You kindly tell Assante to fuck off with all of this paperwork business, and come back when he can ask for lieutenantship in a less roundabout way (and also when you can think of an appropriate hellquest to give him, but you leave that part out). As he leaves dejected, you ponder some of your scrolls. Surely a desolate hellmouth can't be that hard to find in today's occult climate...
Briefly in the door to your office you see the shape of Captain Bukhar. He gives you a thumbs-up, which you return with an understanding expression, and then promptly and quietly leaves.
257 S.I., Early Winter
The Queen has been calling on you rather frequently as of late, mostly because the Vizier has grown increasingly reclusive and, to be honest, unseemly. The Queen doesn't bring this up directly, of course, seemingly not about to bother you with direct palace business. Mostly your meetings are simply regular chats over tea about the state of your lives, and your meticulous study of her schedule through various eyes and ears in the palace lead you to believe that these days meetings with both you and Princess Annika make up the bulk of her social engagements.
Today Queen Iouni's interests appear to be more serious than usual, and take a distinctly dynastic bent. The court has been giving her no end of talk about it. Marriage and such, and producing heirs. It's driving her mad. Something has to be done, and it has to be done quickly.
Wouldn't that be more a matter for the Vizier to look into, you bring up. The Queen immediately deflects - ah, the Vizier has been... busy as of late, you know, with the experiments and the Book and what have you. And even then there have been offers from the court, all these cousins of so-and-so twice removed and widowers in positions of reasonable power and promising, energetic young noblemen who she's sure are very handsome but, well...
Well, the Queen says after an awkward pause, she's not really sure she would like to marry anyone. The idea makes her terribly anxious, and she's read about bearing children and it's, well, all very alarming to read all the stories about the horrifying things that happen. Did you know how often newborns die, for instance? And their mothers? She's not sure she could handle that.
So the Queen wants you to do... what exactly?
The Queen shrugs slowly, then sighs. She doesn't know, you're the spymistress here - being clever on the Queen's behalf is your job, isn't it?
A) This is definitely a job for the Vizier, and you will take it upon yourself to give him a kick in the ass to get him going.
B) There's always the option of adoption, as it were. Doesn't the Queen have family about? Could convince them to provide a brat to groom into an eventual King or Queen.
C) She could talk to Princess Annika about this, she's got a Vesperlund connection and a discerning eye for potential suitors (and a large pool of them courtesy of her mother's letters). And it'd potentially bring two nations closer together if it all works out.
D) Give the Queen
the talk. It seems to be desperately needed.
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Topic: SPAMMASTER: Spymistress Kalja the Bewitched (Read 36918 times)