Duck Soup

A personal prayer to the Unicorn from Constance, daughter of Julian, pt 9

Blessed Horned Lady.

We work together towards the safe recovery of my Lord Warden. We seem to be moving so slowly. But I keep faith and pray with all my soul that you keep him safe – both body and spirit.

I awoke within a dream – and now what should seem strange seems commonplace and by this act I acknowledge that we have been here for far too long. I am on a sea shore. I was stood on a shoreline of bleached bones of a myriad of sizes. To my left were grey cliffs and above me a lowering sky. This was not Karm for it did not disgust me in the way that Karm does, though there was still a threat and I knew it came from the water. I started towards the cliffs, seeking a route to climb. But with no obvious path it was challenging – and I prefer climbing trees. There were bones embedded in the cliff face. There were large and some I judged were from Orca, but they were brittle and crumbled under my weight.

I turned back towards the water in response to the clear splash. The creature that emerged was huge and reminded me of the Orca mounted cavalry that were sent against us in the Duomo. It was lobster armoured, a skull for a helmet and armed with a trident, all of which suggested House Chanicut. At its challenge I asked to see Princess Llewella of Amber. It grunted and two more creatures emerged from the sea. They were also large but they bore a couple of towels (in Llewella’s colours I realised) as well as a comb fashioned from a fish bone and a hand-held mirror. The objects were all placed carefully on the beach and the Chanicut demons returned to the water.

I sat on the towel in Llewella’s colours left by the seashore and, not entirely sure what I should do, I started to experiment by picking up the mirror to see what or who was reflected back. It was me and not some mystical way of communicating with the Princess from the family deck. A voice hailed me from the water asking why I was touching her belongings. I rose immediately, apologised to Princess Llewella as I bowed and introduced myself. She was as ethereally beautiful as her trump image, clothed only in trunks with the ends of her long green hair caught with well fashioned but practical hair weights. I passed her the smaller of the towels and she looked at me consideringly before she sat to dry her hair. I sat behind her and naturally offered her the service that was always offered me by Beyla – to comb through her hair. She looked at me again, this time reflected in her mirror and nodded her assent. We talked.

She recognised me as a Sensitive – like her. For the first time, I felt that I might have something (other than bloodlines), in common with my relatives. I knew that my dreams were strong in this place, and that they were more than just dreams and, in that I rely strongly on my intuition rather than my brawn. I now had an identified tribe.

I looked at her wonderingly as my fingers carefully dealt with the hair weights and the untangling of hair. I found myself telling her about me and my frustration with princes who listen to warnings from chatty plants but scorn warnings given through dreams.

I talked of my dream about the threat to Arden. Llewella said that she had also dreamed – but in her case, of Rebma. There was a resonance between us, we had dreamt of the places we both felt at home, and I sensed her dream, her ascent of the Faiella-Bionin. But on breaking the waves she found herself on an unknown strand of silver sand beneath forbidding black cliffs. Like my vision of Amber, what ought to have been familiar, wasn’t.

She asked me if I knew why the Princes should ignore the warnings in my dreams and if I could tell the difference between the two messengers – and then I had a lesson in the sexual politics of Amber. The lesson itself was simple. I had tits! The other messenger did not. People with tits were not generally listened to by the Princes of Amber.

I was bemused and bewildered. I said that I could not believe that all the Princes to be guilty of squandering ability or information on the grounds of the sex of the messenger. I could not believe the Warden of Arden to be guilty of misogyny – not Prince Benedict for that matter. She pointed out that maybe they weren’t, but that they could be just as sexist but don’t communicate it because they just don’t talk very much at all.

I considered this as I combed through her hair. Had I deluded myself in my bubble of Arden that I had my Lord Warden’s respect? Not one of the Rangers would gainsay me. Yes, I could put any one of them on their backsides but I was the Warden’s Ward and could be neither touched nor challenged.

Llewella talked about her absence from Court in Amber about her brothers and the sexist behaviour there. She would go there for a break from the politics in the Rebman Court but would have had enough in Amber within a few days. She mentioned Prince Corwin’s son, Makara, who lived in Rebma with his mother Queen Moire. Another cousin to find out more about and I hope, meet.

Llewella also had a message for cousin William. She had heard someone calling his name from very far away. The voice was female and, she thought Rebman.

I asked her how to get the attention of the Princes of Amber? How to make them listen? Should I tell them via one of my male cousins? She said no. Flora worked that way. I had to earn their respect. Find ways to impress them. So I shall then, my wise Aunt. Finally, she gave me a message for the Princes of Amber. That the family were not to take any action against House Chanicut as she was managing the situation perfectly well and they could ‘go hang’. With that she smiled and I awoke to the smell of Morgenstern and hay.

Morgenstern was still calm in my presence. He watched as I said my morning prayers and waited patiently whilst I fed and watered him, cleaned out his stall and groomed him again. I needed to find a way to exercise him. I needed to find his Master! I warned the people about his stable to keep their distance from him.

I washed and then joined Ariel for my waking meal. I thanked him for stabling Morgenstern and asked if, hypothetically, Morgenstern’s master might also be accommodated by this House. Ariel entertained the suggestion for a blink of an eye and in haste gave a hushed NO! And went on to explain at length why it was not possible. For a place of physicality inconstancy the Houses of the Courts seem remarkably constrained by their place in Society. A Prince of Amber could not be accommodated in a Minor House of Chaos but would have to go to Jesby or another of the Major Houses that had missed the Princes or Princesses they had bid for. With a slight concern that Ariel was about to suffer palpitations I apologised for my enquiry and departed to Woodstock where I was required to attend Lord Mandor.

All of the cousins were present. Darig had been released with a pardon from Sanctuary and was a free man again. We debated the fate of my Father at great length and I listened to circular arguments. No full frontal assault would be attempted but Mandor intimated that he might offer a diversion at their front door which will work if Rikard is firm in his agreement to leave us a back door open. I am in no doubt that Mandor would not even intimate such a potential unless the outcome produced a substantial benefit either to him or to his House. We will have to negotiate very carefully with him.

William is keen and my Horned Lady knows my thoughts on the matter – but such thoughts of my Father’s freedom are tempered by the certain knowledge that we will only have one opportunity and if we lose our way (figuratively speaking) then we have secured nothing but my Father’s death.

Such discussions are continued and reiterated away from Mandor’s ears as we made our way to Brứ-na-Bóinne. Havelock’s trump readings indicate thought and caution should be principal in our plans. I acknowledge internally that there a deep desire to return harm to House Karm but this is tempered with the simple need to reclaim my Father.

Through the dialogues I remind my cousins that we have Morgenstern alongside us – well to a degree but much as he has some ability to locate his Master a wild and angry horse inside House Karm will not benefit anyone – particularly his Master. He would however be an excellent means of extracting him from the house, once located. I need to work on getting his co-operation over this.

My patience grows thin at the ongoing discussion of my Father’s current state and the circular debate over how to remove him. I remind everyone pointedly that it is distressing to hear my Father’s rescue discussed as a Barrack Room exercise in theory. During the debates Sorashi takes the opportunity to admit that she is a skin changer. No one seems shocked or surprised by her revelation – I just hope for her sake that she can learn to fight in her tiger form or she will end up as a floor rug.

Melvin arrives to greet us and the conversation is curtailed. Melvin is due to fight a duel over the honour of Cousin Sorashi. The insult to her honour took place during an interval at the Opera and the duel itself is to be very soon. My cousins suspect that Melvin has been manipulated into making the challenge, a weak Lordling with a House to be claimed and Sorashi, a rich marriage prospect for an ambitious Lordling who desires both her name and the House she has inherited with all of the contents...

Melvin, in the cold light of Chaos is not so enthused at the prospect of a duel, so the question is how can we both help and prepare him? Darig has that hereditary weapon he removed from the Undead William which ought to help him but can he actually fight?

I persuade him to spar with me but that is an utterly fruitless exercise as he isn’t prepared to risk accidentally hurting me. There’s an ego destroying move for you! William realises what is required and he instructs Melvin to defend me from his attack. Melvin straightens his spine a little but looks distinctly unconfident at his prospects.

I engage with William and throw a cantrip into the mix, as I suspect that cousin William could make a meal of me whilst fighting left handed in his sleep! That cantrip has the desired effect. The second – cast at his blade Claideb – has no effect because whatever that blade is or is inhabited by bounces my cantrip and then attempts to sever my sword arm!

Slightly shocked, and somehow trapped into a position where I cannot parry, I see William working to deflect his own blade away from it’s chosen limb. Then Melvin, who’d been little more than hanging around the outer edges of the bout, suddenly lunges into my defense, both parrying William’s blade away from me and nicking William slightly in the process.

I utter a prayer to my Horned Lady, thank Melvin for his intervention, salute both and step away from William – I am now quite wary of his blade. I have never fought an opponent whose blade had quite that level of ability. It had nearly been a very costly lesson.

But the major fact is that with sufficient incentive we now have a Melvin who in the right situation and with the right stimulation (and a Barimen sword in his hand) can manage a duel. Though after his outright gibbering at having very slightly injured Lord William, I had doubts that he would feel safe picking up a knife with which to attack his dinner. Melvin is still a seed in germination. He can fight when he has a purpose – protecting me, in this case, but fighting for Sorashi in the case of the duel, and this could be a way forward.

DeLambre bandages William’s wound and Darig then tries to scare Melvin into fighting. This has the undesirable effect of causing Melvin to start to doubt himself all over again and we harangue Darig to stop what he is doing at once.

Havelock has drawn attention to DeLambre’s lack of respect towards Melvin but William will not acknowledge it. He has a strong relationship with his Demon, I suppose after many years fighting together it should not seem unreasonable but here – in Chaos, it does seem remarkable.

I quietly mention to William that I had a message to pass on from Princess Llewella. That she had heard a female voice calling his name from a long distance. William seemed unsurprised as he, too had heard the voice and added without preamble, that the voice was that of his mother. As he gave no further comment, I simply nodded, my message delivered as promised.

We separate. I go to find Prince Bleys for a conversation about the Trinity of Argent, Abaddon and Unseelie. The demon of his House (they no longer have the ability to shock me directly – or perhaps I was still considering William’s sword) informs me that Prince Bleys is not present so I ask Perdoga to take me to the Garden of Delights to see up my cousin and win his duel.

Many of my relatives are already there. Prince Caine approaches me casually and gave something close to an apology for the harshness of an earlier conversation – perhaps my rejoinder about Amber and technology had reached him? I acknowledge his move with a smile and reply that it is not the best of times for anyone. I pass on Princess Llewella’s request for the family not to interfere in her management of affairs at Chanicut and start to discuss our plans to retrieve my Father but he shushes me, ‘Not here, Niece!’

The terms have been agreed by the Seconds. Sorashi ties her scarf about Melvin’s neck and takes her place as adjudicator. Last minute strategies are discussed with Melvin after William has seen his opponent’s weapons – go for the wrist of lower arm and whisper quietly for Melvin’s hearing do this for the Unicorn and smile as I remember who this is, ‘Do it for Sorashi’. He stands straighter and as he takes himself into the fighting zone I see his lips repeat ‘Sorashi’ over and over.

They fight. With his self-belief partially restored, the opponents are on roughly even terms I judge. But the Barimen weapon gives Melvin the advantage and for the second time that day he draws blood and is judged the victor. I hope this victory will help him find his self-confidence and claim his Lordship. My fear is that whatever feelings he has for Sorashi may not be reciprocated.

Still seeking answers around my Trinity, I sought Suhuy out. Abaddon is the Second Ring of Hell. Argent is a colour and as to the Unseelie Fey, he looked at me and said I was better placed to know than he. The conversation concluded with an affirmation of my Mother’s Court. My thoughts went back to Garamond. Perhaps I was groomed as a pawn in the games between the Courts. At it stands, neither possess either my person or my heart. I return to Morgenstern for another night of horse calming and an opportunity to further gain his trust.