The Journey Home

[Lord Tellurine]

Dr. Julius Abernathy arrived at the castle at the same time as Schoolmaster Henry Olsen. They were old friends and played cards frequently, but the somber mood only allowed them a friendly handshake and a warm smile, instead of the usual hearty slaps on the back and good-natured ribbing. They were shown to the meeting room where at the large table in the middle of it sat a gathering of Arconian citizens.

At the far end of the table where the Queen would address everyone upon her arrival sat Latenight. He was well dressed (He always was), but looked tired, as if the activities of the last few days had been a great strain on him.

Across from him sat Steve, the proprietor of the Bitter End. He looked nervous and out of place, wishing he were behind his beloved bar, helping people to forget their troubles, not waiting to hear them.

Next to Steve was Prince Nicholas of Marsteria. He had been vital to the security of Arconia during the past week or so, using soldiers of Marsteria to help protect the castle. His arm was draped lovingly over his pregnant fiancé, Willow, who looked very tired and very distraught.

Across from Nicholas and Willow sat Brother Emmanuel, a fat, pretentious Schoolcraftian, who had a way of getting himself involved in other people’s business where he wasn’t wanted. This was the first time in a while that he had been specifically sought out.

Next to him was Friar Laurence O’Malley, a short and skinny jovial man, who had lived in Arconia City all of his life and knew and had become friends with everyone there. He smiled at Dr. Abernathy and Schoolmaster Olsen as then entered.

Across from him was Stable Master Gavrill, who was sensitive to the fact that he had just come in from the stable, and hoped he didn’t offend anyone sitting near him. It wasn’t often he was in the castle, and when he was it made him edgy.

Gladys Wesley was the new head of the chambermaids, after Zarcon had killed her former superior during his escape with Lady Moon. She sat next to Gavrill, not noticing the scents of a day’s work in the stable, but reviewing in her head what rooms had yet to be straightened-up that day.

Across from her was Nani, head of the kitchen. She was crying softly, although she didn’t know why. It had to be bad news. Nobody had ever asked her to go to the meting room for good news, and she had heard the rumors about only half of the search party returning. Her mind had filled in the rest of the gory details, whether they were correct or not.

Dr. Abernathy sat down next to her and Schoolmaster Olsen sat down across from him. They both sat at the end of the long, silent table. The room was also filled with soldiers and other high-ranking castle servants, who stood attentively along the walls.

Everyone awaited Queen Zelda. What would she tell them? Was their King dead? Would there be war? Would there be revolution? There were too many variables, too many scenarios going through the minds of everyone in the room.

There was an audible gasp when the door leading from the throne room opened

[Zelda]

Zelda walked in, wearing breeches and a loose shirt. She had a hide belt tied around her waist and her feet were enclosed in ankle hugging suede leather boots. Not many of the assembled had seen her like this.

In fact except for Latenight and the staff of the castle they had always seen her dressed for business of state. Wearing the trappings of office in her rich but understated gowns, and her simple but effective jewellery.

Her face was impassive, saying nothing. If it wasnt for her distinctive green eyes, which were rimmed with red, and her regal stature, the Queen could have been a commoner entering a room.

As she walked to the table, one by one the assembled company rose to pay their respects. The men nodded as she past, the ladies also. As she reached the head of the table she faltered, pausing in front of the chair Arcon would have been occupying had he been there. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek.

The company saw her shoulders rise as she took a deep breath before facing them....

"Respected citizens of Arconia," she began in a strong clear voice. It was her listen to me voice. The one she used when she was only going to say something once, and you were expected to listen.

"We have been through alot recently. Much has happened which we have survived. We have recused Craig and Lady Moon from F/S, we have foiled Muu in their take over plans, we have prevented a few unvoluntary marriages as well as allowing some true love to bloom." At this juncture the Queen turned to look at Willow and Nicholas who both returned her sad smile with smiles of their own. Willows however was very forced and she looked ill. Dr. Abernathy made to move next to Willow, but Nicholas shook his head.

"However," the Queen continued, "this time I dont know if we will survive."

The assembled company looked startled. Steve cringed and wished fervently to be back at the Bitter End, Brother Emmanuel actually started paying attention and the others looked at the Queen with confusion in their eyes.

The Queen sighed. She didnt want to have to do this. It smacked of giving up hope. Hope was all she had now, Hope and Faith. Faith that Arcon had defeated his brother and that he survived. Faith that he would hold out until Lochinvar found him. The Queen went off into a daydream, imagining the times she had spent with Arcon at that same area, imagining how he could have survived, willing him in her heart that he had....

"Your majesty?" Latenights voice startled the Queen out of her reverie.
"What?"
"You were say????" he prompted her gently, reminding her why they were here.

Eleven pairs of eyes were waiting expectantly, eight with aprehension, 3 with sadness at the knowledge of what was to come.

The Queen turned to Latenight and said,
"You really believe I have to tell them?"
"Yes your majesty you must."
The Queen sighed and turned back to the expectant people.
"A week ago a party left to capture Zarcon and rescue Lady Moon. Well there was an accident. Zorn died defending his King and his rescued lady, however Arcon and Lady Moon may still be dead."
She couldnt help it, being blunt was the only way she could cope with the fact her partner wasnt there.

Willow began softly weeping, as Nicholas held her. Nani and Gladys also began to wail as a mummur ran around the table....

"ARcon dead? No that cant be!! He must just be injured......"

"Silence......PLEASE Silence!" the Queen raised her hand to try to calm the group. "I realise this is a shock, but I ask you...please to stick with me. I will endevour to run the country as Arcon would have wished. Search parties, lead by Lochinvar and Rosaline are combing the area. If there is ANY sign of either of them they will let me know. I need you to tell the citizens of Arconia. Any way you can. Please urge them to stay calm, to stick with me during this time. Hopefully Arcon and Lady Moon will be found - alive, but we dont know. Until then we continue as normal. There will be a knighting ceremony in a week or so."

The Queen turned and left, leaving Latenight to fill in the details. As she left the chamber she began to sob uncontrollably, mourning the loss of the one who meant so much to her.

[Zelda]

The mood in the room was sombre as the Queen left. Most of the party was in shock.

Looks of disbelief and confusion were etched on all the assembled faces.

(Ok guys, I'm out of ideas again.......)

[Zelda]

Latenight patiently explained to the assembled but bewildered leaders what had taken place over the last week. He was occassionally interrupted by Willow, who filled in blanks, or corrected his order of events.

Neither of them found it easy, and they could only imagine how the Queen was feeling.

Finally the meeting broke up. Steve made his way back to the Bitter End, pondering how he could tell his customers about Arcon. He considered removing Arcons tankard from the Wall, but decided against it, just in case Zelda heard.

His face was Glum as he headed back into town.

(HINT HINT STEVE!)

[Swordsman]

How about Latenight adds a post actually telling what went on from the ball to now? I'm thoroughly confused and could use the refresher...

[Zelda]

It took awhile but the Queen finally felt recovered enough from the meeting of the town leaders to start thinking about other things.

THere was a knighting ceremony to organise, as well as the general day to day business of the kingdom to take care of. After some serious soul searching the Queen decided to ask Lochinvar to come back.

She needed him around to help with the little things that Arcon did that she had no clue about. Zelda knew it smacked of defeat and loss of hope, but it had been a week now, and no word. They had probably gone to the gods.

So she walked towards the cote where the carrier pidgeons were kept. Selecting a healthy looking bird in consultation with the keeper Zelda tied a short note to its ankle...
Lochinvar and Rosaline,
You have been gone a week, I feel that the chances of Arcon and Moon being found alive are gone. Please return to the castle, I need your help here.
Zelda

It was short but non alarmist, and hopefully it would find them on their way home anyhow.

[ 11-11-2001: Message edited by: Zelda ]

[Lord Tellurine]

Dr. Julius Abernathy left the meeting room more than a little worried. His worry was centered on Queen Zelda herself. She didn’t look herself. She looked run-down, tired, and depressed. Arconia could survive without a king, but could the Queen? And her talk of the oft-postponed knighting ceremony seemed to be the only thing she could hold onto as a sort of rock.

Brother Emmanuel, whose large footsteps echoed through the castle halls, interrupted Dr. Abernathy’s thoughts. “Dr. Abernathy!” he called out with a wheeze. The doctor stopped and waited for the large man to catch up with him. Although the distance between them was only the length of the hall, it was a long wait. After two stops to catch his breath, and a third to take a bite of a sandwich he had stuffed in his pocket, Brother Emmanuel finally reach him. “I’m worried about Queen Zelda,” he said.

“As am I,” stated Dr. Abernathy. “I hope she’ll find time to rest in the next few days. Planning a knighting ceremony should be the furthest thing on her mind.”

“Doing anything should be the furthest thing on her mind.” The fat man leaned in towards Dr. Abernathy, making the doctor hope the floor beneath them was sturdier than the walls of the dungeon. “I know of a little convent in the mountains where she could take some time off…”

“Brother Emmanuel!” snapped Dr. Abernathy. “The last thing Arconia needs is a missing king AND queen! She needs to rest, but she needs to be visible to the citizens of Arconia. Especially after that revolution scare we had a while back.”

“Regardless,” said Brother Emmanuel with indignation, “the Queen should rest now, because as soon as the King and Queen of Schoolcraftia find out that Princess Buffy is also dead, they will be wanting answers.”

Dr. Abernathy’s left eyebrow rose in thought and he asked, “And who is telling them about Princess Buffy?”

“I am,” he answered plainly. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning for Schoolcraftia.”

“Is that young lady, Willow, going also?” Abernathy worried about all the traveling she had done while carrying a child.

“No,” he said flatly. “I haven’t told her that I was going yet, either. Since she was entrusted with the princess’s safety, I doubt the King and Queen of Schoolcraftia would be happy to see her.”

“Yes, I see,” replied Abernathy. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call a neighborhood meeting tonight to tell everyone about King Arcon.”

“Of course.” Brother Emmanuel smiled. “Good day.”

Abernathy mumbled as he walked away, “Actually it seems to be getting worse and worse…”

[latenight]

Latenight came to see Zelda.

"My Queen, I ask your leave so that I may check on the lovely Miss Spears. Should I be needed, send for me at once."

Latenight was anxious to get back to his usual lifestyle.

"If you'd like to stop by, we'd love the company...when you ....feel.... more yourself" Latenight and the Queen had been friends for many years now, and he was concerned for her well being.


*as for the summary, I simply don't have enough time to prepare that large a document--sorry!!! I don't have much time to write long passages anymore, so i'll take myself out of the active story for now. Feel free to use my character in my absence. He's easy to write for.... sorta like Dan Fielding from Night Court. Enjoy!!!

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: latenight ]

[DamedEscrime]

Lochinvar's tiny band of followers reached the edge of the city after three days of hard riding. They were tired and saddlesore from the experience. Their countenance brightened only momentarily as they entered the main thoroughfare.

What met them was the sullen air of a city in mourning. Black ribbons hung from the lamposts and black wreaths hung on the shops and homes. The people appeared downcast, wearing black armbands and moving slowly about their business. The usually noisy, bustling market square was near dead of activity.

Each member of the group looked about them hoping to catch a glimpse of a particular loved one. Jo had no one to look for so she looked to Lochinvar. He sat stony upon his mount neither looking left or right. He did not want any part of this. Jo came up as close beside him as possible and whispered his name. He turned and she held out her hand to him. "Hold my hand, cher coeur. We make this journey together." He obliged her and they solemnly proceeded to the palace.

[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[Lord Tellurine]

A carriage rode into the City of Arconia from the east. It was one of the finer carriages ever to travel the streets of the city, but hardly an eye was drawn to it. The citizens of Arconia were still reeling from the news that good King Arcon was dead. Sure, there were people who believed he was still alive, but they were a minority (albeit a minority that included a still-hopeful Queen Zelda.)

The carriage rode past the boat that Latenight, Legal Council to the Throne, lived. Earlier that week he had come home to find a note from his beloved Miss Spears telling him she was tired of waiting for him and that she had gone home to visit her mother, promising to return later in the month. That day’s calm afternoon wind was shattered by a scream of agony never before heard in the City of Arconia.

The carriage zipped past the street where Dr. Julius Abernathy lived. He had just returned home after being called to the castle to look at Lady Rosaline’s wound. He had worked on her quietly, not wanting to bring up the tender subject of the dead king. She didn’t talk much either, except to thank him for his continued loyalty to the crown.

The carriage made a left at the corner where the Bitter End was located. Inside, Wooden Bob had just returned from a morning of checking his traps in the woods and was enjoying some liquid lunch. Steve was enduring a conversation with Meekal the Daft who was relaying to him Margaret’s suggestions for re-decorating the Bitter End. The stone, Meekal explained, was of the opinion that a splash of color on the walls and a disco ball on the ceiling would do a lot for the bar’s décor.

Along the road towards the castle the carriage passed by Harold Wesley and Anton, the stable boy, who were playing with swords they had made out of pieces of wood, pretending to fight off the soldiers of Zarcon, saving King Arcon, and becoming national heroes.

The carriage came to stop at the front entrance of the castle and an Arconian soldier opened the door. Out of the carriage stepped Baroness Von Schmect and Baron Von Schmect. They stood and looked at the magnificent building. The elderly Baron Von Schmect glanced at his equally old wife and whispered “Welcome to your new home.”

[DamedEscrime]

Meanwhile, Sir Lochinvar went in search of Queen Zelda and Jo went to seek Willow in order to give her the medallion she had found along the river bank.

[Swordsman]

Originally posted by DamedEscrime:
<STRONG>...Their continence brightened only momentarily as they entered the main thoroughfare...</STRONG>

You mean countinence, I trust? Continence is another matter entirely, one which is probably best left to the private knowledge of the individual...

[Zelda]

The Queen let out a very large groan when she spied the carriage of the Von Schmect's hurring through the capital.

"Vultures!" she thought to herself as she weighted her options.
She could hid, which wasnt very Queenly but was very appealing.
She could be "unavaliable due to pressing business in the capital", which could be true as the sight of the Von Schmects had sparked in her a desire for a stiff drink at the Bitter End.
She could also just be "busy", but then they may wait, and last time she had to invite them to dinner......
The Queen was in a dilemma. She knew WHY they were probably here (the Von Schmects desire to rule Arconia was legendary) but she wasnt really up to dealing with the oily "friendlyness" of the acient family of Von Schmects just yet.

"DR ABERNATHY!!!" the queen suddenly exclaimed and sent a serving maid to go and find him.

[DamedEscrime]

Sword, you are partly correct about my typo.
continence is self control or lack thereof.
countenance is a bearing or demeanor.
I'm thinking, you were thinking about incontinence, the inability to control one's bladder. Which may or may not be the case here. It's been a long ride.

[Lord Tellurine]

Dr. Julius Abernathy was in his work shed tinkering with his newest invention: water shoes. Water shoes would allow an individual to walk on the surface of water. Quite simply, they consisted of two hollowed out logs that had an airtight seal at the ankle. The air in the logs would allow the wearer to float, allowing the person to walk across any body of water, no matter how deep. He had tested the shoes once already, finding a painful flaw. As he stood on the surface of the Arconia River admiring his handiwork, he suddenly felt his right leg drift downstream, while his left leg started to float upstream, leaving Dr. Abernathy with a splitting pain in the middle. An embarrassing splash later, he knew there was some perfecting to be done.

He was currently sitting at his worktable adding a rope to connect the logs to each other, preventing them from floating away from one another. A castle servant, a young lady, who was out of breath and had an appearance of urgency, flung open his door interrupting his work. She asked, “Dr. Abernathy?”

“Yes?” he answered.

She took a breath. “The Queen needs you.”

“Is she hurt? What’s wrong?”

“She’s not hurt… She just said she needed you.”

“Of course,” he said putting down the rope and standing from his worktable. “I’ll come right away.”

[lochinvar]

Loch was exhausted. The last two weeks had taken a steep toll, both physically and emotionally.

The aftereffects of the battle in the dungeon and the collapse of the tunnel were still with him, though his leg was much improved and the cut on his arm was now only a thin red weal. Yesterday for the first time he had been able to mount Stardreamer properly and dispense with the saddle pad under his left leg. The gray hadn’t liked it much; he had gotten used to Loch mounting from the wrong side, and once a horse gets used to something, it wants things to remain unchanged.

Ah well…it wouldn’t be long before he would settle again to his former routine. He was not Morgan, but he was a good mount, and Loch was inclined to keep him. He would have to discuss price with William Ostler later; with luck, using the roan that Jo had been riding as barter would discount the price to a level that his dwindling funds could accommodate.

He debated taking the time to clean up before presenting himself to Zelda. He reeked of that characteristic odor of men on campaign, a pungunt perfume comprised of dust, sweat, leather, horse, and whatever oil was used to keep the armor rust-free. The last ingredient varied wildly; petroleum oils were prefered, but sometimes fish oil, vegetable oil, whale oil, animal fat, or some admixture of any of the forgoing was pressed into service at need. As these elements aged they imparted an…interesting…over-arching cachet to the mix, which could sometimes be pleasant, but more often was not.

Add to this the fact that he hadn’t bathed, shaved, or changed clothes to speak of for a week, and the result was far from the appearance one normally wished to achieve when presenting oneself to royalty.

Well, he decided, there hadn’t been any particular note of urgency in the queen’s message; another hour to clean up probably wouldn’t hurt anything. With that thought, he left instructions with the servants to draw a bath, and wearily trudged up the stairs towards his room.

Glancing out a window in passing, he idly wondered whose carriage was drawn up in the yard.

[Lord Tellurine]

Baron and Baroness Von Schmect were waiting. A servant had taken them to a sitting room and told them to wait. They had told the servant that they demanded to see Queen Zelda as soon as possible. That was twenty minutes ago.

The room was used for private audiences with the king and queen. There were two thrones on a small platform adorned with the colors of Arconia for formal audiences and there were sets of sofas in the far corners of the room for more intimate conversations. The Von Schmects sat on one of these sofas, impatiently waiting.

In the kitchen, Nani was given a message from Queen Zelda asking her to prepare a snack for the “guests.” Nani put the water on for tea, made some of her delicate cheese sandwiches, and pulled some of her delicious butter cookies from the cookie jar. Before the water had boiled she poked her head out the back door and yelled, “Harold!”

Harold and Anton could hear her all the way down at the stables. Harold told his friend, “I better go. See you later!” He began running up towards the castle. When he arrived at the kitchen Nani was just pouring the hot water into the teapot.

As Nani put the kettle back on the stove she took a look at the young kitchen servant. He had been playing again in his work clothes. “Put on a clean shirt!” she ordered the boy. “And wash your face!”

Harold crossed the kitchen and opened the door to the servant break room. In there he found a new shirt and washed his face. He came back out to the kitchen to find Nani standing by the serving tray he was to take and she was wearing her scolding face.

She began, “What do you think you’re doing playing in your work shirt?” He walked over to the tray. “Playing when you should be working!” She decried. He lifted the tray from the table. “You should be here when I need you!” He began walking to the door. “Why must I be shouting out the door every five minutes?!?” He swung the door open and went through. “I have never encountered such laziness!” The door closed behind him. “And don’t think I didn’t notice there were cookies missing from the jar!”

A moment later the door reopened and Harold appeared. “Um, where is this going?”

“The sitting room!” answered back an exasperated Nani. “I could have carried it there myself by now! If it weren’t for my bad back…” The closed door heard the rest of her ranting.

A few minutes later Harold opened the door to the sitting room, startling the people inside. When he saw who they were, he cringed.

Baron and Baroness Von Schmect had once been the landowners who owned the land the Wesley family farm was on. Every year Harold’s dad worked harder than the previous year to bring in a crop that would pay for the rent of the land and have enough to put away to make life a little easier for his family. The year of the drought hit many of the farms hard, including the Wesley’s. When they came up short on rent that year, Baron Von Schmect didn’t think twice before throwing them out of their house leaving them destitute. Harold remembered the day the Von Schmects came to throw them out. His mom cried and his dad called Baroness Von Schmect an “old hag.” It was only through the kindness of King Arcon that the Wesley family found a new home and jobs at the castle.

Harold politely placed the tray on the table in front of them. In had been a number of years since his family had been forced from the Von Schmect land and he hoped that they didn’t recognize him. Harold took notice that the Baron and Baroness looked as old as they always did, and wondered if there ever was a time that they were young.

Baroness Von Schmect interrupted his thoughts. “Don’t just stand there gaping,” she snapped. “Pour the tea.”

“Yes, miss,” he said quietly and he poured two cups of hot tea.

“Two lumps,” croaked the elderly baron, and Harold secretly wished he could give him two lumps… on the head. Instead, he gently placed two sugar cubes into his cup.

He stood silently as Baroness Von Schmect forewent the sandwiches and took a cookie. She took a delicate bite, chewed, and swallowed. “What a dreadful cookie,” she commented. “The first one to go will be the cook. We’ll bring in someone with some culinary skills.”

Harold could not stand by and let Nani be insulted. Sure she was bossy, overbearing, and demanding, but she had taught Harold how to be a good servant and to take pride in his work. Harold announced, “Nani is the best cook in Arconia. And she’s got plenty of cul-nu-mary skills!”

“Such impertinence!” declared Baroness Von Schmect. “If I were Queen I would have you thrown out of the castle!”

“Well, you’re not queen,” answered back Harold, as a rage he never felt before began growing in his belly. “Nobody would want an old hag like you for a queen!”

Baroness Von Schmect could only gasp in horror as Harold stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Baron Von Schmect noted, “Something familiar about that boy.”

[Willow]

Jo went in search of Lady Willow, knowing that Willow needed to see the medallion. Perhaps she could get some clue from it to let them know of Moon's wherabouts. Finding Prince Nicholas, she asked him where she could find Willow. Nicholas, with the pain in his eyes showing what a difficult time it was, informed Jo that Willow could be found outside in the garden, sitting on the bench where the rosebushes grew.

Jo headed immediately for the garden. Willow sat on the bench, her face pale, tears in her eyes. It was obvious that she wasn't well, both physically and in her soul. "Lady Willow, may I join you?" Willow sighed and motioned for Jo to sit with her on the bench.

"Willow, we found something in our search that I feel I must show you. Do you recognize this?" Jo pulled out the medallion, holding it out to her. Willow gasped, and tears again started to fall as she took the medallion from Jo. "I gave this to Moon myself, when she became the royal scrib of Arconia. See, here's the moon and the stars, to symbolize her, and here's the quill, to mark her status as royal scribe. Where did you find this?"

Jo described the area where they found the medallion. Willow began to cry yet again. Her heart ached in her breast, for she knew what this discovery meant. Moon had been so excited over this gift from Willow. She had sworn to never remove it from her neck. If Jo had found this medallion, it could only mean one thing. Moon had to be dead.

[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: Willow ]

[Zelda]

Dr Abernathy arrived back at the palace panting slightly. As he skidded in the side door he noted a pretenious carrige pulled up at the main doors. He recognised it from the Ball, it belonged to the Von Schmects...
"Ugly genes if I ever saw any" Julius thought to himself as he trotted after the serving girl to where the Queen was waiting.
The Queen while waiting for Dr. Abernathy had decided she also wanted Lochinvar for his advise, so had found Anton in the stables and sent him looking.

"Your Majesty?" Julius Abernathy made his presense known to the Queen.

"Ah Dr. A!" the queen exclaimed. "I need a favour.....I have to meet the Von Schmects and really dont feel up to it. I have hatched a plan to keep the meeting as short as possible and need your assistance."

"How M'Lady?"

"I want you waiting in the wings. When I start to look annoyed, which shouldnt be long as those two are INSUFFERABLE I want you to rush out and say I have been over taxed and need my rest. I will then let Loch escort them out and suggest that the they make an appointment for a week or so's time."

Meanwhile Lochinvar had just eased himself into a nice hot bath, and was begining the process of removing the stench of a week. Anton gingerly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Lochinvar asked, sounding slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Please Sir Lochinvar, its Anton from the