The streets were dangerous places, she knew, but the life of an urchin did not allow for caution. Then again, she was no longer an urchin, she was the personal maid to the queen. Lady Tedris was very nice to her, and allowed her to remark upon the oddness of all the children rulers coming into power, such as Lady Vereninhosi, who they were here to congratulate. But then again, she had been her maid for a while, ever since her twentieth birthday.
Even after nearly twelve years of servicing the Royal Mage family of Chairo, politics were as unfamiliar to her as a bath was to the miners down south. She sighed and ducked around the corner, following this Prince Toph was harder work than she had thought. Of course she wasn't supposed to be following him, but it was something she thought needed. He stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the large crowd, especially since his clothes matched his hair and, were, unlike most of the Murasakian's, not the plain brownish gray.
She really should be picking out a gown for her lady to wear, but the rush of following someone was very hard to ignore. Anyways, the Prince was up to something. It could be that he was getting one of his sisters a gift, but the fact that he seemed hurried didn't allow to that. It was hardly reasonable that he would be going into this part of town anyways, the hardest section of town, where they stood now, was reserved for pickpockets and slit throats.
She broke her thoughts and turned a corner, the Prince was entering an inn.
It was a shabby inn. The paint was peeling and the vagrant beggars nearby didn't even try to beg for coins from the people being housed there. The only sign it had once been a rich place was the fact that its sign spelled out Twins Corner in plated gold. The sign was barely hanging from a sliver of wood and depicted a aged ragged man looking out from the corner of the street at his somewhat reversed better cared for reflection.
She nodded to the 'guards' at the door and stole her way to a table nearby where the Prince sat. He ordered a mug of what looked like watered whiskey and took a gulp before settling down to wait for whoever he was meeting. She ordered a mug of brandy and made her, seemingly drunk, way over to his table, just in time for hers to be taking by a very engaged couple.
"'Cuse me sir, it seems as if my table was taken," she said motioning towards her seat, "Would it be fine if I sat here until the alcohol wears off, I won't make it home in my state." instead of waiting, she dropped herself onto a seat across from him in a feint of dizziness. He looked as if he was about to say no, and she made it a point to look as if she would get sick if she stood. A flash of worry showed in his eyes and he sighed.
"I was meeting someone, but it doesn't seem to be any harm if you sat here until they arrived." he said. He tucked his hair back and leaned back, taking sips of his whiskey. She nodded her thanks and smiled before falling, apparently, to sleep.
A rustle of cloth against wood made her look up. The Prince had his hand positioned above her shoulder. He jerked it back and blinked. A man was standing to his left, seeming very impatient.
"I'm sorry to disturb your rest," he said, smiling sadly, "But the man I was meeting has arrived and it would be best for you to remove yourself from my table. Yours has opened back up." she nodded and murmured a thank you and headed back to her table, staggering a bit to continue her feigned drunkenness.
She sat back down and cupped her head, ordering glass of ice cold water, and settled down to listen into the Prince's conversation. The whispering started as soon as her water had arrived, but she could hear it perfectly, Mage children, even Half Mage children like her, who were abandoned as children, had excellent hearing.
"My Lord, these objects are rare and even if I weren't who I was, it would be nearly impossible, not just barely difficult, to get my hands on one as perfect as you wish." the man was pleading. His gray hair, which marked him as Murasakian more than his plain clothes, was nearly sticky with perspiration.
"It is very important for these items to be made of the purest Hulimin stone you can find. They must be ready in time for me to return home. You must find them." The Prince said. Hulimin stone was impossible to find pure, unless you were the Royal Jeweler. Even then, no Hulimin stone had ever found itself out of Murasaki.
"I will try sir." the man replied. At that, the Prince stood and left. She finished her water and followed him, her work done.
She returned to her Lady's chambers and changed into the suitable Chairo court garb. A long sleeved gown perfect for serving in that was colored a green slightly lighter than her Lady's Jade Royals coats of arms. The gown reached to her ankles, and was accompanied by knee high leggings of the same color. Over the gown went an over tunic of a lighter color and of the same color an overcoat went over the over tunic. She braided her long plain blondish hair with ribbons of the same green as her gown and finished it off with soft slippers lighter than the over tunic and coat. She studied herself in the mirror and smiled, everything was perfectly arranged.
She picked out two choices of garments for her Lady and set herself to cleaning her Lady's rooms before she arrived. Her Lady arrived precisely three bells after the cleaning was done and was treated to some Murasakian Mint tea before choosing the garments she would wear to court.
She set herself to the task of dressing her Lady with obsession to the tiniest of details. After nearly two bells of tying strings and arranging clips into tidy clumps, her Lady was clothed in a floor length gown of warm Jade cotton.
Her thick down filled slippers were decorated with tiny Blue Bells. The gown had mid length full sleeves and was not to showy. It was topped with a over shawl and coat. The finishing touches, elbow length gloves, a cap of veiled silk and leggings of the purest velvet, were perfectly designed to show of the distinctiveness of the gown. All were decorated with almost imperceptibly tiny leaf patterns that when viewed all at once, made the gown seemingly alive.
She nodded her head and smiled, her Lady would look stunning in her court clothes. It seemed to be true, as her Lady beamed at her and turned a few times before nodding herself. They had enough time to walk sedately into the courtroom.
When they arrived, the Empress Vereninhosi was already seated, as was two children whose names she did not know. They wore solemn violet Mage Robes, created with the idea of allowing them to blend wherever they were.
The Empress sat silently in her throne, wearing a slightly shimmering gown of blended rose pink and reds, the Royal colors no doubt she thought to herself.
The gown had tight sleeves and was multi skirted. Pinned into it in dark crimson was patterns of the city, and most of the unfortunate cases that huddled in the darkest corners and alleys.
They were directed to seas and had their over coats and tunics taken from them. As the tea was handed to them, Lord Jerun was directed to his seat. He and his manservant, Collen, were dressed in suits of the finest silk, colored in Lord Jerun's colors of Peach orange and the lighter color of Peach yellow for Collen. They had, most easily decipherable and predictable, peach orchards pinned onto their outfits.
Shortly after Lord Jerun and his party came The Lady Asazin and her party, Lord Nolan, the Princesses Lady Soph and Lady Thanat, the Prince Toph and Lady Thanat's Husband, Lord Mag-bell. They had no servants or maids and were directed to their seats without any discarding of over coats.
The Ladies were all clothed in full sleeved gowns which were floor length. The only differences were in the patterns and colors, but all were of the same design.
Lady Asazin's was in a blue as dark as her hair, though the carefully stitched constellations were in blue as ice piercing as her eyes. Lady Soph had a gown of Cranberry Brown, which had scenes depicting the twin godlings, Helen and Colan, on the hem. Lady Thanat had musical notes that were carefully shaped as trees in bright white on a background of dark silver the color of her hair.
The Lords were in suits that matched their hair color, deep brown for Lord Nolan, Cranberry brown for Lord Toph and ash green for Lord Mag-bell. Lord Nolan had tiny scratch marks sewn into the patterns of trails which covered his suit. Lord Toph's suit was an exact copy of Lady Soph, but Lord Mag-bell struck some interest. His was covered in brilliant grass green bells, some of which were the size of a ripe plum while others were like tiny ants. Perched on these bells were tiny birds, which were called Mags, they were found only in the forests of Aka and were the darkest of grays in color.
At one time they would have been accompanied by Lady Asazin's youngest son, Prince Castias and his nurse, but sadly the young Prince had passed away from a childhood sickness four years back. She closed her eyes and smiled for the memory of the late prince and turned her attention to the other Royal families which were piling in.
The King of Ao, Lord Azelian, came in with his Queen, Lady Selina, and their infant son, Prince Jeramie. Lord Azelian and his Lady were both dressed in their color of Golden Yellow with tiny decorations of bridges in orange. Lady Selina's gown was mid-length, and accompanied by soft trousers that flared out at the bottom. Prince Jeramie was bundled in soft white blankets.
After them came the ruling family of Midori, a small sort of people that had brilliant red hair and blue eyes. The ruling Consorts, Lady Helio and Lord Feis, were in the pale gold garments favored among their people, which went undecorated beside their rank marks.
They had ten Heirs and apparently another on the way, if how the usually loose garment that stretched over Lady Helio's belly was any clue. The fact that their children, six girls and four boys, were all from the ages of ten to twenty, one for every year it seemed, had seats prepared was astonishing.
The eldest, a daughter, was Lady Irile. She wore like all the others, a golden garment which fit loosely, making the only way to see if the occupant was a girl or not, the braids in the red hair, which all wore to their shoulders. Women were required to have two, men one.
The second eldest was nineteen year old Lord Gerod, who didn't seem very happy to be here at all. From there down, Lady Fiana, Lady Fiona, Lord Frederick, Lord Titias, Lord Tefin, Lady Jemm, Lady Gentle, and Lady Keman. They all took their seats and if you were to be behind them, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
After their servants, two for each, took their places with the other at the back of the halls, the Council of Kiiro, a group of Warrior Women and two Men, filtered through the doorway.
The Lead Warrior Woman, High Priestess Knight Dedres, was cloaked heavily in wolf fur, her man, the Low Priest Jurtin, stood solemnly besides her. After them came the Second Priestess, the Lady Gertiify of the Celibate Knighthood, dressed in warm robes of sable. Then came the Three Blind Priestesses of Futura, the Ladies Xasix, Menia, and Vesaz, all were dressed in the light blue of Futura. Then came Sate, the Priest of Castilol, he dressed in plain fuchsia garments befitting his rank. None of them had decorations sewn into their clothes. Following them were the High Plain Dwellers of Orenji.
There were a small three that made up the royal family. The Lord Ceved, his lover, Lord Limos, and their adoptive son, Benjik. They all were the vibrant violet suits that made the bone white hair common for their people stand out. After them came the Kuro leading Lady, the single ruler, lady Kingoma.
Lady Kingoma was elderly, and had no heirs. She wore her light russet hair up in a bun and was clothed in a wrap around robe of russet silk. Her head was gently sloped with smile lines, and no elderly wrinkles showed on her face. After her came the single ruler of Shiro, Lord Zanew. He wore Candied Pink robe and was as old as Lady Kingoma. His single son already had a wife and daughter, but would not take up Heirship and so many thought the the two single rulers would make a marriage in order for their lines to carry on.
Then came the fifty one person household of the bordering land of Vestan, a kingdom which praised multiply wives and husbands more than Murasaki. Vestan wished to cede into the union, becoming the Tenth Deceived Empire. Showing here meant that they were sure of their ability to merge with the other kingdoms. Their specialty lay in changing their shapes to whatever form they wished, besides having wings normally. They wore many different outfits in varying colors. Their wings were furled, and were the exact color of their hair. They filled nearly half the audience chamber.
After they were all seated Empress Vereninhosi stood to welcome her guests.
"I am honored that such a group showed here today. I am truly happy to announce, we open our fish trade to Vestan this next season, for they have great items there which have meaning to my kingdom. My coronation is tomorrow, and it would please me if, under convenience to you all, the leading families spoke a speech for my crown. Welcome truly to Murasaki and allow us to heap our hospitality on you.
"I would be honored to present, and hopefully they wish to be presented, the Lord of Futura and his apprentice." she raised her hands in a sign of great hope and waited as children walked to her sides. The older one, a boy of nine with hair like shimmering diamonds and eyes of the same color, stood on the Empress's right. The younger boy, a small thing of six, had snow white hair and bottomless black eyes.
"We accept your presentation, Lady Queen." the boys said simultaneously. They bowed slightly to the onlookers and to be named.
"The Lord of Futura, Lord Tree Child," she said, gesturing to the older of the pair. "His apprentice, Snow-hare." her hand waved towards the younger, who bowed, and then she clasped her hands.
The pair went and sat in the center chairs, which had been left unoccupied for them. The Empress sat and clapped her hands, the moment the echo ended, singular tables appeared in front of each, all ladened with foods special to each country.
The delicious delicacies of Aka, honey wrapped rolls of acorn dough and sweetened greens, were in abundance on each table. The floured corn roll from Ao provided a splendid backdrop for the Vestan choice of smoked and soured juniper leaves. Juicy Pienapas, colorful dough wrapped in pork, sat docile in the far corner, a given on any Chairon's table. Close at hand was the special Kirroan wine, meant to wash done the dry but savory apple bread from Shiro.
To the right was the delicate Rose cake, a odd mix of sweetened pheasant and rose petals specialized in Midori, accompanying that was Kuro's fine appetizer of gently steamed Frezans, an odd mixture from a plant bred from apples and carrots. Orenji was represented by hard boiled potato bread. A gentle sauce made from shrimp and fish came from the Empress's own favorite dish.
A single tray was laid down after the tables came into existence, ladened already with the meal from the ten empires. This held the main meal, which was from Futura, the Lord Tree Child's land. It was a spicy flavored bird, doused in sweetened honey, steamed in the juices from broiled fish. Around this piece lay multicolored apples which were covered with bright yellow cabbage leaves. Besides this sat a mug of golden pear wine, the only such wine that was made in that particular way.
The meal passed without much excitement. She could hear several modes of conversation around the edges.
"Exactly how to you explain these lights then?" a blond Vestan said, flicking her wings in frustration. Her converser was Lady Xaxis, who closed her blind eyes before moving the strand of golden brown hair that fell between them.
"I allow simply the fact that they surround our Highest Temple ward people from believing them ill fated. Surely you, Priestess Huti, would follow the same path." Lady Xaxis said.
She quickly lost interest in the conversation, which was between two priestesses and would undoubtedly drive her insane. She turned her focus onto Prince Toph and Princess Soph, who sat side by side. They were siblings, and were, she knew, together in a very non-sibling like relationship. They made her sicker than the Lords of Orenji. She turned her views to Prince Benjik, who sat besides her. He saw her looking and smiled.
"Hello." he said. He was a young man, maybe even her age. His hair was braided down his back and twisted into designs near the top of his head. "You are?"
"I am Suesan." she said quietly. Nobility never spoke to her. It made them seem tainted, she had heard one say.
"I am Benjik." his smile was perfect, a dazzling white that showed perfectly square teeth. She turned away and focused back on her food, it wouldn't do for the heir of Orenji to fall in love with her and get killed.