IV: Ria's Decision

Of the senators assembled in the Grand Hall, only Craxic who had been previously informed of Ria�s proposed actions did not stand in a shocked silence as the Queen made her announcement.
�I understand� she began as she sat once more �That your very purpose here is hostile�
The saiya-jin monarch, despite obvious strength advantage was not too bright and took the comment immediately as a compliment.
�Yes� his voice was deep and gruff. �I suppose that would be our very purpose.� He said this with a very smug grin across his bearded features.
Ria nodded �Then I also suppose that on our part military resistance is useless�
This shocked her ministers, she boldly ventured themselves as inferior, but Ria did have a sort of strategy and even thought she hated to bring her daughter into the business she felt it would be the best course of action.

The king in his response merely nodded with an even bigger grin of smugness.
�I therefore offer a compromise� Ria continued. She inhaled deeply �I will allow for the betrothal of my daughter to your son. That way we save a way and you still earn your desires as it were�

The saiya-jins did not know of the set-up of the Millennium, that the female monarch took precedent, but her plan did have the required effect. The congregation of ministers, with the exception of Craxic, drew breath sharply in a collective gasp. Craxic just stood and nodded a grim assurance to his Queen. The saiya-jin king meanwhile stood in silence, thinking over her words and at length he spoke.
�Your gesture is of someone afraid of their weakness. Yet it is still a gesture. I shall duly consider it�

Vela winced then bristled with anger at the mention of �weakness� almost to the point where he felt like answering with a retort. Craxic, ever perceptive, noticed and silence the senator with a gesture of his hand. Ria had noticed too but remained unfazed. Smiling she nodded her head
�You are our guests until you have reached decision� she turned to some guards at her left
�Escort them to the prepared rooms�
�Yes ma�am� they bowed in unison and rapidly took the saiya-jins from the hall.

As they left Ria smiled to herself and laughed slightly. She cast her eyes over the hall, it was filled with her advisors watching her very bemused. Ria laughed again
�Fata viam invenient�* (the fates will find a way) she quoted, �Fata viam invenient�, then she laughed once more.

After considerably lengthy discussion and indeed explanation of her actions, Ria dismissed her audience and immediately sought out her daughter. Esa sat, as she has done for about an hour, on the edge of her bed staring into a blank space. A gentle knocking at her door eventually disturbed the Princess from her reverie. She glanced up casually at her mother as Ria entered.
�Esa?� Ria�s voice ventured softly.
�Hmm?� the girl replied. She wasn�t a stranger to sudden mood turns, so her mother was not too concerned. She probably was in a depression once again but for some reason Ria felt something extra this time that furthered her worries and her own news would not likely help.

Ria was unsure how to start any conversation and her daughter was hardly forthcoming. She noticed the dress draped over the dressing table chair.
�You and Cassandra were comparing outfits I see� she laughed gently �all women whatever their age are the same�
Esa made no response to her gesture, instead, albeit slightly against her will, she regarded the Queen coldly.
�What�s wrong� she eventually asked blankly
Ria sighed deeply but Esa continued
�There are strange people about. You tried diplomacy with invaders� Esa said scathingly.
�How do you know?� Ria asked turning serious all of a sudden. She adjusted herself to face her daughter but Esa still refused to look at her and simply shrugged a response.
�Well yes� Ria sighed after a long uncomfortable silence. �And I have done a cruel thing to you�
�I became your bargaining tool?� Esa interrupted. The Queen very suddenly burst into tears and Esa�s stomach lurched. She knew what it meant and disturbingly to her own mind only one word did connect in a sense of loss. Cassie. Yet against her mother she felt no hatred, desperate anger and a realization of losing her best friend but at her mothers own anguish all she could do was her (rather poor) best at trying to comfort the Queen.
�I�m sorry� Ria sobbed. �I was going to agree to Topaz. I know you would have liked that, even though I know that too is wrong but I would have done�
It was then Esa�s turn to cry. She couldn�t really fathom why, she would not be angry about losing Topaz at all.
�I still can agree� Ria continued between her tears �then despite your respective marriages you can stay with her�
At this Esa�s eyes shot open. How could Ria have honestly known what she didn�t really know herself.
�She won�t want to lose you� Ria tried to dry her reddened eyes �I must leave now.� The Queen�s face was flustered bright crimson with shock and upset. Esa by contrast had become a perfect pale. She stared at the vacant space the Queen had hurried from. How was she now supposed to attend this ball on the Moon.

*(Quote from 'The Aeneid' by Virgil)