Things That Need Doing

Jerod snaps the spyglass cover closed over the aperture as he finishes his observation of the city, his perch near the edge of the waterfall affording him a perfect vantage point, having noted the progressive changes coming over the King's city even during the short time that he has been in residence.

As he sits, evaluating the changes since last he was at his perch, Jerod digs out his trump deck from a pocket, filtering through it to find Corwin's card. Things that need doing do not always wait for opportune moments, he thinks idly, putting the trump deck away before concentrating on the card.

"Uncle..."

Corwin's image begins to resolve. He's on the grounds of the Louvre somewhere, and he appears to have feminine company of some sort. "Bide a moment," he says to whoever he's with. "Who is it?" he asks, this question more clearly aimed at Jerod.

"Jerod." he says simply. "If this is not a good time..."

"No, it's fine." Corwin looks away from the contact for a moment and says, "It's my nephew," as if that should explain everything, including which of the many possible nephews it is. "Go ahead and unpack it and I'll be back in a little while."

Then he seems to move off a little ways from wherever he was for privacy. "Now, how can I help you, Jerod?"

"His majesty and I had a talk a few days ago concerning a few matters that needed clearing up." Jerod says. "Having done that, I was speaking with on available jobs, as I was not wanting to remain inactive so soon after the funeral. He indicated I should check to see if you have anything outstanding. I had been somewhat partial to Uncle Random's ideas concerning a crusade, but he indicated he doesn't have one available for me."

"I do," Corwin says. His expression has gone a little flat, although Jerod has no sense that Corwin's anger is aimed at him through the trump connection. "You know people in Gateway, don't you? Get together with Marius and whoever else has information and find out what happened to Marius, and why. That needs to be done sooner rather than later. And no gratuitous violence ... yet."

"I had a few meetings with people, mostly during the process of setting up the trade route." Jerod replies. "Given the situation though I doubt that the Chancellor would be willing to speak to any of us except with an army in between us. The Ambassador to Amber might be someone to approach, if she's around that is. Haven't seen her in a while. Nor do I know what happened to that mage that I brought back to your court.

"Conner had more contact with Gateway, through Thalia. She offered me some sorcery lessons, politely declined. Not sure where she is right now though. The Chancellor had mentioned that her niece had been going off on a quest but that was awhile ago.

"Where is Marius right now? Last I saw him was Paris and he's not been around Xanadu."

Corwin answers those questions succinctly. "Caine says Thalia is in prison in Amber; Marius brought her back. And he's still here, recovering, unless he's left very recently. I hadn't thought about the Ambassador, but I'm not even sure I know who that was, nor who, if anyone, is Ambassador to Random's court. Gateway hasn't offered me an Ambassador here yet." Corwin frowns and the weight of the thought is heavy through the connection. "Do you know what the status of Gateway is vis-a-vis the new Queen of Rebma?"

"I was referring to Harper, the Ambassador to Amber. I do not believe his uncle Random has yet received an ambassador from Gateway. As for Khela, I'm not sure what Gateway's status is. It cannot be good." Jerod says. "I would guess it will not take Khela long to figure out that Huon's sorcerers were from Gateway. Given that Gateway has always seen Rebma as a sorcerous competitor, as well in the areas of politics and general influence, the normal response for the Queen, barring her having some other information to mitigate the response, would be a form of retaliation. To not retaliate in some way that proves Rebma's superiority over Gateway invites further trouble. The means she would choose is up to her, be it political, social or military. That she has a battle tested army ready to move would provide her an easy solution at short notice for the latter option."

Corwin takes all that in, nodding. "It sounds like you have a number of avenues of approach, then. Is there anything you need from me? A lettre de course, perhaps?"

"It would be a good idea." Jerod says. "As a Duke of Rebma my first response to Gateway's actions would be to smash a large number of meteors into the ocean to drown their city in a tidal wave, just as I turned off the magic in their shadow for a split second so they couldn't stop it. A clear statement that I'm working in a capacity other than a Duke of Rebma would help in others recognizing I'm not going to hurt them...unless I absolutely need to."

"Trump me tomorrow and I'll have one ready for me. If you speak with any of your cousins and find out anything useful, let me know," Corwin says.

"I will be in touch." Jerod says, closing off the trump call with a nod.

Putting the trump of Corwin away, Jerod checks with the castle staff and the functionaries there that deal with the city to determine whether or not Harper, the former Ambassador of Gateway is in Xanadu, or if she may still be in Amber. That she may have returned to Gateway is a possibility, but he will cover his bases first.

If she is in Xanadu, then he will take steps to track her down there. If she is not, and there is no word that she has returned to Gateway, then his next step is a trump call to Caine.

Jerod puts the trump of Caine back into his deck as he makes his way from his quarters, to begin his search for his sister. That Harper is no longer in Amber certainly complicates matters, though it is probable that she returned to Gateway even if it is unconfirmed. That her embassy staff remain in Amber however is useful, a definite asset to be exploited.

Thankfully Caine did not appear to raise a fuss. Caine did not appear terribly pleased that Jerod would be arriving soon to Amber, though Jerod would not have been annoyed had he done so. Caine was Caine, one of the defining qualities about his uncle that Jerod liked. Once Jerod understood that about him, Caine was a lot easier to handle. It did not mean he necessarily got anywhere with Caine, only that he was easier to deal with. A situation he wished applied to his sisters.

To that end, he checks around with the castle staff to determine on the latest sighting for his sister Valeria. Like Carina, it is unlikely that there are a lot of green-skinned women hanging around Xanadu, so finding her current whereabouts should not prove difficult.

Valeria was last seen in Xanadu City, spending time with Ash and his wife. Soren suggests that Jerod may want to do something about that, as Ash is too easily impressed by titles.

Jerod will agree with Soren, on the point that Valeria should stop seeing certain people in Xanadu. He's got enough problems already without having to beat his sister into submission for causing local problems, before someone else gets to it first.

On that note, he heads into the city, acquiring Ash's address first before setting out. He will also check with locals as he passes into the city proper in case she might be out and about, though he will check on Ash's residence first if nothing else comes up that would be immediately more actionable.

Ash has one of the few complete "nice" residences in town. Most of the completed buildings in Xanadu are commercial in nature; homes tend to be more makeshift for now, or are in the process of being built, with owners living in the completed portions. Lucas, Jerod knows, was planning to build a mansion at one point and some materials were imported to make that happen, but since his death, they've been sold at a premium and incorporated into other structures.

One of the structures that is under constructions is what Jerod suspects will become the Rebman embassy when formal relations are opened. Valeria is financing it, although Jerod isn't quite sure how--perhaps on promissory notes--and it is only partway constructed.

The town has grown large enough in these few months that locals can no longer keep track of who is where, and Jerod's initial efforts to locate Valeria are fruitless. Ash, however, is well-known enough and important enough to boot that many of the locals know where he is. He's presiding over the market day in what will eventually become the city center, and, Jerod suspects, when the small merchants are driven out, the mercantile center. Valeria is most likely to be either there, in the market, or at the pseudo-embassy.

Given that Valeria's father was Harcourt and as such a merchant prince, thus a scoundrel and smuggler no doubt, Jerod would presume that Valeria is making inroads into those areas as well. He'll need to make mention of that to the local authorities, and nudge her off if she appears to be going that way.

He will check first with the embassy location, evaluating it to see how far the construction has gone. Assuming it is being worked on, then he can speak to the workers and see about picking up additional information, such as the means by which she is undertaking this endeavour, and who she is attempting to put into place with regards to supplies and such for its continued upkeep. That she may also be constructing it with a view to ensuring it is amenable to scrying by selected members of the royal family who might have been involved with its initial construction is certainly an option. It's something he's seen in other shadows during his travels, and bugging an embassy is such a wonderful long term plan - you can always be sure it will return value on your initial investment. It's for sure that Jerod would be most disappointed if his sister was not engaged in such activity.

Parts of the building are framed out and one corner tower has been completely built, allowing the Rebman factions that support Moire to have a gathering place.

From what Jerod can glean from his discussions with the workmen, which he is sure will be reported back to his sister, her Harga'rel connections are definitely helping her to finance this place, as, he gathers, is someone related to the Hardwinds. While Jerod remembers them best from Aunt Felicity, Solange's foster mother's sister, who was at court during his father's reign and the Regency and a great help to Gerard during the latter, he knows that there was some split in the family after Felicity's husband's death. He vaguely also recalls that Lucas was investigating the finances of the family as a favor to Solange in the months before his untimely murder, and that the trouble was part of why Felicity was happy to depart Amber for Paris.

As to magical scrying, it's hard to tell what they're doing with or about that. From what Jerod knows based on his instruction from Lamell, some areas could be designed for being spied on, and others to block scrying. Much will depend on the materials used and the preparations made during construction. Perhaps if Brennan or Merlin were here, they could offer better opinions.

Valeria is not present, although the workers say she is likely to come by at some point during the day. If he likes, Jerod can leave a message for her.

Jerod arranges for a message to be left for her, as he intends to follow up at Ash's residence next. The message itself is simple, addressed to Valeria, of the family of Rilsa and Harga'rel, that he was inquiring into her whereabouts, the embassy status and security and general social activities. A meeting at the soonest moment would be opportune. He also ensures the workmen are aware that the sender of the message is Prince Jerod of Amber, not Duke Jerod of Rebma.

There is enough in the message to advise her he is aware of her building activities, her financial connections, and her social meanderings, but says little more. It is sufficient that if she is interested she can arrange to meet with him, or if she does not consider it important then she won't, in which case, that tells him something as well.

From there, it's onward to Ash's place.

The workmen agree to deliver the message, and the foreman rehearses it until Jerod is convinced he has it right. These men don't have the memorization capability of a Rebman, but he suspects they're not literate. That should mean they have a decent memory for oral messages.

Ash is not home, being out and about the city in his mayoral role, but someone is home. Her name is Tjaden, and she greets Jerod in Ash's name, and invites him into the sitting room. There is a guest there, but it's not Valeria. It's another woman, whose name is Haven.

There's something familiar about their accent, and it takes Jerod a while to place it: it's the same one Random's bard Soren has. And the same one as Folly.

The living room of Ash's home is rustic by the standards of Amber, but rich by the standards of Xanadu. It's not that the furniture is poor or ill-made; the leather chairs are comfortable and the carving on the tables is exquisite. Probably they were brought from Amber on some fleet that has passed between the two cities. But there is very little decoration in the room besides the furniture, and little enough of that given the size of the room.

Tjaden is a young woman, younger than Folly appears to be by some years, but she has managed the arrival of a royal newcomer with surprising aplomb. She's also very lovely in a classical way. Haven is a bit older, and has more of the sort of quirky charm that Jerod associates with Folly.

As the hostess, Tjaden has sent for tea. The slowness with which she did so indicates a certain unfamiliarity with the proper use of servants, despite her husband's apparent fondness for titles. Having instructed the housekeeper (Ash apparently doesn't have a page, or if so, the page is with him) to prepare the beverage, she comes back and joins her two guests. "So--I'm sorry, I'm not familiar enough with the proper form of address yet--you're another relative of Syd's? I mean, Random's?" she asks Jerod, with a combination of interest and wariness.

Haven presses her lips together a bit at the slip with the names, but doesn't say anything.

"My uncle." Jerod replies. "My father was Eric and for a brief period he was King of Amber before his death and the return of Oberon. I take it you knew his majesty from his more...colourful early days?" with a slight but not unpleasant smile.

"If Folly's right about him," Haven says drily, "they weren't early days. I can't believe he's old enough to be that guy's father. Younger brother, maybe. But yes, he was in the band with us and Ash and Soren and Folly."

Tjaden casts a glance at Haven, and nods by way of agreement. "He was our drummer. We didn't know about the family history. He didn't talk about that kind of thing at all with us. Even with the nobles we knew back in Texorami, it's a shock to think of him as a king. But," and the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile, "not a bad one." Jerod suspects they could ask him more questions than he wants to ask them, but they're polite enough not to ask. "What Random," and here Tjaden lays a little emphasis on the word and shoots a glance at Haven "said about Amber didn't prepare us for what we found when we got here. From what Soren said, things must have been very different when your father was king."

"Compared to his brothers, my uncle is comparative youngster." Jerod says simply. "His majesty may perhaps avail himself one day to tell you about his brothers in more detail, especially concerning their behaviour towards each other while Oberon was king. It is not a tale that is offered lightly, nor is there anything to be proud of in its telling though I think there are things of value to be learned from it. It is sufficient to say that my father died for his people, and took power the way most kings of old took power, by force. It was neither polite nor civilized, though knowing now what was happening at the time amongst our enemies, it was perhaps the most correct thing to happen. Had it not, things may have turned out a lot differently and not for the better. There are some who may wish to remain focused upon those days, for good or ill, and that is their choice. I think it more prudent to look to the future now."

Both of the women listen to Jerod very seriously, and with a bit of what might be nerves. Haven is the first to reply, and she says, "It sounds like your family history is really interesting. Maybe somebody will tell us all the details sometime. I think Tjaden was thinking about the actual city, though. I got the impression Amber was an ancient place with jillions of people, and Xanadu here is a big frontier town. Not," she hastens to add, "that there's anything wrong with it. It's just different to what I expected to find when I went down the rabbit hole."

"It's the kind of place you'd expect Sy--Random to be king of, though," Tjaden says. "It's a drummer kind of place. Do you play?"

They both wait with interest on Jerod's answer to that question.

"Not drums." Jerod says. "Though music is a passion of mine. My tastes run slightly more classical compared to his majesty's. You will find creative expression to be something that is part of all of our family, though each chooses to express it in different ways. The artist's prerogative.

"I think that you might want to find a way to record your impressions of these coming days, for as the days turns to weeks and months, the city that will grow around you will not resemble this frontier town you see now. One day, it will be like Amber." Jerod's voice grows wistful as he remembers his home. "It was the first of cities, the one true city of which all others are but Shadow. It was a million strong, a nexus for trade and culture. It was real in way you could feel...you could smell it in the air, see it on the wind, hear it in the people you met. You could feel it in your heart.

"One day, Xanadu will also be that way. And you will have trouble remembering it as it is now, nor would any others you choose to tell of your arrival here believe you. They will believe that you tell an impossible story, and you might think them right."

"I've been to--well, through, briefly--Amber," Haven tells Jerod. "It doesn't seem like that now. This place is like a little boy, getting ready to grow up. Amber's like an old man." She does not say what she thinks it's getting ready to do, but it's inherent in the sadness of her voice. "Maybe we should get the band back together, cut an album about it if Soren ever gets the studio gear they're supposedly putting in up there."

The housekeeper, a sturdy woman whom Jerod guesses is from Amber, and old enough to remember the old ways, brings in the tea and gives Jerod a deep curtsey before retreating.

Jerod looks at her, recognizing mannerisms from the "old days", a sign of the past in a place of the future. "What is your name?" he asks, listening to her reply and nodding, and then thanks her for the tea.

Those who would brave the future, when others would stay behind in the past, should be noted for their courage, no matter what reason it may have been for.

"Maybe you could pour?" Tjaden, who seems to know enough to know this is an honor but not enough to know how to do it by Amber standards, suggests to Jerod. "And tell us about what you do play?"

By comparison for Jerod, the pouring of tea, from cultures near and far, along with a hundred other points of protocol are but another ingrained behaviour, barely even recognized now. His movements are unimpaired as he speaks, his movements as unconscious as they are absolutely precise.

"Have you ever heard of a gentleman named Tchaikovsky?" Jerod asks. "His music is similar to that of a number of individuals that I have studied and find enjoyable. All of us have talents of a sort in one vein or another. When I came above the waves..." and he pauses to correct. "...when I came to Amber from Rebma, things were very different with regards to music. I found violins to be quite intriguing. My father noted my interests and we went on a trip where I had the opportunity to meet Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Despite being somewhat insecure concerning his success, he was nonetheless a very good role model for music. I learned a considerable amount.

"What about your preferences?"

"Folly played the fiddle in our band," Haven tells Jerod. "And sometimes the violin too. I play piano."

Tjaden becomes more animated at this part of the discussion than about anything they [discussed previously]. "Oh, I do a little of everything. I've done some percussion, mostly secondary after Sy--Random left, because Soren always handled any background percussion we needed until he had to take up the kit. But I play guitar and mando, and when we get some power and gear I'll pick up bass again. And I play the flute, too. We used to have these big jam sessions at the Furrowed Brew--I swear, I keep expecting Trick to show up here--and that's how we actually met him, I mean, your uncle, His Majesty.

"If we set up a jam session here," Tjaden asks, her eyes shining, "do you think you might come with your violin?"

"That would depend." Jerod says. He makes an adjustment to the tea set, using this moment as a means to gauge both Haven's and Tjaden's emotional focus, both with regards to him and to this new idea that Tjaden has brought up.

"We've had such sessions in the past amongst my cousins, which included Folly, though typically my part has been most to observe. There is rarely a need for violin work, and I find it interesting to observe how others perform. It speaks volumes as to their character. Also, there is a matter of...I suppose the correct phrase would be...turf. As friends of his majesty, there are certain boundaries that is it inadvisable for me to cross without permission. Random may be my uncle, but he is also the king and jamming with his friends might be perceived as a intrusion into his life."

Tjaden is interested in the answer, but her eyes dart nervously back and forth between Haven and Jerod, as if she's concerned one or the other of them thinks she's done something wrong. The offer was obviously sincere, if a bit naively made. But Tjaden seems young and without much experience in court politics.

"Court is like that sometimes," Haven, who has been nodding as Jerod explains the difficulty, adds for Tjaden's benefit. "Also, if the King shows too much favor to Jerod by inviting him to jams and not inviting other members of court, Jerod might get in trouble with other courtiers, whom I guess are all--your other cousins?" If she means to add something about what this means for Ash, the Lord Mayor, Haven seems to be saving that lecture to Tjaden for after Jerod's departure. "Obviously court was different in Texorami, but some things don't change much, I guess."

"Does that mean--" Tjaden starts to ask a question of Haven, but thinks better of it. "Never mind that now; we'll worry about it later. But anyway, as far as I'm concerned you're welcome, and I hope there's no turf issues in you playing."

"I am sure that as time progresses, the workings of court will become much more familiar. Should an invitation to jam be extended, it would certainly not be rejected on my part." Jerod offers.

Tjaden smiles brightly at this news.

"As for the other courtiers of court..." he answers in response to Haven's question. "Some are family yes. Others are individuals who are deemed to be important or skillful. As an example, Ash fits into that category. Each individual has a relative level of... I suppose a poor word of choice might be worth. Each contributes or has influence of a certain level based on merit, but this can be affected according to the vagaries of politics and social settings. I, for example, have very little political influence in Xanadu right now as I have not been here since its inception, nor have I been involved with the king from his earlier days. Yet I have the substantial benefit of Family influence, which allows me to work in many different social settings. It grants me rights that are not available to others should I choose to exercise them. Some are exercised regularly, others very rarely. Depending on how the king chooses to shape his new kingdom will determine whether or not some of those rights are of use."

Haven is nodding along; if she's not familiar with the Family usages, she's clearly spent enough time around the right sort of people to get the general idea. Tjaden, on the other hand, is paying a great deal of attention to Jerod, almost as if she expects there will be a test on this material later.

Jerod makes note of Tjaden's response to his answer, pondering mentally whether it may become necessary to let her know about Carina. For the moment, he decides not to worry about it, though he will be sure to keep an eye on things for the future.

"Speaking of Ash and influence, something came to my attention recently that I thought necessary to investigate. I'm led to believe that you have the acquaintance of an individual from Rebma, the Duchess Valeria?" Jerod asks.

Tjaden nods. "She's a friend of Ash's. I mean, not that I don't like her, just she's someone I met through him. Ash likes to hold, uh, salons, I guess would be the best word? She comes to them."

"And these salons...what happens during her attendance?" Jerod asks.

Tjaden frowns a little, as if she's trying to remember something specific that happened. "They're just, I dunno, cocktail parties but without as much booze. People meet, circulate, talk. Ash likes that kind of thing. He invites all kinds of people to the house, so they can 'make connections', he says. I think he feels like it's his job as Lord Mayor to promote that kind of thing."

"Also," Haven says, a bit more drily than she might have, "Ash likes important people. He was a royalist even before one of his bandmates turned up as King."

Jerod nods, not disapprovingly. "It is not without merit that it's good to occasionally meet and greet." he says. "I'm curious. What are your impressions of the Duchess?"

There's another moment of hesitation before Tjaden replies, as if she's digging through her memories and trying to come up with something to say, or perhaps something to say that will meet with Jerod's approval, or at least not incur his disapproval. "She gets around. I mean, not in a bad way--" as if there's an obvious bad way "--but she schmoozes a lot, has something for everyone. She likes to make deals, I think, even if she doesn't get something obvious out of it. She, uh, kind of reminds me of Brij sometimes. Not--" Tjaden hastens to add "--in the bad way. And I don't think she'd write a book. But she kind of--attaches? the same way." Tjaden looks at Haven again, maybe for assistance translating.

Haven explains to Jerod. "Brij is Folly's mother. I don't know what you've heard about her but she's kind of overwhelming. She was a child prodigy in gymnastics and sometimes being a celebrity makes you kind of, I don't know, hungry for that? And she wrote a book about Folly after Folly vanished. It was like her way of hanging on to fame, I think." She looks back at Tjaden for confirmation of her hypothesis.

"But she's a princess, and that's not going to go away," Tjaden clarifies, as if that makes a difference.

"I have met Brij only in passing." Jerod replies, thinking back to a shot-gun wielding lady in the company of Bleys, and thinking it oddly appropriate given who Folly is. "I have no doubt that life in the Family will smooth some of the...rougher edges. It always does.

"With regards to Valeria, there may be some things that may not be apparent that I think you might want to know about. The Duchess is the daughter of Princess Rilsa of Rebma, who is the daughter of Queen Moire. Moire was recently removed from her throne, by force, by the daughter of one of Oberon's children Llewella. That removal appears to have been largely successful but Moire is not in custody, having escaped before the coup occurred.

"Now, his majesty is remaining neutral for the moment concerning this situation, though from my perspective he is likely to lean towards the current situation being maintained as opposed to a return to older times. But, what his majesty wants and what appear to be happening can be two very different things. For example, if a Duchess of the old order were seen to be cultivating members of the King's inner circle, there is the possibility that this might be seen in a poor light by the new Queen. Valeria is known to be working on setting up a new presence for Rebma here and she may simply be doing just that. Or she may be seeking new allies and support for a return of Moire.

"This could create a distinctly unpleasant optic for the King, do you not agree?"

Again, Haven seems to be nodding along, her prior experience at a very different court standing her in good stead. Tjaden's face falls as Jerod finishes his explanation in a way that suggests she's getting the picture as well. "That could be bad, yeah."

Haven says, "Now I have a question. Soren says Folly's husband comes from Rebma. What do you think that means in all this revolution business?" The emphasis in the question is clearly on seeking Jerod's opinion of the matter.

"For Martin? A major headache." Jerod replies, moving to replenish tea cups that have dropped slowly but steadily as the conversation has passed. "Males cannot ascend the throne of Rebma, just as in the old days no women could become King of Amber. It's just...not...doable." and he says that in a way that means it involves more than just simple prejudice or politics.

"Martin is in the line of succession because of who his mother was. Morganthe was a daughter of Moire, which places Martin in the second line of succession. By tradition, any of his female offspring will be eligible even if he isn't and that means they will become involved...one way or the other. So he may not garner a benefit from the situation in some cases, but he will always garner the stress.

"By extension that can also put demands upon his majesty, though he will respond to them differently and have a different focus in regards to them. As the son of the King, Martin is shielded from some of the more obvious, and rude demands that could be placed on him, but others will take their place. He will keep an eye on Rebma to see how it will affect him. If you are friends of his majesty, I would recommend you do the same.

"Oh, and a helpful hint. Martin's mother is a topic of...sensitivity...for both him and the King. She died very shortly after Martin's birth. I offer this information to you because it may help you to understand a few things. It is not a topic you would want to broach in polite conversation, in general public or as gossip. Doing so...would be very bad."

Tjaden's face has taken on the sort of concentration Jerod associates with hard study at lessons the student wasn't necessarily very good at. "But if he's not in the succession, and someone else is queen, doesn't that mean Folly's daughter--or son, I mean, I guess we won't really know until she has the baby--might be out of succession there? And if she's married to the king's son, doesn't that put her baby in line here?"

"I think so," says Haven, "at least for the part here. When all the royals are related closely, things get complicated."

"Folly's children, however many she may have with Martin, will always be in line of succession." Jerod says. "However, I will say with some certainty that none of them will ever succeed to the throne. At least not for any substantial duration. My father took the throne when Oberon was missing. He held it for five years. I know now that he was never meant to, and that he never could. It has nothing to do with politics, with intrigue or with anything else of a like mundane nature. Random is the kingdom, in the strictest, most literal sense of the phrase. Only he can rule."

Haven frowns, the press of her lips suggesting a certain skepticism about the whole idea. "No offense, but that sounds more like a fairy tale than a history lesson. If Folly's kids can't--won't--whatever--inherit here or in Amber, then is Rebma like that too? Who's the Queen of Rebma that is the queendom?"

This entire conversation has clearly ascended to a level that's a bit over Tjaden's head. It's not that she can't follow the words, but conceptually they don't seem to quite be connecting for her.

Jerod smiles. "You have asked the question that has been asked by many of his majesty's kin, for Rebma is like Amber and Xanadu, and yet not. The first ruler of Rebma was Moins and she was like Oberon in how he rules Amber. Yet she died and the throne was assumed by her daughter Moire. So it was assumed that others of a ruler's blood could assume the throne. Thus began the contest for Oberon's throne, one that was ultimately fought between my father and his brother Corwin. It was an assumption that has been found to be incorrect.

"We do not fully understand why Moire can rule when she did not...found...the queendom if you like. What I do know is that based on what has happened previously, the current ruler Khela now appears to occupy a position very similar to the one that my father occupied. Unless she has additional information on how to prevent it from happening, I suspect she will meet a fate similar to his own."

"So I should tell Folly not to let anybody put her kids on a throne, is what you're telling me." Haven nods, but the way her lips press together again tells Jerod, and presumably Tjaden, who's looking increasingly disconcerted about the direction of this discussion. "Thanks." She turns to Tjaden and adds, for her benefit, "This kind of thing is why it's sometimes better to be a Royalist than a royal."

Tjaden replies, "Don't tell Ash. He'll never believe it." Her attention refocuses on Jerod, lest he be excluded from the conversation. "The way you talk about the kingdom reminds me of myths and fairy stories I heard as a child. I guess it turns out they have a basis in fact. But we sort of knew that when Folly had a mysterious disappearance. The going under the hill kind of thing like she used to sing about."

"I think Folly is pretty well grounded in most of the ins-and-outs of royal life." Jerod says, not without some sympathy for Haven's direction of thought. "She was very skilled when she served on the Regent's Council. Though I do not doubt she will encounter her share of trials in the future, I do not doubt as to the outcome. As for Ash, you should definitely remind him of the dangers of engaging with royalty, especially my sister Valeria. She plays by her own rules, and they rarely are considerate of others.

"As for myths and stories, you are more correct than you realize. But that is a topic of considerable length that is best discussed over tables of food and with glasses in hand."

"Oh, Ash will get the picture," Haven says, and Jerod has the idea that the light will dawn over Cabra for Ash even if Haven has to break his head to get the light in.

Tjaden has been recalled to her duties as official hostess. "Would you care to join us for dinner this evening, sir?" she asks, apparently settling on that as the least incorrect form of address she can muster out of the possible set that might apply to Jerod.

"I would find that quite enjoyable, thank you." Jerod offers. "It will give us a change to swap stories of the old days as it were. I must say I am most curious as to his majesty's...earlier exploits."