Blood Brothers: 3 accounts compared

In The Doom that Came to Amber

Alaric:

I picked up Paolo and returned to Amber, trusting in my elder brother not to deliver me into the arms of our family. I can see why my sense of trust has gone awry. I injured Aylwin’s ankle in a bid to escape his embrace. It splintered messily but the exposure of the Hound’s bite to the air may benefit Aylwin in the longer run. I suppose I should be flattered by the number of guards sent to hold me.

Aylwin:

Asmark comes to tell us that he has sensed something in Gerard’s old room. Morwaith goes to talk to Gerard while I, complete with entourage, go up to the room.

Just as I get there Alaric trumps me, he asks me to promise him life and safety in exchange for the Tarot. I say I cannot promise that he will be unharmed, but he passes me Paulo and then steps through. I don’t release his hand but grab him, he kicks out and my ankle shatters like glass. I hang on like grim death, and don’t feel much better. Alaric starts to concentrate; spell or exit, neither is good so I sink my teeth into his ear, which does distract him. My guards have by now reacted, they have drawn swords so I release the grip on his ear and scream at them not to kill him. He is grabbed firmly and pulled off me.

Morwaith and Asmark arrive to help and I am lifted on to the bed, the pain is so great that I am starting to lose track. Flora arrives, looks at my ankle and seems fit to faint. Julian arrives; I can feel his anger at once, there is even a shadow of it on his face and I tell him not to kill Alaric. He goes out of my sight and I think he hits Alaric hard. I am distracted from this because I have sat up and looked at my ankle; it is an obscene mass of bone fragments. It feels far worse than it looks. Julian is pale and grim, you would not have thought it possible in someone with his complexion and manner for this to show so much!

Mother is there, tanned and well, wearing a bikini; she holds me and gives me a slug of Gerard’s best rum. There are tears in her eyes and a gentleness I have never known. She puts on a coat that someone has brought and kneels at my side. I am given more rum.

Fiona floods my ankle with Pattern energy and starts to construct a spell, even through the haze of pain and rum I can admire its form and intricacy. For an hour it builds and the pain eases, and I can blend some of my own energy into the spell, there is an intimacy that is unfamiliar.

With a glance she tells me that it is time and the spell falls upon my ankle like a hammer and the world explodes in pain. I should have had more rum!

Asmark:

On arrival on the landing, we saw that there is a struggle going on. Aylwin was wrestling with Alaric and the guards were moving in on them. I ran towards the fracas while Morwaith called for the guard. I heard Aylwin shout "Don’t kill him".

By the time I arrived the guards had grabbed Alaric. I made sure that they had a firm hold on him. Aylwin however was hurt. His injured foot was further damaged in the struggle and he was in agony. I unlocked the door and Morwaith carried Aylwin to Gerard’s couch.

By now the alarm was being responded to. More guards had arrived, and Flora. Alaric’s friend, Paulo, who I met in the Hung Bear, was unconscious on the floor. I had a few guards take him to the dungeon. Julian turned up, reduced the guards holding Alaric to two, then went in to check on Aylwin. By this point Morwaith had Aylwin’s bandage off and what had been revealed was appalling. His ankle had grown tentacles!

Julian told Morwaith to summon Fiona. He then stepped outside and struck Alaric so hard that he was torn from the grip of the guards still holding him and flung against the opposite wall. Julian made dire threats as to what he would do if “his son” died; this was evidently a reference to Aylwin. I don’t know if he meant this literally or metaphorically. However, if it was literal it would explain Clarissa’s comment about ‘tainted blood’.

Morwaith’s attempt to trump Fiona was not immediately successful so he asked me to try. I was expecting some reluctance and had no prospect of forcing contact, so I sat down and prepared to try for a very long time. In fact it only took about thirty seconds.

Fiona was on a beach in a bikini at what looked like a very exclusive holiday resort. I told her that it was Julian’s summons, to aid Aylwin, and the problem seemed to be beyond the competence of anyone present, and finally persuaded her to come through.

By this time the King had turned up, which prevented Julian beating up Alaric any more. Julian was instructed to take Alaric to the dungeons. I was a little surprised to hear a Prince of the realm being given such a menial task but Julian, far from being insulted, seemed to relish it. He seems to be taking it very, very personally.