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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

He opens his eyes. "I would not dare to fall asleep on you, my lady. Please, tell me your tale." He sits up a bit, more attentive.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:13 pm Post subject:

"Well, my tale begins in Amber, as most tales do. At the source of it, it was Oberon's disappearance that had prompted my leave. Each of us, in turn, had gone and looked for him, and as I am not as well versed in the ways of Shadow as some of my siblings, I used the trip as an excuse to avoid Eric's constant bullying. He had decided he would be regent then, and wanted to count me in for support. Julian and Gerard opposed him and I was just fed up with things in Amber.

"So I went into Shadow, claiming to be looking for Dad. I visited Goloah, first, and I took my time with Shadow, keeping things pleasant as Shadow should be. This was well before that whole Roadshow business we're meddled in now. Shadows around Amber were rather lovely back then, at least the parts I visited...

"In any case, I continued my long walk through Shadow. Yes. I walked rather than chose to travel on horseback. Horses are nice, but really, they're high maintenance." She laughs, "I would know... So, there I am, in Shadow, enjoying one lovely town after another, meeting interesting Shadowfolks and lovely new cultures. Well, after several days of wandering around, I decide to look for something a little more specific. To be honest, I thought of looking for a lover. But I quickly changed my mind, because I was recovering from heartbreak... Lord Feldane, in his younger days, was a lovely young courtier and despite the noble name of generations, he wanted to make something of himself, something more than just a Count. I found out rather quickly that his infatuation was fueled by ulterior motives. I found out from one of the maids I keep tabs on, that he was flirting in court with who was to become his wife several years later.

"Oh, he was kind and sincere enough, but being two-timed in the court of my father is simply not acceptable..." She pauses to drink again, leaving the waterskin outside of the warm waters of the spring, revealing her hips this time.

"Where was I? Ah, yes! I was contemplating searching for something more meaningful than happy circumstances in Shadow. I thought of my brothers, those I had not seen in years. I lingered on Brand and decided to look for him for a while. I had been told he'd visited Rebma for several years and I hadn't had a chance to see him since before Oberon's disappearance.

"Truth be told, I have a soft spot for him. It's true! He's sort of the clueless, studious one. At least he was when I was growing up. Booksmart, you know? And, well, I hadn't seen him in so long. And he was always so nice to me...

"I start looking for him, finding traveling things in Shadow, and keeping things around me that are rather pleasant. But soon enough I find myself blocked and the resistance is rather like trying to shift things in Amber herself. The area was really lovely, but much too windy to be entirely enjoyable. And unfortunately, the wind was something that simply would not shift! So I continued, on my way, losing sight of who it is I was looking for, and as I can realize now, subconsciously look for someone who would help me forget Lord Feldane's inadequacies.

"I found myself here, and I didn't have to shift anything. It was already a very lovely region, with this clear natural spring where it is now. I bathed for a long time, relaxing and thinking about Brand, and Feldane, and Eric, and Dad... In any case, I heard hoofbeats approaching and managed to clothe myself before he arrived. My knight in shining armor. He was probably in his late twenties and we fell in love at first sight. It was the closest I felt to finding what some call a soulmate. He understood me before I told him my name, and I had not walked Shadow to find him, yet there he was. He was not a product of Pattern. He simply was.

"He was Cedric, Baron of Windborne. We married that summer, and I forgot all about Amber for a time... For a long time really. I was pregnant and I didn't know what to do. It's not like Dad gave us a discourse or advice on whether or not we should raise our progeny in Amber or Shadow. It's not like he was around to give advice now, anyways. After a few failed attempts at reaching him with trump, I decided to contact Corwin, who was rumored to be dead, but I had been told long before that he had had a child in a Shadow somewhere. It was more of a rumor than anything, but I hadn't thought of him in so long and I couldn't imagine he had in fact died.

"That's what Eric said, but it was wishful thinking in my opinion. Besides, he didn't want anyone to prove Corwin had died, for obvious reasons... He'd be accused of the crime, and even without any evidence, it would still make his position rather awkward.

"So I contact Corwin via trump. And behold! It worked! The prodigal son was drunk and incoherent somewhere in Shadow and of course had no idea what was happening to him when I contacted him, much less have any sound advice about raising kids...

"I resolved myself to raising my son in Windborne, and to introduce him to Amber later. Yet, finding Corwin was a lucky break. I'm not much for playing the game my siblings play, but I know how to hold my cards up at the table. So I left for a while, to find Corwin. I gave Eric my support, when I confirmed to myself that Corwin was in fact alive. But there was this interesting thing about him. The poor sap had lost his memory! Or he was playing me, rather well, hoping I'd move on and leave him be.

"Eric questioned my allegiance to his regency and I told him why I trusted him enough to support him. It was a miserable day, the day he got that out of me. He had me trail Corwin for a while and confirm his mental state. I skipped checking on him for a while to raise my son. Cedric had been killed by another lord of the region, and my son's destiny was to overcome him and claim his lands back. I could not influence the outcome with Pattern and as you can imagine, I was worried about what would become of my son... Had he received the strong heritage of our kind? Would he come with me to Amber?

"He accomplished all of that and more... Everything you see from the highest tower is land he has rule over. But that is not what brings us back to Windborne today." She smiles a wicked smile. "He discovered something in the caves here and studied it. I've only recently found out about it. It's another Pattern!"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

He crosses the pool to her side and sits next to her. When he speaks, it is in a low voice, as if he fears to be overheard.

"A Pattern? A reflection like in Rebma or something entirely different? Does Eric know? What are you going to do about it? I'm asking entirely too many questions, aren't I?"

He grins a little sheepishly. "I, of course, will speak of this to nobody, but you knew that or you wouldn't have asked for me. Umm, could I have a drink of your water?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject:

She smiles as he asks all of those questions. "I thought you might find it interesting. Daniel is attuned to this Pattern, though he admits it is flawed. I haven't seen it yet, but he tells me there is a crack running through it to its very center!"

...

"Of course, go ahead," she says motioning toward the waterskin.

"You're right though, I don't plan on telling anyone about this until I find out more for myself... Well, we find out more," She winks at him.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"If its flawed is it still safe to use?" He takes a drink and closes his eyes, still feeling that drifting along in heaven feeling. "It would be like being drunk and hellriding, I would think. Thank you for the water. And for trusting in me." He hands the water back to her.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:30 pm Post subject:

Flora laughs, touching his arm lightly, then takes the water, saying "I don't know much about it, but Daniel admitted to having mastered its arcane powers last I saw him. Since he's busy working in the name of the kingdom I thought it would be an opportune time to research it without raising any suspicion."

"As for me trusting in you, well, I suppose I'll have to keep you to your word and make sure it's the stable for you if you decidedly stop being a gentleman!" With that she places the waterskin back where it belonged, giving him quite the view in the process as she forgets to turn around the right way...
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"I-I'm....um....gentle. Uh, a gentleman."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:52 pm Post subject:

Flora settles back in the water and leans her head back, soaking all of her hair in the lovely spring water. When she comes out, she says, wiping water out of her eyes, "Are your wounds better? Shall we get moving? We have time, really, if you feel it might be beneficial to soak in for a bit longer..."
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Maybe you could check me out. My wound! I mean, um, check my wound. I'm pretty sure I cracked or broke a couple of ribs." Inwardly he kicks himself. Check me out. Ahhhh. He thinks.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:48 am Post subject:

Flora raises an eyebrow, but decides to let it go. "Well, let me see it. Your wound, I mean..." she tells him in a soft voice. She seems to be testing what it takes to make him blush, it seems.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Let me see it does it. He blushes slightly and stands, turning sideways to keep her from seeing the blush and so she can see the affected rib area. "Hurts a little when I breathe, but it won't hamper my fighting ability, should we need it again."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:09 pm Post subject:

"Because breathing is optional?" she asks as she stands in the pool of water.

Flora inspects his bruise carefully with her eyes and hands. She tests what causes pain and what doesn't and says, "You probably shouldn't ride for a few days. Walking the rest of the way would do you good. Besides I don't expect we'll have to go through much fighting from now on, but it's good to know you're ready to handle yourself and yours in spite of your condition." She surprises him by pushing on a part of his ribs abruptly and something feels like a very slight pop. It is extremely painful for a brief moment, then Ian can feel a bit more comfortable overall. She caresses his back in an attempt to soothe the pain. "I had to, Ian, it could have healed poorly..."
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Ian laughs, a good-natured sound. "You could have warned me. I would have let you do it. I'm a good patient, you know." He moves his arm a bit, to see how it feels. "Thank you though. Walking would be fine."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:

Ian's arm moves just fine. No restriction other than a distracting pain, which he is quickly becoming accustomed to. Whatever Flora did, it seems to have helped somewhat.

"Good!" Flora says, submerged. "Let's get going, then... I'm famished." She smiles and reminds him to stay turned around while she puts on her garments.

She helps him get bandaged up once he has some pants on: the support definitely helps the feeling in his ribs at this point. She gives Arson some more water and loads their equipment up, then mounts him gracefully enough, considering the length of her robes. "To Windborne estate, Sweet Prince!"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Fully dressed and cleaned, he feels a lot better and sets off on foot in the direction she tells him to go in. He walks along lost in his thoughts, wondering why he wasn't more aggressive with Flora. Could it be that he's finally getting over her? Or that he knows that it would be difficult, if not to say impossible? Or maybe the parade of goth chicks, college girls and single tourists have made him jaded towards any kind of relationship with anyone. In a way, he hopes for another good fight before they get to Windborne. Thinking is too much trouble sometimes. Still, Flora did excite him more than any other woman he had ever seen, and he didn't even lay a finger on her.