"That it is such a prevalent opinion."

Aegis shrugs. "We figure out how Bells are by seeing what Bells do. We imitate each other some 'cause we're all so cool, but not slavishly or anything. If Glass thinks your mom is the best queen and she pulls a Rose instead of a Shell Bell, or works on something like Amariah trying to unite all the kingdoms of the world before she sits on them collectively, or does something totally novel, we'll all go 'huh' and incorporate it and then wonder whether the next Bell is going to do that. Besides, you're her obvious mint-helper. We'll spot her some coins if you can't keep up, but even if you ignore that she must really love you to have married you, she's not likely to do anything you strenuously object to."

"There are plenty of excellent reasons why she should not violently overthrow my mother," Sherlock agrees. "Among them is the fact that it would not work. Nevertheless, I find the attitude disquieting."

"Okay, and?"

"Perhaps it is worth considering some of your underlying assumptions."

"I will when I see what Glass does and I know which assumptions are suspect," says Aegis. "Before today all I knew about your mom's template was that none of your or Iron's alts wanted theirs back from the dead. Maybe yours is special, but I don't know how. Maybe Glass is relevantly unusual, but I don't know how."

Aegis shrugs again. "I'm not personally planning to violently overthrow anyone," she offers. "I live in a democracy and I'm a war hero with another war hero's endorsement. I just have to turn sixteen and hire a campaign manager and I'm a shoo-in for Hegemon. Circumstances matter. Maybe this world - did she name it yet? - maybe where we are turns out particularly non-megalomaniacal Bell results. You've been married to her for years, I found out that there were more than one of me for real and not just in a weird dream Sue had months ago by my time, maybe you know more than me."

"I do, in fact, know more about both my wife and my kingdom than you do."

"So what's it matter what I think? I'm not gonna step on Glass's toes whatever she winds up doing."

"It matters because this is only one of many kingdoms in one of many worlds, and I am sure it is not the only one that is being adequately governed."

"The outright usurpers among us are Golden and Shell Bell. Both the governments they deposed killed innocent people routinely. Rest of us are orthogonal to politics, space colonists, taking power more naturally," she raises a hand, "or doing diplomacy. Or whatever. I don't think Sarion's settled on a strategy, she's been repairing her brain, she'll probably do something soon, she seems mostly better to me."

"In which case," Sherlock says dryly, "it seems odd to predict that Glass will usurp anything."

"Is there some secret number of times I have to say that she totally might not do that which will placate you?"

"I already know she is not going to do that."

"Then I don't get what the problem is."

"Clearly you do not."

"...Are you gonna explain?"

"I'm not sure I can."

"Would Glass get it? Because I bet she could explain it to me if she did."

"She might."

[Hey Glass, your wife is confusing me!]

Glass appears. "How so?" she inquires of Sherlock.

"I questioned her about her troubling assumption that you are going to overthrow my mother and she does not seem to comprehend the scope of the problem."

"Wait," says Glass, "why is there such an assumption? I'm not going to do that." She thinks for a moment. Then she says, "Aegis, I moved here. On purpose when I was about your age during Marianne's reign."