from Rae, walking towards the open space that overlooked the river. Rae turned towards her, but didn’t attempt to follow her. “Say, for example, that the dispute was between myself and my sister, the Shadow Queen,” said the High Lord. “My sister wished to combine our forces and join our lands together. She looks at her lands and thinks to herself ‘The moon looks over my castle every night. There is no reason why my sister, Alcian, cannot govern from here.’ Knowing what you know about me, what would my response be?”
“You’d probably refuse…” said Rae.
“So, I refuse,” said the High Lord, nodding once. “In my haste, I inadvertently insult my sister. The insult angers her, and she responds in kind. The two of us argue, and the argument dissolves into threats. She believes that I am spurning her hospitality, and that I have insulted her pride and her character greatly. I believe that she is being unreasonable, and is trying to control me. The dispute reaches the ears of the Queen, and the Arbiter is brought in to judge.”
She looked up, her eyes fixing on Rae. “In whose favor would you Rule?”
Rae folded her arms, thinking the problem over. The main issue in this case was a misunderstanding. Both sisters had started out with nothing but good intentions, but miscommunication and the inability to understand each other had caused it to dissolve into chaos. She shook her head after a while, looking up at the High Lord. “I’d Rule in favor of no one.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” asked the High Lord.
“Because both parties are at fault. Your sister doesn’t understand that you, as the lady of the moon, can't live inside a castle. And you don’t understand that your sister is just worried about you and wants you to have a stable home. I’d explain both of that, and say that in this case, it’s both no one’s fault and everyone’s fault for continuing the argument.”
“…But what if I or my sister state that while that may be the case, insults were exchanged in the course of the argument that could not be forgiven.”
“I’d deal with each insult on a case-by-case basis,” said Rae. “But that no longer applies to the original issue. It has to do with how you treated each other afterward”
“And if you found that over the course of the argument, she insulted me repeatedly, while I said very few things against her, except to try and explain my case. What then?”
Rae frowned. Was that supposed to be a trick question? “Then, I’d Rule in your favor, High Lord,” she said.
“And if you found the opposite?”
“I’d Rule in her favor.”
“Even though you know me, and not her?” asked the High Lord, raising an eyebrow. “Even though I took you in to my home and cared for you for a time? You would rule against me?”
“If I had reason to,” said Rae. “You said it yourself. The Arbiter has to be fair.”
“Good,” said the High Lord, nodding. “You must never be afraid to make a Ruling. If you attempt to please everyone, you will only meet with disaster. Choose the party you know, and people say you have accepted a bribe. Choose the party you do not know, and people call you a traitor. Choose the middle ground, and people say you are indecisive and afraid. Decide not to choose, and people say you are shirking your duty. But all of these are Rulings, and they are your responsibility. If you attain this position, you must be prepared to gain the ire of the powerful so that justice can be obtained.”
“If I attain this position,” repeated Rae, stressing the first word as she turned to face the High Lord fully.
A faint smile appeared on the High Lord’s face. “Yes,” she said. “If. In the end, that is your Ruling to make as well.” She glanced back at her. “Join me for a walk?” she asked.
Rae nodded once, following the High Lord into the forest.
They talked for a while as they walked, but their conversation no longer turned to the subject
“You’d probably refuse…” said Rae.
“So, I refuse,” said the High Lord, nodding once. “In my haste, I inadvertently insult my sister. The insult angers her, and she responds in kind. The two of us argue, and the argument dissolves into threats. She believes that I am spurning her hospitality, and that I have insulted her pride and her character greatly. I believe that she is being unreasonable, and is trying to control me. The dispute reaches the ears of the Queen, and the Arbiter is brought in to judge.”
She looked up, her eyes fixing on Rae. “In whose favor would you Rule?”
Rae folded her arms, thinking the problem over. The main issue in this case was a misunderstanding. Both sisters had started out with nothing but good intentions, but miscommunication and the inability to understand each other had caused it to dissolve into chaos. She shook her head after a while, looking up at the High Lord. “I’d Rule in favor of no one.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” asked the High Lord.
“Because both parties are at fault. Your sister doesn’t understand that you, as the lady of the moon, can't live inside a castle. And you don’t understand that your sister is just worried about you and wants you to have a stable home. I’d explain both of that, and say that in this case, it’s both no one’s fault and everyone’s fault for continuing the argument.”
“…But what if I or my sister state that while that may be the case, insults were exchanged in the course of the argument that could not be forgiven.”
“I’d deal with each insult on a case-by-case basis,” said Rae. “But that no longer applies to the original issue. It has to do with how you treated each other afterward”
“And if you found that over the course of the argument, she insulted me repeatedly, while I said very few things against her, except to try and explain my case. What then?”
Rae frowned. Was that supposed to be a trick question? “Then, I’d Rule in your favor, High Lord,” she said.
“And if you found the opposite?”
“I’d Rule in her favor.”
“Even though you know me, and not her?” asked the High Lord, raising an eyebrow. “Even though I took you in to my home and cared for you for a time? You would rule against me?”
“If I had reason to,” said Rae. “You said it yourself. The Arbiter has to be fair.”
“Good,” said the High Lord, nodding. “You must never be afraid to make a Ruling. If you attempt to please everyone, you will only meet with disaster. Choose the party you know, and people say you have accepted a bribe. Choose the party you do not know, and people call you a traitor. Choose the middle ground, and people say you are indecisive and afraid. Decide not to choose, and people say you are shirking your duty. But all of these are Rulings, and they are your responsibility. If you attain this position, you must be prepared to gain the ire of the powerful so that justice can be obtained.”
“If I attain this position,” repeated Rae, stressing the first word as she turned to face the High Lord fully.
A faint smile appeared on the High Lord’s face. “Yes,” she said. “If. In the end, that is your Ruling to make as well.” She glanced back at her. “Join me for a walk?” she asked.
Rae nodded once, following the High Lord into the forest.
They talked for a while as they walked, but their conversation no longer turned to the subject
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