Of Notes and Boatmen

Caine turns into a portrait gallery and stops before a picture of Faiella. When [if?] Marius approaches he says without preamble, "Were I a wagering man, I'd be paying someone today, and for several causes. What keeps you in Amber, Marius?"

"The Mistress I serve before any other, my lord; Duty." He shrugs. "There are many things I must lay to rest." He smiles a sad smile. "Ghosts and Shadows all. Will you be returning to sea, soon, my dearest Uncle?"

"It's a dilemma, nephew." He ticks off names on his fingers. "Benedict is gone, Corwin is riding out, Bleys is clearing his pirates out of the harbor, Fiona is off after Brita, Flora is nursing Lucas, Llewella will go back to Rebma, Julian to Arden to set it alight, Random is off, Martin is away, and Vialle holds the seal. If anyone were so inclined, Amber could be taken by six ambitious midshipmen and an aggressive hound dog. I'd be a fool to leave."

"Have you six ambitious midshipmen?" Marius asks, cracking a bit of a smile. "I might be able to round up the beast."

Caine shakes his head. "Duty is Duty, nephew, but I'm no fool. That's the King's job and it looks highly undesirable. My current working plan is to round up the midshipmen and the hound and see who takes advantage of the opportunity."

"A clever plan," Marius says, leaving the, "of course," unspoken.

[Marius] sighs and rubs at his eyes. "I had not quite had the exodus down so clearly, but those thoughts had indeed been in my head when I chose against leaving with Corwin." He chuckles suddenly. "It will be strange referring to the new 'His Majesty's."

The Prince nods, and looks at the paintings. "A very flattering likeness of his Majesty, though.

"On the other hand, Amber lives and dies on trade and I am the only one present who is likely to be able to re-open even the rudiments of the Golden Circle. If I don't take an extended tour soon, there might not be anything to protect."

"Some of us have merely waited for Amber's obituary to be printed in the broadsheets. I make no jest with you, Uncle; I have been told that last night was merely a wake." He shrugs and grins. "The frustration of seeing resurrection so close and yet so far, I suppose. I have been briefly considering that I may be rushing to Duty's comforting arms merely because Destiny is so appealing that I generically mistrust her." He stretches. "You, Admiral, are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our being known for our survival." There's a few questions about that in his expression, but nothing truly pending.

Caine doesn't choose to answer any of them.

He lets out a bit of a breath. "I am aware that I owe you further duty if you should choose to request it. Is there some task you would choose to give me?"

Caine smiles. "Let us say that I might have a task in mind. What do you see as the necessary tasks and what would you have me ask of you, nephew?"

"There are tasks personal, tasks practical, and promises pending," Marius decides. "Firstly, I have volunteered to follow the path of the firelilies, hopefully with better preparation than the proverbial moth. I have offered Her Majesty my service. Whereas Dame Lilly has the edge of the blade, I may have insights towards battles that are not fought with swords. I have..." he takes a breath. "I have unfinished business with items of my mother's. I have things yet to find that I know were in her possession. I have things to sell, or to destroy. These are physical, material items. To lay her to rest requires I also follow through on the emotional items. I have people to whom she would have wanted goodbyes said, and not all would have made it to her ceremony." He pauses. "Some I may not even know. Some may be dangerous for me to meet. I was not privy to all of her plans, and I sometimes wonder that I may find myself caught in the web of a spider that no longer maintains it. It is easier to break for all that, but there is no saying what denizens have ventured forth in that time."

He looks away from the portraits, trying not to feel that they are looking at him. "That last will be an ongoing process. I think the sea no longer calls me. I think after that, I will find what does."

Caine frowns slightly at mention of the Firelilies. He nods at mention of Marius' mother. "Your mother had dangerous habits, and liked to do dangerous things. She felt she had to, given her political position. I cannot guess what you will find. Deirdre made great efforts to let her brothers, her real brothers, get close to her facade. I think we were supposed to confuse it with her self."

"Her son she allowed no closer, despite reassurances," Marius notes, his tone cold, and his manner passive. He shrugs. "I am not sure where I should begin, although I think retracing her steps from the fall may lead me true. It is the backwards manner of going about things, you see, and if one cannot be forward, perhaps one can be turned around."

"Let me know what you find about these Firelilies. I am not pleased at the thought that I brought Daeon out from Chaos only to have him damaged by these things."

Marius nods, a quick, "command received" kind of nod. "I look forward to resolving their question, although I feel like all other things of interest, they'll only lead me to more. I am prone to opening cans of worms, even though I am no longer a simple fisherman." He laughs.

Some time after the Knights meeting, probably after noon of the same day but hopefully before evening meals considering the day's activities, a note arrives at Jovian's quarters:

Sorry, J,

I know the medicine was bitter. But she can not afford to be flip or coy.

Your Friend, B

It's not really the type of note that requires placement directly into Jovian's hand, nor a direct reply. Thus, it's properly sealed, but unless Jovian happens to be there to receive it and bids him wait, the delivering page does not linger.

Probably it gets left on a table in Jovian's room, since he'll be out of the castle most of the day.

Sometime later it will find itself slipped under Brennan's door, re- sealed with Jovian's signet ring, the following post-script added in a sharply peaked left-leaning hand:

We each did what we had to. I don't imagine I made it easier for you.

J

A sealed message arrives at Lucas' sickbed early in the afternoon.

For Lord Lucas, when he awakes.

Most fashionable cousin,
Despite the tone of our meeting at the cafe, the news of your wound grieves me. Please try to catch flying objects with something else than your head next time.

Wishing for your quick recovery,

Ossian

Under Ossian's signature is a tasteful sketch of a couple making love. It's beautiful enough that most people wouldn't classify it as pornography. (Although Lady Vesper maybe would.)

Lucas, half reclining in his wing chair, smiles faintly at this - either at the missive or the illustration or - quite probably - both.

He instructs Gaston to place it prominantly on the mantelpiece where, he trusts, it will outrage certain adult visitors, while being too high of the ground to attract the attention - and interminable questions - of Hope.

A note arrives:

Dame Lilly,

When you are available, I wish to speak to you on matters concerning the security arrangements for Her Majesty, the Queen. I shall be in the castle all day.

Warmest Regards,
Prince Caine.

Lilly retains the page so that she may make an immediate response.

Prince Caine,

I shall be in the library this afternoon after the lunch hour. If you would like we can meet then.

Sincerely,
Lilly

Dame Lilly,

After Lunch it is.

Caine.

She had already arranged to free some time for doing research in the library this afternoon. It seemed as good a place for meeting her Uncle Caine as any. If she had her lunch delivered to the library she might still get in some worthwhile reading. Hopefully the arrangement would be agreeable to him.

While the librarian clearly does not approve of eating while reading, no one says anything.

Sometime after you finish lunch, Caine walks in. He is dressed casually and seems quite at ease. "Thank you for your time. I know you've been left with a lot of responsibilities. May I join you?"

Lilly gestures to the seat across the table from her. "Please. Make yourself comfortable." The book she had been reading, one covering the history of Amber over the last hundred or so years, remains open in front of her.

Is she reading the history Cambina wrote?

Sure. That is actually a wonderful place to start her research. It also has the benefit of allowing her to quesiton the author should she find something that seems amiss or just plain strange.

She sits back in her seat though making it clear that her Uncle has her full attention. "You wished to discuss security issues?"

He nods and sits. "It has been some long time since there has been a Queen in residence at Castle Amber. The guards are not used to it. I was wondering what arrangements you have made, and how you intend to deal with the threat, both now and after the King's return, of Dara."

Lilly takes a long moment of consideration before answering.

"While the Queen holds the regency I feel it is of upmost importance for a guard to be at her side around the clock. While that burden will most often fall to myself, I have discussed the issue with Vensch. He is currently at her side in fact. Between the two of us we are working to form a personal guard for Vialle made up of men we can both trust. I would like to add trained ladies to her staff but they are more difficult to be found.

"As for dealing with Dara..." Lilly lets out a small sigh. This problem had clearly been weighing on her. "I wish I had more knowledge of chaos, of Amber and her history, of sorcery, of any number of other things. Unfortunately my life before this was uncomplicated by such things. It leaves me feeling ill prepared, which is a feeling I deeply despise. I am confident of my ability with a blade against an opponent using martial tactics. If an opponent strikes in ways that are foreign to me however, I am unsure how I will fare.

"On a greater scale, I have no doubt I can organize the armies we have here in Amber to ward off a standard military attack. But even the greatest of armies would be hard pressed to deal with great feats of sorcery. Again not knowing what sort of attack she might be planning only feeds my frustration. When I am frustrated I seek to gain the knowledge am I lacking so that I may overcome the problem. Which is why you find me here. I also hope to get a chance to speak with an assortment of red heads some time in the near future. Hopefully they can give me some insight into the ways of a sorcerer.

"Of course any guidance you can offer Uncle would be most appreciated." Lilly's calm dark eyes meet Caine's as she finishes speaking.

He grins. "If you do learn anything of the ways of a sorcerer that is helpful, please let me know what it is. It's too bad you missed Merlin, he might also have been able to tell you much, especially about his mother. Given that she could sneak in here with someone who was confused for me, I don't know how you can insure the queen's safety."

Lilly nods. Too bad indeed. Merlin could more then likely provide a wealth of information. Hopefully he would return. Or perhaps she wouldn't need him to. Perhaps there was a way to speak to him. Of course that opened up a new set of concerns; all of which she could think on later.

"There were times when Royal Bodyguard was a sinecure and times when it was not. Right now Amber is weak in all the wrong ways and while I think Random is going off to fix that, he's left behind a fragile kingdom. The right strike on the right fracture could break it. The Queen's death would do that, I think.

"I'm thinking about assigning some of the more loyal Naval juniors to the castle, ostensibly for their convenience to myself, Gerard, and others, but also to provide more trained muscle in the vicinity of the Queen."

"If they are to provide additional aid in guarding the queen then they will need to be both willing and able to follow my command." Lilly feels no need to explain her reasonings. Surely someone as able a commander as her Uncle would understand.

He nods. "I didn't think of it earlier, but Marius can help here. If you and Marius were to present me with a list, I would try to accommodate your wishes. They will be needed for Naval affairs, but I would be happy to see them seconded to you in this matter."

Lilly nods. "Thank you. Marius and I should be able to work together without issue." She respected Marius after all. And like it or not they were bound together by their Order. This would be a good opportunity perhaps the get to understand each other better. An understanding of each other would make working together in the future much easier.

"Is there anything else we should address?"

He looks at her for a long moment, as if deciding something. "I hope you will forgive the bluntness of this question, but I feel the need to ask. Do you know if you are in over your head?"

Lilly not only did not mind the bluntness, she preferred it. No games. No beating around the bush. Just a simple honest question. An honest question that deserved and received a moment of thought before answering.

"I am unsure if anyone ever truly knows if they are in over their heads until it is too late. I certainly felt I was when the battle began in Chaos. My sword had never been raised in such a fashion after all and I had no experience commanding anyone. All I had was a young girls foolish pride. Luckily it proved to be enough.

"Coming to Amber I again felt as if I might be over my head. While I had been schooled in etiquette and the ways of the court I was not particularly practiced in those arts. To be honest I am still uncomfortable at the Queen's formal teas. There have been many times over the past several weeks where I have felt as if I was fumbling through. But it does not matter. Not really. The point is I have fumbled through and I have done so in such a way that I believe few have noticed my lack of expertise.

"So now it comes to this. Like before I do feel a bit overwhelmed. I am not as prepared as I'd like to be. I wish I knew how to better combat sorcery. I wish we had a larger army. And more then anything I wish we had a glowing squiggle on our basement floor. Unfortunately wishing for those things will not make them appear.

"If this fight comes down to powers I do not understand that I most certainly will be in over my head. If the rules do not cross the boundaries of my experiences and knowledges then I am fairly confident I can handle it. Let us hope that our enemy gives us time to stew. The longer they give us to grow soft and complacent, the longer I shall have to study and gain the knowledges I lack." With that Lilly shrugs. She had offered up much more then she intended but she felt honesty was called for.

"I, too, mislike our weakness in the sorcery department, although I would not suggest that my sister should have stayed from her rescue mission."

Lilly shakes her head. "Of course not." On some level it did concern Lilly that the majority of her redheaded brethren had departed the city. Had she been older and a bit more paranoid she might have seen the exodus as being somewhat convenient. Convenient for their known enemy. She may have even been considering that there might be some sort of connection. But she was not older. She was young and full of honor. She still believed in family unity.

His mouth grows somewhat firmer, as if he is deciding something. His brow creases and small wrinkles appear for a moment. He frowns and then says, slowly. "If you have perhaps 20-30 minutes a day for the next several mornings, I can teach you some rudimentary conjury. Simple dispels, really. They wouldn't be useful against Dara, but they might deflect or delay her creatures."

"I will make the time." She replies simply. "Thank you."

"Good. Then I won't keep you from your reading any further. Shall we say mornings? I know you normally engage in weapons practice. We can train in this other kind of defence afterwards."

Lilly will be glad to make arrangements for mornings. I think that will be the default time of day when she is not with the Queen. She'll arrange to work with Paige and Ce'e during that time of day as well (as long as that works for the involved parties).

A letter arrives in the hands of Liam, Paige's page, along with several wrapped parcels...

Dearest Cousin,

My plans to relieve Solace of the children for an afternoon soon will have to wait. I had hoped to allow you two the liesure of an afternoon without the worries of Nanny Starch, but father has asked me to accompany him on his voyage. We'll be leaving on the morning's tide.

I hope that when I return I will find you well again. Perhaps I may call and we can speak of the care and coddling of infant powers, a subject currently close to my heart. Enclosed find masks for Hope to play 'Dragons' with, what with Cousin Jovian's wings about, I'm sure they're to be all the rage among the kinder circles and we can't let a St. Just fall behind the fashion.

Also find some medical supplies I hope will speed your recovery.

My best,
Paige

Very shortly after Corwin and party depart a page delivers a letter, sealed with Vere's sigil to Gaston, addressed:

To Lord Lucas St. Just, Son of Flora, Princess of Amber

The letter reads:

Unto Lord Lucas,

Greetings, and my hopes that your recovery shall be rapid and easy. I am told by Prince Gerard that you are awake again, and I regret that you were not deemed sufficiently recovered to allow for a brief visit before I left Amber. His Majesty Corwin of Paris deemed that last night's events, which I trust will have been or shall soon be fully described to you, make his speedy return to his own city more urgent, and thus the morning has proven full of too much done in too little time, as I am expected to accompany the party to the new realm.

I thought it would be remiss of me not to at least pen you a short missive, however, expressing my hopes for you, and offering a farewell. As you have no doubt already gathered, His Majesty Corwin's city is in possession of that which our own city most sadly lacks, and I am expected to assay a short promenade thereupon. No doubt the results of this shall quickly be known by those of the Family remaining in the Queen of Cities.

You have always been much in tune with the doings of Amber's nobility, more so perhaps than any other member of our generation. I take the great liberty of mentioning three delicate matters that you might wish to address, although I hasten to add that I by no means make any requests, far less demands, upon you. I merely lay facts before you, to consider, so that you might decide if you have any interest in using your influence in any fashion upon either of these, in the interest of maintaining peace and a certain grace within Amber.

The first touches upon the matter of Demond Harga'rel. I strongly believe that his relatives will seek vengeance, as is right and proper, but I am greatly concerned that they will do so before sufficient evidence can be accumulated to make a decision on where that vengeance should rightly fall. I need not tell you the harm that a blood feud, set loose upon the wrong target, could do among Amber's nobility. The Harga'rels are sufficiently ancient and powerful to have many enemies, some in Amber and some in other realms. A war started from erroneous conclusions would be most regrettable.

Whether you wish to involve yourself in this matter is, of course, completely your own decision. But, obviously, you wield great influence, if you decide to exercise it.

Secondly, there is the matter of the confrontation between Prince Martin and Dame Aisling. I will not lay the events as I observed them upon paper, I am certain you can find many who will be eager to tell you of the matter, as they perceived it. The one thing I will say is that it was obvious to me that Dame Aisling, for whom I have a certain fondness, does not completely perceive the seriousness of publicly contradicting a Lord of Amber, much less the son of the King. I say this knowing that your sense of humor is such that you might take a certain amusement in the unfolding of events, but trusting that along with that sense of humor is a desire to see things done properly, which can only be done when all parties are sufficiently informed of the rules under which our society operates. I can think of no one better suited to explain things to her, if you so choose.

The final matter is a more personal one. As you may have been told by now, Lord Hardwind passed from this life during last night's events. His lady wife, now widow, is of great importance to my sister. I hear rumors that some members of Lord Hardwind's family might choose this time to press claims on the property of his late Lordship, to the detriment of Lady Hardwind. I find this thought distasteful, and hope that something may be done to point out to such individuals the benefits of gaining the thanks of members of the Royal Family, rather than risking being thought uncharitable and hard-hearted. If you should find, and choose to take, an opportunity to extend this thought, I would take it as a personal favour.

However, I would have you do nothing that taxes nor in any way hinders your recovery. I again wish you a speedy and comfortable recovery.

Vere, Son of Gerard

(his symbol)

Lucas accepts it in a languid, lily-white hand, unfolds it and reads it rapidly, but with attemtion. Once he purses his lips, at another point he half smiles - and once he gives a short nod. Then he sets it down on the table beside him, where there are a few sheets of parchment and a quill in an inkpot. He draws a fresh sheet towards him, and writes something in his bold, sprawling hand, and then folds it, inscribing a name.

"Gaston!" he calls. "Bring your miserable carcase here. I need you to deliver a message."

The lugubrious one approaches, but when he sees the name on the missive Lucas is holding out to him, he gives a heavy sigh and shakes his head.

"They've already left, m'sieur. They'll be well on the road by now."

Lucas frowns, and crushes the parchment into a ball in his hand. He throws it into the fire that his chair is close to, and watches as it catches the flames, and flares up brightly for a mmoment.

"Good fortune, cousin," he says quietly.

Gold script on marbled green paper is delivered by Liam later in the day...

Dearest Aunt Felicity,

I can't begin to express how saddened I was to know that such tragedy as was visited upon us last night had such personal costs to those I count among my friends. It's hard to believe that Lord Hardwind won't be there with his wise smile. It was in the third year of the Regency that I saw the heart that he hid behind it, when he offered kind words like a father to a lost child. The girl was troubled and had found herself shunned by much of the Court, but Lord Hardwind still had time for her. I can only hope he knew how much it meant to me, to be reminded that when without prospects, I was never without friends, such as him, Solange and yourself.

I'm sorry that I won't be able to attend services, but my family duties call me to sea. I wanted you to know that the friendship goes both ways, and should you have need I hope I might offer more than just kind words. We've always respected you for the strength you gave us, let us return the favor. Solange will know how to contact me if I can be of any help now or in the future. If your schedule allows, I would love to have you to tea after I've returned, unfortunatley I know not when I will return. Until then I can but offer...

My sympathy,
Paige