06-23-2023, 08:43 PM
Imogen Robinson ran along the path as quickly as she could. She needed to get away before one of the princes went back to tell their father what happened. Unfortunately, she didn’t know exactly where she was going – and she was being chased.
“Get back here you little Kerlian spy!” yelled Prince Jacob, the third son and fifth child of King Osvald. He was joined by Camille Pierre. Imogen was already getting tired, but the pair following her would not let up. The other brother, Albert, who was Jia’s age, would already be back at the Palace telling the adults. She had to keep running. She had to get away!
*
Earlier
Natasha Robinson sat on the floor of her bathroom, hugging the toilet as her stomach lurched again. She was going to have to do something about her condition soon. Tell somebody. Before it became obvious either way.
Knock, knock.
“Shit,” Natasha whispered to herself, quickly pulling herself up and flushing the previous evidence of her morning sickness down the drain. She grabbed her toothbrush and quickly ran toothpaste over her teeth, not to fully clean but merely to replace the smell with mint. Then, steeling her stomach and stubbornly telling it not now, she opened the door to find her mother, arms folded, staring at her in concern.
“I am not so foolish as to be unaware of what is going on, Natasha,” Carmen said. “You’re pregnant.”
Natasha turned red and looked away, unsure of how to respond.
“I’m not angry at you,” Carmen said softly, reaching out to take her daughter’s hand. “What kind of Kerlian would I be if I got angry at you? But, darling, the Zongongians…”
“Yeah I know,” Natasha sighed, allowing her mother – who was now moving easily and without pain thanks to all the work of the private physiotherapists they’d hired since her release from the hell of the Restricted Region – to guide her out of the bathroom into the sitting area of Natasha’s suite.
“Is it Kristofer’s?” Carmen asked. Natasha nodded. “I’m sure you know how complicated that makes matters,” Carmen replied.
“That’s why I don’t know what to do!” Natasha said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Either I have to marry him, or listen to a bunch of misogynists call my baby a royal bastard. And it’s not like I can get an abortion; it’s only legal here if there’s some birth defect or something.”
“Shhh,” Carmen cautioned. “You think they haven’t been watching us this whole time?”
Natasha went quiet, glancing around as if she would be able to suddenly make out any hidden cameras. There was nothing indicating surveillance, though that did not mean it was not there.
“You have several options,” Carmen whispered. “One, you marry him like you were considering several weeks ago.”
“Mum, I was just winding you up, I don’t want to be a brainless princess in a ballgown with whatever they wear instead of corsets these days!” Natasha said, on the verge of panic.
“Two, we leave here and go to some other country. Regardless of whether or not you decide to keep the baby. The Zongongians, they have been very hospitable. But I know their limits, and I know how our family ended up exiled in the first place, as do you. If I am being totally honest, I’m not sure they’d allow him to marry you anyway.”
Natasha nodded, trying to keep herself calm. “We need to leave then,” she said. “What about the others?”
“The King has no reason to shelter the others if we leave,” Carmen spoke bluntly. “Either they return or they come with us. The Chiu group will probably be fine if they return; we can take Camille with us. Reena… what’s her status?”
“She’s still in a coma, there’s no way we can move her across a border,” Natasha shook her head.
“It’s okay, let me work something out,” Carmen said. “The important thing is that the Zongongians don’t find out until we’re gone. I don’t know what they’d do. So, let’s keep this between the two of us for now.”
Natasha nodded.
*
Imogen slipped back into the passageway she’d been using to spy on her sister. The Royal Palace of Zongongia was old enough that one could find secret passages (well, disused old servants’ corridors) if one looked hard enough. And Imogen, tired of living within the patriarchal world, intended to buy her way back to Kerlile, with information.
Her sister was pregnant with the Crown Prince’s baby. Imogen wrinkled her face in disgust, even though there was nobody around to see her. The very notion that her own sister would see fit to reproduce with that sorry excuse for a prince out of one of the horror stories from her childhood made her feel nauseous herself. That was how she knew she was doing the right thing, for herself and her family, and her country. The rest of her family were certainly guilty of treason against the Matriarchy, but Imogen would redeem them.
*
Unknown to Imogen, she was in turn being spied on by a suspicious Camille Pierre, who had seen the eleven-year-old’s pro-Kerlile outburst in the stables. Camille had been tasked with looking after Jia and Cheung Chiu while their mother was once again at a check-up about her own further-along pregnancy; but Camille had left Cheung with Jia. In her mind, anyone old enough to flee a country on their own was old enough to be left in charge.
Camille trailed after Imogen from a distance as the other girl made her way to her rendezvous with one of the cleaners who, Camille deduced, must be a Kerlian spy. They’d just turned the corner to the kitchens when Camille felt herself grabbed, hand over her mouth, and pulled into a closet. She tried to scream, but a voice stopped her.
“Why are you following Imogen?” came the voice of Prince Jacob, curious. She’d become something of an uneasy… not friend, more like ally, to the younger prince in her time here after Camille and Imogen had fought rather publicly. The enemy of my enemy.
“I’m just bored,” Camille lied when he moved his hand.
“Liar,” came a voice from the shadows which revealed itself to be Jacob’s younger brother Albert. “She was spying on her sister, and you’re spying on her, and we’re spying on you, and there’s no way this is because you’re ‘bored’,” the eight-year-old mocked her Kerlian accent.
“It’s none of your business,” Camille hissed, trying to leave. Jacob’s grip on her arm tightened.
“Tell us, or we will take you to Father’s security and you can explain why you are sneaking around old servants’ corridors to them,” Jacob growled.
Camille bit her lip. The head of security for the King of Zongongia was a scary man. His eyes seemed to pierce her soul, and he reminded her of the sorts of people her mother used to be friends with. The kind who enjoyed inflicting pain. She sighed, bowing her head and speaking in a monotone. “I think she’s selling information to Kerlile.”
The two boys looked at each other, and then at Camille. Jacob turned to Albert first. “Go and tell father immediately.” The younger boy ran off. Then Jacob squeezed Camille’s arm hard enough to hurt.
“Help me catch her, or I’ll tell Father you were in on it,” he hissed at her, and she believed him. Then he took off after Imogen, dragging her along. She had no choice but to help him. She didn’t know how Zongongia worked. She didn’t know what the consequences would be if she disobeyed.
*
Imogen had just handed a memory card from her recorder to her contact when the angry prince came barrelling towards her alongside Camille Pierre. The adult she was with melted into shadows immediately, leaving Imogen to face them alone.
“Spy!” Jacob yelled, pointing at her. “Stay there! Albert is fetching Father! This will be better if you don’t run!”
She didn’t listen, taking off in the direction of the footpath down the mountain. She didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was away from here. Both Jacob and Camille followed her, shouting at her to stop as she kept going, desperate to flee.
The Kerlian spy, the cleaner, watched from the shadows, shaking her head. She made her way back to her own room at a leisurely pace to collect her things and depart. Imogen would get caught, of course, but she was near the end of her assignment anyway. The eleven-year-old had been a convenient temporary asset, believing that information would buy her way back into the good books of the Council.
The Council never intended to allow any Robinson to return, of course. That had been made abundantly clear to her when her superiors approached her about collecting information from the girl. All that mattered, however, was that Imogen believed it for the time being. After that, well, the Council no longer cared about what came of the girl. But the information she had given Kerlile… now, that would be very interesting – and useful – indeed.
“Get back here you little Kerlian spy!” yelled Prince Jacob, the third son and fifth child of King Osvald. He was joined by Camille Pierre. Imogen was already getting tired, but the pair following her would not let up. The other brother, Albert, who was Jia’s age, would already be back at the Palace telling the adults. She had to keep running. She had to get away!
*
Earlier
Natasha Robinson sat on the floor of her bathroom, hugging the toilet as her stomach lurched again. She was going to have to do something about her condition soon. Tell somebody. Before it became obvious either way.
Knock, knock.
“Shit,” Natasha whispered to herself, quickly pulling herself up and flushing the previous evidence of her morning sickness down the drain. She grabbed her toothbrush and quickly ran toothpaste over her teeth, not to fully clean but merely to replace the smell with mint. Then, steeling her stomach and stubbornly telling it not now, she opened the door to find her mother, arms folded, staring at her in concern.
“I am not so foolish as to be unaware of what is going on, Natasha,” Carmen said. “You’re pregnant.”
Natasha turned red and looked away, unsure of how to respond.
“I’m not angry at you,” Carmen said softly, reaching out to take her daughter’s hand. “What kind of Kerlian would I be if I got angry at you? But, darling, the Zongongians…”
“Yeah I know,” Natasha sighed, allowing her mother – who was now moving easily and without pain thanks to all the work of the private physiotherapists they’d hired since her release from the hell of the Restricted Region – to guide her out of the bathroom into the sitting area of Natasha’s suite.
“Is it Kristofer’s?” Carmen asked. Natasha nodded. “I’m sure you know how complicated that makes matters,” Carmen replied.
“That’s why I don’t know what to do!” Natasha said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Either I have to marry him, or listen to a bunch of misogynists call my baby a royal bastard. And it’s not like I can get an abortion; it’s only legal here if there’s some birth defect or something.”
“Shhh,” Carmen cautioned. “You think they haven’t been watching us this whole time?”
Natasha went quiet, glancing around as if she would be able to suddenly make out any hidden cameras. There was nothing indicating surveillance, though that did not mean it was not there.
“You have several options,” Carmen whispered. “One, you marry him like you were considering several weeks ago.”
“Mum, I was just winding you up, I don’t want to be a brainless princess in a ballgown with whatever they wear instead of corsets these days!” Natasha said, on the verge of panic.
“Two, we leave here and go to some other country. Regardless of whether or not you decide to keep the baby. The Zongongians, they have been very hospitable. But I know their limits, and I know how our family ended up exiled in the first place, as do you. If I am being totally honest, I’m not sure they’d allow him to marry you anyway.”
Natasha nodded, trying to keep herself calm. “We need to leave then,” she said. “What about the others?”
“The King has no reason to shelter the others if we leave,” Carmen spoke bluntly. “Either they return or they come with us. The Chiu group will probably be fine if they return; we can take Camille with us. Reena… what’s her status?”
“She’s still in a coma, there’s no way we can move her across a border,” Natasha shook her head.
“It’s okay, let me work something out,” Carmen said. “The important thing is that the Zongongians don’t find out until we’re gone. I don’t know what they’d do. So, let’s keep this between the two of us for now.”
Natasha nodded.
*
Imogen slipped back into the passageway she’d been using to spy on her sister. The Royal Palace of Zongongia was old enough that one could find secret passages (well, disused old servants’ corridors) if one looked hard enough. And Imogen, tired of living within the patriarchal world, intended to buy her way back to Kerlile, with information.
Her sister was pregnant with the Crown Prince’s baby. Imogen wrinkled her face in disgust, even though there was nobody around to see her. The very notion that her own sister would see fit to reproduce with that sorry excuse for a prince out of one of the horror stories from her childhood made her feel nauseous herself. That was how she knew she was doing the right thing, for herself and her family, and her country. The rest of her family were certainly guilty of treason against the Matriarchy, but Imogen would redeem them.
*
Unknown to Imogen, she was in turn being spied on by a suspicious Camille Pierre, who had seen the eleven-year-old’s pro-Kerlile outburst in the stables. Camille had been tasked with looking after Jia and Cheung Chiu while their mother was once again at a check-up about her own further-along pregnancy; but Camille had left Cheung with Jia. In her mind, anyone old enough to flee a country on their own was old enough to be left in charge.
Camille trailed after Imogen from a distance as the other girl made her way to her rendezvous with one of the cleaners who, Camille deduced, must be a Kerlian spy. They’d just turned the corner to the kitchens when Camille felt herself grabbed, hand over her mouth, and pulled into a closet. She tried to scream, but a voice stopped her.
“Why are you following Imogen?” came the voice of Prince Jacob, curious. She’d become something of an uneasy… not friend, more like ally, to the younger prince in her time here after Camille and Imogen had fought rather publicly. The enemy of my enemy.
“I’m just bored,” Camille lied when he moved his hand.
“Liar,” came a voice from the shadows which revealed itself to be Jacob’s younger brother Albert. “She was spying on her sister, and you’re spying on her, and we’re spying on you, and there’s no way this is because you’re ‘bored’,” the eight-year-old mocked her Kerlian accent.
“It’s none of your business,” Camille hissed, trying to leave. Jacob’s grip on her arm tightened.
“Tell us, or we will take you to Father’s security and you can explain why you are sneaking around old servants’ corridors to them,” Jacob growled.
Camille bit her lip. The head of security for the King of Zongongia was a scary man. His eyes seemed to pierce her soul, and he reminded her of the sorts of people her mother used to be friends with. The kind who enjoyed inflicting pain. She sighed, bowing her head and speaking in a monotone. “I think she’s selling information to Kerlile.”
The two boys looked at each other, and then at Camille. Jacob turned to Albert first. “Go and tell father immediately.” The younger boy ran off. Then Jacob squeezed Camille’s arm hard enough to hurt.
“Help me catch her, or I’ll tell Father you were in on it,” he hissed at her, and she believed him. Then he took off after Imogen, dragging her along. She had no choice but to help him. She didn’t know how Zongongia worked. She didn’t know what the consequences would be if she disobeyed.
*
Imogen had just handed a memory card from her recorder to her contact when the angry prince came barrelling towards her alongside Camille Pierre. The adult she was with melted into shadows immediately, leaving Imogen to face them alone.
“Spy!” Jacob yelled, pointing at her. “Stay there! Albert is fetching Father! This will be better if you don’t run!”
She didn’t listen, taking off in the direction of the footpath down the mountain. She didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was away from here. Both Jacob and Camille followed her, shouting at her to stop as she kept going, desperate to flee.
The Kerlian spy, the cleaner, watched from the shadows, shaking her head. She made her way back to her own room at a leisurely pace to collect her things and depart. Imogen would get caught, of course, but she was near the end of her assignment anyway. The eleven-year-old had been a convenient temporary asset, believing that information would buy her way back into the good books of the Council.
The Council never intended to allow any Robinson to return, of course. That had been made abundantly clear to her when her superiors approached her about collecting information from the girl. All that mattered, however, was that Imogen believed it for the time being. After that, well, the Council no longer cared about what came of the girl. But the information she had given Kerlile… now, that would be very interesting – and useful – indeed.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax