"Nn ... no," Lenore says, tipping her head in thought and changing her conclusion halfway through the word. "I don't think there's an ancient vampire with that power, but ... we know there are other realms. Other powers. Creatures beyond our comprehension. And we can hold control over an empire and over humans even without any of those things. Kings very rarely get killed in their sleep, even though they are as helpless as any other being in unconsciousness. The power structure that protects them is strong enough to withstand that weakness. Only fools think that a political coup is as simple as killing a king. We, in Styria, have built and held our queendom just fine despite the tyranny of the sun."
His other question, however, is more complicated, and she has to fall silent again while she processes through it, sipping at her wine. She needs to offer an answer that encompasses both what she would do, as Queen of Styria, and what she is advising him to do, as Lord over the many vampire courts under his sway. She takes her own position first, as it's easier. Imagining herself in his place is more difficult, and a part of her instinctively balks at it, but she pushes through that, imagining all the pieces and the various possibilities.
"For us, in Styria, assuming the worst outcome--their forces sweep westward, strongly enough to make you relocate, strongly enough that it seems likely they will reach our borders--then I would take the same action regardless of whether I find they are vampire or human. When they threaten Styria, specifically, I would initiate diplomacy to ensure our safety and relative autonomy."
The Ottomans are not her problem, and unlikely to become her problem or Styria's problem anytime soon. They're not relevant to her any more than they're relevant to Cho or Godbrand, as long as another vampire force stands between them and the potential threat.
"If I were you ... mm. The question is more interesting. Let us again assume that they encroach and conquer far enough, as you said before, to make you relocate. If they are human, that's not necessarily an issue. Any vampire realm whose forces they touch may choose how to fight or flee or negotiate as they please. But if the forces are controlled by a vampire--" Her hands flutter as she thinks, hand lifting, curling into a fist, uncurling, pressing against her lips. When she has her thoughts back in line, her hands fall back into her lap. "What you have done, in creating your court, is ... I don't know how you'd describe it, but you are effectively the treaty-maker. By keeping us all from falling to petty squabbling, you protect against the chance of knowledge and artifacts being lost in the conflict." She knows he knows this. She's describing his own court in the simplest possible terms. But an important aspect of debate is to start from the accepted facts. "So if you are removed from the center of the board and relocated to the corner." Actually, that's a good metaphor. She rises and brings over the chess board from the far side of the room, and the table that it's on. She'll put it back where it belongs in a minute, but for now she brings it over to him and remains standing as she arranges the pieces, removing all the white pieces except the king. She puts him as the black king in the center of the board, pushing other pieces into a random scattering on their respective sides of the board. It doesn't need to reflect a real chess game's moves. It's a metaphor.
"The Ottomans advance, you retreat." She moves him to the far corner, behind the other black pieces, and moves the white king to the center. Then she touches the three black pieces nearest to the white king. "They can deal with a human force, as we said. But if the ottomans are backed by a vampire force, then when they get here, these vampire rulers have a different choice. They can still fight, flee, or negotiate. Or." She removes a black bishop near the white king, and replaces it with a white bishop. Then she does the same with the nearby pair of black knights. "They can change sides, choosing to follow the rising vampire lord who has made Dracula retreat." She removes a few more black pieces, knocking them over first to simulate death or defeat, and then replaces several more with white. "Your network collapses, and that's the greater threat to us all. Given that threat, then yes, I would take action now. Spies or diplomacy, I would want to know what the secret is at the heart of their empire. Because if they continue to conquer and succeed as they have done so far, then by the time they reach the center of the board and force you to move, then it is too late."
She sits back down, doubting whether she's overstepped. "Was that what you were asking, or did I take the question too far?"
no subject
His other question, however, is more complicated, and she has to fall silent again while she processes through it, sipping at her wine. She needs to offer an answer that encompasses both what she would do, as Queen of Styria, and what she is advising him to do, as Lord over the many vampire courts under his sway. She takes her own position first, as it's easier. Imagining herself in his place is more difficult, and a part of her instinctively balks at it, but she pushes through that, imagining all the pieces and the various possibilities.
"For us, in Styria, assuming the worst outcome--their forces sweep westward, strongly enough to make you relocate, strongly enough that it seems likely they will reach our borders--then I would take the same action regardless of whether I find they are vampire or human. When they threaten Styria, specifically, I would initiate diplomacy to ensure our safety and relative autonomy."
The Ottomans are not her problem, and unlikely to become her problem or Styria's problem anytime soon. They're not relevant to her any more than they're relevant to Cho or Godbrand, as long as another vampire force stands between them and the potential threat.
"If I were you ... mm. The question is more interesting. Let us again assume that they encroach and conquer far enough, as you said before, to make you relocate. If they are human, that's not necessarily an issue. Any vampire realm whose forces they touch may choose how to fight or flee or negotiate as they please. But if the forces are controlled by a vampire--" Her hands flutter as she thinks, hand lifting, curling into a fist, uncurling, pressing against her lips. When she has her thoughts back in line, her hands fall back into her lap. "What you have done, in creating your court, is ... I don't know how you'd describe it, but you are effectively the treaty-maker. By keeping us all from falling to petty squabbling, you protect against the chance of knowledge and artifacts being lost in the conflict." She knows he knows this. She's describing his own court in the simplest possible terms. But an important aspect of debate is to start from the accepted facts. "So if you are removed from the center of the board and relocated to the corner." Actually, that's a good metaphor. She rises and brings over the chess board from the far side of the room, and the table that it's on. She'll put it back where it belongs in a minute, but for now she brings it over to him and remains standing as she arranges the pieces, removing all the white pieces except the king. She puts him as the black king in the center of the board, pushing other pieces into a random scattering on their respective sides of the board. It doesn't need to reflect a real chess game's moves. It's a metaphor.
"The Ottomans advance, you retreat." She moves him to the far corner, behind the other black pieces, and moves the white king to the center. Then she touches the three black pieces nearest to the white king. "They can deal with a human force, as we said. But if the ottomans are backed by a vampire force, then when they get here, these vampire rulers have a different choice. They can still fight, flee, or negotiate. Or." She removes a black bishop near the white king, and replaces it with a white bishop. Then she does the same with the nearby pair of black knights. "They can change sides, choosing to follow the rising vampire lord who has made Dracula retreat." She removes a few more black pieces, knocking them over first to simulate death or defeat, and then replaces several more with white. "Your network collapses, and that's the greater threat to us all. Given that threat, then yes, I would take action now. Spies or diplomacy, I would want to know what the secret is at the heart of their empire. Because if they continue to conquer and succeed as they have done so far, then by the time they reach the center of the board and force you to move, then it is too late."
She sits back down, doubting whether she's overstepped. "Was that what you were asking, or did I take the question too far?"