.”
Huatli looked at Tlalmaxxi, her expression one of surprise mixed with gratitude.
Texōccoatl grimaced, throwing up his hands. “I thought I was in charge now, but literally nothing I say seems to matter here.”
“You may be Great Speaker now, but I’m still your mother. That’s my trump card,” Yauhmi replied with a smile.
Texōccoatl sighed. “They really would literally have to throw you in jail to stop you, wouldn’t they?”
Yauhmi simply continued to smile.
Texōccoatl finally gave up. “Well, since I would rather not see my mother in jail, or have to topple the very democratic government I am trying to help create to prevent that, I’ll run interference for you. This won’t be easy, though.”
“You can handle it. I have complete confidence in you,” Yauhmi replied, earning her a snort from Texōccoatl. “There is one other thing I would mention,” she continued. As Texōccoatl listened, Yauhmi tapped the table. “Being stuck in this new government was like being trapped in a box, for me. Now that I am out of the government for the most part, I am free from that box. But they will try to put you in the same box, son. That’s the downside of democracy. It is the best form of government, in the end. But in democracy, you deal with leaders like Tiacihitli, whose heart is in the right place but whose brain is often in a different part of his anatomy. And you deal with leaders like Huacue, who lead from fear and from arrogance. And opportunists, like Cusuyo. You’ll be facing dozens of men and women who will try to put you in that box, to limit your power, to limit your influence. Don’t let them. We don’t need any more tyrants, our history has certainly been full of enough of them. But we do need Great Speakers, to be the balance that keeps the elected leaders in check and makes sure they truly represent the people and serve the nation, not themselves or their agendas. From what I understand, democracy works best with those checks and balances. I could never fill that role - I don’t have the patience or the mentality to have to deal with such people. But you can. I will try to protect those I can protect, here. It’s your job to protect all of us, now. You can stand up to Tiacihitli and the others, and make sure they do things the right way. You can be the leader Huenya will need in the months and years to come. Just remember - avoid the traps they will set for you, keep them honest, and keep them on the path of what is right, even when they want to stray. And they will.”
Texōccoatl nodded, his expression a thoughtful one. “I suppose we are long overdue to do what is right,” he murmured, speaking about the legacy of rulership bred into his past as much as the Huenyan government of the present day. “Very well. You do what is right, mother, and I will also. And everything else be damned.”
“That sounds like a good new motto for Huenya,” Tlalmaxxi said. Texōccoatl simply nodded, his expression a bit more determined.
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