The Tale of Bridget Venalinen

"...the mayor and his wife and have been sent to the Olivia Jin Detention Center and their son, Matsias, has been adopted by a local Ethite family..."
Mat switched the radio off. "The Olivia Jin Dentention Center. Why would you name a prison after Olivia Jin?"
"Who's Olivia Jin?" Tilli asked.
"An early Ethite leader."
"Don't... you... usually name things after important leaders?" Miriam asked slowly, likely worried that she was unaware of some significant cultural difference between Ethion and Alaj. She glanced toward Ayan, as if looking for an explanation, but her roommate only briefly looked up from her embroidery hoop and didn't say a word.
Key was ready with the answer. "Not the kind of leader whose assassin is nationally honored."
"Who was her assassin?" Tilli leaned forward and Mat wondered if he should be worried about how excited she seemed.
"Bridget Venalinen," Mat said. "She wasn't Ethite. She was part of the Nemon religion." 
Key giggled and her rolled his eyes. Miriam looked nervous again. "What's Nemon?"
"They worshipped their god through sex," Mat said matter-of-factly, ignoring Key's look of disappointed fun. "They didn't get on with the Ethites that well because they have some taboos about physical intimacy and touch." Now it was Key's turn to roll her eyes. Thisaazhou had very few taboos about physical intimacy, as long as the partners were consenting adults.
Mat continued. "But she must have been good at what she did because Olivia Jin married her."
Now, Ayan raised her head, but only long enough to say, "It's nice to hear that Antarand's not the only place where women could marry each other."
"Well, apparently the old old Ethite religion was pretty patriarchal, and Olivia Jin was pretty determined to do away with that."
"She succeeded, too," Key chirped.
Mat tried to recall what his father had taught of Ethite history back in the temple school. "Well, back then, the Ehites were disconnected tribes. Jin was... Rossa? I think? Anyway, she kind of united them."
"That sounds like a good thing," Miriam said.
"Why do I get the feeling this is a little different that Tsia Xitano?" Ayan asked, referencing the woman who had long-ago united the early Pelan tribes that were the ancestors of Mat's people.
Mat nodded his awknowledgement. "She apparently did a lot of it through torture and murder."
"She killed off the leaders of the other tribes," Key clarified, in case it wasn't obvious.
"That's one way to unite people," Tilli muttered.
"Some people believe she threatened Venalinen," Mat confirmed, "made her marry her against her will..."
"Probably tried to convert her," Key suggested.
Mat nodded, thinking about the other Matsias, on the other side of the world who was being adopted by a family who would likely try to convert him. It might have happened to him, if he had survived the fire. If things had gone differently. If someone had coerced his parents into signing a criminal confession. "Anyway, public opnion turned against her."
"Yeah, Antarans would've wanted to kill her too," Ayan said, still focused on her embroidery.
"How'd she do it?" Tilli asked, and Mat was even more certain his friend was too eager. Still, he answered.
"She stabbed her in the head with a chisel." Tilli gave a low whistle. For effect, Mat added, "and then she got declared Most Honored Ethite. Even though she wasn't Ethite."
"Wait, what?!" He seemed to have to have finally gotten Ayan's undivided attention.
Mat chuckled. "I mean, there's records of some kind of trial, but some of them say that spectators started shouting so loudly to free her that no one else could be heard. So the new leader pardoned her."
Miriam nodded, eyes distant. "They'd have torn him apart if he hadn't."
"Yeah. But the point is that President Solosol is naming a prison after a murderous tyrant. And so far all the prisoners there are Pelan..."
Key reached out and took his hand. She didn't say anything, probably because there was nothing to say. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reed approaching with a box. He thought her heard his roommate call his name, but the radio story had been enough. He didn't have the energy to talk to someone who had already suggested his family might be cannibals. He turned a deaf ear and pretended he hadn't heard the other boy. "So, Ayan, what is it you've been working so diligently on?"