Revolution

Steam billowed out of the spout of the whistling kettle. Claudius finished spooning tea leaves into the teapot’s basket, then he turned off the gas, picked up the kettle, and carefully poured its boiling contents over the leaves. When he was satisfied, he placed the kettle back onto its burner. Finally, he placed the lid on top of the teapot and carried the tray upon which it rested from the island to the small table five steps away. He glanced at Louisa as he rested the tray on the table, and he smirked. “You haven’t spoken since you walked in here,” he remarked, “but your eyes tell me all I need to know.”

Louisa didn’t reply. She watched the steam rising from the teapot’s spout, gentler than when it was in the kettle, a soul leaving the body instead of smoke from a canon. She looked around the room at the colorful baskets of fresh produce, all perfectly shaped, placed deliberately to look as good as they must have tasted. There were sacks of rice, and rows and rows of exotic spices. There was a window over the sink looking out to the courtyard beyond. A statue’s face stared back at her, water streaming out of its mouth. It bore the same dead-eyed look she thought she must have had right now.

Claudius sat in a chair opposite her. He folded his hands and leaned back in a casual, relaxed posture. Louisa looked at him and kept her expression level, despite her gnawing malice. She fixated on his thin, obviously dyed mustache and detested him even more. “You think I’m flaunting, don’t you?” He nodded his head toward the myriad baskets of fruit behind him. “You think I brought you here on purpose, right? A way for me to show you my power, to try and convince you that this fight was over before it began.” He shrugged. “In a way. I might argue every room in this manor is equally impressive, but the truth is, my love, I simply like it best in here. It’s less pretentious. There’re no politics in cooking, just camaraderie, unity.” He pointed to the teapot. “Earl Gray. Your favorite. It’s got bergamot and ground up vanilla. Very good, like you’ve never tasted before.” Louisa looked at the ornately painted pot, then back up at Claudius. She took a deep, silent breath. He nodded slowly. “Of course, it doesn’t matter what it is, does it? You’re not here for tea. You wish to negotiate. Okay. Tell me what’s on your mind.” Louisa held her gaze on Claudius, stared at his horrible mustache, for a moment, then broke it and stared at the smooth marble tiles on the floor – alternating brilliant white and jet black, each pristine, free from any dust or scuffs. Claudius sighed heavily. “Negotiations do not work if only one side speaks,” he said. He waited another moment for her to respond. “Very well,” he said.

He stood from his chair, then he held the back of his hand to the teapot. It was still very hot, but the tea had steeped long enough, so he picked up the tea pot by its wooden handle. With a single finger holding the lid, he tilted the pot and poured two cups of tea. One he passed to Louisa, the other he put on a saucer. Then, saucer in hand, he walked back over to the island and leaned. “It pains me to see you like this,” he said. “I know the fire in your soul. I’ve seen the passion it holds, felt it myself. It’s the thing I admire about you most.” Louisa smelled the tea as it wafted from her cup. Its bitter aroma was familiar, nostalgic, and she wondered if it’d been more or fewer than ten years since the last time she’d been able to enjoy a cup of tea. “It cannot be easy for you being here,” he said. “It must feel like defeat, knowing you will have to concede and compromise after working so hard for every one of your principles. I know. I remember. We never would’ve accepted anything less than all our demands back when we worked together. We’re wiser now, though, aren’t we, my love?” Claudius raised his teacup to his mouth. Gently, he blew away the steam, then took a small sip. His eyes closed as he savored the rich flavor. Then he smiled, dejected. “Won’t you say something?”

Louisa stared into the table. It was round and small, only large enough to seat four people. Its flat top was made of four distinct pieces, each stained dark, highlighting the mesmerizing swirls of the natural wood grain beneath. Simple as it was, it had a luxurious look, one that suggested it was commissioned. Upon closer inspection, Lousia realized it matched the wood of the cabinets. She should not have been surprised.

A few moments passed and Claudius nodded. He took another sip from his tea and then rejoined her at the table. This time, he took the seat to her right. “Louisa, please” he said. “I need you to talk to me. I cannot help you, I cannot help your people, if you will not say anything.”

“They are our people,” she corrected.

“Of course,” he replied. He smiled, relieved. “You’re right. But I stand by what I say. I need you to speak to me if we’re to make any progress. Truly, I want to help.” Claudius reached a hand under the table, trying to take Louisa’s. She pulled it away. He smirked again. “Do you truly hate me so much?” He tried again to the same result, then he sighed. “Very well.” He pulled his hand from under the table and waved it toward her. “I’ll get to the point. Your fight is a lost cause. Continue and you and your forces will be wiped out in days, if not hours. I do not want this, but mine is not the popular opinion. With each passing day, with each new futile attack your troops carry out, my men stand with matches and lighters ready to burn the forests you call home to the ground. They will not stand for the aggression much longer. And when you fall, I do not think they will be inclined to keep me around, either.” Claudius tilted his head, trying to meet Louisa’s eye. “They think I’m protecting you, that my love for you blinds me from my duties. They may be right, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t do what I must to stay where I am. It is the best and only place where I can make real change for our people – not to serve the powerful, but to spite them.” When it was clear Louisa would not look at him, Claudius leaned back in his chair, frowning. “Here is the compromise, my love. Tell your forces to cease operations. Tell them to lay down their arms and return to their homes in peace. They will not be tried; they will not be hounded; they will be citizens again. And as for you,” he said, “you will have a place at the table, a membership in my cabinet. There, you will have a platform to advocate for those you claim to represent now.” He leaned forward. “Please,” he said. “You must accept these terms.”

“And if I don’t?”

Claudius took a deep breath. “If you do not accept, then I cannot stay the torches any longer. The forests will fall to ash, and with them, your men.”

“You underestimate us,” she replied.

“Underestimate?” He chuckled. “My love, I have been warning these fools for years that a conflict with you will see the ruin of us all. I know how dangerous you are, your dogged determination. Make no mistake, though: you have only been able to persist for so long because I’ve convinced them that I can reach you, and failing that, outfox you.” Louisa shook her head, trying not to roll her eyes. “You don’t believe me. I understand. What proof do you have to go on? I assure you, there are things you know and there are things you think you know. More than that, whatever time you thought you had is up.” Louisa’s eyes narrowed, but her gaze remained fixed in her cup of tea. “Tell me what you’re thinking.” She shrugged and Claudius scowled. “I am trying to be reasonable with you, but it seems my diplomacy has lulled you into a false sense of security. Allow me to be perfectly clear. I know that you’re trying to delay me for as long as you can. I know that you believe that not ten miles from here, your men are in the middle of receiving an artillery shipment from the Treyanos which they will then bring over here to try and overwhelm my manor and take me down. That is not the case.” He tapped the table to emphatically for each word in his last declaration.

“The borders are sealed,” he continued. “We intercepted the caravan carrying your supplies and sent them home with their tails between their legs. And you can guess what was waiting for your men at the drop. Right about now, I hope they’ll be handcuffed in the backs of our trucks, but I’m sure more than a few of them chose to give up their lives for your foolish cause.” He paused, then swallowed. “Look up at me, Louisa.” She didn’t look up. “I said look at me!”

She frowned and tears welled in her eyes. She did not look up, only stared at the gently rising steam from her untouched cup of tea. “This is your one and only chance. You don’t have time to think it over. Take my terms. If you don’t, my forces will overwhelm yours. The men and women we’ve captured will be executed as traitors. And you, you will not leave this room. I’m begging you, Louisa. You must accept my terms.” She did not look up, did not twitch, or offer any sign that she’d heard a word he’d said. Claudius’s gaze drifted downward as the hope drained from his heart. “So be it.”

He reached down to his belt for his walkie-talkie. He was about to bring it to his mouth when Louisa finally spoke. Still, her gaze remained steadfast in her cup of tea. “Wait,” she said.

“Unless you’re about to tell me you accept, I’m afraid you’re out of time.”

“For the love you say you have for me, you will hear me out, Claudius.”

Claudius only glowered, his hand placed firmly on the walkie-talkie. It was only a moment before he relented. “Be quick.”

She nodded and finally looked up at him, her eyes red from the tears she’d been fighting. “I have so much I want to say,” she began, “but, you’re right, time is running out, so I’ll be brief. I am ashamed in us both. When we fought together, we fought for peace and equality. And when against all odds we won, I allowed myself to hope, really hope, for the first time in my life, that our country could be better. How terribly naïve.”

Claudius shook his head. “You left long before we could make any of the changes we wanted to make.”

“Fifteen years in power is more than enough time to get something done, Claudius. What is your excuse?”

“I was fighting with you!” He banged his fist on the table, clattering the teapot and teacups, upsetting some of the tea onto their saucers.

“You’re right,” she said. “You’re right. But be honest, do you really think any amount of time could have changed things?”

“We didn’t have a chance to find out,” he replied, leaning forward. “And if you think you can challenge my honor, I want you to remember who it was who struck first.” Claudius pointed a finger at Louisa. “I tried everything to meet your needs, but you weren’t patient enough. You needed things now, now, now!”

“What I needed was someone who would stick to his principles,” Louisa retorted. “But that’s not what I meant. Our country has been in nearly constant conflict for a century now. Our first memories are of war. Claudius, peace doesn’t stand a chance when we’re around. We don’t know what to do with it. It’s too quiet. You and me, the men and women who share in our battles, we need a villain to have purpose in our lives. If we don’t, we invent one.”

“You’ve spent too many years living in the woods.”

She shook her head. “I’m not deluded. In fact, I’m perfectly self-aware, more than I’ve ever been. And I understand you, too. We are the problem,” she said. “As long as you and I live, as long as we hold influence, our country will continue suffering in this perpetual war.”

“Until one side is victorious.”

“No. Neither side can win,” she said. “We won’t allow ourselves the comfort. The moment we have what we want, we’ll conjure up a new demon and plunge ourselves headlong into the next fight.”

Claudius smirked, despondent. “You paint a bleak picture,” he said.

Louisa looked down into her tea, watching the steam rise. “Today it ends, one way or the other,” she said. “When the sun comes up tomorrow, when the dust finally settles, the dead are buried, and the wounded are tended, we will be gone, and with us all the baggage that two lifetimes of war can bring. In our place, we leave hope: the hope that those who are left can learn from our mistakes and finally realize the peace we’ve both fought so long and hard for.”

For a moment, the two were silent. Louisa continued to stare into her tea while Claudius simmered, his lips pursed, his body tense. Finally, he spoke in a measured tone. “Is that all?”

“I’ve said what I needed to say,” she replied.

“Good. Then let’s be done with this, one way or the other.” He reached down to the walkie-talkie at his waist and brought it up to his mouth. He pressed the button and began to issue orders. “Forward troops, this is Falcon. Execute operation six-five-beta. I repeat, execute operation six-five-beta. Respond.” He let go of the button and glared at Louisa. Silence followed. He pressed the button again. “Forward troops, this is Falcon. Execute operation six-five-beta. Respond.” He released the button and silence followed again. He growled and pressed the button a third time. “Forward troops, this is Falcon –” Off on the east side of the estate, something exploded. The room shook and Claudius stood up. His gaze returned to Louisa, but where there was once anger and despair, now his eyes were wide with fear. “What have you done?”

“I’ve stalled you,” she said.

He moved to her and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back. She did not react. “It will not be enough!”

A second explosion, this time on the west side of the estate. Claudius did not let go. Louisa grinned. “We found your Judases. All of them. They were well placed, but did you really think you could get me with my own tactic?”

He growled and let go, marching across the room to look out at his courtyard. Then he held the walkie-talkie up to his mouth. “Estate defense, report.”

“Don’t bother.” Louisa held up a tiny box. “We received our weapons shipment last month,” she said. “And we ordered a few of these jammers. We didn’t tell your moles about those. Just the weapons. And I think you’ve noticed that we told them the wrong date.”

Claudius’s lip twitched. “You horrible bitch.”

“So much for our love.”

“Do you know what will happen if you kill me? My generals will be delighted. They’ll finally have an excuse to declare martial law. Then your ungrateful people will truly know what it’s like to live under an iron fist, won’t they!”

Louisa shook her head. “Your generals and oligarchs will be overwhelmed, same as you. I told you,” she said. “Tomorrow, we will all be gone.”

Claudius stood still, dumbfounded. For a few seconds, all he could do was gape. Finally, he collected himself. “One of us will be,” he said. Then he stomped back across the room, drawing his knife from the holster on the front of his uniform. When he was within striking distance, Louisa picked up her teacup and flung the scalding tea into Claudius’s face. She couldn’t have been more direct. He screamed and dropped the knife, falling to the ground and grasping at his face. Louisa slowly rose and padded over to him. She reached down and grabbed the knife, then straddled his chest. She placed the point of the knife over his heart and pressed down. In a matter of moments, his hands relaxed, his head tilted to the right, and he stopped moving.

Louisa looked down into his blistered face, at the lifeless eyes, the horrible, dyed mustache, and she felt the tears returning. Despite everything, she didn’t hate him, but she knew that she’d done what was needed. She slid off him and sat cross-legged next to his corpse, weeping softly.

Down the hall, she could hear footsteps and cries for presidente! At least she would not suffer long. Tomorrow I will be gone, she thought, and, perhaps, it will have all been worth it. She could only hope.