Oberon’s Funeral

Held in the Royal Chapel in the Thelbane

The Chapel: the style is sumptuously baroque. The coffin rests on a plinth. The large flag over the coffin (Vert, a Unicorn rampant argent) has clearly been replaced. The walls are mirrored to either side, making the gathering seem enormous – almost infinite – but the chapel is much larger than it was when the coffin was stolen.

The Honour Guard: At each corner stands a guard. Those on the right are palace guards, representing Amber, on the left are a demon of House Hendrake and another of House Zigo, representing Chaos.

Looking their best: everyone present is in Sunday best; all the Amberite males in full dress uniform with a black armband, the women with a black tulip as a corsage. From the Courts are representatives of the Royal Coalition and High King Melvyn in person.

The Reading

High King Melvyn directs Seraphiel of House Seraph to do the reading…

Oh, my beloved, fill the cup that clears

Today of past regret and future fears:

Tomorrow? Why, tomorrow I may be

Myself with yesterday’s sev’n thousand years.

For some we loved, the loveliest and the best

That from his vintage rolling Time has prest,

Have drunk their cup a round or two before,

And one by one crept silently to rest.

And we, that now make merry in the room

They left, and Summer dresses in new bloom,

Ourselves must we beneath the couch of Earth

Descend, ourselves to make a couch – for whom?

Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend

Before we too into the dust descend;

Dust into dust, and under dust, to lie,

Sans wine, sans song, sans singer, and – sans End!

The Speakers: there follows an indefinite period during which the congregation mill around and occasionally visiting the lectern to announce their thoughts on Oberon’s passing. This was done entirely ad-hoc but the entries are listed in alphabetical order for ease of reference…

Alvis Lord Torc: “We fought with Oberon at Amber’s inception. Later we fought against him. Titania has spoken bitterly that Amber should be taught a lesson. But she cried when she heard of the King’s death.”

Ariadne of Ascaris: “He was my brother-in-law, and I recall him from my childhood – he ribbed my sister unmercifully, but even I could sense the chemistry between them and when she was sent in political marriage to the nuovo Far Realm of Amber I envied her banishment. I cried for her when she was banished again, back to the Courts, for I sensed what she had lost.”

Artemis of Olympus: “I was born out of wedlock; one of my father’s many byblows. I have no time for lechers and serial adulterers. But even I must admit that the late King did it with style.”

Argoleb of Atlantis: “Of all the Far Realms, Atlantis probably had the least commerce with Amber. Yet we have never ceased study of the implications and consequences of his act of creation.”

Benedict: <declines to speak>

Berith of Hell: “Why am I here? Some Far Realms are older than others. Some of us in Hell recall the foundation of Amber. At the time, we were aghast. Since then we have lost several wars against the late King Oberon. Now he is dead we realise another path may be advised – remember my words should you need a friend of a different feather…” (High Grace characters notice Gabriel scowling.)

Bleys: “‘I once held a door open for my clown – I thought it was a nice jester’. I always loved Dad’s jokes; he had a great sense of humour. Here’s another one, ‘If someone hates your guts for no reason, give ‘em a reason!”

Bragi Odinson of Asgard: “Cattle die, kinsmen die, you yourself die; I know one thing which never dies: the judgment of a dead man’s life.”

Brand: “All men are flawed and the greatest of men have the greatest flaws. Dad took the virtue of patience and made it a flaw – he had one moment of brilliant inspiration and ever after rested on his laurels.”

Caine: “My father taught me two things: subtlety and how to keep a secret – We none of us knew all his secrets and there was no one subtler.”

Constance: “I have lived for most of my life surrounded by the mightiest trees to grace all of our lands. But their might and grace is nothing compared to that of my Grandfather. Oberon. Who created our World and our lines. I have known him only lately. But I fought at his side – or rather he bailed me and I am not ashamed to admit this. Grandfather, I wish I had known you better. Much better. It is my loss and I feel it profoundly.”

Corwin: “You should understand that Dad and I never really got along. I didn’t hate him, unlike some of my brothers, but I can never recall either of us being particularly glad to see the other. All my life he was big, powerful and just ‘there’. I cannot imagine Amber without him.”

Cymnea: “He was the love of my life. I would have died for him. I would have killed for him – actually, now I come to think of it, I did, several times. Ours was the greatest love story never told. One day, one of you may wish to make it into an opera – all I can say is… over your dead body!”

Dara: “My Great-grandfather was a most charming and persuasive man. It was his personal qualities, confirmed by his actions, that persuaded me to reassess my prejudices and ultimately to change my stance completely. I only wish I’d known him longer.”

Darig: <declines to speak>

Deirdre: “Dad’s gone; everything is going to change… in Amber, and elsewhere.”

Dirk: <declines to speak>

Dworkin: “He was a very naughty little boy!”

Fiona: “My brothers and I have always valued knowledge and I know some of the things we learned, through education and experiment, surprised even my father – especially on one very particular occasion. But I think he had us all beaten for wisdom – which is why, even in death, I feel he has won.”

Florimel: “He was a wonderful dancer.”

Gabriel Archangel of Heaven: “I have been asked, ‘Why are you here?’ Heaven has always held itself above the petty disputes of lesser realms – but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”

Havelock: <declines to speak>

Hector of Zigo: “Before King Oberon, Shadow as we know it did not exist, ergo without him my house would have no raison d’etre.”

Herman of Karm: “A great man may be known by the company he keeps, by the greatness of his friends. But sometimes greatness may be measured by the stature of one’s enemies. With his death, the vendetta between his house and mine is history but House Karm is honoured to have accounted King Oberon our arch-enemy for millennia.”

Isis of Khem: “In my experience, most men who claim to love women are closet misogynists. I’m not sure if Oberon was actually any different but he could make a woman… any woman, even a woman like me… feel that he was the exception.”

Julian: “People ask, ‘Did you love your father?’ but most people don’t know the meaning of the word. When I was young I did not love my father. But I obeyed him. Because I was obedient, Dad made me Warden of Arden. That taught me duty. And out of duty grew love.”

Llewella: “I didn’t grow up in Amber, so my father was even more distant for me than for my brothers and sisters – fortunately, in Rebma, no one can see your tears. He never hesitated to use me as a stick to beat my brothers and sisters. But in private he always made me feel like a princess.”

Mandor of Sawall: “I had the honour of being the late gentleman’s gaoler for a term, and from him I learned the meaning of the phrase ‘grace under pressure’. I confess my step-mother didn’t have to work too hard to persuade me of the virtues of treason. King Oberon had largely done her work for her.”

Margrath: <declines to speak>

High King Melvyn: “I only met him briefly after his death but his shadow lay over me and my subjects from long before my birth. I still stand in that shadow and will do so to my dying day.”

Merlin: “All I know about him is what I’ve been taught or told – that he was my grandfather, and our Arch Enemy, and that both these facts were a source of great honour.”

Sand: “I grew up with the perfect father, Umberto – kind, attentive, supportive, ever generous with his time, strength and wisdom. But when his sons by an earlier marriage found us we moved to Amber and Umberto became Oberon – I felt then that I lost my father and when our mother died my brother and I moved back home. I regarded myself as an orphan but now the true death of my father has made me realise how badly I’d lied to myself. I had hoped that Umberto would come looking for us, but now it’s too late. Now all that’s left to me is a vain wish that I’d been less foolish and made more effort to love him as Oberon.”

Sigebert of Lanfranc: “I quite enjoyed the war, though it was obvious from the first that Amber was always going to win. Well, here’s to the next one!”

Sigrid of Zephyra: “He was the greatest monarch who ever lived, but he had the soul of a rebel.”

Sorashi: “.”

Suhuy of Winter: “He made my job more difficult. But he wasn’t the only one.”

Verona of Hendrake: “Before Amber, magic ruled supreme. We still do not understand the power he wielded – did he, I wonder?”

Vortigern: “We fought. We lost. We will fight again!”

William: “Oberon sought to sow Chaos and discord amongst his children, to strengthen them. He would be very proud of you all.”

The Procession

The coffin is raised on the shoulders of the bearers: Benedict, Corwin, Caine, Bleys, Julian and William. A squad of Guards lead out of the chapel, followed by the coffin, followed by the rest of the family, then come a squad of Julian’s rangers ahead of the those mourners not of the family and a troop of Caine’s marines bring up the rear.

The procession moves with stately formality out of the chapel following a different route to reach a familiar spot, the Whispering Bridge. The way is thronged by the denizens of Chaos and all the troops of the Amber army. The coffin is laid down on a wooden board covered in a green cloth of silk. Benedict and Corwin remain, flanking the coffin at attention while facing the congregation.

As he steps away from the coffin, William sees the emaciated head of Ludmilla of Treblinka staring from a niche in the wall, facing the Whispering Bridge. If asked, she says, “It is my task to bear witness for those who cannot be here to see.”

Anyone who looks up sees that Ludmilla isn’t the only observer – the three dragons: green, gold and black, have taken wing – someone might recall that green and gold are the colours of Amber.

The Ceremony

Caine takes the lectern with a book open in his right hand. He follows the text with his left but it’s clear that he is sure of the text and his eyes remain on the congregation.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to consign Oberon: father, grandfather, husband, son… and King, most of all King… to the Living Void that is the Abyss, with the Blessing of Our Eternal Mother, the Unicorn.

“I take the reading from the chapter of the Book of the Unicorn called Songs from the Wood, the hymn Beltane…

Have you ever stood in the Kolvir wood and called the New Year in?
While the phantoms of three thousand years fly as the dead leaves spin?
There’s a snap in the grass behind your feet and a tap upon your shoulder.
And the thin wind crawls along your neck – it’s just the old gods getting older.

“One of my father’s many duties, as King of Amber, was to perform the crucial role every year in the Beltane ceremony. I saw the ritual most years, and he did call the New Year in for rather more than three thousand years.”

Caine continues for approximately 30 minutes, using the reading to illustrate Oberon’s commitment to his duties as monarch. At the end, Caine closes his book steps and down.

Cymnea advances to the coffin flanked by Benedict and Corwin who lift the silk-covered board so that it is about level, the near end chest height to Cymnea. She places a hand on the coffin and for a second seems almost to caress the dark wood. Then she gently, but firmly, pushes the coffin, which slowly but inexorably slides off the bridge and moves laterally away, entering a slow tumble, still draped in Amber’s unicorn flag.

Then there’s a gasp as the three dragons swoop down. The green and gold dragons, (which someone may recall are named Xiuhcouatl and Huanglong, hover either side of the bridge, glaring at the congregation, while the black dragon (Zirnitra) seizes the coffin in its talons and effortlessly glides up, veering to the right. Just as the Black Dragon is about to vanish, Xiuhcouatl and Huanglong in unison say, “Our father shall be one with us from this day”, and slowly rise and turn to follow the Black Dragon.