Behind the Maps
The Queen's Voyage
In-universe date: Era Nova, September--October, Year 2
Real World date: 20 August 2026
Author: Percival van der Berg
"Tell me, Percival, where are your operational headquarters? Perhaps we could spend some time there. It would also be an opportunity to get to know each other a little bit better. What do you think?"
I paused.
"My... operational headquarters?"
I looked at her for a moment, trying to determine precisely what she meant.
"I suppose you mean my workshop?"
She gave me a rather amused look, though I could not quite tell whether my confusion was the source of it.
"Or perhaps my workroom at home," I continued. "I wouldn't exactly call it an operational headquarters."
A small chuckle escaped me as I stood from the table.
"Regardless, I believe I know what you mean. Come, then. I can show you where most of my work actually takes place."
We left the bustle of the main streets behind us and made our way toward my estate. Along the way, I continued answering the questions she had asked about Koperdam, though I found myself asking a few questions of my own.
It was rather difficult not to.
Semet's interest in my homeland had been obvious from the moment she arrived, but the more we spoke, the more I found myself curious about her as well.
"You have spent much of your life ruling Kedet," I said after a while. "Do you ever find yourself wishing you could simply leave it all behind for a while?"
I paused.
"Not permanently, of course. I doubt your advisors would appreciate that."
A faint smile crossed my face.
"But for a few months? To simply see what lies beyond the places you already know?"
“It is hard to say. It is my whole life that led me to the throne. I don’t know anything else. But… yes. I must admit, I would gladly drop my responsibilities sometimes. Especially since I did not choose them willingly. They just hit me when I was not expecting it. It happens often that I regret my life of reading books and napping in the grass of my family house.”
(She spoke about her life, her responsibilities, and the circumstances that had led her to become the Queen she was today. I listened carefully, occasionally interrupting with another question whenever something caught my attention.)
Eventually, we reached my home.
Unlike the grand public buildings of Koperdam, my estate was considerably more modest. It was a comfortable place, but it was obvious that much of it had been designed around practicality rather than appearance.
I led her toward the room I used most frequently.
The moment the door opened, I realized I probably should have warned her.
Maps covered nearly every available surface.
Some were finished and carefully rolled into tubes. Others were pinned across large boards, covered in notes, measurements, sketches, and corrections. Shelves were filled with journals, books, instruments, samples, and various mechanical contraptions whose purposes were not always immediately obvious.
A workbench occupied the far side of the room, covered with gears, copper components, and partially assembled mechanisms.
"This," I said, gesturing around the room, "is where I suppose you could call my operational headquarters."
I gave her a knowing look.
"Though I still think workshop sounds better."
Semet hid a chuckle while I was making her some room to sit.
“That is quite different from the strict organization found at Koperdam.” she said without emotion. What did she mean by that?
We settled down for a meal, and for the first time since arriving in Koperdam, the conversation became noticeably less formal.
There was no longer a need for me to explain every building we passed or every machine we encountered.
Instead, we simply talked.
She asked about my expeditions, what had first driven me to map the world, and whether I had ever regretted leaving Koperdam behind for so long.
I answered honestly.
"I don't think I could regret it. There is simply too much out there."
I glanced toward the maps surrounding us.
"Every time I think I've seen enough, I discover something else that raises another dozen questions."
I smiled faintly.
"Perhaps that's why I've never been very good at staying in one place."
Then I turned the questions toward her.
"And what about you?"
"What is it that you actually want, Semet?"
The question escaped me rather naturally, though I realized afterward that it was perhaps more personal than the questions I had asked before.
"Not what a Queen is expected to want. Not what Kedet needs from you. What do you want?"
For a moment, the room became quieter. This time, it was quite easy to tell that Semet was just thinking of what to answer.
“I… I guess…”
Actually, maybe she wasn’t thinking of what to say, but rather how? Or even… if?
“I suppose I would like to have a slightly more… normal life, sometimes. Or rather, several parts of my life that are a bit normal. My citizens are wonderful, of course, but being their queen can become quite a burden sometimes…” she said, tilting her head to the side.
The conversation that followed felt different from those we'd had before.
There were no subjects, no nations, no borders to discuss.
Only two people sitting across from one another.
Eventually, Semet reached up toward her veil.
She hesitated for only a moment before removing it, revealing her orange eyes. They almost seemed to glow in the dim light surrounding us… Even though the veil was semi-transparent, it was difficult to imagine that such a face lay underneath it. Her gaze was both piercing and gentle, intimidating and reassuring. But above all… it was quite possibly not entirely human.
I stopped for a brief second.
It was not the first time I had seen her face, but somehow it felt different this time. Usually, she would subtly turn around to let me see her in profile at best. This time, though, she was facing me directly, her pupils locked into mine. It seemed as if she was never blinking, and as strange as it might sound, I felt like I could not tear my gaze away from hers.
There was no ceremony surrounding us. No crowd. No throne. No guards.
Just Semet.
"I suppose this means we're done being formal?" I asked after having grown a bit more accustomed to her change.
She smiled.
"For now."
I couldn't help but smile back.
"Good. I was beginning to think I'd have to spend the entire voyage calling you 'Your Majesty.'"
A quiet laugh escaped me. For her part, she once again remained silent.
"I imagine that would become rather exhausting for both of us."
And so we continued talking.
For once, I found myself paying little attention to the maps around me.
Perhaps there was something else worth discovering.
Suddenly, Semet stopped. She apparently just had realized something.
“Percival, you did not answer your own question.” she told while straightening up in her chair and moving imperceptibly closer to me. “What do you want?”