As Ninym dressed, she recalled the Flahm assembly from yesterday. As the push for independence grew, its proponents called upon Ninym and the blood of the Founder within her. To potential Flahm revolutionaries, she was an ideal symbol. Whether or not she was a true descendant was irrelevant. Enough people believed, or wished to believe, so it became the truth.
This has seriously gotten out of hand.
Only a select few within the Ralei Family knew that Ninym was a descendant of the Founder. Not even Natra’s royals were privy to the well-kept secret. How did such classified information spread among the Flahm? She doubted those who guarded that information had revealed it to fan the flames of revolution. Whatever the case, now that every Flahm knew a direct descendant of the Founder was alive, Ninym would become their unwilling symbol. With all eyes on her, it was no longer possible to covertly preserve the Founder’s unbroken legacy. For those who watched over Ninym, it was a nightmare scenario.
Who among the few in the know had revealed the secret? Ninym would have to dig deeper for answers and ask around.
“…I should get going.”
Ninym finished dressing and left her private bedroom. Through the door were her personal quarters, which doubled as an office. As Wein’s aide, she had her own rooms in the palace like the high officials. She did very little in her chambers but sleep, though, owing to hectic days spent with Wein or running in and out of the palace for one ministry or another.
Ninym passed through as usual, entered the hallway, and set out to meet not with Wein, but another.
“Master Levan, it’s Ninym.”
“Ah, come in.”
She stepped inside to find Levan in his chair. These were his private quarters; as Flahm leader and aide to the king, he, too, had been granted space in the palace.
“My apologies for asking you to come so early.”
“It’s no trouble. I haven’t started work yet, so the timing is convenient,” Ninym replied. “Let’s get straight to the subject at hand. What in the world happened yesterday?”
“Right…” Levan groaned in dismay. “You must be aware that the call for independence has been steadily growing louder among Natra’s Flahm.”
It was one result of Natra’s rapid development. A nation required larger administration as it gained new territory, but Natra had historically been a tiny northern settlement. The delights of progress and an influx of immigrants wouldn’t conveniently offset its severe lack of resources.
Natra’s Flahm filled the gap. Thanks to their group education system and established civil official program, the Flahm could be sent anywhere short on personnel. However, Natra’s situation was so dire that even the extra support was quickly exhausted. The Flahm had always taken care not to overstep their boundaries or tinker with the balance of power, lest they draw the wrong attention. However, they’d broken that tradition upon deciding to become Wein’s go-to resource during his time stewarding the kingdom. The Flahm’s efforts had undeniably paid off, as evidenced by their expanded interests and firm place in Natran society.
Ninym had advised caution but made no attempt to criticize her people’s enthusiasm. After all, she understood that the Flahm’s position and influence in Natra hinged on their faultless reputation.
The real problem came later.
“I never thought a single stroke of success would make them so arrogant…”
Everything would’ve been fine if the Flahm had remained content to grow alongside Natra, but self-restraint was a challenging request after such a stroke of good fortune. Everyone hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to test how far their dream could soar.
The dream of Flahm liberation.
“Independence is nothing more than a pipe dream, of course,” Levan said. “Even the loudest know deep down that it’s not feasible. They’re just venting, so to speak. We’ve been reasonably tolerant in order to prevent violent outbursts, but—”
“The reveal of my heritage sparked fresh enthusiasm,” Ninym finished. Like a gift from heaven, Ninym had suddenly appeared to answer the Flahm’s prayers. She, however, felt more like a log on the fire and let out a deep sigh. “Do you know who exposed me?”
Levan shook his head. “We’re looking into it but haven’t found anything yet. They committed the deed and vanished without a trace.”
“How annoying.” Ninym clicked her tongue in irritation. Without a culprit, she had nowhere to exact her rage. That was not to suggest she had no suspicions, though. “Master Levan, this is most likely—”
“I know. It’s doubtful a random Flahm accidentally found out and decided to share the news,” he replied, his expression solemn. “The culprit acted for a very specific purpose.”
An attack, Ninym thought.
Someone must have orchestrated this to upset the Flahm’s position in Natra. This wouldn’t end here. They would seek to urge on the revolutionists even further.
“I highly suspect it may be someone who has contacted our youth and offered support,” Levan said.
“The ‘backer’ from earlier…”
This mysterious benefactor had come up during the earlier meeting. Even the biggest activists who saw Ninym as a symbol of independence had argued she alone wouldn’t be enough. A mere symbol couldn’t replace basic essentials like food, clothing, and shelter. Without those, failure was imminent. And yet the Flahm youth still rallied behind Ninym and the legacy she represented. They had support.
“Who could it be?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t met them yet,” Levan replied.
“Neither of us know this person even though you are our leader and I your successor. Yet they’ve befriended the young, radical Flahm and gained their trust. Perhaps they’re still laying the groundwork?”
“It looks like this trouble hasn’t spread beyond the Flahm yet.”
“Considering the haste they’ve shown in advancing their plan, it would appear they’re not concerned with stealth.” Ninym exhaled hard. Still, it would prove difficult to track down the mastermind in time. Such an apathetic attitude toward their involvement could suggest they carried a trick up their sleeve.
“We still need to work out the details, but I plan to meet with this benefactor soon enough. I’d like you to join me, Ninym,” Levan said.
Ninym agreed to the request. As both an individual and the future leader of the Flahm, she couldn’t refuse.
“To think the idea of independence would reawaken like this during my tenure.” Levan sighed heavily, and Ninym sensed his exhaustion. He must have gone to great pains to pacify their zealous brethren while she was away in the Empire. She detected something else, however. Levan believed revolution was a reckless notion, but he didn’t entirely despise the notion.
“Master Levan, I’ve stated this before, but I am against the idea of a Flahm revolution,” Ninym stated, voicing her discomfort. “We have no military, no justification, and no land. How will we achieve independence? Uniting under my name won’t change anything.”
“With the rights and interests we’ve gained, it would seem our youth believe the Flahm can acquire land and autonomy from Natra.”
“That’s ridiculous. It’s a hopeless plan,” Ninym argued. “Struggle as we might, we’ll always be the ‘other.’ Our white hair and red eyes forever separate us from the rest. If we settle in one area and keep to ourselves, we’ll quickly be labeled a freakish minority.”