Prinzessin der Kriegsspiele

You raise your hand again. "Mr Conrad, you mentioned the Empire's conquests. How do wars happen? Is it true there are lady knights?"

"My, what an unchildlike question." Conrad says to himself quietly enough that you hear, rubs his temples and pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a moment to refocus himself. "Lady Elisabet did say you had taken an interest in warfare recently, so I prepared myself to answer such questions. So to begin: at the core of all warfare is magic and the expenditure of its necessary resource, ether. For hundreds of years warfare was waged by the exalted nobility, who cultivated powerful ether and would then wield miraculous power against their enemies. An emphasis on personal prowess, magic and the mobility necessary for long-ranging campaigns of conquest resulted in the birth of formal orders of equestrian warriors, and the institution of knighthood. Now-"

Your hand remains up. "And lady knights?"

Conrad clears his throat and waits for you to put it down. "Allow me to finish, please."

Your cheeks pink a little but you manage to smile good-naturedly though a small faux pas, giving him the fainest nod. "Sorry."

His expression is unmoved. "Knights became a pivotal element in all warfare in that era. While ordinary men at arms could hold ground and exert the authority of the conquering force over regular citizens, such forces would be summarily defeated by any number of mounted magi. Noble knights would carry magical tools etched with powerful mystical formulae and receive powerful blessings that would further extend their durability, speed, strength and stamina. Combined with chain and later plate armor, and they were functionally invincible."

"And lady knights?"

"History has no shortage of noble women who wielded powerful mystic arms and blessings to win victory and glory on the battlefield. In most cases, such as Lady Arnfried of Morn and Duchess Siegelinde of Rolsace, their entry into the battlefield came after the deaths of her husband or male children. A few also joined in the imperial conquests of the continent due to convoluted politics at home, or personal ambitions. A number of great beast races favor female riders for unknown reasons, which lead to the creation of famous all-female orders such as the Imperial Dragoons, named after their mounts." The scholar puts his fingers to his chin and nods thoughtfully, his gaze fixed to you. "Unfortunately, the practice of allowing women onto the battlefield has become less popular of late due to the increasing lethality of weaponry."

Dragoons! Past tense! Given the etymology, did that mean they rode dragons? What a waste. You feel a little unhappy to know that things are already unfavorable to you, not that you have any particular desire to become a soldier but it would be nice to have the option and be taken relatively seriously. Particularly if you want to keep your old hobby up, not being disregarded out of hand because of social mores feels important. You sniff. "What changed?"

Conrad crosses his arms behind his back, pacing a little in place as he continues. "It was first believed that ether was only held within the living body, granted to us by the life-giving sun. Sages in Lohegria, the large island kingdom north of the Empire, discovered that long-dead creatures calcified a portion of the sunlight they absorbed within their bodies. This substance is known as etherstone, harvested from corpses and ground into fine powders that release their power in a flash, channeled by inscriptions made in a prepared vessel. This discovery in turn led to the creation of weapons such as the Schrauber, a sort of magic bow that propels a lead or pewter ball with great force. A well-aimed shot could penetrate even magical armor and threaten the life of a noble knight, resulting in the dwindling role of mounted warriors and increased importance to massed soldiers armed with these weapons."

"Do nobles still fight on the battlefield… then?" You put your hands on your haunches and kick out idly, your feet not quite reaching the grassy ground.

"Of course, Lady Charlotte. People talented in magic are fundamentally still necessary for the application of blessings, and the largest etherstone weapons such as the Kanone can only be reliably operated and controlled by mages of high caliber." Conrad shifts again. You wonder if this lesson wouldn't be more animating if he had some sort of visual aid to make this easier to follow. "Moreover, healing arts form a crucial part of logistics in modern warfare, as important as the act of killing itself some say."

"Ohhh! That sounds so cool!" In your mind's eye you sort of see what warfare looks like, lines of infantry armed with… magic wands(?), backed by cannons, ladies riding dragons… albeit in the past tense. You can barely contain your excitement.

"Indeed, I've only covered a small amount of information. Once you become more comfortable reading complicated words, I would suggest looking to your father's study. He has many texts related to the topic of warfare, some of which I referenced to give this lecture." Conrad claps his hands together and bows slightly as though he intends to stop the lecture then and there, your appetite for information whetted and unsatisfied. "Now, I believe you're all due to have your midday meals so I'll leave you to that and return to my quarters."

Ysabel looks to her sister and the two of them start to put the stools and tables away. "We'll take care of the cleaning up."

"As you should. Enjoy your meal, my lords and ladies."

---

After lunch, you find yourself alone and with idle time. Your siblings are off to their various tasks and lessons, leaving you to contemplate how little you actually know about the world you live in. While you can rationalize it as a 'fantasy' world, it seems that the culture you live in has already outgrown your imagination by decades and is in the process of becoming something else entirely. What exactly? Long gone are knights and mages (interchangeable terms in this world, it seems) and something else is emerging.

Your siblings will eventually move away or outgrow playing with you, meaning your little improvisational play days are numbered. If you want to find some way to keep your old hobby up, you'll have to find some way to introduce speculative wargaming into the public consciousness. Given how fighting is done and the hierarchical nature of society, that would mean putting some serious effort into studying the nature of warfare in this world and become an accepted member of the commentariat and trend-setter. You slump into the play-room's divan and sigh, slightly overwhelmed by the scale of your task.

At least you were born into a rich family, and into a body you feel comfortable in. With the twin albatrosses of your last incarnation solved up-front, you might be able to get more done. Before you sink too deeply into reverie, you hear approaching voices.

Rushing to the door, you see Ysabel and Elske wandering down the hallway with a basket in hand, each of them carrying one side of it. The two are fraternal twins and resemble Elisabet in different ways, both dark skinned with dark hair set in taut symmetrical plaits, taller than you and slim, looking to be Lorenz' age. Ysabel's blue eyes seem slightly finer and sharper, while Elske's irises are amber-hued and feel larger for her face than her sister's. The maid outfits are classic, ankle-length and chaste in cut and design like those of the head maid. Both stop and look at you, gripping each a half of their skirts to half-curtsey without dropping their charge.

"Lady Charlotte, is everything alright?" Ysabel asks, peering into the room. "Are you alone?".

"Yeah. What are you doing?" You answer informally, as you get on your tiptoes to peek towards the basket.

"Handing out food to the manor staff." Elska answers.

You consider for a moment, not tempted at all by the offerings thanks to having had a decent repast earlier. Maybe you should get to know the people who care for the family's summer home a little better. "Can I come with you?"

The two exchange a glance, but evidently know better than to say no.

Ysabel answers you. "Alright, but we won't let you do any heavy lifting. Mum would be furious."

Mum would be Elisabet, you assume. You follow them out, staying close as they go towards the end of the hallway. Your guess is their first destination is the small room of Sieghard, the manor's man-at-arms and your archery teacher. His room is just at the start of the family wing, allowing him to put himself between you and any danger that might come up from the entrance.

You consider how you're going to accompany them, not wanting to get in the way.
[ ] Just follow them without getting in the way.
[ ] Sing their praises to everyone you meet.
[ ] Try to help them out with utensils and small items.
[ ] Run ahead to open and knock on doors.

And what will you talk about with them?
[ ] Their family's history of service to yours.
[ ] Do they know magic.
[ ] What they do for fun.
[ ] Where did they get those cute maid outfits.
[ ] Ask them if they're interested in wargaming.