"It'll be our little secret," he answered, "Won't it, Cassy?" She leaned a bit forward and looked at the girl on his other arm, nodded her agreement smiling. Driara smiled back at her warmly, and they had a most pleasant stroll, discussing the beauty of the gardens.
When they arrived back at the entrance to the garden an hour or so later she addressed Driara, "Will you find your way back alone? I need a private moment with my father."
The girl nodded, "Yes Pryoness, that won't be a problem. And thank you both for this wonderful stroll, I truly enjoyed it."
She smiled warmly at her, "See you at dinner then..."
***
After Driara left she led her father to a nearby bench and they both sat down. Her father threw her a questioning glance, "Is this about what I just said about your mother?"
She smiled, "No, although you surprised me. I always wondered why you never took another wife..., and now I know." She swallowed, "And now I also know why you didn't marry me off for political advantage, and agreed to me marrying Brando." She leaned into him, "Thanks dad, for loving me that much."
He put his hand around her waist and pulled her close, "You're giving me too much credit. I'm just afraid of what your mother would do to me in the afterlife if I didn't let her daughter marry for love." She pecked him on the cheek, and he locked eyes with her, "So what's on your mind then, sweetheart?"
She let out a sigh, "One of my maidens, Moiga, got abused sexually when we were on our way to Bragstone."
Her father's eyes widened, and his voice sounded shocked, "She was raped?"
Cassandra shook her head, "Not really, someone just ordered her to sleep with him, and she was so afraid about what he might do to her family if she refused that she obeyed him. After which he took her in an..., unnatural way."
Her father swallowed, "Who was it?" then he answered his own question, "Marecomb."
She nodded, "Yes, but this isn't just about what happened to Moiga. After it happened I learned that this is common practice in the castle, powerful men abusing their position that way."
Her father shook his head, "I never..."
She put a finger on his lips, silencing him, "I know, and to my relief neither did Brando." She sighed again, "I didn't want to bring this up while you were facing this problem with the orcs, but something has happened that made me change my mind. Apparently, during the grand gathering, with the entire keep overfilled with powerful men, the problem became a bit of an epidemic." She felt her face harden, "This castle is my home. I don't want things like this to happen in my home. If I come across good looking young servants I don't want to have to ask myself if powerful men that work for you have been abusing them."
Her father nodded, "I understand, and I agree with you." He let out a sigh, "I've always known things like this were happening. I just didn't know they were happening this often, and in my own castle. Before I go any further, I hope you'll understand that things like this always have happened and, regardless of what I do, that they always will happen. I can only make them less likely to happen, even inside the castle. Take what happened to your maiden for instance. If I accused Marecomb of wrong doing it would come down to the word of a general against the word of a maiden. No judge would convict him based on just that."
He shrugged, "I'm the Kang, so I could just punish Marecomb based on Moiga's testimony. That's a dangerous road to take though, as I would be abusing my power as much as Marecomb did. It is a road that leads to corruption of the soul." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Never forget that, daughter of mine, once your time to rule Nigawa has arrived."
He gave her a thoughtful look, "I'm going to take this issue up with the heads of house-holding. Instruct them to encourage servants that have been abused like this to come forward and report it. They could then forward these cases to a confidant. If it turns out these issues lead back to just a couple of 'bad apples', and I suspect for that to be the case, a few discouraging words in the right ears might be all it needs to stop this."
Cassandra nodded happily, "That would be great!" Then she frowned, "But will they come forward? Who do you have in mind to act as this confidant?"
Her father smiled, "I think it's a role for a woman, for someone all the young womenfolk know and trust." She nodded her agreement enthusiastically, and then her eyes widened as she realized who exactly he had in mind. He grinned, "Yes, you brought it up, so you're going to help address the issue too." A wink followed, "There's a lesson there, future Kangess of Nigawa..."
She pouted, but her eyes sparkled, and he hugged her close for a moment, then let go again and locked eyes with her. "As we're talking anyway, let's talk about the current situation with the orcs for a moment." He sighed, "I know you feel bad about the coming war, and I want you to know that I do too. But in matters of state doing 'the right thing' isn't always an option sweetheart, unfortunately. I do understand these orcs; I only have to imagine how I would react if I came home and found an army I didn't wrong burned my land and slaughtered my people, my loving daughter included."
His face contorted at that last bit, "But who should I blame then? The soldiers who did the deed but were just following orders, or the men that gave those orders, or the people that pay the men that gave those orders, which is what the orcs apparently have opted for. They decided to put the blame solely on the Nigawan nobility, but is the nobility really guilty, and even if it is, are all nobles guilty in that case? Are their children guilty? Are their wives guilty? Ultimately the responsibility lays with me of course, but am I really responsible for what that general did? I didn't order him to kill the wrong orcs. As a matter of fact, I didn't order him to kill the right orcs either."
He shrugged, "Ruling isn't always easy sweetheart... And yes, that goes for this Bashuk too. He's in a difficult position. And say we told him the truth; that there's one man responsible for the slaughtering of his people, and that that guy happens to be dead. So, even if he believes us, what is he supposed to say to this army of widowers of his? 'I'm sorry men, but the guy responsible fell off his horse last winter and died, so we'd better pack up and go home.' That would be justice, but it is a justice they simply can't accept, just like we can't accept the justice they demand. So that leaves us no choice but to defeat them in battle, and then try to make amends with those who survive afterwards."
She nodded slowly, "I understand, and I know you're right, but still... It feels so wrong."
He hugged her against him again, "My first obligation is to Nigawa and all its people. Sometimes that means I'll have to do things I'm not exactly proud of, or can't do the things I would like to do. Take what happened to your maiden. I know Moiga, and I know that lovely girl wouldn't lie about something like this. So I would really like to rip Marecomb's balls off, but if I did, without proof, I would alienate the other nobles. Alienate them enough and they will rebel, and before you know it you'll have a civil war going, at which point the common people will suffer too."
He sighed again, "Not always doing 'the right thing' is just part of the job Cassy. It will happen, and it will be hard on you."
She nodded again, communicating her understanding, then broached another subject that had been worrying her, "This war against the orcs, father, are we really going to win it?"
His face hardened, "Of course we are... Losing isn't an option." His hand stroked her hair, "I understand you're worried sweetheart, but you've heard the Drak's assessment too. When those black orcs descended from Baelok pass last summer there were no soldiers there to stop them. Actually, if it hadn't been for some local woodsmen deciding to hole up in Bragstone with their families when they noticed the orcs arriving, those orcs would probably have burned the castle instead of simply bypassing it. We got lucky there..."
"This time we've got the defenses largely repaired and the bulk of the army up north in time, so now we have both a big numerical advantage and good defensive positions to seal off the Weeping Valley with. Which brings me to the quality of the army: It's no coincidence that both the Lorasian and the Mercandon armies haven't strayed across our borders for over two decades. Our army is well equipped, and its training is second to none. The Mercandon have almost twice our numbers, but still don't dare attack us, because they know the Nigawan army's quality combined with it being on the defensive will more than compensate."
