Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven - Political Ramblings and Rumblings

Our first step--if we really were going to duel Francisco and his buddies--was to find Caprica.

The princess would know a lot more about the local duelling scene and all the laws and such surrounding that kind of thing. Amaryllis probably knew her fair share too, but we didn’t know if the rules from the Harpy Mountains would apply in Slyphfree, and Amaryllis insisted on making sure that it was a proper duel, not just a brawl.

I... wasn’t sure what to think about things as they were.

On the one hand, Francisco was about as rude as a person could be. On the other, that wasn't enough to make me want to fight him.

I think that Awen caught on to my current mood. She bumped shoulders with me as we walked over to the palace. “Isn’t this the same as that tournament you participated in, the one in Rosenbell?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I guess it’s not all that different. Will it be all three of us against all three of them?”

“I hope not,” Amaryllis said. “I want to face off against Francisco all on my own.”

She sounded just a pinch too bloodthirsty there. I patted her on the back. “I know you’re angry at him, but I think you might be, ah, overreacting just a little, teeny tiny bit? He’s rude, sure, but rudeness shouldn’t be answered with violence.”

“And how would you respond to the sort of rudeness that might very well end with thousands of lives lost to bolster a puffed up hawk’s ego?” Amaryllis asked.

“Well, first I’d write a very strongly worded letter to Francisco’s mom.”

Awen choked on nothing, then giggled between coughs. “Broccoli! You can’t!”

“Why not?” I asked. “He’s not that old, so maybe his parents still have time to teach him some manners. And besides, if I was Francisco’s mom, I’d want to know if my son was about to start a war just to make himself feel more important. Obviously he didn’t get enough hugs growing up, but there’s always time to rectify that kind of misstep.”

“That’s... actually a fantastic idea,” Amaryllis said.

I blinked. “It is?” I was pretty much positive she was going to dismiss the idea out of hand.

“Oh, yes. A public letter, sent to the capital and to Fort Sylphrot, denouncing Fransico’s behaviour and childish actions and the threat they both pose to the nation as a whole. Maybe a few public criers to read it aloud on street corners.”

“That’s sounding a lot more like blackmail than what I had in mind,” I said.

“Yes. I took your idea and improved it.”

“I don’t know if I’d call that an improvement at all.”

Awen giggled some more. “But can you imagine his face when he finds out?” she asked.

I pouted at her too. “You have a mean streak in you too,” I said.

Awen shook her head, but she didn’t quite deny it. “I just think that... ah, I guess there’s more than one way to fight someone. If we lose here, Broccoli, then a lot of others will be losing too. We’re having fun, and it’s another big adventure, but the stakes are pretty high. Whether you want it or not, Francisco is on the other side.” She crossed her arms, smile dying off as we walked into the shadow cast by a tall mansion-like home right next to the road. “My mom... wasn’t a very nice person, but she did make sure that I learned a few things.”

“What sorts of things?” I asked.

“I didn’t like the lessons,” she said. “So I can’t say I took them to heart. But I did listen. Mostly she talked a lot about how a woman should defeat her opponents and such. I think I like shooting people with a crossbow more than using the methods she spoke about. It’s more honest.”

Amaryllis snorted. “Yes, some people do prefer intrigue and rumours over a proper talon-on-talon fight. The Albatrosses aren’t like that though.”

I didn’t say it aloud, because I think I’d made my point clear often enough already, but I preferred it when people just talked through all of their problems and acted in a way that would mean that everyone would be happy or at least satisfied by the end of the day. That wasn’t something that was easy to do though.

“Well, whatever,” I finally said. There wasn’t much to say, really. We just had to do our best and hope that it was enough and that maybe we set an example.

I didn’t have much time to ponder on that since we arrived at the palace. Amaryllis stepped up to the guards by the front gate, bowed shallowly, then asked them to send a message to Princess Caprica on our behalf.

The guard bowed back, the big feathery thing atop his helm bobbing with the motion before he spun around sharp-like and walked into the nearby gatehouse. I saw a young sylph fly off towards the palace a moment later, no doubt a messenger.

It only took a minute or two before the messenger sylph returned and relayed whatever news he had to the guard.

“The Princess is willing to entertain you,” the guard said. “She is waiting in the west garden.” The sylph flagged down a pair of guards who were within the palace walls, and they quickly flashed a few gestures at each other. Mostly the guard just asked them to keep an eye on us while guiding us to the garden where Caprica was waiting.

The garden turned out to be one of those glass-walled greenhouses along the outer perimeter of the palace. There was a gazebo built into the side of the enclosure where Caprica and another young woman were sitting down.

The princess was in her usual dress-uniform like outfit, though she had added a sash today and had a few ribbons in her hair. The girl next to her was half a head shorter, and wore a more princess-y outfit. A dress with bows on the hips and front, coloured a soft lavender covered in embroidered flowers that let her blend in with the wall of greenery behind her.

There were two guards standing by the entrance of the greenhouse. They opened the door for us, and we stepped in eagerly.

I didn’t realise how chilly it was outside until I was smacked in the face by the warmth inside the greenhouse. It was a humid, muggy sort of warmth, filled with a whole host of pleasant, flowery smells that changed as we headed over to the gazebo.

“Captain Bunch, Lady Amaryllis, Lady Bristlecone,” Caprica said without standing. The princess next to her bounced to her feet and curtsied.

The reason Caprica didn’t rise became obvious when a big pile of orange fluff jumped off her lap and onto the table in the centre of the gazebo.

“Orange!” I cheered. “This is where you were hiding?”

Orange sat, her chest puffed out with obvious pride. She had a few ghostly ribbons tied next to her head, and her fur looked extra soft. By the looks of her she had been properly pampered recently.

I scritched her on the head, then under the chin for good measure.

“Yes, Orange has been a wonderful guest overnight,” Caprica said.

“She’s very handsome,” the other princess replied.

“Ah, where are my manners,” Caprica said as she stood and brushed her lap clean of ghostly kitty hair. Or she tried. Her hands just moved right through the fur which refused to leave her pants. “Everyone, this is my little sister Gabrielle. Gabrielle, these are the... explorers and emissaries I spoke of.”

Gabrielle curtsied again, and my friends and I did the same in return, though maybe with a bit less grace. “It’s a pleasure,” she said. “Capri rarely makes new friends, so it’s really nice of you to spend time with her.”

“Gabby!” Caprica hissed. “Don’t spread such vile lies.”

Gabrielle apologised, but it was evident that she wasn’t being sincere with her apology.

Caprica rolled her eyes, then gestured to the table. “Sit? I’m sure you’re not just here to pick up Lady Orange.”

“Lady Orange?” I asked as I took a seat. Orange looked at me as if to say ‘are you going to question that?’

Caprica blushed, but just faintly. “She seems quite lady-like,” she said. “And a spirit cat is a rare being in these parts.”

“I guess. Technically she’s an admiral, but I don’t know if that makes her a lady. Maybe it should be Sir Orange?” I asked. “How did you get those bows on her, by the way.” I poked at the bows, but my fingers just slid right through them.

“Oh, that was the court wizard,” Gabrielle said. “He’s a master illusionist. They’re not real bows. I think they’re cute.”

I nodded, in full agreement.

“So, what brings you here?” Caprica asked. “And would you like some tea while we talk, or is it a little more urgent?”

“It’s certainly delicate, and not something we can afford to wait on for too long,” Amaryllis said. “But I don’t think it’s quite urgent.”

“Do tell,” Caprica said. She gestured to the side, and I almost jumped when a maid bowed back and hurried off. I hadn’t seen the maid at all. Did they have a skill that made them sneaky?

Amaryllis shifted in her seat. “We met with the harpies that arrived last night. The meeting... could have gone better. Though, honestly, with the quality of the harpy in question, I doubt it.”

“They’re adversarial?” Caprica asked.

“You could say that,” Amaryllis said. “Though that would make it an understatement. Francisco Hawk, of the illustrious, boisterous, and full of itself Hawk clan. They’re very much on the pro-war side of things. They want to try and match arms with the sylph, despite all common sense saying that it’s a poor idea.”

Caprica frowned. “That’s unfortunate. Who has more seniority between yourself and this Francisco and his companions?”

“He does, though only barely,” Amaryllis said. “I managed to maneuver things so that we would duel for the right to represent the Harpy Mountains.”

“Truly?” Caprica asked.

I glanced at Amaryllis. ‘Maneuver’ was a big word to describe what had happened.

“Yes. Which is why we’re here. We want this to be a proper duel, not some street brawl. Francisco is the sort who would easily ignore a deal made. Even one that was won in a duel. I think the only way to make him keep his word is to put too much pressure on him for him to weasel his way out.”

Caprica considered it for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll arrange something, then. When is this duel supposed to take place?”

“This afternoon,” Amaryllis said.

“You’re certainly not giving us much time to prepare,” Caprica said. “Still, I think we can figure something out.”

“Can I come? To watch,” Gabrielle said.

Caprica glanced at her sister, considered it, then nodded. “Sure.”

Gabrielle blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Oh yes. You being present will attract all sorts of attention,” Caprica said. “Half the available suitors in the city will rush to attend as well. It’ll make up for the lack of time to set up something proper. And have rumours spread.”

“Capri!” Gabrielle said, her cheeks were glowing. “You can’t just use me like that.”

“You’re the one that wanted to attend,” Caprica said. “You'll be able to enjoy yourself, leave the palace for a moment, and I won’t have to work as hard to get a crowd of nobles to oversee the happenings. Two harpies with one stone. Ah... forgive the expression.”

Amaryllis waved it off. “It’s fine. We have a few similarly uncouth expressions ourselves.”

“I can imagine,” Caprica said. “So, do you think you’ll win this duel? I would hardly appreciate backing a loser.”

“Oh, don’t worry on our account,” Amaryllis said. “In fact, this will just be a lot of fun, I think.”

***