Kontia
Tanya, Queen of the Tanaoi
It was good to retire to an actual bed, rather than a pile of furs and pillows. That did not mean I had a full night's rest, however. It seemed my husbands were very happy about their new accommodations in the previous governor of Kontia's palace and wanted to demonstrate that to me.
I slipped out of bed at daybreak careful not to disturb the others and bit back a yawn as I made my way through the Palace. The rather ostentatious abode had suffered some damage and looting but was otherwise a fine command center with plenty of rooms for the organisation of what was becoming a sizable army.
The Palace and several of the larger estates in the city, had been abandoned and therefore claiming them did not violate my pledge to not dispossess the people of Kontia unnecessarily. Not that I expected anyone in Kontia to protest us taking the properties, we were a conquering force after all. It was not sensible to make demands of your occupiers. The defeated would suffer what they must.
I had resolved that the occupation would be gentle and other than some minor insubordination it thus far had been. A new normal would be established and I needed to get the people of Kontia, and the people I had brought with me in the migration back to work. The sooner economic activity could resume the less burdensome future resource extraction would need to be.
Agricultural products were obviously vital but also the production of lumber and the prospecting of any iron deposits. It would be some time yet before any acceptable level of mineral or lumber extraction would be established owing to needing to stop the migration south before we could reach more developed and populous regions.
Preferably with a coastline.
Destroying a perfectly good bridge was a ridiculous over-reaction, the Saderans were meant to be overconfident! Not prudent! Now I only had the capacity to send several hundred women south to raid settlements and bring the resulting material back across the river in fishing vessels.
No meaningful southward operations could be established until I found a way to repair that bridge or I managed to make much larger boats...
I paused, the river was large enough that the colossal container ships from my first life could travel along it both ways with room to spare. I did not know how deep it was yet but I could make use of the river if I could establish a working relationship with the various petty lizardman tribes and kingdoms that dominated the great lakes and wetlands to the west.
They have historically been isolationist, violently so. But it was known that they worshiped the same gods as everyone else and a number of Saderan speaking Lizardmen have been recorded. It was worth the effort at the very least, I needed allies and far more importantly, markets.
As I considered the issue a plan began to come together. Adaptability was key in any endeavour and a war for the very survival of my civilisation was quite the endeavour indeed.
But that was a consideration for the future I reminded myself, one step at a time. Today was the victory celebration for the women who had taken Kontia and for the soldiers under my command during the battle against the Imperial Cavalry force. It was traditionally a time for young warriors to receive praise and commendation for their exploits in battle. It was poor form for the persons at the top of the hierarchy to dedicate the victory to themselves overmuch.
It was at events like this where most wealth would trickle down and loyal warriors expected their 'bonuses' for a job well done. It was a practice I had found agreeable and one that I had taken advantage of in my youth. It was how I had ended up with Furea, even if I was not going to be handing out people to my subordinates.
I stepped into the palace kitchen where a number of cadets were preparing food for the day. Instilling a wide range of skills into the future generation was important, so something like this was hardly even child labour, it was educational! Besides I was using most of the adult labour to repair the city and build vital fortifications around the city.
"Queen entering the room!" shouted one of the taller cadets. I recognised Rei instantly, she had Furea's eyes after all. At her cry the cadets stopped what they were doing, put down what they were holding and performed perfect salutes.
Well, perhaps not perfect, a bit sloppy even, but they were children. It was good enough for now. I returned the salute earning some wide smiles from the cadets.
"At ease, thank you corporal I was just dropping in for a small breakfast. I don't want to interrupt you while you are working." I offered an apologetic smile as I took a seat at one of the tables in the expansive Imperial kitchen.
"We have some food prepared, let me lay out a plate for you, your majesty." Rei took a wooden platter and went around the kitchen filling it with fruits, cooked meat and cut several large slices of bread for me before setting down the plate in front of me with an expectant smile.
"Join me if you would, Rei." I said after a while. The girl in question paused for a moment before pulling up a stool and sitting what she likely considered a respectful distance from me.
There was an awkward silence as I ate some of the food provided and figured out what exactly I wanted to say.
"How are you settling in?" I finally decided on.
"We have not had any problems." Rei replied plainly, I waited for her to continue but the girl glanced back at the rest of her squad in the kitchen who were doing a poor job of looking like they were not watching the exchange.
"All of you, join us." I said at last, tapping the floor with a foot to bleed off my nerves. When the entire cadet squad were finally seated around the table I took a deep breath and looked over at Rei again. Rather than the normal ten cadet squad, Rei's squad as well as many others had been expanded to as many as fourteen with the incorporation of the children freed from Imperial captivity.
Eventually the oversized squads would need to be split up to return the formation to the typical ten person size but I wanted to give the newly incorporated cadets more time to acclimatise to the standards I had set.
"Is there anything you would like to report? About the status of your squad or any of the other cadets?" My question seemed to take the lot of them by surprise.
"Well, since all of the squads are a bit split up we might not be able to pla- uh, train together like before." Motoko pointed out.
"Yeah, Pellia's squad are in a tent all the way outside of the city." Rei explained. I had not considered the quartering of the cadet squads outside of keeping them within a set distance from the city. If an assault occurred they were all situated close enough that they could retreat to the city walls in short order while adult companies were deployed closer to the concentric line of fortifications I was building.
"I will look into that." I promised. With Cato's school being set up within the week that issue should hopefully be resolved. But I would keep abreast of the concerns and perhaps look into building a barracks area specifically for cadets. "Are you all getting enough food?" I probed earning a chorus of affirmations.
I felt the tension I had felt when entering the kitchen begin to fade away as I spoke to the cadets, the conversation growing less stilted and awkward as I gathered information. I also managed to get the perspective of a child of the Pomi who seemed to have taken to tying feathers to her clipped ear, likely in an attempt at making it less noticeable.
She told me that she was grateful to be taken in and was adjusting well. I hoped that was the case and she was not just answering that way because she was in the presence of her new peers.
I would have to investigate that later.
As the conversation began to die down I took a bite of my bread and was surprised that it tasted sweet. It was nothing quite like the treats I could distantly remember in my first and second lives but compared to the normal diet of the Lepus this was practically cake!
"You have sweeteners for the bread?" I inquired with a smile as Rei nodded with a grin.
"Yeah, they left behind several bags of powdered lead and one of the slaves told me what it was for." I felt my throat tighten at Rei's words.
"Ah." I suddenly felt a wave of sickness and glanced over to the piles of freshly baked bread on one of the tables.
"Do you like it?" Rei asked innocently as I struggled to keep my expression even. I had neglected the Saderan tendency to use lead for pretty much everything. I could hardly blame the cadets for my own failure to address this health risk. I would have to announce a new law banning the use of lead in any food related industry as well as banning lead cutlery and plates.
"I'm afraid we are going to have to bake a new batch of bread today." I said softly as Rei's expression shifted to something approximating despair.
Kontia, Amphitheater.
Nalia of the Yutoi, Lieutenant of the 115th Company.
The Tanaoi Queen ordered us to one of the great Saderan buildings. This one did not have a roof and was shaped as a semi circle with many tall steps overlooking a stage. There was room for many thousands of people owing to the Saderan propensity to build pointlessly huge structures.
I settled in with my companions, women who had pledged themselves to support me in my pursuit of a fair and just society. Even some of the Tanaoi who had confided in me that while their Queen was formidable in battle she was possessed of strange ideas from her years wandering the world. I looked to the mounted heads of Wyverns upon the stage and was forced to admit that the woman must at least be humoured.
There was honour in strength, but even the strongest woman must be made to see reason.
Food and wine flowed freely and was distributed by young girls of many tribes who formed the Tanaoi's new 'cadet' army. It was a sort of reserve force, something I did not find disagreeable if used correctly.
The bloodmeet was rather ostentatious but proceeded in the usual fashion. Tanya herself stood before the bulk of the migration and offered praise to her direct subordinates, various 'Majors' and Enya the 'Brigadier' of course. But I took note that she offered no wealth nor a commitment to bed Enya with her harem, merely praising Enya for her accomplishments and failing to mention her failures.
Everyone knew about the bridge, how Enya had failed to guard it and how Delilah the half breed had neglected to dislodge the Saderans while they sabotaged the structure. It was embarrassing and would normally be grounds for punishment.
The Tanaoi handled things differently of course. Enya herself had told me that an officer was not to be publicly humiliated, ever. The person who commanded them would chastise them for their failures in private unless they had acted in a way that demanded death. On the face of it such a system was craven and fragile. But if such a policy was expressed in this way, where the snub was clear if not openly said. Then I believe it is acceptable.
Once Tanya had offered her praise it was her direct subordinates turn, it would continue thusly with every person who was honoured by their commander to honour a particularly distinguished subordinate in turn.
I cheered of course, clapped at tales of valour and honour. I even indulged the Tanaoi when they praised quartermistresses and runners. It was after many names had been honoured with jewels, gold and promotions when Enya stepped forwards again.
"I would like to honour Lieutenant Nalia of the 115th Company!" Enya called out, her voice echoing against the vast stone structure as I blinked in shock. I felt my companions shout out a cheer as the thousands of others who had come to attend the event joined them.
I felt like I was floating, blindsided that I would be honoured by the Tanaoi but somehow my feet carried me to the platform in the middle where the Tanaoi Queen clasped my shoulder and offered her congratulations before Enya took my arm and lifted it to the sky. In an instant the energy of the crowd exploded but somehow Tanya's voice cut through the masses explaining all of my accomplishments during the siege.
So many people, so many voices, so many eyes turned to me. It was overwhelming and I felt an odd mix of giddy and sick as I could do little more but stare dumbstruck at the crowd.
"And I would also like to honour Lieutenant Delilah of the 111st Company!" Enya shouted out.
I wanted to scream, to deny the fool. But I stood paralysed in front of the weight of the crowd. I could not find the strength to so much as frown as the failure marched up to the stage and had the gall to stand next to me with an easy smile on her face.
Did they forget that Delilah had neglected to push the Saderans off the bridge?! Why should this incompetent blunderer be given any praise at all? I bit back my fury and waved at the Lepus in attendance with a smile as the Tanaoi Queen went on to praise Delilah's conduct.
Then, without warning the Queen stepped forwards and grasped both of our hands and lifted them up to the sky with an enthusiastic cry. "The Tribes stand united!"
The fools sitting before me cheered even louder, utterly ignorant of what the woman at my side truly intended. But I could not find the words to challenge her before so many people who were driven close to madness by this farce of a ceremony.
I looked again at Delilah, as the half breed laughed and waved utterly unbothered that she was before so many people. People who were watching her every move, judging her, creating a fictitious idea of who she was. The simpleton could not care less for the impropriety of her behaviour.
She did not care that this was wrong.
Even in my fury I was grateful when we were directed off of the platform by the Tanaoi queen and the many thousands of eyes turned elsewhere. I was mobbed by my companions and many others who wished to congratulate me as I stalked out of the Saderan building but I pushed past the lot of them and into the mostly empty street.
When I leant up against a wall and threw up the contents of my stomach, it was only then that anyone had the grace to stop looking at me.