Ryan

Towards the end of the week, we arrived on Shadow Earth, parking the castle right over the Pyrenees mountains. Cerridwen left immediately, returning two days later accompanied by a young man and a woman. The woman I assumed was Evelyn Flaumel, although, much to my surprise, I recognized her as Florimel, one of my father's sisters. Whatever was an Amberite doing in charge of one of Dara's children? It was most unusual. Ryan was dressed rather casually and traveled in the company of a large black cougar. Strangely, Cerridwen did not introduce Ryan to any of us upon his arrival. When I inquired as to why, she said she wanted to wait until supper, claiming, "He doesn't know about Amber, yet, you see...and I'm going to enchant him so that he won't notice anything untoward until he reaches Gwynedd...and thus his mother. He's a nice boy and all...but I'd rather not have to answer questions on topics for which Dara wishes him ignorant."

I wondered why she had not enchanted Ryan already, but merely stated, "I see. Yes, going against Dara's wishes is not the wisest course of action. Very well, I shall see you both at dinner, then."

Once Cerridwen had departed, I spoke with Momus about the new arrivals, being careful to refer to Florimel by the name Cerridwen had given me. It would not do to betray my knowledge of Amber and her denizens, after all. He seemed equally intrigued and agreed to be my escort for the meal. I wondered what Cerridwen would think of that? I decided to wear my blue ballgown for the occasion.

As our hostess, Cerridwen was already present when Momus and I arrived. The room we were to dine in was large and rectangular, with an immense fireplace at one end. A long oblong table dominated the center of the room, with spaces for eight seats, although only six places were set. The table was laden with a feast, although, as usual, no servants were present. One wall featured three balcony entrances, with the glass doors letting in a slight breeze which caused the candles on the table to flicker, though the soft glow of the overhead chandelier did not shift at all. The other wall was decorated simply with mirrors. All in all, the whole setup had an almost surreal feel to it, much like the rest of the castle. I wondered if Cerridwen had spent so much time in the place that she no longer noticed the effect. It would be interesting to see how the new arrivals reacted to it. I nodded politely to Cerridwen as we entered and allowed Momus to seat me in one of the chairs which faced the entrance. The better to see the others when they finally deigned to arrive.

Anyssa arrived next, wearing a dress made up of iridescent shades of blue that seemed to flicker like fire. She looked hesitantly at Momus, then smiled a little and retreated to a chair. She, too, seated herself so that she could watch the door and those who entered, although doubtless for somewhat more martial reasons than I. I nodded a greeting as she picked up a glass of wine and began to sip on it. If she was aware that she had slept for a week's time, she gave no sign of it.

Ryan made his appearance next, wandering into the room almost as if by accident. He was dressed in khaki slacks, nicely pressed, and had a nice blue polo shirt on as well. Hardly the worst clothes I have seen, but still entirely inappropriate for a formal affair. He appeared to be about 20 years of age, and while the Shadows do lie for us, in his case I thought it was genuine. Between his relative youth and his dress, not to mention the large black cat that still accompanied him, he seemed very out of place as he trotted along behind Florimel. He smiled politely at everyone, making brief but friendly eye contact. When I returned his smile with a polite one of my own, he actually went a mite red on the tips of his ears and looked away nervously. A youth indeed. And one not much acquainted with women, it would seem. He did attempt to look like he belonged, I will give him that, but the effect was ruined by his less than discrete gawking as he looked around the room. He sat where Florimel directed him to, and much to my surprise, the cat sat next to him. I regarded the presence of this creature at the dinner table with some distaste. Had they no manners at all in his Shadow? He appeared oblivious to my disapproving look, being far too busy whispering to the feline and petting it dotingly. The cat, however, looked up at me and there was an intelligence in its eyes that was unmistakable. Lazily, it dragged a claw across the stone floor, gouging its surface, before turning away from me. A warning? How fascinating. Obviously, the beast had more brains than his erstwhile master. I merely quirked an eyebrow at the cat's display, then leaned over and whispered to Momus, "How droll. Whom do you suppose the boy is escorting, the woman or the cat?"

Momus looked up and his eyes widened as he appeared to recognize Florimel. Florimel's eyes narrowed as well, and the daggers that flew from both their eyes were obvious to anyone who looked. "I doubt he's escorting the woman," Momus replied very quietly. "After all, she's old enough to be his mother."

I hid a smile as my attention was drawn to Anyssa, who sighed softly and then emitted an equally soft laugh. She looked across the table at the two newcomers and the cat. "It's a lovely cat. My name is Lady Anyssa Hendrake-Helgram, I know Melanie and our lovely hostess, but I'm afraid the rest of you are new to me. May I have the honor of an introduction?" She looked around the table.

I concealed my irritation. As hostess, the task of making proper introductions fell to Cerridwen. By not allowing her to do so, Anyssa was impugning Cerridwen's abilities as hostess. I waited with interest to see who would answer Anyssa. Momus would not, of course, and from what I had heard of Florimel, I doubted she would either. But would Ryan prove as ignorant as he appeared? Apparently so, for he smiled at Anyssa and said, "Thank you. Burke will appreciate your kind words. I am Ryan Helgram also. Do you know my mother, Princess Dara?"

A sad cloud crossed Anyssa's eyes for a brief moment, and I feared we would be treated to another tearful outburst, but then she smiled. "I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting my granddaughter, though I suppose that makes you one of my great-grandsons." Her eyes seemed to light with a strange inner fire, their blue-green almost like a turbulent sea. "So, your lovely pet is Burke. I suppose I shall have to get to know him, as well." She sipped her wine.

"Uhhhh, yeah," Ryan said, sounding rather stunned. He looked at Florimel for her opinion and then looked at Burke. "Uh, Burke is a nice cat."

Such a loquacious boy. Dara must be very proud. Florimel, wisely, said nothing, and appeared to be ignoring this whole conversation in a vain attempt to pretend it was not happening. Cerridwen smiled rather tightly at this point and raised her voice. "Ah, good to see that you're all here...allow me to make some introductions." Gesturing with her wine glass, she named us to each other. "Lady Melanie of Chanicut. Lord Momus of Jesby. Lady Anyssa Hendrake-Helgram. Prince Ryan Helgram. Princess Florimel of Amber. Burke." This last was said while gesturing to the cougar at Ryan's side. Ryan patted its head at that point, almost as if for reassurance. "And I, of course, am Cerridwen, Queen of Tir-na Nog'th. We are currently en route to the Courts of Chaos, where I intend to reunite you all with your homes and family, and I hope that in the mean time we can have some pleasant dinner and conversation in my strange, but hopefully comfortable home."

Florimel's eyes had become alight at the mention of Momus' name, and before Ryan had a chance to say more than, "Thank you," to Cerridwen, she began to speak. "Momus...now I recall...I had quite forgotten your name. It has, after all, been a bit," she began, her smile a tad brittle.

"Yes, my dear...a great many decades...not that you show it at all," Momus replied with a smug grin.

Florimel smiled at the comment. "Ah, Momus. Stiff-necked as ever...I don't suppose these past years taught you to be any more flexible, did they?"

Momus gave her a level glare. "Stiff-necked? I've never felt so...I suppose the alternative must be spinelessness." Taking a drink of wine, he then asked, "So what is your position in Amber these days?"

Florimel did not bat an eye. "I haven't spent much time there as of late. I find greener pastures in the Courts..."

"As you did not so long ago," Momus replied.

"Oh...it was long ago, Momus. You just don't remember the passage of time all that well. What can I say? You're out of touch with the current situation...something you should correct soon. Perhaps I could ask the Head of House Jesby to help you out in this respect...Stead is such a helpful fellow." Her grin was like that of a well-fed cat.

Momus paled a moment. "Thank you for your kindness, milady, but your last assistance left me a little regretful...as I'm sure it has many men."

Florimel smiled. "Touché, Momus. I could say the same of you."

Momus smiled in return, and returned his attention to his plate, much to my disappointment. I had rather been enjoying the sparring match. It is a rare pleasure to witness a verbal fight between two such masters. Not to mention the interesting bits of information that I had been picking up. Florimel had spent time in Chaos in the past, had she? And had some unpleasant encounters with Momus at the time, it would seem. Why did Momus pale at the mention of Stead, however? Surely Stead was not even born when Momus was imprisoned.

Robed servants moved in at this point and begin placing food on everyone's trays. Overall, the meal was quite good. Despite this, however, Cerridwen merely picked at her food somewhat, although she drank plenty of wine. Obviously, this meal was not going quite the way she had planned. Ryan continued his imitation of those around him, picking at his food a bit and drinking some wine, although not as much as Cerridwen. Anyssa watched all of this with a slightly distracted look on her face, eating the occasional bite of food, but not much. Her eyes played out a myriad of emotions and she almost deliberately seemed to focus her attention away from the people seated at the table, as if trying to distance herself. It made for a quiet meal, and I savored the silence as I ate.

After eating a bit, Cerridwen coughed lightly and raised her voice. "As a few of you know, a lot has transpired in the Courts of Chaos since last you visited. Momus, Melanie and Anyssa, you have not had the opportunity to see these changes, nor have you for that matter, Ryan. Florimel, too, has been stranded in Avignon for the duration of the most recent difficulties. I, however, have in this castle had the means to move between the Courts and other locations, so I will be more than happy to update you on the current political situation."

Ryan politely nodded his thanks. I made no response, already being quite aware of the current political situation. As a matter of fact, the only person in the room who probably was not aware of it was Ryan. I fixed a polite smile on my face as Cerridwen began running through the current list of those in power.

"Prince Shaenan is Head of House Sawall and also the Keeper of the Logrus. Through his actions, and my assistance, Despil was returned to Chaos and has again assumed the throne in Thelbane. His son Stead, formerly ambassador to Amber, is now head of House Jesby. Shaenan's mother Dara has returned to her ancestral home and become Head of House Helgram."

Ryan looked curious at this mention, and his eyes went to Florimel first, then to the cat. Had the boy never even met his mother? It would explain a great deal.

"House Chanicut was least affected by the Abyss War, and Sarah Chanicut still lives and rules that House. Unfortunately, the schism between the Minobees and the Hendrakes has not healed. Rhees Minobee, daughter of Lars and Belissa, is current head of House Minobee, and Mason Hendrake controls House Hendrake. Baalam Amblerash has been appointed head of House Amblerash, though the house is floundering in the wake of the recent religious upheavals. Nonetheless, Baalam is rumored to be a very competent and stable man...exactly what that house needs after so many centuries of being ruled by fanatics. Despil is, from what I have been told, a very relaxed, approachable man. He is a scholar and a gentleman...and his rulership will no doubt go a long way to civilizing the Courts after the recent period of barbarity."

Ryan initially glanced around during this listing of names, almost as though looking for something to write on, but then stopped and merely looked hopelessly bogged down in the names of the Royalty. Dara had indeed kept him ignorant. I wondered if perhaps he had brought the cat with him to remember all of the information he could not.

Cerridwen continued, "The situation with the Powers is a bit more tricky. Trump is not able to traverse the Abyssal boundaries of the Courts, though it still grants one access to all conjoined Shadows and peoples. The Ways of the Logrus are currently sealed; Prince Shaenan is denying admittance to all until such time as the political situation is deemed more stable in his eyes. Naturally, the biological talents of so many natives of the Courts have been unaffected. Movement between Amber and Chaos is nigh-impossible at present. Only the Tir seems capable of traversing the Abyss. But I do prattle on. Do you have any questions for me?"

I merely continued to eat my meal, waiting with interest to see what questions the boy would ask. He continued to look hopelessly confused and began to ask a question or two, but then fell silent, perhaps out of fear of embarrassing himself in front of Florimel. Instead, he looked at the cougar and asked softly, "Do you understand this?"

Burke only lay his head down on his forepaws and began to nap. Obviously frustrated by this lack of response, Ryan took a deep breath and then began to pet the big cat again. While blotting my lips with my napkin, I could not resist whispering to Momus, "Perhaps we had it backwards. It appears that the cat is escorting him."

"Which cat," Momus asked innocently.

I smirked briefly, and I am sure my eyes betrayed a bit of a sparkle at that response. The rest of dinner went by uneventfully, with the awkward silences punctuated by the occasional bouts of small talk. Eventually Cerridwen begged off early, complaining that her head ached. Given how much wine she had drank, I have no doubt that it did. After she left, dinner broke up quickly, all of us anxious to leave now that our hostess' departure had freed us to do so. I said goodnight to Momus and allowed one of the Tir's robed servants to lead me back to my quarters.

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All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.

Last modified on October 23, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.