Time Under Chaos | TimeUnderChaos / Unaccustomed as We Are to Public Speaking browse

They were not far from the balcony that overlooked the square and already, through the shutters, the sound of the mob that had gathered in the courtyard below could be faintly heard.

Morgan moved Tear away from the rest of them, lifting a curtain that concealed the shutters from them. Now they were in the narrow space between the curtains and the shutters - and the noise of the mob was louder.

"Tear!" Morgan's voice was unusually sharp, edged. "What are you planning on saying to them?"

Solitaire jumped at his voice, staring up at him with wide eyes. Almost immediately, her eyes narrowed and her body tensed. "Well. I was thinking of starting with a good bout of I'm-Okay-You're-Okay. And follow that up with the story of Warm Fuzzies and Cold Pricklies."

The tension did not leave her body, even as her voice softened. "Firstly, my name is Solitaire. And secondly. I'm not certain what I shall say to them. I only wish to calm their rage. They feel disgruntled and lack focus. If I can focus their attentions on me. That will take some of the wind from their sails.

"They wish to be heard. That's the key. They need to know their voice carries power. Because they have been powerless for so long. But most importantly, they need to know that they cannot overcome the Troubles by burning down their home."

She gave a weak shrug. "I've read enough of my mother's texts to know. About dealing with crowds. Once you have their hearts, you can control their minds."

The crowd were sounding decidedly restive - and very close.

Morgan looked hard at Tear.

"And what do you want their hearts for?" he asked.

Solitaire mulishly returned his gaze. "To save Amber from itself, Lord Regent," she said. "Our enemies align against us. The King is gone for whatever reason. And the city burns. These people need to be united right now. And if I can imbue them with that desire. Then that is what I will do."

She continued toward the balcony, "Time is short, Morgan. If you have something to say. It best be said now. Before they set fire to the courtyard, as well."

"All right," said Morgan. "But listen, Tear. I like you, kiddo, but I don't trust you. When you speak, I'll be standing right behind you, smiling nicely over your shoulder at the pretty people - if there are any there. But you'll feel the prick of my blade right above your kidneys, and If I think you're stitching up me, or Merlin ... then it's going to be the last thing you feel. And no hard feelings."

"Do you understand?"

His grin was as amiable as ever, but his eyes were cool and determined.

Solitaire's eyes flickered with sickly violet light. Her mouth became a hardened slash. "I understand, Lord Regent," she said. "I understand very well."

She paused in the archway for a moment, listening to the hundreds of voices just beyond the threshold. A nervous shiver passed through her. And with that, she straightened her back and stepped into the night.

Morgan, as good as his word, was right behind her.

All doubt drained from Solitaire's body as she moved to the balcony's edge. If she worried about Morgan's potentially threatening presence behind her, she didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she focused on the couple hundred or more people that filled the courtyard below. She lifted her tiny hands to the air and a sharp, cold wind cut across the assembled masses, startling them out of their unruliness, urging their gaze upward.

"Amber. You have called my name," the young woman's voice rang out unnaturally. "And I have answered."

At this pronouncement, torches flared and sparked throughout the crowd. She allowed them a moment settle down, the wind and light dying away.

"Citizens of Amber, those who fight, those who lead, those who toil, hear me now. I am the Baroness Solitaire Helgram and I have heard your cry for revolution."

She allowed the cries to swell and flood the courtyard, washing over her and Morgan in angry waves. But soon, she soothed the torrent of voices, and replaced it once more with her own.

"Some of you know me. Many do not. So know this, for I shall speak plain and true. I am the daughter to murdered parents. I am an orphan to hate and distrust. I am a child of hope and the future. I am born of the Unicorn. I am born of the Serpent. I am like all of you.

"I am a child of Amber."

Solitaire pressed forward on the stone railing, continuing her speech before the crowd realized that they may have been deceived, that a half-breed girl now stood before them rather than a pure-blooded Amberite.

"The name," murmured Morgan sotto voce, "is something of a give-away."

Behind her, the shadows clotted and slithered on the castle wall, taking the spectral shape of a unicorn and a serpent, intertwined as one being. This apparition grew and expanded until it loomed over the crowd, strong and resolute, like a beacon of hope.

"I am the Baroness Helgram and I share your pain and confusion. I share your love of this city and what it stands for. I share your dreams of a new future. For Amber. For our families. For ourselves. I have heard your voices. And I am honored that you have called my name. It is a heavy burden you have placed upon me. But I will not shirk away from the duty you have provided me tonight. Our hearts are one. I could no sooner deny your request than I could turn my back upon my own soul.

"For one hundred years, we have believed that a dream of a new Amber could be nothing more than that. A dream only. Little more than a hopeful reverie that fades to nothing in the dawn's light. A splinter in our minds, nagging and gnawing, but forever escaping our grasp. But tonight, that dream has taken shape. It can no longer be denied nor dismissed. Tonight, our dream has become a reality. We have given it form and substance. But only together can assure that it will not fade when the morning comes.

"For tonight Amber stands at a crossroads. Tonight, Amber teeters at the edge of oblivion. Tonight, we have been given a sign. A warning. Nah, a promise of things to come if we falter in our quest for freedom. Citizens of Amber, the full moon came early to our skies tonight. Can you dismiss this as mere coincidence? No. This was a portent. This was a prophesy of our doom should we weaken in our resolve. But I ask you. How did you respond to this threat? Was it to stand together as one? Was it to embrace your neighbors, who shall share in your fate?"

Solitaire snarled and the spectral Unicorn and Serpent began to lash at one another, biting and tearing into each others flesh. "The answer is simple and self-evident. The answer is irrefutable NO! When the time for revolution came upon you, what did you do? You turned on your neighbors. You were disloyal to your hearts. You destroyed the sanctity of your homes. You betrayed each other and yourselves. You betrayed Amber!"

She gestured angrily, "Look behind you! Do you see the flames? Do you smell the stink of smoke? Can you hear the cries of pain and sorrow? This is not revolution. This is not freedom. This is chaos! You would burn your own homes, your own neighborhoods, and murder your peers. And for what? We are Amber. All of us. You. Me. Those of the Unicorn. Those of the Serpent. And those of both bloods. We are all Amber."

The prick of the knife behind her seemed to draw away slightly, or perhaps she was so wrapt in her words that she no longer felt it.

"Our enemies are too numerous to turn upon ourselves. Outside our walls, they call us barbarians. They call us ignorant savages. They believe we should be culled like animals. There are those who would take our lives just for the color of our blood. They would determine our destinies without thought or care. And how have we responded to these accusations? Look around you! Gaze upon the devastation we have wrought. We have shown them that we are barbarians. We have shown them that we are savages. We have told them that we are unworthy to determine our fates. That Amber is the home to nothing more than a pack of wild animals."

She let this sink in for a moment, the spectral image behind her disappearing into darkness. Her head slumped forward, as if pulled down by an unbearable weight. She struggled against this burden, lifting her head, resolute. She brushed the tears away, violet eyes blazing with sudden strength.

"You have called upon me to help you. And so I shall. My gift to you will be a voice. My gift to you shall be my blood. My gift to you shall be the last breath in my body. All these gifts I shall provide you to obtain the freedom you so deeply deserve. Through me, your voice shall be heard. Through me, we shall obtain our destinies. Through me, we shall bring Amber into the future. It was once the shining jewel of the Multiverse. And through me, we shall make it shine again. This will be my gift to you, my neighbors, my friends, my people.

"I am the Baroness Helgram. Daughter of Melantha of the Serpent. Daughter of Casnodyn of the Unicorn. My parents were murdered twenty-years ago by a crowd just like this. I was orphaned because of ignorance and mistrust. And yet I fight for the city I love. I fight for Amber. I fight for you. So, if an orphaned, half-breed is willing to fight for you. Can you not fight for me in return? Can you not grant me a simple request? For the gifts I will provide you, cannot you not give me something in return?"

She waited for a heartbeat. "All I ask is for you to return to your homes in peace. Return to your homes and begin to heal the damage done here tonight. Help your neighbors. Help your friends. Help our family that is Amber. We suffer as one, citizens of Amber. And if we cannot help each another tonight, there is no hope for us. We do not deserve our freedom. Go home. Please. Your voice has been heard and it will echo through an eternity. Now is the time to heal. Now is the time to learn from our mistakes.

"In the morning, send me three representatives from each Ward. These men and women are to be your messengers, your voices. They are to come here. To the Great Hall. And together we will speak of our futures. Of Amber's future. For a voice spoken softly is far louder than any shout. I will listen to your dreams and carry them to our good and fair King. You will be heard. You will be noticed. This is my gift and promise to you. The children of Amber."

She gestured across the crowd, smiling with a motherly pride. "Look to the faces of those beside you. To your left and to your right. Remember them well. Sear them into your memory. For they are the faces of your brothers. For they are the faces of your sisters. They are the faces of your family. They are the faces of Amber. And years from now, when your children's children gaze up at you and ask where you were when Amber was reborn, you can answer them honesty. You can say, 'I stood with my family. I stood with my brothers and sisters. I stood with heroes. And together we changed the world. For that night was a night of miracles.'"

Solitaire raised her arms to the heavens, bluish-white lighting sparking from her fingertips. Her body began to glow with a spectral aura, illuminating the balcony. Above, the storm-clouds began to churn and growl, swirling with growing fury. She let out a soft groan, her face etched with pain. The spell began to overwhelm her and she could feel it feeding on her very essence.

"Too. Much�" she whispered through clenched teeth.

A single crack of thunder shook the courtyard and the sky let loose a light rain upon castle below. This drizzling rain spread across the city, dampening the flames of revolution and hindering their spread. It would not be enough to put out the more severe fires, but it would give the city a short reprieve.

On the balcony, Solitaire pitched over backwards as if her body were made of cloth. She didn't cry out as her head struck the polished stones, even this small exertion now beyond her. She lay in the pooling rainwater and shivered, barely conscious, half alive. A low mutter escaped her pale lips. It sounded like 'mother,' but could have been anything.

Morgan, who had moved far enough away to miss catching her (he had retreated from the rain beneath the overhang of the balcony), swore at this, and signaled one of the guards to lift her up.

"Take her to Flora," he said. "And tell my aunt I'll be there shortly."

The guards acted hastily.

(Solitaire goes to [[Trouble Is Our Business])

Then he pulled up the collar of his jacket before moving to the edge of the balcony to see what effect her words had had on the mob.

They had been subdued by her words - for she had given them a lot to think about. Most were looking at the sky - and huddling from the rain> Here and there within the crowd, there did seem to be isolated trouble spots - as though individuals were trying to persuade those immediately around them that the night's activities were not yet at an end (a sentiment clearly not shared by the majority who were shuffling towards the gates).

Morgan watched them for a few minutes, then nodded to himself and turned back into the castle.

(Morgan goes off-list.)