Go the Way of Destiny (3/3) (Queen, PG)

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Title: Go the Way of Destiny (3/3)
Author: seta_suzume
Fandom: Suikoden III
Rating: PG
Prompt: 108.) If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing. -- Margaret Thatcher (born October 13, 1925), first and so far only woman to lead the Conservative Party (1975-1990) and the first and so far only woman to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979-1990).
Summary: Tielle was determined not to give in. The story of Queen's youth in Harmonia.
Word count: roughly 24,900 words. Whew, I've never written anything long enough to merit three posts!
Author's Notes: Thanks for effaced, who encouraged me, and DJ, who helped with the title.
Throughout the story, Queen goes by her given name (Tielle), since these are her pre-HSFDF days.



Part 1
Part 2

Rumei Rimsky, larger than life. He was the first thing she saw upon returning to Swansard. The roads no longer bore the scars of his earth-shaking handiwork, having been repaired and re-patched by a team of expert earth manipulators and engineers in the seven years Tielle had been away, but now the man himself stood in the central square in a dark bronze. His hair was swept by an imaginary wind over his shoulders and his left hand was raised not in the gesture of benediction so common in Harmonian statues, but in his traditional magic-casting wave. It was a testament to the power of the occupation government that the bronze Rimsky was not defaced daily. It was still too soon for Tielle to see how thoroughly her people had broken.

Her memories of how to reach her first home were understandably fuzzy, and it didn't help that there had been plenty of rebuilding and cleaning up of the old capital since she left. The improved garrison Governor Mercade had planned to have built was finished and it appeared, half-barracks half-castle, at the western joint of the main wall, built out of red sandstone and topped with a decadent array of Harmonian banners. The shanty houses had been cleared away and replaced with average houses and shops of sandstone and wood. She walked leisurely down the main thoroughfare, passing soldiers, messengers, a quartet of traveling buskers, and a whole variety of Sanadian citizens- old folk, women with small children, calm or resigned-looking men going about their day's work. The only groups ill-represented were adolescents and older children. The majority of them were probably abroad, either in bondage as she had been, or out of a desire to move up the social hierarchy and make the most of life in this strange new world. She couldn't blame all of them. People were weak, but they were also adaptable. They would fight the everyday battles to gain their small shares of happiness and would be content with only half of what their forefathers had claimed. If there was anything she had learned from the young misfits and outcasts she had worked alongside all these years, it was that people were infinitely varied and interesting.

She took a right in front of an unfamiliar florist's shop and caught sight of a church's spire between the rooftops. That hadn't been there before. She knew she couldn't forget a building of that stature or flashiness, covered as it was by an almost baroque amount of metallic detail.

Was this the street? All the old landmarks had given way to new ones. She hadn't seen anyone she recognized either and no one had approached her. Maybe she had changed too much and was unrecognizable to all but the people who had known her best. She didn't think it would be very helpful to ask an unfamiliar person for directions... Her mother might have moved to another part of the city after all this restructuring had taken place. Maybe there was a postal office that could point her in the direction of her mother's whereabouts.

She felt haunted by shades of her childhood dashing in and out of the alleyways. The hollow tree had been somewhere around here and the well too. Her first home, and Aunt Ruth's home. Had any of the friends and playmates of her childhood returned to Swansard? What about Talzian? Did he ever go out to the central gateway plaza to stand in the shadow of his fallen father's monument? She thought she could picture him as he would look now- he would be twenty- doing that very thing, searching that idealized metal image for some hint of a resemblance to a man he had never known. Tielle had never known what her own father looked like. The portraits and photos had all been lost or destroyed during the war.

Before she knew it, she had allowed herself to wander all the way to the front of the garrison. There was a fountain in the square between it and the civilian buildings and several officers stood beside it, tossing bits of their lunch bread to a pair of migrating ducks who were taking advantage of the cool of the fountain in the vast region of arid dryness that was the Harmonian far west. It seemed unusual to see officers loitering outside like this while they ate, and clearly these men were not entirely at ease. They kept glancing at the heavy door to the main garrison building, expecting their commanding officer to burst out of there at any second.

"When's Lady Kaeyani expecting us back? In a fortnight?"

"Thereabouts, I gather," a stout man replied. The ducks nearly drowned out his gravelly voice with all their chatty quacking as they drifted through the splashing water.

Out-of-towners, Tielle concluded and mentally berated herself for the weakness that had made her momentarily consider asking them, if not about her mother, at least how to get to the post office or the bureau.

If there was one building that was likely to be unmoved and unaltered, it was probably the governor's mansion. She had yet to hear anything contradicting her belief that Katch Mercade was still the chief civil authority in Sanadia. Whether he had ever consulted his volumes by Bishop Talleric or not, somehow he had managed to be at least a competent enough official to finance a major rebuilding effort and keep from being assassinated by an unhappy citizen (this was, actually, a common fate for Harmonian bishops and governors of the far west, even the ones who were gentlest with their people. Sometimes a kind occupation was more hateful than a cruel one it seemed). The speed at which Sanadia was being made into a proper province of Harmonia was truly astounding. Tabard, Tisbahl, and Le Buque, all having belonged to the nation at least twice as long as Sanadia were only half as integrated, if even. Katch was happy to claim these results as his own, but in the secrecy of his study, he admitted to himself that he had no idea why this was. Even with his skill in delegating work, he could pick out no one man or woman who had made a substantial contribution to the Harmonianization of Sanadia. It seemed like it just happened to be some random characteristic of the people that made them more peaceably malleable than other newcomers to the nation. Perhaps it was the high levels of culture and technology that had predated the occupation here and were similar to Harmonia's own, or perhaps it was the presence of a stronger written tradition than oral, which made severing them from an old pedigree easier, but no one involved could actually say for sure. Sanadia was a baffling, if pleasant enough, conundrum. And Tielle, only half aware of most of these things, was about to run into a trouble Sanadian-Harmonian conundrum of her own.

She was past the main door of the garrison, but the commander the men by the fountain had been expecting did not emerge from there, but from the stables. He was muscular and massive, standing an uncommon six feet and two inches tall. His dark complexion marked him as not necessarily Sanadian, but clearly western. There was something disconcerting in the sweeping gaze he gave the plaza, cataloguing everything and everyone he saw before settling his wild eyes on Tielle.

She stopped in her tracks, frozen to the spot. While that vaguely unhinged gaze was foreign to her, the distinctive, hawkish nose was not. And combined with his superior swagger and slight overbite, the image of a boy, rough and rowdy, but awkwardly polite around her mother drifted into her mind. This military man, all decked out in blue and brown and white with epaulets and insignia, who blond-haired, freckle-faced ethnic Harmonians were waiting relatively patiently for, was the son of servants. Her parents' servants. The first general of the Southwestern Regional Army under Bishop Kaeyani was a long-lost son of Sanadia: Raymond.

"Ti-elle," he said, elongating and breaking her name into two slick syllables. He had picked up a southwestern accent.

"Raymond," she mouthed, but not sound came out. How was she supposed to deal with this situation? What could they possibly have to say to each other? She was here as a borderline Third Class Citizens searching for her mother and ready to file the necessary paperwork to petition the government for freedom of movement within Harmonia's borders. He was here- well, she didn't know why (yet), but whatever the reason, it was official government business along with his subordinates as a high-ranking officer in a strategically central regional army. She was the conquered, he the conqueror. And based on how he wore that uniform and the way his men smiled, holding his heritage as if it were nothing, he fit his adopted role very well. When people spoke of Harmonianized, people like Raymond were the epitome of what they meant.

"I didn't know you were in town, Ti-elle. I would've dropped by your place if I'd known." Raymond's attention drew the eyes of his men to her as well. "This is a childhood pal of mine," he explained to them, "Ti-elle Sasvenie. Her mother and my mother were like sisters."

"That's cute, General," one of the captains commented. "Not so often we get to see your homey side."

"I keep it tucked away for moments like this. I can't go and ruin it by using it to oft-ten," he laughed and his subordinates laughed with him. "Besides, I feel much more at home-like in Fatyl than Swan-sard. This place is shaping up nicely, Rimini thinks well enough of it, but it is still just not my Harmonia."

"Raymond," Tielle objected, stepping backwards out of his impressive shadow, "You're Sanadian!" He might have done her the honor of referring to her last name as if it still had any meaning here or anywhere, but to speak as if he couldn't be at home in Swansard until it became more Harmonian when already it appeared to be becoming more like Han'Nyac and Campanella with each passing year- that was ridiculous! His mother had been as traditional a Sanadian as any, and not even very urbane, but simple and superstitious. His family had no name and no land. If Raymond tossed away his heritage, he had nothing.

"So?" he leered at her, "What does that mean to me? I was raised in the home of the high priestess. I am as Harmonian as she." He closed the distance she had created between them and took a small scroll on officially stamped paper out of his from a pouch at his belt. "She gave me here name." He stooped to his usual petty ways, "And I can prove it," he pushed the mobilization order into her hands. Very plainly it referred to him as "General Raymond Kaeyani."

"Your mother used to serve mine," Tielle said softly.

Raymond looked irked at this truth of a past he had meant to soften, but as it appeared his men had not heard her, he let the anger go, returning to his overbearing style of mock-camaraderie. He snatched the order back and returned it to his pouch. "And now," he pronounced deliberately in his off-putting new accent, "You may very well serve me!" As if he had not truly thought it until he was saying it, his eyes lit up with the words as they left his tongue. "Why should I wallow in the mud of Sanadia when I can be a part of the glorious Harmonian war machine?" he smiled, bearing all his teeth. She would resist the, "your teeth have too many gaps to be Harmonian," jab. He didn't seem especially angry, but he was growing more frightening by the second.

"Your star may have fallen, Sas-venie, but mine- mine has only risen!"

She wasn't sure she agreed. He seemed to have lost something in his transformation from a simple Sanadian boy to a ruthless Harmonian man. And by Tielle's accounting, it was something not only in his heart, but in his head.

"Well, it's been great to see you and all, Raymond, but I just got into town and I need to go figure out where my mom is living now and then check in with the Bureau of Third Class Citizens," she made as if to leave, but Raymond put his hand on her arm to stop her.

"I can help you find both," he said, having regained a certain degree of calm. "Your mother is living with your sister at the governor's mansion, which is the easiest thing to find in this whole city- you can't miss it- and the Bureau's office is north of there, between a bakery and a butcher's shop."

"Uh, thanks, Raymond."

"Not a problem. This is a little place, but it's easy to get lost if you're not familiar with the twists and turns. Rimsky must've warped the streets so they didn't go back together square or circular when they worked on rebuilding it."

"My mom lives with Solanne? How did you know that?"

"Eh, just getting around," he shrugged, "I had to see the governor about some things and she said hello to me. She's looking her age. I always liked your mother."

"Thanks, Raymond." She felt like she was repeating herself. "Thanks again." He waved as she hurried away.

Tielle didn't like to linger over it, but really, what future had anyone thought there was for Raymond, a barely educated orphan? He had become a Harmonian, but in doing so, he had exceeded all the expectations his neighbors ever pinned to him. Indeed, even for a Harmonian, he had done spectacularly. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought. Why was life so mesmerizingly difficult to understand?


Although she had rushed to the governor's mansion, Tielle hesitated before knocking on the door. She had quite a history with this place, even if her mother was here now and she had a perfectly legitimate reason to inquire within. ...Had things turned out alright for the other servants after she had ruined things for all of them? ...Were things any better for her sister now? ...Had Astalia and Domionne ever moved out of their father's house?

She was spared having to knock as the governor came to the door himself on his way out on business. "Tielle." He hadn't been expecting this.

"Katch," she nodded, going for a bold approach. What did she have to lose?

He smiled. He wasn't going to reproach her for that. He had always sort of liked her nerve. She was cute. Wilder-looking than her sister and still somewhat boyish, but pretty. "So, you've escaped Lissy's clutches?"

She snickered. Lissy. "I'm here to see my mom."

"Go on in," he held the door for her. "I hope you're going to be staying for awhile. You always liven things up."

"Maybe for a while, but I can't handle livin' here too long, Katch. Sure you like me now, but we'll butt heads sooner of later and you'll regret it. But, hey, we'll talk more later." She tipped her cap to him as he closed the front door behind her.


Myalah couldn't stop staring at her daughter. How had she lasted apart from her for so many years? "You'll have to tell me everything," she made Tielle promise as she held her hand.

Tielle couldn't take her eyes off her mother either. Her hair was graying and her elegant face had experienced more than its fair share of worry and wear. The change was shocking because she hadn't seen it happen gradually. Suddenly it was just there. "I will, definitely. ...I think there are a lot of things I'd like to hear about from you too."

It was reassuring to have at least this one person still seem the same. Tielle had tried so hard to stay Sanadian, only to find out that what it meant to be Sanadian had changed. To Harmonian eyes, Sanadia's swift transformation was a success story. Tielle felt strange, having been left behind by the one thing she had clung to so fervently. Still, she couldn't say she regretted what she had done. She didn't want to be Harmonian; she just wanted to be herself.


She stayed for a month at the governor's mansion, more because of the difficulty involved in getting her mother to let her go, than in any difficulty in convincing the Bureau to allow her to relocate to the Calerian region to seek employment as a mercenary. It was hard to live in Swansard now. She needed a way to let out some of her frustrations, and the freedom of a new identity, in a profession where no one would care if she was Sanadian, Harmonian, or anything else as long as she could hold her own in a fight. And it wasn't like she could never come back to her family again.

But she couldn't go home. The governor's mansion was no home to her. Home was a place that no longer existed.


*********


"The way you bear yourself, you look like a queen." It was true that fighting, drinking, or browsing through the market, she held herself well. And he was a man who appreciated a touch of innate grace. You didn't see enough of that kind of thing in Harmonia. The absence of things like that made him wonder why he had come back. Because they can't be trusted, he reminded himself as the treaty slowly neared its expiration date. Because this is where you were born, he tried to forget.

Tielle smiled. She liked that. A slight nod to Sriha led her casual partner to quickly pay her tab and disappear into the crowd. They had already worked out this code for a man they'd like to be left alone with a long time ago. It wasn't that often she got to use it.

"I almost could've been one," she invited him to speak with her further. With her proximity to royalty, it was practically true. If Sanadia were to resurrect its monarchy that day, they would probably find she stood closest to the throne. Anyone closer would be long dead.

"That's nice to hear," he answered. There was a hint of a smile in his one eye as he hopped through the hoops of this game. "The name's Geddoe."

"I'm Tielle."

They shook hands. They were both wearing gloves, a common accessory of the local mercenaries. He wore a sword at his side, and armor. She had never seen him around Caleria before, but she was sure he had to be looking for work. Visually, he fit the standards perfectly. She sipped her beer. She had a feeling he wasn't one to waste words. Not that she minded. She'd heard enough words wasted in her lifetime as it was.

"The thing is, I'm putting together a team, and I could use a queen."

It was more of a whim than any special hunch, but Tielle felt like this was a man she could put her trust in. Anyway, she and Sriha had both been hoping for more regular spots on a team in the defense force for months now. This could be it.

She allowed herself a fuller smile as she sealed the deal. "Then look no further."