The Sleeper Awakes

Marius awakens, realizing something is wrong. It occurs to him after a moment that the wrongness is merely the lack of the movement of the waves, and that he's on stable land somewhere, somehow.

Then there's a bit more memory: stable land is good.

Then more jumbles, perhaps sensible, perhaps not just yet. There are burns and pain and weakness. This will pass for a scion of Amber, but not just yet.

When Marius opens his eyes, he finds that he is on a cot in a tent somewhere. The tent has another occupant. The man seems familiar somehow, and he's dressed as a naval officer of Amber would be, but he's not one of Caine's men.

"Easy, lad," the man says, and offers Marius a sip of water from a tin cup.

Marius' recognition of the uniform is the only thing that allows him to accept the water without a noticable pause. He nods, taking it. There's enough tension in waking up where he doesn't expect to be that suspicion is the instinct, rather than even the learned reaction.

He looks at Marius for some signs of recognition. "I'm Worth," he says. The name rings a bell; he was, Marius recalls, one of Gerard's most trusted captains. He had retired from the navy some years ago, and he wasn't with the sailors at the battle--

More memories, perhaps making more sense now.

"You're safely home in Arden. Do you need more water?"

He drains the cup and tests his voice. "Arden?" He thinks for a minute. "Yes, more water," he trails off, "would be nice..." Manners.

The next word has a strange lilt to it. Something akin to tears held back, wonder, and worry all at once. "Home?" Shaky. Not good.

Worth fills the tin cup again and holds it for Marius, to keep it from shaking.

If it hurts Marius' pride, there's enough other wounds that take precedence.

"Amber." Worth affirms. "They brought Benedict's Grand Motley Army back here this morning, which should tell you something about what happened down there. Quite a bit's changed in the last... since you've been gone. But story time can wait. You're looking better than when they carried you in. How are you feeling?"

Marius finishes the cup and considers. His response is actually a smile. It's a tight one, but it's well-meant. "I'm not entirely sure," he says. "I'm...not well. I know too much and too little, and events cannot help but to have changed me." It's a little introspective, but what part is talking to himself is talking aloud to ease back into this "conversation" thing.

He notices slowly. "This morning...and you said time has -- no, quite obviously, things are not static. I almost asked you the same: 'How is Amber feeling?' as if the kingdom itself had a temperment." He closes his eyes. "I feel like I am inbetween two worlds, one of memory and one of the present tense, and yet...I am home. I shall just have to get used to it." Another tight smile.

Self-evaluation time. Is there anything cracked, bleeding, broken, or obviously strained? Is Marius attached to anything, dressed, or undressed? He's not listening to anything but the present "here and now," but someone with the experience Worth has will be able to tell that he's preparing himself to be ready for "what happens next" as much as he can.

Marius has two kinds of wounds. Cuts and bruises from the melee on the black road and what seems like a terrifically bad sunburn. The cuts and bruises are old, and some of the cuts seems to be very well healed. You're surprised, in fact, how well you've healed, from some wounds that you'd've expected to leave some pretty nasty scars.

Worth nods at your smile. "Amber abides. Her king and her prodigals have returned. On our end...." Worth looks at Marius, finally deciding it won't be too much of a shock. "On our end five years have passed, where for you it may not be a fortnight."

Marius makes the traditional sucking-in-of-breath noise. He shakes his head upon the hearing of it, not quite disbelieving, but not entirely pleased.

"Do you remember the battle, lad?"

Marius remembers many battles. In fact, Marius remembers them all, in details that are noted between this twinge and that soreness. He reflects mentally that, at least it hasn't taken five years of healing to get where he is, but he must have lost... a lot of time on the way.

It becomes his answer. Delving too deep -- while he is not worried about introspection, there are places on the inside that are also sore, and he needs a little more sentient, conscious time to decide if exploring them is picking at them or diagnosing them.

"I have...lost time," he decides is the best response. "In most cases, yes. I remember lots of killing." There's a savage bit of wry in there, courtesy of Marius' inner fire. "I remember seeing Noah and Ishmael... Maddox." [pulling sailor names from memory...heehee] he shrugs. Five years. Who else remembers them? Worth doesn't want the details. Not from Marius; take them from a historian or someone who is an independent interpreter of battles. Not someone who has lost... no. There are still some moments he remembers too vividly, and it doesn't take anyone too sensitive to see them on his face for a moment. Panic, pain, "If only I could have prevented..." The possibilities flash, and Marius is only dimly aware of how his nails dig into the flesh of his palm.

"Yes, I remember," he says, finally. There's too much anger in it to sound resigned. He makes an effort to calm. No, he wasn't the only one to have lost...but who won? His mind begins to reel, guessing aimlessly. Benedict still lives... "The King --" he breaks it off. There's too many questions in just two words, and he'll gain as much information from Worth's answers that he can.

[Incidentally, Marius is deliberately not asking too many questions about himself. Things like, "How long have I been like this," and "What has my body BEEN through?" aren't concerning him. He feels hurt, but hey, he's obviously been resting. There's no visual restraints on him, no look of a brig or cell. If anyone wanted to hurt him, they had ample opportunity. Which means that now he's aiming himself away from the personal and into the general. It'll become, "SO what's it to me?" soon enough. [laugh]]

"You were touch-and-go after Prince Brand attacked you, they say. Random is King, if you didn't hear of it. Don't know how, but if the Princes agree, then it must be so. King Oberon is dead. Prince Brand was shot by Prince Caine. Do you remember that?"

"Random." The sound is somewhere between a chuckle, snort, and a verbal nod, and he joins in on the, "...if the Princes agree," with a physical nod. He shrugs. At least something drastic didn't happen to the guy. Most of them kneeled in homage... he remembers that. Of course, that didn't mean...

Yes, he's stalling. He realizes it and takes a deep breath. "Yes. He had my..." The word is hard but he spits it out. "Mother." He shrugs again.

Worth doesn't say anything, but it's clear he's remembering some personal loss of his own.

He remembers he was going to go speak with Caine about...something. But what? He shakes his head and indicates that his thought isn't important. "So we're safe, we're home, and we're five years out of the loop, plus however many days I've lost laying around. My men? There were injuries..." He's dying to ask, "Who's in charge?" but that'll wait.

[Worth]
"You were brought back this morning."

This information requires some consideration, but then Marius shrugs it off. The missing time will either be filled in or cease to be important. He's conscious _now_, and _now_ is all that requires his attention.

[Worth]
"The wounded are being seen to, they brought them back first. It's good to see so many of the sailors survived as did. I understand it was rough down there."

"Every one of them is a hero," Marius says in a tone that suggests he means it. It also suggests that he expected no less...and that should be taken both ways: in that he has high standards, and that he requires those standards be met.

"Don't worry, we still have ships to put them on." Worth looks somewhat sad, momentarily. "I'm thinking about shipping out again, myself."

Ah, yes, the lure of the sea. Marius searches inward to see if that is a call he must answer, too. There are echoes, certainly... after a moment he shakes his head. "There is a place there, then, for them. Whomever lives in the stone," he refers to the castle, "the sea remains."

Worth pauses for a moment. "Would you like me to fetch Prince Julian? He will want to speak to you, if you're ready."

Ready to speak with the Prince? Marius represses a bit of a snigger at the thought. Lying in bed with dressed wounds is not the most noble way to greet one of his heritage. But, at heart, Marius is a pragmatist. He resists having the inevitability of speaking with someone else show in his voice. "If you would be so kind." He pauses, not quite excusing Worth. "I thank you. You've given me much needed reassurance." He makes it sound like it is one of the sweetest gifts he could ask for, and thusly, relieves the gentleman of the conversation.

Once Worth has left, he's going to lean back for a moment, take stock of what he's got available, and then stretch a little, preparing his little scene. He's going for the vulnerable look, after all.

The Trump works as expected. [Brita and Paige] stand on a Northern stretch of the Valley overlooking the tents.

The two women are quickly challenged by a Ranger, and, upon giving the watchword, assisted into the camp. Paige requires a lot of assistance, still being in heels. Her dress gets a lot of male attention, too. (Human males. LFGs don't care so much about hot redheads.)

What do Brita and Paige do?

Brita notes which Ranger was on guard (for commendation purposes later) and plans to head to the medical ward to find out how the wounded are doing. Paige is welcome to accompany her.

The moment Paige first has problems with the heels, they come off. "I expected this. I've walked in the woods barefoot before, and I'll survive tonight." She smiles at the Ranger that offers her a hand, but only uses him for balance as she slips out of the golden shoes. Handing them to him along with her clutch for a moment, she rearranges the dress's wrap so it covers her shoulders and back modestly. Retrieving her possessions she starts off toward where they moved Marius after the earlier fire.

Worth, exiting the tent, finds himself almost nose-to-nose with Paige and Brita, who were coming to check on Marius. There are a couple of Rangers around, one of whom is the hapless Sticks, who blushes beet-red at the sight of Paige.

Paige gives him a small smile, but nothing overt.

Worth nods a greeting at Paige and Brita as he calls Sticks over.

Paige nods back.

"I need you to carry a message to Prince Julian. His nephew has awakened."

"Aye aye, Captain Worth," says Sticks, and heads off into the camp.

It doesn't take a particularly sensitive soul to tell that Worth is somewhat tense.

Brita notes the sailor-speak with a slightly raised eyebrow. She nods to Captain Worth in greeting. "Captain Worth. It is good to hear that Cousin Marius has awakened. How fare the rest of our wounded?" She says this last as she procedes towards the tent, pulling aside the flap for Paige to enter and turning to hear Worth's response. She doesn't appear to acknowledge whatever tension there might be.

"Most recover well, Lady. Our doctors are working as best they can with the non-humans."

Paige nods at Brita, "Why don't you go ahead. I've a word or two for the Captain." Paige meets his gaze levelly.

"I'll join you presently," which couched in RHVNC* enough to say, _I need some time alone here._

"If you have the time, Admiral?" he words are soft and almost an apology in themselves, most anyone should be able to hear the tone.

Brita, not being dense, nods once and procedes through the flap into the tent.

Worth looks at Paige for a long moment and exhales. "I must remain here to meet Prince Julian or his messenger, but we can speak while I wait." He seems somewhat closed off to Paige.

"Perhaps now isn't the time then, Admiral," Paige replies with a soft tone.

He nods. "We both have our duties, Lady Sommers."

_Lady Sommers?_ When had he ever called her Lady Sommers?

[GMs]
[in formal situations, court, Court, and generally if you call him Admiral...]

[Paige]
[Yes, I assumed as much, it was shocked rhetoric, ignore and move on...]

She stops in the threshold of the tent, turning back to him. Pitching her voice for, hopefully, his ears alone she offers, "This isn't about duty, Worth. This is about you and me, and the fact that I don't want a foolish mistake to ruin what we have together. I came looking for you hoping that I could tell you first, to beg your forgiveness."

She steps closer, laying her pale hand atop his arm, "Apparently I was too late to do that. Am I too late to save us?"

He twists his neck the way he does when he has something difficult to say.

"I don't know. I'm not the one who's good with predicting the future. You know, I didn't really think they'd come back at all.

"I've been thinking since we got the news that your Uncles were back. All the reasons I decided to retire from the Navy...aren't there. Solange is a grown woman and doesn't need me and there's nothing left of the farm in Garnath. I wasn't much of a gentleman farmer anyway. The only way I've been useful to Amber is dealing with the Navy, so I guess I shouldn't fight it any more.

"I'm going to ask the King to give me a command."

"So, you're planning on leaving?" she asks rhetorically. "I suppose that means this has little merit already."

"But if that's the way it's too be, then I'll speak my piece," Paige says softly, stepping before him, meeting gaze. "I care for you, Worth. Whether you're at sea, or on a farm, or where ever you might try to hide, I..."

The jumble of emotions behind her eyes, a tempest of righteous redheaded anger and prescient intuitive understanding, seem to hold the words captive. As if saying them might hurt others just as much as she fears to say them for herself.

Trying to keep her composure, "You once spoke of being careful enough to watch for shoals, well, like it or not, I've run us aground. You're the master of the ship, Worth. You've got the ability to tell me whether it's just a sand bar or a rocky barrier reef. You can say whether this voyage can be saved or not. I hope, I..."

Her hand strokes his beard gently as the tears finally start to fall hidden in the velvet folds of her wrap. The words come spilling out, "I love you."

He gathers her into his arms and strokes her hair, silently.

Speaking more than any reassuring words could, she took heart in his embrace. The moment was short, her manicured hands brushing the tears away, unfortunately unable to spare her makeup. She looks up, and steals the hankerchief from his pocket, where he always keeps it. Smiling she blots gently trying not to make things worse.

"Wouldn't do to have Uncle Julian find us like this, for either of us," Paige says. She kisses him softlyly, a wave of relief flowing through her, but she pulls away gently.

"I'll be returning to the City tonight. If you wish I can take you back, or we can ride together. Think on it."

Marius sees a blond-haired woman duck through the tent flap. When she straightens, she stands over 6' tall. She scans the room and her green eyes fix on Marius and she heads over to his cot. She is wearing a long red jacket with white trim at the cuffs and collar, brown pants and tall boots. Her hair is done in two braids hanging down the side [There is a trump picture of Brita on the web].

Her expression is initially serious, but a smile welcoming spreads across her face as she nears Marius. "Cousin Marius," she begins with a bow, "I am your Cousin Brita, daughter of Lord Vidar of Asgard and the Princess Fiona."

Marius' description is as, um, described somewhere else because I don't have a handy little blurb. [Note to self: Self, you may want to remedy that.] Anyway, he looks fairly "intense," with no lines for smiling, except perhaps in a grim fashion.

However, he does appear to have somewhat of a sense of humour (or if not, his sense of propriety also remains wounded and his amusement bleeds) for he responds, "I am glad to hear it," he says, taking a breath. The smile reveals itself as he quickly stumbles through (combined with a laugh), "As I had not been prepared to undergo the shock of our Uncle Julian's sex change."

[Well, she IS tall, as he is, and why couldn't Julian want to be a blonde bombshell? I mean, it just stands to reason...actually, no. It ducks and swerves away from reason altogether. You know, I'm beginning to think I might just not be all well yet, either...]

The comment brings Brita to a confused halt for a moment. Then a wide smile spreads across her face. "Ah, you were, of course, expecting Uncle Julian."

Marius responds to this with a nod that's perhaps a little sharper than warranted, but otherwise is friendly enough. His expression is at least glad that she didn't take it badly. [Although there is a mental note there of, "Likely the worst that happens is I get beat up. At least I'm already in the 'wounded' tent, right?"]

She glances at the tent flap where Paige hovers still speaking to Worth. "Admiral Worth mentioned that he had been notified of your awakening."

As long as he doesn't arrive in a blonde wig, Marius seems fairly content with this turn of events.

Marius does not look as if he is completely "well." While he's not the colour of "pasty" he is not the colour of "in the fullness of health." He does, however, wave a hand in the manner which suggests that he did have the upbringing of a gentleman at some point (however far distant in the past) to suggest perhaps she should either make herself comfortable or not, as she wishes.

[Secondary note to self: apparently Marius makes some pretty expressive gestures. Sure he's not Julianic in origin?]

For as much as Marius seems to accept the "cousin" remark, he is looking at her and acting as if she was merely 'another' stranger. After a moment, he seems to come to a conclusion about something. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Cousin?" he makes it sound the way she said it, as if it were a title in itself. It's a little stiff, and maybe a tad bit suspicious.

Brita's smile fades slightly to a more reflective look as if she is remembering another. She cocks her head to one side as she regards him. "I have returned from the Castle and a meeting between the Cousins, our Uncles and Aunts, and King Random and Queen Vialle." Another wry smile.

Marius' curiosity (especially at the word "Queen") increases and decreases, like a wave hitting against the shore. He's actually probably wondering where the capital letters come from...but maybe it's a Shadow thing.

As far as Marius can tell, the capital letters are natural to Brita. She refers to virtually everyone - except Conner - by their titles. Whether they be family titles or formal titles depends on the situation.

[Brita]
"Be glad you had an excuse to miss the 'Mandatory Cocktail Hour'."

Marius' expression seems to be something like, "You have no idea how happy I was to be dead through that." Erm, well, maybe not 'dead,' but definitely a few inches shy of "alive and kicking."

"As to why I am here, my duties, as dictated by the King, are to assist Uncle Julian here in Arden during the dissemination of the troops."

It's a good thing real telepathy is rare because Marius' mental note on this is, "Oh. She's one of those stickler-for-duty types, is she?"

Which is amusingly ironic because that's Marius in a nutshell, but no one likes to think that they're a bore.

Of course, that's Hamlet's nutshell...but that's another story entirely.

[Brita]
"I dropped by to check on the wounded here and am pleased to find you awake."

Is she really? Pleased, that is. Visibly.

Brita exudes friendliness although she is not overly bubbly or anything.

At that, Marius would be a bit more relaxed, but his tension seems to be a natural thing. If Brita's the sort to notice it, he seems fairly wound up, as if he's expecting something, well, not entirely dreadful, but something to need his attention and he's not looking forward to it. It's spread well with a condiment of sadness, and garnished with a sprig of "just got up"pedness.

She does none of the checking that a doctor would do as her medical expertise ends at Ranger-like field medicine: wrapping a bandage on a bleeding wound and calling for the medic.

[Brita]
"Your wounds were not easily diagnosed or treated by my brother Conner."

Marius actually speaks aloud in character. It takes him a moment to decide if he's responding to her in a hostile sense because it's a personal matter, or if she's actually interested, whoever this Conner-person is. He considers sarcasm, but what comes out is actually fairly honest, if not simple.

"I think there's still some mystery attached." He takes a half-second extra to add, "The physical wounds are always different than those of the...soul, I guess."

A concerned look crosses Brita's face. "Soul wounds," she states. Glancing around at the other wounded, she continues "By the sound of it, this battle at the World's End would generate many such wounds."

"We are stranded, like roses from their bush," he says, and if there's sarcasm in it, it's obvious to someone without any special attributes that it's directed at himself, and not her. "And yet, if brought to the proper soil, perhaps some of us will still flower. It..." he smiles at her, and it's a genuinely friendly smile. "It is good to be home."

Brita's gaze returns to Marius. "If you are tired, I can fend off Uncle Julian for a while. My brother would not be pleased with me if I let you regress because of too much badgering."

It surprises him, this offer of hers, and he laughs as if it delights him and did not come expectedly. "Oh dear, no. Our Uncle," he gives it the capital just for her, "knows better than to put a stick in a badger's den, just as I know better than to be that badger."

He stretches, and cuts off a yawn. "Plus, if all that has been said is true, I have been too long a-bed." He winks and looks around. "Perhaps I can send for something more suitable?" he says, glancing at the remnants of his outfit.

Brita nods. "I will retrieve something for you. Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat as well."

With Marius's response on the food, Brita leaves the tent in search of Needle. She will relay the need for food to Needle and will commandeer some clothes before returning to the tent.

Paige passes Brita on her way in. "I'll stay with him until Uncle Julian arrives," Paige reassures her cousin.

As she approaches, a soft smile of red and hair of the same float into Marius's vision. Paige is wrapped in emerald green velvet, gold heels and clutch in the hand not holding her wrap shut. That hand takes his gently, letting the wrap slide a bit. "Welcome home, cousin. I'm Paige." At her throat is a unicorn head pendant in gold.

It's not that her hand makes Marius' skin crawl, exactly... he's not entirely comfortable with it. He doesn't drop it, but neither does he particularly warm to it. "Another Cousin," he says, and the capital is kind of hesitant on this one, but he's getting the hang of it after Brita. It's fairly easy to keep up the capitals given that it seems to be a title more than any real kind of relationship, especially for Marius.

The smile comes a moment afterwards, as if trying to soften the response, and make it friendly. He's not going to guess her lineage, although there's some fairly obvious possibilities. It doesn't actually seem to matter too much to him, although perhaps the discomfort is in all of these people seeming to know HIM, whereas he's fairly, well, reticent at the least. There's Family and there's family, and he's beginning to suspect he's got a great deal of the former and less than a handful of the latter.

[The description, "An Aisling-righthandful" occurred, but was discarded. (grin)]

He's aware that she's female, at least. [No offense meant to Brita, but he almost did respond to her like Julian-in-drag.] After all, he's got a pulse, and she's, well, _Paige_. It's not the long-drawn-in-breath kind, but the "I've got eyes," kind, and more a formal acknowledgement. "Ah, you have female attributes. In fact, you look kind of nice. Let's move on, now, shall we?" that perhaps in better times would be moved up a couple of notches from "kind of nice" to "breathtaking," but not today -- the, "Let's move on now," is the underlined portion...

He attempts to make conversation. "The forest may be a bit less home than the sea, but it has been a warm welcome nonetheless." He does not ask, "Do I have a lot of women cousins?" although the thought crosses his mind in a huge flash for a moment. Then the smile comes more naturally as he asks, "I did not expect an organized 'Wake From the Dead' celebration at all."

Paige chuckles, "Well, you'll find there are many more cousins for you to meet once you're up and about," Paige says. Sensing his unease she draws back her hand to apparently gather her wrap again. "Here in Amber the war spawned even more hidden children than those that joined forces to return triumphant from Chaos."

The realization that there's a lot of them does make Marius more uncomfortable than Paige's hand did, but he does look a little thankful when she's so casual about removing it. Thankful _and_ awkward.

"As to Arden..." Paige smiles, "It was best suited to the task of bivouacing a returning army, until they can be returned, paid, what have you. I'm sure the Navy will be happy to welcome you again, as soon as you're able."

Good, if they're talking about it like this, Amber still HAS a Navy. Marius was still kind of worried; while Worth's statements seemed to assume it, that didn't mean...well, a lot of gruesome things. He nods a little in reaction to her statement.

"Admiral Worth seemed happy to see you awake." Her eyes cloud a moment at the sound of his name, as if it were more than professional respect for his seaman's skills.

Well, that's good news. Always nice to be appreciated, even if it means that he's probably going to be probed and prodded intellectually in regards to what happened more than he managed to sleep through in the physical diagnosis.

He doesn't seem to notice the feeling in her words... or does he? "I can't help but say that I'm looking forward to it, too," he says, conversely to his thoughts. "I don't know how much I can help out with the rest..." It's not so much as in he's in a hurry to return to the boats, but he's kind of acting like a panicked, trapped animal when the Family business comes to mind. Still, he has a Responsibility, and if he can help out, well, good. Maybe he can get something solitary and tedious.

"And although I'm sure Folly and the others would love an excuse for a party, the only one being planned currently is the coronation, to coincide, I beleive with the blessing of the fleet." Paige's heart goes out to this man, who's dealing with the loss of someone he cared for. Mere days where she had dealt with much of it for years. Even if Brand had lived, Martin wouldn't have endured him a single day after his return.

If the next comes out a little bit as a flirt, it's at least friendly. "I've never thought you needed an excuse for a party, or, really, much planning," he says, and he smiles as if he means it. He's mostly trying to be...well, really, showing some kind of enthusiasm.

Paige smiles good-naturedly, "Well there is that..."

The next questions are probably the most unguarded. "I suspect with the coronation, we'll be both expected and formal? How many of us _are_ there?" Funny enough, he doesn't include himself in the "us" despite using the term as an identification.

"With one still enroute and two among the missing, including ourselves and Brita?" Paige asks rhetorically, "There's twenty of us actually. Uncle Julian is seemingly the most prolific, with three children making appearances." Her tone is light, trying to buoy his spirits, not shock him. "As eclectic a group as you'll ever see."

Paige's heart goes out to this man, who's dealing with the loss ...

But he's certainly not making it easy for her. [grinning]

A thin fellow in the garb of a Ranger enters the tent with an armful of what are obviously clothes for Marius. "Lord Marius? My name is Needle and I've brought you some clothes. Prince Julian is outside, and he'll want to see you when you're ready for him."

"I'll allow you your modesty, cousin, unless..." Paige hesitates in her turning away, _Unless you're willing to accept the hand that un-nerves you._

"I'll be happy to assist Lord Marius, milady," says Needle. Paige has no trouble parsing that statement; Needle has obviously heard of this afternoon's indiscretions.

[Mentally, "So it's 'Lord Marius' now... I wonder what other names I'll be shackled with before the night is through..."]

While Paige's offer didn't cause Marius to freeze up, the expression was more a matter of someone who is quite used to doing things for himself... suddenly possessed of the awkwardness of not being entirely sure he doesn't need the help. Any interplay between Paige and Needle, however, goes unnoticed, or at least, unrecognized.

"Of course you will, Needle," she answers smoothly. She seems unphased by any implications he might have made, at least openly.

She nods to her prostrate family, "Rest well, and don't let our Uncle pester you too greatly." She winks. "I'll be happy to receive you and fill you in on everything that you've missed, at least here in Amber, cousin, as best I can."

"You have been most kind, Cousin." While the words come out calmly and polished, there are many layers there besides the smooth veneer offered. Really, it's the first such comment from Marius, and might reassure Paige that he is, after all that, a member of the Family. It is, however, also a acknowledgement of the dismissal.

As she passes Needle words pitched for his ears alone slip out, "I suppose valet to Royalty is no more an insult to a senior Ranger than it is to the daughter of a Prince." _You will do well to remember, that's who I am._

Not hesitating for an answer, she continues on, to the outside.

Brita steps outside the tent, passing Paige in the entrance.

Worth is standing outside and is looking at the approaching Prince Julian. Julian greets them both with a smile. "Ah, Brita. I see you survived the family dining experience. One almost might think that my children's absence was prescient rather than unfortunately coincidental."

He continues: "I'm glad you've returned. I may need to attend to certain matters in Arden regarding my son, and I would not want to leave the Rangers in anyone else's hands. We should talk after we finish with this business."

He turns to include Worth. "And how is Marius? Is he in any shape to receive to cousins and an Uncle?"

Worth looks at Brita, who was the last one to speak to Marius.

Brita says, "He is awake, Uncle Julian, but wishes to be better dressed before greeting you. I am going to find Needle and have him retrieve some new clothes and food for Cousin Marius. Perhaps we can talk a bit now to allow Cousin Marius time to prepare?"

Julian looks to Worth. The Admiral says, "I'll take care of it, Your Highness," and is on his way. To Brita, Worth seems almost relieved.

Julian turns his attention back to Brita. "My son has undoubtedly attempted to take the old path back to the shadow of his birth. I have spoken with Bay, and he advises that the path my son intended to take has changed, and the area has not been remapped. My son has not taken the Pattern; he cannot return without assistance. I plan to take some of the hounds who served my son on the field and find him after I have spoken with Marius; I will leave you in charge of the camp."

Brita nods in acceptance of her duty.

Needle arrives with clothes for Marius, and Julian gestures to him to enter the tent without breaking stride in his conversation with Brita.

"Vista, whom you met earlier, is the most senior of my men. I have told him that you will be in charge of the camp in my absence. You may trust him in all things. Do you have a deck of Trumps?" Julian asks.

"I have a few Trumps, but not a deck." Brita pulls out her Trumps/sketches and shows Julian the size of the pile.

Julian draws out a deck of his own and hands it to her. "My son has my own deck; I have this one on loan, and will leave it with you. Use it to contact the King and any of my brothers or sisters as necessary."

Brita accepts the deck with a hesitant cock of her head to the side (almost as if she has never seen a deck of Trumps before). She shakes back from some memory and says, "I believe Cousin Lilly may have your deck, Uncle Julian."

Although nothing particular about Julian's expression changes, something about his demeanor tells Brita he is not particularly pleased. "How unfortunate. I had hoped he might use them to contact me."

She will put the cards in a small, water-proofed box when she heads back to her tent later. For now, she puts them with her own cards - although facing the other way so that the backs of each set face out.

"Do you expect it will take you long to find your son, Uncle Julian? My services as tracker are still at your disposal and Cousin Solange could take over here for a short while if needed." Brita is making small talk while waiting for Marius to get ready.

"I do not know how long I will be away; it depends in part on where and how far my son has gone. I assume you are aware that time does not always run so quickly or slowly in the depths of Arden as it does in Amber." Julian pauses. "I cannot leave Arden without a guardian for so long as I may be away. Your offer is generous, but I must decline it."

Brita simple nods and turns to face away from the tent door (almost like she is on guard).

Paige emerges from the tent, pulling her wrap tighter about her shoulders against the evening's slight chill.

"Uncle, good evening. Any word of your children?" she asks.

"None yet," says Julian.

Paige's hands are removing a silk wrapped bundle from her clutch, about the same shape and size as Brita's case. She deals the second card out without ever moving the top card and flips it over to reveal her rooms at the Prince. The rest of the Fortunes return to the silk and then the clutch.

[Julian]
"How fares your cousin Marius?"

"Alert enough for conversation. Needle's helping make him presentable," Paige says.

"You didn't happen to see which way Admiral Worth went?" Paige asks, the pronoun plural, not just for her uncle.

"He went to the Command Tent to get Needle, Cousin Paige," Brita points down the valley a little ways. "I did not see where he went beyond that."

"My thanks, Brita," Paige says.

She nods to Julian and asks his leave, "Your Highness, unless you have any other need of me?"

"Thank you. If you return to the castle, please let my brother know that I have left Brita in charge of the Rangers and have gone to fetch my son."

"Of course, I'd be happy to," she answers. "Good night."

To Needle, [Marius] will kindly accept what help is practical. He takes a long moment as he stands away from his bed to savour the feeling of Earth beneath his feet.

"What mood does the kingdom wear today?" he asks, almost as if muttering to himself, but not entirely forbidding Needle an answer.

"I can't speak for the kingdom, sir, but Arden knows her lord is home, and rejoices," says Needle.

This pleases Marius, as is made evident by the smile he wears. He hums a bit of a ditty while dressing, the lines referring to "Should the Sea seek a husband," a merry tune that masks a tale of drowning.

Needle is willing to let Marius dress on his own to the extent that he can. He'll help if Marius falters or asks for assistance, but not otherwise.

Marius requires only a few questions as to the fit and cut, and looks for his own weaponry. Should it all have been recovered, he'll set it around him in a decorative fashion, should the clothing allow. If it does not allow, he'll carry it under his arm. If it was not recovered, he'll look displeased, worry at his bottom lip for a moment, and then straighten up, figuring that swords can be replaced.

Needle doesn't have it with him, but he'll go look for it. He explains that Marius was brought back with the wounded, not with the main body of Amber's forces. The latter group is still settling in and someone will know where Marius' weapons are. He sounds quite apologetic.

"A loose end, only, friend Ranger. Should my arms meet, well, my arms," and Marius's almost-manic smile is the one that meets Needle's gaze, "in good time, I should have no complaints."

The clothes are plain, but serviceable. They're not officer gear, but they are relatively well made and of good cloth. The fit is imperfect as well, but probably the best that could be done on short notice. (Note: the Amber navy hardly has officer uniforms, and nothing for the enlisted men.)

Nothing more expected, and if they're a bit cleaner than what he had, Marius'll wear them with pride. It is not the clothing, but the man that is required.

When Marius is dressed, Needle says, "Prince Julian is waiting for you, milord."

"I should not like to see him waiting any longer," Marius declares, and he stands as if new life had been poured into him simply by the motion. "Thank you kindly, Ranger." He glances at the crown badge, seems to reflect upon it briefly, but make no permanent decision. "Can I have your name so as to make good your service?" he asks. After all, you always get the young man's name and address.

And never trust a dog with orange eyebrows.

"Needle," Marius repeats it as if committing it to memory.

Afterwards, he will depart the tent with a little bit of uncharacteristic flourish, ready to face his Uncle.

Paige approaches the command tent and finds that things are reasonably slow here. Most of the returnees have nothing they need from their commanders, yet. Worth looks up as Paige approaches. "Excuse me, Forelock," he says to the officer with whom he has been talking. Paige can tell that the officers and sailors in the tent and the vecinity are very decidedly not watching them.

Worth walks up to Paige, "shall we take a breath of air, Paige?" he says, offering his arm.

Paige is it? Well, that seems a good sign, she hopes. "Of course, that'd be lovely."

Paige is content to let him lead the way, trying to not slow his gait too much by her barefoot antics. She's happy to just be here with him and is wary of speaking first and leading the conversation in a direction that wasn't the one that prompted his offer. The Trump has been slipped back into the top of her clutch with a deft flip or two of the silken wrap within.

He walks with you for a while, stopping at an out-of-the way twist in the path. "Paige...." He starts. "You know I've still got to go."

She nods, "I'm not sure I understand fully, but I won't do anything to try and stop you." She doesn't meet his eyes directly.

She starts into her clutch for the Prince Trump again.

"Do you plan on attending the coronation ball? I had hoped that perhaps we could... well that you might..." Paige stumbles, obviously not willing to let her emotions rule her. "I think Vialle's planning another masque."

"I don't think they'll have any of us to sea before then, but I don't anticipate an invitation. My position in the new regime seems to be...transitional. It might be for the best if we don't, Paige."

"There are ways to change that Worth. I know several of my cousins have mentioned your name to Random in the matter of rewarding those who stood by the Council and Crown through the Interregnum," Paige says. Her voice is cool and level, as much as it ever is. For a man who's known her as wholly as he has it's a definite wall between them. //I never know what I have until I lose it, eh?// she thinks to herself wryly, //And not as much lose it as drive it away.//

"You're a strong enough man and well thought of enough that you can most likely have great influence in what happens to your career. Conner will have some say, but he'll be relying on those who have been here the whole time, like you and Vere. But, as I've been told before, I haven't the head for such matters, I'll leave them to those better suited." The sarcasm of the last isn't as scathing as the least Worth has seen of her fiery tongue. There's almost no passion behind it at all, in fact.

Paige turns and kisses him softly, "I'll miss you, Worth." The words seem to say all she wants to let through at the moment.

"I suppose we'll both be rather busy, so should I not see you before you leave," //since you don't want to see me//, "Fair winds and deep waters."

She releases his hand and looks toward the Trump, but not before giving him a moment to say goodbye or anything else that will suit as his farewell.

When Marius emerges from the tent, he finds Brita and Julian enjoying a companionable silence. Paige seems to have departed for elsewhere.

"Nephew," says Julian. "You seem much recovered from when last I saw you. Is there anything I can have brought for you? Food? Something to drink? Or will you be returning to the castle at once?"

Needle has emerged from the tent behind Marius, and waits for instructions from Julian.

Is "Nephew" a title, merely a greeting, or is it warm, like it's a recognition?

Difficult to say. Julian seems pleased to see him up and moving, certainly. It's not like he has a reputation for being particularly warm.

"I suppose I must _be_ much better than when last you saw me, Uncle," he replies, making the title sound the same, and emphasizing the "be" as the gist of the sentence. "One mustn't let a war keep one down," he says, and if his glee seems a little desperate in that, perhaps it is excusable.

"It is, in fact due to the good care given and entrusted to such as your Needle," he gestures offhandedly, without even looking at the Ranger, "that instead it should be myself offering services rather than accepting yours. The beautiful Brita," a hint of a smile, and almost a courtly gesture at that [although it is not native to him], "suggested there was a great many things to do."

Brita's focus snaps back to the conversation at her name with a raised brow. She was surprised to hear "Brita" after "The beautiful", expecting the next word to be "Paige" and not her own name.

Julian actually offers a slight smile at this interchange.

Marius, on the other hand, has the kind of straight face that comedians in lesser Shadows have sacrificed family pets for...erm.

[Marius] pauses, and he looks very, very lost for a moment. "Though..." He's quiet, and then the words rush out. "My men? There were many wounded, and so many that are owed debt for their service..." He struggles for a moment. "There is a bond in battle that is its own responsibility, and in truth, I must lighten its burden on my heart before I can make pledge to other details. I expect," his smile is the wry one Brita saw earlier, "there will be little time, soon."

"Your men are here in Arden. They are planning the repatriation at the castle tonight, but there is no final word yet, nor do I expect there to be until in the morning, at least."

Marius seems to absorb this rather than respond to it.

[Julian]
"Admiral Worth is in command of the naval contingent; however, I expect he is currently distracted."

This gets a nod, but not a judging one. After all, unknown days comatose in bed is probably akin to "distraction."

Julian's expression shifts slightly at that thought, and his good humor vanishes. "Needle should be able to guide you to your men."

Needle says, "Yes, Prince Julian."

"Such service would be exemplary," Marius declares, still not looking at Needle. "If I am not called to any greater employ," he gives them the opportunity, "I would start with discharging some of my debt to my comrades."

"Indeed," says Julian. "When you have finished your business there, you may wish to return to the castle. Other errands call me from Arden for a time; Brita will be in charge of the camp and can assist you in returning. I look forward to seeing you again on my return to Arden."

Marius smiles and accepts the dismissal for what it is, with the nod to Julian and slight bow to Brita (for she is a lady and a lady's beauty is never in question.)

If he's excused, he will give a nod to Julian, a slight bow to Brita, and then focus on Needle intently in order to follow. He'll have questions later, when the pressing needs allow...

After Marius departs, Julian turns his attention back to Brita.

"I must take my leave of you now. Should you have any trouble, contact the King, or one of my brothers. I may not be able to respond to your call, should you Trump me."

He pauses. Then he says, "Should you feel you will require assistance in managing things this evening, beyond that which Vista and Needle can give, you may wish to ask the King for aid tonight."

It occurs to Brita that Julian hasn't asked Random for permission to leave.

"Good hunting, Uncle Julian." Brita says. Living in Asgard with Uncles Loki and Thor, stubborn independence is not unknown to Brita.

Julian smiles, then, and says, "Thank you, niece." There is, then, a slow thundering of hooves that is the approach of Morgenstern, who stops beside Julian and waits for his lord to mount. From atop the great horse, he says, "Take care, until we meet again."

And unless Brita has more to say, Julian is gone.

Brita watches the two ride away. She then turns and strides through the camp towards the command tent and her own small quarters. She is deep in thought and responds to no one along the way. When she arrrives at her tent, she retrieves her small pack, kneels down on the ground in the tent next to it, and searches through the pack to find the lacquered, waterproof box given to her by Master Ngyen so long ago. She opens the box and simultaneously pulls out the combined pack of cards from her jacket's inner pocket. Before putting the Trumps in the box, she fans out the set that Uncle Julian has loaned her, noting what is there and perhaps what is not. She flips over her own few Trumps and places them before her on the ground. She selects one showing snow capped mountain ranges beyond a crystal clear lake and regards it for a brief moment before quickly putting it down and selecting another. This one shows a small paper-walled building with curving red-tiled roof surrounded by a bamboo forest. She concentrates on the card. When the bamboo starts whispering and she can hear the chimes hanging from the eaves of the building begin to stir, she will cover the card with a relieved sigh. She then gathers up the set and, placing it front to front with Uncle Julian's set, puts the combined deck in the box. She rises from the floor and puts the entire box in her jacket pocket, smiling fleetingly over the thought that Master Reid has the corner market on pockets. She returns her pack to a spot beside the cot and exits the tent, looking for Needle and wondering fleetingly where those dragons are now....

[The deck Uncle Julian has appears to be a full deck of elders. It includes some deceased relatives like Brita's grandfather, Marius' mother, Ossian's mentor, and Jerod's father.]

Other than the possibility of having to give a Trump assist to Marius to get him back to the castle, Brita will have an uneventful night.

Brita will spend part of it sketching.