Kage Baker - The Queen in the Hill

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The Queen in the Hill

by Kage Baker

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First published in Realms of Fantasy, December 1999

Fictionwise Contemporary

Science Fiction

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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the purchaser. If you did not purchase

this ebook directly from Fictionwise.com then you are in violation of copyright law and are subject to

severe fines. Please visit www.fictionwise.com to purchase a legal copy. Fictionwise.com offers a

reward for information leading to the conviction of copyright violators of Fictionwise ebooks.

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I will tell you about Maeve.

Me, you wouldn't be interested in, for there is nothing extraordinary about my life. My mother had

been shamed, was about to drown herself in the Loire when one of the immortal Lords spotted her and

offered her his protection. This was just before Justinian became Emperor of Byzantium, I think, in the

time the mortal men reckoned the sixth century after the birth of Christ.

But my mother's savior was about the usual business of the immortals who work for their Company,

which is to walk among mortals and preserve fine and rare things that would otherwise be destroyed by

them. The Lords and Ladies do this, as I understand, because there will come a day in the distant future

when men will need the things they have wasted: beasts and plants that have become extinct, forgotten

knowledge from ancient texts. In that hour the Company will be able to open its strongholds and come to

Mankind's rescue, showering down its harvest of their treasures. Who could find fault with such benign

masters? Especially as their mercy does not extend to things alone; they save people, too.

Anyway the mortal girl came with the Lord to this mountain, to this ancient stronghold that the

immortals call Eurobase One: and some weeks later she died giving birth to me, for she was not strong.

_I_ was strong, but I was not perfect as a child must be perfect to be given eternal life. They were

very kind to me anyway, the immortal Lords and Ladies. I've never lacked anything, never gone hungry

a day in my life! I was lucky that I could live with them, and not with the ignorant savages in the mortal

world down the mountain.

And they gave some thought to my future, too: I was apprenticed to old Claude, who was an artist, a

genius, master of gardens without peer. The Lords and Ladies themselves said it was a thousand pities

he couldn't be made immortal, but mortal and aging he was. So I was given to him, to climb the high

ladders and prune where he directed, and to kneel for hours on the cold earth, planting out hyacinth

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bulbs where he pointed with his stick. He taught me his art. I was very grateful.

But I don't know where Maeve came from.

I was sixteen when I saw her first, the little creature with the hair like moonlight. She had got into

the pergola somehow, though the gate was locked, and she had tugged her feeble brother after her. They

were in there making a mess of the pomegranates, pulling them from the espaliers, bowling them around

and breaking them open, scattering the red beads without even tasting them. It was their tiny crazy

laughter that called us.

Old Claude was so angry with them, he lost all sense; for he was especially proud of those trees. He

advanced on them howling curses, waving his stick. The children stopped, staring at him, but they did

not run as sensible children would. The boy cowered and sank down, hiding his face, covering his big

blind-looking eyes. The girl remained on her feet. She looked at Claude with no fear at all, though his

stick was whistling in the air and his eyes were starting out of his head in wrath.

He kept coming, and when I saw that she would not move I ran to put myself between them. I

crouched over her and Claude's stick came whistling down on my back. That only made him more

angry, and he beat me with all the strength of his old arm. I didn't mind; I have a strong back. I said,

"Master, the little girl is mad! She didn't know it was wrong!"

I was mistaken to think this would make him stop belaboring me, because he got in three more good

blows before we heard one of the Lords laughing.

"Stop! Stop, if you please, worthy Master Claude!" he called, striding down the walk toward us.

It was the Lord Aegeus, still chuckling as he surveyed the ruin all about us, the broken branches,

broken fruit. The child ran to him and buried her face in his cloak, and he swept her up in his arms,

where she looked at us disdainfully.

I knelt at once, but Claude remained on his feet. He took liberties; the Lords and Ladies allowed it

because he was an artist. His back was stiff with his anger. His jowls were flushed red with it. He

clasped his shaking hands on the knob of his stick and stared at Lord Aegeus in silence, so that the Lord

had to speak first.

"Worthy Master, my apologies," said the Lord, smiling. He knit his brows at the little girl,

pretending to be stern with her. He said, "Naughty Maeve! Look what you've done now! Did _you_

spoil this pretty garden?"

And she said, "Oh, no!" though her tiny hands were pink with the juice, and that was the only color

to her skin anywhere. She looked like a ghost, she was so white.

Claude made a sharp noise in his throat. I looked over at the little boy, who was still trembling

where he lay.

The Lord said, "You didn't? Who was it, then?" And she pointed her finger at the boy and said, "It

was Fallon!"

The Lord looked as though he wanted to laugh afresh, but he bit his lips and then he said: "Now,

you know that's not true. Poor Fallon doesn't do things unless you tell him to do them. You're the one

always getting into mischief, little fairy! I want you to apologize to our dear Master Claude for all this

mess."

She dimpled and said, "No!" and Claude shouted: "Most divine Lord, never in seventy-five years of

faithful service have I seen such wanton vandalism!" and Lord Aegeus looked at him rather coldly as he

said: "Sadly true, Master, for everyone knows the young people of today have no respect for their elders.

I can assure you that this child will not misbehave here again, however. Calm yourself! Your boy will

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clean everything up." And his gaze turned to me and he said, "Rise, boy. And, please, accept my thanks

for moving so quickly! My poor cherubs would have broken like eggshell if your Master had actually

landed a blow."

I rose awkwardly and ducked my head in acknowledgment of the Lord's thanks. I wondered, how

could they be his children? The Lords and Ladies do not beget their own kind, I knew that. They take

mortal children and give them immortal life, if the children are sufficiently perfect. But the girl and boy

did not look like any mortal children I had ever seen. They were so little and pale, and their eyes were so

big.

Anyway Lord Aegeus carried them away, and I cleaned up the mess they'd made.

I saw her sometimes now and then, over the next few years. Sometimes the boy would be with her,

though less and less as time went on. There were rumors that he was a genius of some kind, but he never

looked well.

She grew up very quickly, and not in the way of being tall, if you know what I mean; she looked

like a woman within a few years, with high little breasts filling out the bodice of her gown. She would

wade through the beds of annuals picking big bunches of flowers, which drove Claude to distraction, but

now that he was aware she was a special favorite of Lord Aegeus he knew better than to complain.

Maybe it was keeping his anger to himself that did for him at last, because he had a stroke when I

was twenty. After that I was Head Gardener, and won the title of Master when I devised the three-level

topiary walk for the north slope.

The Lords and Ladies were enchanted with it. They love beautiful things, and they respect artists.

Master Simeon by the age of twenty-two! I had all I could ask for in life.

And then I was given more.

When I was summoned to Lord Aegeus' study, I thought he had some request to make relative to my

art, maybe for a new kind of rose or rare fruit. They like such things, the Lords and Ladies. Lord Aegeus

was seated by the fire in his study, and across from him in another chair sat his assistant, the Lord

Victor. Lord Victor was young as immortals go, not really much older than me, and he looked younger

already.

Well, they waved me to a third chair; and I sat hesitantly and another mortal stepped forward and

poured wine for me, the same wine the Lords themselves were drinking. I thought to myself, _This is

what it is to be an artist!_ and I bowed respectfully over my cup and said, "Thank you, divine Lord."

Lord Aegeus said, "Oh, you're quite welcome," with a wave of dismissal. He was staring at me in an

assessing kind of way, and so was the other Lord. I kept a humble silence, as Claude had kept his

insolent silences, and it worked: Lord Aegeus cleared his throat and said at last, "Well! You've certainly

grown into a sturdy fellow since that day in the pergola! You were only Master Claude's boy then. And

you're the Master yourself now, are you not? What's your name?"

I told him it was Simeon and he laughed out loud, and the Lord Victor smiled thinly. Lord Aegeus

said: "Simeon! That's appropriate, I must say! Up in the treetops all the time, and as hairy as a monkey

too! But come, don't take offense. All your tests show you're a supremely healthy young simian, and

quite a bright one at that."

I murmured my thanks for the compliment. Lord Aegeus said, "Quite," and had a sip of his wine.

Then he said, "You've had a few sexual encounters, but you don't seem to have formed any long-term

relationships. In light of that, we would like to make you a proposition."

I didn't know what to think. He burst out laughing at the look on my face and Lord Victor turned red.

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"No, no no!" said Lord Aegeus. "It's only this, good Master Simeon: my dearest Maeve must have a

mate, and we've chosen you for the honor!"

I just said "Oh," feeling as though I had been struck over the head. He went on: "It should have been

Fallon, but he passed away, poor creature. Pity. Still, we learned a lot from him; and dear Maeve is

wonderfully vigorous! We have great hopes of her. Now, you needn't be nervous! She may look like a

child, but I can personally attest that you won't have to teach her a thing!" He grinned broadly and Lord

Victor stared down at the floor.

I had a gulp of wine and nerved myself to ask him, "But -- if she's your favorite, divine Lord --

won't you mind?"

"Mind? Good heavens, no. She's a charming girl, but she is a mortal, as you are. She certainly can't

bear _me_ children! I'll admit I'll miss our golden afternoons, but the plain fact is she ought to be bred

while she's in her prime." He said the last leaning forward, holding my gaze in a matter-of-fact way.

I said, "I didn't think she was mortal, exactly," and he said: "All too mortal, I regret to say! And

human enough for you. But we need very much to see if we can produce something more human still,

and so -- wedding bells for Maeve."

For a moment nobody said anything, and then Lord Victor cleared his throat.

He said to me, "Does this offend you?" And I said, "Oh, no, divine Lord," and Lord Aegeus said,

"Of course he isn't offended! Good sensible solid fellow that he is. Besides, you're rather a romantic

choice, I think. You were her knight-errant, once upon a time in the pergola. Yes, throwing yourself

between my baby darling and the wrath of Claude! Oh, that's good, wrath of Claude!" Lord Aegeus

turned laughing to the other Lord, who didn't seem to think much of the joke.

I was thinking about Maeve with her tiny perfect face, with her moonlight hair, with her big liquid

eyes and silvery laugh. I thought about the bodice of her gown. I told myself that it really would be a

great honor, to be awarded such a wife. I said, "But will she love me?" and the Lord Aegeus assured me,

"She can be quite affectionate, my friend. You'll treat her well, of course -- she has never been treated

otherwise -- and really she doesn't require much! Flattery, presents, a sense of Romance. In addition to

the obvious physical attentions," and he almost leered as he said it. That was a disconcerting thing,

seeing a divine Lord with such an expression. They look so wise and noble as a rule.

But I agreed to take Maeve, because I did think she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I

think I'd have agreed even if I'd known about the tests that followed, to be certain my sperm count and

motility were all that was desired. They were painful and embarrassing tests, but I told myself it was no

worse a thing than careful cross-pollination in an orchard or a greenhouse. And what rose or apple

blossom was so fair as Maeve?

But she didn't love me.

She was in a furious sulk the day of our wedding. Still she was lovely, her pouting lips were sensual.

Lord Aegeus gave her to me in the pergola, to make it the more romantic, as he said. He had her gowned

all in white like a bride, and -- to give her a sense of ceremony -- placed my hand in hers. He even broke

open a pomegranate and presented it to me to feed her, and at first she spat out the bright seeds without

even tasting them, fierce; but he spoke to her sternly and she obeyed at last, and crunched them sullenly.

They crimsoned her tiny mouth, made her more desirable still.

So it was done, and Lord Aegeus placed his hands on our two heads and said, "Be fruitful and

multiply, my children!" Then he gave us a bottle of wine, a good vintage from the Lords' and Ladies'

own cellars, and left me to manage the rest of it.

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