"Nevertheless, there is one thing I don't understand," she began as she re-stacked her notes. "And what might that be, your majesty?" Gwili asked. All eyes turned to her. "Why don't they just attack? If direct action is the quickest and most efficient way of getting rid of someone, why haven't they attacked?" she asked.
Shit. I didn't want to be the one to have to tell her this, Gwili thought as everyone's gazes now shifted over to him.
"Because there's a difference between killing a person, and killing a way of life," he answered ominously. Leona's face paled, but she held her composure as best she could. "Please, continue," she urged after swallowing a dry ball of spit.
"When you're killing a person, you can physically see their life ebbing away, be it by your hand or another's. There is a definite end, so to speak, and with that comes an unspoken understanding that whatever this person did could happen again, if another were in similar circumstances. When you're killing a way of life, however, the slow shift in ideological morals and values can shift the way an entire country is ruled, for better or worse," he began to explain, never once breaking her gaze.
"So you're saying that these infiltrators have come into our country to destroy our way of life?" she asked, cutting straight to the point she thought he was trying to make. He breathed in deeply, and pondered how best to answer her question.
"You and Thorsen have both elaborated on the coup d'etat that the followers of Mideia conducted, and know the details of it far better than I ever could. With that said, why aren't there people still trying to overthrow your rule as we speak under the premise of that original coup?" he answered her question with one of his own.
Not fair, she thought.
"Because it was out of line with many of Mideia's ideals, so it didn't stick in the minds of the general populace," she surmised. "Precisely your majesty," he nodded his head. "Now, what if you had months, if not years to subtly influence the people of a country? What do you think would happen?" he asked.
She paused for a few moments, while the others held their breath to hear her response.
"You could, theoretically, overthrow the governing party using the masses. A democracy of defamation, of sorts, using propaganda disseminated through the masses to deem a ruler unfit to be in power; their ideologies, power structure, authority, and control over social order questioned and expelled from both the culture and country as a whole," she said, piecing her thoughts together.
"And what would be the aftermath?" the elf asked, raising an eyebrow. Leona swallowed dryly. "The country's ruling power would fall and potentially be replaced by an entirely foreign power, leaving little to no trace of its former self if done perfectly," she said dejectedly.
"Congratulations, your majesty," Gwili clapped his hands softly. "You have, just now, described subversion at its finest," he said, leaning both of his palms on the table. "But how do we prevent that? How do we stop them from doing that to us?" Neko asked as the worrisome tone he had in his voice was evident.
He wasn't the only one feeling that way, after all.
Gwili clicked his tongue, and turned to the chalkboard behind him. "The best way to do that is to look for it in daily life. Find out whether there is negative propaganda being said and who is promoting it. Where are their focal points for this propaganda and what sort of benefits are they promising for those who comply? How have they been spreading this information? And, ultimately, what actions are potentially being taken in regard to the aforementioned?" Gwili said, as he wrote down the bullet points.
He turned to find everyone copying them down and smiled. "So, how do we find these… foreign entities?" Leona asked. "In all honesty, the best way might just be to patrol the city," Gwili said. "It would be effective, but it would also draw too much attention, wouldn't it?" Marte asked.
"I'm not saying we pull the entire Warrior's Guild into it," the elf raised his hands. "If we have a few, select and trustworthy people who are keeping an ear out on the streets, we should be able to pick up on a lead here or there," he continued. Thorsen, bored by the idea, shook his head. "I will continue to do my duty to protect Leona with my life. I don't have the patience for doing such things," he said with a firm gaze.
"Oh, good! I'm glad you said something. I was afraid you'd stand out too much, anyway," the elf said playfully. Soon after formulating a list of those they deemed trustworthy enough to be in on the plan, they set it into motion. Undercover guards were posted at potential key locations that Gwili thought might pose the biggest threats. Unfortunately, those under Zari's command had different plans in mind, because in the weeks that followed, there was still no sign of any movement on their end.
Meanwhile in the Harutian palace of Escea, Fazel, her direct servant, searched the grounds for any sign of her majesty.
She couldn't have gotten too far. I hate it when she does this, he thought, scouring the palace garden in hopes of any sign of her.
The garden was incredibly large, however, and it would have taken any normal person the better part of an hour to search the entire place. Plants from all over the continent riddled the ground, pillars, and hung from arches constructed generations before her and Bashir's rule.
She's not in her usual spot by the gardenias. Where the hell else would she be? he thought, peering around yet another tall hedge-like structure.
Suddenly, he noticed a shadow looming overhead, followed closely by a falcon's cry far. He looked up, and saw that it was moving out towards the Eastern side of the palace itself.
That must be where she is. Eltam wouldn't fly far without her being somewhere ready for him to land, he thought after observing its flight pattern for a moment.
He followed it over to a clearing in the palace that looked more like a training ground than anything else. Zari stood in the center of a square courtyard with a leather pouch attached to a long string that she twirled overhead. She suddenly slowed the speed of its rotation, leading Eltam into an attacking swoop, always keeping whatever was in the pouch just out of the avian's clutches.
"A beautiful attack, wasn't it?" she asked as she put away the sling into the satchel that was hanging over her opposite shoulder. "It was, indeed, your majesty. But what are you doing out here? I've been looking everywhere for you," Fazel said, trying to hide his frustration. She didn't immediately respond, but instead pulled out a piece of raw meat from a pouch on her belt that held her white dress snugly against her skin.
"Do you know why I like falconry, Fazel?" she answered his question with one of her own. "I don't, your majesty, though I would love to hear about it," he answered after a moment's pause. "It's quite simple, really: To lure such an incredible predator into an attack, only to not let it catch its prey, is exhilarating to me. I love watching how it moves through the air; how it angles its body; how it folds its wings just right to gain the maximum amount of attack speed. It's fascinating, to say the least," she replied.
"I can't say I've paid much attention to it, your majesty," Fazel began. "Even when I was serving directly under your late husband, may Yarathea guide his soul, he never put on such a magnificent display," he said, glancing upward at Eltam as he flew overhead. Zari whistled and patted her arm twice, clearly displaying a piece of sliced meat in her gloved hand.
Eltam's mahogany wings and sharp talons gleamed in the afternoon sunlight as it swooped down onto her arm, tearing the meat she held to shreds. "They're incredibly smart animals. Trust with them is easily broken, but if you can maintain it, they are valuable hunting assets," she said, stroking its wing with the back of her hand. "Would you like to try it sometime?" she asked wryly.
"I don't think I'm quite cut out for falconry, your majesty," he said, flinching slightly as Eltam flapped his wings to regain his balance and eliciting a chortle out of Zari. "I suppose not. Though, I do hope that one day you see the value of it, and how the principles held within can be applied to our own situation," she said, rubbing her falcon's chest. "How so, your majesty?" Fazel asked as he reached his hand out to stroke its wing.
Eltam, however, thought he was being offered meat, and tried to nip at the bare hand that was coming to pet him.
Zari chuckled once more, pulling her bird away from her servant just in time for its sharp beak to barely miss Fazel's curled finger. "You see? If you approach something as dangerous as a bird of prey without prior knowledge of how best to get close to it, the chances of you being bit are high. However, with a little time and patience, one can gather enough knowledge to approach this creature without much hindrance," she said, gazing into its rounded eye.
"Are you referring to our hashishin over in Coltend, your majesty?" Fazel asked. "Of course! Why do you think we haven't heard news of their attack yet?" she asked almost playfully.