The Empress Supreme
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“So… are you like the queen now or… what?” Zoe asked.
Philothea was sitting in her father’s hall eating a breakfast large enough to feed a small village. It consisted of eggs and toast and bacon and lots and lots of grapes. Some of these grapes were, to Zoe’s amazement, yellow. Incidentally, Pouli looked at least three sizes fatter than the day before.
The battle had stretched her body, mind, and powers to the limit; she didn’t think any amount of food would ever fill her up again.
Raven was sitting next to Zoe, stroking Fae’s feathers.
Philothea shook her head aggressively. “No, my mother is the queen.”
“That’s right,” Raven agreed. “Philothea is the Empress Supreme.”
“Well, I’m still older,” Zoe remarked.
Philothea glared at them and, despite her annoyance, giggled.
“I should probably write to my dad,” Zoe commented. “And tell him I’m alive and stuff.”
“My parents already sent a message to Keeper Ruth,” Philothea said. “I’m sure she’ll tell your dad we’re alright.” She felt a lump in her throat thinking of the last time she saw the Keepers who raised her. “I hope they’realright,” she added.
“They’re fine,” Zoe remarked. “Keeper Ruth is indestructible. She’s been alive at least seven hundred years; do you really think Zeno could have taken her out?”
That comment sent Philothea into a fit of hysteria. Yet, it also made her heart sink just a little. Her whole life she had wanted nothing more than to find her family. Now that she had… was she losing the family who raised her?
She chomped down on her lip. No. She was not. They would always be her family whether in the same home or on the other side of the world. Zoe especially would always be her older sister no matter what happened.
“Zoe?” Philothea said. “You know, if you want, maybe we can send for your dad, and you can both live here.”
Zoe drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
“The thing is…” Zoe began. “Now that you’re all settled down and whatnot… I was thinking of becoming a Keeper.”
“You?” Raven scoffed, raising an eyebrow.
“What?” Zoe questioned.
“You don’t strike me as particularly devout,” Raven remarked.
Philothea had the same thought. Yes, Zoe lived with the Keepers all her life, but she’d always been a sort of stoic rebel.
Zoe answered Raven with a shrug. “It’s fine. They can always kick me out if I don’t meet their piety requirements or whatever.”
“And then what?” Raven pressed.
“I’ll move in with you,” Zoe answered.
Raven leaned back, lit her pipe, and replied: “I will stab you in the face.”
Philothea detected a hint of amusement in Zoe’s eyes.
“You know, Raven,” Philothea said. “I still have a lot to learn, and I was hoping… that maybe you would stay here and teach me.”
“There are fae more powerful than me,” Raven answered. “And you have your mother back now.”
“I know,” Philothea answered. “And she’ll teach me too, but I really need an unbiased teacher.”
“I am extremely biased,” Raven remarked. “Biased against everyone.”
“Perfect!” Philothea giggled. “You’ll offset my mother’s favoritism.”
Raven smirked and stuck her tongue in her cheek as she considered the offer.
“I’d be so far away from my family…” she mumbled. “…Yes. I’m definitely in.”
Philothea rolled her eyes. She was doing it again—pretending to be a self-interested recluse who hated everyone.
Philothea wasn’t even going to try and correct her this time. Her hope was that maybe the Holy Creator was working in Raven’s heart in some way Philothea couldn’t understand. Zoe’s sudden career choice was evidence He’d already been at work unseen.
She giggled a little as the unpleasant thought of her elder brother came to mind. She hoped and prayed that the Holy Creator would set to work on him too. After all, if He could make a giggly-girl into a war hero, surely he could soften the heart of a tyrant.
Whatever You’re doing, Philothea sighed in her heart. Please keep doing it.
Afterword
Pouli and Fae did indeed get married, and soon thereafter Fae laid three eggs. The first chick grew up into a slightly smaller version of its mother. This, of course, was the world’s very first crow.
Their second child was closer to Pouli’s size but had a yellow ring around each beady black eye. When it wasn’t mimicking human speech, it made a sound like a rubber duck. This, of course, was the world’s very first jackdaw.
The last chick favored his father but had a longer tail and no stars. This was the world’s very first grackle.
So, thanks to the union of Pouli and Fae, the world was filled with all kinds of black feathery vermin. They multiplied and spread to every corner of the globe. Farmers loathed them, and no picnicker was ever free from their watchful eyes.
Pouli was a very good father and wrote many songs to teach his children essential life skills. One of his favorites went like this:
Dodging watchful human eyes,
Is the way to claim your prize!
People food is yummy sweet,
And if you’re fast, you too can eat!
As time went on, his descendants developed variants. Today, the most common version goes something like this:
Dodging watchful human eyes,
Is the way to steal their fries!
Grab them off the asphalt, yum!
Devour every tasty crumb!
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The Fables of Para Sympan 