20 August 3015

My Dearest Lysander,

I write to you with news from home that I wish I did not have to share, but that you must know about if you are to understand the political situation here and how it may affect our family and your work. The border between our nation and our neighbor has been closed by Bravian military forces during their ongoing operations, and this development has created considerable anxiety and political turmoil at home.

Let me tell you what has happened and what it means, both for our nation and for you personally as you begin your service in Bravia.

What Has Occurred

About ten days ago, Bravian military forces, along with their Fremen allies and apparently forces from some of their other allied nations, advanced to the border crossings between our nation and our neighbor and closed them “for security purposes during military operations.” The Bravian forces positioned themselves on our neighbor’s side of the border—they did not cross into our territory—and have established what appears to be a substantial military presence there.

The Bravians sent word through our border guards that they meant no threat to our nation, that the border closure was temporary, and that normal border operations would resume once their military operations in our neighbor’s territory were complete. However, they also made clear that the timing of reopening the border would be determined entirely by Bravian military authorities and was not subject to negotiation.

Lysander, I tell you this because I know you will hear about it through official channels, and I want you to have your mother’s perspective as well as whatever official briefings your uncle provides. The border closure is not a direct threat to our security—the Bravians have made their peaceful intentions toward us clear and have scrupulously avoided any actions that could be interpreted as hostile. But it is nonetheless a stark demonstration of Bravian power and of our complete inability to influence events that affect our vital interests.

How This Is Being Received at Home

The reaction at court has been intense and divided. Some people—led by Baron Rothwell, who you will remember broke off your understanding with his daughter Catherine—are arguing that this demonstrates Bravian aggression and that we must prepare to defend ourselves against potential future Bravian expansion into our own territory. They view the border closure as evidence that the Bravians care nothing for the interests or concerns of neighboring nations and will do whatever serves their purposes regardless of the impact on others.

Others—including people like Lord Ashford and Lady Margrave who have been kind to me—are arguing that the border closure actually demonstrates why maintaining good relations with Bravia is so important. They point out that the Bravians have not threatened us, have not invaded our territory, and have explicitly stated their intention to restore normal relations. They argue that our treaty relationship is precisely what has ensured that Bravian military operations have not affected us more severely.

His Majesty has not taken a clear position in these debates, which suggests he is genuinely uncertain about the best path forward. Crown Prince Alexander, with whom I have met, seems to be moving toward a more realistic assessment of our situation—recognizing that Bravia is now the dominant power in the region and that we must adapt our policies to this reality.

I share all of this with you, my son, not to burden you with political complexities you can do nothing about from such a distance, but because I want you to understand the context in which you are serving. The work you and your uncle are doing is becoming more important and more politically sensitive with each passing week, and you should be aware of how events are affecting opinion at home.

What This Means for You

Lysander, I want to talk to you as your mother now, not as someone analyzing political situations. I am worried about you, my dear son. You are far from home, in a foreign country that our people are increasingly viewing with anxiety and fear, working in a position that is becoming more politically fraught as tensions rise.

I worry that you may be caught between conflicting pressures—pressure from some at home who will view anything positive you say about Bravia as evidence of naïveté or worse, and pressure from the Bravians who may expect you to understand and sympathize with their perspectives. I worry that the very knowledge and understanding you are developing—the expertise that is supposed to make you valuable—may become a source of suspicion from those who believe that understanding Bravia means sympathizing with them inappropriately.

I worry also about how these events will affect your own views and feelings. You went to Bravia expecting to learn about a foreign culture and to help manage diplomatic relations. Now you find yourself in a country that is actively conducting military operations that affect our nation’s interests, demonstrating power that far exceeds our own, and acting in ways that create real fear and anxiety at home. How do you process this? How do you maintain appropriate perspective when you are surrounded by people who are the source of the power that is making your countrymen anxious?

My dear son, I do not have easy answers to these questions. I can only tell you what I told you before you left: maintain your sense of who you are and where you come from. Observe carefully, learn genuinely, and develop real understanding of Bravian perspectives and capabilities. But do not lose yourself in that understanding. You are not there to become a Bravian or even to become a Bravian sympathizer. You are there to serve our nation by understanding Bravia well enough to help us manage our relationship with them effectively.

On the Installation Ceremony

I must also respond to your letters about the installation ceremony and about your first days at the embassy. Lysander, I was so proud reading your account of how you conducted yourself at the ceremony. You represented our family with dignity, you navigated unfamiliar diplomatic protocols successfully, and you made a positive impression on important officials. This is a significant accomplishment, and you should feel good about it.

I was also moved by your honesty about your feelings—your excitement mixed with apprehension, your sense of being somewhat overwhelmed, your confession of fears about being adequate to the responsibility. My dear son, these feelings are not signs of weakness or inadequacy. They are signs of appropriate humility and self-awareness. Only a fool would feel no anxiety about assuming such significant responsibilities at such a young age in such a foreign environment.

Your fear that you might disappoint me or your uncle or the memory of your father—Lysander, let me say this as clearly as I can: you have already made me proud beyond measure by accepting this challenge, by approaching it with seriousness and commitment, and by conducting yourself with integrity and thoughtfulness. You cannot disappoint me by struggling with difficult questions or by feeling uncertain about complex matters. You can only disappoint me by being dishonest or by failing to give your best effort, and I see no evidence of either.

Your father would be proud of you, Lysander. I know this with absolute certainty. He valued integrity, diligence, and thoughtful service, and you are demonstrating all of these qualities. He would recognize in you the son he hoped you would become, and he would be grateful that you are serving our family and our nation in such important work.

On Your Journey Through Bravia

Your descriptions of traveling through Bravia’s interior were fascinating and also somewhat troubling to me. I could see in your words how impressed you were by what you observed—the apparent prosperity of Bravian farmers, the organization of Bravian towns, the quality of Bravian infrastructure, the dignity and competence of ordinary Bravian people.

I understand why these observations impressed you. They impressed your uncle as well when he first traveled through Bravia, and they impressed me when I read his descriptions of what he saw. The Bravians have built something remarkable, and it would be dishonest to deny that or to pretend we should not learn from their example where appropriate.

But I must also caution you, as your uncle no doubt has, about drawing too direct comparisons between Bravian society and our own. The Bravians built their society from scratch as refugees settling empty land. They did not have to accommodate existing elites, navigate entrenched interests, or manage the complicated legacy of centuries of history. They could design their institutions according to their principles without having to work around obstacles that most societies must contend with.

This does not make Bravian achievements less impressive. It does mean that transplanting Bravian methods to our very different circumstances might not produce Bravian results. Different societies have different needs, different histories, different capabilities. What works brilliantly in one context might fail miserably in another.

I tell you this not because I want you to close your mind to learning from Bravia, but because I want you to maintain critical perspective even as you learn. Observe carefully, learn genuinely, but think critically about what you observe rather than simply assuming that Bravian ways are superior and should be adopted by us.

On Practical Matters

I am pleased that you are settling into your quarters comfortably and that the embassy staff are treating you well. Your uncle has assembled a good team, it seems, and I am grateful they are making you feel welcome and are helping you navigate daily life in such an unfamiliar environment.

The items I sent with your uncle—your father’s pocket watch, the devotional book, and my sealed letter—I hope have provided some comfort. I wonder if you have read my letter yet? I wrote it the night before you departed, and I confess I was quite emotional as I wrote it. I tried to tell you all the things a mother wants her son to know when he goes far away—how much I love you, how proud I am of you, how much faith I have in your abilities. I hope the letter has reached you and that you have found time to read it in a quiet moment when you could reflect on its contents.

The package I mentioned in my previous letter—the warm cloak, the journal, the portrait miniature of me, the preserved fruits, and the books—should be reaching you within the next few weeks. I sent it through the same courier service that your uncle uses for official correspondence, so it should arrive safely. I hope these items will be useful and will help you feel more at home in your new surroundings.

A Mother’s Concerns

Lysander, I must be honest with you about something that weighs heavily on my mind. When I agreed to send you to Bravia, I believed I was sending you to an important but essentially routine diplomatic posting. I imagined you would learn about a foreign culture, develop language skills and diplomatic expertise, and return home after a few years better prepared for whatever career you might pursue.

I did not fully anticipate that I would be sending you to a country that was actively engaged in military operations that would affect our own nation’s security and interests. I did not anticipate that the political situation at home would become so fraught so quickly, or that your service in Bravia would place you in the middle of such politically sensitive circumstances.

I am questioning my judgment in encouraging you to accept your uncle’s offer. Perhaps I was too focused on the opportunities for your development and not attentive enough to the risks—not physical risks, which I still believe are minimal, but risks to your perspective, your reputation, and your future position in our society.

I tell you this not because I want you to return home immediately or because I regret the choice we made. I tell you because I want you to know that I understand this is difficult and complicated in ways neither of us fully anticipated, and that I share responsibility for placing you in this situation. If you are struggling with the complexities and the pressures, know that your mother understands and that I do not judge you for finding it challenging.

On Missing You

My dear son, I miss you with an ache that does not diminish with time. Every day I think of things I want to tell you, questions I want to ask you, moments I want to share with you. Your absence is a constant presence in my life—I am always aware that you are not here, that you are far away in a foreign land experiencing things I cannot share.

I worry about you constantly—not because I lack faith in your abilities or in your uncle’s care of you, but because I am your mother and worrying is what mothers do. I worry that you are homesick and lonely. I worry that the food does not suit you or that you are not sleeping well. I worry that you are working too hard and not taking time to rest and to enjoy your youth. I worry that the political pressures and the weight of responsibility are too heavy for someone so young to carry.

But I also have faith in you, Lysander. Faith that you are strong enough to handle what you are facing. Faith that you are wise enough to seek help when you need it. Faith that you are resilient enough to recover from mistakes and disappointments. Faith that you will emerge from this experience a stronger, wiser, more capable person than you were when you left.

What I Want You to Know

Let me close by telling you several things that I need you to hear from me:

First, I love you unconditionally and completely. Nothing you could do or fail to do would change that. My love for you is not dependent on your success or on your always making perfect decisions. You are my son, and my love for you is as permanent and unchanging as anything in this uncertain world can be.

Second, I am proud of you. Proud of your courage in accepting this challenge. Proud of your integrity in approaching your work. Proud of your honesty in acknowledging your uncertainties and fears. Proud of the young man you are becoming.

Third, I trust you. I trust your judgment, your values, and your commitment to serving with integrity. You may make mistakes—everyone does—but I trust that you will learn from them and will continue striving to do what is right.

Fourth, you can tell me anything. If you are struggling, tell me. If you are confused, tell me. If you are making difficult choices and are uncertain whether you are choosing wisely, tell me. I may not always have answers, but I will always listen with love and without judgment.

Fifth, you are not alone. You have your uncle watching over you, guiding you, supporting you. You have the embassy staff helping you navigate daily life. You have me thinking of you constantly and holding you in my heart. And you have God’s presence with you, even in a foreign land far from home.

On the Border Situation and Your Work

I come back now to the matter I began with—the border closure and what it means for your work. Lysander, your uncle will no doubt be seeking to understand Bravian intentions regarding the border and will be working to communicate our nation’s concerns to Bravian authorities. He may involve you in this work, and if he does, I want you to approach it with the seriousness it deserves.

This is not an academic exercise or a routine diplomatic matter. The border closure affects real people in real ways—merchants who have lost their livelihoods, families who are separated, travelers who are stranded. Our government needs to understand what the Bravians are doing and why, and needs to find ways to protect our interests and to restore normal conditions as quickly as possible.

Your work in helping your uncle understand and communicate with the Bravians is important service to our nation. Do it well, and know that your mother is proud of you for doing work that matters.

But also remember that you are not responsible for fixing this situation or for resolving the tensions between our nations. You are a young attaché just beginning your diplomatic career. Your job is to learn, to assist your uncle, and to contribute what you can. The weight of managing our relationship with Bravia rests on your uncle’s shoulders, not on yours. Do not burden yourself with responsibilities that are not yet yours to carry.

In Closing

My dear, dear son, I close this letter with the same blessing I gave you when you departed:

May you serve with wisdom and integrity. May you observe with clear eyes and understand with an open mind. May you maintain your identity and your values even as you learn to appreciate what is different. May you be strong when strength is required and humble when humility is needed. May you be honest in your dealings and thoughtful in your judgments.

And may you always remember that you are loved beyond measure by a mother who thinks of you constantly and who prays for your safety, your happiness, and your success every single day.

Write to me often, my son. Tell me about your work, your observations, your feelings. Tell me also about the small details of daily life that help me imagine where you are and what your days are like. Your letters are treasures to me, and I read them over and over, hearing your voice in the words and feeling connected to you despite the distance between us.

Know that I am here, that I am thinking of you, and that I am always, always your loving mother.

With all my heart,

Mother

P.S. — I have been reading the book about the First Battle of Cape Esperance that you sent to me, and I have been thinking about the history you discovered and what it means for our current situation. It strikes me that history is full of ironies—we fought alongside the Bravians when they were refugees in desperate need, and we benefited from that alliance. Now they are powerful and we find ourselves somewhat at their mercy, hoping that they will remember that old alliance and will treat us with the consideration that former allies deserve.

I do not know if the Bravians remember that history in ways that will benefit us now, or if ancient alliances are too old to matter in present circumstances. But I am grateful that you discovered this history and brought it to our attention. Understanding where we have been helps us think more clearly about where we are going.

You asked in one of your letters whether you should continue to pursue this historical research or whether you should focus on current affairs. I think you should follow your interests and your instincts. If the history seems relevant to understanding the present, then pursue it. Your uncle can guide you on how to balance historical research with more immediate responsibilities, but I think the connections you are discovering between past and present are valuable and worth exploring.

Give my love to your uncle and tell him that his sister is grateful for his care of you and his wise guidance. Tell him also that I will write to him separately about the political situation here and about the border closure, providing more detail than I have included in this letter to you.

Be safe, my son, and write to me soon.

M.

P.P.S. — One more thought that I must share. Your confession in your letter that you are afraid—afraid of being inadequate, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of disappointing us—touched my heart deeply. Let me tell you something about fear, my dear son.

Fear is not the opposite of courage. Fear is the companion of courage. Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act despite fear. The bravest people I have known have all been afraid at times, but they have not let their fear paralyze them or prevent them from doing what needed to be done.

You are afraid, and that is entirely appropriate given the magnitude of what you have undertaken. But you are also acting despite that fear—learning, serving, working to do well in difficult circumstances. That is courage, Lysander. That is exactly what courage looks like.

Your father used to say that a man who feels no fear is either a fool or a liar. He said that the test of character is not whether we feel fear but what we do when we feel it. By that measure, my son, your character is proving itself to be strong and true.

Be proud of your fear, for it shows you understand the weight of your responsibilities. And be proud of your courage in facing that fear and continuing forward despite it.

Now I really must close, or this letter will become a book!

With endless love,

Your Mother