Long Live the King!

The ongoing tale of William, Son of Ophelia of House Rebma, and of the Line of Barimen in the Courts of Chaos.

To crown a king – last days in Chaos

Breakfast with Cymnea and I realise that I am going to miss these little chats. When I first started attending meals with her I was slightly terrified, not really knowing what to expect. But now, they are familiar and mostly welcome. In part, I think it because I am beginning to enjoy duelling with grandmother in the way I would with any very competent foe.

She asks me to accompany her to the Royal Chapel to see her husband, Oberon. She claims that with the changing situation and the loss of the Royal Guard that an old woman cannot feel safe travelling on her own. I cannot keep the grin from my face but I nod, and agree to travel with her to keep her safe.

We move on to discuss my wedding. All that is left for me to do is to choose a best man. With DeLambre already having declined, and having suggested one of my Order, I offer Rikard of Karm as a potential and Cymnea agrees. She mentions that Mandor is on his way to bring Beldame Ariadne to Brứ-na-Bóinne so Melvyn can be formally offered the High Kingship. Laughing again, I opine that I would very much like to see the look on Melvyn’s face when he hears that for the first time.

Mandor is announced and enters. He declares that his is glad to see me, and that he else we have many similarities, foremost among those being a willingness to be without concerning ourselves particularly about the opinions of others; a certain innate arrogance. I do not disagree.

He asks about DeLambre – having seen him act at Stormguard, he investigated and is sure that there is no binding on him, nothing to force DeLambre to act the way that other demons are bound. Cymnea looks shocked, but I calmly state that DeLambre is bound, but not in a way possible for Mandor to detect. He asks if he might ask questions of DeLambre and I say that I will make the offer to him, and if he accepts, that I will be present. Cymnea snaps that I will tell DeLambre what to do as demons are to be ordered, not asked. I meet her eyes but do not answer.

To change the subject, Cymnea tells Mandor that I wish to see the look on Melvyn’s face when he is offered the Kingship: he agrees to my presence as long as there is no repeat of the punch I dealt out. I calmly state that as far as I am concerned, the matter is closed.

Mandor leaves to find Ariadne and Cymnea expresses her concern about DeLambre to me – she set the wording of the Binding, and watched it being wrapped around him. But Mandor would not be wrong about the lack of a binding now. I answered that DeLambre and I were bound by loyalty and friendship, rather than by anything else. She nodded, but asked that I tell her of the result of Mandor’s questions. I agreed, and leave to find DeLambre and to join Mandor and Ariadne.

We travel to Brứ-na-Bóinne and see the great and the good of Chaos. Plus Darig and Havelock. The hall is obviously bigger, with more torches and hallways. Mandor offers the choice of the throne to Melvyn and he turns to us of Barimen for advice.

Melvyn asks us who is responsible for this choice being offered to him, and somewhat impishly, I suggest that it was Sorashi, though I agree that it is a good idea. Darig reminds Melvyn that he can accept with conditions, and Havelock cautions that Melvyn must be his own king, not anyone else’s puppet. I finish with the point that saying no is as dangerous as saying yes, but without the help and support that he will have with Mandor and Cymnea. He sighs, then turns to the throng and begins the negotiations.

While they debate Havelock and Darig begin talking to Dworkin about some plot to heal Benedict. There is an artefact in the hall that will help and, while we need Melvyn’s permission to take it, Dworkin takes us into the tombs to where it is.

In a round chamber with two biers, two desiccated corpses lie. One has a silver arm, a cunning artefact. Havelock turns to me and begins to tell me of his plan; to trap Benedict in a dream state and to let him work through the guilt he feels over the death of my father by re-enacting the fight and then interrupting it before either of the people involved get hurt. Explicitly, he wants me to play the part of my father as I both look and fight like Finndo.

For a moment, I pause. For Havelock this is some kind of ancient history – a story that he was told of the elder days. I think he has forgotten that the news of the death of my father at Benedict’s hand is less than a week old, and still raw. So I restrain my natural reaction and simply tell him to go fuck himself. He doesn’t actually look too surprised.

We return to the hall where uncle Corwin asks us to help him hook up with someone called Dara, the mother of his child, Merlin. Darig and Havelock fall over themselves to offer to help and I take my leave.

On the way back to Ascaris I tell DeLambre of Mandor’s request and he considers it. He asks my opinion and I offer that Mandor will keep asking – better to be questioned when we are ready and prepared. He agrees, and we continue on.

I meet Cymnea and we travel to the Thelbane with DeLambre. On the way she comes close to apologising for locking me in the sliver of Diptera and acknowledging that while time was altered so it was only 300 years of ceaseless combat for me, deep down I knew that 3000 years were also passing. Perhaps my imminent departure is weighing on her also.

As we enter the Chapel we see the corpses of the guards and demons scattered around the room. The coffin and flag that should be on the bier are gone. Cymnea’s right hand digs deep into my forearm and her left arm reaches out grabbing the air as she mutters a deep and heartfelt curse upon whoever had done this desecration. Havelock enters and announces himself and I tell him to call Constance and Sorashi as their skills and services are required.

They arrive quickly and start assaying the scene. The coffin was lifted and walked to the door after the four guards were killed. Constance does not believe that the attackers were wounded in the attack. Darig appears via Havelock’s cards.

The attackers are a mix: human, fishes, demons and skeletons. At least 8 opponents.

We report this to Cymnea and she hisses her wish for the giblets of those who did this to be put in her lap.

Havelock pulls out the card of Oberon and speaks to him, telling him of the theft. He looks out of his coffin and tells us that he’s at the Whispering Bridge. We move out. There are faint bloody signs as we go – a handprint and footprint. Sorashi drops behind and changes form, catching up with us as the cream and green striped tiger familiar from the day before.

We approach the bridge. There is a smell of something unpleasant. Constance whispers, “fish men from Chanicut and the unliving”.

We come to the foot of the bridge to more carnage – 5 recently slaughtered bodies: 2 Chanicut fishmen, 2 serpents and a human with grey skin. Cymnea looks down at them, pleased with the outcome of her curse. Constance and Sorashi hear a whimper under the bridge and I go to investigate. There is a withered corpse like body there, shivering and scared.

I motion her to come out. She refuses so I grab her and haul. She isn’t anywhere near as weak as she looks and I have to pull hard. Cymnea threatens her and she tells us that they were going to throw Oberon’s body off the bridge to make up for the affront of Dworkin stealing the Serpents Eye. But they were betrayed by Amblerash, who mean to do something else with the corpse.

The smell increases and smoke pours out of all the angles. I look to Cymnea and then kill Ludmilla by tearing her head off, dropping the corpse and drawing Claideb. A thing appears, blue ichor dripping from what is probably its jaws. It leaps at me as I step in front of Cymnea. I swing.

Claideb cuts deep. I am faster and hit harder than it, but I am hampered in my ability to move with Cymnea behind me. It feels like striking a jug rather than flesh. Its tongue strikes out and ichor spatters me and I swing again as Cymnea’s hand points and it misses its footing. Darig strikes, serpent swift, with the Gae Bolg and quickly we dispatch it. The stench is awful and Constance and Havelock retch.

As we look around, Havelock finishes with a trump, a new sword in his hand. And Sorashi points to a scrap of green fabric on the floor by the other entrance. We follow the trail, Sorashi leading the way. Cymnea thinks she knows where we are headed, following the little flecks of green fabric.

We arrive at the Duomo. More carnage here: 4 more bodies but no blue ichor or withered skin. Just normal wounds. 2 women of Amblerash, one of whom is alive but holding her guts in her hands, 1 Flense, 2 Alhazreds. Cymnea snarls at her to know where Oberon’s body is. The gut-poured woman claims that they were seeking to return Oberon’s body to the Duomo but they were betrayed. Ixtramurini stole the coffin.

There’s some back and forth, then I tell Havelock to contact Oberon to offer us coming through to him. There’s some back and forth and then he passes a card to Cymnea and passes me through into Oberon’s coffin.

We are in the middle of a ring of Chaots facing out from us, looking at a ring of goat-headed monsters. Oberon tells me that we have to take a side and the goat headed monsters are our enemies. I sigh and then step forwards to engage as Darig starts to come through. I stand next to the blond woman as the creature facing her runs in. I cut off its arm with the first swing then cut through its neck on the second. Out of the corner of my eye I see Constance stepping through and engaging next to one of the people facing out. Sorashi comes through in cat form and I swing at the creature next in front. My cousins start to dance their dance and the creatures start to fall. It doesn’t take long.

Cymnea comes through and she and Oberon go off to talk. We start on the ones who have stolen Oberon – they claim to have rescued Oberon before Amblerash wound back time to stop Amber being created. Constance believes them, but I still think punching them all would be a good idea.

Eventually, after much posturing, we go inside their club room for a drink while Oberon and Cymnea sort out their issues.

They come back in eventually, and Oberon wishes me and Rachael well. Havelock explains the 4 ambushes to Oberon. We find the most expensive wine that the Ixtramurini have and raise a toast to our Grandfather. The grotesques pick up the coffin and we escort King Oberon back to the Thelbane.

The coffin is placed on the bier, and the guards reset. Then we head to Melvyn’s coronation. As I leave, I take the Amber flag, torn by Oberon’s hand, to give to Cymnea.

I’m told as we make our way to the throne room that I am to be one of the High King’s bodyguards, along with Darig, Havelock, Benedict, Corwin and Bleys. There are likely to be mutterings over all the guard being from Amber but largely I find myself not caring.

The coronation is a ceremony, like many others. We are told that there will be peace from now on, which will last as long until there’s a good reason to fight again. And Melvyn looks... not happy, but resolute – about the best reaction we could hope for.