RoomAndBoardIndex SB: Room and Board "I still need to get myself some Trumps of my own." Valerian says. "Not for lack of inclination, merely time and someone to create them. Still, until that happy day, there are servants, pages, and other means of finding me." "I can help with that;" Kieran says. "When we get a moment or three." "I trust, if you are going to see your quarters now." he says to Dagny "that you will find it not onerous to find Kieran or myself again?" "Onerous? No, but then the day is still young," Dagny grins. "I'll see you both later." With that, she'll follow the servant. The groomsman leads Dagny away from Valerian, Kieran and Paril, and into the corridors of the Castle. He soon spots, and calls to a servant, a young woman with black hair, wearing green. "Hey, Sephoria!" he says, loudly. The young woman turns and beams. Her eyes match her dress color. "What are you doing in here, Haroys?" The Groomsman gestures to Dagny. "This is Princess Dagny. At least, that's what HE said." Her face goes a little pale, as if from fear. Finally, Sephoria nods. "I think I helped set up your room, Princess. Does a phoenix bedspread and accents of purple and red sound right?" Haroys shifts his weight from foot to foot. I look from one to the other, frowning. "What am I missing? Do explain." "There have been a number of new members of the Royal family recently, milady Princess." Sephoria replies to Dagny. "And since you have been in absentia for a couple of days, I wanted to make sure to bring you to the correct room. The Chamberlain would not be pleased if I did not do so." "May I be excused?" Haroys adds. I regard the two of them for a moment, and turn on Third Ear briefly. Anything? Turning on third Ear, in Castle Amber is opening your mind to a near cacophony. Voices, mental voices demand Dagny's attention. It takes a little effort for Dagny to tune into the two servants. When she does, she gets the sense of fear, fear of the Chamberlain, in the groomsman and the servant. And a healthy respect for Princess Dagny. Assuming everything is well, I nod. "Sure, go ahead." Haroys makes a sketchy bow, and leaves, rapidly, leaving Dagny with the servant, Sephoria. As he leaves, I turn to Sephoria, and motion we should start walking. "I'm more of a blue-and-gold girl myself, but as long as Luke never slept underneath that bedspread, I really don't care. Can you tell me what time of year it is here now? And is it too early in the day to have some wine and cheese sent up to my chambers?" Sephoria starts walking, crisply, subtly taking the lead to guide Dagny toward the rear, main staircase of the Castle. "As far as I am aware, Princess, King Rinaldo of Kashfa your father has only stayed here a couple of nights, and never in the room or with the bed materials provided to you." She pauses. "I believe the design was chosen because of your presumed heirship to him. If you wish something else, I can certainly see to that." She pauses her words, but not her motion, for Dagny's response. "Next time you change the sheets, maybe. Whatever. No biggie." "As you wish, milady Princess." Sephoria says demurely. As we walk, I do my damnedest to memorize the corridors we walk through. The passage to the back staircase is not only pretty simple, but Dagny has been this way before. The complications don't begin until Sephoria leads Dagny onto the second floor and down unfamiliar corridors. "It is only a few days past the Vernal Equinox" Sephoria explains "so the season would be early spring, Princess." Sephoria continues. "And the kitchens are open for all hours. There are those in the family who work at all hours of the day or night. Do you have a particular preference for the kind of wine or cheese?" "No, not really." What I really wanted was a chance to lay low for awhile before I had to deal with the rest of my relations. "I will have a selection brought, then. Here we are." Legerdemain, or just good navigation, perhaps, but Sephoria has led Dagny to an ordinary looking door. Dagny's memorization and prior experience suggests to her that her rooms are not far away from the Castle Amber Library. From inside of her dress, Sephoria produces a key, and unlocks the door. "Your rooms, Princess." Sephoria says, offering Dagny the key. "Will there be anything else besides the cheese and wine?" Why not? "Actually, I'd like to have some dresses and jewelery made, that I can keep here for when I visit," I reply. "I don't know which designers are favored by the royal family, but I wouldn't mind some names or portfolios to look over in the meantime." "I would not presume to make such suggestions, milady Princess." Sephoria says. "However, I do know one or two of your cousins, and aunts, who would be most happy to provide suggestions on those designers and creators in favor at Court." "That's fine. Thanks." I briefly wondered how I would pay for such things--could I conjure gold, or was I entitled to a share from the royal treasury? Ha. "If I'm going to be a royal princess, I suppose I should look the part, hm?" "Ah, milady Princess. Perhaps a few points of etiquette and terminology are necessary here? To refresh your memory?" Sephoria says, after clearing her throat. She pauses to regard Dagny expectantly for her to continue. "Screwed up already, have I?" I said wryly. "Not surprising. Here, come inside." I unlock the door and invite her in. Sephoria waits for Dagny to step inside fully before following her in. Light for this room comes from a window to the outside, providing early morning light on the scene. There is a relatively fresh smell, akin to a hotel room that has been recently cleaned and turned. The room has been simply decorated, in a neutral style that Dagny might attribute to an upscale hotel suite. A hotel suite, but a well appointed one. This living room has three doors in total, a chaise lounge, a few chairs, a bookcase, and a bureau/writing desk. The style of all of this furniture, Dagny will recognize from the Smithsonian as Federal: Graceful straight lines, light construction, tapered legs. A painting, a watercolor of a view of the harbor, hangs on one wall. On another, a small tapestry of the Unicorn in the forest is a vision of white on green. "I should mention that her highnesses Royal Princess Flora and her daughter Princess Asteria are mainly responsible for helping to choose the basic furniture in here, the bathroom and the bedroom." Sephoria explains. "Of course, you are free to alter or change it as you see fit." "To continue my point before, highness...you are not a Royal Princess, although I understand that you might be classified as a Royal Princess of Kashfa...his Majesty can then name an oath swearer of the blood a Prince or Princess, which is the case for you, highness." "Very well. Thank you for the etiquette lesson. Neither Emily Post nor Miss Manners cover these subjects on a regular basis, unfortunately." I gesture about the room. "It's very nice. I'll ring if I need something." Honestly, I was itching to see if my conjuration would work here at The Center of All Things, and if such a conjuration could be carried across Shadow. "Besides the cheese and wine, of course?" Sephoria asks, with a clear tone of solicitousness in her voice. "You still wish me to bring those, do you not?" "Oh yes, of course." I was a little mystified at Sephoria's seeming anxiousness, and wondered if it all centered around Amber Castle's favorite Chamberlain. If so, what in the hell was Henden doing to these people? "Thank you." I smile at her. "Yes, milady Princess." Sephoria says. "It shall be brought promptly." She curtseys, and then without further preamble exits the room. This, of course, leaves Dagny alone to her own devices at least for a few minutes of peace and quiet. I surveyed the room. Nice enough, but let's see if we can't add a few touches. Atalanta I was not, but I decided to start simple and conjure up a gold apple-shaped paperweight. Dagny has had a lot of practice, during her years in shadow, in tuning her conjuration skills to the magic level and style of a shadow. It's nearly become an automatic process, now, for her to do it. And in reality, most shadows don't require a lot of fine tuning. That said, it takes just a little fine tuning for Dagny to create the paperweight. The first pass doesn't quite work, producing nothing whatsoever. The second attempt is completely successful. In short order, Dagny has a red delicious apple-shaped paperweight, made out of gold, in her palm. The heaviness of the paperweight suggests that the item is, if not made out of gold, is made out of something close to gold in its properties, especially its density. Nice. I congratulated myself on a job well done. Next up, conjure something small that I could take with me across Shadows--a small gold disc, say, with a blue topaz in the middle, that could easily slip into one of the pockets of my sword's travel case. It'll be interesting to see if it makes the shift with me. Now that Dagny has the knack of it, this second conjuration, which again takes a couple of minutes, is successful, and without the need for a second try. It is just about when Dagny has finished creating the gold disc, however, that there is a knocking on Dagny's door. It has certainly not been enough time for Sephoria to get to the kitchen, place the order, and return with it unless she were capable of teleporting at will. Better safe than sorry, right? As I reach over to tuck the disc into my case, I call out, "Yes, who is it?" "Hello, Dagny. Welcome back to Amber. I'm your cousin" comes a voice. Female. And then. "Dulcinea." Dulcinea? Well, that's sweet. I resisted a momentary impulse to start humming selections from Man of La Mancha. "Come in." The door opens to reveal a young blond haired woman. She closes the door behind her, folding her hands behind her to do so. She regards Dagny with a smile. "I don't think that we've actually met." Dulcinea says. "However, I felt your presence nearby and decided to introduce myself. Especially since Father probably expected you to be gone from Amber much longer than you actually did." She pulls her hands forward and offers them to Dagny. "As I said through the door, I'm Dulcinea." I was a little unsure what to do here--grasp her hand or hands in greeting, I suppose? So I follow her lead and my instincts, bobbing my head in greeting as I do so. Dulcinea takes Dagny's hands and squeezes them gently as they clasp and then releases them with a smile and a nod. "Thanks. From my perspective, though, it's been quite a long time since my last visit. Vagaries of time and Shadow, as it were. Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." Dulcinea says. She selects one of the chairs and sits down and regards Dagny "I hope you don't mind my intruding, but I felt your experiments as I was passing nearby, and was curious, especially since you were not known to be in residence." Interesting...the only time I was able to detect another's use of magic was when Keane used his Logrus powers. "I just arrived, actually, narrowly escaping an audience with Lord Henden in the process," I replied. "I was trying a few things, to see how magic works in Reality as opposed to Shadow. I didn't realize it would disturb anybody." "I wouldn't say that it disturbed me" Dulcinea replies mildly. "I just happened to notice it, probably because I was in this area of the Castle and have been extending my senses this morning. It's good practice, especially given all that has happened and is happening. So, naturally, when I detected a minor sorcerous couple of workings in an presumably unoccupied set of quarters..." Dulcinea looks at the apple and the disc and returns her gaze to Dagny "Is this your work? May I see?" "Umm, sure," I agreed, and handed over both. Dulcinea looks over the paperweight first, hefting it in her palm before grasping it by the gold apple's well-crafted stem and twirls it around. She then places it down, carefully, and picks up the disc, giving it the same scrutiny. "I'm not good enough to really examine these properly." Dulcinea says modestly, once she places the disc down. "I have been told that it takes a little effort and continued effort to keep such workings hale and hearty in Amber. The Pattern, or so Aunt Fiona has said, as well as other protections I'm not privy to." She looks at the disc and the apple and then at Dagny. Her eyes brighten. "You learned the Arts out in shadow, didn't you?" "'Learning' is probably a bit of an overstatement," I answered. "More self-taught, really. And yourself?" "Oh, my talents are relatively modest." Dulcinea replies. She sets the apple and the disc back in place. "I was taught back in Maeonis; mother insisted that, given who my father was, that I learn some of the arcane arts, especially before I came anywhere near to Amber. I've learned, from Jayson, and others, that I have only begun to take steps into a larger world." "Your own father hasn't taught you anything yet, has he?" she then asks. I blinked. "I think you have the advantage of me. It seems like you know my bloodline, but I don't know yours...?" "Oh!" Dulcinea blushes slightly. "I'm sorry!" she exclaims. "I didn't mean to confuse you unduly." "My mother is the Queen of the Shadow Maeonis. My father, and mind you, don't ask me how I relate to Martin and the succession situation since I don't think he has decided or wanted to deal with, is the King. Random." "Oh, wow." I was a little gobsmacked by this, and studied her for a moment. Could I see a bit of resemblance, maybe around the eyes? "Um. Is Shadow Maeonis far out in Shadow? How long have you been here in Amber?" Now that Dagny looks for it, its clear that Dulcinea must look mostly like her mother. However, there is an eye shape, if not an eye color, that Dulcinea definitely shares with Dagny herself, as well as many of the family, including the King. A quick look at a picture of Random might be helpful--but Dulcinea's statement does not seem immediately outrageous. "I came here around the same time you did, for the first time, maybe a couple of days earlier." Dulcinea says. "In the midst of the arrival of a few other new members of our family--Hadrian, Bhangbadea, Krysta, Helias, Rylan... She pauses a moment, and a sepulchral tone enters her voice."and Jayson." I perked up. "Bhangbadea is here? Is she still around?" "No" Dulcinea shakes her head, and a sad look comes across her face. "As far as I am aware, she is one of those who did not return from the expedition to Corwin's Universe to finish off Apollo. Along with Jayson, Alais, Leigh, and Oliver." "Even those who did manage to escape before the end." Dulcinea continues "remember or have little knowledge of the others ultimate fates. The fact that our universe is not under the control of Apollo suggests that they succeeded at the last." "Oh." I was disappointed, and very concerned. "You'll have to forgive my ignorance. I'm still playing catch-up, as it were. Time was going much faster where I was, so from my standpoint I've been gone for, um, quite a few decades." "Decades..." Dulcinea breathes. She looks at her hands for a moment and then looks at Dagny. "You've really changed since you were last here, then. I've never heard of shadow time differences being that large, decades in just a few days. But then I am positively less experienced with such matters than you, now." And at that moment, there is a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I call out. Dulcinea turns toward the door but remains in her seat, watching with a look of curiosity on her expression. "Milady?" comes the voice of the servant. "It is Sephoria. With your cheese and wine?" "Oh. Yes. Please come in," I reply, and turn to Dulcinea. "I'd asked for this so I could hide out in my chambers for awhile. Won't you join me?" Sephoria comes in. "I would be delighted, Dagny." Dulcinea says agreeably. She sees Dulcinea and makes a curtesy, which is quite a feat given that her hands are full of a bottle of wine in the left, and a large, shining metal covered metal platter on the right. She sets both down. "Will that be all?" "Thank you Sephoria." Dulcinea says. "I do have an errand for you if Dagny here is finished with your services." Sephoria looks toward Dagny. "Uh, yeah. That's it. Thanks." Sephoria bobs her head and then looks toward Dulcinea. "Sephoria, please go and inform her Majesty and , if he is available, his Majesty my father of the arrival of the Princess Dagny." "Yes, Princess." Sephoria backs up and heads out of the room. "Now..." Dulcinea gestures toward the wine and cheese. "No one can accuse you of hiding from the King. He might not want to actually talk to you, Dagny, but he will be cross if he is not made aware of your arrival." I shrug. "That's fine. I probably should have done that myself...or at least let the Queen know I was here. She was very kind to me when I was here last. These rules of courtly etiquette are something I ought to familiarize myself with." "It would be good form, yes, so I thought I would avoid any unpleasantness and have it done for you." Dulcinea replies, reaching for a slice of the cheese. She nibbles it, and then pours two glasses of wine and offers one to Dagny as she continues. "It's said that Amber draws the family members like a lodestone . Be they gone a week, or a century, with a very few exceptions, they always come back. Or send their children in some cases. Was it the same for you, Dagny?" "Not exactly." I sampled a piece of cheese, and sipped my wine. "I probably would have gotten back here eventually, likely sooner rather than later. Not because of being particularly drawn to Amber, but rather because of the Omphalos situation. Are you aware of it?" "Well, that depends on what you mean by the Omphalos situation." Dulcinea responds, continuing to nibble on her cheese. "Certainly, there was the appearance of Valerian in many of our dreams, the appearance of a couple of Doors here in Amber. The appearance of a Door in the outskirts of the Courts. Oh, and the arrival of Valerian, physically, from the Omphalos home world. They apparently found out about his activities and he decided to bolt to here." "You know of more?" Dulcinea asks, blue eyes regarding Dagny. I considered Dulcinea's words. "I do, but I should probably make my report to the King and/or Queen first." I nod, trying to convey that I am not trying to be rude or cagey. Dulcinea's expression goes serious. She takes a sip of her wine. "Well, of all the responses you might have given, Dagny, that is one that is very difficult with which to argue. I suspect one of our Aunts or Uncles might be able to change your mind. However, like you, I am at the bottom of the pecking order." "I suspect that if it is serious enough, we'll all learn in short order from his Majesty, yes?" "I would imagine so," I agreed. "I'm guessing that if one of them wants to see me today they'll send a message. If I don't hear anything by tomorrow I'll take the initiative." "Sometimes" Dulcinea says with a nod. "you have to take the sacrificial bull by the horns and wrestle it yourself onto the altar of necessity." "Have you thought." Dulcinea adds "about telling other members of the family than my father?" Dulcinea says. "Or are you so lucky as to have not been caught in the whorls of the politics of the family." "Thankfully, I seem to have been that lucky, mostly," I replied. "I have a feeling though that I'm somehow involved in machinations that I don't even know about. But," I added, "I don't know who I would go to." "That would entirely depend on which part of the family you were caught in." Dulcinea replies. "I have been here only a few days, but I have begun to see the patterns, the people that everyone gravitates around." "One might even say" she says "that Random and his family, themselves, also form one of these whorls. By being here with you, some might conclude that *I* am trying to recruit you." I raised an eyebrow. "Are you?" Dulcinea straightens her back and regards Dagny with bemusement. The pose lasts for a few seconds, and then she shakes head firmly, laughing. "No, no, Dagny. I admit to be amused by the notion of being an agent for my father, but, worry not, I am not attempting to entwine you into the politics of Amber. As I said when I knocked on the door, I only came by because your exertions attracted me, and I have stayed because your company is pleasant. Nothing more." I chuckled. "Well, that's a relief. So, tell me more about what your home Shadow was like...?" "Maeonis?" Dulcinea takes a sip of wine before continuing. "Well, we're not part of the Golden Circle. Not yet." she begins. "I think Mom, that's the Queen, wants it and will expect me to convince Random to get a treaty going." "Isn't it nice when parents expect things like that," I said dryly. "We're a relatively warm land." Dulcinea continues. "Dry, hot summers. Cool, but not cold, rainy winters. Lots of seacoast, mountain crags. Beautiful temples and cities. Pollux says the architecture of Maeonis is 'Greek', just like that of his home shadow is 'Roman', but I don't know quite what that means." "I do," I replied. "It's an ancient culture from my Shadow Earth, many centuries gone now. That any of their architecture remains is a testament to their knowledge and artistry. "That's must what he has been talking about. Shadow Earth." Dulcinea says. "I hear talk of it all around. You are actually from there?" "Yes. My mother was native-born, and apparently Luke found her while visiting the Shadow." "Tell me more" Dulcinea takes a nibble of cheese "about this Shadow Earth you come from. "Oh, I'm sure you've heard plenty about it from the rest of the family, I don't know what I could add," I said. "To be honest I didn't have a chance to see much of it. My family was relatively comfortable but hardly rich enough to afford to travel abroad, or even to much of the rest of our country. I was young when I learned about my Amber heritage, and left pretty much immediately. I really ought to go back there now and experience Shadow Earth for myself, properly." "Hmm." Dulcinea says, only a small amount of disappointment coming through in her voice. "I was hoping for a guide someday." "Well, I can't offer services as a guide, just a traveling companion." I smiled. I took a sip of wine, and considered what to say next. I really ought to reach out and find Kieran soon. "Oh! I know what I was going to ask you. I wanted to see about having some dresses made, that I could keep here for when I visit...I was told you had the name of a local tailor." "You were told I might know?" Dulcinea looks surprised. "Most people would seek Asteria's advice..." Dulcinea blinks for a moment, in thought and then continues. "Well, Dagny its true that I've started to avail myself of some of the merchants in the city. Did you want me to take you, or just the name of a few establishments?" "If you wouldn't mind showing me, I'd love to go along," I replied. "I haven't had a chance to explore the city anyway." Dulcinea finishes her glass of wine and sets it down definitively. "Dagny Thorsonne, I would be delighted to personally introduce you to the clothing merchants of Amber." "Why, thank you." I smiled. "I take it you know how it works for Royals here? Money and ordering things, that is?" "Actually, no. If you could please enlighten me...?" Dulcinea smiles. "Well, as a member of the Royal Family in good standing, you do have a fair amount of funds to be disbursed on your behalf. In general, Lord Henden doesn't audit you, I am told, unless your purchases are excessive. Like, for example, if you wanted to buy a house in the city, for example." "Otherwise, sending bills and settling accounts with merchants by proving you are a member of the Royal Family and for the merchant to send the bill to the Castle is standard practice." Dulcinea continues. "Gossip gets around quickly, but on the off chance that a merchant balks, you can always get a family seal ring to show off." "Some merchants." she continues "will try to give you items for free, in the unspoken agreement that they can advertise the fact afterwards that you are patronizing them." "Interesting. Hm. Well, thanks for explaining that. When are you free to go shopping?" Dulcinea looks thoughtful for a moment, regards Dagny for a moment more, and then she gives Dagny a smile. "Well, the sooner we get you into good Amber clothes, the better." Dulcinea says. "Its too bad Hadrian isn't around today to sweettalk into being a porter for us." she adds with a smile. "I think he said that he met you at a restaurant. Is that right?" "If he says so, it must be true," I replied. "For me, it's been such a long time...I remember meeting him, but I can't recall the circumstances. It would be nice to see him again while I am here though." "I'm sure he will be back from his errand." she answers. "I think Noys or maybe his father talked him into some project to do today." I pull out my Trump deck. "Before we go, if you don't mind, I'd just like to touch base with Kieran and let him know that I'm heading out." "Why would I mind?" Dulcinea replies easily. Backlinks |
