There is only one sentence in the entire book that says anything about the origins and practices of the Viszudar. That comes in the prologue and says that the ladies-in-waiting serving the daughter of the king and queen became the Viszudar to maintain harmony among the growing kingdoms. This doesn’t explain very much, so this post gives more background information.
Ladies-in-Waiting This term refers to personal assistants assigned to serve a royal person. They do everything from helping the person dress to fetching anything they need to acting as trusted advisers and personal confidants. The duties ranged based on the capabilities of the individual and the needs of the royal person. Ladies in waiting were sometimes of noble birth, but the position was always highly coveted. When the Princess Aurelia took the punishment and became the Dovarsha-Issen, her ladies-in-waiting were driven out of the kingdom by the cold along with everyone else. Like any loyal servants, they stayed as close to the Dovarsha-Issen as possible, waiting to help her with anything she might need. The fact that they did this long after it became apparent she would not need them is evidence of their devotion. Things Change When people stated going down from the mountains to the forest to find food it was unimportant to the ladies-in-waiting who would rather starve than leave their posts. But when it became apparent that a new kingdom was being formed in the forest they realized that serving the Dovarsha-Issen would require more than simply waiting for her release. Serving would now include representing her interests in the new kingdom. This started as simply reminding everyone in charge in the Peesh-rak –as the new kingdom came to be known - where they came from. They did this so well that it became a cultural trait of the Peesh-rak. But they also kept their opinions to themselves like any good servant, a trait which was also absorbed. They were also accepted as advisers to the ruler of the both kingdoms and flourished in this new responsibility. Things Change Even More, But Still Stay the Same The formation of two additional kingdoms – the Marutu and Kishtar – forced the emerging Viszudar to redefine their role yet again. Representing the interests of the Dovarsha-Issen now meant overseeing the relationships between the four kingdoms more than the internal affairs of each kingdom. No one can serve two masters, and the Viszudar chose the Dovarsha-Issen over the Dovarsha of any kingdom. What did not change is how they went about serving. The most important skill any servant can have is to anticipate the needs of the person they are serving. To do this requires the servant to pay very close attention to what that individual is doing, and the Viszudar took this to a new level. They developed the ability to watch someone so closely that it is rumored that they can tell what that person is thinking. Anna’s Perspective It’s easy to see why Anna is so intimidated by the Viszudar even through she has no reason at all to fear them. They are held in high regard by most members of each of the four kingdoms as well as by the rulers of each kingdom. This second point is not surprising given that the rulers are generally – although not always – chosen from the ranks of the Viszudar of that kingdom. This respect is also why the Viszudar also serve as advisers to the rulers of each kingdom. The Viszudar use this opportunity to promote unity in the kingdoms and deliberately send their members to serve in kingdoms other than where they were born. However, as seen in the book loyalty to their home kingdom is still valued, and close advisers from outside the Viszudar are not unheard-of. (N.B. The author hopes this description does not include ‘spoilers’ for those who have not yet read the book. Those interested in a evaluation of the writing craft behind the Viszudar can find it under Technical Origins of the Viszudar.)
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