Redhead Receiving Line


Paige heads down the hill toward the halted figure of her father. She held Leif's hand in her right hand and Brooke's in her right.

"Leif, I'm not angry with you," she offers quietly. "You just need to learn the manners that you've been denied by your amazing growth. People will assume that you have them and treat you ill if you don't display them.

"I'm sorry I had to yell at you in front of the others, but I'm not sorry I yelled. We'll work on these things, all three of us on the sea voyage back to Xanadu, alright?" She turns to Brooke for her approval, too.

"Yes, mother," Brooke says. Leif, however, narrows his eyes and pokes out his lower lip. "You hit me," he complains to Paige.

"That I might be sorry for, but I needed your full attention and needed others to understand that I had control of the situation so they didn't feel the need to discipline you," Paige explains as they walk. Her gait slows as she wonders which of her cousins Bleys might be bringing through. Marius or Ossian? Doubtful that would be Jerod. Most of the others had made it for the beginning of the service.

He snuffles petulantly. Anything else he might have said or whined is cut off by the sudden appearance of a man with his Grandfather.

Edan steps through and finds himself on what can only be a spur of Great Mount Kolvir, above the Castle and City of Amber. There is a path beside the place his father stands and on it are a stunning redheaded woman and two children. The children are looking curiously at him.

"Ah, Paige, your timing is excellent," says Prince Bleys. "May I present to you Edan of the Da'ar Esh Salaam. He is, as I am sure you have surmised, your brother."

The first impression on seeing Edan is that he is tall, taller than most men from the Land of Peace. His skin is a dusky brown, and his hair is dark with a strong hint of red. It is short, and he is beardless, uncommon things from that land. Edan's hair looks stiff, as if he has washed recently in seawater, and he has a strong scent of sea and sand about him. He has the physique of a runner or a dancer, but thin and sere as though all the excess water of his body had been burned from him.

He is dressed for the deep desert, layers of brown and tan robes, and desert boots that look as though they have given years of hard service. He is armed, two short curved blades in scabbards at his back. There is a blood stain at his leg, but he carries himself as though it is but a minor wound.

He looks nervous, hyper-aware, his head moving in small increments as people move towards him and around him. But with the mention of Paige, his eyes fix on her with an open curiosity. The irises are the color of liquid gold.

"Paige," he says, his voice low and quiet. "My sister."

Paige stares at her father for a moment, all sense of etiquette discarded for the nonce. She's dressed in a simple dark dress, that in the twilight seems black, but catches hints of green when the lights from the castle shine on it.. On her arm is a black armband and about her waist is a wide black belt that holds a short scabard with a slight curve. Her rich auburn hair is shoulder length and she's still veiled from the memorial service. The twins wear matching white tunics that come to mid-calf.

Her gaze searchs Edan's face for familairity before the lips curve into a smile. Perhaps it's the makeup hiding the dark rings that prevents it from reaching her eyes. "Edan?" she asks, as if her father had perhaps mis-spoke. She stands on the balls of her feet, shifting gently between fight and flight.

Making the decision, she steps forward and pulls him to her, the smile evident in her voice at least. "What am I doing? Welcome, welcome."

From his reaction, it may have been years since Edan has let anyone this far within his guard. His eyes are wide with shock, and it is a full second before her embrace is returned. He does clasp one of her hands in his as they part, however, hesitantly, and it seems to be a big deal to him from a social or a familial standpoint.

As they part she shoots her father an accusing glare. "So, brother? Did he keep you as much in the dark as he kept me?" Paige shakes her head, suggesting that he need not answer.

"I'm forgetting myself again, too," she rambles. "It's been a long few days. My children, Brooke and Leif." Her hand indicates the twins and someone observant might notice the shakiness to the gesture.

"I am honored," Edan says to them, bowing low and touching his fingers to his forehead. "And honored to meet you as well, my sister," he says upon straightening. "Father did tell me of you... I have long wished to meet you. He said that you were very fair. I see that his words did not do you justice. Nor did I know," he said, giving Bleys a bemused glance, "that you were a mother."


Fiona looks down the hill and smiles. "I find myself wanting to know who your Uncle has just pulled in from afar. Shall we?"

Indeed, Brita can see that Bleys is talking to Paige and the children and a stranger who was not on the mountain before. He smells of the sea and of family.

"Certainly, Mother," Brita moves to follow Fiona. "It appears we will have more Family to Aide us."

"Or more trouble," Fiona says, but she sounds like that would be fun and amusing.

Fiona and Brita step up behind Paige. "And you didn't even take him to Mother's little picnic..."

"Exactly!," replies Bleys. "I'm going to introduce him to Random, but he seemed preoccupied with Tayanna's second son."

He clears his throat. "Fiona, Princess of Amber, daughter of Clarissa; Brita, Lady of Amber and Goddess of Asgard, may I present to you my son, Edan?"

Brita waits for her Mother to greet the newcomer first and then bows at the waist to Edan. "Welcome, Lord Edan. From Where do you Hail?" Brita is tall (6'2") and slender. She is dressed in a somewhat formal red jacket with brass buttons, black pants and knee high boots. She has a black armband interlaced with ivy around her right upper arm. Her long red hair is carefully braided in two braids hanging down in front of her shoulders. One strand of golden blond weaves its way down one braid.

The others receive a different kind of bow; Edan places his hand flat against his chest and bows from the waist, eyes downcast. The movement is so smooth it's almost painful to watch.

"I am honored," he says. "I have made my home in the deserts of the Land of Peace."

He straightens and says, "I have just come from Xanadu... I intended to walk to Amber, and went there instead. Nothing is as I expected it to be."

"It seldom is around here," Paige answers without thinking.

"Father, not to spoil this meeting, but I did have a question for you, when you have a moment." Her redheaded non-verbal communication suggests it's something better discussed without the twins.

"Of course, of course. What are funerals for, if not impromptu meetings. Edan, would you escort your Aunt and the rest back to the castle? We'll dawdle. Dawdle more."

"Of course, Father. I will see you both there." He smiles, a flash of white teeth in a dusky face, and turns with the others towards the castle.

Paige nods to the twins, letting them know that it was OK to go with Brita, that she would protect them from Aunt Fiona.

The twins look rather anxious at being left behind with Fiona. They shoot looks of appeal at Brita and even at the newcomer. Fiona finds their nerves somewhat amusing. They seem a little old for the reassurance they seem to want from Brita and Edan. Young adolescents shouldn't need to be taken by the hand metaphorically, much less physically.

Fiona falls in between Edan and her daughter, taking Edan's arm if he offers it. Leif hides on the far side of Brita and Brooke interposes Edan between herself and Fiona.

"Cousin Edan, please Tell me more about the Land of Peace" Brita - being a redhead herself - then turns to the twins and her mother. "Godling Lief, Godling Brooke, perhaps you can Learn from your Uncle or Princess Fiona about the Pattern side of your Heritage as we walk up to Castle Amber. Your Uncle may have some Interesting Tales about Travel through Shadow."

"There are those," Edan agreed, "though not recently. My journey to Xanadu was quite placid. Father was very... thorough... when he taught me of Shadow, however."

"I would expect no less from Bleys. Paige would have been better served if he'd had the raising of her," Fiona opines. "Where have you travelled, Edan?"

Brooke and Leif listen to the adults as they converse, but don't say anything.

Brita glances at Leif to her right and arches a brow at him and then winks. Her look clearly says /you are safe/ but the small nod to the left also indicates that Brita thinks he should grow a little spine and ask some questions.

"There have been so many places," Edan says, unperturbed by the sudden presence of a niece at his side. He does indeed offer an arm to Fiona.

Fiona accepts and the group starts to move down the hill, pulling away from Paige and Bleys but not so far ahead that the slower duo can't keep an eye on them.


When they have cleared a small distance [Paige] turns back to her father. "What are we doing in relation to Arcadia? Aunt Fiona seems to think you're going to leave it to Uncle Julian, but Uncle Corwin believes that his sword and yours are the better options.

"What would you do?" she asks, the words sounding much more like 'What can I do?' The knuckles of her left hand are near white around the hilt of the dao at her waist.

Bley shrugs, and puts his hand on her forearm. He pets it slowly as he speaks. "Swords like ours are made for defense, really. But that's not what you're asking. I won't stop you from offering help to Julian, but I don't expect him to take you up on it. For all his protestations, he's remarkably similar to Corwin.

"How do you think you could best help his efforts? And, assuming that I don't know, why would you? If you cannot articulate your reasons to me, Julian will certainly not be open to them."

"This is his war, I know. Perhaps he would know how I could best help," she answers. "I get the feeling that he's not going to want it, or believe that my place is with the twins. I've already proven that I'm not capable of protecting them like that, so I need to do something proactive.

She bites her lip for a moment and begins ticking off points. "One, I'm as able with a blade as half my cousins, possibly better. Two, I'm a Pattern initiate. I was able to shield the children partially when she attacked. Three, Artemis's maenads have no draw on me. Four, he's in this because it's his son, his responsibility. I've the same responsibility to my children. Five, I might do something stupid on my own if he doesn't accept my offer of assistance.

"None of which answer the questions, not truly," Paige says, shaking her head. "How? How ever he needs, but preferably there, in Arcadia or where ever the battle takes us. With a blade or Pattern or even divining Trumps if it will remove the threat from my children's lives. Why? Because I owe it to them, and to Adonis. Because I'm their mother and I want them to be able to know their Arcadian side without worries that either their grandmother or great-grandmother are going to possess them."

She looks at Werewindle, chewing her lip again. "A sword for defense? Proving my point, that a good defense is a strong offense. Or are there blades for offense, too?" she asks.

"Nothing about the patterns is for offense. It's not mathematically possible, even with the matrices needed to explain multiple pattern interference patterns. Believe me, I've spent special attention on the equations relating to the swords.

"As to this," he says, patting the sword hanging at his belt. "Don't be in any hurry to invoke the pattern swords. The cost of it is too high."

"I'm well beyond the point where I come begging my father to buy me toys I can't afford, Troublemaker," she answers.

"But you make it sound like the Dragon isn't something that we're going to deal with in any sort of final way, is it?" Paige asks, realization settling in. "Grandfather didn't, Corwin didn't, and Julian obviously didn't, so why should Random?"

Beneath the veil her smile slips back in place, as placid (and vapid) as any courtier.

"Which leads us back to me doing something stupid," she decides. "What would you do?"

"Me? Tie you up or distract you, probably. Try to find someone less important and more expendable to send. And, if it comes to it, go out and fight the bloody dragon in order to save my children. How could I not live up to that example if I had to do so?" Bleys watches the children walk ahead of them. "Daeon surprised me. I didn't think he'd do such a thing."

"And right after giving me the 'I'm a lover, not a fighter,' speech," she chuckles. "It was noble and... and something, but it sure as hell seems the easy way out. I'm still here, I've still got to raise the twins, and the dragon's still out there.

"The only thing I've planned so far is that someone's got to sail the sea route, and since I've a ship and crates of belongings, it might as well be me," she explains. "I'll get the children someplace where there aren't Shadowpaths leading over the river and through the woods and where those defensive Pattern influences can have some effect.

"I'll talk to Random first and Julian after," she decides. "The children need someone and I need to know if it can be me." She lifts her veil and kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you, Father."

"I'm glad to have helped, I think. My turn next," he says. "Given the me-to-you-to-Martin-to-Oberon chain of diplomatic ties, I wasn't in a position to tell you certain things. I regret the necessity. I will note, however, that Edan was not required at your Grandmother's picnic, as he was not known to her. That is an advantage I'm not ready to give up yet."

Paige nods. "I assumed that not telling me in the Lands of Peace, you were keeping him under her radar. No comments to Grandmother. One would think that one of us should pass the same warning to Ambrose, who seems ready to jump into the Family with both feet.

"Is Random going to accept that even with Brennan's assurances that Dara was working him?"

Bleys shrugs. "Random is a gambler, and plays for the stakes he puts on the table. I believe he really would have pardoned Brother Brand on the edge of Abyss." He stops for a moment. "Hmm. Oddly, Random was leading us then. I wonder if that had anything to do with it..."

Paige's face never wavers, but Bleys can feel the tension in her when her uncle's name is mentioned. "Some days I wish I had been there, Father. Then perhaps I could evn hazard a guess.

"Anything else of me?" she asks as they near the castle proper.

"Don't get killed?"

"You either, OK? And if you make it back to Xanadu before I do, Trump me. The less time I have the twins in Shadow, the better." Paige lifts her veil and kisses him on the cheek. She pulls his arm in tighter, snuggling against his shoulder as they finish the walk, letting his security warm her in the evening air.


"Father played tricks with the time flow of shadows. I recognized that early on... still, there was often the sense that there were more things he wanted to show." Edan goes on to describe shadows where mountains hung suspended in a starry night sky; forests with animals so shy they died when men looked upon them; an infinite plain of paper that recorded their steps and small changes in shadow as a trail of mathematical and magical formulae below their feet.

"We would wake... we would take our fill of what that shadow would have to offer, what lesson it contained... then we would move on," Edan says. "I was also brought here, to see the castle and Kolvir, the stairs to Rebma, the city in the sky. I returned to the Land of Peace, where there were things to do, duties to perform. But someday, I will make that walk again."

"Fascinating," Brita notes, and she truly means it. "My Travels with Master Reid were not so Divergent from my Normal. On This End, you should Know that the Stairs are No Longer Where they were and the City in the Sky is currently Unreachable."

Edan turns at this, immediately looking back to where Tir-na Nog'th would be. His eyes, golden even in the gathering gloom, are unreadable.

Brita turns to Leif, "Godling Leif, what might you Ask of your Traveler-Uncle Edan?"

"Are you always that shape?" Leif asks Edan across the two redheaded women.

Fiona glances up at Edan with green eyes that sparkle with mirth. Something about her facial expression reminds him of his father.

"Always," Edan replies. "I have different... gifts." There is a little too much hesitation before the last word.

He smiles slightly at Brita. "Goddess of Asgard? Godlings? Are you all from that shadow?"

Brita smiles, but shakes her head. "While I would be Honored to have such as Second Cousin Leif and Second Cousin Brooke in my Home Parthenon, the Shadow Asgard is Mine Alone." She gets a curious look over her face for a second and then corrects herself, "Well, not mine Alone as Grandfather Dworkin was also There and, of course, Mother," Brita nods to Fiona.

"Moth-" Edan glances to Fiona, back to Brita. "Of course. You are Aunt Fiona's daughter. And Father told me of Dworkin." He gains a bemused look, and says, "Father told me that there were many cousins. I see that I will be spending much time working out the family genealogy."

"There are a score of you and more. It's hard to keep up. If you want a written scorecard, I suggest you ask Cambina, Eric's daughter. Probably the most important for you, though, after present company, are my son Conner and my brother's sons Brennan and Ambrose." Fiona glances across Edan at Brita.

The twins continue watching the tiny sorceress as if she were the afrit rather than Edan.

There is a split second of suprise as Brennan and Ambrose are mentioned, but then Edan masks the reaction. He is curious as to what Fiona has done to the twins to affect them so, but there is a more pressing thing on his mind.

As they walk, he concentrates, reaching out to twist probability; eventually, he is rewarded by a small clump of flowers along their path, their blood-red color almost black in the gloom. He stops at this point, while deductive reasoning does the job intuition does not.

Here, I can manipulate Shadow.

I cannot do so in Xanadu.

There is no longer a stair to Tir.

There was not a stair to Rebma at Xanadu. I doubt there is a stair to Tir there.

I have a score of cousins, all of whom appeared since I have last been in Amber. What brought them here? What has caused these changes?

Great Mother of the One Prophet, what took place here?

"I have so many questions," Edan says, trying to stay calm. "But from what I have seen, one eclipses them all. Amber. What has happened to Amber?"

Fiona looks at Edan, then over at Brita. After a moment, she says, "The Pattern was damaged in the war that has just finished. We're trying to decide how to repair it--if we can."

Brita nods at her mother's words. "The Effect of the Damage was Felt through Shadow. Did you not also Experience the Blackness? In my travels with Master-Cousin Reid, the Shadow we were in was Washed away with Black Acid Rain."

Following Fiona's gaze over to Brita, Edan realizes that his aunt probably knew all along what he was testing. And some things have yet to be said... Xanadu's lack of Shadow, for instance. He would not be the one to mention this, not if things should not yet be voiced.

He nods at Brita's words. "There were storms," he says. "Black storms. They came like an army of angry maerids from the inland sea. A wall of black sand crawled in from the deepest desert, a wasteland where even my own people cannot live for any length of time. The Merciful One turned his face from the world. And then... and then..." he pauses, almost confused. "And then it was over." He blinks a few times, then glances up to the castle.

Fiona nods at Edan's description.

"I walked the Pattern at Tir," he says. "It remains the most difficult thing I have ever accomplished. Still, I would not want to hear that the city in the sky is gone from us forever." He shakes himself slightly, almost like a dog shedding water, and continues, "I will need to find a place at the castle tonight, I think. I have always wondered what it looked like from the inside."

"Like a trap," Leif tells his uncle. "No, a giant stone maw, that is hungry," Brooke tells him.

Edan tries not to show his amusement. "It is beautiful, young godlings," he says. "It all depends on how you see it. Look at it... impressive, foreboding. It fulfills all the essential purposes of a castle. There are those that are more aesthetic... the castle at Xanadu, for one. Look at it with a different kind of eye." He waves his hand. "It holds the high ground. It holds an impressive garrison, or could if it needed to. It is an excellent rallying point for troops. It flies the flag of Amber, the symbol of military power in this region. It is safe, secure, strong. It represents the power of the king, even if the king is not sitting within." He glances at the two, at Brita. "It looks old, and ugly, and mismatched to some. But if I were threatened, I would be safe within its walls. I would not want to be the one to try and take it by force of arms." He sounds almost awed, reminded that his father almost did so.

"I take it, then, that you two are not the gods of Castles. What do you represent to your peoples?" The last question is followed by a gesture that includes Brita, as well.

"Castle Amber," Brita notes to Leif and Brooke, "is only a Trap if you don't Know how to Spring it." She turns back to Edan, "I am Goddess of Pure Waters at Home in Asgard. My Job was to ensure the Brooks, Streams, and other Waters that Spanned the Nine Worlds remained Clean."

Edan gives Brita a long, appraising glance. "That is very interesting," he says. "You mention this in the past tense? Oh... the storms."

"Past Tense because Shadow Asgard has been Remade after Ragnarok. I have been Home, but Know Not what my Purpose might be in the New World." Brita's tone is strictly factual.

Paige catches up with the others, listening to the conversation as she approaches, but doesn't interrupt. She seems keen on hearing the twins' answer to Eden.

Bleys joins the group at the same time as Paige. He takes Brooke's other arm, so that he is near Edan as they come to the castle gate. Fiona glances down the row of redheads at him and smiles knowingly.

Leif says proudly, "I am the hunter and the hunted, I am the wolf and the stag. I am the wyrm of the forest. Or I will be, when I am finished growing."

From between Bleys and Edan, Brooke adds, "I am the woodland, the faun and the she-wolf, the lamb and the lioness. Together we make the seasons run and hold the bonds of Arcadia."

Edan nods. "I do not know this Arcadia, but I can understand why you would not enjoy castles. It sounds idyllic... except for the dragon of course, I have heard of them but never encountered one. I understand they can be fearsome." He met Leif's gaze. "Will that be your purpose? Do you represent the fury that nature can become?"

Paige shivers at the word 'dragon', and answers. "The children are still learning their purposes, brother." There's alot of history you're missing here.

"Like all of us, balancing our birth in Shadow with our life in Amber, and now Xanadu," she explains. "One can't expect understanding so quickly from two that were still snug in their mother's womb no more than four months ago." Get it, now?

"Four-" The exclamation is followed by a glance at the twins, Edan's eyes widening, then at Paige.

We make the seasons run, he remembers then, and falls silent.

At about this point, the group arrives at the portcullis. Guards wave them in, and Bleys take a page aside with orders to have the steward arrange a room for Edan.

Fiona makes her farewells for the evening and departs for her room.

"It was a pleasure to meet all of you," Edan says, adding a short bow. His hand touches his chest, then his forehead, then out to the others. "I will see you on the morrow." He stands aside with the steward and Bleys to be escorted to his room.

Brita bows back at Edan, "It was a Pleasure to Meet You as well, Lord-Cousin Edan. May your Stay be Pleasant." Brita heads off to find some food before bed. She plans on an early morning....


Conner returns to his rooms and idly drops his cloak onto a waiting stand by the door. He strides straight to his desk and draws forth fresh sheets of parchment and a quill sharpened to a fine point. Conner always found the skritch of quill on paper to be a soothing sound. Even when writing about circumstances of life and death, the simple act of writing never failed to calm him.

The first note reads thus:

To His Majesty King Random,

During my travels in shadow I have uncovered evidence that Chi-lin, our guest from the Land of Peace, had in his possession a Djinn and that said Djinn was used both to gather information on Amber and, due to unfortunate phrasing, kill Deamond Har'garel. Enclosed you will find a copy of his confession suitably annotated so as to have it make sense in the proper context.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this matter with you at your earliest convienence.

Signed Conner

It is sealed with Conner's signet, a stylized C over a ship's wheel. Conner idly makes a note to update that one of these days.

The second note to Bleys takes much less time to write.

Dear Uncle,

A most rare event has occured that you must be made aware of. I asked Mother a question and she referred me to you for the answer! I do hope you will be free to join me for luncheon tomorrow so that I might ask it.

Signed Conner

Conner summons a page to deliver the note and then dismisses his servants from his room.

The page takes the notes and departs.

He slides under his bed and deftly removes his mirror from its hiding place. It was time to check up on matters he had put aside for now.

First and foremost was Thalia. He has great confidence in her ability to take care of herself, but these are not normal times or even abnormal as they once knew them. Truth be told, her situation would be his best guide for where he heads next.

Thalia is sleeping under starlight. She seems well, as near as Conner can tell. He finds he has trouble keeping the image on Thalia. For some reason, it wants to drift, as if it's in a current.

"Magic circling drifting on the wind." Conner murmurs. "Sleep well, my dearest."

After that Conner does his semi-regular check in on those that are out in Shadow. In this instance he is most concerned about Folly and wherever Dworkin may have taken her. Conner trusts Dworkin not to intentionlly harm Folly but he is forgetful sometimes. After Folly comes Jerod as Conner has had no word about him in quite some time. It would be interesting to see what he is up to.

Folly cannot be found. Jerod is talking to the Chancellor. Seems he's in Gateway, these days.

"Well now. He does get around doesn't he?" Conner chuckles. "Well that's two arrows pointing to Gateway. I guess we'll see what the morrow has to bring."

Conner puts his mirror away and turns in for the night.


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Last modified: 4 November 2005