Daughter of Destiny

[rassafraggin]

A school of silvery fish swirl in lazy figure eights above a bench located about midway along one of the terraces that softens the slope from the palace The shimmer races from one fish body to the next in a continuous glitter reminiscent of mica sworls in stone seams on land. A flash of crimson hair, tamed into a fairly utilitarian bun at the base of her neck, marks Maggie's presence. Seated on the bench, she has her hands folded in her lap, head tilted back to watch the circling fish. She has a basket on the bench beside her, a kelp-cloth cover hiding the contents from view.

"Lady Maggie.." Announcing her presence when the Minosian's attention is found wandering too afar to take particular notice of the diminutive figure in flowing sleeveless robes, Princess Faiella hovers just on tiptoes on the cusp of the lower steppe. Two of the knights from the holy order are trailing several feet behind, serving as escorts from the Temple. A little further back from the party toils a more junior acolyte with a netted case. Once she has managed to draw Maggie's attention from the fascinating fish, the future Royal Seer of Rebma hops up to the same tier and approaches with an amiable smile blossoming on her childish upturned features.

Hearing her name causes Maggie to blink and look down. Can't be blamed for getting lost in the sparkling, right? Though on spotting the child who spoke, Maggie smiles and scoots over. The basket is lifted from the bench on the near side and set on the bench on the far side. "Hello, Princess Faiella. Will you join me, please?" Her smile warms gently as her eyes light with a softer sort of glow. "How have you been?"

The girl looks to the space made on the bench and back to Maggie, nodding, visibly pleased by the invitation, but her features slip into a well-practiced composure as she turns to address her other companions. "I am sitting with Lady Maggie for a while. Captain Flame," she adds in a serious tone, as though that extra title makes some difference to them. "Will you go on ahead and tell my mother I am here?"

Maggie enjoys the small one's pleasure in the simple invitation. That the child is pleased pleases Maggie. The circle of quiet delight is indulged in for a brief instant or two before Faiella addresses her guards. Or attendants. Maggie's expression shifts into a fairly good impression of the Princess', then adjusts to whimsy. Looking at the girl, she shakes her head, "There is no need, Your Highness. I will ask that a parrot fish take a message to Her Majesty on your behalf. That way, neither the gentlemen younder, nor the good Brother need leave your side." Though she does give the guards a fairly withering look, that is lost as she lifts a hand slightly.

A fish of her desire swims down through the swooping silvery school It is green with red highlights and a splash of blue scales on its breast. As time has passed, the splash has grown a little and become defined. Although it is not entirely clear, the splash has begun to form a heart. The fish swoops in lazy curiosity around Faiella's shoulders before flickering its tail and angling up to Maggie's shoulder.

Turning, Maggie opens the basket beside her, but only enough to draw out a small piece of zesty seaweed paper and a squirter of eel ink. "Let me see.." She almost begins writing, but then thinks better of it. Turning back, she offers both the seaweed parchment and the ink squirter to the Princess, "Would you like to write the note?"

Faiella hesitates, then bows her head in a small nod. Her fellow acolyte shoulders the case as he comes up on the group, but wavers expectantly until he receives clear direction. When she turns back to Maggie, there's a crease settling poutily between the girl's brows, which she strives to smooth over. It's definitely possible she had been hoping to ditch the dour bodyguards. "I do not mind if you do," she says, eyeing the blue-spotted fish curiously.

Maggie twitches a smile at the pout, understanding entirely the urge to shed guards. Especially dour ones. Nodding, she turns the parchment and pseudo-pen to the task of crafting an invitation.

Dear Moire, (it begins)

I have been discovered by a Princess, her guards and a Brother of the Church of Lir. The Princess, as it happens, is the singular young lady, Faiella. I believe you know her... It is my belief that she would like to visit with you but... and I could be wrong here... Without the attendants so intent on keeping her within their sight. If you are amenable to the slight deception, I could trump you and bring her to you. That way, she can see you and they will be left in the Courtyard to cool their heels. For a time.

What say you?

The alternative, of course, is that you would be welcome to join us here. (Always.)

As with all good clandestine documents, this one is tasty, so feel free to wrap something nice in it and indulge.

-Maggie

When she finishes the note, which she shields from the guards and Brother Deudlas, she rolls it into a tube, ties it with a few strands of her hair and sends the parrot on its way. The creature will linger for a reply or flit off at Moire's desire.

Faiella leans in to help provide a screen against other prying eyes, but in so doing pries away with her own luminous peepers. Though she doesn't seem to really get the humour behind the overstated words, she smiles with eager mischief over the notion of poofing away via those fascinating magic cards. Sitting delicately on the bench after the message is swum off, she peeks at the knights once more, then angles to face Maggie more than them. "It's because of the hunting ones," she chirps. "These who have come from another sea, one that does not know the One True God." She nods faintly over her shoulder. "I used to be able to slip away easily, Lady Maggie. But not anymore." Her gaze falls to the covered basket, and she hushes, "Can I see the trumps?"

Maggie smiles at Faiella, but blinks at the first statements, "The hunting ones?" A blush begins, for the second bit could be her. Lir is not revered in Minos as far as Maggie is aware. But... Maybe it has to do with other things or people. Lifting her gaze, she focuses on the men over there, "Perhaps it is good that they are being more careful with you, Your Highness. You are very important and not only to Rebma. I hope you know that..." Her gaze follows Faiella's and she nods, "Sure." Lifting the basket, she shifts the cover a bit. There are several lumpy things within, a bag that is trump-sized, two wrapped packages and a few containers of fruit preserves. Taking out the pouch, she recovers the basket and offers the pouch to the Princess. "They will be cold when you touch them. Be careful not to concentrate on them for long as they will make contact. Some of them would not take kindly to unknown people using my deck."

It doesn't take long at all before Moire-as-Merrisol can be seen standing by the balustrade above the main archways. It's more likely she had already been on that mid-level balcony to watch for her daughter's arrival, and yet missed it herself. Those silver fish swarms can be truly distracting. Nearby would be one of the usual suspects, taking a shift in the protective detail. The ghost hound, at least, will not be left behind even if she does get the handoff to Maggie. Rather than vault the railing as a shortcut, watched by all and in particular one youthful gaze, she waves and then recedes to the interior castle to make the journey to the outer grounds with proper decorum.

Catching sight of Moire-as-Merrisol looking down from on high. Her expression turns a little whistful, a little softer. She lifts a hand to return the wave, watching a moment longer. When Merri-housing-Moire can no longer be seen, she looks back down to see how far Faiella has gotten with the deck. "Here. Let me help. The knot is a little tough. Sorry about that." Is she speaking too quickly? Maybe at first. But as she continues, her breathing smooths out and she speaks more slowly, "I can tell you who they are, if you are interested."

"Ohh." The young royal hadn't expected to be indulged, really, and now she finds herself in possession of, albeit temporarily, a bag of the precious cards. Big-eyed and breathless, she reaches her fingers in to handle the edges cautiously. She marvels over the chill that seeps into her skin, and then more boldly sorts them out of the secure pouch with Maggie's help. Trying to study each one closely without really concentrating on the details of the face image is more challenging than she had imagined, and several huffs of childish pique are exhaled. "Yes, please, Lady Maggie. There are so many, and the names don't mean a thing. Do you mean them? I'm important to them?" she then asks, the troubled crease returning to her smooth forehead.

So many silvery fish schooling it could be university regionals up there above the stepped courtyard of the palace, the spectacle has residents and visitors clustered in the streets to watch this Rebman Aurora Borealis which comes about every midsummer. It is generally agreed that the swarm is much more plentiful than it has been for some years now. In the courtyard itself, the effect from up closer is apocalyptic, but in a rather pleasant sense. Atypical 'breezes' whisk through the gardens and mazes. The castle's glassy surfaces glow and flash reflectively with each new run of the large amorphous cloud.

Maggie is sitting on a bench on a tier of the courtyards. Young Faiella is sitting next to her holding a small deck of trumps. Maggie leans forward a little and nods, "Sure. I can do that." Her hand slides forward and touches two cards, "That is mine and that is Captain Merrisol's." The next one in the deck looks like Merrisol's, or nearly. Maggie names that one, "That is your mother." She pauses there for a moment. Her expression holds a kind of gobsmacked look though she does not mention why at the moment. Blinking, she notes the ebb and flow of silvery fishes above in a kind of oblique glance before ducking her head again, "That one is Shao-san. This is Doctor Amethyst." No bard, she, Maggie seeks stories centered around those she names. For the moment, she settles on, "Have you met them, yet?" Faiella's guards from the Order and a certain Brother are kind of hovering nearby.

This spectacle of fish migration is breath taking, so much it is hard not to be distracted by it. You could almost excuse someone from bumping into one of Faiella's guards from behind. You could almost excuse the guard from not seeing Shao coming his way, too. "My apologies. This is all my fault, really," Shao says to the Order soldier. "Only one eye, I should be more careful, I know better." And then he spots Maggie, to whom he looks at for help, blinking his one eye rapidly. Is it a code, or is it because he is afraid to wave his arms in front of a pair of cold blooded Rebmans?

Both knights of the Temple turn to assess the stealthy blunderer, and immediately reach for their hand-lances. This is surely due to Shao's otherworldly appearance, following neither the Rebman dress code nor the custom of having at least two eyes. It doesn't even matter that the fellow is apologizing, it's all part of his deception. The cowled acolyte, bearing a small travel load in a net, hurries to the other end of the bench.

Faiella has viewed the fishcloud at various stages of her young life. She appears to take a clear satisfaction in its healthy resurgence. Only just now, it's the trump deck which claims her full attention, that and Maggie. The wrinkle remains on her brow over the unexplored question, but she scans the current set with a nod. "Yes, I know Cousin Amethyst and Sir Shao, from when I returned from Aegis with Martin, after Mother.. you know. I still have the toy he sent to cheer me. On a shelf," she makes sure to add. She doesn't play with toys anymore! The start of a commotion over by the guards doesn't seem to register for a moment, but then she sits up and looks around, staring at the Penglai himself with astonishment. Then she glances at the cards. "Oh! Did I...?" She hadn't meant to focus on it that long.

Maggie saw the cloud last summer and it was nothing like this one. It is so nice to see the clouds turning together in coordinated and synchronized waves. But right now, Maggie's attention is on Faiella and the cards. She has one hand poised over the deck, almost ready to move on to some of the others when the commotion tugs her focus upward and over there. Blinking twice, she focuses on Shao, "Oh. Shao-san." Rising, she steps forward, pausing to smile down at the Princess, "Oh, no. I will show you what it looks like when you summon someone. But let's sort this out first, okay?" Without thinking about it, she offers Faiella a hand to hold in order to go rescue the Penglai man together.

Backing of just a bit, Shao watches the lance in the closest guard's hand. "We should not fight over this, really," he says, turning sideways to offer less of a target. Two against him and underwater, this is clearly a battle he did not pick. Hopefuly, his lash batting dragged two females in the net of his charm, exactly the type he was hoping for right now. He bows, deep, to Faeilla, despite he is seconds from becoming a cold kebab for the sharks. "Your Holiness. Captain Flame," he greets.

The honed point of the lance jabs into empty space, though the knight did not aim particularly to draw blood, he meant for the warning to be a lot closer to Shao's body than it came. "State your name, interloper!" he declares over Shao's remarks.

The young princess-seer-in-training wistfully tucks the loose cards back into the drawstring pouch and starts to reach for Maggie's hand in the instinctive reflex of a child with a trusted authority. Then she shakes her head with a slight, rueful smile and stands on her own to hurry along and do her part. "Sir Seucage! Sir Illyras! You must stand down. Shaosan is a Friend of Rebma and the palace itself."

The other knight lowers his weapon at this, and bades his younger companion do the same. "We cannot be overly defensive during this time, Sister," he mutters.

"Leaving the inner sanctum of the Temple is already a great risk," adds Sir Illyras, pointing his lance at Shao for a 'I'm watching you' second longer, but then he too stows it away.

Maggie looks down as Faiella does not take the offered hand. She retracts it with a rueful smile of her own, tucking both hands into her pockets as she follows the child forward to sort things out for Shao. Having seen Miriam's guards dealing with their charge's odd friends and odder adventures, she might feel a little sorry for these diligent soldiers of Lir and protectors of Faiella. But, Shao is her friend as well and she does not like seeing him menaced. When the two do manage to stand down, Maggie's smile warms, "Hello, Shao-san. These are Princess Faiella's minders. We need to be considerate of their sensibilities and duty to the Princess. Will you come and join us on the bench? I was showing her my trumps. I thought that I could trump over to my ship, then let her trump me back here." She slides a glance down to Faiella, "If you would like that?"

Shao recovers from his bow, watching the guards do their macho moves. That was close, so close he is not sure he let out some bubbles of nervosity rise from his backside or not. He does his best to smile, with mitigated results. Faiella and Maggie will have to share half a smile, which means a quarter of a smile each if they split fifty-fifty. "Good evening. Yes, I would love to help. Or watch the fishes. Are they not beautiful? I have never seen anything like it," he says, pushing himself toward the bench and letting himself glide. "I am very sorry to have angered your guards, Faiella-sama. Maybe I should grow that eye back, so it does not happen again."

Faiella turns from the knights to look at Shao and tip her head while mulling over the curious new reality of his apparently missing eye. She looks at Maggie, stunned by the offer, but nodding, "I want to try. What if I can't? Can you still come back?" Trailing back to the bench, her attention roves back to Shao. "Can you really grow it back?" she asks solemnly. "Father did. I was never certain if that story was fancy, until now that is. You must tell me how you lost it, Sir Shao," she frowns, quietly adding, "Is it an awfully squishy story? I do not mind!"

Moire has arrived in the courtyard through the palace arches by now, and approaches at a sedate upright glide where most others would need to employ some manner of forward propulsion.

Maggie offers another apologetic sort of smile to the guards so is a bit behind the others in returning to the bench. Her attention is caught by Moire's approach and she watches the graceful monarch for a moment or two. Blinking, she looks down at Faiella first, then Shao, "Oh, well. If it does not work, then Shao-san or Her Majesty can call me back." Centering her attention on the girl, she adds, "But I have faith in you." Motioning to the pouch, she reclaims it and opens it again. Drawing out two cards, she offers one to Faiella, "This is mine. See how the card feels cold? You concentrate on the image until you can see me in your mind. We can talk then and you can offer me your hand. I take it and come through to you. Just remember to give me enough room to stand when I do. I don't want to end up landing in your lap or on your toes. Okay?"

"I promise to tell you the story, Faeilla-sama, when you are not trying to travel through a playing card," Shao says, knowing this is a bound he cannot break, not really. The peace of several realms could be at stake if he were to disappoint, especially when Queen Moire appears to know everything, everywhere. Literally appears, there she is, gliding like a submarine mothership to watch over her pocket submarine. He bows to the monarch preemptively, as a courtesy to the guards. No one wants to be caught snoozing when the Queen is about.

"Yes, Lady Maggie, I understand." Faiella takes the trump delicately in both hands, cupped like Maggie's image is literal flame she has to shield from the breezes twirling off the fishtravaganza that dips and weaves overhead. Several paces off, the knights-escort look on with unveiled wariness, and it's very likely they would be putting a stop to things if the acolyte had been anyone other than the spawn of Queen Moire.

Moire herself has covered half the distance before another form emerges from the arches, loping ineffectively after her. A dark hound of great proportions and icy blue eyes, the animal gains traction on the sea floor and takes to skulking along, sniffing suspiciously at the silver swarm that blocks out the 'sky'. Moire pays her animal guardian no mind, continuing along with her gaze on the small group, inclining her head when Shao pays his respects from afar.

Maggie nods, taking the other card she selected. Stepping back, she looks back at Moire as she approaches. Her smile warms, lingers and then pauses, "Wait..." Her attention turns back to Faiella and Shao, "I am sorry. We need to make sure that this is okay with Her Majesty. I should have thought of that before this, and I apologize, Princess. I don't want to go against your mother's wishes and I have not asked her how she feels about teaching you how trumps work. I am sure that she will be okay with it some time, but perhaps not now." Her embarrassment is palpable as a blush tinges her cheeks, "Let's ask her before we go farther, okay?"

Bad, bad dog. If Shao had been on land, watching this beast coming at him, he would be looking for a big rock or something. He smiles to Moire, appeased that politeness was reciprocated. He seats himself at the bench beside Faiella, keeping what to him seems like a safe distance from the princess. He glances to Maggie, trying to gauge if this is a game, a training exercise or... something new, unexpected. It appears it was training, after all, since Maggie changes her mind about it. Shao nods to Maggie very slowly. "I guess I can tell you my story after all, Faeilla-sama, if the Queen is in the mood. It is a good tale, I hope."

Faiella looks up from the trump, seeing her mother about to be close at hand, and even before the permission is asked and the response given, she seems crestfallen. "The cards are of the Pattern," she says in a small voice. "I'm not to go anywhere near the Pattern, even if It calls. Though It hasn't yet." Still holding Maggie's card, she drifts back to sit as Shao does. Her voice has softened, turned dreamy, when she all but whispers, "It will." She looks at Shao after a moment, and nods.