Tirisano was on the verge of social revolution. A small principality, it had relied for centuries on the willingness of corporations to make it their base of operations in order to keep going - relied for so long, in fact, that the original reason for doing just that had been forgotten in the rush of the political elite to get rich and stay rich. Tensions had been simmering for the last decade, and had finally come to a head over the past year, as the biggest corporations merged and instigated massive pay and job cuts to widen their profit margin. Enough was enough, the people of Tirisano had decided, uniting behind their trade unions to demand better treatment from their employers.

Those employers had responded by going to Parliament and demanding to have their corporate autonomy protected, and Parliament had given them that protection without a second thought. As a result, business over the summer had ground to a halt, with massive strikes and industrial action being taken by the exploited workers. Things had calmed down a little when the Earl of Roslae and his wife had instigated fair wages for fair work on their estate and within the duchy of Roslae, fully supported by his father, the Duke, and several of the other duchies had followed suit. But Parliament's unwillingness to support the people it was supposed to represent had lead to the corporations undercutting the independent businesses supported by those duchies. Violence had broken out on the streets of the capital, Itana, with those corporations bringing outside security into the xenophobic nation to protect their interests.

In the midst of all this, His Serene Highness, Prince Julius, suffered a stroke, unable to intervene on behalf of his people as he recovered. Their worry over the illness of their popular monarch only added to the sense of injustice and insecurity, and finally, it fell to their Crown Princess and Prince to take action. Despite Parliament's best efforts to keep Dru and Josh out of the ongoing debate, they were approached by a delegation of dukes and union leaders, in the hope that they could negotiate a middle ground.

As Josh and his brother, the Earl of Roslae, waited with the crowd that had gathered outside the palace in Itana, Crown Princess Claudia Drusilla instigated those negotiations, with her sister-in-law, Keira, at her side.

"As I understand it, gentlemen," she was saying, ignoring any and all attempts by the representatives of the corporations and Parliament to interrupt, "you have systematically victimized the most vulnerable in our society, and offered no recompense for the appalling way they have been treated by your business elite -"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything -"

"We have our shareholders to answer to -"

"We are -"

"The princess was speaking."

Four words, spoken sternly, were more than enough to silence the room. The fact that those four words had come, not from the countess at her side, but from her bodyguard, spoke volumes about the kind of language the politicians and businessmen were prepared to listen to. By contrast, the representatives of the union leaders were quiet and respectful, waiting for their invitation to speak.

Dru glared at the ministers who had dared to interrupt her. There was a shocking lack of deference in Parliament these days - they seemed to have forgotten that the royal house was not a constitutional monarchy, but was, in fact, the de facto rule of their country. Parliament existed only to advise the rulers, not to govern in their stead.

"As I was saying," she said finally, when that glare had done its work. "On one side, we have the politicians and the big corporations decreasing the value of living in our country. On the other side, gentlemen," she added, looking to the union leaders in disapproval, "we have a popular movement of the people who are actively encouraging violence on our streets. Neither side is blameless, but one is causative, and the other is reactionary. This cannot be allowed to continue."

The Interior Minister nodded vehemently. "I demand that -"

"You cannot make demands of this royal seat," Dru said sternly. "I may be only just approaching twenty years of age, minister, but I feel you need reminding of my status and position in this country, and in particular, within this room. Parliament is not government. Remember that, if you would."

"If I may, your highness?"

Her eyes turned toward the reluctant speaker among the union leaders, who looked as though he would rather eat a live scorpion than speak out of turn. She softened her expression, thanking Xoren in the back of her mind for making sure she knew all the names of those who would be involved in this meeting.

"Of course, Mr. Juteau," she smiled. "I would welcome some civil input."

Georges Juteau swallowed nervously, but plunged on. "Your highness, when we began this fight, it was in response to the job losses and pay cuts imposed upon our members without offering any option to appeal," he said concisely. "But as time has gone on, it has become clear to us that this attack is more political than we are equipped to counter. We requested your assistance, your highness, because we know you and His Serene Highness care for us as a people, and what mistakes you have made in the past you are always quick to acknowledge and apologize for, and to put right if you can."

"Thank you, Mr. Juteau." Dru had to fight not to blush at the praise heaped on her by the grateful man, embarrassed that it had taken her so long to get involved in the first place. She looked to the businessmen and politicians on her other side. "Do you have a response, gentlemen?"

"Your highness, with respect, we have a duty to more than our employees," spoke a Mr. Hornbeam, the CEO of a large shipping business based in Tirisano. "We have a duty to clients and shareholders to turn a profit, and in the current economical climate, our actions are justified. We are not seeking to beggar our workers, but to keep as many of them in employment as is possible."

And so it went on, each side offering their arguments in clear, concise ways, trying very hard not to raise their voices in the presence of a princess who was quite capable of having them all thrown out if they crossed the line Parliament was already several toes over as it was. But eventually, several hours in, the politeness and civility devolved into arguments and insults, and Dru was the sole example of calm in a room filled with shouting men. It really was just as well that she had come to this meeting fully prepared and with a plan already in place, for no one had really come up with any actual information for the last five hours.

"Enough!" she said finally, rising to her feet.

Shocked at the sudden movement and sound from the princess, the men abruptly sat down in silence. For a long moment, all there was to hear was the sound of the crowd gathered in the square outside the palace.

"It is clear to me, gentlemen, that a very great failing has taken place in Tirisano," the young princess said wearily. "The failing is mine, and my family's. We have allowed business to cloud politics, and politics to evolve beyond its basic premise, and in doing so, we have created this problem that assails our country. However, I will take steps to put it right.

"Gentlemen, what is the purpose of Parliament' It is not to rule. We are a principality, we have a royal house, and members of that royal house rule with the aid of Parliament. A Parliament, I may add, that is supposed to be made up of members who represent the people. Clearly, this is no longer the case."

There was a long pause as she considered the room. "Mr. Juteau, gentlemen of the unions, please ask your members to return to work and to cease their disruptive influences on society at large. Those who have been unfairly dismissed since the beginning of the year will be reinstated. The government will guarantee a fair wage for fair work, and will impose strict penalties on businesses that infringe on that basic right, effective immediately."

The relief on the faces of the union representatives was rivalled only by the outcry on the other side of the room. Dru's head snapped around, the warning in her eyes matched by the way the security men in the room stepped closer. That outcry died away, but not before the Interior Minister put his foot directly in his mouth.

"The country will collapse without the support of businesses like these," he declared. "You have bankrupted Tirisano, you stupid little girl."

He knew as soon as he said it that he had gone too far. Even the ministers and businessmen sitting with him were suddenly distancing themselves from him. It was one thing to declare a different point of view. It was quite another to insult the heir apparent to her face, in front of witnesses.

Dru's stern expression did not change. "I am dissolving Parliament, and revoking the rights of all members to call themselves Members of Parliament," she said firmly. "My uncle, the Prince, has already agreed to this. There will be a series of elections in the various constituencies around Tirisano to elect a new house to Parliament, to take place before the end of February. Until that time, my uncle will rule with the help of a small council made up of people's representatives, chosen at random from the populace."

She saw the collective mouths of the politicians in front of her open, and shut them down quickly.

"The decision is made, gentlemen. As of this moment, you are all unemployed, and unless you are able to get yourselves re-elected in the new year, you will have to find some way of getting yourselves jobs. In the economic market you have created between you, I do not see your chances as particularly high.

"As for the question of bankrupting the country ....you have clearly forgotten what was written into the statutes allowing these large businesses into our land in the first place. Our treasury is flourishing, well supported by our own land and our own people, without the input of the businesses who were invited here in order to allow this state to come about. In short, gentlemen," she said, looking directly at Mr. Hornbeam and his associates, "Tirisano no longer needs you. Continue to treat our people in this heartless fashion, and you will no longer be welcome within our borders. Am I quite clear?"

There was a shell-shocked murmur of assent from the entire room. Though the measures she had laid out were fair and reasonable, and more than the union leaders had ever expected, there was still a sense of having had a teddybear turn around and show fangs. It had been a very long time since the royal family had shown their teeth, and everyone knew it could have been much worse.

As the delegates were lead from the room, and from the palace, to break the news to the crowd and begin the process of dissolving the current Parliament, Dru sat down, shaking in delayed shock at what she had just done. Keira laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, nudging a glass of water within reach.

"You did well," she told the young princess gently. "It's far beyond what anyone would have expected you to do."

"I just hope it works," Dru said worriedly. "I should never have let things get this far."

"Dru, you're nineteen years old," Keira reminded her. "You're still recently married, and you're still learning how to rule. You should never have been put in this situation. But you handled it very well."

"You've written yourself into legend, too," Xoren commented. He was supposed to stay silent and invisible, but when Dru was alone or with close friends or family, he could never quite keep his mouth shut.

Dru snorted with laughter, glancing up at the sound of Josh's amplified voice through the windows. He was addressing the crowd with the speech he had written that morning, outlining everything she had just told the leaders and urging the people to support a fair and just election. He had them in the palm of his hand, his youth and charisma exactly what they wanted and needed from him, and his intelligence a surprise that was welcomed by the people of Tirisano. She knew that Josh, too, would be credited for this outcome, and so he should be. Even if he hadn't been present in this room today, he was the one who had talked her through all the pitfalls and given her the courage to lay down the letter of the law as it was written into their constitution.

They just had to hope they had intervened in time, and that the treasury could take it. Otherwise someone was going to have to eat the dirt at the politicians' feet, and she had a nasty feeling it would have to be her.