What's in a Name? (Vorkosigan, G, gen)

[extrapenguin]

Title: What's in a Name?
Rating: G
Wordcount: 388
Synopsis: Martya Koudelka asks her mother who she was named after.

“Mom? Who was I named after?” Martya Koudelka asked.

Her mother paused from chopping the vegetables for the evening's salad. “How come, dear?”

“I mean, Delia's named after Tante Cordelia, Olivia's named after Princess-and-Countess Olivia Vorbarra Vorkosigan, and Kareen's named after Princess Kareen Vorinnis Vorbarra. Who am I named after?”

Drou paused, gathering her thoughts. “You were named after two people: Countess Martya Vorrutyer Vorkosigan, Count Piotr's mother, and Empress Martya Vorbarra, Emperor Ezar's wife.”

Martya frowned. “I've never heard of them”, she said in a vaguely petulant voice.

Drou sighed. “Countess Martya – well, she was only a Countess between the time Vorkosigan Vashnoi was nuked and when she died of radiation poisoning afterwards – was a key figure in the Resistance during the War. She passed intelligence from city spies to countryside guerrillas, and otherwise did a lot of coordinating to prevent too much overlap in intelligence gathering. Back then, you see, most spies were prostitutes or other women willing to have sex with the Cetagandans in order to gain information, and it wouldn't do to have too many trying to milk one ghem-General.”

“Why aren't we being taught any of this in history class?” Martya definitely sounded petulant now.

“Then everyone would have to admit women fought. Not everyone is willing to, dear.”

The explanation somewhat redirected Martya's anger. Drou knew that the hapless history teacher would have a lot to answer for.

“What about the other Martya?”

“She was Mad Yuri's youngest full sibling, born almost on her mother's deathbed – a year older than Prince Xav, about. She married a Vorlaitner, but he was killed by the Cetagandans after the birth of their first child. She did her share of information-gathering and coordinating. After the War, she retired to relative obscurity and secured a prosperous marriage to her daughter Anastasia. Early in Mad Yuri's war, Ezar started courting her. They made a deal that after one son, she'd be free to leave Barrayar for good. They were married, and she had Prince Serg, despite her being in her fifties. A year after Serg was born, she vanished. She's probably dead by now, but no-one really knows what happened to her.”

Martya looked at Drou in rapt fascination.

Drou smiled. “And they are who you were named after.” She went back to chopping vegetables.