Honor on the Field, 22
Nov. 26th, 2005 07:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nell65Fandom: LFN
Pairing: Michael and Nikita
Warning: Historical AU
~*~*~*~*~* Chapter 22 ~*~*~*~*~*~
Samuelle followed Barbant down into the main hall, where they found one of the manor’s menservants waiting to escort them to Phillip’s private chamber. After sharing a quick wry glance over Phillip’s awareness of Samuelle’s arrival in the midst of the Michelle and Nikita’s quarrel, he and Barbant allowed themselves to be ushered into their host’s presence without any further delay.
To Samuelle’s slight surprise, Nikita was already in her father’s room. She was standing by the fire, looking amazingly calm and collected for a woman not long before scrabbling along the floor trying to violently shake the truth from her treacherous younger sister. Her hair was smooth under a simple headscarf, her cheeks were dry, her green and blue gown straight and clean, her hands folded carefully before her. That her skin was the color of parchment only emphasized the startling blue of her large eyes, eyes now fixed carefully on her father.
Despite her outward calm, Samuelle was certain he could feel almost as though it was his own her distress, her shame, and her furious pride. Her composure had to be brittle from all she had endured these last months, and he knew a brief worry that her control would shatter and she would scorch them all before this meeting was over.
Helmut Volker was also present, draped artistically against the wall by the window, through which the thin, late-afternoon sunshine of early spring lit his profile with flattering sharpness. The little self-satisfied smirk on his lips instantly set Samuelle’s back up and he longed to challenge him merely for the pleasure of beating him into the ground.
Phillip spoke as soon as the door closed after their escort’s departure. “Gentlemen. I assume we all know why we are here.”
The other three men nodded, then Samuelle, anxious to get the business over with, said, “I’ll meet Volker’s offer.”
Volker straightened, his eyes taking on an avaricious gleam. “Only meet? Well then, I’ll raise.”
Samuelle waved his hand to stop Volker, his determination to have Nikita, whose heat he could feel even across the room, only growing every second he found himself in the other man’s company. “I also undertake to continue to offer the Count and Countess of Albret my backing and support,” he glanced coldly at Barbant, “as I see fit.”
“That’s it?” Volker made a show of looking shocked. “I spend all this time courting the fair Nikita, only to be told my offer will be rejected?”
Samuelle flicked his eyes dismissively over Volker, “Yes. Whatever your employer owes you for your time, you’ll have to get from him.” He looked back at Phillip, trying to gauge the other man’s reaction to the negotiations. “I assume for my money, I’ll get Nikita’s personal belongings and her horse, as well.”
Phillip nodded and allowed the tinniest of smiles to flicker across his lips, though it did not touch his eyes. “Of course, my Lord.” Phillip looked at Barbant. “Well, if you two gentlemen are in accord, my task is to bless the arrangement and see that it is carried off promptly.”
Barbant spoke for the first time. “Tomorrow, sir? If it’s not too soon?”
Phillip eyed his future son-in-law with cool consideration. “No, my Lord Albret. None too soon.” Turning back to Samuelle, he continued, “and when will you be taking Nikita, Lord Rouen?”
Realization dawning on him that he had not yet spoken with the one person whose interests were most centrally at stake as far as he was concerned, Samuelle turned and spoke directly to her. “Nikita? This arrangement is agreeable to you?”
Nikita kept her glance locked on her father, her voice low and rough as she answered. “Yes, my lord.”
The screams he’d heard on his arrival echoing through his memory, Samuelle asked curiously, “You are willing to do this for your sister?”
For the first time, Nikita looked directly at him, her voice strong and sure. “I do it for the child, my Lord. I do it so that the child will not be a bastard.”
Even as he winced at her rebuke, Samuelle felt a surge of pride in her that even in such extremis and without losing her composure, she should be able to shame all the men in the room for what they were about to do to her. Phillip and Volker both shifted uncomfortably, and even Barbant dropped his eyes to the floor.
Phillip cleared his throat then gazed slowly around the room. “So it is settled. The wedding will be tomorrow in the forenoon.”
“Thank you sir.” Barbant bowed gracefully. "Michelle and I will leave for Albret within the week.”
Phillip looked inquiringly at Samuelle. “And you, my Lord?”
Samuelle looked at Nikita hoping for some hint as to how she wanted him to respond, but she kept her eyes rooted on the floor. “I’ll be leaving for France the following dawn. As for when Nikita joins me, I’d like to consult with her, privately, about that.” Looking back at Phillip, he continued, “May I assume that until I can take her, her home remains with you, sir?”
“Of course.” Phillip bowed his head and then started for the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I have a very busy RL week coming up, so I'm going to go ahead and get the rest of this up in the next two days. Thank you all for reading along,
Nell
Pairing: Michael and Nikita
Warning: Historical AU
Samuelle followed Barbant down into the main hall, where they found one of the manor’s menservants waiting to escort them to Phillip’s private chamber. After sharing a quick wry glance over Phillip’s awareness of Samuelle’s arrival in the midst of the Michelle and Nikita’s quarrel, he and Barbant allowed themselves to be ushered into their host’s presence without any further delay.
To Samuelle’s slight surprise, Nikita was already in her father’s room. She was standing by the fire, looking amazingly calm and collected for a woman not long before scrabbling along the floor trying to violently shake the truth from her treacherous younger sister. Her hair was smooth under a simple headscarf, her cheeks were dry, her green and blue gown straight and clean, her hands folded carefully before her. That her skin was the color of parchment only emphasized the startling blue of her large eyes, eyes now fixed carefully on her father.
Despite her outward calm, Samuelle was certain he could feel almost as though it was his own her distress, her shame, and her furious pride. Her composure had to be brittle from all she had endured these last months, and he knew a brief worry that her control would shatter and she would scorch them all before this meeting was over.
Helmut Volker was also present, draped artistically against the wall by the window, through which the thin, late-afternoon sunshine of early spring lit his profile with flattering sharpness. The little self-satisfied smirk on his lips instantly set Samuelle’s back up and he longed to challenge him merely for the pleasure of beating him into the ground.
Phillip spoke as soon as the door closed after their escort’s departure. “Gentlemen. I assume we all know why we are here.”
The other three men nodded, then Samuelle, anxious to get the business over with, said, “I’ll meet Volker’s offer.”
Volker straightened, his eyes taking on an avaricious gleam. “Only meet? Well then, I’ll raise.”
Samuelle waved his hand to stop Volker, his determination to have Nikita, whose heat he could feel even across the room, only growing every second he found himself in the other man’s company. “I also undertake to continue to offer the Count and Countess of Albret my backing and support,” he glanced coldly at Barbant, “as I see fit.”
“That’s it?” Volker made a show of looking shocked. “I spend all this time courting the fair Nikita, only to be told my offer will be rejected?”
Samuelle flicked his eyes dismissively over Volker, “Yes. Whatever your employer owes you for your time, you’ll have to get from him.” He looked back at Phillip, trying to gauge the other man’s reaction to the negotiations. “I assume for my money, I’ll get Nikita’s personal belongings and her horse, as well.”
Phillip nodded and allowed the tinniest of smiles to flicker across his lips, though it did not touch his eyes. “Of course, my Lord.” Phillip looked at Barbant. “Well, if you two gentlemen are in accord, my task is to bless the arrangement and see that it is carried off promptly.”
Barbant spoke for the first time. “Tomorrow, sir? If it’s not too soon?”
Phillip eyed his future son-in-law with cool consideration. “No, my Lord Albret. None too soon.” Turning back to Samuelle, he continued, “and when will you be taking Nikita, Lord Rouen?”
Realization dawning on him that he had not yet spoken with the one person whose interests were most centrally at stake as far as he was concerned, Samuelle turned and spoke directly to her. “Nikita? This arrangement is agreeable to you?”
Nikita kept her glance locked on her father, her voice low and rough as she answered. “Yes, my lord.”
The screams he’d heard on his arrival echoing through his memory, Samuelle asked curiously, “You are willing to do this for your sister?”
For the first time, Nikita looked directly at him, her voice strong and sure. “I do it for the child, my Lord. I do it so that the child will not be a bastard.”
Even as he winced at her rebuke, Samuelle felt a surge of pride in her that even in such extremis and without losing her composure, she should be able to shame all the men in the room for what they were about to do to her. Phillip and Volker both shifted uncomfortably, and even Barbant dropped his eyes to the floor.
Phillip cleared his throat then gazed slowly around the room. “So it is settled. The wedding will be tomorrow in the forenoon.”
“Thank you sir.” Barbant bowed gracefully. "Michelle and I will leave for Albret within the week.”
Phillip looked inquiringly at Samuelle. “And you, my Lord?”
Samuelle looked at Nikita hoping for some hint as to how she wanted him to respond, but she kept her eyes rooted on the floor. “I’ll be leaving for France the following dawn. As for when Nikita joins me, I’d like to consult with her, privately, about that.” Looking back at Phillip, he continued, “May I assume that until I can take her, her home remains with you, sir?”
“Of course.” Phillip bowed his head and then started for the door.
I have a very busy RL week coming up, so I'm going to go ahead and get the rest of this up in the next two days. Thank you all for reading along,
Nell
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-11-26 10:45 pm (UTC)“I assume for my money, I’ll get Nikita’s personal belongings and her horse, as well.”
reminded me again -- he's bought her. Like he would buy a horse. It's going to take some amazing tap dancing by the two of them to get past this.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-27 06:15 am (UTC)All these people who want to go back and live in those days have no clue just how rough it could be as a woman, even a high ranking one. The only consolation the lower classes had was that at least you didn't have witnesses standing in the bedroom watching your husband do his duty on the wedding night. That used to be done esp if it was neccessary that it be proved that the marriage had been consumnated. Ick.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-27 08:31 am (UTC)Because it really isn't just women who only good for what their bodies offer; most men, being poor themselves, are only good for the labor they can perform as well, and so a woman who comes with land along side of her uterus, is valued (possibly way, way) more than a man with nothing but his hands and a strong back.
Any notion of going back to some golden era of the past makes me barf, by the way - because it usually involves nothing more than pretty-princess fantasies - even for the boys, who basically imagine more or less the same thing.
OMG
Date: 2005-11-27 07:32 am (UTC)Wow.
Just...wow.
Swatkat
Re: OMG
Date: 2005-11-27 08:17 am (UTC)It's actually a bit more complicated than that, though. I did a fair amount of reading up (mostly, I admit, from what's available online) on what - specifically - a leman is/was. It is fascinting stuff.
Whatever else she is, Nikita is *not* a slave - a category of people that does, very much, exist - but is very tiny, in western Europe, at this time.
The most important thing, for her status, is that while the modern nation state is clearly in gestation here - the world is still fuedal - and all people exist within a branching heirarchy of obligations and responsibilities, obligations to those above, responsibilities to those below - and both are absolute, meaning, that even if the other party fails to do their bit, it is not a contract, and you are not absolved of your own part in the relationship. So - Edward can compel a relatively powerful man, a count in his own right, like Hugh Barbant, to do whatever he tells him to do - and Barbant has to do it. Clearly, Barbant is not a slave - but his obedience to the Duke of Aquitaine, and through him, Edward III is absolute; and should he defy him - depending on how and where and why, Edward could even kill him. (Tthe closest modern analog is probably military chain of command structure - which some have argued is pretty much an straight line descendent of this system).
Technically what Rouen has done (and it's skirting the near edge of legality even in 1363 - because it is so confusingly similiar to slavery) is compensate Nikita's father/family for the loss of her future contributions to the family's welfare, either through her own labors or through any potential alliance that she might bring to the family through marriage - or to put it another way - compenstated her family for removing her from the threads of obligations and responsibilities that shape their world.
The rights to both her own labors or any potential alliance that she might bring have now transferred to Rouen. And yes, she can, very much, still marry - but it will be at Rouen's discretion and any future loyalties/expectations of her husband would lie with Rouen, not with her family of origin. Assuming that she doesn't allienate his affections - there are plenty of men who would be happy to have a wife who could speak well of them to a Duke, and could use the Duke's residual affection to leverage advantages for their children.
Rouen has also, through his ability to pay up, signaled that he does, in fact, have the ability to support her - and has assumed the responsibility of doing so.
In essence, she has been transfered from her father's care to Rouen's - not at all dissimilarly - legally or in practice - to the way several counties adjoining Aquitaine were transferred from France to England via the 1360 treaty.
The problem, for Niktia and for Rouen, is that in this new relationship, one of her obligations is to be his mistress - a problematic role in this world because mistresses (rather like bastard children) don't have a set spot in the hierarchy - and that is what she wanted.
Re: OMG
Date: 2005-11-27 05:21 pm (UTC)Though our ideas of N and her worldview are skewed by what we know of her in a modern setting, it still seems to me that her core values would be extremely strained by her new obligations.
Though I must say it seems to mirror Section in several key ways!
Re: OMG
Date: 2005-11-27 06:57 pm (UTC)I think so too - but a big part of the delay in writing the next part has been trying to figure out exactly how those conflicts might play out, in this setting.
I have several new ideas though - some of which I may be able to start drafting, when I have the time, soon after Christmas..... *g*
Nell
Re: OMG
Date: 2005-11-27 10:31 pm (UTC)I will say, though, that of all the fanfic I've read, this story has been one of the most compelling, and the most interesting to speculate about. The combination of the characters and this situation you've put them in is very, very interesting. Not to mention the writing...
Re: OMG
Date: 2006-03-04 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-27 08:25 am (UTC)To bad I haven't really written that bit yet! LOL! (though the ideas are coming fast and furious this month.....*g*)
no subject
Date: 2005-11-27 05:19 pm (UTC)