When Reid trumps back to the castle, he arrives in the Grand Hall in front of the Unicorn tapestry. From there, with it as his backdrop, he pulls out his trump of Benedict...
"Who calls?"
"Uncle Benny? It's Reid... Long story, which I'll share with you later over a brandy. But I'm in Amber, and we've got most of the troops and family back. Random wants everyone home in time for dinner, and I didn't know if you'd gotten an invite. Would you like to come through?"
"Thank you for the notice and the offer. I do not think Random would appreciate our mounts in the Grand Hall. I have a castle trump and will be on time for the dinner.
"But first tell me a long story, nephew. The one in which you are not dead."
The second part of her father's response almost didn't make it to her ears. Dinner? Tonight? Were they both invited? Was this going to be another painful social exercise? Somehow she couldn't imagine it not being such.
Looking down at her garments, once a soft shade of medium brown, now dyed much darker by the blood of her cousin, she realizes she is completely unprepared to meet with nobility. Jade would have skinned her alive if she had shown up at a formal occasion in her current state.
She smiled at the thought of her foster mother's reprimands. The woman has tried her hardest to make her into a Lady. It was something that she deeply appreciated. But that had never mattered. Social situations were still awkward to Lilly.
"Clearly. The one in which I AM dead would be rather short, I believe." Reid smiles warmly. "When last we met, what, two millennia ago?, I was young, foolish, and chomping at the bit to find out what had become of my father. Dworkin relented to giving me a trump to the field where my father died, and where I found his remains and grave." He pauses and his mood shifts slightly as he remembers that he left behind his mother in his haste to avenge his father. "Unfortunately, the location of such was not conducive to a return trip. My trumps couldn't seem to cross the rift, and traversing shadow only got me so close, but never quite home. So after a while I tracked down Finndo's line of decedents and offered them my skills as an artist, musician and teacher of both practices. In time, your half-sister Fiona traipsed through long enough to mate with Finndo's grandson, unbeknownst to her (the lineage, not the mating) and produce Brita who became my student and ward after the Sundering. Whatever cosmological rifts occurred during that time were enough for me to be able to bring us to Amber, where I have lived the last 3 or 4 years.
"Ok, so maybe it wasn't as long a story as it first seemed, but I still owe you a drink and a more in-depth face to face accounting at a later date. I'm anxious to catch up with you as well, as I've recently learned that you have had a few children yourself! It has been sorely lonely coming back to an Amber that doesn't remember me, and with the possible exception of appearances by the old wizard, you and your offspring are the only living, full-blood relatives I have."
"Amber is not what she once was, moreso now than ever. You remind me of much I have not considered these last two millenia. We shall meet in Amber, nephew, and I will introduce you to my daughter. You have no children, I presume? We have had a mort of family surprises in the last two weeks."
Lilly gives little indication of the fact she has been listening to her father's conversation. In her mind though she was digesting the information. Two millenia? A nephew, no cousin, she had yet to meet? Dinner would be interesting.
"It would certainly be a surprise to me if a young one came out of the woodwork and claimed me for a father. I'm not saying it's not possible, but it would be a surprise... Until dinner, then. Safe travels."
Reid closes connection and returns to the solitude of his quarters to gather his thoughts and prepare for the onslaught of family at dinner tonight.
Benedict turns to Lilly. "That was your cousin Reid, who is not dead as I once thought. We will be attending a formal dinner at the castle, but as we are in shadow, we do have time to prepare ourselves. What will you need?"
"Appropriate attire, a chance to bathe, perhaps combs for my hair though I can work without those. Beyond that nothing comes to mind."
Lilly was a woman of simple needs.
Benedict ponders. "What would you consider appropriate attire? I am not up to date on ladies' fashions in Amber, although I could consult my youngest sister."
It is Lilly's turn to ponder for a moment before answering. "Based soley upon the garments my Aunts were wearing in chaos, I am going to assume trousers would be a mistake." She pauses, smiling gently before continuing.
"I have never been overly good at judging fashion myself. I prefer clothing that allows for freeedom of movement and I always found, much to my foster mother's disdain, that women's clothing did not. Very often I relied upon Jade's judgement in such matters. Now I am wondering if that had been something of a mistake."
Again there is a slight pause and an almost unnoticable shrug of her shoulders. "Formal dinners with King's would most likley require something of a formal gown. A conservative cut is always safe. I prefer muted colors, and simple decor myself. If I am not quite in style, well that is something I'll just have to live with. My goal is not to offend."
"A wise goal when in unknown company. We shall find you such a dress."
After Benedict and Lilly have rested, they mount again, and ride for a while. Lilly notices small differences and details that change as they ride; they indicate to her that her father is again using his special abilities.
Perhaps two hours later, Benedict and Lilly come to a town. She has never been there before, of course, and there is no indication her father has. He finds an inn and rents a room for the two of them. There is a meal brought up, and then Benedict leaves again, with instructions for Lilly to remain in the room until his return.
Being the dutiful daughter, Lilly does as she is told. She will take this time to do the preventive maintenence on her sword and perhaps even rest a bit.
After perhaps another couple of hours, Benedict brings back a half-dozen simple dresses in oriental styles, with minute differences in collars, sleeve length, etc. Most of them are muted colors like dark green, but there is one red one. Lilly may try them on and determine which she likes best.
There are also simple black slippers for her to wear.
It had never occured to Lilly to wear red. Never. And yet it was that dress which caught her attention. The fabric was beautiful, shiny, silky and accented with golden embroidery. The high color was demure and yet the short sleeves and slitted sides still allowed for movement. There were no cumbersome skirts, no lace, no excessive ruffles, none of the things she tended to hate about the gowns Jade often choose for her.
Slidding into the dress felt natural somehow. Despite it's form fitting nature, she was comfortable. Reching back she pulled the simple leather tie from her hair allowing her raven tresses to flow freely. Quickly and easily she smoothed it down. Finally she put of the slippers. Lilly was ready for inspection.
"Will this do?" She asked Benedict in a very soft, genuinely unsure, voice.
"The dress suits you. It reminded me of your mother," says Benedict.
Lilly offers him a small smile in return. A very small smile. She didn't like to think of the woman who abandoned her. And she certainly had not been trying to look like her.
Maybe another dress would be better.
She looked down at herself once more and took a few steps noting the flow of the fabric and the comfort of the style. It was then that she realized that she had to agree, this dress did suit her.
"All right then. This one it is."
Benedict smiles. "If you will ready yourself to travel, we will be on our way."
Lilly changes back into her travelling clothes, and she and her father pay for the room and depart the inn. The red dress and the slippers are packed away in Benedict's saddlebags for the nonce.
Benedict and Lilly ride away from the town, into the wilderness. After a little while, they stop and dismount. Benedict directs her to hold the horses. He pulls out his trumps and dexterously shuffles out the trump of Amber. Lilly has seen this card before and been told of the city. It seems he means to take her there now.
"Hold this card as well, and my hand. Once we arrive, do not move until the guard hail us. We can assume they will be on alert."
Benedict stares for a moment at the card and waiting for it to become real. Lilly hears distant sounds and the card seems to be more real. Almost before she is ready, Benedict steps forward, and they find themselves in a courtyard that is very definitely outside the walls of the castle.
Folly departs Adonis's tent and immediately goes looking for Martin.
"Hi, sorry 'bout that," she says when she finally catches up to him. It's not clear exactly what she's apologizing for.
"S'ok," Martin says, and it's not quite clear what's OK, either.
Her manner with him now that they're out in the open is noticeably more reserved.
"You said there's someone here I should meet?"
"There are a lot of people here you should meet, but most of that will be at dinner, I guess. I still haven't seen Benedict. But if I can find him around here somewhere, I want you to meet Merlin," says Martin.
"Yay!" Folly says, bouncing on her toes. "Paige said the same thing just this morning. And then something about exploding fruit salad." She grins. She's obviously looking forward to the meeting.
Martin leads Folly through the increasingly crowded and busy camp, looking for Merlin. Who he finds first is Cambina, who calls out to the two in greeting.
"Martin!" says Cambina. "I was looking for you; we've got better estimates of what we're going to need to ship up here from the city now."
Martin groans.
Folly's smile -- more of a smirk, really -- is a mixture of amusement, sympathy, and frustration.
Cambina continues, "It's been a madhouse. I think we've got enough food here to keep people fed for a while, but I don't know anything about the dragons yet, there are wild rumors flying around the camp about Paige and Julian's son, and the little furry guys Corwin brought in are asking for clay. Does anybody know what they eat?"
"Nope," Martin says. "Ask Corwin, or maybe Brennan."
"Or maybe the little furry guys," Folly offers with an unspoken but still-audible 'duh'.
Cambina says "I tried that. They said 'the gods will provide' and looked expectantly at me."
Folly smiles, amused and the tiniest bit sorry for being sarcastic. Not sorry enough to stop wishing Cambina would hurry up and go away, though.
Cambina turns her attention back to Martin. "I think Brennan has gone up to the Castle, and nobody has seen Corwin."
"Great," says Martin. "I'm looking for Merlin."
"I think I saw him with Paige a while ago," says Cambina. "I haven't seen him for a while, though. He looked a little disturbed by all this."
"Yeah," Martin says. "Merle hates crowds. If you see him, tell him I'm looking for him."
"I will. If you see Brennan, tell him I'm looking for him."
"Will do," says Martin.
And Cambina is on her way.
Folly watches her go, obviously relieved that Cambina hasn't sucked Martin into taking care of this stuff immediately.
"Maybe we should try finding Paige, then?" she suggests, scanning the surrounding crowds for willowy redheads. "I've got her calling-card if we need it -- and I guess you do, too."
"Yeah," says Martin. "And Merle's for that matter. But -- is that them over there?"
She looks, and stands on her toes and looks again, but...
Folly probably can't see anything in the press of the crowd.
Martin waves. "Paige! Merlin!" He takes Folly's hand, so they're not separated, and starts pushing his way through the crowd. It's not quite an airport crowd to Folly's mind; more like a train station kind of crowd with people mixing from different platforms and odd knots of reunions. But it's becoming a nuisance to get around in.
Folly hustles to stay right behind Martin, hoping that will minimize her chance of getting trampled. She keeps a firm grip on his hand.
She has a sudden flashback to her festival days: weaving through the crowds with Syd, trying to get to the beer tent after a long hot set. Of course, in a crowd this dense, he'd've had her riding on his shoulders, and she'd've teased him that he was only doing it to make himself look taller.
She smiles a melancholy sort of smile and tries hard to think of something else.
"There they are Merle," Paige says. "Let's not talk about your cooking for right now, eh?" _Please, maybe for another time._
"Folly! This is Merle, who I was telling you about, but really that's probably Martin's introduction to make," Paige offers.
Martin does the formalities: "Folly, this is our cousin Merlin, the son of Prince Corwin. Merlin, this is our cousin Folly, whom I told you about up at Ygg."
Merlin takes Folly's hand and bows. "Cousin," he says. Somehow he reminds Folly of a teenager at his first formal dinner, even though he is clearly a grown man in the physical sense.
"Well met, Merlin," Folly replies with a smile. While Merlin is busy bowing, Folly catches Paige's eye and nods very slightly, eyes twinkling: _Yeah, he's cute._ She seems to find Merlin more amusing than sexy, Paige thinks.
The crowd continues to swirl around the foursome. Both Folly and Paige are aware (not to the latter's surprise, either) that Merlin is extremely uncomfortable in its press.
Martin seems to be aware of it too; he suggests, "Why don't we go up to the castle, get out of all this?" adding, for Paige and Merlin's benefit, "I've already narrowly escaped the draft once, and I'd like to get a bath and a shave before I have to play Prince on Parade at dinner."
[Paige]
"Sounds good to me.
Folly hesitates. She'd been considering looking in on Marius before heading back up to the castle, but decides other needs are more pressing.
"Good plan," she says. "I'm sure we could all use a little time to chill out before Mandatory Fun."
Paige looks at Martin, "I haven't a chance yet to do sketches of my rooms. Best I can offer is the Prince, unless you've a Trump of the Great Hall..."
"Don't tell me about it if you do, because I'll just have to take it away from you," Martin says in a ha-ha-only-serious sort of way. "I've reclaimed all the bits and pieces of my deck, so we can go up directly."
Through the throngs, she notices a flare of red moving with the bearing only her father has. Paige kisses Merle on the cheek, "Be safe with them, OK and I'll look in on you later. I've got to see my father."
Merlin starts to say something, but decides against it.
He gets a reassuring smile, _I'll be back soon._
"Folly, take care of them, OK? The trick with Merle is to listen to the melody, not the lyrics," she jokes with a smile and a soft elbow into Merlin's side.
"Gotcha," Folly says, grinning. "They'll be safe with me."
A nod to Martin, "I'll Trump you later to come on up, OK?"
Martin nods. "Later."
And then she's off through the troops to find Troublemaker...
Merlin looks after Paige with an expression that Folly reads as part wistful, part resentful.
"Let me know when you two are ready to go up. Merle, help keep Folly steady for me; her last Trump with me was not easy," Martin says with a grin.
"Yeah," Folly says, grinning back, "but I ought to be fine as long as we're not Trumping to or from Imminent Doom. Although, come to think of it, Mandatory Fun might qualify. So, yeah, Merlin, you should probably keep an eye on me." She winks.
As she speaks, she's patting her various pockets and belongings, making sure she's got everything she brought down with her. "I think I'm ready," she says when she's done, "but...." Folly gives both men an apologetic look, not wanting to keep Merlin out in this mess any longer than necessary nor risk getting Martin sucked into more work. "If you wouldn't mind sticking around, like, five more minutes, I'd sort of like to look in on our cousin Marius before we go. Or you can go on ahead and I'll catch up as soon as I'm done."
Martin looks at Merlin, looks at Folly, and frowns. "I don't want to leave you down here, but I've really got to head back up. Get hold of me when you're ready to come back up, will you?"
"I will, I promise. I don't expect this to take more than a few minutes." Folly looks up at Martin for just a moment with a little half-smile; then, with a farewell nod to Merlin, she turns on her heel and disappears into the crowd.
Jerod will make his way back to Amber via the trumps. His first stop will be to Venesch, to see how he fared with the little surveillance task that Jerod had assigned to him.
[Venesch of course did not go personally. That would not be smart or right. He has duties. He did send a few good men...]
An inconclusive few days. A day to the shore, a day or so of waiting, a tour of their partisans in Garnath, and a day back. Venesh's men do not think they were spotted.
Was there any attempt to regain the steps?
Once that's done, Jerod stops by quickly to see Random, using the castle staff to figure out where he is, and tosses him the deck. Unless Random actually stops him, Jerod nods and heads off, looking for Vere...:)
Random will not keep him overlong. He will be polite and he obviously senses the agitation in Eric's son. If Jerod wants to talk to Random, he'll make a moment for him. If not he go rejoin the other thread already in progress.
Jerod will stop only long enough to provide Random with information concerning the Rebman party and their activities (which isn't much). It is clear that Jerod has more to investigate in this vein.
Jerod finds Vere standing in the hallway just outside Gerard's room. When Jerod spots him Vere is standing quietly watching him, apparently having heard him coming while he was still around the corner.
"Cousin." Vere says.
"Vere." Jerod replies, nodding to him. He looks momentarily past Vere to Gerard's room, something in his expression solidifying, a decision made it would seem.
"I just got back a little while ago. I'm wondering if I could have a moment of your time. I'm curious as to how things are with the fleet. I'd like to talk to you about your father as well."
"Of course," Vere replies. "Let us retire to a more private spot than standing in a corridor..." he leads Jerod away, and continues after putting a good fifteen feet between them and the door, "...outside the door of my Father, whose hearing is perhaps better than we would always wish."
Jerod chuckles a little at this comment, knowing all too well the risks of over-sensitive ears.
Unless Jerod has a better idea, Vere is taking them to a small receiving room where they can sit without much chance of being disturbed. Once they are there Vere asks, "Would you like to hear about Amber's Fleet, which is in the same state as when you left, the meeting with the captains from the Land of Peace, which merely confirmed that they are attempting to get a handle upon the current situation, or shall we progress directly to the subject of my Father?"
"The captains." Jerod says. "That'll be short and quick with luck. I just want to be sure nothing bad has happened since I left."
"So far, no, the situation has not changed. They are inquisitive about how long it will be before the cargos are ready, and they are clearly concerned over whether His Majesty would honour the commitments they feel they have from us, and they are unsure of exactly what is going on right now." Vere pauses and gravely regards a spot somewhere just above and behind Jerod's left shoulder. "I shall feel easier about them when we have a more efficient deterrent to violence in place than is currently the case, but I know of no actual evidence that they are planning anything. When they came for the meeting they were clearly unsure of whether they were being honoured or insulted by the presence of the former Regent's two children. No doubt it gives them something to discuss in their cabins at night. They left gifts for His Majesty, which I am told is their way. I examined them and found no obvious signs of poison or other traps, although it is possible I might have missed something truly exotic."
His gaze drops back to Jerod's face. "I can repeat the conversation of the meeting verbatim, if you would like. You might well notice something that I did not notice, from lack of familiarity with them. They did ask after you, by the way. I do not know what that might indicate."
"Since I was the point man, they were probably wondering if I was suddenly out of favor." Jerod replies. "If they thought that, they might definitely be worried about getting screwed out of their profit since they'd have to deal with someone brand new. It might be wise, assuming the King agrees, for me to have a talk with them and see what's up. Were they provided gifts in return for their generosity to the King?"
"I fear not. An oversight on my part. Going into the meeting I had no idea such was traditional among their people, and since then there have been other matters occupying my attention. Perhaps it would be most effective for you to bring such gifts when you meet with them? I will lend my support to that idea, if you would like us to approach His Majesty together regarding its implementation."
Jerod nods once. "Let's do that. If the King brings it up during the meeting, we can toss it out. If the King is unwilling to handle it, we can maybe sluff it off on to Bleys." and Jerod smiles a little. "He's the one who made contact with them in the first place."
Vere nods without comment.
"As for the conversation, perhaps I could hear it later. I'm sure I will have lots of questions but we've got that dinner coming up." Jerod doesn't seem all that thrilled at attending the dinner, Vere can see.
"Meanwhile, about your father. Now that Random is back, has there been any discussion of finding treatment for him?"
Vere pauses, and a very slight smile appears on his face. "I am not sure 'discussion' is the correct word. With some difficulty I have persuaded him that he has been noble long enough, and that with the Family returning and the Shadowpaths open again Amber requires him to be in full health. He has, somewhat reluctantly, finally agreed that it would be acceptable to seek a cure for him. I have not yet had a chance to discuss this with anyone, not even my Sister, so I do not know who will be willing to assist, nor what assistance might be possible. Obviously the King will have other things on his mind, such as searching for the Pattern." The smile disappears, and Vere considers Jerod for a long moment. "As you are aware, I have not walked the Pattern, and have no abilities in moving through Shadow, let along in searching for something like this. Advice and assistance would be much appreciated."
A very slight smile appears on Jerod's face, his expression that of one who is thinking of another related situation. "Let's say I had similar thoughts only a little while ago. I had planned a little expedition to do some preliminary investigation but that got squashed. At least temporarily." and he scowls. "Too many people around here are too concerned on family politics." he will say to Vere's for-certain inquiring look.
"However, I agree that it is long since past time that your father get the treatment he requires. I have a couple of ideas on how to proceed. And it might work to your advantage as well."
"I confess that I am unsure of exactly how to proceed, now that I have managed to get Father to agree that it is necessary. Either powerful magic or advanced technology could be used to repair the damage, but both run risks of being undone where a Shadowwalker is concerned. Especially, I am concerned that walking the Pattern will simply erase whatever healing has been done. Some form of healing is needed that will restore Father to what he was. Perhaps something that stimulates his own natural ability to heal? I would be very grateful to hear your thoughts."
"You hit it right on the head." Jerod says, making himself comfortable. "The first time your father walks the Pattern, anything that's supporting him will vanish. The same may happen if he's hellriding too. Nano-tech or magic, the Pattern won't care. I'm convinced that anything that is done to him must happen in such a way as to allow the body to heal normally, perhaps at an accelerated rate, but the actual process must be natural. And it must happen in a place which is real. Or as real as we can get. To do that, we need to find such a place."
He stops to pause for a moment. "If that doesn't work, then there's maybe one more way to help, but I'm not sure how we'd do it. When Brand was still around and being dangerous, Corwin found an arm, a mechanical one, that Benedict used for awhile to replace the one he lost. I do know that he walked the pattern with it and it didn't blow up. But I've got a feeling that happened more because it was external to him. Though as a last resort, we could try that."
"So," Vere says, "Our first step is to seek the Pattern, correct? That will no doubt gratify Father, as he agrees that seeking the Pattern is vital to Amber. The coincidence of purpose will also be useful in assuring the King's assistance in this task." Vere pauses, then continues, "Or perhaps I should phrase it somewhat differently: it is fortunate that the task that His Majesty should see as of principal importance to the welfare of Amber will also serve to further the quest for a way to restore my Father's health."
"I'd agree that looking for the Pattern would help." Jerod says. "Even if we don't find it, if we can find a place that's suitable, that will help as well."
"As to who the King will assign to this little task is another matter." Jerod continues, the scowl returning. "With all the uncles and aunts returning, how much do you want to bet that putting one of the kids on the team will be the last thing on his mind? You can be sure...if we've thought about it this far, then they've already been there and moved on."
Vere raises an eyebrow. "Is that necessarily a bad thing?" he asks. "While I have an emotional desire to be intimately involved with this mission, I cannot deny that I am not as well equipped for it as our Elder relatives. They have far more experience, far more knowledge, than any of us. Always with the possible exception of Reid, of course."
"You interested in giving up your job?" Jerod asks. "For the past five years, Amber has relied on your skill and talents. How would you like being shuffled out because you're young? The same thing could happen here.
"I'm not sure if it will happen, but I can bet that if we don't push to be part of the action, we won't get asked. And your father's health and future will depend on the efforts of someone who may not have the same agenda as you."
Vere is silent for a few moments before answering. "I have done my best," he finally replies, "to carry out the duties I was assigned during the Regency. However, I was always aware that these duties could have been carried out more efficiently by someone with greater experience. I will have no regrets in handing them over to someone who can serve Amber's interests better than I have done."
He pauses, smiles slightly, and continues, "And to be totally honest, the idea of an extended period of irresponsibility appeals to me. It is not something I have had much of a chance to experience during my life. Once Father is better, and I have walked the Pattern, I would very much enjoy taking the Psyche out and sailing her through the seas of a thousand worlds, simply to see what is out there."
The smile goes away. "First, of course, I must see to Father. And while an Elder member of the Family may not have the same 'agenda' in mind as I do, I must balance that with their greater chance of actually succeeding in the quest."
"Then you have to be sure you're part of that team." Jerod says. "To make sure that your agenda gets met. And if you want, I'll see about being part of that team as well."
"Thank you, Cousin," Vere replies. "How does the Return proceed? Have you met any relatives you trust less than Ossian?"
Jerod laughs a little at that comment. "Not yet." he says, smiling. "Though apparently Brand did father a child named Brennan. Turns out to be a warrior type. He's still alive so either Caine hasn't met him yet or he's not like Brand in temperment. There are a couple of others, Julian's children. One of them was injured so we passed him through to the field hospital. We should see him at the dinner. The other one is bringing that whopping load of dragons into Amber - name's Jovian. He seems okay, at least after speaking to him for about two minutes. We'll see how life in Amber treats him.
"As for others, there are a few still outstanding that I'm not sure about. There's one we passed through that I'm not sure I got a name for. It was pretty busy there. I'll probably recognize her once I see her companion. And there's Benedict's daughter, Lilly. She's still out and about apparently.
"I suspect that Ossian will retain his title as the person Jerod trusts least in life. At least for awhile." Vere gets the impression that Jerod's comment is only partly serious (a very small part).
Vere smiles slightly, and changes the subject. "Has Prince Benedict returned yet? I know that you are not interested in the Paresh Prophecy, but I am still seeking someone who has actual experience with the Moonriders to discuss the 'horsemen, pale, menacing and ghostly' who were a part of the Prophecy. We are only a month away from Elder Germaine's projected Doomsday, you know. I have mentioned the matter to His Majesty, but he appears to share your views on the matter of religious fanatics. Hopefully, you two are correct. I often prove to be overly cautious."
"I'm still interested in his prophecy. I'm just not willing to agree that Amber's going to be destroyed. I was not however, aware of the reference to the Moonriders. That changes things." Jerod says. "I know only a few fragments about them, from stories my father told me. As for Benedict, he has not yet returned. Perhaps there's another one amongst the Elders who can help. You might want to see if he has been contacted to attend the dinner tonight."
"The reference is vague," Vere says, "As is everything else regarding the Paresh. He has a gift, but he interprets everything through his own peculiar lens, and ignores or alters facts which do not fit his interpretation. It is merely a suspicion on my part that the vision he refers to is a reference to the Moonriders, but that is enough to make me desire further information. I will seek such information from such of our Elders as seem inclined to offer it.
"Do you know whether our suspicions of Amber's 'fading away' have yet been brought to the attention of any other of our Uncles and Aunts? I am especially interested in what the Princess Fiona might think about this subject."
"If the first words out of the mouths of children to their parents isn't about Gerard and Amber's Pattern, then I'll buy you a case a scotch." Jerod says. "I suspect the only person who won't be up to date on Amber's situation before dinner will be Brand. Mostly cause he's dead.
"I'll see if my father's notes have any references to the Moonriders. Cambina has some of them I think. It's time I started reading through some of them."
"With any luck I am misinterpreting this, and the Moonriders will remain a part of Amber's distant past, not a threat to her future. However, it is well to be careful." Vere tilts his head to one side and regards Jerod. "Is there anything else we should discuss at this time? I am sure you have other people you wish to speak with before dinner, and I would like to make myself available in case my Sister should choose to seek me out for conversation."
"Yeah, my sister." Jerod replies. "Better do that while I'm still thinking about it. Otherwise I'm sure I'll forget once dinner hits." and he stands up from his chair. "Let me know if anything else happens down on the docks. If all goes well, we can get that fleet out of here soon."
Vere stands as well, and says, "There is one other thing, which I should have brought up earlier. Sir Archer has asked to be kept informed of when we expect the Army to begin returning to the city, and any special orders we might have for the Guard. So far he has reported no unexpected difficulties, and I have informed him, with a request for secrecy, of the temporal displacement that the troops and the city have experienced, so that he can be prepared for a certain amount of potential unrest caused by the difficulties of reconciling the differing expectations of those who left and those who remained when they meet."
"That not all we'll need to be concerned about." Jerod says at the door. "Your comment concerning the army reminds me that some of those returning are naval troops. Bleys organized an invasion fleet from the Land of Peace and while he didn't use their sailors, he did use their ships. Our returning navy men might recognize those ships and get very perturbed. I suggest you to talk M and your father and see what we can do to alleviate that."
And barring any further problems, Jerod goes looking for his sister. (I'm not figuring he'll find her as I believe she is still in Arden at the moment, but it fits with the situation).
Vere nods silently and watches Jerod leave. He stands quietly for a few minutes, considering things, then heads back to check on the supply line. After that he will locate Venesch and request that a trustworthy guard be sent into the City with messages for Sir Archer and Marquess Maritime. The message for Sir Archer is that we will not be bringing any of the troops back into the city today, and there will hopefully be more information for him late this night or early tomorrow. The message to M is the same, with the addition that while Vere is sure the Marquess is already aware of the potential for violence when returning sailors recognize the ships, he thought it best to risk seeming overcautious in the interest of security by mentioning it.
Vere will then inform the castle staff that he will be in his room until dinner, and asks them to give that information to anyone who needs him, and to have all reports to him sent there. He spends the next couple of hours relaxing by reading a novel exploring the difficulties imposed upon an otherwise excellent romantic match by circumstance, family, duty, and misapprehensions....
Cambina is still in Arden. Who else would Jerod like to see?
Dworkin?...:) Oberon? Maybe his dad?
Okay, okay...someone more suitable...let's think on that for a moment.
Nestor - time for some info on the Moonriders. Vere's got Jerod thinking for a bit and he wants to get familiar with some of it.
[If you go up to the library, you may end up in the Random-Brennan conversation. We're on just-in-time time here until dinner, which is why we're offering threads to people who are at loose ends.]
From the OOC perspective, it sounds like Random and Brennan are discussing items that Jerod would not be pulled into, so I'd say he's probably pretty safe...:) (ask Jerod about the army that he had no involvement in, no command of, and no part of?...nah, won't happen. He'll nod as he passes by them though).
Nestor says, "I can find some books for you, but I'd think you'd rather consult the living sources. I'd be happy to act as your scribe if you do so; I'd always hoped to ask your father about how he'd held them out of the castle when the city was sacked. I always thought there would be more time." He looks very mournful at that.
"But a number of the key participants are still alive: Prince Bleys, Prince Benedict, of course, who kept them out of Arden, and, as it happens, Prince Corwin. They should all be asked about these things. Perhaps we should suggest it to Cambina for her next book."
"Somehow I suspect that we will need that information a bit sooner than she can compile it." Jerod replies, though mostly to himself.
"I'll be sure to keep you in mind when I approach my uncles concerning their recollections. Thank you Nestor."
Jerod will collect the information that Nestor has, just to get acquainted with it, so that when (or if) he has time to speak to the three uncles in question, he can ask better questions.
It will take Nestor until tomorrow to gather up the necessary items. What is Jerod going to do next?
Jerod will get back to you on that. Most everyone is pretty much busy getting caught up with family so they're not going to be available for any discussions even if they were so inclined. There are a couple of other threads that Jerod can follow up on but most of them require too much time to enact and there's the dinner that's coming up.
An addendum...Jerod has Kenner see to it that his lodge is available for long term residency...just in case he wants some time to get away from family for awhile...:)
Assuming nothing else comes up, Jerod will be ready for the dinner.
It's probable Reid will pass Jerod in the halls, then.
Unless Jerod decides that it would be improbable to meet any of his cousins at this time...:)
Duelling Pattern manipulation...only at Castle Amber.
"Cousin, we really should continue our lessons some time, now that the immediate issues have been dealt with. I'm sure there'll be a whole whirlwind of new issues after dinner, but we shouldn't let that get in the way of scholarship, should we?"
Reid is on his way out of the castle...
"I agree cousin." Jerod replies. "If we're not careful we're going to get pulled in ten different directions all at once. And that's never fun.
"Where are you off to? Will you be seeing Uncle Benedict anytime soon? I've found that I will probably need to speak to him fairly soon."
"Off into town for a bit to stretch my legs. Being so close to chaos was a bit noxious, and I've never shared Brita's affinity for the forest. Nope, city life is where it's at, as far as I'm concerned... Chatted with Benedict briefly. He should be home in time for dinner. He's aware of the timeframe, and is traveling under his own steam."
Jerod nods. "If you should speak to him before we see him later, let him know that I'm curious as to the Moonriders. Circumstances require some investigation in their nature and my father's notes are unavailable concerning his own encounter with them."
Last modified: 09 June 2002