Reunions in Arden

A page comes to Lucas' quarters to advise him that the Princess Florimel is in the castle, in Prince Gerard's study, and that his presence is requested.

Solace is nervous, and wonders whether she should come. Should she change? How should she dress? What should she say?

And what about the children?

Knowing my mother, what would she expect?

Depends on the audience. In Paris, you'd send her a card saying that you shall attend her shortly, with your wife and ask her if she wishes to meet the children now or later.

If that goes over very poorly, she might intrude upon you in your quarters. Solace will get presentable in any case.

Right. Sending a card. Sending off the children to get properly attired as well. I'll dress myself in my usual impecibility.

The note is returned with a message saying she will visit you as soon as you are ready, and she is so looking forward to meeting Hope and Philippe.

(Lucas may well be filled with dread. Solace is.)

Lucas is filled with mild dread, but strives not to show it. When all are ready, we will send word ahead, and then proceed to mother's apartments.

[Flora doesn't have apartments yet; hers were in the old family wing. She does have a guest chamber to which a page can direct you.]

It is a mark that these chambers are Flora's that someone, somehow, has already produced flowers for them. Solace, a touch intimidated, lets Lucas take the lead.

But the initiative, of course, belongs to Lucas' mother. She sweeps out of her bedchamber in sweeps Lucas into a hug on the announcement of his presence. "My dear darling boy," she says, looking as if she has been doing some delicate crying all over someone. "How are you? How have you been?"

"Well, but a bit lonely without you, mother."

"Oh, my poppet," Flora says, misting up. "You lie so convincingly." She gives him another squeeze and turns her eyes onto Solace, who, unusually for her, looks a bit like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You must be Solace."

"Yes, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, dear. Why don't you go fetch Hope and Philippe, and I'll chat with dear Lucas for a few minutes?"

"Of course, Your Highness." Solace curtsies and beats a hasty but not inappropriately hasty retreat. Lucas had, perhaps, forgotten how overwhelming Flora can be; Solace definitely looks overwhelmed.

When the door has safely closed behind Solace, Flora turns back to Lucas.

"Solace seems a bit of a dishrag, dear, but her manners are good. Whatever possessed you to marry her?"

"Circumstances."

"That's a short explanation for such a long thing as marriage. And children! I hadn't thought of you as the paternal type, dear. Are you humoring Solace's whim, or have you become bourgeois and domestic in these last five years?

"And where did you find Solace? She looks familiar, but she's very young, and I don't recall her at court under your Uncle Eric."

"She was a girl that I'd had a passing fancy for, who found herself with child. Out of fondness for her, and the esteem it would bring to be seen as a family man, I agreed to wed her and make the child legitimate. I don't know that a paternal instict motivated me, but I find having children to be a lovely resource, much as I'm certain your own father did."

"Bravo!" says Flora with delight. "I like you so much better when you remember you have teeth, Lucas."

She continues, "Tell me a bit more about her family. I hope you got something useful out of the transaction."

"What? Aside from two children who love me and will support me in whatever function they adopt, a loving and devoted wife who has unplumbed depths to her when guided by an expert hand, and a mother-in-law who is the ultimate weapon to inflict upon my enemies, I don't see that I need much else from the marriage. Was this the most profitible marriage? No. I could easily have found some high-stationed woman to make myself look good. But instead I have a wife who makes me seem more approachable and trusted by the people."

"Solace makes you happy, then?" Flora asks.

"Happiness is ephemeral. I would rather say that she pleases me."

The door opens and Solace walks in, holding a baby in one arm and Hope's hand in the other. Hope's eyes are very wide. Both Solace and Hope make wobbly curtseys.

Lucas does formal introductions for his scions.

Flora seems pleased with the children, and admires and plays with them enough that Solace loses some of her discomfort. Lucas thinks his mother approves of Hope's manners, and while she doesn't have much of an opinion about Philippe yet, she thinks he's promising.

After a time, the happy family breaks up so that Lucas and Flora can prepare for drinks and dinners at Vespers. Solace will be just as happy to be excused from this particular family dinner, so she will stay with the children.

Fiona gives Conner a welcoming embrace. "Conner. How are you? It's been too long."

"Far too long, Mother." Conner agrees returning the embrace warmly. "I am well for the moment, but this has been quite a turbulent year." Conner smiles at her. "I have much to tell you starting with the fact that I am now known as your son and I am getting on quite well with my newly found sister." He smiles even wider.

"I was informed that Brita was here," says Fiona, "and I have been looking for her. I haven't seen her in years -- even longer than since we last parted." Fiona looks faintly wistful at that thought. "Sometime you must tell me how things are in Rebma, and how you came home to Amber. But first, I want to hear about you and your sister."

"She is huge, Mother." Conner chuckles. "Her bear hug of joy upon meeting me for the first time lifted me off the ground." He smiles. "Her warrior skills are quite impressive and her manner is bright and straigthforward." Conner leads her Mother through the camp. "I last saw her over this way checking on her Rangers." Conner comments. "Oh yes, she has been in charge of the remaining Rangers in Julian's abscence and has done quite well I understand. They give her a good measure of respect."

"That's all good to hear," says Fiona, anxiously scanning the group for her daughter. "Do you know her tutor, Master Reid?"

"A true member of the old school." Conner smiles. "Only interacted with him a handful of times. We've stuck to our own arenas. Brita always speaks highly of him of course."

Fiona looks like she could take several meanings from the term 'old school' but isn't worrying about parsing them just yet.

As they approach the area of Ranger activity (they are assisting in setting up more tents), Conner spots Brita standing and looking away from them. He is still too far to call out (and the noise is probably enough that Brita would not hear); but as he raises his arm to point Brita out to Fiona, he sees Brita's head come up and her body go still. She swings around and zeroes in on Conner and Fiona coming towards her. She looks striken - like a deer caught in the headlights - and is pretty much frozen to the spot.

Conner looks to see Fiona's reaction to Brita's. His only reaction is a wider smile than usual and to quicken his pace towards Brita.

Fiona also steps up the pace. For all that she's a tiny woman, Fiona can move along quite quickly when she needs to, almost as if she's gliding with her feet off the ground under her green skirt. Her expression is all delight.

When she reaches Brita, she pauses, and takes her daughter's hands. "Look at my lovely Brita! How you've grown, darling. I've missed you so ..." and she trails off.

If possible, Conner's smile grows even wider and more happy.

Brita looks shell-shocked. She has stood rooted to the spot as Conner and Fiona approach. Her hands automatically goes out when her mother reaches for them, but before Fiona actually grasps them, Brita has hit her knees, wrapped both arms around her mother's waist, and buried her head in Fionas dress. A strangled "Mother" can be heard.

Conner's smile becomes touched and faintly amused. "I did warn you about the hug." He murmurs to himself.

Fiona pets her daughter's hair. "My baby," she says.

Brita's shoulders start shaking. At first it might look like she is crying, but as she finally releases Fiona and sits back on her heels, it becomes obvious she is laughing. "It is wonderful to finally see you again, Mother! And you have found Conner!," at this she rises to her feet and says with a mock frown, "You never told me I had a brother!"

"The time never seemed to be right," Fiona says, and she looks very sad. "Then there was the war, and there was no time at all."

Conner walks over and slides an arm across both of their shoulders. "Well at least the cloud of war had this silver lining." He smiles.

"Yes!," Brita agrees as the cloud that had passed over her face at the mention of the war dissipates. "A large family is a true joy!" Brita turns to Needle and says "I must go with my family back to Amber today. Continue to work with Lord Brennan's men to see to the layout of the camps as we have discussed."

She turns back to Conner and Brita and continues,"You will get to meet _all_ of our new cousins tonight, Mother," Brita says as she starts to lead Conner and Fiona back towards the tents. "We are to meet at the castle for a dinner according to Cousin Solange - she is sister to Cousin Vere and daughter of Uncle Gerard. Then there's Cousin Jerod - he is a great fighter and, though not such a great dimplomat as Conner [big smile], he is good at leading. Cousin Folly is into music and Cousin Ossian is a wonderful painter, almost as skilled as Master Reid..." Brita prattles on as she leads them to a more secluded area, drawing her trumps in preparation for travelling to the castle. She will attempt to reach Reid first as her player is assuming that Reid has returned to the castle by this point...

Before Brita and Conner and Fiona can get away from the heart of the camp at Heather Vale, Needle appears. He looks pretty agitated. "Lady Brita, can I speak with you a moment?"

Brita is obviously frustrated at the interruption, but she notes Needle's agitation and nods to him. "If you will excuse me, Mother, Conner, I will catch up with you both later." She then turns and moves away with Needle waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry to have to interrupt you, Lady Brita, but there are a couple of things you should know. Prince Julian has asked after you; I think he wants to meet you. And before you meet him, you should know ..." Needle looks really nervous here " ... um, he and Prince Caine found his son, um, well, um, you know with Lady Paige, and the gossip's going through the camp like wildfire."

Needle looks like he finds the whole situation a little overwhelming. No, a lot overwhelming.

"I am sure the Princes did not spread any rumors. Who was watching Cousin Daeon's tent?" Brita asks casually. "They should be reminded that private dealings should be kept private. I wonder what would Prince Julian do to someone who spread gossip about his son...."

Needle squelches the thought of how impossible it would have been to keep the gossip from spreading in the crowded camp.

Ah, but if the Rangers squelch it, you know how well it will stay squelched :)

"Where is Prince Julian now?"

"Back in the camp, Lady Brita. I think he's looking for," Needle pauses, "Robin."

Brita nods. "They must have missed each other coming and going. I will go find him." And she does....

Conner turns to Fiona and speaks in a low voice. "Before we return to Amber there are two things you should know. Have you heard about Gerard and have you heard about the Pattern?"

"No," Fiona says in an equally low voice, looking very concerned.

"Approximately six years ago, Amber was rocked by a massive earthquake." Conner begins. "Gerard was in the cellars at the time, and a good chunk of the castle fell on him. He survived but without the use of his legs." Conner swallows. "He's been confined to the wheelchair and is in more pain than he lets on I'm sure. The younger generation was formed into a Regent's council to be his eyes and hands."

Fiona inhales sharply.

"About three years ago, they finally excavated a route to the Pattern chamber. They found it dark and lifeless with a crack in the floor splitting the Pattern in two." Conner swallows again. "Shadow manipulation works here now. " To prove his point, he bends down, lifts up a rock, and finds a small diamond sitting there. "See?"

Fiona lets out the same breath, very slowly. "This is news indeed, my son, and not good news. What of Rebma's Pattern?"

"Shut tight as a clam so I have no first hand knowledge." Conner replies. "But I couldn't manipulate things in Rebma as I did here."

"That's something, at least. What news have you gleaned by other means?" Fiona asks.

"Not much more than that unfortunately." Conner replies. "Everything seems business as normal in Rebma since I left rather abruptly."

"Left Rebma rather abruptly? How did that come to be?" Fiona asks, now sounding rather concerned. "Did they learn of your heritage? It was always a risk of that posting. Moire is not to be trifled with."

"Well I pissed somebody off to be sure." Conner replies. "Here is the short verson. Llewella's townhouse was broken into and vandalized. Every piece of glass shattered, files torn through, that sort of thing and I was asked by the Embassy to investigate. Rebma had assigned two of their best troubleshooters, Lord Montage and Bend, to this case so their was definitely more that met the eye going on. Well my investigation attracted someone's notice and I tried to tail my tail to his source. I was ambushed by two Tritons wearing masks. I managed to hold them off until the watch arrived. I was badly bruised but otherwise unharmed. I managed to tear off one of the masks and got a glimpse of a tattoo before his fist blocked my vision." Conner smile ruefully. "Anyway I spent the next day recovering, and met with Thalia, Ambassador from Gateway and the lady I am courting." He smiles at that. "She said the courts were a buzz with rumors of me involved in some sort of shady dealings preparing the way for me being accused of something no doubt. I feared to go back to the Embassy on the assumption they would look for me there and took up Thalia on her offer of a safe house and a possible escape route. She left to meet her contact, a merchant named Hargarel, and I watched her meet with him and prepare to return. On their way back two Tritons attacked them and abducted Thalia. I arrived as Hargarel come too. He summoned guards from the Gateway Embassy and we went after her. We caught up with them in the downs of Rebma and ambushed them in turn. We left them either dead or highly wounded and proceeded to the escape route he knew, an air filled cavern leading from Rebma to a shadow nearby. From there we found a villiage opening hostile to Thari speaker and a castle on an island that I could not approach even with shadow manipulation. From there we sailed to Amber and as only a Pattern wielder could have made the journey I did, I decided to reveal my heritage rather than try to stick to a feeble lie." Conner stops and awaits Fiona's analysis of all that.

Fiona says, "I look forward to meeting Ambassador Thalia. You'll have to tell me more about her later. This business with the Tritons, though, I mislike it. I'll have to ask Llewella about it tonight."

"My very thoughts." Conner nods. "She will need to be briefed on things before her return anyway."

"Do you know what they were looking for in her townhome?" she asks, in a way that suggests the answer should be 'yes'.

"I suspect so what with all the glass breakage." Conner nods. "Oh an odd detail." Conner comments. "There was half a Trump of Oberon on her desk. The bottom half of a card cut diagonally."

"How fascinating," says Fiona. "Was it intact enough to work, and how did it survive the water, I wonder." A cloud passes over her expression. "Before, I would have consulted Brand, you know." She takes Conner's hand and squeezes it, before changing the subject.

Conner squeezes back in sympathy.

"You said you found a back way out of Rebma. Do you think you could find your way back again? A secret way into Rebma could be useful."

"Easily." Conner replies. "Jerod has also expressed an interest in a secret visit to Rebma. My only concern is finding the entrance heavily guarded by Tritons."

"There are ways of dealing with recalcitrant beings," says Fiona. "It will be easier if no one else knows of the way, but I suppose with witnesses -- and you'll have had to tell Gerard, of course. What about this Harga'rel fellow? There are enough of them that I have trouble telling them apart sometimes."

"First name Demond, former husband of Princess Rilga of Rebma." Conner replies. "And in the employ of the Gatewegian Embassy it would seem. He was last heard heading to family's estates and hasn't been seen since."

"I know him," says Fiona. "I wouldn't be seen much either, were I in his shoes. We need to look into that. Sooner, rather than later."

"Agreed." Conner nods. "Something to keep us busy." He chuckles.

Paige, after getting her Martin Trump back, will Trump Merlin to stand as part of the chain. Small talk will ensue, including the snippits that follow.

"I'm glad to know you're well, while I hoped it was so, well... over 5 years a girl can develop a little worry," Paige says with a smile, "And you know how I worry... I missed you, and he did, too."

"Aisling seems an interesting sort. She had a bit of a run in with Daeon, but it seems he's over that. Very big on keeping himself 'pure' it seems. No defiling the temple and all that." Paige looks inquisitive.

"He is very strange," agrees Merlin, and Paige has a sense of _and disturbing_.

"You've always had a unique view on observing others, Merle. Got any clue as to his reasoning for attire, or lack there of?" _Not that I really mind..._

Merlin does not roll his eyes at Paige. "Very strange," Merlin reiterates. "Perhaps you should ask Prince Julian."

After the troops are through, she'll bring Merle through and lead him to the mess tent.

She'll make sure that they have relative privacy when she mentions the next...

"I don't know if he's said anything to you, but it's over. We fought, well... that's not right either. I fought and kinda brokedown about a year and a half after the Sundering. He did his best to not hate me afterward." The smile that accompanies this is somewhat wistful. "I don't think even one of your dinners will solve this."

Merlin gets a set to his jaw that Paige remembers from his student days. "Then I shall simply have to learn to cook better."

Paige chuckles and shakes her head, "We're both comfortable with the way things are, Merle. For his sake, let it go," _for now._

"Why don't we find someplace we can be useful. We'll have all sorts of time to catch up later." Paige rises and [assuming Merlin folows] heads for the outside. "We can Trump to the Prince and get cleaned up, unless Father has other plans, and then make the King's dinner this evening."

When she finishes the talk with Conner, Aisling goes to find Julian. When he is relatively free (as in, with a few people, but winding down conversations, is fine), Aisling approaches him and bows. He strikes her as a man who appreciates bluntness, so she tries as best she can to not dance around the point:

"Prince Julian," she greets him. "You may have heard that earlier I... (damnation, he has probably heard it, I hate to speak of a failure like that, but I need to go on with the sentence, and frame this in my own terms) ...tried to help heal your son Daeon of his wound, and was met with extreme horror." (Ha, remembered he calls the boy Daeon, that went alright, now how do I make this next bit not pathetic?) Her jaw locks a bit in memory, and she looks at the distance instead of at Julian for a quarter-beat. Then, turning her violet eyes back up to her great-grand uncle, "Why does he hate me?" (There. That should have sounded quite even.)

Julian regards Aisling for a moment, as if considering his words. What he says is, "My son is a god." And he says this as if it's a fact the same way that 'Arden is a forest' is a fact or 'I am a prince of Amber' is a fact.

Her look, though she schools it, is still somewhat uncomprehending. Her hand curls a bit, no longer open by her side.

"My son's body is, to him, a temple. Your form of healing would be a sort of defiling of a holy place. I am not surprised that he reacted badly; it is unfortunate but not unexpected that he cannot accept the gift you would have given him in the spirit it was offered."

At the "defiling" comment, Aisling crosses her arms, loosely bringing them in around her body. She keeps her face blank, though her chin rises minutely at the end, as if to say, 'unfortunate, I'll grant you.'

Julian pauses for a moment, then says, "My son's recent disposition has also been affected by a death in the family. His twin sister, my daughter Dione, was slain on the Black Road days, perhaps hours, before I left Amber." His voice betrays no emotion whatsoever.

Aisling gets visibly tenser, her eyes widen, and she's left without words for a moment. She draws in a several breaths, glances down away from Julian, then looking back up at him says, "I'm so sorry, for your loss." She takes another long breath. "I knew nothing about Daeon, or Dione." Her voice carries naked honesty.

Julian says "Thank you," but quietly.

She glances away again, then draws up her courage, and continues to address him, not backing down despite her discomfort, resettling her metaphorical footing. "Still. Daeon disliked me before we came to Arden. But he seemed to get along fine with the other Chaosites at the funeral, and with Merlin. What more is there about me?" Her chin lifts again, though she does not cast pride into her tone, "And I do not understand what it means for him to be a god. May he not accept energy from other people?"

"I am not quite sure I understand your meaning, but if you mean 'healing' by 'accept energy', I would say he will not. As for why my son likes or dislikes you, I cannot say, other than that he is changeable with mood and season. I am not a god, and do not claim to fully understand their ways," Julian says. "I could speculate that it is because you are female, but that would be a guess on my part."

Aising sighs, accepting Julian's not-knowing with the quiet comment, "It would be impractical to be male the times he was around." (Not to mention that she just doesn't want to.) Going back to the main thread of the conversation, her voice gets stronger. Is Julian willing to walk as they talk? Aisling would like to stroll along the edge of the forest...

[Julian is willing to talk for a little while, but since he has at least three and possibly four conversations to fit in before dinner, he's not willing to get too far away from the camp.]

Deep in her heart, she'd like to be kicking pinecones as they go, but she would never allow that to surface. "I seek your advice on what I should do in this instance. Your understanding of Daeon is far in excess of my own. I would not let this curdle your family." Once again, the active, wishing form of "would". She probably meant the greater family, though she realizes his lesser family is also imperiled.

She half-shrugs, feeling the need to toss in an quick explanation, while she has the chance, "As for 'healing', it is a large word. The matter and the will to form come from the wounded; the energy and the skill, from me."

"I have seen such magics," says Julian. "They vary." Aisling has a feeling he could go on about that for a while, but he changes the subject back.

A twitch of her eyebrows at the mention of magics suggests he walks a separate path.

"As to what you should do, I cannot say for certain. My son will do as he will do. I do not believe he will harm you as things now stand; I will make it clear to him that it will displease me if he does. But hard words among kin are the meat and drink of our family discourse. Learning which hard words merely seek chinks in armor and which are truly threats is a necessary trait for survival."

Her eyes narrow slightly, faint sign of how she is squashing a stream of smartass responses. Then she smiles. This is Julian, she can actually leak through something honest. With a small toss of her head she says, "Ah, but the real trick is surviving in a place that is worth one's love. Or did not Oberon's children hear his last speech about unity?" Julian knows damn well what things were like under Oberon's reign. Aisling pauses a brief moment; he could jump in if his tongue was hot....

Julian lets the quirk of the corner of his mouth do his talking.

She steps back and bows. "I will travel to dinner through the air; I would see what five years have done to this land." She's looking kind of sad, even, and it's partially for Julian. "Please, if some further thought on this situation comes to you, stop by to speak with me."

"I shall," says Julian.

And then she has nothing more to say about Dione, or Daeon, or habitat choice; so she nods, and turns on her heel, and walks back to the main camp.

Caine is planning to Trump up to the castle. Anyone who wishes to accompany him may go up at this time. (Volunteers and victims?)

Solange will go with. She needs to primp for the dinner, if nothing else! And she wants to chat with her father.

Also, Solange will neet to collect all the components of her Trump deck from whoever's borrowed any. Caine was holding most of it, but if it got spread around, she's putting it back together.

Consider this done.

If Ossian is asked he will go with Caine. (That is; if he has had time to visit Ygg for a few minutes first.)

Reid politely declines and trumps back on his own, though he too is willing to take any strays who need a lift.

I suspect Aisling's time spent chatting with Conner and Julian following the trump transport roughly equals Caine's time spent chatting with Brennan and looking over his deployment; so, upon returning to the camp and collecting Ce'e, when Aisling hears that Caine is planning to trump back she glances out towards the treeline, and then makes a snap decision to take him up on it. She asks him politely to conduct the two of them through, with Solange...

I'm guessing none of them are interested in long chats, but throw in any comments that occurr, eh?

[Caine may take a few minutes to chat if Aisling indicates an interest, but he has a lot of things to do.]

She indicates an interest in filling him in on the Valley-ship experience, later. She has a lot of things to do, too.

Once she's at the castle courtyard, she takes Ce'e in tow and searches out the castellan, every sense alert for the changes of five years.

There is no castellan. Amber has a steward (who, amazingly, has never been detailed in five years of Amberside play, or even asked after! bet I get at least three descriptions castings in the next 24 hours, though ...) and has generally had a chatelaine. Under Eric, his daughter Cambina held that post.

I suppose the steward is probably the man I'm looking for, anyway... Whoever's in charge of room assignments for guests and permanent residents.

For major guests and permanent residents, that would have been Cambina's job as chatelaine, in the day.

The steward my destination. She knows for a fact that Cambina was in Arden. If Cambina's at all cabaple, and she knows she is capable, she'll have let some underling know her arrangements, anyway, underling=most likely the steward, who has to arrange to air the rooms etc. If it's not her, the steward will know who it is, if it's not him. All roads lead to the steward of Amber. Aisling is not deviating from her course.

And how does the place smell? Of desperation? What are they burning to keep warm these days? Or is the Amber castle of such paramount architecture that in the spring (we are in the spring, yes?) there's no need to banish the chill? What's for dinner? ;)

Answering the questions in reverse order:
- Trouble. ;-)
- The kitchens are external buildings, so it's not likely Aisling smells anything from them.
- Castle Amber is of multiple architectural styles and very large, so it's not of 'paramount architecture', but the halls aren't heated anyway.
- What whiffs Aisling catches are wood smoke.
- The place doesn't seem desperate so much as tired.

Heh. Thanks. You, um, did miss the question of "What season is it"?

You answered it, Spring.

Does anyone try to stop her in the halls? She's walking about as if anyone who doubts her perfect right to be there should go sit down with a warm cloth over their eyes, but sometimes even that's not enough.

The castle seems a little underpopulated; none of the servants have challenged her right to be here, but she arrived with Prince Caine and Lady Solange, and she hasn't gotten into the private/family sections of the castle yet.

Of course, with the former family tower collapsed, where the family is living is not immediately obvious to Aisling anyway.

She could find it, but why should she? The steward's section should still be uncollapsed. I imagine his office is somewhere near the servant's quarters, to better keep an eye on happenings there.

Actually, it's more convenient to the private offices of senior family members, like possibly Cambina and Gerard.

Steward Vent is not in his office. His underlings report that he is closeted with Queen Vialle. What can the underlings do for you?

Aisling introduces herself once more as a Knight Commander, and arranges for them to direct her and her manservant Sir Ce'e to a guest room to rest in. She checks to make sure they're ready with rooms for all the family returning from Chaos, though most likely some of the royals will choose to stay with the army this evening.

A page shows her to her room. Arrangements have been made for the rest of the family, she is assured. Queen Vialle has seen to it personally.

"Oh, wonderful. How long has Queen Vialle been the chatelaine of Amber?" Aisling is warm and learns the page's name.

The page is named Liam. Queen Vialle has only officially held the title since the king came home, but she has done most of the work for years. The last chatelaine was the Regent's daughter, Lady Solange, but she had to travel away from Amber a lot, so she couldn't do all the work. Lady Cambina used to help a lot, too.

Aisling is quite happy with the kid. How have things changed for the dwellers in the castle since the Sundering?

When she gets to the room, she sends the page to arrange to send up some bedding for Ce'e.

Liam looks at you, Ce'e, you (in that order)...

[[ I'm presuming this is the 'young man leaping to salacious conclusions' look-- otherwise the below would not occur. I bet Aisling has more water than this kid. Let me know if I'm wrong. ]]

Aisling becomes abruptly cool, a dizzying change. "Or do my eyes deceive me? Is there a chamber for a valet adjoining to this one?"

...bows, and departs to do your (bedding) bidding.

And then she finally has a chance to really talk to her new being...

Ce'e is well, or at least not complaining. He waits your lead...