Conflicts and Resolutions

Maria's thoughts began to wander after her conversation with the king, and as such she couldn't help but pay attention to the way the atmosphere had changed around The Rose Palace. The tension between the women who were participating in this year's cycle was so thick that she could practically taste it. Despite wracking her brain to find a solution all she could really come up with was to approach the women individually. If she had better standing among the women perhaps she could hold a midday tea or some such, but her relationship with the king made the other women hesitant to trust her. It was a pain, but one she felt compelled to take on, if only to maintain peace among the residents of Rose Palace. Afterall, the women here had nothing if not each other.

As such she set out to address them one by one. First was Elisabeth. She was the easiest easy one for Maria to approach. Elisabeth had a mind of her own, and preferred Maria's candid nature to the masks that were often donned by other women. This was something that gave Maria particular delight. It had be a long time since she felt she truly had a friend she could rely on, and only hoped Elisabeth would continue to prove herself a true friend.

She wasn't disappointed in this matter. While Elisabeth was hesitant to talk about the breeding cycle at first she had greeted her with a warm smile and kind words. She even suggested some books for her to read. After a little digging, however she admitted to her uncertainty in her choice and in a moment let slip the existence of a secret. The moment she had done so Maria put her hand over Elisabeth's mouth, and told her not to say anything the King could not hear as she could not guarantee that in the heat of the moment she would not let it slip. This stopped the conversation completely, but as Maria left feeling somewhat dejected, Elisabeth said something else. "Thank you Maria for listening to me." She said with a clear earnestness intermingled with her slight hesitation. "I'm sorry if I put you in a tough spot, but I'm so glad that I got to talk to you. Do you think we can be friends?"

Elisabeth looked ahead with longing and an honest smile. Maria saw this and smiled brightly, feeling as if a whole new world had opened up to her. She had the king of course, but friendship is something she had not been offered in a long time. "Of course" She said, practically giggling in delight. This was something she truly wanted from the bottom of her heart.

Next on the itinerary was Janice. She wasn't a woman with a strong presence by any means, but this also meant that she often stayed out of the dramas that occurred within Rose Palace. As such, Maria hoped she'd be open to talking. While Janice was surprisingly eager to speak about her choice, she also held back on something. It took Maria a bit of coxing to realize that Janice was herself a rather peculiar woman, as she was fairly particular about her taste in men, and her quietness as of late was largely in part due to the fact that he held a rather high rank, even among nobles. She adored the man she chose, but feared the possibility of the men yet to come. Maria did her best to set her mind at ease, but was saddened in doing so. For she knew as well as anyone that her fears were very well founded. Still, she hoped that the worst would not come to pass, or even that the best could still become reality. Janice was a quiet woman, yet she recognized Maria's earnestness and appreciated her for it. In the end Maria left with not one alli but two.

Finally, Maria gulped back air as if it were courage to address the final party. Sara was not a bad person, but her ambition was as well known as her carelessness. She truly wondered if it were even worth the approach, but she still continued.

The information she had received from Jakob alone was enough to clue her into what was the problem. She had gone into the selection believeling she was to be the favorite, but in the end had made the wrong choice. The whining she did so openly for all to hear only solidified this, yet Maria also knew she was having a girl. This must account for something. As such she steeled herself for what was to come, even as Sara rejected her presence repeatedly.

Finally, she found her opening, a situation that forced Sara to speak with her. The two of them circled the room like cats circling their prey until finally Maria took the initiative to speak.

"I hear you're having a girl!" She said, with as much excitement as she could muster. For a woman like Sara this may have been a blessing, but Maria's point of view was more in line with Elisabeth. It pained her to think of having to bring a child into this world just live a life with no choice but to suffer in silence. Even so, she understood why women like Sara were so eager to have girls. Sara had fully accepted her role in life and was eager to climb to the top of the women here. For a woman with ambition gaining favor with powerful men was the only road available to grow. It was a sad reality, but one she too had to come to grips with. "Congratulations." She added hoping to sound sincere rather than condescending.

Sara watched her carefully for a moment longer, her lips pressed thin and her eyes narrowed as if studying her, before she finally relaxed and gave a shallow smile. She flipped her hair out arrogantly as she said "Thanks, perhaps someday I can bear a girl for a man as powerful as you have."

Maria sucked in a quick breath, her eyes going wide for a second before she re-donned her best smile. "That would be wonderful. I truly hope that you will have such luck as to find love that withstands in this world as I have found with my darling Jakob, and together may you bear many daughters to expand this kingdom's breeding capacity with." While her congratulations may have been a genuine attempt at comradely this was also a targeted strike. Sara had known full and well the disappointment that came of giving the king of all people a daughter rather than a son, even if she failed to understand the extent to which she had morned the birth of her daughter. For that reason Maria chose her words with ease. Given her relationship with the king, no one listening would doubt the sincerity of wishing love upon her, even though to do so was not only a great taboo, but akin to a curse. Further more, daughters may have been a blessing upon the kingdom and humanity as a whole, but she wanted to make certain that Sara understood well the suffering that her child would be forced to endure.

Her comment had the intended effect. Sara was very much insulted, so much so that she gritted her teeth as she gave her reply. "Indeed." She hissed. "Sadly, we can't all be as lucky as you. Is there anything I can help you with?" She finally managed to regain her composure, but was not eager to see this conversation dragged out. She hoped that getting to the point quickly would help bring this uncomfortable conversation to an end.

Maria's expression softened and she replied. "Not really. I had just noticed that the women taking part in this breeding cycle has been unusually quiet lately, and wanted to see if there was anything weighing on your mind that I could help with."

The words themselves hadn't done much to shake Sara, but the honesty in her voice did. She truly had been struggling with the thoughts of what the revelation would mean for her future in Rose Palace, but Maria wasn't exactly the person she wanted to speak with about it. Still, she thought, it was nice of her to consider my feelings. She laughed loudly and shrugged it off as she said. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. I'll bounce back. I always do." She did her best to look confident in her words, but couldn't quite stop her hands from trembling.

Maria noticed this, but in the end decided not to say anything. It likely wouldn't do any good anyway. Sara may not be the smartest woman in Rose Palace, but she was a proud one. Maria simply hoped that would be enough to carry her through whatever storm she was weathering at the moment. With this Maria said, "if you change your mind I'm always here to talk." Then turned and left the room. Having spoken to all three women she was fairly confident that the issues at hand would resolve in their own time, but it lifted the weight off her shoulders to simply confirm that for herself.