The Rise of Mao Zedong within the Communist Party in China, Essay

The Rise of Mao Zedong within the Communist Party in China, Culminating in the Proclamation of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 - Essay Example He started his career as a teacher. In 1918 he left for Beijing and worked as assistant librarian at the Beijing University. There he became member of Marxist study group. In 1919, he returned to Changsha and became more attracted to the message of Russian revolution and Leninist version of Marxism. Mao was one of the thirteen delegates who attended the Chinese communist party's founding congress which was secretly convened in Shanghai in July 1921 (Mao, 2011). Mao was more attracted to countryside and peasants than cities and proletariats. He spent more time on studying the rural socio economic conditions and focused on organising the peasants. In fact, he discovered the great revolutionary potential of peasants. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has merged with the nationalist party of Kuomintang in 1923. However, this partnership did not last long. By 1927, it became clear that Mao and Chiang had different perceptions on Soviet interests in China. Mao supported Soviet Union while Chiang opposed it. As a result, the CCP- Kuomintang alliance broke. Both the leaders competed for domination of China. While Mao focused on rural areas, Chiang focused on urban areas. In 1927, Mao published the Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan. It contained the important ideas of Mao. He believed in the power of the peasants and described it as a tornado. In his opinion it is "so extraordinarily swift and violent that no power, however great, will be able to suppress it." (2011). He believed in the revolutionary creativity of peasants which Marxist-Leninists reserved for the Communist Party. According to Mao, it is not the party which has to determine the revolutionary capabilities of the peasants, but the peasants who has to judge the capability of the party for revolution. From April, 1927 onwards, Chiang Kai-shek focused on destroying communists and their organisational base in urban areas. Rise of Mao Mao had great admiration for sun Tzu and gave prior ity to maintaining an army. So he formed the Red Army. He knew that war against the powerful state will take years to win. He worked for gaining support for the red army among the peasants. He followed the tactic of sun Tzu, attack when stronger and retreat when weak (Seize the Night, 2010). Mao applied this strategy four times when confronted with the strong forces of Chiang. In 1930, a notable incident called the Futien incident occurred. That is, Mao suspected that a red army unit in Jiangxi is not supporting him and so ordered execution of 3000 officers and men. This shows Mao’s strict nature. Between December 1930 and September 1931, there were three guerrilla campaigns under the leadership of Mao, but failed. The fourth guerrilla campaign in 1932-33 was also a failure. But, the fifth one succeeded. In 1934, after series of defeats, the communists and three red armies were pinned down in the mountains of Jiangxi Province in southern China. The communist army became exhau sted as a result of harassment form the Kuomintang. As a result of the nationalist offensive, the communists and the red armies decided to flee their southern bases and retreat to meet Communist forces in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia in northern China (Hays, 2011). This retreat is known as the long march. It was a six thousand mile march. The long march began in Jiangxi on October 16, 1934 and crossed 24 rivers, 18 mountain ranges (5 covered with snow) and 11 provinces before it ended after 368 days at the caves of Yenan on the edge of the Gobi desert in northern China (Hays, 2011). On January 8, 1935, they met in Zunyi in Guizhou province. There, they discussed the future leadership of the communist party. The old leadership and generals of the red army supported Mao. He was made the

Informal Report (Ch 9) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Informal Report (Ch 9) - Essay Example In order to be a registered nurse, one has to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a diploma course from an approved nursing program or even an associate degree in nursing. Other than having these academic qualifications, a registered nurse is required to undertake a licensing examination in order to be accorded a license to certify them to practice nursing legally. As at 2010, the annual salary of a registered nurse was $64,690. The future outlook of this career is slightly more than average as it is expected to grow at 26% before year 2020. This growth will be facilitated by the technological advancements, changes in healthcare and emphasis on preventive care. Being registered nurse will provide the basics in nursing and therefore career advancement to even become a head nurse or specialize in other areas of nursing like being a pediatric or cardiac nurse among other nursing career

Business Strategy Of Wal Mart In Japan

Business Strategy Of Wal Mart In Japan Globalisation is described as a process of world wide integration of culture, technology, social, political and economic factors. It is all about the creation of a world unified market and this can be observed with the growing levels of global trade (Luthans and Doh, 2009). Globalisation is evident in the shift of Multinational companies (MNCs) and economies from a world of isolation as a result of trade barriers to a world of reduced trade barriers and more inter related businesses and economies (Hill, 2009). MNCs now, expand from both developed countries, developing countries and emerging countries and vice-versa. There is therefore increasing competition among nations (The Economist, 2008). The global expansion of businesses over the years into different international markets have helped these businesses to increase their sales, competitiveness, reduce their cost of production and expand out of their saturated home markets (Root, 1994; Hill, 2009; Daniels et al., 2009). Retailers are not exceptions to this global expansion. This article will evaluate the internationalisation strategy of Wal-mart in Japan. Wal-Marts internalisation strategy in Japan is of particular interest because it recently pulled out of two of its international markets; Germany and South Korea. Its success in Japan is still questionable especially as Japan has proven to be a difficult market for many foreign retailers. International companies such as Carrefour, Boots have pulled out from the Japanese market after facing business challenges (Luthans and Doh, 2006). The literature review will analyse the Integration- responsiveness I-R framework as well as culture. These frameworks will be used for the evaluation of Wal-marts internationalisation strategy into the Japanese market in comparison with its international competitor Tesco Plc. The use of these two frameworks is to show the extent to which Wal-marts strategy responds towards Japanese local tastes and preferences in achieving a successful internationalisation. Conclusions and recommendations will be drawn from this analysis. BACKGROUND OF WAL-MART Wal-mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton and opened its first discount store in Rogers Ark, USA. In 1969, the company incorporated to become Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-mart stores feature general merchandise such as electronics, clothing, and home appliances. It also has complete groceries units. The company employs more than 2.1 million associates, serving more than 176 million customers a year. In 2009, it ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazines Most Admired Companies survey and is also the largest retailer in the world (Wal-mart, 2009). As a result of the saturation of the American retail market, Wal-mart started its international expansion into foreign markets in the 1990s first into Mexico and subsequently expanded into thirteen other countries including Japan China, Canada and Great Britain (Wal-Mart, 2009; Hill, 2009). Today it has about 8,424 stores and club locations. The companys most successful foreign venture is in its Mexican market (Hill, 2009). This is as a result of the fact that they adjusted their international strategy to meet local demands. Their everyday low price strategy was also successful in Mexico which is a developing country. However, these strategies are not always welcomed by consumers as revealed in their German and Korean market expansions where they failed and had to pull out. Wal-Mart is still struggling to succeed in the Japanese market where it has already invested $1 billion (USD) (BBC, 2007). Nevertheless, Wal-marts international expansions of Wal-Mart has allowed it to develop economies of scale, increase Its customer base and develop more ideas such as their new shop layout (Hill, 2009; Wal-mart, 2009). LITERATURE REVIEW INTEGRATION-RESPONSIVENESS(I-R) FRAMEWORK According to Prahalad and Doz (1987, p.18) the Integration-Responsiveness (I-R) framework is a way of capturing the pressures on a given business . This framework is based on the pressures for global integration and local responsiveness on a business as perceived by the managers of the company (Rugman, 2002). Pressures for global integration are industry forces which drives companies into the standardisation of their products, policies and procedures in order to reduce their cost of operations across national boundaries while pressures for local responsiveness are forces which drive businesses into being locally sensitive to differences in culture, preferences, tastes, and general behaviour of each international market in their internationalisation strategies (Rugman, 2002; Daniel et al., 2009; Luthans and Doh, 2009). According to Luthans and Doh (2009), the understanding of culture and its diversity is important to an international companys successful internationalisation in any country. This is because it impacts upon work force attitudes, managerial ideology, technological transfers, business customs and practices as well as consumer behaviours. The I-R framework was developed by Prahalad and Doz in 1987. They classified international strategies into Global strategy (global integrated, centralised management and move for cost reduction), Multi-focal strategy (an integration of global coordination and local responsiveness) and locally responsive strategy (customised and localised product and services). The adoption of any of these strategies is dependent on the dominant pressure on an MNC as well as its main focus which could be cost reduction or customer satisfaction. Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) further developed this framework and classified MNC strategies into four categories which can be compared with that of Prahalad and Doz. Their four strategic classifications are: Global strategy, International strategy, Transnational and Multi domestic strategy. Companies with global strategy (high Integration- low Responsiveness) focus on standardization and cost reduction with tight global control, those with International strategy (Low Integration-Low Responsiveness) usually introduce their existing competence and expertise into the new market while Transnational companies (High Integration and High Responsiveness) are flexible and integrate equal levels of global integration and local responsiveness into their business. The multi-domestic companies on the other hand (low Integration and High Responsiveness) respond more towards product customisation (Daniel et al 2009). It is however worthy to note that the adoption of one strategy may lead to the negl ecting another. Figure 1, shows the diagrammatic representation of the strategic classifications by both authors. CULTURE The understanding of culture and its impact on international market expansion is imperative to the success an MNCs strategy in a foreign country (Luthans and Doh, 2009). The degree of pressure for local responsiveness is reflective of the degree of influence of culture upon consumers. Differences in cultural match between companies and employees or consumers can often result to struggle for success in an international market (Holstein, 2007). Hofstede (1980, p.21), defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another. Just as personality defines the identity of an individual, culture defines the identity of a group. According to Luthans and Doh 2009 p.96, culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret, experience and generate social behaviour. This acquired knowledge often manifest into peoples attitude, values, behaviours and general ways of life. Many researchers have argued that culture can be lea rned, shared, symbolised, patterned, adapted and transgenerationalised. Hill (2009) further argues that values and norms form the basis of a culture. These values could be attributed to collective responsibility, social obligations, loyalty and so on and are often times emotionally important to the group. Norms on the other hand are social codes of conducts which dictate peoples behaviour towards each other. The Japanese for instance, can be seen as a group of people with similar values and norms and related culture. Several researchers have studied cultural differences and its impact on different national behaviours. Hall (1973, 7976) cited in Paliwoda and Ryans (2008), categorised culture into High and Low context. High context cultures like Japanese and Arabic, prefer implicit or unspoken messages and slow business discussions with emphasis on personal relationship and trust while Low context cultures like North America, United Kingdom, Germany prefer explicit, written or spoken messages with more emphasis on expertise, performance and efficiency. Hofstede (1980) undertook a study of the impact of culture on values in a workplace. He categorised culture into four main dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism -collectivism and masculinity-feminity. A fifth one confucian dynaminism also referred to as long term or short term orientation was later developed. Power distance shows the extent to which people perceive inequality. High power distance nations (cultures) emphasise on the inequality of power, its workforce follow their superiors orders while low power nations or cultures minimise this inequality to minimum thus the work force follow superiors orders as a procedural requirement. Uncertainty avoidance on the other hand is the extent to which cultures avoid uncertainty. High uncertainty avoidance cultures shy away from risks, while low uncertainty avoidance cultures see risk as a part of life. Individualism versus collectivism is the degree to which people look after themselves as individuals or work in groups. Masculinity is often compared with feminity. Cultures with emphasis on success, money were referred as more masculine by Hosftede while a culture with emphasis on quality of life and caring for people are seen as feminist ( Hill,2009; Luthans and Doh,2009). The table below shows the Work-related values for 5 countries adapted from Hofstedes study. In as much as Hofstedes work is well accepted and has provided the basic characterisation of different cultural or national groups, these are not definite because culture cannot be easily classified and also culture is gradually changing with the increase in globalisation and integration of the world at large (Luthans and Doh, 2009). WAL-MARTS EXPANSION INTO JAPAN. Wal-Mart initially made a failed entry into Japan in the mid 1990s when it entered the market through selling its products in local supermarkets, however sales were disappointing (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). The initial failure could be associated to slow market drive by the local super markets as Wal-mart had little or no control over them. This can be seen as a major disadvantage of indirect exporting (Root 1994). However, in 2002 Wal-mart made a second attempt into Japan (BBC, 2006). Japan is one of the wealthiest and developed economies in the world. It has the second largest consumer market (Haddock-Fraser et al., 2009). Wal-marts entry into Japan was through partnership with Seiyu Ltd which is Japans fifth largest hypermarket and was in financial distress at that time (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). It was a deal which was done in phases as agreed by both parties. Wal-mart was to initially acquire 6.1% of Seiyu shares and gradually increase its stake by acquiring up to 67% of Seiyu in 200 7 (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). Sumitomo Corp a leading trading company in Japan also had a 15.6% stake of Seiyu (Luthans and Doh, 2009). In 2005, Wal-mart increased its acquisition stake making Seiyu a Wal-mart subsidiary and increasing Wal-marts control over Seiyu. In 2007, Wal-marts stake was again increased to 95.1% (Wal-mart, 2009). This partnership deal was meant to help Wal-mart minimise its risk of internationalising in Japan where there is strong domestic competition, price wars and strong suppliers and also help its entry and expansion in the market (Yoffie and Wang, 2002; Luthans and Doh, 2009). ANALYSIS OF WAL-MARTS STRATEGY IN JAPAN. Companies like Wal-mart, adopt international strategy for global expansion as suggested by Bartlett and Goshal because they have core competences which they can capitalise upon especially if its difficult for their rivals to match them. Companies with International strategy have important part of their value chain such as decision making, expertise, new products and international operations being controlled or decided from their headquarters. However such centralised decision making can often impede upon the abilities of the subsidiaries to respond to local demands (Hill, 2006; Daniel et al., 2009). Wal-mart has a cost efficient operating system with an expense structure that is among the lowest in the industry (Shah et al, 2005). Its price of food was estimated to be 20% lower than its competitors in the United States (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). Wal-mart is therefore trying to replicate this successful American strategy and core competence of Everyday Low Price (EDLP) in the Japanese international market. Though this strategy has been success in some of its international markets such as Mexico and China, the results in Germany and Korea were so poor that Wal-mart withdrew from those countries in 2006. Once again the success of this strategy is still questionable in Japan. Japanese consumers associate low price with low quality as they are willing to pay high price for high quality products (Holstein, 2007; Strategic Direction, 2008; Boyle, 2009). The perception of customers towards low price signifying low quality is particularly high in its clothing segment (Brunn, 2006). This low price strategy was adopted by Wal-Mart in its entry into Japan in 2002, especially because it was at a time when the country was just emerging from a prolonged recession and consumer income was low (Luthans and Doh, 2009). In order to erase this image of Low Price signifying Low Quality from the minds of their customers, Wal-Mart has introduced, more expensive products for the customer segment that prefers high cost while still maintaining some low cost variants. For example, it has jeans for $10 and $ 35 option as well (Business Week, 2005) this however may further confuse its customers who may not understand the basis for such price disparity. Japan is a country with a high context society and collectivistic way of life (Paliwoda and Ryans, 2008). They have strong ties to families and groups and great emphasis for quality and prestige (Hofstede, 1980). As a result of these strong social ties, Wal-Marts sacking of 25% of Seiyus work force including 1500 managers and employees in 2004, was wrongly perceived by the Japanese people. Wal-mart opens its stores for 24 hours a day, this is seen as stressful by the employees and generally seen as an infiltration of the American culture into Japan. Its introduction of American, Canadian and British managers who act on headquarters decisions rather than employing Japanese managers who understand the market better further portrayed them in a negative light to both the employees and the general public. This consequently led to the loss of some of its customers (Holstein, 2007; Strategic Direction, 2008). Another core competence which Wal-mart introduced into Japan is its technology-focused inventory replenishment system which is linked to their suppliers. It helps them monitor and manage their inventories. However, because the Japanese people prefer personal interaction when doing business (Hofstede,1980), the implementation of this Information technology strategy has not been easy, especially as Japan has several layers of distribution network which are closely networked and difficult to penetrate. It thus makes high volume discounting difficult and merchandising more expensive (Brunn, 2006; Holstein, 2007). Wal-Mart is however trying to eliminate the middle-man in order to successfully implement its low price strategy (Luthan and Doh, 2009). Wal-marts response to local tastes, preferences and general way of life is perceived as low in its international strategy as It tends to implement its competences into international markets with little considerations to what the local demands, preferences, expectations are and this has led to its struggle to survive in Japan (Brunn, 2006). Comparing Wal-mart with Tesco Plc in Japan, the following differences can be drawn from their strategy. Tesco Plc which is the biggest retailer in the United Kingdom entered Japan in 2003 through the acquisition of a domestic retailer just as Wal-Mart did. While Wal-mart acquired Seiyu which is a hypermarket, Tesco Plc acquired C Two-Network stores which has small discount supermarket stores (Tesco, 2009). Haddock-Fraser et al., (2009) have argued that large supermarket (hypermarkets) of the western cultures are not viable in Japan, rather small supermarkets, convenience stores with fresh and quality products are preferred by the Japanese consumers. Thus the strategic move of acquiring a discount supermarket chain by Tesco was aimed at meeting the local demand of the Japanese consumers who prefer to shop daily for fresh food in small quantities with convenience. This shopping behaviour makes them to patronise convenience stores and discount supermarkets which are more accessible than out of town hypermarkets. Tesco, with its small store format, experienced overall sales growth in 2006 unlike Wal-mart which has been making loss for four years (Haddock-Fraser et al., 2009). Upon acquiring C Two-Network, Tesco retained the management team of the company to oversee its operations in Japan, because Tesco realised that these managers have better understanding of the Japanese employees, consumers and suppliers (Food and Drink, 2003). Japan, being a country with high collective behaviours, (Holfstede, 1980) perceived this as a good move. Tesco Plc tries to localise its products and services in each of their international markets, recognising that each market has unique preferences. This higher degree of local responsiveness in their international markets emphasises the reason why Tesco retains its foreign managers and limits its control from headquarters (Tesco, 2009). Figures 3 and 4 below further shows the differences in the sales contribution of the international markets to the total revenue of both companies. Wal-Marts international markets contributed 24.6% of the companys 2009 financial income while Tesco Plc has 53% of its 2009 financial income being generated by its foreign markets with Asia alone generating 30% of this value. It can, therefore, be concluded that Tescos response to local responsiveness has a positive impact on their financial performance internationally. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Wal-Mart is very successful in its domestic market and also some foreign markets such as China and Mexico where it had to adjust its strategy in order to respond better to local pressures. It is therefore recommended that Wal-mart should further develop its strategy in Japan and respond better to the countrys local demands and preferences through the opening of convenience stores in order to capture that market segment and offering more fresh local products to meet the local demand. Wal-mart should also employ Japanese managers who understand the market better. These measures will help Wal-mart to succeed better in Japan where the pressure for low price by customers is not emphasised rather high quality is preferred. Wal-mart can still maintain its international strategy with a little more responsiveness to local demand as there is no one best strategy to adopt. This move will save Wal-mart from withdrawing from the market where it has already invested $1 billion USD. Wal-marts low s ales value from international operations in comparison with Tesco reveals that the retail market is still a viable industry for Wal-mart to exploit.

A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The G

A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is skillfully brought to life by the unknown author. Through the eyes of numerous characters in the poem, we see Gawain as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. As the story progresses, Gawain is subjected to a number of tests of character, some known and some unknown. These tests tell us a great deal about Gawain's character and the struggles he faces internally. I will explore the various places in the poem where we learn about Gawain, either through others or through the tests he faces. By the end of the poem, we sense that we have come to know Gawain and have ventured a peek at his human side. However, we also realize that nothing short of perfection is acceptable to him. Our first glimpse of Gawain occurs when the Green Knight suddenly appears at the New Year's celebration at Camelot. He offers a challenge for anyone to come forward and strike him with his ax. Twelve months and a day later, he will return the blow. No one steps forward to accept the dare. Embarrassed by his knights' lack of response, King Arthur accepts the challenge himself. At the fateful moment when Arthur is about to strike the blow, Gawain jumps up and says: Would you grant me the grace, To be gone from this bench and stand by you there, If I without discourtesy might quit this board,... I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; And the loss of my life would be least of any; That I have you for uncle is my only praise; My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth; And for that this folly befits not a king, And 'tis I that ... ...ee that Gawain is not the perfect knight he strives to be. Neither we, nor the Green Knight, nor his fellow knights of the Round Table hold him to this standard of perfection. We read about the turmoil Gawain experiences thinking about his impending death at the hands of the Green Knight, and we understand why he accepts the girdle. We know he remains true until his fear of death overcomes him. All this proves he is only human. Yet Gawain only sees that he has been inconsistent in upholding the chivalric code, and this means failure to him. This is an indication of the standard Gawain has set for himself, and we see why he has the reputation he has. Despite all that has happened, Gawain is still a loyal, noble, honest and courteous knight. Quotations from: Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.

Frictions between Parents and Children Essay

Family is an essential part of every person’s life and of our society. Family is a little world with its own values and priorities. Close families share dreams, ideas, hopes and even possessions, and it’s a good side of being a family. However, as usual, every good thing can have its drawbacks. Same with families: they can often have different types of problems. One of the most frequent and common problems is the misunderstanding between parents and children, due to the difference of generations. This problem is especially acute with teenagers, who want to have more freedom, to express their self-identity in a way they want to. â€Å"Honour your mother and father and you will live long and be well, if not, you will die† — says the Bible. Some families are happy, some are dead. It seems to me the reason is misunderstanding of each other in the family. One more thing, teenagers can take on most of the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Before this occurs, however, they go through the period of adolescence and most of them experience conflicts at that time. They change rapidly both physically and emotionally and they search self-identity as they grow up and become more independent. Sometimes teenagers develop interests and values different from those of their parents. That sets a conflict between two generations, which leads to a gap in mutual understanding. Traditional disagreements are: the time to come home at night, doing work about the house and the friends to spend time with. I’d like to point out, that teens face a number of problems: drinking alcohol or using drugs. Moreover, some children run away from their homes. Most of them return after a few days or weeks, but some turn to crime and become juvenile delinquents. I’m convinced that sometimes parents do not care about their children. It is exactly at that age when young people need a piece of advice or help. Parents should help their children and find the right approach to them so as to make everything clear. Being able to view the problems more rationally, they should try to do their best to resolve them. We need to learn to talk our problems over in our family. If we are able to do it, everything will be all right.

Thorn Queen Chapter Fifteen

I stood there for several long seconds, staring at Shaya but not really seeing her. â€Å"Thank you,† I said at last, my voice unnaturally flat even to me. She hesitated, eyes worried. â€Å"Is there†¦is there anything I can get for you?† More wine, I thought. But I shook my head. Wine suddenly didn't seem strong enough. I wanted to go home just then and raid my liquor cabinet, seeking solace in my own home and its bed, not this godforsaken Dark Ages fortress. The wine was going to make transitioning between the worlds harder, though. It wasn't impossible but would hardly be as smooth as usual. No, it seemed I might be stuck here for a while. â€Å"I need to see Volusian,† I said. She stepped aside for me, and though I didn't ask for it, she followed me solicitously as I headed downstairs, down to the keep's dungeon. It seemed darker and drearier than it had last time, but maybe that was the wine. Jasmine's cell was easy to spot because four guards stood in the hall outside it. I reached it, and through the bars, I saw Volusian standing in one corner, perfectly still, with his arms crossed over his chest. Jasmine sat as absolutely far from him as she could, her face equal parts fear and sullenness. â€Å"What do you want now?† she snapped. I didn't even look at her. â€Å"Volusian,† I said. â€Å"I have an errand for you. I'll watch Jasmine while you're gone.† Volusian walked forward, passing through the bars and coming to stand in front of me. â€Å"No doubt my mistress has a more urgent task.† â€Å"Moderately. I want you to go back to Tucson and bring me the bottle of tequila I keep in my liquor cabinet. And don't scare Tim.† Volusian remained motionless in that way of his. â€Å"My mistress grows increasingly creative in her ways to torment me.† â€Å"I thought you'd appreciate it.† â€Å"Only in so much as it inspires me to equally creative means to rip you apart when I am able to break free of these bonds and finally destroy you.† â€Å"You see? There's a silver lining to everything. Now hurry up.† Volusian vanished. With him gone, Jasmine grew bolder. She hurried to the front of the cell, holding the bronze bars as best she could with her bound hands. â€Å"When are you going to let me go?† I sat down against the hall's wall, opposite her. I wondered if she'd try any of her stunted magic with me around. â€Å"When are you going to stop asking?† â€Å"You're a real bitch, you know that?† â€Å"Look, little girl,† I growled. â€Å"You do not want to mess with me tonight. I'm not in a good mood.† Jasmine was undeterred. â€Å"I can't believe you're keeping me in here with that†¦that thing! That's just cruel and sadistic.† â€Å"Wow, sadistic's kind of a big word. I didn't think you'd stayed in school long enough to learn that kind of vocabulary.† Her glower darkened. â€Å"When I get out, I'm going to kill you.† â€Å"Then you and ‘that thing' should get along beautifully, seeing as he spends all his time plotting my grisly death too.† She nodded down to her bound hands. â€Å"I can barely feed myself, you know.† â€Å"Barely isn't the same as can't.† But I did feel a little bad about that. Was I really going to keep her in cuffs forever? Yet, how could I not? Maybe I should investigate that potion Rurik had told me about. No†¦that wasn't right either. I sighed, and spent the next half-hour listening to her alternate between insults and whining. It was better than thinking about Kiyo, though. All the while, I was sobering up, so when Volusian finally appeared and handed me over a full bottle of Jose Cuervo, I gave silent thanks that I'd purchased an extra-large bottle. â€Å"Thanks,† I said, rising to my feet. I pointed to Jasmine's cell. â€Å"Now-back to guard duty.† I turned around without a second glance, Jasmine's cries of outrage echoing behind me. Shaya, who had waited silently the whole time, fell in step with me as I walked back upstairs. â€Å"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?† I eyed the bottle. â€Å"See if you can find some little glasses about this big.† I held my fingers out to the size of a shot glass. â€Å"And bring enough for†¦I don't know. You, Rurik†¦hell, anyone who wants to get drunk with me. Even Ysabel.† I was feeling magnanimous tonight. Or, well, at least in a misery-loves-company mood. Shaya's face looked more troubled than ever, but I paid it little concern as I walked outside to a small circular courtyard in the castle's center. This seemed to be a fixture in most gentry holdings. Dorian had a couple. I'd been told that this one had been green in Aeson's time, filled with lilies and lilacs. Now, it was sandy and gravelly, lined with cacti, mesquite, and even some of the thorn trees that had given the land its name. At least the mesquite scented the air, and I decided one perk of the Otherworld was that those trees always seemed to be in bloom. I sat down cross-legged in the middle of the courtyard, noticing that someone had started to set stone tiles into it to create a kind of patio area. It hadn't been there last time, and I wondered if it was Shaya's doing, just like the patches of grass she kept trying to grow around here. Not waiting for shot glasses, I uncapped the tequila and took a long swig, the strong liquor burning my throat. Shaya returned shortly, Rurik following. His face was uncharacteristically serious. After a brief moment of exchanged looks, they joined me on the tiled ground. Shaya set down some tiny cups made of engraved silver. Not quite shot glasses, but they would do. I took the bottle and filled three of them up. â€Å"To the Willow Queen and her child,† I said, holding my cup in the air. I downed it one gulp. â€Å"Damn. Wish I had some salt and lime.† Shaya and Rurik exchanged glances once more-did they honestly think I didn't notice each time?-and then followed my lead with the tequila. Rurik took his down stoically, but Shaya choked on hers. â€Å"What†¦what is this?† she asked, once she was able to speak. â€Å"God's favorite liquor. I should have had Volusian run to the grocery store and get some margarita mix while he was out.† I paused, laughing at the thought. I poured another shot. â€Å"It's made from a kind of cactus, you know.† Shaya eyed the bottle askance. â€Å"Truly?† â€Å"Yup. Huh. I wonder if we could manufacture this stuff. I've seen agave around. I bet we could set up some serious trade with it.† â€Å"I'm not so certain,† she said. Rurik was pouring another glass. â€Å"I don't know. It might appeal to some.† â€Å"Ah, Rurik. I knew we were kindred spirits.† I held up my empty shot glass, studying the way the half-moon's light shone on it. My head was regaining its pleasant buzz again. â€Å"Do you think Maiwenn's going to have a boy or a girl?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Shaya after several moments of silence. â€Å"There are those who can magically determine such things. But I haven't heard of the Willow Queen doing that.† â€Å"Probably not.† Kiyo would have told me. Or would he have? Maybe he would have held on to that news, keeping it as a special secret between him and Maiwenn. I poured another shot but didn't drink it yet. Shitfaced was one thing; sick was another. â€Å"Back in my world, they would have known its gender a long time ago. They also would have been able to tell all sorts of things-its size, if it had any diseases, even if it was twins or triplets. There's this machine we've got. You run a paddle over the mother's stomach, and then you can see the baby up on this screen. Or, sometimes, even earlier, they can take a needle and suck up amniotic fluid to find out the same things.† Rurik and Shaya were staring at me wide-eyed. It was a common expression amongst Otherworldly denizens whenever I began talking about human technology. â€Å"I wonder sometimes if there's any mystery or wonder left in your world at all.† I glanced over and saw Ysabel's form silhouetted in the doorway to the castle. â€Å"Oh, sure. Plenty of it.† I gestured her over. â€Å"Come have a drink. I'm pretty sure I'm too drunk to kill anyone tonight.† Ysabel hesitated a few seconds and then slowly walked over, sitting near Rurik and Shaya, as far from me as she could respectfully go. She grimaced slightly at the tiles as she tucked her flowing silk skirts underneath her. No doubt being on the ground went against her fastidious nature. Rurik cheerfully handed her a tequila shot. She sniffed it, and her scowl returned. My mind was still on babies. â€Å"Seems like ultrasounds would be useful to you guys. I mean, what with the trouble you have having kids.† There was a good chance, I knew, that Maiwenn might not even survive the delivery. Or that her child wouldn't. It was common among the gentry, sort of the cost for their long and healthy lives. I didn't know how I felt about that. I didn't wish death on either of them†¦and yet, how much simpler would things be if there was no Maiwenn and no baby? Even now, I could picture Kiyo by her side, holding her hand. His handsome face would be lined with worry as he spoke words of encouragement. Surely, with his human blood, their baby would be healthy and strong. And Maiwenn was a healer†¦. would that be useful to herself? Maybe. Everything would go well, I was certain, and they'd undoubtedly have a beautiful baby, one that would create a bond between them forever, a bond I could never be a part of†¦. I drank my next shot and noticed that Ysabel had manfully downed hers. â€Å"Nice work,† I said. â€Å"You want another?† She shook her head. â€Å"I don't consider it ladylike to drown oneself in excess, losing hold of inhibitions and all sense of decorum.† â€Å"Of course you don't,† I said. â€Å"I believe,† she added primly, â€Å"that the Willow Queen shares my views.† I smiled, spinning my cup on the ground, watching in fascination as it turned in smaller and smaller circles before coming to a stop. With Maiwenn's baby consuming my thoughts, Ysabel's baiting seemed insignificant tonight. We continued on for a while, Rurik keeping up with me in shots, with Shaya only occasionally indulging. Ysabel seemed to have lost her fear of me and continued her running commentary of barbed remarks. I think knowing I was in a fragile state over Maiwenn's labor had emboldened her. In fact, she was in the middle of some anecdote about how Kiyo and Maiwenn had first gotten involved when her words came to a halt, and her features lit up with surprise. â€Å"My lord!† she cried, springing up just as one of my servants began announcing, â€Å"His royal majesty, King Dorian, of the House of Arkady, caller of earth-â€Å" Dorian strode forward into the courtyard without waiting for his titles to finish. Ysabel fell to her knees before him, face radiant. â€Å"My lord!† He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment and then swept on past her toward me. I don't think anyone except me saw the devastation that filled her face over the slight. Shaya and Rurik began to rise out of courtesy, but Dorian quickly motioned them down. Unfastening his cloak-it appeared to be navy in the moonlight-he spread it on the ground and sat beside me. â€Å"Well, well, a party, and no one invited me.† â€Å"It was kind of impromptu,† I said, reaching over to pour him a shot. My hand trembled as I held the bottle. Dorian took it from me and finished pouring. He eyed me carefully. â€Å"And yet, it appears to have been going on for some time.† â€Å"Yes. We're toasting the birth of the next king or queen of the Willow Land.† â€Å"So I've heard, which is why I came to see how the news was received here.† Dorian tossed back the tequila. His eyebrows rose in surprise at the taste, but it didn't stop him from pouring another. â€Å"And don't presume her child will inherit. It all depends on strength and power.† His words reminded me distantly of Leith's own inheritance problems, which then reminded me of Leith's declaration of love. Ugh. I'd probably killed our one chance at engineering help. Well, that was a concern for another day. â€Å"How'd you get here so fast?† I asked Dorian. â€Å"Not that fast. I heard hours ago.† Hours ago. Dorian had found out before I had. Probably everyone had. Who was I, after all? Certainly no one who was connected to this birth. I was just another monarch who'd be expected to send jewels or tapestries when the baby was born. I poured another shot, but Shaya reached for it. â€Å"May I have another?† She wasn't a fan of this stuff, but I had a feeling she wanted to stop me from drinking any more. Oh, well. There appeared to be about one more shot in the bottle-though Dorian beat me to that one too. â€Å"You'll make yourself sick,† I warned, reaching for the bottle. Only a few drops poured into my cup. â€Å"I'll take my chances. This is a fascinating substance.† â€Å"It comes from cacti,† I said helpfully, hoping it might deter him from that last shot. It didn't. â€Å"Intriguing,† he said after downing it. â€Å"You should try producing it here. I'm certain a number of people would trade for it.† I couldn't be certain in the near-darkness, but it looked like Shaya rolled her eyes. Part of me resented Dorian's presence, though I had to admit that he did a good job in keeping the subject away from Maiwenn and Kiyo. That didn't stop me from thinking about them, of course, but I couldn't help but smile as he entertained the others. Whether it was part of being a king or just something inherently Dorian, he had a powerful charisma about him that could make everyone laugh and stay captivated. With my social reticence, his were skills I admired-and occasionally envied. As the night wore on, though, I could feel the tequila's effects lessening a little. That wasn't to say I still wasn't drunk as hell; I'd taken down half that bottle myself. But, I wanted to go to bed while I was still in that delirious haze. It didn't stop me from feeling down over Kiyo, but I had to imagine being sober would be worse. Everyone stood up when I did, and I felt my legs struggle for balance. â€Å"Let me assist you,† said Shaya, reaching toward me. Dorian intervened before she could help. â€Å"No, no. Allow me to guide the Thorn Queen to her room. I'd like a few words.† Ysabel's face darkened at this, and he gave her a chastising look. â€Å"Oh, stop it. I'll come to you shortly-provided Eugenie will allow me to stay overnight in her castle.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† I said. â€Å"Come on over. Make yourself at home. Pick out curtains.† He extended his arm to me, and I decided the indignity of letting Dorian guide me was less than that of me falling over in front of my servants. Ysabel's eyes followed us furiously, and I couldn't blame her. If my boyfriend were taking a drunk woman to her bedroom, I'd be pissed too. â€Å"It was very high-handed of you to think I needed your moral support,† I told him once we were out of earshot of the others. â€Å"Right. You only need the moral support of a bottle,† he teased. â€Å"Be honest, Eugenie. Your lover's at the side of a former lover, eagerly awaiting the birth of their child. I'd be distressed as well.† â€Å"Nothing distresses you,† I grumbled. We reached my room, and he followed me in without invitation. â€Å"Plenty of things do,† he said. He frowned, ever so slightly, and it occurred to me he was none too sober himself. I let go of his arm and walked over to the full-length mirror that stood on one side of the room, edged in gold. I'd pinned up my hair earlier and let it down now, wondering if I wanted to bother with sending Nia for a nightgown or if I'd just sleep in my clothes. Standing there, I stared at my body, thinking again of my mother's claims that I was too skinny. I always argued it was an athletic build. Running my hands over the sides of my stomach and down to my hips, I studied my figure. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was slim. â€Å"I can never do that for him,† I said in a small voice. â€Å"I can never give him a baby like she can.† Dorian strolled over and stood behind me, meeting my eyes in the mirror. â€Å"Do you want to?† â€Å"I don't know. Kids were never on my radar†¦it was always a ‘maybe someday' kind of thing. But now†¦knowing I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My hips and stomach suddenly seemed as unhealthily skinny as my mother had always said. They would remain untouched and infertile, never filling out with the kind of life Maiwenn's had. I would never share that with Kiyo. I flinched as Dorian reached from behind and placed his hands on the narrowest part of my waist. He rested his head on my shoulder, and I was too weary to shoo him away. â€Å"You speak like someone who's been condemned with infertility or like you've passed your prime.† â€Å"I might as well be.† â€Å"That's not true. You're young. You radiate health and fertility. You could have a dozen children.† I shook my head slowly. â€Å"I can't,† I said sadly. â€Å"I won't. You know I won't, no matter how much you and every other Otherworldly creature want me to.† â€Å"Maybe you'd have a daughter.† â€Å"I can't take the risk.† I knew I'd never be confiding in him sober. â€Å"And what if Kiyo decides he doesn't want that-to be with someone who's always going to be childless? What if he wants more kids? Maybe this baby†¦Maybe he'll go back to Maiwenn. Maybe†¦maybe he'll leave me†¦.† I could feel tears forming in my eyes and hated myself for the weakness. Dorian tightened his grip on my waist. â€Å"He'd be a fool. And you'd be a fool to mourn him if he did. You're more than a childbearing vessel.† â€Å"Not the way everyone talks. Not the way you talk.† To my shock, Dorian spun me around. Still gripping me, he pressed his forehead to mine so that only an inch was between us. I could smell the tequila on his breath, no doubt mirroring my own. â€Å"Eugenie, you're a woman without equal, and no matter how much you annoy the hell out of me and no matter how much I try to get you out of my head-and believe me, both occur regularly-I can't stay away from you. Even if you were barren, I'd take you as my consort in an instant and spend the rest of my life with you-childless, so long as it meant you'd be by my side. I would gladly bring you to my bed with no other thoughts than taking joy from your body. It would be enough.† I swallowed. â€Å"But you're with†¦I mean, what about†¦what about Ysabel? She can have kids†¦.† â€Å"Ysabel,† he said dismissively, â€Å"is nothing. A pale imitation of you-and not even a good one at that.† That was harsh of him, but it filled me with something warm and loved and special. I realized then that no matter the bantering, sexual tension, and many schemes, Dorian really was my friend. I also realized that I wanted so badly then for him to kiss me, to crush his body against mine and run his hands along my bare skin. I wanted to have sex with him against the wall, on the bed, on the floor†¦it honestly didn't matter, so long as our bodies were joined, and I could feel him in me†¦. Whoa. I jerked away, my heart racing, barely stopping myself from doing something I'd regret. Deciding he was my friend was one thing; jumping into bed was another. I knew it was the tequila and my worry over Kiyo causing this. I didn't want to be with Dorian again; I couldn't be. Even if he claimed it would be for love and pleasure, I knew it could never be that simple. There would always be politics and schemes†¦. And so, I did the most unsexy thing I could. I summoned Volusian. The icy, dark presence of my minion caught even Dorian by surprise, and he took a step back. It was the Otherworldly equivalent of a cold shower. Volusian's eyes flicked to him and then turned back to me. â€Å"My mistress requires more intoxication,† he said. â€Å"No.† My magical hold on him trembled ever so slightly. It was nowhere near enough for me to lose control, but the alcohol messed with my power a bit. â€Å"I wanted you to go to the Willow Land and see if there's any news.† â€Å"More romantic errands.† â€Å"Just go,† I snapped, trying to sound as harsh and commanding as I could. As soon as Volusian was gone, Dorian strode angrily to me, all traces of sensuality gone. â€Å"That was stupid, Eugenie. You shouldn't have summoned him after drinking so much.† I turned away from him. â€Å"I need to find out what's going on.† â€Å"You need to banish him. You're going to regret keeping him someday.† â€Å"He's useful,† I protested. â€Å"I don't need any lectures. You should go to Ysabel now. I don't need any more declarations of love today.† â€Å"Oh?† His light tone returned. â€Å"Had a few of those today?† â€Å"Leith,† I admitted. â€Å"He came by tonight to profess his undying devotion and see if he had a chance with me.† Dorian's green eyes watched me carefully. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And, of course not. I had to tell him no a few times before he finally got it.† Dorian didn't bother hiding his satisfaction. â€Å"You've broken the poor boy's heart. And his mother's, no doubt. There'll be no ball now. Would you like me to throw one instead?† â€Å"No.† My sadness was turning into irritability. â€Å"I want you to leave. Go to Ysabel and paint her or tie her up or whatever it is you do together. I'm tired and want to go to bed. Alone.† To my surprise, Dorian didn't protest. Much. â€Å"As you wish. If you need me, you know where I'll be.† â€Å"It would take a lot for me to interrupt you,† I said dryly. Dorian gave me one of his knowing, sly smiles and then left without another word. The thought of him going to Ysabel's bed troubled me more than I would have liked. He'd barely been gone a few minutes when Volusian returned. â€Å"Well?† I asked. My stomach was queasy. I didn't know what I wanted to hear. If it was in Volusian's nature to smile, I swear, he would have. â€Å"The servants of the Willow Land report joyfully that their queen has given birth to a daughter. All are healthy and well.† My body went perfect still, and for a moment, I saw nothing in the room except those glowing red eyes. Finally, I snapped back to myself. â€Å"Thank you, Volusian.† â€Å"Does my mistress require me to learn anything else about this joyous occasion?† There was a sneer in his voice. â€Å"No. Go back to Jasmine. Now.† He obeyed, leaving me alone. I sat on the bed for several minutes, thinking of everything and nothing. I felt numb. I felt every emotion in the world. And when I suddenly ripped the air from the room and used it to smash a vase against the wall, I couldn't say if it was because of Dorian or Kiyo.