GerardIndex | Time Under Chaos | Non-Player Characters | Gerard And a big, powerful man regarded me from the next card. He resembled me quite strongly, save that his jaw was heavier, and I knew he was bigger than I, though slower. His strength was a thing out of legend. He wore a dressing gown of blue and gray clasped about the middle with a wide, black belt, and he stood laughing. About his neck, on a heavy cord, there hung a silver hunting horn. He wore a fringe beard and a light mustache. In his right hand he held a goblet of wine. I felt a sudden affection for him. His name then occurred to me. He was Gerard. --Nine Princes in Amber  If I had had to choose a place to fight with Gerard, this would not have been it. He, of course, was aware of this. If I had to fight with Gerard at all, I would not have chosen to do so with my hands. I am better than Gerard with a blade or a quarterstaff. Anything that involved speed and strategy and gave me a chance to hit him occasionally while keeping him at bay would permit me to wear him down eventually and provide openings for heavier and heavier assaults. He, of course, was aware of this also. That is why he had trapped me as he had. I understood Gerard though, and I had to play by his rules now. -- Sign of the Unicorn Occasions on which a member of the royal family of Amber was willing to trust another of their number implicitly, perhaps with their life, were rarer than blue moons. Although Benedict was a strong runner-up, Gerard was certainly the most trusted child of Oberon. Bleys trumped to Gerard after falling from the steps of Kolvir. Brand was left in his care, both because he was amongst the finest physicians in the family and because he would neither allow Brand to come to harm or to escape. After rendering Benedict unconscious, it was Gerard who Corwin called to watch over his brother. When the vast majority of the Royals and Amber’s armed forces marched on the Courts of Chaos, it was Gerard who was left in charge of the city with the knowledge that he would surrender the city up to Oberon’s legitimate heir when and if he arose. Trust like this is not given freely, but rather earned. Gerard’s altruism extended to those he perceived as innocent as well. Still, Gerard also felt justified in meting out justice to any family member who stepped too far out of line or who abused his good nature. Although considered the ‘stupidest’ son of Oberon, this characterization is unfair. Gerard possessed a keen mind, and in shadow could have been counted among the most brilliant of men. That individuals like Fiona exceeded him in brilliance is hardly damning, and that he was less ruthless and cunning than Caine only counted in his favor. Gerard preferred straightforward speech, and did not entangle himself in the Machiavellian plots of his siblings or the Byzantine politics of the Eternal City. He had a position, he let you know what it was, and if you crossed him he would hurt you in a most direct fashion. He was the youngest son of Rilga, and although he tried his hands at fencing under Benedict and took the Pattern as did all of his siblings, it quickly became obvious that the ranks of master swordsmen of Amber and advanced pattern initiates were so crowded that he could not hope to challenge others for dominance in this sphere. Instead, he dedicated himself to Amber’s navy and to his own personal development. He made the same sort of monomaniacal study of unarmed combat and exercise that Benedict did of war. When one considers that an average son of Oberon can toss around weighty furniture as though it were pillows, carry cars out of the mud, and snap werewolves over their knees, that Gerard exceeded the rest by a good margin suddenly comes into frightening focus. In unarmed combat, Corwin dealt what would have been killing blows to the face, neck, and chest of Gerard. Gerard simply grinned. He was a part of Eric’s faction, probably because he wouldn’t have been welcome in the Clarissan clique. They attempted to recruit Caine, but not Gerard. In the end, Gerard followed his brothers in support of Eric. Eric had always dealt with Gerard in a straightforward and honest fashion, and so had earned an admiration that Corwin would never enjoy. During Patternfall, Gerard agreed to not interfere with Corwin’s attempt to reach Amber, perhaps because Eric was suspected of attempted fratricide and certainly had something to do with Corwin’s long absence from Amber. This was a costly decision for Gerard, as Eric discovered his complicity. Still, Eric spared Gerard the dungeon thanks to Larissa’s intercession. After trumping through to Corwin to look after an unconscious Benedict, Gerard tried to convince Corwin that he should put aside his differences with Eric to deal with the Black Road. Eventually, Corwin would agree to this line of reasoning, after it was too late for Eric. (Eric would later make a similar gesture, with a retuned woodcut and note.) This, along with other events such as the apparent death of Caine, prompted Gerard to challenge Corwin to single combat to prove a point; that if Corwin proved false Gerard could and would be the end of him. It was Gerard and Random who rescued Brand from his imprisonment, and Gerard who tended his mad brother after he was stabbed. Gerard later discovered Brand missing along with signs which he concluded meant Corwin had dealt with him in a permanent manner. He nearly killed Corwin on that occasion, until Corwin’s manservant revealed he was quite a bit more than he appeared. Gerard was entrusted with guarding the Pattern in Amber, after Brand’s true plot became clear. Gerard was killed in the defense of the Eternal City, and he is dearly missed by all of his kin. |
