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The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Noon-ish and later, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and Dean

It was not hard to find Talia Montague-Korie.

For while one court was held in the keep's Great Hall, another was being held in the gardens above. Up the stairs to the finely sculpted gallery, through the arcade and then out the large and ornate bronze doors and one walked upon a tremendous rooftop balcony. It was well appointed, a heavy loam the rooftop with ornate paths and well marked gardens, each with fine flowers domestic and wild, a rainbow of bright color. At the farthest end, opposite the big doors and overlooking the keep's front yard was a fine gazebo. It was painted, large enough for almost a full hand of people and set with excellent benches and chairs.

The problem, of course, was that there was not a Dama Korie. Which meant it was a collection of minor noble wives, the Damas of the visiting families.

But there still must be a host.

That was Talia Montague-Korie.

She and her ladies-in-waiting claimed the central space of the gazebo, Talia in the center, two servant girls behind her, two at her feet. They looked strict and hard, as if they were carven from the very stone of the earth.

They had probably come with her from her home - and now, like their Mistress, trapped in another's lands.

And while the Ladies of the other families may have been older, wiser, smarter and carrying
more noble blood than she.

But she was Midsummer's hostess.

And while her Brothers bight be skilled in the art of the sword.

This was her battlefield.

She offered a feral smile as she noted the arrival of her newest sister.

She returned the smile.

Kadri walks into the courtyard, no longer looking even slightly nervous.

She leans in to Talia, and smiles pleasantly and speaks in a soft smooth and silken voice, loud enough to only be heard by the woman across from her. And perhaps by Mikal at her elbow.

"Talia, my dear, dear, DEAR sister ... I just wish to inform you of something, of the lay of the land, of how things are now and how things are going to be. You can play your little games, maneuver to try to give your child power and prestige, I don't care, I really do not. I also assure you that any children of mine I will not maneuver to be in a position to take power for themselves, because I have no such interest in power. In fact very soon I am likely to go roaming; much like Domini, I do not prefer the day to day hassles of court. That being said ... if you ever, in any way, dear sister, act to harm so much as a hair on the head of me and mine; if you harm any child I may have, if you harm Dominic, if you harm Marcus, if you harm any of my new family or old, if you harm any of my friends ..."

Here, her voice lowers to a hiss and becomes distinctly more intense, and the feral look on her face is easily a match for the one from Talia.



"If that happens, you will come to wish that you had never heard of me, that you had stayed at home and aged into a lonely spinster. Because, Talia, if that happens I will not harm a hair on your head - not physically, although you may wish I had. But trust me when I say that if those I care for are harmed - if that happens - you will regret it for the rest of your long and miserable life. I will personally ruin you and bring you down, I will lay you low and make you into an object of mockery the likes of which Talantal has never seen. Look into my eyes Lady Talia ... look deep and tell me if I am lying."

She pauses a moment longer with her eyes locked on Talia's then leans back and smiles brightly and winks.



"Or instead you could do your noble duties, be a good and loyal Korie, and a dutiful and proper wife and daughter and live out a long and unremarkable, but unruined life. Have a child with a bright and noble future. I really hope you do. It seems that you have a choice to make. I do not respond well to threats, Sister mine. "

She winks again.

"Do we have a complete understanding on this matter ... sister? I oh so very much hope we do. And I DO hope that you have an ever so joyous Midsummers Eve. The weather is just perfect, would you not say?"

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Noon-ish and later, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and Dean

The heir's wife simply folded her hands in her lap, listening to this short and harsh outburst. The servants around her had more of a reaction than Dame Talia, backing away a bit. However it was interesting, as they backed away from not just Kadri and her guard, but from their mistress.

The older in-law simply gathered herself, as befitted a courtly trained noble, after kadri finished, before offering a quiet and simple,

"Oh dear.

"And here I was going to share with you my new found interest in one of my beloved Husband's activities.

"He raises snarkhounds, you know.

"Oh you didn't know."

Talia Montague-Korie could not help but smile, however, as she recollected Kadri's words.

"You will be roaming? How romantic, traveling the mainland with your husband. that is something the minstrels shall surely sing about. I am jealous."

She held up her hand, pausing the conversation until she continued.

"The proper duties of a noble? Why of course, my dear little sister.

"Perhaps I shall take a personal interest in your household while you are gone. That would only be appropriate. There are three, correct? James has a strong back and I'm sure I could keep him feeling useful and watched over. Kathi could most certainly be groomed into a fine and compliant servant lass -though I suspect that being rather free of the ravages of common sense only the most menial of tasks could be trusted to her. And the little one, what do they call her? Oh yes, Mouse. First, I shall give her a proper name.

"Do not worry. They shall be well taken care of while you are gone, galavanting here and there on your fine and carefree adventures."

She held up her hand again.

"Pity me, trapped here in the courts of Talantal. I could take up charity. Such tasks could make great demands on my time."

Her gaze, sharp and venomous, snapped past Kadri like the strike of a poisonous snake. She looked directly to Mikal.

"Perhaps I could do great and ... influential ... work, with the poor of our dear, dear neighbors; and leave my mark on the renaissance of Brockman's Holdfast.

"As it befits a Noble Lady to help the unfortunate and look after her kin's household."

She leaned forward, her attention returning to Kadri.

She whispered, so only those immediately close might hear.

"I shall give you a lesson. The first truth is that vengeance that comes after the fact no longer matters. It is empty. Useless. No matter how brutal the retribution is it cannot undo what has been done.

"You should be courting my favor, stupid girl.

"So I might be inclined to busy myself elsewhere.

"Thus the real question is, do you understand?"

Dean

Dean stands at attention and watches the women carefully, apparently attempting to glean some understanding of what is happening. The hairs on the back of his neck wave and salute.

Mikal

He looks her straight in the eye, nods, and says with feigned innocence. "That would be tremendously helpful. Now that the Empire has declared Montague's claims invalid and Jakal an outlaw the oppressed people of Brockman's will need any assistance that can be offered. And naturally as the Empire has taken an active interest in seeing that such things happen, it would be inadvisable for anyone to stand against their desires, or those of Lord Korie, lest they enjoy standing in front of a Priest of Hastur for violating the law."

He glances at Kadri. "As for me, I will of course travel wherever the Lady Kadri does, riding Talia, my trusty mount."

He looks back to Lady Talia with an amused quirk of a lip. "Oh, in all the hubbub I had not thought to mention I had named my horse after you. Or was it the other way around? I forget."

"I believe, my lady, that in my absence my retainers will unfortunately be unavailable for your use. I believe that lord Tray shall have need of them. I intend to loan them to him on a permanent basis if neither Domini nor I are present. It also seems, lady Korie-Montague, that right now might not be the best time to be making yourself obvious in he newly restored lands of Brockman's holdfast. I think quite possibly your good favor may be a bit stretched right now and that spending it further on petty sniping may be rather injurious of your ambitions. You plan to have a son. Right now, if you keep everyone happy, that son is in line for good things. "

"Your father in law's patience with things Montague is sketched thin. In the end, I don't think you want enemies ... and really, I don't either. So shall we say ... you do what is best for you of course - and keep in mind what is best for you involves maintaining your influence ... not spending it spiting a 'stupid girl'. In the end, as things stand ... by doing nothing I am not a factor. By doing nothing, your possible son stands to gain everything. By doing nothing ... you potentially get everything. By doing something, you potentially lose everything."

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Noon-ish and later, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and Dean

Talia Montague-Korie smiled back to the Amber princess-ling.

"My sniping may be many things.

"But it is never petty."

She slowly leaned back, comfortable in her little court, in her gazebo.

"And I am glad that you agree that paying attention to Brockman's Holdfast is a good thing. It may be that my Father-in-Law is not happy with my brother. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if, in the future, when the lordlings of that restored lands needed aid, their first thought was to seek the counsel of their dear, beloved Montague Aunt.

"Imagine the possibilities."

The ranking Korie Dama then offered Mikal a slyer smile, ducking her head.

"You are a Jvrillian, aren't you? One of the new breed - one can tell because you are not painted blue. And that settles matters, there is no question, yes?

"Any competent swordsman holds three things of value. Their sword. Their armor. And, only if they are lucky enough to have one, their horse. I suspect, in gold coin, your horse is one of your most valuable possessions. A horse is not an ox or a shaggie, it is a relatively fragile creature. To keep a horse in good condition takes great care and further expense, to keep a horse fit for travel up and down the Highland Path, even more so. To keep a horse loyal and well behaved, one must also be a fair and kind master. Only a very stupid, misguided and cruel person would treat their horse badly.

"And would summon unforgivable enmity if one by happenstance, was in the service and company of one of Amber blood.

"So are you a cruel idiot?

"No?

"If you are a competent swordsman - then - it is an honor.

"Thank you."

She does an entirely appropriate curtesy.

"So we understand eachother, of course, sister. No face lost. So long as you are playing the game in the way most likely to get you what you want ... I doubt we will come to issue. I do wish you, your husband and child-to-be well. May your life ever be ... Interesting."

She looks over to Mikal.

"I think we are done here - there are things to attend to."

She turns back to Talia.

"Enjoy your midsummer's, of course."

(Note: Zeim, if you want to post something that means we don't leave, I'll edit this last part after you post)

After she extracts herself from the room, she seeks out anyone who may know where trey and company went, and gets directions ...

Mikal

He tips his head towards Talia Montague with a sardonic grin on his face and offers her a wink as he turns to go with Kadri. His look says that he knows that she knows why he named his horse what he did and her attempt to try to make it sound like a compliment may be her best attempt to save face, but that it doesn't fool him.

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Afternoon, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and Dean


"I shall allow you to leave ..."

The Korie Dama offered the most serpentine of smiles as she waved her hand dismissively before settling it back in her lap.

""Go. Be gone. Adventure.

"And have no worries ... that which you cannot see ... cannot at all be fel, can it?"

"I bid you farewell, with the comforting thought that .... one way or another ... you have placed the fate of Brockman's once again in Montague hands.

"To quote.

"Shoo."

Of course there were no further interruptions, for Kadri and her escort as they left the gardens; as if their welcome had been pressed a handful of heartbeats too long. The destination of Tray and his two escorts was also not a hard matter to discern; he and his servants had partaken a walk through the city - and from the Keep there was only one direction one could go; the long spiral down towards the true city gates.

"The redheads and their two guards also left seeking his Lordship."

This meant that they were also in the wake of Daxia and Kay - and probably the Allaine representative and her bodyguard, the Horde's Captain.

By the time the fifth gate was passed the sun was already high in the sky; while the streets were full of revelers, most were now crowding the entrances to the taverns and inns as they sought their midday meals. High in the city those that could not fit inside found themselves in neatly arrayed tables and chairs; a fine and noble cafe setting. As one promenaded further and further down the sloping road this became more and more informal ...

... until the trio found themselves near the main gates and the large open space that served as the city's entrance square. Here there was certainly a much more mundane and less refined celebration - indeed it felt more like a farmer's picnic when the entire family from across the High Tarn had descended for a wedding or to celebrate great-grandma's ninetieth summer.

That they were in the right place was obvious.

Towering above all the heads was an ox-tongue spear. It rose over a long line of tables, where a meal was being served. From the base of the polished steel head hung two long faded and battle worn ribbons - the black and white favors Kay carried. The young Dayalan was keeping watch over the Aterran initiate; protecting Romana from a gaggle of children. That most of the children were sleepy or more interested in the food or just how white Romana's hair was made that task easy - though for the first time in a long while the dark haired Kay seemed actually happy, at peace with her place and chosen task.

Bekkah was there, in close conversation with a rather strong looking workman while Darcy and Marcy were being perplexed by two young men each - each vying for the attention of a fifth ring lady-ling.

Tray was at the head of the table, being served by Kathi and the smallest of Dominic's household was nowhere to be seen. Though every so often a block of cheese went missing. Daxia and Kisa Allaine were tucked together, tough there attention was focused between Darian and Cesare ...

... with Longtooth quietly sitting at Darian's side, only occasionally looking at the long feasting table.



[[ OOC Note: Please post your replies in the "Servant's Holiday" thread! ]]