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Jon was, once again, sitting in his cousin Roger’s rooms drinking tea and nursing a headache. In silence, so far, though Roger broke it first: “So, why me and not the healers? I’ve been lending them power recently, but you know my own talents hardly lie in that direction.”
Jon groaned. “Because if I don’t solve the reason for it first, I’ll work myself into a new headache as soon as they fix it. You talked sense to me about my marriage prospects once before and I trust you to do it again.”
“The refugee princess?”
Jon nodded, then took a sip of his tea. “Possibly an even less wise choice than my parents’ marriage, but convincing myself of that hasn’t been working.”
“All right. Tell me. What are the arguments for courting refugee, questionably still a princess, Thayet?”
“I like her. She likes me. I think she would be a good Queen co-regnant – no, I know she would be a strong Queen co-regnant. Sir Alanna offered her the Dominion Jewel first, did you know? Before she brought Princess Thayet and the Jewel alike back to Tortall? She told me about it; Princess Thayet turned it down, but the Jewel lit up in her hands much like it did in mine when Sir Alanna presented it to me at court. And Thayet has no Gift to try to fake that. I think her plans for schools deserve to be supported.” Jon noticed Roger’s gaze narrow, pausing with his tea cup half-lifted, when he mentioned the jewel lighting up in Thayet’s hands.
Roger resumed his sip of tea. “And the arguments against?”
“Nearly every reason a Crown Prince or King should marry; the reasons you advised me not to marry Alanna and more. No dowry whatsoever; Sarain is too much a mess for an alliance to be practical until the civil wars resolve, let alone valuable – and the Doi seer said Thayet would never return there anyways. No trade benefits unless and until Sarain sorts itself out in a way that would leave them inclined to favor their runaway princess. We could make an argument that the marriage gives us some claim to lands in Sarain, but not a strong one and it’s far from our borders in any case. I expect she’d do fine on the aspect of heirs, but that’s the only typical benefit that even might be satisfied.”
“It sounds like the strongest argument for courting her is based, essentially, on fairy tale logic: a legendary artifact granted your lady knight by an elemental, when offered to the refugee princess, lit up, indicating she could somehow make use of its power.”
“Yes.”
“If you did not have a fairy tale artifact in your possession, I would be telling you that applying fairy tale logic to your marriage was patently absurd. I want to tell you it is patently absurd.”
“So why don’t you tell me that?”
“Because, if the stories of what the Jewel can do, even in the hands of non-Gifted leaders, are true, then considering the ability to make use of its power as a marriage criterion even above the usual ones is, in fact, reasonable. Do we have any idea how common that ability is?”
Jon considered. “It doesn’t light for Alanna, even though she’s the one who won it. It didn’t light for my father either, though it might have brightened a touch for my mother. Not nearly as much as it did for me, or as much as I’m told it did for Thayet. Have you held it yet?”
Roger shook his head.
“Here.” Jonathan reached into a belt pocket. “It’s not public knowledge that it’s on my person, of course, but I do have it with me. See what happens.”
Jon watched his cousin swallow several things he could have said, then reach across the tea-set table. He placed the Dominion Jewel in his cousin’s hand, and watched. “About what it did for my mother, then.”
“So the legendary artifact likes you – and the refugee princess – better than it likes me. Fairy tale logic!” Roger declared, with a note of frustration Jon suspected was more about the fact that they were seriously discussing the opinions of a rock, no matter how magical, rather than the expressed preferences of the rock in question. He handed the Dominion Jewel back. “Do we trust any of your other prospects enough to let them hold the jewel and see if it likes them?”
“There is no way I am letting Princess Josianne touch the Dominion Jewel.”
Roger sighed. “No, I see your point there. Tyrans? HaMinchis? Do the Bazhir do political marriages the way we do? I don’t think they do. Don’t ignore any other prospects you might have unless we conclude that we cannot test their ability to use the Jewel before negotiations become too serious, but with demonstrable possession of and affinity for a fairy tale artifact in play, we may have to allow for some fairy tale logic." Roger paused. "Please don’t tell your father I said that, though.”
“I won’t. I’m still trying to decide how – and I suppose if – I should tell him why he hasn’t had any trouble with the so-called renegade Bazhir since I came back from the desert.” Jon drained the rest of his tea, then stood. “I think,” he said, “I might see if Duke Baird can offer me anything longer-lasting against the headaches.”
Roger nodded and stood. “I think I might too.”