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It was Nemer who noticed.
After his concussion, Avris and Esha gave him as many of the less-demanding tasks as they could: fetching lotions instead of bathing the emperor; swapping out rings rather than threading jewels through his hair; putting away gloves and stockings and silk underlayers rather than handling the heavy wool and furs. The tasks that required more physical work, closer attention, finer detail…those, they took for themselves.
And so it was Nemer who noticed that, though the emperor was in general gaining weight only slowly, a month after Winternight, his rings weren’t fitting well.
Hands, like feet, change shape during the day, in the same way the torso changes shape after a large meal. Gloves and stockings and shoes usually have enough stretch to accommodate these changes, but rings are made of a less forgiving material. In Nemer’s experience, it was not at all unusual for a ring that fit perfectly in the morning to stick a little in the evening, or a ring that fit perfectly in the evening to seem uncomfortably loose at the beginning of the next day.
Though Nemer had never examined the Emperor Varenechibel’s hands, he knew from the rings left behind that his fingers were of similar thickness to the Emperor Edrehasivar. Perhaps somewhat longer, given his edocharei’s arrangement of sets, and their choice of jewels. While they fit Edrehasivar acceptably, they were not, in Nemer’s opinion, the most flattering selection for him. They made his hands seem stocky, his fingers thick.
Fortunately, the custom for an emperor to wear many rings at once meant there were many to choose from, and they could be swapped between fingers to find an appropriate fit. A ring too large for the first finger might suit the second; a ring too small for the third finger might fit the fourth. With this in mind, in the days after Edrehasivar’s coronation, Nemer, Avris, and Esha had discreetly tested Edrehasivar’s ring sizes, and arranged the Imperial jewels so that they could easily put the right rings on each finger. So that their service was as efficient and unobtrusive as possible.
It happened gradually, was the thing. The emperor’s rings were tighter in the evening than the morning; that was normal. And if the fit of the rings changed, little by little, the change wasn’t large enough from day to day for any of them to notice. And then Nemer found himself thinking it was time to contact Dachensol Habrobar about adding some ease to Edrehasivar’s signet ring, and realised all of a sudden that something had changed.
The signet ring had fit perfectly at first, Nemer was sure of it. Hadn’t it? Or was he remembering that wrong? Maybe it had always been a little snug, maybe they had accepted that it didn’t slide on easily in exchange for the security of knowing it wouldn’t slide off easily.
“Esha,” he said quietly, that afternoon. “When thou next care for His Serenity’s nails, wouldst thou look to see if his hands are swollen?” Esha’s mother worked in a Csaiveise hospice, and had picked up a great deal of knowledge from the clerics there, which she had passed on to Esha as a child. While all of them were trained to notice signs of illness, Esha was the best at it.
Esha gave him a worried frown, but nodded.
His Serenity’s hands were swollen. His joints, particularly. Which could be any number of things, but was certainly not nothing, and was probably causing him pain.
If only they found it harder to believe that His Serenity would be in pain, and say nothing.
After a quiet, but fierce, debate, they agreed on a strategy. This was the first time they had discovered a health concern of the Emperor’s, but it would not be the last. They must establish that they could be trusted to be discreet, sympathetic, and helpful.
They waited until a day when Kiru was the nohecharo in attendance, and when His Serenity was (relatively) at ease, after a dinner with the Archduchess Arbelan. Dressing His Serenity for bed, there was no rush, and on such occasions they had often made a point of letting him hear their friendly conversation.
Now, as Esha and Avris unpinned His Serenity’s hair and began to braid it for sleep, Nemer carefully asked, “Your Serenity, we have noticed your hands seem somewhat uncomfortable. Is there anything we might do to ease them?”
There was a brief pause (in which Nemer felt Kiru’s gaze on him like the eye of a hunting hawk), and then His Serenity replied wryly, “We do not think you can usher the spring early, or you would be serving us as a dachenmaza rather than an edocharis.”
Nemer frowned, kneeling to ease off His Serenity’s boots. “You believe it is a result of the cold, Serenity?” he prompted.
His Serenity folded his hands in his lap, hiding them from view. “Such aches have always passed in warmer weather.”
Nemer’s gaze flicked up to Esha, who looked visibly pained, then to Avris, who was clearly thinking hard. “Does warmth soothe them?” he offered hopefully. “Standing near a fire, or cradling a cup of hot tea?”
His Serenity’s ears twitched briefly before he composed himself. “Perhaps we merely believe that it does,” he said.
At last, Kiru came forward, moving into the emperor’s eyeline. “Serenity,” she said, “may we examine your hands? Such winter aches are uncommon for someone your age.”
After one of his customary contemplative pauses, His Serenity conceded. “Very well,” he allowed, unclasping his hands and placing them on his knees.. “We know you will not rest easy until you have done so.”
His Serenity had a chronic inflammation of the joints. He had, perhaps, inherited it from his mother, who he had often heard complain of aches in the winter. In the low-lying marshes of Edonomee, it had troubled him less often, but the stone corridors of the Ethuveraz were difficult to heat, and careful questioning revealed his hands had ached often since his arrival at court, in this unusually harsh winter. Even worse, one of his quiet comments betrayed that the removal of his rings each night was a relief - his jewellery had caused him daily pain, and so he had not noted the increased ache as anything of significance.
Only the absolute certainty that it would greatly distress His Serenity prevented his edocharei from flinging themselves to the floor. Nemer, still kneeling, did prostrate himself, his ears low with distress. “Serenity,” he said miserably, “we -” (the plural) “- have failed you.”
“Nemer, please,” Edrehasivar begged, reaching for him. “There has been no fault in your service. We have relied upon you to ensure we are arrayed as an emperor ought to be, and your skill and judgement have never been lacking.” As Nemer raised his head, he saw that Edrehasivar’s gaze encompassed Esha and Avris as well.
His kindness, under the circumstances, was all the more painful.
“Serenity,” Nemer insisted, “our first duty is not to your appearance. The first duty of an edocharis is your comfort.” They took pride - had taken pride - in doing so. Theirs were the hands that bathed him, that braided his hair, that dressed him for riding or sleeping or audiences in cold halls. And they had not noticed this.
Edrehasivar simply gave one of his wry little smiles, the ones that somehow never quite became bitter, despite all his reasons for bitterness. “It is a thankless task, in sooth,” he said, “for the duties of an emperor are not comfortable ones.”
Kiru, who had allowed herself to fade into the background, now interrupted their conversation. “Setting aside the question of whether wearing heavy rings is indeed a duty of an emperor -” which it was not! The emperor was not free from the demands of propriety, nor could he entirely dispense with the Dachen and Michen Mura, but the customs of which jewels to wear and in what manner were hardly the bedrock of the Untheileneise Court! “- are there other duties of the emperor that you have found painful, Serenity?”
Under Kiru’s gentle interrogation, His Serenity admitted to painful headaches when matters of the court became particularly troublesome, but thankfully, there were no other maladies they had missed. The headaches, Kiru requested Edrehasivar bring to her attention when they occurred, and she would develop a treatment for them. Regarding his joints, she declared, there were medicinal teas to reduce inflammation and pain, and salves which could be applied, and she would see that both of them were provided.
“And we ,” Avris declared firmly, speaking for all three edocharei, “will speak to Mer Atterezh, so that you may have fine gloves for indoor wear, and we will also consider on the matter of your rings, for we will not knowingly dress you in aught that would cause you pain.”
“And we beg you,” Nemer added quickly, “not to allow us to do so unknowing, for it pains us greatly that you might endure what you need not, were we allowed to assist you.”
At last, Edrehasivar conceded to their concern, even if he insisted they bore no fault for it. (Which was ridiculous. Observing the state of the Emperor’s health was part of their job.) It was sufficient for now; they could only strive to earn greater trust going forward.
Object : Embroidered silk gloves
Date : Mid-reign of Edrehasivar VII
Material : Silk, metal thread, amethyst beads
Techniques : Knitting, embroidery, beadwork
Notes : The silk is worn on the tip of the left thumb and first two fingers, suggesting the wearer was left-handed and wore the gloves while writing. There is a 1cm reinforced section near the base of the right thumb, consistent with an oath ring or signet ring worn over the glove.
Fine gloves for indoor wear in winter were a fashion set by Edrehasivar VII, who preferred doeskin leather or knitted silk. These gloves, with amethyst beads and gold thread, most likely belonged to a wealthy osmer or minor dach’osmer. The wealthiest used truly precious gems or pearls on such gloves, in imitation of Edrehasivar Zhas, while the poorer used glass beads. The goldwork is another imitation of Edrehasivar Zhas, whose gloves often had elaborate silver embroidery over the back of the hand and the cuffs. The embroidered motifs are significant for dating purposes, as Edrehasivar Zhas did not begin wearing Barizhan-inspired embroidery until after the death of the Great Avar Maru Sevraseched. The motifs on these gloves differ from the Barizheise ‘smoke curl’ and ‘star flower’ patterns in ways which are consistent with documented and extant embroidery from Edrehasivar Zhas’ wardrobe, confirming that these gloves post-date that period of his reign.