crack_van | A Leap in the Dark by MusIgneus (M)

Fandom: VORKOSIVERSE
Pairing: Kareen/Serg
Length: short
Author on LJ:

musigneus
Author Website: Master List
Why this must be read:

Princess Kareen is such a tragic figure. She was abused by her husband Crown Prince Serg, sheltered by Emperor Ezar only because of her son Gregor, captured and used as a pawn by the pretender to the throne, and murdered when she tried to resist. We know very little about her. And yet, we do know that no matter what happened to her she was strong, and smart, and unbroken. Who was she? Why did she marry Serg? Did she know what she was getting into?

musigneus takes the first few meetings of Kareen and Serg and explores these questions. I love the way this story fleshes out Kareen, and the shows us a slightly younger Serg who has not yet fallen as far as he soon will, and an Ezar who does not yet know (but perhaps suspects) what a monster his son is.

Kareen was thirsty, her feet hurt, and her cousin was annoying her by telling his friends how she used to play soldier with him and his brothers, racing around their woods and falling out of trees. The condescending laughter from the young officers in his audience made it ever harder for her to keep from saying something of which her aunt would surely disapprove, and her cousin was paying no attention to her subtle attempts to redirect the conversation.

One of the lieutenants - she hadn't bothered to learn all their names yet - said, "Well, I'm certain she knows better now."

His tone was just a bit too patronizing for Kareen's taste, and her aunt's plan to marry her off to one of these twits had never appealed to her anyway. "Yes and no," she said quietly.

The officer blinked in surprise, the expected answer having been a simpered, "Oh, yes, of course I have. I was such a silly child then, but now..." or something of the sort that would have given him the opportunity to tell her she was much too beautiful to be climbing trees.

"I am content to leave soldiering to men, but I still believe women are as capable and as much responsible for the survival of Barrayar as men. Perhaps more so," she said firmly. Met with blank looks of incomprehension all around, she continued, "Who raises the men? Who keeps everything running while the men are" playing soldier "fighting? And even though most of the work women do is unpaid and unremarked, it is vital for both the social and economic stability of-"

Her attempt to enlighten the flabbergasted coterie of junior officers and their escorts was cut short by her aunt bearing down on the group.

Kareen permitted herself to be towed away, for once almost grateful for her aunt's interference. She followed her aunt through the glittering throng, dutifully making the acquaintance of all the "right" people, smiling and nodding and saying nothing of substance. She thought, once, that she caught the Emperor's eyes resting speculatively on her as she endured introduction after introduction, but she dismissed the idea as a ridiculous fantasy. He had known her father well, of course, but he had no reason to pay any attention whatsoever to her.

A Leap in the Dark