Monday, June 20, 1066 SE, continued
When they meet for breakfast, Mon, Marigold and Branna go over the loose threads they have accumulated in the last few weeks. First, someone on Katarina is making good quality armor for an unknown purpose. There is an separatist movement on the island that seems determined to break away from the Kingdom of Sezja. When will the King arrive, and what is the true purpose of his visit? What is the Cardinal up to? All of these are good questions they wish they had answers for.
Mon suggests they could make a listening device that could be placed in the Cardinal's office. Marigold agrees it's a good idea, but how would this be placed inside his office? Had Mon not done everything to antagonize the Cardinal these last few months, setting up this listening device would be easier. Mon muses whether Sir Matviy, Sir Gregory's lawyer, could carry the device inside the office, since he's been there before. Marigold slaps him on the head. Sir Matviy would never agree to knowingly commit a crime.
Mon shares with Branna and Marigold that he sent a letter to the Marquess of Sidorov about adopting Dukha. He describes the content of the letter to his friends. Branna voices her concern that Dukha is blindly walking in a situation that will be beyond her control, and she may not know how to behave.
Joseph who was also sitting there, gives Mon credit for setting this plan in motion, and wishes aloud he could also be adopted by someone wealthy so he could quit this job. He sighs, then leaves the breakfast table. Marigold uses this opportunity to grabs some non perishable items from breakfast she can stasch away in case they quickly need to go on the lamb.
The theater's capenter, with a larger than life personality enters the Palace's cafeteria. Mon, Branna, and Marigold are always amazed at the web of relationships Pavel has established with everyone. They are more surprised when they suddenly notice that Zoryany, Sir Paul Stal's assistant, has appeared at their table, taking Joseph's empty seat. None of them noticed her arriving. Marigold, recovering from her surprise, mentions that it's a pretty neat trick to be able to arrive without being seen. Zoryany ignores the comment, and tells them that Sir Stal thought they should plan on being in Low Town Wednesday around noon time, and that they should feel free to pass along this information to any of their friends or associates. She stands and departs the cafeteria under their incredulous faces.
Pavel, who noticed Zoryany, stops by Branna's table and exchanges a few pleasantries, before asking who was just here with them. Mon tells the carpenter about Zoryany, and Pavel is impressed that they met Sir Stal. Mon proceeds to tell him that Zoryany was delivering information that seems to indicate the King would arrive around noontime on Wednesday, two days from now. Surprised, Pavel tells them he will notify Sir Gregory at once. Mon tells him that he will inform Sir Gregory of the date and time of the King's arrival. Pavel thanks Mon for taking care of this.
Returning to her room after breakfast and noticing that her roommate has left, Marigold she places her emergency pack in an inconspicuous place in case she needs to leave. She then heads to work for the rest of the day, joining Branna.
Meanwhile, Mon wonders where he could find information on what happened to Anya. She could have joined Captain Lafoy's pirates, she could have left the island, or something more sinister could have happened to her. Perhaps Captain Popov would have information, or would know who could tell of the movements on the docks. The actor also wonders whether any of the older pages might remember Anya. After all, she moved around the theater quite a bit, so someone must have seen her at some point. The older pages do not remember her, but they agree to be on the lookout for Anya and will report any information they discover. Mon promises them fudge for any important information.
Returning to the Palace with Branna and Marigold after his nightly performance in the play, Mon is informed he has received a letter. It is pink, smells like vanilla, and bears the seal of House Sidorov. They withdraw to the sparsely populated cafeteria for a late snack, and Mon reads the letter from the Marquess to his friends.
Dear Mon,
I write to you with a heart brimming with joy! Lady Sirenko and I had the most delightful encounter with the young lady Dukha. Her spirit is as bright as a summer's day, and her voice filled the room with a melody that warmed my soul.
Dukha possesses a charm and grace that is simply captivating. We conversed for quite some time, and I was deeply impressed by her intelligence and genuine nature, not to say anything about her boundless appetite! There's a spark in her eyes that speaks of a bright future ahead.
I have not yet approached Dukha with the idea of welcoming her into our family, to formally adopt her and provide her with a loving, permanent home. She mentioned several times the unknown fate of her sister Anya, and I worry that she may choose to remain at the Legendary, hoping her sister will return for her.
I plan on meeting with her again, and continue our spirited discussions, and perhaps in time she will come to see the advantages moving to Sidorov Manor would bring, including an education money simply cannot buy. However, I would truly appreciate your help in providing this young girl with the guidance to see the wisdom in making such a monumental decision.
With all my love,
Zoya, Marques of Sidorov
Mon beams with pride. His plan is working!
Tuesday, June 21, 1066 SE
As Branna begins her work at the Legendary, a page boy rushes in with a note in his hand. Reading the note, she sees it is an urgent cry for help from the Marquess, and her carriage awaits the elf outside. Grabbing her tools of the trade, Branna rushes out of the Legendary, thinking that this might be a clothing emergency at Sidorov Manor. When she arrives, she discovers it is much worse.
The amazing emerald green dress she crafted for the Marquess and gave to her only two days ago is missing! In tears, the Marquess reports that she went to try it on again this morning after breakfast, only to notice it was no longer in its protective sleeve inside her wardrobe. Thinking that perhaps Lady Sirenko has tried it on, she went into her friend's room, but it wasn't there either, and Lady Sirenko did not know what had happened to the dress. They searched the manor high and low, and did not find the dress. No other item, nor jewelry, appears to be missing. In between two sobs, the Marquess begs Branna to make her a new dress before the King arrives, and Branna readily agrees. Expressing the worry that it was one of their competing nobles who arranged for the theft, the Marquess promises to crush whomever took the dress. Branna inquires as to who knew the dress was here. Aside from the elf, the Marquess tells her only herself, Lady Sirenko, Dukha, and her faithful butler Olehiv knew the dress was here. She, Lady Sirenko and Dukha even played dress-up with it yesterday, and that was the last time the Marquess saw the dress.
Using his shadowstepping, Mon transports himself to the landing outside Dukha's bedroom in the theater's attic. He knocks on the door sofly, and, hearing no answer, he enters the room and looks for the dress. He does not find it anywhere. Examining the room closer, Mon notices that no one slept here last night. Looking at the journal Dukha keeps under her mattress, Mon realizes she has not written anything for Monday. Suspecting she might be hiding in the carriage house at Sidorov Manor with her ill-gotten new acquisition, Mon turns himself invisible and heads to Sidorov Manor to check whether she might be hiding somewhere on the property other than the manor house.
While Branna immediately gets back to work to craft a new dress in a hurry, Marigold visits the city's three second hand shops looking for the dress. There is no trace of the dress at either the Driftwood Den or at the Second Wind, where neither the dress nor Dukha or her boy alterego were seen, but at the Shimmering Second Hand, Marigold discovers an emerald dress that looks almost exactly like the garment she is looking for. But then she takes a second look, and it turns out that it's just a regular green dress, and it doesn't resemble Branna's creation at all. Marigold questions the proprietress, who informs her that she has not seen anyone who matches Dukha's description, in either gender.
While working on the Marquess's new dress, it occurs to Branna that, if it was in fact stolen by another noble, the Marquess could find herself in the unenviable situation of wearing exactly the same dress as someone else at a party the King could be attending. She therefore dispatches a letter to the Marquess asking her whether she should modify the dress in case someone else shows up at one the balls with it. The Marquess replies that, given the circumstances, this would probably be for the best, though she really loved the emerald dress as it was. Branna comes up with minor alterations, which she thinks improve this new version of the dress. She also plans to fit the Marquess at the last possible minute to avoid the dress being stolen again.
Marigold returns from her visits to the second-hand shops, and finds Branna working hard on the Marquess's new dress. Sitting next to her friend, Marigold wonders whether someone was standing outside and saw Dukha wearing the emerald green dress when she was playing dress up with the Marquess and Lady Sirenko, and could have decided this child was worth kidnapping. Marigold further muses that perhaps Lady Sirenko herself is involved in Dukha's disappearance. Marigold remembers the flash of jealousy that had crossed Lady Sirenko's face when she first saw the Marquess wearing the emerald dress, and, coupled that her and the Marquess might be more than friends, it is possible that she might be worried about losing part or all of the Marquess's financial support if Dukha were to be adopted and become heiress to the Sidorov's name and fortune.
Meanwhile, Mon arrives at Sidorov Manor and searches the carriage house, but find not evidence that Dukha or the emerald green dress have been here. Examining the grounds, he notices the footsteps of a child in the grass, which treaded away from the Manor back to the main road. Of course Dukha wouldn't have walked where she was supposed to! Perhaps Dukha was so full after eating so much, as the Marquess mentioned in her letter, that she felt the need to take a nap. Maybe she laid herself down somewhere along the way back to the Legendary. Mon's worries increase as he wonders who might have stumbled upon a sleeping child with a green dress.
Following the road back to Katarina, Mon comes to a lovely pond just outside the town limits. The pond is on the west side of the road, and is often used to freshen up horses coming into town or leaving. There is a small meadow on the other side of the pond, and a creek hidden by trees. This would make a perfect spot to take a nap. Sure enough, Mon finds signs that a child walked through here, but there is also evidence that two adults also followed the child's steps. By the creek, Mon finds Dukha's beret, as well as evidence of a struggle. Two obviously male sets of footsteps head down the creek, towards Katarina. Dukha was either taken by the city guard for vagrancy or by the Cardinal's men, for more sinister purposes. Leaving the hat right where he found it, he runs back to town.
Looking for Dima, the Captain of the guard in Katarina, Mon locates him in Low Town, where he and the rest of the city guard are rehearsing maneuvers and crowd control. Mon tells him about Dukha's abduction, and explains who the child is and what she was doing, telling the Captain that the Marquess is seriously considering adopting her and anointing Dukha her heir, making her a valuable victim. Dima confirm his worst fears that the city guard did not arrest the child. Mon convinces Dima to come with him and explore the site where she was taken. Dima and two guards travel with Mon to the pond, where, after careful examination, Dima informs Mon that she was most likely seized by the Cardinal's men, and based on the description Mon provided, if she was indeed asleep wearing boys clothes and in possession of a stolen dress, she would have been arrested for violating the morals of the Church by cross-dressing and for being in possession of stolen property.
Mon rushes to Katarina, hoping to catch Sir Matviy, Sir Gregory's lawyer, before he goes home. Fortunately, the man himself is locking the front door that leads to his second level office when Mon reaches him. Understanding the urgency of the situation, Sir Matviy welcomes the actor inside, and Mon presents the information he has collected so far. Sir Matviy agrees to go to the Cathedral and determine whether Dukha was in fact arrested or not, and, if she was, under what charges. The lawyer departs for the Cathedral, while Mon returns to the Legendary just in time for that evening's performance.
Following an uneventful performance, Mon returns to his dressing room and discovers a note from Sir Matviy that Dukha was indeed arrested for cross dressing and for being in possession of stolen goods. She is to be tried at a special religious court session tomorrow, which is highly unusual since the religious court usually meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon, following the noon service. Returning to the Palace, Mon meets up with Marigold and Branna and tells them what he discovers and what he plans to do. Tomorrow morning, he will be ad the Drowned Sailor's Stiches, waiting for Orest, the owner, to open. He will get that listening item commissioned, so that they can spy on the Cardinal. Branna suggests that a note be sent to Sir Matviy letting him know that the stolen goods could be the emerald green dress of the Marquess, and that her butler, Olehiv, could certainly identify it as such. A letter is soon penned and sent, and the three friends withdraw for the night.
Wednesday, June 22, 1066 SE
At 6 am, Mon departs the Palace and heads to Low Town, so that he can be at the Drowned Sailor's Stiches as soon as it opens. Reaching the Hill Road that heads from the Heights to Low Town, Mon notices that three large ships flying the colors of the Royal Navy are on the north side of Spokoya Bay. Taking a closer look, Mon realizes two of these ships are warships of the line, while the third is the royal yacht. The King and his entourage are already here, and must have arrived during the night. Mon hurries down Hill Road and arrives at the Drowned Sailor's Stiches, but the store is currently closed. In a bold decision, Mon knocks on the door anyway, in case the dwarf Orest is already here.
At first, no one answers the door, but after an additional series of knocks, the shutters on the second floor window opens, and Orest pokes his head out. Mon apologizes to the dwarf for this early visit, but it is somewhat of an emergency, and he would like to meet with the enchanter now. A few minutes later, Orest opens the shop's door, and lets Mon inside. The actor then describes to Orest that time is of the essence. He mentions that Sir Gregory would like to purchase two brooches that would allow for communication, and he describes them and their capabilities to the enchanter. Mon then comes to the purpose of his visit.
He describes to Orest a set of listening devices that would allow someone to holding the receiver piece to eavesdrop on the broadcasting piece. He would like the broadcaster to look like an ear, and the receiver to look like a mouth, and he would like these done before noon if that is feasible. Orest tells Mon that it can be done, but it would cost 700 gold pieces. A less rushed job would be substantially less pricey. After some negotiations, Mon agrees to pay 200 gold pieces, and to turn over four of his expensive bottles of wine. Orest tells the actor to return at noon to collect his items, and that he would have a price for the other devices for Sir Gregory.
Branna wakes up early as well, and heads to the costumes department to continue working on the Marquess' new dress. She should be done in the next few hours.Having concluded his business with Orest, Mon heads to the Anchor's Luck, hoping to find Captain Popov there. This early in the morning, the tavern looks even dirtier than it usually does. From here, Mon has a good view of the ships in the bay, and he can tell there is some activity occurring on the warships. Inside the tavern, Mon finds Ivan behind the bar, stocking bottles. Mon inquires if Popov is here, and the bartender points to the Captain's usual seat by the fireplace. Popov is snoring softly under a blanket. Mon wakes him gently, and once Popov has had something to drink, the actor tells him about the ships in the bay, and asks him to send out feelers about Anya. Perhaps someone on the docks saw her board a ship in the last 18 months.
Popov and Mon step outside, and Popov wonders where the other ships are, as he's under the impression that seven ships departed Sezja to come to Katarina. Mon speculates that perhaps they are outside the fjord. Seeing that a crowd has already assembled this early in the morning, Mon rents Ivan's balcony on the second floor of the Anchor's Luck, and he sends page boys to deliver messages to Branna and Marigold at the Legendary that the King has now arrived. He will land at noon, and Mon has reserved space on the balcony of the Anchor's Luck.
In the next few hours, several town criers pass by the Anchor's Luck, announcing that the King will land at the docks at noon. Around 10, Mon and Popov, who have been sitting on Ivan's porch, notice a boat launching from one of the warships, and soon a slew of reporters from the mainland disembark, ready to cover the meeting. Mon recognizes one of the men accompanying the reporters. Sir Sergeii is back on Katarina.
Both Branna and Marigold received Mon's message. When Branna finishes the Marquess's dress, she locks it up in a safe place, then her and her halfling friend head to Low Town. The streets are packed all the way from the Archduke's Palace to the docks, and it looks like half of the Island's population has come to the city for this momentous occasion. Even the Legendary's house orchestra is participating, setting up by Svetlozar Plaza. Eventually, both Branna and Marigold meet Mon and Popov on the Anchor's Luck's balcony. The crowds are thick here, with the city guard, the Cardinal's men, and people from all social classes, though Branna notices that no nobles are present in Low Town, aside from the Archduke himself, who is not accompanied by his wife and daughters, and the Cardinal, who stands on the opposite side of the dock, awaiting the King's arrival.
At 11:30, a skiff launches from the royal yatch, and it flies the royal banner. The King is on his way, and the crowd starts to cheer. The Starlight's house orchestra begins playing patriotic music. Mon absents himself, and shadowsteps into Orest's shop. As promised, the dwarf enchanter has the two listening bauble Mon requested. Mon thanks Orest profusely, and he shadowsteps back onto the balcony, telling Branna and Marigold that, with the Cardinal here, this is the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Cathedral and place the listening device in the Cardinal's office. Shadowstepping once more, Mon transports himself to the cliffs, turns himself invisible, and begins climbing the cliff to emerge near Svetozar Plaza.
As the King's launch nears the dock, Branna notices that the Archduke and the Cardinal are now whispering angry words to each other. But as the launch docks, a plank is lowered, a red carpet is unfurled, and King Stanislas Rurik II lands in Katarina, to thunderous cheers and applause, and to the music of the Sezjan and Katarina anthems. The King warmly embraces the Archduke, before shaking the Cardinal's hand. Marigold does not fail to notice that this interaction is much colder.
Greeting the people of Katarina, the King stands on a dais prepared for the occasion. Popov tells Branna and Marigold that the King is either foolish or supremely confident, for aside from the city guard and the Cardinal's men, there appear to be no other soldiers on the docks, and the crowd, if so inclined, could easily reach the King. Waving once more at the crowd, the King moves his hands up and down, requesting silence. The crowd complies, and a hush falls on Low Town.
In a clear voice heard by all and obviously magical, the King makes a speech without any notes:
People of Katarina! People of Sezja!
I stand before you today not only as the King of Sezja, and not as the great moral leader of our most esteemed Church, but also as a devoted father who loves all his children. And make no mistake, the people of Katarina, a cultural and economic jewel in the crown of Sezja, are as much a part of Sezja as the waves are part of the ocean.
We are Sezja, a tapestry woven from threads of different colors and textures, each thread vital to the beauty of the whole. We are stronger together, our shared history a foundation upon which we can build a brighter future for all!
Have we not faced challenges together? Remember the triumphs we have shared, the laughter that has echoed through our streets! Katarina's spirit, its resilience, its unwavering optimism, its distinguished culture – these are threads that enrich the tapestry of Sezja! And together, let us weave a new chapter in this tapestry, a chapter rich with mutual respect and shared prosperity. Let us choose unity, for in unity lies our greatest strength.
Thank you. I am eager to meeting all of you, learning more about your culture and your customs. I look forward to enjoy all of the beauty and entertainment that Katarina has to offer during my stay here. May Katarina and Sezja forever walk hand in hand....
Popov looks at Branna and Marigold, and tells them that this seems like a pretty clear message from Sezja to the people of Katarina ...
