Characters:RavenLogs/OX Folly

Raven is seated at a mess table when Folly runs across her. The Vale's captain seems to have no problem eating alongside her crew, and indeed she's been doing just that, although the sailors she was eating with have left. She's still nursing her drink, but her plate contains nothing but crumbs and a very small pile of something pale and mushy and currently unidentifiable - it doesn't look much like Navy rations, but as Folly may have noticed, none of the food on the Vale does.

She nods politely and says, "Milady," by way of greeting. And then, with a faint smile, Raven adds, "I trust your neighbors haven't been too disturbing?"

"Young Max is a delight," Folly replies with a bright and genuine smile as she slides onto the bench across from Raven. "And your mum is... certainly no worse than mine." Her smile grows a bit wry. "I hope it's not putting an undue strain on her, having to keep from blurting out whatever she's thinking in my presence. She strikes me as a woman well used to expressing herself."

"Aye," Raven answers drily. "And often at volume, at that. If you don't mind my asking, milady, what do you think of the boy? I didn't know about him until a few days ago," she explains, a bit apologetic, "and he ain't learned the ways to get out of the house that I used to use yet, I guess."

"Well, he doesn't seem any the worse for it, if that's what you mean," Folly reassures her. "He's a clever kid -- and resilient, I daresay. It does make me doubly glad our last convoy to Xanadu brought folks who may even now be setting up a school for docksider children, though. I think Max seems well-suited to a bit of formal education." She pauses and regards Raven thoughtfully. "Or was there something in particular you were concerned about?"

Raven laughs. "Many things, milady, not least of which is making sure that the lad knows that I know what he's dealing with and ain't adverse to having a child-shaped shadow when I'm in port. Some bits of curiosity that I ain't been able to talk the old bat into sharing yet." She shrugs. "Family matters; I'm sure you understand. But between getting situated at a proper port, with a proper Navy presence, reporting in, and making sure it's known that I'm alive, I ain't had a chance to say more than three words to him, privately or not. I saw you and the Prince had been keeping him busy, so I thought I'd ask."

Folly smiles. "I think I can safely say that both he and I have some sympathy for Max's situation, having grown up with somewhat... ah... overbearing female caretakers ourselves. Also, I suppose we're testing out those parenting skills we'll be needing any week now. I don't suppose you have any children of your own... that you know of?" That last, added with a twinkle in her eye, acknowledges the typical sailor's customary answer to the question.

Raven laughs. "Milady, if there's any that are claiming to have a child of mine, they're three sheets to the wind and crazy to boot. I tend to be picky about my girls, and there ain't one of them that wouldn't have told me if that were to happen. Are you due... soon?" she asks, with sudden concern. She really doesn't want to have to help birth a baby.

"No, not 'til the Solstice or a little after -- so fourteen weeks, maybe. Something like that. It's easy to lose track when we're traveling." Folly smiles and lays a hand on her belly. "Speaking of traveling, will you be anxious to head out on your next assignment once we reach Xanadu, or do you hope to spend a little time on land first?"

"I'm less settled than some, but even I wouldn't turn down some time on land," Raven answers drily. "Nothing like a few years with no sight of home to make you want to stay put for a bit. Besides, we been trying to get home so long, it ain't fair to the men to go out again any time soon. Short tours might not be a bad idea, in a few weeks or months, but not yet." She snorts. "But - ask me that one more time after we been in port a few days and I get a chance to see how much trouble they're into, milady, and I may tell you different."

Folly grins. "Well, if you're looking for some way to keep them occupied and out of trouble on dry land, I can introduce you to some folks who'll be more than happy to point them toward needful work, and a good pint afterward. Or ask Gowpen -- he's your new deckhand that kind of looks like a walrus, with the mustache to match. He's in with that crowd."

She pauses, then adds, "Xanadu is becoming what Amber was, but it still needs a little work to get there."

"I expect he'd be the one working with Lathe. The name sounds right, at least. I'll keep that in mind, milady." Raven studies the bottom of her mug idly for a moment. "The Admiral said I should look at Amber before we left, and look at this Xanadu when we get there, and decide for myself if it was reasonable to be deserting Amber. I guess I'll see what I see." She doesn't sound entirely convinced. "I heard some things, and it sounded more like wishes than anything else - brand new start making everything right and all that."

Folly spends a long moment considering how best to answer Raven's implied question. Finally she says, "There may be some of that, but there's an undeniable... _vitality_ to Xanadu that is reminiscent of what Amber used to be -- as if Amber is an ancient tree that will not bloom again, and Xanadu is the strong, straight sapling bristling with the potential to become the mightiest tree in the forest with only a little time and encouragement." She looks at Raven and grins. "And we're the encouragement."

"That's as may be, milady, but what happens to those that can't or won't move? I mean, there's this gent down the way from where I grew up, been there forever, and I can't see how it won't take half the city and a few others besides to get that hidebound old coot out of his place. He ain't the only one I can think of that's got more stubbornness than sense. And what about the ones that ain't got the cash to up and move and ain't got any in the family to move them?" Raven pauses, and then adds apologetically, "I'm sure you lot have thought of all that, and I'll beg pardon if I'm being a pest, but... I didn't have anyone to ask these questions before we left, really, at least not anyone that seemed like to give me answers that don't sound an awful lot like the 'next one will be our way home' we've been living with."

Folly smiles sympathetically. "No, I understand your concern. It's my personal opinion that those who absolutely, positively don't want to move, no matter how much others try to convince them, should be left to their peace. I can't promise that those in charge will share my views on that, but if we're talking a small enough number of mostly old-timers who just want to live out their remaining days in the place they've always known, I can't see that that would hurt anything. Amber doesn't have the resources anymore to support its former population like it used to, but it could still support a smaller community, I think.

"As for those who want to move but lack the resources...." Folly smiles. "That, we're working on." She pauses, thinking. "When your crew sailed out of Amber, before the big storm that kept you away for so long, who was in charge in the castle?"

"King Eric, milady, Raven answers promptly. "We heard later that the old king had come back, but we didn't make it back to find out for sure. Got to admit I still don't have a great grasp of what all went on while we was gone, just bits and pieces, and some of them from more reliable sources than others."

Folly nods slowly. "You may have heard, either before you left or later on, about a Black Road that was providing a pathway into Amber for her foes. After Oberon came back, most of the royal family -- except for Gerard, who stayed in Amber as regent, and those of us youngers who had recently come out of the woodwork -- went off to war very far away from Amber. I mention it now because I rather suspect that the process of getting those that can't well afford it moved from Amber to Xanadu might not be so different than bringing the Army back to Amber after the war."

She hesitates, and her expression turns a bit grim. "Have you heard about Gerard's injuries?"

"Aye, I heard. And if you don't mind me saying so, milady, it's a damned shame." Raven shakes her head, frowning. "I think you just explained some of why I was wondering if the folks I was talking to were feeding me lines. So there was this war somewhere else, and then the folks that stayed here had this 'Sundering' thing what caused us to get lost. At the same time?"

"More-or-less," Folly says. "I came to Amber just before the Sundering, and the army had already departed for the war -- just a very short time beforehand, if I understand correctly." She hesitates, then adds softly, "In some places, there's an old tradition that says 'the king is the land'. There's some speculation that the Sundering was the reaction of the land to the death of the king as he protected Amber from her enemies."

"That don't make any sense to me," Raven says mildly. "Or else somebody would've mentioned something happening after King Eric died, and I ain't heard anything of the kind. And it's going to be an awful pain in the arse - pardon, milady - for everybody involved if you've got to up and move every time there's a new king."

"Well, but that's just it: nothing happened when King Eric died because the true king of Amber, who had been king for longer than anyone can remember, was still secretly alive during Eric's entire reign. So there was no reason for the land to rebel. Or so the argument goes, anyway." Folly gives a little shrug. "But if it makes you feel better," she adds brightly, "I think the new king intends to live forever."

Raven chuckles. "Beg pardon, milady, but I've known a few folks that hoped for that. Maybe it's different for you lot, but there's precious few of them that'll see that one through. How's those that believe this 'the king is the land' malarkey explain how it got like that in the first place, I wonder?"

"Yes, well, the published histories are rather sketchy on that point, I'm afraid," Folly replies with a grin. "But... well, you grew up in Amber, right? I didn't. What stories did you learn as a kid about Oberon's reign, and how long it lasted, and what came before it?"

"Aye, I grew up in the docks district, milady," Raven confirms. "Tavern brat. Most of what I recall was on wives, mistresses, and taxes, to tell the truth. Weren't many that cared too much about the beginnings of the kingdom and all." She smiles. "'Course, I spent an awful lot of time talking to sailors about ships and the sea, when I wasn't running wild or stuck with chores, and not so much talking to those what would want to tell those stories."

"But you probably heard some of the songs, if you grew up in the tavern. I mean...." Folly taps out a bouncing rhythm on the edge of the table and sings:

"Good king Aub'ron, brave and tall,
By his hands he raised these walls,
Built them up from nothing at all,
Nothing at all, nothing at all,
Fol-de-rol-de-riddle-ey-all,
Good king Auberon.

"Good king Aub'ron, by his hand,
By his blood and his command,
Brought forth life from barren land,
Barren land, barren land,
Fol-de-rol-de-riddle-ey-and,
Good king Auberon.

"...and on and on for thirty or forty verses, about his reign that ran a thousand years and will run a thousand more, and all that. Of course," she adds with a grin, "I'm willing to bet there's more than a little poetic license thrown in there: I'm not sure he actually won anyone's heart by wrestling a talking bear, for example." She gives a little shrug.

Raven chuckles. "All right, I may remember that one - at least the bit about the bear. Not so's much that I could sing it, though, even if I were inclined to. Which I ain't, begging your pardon; you seem musical enough, but I was gifted with a singing voice like the bird I'm named for, and I ain't of a mind to inflict that on anyone that don't deserve it. As for songs about the old King..." She considers briefly, and finishes, "The ones that come to mind don't bear repeating, milady."

[In progress]