by Glenn » Wed Nov 28, 2012 7:14 am
Ariane,
I had written two previous letters, one explaining puns and the second showing immense frustration with Aleksei River. The first is probably a luxury we don't have and the second is more suited for Cinnabar's eyes. I will say this instead:
Years ago, you accompanied Rhaena and myself to visit the Ashfiend in his lair. We lacked information and in the lacking, were exceptionally vulnerable. We had no point of context, no grounding to understand what we faced. We came out of that meeting with far more than we came in with. I return to the Dagger and thinking Cinnabar would be pleased with what we learned, I tell him. His response? He throws me fifteen feet across the room.
There are windows here in Myrken. I would throw Aleksei through a good many of them. He would deserve it.
Aleksei River is everything Agnieszka always hated about outsiders come to Myrken. I say this not to point a finger at her, but because it is the best way to describe him. He comes from a land of magic and tyranny. One of those place I might have visited on my "tour." A place of hubris. We've spoken of hubris before. A place that deserves far worse than it has gotten. He was used by great powers there. Trained. Given secrets. Made an agent. Bound to a "celestial," or some wretched magical creature named thusly. A powerful winged being that we're supposed to think is a holy beauty to be revered and worshiped. I picture her literally shoved down his throat one feather at a time. It makes the entire thing more palatable.
Then he did the most interesting, admirable thing. He ran away. Raised to serve a role, used by powers, he ran away to find freedom and a life for himself. You see why I let him close to me? The being in his head changed him, yes, affected him; they SPOKE. Even if it was mostly benign, he was no longer human, no longer fully in control of his own actions. He claims to have wanted to protect "her," but my guess is that "she" had no small influence over him. Despite that, again admirably, he wanted to act human. He wanted not to draw on that power. Admirable and rather hypocritical. Having one's cake and eating it too.
As I said, he's everything Agnie thought to hate about me when I arrived. An Outsider, full of book learning, thinking he had all the answers, that he could handle our problems better than we can, except for I didn't have nearly the sort of book learning as he did and I only thought I had a few of the answers. I also didn't have a magical being living in my head. Aleksei does not understand. He's incapable of it given his background. He doesn't understand that we have to take small, steady steps. He doesn't understand what the average Myrkenite feels. He sees them as ignorant and small minded, superstitious. He pities them. He couldn't understand them any more than they could understand him. Yet he is willing to listen to reason. Listen and then, very likely, not let what he heard change his viewpoint. He tries.
He is also absolutely invaluable to me. Without him, my magical options are Niall and Nova (files to come, but both are poor, unreliable choices). Not "magical options" as in me going to him and saying, "Wizard! Shoot lightning at my enemy!" but magical in just understanding what is going on. Someone takes Renea's 'soul,' for instance. This is not something I know how to discern and understand, nor is that a skill I necessarily want. So when something happens, I rely on Aleksei to explain it to me. Therefore he possesses a vague position as an independent agent of my Inquisitory (file to follow). He is also training a few select Constables to better combat magical threats. In return, I gave him Roschen's old shop as a residence and a proper stipend. He's learned in a number of other useful areas as well, engineering for one. He is persistent, able to focus on multiple tasks at once, and most of all, intent on doing good and helping. We're better off for his presence. He is a friend.
It is not all happy sunshine, however. He's prideful, arrogant, absent-minded, prone to go off and do what he thinks is best in spite of my council, or orders, or the need to come to me at all. As I said, he will take large steps when little ones will suffice. Often times, these steps involve patently ridiculous magic concepts, things we are best not meddling with. For someone who wishes to find peaceful, human solutions, he has gotten into more fights against dangerous creatures (and books) than you would think. Situations where I would talk my way through. He lacks the people skills to manage this.
When the 'god' of the Eight left dying Aeryn, it entered into Aleksei. It was counterbalanced by the "goddess" in his head but slowly began to corrupt both him and 'her'. His solution would be to banish one but not the other into some other dimension. It made my head hurt. I countered that he should banish both away. He was reluctant to do this. In the meantime, while I was searching for other solutions, Catch was moved to increasingly violent ends to "free the god" from Aleksei's head, prompting him to move forward with the banishing on his own, without support or oversight. Both 'god' and 'goddess' were taken from his body. According to Lamai, certain flecks of the cursed ax, and thus the 'god,' remain within him but their influence are exceptionally slight. He is now mostly human but still possesses certain preternatural abilities and traits. Again, a headache.
Finally, he is considered a criminal by his homeland for stealing away the 'celestial,' his sword, and himself (he was considered property of their crown). Two of his fellows came to me to negotiate his return, trying to bribe me with all sorts of magic commerce. I stalled. Now that the 'goddess' is gone from Aleksei, I suspect they'll be less interested in retrieving him. If it comes to it, I will go to more than reasonable lengths to ensure his freedom.
In short, he means well, but has a long way to go. I hope that Agnieszka can at least open his eyes partially to the truths in our hearts. If not, he, she, and perhaps all of us will have far more tragedy ahead.
I will respond to your comments about Catch and Dhrin in my next missive.
Glenn