The Mining Village of Gillian. Rhori and Paris.
The Party had returned from its night investigating the 'giant dwarf' town within the mountain, and moved to investigate the rejoicing in the tavern. After independent attempts to gain information from the Other Party, Our Party returned to its allotted billet and tried to come to terms with some of our mistakes and come up with Another Plan for gaining information from the Other Party.
During said information gathering and planning, amongst other things Rhori made some comments to and seemed frustrated with Paris. [Not to be confused with the fact that Michael had to several times note to Sheryl that she had used words or phrases that Paris probably would not have used. Those comments are greatly appreciated.] When the planning session broke up with the notion that everyone should get some sleep before the evening's round of info-gathering and planned return to the mine, Paris followed Rhori with the intent of conversing in private.
"Rhori, please spare me a little time to talk. I think we need to. I could tell that you were upset with me when Alexis went to talk with Father Maythias and I did not interrupt her or call her back to enforce a group-approved approach to her attempts to gain knowledge from him or his group. You were frustrated enough to leave the Inn. I did see that and was -- and am! -- very sorry to not have lived up to your expectations. But, Rhori," Paris tried to get him to look her in the face, moving to the proper range, "I - I am not sure that I understand what your expectations are. I know I don't match them, but I would like you to tell me what you think I should do particularly in dealing with our comrades. And I'd like you to give me a chance to explain -- if I can -- why I've done what I've done." She paused, searching his face, then added quietly, "Did you really think I should have stopped Alexis or tried to order her back to our group? What is it that you think a 'ranking nobleman' really does? Please help me understand your views."
Rhori was silent for long moments. The young ranger had been having to deal with a great many life-changes lately and finding that Paris was less than perfect hurt in a way he could never have contemplated a few months ago. With no sign of impatience, Paris waited, wanting to touch him reassuringly yet refraining. After all, he was no longer a large child. He was -- Rhori.
Characteristically, Rhori tried to take the burden of fault onto himself. "I suspect that you were going to take Alexis aside, to tell her that she shouldn't do such things, Parris. I know that and maybe it was the wise thing to do. And I shouldn't have been so impatient. But I do think you should have stopped her. Nobles are supposed to give orders. And I know that maybe I shouldn't have yelled at her in front of everybody and lost my temper. That was why you didn't support me, I suspect.' Paris could hear the hurt in his voice. "But I can see how much it's hurting us not to work together. "
There was no mistaking, Paris thought, that there was more than hurt -- a feeling of having been betrayed by her -- in her big friend's manner. She'd been right: he was very disappointed in her. She sighed. And then gave a little choked laugh. What was this vanity that desired to be good in Rhori's eyes? Vanity, vanity. And what a can of worms this conversation had opened! "Rhori," Paris pulled her voice together, "let's go back to what you said at first. "I did not call Alexis back because I knew she would not obey. She would either have ignored me or argued with me -- and I feel that there have already been too many displays of divisiveness amongst our comrades in public in this town. It would have done no good and hurt even more the people's trust in us."
Rhori seemed shocked. "She would not have done what you said!?! Doesn't she know that you're a bigger lord than she is?"
For a moment Paris contemplated going into the complicated structures of feudal order and precedence; in that moment she decided that it would simply muddy the water. "It does not matter who is 'bigger', Rhori. The plain truth is that Alexis would not have obeyed. Like Anton does not obey." She took a deep breath. "Yes, giving orders is part of what a noble is trained to do, Rhori. But there is more to it than that. A noble must also know when not to give orders .. and when to simply ignore something. Knowing all of that is part of what makes one a good noble."
"But there are bad nobles who give bad orders. Like the family of the guy you like. And the bad lady who got killed, was she part of that family too? I think that's the very worst thing," Rhori stated.
Momentarily startled, Paris flushed. The ranger wasn't looking directly at her and probably did not notice. "You -- you mean the Baron deLacey we saw in the Trials of Justice?"
Rhori nodded.
Paris hurried on. "And no, Lady Chivar was of a different family. Ewen deLacey is not her son."
Paris took another deep breath. "This may be hard to understand, Rhori, but that Baron deLacey may not have been the very worst type of noble. Yes, a Noble is -- in part -- a noble because of right of arms, because he is simply strong enough to force people to obey his orders. This is called forte main or force majeure. But there is an unwritten part of the ability of one person to give orders and other people to obey them -- and that is the fact that people obey orders because, in the long run, good will come out of such obedience for them or their families. Even with someone like that Baron who used his power to abuse that poor woman. If that was all he did, people would not have obeyed him, would have risen up against him and taken away his power over them. But he was a warrior who commanded well on the battlefield and helped win the lands away from the barbarians and the wilderness so that the people who obeyed him would have places to live and raise their families. He gave orders in his own self-interest, yes; it made him more powerful. But many of his orders also benefited the people. He may not have been a good man and he may have been a poor noble at times, but he was still a Noble and still, by and large, used his power so that people were willing to obey him even if they feared him at times. There is another type of noble, one who gives orders more in the interests of the people who look to him and obey him and, not often, only in his own interests. That is the greatest type of Noble. Such a Noble, people follow and obey out of love and not fear, because they know he has their interests at heart when he gives orders. I know I follow Prince William because I believe he is such a Noble. I think you follow Martin for the same reason."
The ranger shuffled slightly. "Well, yes, partly."
Paris nodded. "I think you prefer that sort of noble. And I know that is what I want to try to be. A good Noble. However, even a good noble must be prepared to give orders that might hurt some so that most of the people will survive and prosper." She paused for a moment, growing even more serious. "But, in my mind, there is a third kind of 'noble'. The very worst kind. That is a person who -- because of who they were born and what they have -- take all the rights and privileges that Those Who Obey have granted to nobles. But these 'nobles' give nothing back. They give orders because -- as you said -- that is what nobles do. But they take no responsibility for what might happen because of those orders. They have no care for the interest of those their orders effect. Anyone who gives orders 'because I can' and for no other reason is the very worst of 'nobles', in my view. That is something that Alexis has sometimes come close to, I fear, and it is a very real problem." She paused, then continued thoughtfully, "I fear to become too used to giving orders 'because I can', myself. So I try to choose carefully, to give orders only when it is very, very necessary. When someone is in great danger..."
"Or small danger?" Rhori broke in.
Paris shivered for a moment, hearing in her mind an echo of Lady duGryphon. "I try to give my orders when it will make a difference, Rhori. When it won't make things worse. Amongst our comrades there are few who have made that agreement to obey me."
"I do!" Rhori said stoutly, bringing a small smile to the woman warrior's lips and a soft, "Yes, sometimes." Then her voice firmed. "And Calais does, sometimes. But -- otherwise...."
The man said forcefully, "You could make them obey you."
Paris' voice grew harsh and she used a tone the ranger had never heard her use to him before. "Rhori! Would you have me take someone by the collar and draw my sword and say, 'You will do What I Command Or I WILL KILL YOU!' Would you have me do that?"
"You would!" The ranger's voice held only a slight note of uncertainty which disappeared into: "If you NEEDED to, you would!!"
Paris answered softly. "Yes. If I needed to. And I pray that it would be amongst the last things I'd ever need to do." The words remained unspoken but both knew that if Paris ever make such a threat, it would be real. And Death would be watching. She shook her head. "But getting us to work together is not something that needs me to threaten." She smiled softly and her voice was warm. "It is my belief that our comrades will -- eventually -- soon, I hope -- notice that when we go off individually and try to do something important we usually accomplish little and sometimes bad things happen. That was true when I went to talk with Father Maythias; it happened with Alexis; it even happened with you." She smiled reassuringly. "But when we work and plan together, almost always something good happens. They will notice. Maybe it will help if you and I point out when the good things happen the next time we all co-operate. We can praise the others' efforts towards an achievement then."
Rhori didn't seem as sure.
"Orders" copyright 2000 S.Knowles & M.Kennedy. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.