TheEducationOfTritonIndex SB: Priya: The Education of Triton "I trust her with my life." Ostegos says to Triton, interrupting it. "All right." Triton says. "I think I can sacrifice a month in any event." He turns to look at Priya and grins. "Offer accepted." "Perhaps we should do this back in the Castle?" Ostegos adds. "We could, but we shall walk. It will give us time away from walls to discuss things. A month is not a very long time in the grand scheme of things." I am mostly amused with the turn of events. I certainly do not consider myself ready to be a teacher, but apparently the time has come for me to try and perhaps my old mentor will be available should I need a wise mind. "I would like to know what you hoped you would find up there. Specifically, if you can." I turn to find the path back down the mountain. At least I am dressed correctly. Ostegos decides to follow a discreet distance behind as Triton walks alongside Priya. The path, is not hard to find. Its not a paved road such as on the streets of Rebma or Amber, but it is not so obscure as to be unfindable. Well worn is not quite the phrase Priya might use for it, but its clearly been traveled enough to be indelible. "Specifically." Triton repeats Priya's word, with a trace of dubiousness. He doesn't say anything for a minute, letting the crunch of soil on the path substitute for conversation. "Specifically, I was looking for a Path to take, Priya. A Future. The choices I have recently made, opposing my mother, stealing the Sapphire, the duel on the stairs. None of them, Priya, were wise. I have not been following a clear path. I need one, or else I will not, for example, be so lucky as I was that William did not kill me." "Like this path through the copse of trees on this mountain, I seek a route, Priya. A current to swim in, if you prefer." "I think, rather than a path, you need to choose a destination, else you will have to ponder each fork in the road and every eddy that tosses up silt will obscure your view. Decide where you wish to be, what you wish to see realized, and then set up the weights and scales you will use to make each decision as it arises. Each decision must bring you closer to your destination. Each activity must add a step, open a door, or provide you with a tool, or provide someone with what they need to help you achieve what ever it is you wish. If the goal is honorable, your intention true, and chosen with respect for who you are and what is important to you, this will not be as monumental as it might sound." "Hunh." Ostegos comments, taking advantage of a pause by Triton to comment. Triton does not long think about this, but responds immediately. "So what you are saying is that I should think of the larger picture, for fear of being caused in the saragasso of seaweed of the small details." Triton says. "Very well. Not a mode of thought that I am accustomed to. Perhaps a reason why we three find ourselves walking this path down toward the Castle than any number of other possibilities." He stops for a moment. "Very well. Once upon a time, I had dreams of supplanting my Mother's rule. Or at least see myself to being something more than an ornament to her ambitions and desires. I'll bet, through your father, that you long knew that Moire's long term plan was to give the Queenship to anyone but me. Amphritina, perhaps. Or LLewella herself." "Random doesn't trust me, either, of course, after what happened. So what I am seeking, Priya, is a destination where I have carved myself out a place of respect. You could call it power, if you like, but I am no Oberon. I'm more like my father than even I sometimes think." "That is ....a state of being, rather than a destination. Respect is a matter of conduct, character and skill, not post or title. The cook at Castle Amber is respected. He has great skill and while I have never met the man, I would wager that he enjoys what he does and takes great pride in his craft. He may once have thought, 'I like to cook, so I am going to be a cook.' Later he may have decided, 'I am going to be a chef' and set his eyes on a larger clientele. Last he may have declared to himself, 'I am going to be a Great Chef!' For our purposes, we shall speculate that he included that he wished to cook for the King of Amber, seeing the castle and the royal family as a pintacle for his profession. From that moment forward, every decision must be weighed by how much closer it would get him to that. If he is offered a job at some tiny embassy for some weak nation that hosts few esteemed visitors, he must turn it down. It may carry the title of 'chef' but will not give him opportunities to plan grand dinners, nor will it offer him exposure, no one would learn his name. Each job he takes must bring him closer to places the king and family visit so that they may be introduced. At the same time, all of his efforts must be his best because you never know when the opportunity of a lifetime will arrive. He must devise ways to overcome every challenge a kitchen may face, because he must know how to deal with these if the family he wishes to serve is seated, waiting for his creation. He must be known for his integrity, so that, no matter who they speak with, each Prince and Princess hears only the noblest of descriptions and they feel they can trust him with their food. It would not have been a short journey, but it would have been impossible if all the elements were not handled with the same care as the ingredients he uses. Do you see now, more of what I am asking you to define for yourself?" Triton pauses a moment and the nods. I look at him and then turn away, "And for the record, Father and I rarely discuss matters of ascension, we certainly do not speculate on the Queen's intentions." "I...apologize." Triton says. "I made an assumption that I should not, Priya. If I have hurt you, then I am regretful. I am not as clever as some of my cousins in such matters. If I could find one to teach me, I should learn to be so to swim in these waters." Will you now hear my revised answer?" Triton adds. "There is no need to apologize, I am in no way hurt by the assumption, it was simply a matter to be clarified."' Triton gives a quiet nod. I glance at him and then choose a slower pace. One suited to my stride instead of his since loose rocks are a greater threat than anything he night say. "And yes, I would like to hear your answer now." "Well, then. Given the bounds of what you are suggesting that I look for. A destination." Triton swings his hand as if it were wielding a sword. "Its clear to me that my future lies within Amber, not Rebma. I have heard of position of trust that even William, chastised as I was, has been given. Or of the other cousins ,who use blade, spell and word. I do not want to languish toiling in deep shadow for some shadow potentate, or at least not forever. It is here that all roads and currents lead." "That's my destination I see, Priya. To serve a Crown unfortunately that is severely cross with me." "Regaining that trust will be difficult, though as things stand with your mother, I am not certain that road would be easier." A lamentable truth which leads me to my next thought. Triton nods regretfully. "Before you decide how you might serve Amber, a direction I prefer over choosing a crown, you need to spend a little thought on what matters most to you, what you will find acceptable, and how you will handle the things that are not. A little time a step removed from being in Court might be helpful, though you may not need to travel further than the city to achieve some perspective." I guesture to the town below, winking lights peeking between newly unfurled leaves. "Perspective." Triton tastes the word as if it were foreign and new to his vocabulary. "I've not had enough of the right perspective, you say, for me to find the right current, the right path?" He pauses but then continues on, looking at the city. "The city holds much, and could hold much for me. You have a point, Priya." he says. "A not too distant exile, at least in terms of physical geography." He laughs. "That indeed is the start of an actionable plan." "There will be many opportunities. You might look to see how you might serve others to find ways to make that suit you. It is more in your outlook than whatever title might be assigned to you by someone else, and there is no reason they need to know who you are. Shed the baggage you carry. The history. The expectations you and others hold about who you are and what you can, can't, will or won't do. Find the basic, fundamental things that matter to you and the rest will be a little easier." Ostegos makes a soft sound of agreement during the lull as footsteps continue to lead the trio down the mountain. Triton says nothing, but the pensive look visible on his face shows his reflection on Priya's words. I pause to consider. "It will also be good to remember that in this new life, you are owed nothing, so you cannot take things personally. Learning to be objective and deflect instead of allowing things to rile you, will be a good lesson to learn." I give my 'pupil' a stern look. "Objectivity and deflection. Letting things flow rather than strike me." Triton replies. "Lessons in how to do that would be...useful. I have rarely, if ever,seen you show visible anger, Priya." "Few things are worth being angry, even fewer are worth being visibly angry." I shrug, that part has always been fairly simple for me. "Once you have allowed something to unsettle you and you have reacted in haste, it will unsettle you faster and more deeply the next time, and there will always be a next time. Cultivate a habit where you listen, reflect and then respond. If you must leave someone standing and waiting, then do so. Drop something. Sneeze. Do whatever you must to feel that you have the time to think about what is truly being said, and how you really feel about it, and whether or not it is worth this other person knowing they've rubbed your scales the wrong way." "So what you are saying." Triton says after a few moments of crunching footsteps "is to find a way to assuage my anger by means of a delaying tactic, be it internal or external. I had thought." Triton says with amusement in his voice "that you had some sort of esoteric skill or training involved in your cultivation of..." Triton pauses, as if looking for a word and then finally adds "Serenity." "Is this what you do?" Triton adds. "It was a lesson I was taught very young, now it is something I simply do and if I do become angry, it will be upon reflection rather than in the moment. So it is still something cultivated, but after so much practice, it requires little effort, which is as much as I can offer. For some things, there is no safe shortcut." How nice it would be if there was. Magic I have to spare. Triton makes a polite noise for Priya to continue. "I have things in my life I could be very angry about. No one would fault me for feeling cheated and betrayed, nor could they deny how unfair was the lot I had been dealt. I could rage until the waves broke against the walls of the castle and the king stood on the battlements with the jewel in hand. When my strength was spent, what would I have accomplished? The king would vexed. My Queen might be amused but have no choice except to appear vexed. I would have a very large mess to clean up, and what I was angry about would remain unchanged. Which would leave me frustrated that it was all for naught. Even if my anger was directed into appropriate channels, against relevant targets, the outcome would be similar because anger is a destructive response. There is always a better choice, we both need to find a way to reach it. I am simply further along the path" "I have no idea." Triton says "what you could be angry about in your life. And in many ways, I don't want to know. Everyone's pool is their own business, and I am not looking to pry. I was and am looking for a way onto the Path." Triton looks back, reflectively, up the mountain at Tir for a few moments before turning back to look forward. His gait never slows down. "Indeed we do all have our pools. My point is that you are not alone in this quest. Most of us face it in one fashion or another. Many will fail." "Yes" Triton says, simply, baldly. The trail uncurls before us, the edges blurred in the dappled, silver light of the moon. I keep the pace steady, holding the Prince back, keeping an eye on Ostegos and pretending to daintier steps than I require. Ostegos is unused to such terrain, and clearly is picking across the terrain with the care that an old soldier might have for unfamiliar territory. He's not so slow as to fall behind, but he is definitely concentrating on the rough trail and where it leads. Every so often, he raises his head to look at Priya, and Triton. On one occasion, his eyes meet Priya's, and he gives a nod to her. We reach a dip in the land that calls for some care and I pause to regard him. Ostegos takes the opportunity to catch up. Triton stops his footsteps in a martial precision with Priya's, and looks down at her as she regards him in turn, a tall dark shape in the silvery moonlight. "It can also be said that while you have your mother, I have mine. They leave us with baggage as all mother's must, but as the child it is your responsibility to decide how, or if you will carry it. Sometimes it is best put down, but then, you most also leave behind your attachments to it, for they are what you have used to define yourself. It is a choice you might return to several times. Do not be hasty with the decision, and treat it with respect, for how you choose to handle this, will also reflect upon you." Triton regards Priya and nods. "Baggage. Attachments. Definitions. It sounds like your Way, Priya, is in an sense an Extinction, or an removal of aspects of my prior self, in order to cut forward into the future." "That's a difficult thing to do. I think..." he looks at her "that you have done this, and it is something that you live with still. Isn't it?" "It is a difficult thing to do." I agree. "Sometimes, there are things we rail against, but in truth we will not leave behind because we have used the fight to define ourselves. If we stop fighting, who are we? You will only be able to truly relinguish some things when you can be yourself without them." "For myself, I have ... sorted though my baggage. Some of it I chose to put down, the rest...." I pause, considering it. "The rest I carry every day." "That comforts me somehow." Triton replies. "Its a process that you have to deal with everyday. You aren't one of those ascetics you can encounter in shadow, easily, if you put your mind to it." Triton's tone is one of amusement. "Give up the world, and get pilgrims to climb Sri Pada or visit your desert island just to hear your words of wisdom, pretending they had no cares and concerns of their own anymore." "If you give up the world, I suspect some false enlightenment might be easily achieved. How hard could it be living in a void? Unless, of course, you go mad." I consider some combination of the two the most likely outcome. Triton nods. "I have met individuals who are truly enlightened. They did not get there peacefully, or without suffering, and it is that experience which makes them good teachers. They still live their lives and contribute to their communities. They are engaged. Living. Though one does live on a mountaintop, the pilgrims who came built a city around him and stayed. It is a remarkable place. We should go one time, when there is a lull in activity here. I stayed half a year when I went, time we do not have to spend unfortunately. Hopefully a temporary, anonymous life will give you some insight. Other people's lives can be quite enlightening if you watch quietly without being involved." "To watch, to observe others in their activities, without acting." Triton says, nodding thoughtfully. "I have heard it said, from my brother, and from my cousin Martin, that according to shadow philosophers and scientists, the very act of watching something changes it in subtle or gross ways. I don't pretend to understand that." "But perhaps a temporarily anonymous life will reduce that possibility." Triton reflects. "How much it might change is debatable." I shrug, not overly concerned with that at the moment. "Our concern is subtle changes for you." I point that out, smiling. "Be patient and take things as they come. There will be time enough for action in the future." I am certain of that and settle into an easy pace once we reach a smoother path. "Subtle overall changes can lead to larger changes over time, or at least larger results." Triton points out. He seems to be indicating the path, which, steadily, as Priya, Triton and the quiet Ostegos have walked away from the summit of Kolvir, has become smoother and easier with every drop in elevation. At this point, the path is very nearly paved in its consistency, a hard packed path equally suitable for horses as well as human feet. "That's the point, isn't it? Like a slow bend in a current that leads to a large change in its direction." Triton says, as a student eager to grasp the kernel of the lesson. "Hmm.. Yes. We seek to bend enough to find a smoother, healthier, more rewarding path instead of the troubled, rocky one that has been recently traveled. We shall do so without rocking boats or burning bridges so that, when you are ready to make decisions, all doors are open to you." "Like quietly floating water." Ostegos pops in. Still on the edges of spacial propriety, Ostegos' interjection is relatively quiet, but in the crunching footsteps down the mountain, its loud enough to hear,. "Not turbulent, tempestuous, and stormy, but implacable all the more for its quiet power." Triton looks at Ostegos oddly for a moment and then shrugs and looks at Priya. "You may be rubbing off on your liegeman." "Hardly a bad thing." I reply, amused as we continue our journey. Attention needs paid to the land around us, but I watch for the fork that will likely lead the Prince to the city and us to the castle. The specific fork in the path, really more of a gentle splitting of the path, is not too many steps further, beneath the cold stars of the night, and the cold countenance of the moon. Triton stops at the fork, and turns toward Priya and Ostegos. Ostegos gives a nod of the head as Triton speaks. "And here is where we three part, I guess." Triton says. "Until currents bring us together again, be it a month, a year or longer." He looks up at the mountain, up toward the city in the sky. "I probably would have fallen." he says, seemingly to himself, and then back to Priya. "Not while I was present." I reply mildly, looking up at the floating city with him. "Until next time. Be well." I offer a slight bow and turn toward the castle with Ostegos. Triton bows back, and stands with arms akimbo at the junction of the paths for a few moments, regarding Priya and Ostegos for a few moments as they choose and take the path toward the Castle. Ostegos himself speaks, a couple of minutes along the path. "One might say." he says. "You did good work, Priya, in keeping a Prince of Amber from foolishly risking his life in that city up in the skies." "I do try to always do my best. It is nice to think that I succeed more often than not." I glance up at the city in the clouds, shake my head at the notion, and continue to the castle. "Hopefully her Majesty will agree with my direction..." "From what I have seen and experienced of her Majesty the Queen." Ostegos opines. "she will, within a day or two, seek to contact you, perhaps via Mirrors, and ask on the status of her son. At the very least, and with absolute honesty, you can say that you saved your son from throwing his life away foolishly." "As far as your other counsel." Ostegos glances downslope toward the city "perhaps speaking in generalities might be the best way to avoid her wrath?" "We will see how it plays. I handled it in the most productive way I could, but her bias... her objective might be different than my own. For her it is personal, for me it is not. If she is angry, she might lash out, but I have extremely thick skin and she will not be abusive. I serve because I wish to, not because I must. A detail that always leaves me with the ability to leave." I glance at Ostegos,and shrug. It would take a great deal to motivate me to leave, but the possibility does exist. "I think it would require something catastrophic for that to occur." Ostegos opines. The footsteps of both Priya and Ostegos have now carried them into the shadow of the Castle. "Which is not to say that it could not occur. Your independence and spirit must be valuable to the Queen, or else she would seek another tool, or would have sought to bind you closer to her than she already has." "A political marriage, for example." he adds after a beat. "Or is Rebma that much different than Thera?" "Political marriages are arranged, Random and Vialle's marriage was arranged by Moire, albeit under unusual circumstances, but save for Triton, I cannot see anyone she might have married me to and Triton himself made that unappealing for her. I would likely protest and I suspect that Father would have as well ... unless it also satisfied his agenda, and at the moment I'm not certain what that is." Ostegos nods. "The political marriage is the same everywhere, except where they are different." "I confess, on the subject of your father." Ostegos says "that I do not understand that or his goals at all. Your father does remind me of a figure out of Theran legend, but that just makes it all the more confusing. Some things map directly between Rebma and Thera, and other things do not." "Of legend you say?" I let the crunch of our feet on the path fill the quiet as I consider. "Perhaps you could tell me this and I might use it to explain." Ostegos inclines his head, letting the quiet resume for a moment before continuing "I've gathered its somewhat the same here. Legends,and stories of those who rule,of the Theran royal family,of those associated with the family, legends learned and believed even by those who worked closely with them." "In the case of your father." he continues. "There is a legend of an offshoot of the Theran Royal Family, a sorcerer named Avril. His actual blood relation to the family was part of the legend. A bastard? A collateral cousin. Its not clear. What is clear is that he was an aloof, mysterious sorcerer. An elemental sorcerer, Priya who went so far down that path as to take on aspects of his chosen element." "Water, as you might expect." Ostegos continues. "And so the legend goes, one day he became as the element, and was seen no more." "Hmm... that is curious, though not anything I expected. I wonder what Father would make of the name Avril.... though certainly taking the aspect of his chosen element would seem to describe Osric, but that is rather removed." Another puzzle to ponder, but I do no allow it much time. Too many pieces may not belong in this picture. "I do not know." Ostegos says. "I should speak with a loremaster of some kind, in Rebma, or in Amber, and tell what I know. Unless you know an easy way to return to Thera and do a little investigation of the library. My impression is, though, that such a trip there again is not taken likely." "Which is one of the reasons, of course, that I accepted your offer in the first place." he adds brightly. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy, or safe. But I knew this would be the trip of a lifetime" "And it has been eventful." I manage a laugh, but it doesn't hold me long and my thoughts turn solemn. "I think we can get you to the library in Amber. I do not know of any restrictions, and if there are, I suspect they can be removed. If there is difficulty, the library in Rebma is open to us." "We could visit now to take in the lay of the land, so to speak." "Well" Ostegos looks up at the sky. "We have a choice as to do it now, in the middle of the night, with all that implies, or to get some sleep and wait until morning. I am not sure what would be more conspicuous." Ostegos pauses a moment. "Perhaps an early start on the morning might give us some rest, and give us time in the library before we become too observed." Ostegos suggests. "That would allow us some more degrees of freedom to explore the library." "Morning it is. Provided we are not again woken by a knock at the door, we should have some leisure time available to us." I laugh, shrug and return to our rooms. There are some things I could do with some quiet time and now seems like an excellent opportunity. "In the morning, perhaps while you remain at the library, I am going to see the Ambassador Ferla... To see what other's might be thinking." "That sounds like a clever idea." Ostegos replies. "Just as I've been talking to the guards. The people who stay and visit here who aren't part of the family have perspectives I am not convinced the family here ever quite is aware of that. I think that's true of any ruling castle, though." "I have no intentions of telling the Prince, either." Ostegos adds with a grin. "No... some things are best not discussed." I agree, though I am amused to find us discussing it. Backlinks |
