Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Parental Problems

Maven looked nervously up at the door to her parents’ chambers. Her grandmother had teleported their group into Maven’s chambers, then left to inform Maven’s parents of their arrival. A few minutes later she had returned, and they had entered the hallway and moved down to the entrance of her parents’ chambers, where she was now.

She took one more moment to work up her courage before knocking on the door. “Mother, father, I need to speak with you.” She said. After a moment, the door opened, revealing her parents beyond.

“Maven, dear, it’s good to see you back!” Abarrane said. Surprise flashed through her eyes for just a moment as she saw Tess and Ellie, but she quickly recovered. “And you must be the Guildmaster’s grandchildren, thank you for taking care of her for all this time. She wasn’t too much trouble, was she?”

“Of course not.” Tess said. “She’s been a pleasure to be around.”

“We’re glad to hear that.” Saburo replied. “Thank you for coming to see her off, you are more than welcome to come visit her in the future if you so desire. Just send a letter first, we will need to schedule a time, as Maven is going to be very busy in the coming months.”

“No.” Maven said quietly.

“What was that, dear?” Abarrane said, giving Maven a stern look.

“I said no.” Maven said, louder this time. “I will not be busy in the coming months, and they are not here to see me off.”

“Do not speak to your mother that way, young lady.” Saburo said, a hint of anger audible in his tone. “It is not your place to say what you will or will not be doing. You may have gotten used to dictating your schedule in the time you were away, but now that you are home again, you will have to return to your old routine.”

“No, I will not.” Maven said. “But this is not the place for this conversation. We’re coming in.”

Saburo’s face grew red, and he looked up at Amara angrily. “What have you been teaching her?!” He accused. “You know full well the responsibilities she will be facing in the future, she cannot afford this sort of sloppy behavior as queen!”

“Nothing.” Amara said. “I’ve had little more contact with her than you. But I do suggest moving into your chambers, this isn’t the type of thing you’d want outsiders to hear.”

“We will choose if this enters our quarters or not.” Saburo snarled. “That is not for you to decide.”

Amara tensed, and suddenly the air around her was…different. One moment she had been the relaxed, almost casual woman she always was, and the next she was intense, overwhelming, striking a figure that was larger than life. Yet, as much as the atmosphere seemed to have changed for Maven, her parents seemed even more affected.

Abarrane had flinched, and Saburo actually shied back as Amara stepped forward. “I didn’t make that decision, Maven did. However, it is a decision that I fully back. This discussion is too important to have in the open.”

“Very well.” Abarrane said, voice trembling slightly. “But the Los children must wait outside if this is truly such a private discussion.”

“No.” Maven said firmly. “They come too. They’re just as much a part of this as we are.”

“But –” Saburo began, but was quickly silenced by a withering glare from Amara.

“Fine.” Abarrane said. “If you insist.”

“I do.” Maven said, stepping into her parents’ chambers. She pushed past her parents, then turned to her companions. “Tess, Ellie, follow me.”

The two shared a glance, then followed her through. Maven led them to a sitting area, where they waited for her parents and her grandmother to join them. When they arrived, Amara no longer was exuded that overwhelming aura, and casually made her way over to where Maven was, taking a seat next to her.

“What is this about, dear?” Abarrane asked, sitting down across from them. “I thought you were going to be coming back?”

“You assumed I was going to be coming back.” Maven said. “I have come to inform you that, in reality, I will not be returning, not now, and perhaps not ever. I am formally abdicating my position as crown princess and handing the title to Taru.”

Abarrane frowned. “We’ve been over this, dear. You cannot simply abdicate because you do not wish to be queen. That is not how this works.”

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Maven shook her head. “That was true before. But, as of today, things have changed. Not one hour ago, I was officially made Dungeons’ Appointed, and my duties as her Appointed leave me with little time to be queen. And, as they concern the entirety of sapient existence, they are more important, as well.”

There was a prolonged silence as her parents digested this. “This…better not be another scheme to attempt to get out of your duties.” Her father said weakly. “That is taking things a little too far.”

An odd feeling washed over Maven, one that she could instinctually tell meant that Dungeons wished to Descend and was asking for her permission. Wordlessly, she accepted, and she suddenly found herself filled with what felt like pure, raw, power. And, suddenly, the world looked…different.

It was like another world had been overlaid on the “real” world, a world that Maven felt she could reach out and touch. And, through her connection with Dungeons, Maven was made aware of what exactly was happening; Dungeons’ Descent effectively turned the world around her into a dungeon, activating Maven’s Blessings that required her to be within a dungeon, and allowing her to manipulate the world in the area around her as if it were a dungeon.

But that was something she would have to explore more later, she and Dungeons had a job to do. So, Dungeons opened their mouth, and the two spoke. “It is true.” They said. “I saw Maven as a kindred spirit, and given her positioning she was far and away the best candidate for the position.”

They rose from their seat, looking down on Maven’s seated parents. “Her duties to this country matter little in the face of her newfound duty to society at large.”

“But…succession.” Saburo said weakly. “We won’t have an heir.”

Dungeons thought about that for a moment. Do you mind if I give my opinion? She asked Maven. That they should consider doing away with the “queens only” thing? It’s your kingdom, I don’t want to unnecessarily force my opinion on them.

Go ahead. Maven confirmed. I don’t mind, it’s long overdue.

Got it. Dungeons replied, then, opened their mouth to speak. “It may not be my place to say, but it is my opinion that your system of only allowing female rulers has long since passed its expiration date. I see no reason that your son cannot inherit instead of Maven. Tradition has its place, but not when it comes to equality and basic rights.”

“Can we at least delay the announcement of Maven’s abdication and the new law allowing men to rule until a more opportune time?” Abarrane asked. “Things are a bit…rocky now.”

“I will leave that decision up to you and Maven.” Dungeons said. “But I must now take my leave, my time here runs short. Farewell.” Dungeons left, and then, suddenly, the world was normal again. Now that Dungeons had left, she felt weaker. Not just because she was no longer in Descent, but she was strangely tired, and her whole body was sore.

She sat down into her seat, managing to keep her gaze steady as she looked at her parents. “You have five years.” She said. “That should give you more than enough time to stabilize things and give Taru any training he needs.”

“Five years isn’t a lot of time, honey.” Abarrane said. “You know how tenuous our position is at times.”

“It’s always like this.” Maven snapped. “Every single time I brought the subject up, for the past ten years, it’s always that things are too unstable. Have you considered that, maybe, things are unstable because of your unwillingness to change how the regime works? Maybe showing that the royal family doesn’t consider half the population “less fit to rule” will help!”

Saburo frowned. “You are out of line, young lady. Do not speak to your mother like that, especially in front of outsiders.”

“They’re not outsiders.” Maven protested. “They’re my closest friends!”

“You’ve known them for a couple of months.” Saburo said. “I don’t believe you can call them your closest friends. Surely Ishtal would be closer?”

Maven rolled her eyes. “As if. This might be news to you, but perhaps people who aren’t always jockeying for your favor make for better friends than those who do. Ishtal is nice, but, at the end of the day, she wants something from me. These two don’t. That makes a world of difference.”

Saburo cast an almost pleading look towards Tess and Ellie. “Do you two really have no reservations about this?” He asked. “Surely having Maven as an Appointed will put pressure on your party. It might alleviate some tension if she had to spend time at home from time to time.”

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