Chapter 20: All the Pieces are in Place on the Board...

"I want to go. Will you help me?"

The soft voice carried a request from the heart of a young girl known as the Great Sage of the Empire. It was a request that, in any other circumstance, should have been turned down and admonished for its ludicrous nature. However...

"That's easier said than done, Princess Mia. Tensions are flaring in Remno and the whole kingdom is currently on high alert. Cross the border with a troop of guards and they might assume it's an invasion. Getting into the kingdom will, at the very least, involve faking your identity and staying out of sight..." said Keithwood.

Sion nodded before adding, "True. In a time like this, they're not going to let anyone suspicious across the border. We'll need to formulate a plan."

"I see..." said Mia. "How can we do this?"

None of the people present refused her. They listened to her plea and began to think — not of problems but solutions. There was no doubt, no skepticism. No one asked what they could accomplish by going. No one questioned the viability of the idea. They skipped the whats and why jumping directly to hows, as though helping Mia was a foregone conclusion. Then, in the face of what was ostensibly an impossible task, they happened upon a ray of hope. It didn't even take them long. After all, Mia might be incompetent, but she'd surrounded herself with people who were anything but. When the Mia Brigade was on the job, problems didn't stand a chance.

To everyone's surprise, however, the first to speak was their most unassuming member.

"Um..."

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, Chloe, who flinched before putting down her quivering hand, clearly intimidated by the sheer density of regalness in the room.

"Our company's caravan is, um..." she took a breath and continued on in a stammering voice, "scheduled to go to the Kingdom of Remno, so, um... what if you go with the carts?"

"Carts, you say... Ah, I see. Camouflage," said Keithwood after a moment of cross-armed contemplation. "Good idea. Disguised as a merchant, there's a good chance you'll be able to cross the border without anyone knowing. Plus, you'll avoid pissing off anyone you run into. After all, people in Remno probably aren't very fond of royalty right now."

It was certainly a better option than showing up as a foreign aristocrat — or, even worse, a mysterious traveler of unidentified origin — and it would afford her easier movement. Seeing that a viable plan was taking shape, the frown across Keithwood's brow began to fade. Then Sion spoke.

"Looks like we have a plan. In that case, I'll go too."

"Wait, what?!"

Keithwood wheeled around and stared at his master incredulously. It was true that he had a positive impression of Mia, and he didn't exactly hate the idea of doing something to help her. With Sion's permission, he was even willing to accompany her on her journey. It was why he'd told her about the situation in the first place. Heck, he was secretly looking forward to lending her his strength. Considering his habitual impassivity, she might as well have been his favorite celebrity. But if Sion intended to wade into danger himself, then he had no choice but to object.

"Your Highness, that will not do. Please consider your position. You are the Crown Prince of Sunkland." And the Crown Prince of Sunkland had absolutely no business wandering around a foreign kingdom in the throes of a violent uprising. Knowing Sion, though, Keithwood figured he'd back down if cautioned. After all, Sion almost always placed the future of his kingdom above his own wishes and deeply valued sound arguments and principled beliefs. For some reason, though, Sion flashed him a wily grin.

"I am indeed, Keithwood, and that's exactly why I'm going with her."

"What... do you mean?"

"You see, I don't believe that a great king must be a man of valor. It takes more than a good sword arm to rule. At the same time, I don't believe a craven man would be fit to rule a kingdom of Sunkland's caliber. Don't you agree?"

"Well, yes, what you say is true, but..."

Uh oh.

Those were the kind of sound arguments and principled beliefs Keithwood was so accustomed to hearing from Sion, except this time, he was standing on the opposite side of the debate stage. This was exactly the kind of situation where the prince shined, and he had a sinking feeling that Sion was about to flex on him.

"Suppose, for the sake of argument, that there exists a princess of a large kingdom who is my equal in both rank and power. She, out of concern for the safety of a fellow classmate, chooses valiantly to trek into the dangerous lands of a foreign nation. And this despite the fact that she possesses not even the ability to defend herself in a fight," Sion said with a dramatic flair. "Faced with the resolve of this entirely theoretical princess, do you not think it would reflect on my image poorly, should I hesitate to join her in her quest?"

"I..."

It... wasn't exactly nonsense. And that was the worst part. His unnecessary panache aside, Sion actually had a point. Being the prince of a large kingdom, he had no shortage of political enemies who would jump at the chance to get dirt on him. It was therefore reasonable for him to, as much as he could, behave in a way that avoided damaging his reputation.

Is this... checkmate? Damn it. I guess we're doing this. I'd better contact our agents in Remno and give them a heads-up.

Fortunately, they had allies inside Remno — the result of long years of tireless groundwork by Sunkland's dedicated intelligence agency, which had established a skilled spy network in a number of foreign nations. It was an accomplishment that spoke to the foresight of the King of Sunkland, who recognized the importance of information warfare early and often. Without their intelligence division, they would never have received such swift news of the uprising in Remno. Back home, meetings were probably already underway to discuss whether or not military intervention should be undertaken.

Which is great and all... but for the love of the sun, that does not make it okay for the freaking crown prince to be walking into what is potentially enemy territory at a time like this, damn it! Augh!

Keithwood rubbed his temples as he felt a familiar sensation creeping up on him. It was an old friend, and it was called a headache.

"Your Highness... I'll go with you too."

Following in Sion's footsteps, Tiona volunteered her assistance as well. She dabbled in swordplay, and while she was no master, she was skilled enough to ensure that any bandits who tangled with her were going to have a rough time. If nothing else, she was stronger than Mia. Since they were unable to bring any imperial guards with them, having more than one person who could handle themselves in a fight was not a bad proposition.

Mia said nothing. She simply lowered her head in a deep bow, as if the selfless altruism of her friend deserved more than the meaningless platitude of spoken thanks, and only wordless, earnest acceptance befit the kindness being offered.

"Your Highness..."

Then, there was a third voice.

"I'll go too. Please, take me with you."

Mia looked at the final speaker and, to her dismay, found that she couldn't say yes.

"Your Highness? May I?" continued Anne, her tone timid.

There was a short silence. Then Mia looked away.

"I'm sorry, Anne, but I can't let you come with me."

It wasn't because she didn't want Anne to accompany her. Quite the opposite, actually, considering Anne's presence would relieve her from the burden of many everyday tasks. She just couldn't bring Anne with her and the reason was simple: Anne couldn't ride a horse!

Consider, for example, a situation in which they were in real danger and needed to escape quickly. Since Anne couldn't handle a horse by herself, she'd need to ride together with someone else — probably Keithwood. Considering the increased burden of carrying two riders, the best horse — either the easiest to ride or the strongest — would have to be given to the pair. It was the soundest and most obvious arrangement. Were it any other maid, Mia would veto the idea in a heartbeat, but not for Anne. She felt indebted to her maid, and she wished to repay her loyalty with sincerity and kindness. If their lives were on the line, she couldn't choose to put Anne at risk, nor would she want to.

Now consider another scenario in which Anne hadn't come with them, meaning everyone present knew how to ride. In that case, the rule of ladies first would apply, and there was a very good chance that Mia would be given the best horse of the bunch, significantly improving the odds of her making a successful escape. Basically, this was just the good old Mia First policy at work again, and she was doing everything in her power to maximize the probability of her own survival.

"You can't ride a horse, Anne, which means there's a good chance you'll slow everyone down. And the place to which we're headed is probably very dangerous."

"But, Your Highness... I..."

Tears welled up in Anne's eyes. She began sniffling, grief evident in her voice.

"Oh, Anne, don't cry... It's okay. I'll make it back. You can take my word for it," said Mia, comforting her distressed maid with a tender smile. "So, can I trust you to hold down the fort for me while I'm gone? I'll do my job, and you do yours. Okay?"

She held Anne's gaze, letting her eyes do the rest of the talking. After all, when she returned, she'd doubtlessly want to relax with a hot cup of tea. Maybe she'd be so tired she'd want to dive straight into bed. Or perhaps she'd yearn for a good, long soak. There were all sorts of things she might want to do when she came back, and preparing for them was as important a duty as any other. Though she'd left it all unsaid, she trusted that this nuance had been conveyed.

It was, of course, more consolation than honest need, spoken primarily to ease Anne's misery. Alas, she might have let too much of her true motivations slip. Despite her words of comfort, Anne's expression never brightened.

Anne watched as Mia and her newly recruited co-conspirators left one after another to make preparations for their planned infiltration of Remno. Soon, she was the only one left in the room. There she stood, staring blankly at the door as it closed for the last time. A heavy silence followed.

I'm... dead weight. Because I don't know how to ride a horse... I've become a burden for Mia.

She looked down at the ground. Soon, a steady patter began to echo in the room. Tears of frustration streamed down her cheeks, accumulating in a small puddle on the floor. Mia had pushed her away, making it clear that her inability to ride would make her a burden on everyone else. It was blunt, and harsh, and — worst of all — utterly kind. She wasn't stupid; she knew Mia was doing it on purpose to ease the weight on her conscience. Her dear mistress didn't think twice about trading their friendship for her safety, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Because it was all true. She would be a burden, and she wasn't sure if she could ever forgive herself for that.

Suddenly, she heard a solemn, commanding voice, causing her to recoil.

"Miss Anne. Compose yourself."

She turned to find Rafina observing her with a passive expression.

"Um... Miss Rafina?"

"It would seem to me that you hardly have the time to be moping about here."

"B-But... I feel so worthless. If I knew how to ride a horse, I could go with Her Highness—"

"What are you to Princess Mia?"

"Huh? I... I'm her personal maid-in-waiting..."

Rafina shook her head.

"I don't believe that's correct. Have you forgotten how Mia introduced you to me?" She looked straight into Anne's eyes. "You're her right hand and confidante."

Rafina's words hit Anne like lightning, and she reeled from the impact.

"Mia told you to do your job. What is that job, then? Is it to stand here, looking down at the floor feeling sorry for yourself?"

"My... job?"

"Yes, your job. A job doable only by Mia's right hand and confidante. Does anything come to mind?"

For some time, Anne said nothing. Then, she bowed and left the room. Rafina watched as Anne walked out the door, her posture considerably straighter than it had been moments before.

Thus the maid returned to being behind the scenes. Anne acted immediately, leaving the academy a mere day after Mia and her crew. Having realized what it was that she must do she held it close to her heart, allowing it to fill her with resolve as she set out for her destination: the Tearmoon Empire. Her unwavering loyalty would ultimately drop the empire's strongest piece onto the board, but that is a story for a later time.

And so, all the pieces of the game were in place on the board — a board that took the shape of the Kingdom of Remno, and a game of conspiracy that would see the dame blanche, Mia and her motley crew, attempt a daring rescue of her lone cavalier, Prince Abel, from the clutches of a sea of noir.

The game was in motion, its outcome undecided. Where the future would lead was anyone's guess.