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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:33 am Post subject:

The Fair Oberon continues to smile and tilts his head to the side. His voice is kind and calm and he says very audibly and clearly, "Of course. Please do not be offended, Lady April. It is only a greeting, but we can keep pleasantries for later."

He sits down suddenly and small white roots shoot into the ground where he stays. "Please, sit down and tell me what troubles are brought into my worlds."
Fair folk of different shapes and sizes gather down from the tree to observe their King and the stranger.

He waits for her to sit down and says, "You say war is coming. This disturbs me a bit. Do you expect the war to affect us here?" He continues to smile kindly, warmly, appearing unnaturally friendly.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

April finds a root of the spreading throne tree that places her somewhat below the king's towering stature. She sits, keeping her eyes on Oberon.

"I worry," she says slowly. "There is a taint spreading throughout all the worlds, something that ..." she flaps her hands a bit, meaninglessly, as she searches for words, "... well, as best I can tell, it influences the way things change. Like a cuckoo that lays its eggs in other birds nests, this thing that we call the Black Road worms its way into the structure of a world, and pushes it so that the world itself gives rise to conflict, crisis and eventually death. People become the tools of their own destruction."

She sighs. "I don't know whether what we do here today will draw those forces toward these worlds sooner rather than later. What I do know is that the Road has spread very close to here already, so the options really are only 'sooner' or 'later', not 'never.' They are coming."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:26 am Post subject:

His smile fades very slowly as he ponders upon her words, over the course of several moments. The creatures surround April and the King completely, moving closer, bringing golden and colorful fruits from exotic trees. The lady April spoke to continues to glow and watches from the edge of the clearing.

Finally, he says, "What you say rings true here and I believe you, April of Amber. I know much about the underlying structure and order you speak of and I too have sensed something is amiss. What is it that you want from us? Help? Continued and prolonged isolation? Surely, you already know we care little for the folks on the outside, but I would be pressed to act should any of these fruitful trees falter after a long winter..."
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I want us all to be strong and happy," April says immediately, "not from some selfless love of all people, but because our common enemy thrives on weakness and misery."

"So what I want from you, is to know what you want and what you need," she finishes. "We can't help each other if we go around just guessing what would be helpful. We're too different to get it right the first time. I know some already ... the Circle needs a center. Sigmer'Lune needs to redeem his people's honor to finally buy them true freedom. The folks down in the valley, they need to know that tomorrow won't dawn blood-red and doom-tinged, so that they can feel confident setting down seeds that will take a season, or a lifetime, to bloom. The Ashelts ... I dunno. Haven't met them yet."

She looks around at the assembled fairies. "I can make a guess here, too ... I think you folks need to set down rules, and you need the people out there," she gestures broadly, "to know and follow those rules, so that you don't have to choose between hurting them or being hurt."

April glances over at the beautiful woman who led her this far. "I have seen, first hand, how intense your people are, like a flame burning nearly through the thin paper of the world. I wondered if it was deliberate ..." she glances over at the woman again, and something apologetic flickers in April's eyes for a moment, "... an attack or an affront, but I see now that it's just what you are. No matter your kind intentions, you'll burn through people if they stray too close, or tempt you to sorely, or consume themselves with fear, or any of a dozen other things that they don't know to avoid."

April looks at Oberon sadly. "Is that why you've isolated yourselves?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:37 am Post subject:

The graceful lady from the woods maintains April's eye contact with something akin to lust and curiosity.

"You are very perceptive, April," Oberon admits, the hint of a smile creeping at the corners of his mouth again. "Yes, we choose isolation. We would perish from our own excesses if we did not contain ourselves thusly. The river that runs through the forest, for instance, has run dry several times in Windborne's history... Sadly it was our doing each time and we have learned to rely on this place," he waves his hand to emphasize their home.

The Fair Oberon continues to ponder upon April's words and draws this wisdom for her from within his mind: "If the war comes to Windborne and attacks the kind folks outside of our home, we will work against these forces, but it is likely our candle burns out too soon if the structure of this world comes to be tainted first."

He sighs, looking into distant lands. It dawns on April that he may be watching other places in Windborne as they speak. "Our war will be a hidden war... Until there comes a time when you return to us, April of Amber. When Windborne needs us most. And dire a need that would be if we are to leave our home to join you and yours... Windborne will be changed then, but we will stop the taint."

"What we need is for things to remain as they have. We cannot establish the rules outside, as you've said. We do not warn. We cannot. But we will allow you to warn the people of Windborne on our behalf. We will remain the hidden folk of Windborne and we will content ourselves with the tales of our kind."

"The winter will be harsh in Windborne this year, if we are to prepare for war. Warn them of that too..."
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

April nods, and sighs slightly. "I thank you for your offer of help," she says, "and everyone should respect the sacrifice that you and your people are making. It is the highest kind of nobility."

She sighs again. "It's just ..." she begins, and winces at her inability to stay silent. She pauses for a long moment.

"It's like this," she says rapidly. "I have a brother, Ian ... and he's scared silly to be around me. He's not scared of my strength, but he's deathly afraid of my weakness ... of how he might hurt me by accident. And, see, because he's so scared, he stops himself from even thinking that I might be getting stronger ... that his sacrifice might not be so very necessary any more."

"I think you're doing the right thing ... today," April says intently. "I don't think the people of Windborne are strong enough now to deal with you. I just ... I don't want you to make the decision once and then never think about it again." She blinks several times, then smiles wanly. "They're going to get stronger. These hardships will help make them stronger. I just hope that you'll remember to take a fresh look every once in a while. Give it a few years, or a few centuries. What you see may one day surprise you."

She shrugs her shoulders, blushing a bit now at the attention of the court. "Uh ... that's all, I guess."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

Oberon smiles with understanding and says, "Our kind has been close to Windborne for a very long time. We do keep track of the goings on outside of here and venture out from time to time... If there ever comes a time for us to venture out more regularly, then we shall change our mind."

He ventures a caress towards April's shoulder, his hand and arm fully human now, muscled and smooth. "Would you be an emissary between our worlds, April of Amber?"
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I get people talking," April says non-commitally, "It's what I do."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 6:14 am Post subject:

"You walk between worlds too... I can see that." He pauses for a moment, then asks, "What about the others, with you. The 'circle'..."

It's strange: he seems to draw things from her, but not from her mind.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"As I said," April replies, "They need a center. The power to walk the worlds is in them, but they were trapped for who knows how long in a place tucked away much the way this one is. It's wiped them pretty clean. Until they can build themselves a foundation again, travelling would leave them like a kite without a string."

"Windborne is perfect for them," she says, "a steady rock of the real in a sea of the possible."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject:

His eyes narrow, "They draw power from this place, yes, I can see that now. They know about the seal, certainly."

He lets his hand travel down from her shoulder to her hand and his touch leaves her calm, focused. "I should give you a token of our friendship," he says matter-of-factly. He looks around the tree, looking for someone and nods once he has found him. He is a short stocky man with powdered gold on his powerful hands, dark, muscled, rough. He is the anvil and the hammer, and he brings his king a small golden bracelet which he produces from within a pouch made of some animal skin.

The bracelet is a lovely thing, discrete and thin, with two entertwined rods of gold, yellow and rose. The yellow gold bears small leaf designs while the rose gold rod has a hammered finish.

He opens her hand and places it inside it. "Take this gift and come back to us when time demands it," he says, looking in her eyes. The resemblence with Oberon's portrait in Amber's Great Hall is uncanny: a painting of the young King of Amber, in the hand of Dworkin, his advisor and inventor of the Trumps the family uses.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I owe you a debt," April admits, suppressing any reluctance from her tone. "I will return."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:03 pm Post subject:

The Fair Oberon nods, smiling and letting go of her hands. "I look forward to seeing how your travels progress, April."

He stands up and the fair folk separate to allow her to walk back out of the grove. Again, they try to greet her in the same fashion, caressing her arms as she walks by. The metalworker avoids touching her but simply bows his head. "Let it be known that April of Amber is a friend of our kind!" Oberon proclaims as she walks away.

The lady with the golden glow smiles at her and April feels the same charming glamour working upon her. "Are you ready to return, then?"
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"I am," April says with a little sigh of relief.

As they walk along, April fidgets a bit uncomfortably. Finally she says "I should have asked your name earlier."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject:

"It's ok, it was important and you are in a hurry. Names are not everything anyway, but you can call me Isadora," she says with a smile. She takes April's hand in hers as they walk away from the grove and back to where April came.

They have arrived at the edge of this forest and Isadora glows strongly in the dark woods of Windborne. It is night and the moon shines through the trees a bit as they continue to sway powerfully, making the forest alive with small sounds.

"Goodbye, April," Isadora says. "Tell the people about the coming winter..."

As soon as they have returned to Windborne, April can sense a trump contact coming. She can also see a silhouette leaning against a tree in the darkness about a hundred feet from where she stands.
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