Fanfic: Power Play
Story #4 for the 10_quotes challenge
Title: Power Play (A Knight School Vignette)
Rating: G
Fandom: Princess Diaries
Movie/Quote: Schindler's List (#8)
“Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.”
Summary: What makes someone powerful?
Disclaimer: Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot & Disney. No infringement is intended.
It was one of the last, glorious days of autumn. The trees had traded in their summer greens for burnished golds and fiery crimsons. The pear harvesting season was in full swing, and the air was sweetly scented with the ripe fruit. It was a perfect day to spend outdoors with the person you love.
Not a day to spend trapped in the palace library, surrounded by philosophy books, Joseph mused. Certainly not a day to spend trapped in the palace library with his granddaughter's boyfriend. And who was his jailer? His wife, of all people!
Clarisse had been quite upset to discover that neither Joseph nor Nicholas had completed the reading assignments she had given them. So she had cleared their schedules for the day and ordered their attendance at a mandatory session of Knight School. When they had arrived at the library, she had handed them each a stack of books with the relevant sections marked and ordered them to complete the designated sections by noon, at which point they would discuss them. It was only 10:30, and already Joseph's mind had begun to wander to other things.
He loved his wife dearly, and he knew that she had the best of intentions, but these sessions of Knight School only served to illustrate the enormous differences in their education and upbringing. Even for a man with as much self-confidence as Joseph, it was difficult not to allow an inferiority complex to take root. He quashed that idle thought as soon as it reared its ugly head, reminding himself that his wife wouldn't know a C96 from an M4, and that street smarts had their place in the world just as book smarts did. Turning wearily back to the open book in front of him, he tried to refocus on the page. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could escape to enjoy the day, preferably with his wife in tow.
He had just begun to immerse himself in his book when the sound of a book slamming down on the table interrupted his concentration.
“Arrgh! I don't think I can do this!” Nicholas fumed.
“Hey, reading all this philosophy isn't my idea of fun either, but you're a smart guy. You can do this.”
“No, it's not that. It's just so frustrating!” Nicholas stood and started pacing the room.
Joseph set his book down carefully and turned to look at his young companion, raising his eyebrow inquiringly.
“I've spent years listening to my uncle talk about the glories of Machiavelli. How the end justifies the means and that power is both gained and held through any means necessary. And then I read these things,” he said, gesturing to the array of books spread across the table, “and they are the direct opposite. Empowering others does not diminish your own power.i The greatest power is often patience.ii The only use of power is to help people.iii It doesn't make any sense!”
During Nicholas' diatribe, neither man had noticed that Clarisse had entered the room, a tray with tea and biscuits left near the door.
“A man's wife has more power over him than the state has,” she added, smiling as both men turned towards her in unison.
“Who said that?” Nicholas asked.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson,” she answered.
Well, that explained the book by Emerson that had been in his pile, Joseph thought wryly.
“Nicholas, why don't you sit down, we'll have a lovely cup of tea, and talk about this.”
Clarisse's calm tone and gentle manner stopped the younger man's trek back and forth across the floor. He gave her a disgruntled look, as though she couldn't possibly understand, but settled back into the leather armchair he had claimed upon his arrival at the library.
After taking a few minutes to distribute the steaming cups of tea and the chocolate biscuits, Clarisse settled on the couch next to her husband and turned to face Nicholas.
“When we talk about power, why don't we consider Joseph,” she began.
He interrupted, “Hey wait! Why are we focusing on me?”
“Because Nicholas needs a concrete example and you are here to answer any questions,” she answered, stroking her hand along his thigh to soothe him. “Now, back to Joseph as the object of our lesson. Nicholas, would you say that Joseph is powerful?”
“Of course.”
“Why is Joseph powerful?”
“Well, he's married to you.”
She laughed. “He's married to the ex-queen of a constitutional monarchy. In political terms, both Joseph and I are not powerful. Not any longer.”
“But when you speak, the country listens,” he protested.
“And how does that make Joseph powerful?”
“When I speak, Clarisse listens?” Joseph interjected hopefully.
“Always, darling,” she said with a smile, reaching up with her hand to stroke his cheek in their silent signal of love, “but we're getting away from the point. From a political perspective, you don't serve as a consultant to the government.”
“Except in matters of security,” Nicholas added. “He might be retired now, but when it comes to security everyone listens to Joe.”
“Excellent point, Nicholas!” Clarisse turned her dazzling smile on the younger man, and he involuntarily smiled back. She took a sip of tea, then continued speaking. “So Joseph is powerful in matters of security. Well that makes sense, after all, he carries a gun.”
“That's not it. I've never seen Joe pull his gun, but I've seen him send people running the other direction with just a few words or a look.”
“Isn't that because they know he has a gun?”
“They might have a gun, too.” Nicholas protested.
“So then Joseph becomes powerless, because they're both armed, so they're both equal. So what is it that makes Joseph powerful?”
Nicholas' brow wrinkled and his eyes narrowed as he tried to find an answer to Clarisse's question.
“I don't know...”
“Joseph, when you get a new member on the security team, what do you teach them about power?”
“Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.”
Nicholas thought for a few moments about Joseph's statement before admitting, “I don't understand.”
“Killing, taking things by force, all those things your uncle taught you- those things are easy. Pulling the trigger of a gun isn't difficult.” Joseph paused, swallowing hard, “We read about that in the news and see it on television every day. But being able to prevent a dangerous situation- that's hard. Getting people to do something other than what they want to do, all because of some nebulous greater good- that's nearly impossible.”
“When you're successful at improving someone's life or changing their beliefs, then you know what power feels like,” Clarisse added. “Now do you understand?”
“I guess,” he said uncertainly, “but I think I'll need to read a lot more of these books before it really sinks in.”
“Why don't you do something even better?” she asked. “I happen to know that Parliament has canceled their afternoon session. Why don't you have lunch with Mia? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to share what she's learned as Queen with you.”
Clarisse hadn't finished her last sentence before Nicholas had stood and left the library. She chuckled softly.
“Ahhh, young love.”
“Now that you're free for lunch, perhaps I can convince you that older love has its advantages too?” Joseph asked, eyes twinkling with delight. “It's not right that the most beautiful woman in Genovia should be trapped inside on such a beautiful day. Perhaps a picnic?”
“Perfect.”
Title: Power Play (A Knight School Vignette)
Rating: G
Fandom: Princess Diaries
Movie/Quote: Schindler's List (#8)
“Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.”
Summary: What makes someone powerful?
Disclaimer: Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot & Disney. No infringement is intended.
It was one of the last, glorious days of autumn. The trees had traded in their summer greens for burnished golds and fiery crimsons. The pear harvesting season was in full swing, and the air was sweetly scented with the ripe fruit. It was a perfect day to spend outdoors with the person you love.
Not a day to spend trapped in the palace library, surrounded by philosophy books, Joseph mused. Certainly not a day to spend trapped in the palace library with his granddaughter's boyfriend. And who was his jailer? His wife, of all people!
Clarisse had been quite upset to discover that neither Joseph nor Nicholas had completed the reading assignments she had given them. So she had cleared their schedules for the day and ordered their attendance at a mandatory session of Knight School. When they had arrived at the library, she had handed them each a stack of books with the relevant sections marked and ordered them to complete the designated sections by noon, at which point they would discuss them. It was only 10:30, and already Joseph's mind had begun to wander to other things.
He loved his wife dearly, and he knew that she had the best of intentions, but these sessions of Knight School only served to illustrate the enormous differences in their education and upbringing. Even for a man with as much self-confidence as Joseph, it was difficult not to allow an inferiority complex to take root. He quashed that idle thought as soon as it reared its ugly head, reminding himself that his wife wouldn't know a C96 from an M4, and that street smarts had their place in the world just as book smarts did. Turning wearily back to the open book in front of him, he tried to refocus on the page. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could escape to enjoy the day, preferably with his wife in tow.
He had just begun to immerse himself in his book when the sound of a book slamming down on the table interrupted his concentration.
“Arrgh! I don't think I can do this!” Nicholas fumed.
“Hey, reading all this philosophy isn't my idea of fun either, but you're a smart guy. You can do this.”
“No, it's not that. It's just so frustrating!” Nicholas stood and started pacing the room.
Joseph set his book down carefully and turned to look at his young companion, raising his eyebrow inquiringly.
“I've spent years listening to my uncle talk about the glories of Machiavelli. How the end justifies the means and that power is both gained and held through any means necessary. And then I read these things,” he said, gesturing to the array of books spread across the table, “and they are the direct opposite. Empowering others does not diminish your own power.i The greatest power is often patience.ii The only use of power is to help people.iii It doesn't make any sense!”
During Nicholas' diatribe, neither man had noticed that Clarisse had entered the room, a tray with tea and biscuits left near the door.
“A man's wife has more power over him than the state has,” she added, smiling as both men turned towards her in unison.
“Who said that?” Nicholas asked.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson,” she answered.
Well, that explained the book by Emerson that had been in his pile, Joseph thought wryly.
“Nicholas, why don't you sit down, we'll have a lovely cup of tea, and talk about this.”
Clarisse's calm tone and gentle manner stopped the younger man's trek back and forth across the floor. He gave her a disgruntled look, as though she couldn't possibly understand, but settled back into the leather armchair he had claimed upon his arrival at the library.
After taking a few minutes to distribute the steaming cups of tea and the chocolate biscuits, Clarisse settled on the couch next to her husband and turned to face Nicholas.
“When we talk about power, why don't we consider Joseph,” she began.
He interrupted, “Hey wait! Why are we focusing on me?”
“Because Nicholas needs a concrete example and you are here to answer any questions,” she answered, stroking her hand along his thigh to soothe him. “Now, back to Joseph as the object of our lesson. Nicholas, would you say that Joseph is powerful?”
“Of course.”
“Why is Joseph powerful?”
“Well, he's married to you.”
She laughed. “He's married to the ex-queen of a constitutional monarchy. In political terms, both Joseph and I are not powerful. Not any longer.”
“But when you speak, the country listens,” he protested.
“And how does that make Joseph powerful?”
“When I speak, Clarisse listens?” Joseph interjected hopefully.
“Always, darling,” she said with a smile, reaching up with her hand to stroke his cheek in their silent signal of love, “but we're getting away from the point. From a political perspective, you don't serve as a consultant to the government.”
“Except in matters of security,” Nicholas added. “He might be retired now, but when it comes to security everyone listens to Joe.”
“Excellent point, Nicholas!” Clarisse turned her dazzling smile on the younger man, and he involuntarily smiled back. She took a sip of tea, then continued speaking. “So Joseph is powerful in matters of security. Well that makes sense, after all, he carries a gun.”
“That's not it. I've never seen Joe pull his gun, but I've seen him send people running the other direction with just a few words or a look.”
“Isn't that because they know he has a gun?”
“They might have a gun, too.” Nicholas protested.
“So then Joseph becomes powerless, because they're both armed, so they're both equal. So what is it that makes Joseph powerful?”
Nicholas' brow wrinkled and his eyes narrowed as he tried to find an answer to Clarisse's question.
“I don't know...”
“Joseph, when you get a new member on the security team, what do you teach them about power?”
“Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.”
Nicholas thought for a few moments about Joseph's statement before admitting, “I don't understand.”
“Killing, taking things by force, all those things your uncle taught you- those things are easy. Pulling the trigger of a gun isn't difficult.” Joseph paused, swallowing hard, “We read about that in the news and see it on television every day. But being able to prevent a dangerous situation- that's hard. Getting people to do something other than what they want to do, all because of some nebulous greater good- that's nearly impossible.”
“When you're successful at improving someone's life or changing their beliefs, then you know what power feels like,” Clarisse added. “Now do you understand?”
“I guess,” he said uncertainly, “but I think I'll need to read a lot more of these books before it really sinks in.”
“Why don't you do something even better?” she asked. “I happen to know that Parliament has canceled their afternoon session. Why don't you have lunch with Mia? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to share what she's learned as Queen with you.”
Clarisse hadn't finished her last sentence before Nicholas had stood and left the library. She chuckled softly.
“Ahhh, young love.”
“Now that you're free for lunch, perhaps I can convince you that older love has its advantages too?” Joseph asked, eyes twinkling with delight. “It's not right that the most beautiful woman in Genovia should be trapped inside on such a beautiful day. Perhaps a picnic?”
“Perfect.”