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rainbowfic2015-07-17 08:52 pm
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2015-07-17 08:52 pm
French Grey #9, Dragon Scale Green #10, Rose #16
Name: shadowsong26
Story: Flattery
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: French Grey #9. To accept such praise was to lower one’s standards., Dragon Scale Green #10. "Old dragons, like old thorns, can still prick. And I am a very old dragon." ― Jane Yolen, Rose #16. The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.
Supplies and Materials: photography, frame (1033 FY), brush (superannuated), novelty beads
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG
Characters: Kesshare
Warnings: Treating people as pawns, sociopathic POV, discussion of sexism.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always.
Queen Kesshare was no stranger to flattery.
She was, after all, the most powerful woman in the world, the architect of an ever-expanding empire. True, she was no longer as young as she once was, and had to rely more than she liked on her daughter and grandchildren, but the present and future of her achievements were secure. Isselu was well on his way to making up for his unfortunate lack of siblings with his own heirs--two already and a third on the way, all healthy so far. And he had inherited his father’s steadiness and his mother’s charisma, though he was fortunately less inclined to love-blindness than either.
And Roneli might have been excluded from the succession, due to her mother’s uncertain bloodline, but that same uncertainty gave her ties to half the world or more. In addition, she had all of her father’s charm and courage, tempered by a much stronger sense of practicality. Kesshare had spent the years since Isshiri’s death fostering those qualities in her granddaughter, along with a firm, steadfast loyalty to the Crystal Throne and Isselu’s cause. She’d recently sent the girl to Riluke’s household, to be polished and trained as the Ambassador’s successor, as both a diplomat and a spy.
So, she had reigned in prosperity and strength for decades, she had founded an empire, she had secured its future, she had even turned her son’s potential disaster of a marriage into an asset. She had earned every ounce of praise she received, from those who feared and admired her. Even the faintly ridiculous flirtations--really, she was a widow of nearly ninety who had taken no lovers since her husband’s death; the futility of such gestures should be obvious--she tolerated as a reality of court life. To her faint exasperation and occasional amusement, her long-faded beauty would be praised to the high heavens alongside her still-sharp mind.
But, on occasion, a foolish new envoy clearly forgot to glorify the second along with the first, coupling their flattery with an irritating level of condescension. On those occasions, she lost all traces of amusement. It was as if these men--and they were always men, she had noticed--assumed she was senile, and chasing after her lost youth, despite all evidence to the contrary. Sometimes, they caught on quickly--she actually appreciated those ambassadors, almost more than the ones who never tried such things. They had been given poor instruction but thought quickly on their feet. Useful assets to exploit.
But for the ones who persisted, ignoring her obvious warnings, as well as the even more blatant danger signs from her loyal council when they perceived her increasing displeasure…
Well, she hadn’t gotten as far as she had in life without learning how to turn setbacks into advantages. It never took her long to utterly destroy the empty-headed sycophants, sending them back to their home courts with their tails between their legs and a politely-worded letter to their superiors to please send someone less oblivious in the future. In years past, she might have taken her time to get the same results, playing with her new chew toy for months, but--well, she wasn’t as young as she once was. She no longer had time or patience to waste on putting idle flatterers in their place.
Kesshare may have been nearing the end of her life, but she was still in the business of empire building, and would be until she drew her last breath. Anyone foolish enough to assume that age had left her toothless deserved everything she threw at him.
Story: Flattery
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: French Grey #9. To accept such praise was to lower one’s standards., Dragon Scale Green #10. "Old dragons, like old thorns, can still prick. And I am a very old dragon." ― Jane Yolen, Rose #16. The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.
Supplies and Materials: photography, frame (1033 FY), brush (superannuated), novelty beads
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG
Characters: Kesshare
Warnings: Treating people as pawns, sociopathic POV, discussion of sexism.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always.
Queen Kesshare was no stranger to flattery.
She was, after all, the most powerful woman in the world, the architect of an ever-expanding empire. True, she was no longer as young as she once was, and had to rely more than she liked on her daughter and grandchildren, but the present and future of her achievements were secure. Isselu was well on his way to making up for his unfortunate lack of siblings with his own heirs--two already and a third on the way, all healthy so far. And he had inherited his father’s steadiness and his mother’s charisma, though he was fortunately less inclined to love-blindness than either.
And Roneli might have been excluded from the succession, due to her mother’s uncertain bloodline, but that same uncertainty gave her ties to half the world or more. In addition, she had all of her father’s charm and courage, tempered by a much stronger sense of practicality. Kesshare had spent the years since Isshiri’s death fostering those qualities in her granddaughter, along with a firm, steadfast loyalty to the Crystal Throne and Isselu’s cause. She’d recently sent the girl to Riluke’s household, to be polished and trained as the Ambassador’s successor, as both a diplomat and a spy.
So, she had reigned in prosperity and strength for decades, she had founded an empire, she had secured its future, she had even turned her son’s potential disaster of a marriage into an asset. She had earned every ounce of praise she received, from those who feared and admired her. Even the faintly ridiculous flirtations--really, she was a widow of nearly ninety who had taken no lovers since her husband’s death; the futility of such gestures should be obvious--she tolerated as a reality of court life. To her faint exasperation and occasional amusement, her long-faded beauty would be praised to the high heavens alongside her still-sharp mind.
But, on occasion, a foolish new envoy clearly forgot to glorify the second along with the first, coupling their flattery with an irritating level of condescension. On those occasions, she lost all traces of amusement. It was as if these men--and they were always men, she had noticed--assumed she was senile, and chasing after her lost youth, despite all evidence to the contrary. Sometimes, they caught on quickly--she actually appreciated those ambassadors, almost more than the ones who never tried such things. They had been given poor instruction but thought quickly on their feet. Useful assets to exploit.
But for the ones who persisted, ignoring her obvious warnings, as well as the even more blatant danger signs from her loyal council when they perceived her increasing displeasure…
Well, she hadn’t gotten as far as she had in life without learning how to turn setbacks into advantages. It never took her long to utterly destroy the empty-headed sycophants, sending them back to their home courts with their tails between their legs and a politely-worded letter to their superiors to please send someone less oblivious in the future. In years past, she might have taken her time to get the same results, playing with her new chew toy for months, but--well, she wasn’t as young as she once was. She no longer had time or patience to waste on putting idle flatterers in their place.
Kesshare may have been nearing the end of her life, but she was still in the business of empire building, and would be until she drew her last breath. Anyone foolish enough to assume that age had left her toothless deserved everything she threw at him.
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no subject
She IS omg. Ambassadors (and the rulers who send them) would do well to not forget that fact, just because she's pushing ninety...
*boss ass bitch plays in the background*
Re: *boss ass bitch plays in the background*
Hee, that's a good way to describe her! The actress I use for her I mostly cast because I love her voice, but yes. Sharp and living eyes.