I'll Give Thee Remedy

"To do a great right, do a little wrong."

December 3rd

"How could you have 'forgotten' to meet with Catesby? That was the only reason I sent you to Maerdilean!" 

Albany shrugged, perpetually undisturbed by his wife's fury. "If it was important, you should have sent someone else."


"I didn't think you were such an idiot that you couldn't exchange letters with one person!" If Goneril was honest with herself, she could see her husband being precisely that stupid. This journey to Maerdilean had been as much about dealing with Albany as with Catesby. Maerdilean was only accessible through two roads. The main road was under extensive reconstruction, and the second road was usually impassible from early December to March. If the weather had only cooperated, her intolerable husband would have been stranded in the remote city for the winter. "Just keep in mind that if I lose a single copper on this, it's coming out of your allowance." This meant nothing, as Albany never observed his allowance, but it was something to say. A knock at the door saved her the trouble of saying anything else. "What is it, Phrynia?" 

Phrynia was the estranged wife of Oswald, another Capulet agent. When Goneril learned that Phrynia wanted to separate from her husband and why, Oswald had been banished to the Lowlands and Phrynia installed as Goneril's lady of affairs. She had a small, bland personality, which suited Goneril quite well. "Ambassador Summerdream to see you, m'lady."

"Thank you." Goneril turned back to her husband. "Get out."

Albany was more than happy to leave. He couldn't stand his wife, and he never liked to linger too near a Summerdream or any of their kind. The Fae disgusted him. As he passed the ambassador, he barely nodded.

Goneril greeted her guest much more cordially. Being of an age, they had known each other their entire lives. It both complicated and simplified matters, depending on what those matters were. She had a suspicion about today's. "Titania, how are you?"

"I've been better, I'll admit."

"Why don't we sit down?"

"I'd rather stand, Goneril. I'm afraid this isn't a social call."

"No, it couldn't be, could it?" Ever since Lord Fitzwilliam let Titania back into chambers, the Fae issue was a thorn in every noble side in the duchy. "You're here about the situation in the villages. I sympathize. You've made quite compelling arguments."

Titania was always cautious with Goneril. Goneril's fingers were usually in an assortment of sticky and dangerous pies, and nothing was ever done for free. However, Titania's first loyalty was to the Fae, and she would charge down any avenue open to her to solve this crisis. "The situation in the border villages is compelling; my arguments are statements of fact. No fewer than three thousand Fae have lost their homes to these marauders, and the lost land is invading on our sovereignty."

"Your people cannot defend themselves and their villages?" 

"This is not an activity native to many of my people." The Veronese still often conceptualized the Fae as humans with magical powers, not as creatures with unique strengths and weaknesses, and it truly irritated Titania. "But that is beside the point. These circumstances perfectly meet the criteria for Verona's assistance in every treaty we have signed. We risk the death or displacement of four thousand more and double the amount of lost land if these interlopers are not repelled immediately."

"You must agree that it is irresponsible to allow the border with the Old Empire to be inhabited by those who cannot defend themselves properly."

Titania delayed her response, pretending to examine the decor. She adored ostentation, but the red and white was overwhelming, even garish. "This is a lovely room. It would be such a shame for it to be the place where centuries of friendship end."

"You don't have the authority to dissolve the treaties."

"But the queen does. She will arrive here next week to do exactly that if you refuse to help us." The truth was that the queen was Oberon's cousin and was coming to see why the Veronese made such a fuss about Christmas. She was also accompanying Lady Gale, who had completed her term as temporary ambassador from Verona to the Fae, on her journey home. "However, she did authorize me to offer you some friendly advice: start bolstering your navy if you won't offer assistance."

"The navy?" Verona's navy was a pathetic fleet of former merchant ships. It served the realm adequately only because the Fae Kingdom was the sole legitimate sea power in the region."Why the navy?"

"After we evacuate our endangered villages, the queen will offer a small portion of land to the strongest attacking clan. This will include the Sídhe ports, which they have been trying to seize with their inferior ships. Once the marauders are busy raiding the west Veronese coast with the vessels they find at Sídhe, we will have time to reinforce our interior defenses." Titania paused for dramatic effect. "I suppose you could allow them to land and then attack them, but, speaking from our experience, we wouldn't recommend it.”

Goneril was impressed, which did not happen very often. Losing the only other strong nation in the region as an ally would be disastrous for Verona. Although Goneril, as Governor of the Purse, had limited influence on military activity, she believed she could turn this to her advantage with a creative plan. "The Governors won't commit to sending the Guards abroad before the new Montague is seated - that's January at the earliest. Lord Nowell could do it in the interim, but we both know the old goat won't.” She turned. “Most likely, it will be February before any official help will reach you. Between us, as friends, what will it take to satisfy the queen until then?"

"Your end of the bargain."

“More specifically, Titania?”

"We need a fighting force, perhaps five hundred men, and then a further, smaller force for keeping the peace for a few months afterward. They will need to bring their own supplies; our villagers have been bled dry and we are struggling to keep up. Fresh horses are scarce, and we are unable to supply sufficient crossbows to those who need them.”

Supplies and horses were a matter of money to Goneril. Men could also be a matter of money if one wasn't too particular about where they came from. "Refresh my memory. Do the treaties require the force to be the Guards?"

Titania smiled. "Not at all."

"Then perhaps I can help you after all. I can authorize an expenditure to keep Verona in compliance with its obligations to the Fae. We can hire mercenary forces to do the job on contract with the government - no different than hiring workers to repair bridges, in the most technical sense. They will bring with them everything that you require."

"And just how large of an expenditure is possible?"

"As large as I care to authorize, and you know I am deeply concerned with your situation. However," Goneril continued, "I do have other matters that may slow my response without some outside assistance. One is a problem that you may be uniquely qualified to remedy."

She nearly laughed at the clockwork of it all. The moment Goneril had solid ground beneath both feet, she would always begin to fight again as if she had never lost her posture. "If it is within my power, I will help."

"My sister is having trouble conceiving a child with her husband. I know that fertility is an issue among the Fae, and that you have created methods to supplement the natural process. Give me something that will allow my sister to conceive, and I will ensure the expenditure is both quick and exceptionally generous."

Even with her endangered people's fate in the balance, Titania hesitated for a moment. Fae remedies could often be safely used by humans, but there were instances where the remedy could create a new problem or fail altogether. "Your sister should know it could be unsafe for someone in her position. If her body is rejecting conception, there may be a good reason. Forcing the issue may be dangerous." 

Goneril's brows wrinkled. "Could she use it on her husband instead?"

Immediately, Titania had to bite her lip to restrain a smile. Poor Cornwall. "Done that way, it won't help your sister if the problem is hers and not her husband's."

If the problem was Regan's, Goneril didn't want to force the issue. Nothing was worth the forfeit of Regan's life. "But would it hurt her that way, if Cornwall takes the remedy and the problem really is my sister's?"

"Not at all."

"Then I think that is-"

"Goneril," Titania interrupted, "let me make this absolutely clear before we go forward. This is not without risks, even if the risks to men are less. It is also quite impossible to conceal in another liquid - the taste is too bitter. Your brother-in-law cannot be made to drink it unknowingly in any sense of the word."

Goneril fought to appear shocked. "I can hardly believe…” The battle was lost, and Goneril ended it with a smile. “You know that Regan is nothing if not honest.”

Titania didn't 'know' that for a moment, but distorting the truth was a diplomatic art. Even the displeasure of a queen had to bend its knee to the mastery of time. All of this work would take time to complete, then there would be a reasonable delay for travel of the mercenaries and any other number of possible setbacks. A happy Goneril would work more quickly than a merely obligated Goneril. If Cornwall went along or chose to let Regan force him, it was his decision. She would send Oberon around to see Cornwall to be sure of it. “Very well. Just be sure that she does mention it to him; I can’t promise another potion if she were to forget and he spits it out. They are quite difficult to prepare.”

"She would not dream of wasting it," Goneril replied with a nearly sincere smile. "Please tell the queen she can expect all the assistance she needs with the greatest haste. And, of course, if she still plans to visit, she is most welcome to the Christmas party at the Manor." 

"I'm sure she wouldn't miss it for the world."

“Excellent.”

The ladies shook hands. Politely, Titania declined an invitation to stay. Goneril was not sorry. She had a disloyal daughter to reclaim, a threat to her headship growing by the day, and a new Montague ascending. There was no time to waste on petty things like friendship.

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