Sadly Sings Destiny

2

Queen Nikki Andretti slowly woke in her bedroom in the Swallow's Nest overlooking the city of Rachedale. She had been Queen of Lotherania for three years now. Those years had been kind to her. People had accepted her rule without much complaint, and she had spent her time maintaining what her mother had set in motion as she adjusted to her new role and learned more of what she would need to know to be a good queen. Valerian's gift of forgiving all debt in Lotherania had gone a long way, and many people had made the best of that situation, but some had fallen right back where they were and were making demands of her to fix the situation.

Andretti smiled as she looked out her window on the snow-covered city below. Today was going to be the day that she implemented the first step of her new plan to help bring her nation into prosperity. For years there had been an agreement in place with Sabbistahn on the cost of the raw materials the other country bought from Lotherania, and today that deal would expire. Andretti was looking forward to this expiration, as she intended to levy new taxes against Sabbistahni businesses that would increase her government's revenue without extending taxes to working women. She had already raised taxes on all working men to fifty percent on income. It hadn't been much of an increase in revenue, though, no one in their right mind would hire a man for a job that required enough brains or skills to demand a high wage.

She needed that increased revenue, though. She had begun to extend social benefits to women of all classes. She had started programs in her kingdom to ensure that every woman had access to education and that those without much money could apply for loans from the Lotheranian government for housing and to cover medical expenses that deeply undercut anything the Sabbistahn owned Grand Credit Union offered. Her programs had seen women raise their quality of life all across Lotherania, and it had seen life expectancy increase and well an increase in arts and culture. The one issue is that productivity had dropped, the men who did the grunt work seemed to be disheartened by how much of their wages they lost to the crown. Still, Andretti knew they would forget those complaints when their wives reminded them of the good she was doing.

As Queen Nikki Andretti the Silver went through her morning routine of painting her face with its gallium flowers and brushing the liquid alloy into her hair, she looked at the framed paper on her desk. It was a handwritten note from Grandmaster Valerian, in his script struggling to write in Lotheranian, he had recreated the advice he had given her three years ago on his airship. She had asked him to write it out for her on the day following her coronation. She had thought about his words all night when she had been able to get to the peace and quiet of her chambers. She read it once more as she prepared to meet with the Chief Financial Officer and Imports Officer to work out the new terms for the trade deal with the superpower. A quick glance out of her bedroom window told her the airship had already arrived from Sabbistahn.

Vixen almost jumped when the oak door opened, and Andretti stepped into the cool hallway. As was normal, Vixen began to give a briefing of the ongoings of Lotherania and the world beyond her borders. Andretti was shocked to learn that Valerian had come along with his underlings on their mission to renegotiate the trade deal. She had learned a lot about her counterpart, and she was shocked that he considered this a matter worthy of his attention. Valerian seemed to be not interested in the slightest in personally handling any of his nation's affairs and seemed more content to pursue his own hobbies and interests outside of government. The fact that he had joined in on this trip meant that he was either on holiday, or he had taken a keen interest in the trade deal, and if that was the case, then Andretti knew she was in trouble.

Queen Andretti's morning went as normal as any other day. She ate breakfast and met with her advisors as she usually would, and slightly before noon, Vixen ushered her into a study for the meeting with the Sabbistahni Delegation. She grimaced internally when she saw that Valerian was in attendance with his executives. She was surprised to see that there was a new face as well. The Chief Financial Officer was no longer an overly aged man that struggled to walk on his own, but a crisp and young girl with black hair and red eyes that seemed to gleam with an unhealthy hunger. She made Andretti nervous in the same uncanny ways that Valerian disturbed her, but that disturbance came from a source that remained nameless. She was, despite her nerves, happy to see that there was a woman in attendance. Surely this newcomer would see how Andretti intended to benefit the dominant gender in her country, but then again, Sabbistahnians were a queer type that didn't often focus on benefits to people when harm would befall their profit margin.

Andretti greeted them warmly in Sabbistahni, a language she had been learning as she realized how much she was forced to deal with the nation in her day to day life. Valerian cut her off in Lotheranian, suggesting that they forgo the pleasantries and cut to business. Andretti felt her heart drop. She had come to know Valerian well, and it was a rare day when he was eager to dive into work, and when those days came, it was never a good thing for the person taking the opposing side. Andretti began by outlining what she wanted, an increase in taxes and operating fees levied against the Sabbistahni companies that worked within Lotheranian borders, and on the companies that bought from Lotheranian producers. Neither of the three were keen to accept her initial terms, and they pressed her for details on the sudden change of heart. Andretti outlined her plan with pride, a plan that would extend more government-funded benefits to the women of Lotherania without raising taxes on Lotheranian citizens.

The meeting that day ended without an agreement being reached, and the followup meetings that came every day for the next month ended similarly, even when Queen Andretti invited her advisors to give her help selling the new terms to the Sabbistahnians. Then the day came when the airship was no longer moored in the river. Andretti had mixed feelings about that development as no deal was written. After another week, the ship returned, and Valerian requested a private meeting with her in any location she chose. She accepted, letting curiosity over his disappearance get the better of her. Shortly after she received the request, Valerian was ushered into her study by Vixen.

"Do you remember what I said three years ago?" Valerian asked as soon as the door had closed behind him. Andretti felt a bolt of liquid steel flow through her.

"If people don't like their provider, they'll find a new one," she said quietly, half mumbling as she looked away from the man standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry, King Andretti." Valerian said, causing her to look up, "This is just business. I hope it does not affect our friendship, yea?"

"Yea," she said nodding, Valerian hadn't said where he had been, but she knew what he was going to say, and it would cost her so much Sabbistahni gold that it could be measured in tons.

"I went to King Charley and made a deal with him. Something more beneficial to Sabbistahn. Something more beneficial to me, you know I own a factory for airplanes." he said.

"Tell me one thing, Val," Andretti said, meeting his eyes, something she usually avoided. "Do you measure your personal account in marks still, or is it in tons of gold?" She watched him shuffle uncomfortably.

"Nikki." he started, but she cut him off.

"Its Queen Andretti the Silver." she said calmly, taking a breath, "You don't know how much that money could have helped me, Valerian, not just me but all of Lotherania. I am trying to make my country a better place for the people who live here. I'm not fighting for businesses, I'm fighting for real people."

"With all due respect, your highness, better for everyone, or better for some?" Valerian said, locking eyes with her. There was an edge to his voice that cut, and Andretti flinched involuntarily. Valerian turned and left the office without another word. She knew that their personal relationship had been damaged, but beyond that, their political relationship was in critical condition. It was no secret that Elsideria was more willing to bend to the wishes of Valerian and the Bank of Sabbistahn than Lotherania had ever been. Charles and his house had a longstanding relationship with the Tretyakov family, and Sabbistahn often remembered that when they needed to make deals on the continent of Tylmath.

As the weeks passed following the end of the trade deal and with Sabbistahn moving its business north of the Tyne River and into Elsiderian lands, the bank accounts for the government of Lotherania began to show the struggle. Andretti reached out to Kayxerstahn to replace the commerce she had lost, but in a country like Kayxerstahn where a true democracy dictated every move of the government, it was difficult to get a rapid response. The weeks turned into months that turned into years, and the situation began to shift in Lotherania. The programs that Queen Andretti had put into place became unsustainable, and she began to limit the number of new people allowed to take advantage of the schools and socialized healthcare.

Three years following the loss of Sabbistahn and taxes had been raised across all demographics in Lotherania, and the situation was beginning to feel desperate. It was around this time that a saving grace came to Andretti's doorstep in the form of an urgent message from Sabbistahn. It was June, and the summer sun was beating desperately down in Rachedale. It was so hot inside the Swallow's Nest that the alloy designed to have a higher melting point than normal gallium began to drip out of her hair. The message came from the Sabbistahn Emergency Management Department. The Red Mountains, something that Andretti vaguely remembered reading about in school, had a massive influx of volcanic activity and resulted in Sabbistahn having a year without a summer, and crops were failing. Andretti was quick to bring the matter to her advisors and pledge support, with terms that were highly beneficial to her..

With the new exports to Sabbistahn, Lotherania saw a resurgence in the general attitude of the people, and Andretti felt like she had won a battle. She was able to re-implement her programs that looked to help better women, and she was able to slacken some of her measures that both Sabbistahn and Elsideria criticized as punishing men for existing. Queen Andretti began to feel the love and respect that she deserved as queen. For the previous six years, she felt that she was too new to her role to truly deserve the respect becoming of a queen, but now that her plans were coming together, she was able to relax, and from time to time, take pride in her work.

As her country became stronger, her support became stronger, and Andretti felt that she could start to change the country. For her time as queen, she had felt that she couldn't climb out of her mother's shadow. In her eyes, things had gone largely unchanged since Queen Terisa Andretti had died nearly seven years ago. Andretti began working to socialize her nation, with her benefits largely favoring women and the cost largely being forced on men. It was nothing new, though, for most of her subjects. Lotherania had a long history of favoring women over men. It was nothing new for her people, and Lotherania saw a steady immigration rate of women from Eslideria, women who largely felt oppressed under King Charles's patriarchy and who had no problem supporting Queen Andretti's measures that benefited women. This cultural belief was readily traced back to the fall of the Tylmathri Empire and the corruption perpetrated by the male senators and other lords in the ancient country.

Thus Andretti began her crusade to make her country a better place, her vision of the country that Lotherania should be. She made her changes and learned from her mistakes in the years before Sabbistahn had its crisis with the Year Without a Summer. She re-implemented the same programs she had before, but this time arranged them to ensure that a government official approved a person before they received any form of benefit. She did this simply to keep the costs low and ensure that the benefits in education and healthcare and housing and unemployment and family care could continue indefinitely without taxes climbing to an impossible rate for the men, who bared the brunt of manual labor and taxes, to pay without taking too much away from the wives and daughters they were supposed to support. She even went as far as to change her education system to allow for boys to fill any empty seats that may not be filled following the enrollment period. Queen Andretti the Silver felt content and was even able to rebuild her relationship with Valerian and Sabbistahn.