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Honor Harrington:fanfic: The Queen Is Dead (Long Live The Queen)

May. 7th, 2023 at 6:49 AM

Fandom: Honor Harrington
Rating: G
Summary: Honor has to explain Oyster Bay to Eloise, in an AU where Beth is dead.
Author's Notes: So in this weird little AU, seven of the eight people on the top of the Star Empire's succession die in Oyster Bay. So we get Queen Michelle Henke.

More in notes below the cut...

My inspiration came from deep in the Tumblr of a former Honorverse fan: (Okay, background. Landing gets hit by a fragment of Hephasteus. Dispatch boat dived through the Lynx terminus moments after the attack, but before Landing goes splat, squawks case Zulu to the Lynx picket and heads for Spindle. Mike’s reaction accelerates and she decides to whack Meyers as a precaution to secure the cluster and she departs *immediately*)

I went for Honor deciding to explain this to Eloise.

She knows, that it would be a risk to explain about the recent attacks on the Star Kingdom to Eloise Pritchart, of all people. But, she knows that if she doesn’t explain, she would be unlikely to get the treaty Beth wanted– had wanted.

“May I speak to you and the members of your cabinet you actually trust, privately?” she asks Eloise in private, after the next meeting, when everyone else filed out for lunch.

“Of course, Your Grace.” Eloise replies in her Nouveau Paris accent.

Eloise listens as Honor explains, picking her words carefully, “Two weeks ago, we were somehow attacked. A fragment of one of our space stations hit Landing. Empress Elizabeth is dead, among with everyone else in the line of succession, for the first eight places, except the former Countess Gold Peak.”

Eloise hopes, I hope that she isn’t going to frame us for this. We don’t have the technology to defend ourselves. And we were actually talking, this time.

“My condolences, Your Grace, on the recent attacks, and congratulations to Her Majesty.” Eloise replies formally. Leslie, sitting next to her, nods.

Honor states, “I’d like to get the treaty. Especially in memory of Elizabeth.”

Eloise replies, “I would, too.” Honor hears the unspoken thought that she know is running through Eloise’s mind regarding Javier.