On Princess Carline: Alessandro & Paris
Chris: Given that we're going to rescue the Princess, Alessandro's questions about that are either answered or can wait. He is a little curious (or perhaps I am -- a little hard to tell. Possibly more me...) and so would say something after last run (to keep my timelines tidy :).
Alessandro approached Paris and spoke quietly. "I am glad we go to rescue Princess Carline. I hope she doesn't declare for Louis or Martin before we reach her. " Wry smile. More gently, "I am sorry to have heard Prince William's death confirmed so ungracefully. I hope it will someday help us give him a proper burial."
Paris bowed her head, closed her eyes, and brought up her hand to partially shield her face, working to master her grief. Still she managed to nod her agreement. Alessandro placed his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort; he didn't mean to make things worse. Paris nodded again without looking at him.
" You are sad, Sir Paris, and your grief for Prince William is very proper and becoming. Take the words my Uncle told me, once, though -- do not let your command interfere with your grief, nor your grief interfere with your command." Alessandro stopped and sank into darkness for a minute "Your -- companions, they are peasants; they need a leader and it should be you. They are upset when things surprise them, so maybe spend time preparing them for what will happen next, more. As my Uncle said, this prepares you as well: it lets you know what you
There was silence for a long moment, then he added, "Speaking of preparation: when we meet Carline, what? That you will offer your oath to her is right thing, I think. How does this affect the Quest? I think maybe I should offer my oath as wel; it is better for me to be sworn to a royal, too, I think, and Carline will be the next one I see. I would hear more of her, if you know anything you'd care to say...
Paris managed a wavery smile and touched his hand; he broke contact. "Your uncle was wise. My prince told me something similar -- for himself. It was the last conversation we had." She swallowed and then set her chin. Softly, "And now I need to help get his village to safety. His land. His duty. My -- grief -- will be served by my doing my best to do His memory proud. You do right to admonish me to my duty. Thank you."
Alessandro smiled, but looked at Paris seriously: did she show more than resignation? She seemed a little tottery under her newly-shouldered burden.... He watched her closely. Paris seemed to be suppressing as much of the grieving process as possible. Whether she wanted him to know or not, he saw clearly that Prince William had meant a lot to her. Perhaps more than she'd been willing to admit to. Certainly more than the prince had meant to any of her companions, judging by the stolidness of their reactions. But -- when faced with a task, Alessandro reminded himself, she had always been able to move ahead. She functioned in the Tarn expedition. She seemed to be pulling herself together for this Rescue expedition. Still, the grief sometimes caught her by surprise when something unexpected brought it up. That being so, clearly she hadn't finished dealing with it yet. [After all, Westmore had the official Period of Mourning. Paris has been allowed but moments here and there -- and whatever she has allowed herself in the privacy of night.]
But, Alessandro thought, that 'being taken by surprise' was worrisome. It would be a bad thing in the camp of the enemy. For a moment he too felt a surge of grief suppressed from his own past: his Uncle, his family. Indeed, he had not had much time to think about the Prince either. For a moment he envisioned the untidy heap of all their griefs and smiled, wryly. It was odd to think of the girl as an equal in such a strange way. Sir Paris, he thought, startled at his own clarity, is something of an upstart, but, as a knight and a student of the duGryphons, must be acceptable on merit. Clearly, she had more to learn about being a noble (that's why you don't just promote peasants -- they don't know what to do! ) so perhaps he could help in her education. For a moment he longed again for his Uncle, wishing the old Duke were here to teach both him and this new-made knight. At least she didn't throw her rank around.
Paris squared her shoulders. "When we meet the Princess Carline, there may be very little time allotted for pleasantries or formalities. The first thing I suspect that I will need to say is to ask her permission to take her from that place and, then, to ask her permission to touch her if it proves necessary to do so in effecting her rescue. I do not wish any of my companions to be under death sentence for violating her person while attempting this rescue. The Protector of the Blood will not be available, so I must hope that she will allow me to act the part for a while."
Alessandro: "Yes, I think you are right -- we will have little time for any formality. I also expect that she will grant you permission -- you are not Protector of the Blood, but you are a member of a Royal Order and she will guess that we are sent by the Duke even if we don't tell her."
Paris: "I would rather not implicate Duke Evan. I do not know what politics would be involved. The Duke does not send me; I volunteered. It is the right thing to do."
Alessandro: "Ah, good point. How likely do you think it is that one of our companions will say it instead?"
Paris: "I will make it clear to the others my intent. If they then say it instead, the circumstance will dictate whether or no I should bluntly deny it." She shrugged. "If there is no need to make a fuss, it will pass by. I cannot imagine that there will be time then to ask her to accept our fealty. Unless we are first captured and then imprisoned with her. And that would seem rather counter-productive." A small wry smile appeared briefly.
Alessandro chuckled.
Paris: "Sailing in on the flying boat, effecting the rescue, and sailing out seems ideal. I am not sure -- as long as we are planning -- that it will be so easy. If the flying boat is spotted in the daytime -- as it well might be, there being little to hide behind while over the ocean, save amongst other ships on the ocean. There's a possibility that the princess will be moved from where Anton saw her and that we might have to fight our way through the castle to find her."
"If we come in under storm or darkness, we may have to get off the boat before reaching the castle so that we can 'scout out' the lay of the land and not be dashed to pieces in the dark against either mountain or castle. Then we will need to make our way -- possibly through settled areas -- to the castle, hopefully somehow bringing the boat so that we can still effect an air-bourne rescue. Finding the princess when one starts at the bottom of the castle may prove more effective than bumping into the castle flying blind in the dark. Neither will be safe. Nonetheless, it may be necessary -- if the castle keeps watch as we do here from battlement or turret -- to predetermine in which tower the princess is kept. That, again, may need to be accomplished by information gathering in the town or in the castle itself, in which case.... Well, it is something we all must discuss. We do not have any companions who are good at disguise. And having a stranger turn up on an island has got to be as obtrusive as a stranger in a small provincial hamlet. Do you think I or any of my companions would pass as someone from the Isles? And you and I -- well, there is always the risk of our being recognized," Alessandro gave a sidelong glance of amusement and shook his head as Paris continued. No, none of them would pass as Islanders. Paris met Alessandro's glance with just a trace of amusement of her own. "The chief points in our favour are the flying boat and the fact that no one expects a group of peasants to rescue the princess." She smiled slightly. "It is true, as you have observed, that most of our comrades are peasants."
Alessandro: "In a port town there are more foreigners, and in the north yet more. Still, given that it will be small we will be hard pressed to blend in."
Paris: "In winter? When few ships battle the storms and any that did would be well known to the island-inhabitants by that fact alone?" She shook her dark curls. "I do not think so. Even were we all Isle-born and bred. In no public place could any of us really be safe. Perhaps in a peasant hovel with the inhabitants either terrified -- which I could not allow -- or sworn to us...." She shook her head. "Another possibility that we must consider is: what to do if Cordelia is not with the princess Carline. I am not sure that Carline would leave Cordelia behind. I am not sure that I could. But it is a problem we should consider ahead of time so not to debate it if it proves a problem in fact."
Alessandro: "Our charge from the Duke is to rescue Carline -- I suspect we will not be able to stop Anton from rescuing Cordelia, nor dissuade him from staying if she is not found. Cordelia seems to be of some importance as well and, well, I cannot really countenance leaving her behind to her fate in any case, otherwise I would suggest he be treated like any other unruly peasant." Paris' eyebrows went up and the Islander shifted topic. "The more secret our coming, the better our odds, perhaps. The less reason they have to suspect a rescue, the less likely they are to take precautions..."
Paris: "We shall discuss with the others how to best keep the secrecy -- and yet ensure our safety."
Alessandro: "Appearing to be a normal boat may work well -- we could be the survivors of a shipwreck if there's been a recent storm. We would have to talk to someone about how to make the story believable, though, for I'm sure there are few ships on the sea this time of year. Paris nodded.
Paris looked at Alessandro. "But you were concerned with our oaths of service. I think that, once the Princess Carline is rescued, there will be time and enough to ask if she will accept the service we once swore to her younger brother." Paris paused, looking away into the distance. "But I must ask in such a way that she knows she should not accept if to do so will compromise the Quest. Unless something else changes in a big way, my duty to the Quest marches hand in hand with the oaths to Crown and Country that I have sworn as a knight. I would be knight errant (as I am already knight outlaw in the eyes of Prince Louis) rather than sworn to a lord -- however highly placed -- who would have me foreswear my duty and responsibility to what is Right and Just. William made sure that my oath placed that above all."
Alessandro: "Hm. I should perhaps take the Quest with you, since it seems so important to William and without that oath I am subject to any other oath I may make. Hm."
Paris smiled. "Ah, I have led you into a misunderstanding. I am not sworn to this Quest. I am committed to it. The last question my prince asked of me was what I was going to do upon leaving him at Pelier; I told him that I would finish the Quest. He knew its value. He approved. I would that he had been free to come with me." Her voice trailed off.
Alessandro: "You have given your word, then. It is less formal than swearing an oath, but it is fit and proper that you should make it so simply because you gave your word. To me, it seems your quest is to set the world to rights, to stop the flow of fell creatures into our world, to re-establish a balance that was destroyed a long time ago. If I understand it correctly, I would gladly undertake this with you, and give my word it shall be done, if you will have me join you. I would ask how quickly must this quest be accomplished? You have some clues as to how, but do you know when?"
Paris said softly, "I am not completely sure that 'stopping the flow of fell creatures' is quite the way I look at it. It is my belief that that was one of the ways that Sir Juda looked at it and the result was this current mess. No, the Quest is to repair the Mirror, the -- interface, if you will -- between Tarot and Torat such that it is as it was designed to be. Understanding that design is, I think, part of the Quest so that we can make the repairs properly." She smiled ruefully at some passing memory. "If I knew 'when', I could make some very dear people a great deal happier, I think. 'When' is when we have visited all of the Major Arcana. It took us a bit more than 3 months to complete the quest for Temperance. Before that it had taken us -- what? -- almost 7 months [Pat, I don't have my records with me. Please substitute in the correct time. Paris _would_ know.] to find the previous 14 Major Arcana. There are 7 more to find. The Devil -- which we hope to find in Dungeon, is the next. We have few clues as to the whereabouts of the others thereafter. How long will it take? Seven months? Seventeen? I cannot say. In my heart I know I want it over as soon as possible so that fewer people fall to an undeserved fate. But, if it comes to me to save a few from such fates along the way, then save them I will, if I can."
Alessandro: "Clues? 'Understanding is Key' I have heard. Did not Temperance speak of understanding? Understanding how the people and -- creatures -- of different places think, acting in a way that works in their terms when dealing with them. I remember, too, from my studies, that understanding is key in war -- understanding your enemy allows you to know when and how to act."
"That is," Paris nodded, "the Understanding that we gleaned from Temperance. And your knowledge of war-lore is certainly part of what the Warlord -- the Chariot -- practiced. I believe that -- in order to understand the Mirror, how the World should go together, and how to differentiate what we want from what we should Choose -- it is necessary to Understand what each of the Major Arcana brings to the table. The Major Arcana do not stay the same, necessarily, from Choosing to Choosing. And, from what Temperance told us, they may be changed by human belief even after the Choosing. So we need to understand the ones we have in order to Choose the ones we should have." She looked at Alessandro questioningly. "If you are willing to take the time, I can go over with you what our experiences have been. I suspect that will not necessarily be sufficient to allow you to have Choice when the time comes, but it may allow you to ask better questions than we did when you have an opportunity to meet those Majors we have already spoken with. I can also tell you something of what the Majors were like in a previous Choosing, when the Zodiac and the Planets were part of the deck. And you can, perhaps, share your understanding of the Majors you have already met. Altogether, I believe that this is the Overall Understanding that we seek."
Then Paris' smile turned warm. "You asked, as well, about Princess Carline as a person." Her voice stumbled; it was clear that she held the princess in great affection. "I -- she -- in many ways, she was as much my patron as Prince William was. It was she who gave me -- friendship. And gifted me greatly with things," almost unconsciously she hefted her metal-faced shield while her free hand lightly touched the base of her throat, "which helped me stand on a more equal basis with my peers. She -- saw beauty where none had existed -- and need where none had dared help. Princess Carline is --" a rush of words followed the short pause, "the most wonderful fairy godmother a girl could wish for." Paris' gaze returned to meet Alessandro's. She blushed but smiled bravely nonetheless. "Forgive me. I know the princess has been my partisan. It will be difficult if the Quest requires that I not be her partisan."
"As for more about her.... She has been both lord and, if I may dare so much, elder sister towards me. She has tested me and counseled me. She has done for me what neither William nor Evan would or felt they could - in providing for me as a lady and as a knight. And she has offered praise -- and admonishment -- when others had forgotten to. She has had dreams akin to mine -- and I suspect that she may have had some martial training akin to mine, although none has said so directly. William once said that she was 'most formidable'; he said that right before he made the decision to have me trained as a knight. She spent much time with Silverlocke's teaching, I believe; so, if I've read between the lines correctly, it would not surprise me if she could handle a sword or plan an assault. But that is simply guess-work."
"She is bright and brave and beautiful and well worth Duke Evan's love. I suspect that she has had as much training in rulership as William -- and perhaps more, given that she would certainly have been wed, no matter what, to a duke somewhere. More, probably, than Martin. And, as a woman, more exercise in the diplomacies of her position than any prince who would have the fortune to be able to assume his authorities without check." Alessandro smiled at Paris' description of Carline. The warrior continued, "She is in every way, I think, a worthy grand-daughter of Queen Branwen." Paris' hand patted the pommel of her ever-present sword.
Alessandro: "I am glad to hear you speak so highly of her and indeed, it sounds like she would be an admirable Queen or Duchess, well worthy of loyalty such as you show to her. We shall have to see what she says at the time..." Alessandro trailed off, lost in some thought or other. Then he spoke solemnly, "We have lost a Lord and Protector, a friend as well. Carline has lost a brother: a dearer loss, I think, than ours. Think you that we shall be the bearers of the news, or that Louis has told her already?"
"I --" Paris winced, then squared chin and shoulders again. "I -- may be the bearer of the news. Murphy -- may think that I -- deserve such a fate. I -- have thought -- of her loss. Of Martin's. Of Evan's. William must have been dearer to them than he was to me. Which -- puts their loss -- beyond words, I think." Paris was struggling again to stay mistress of her emotions. Indeed, if their loss is greater than hers, it must be almost incapacitating.
Alessandro, feeling that everything he seems to say on the topic makes Sir Paris feel worse, fell silent. His own thoughts of his Uncle, of his Prince, of his family welded his lips shut for a time.
Paris swallowed. "Thank you, Alessandro. I - I think I understand why you found comfort in -- Prince William simply knowing about you. I -- find comfort in -- knowing you, knowing someone who knew William well enough to -- understand his loss. It helps, when - when there is not time to - to talk it out and lay it to rest. Thank you."
"Planning a Rescue" copyright 2000 C.Ebert & S. Knowles. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.