Consciousness slowly returned to me.  A wafted scent, a soft
trill of sound, a flicker of sight; each of my senses reported back to
me in turn, informing me of my continued existence.  This was, in my
estimation, a good thing.
        I groaned, lifting myself up in my bed, resting my back
against the headboard.  My shoulders and back muscles were still
slightly sensitive, but had fully healed thanks to Hiko's and Wasyuu's
ministrations.  It was mostly a psychosomatic reminder of the damage I
had taken after the disaster that had been Kozue and Madoka's Rose
Duel.
        How long ago had that been, now?  A week?  Less?  It felt
worlds away, a long-ago occurance, the rapidity and frequency of
recent events causing a distortion of my mental time sense.  It was a
disconcerting sensation.
        I still had no idea how long I had been out.
        Frowning, I looked out the windows.  The day's sunlight
continued to pour through the half-opened curtains.  The angle of the
sunbeams as they played across the various mementos in my room implied
that it was some time in the mid-afternoon.  The ticking mechanical
clock, an import from Shadow, confirmed this.
        So, a day had passed, perhaps, if not more.  That matched
relatively well with my memories of the prior day, which even now had
that distanced, dreamlike quality that one gains when one is not sure
of the reality of one's actions under great stress.  So, what next?
        It dawned on me that I was ravenously hungry.
        I managed a soft chuckle, whetting my dried lips, as my
stomach rumbled at the thoughts of filling it with the most sumptuous
meals the chefs of Arden and Castle Amber could provide.  I needed
food, and lots of it, to replenish my reserves.  I reflexively reached
for my trump case with my left hand, ready to pull out a trump of the
Stronghold's chef, or Chef Bork, but I was answered with a dull thunk.
        I paused at the sound, and lifted my hand.  The source of the
noise was now obvious.  The Fire Demi-Jewel and its golden chain were
still thoroughly entwined around my left hand, and had impacted
against my trump case when I had reached for it.
        My lips quirked in a smile.  I freed my right hand from
underneath the covers, and worked at untangling the gem and its chain
from my fingers.  Once freed, I considered the Demi-Jewel in my hand,
holding it up to the sunlight.  The large ruby gleamed, lit from
within by an fire that could not be dimmed by any means.  I knew this
now, very intimately, for I had walked through those fires, giving
myself to them as they had helped sustain me during my labors.
        Of course, food would help sustain me further, as my stomach
continued to remind me.  I would clearly need to address this concern,
which meant I would need to contact my staff.  I regarded the Fire
Jewel once more.
        It wouldn't do to be seen with the Demi-Jewel out in the open
at the moment; it would lead to too many questions.  Instead, I slid
the chain around my neck, and tucked the gem itself inside my bodice,
nestled between my breasts next to my rose locket.
        The jewel now hidden, I reached down and opened my trump case,
pulling out the trump of the stronghold's chef.  I concentrated, and
the connection opened, revealing to my eyes a heavy-set, mustached man
wearing a chef's apron and cap.  He was in the middle of the
stronghold's kitchens; I could see in the background a roaring fire
with a large pot bubbling over it.
        "Who is i-- Lady Corrine!"  He immediately wiped his hands,
and tried to make himself more presentable.  "We were not aware that
you had returned!"
        I managed a wry smile, and nodded to him.  "Well, as you can
see, I have returned, Chef Tell.  And as it turns out, I am very
hungry."
        "Of course, of course," the mustached man replied in a heavy
germanic accent.  "...if you do not mind, I will get back to you in a
moment?"
        I nodded again.  "You have my leave, Chef Tell."  Tell nodded
in return, and cut the trump connection.  I waited, patiently.  No
doubt he was searching through his own trump deck, one that I had
provided, looking for my trump card.  I could almost count down the
seconds until he would reply.  Five.. four... three... two... one...
        The familiar sensation of a Trump contact tickled in the back
of my mind.  I chuckled softly, and ruffled through my own deck.
Indeed, the good chef's trump was active, letting me know that he was
trying to reach me.  I smiled, and allowed the connection to activate.
        "Ahh, Lady Corrine!  It's good to see you again!"
        I couldn't help but grin.  "And it's good to see you again
too, Chef Tell.  And I'm still hungry.  Care to help me correct this
state of affairs?"
        The portly chef chuckled as he nodded.  "I think we can
arrange that.  My... apologies for my abruptness earlier --"
        "Think nothing of it, Chef Tell.  After all, I was the one who
put that particular measure into effect, yes?"
        "Indeed, milady."  The chef nodded again.  "We cannot be too
careful during these trying times."
        "Exactly," I agreed, but further digression on the current
state of Amber affairs was cut off by the more immediate concerns of
my stomach, which once again protested its current state of emptiness.
"But to get back to the matter at hand --"
        "Of course.  Would milady care for a late lunch?  Or an early
supper?"
        I smiled more broadly.  "Would both be available?  And for
that matter, breakfast?"
        Chef Tell blinked.  "Are you certain, ma'am?  That would... be
quite a lot to eat in one sitting..."
        "I'm that hungry, Tell.  Figure it out."
        The chef wiped his brow, and wrung his hands.  "As milady
wishes, of course.  Your meal should be ready within the hour."
        "Yes, I do." I paused, and continued.  "And thank you, for
going to such trouble on such short notice.  I know it's a lot."
        He smiled again.  "Over time, milady Corrine, one gets used to
it."  He chuckled, and I joined in.
        "Well, can I help it if you produce such sumptuous meals?  I
swear, you're just fattening me up..."
        "Milady, with you, it could only help contribute to your
wondrous physique."
        I felt a slight blush rising on my cheeks.  "...Flatterer." I
then coughed, to regain my composture.  "... In any case, I won't hold
you from your work any longer."
        "Thank you, milady."  The chef grinned, and cut the
connection.
        I sighed, and leaned back against the headboard once more.  An
hour until I would be able to eat, at the latest.  Well, that gave me
enough time to find out the current state of the forest and kingdom in
the interim.  I shuffled through my Trump Deck again, and pulled out
the card for Fingolfin.
        I concentrated, and soon the image of the elven lord became
clear to me.  Behind him I could see the depths of Arden, and another
ranger with whom he had presumably been talking to before I had
called.
        "Ah, Lady Silverleaf," Fingolfin smiled in his subdued way.
"I trust all is well with you?"
        I smiled back, slightly.  "As well as could be expected,
Fingolfin, thank you."
        "Is there something you wish to speak with me about?" he
asked.
        "Indeed, there is.  Several somethings, in fact, though
perferrably without outside distractions."
        "A moment, then, milady?"
        "Of course."
        I felt the Trump contact disconnect, and I waited the seconds
it would take for Fingolfin to excuse himself and to pull out his own
Trump of myself.
        The tingle of a Trump contact returned, and I checked my
cards.  Fingolfin's Trump was active, and I let the connection form.
        "Now then, you were saying, Lady Corrine?"
        I relaxed, thoughtful, regarding the elf's image.  "What is
the current state of the Forest?  Has there been any incursions since
that of the disguised Questing Beast?"
        Fingolfin shook his head.  "None since the events of three
days ago, milady.  And we have been checking the identities of the
Rangers and Lodge staff regularly.  To the best of our knowledge,
there have been no other infiltrators."
        I nodded.  "What of the forest borders?  Any caravans
scheduled to pass through in the next few days?  Anybody planning a
hunt?"
        "Not to my knowledge.  The week's traffic along the roads to
and from the city has been light.  And no persons have given notice of
a desire to hunt within the boundaries of Arden this week, nor have
any new Writs been issued."
        "All right..." I hesitated a moment before continuing.  "What
of the progress of Princess Juri and Princess Hiko?"
        Part of me hated to be a busybody in such a fashion, using my
network of Rangers to watch over the members of my family as they
travelled through Arden, but the rest of me felt it was a worthwhile
safety precaution due to the recent troubles.
        "The Lady Juri and the Lady Hiko continue to progress west
through the forest towards Fork, and there has been no impediment to
their travels.  The Rangers on assignment in that section have made
sure of that.  They estimate the two ladies will exit the Forest
tomorrow, and therefore will be out of our jurisdiction at that
point."
        I nodded, relaxing further, before another thought occurred to
me.  "And what about Prince Shizumaru and Princess Michelle?"
        The corners of Fingolfin's lips quirked upwards.  "They are a
day behind the Princesses Juri and Hiko, Lady Corrine, and traveling
in the same direction.  No doubt they will exit the Forest the day
after the princesses."
        "Of course."  I chuckled softly.  "Thank you, Fingolfin.
You've helped put my mind at ease."
        "You are welcome, of course.  Will there be anything else?"
        I considered my options for a moment, and then came to a
decision.  "At the moment, no... but I may be away from Forest Arden a
while longer.  My return here is just a brief respite; I have affairs
elsewhere that I need must attend to.  I will keep in touch, however,
via Trump.  Daily, if possible."
        Fingolfin nodded.  "As you wish, Lady Corrine.  May you
succeed in your endeavors."
        I smiled.  "Thank you, Lord Fingolfin.  And may you and the
Rangers remain vigilant yet not need to exercise said vigilance."
        Fingolfin gave a quick half-bow to me.  "Thank you, milady."
        With that, his hand passed over the card, and the connection
was broken.

        For several minutes, I continued to sit in my bed, quietly
pondering.  Outside my window, there was the sound of bird-song, and
if I closed my eyes I could almost pretend that this was just another
springtime day in Arden... no mysterious prophesies, no dire
predictions of doom, no appearance of insane dopplegangers, no
fantastic quests, no mysterious manipulators pulling the strings of my
brothers and sisters...
        ... no new members of our family ...
        I rubbed my eyes, opening them again.  This was no time to be
getting melancholy.  I had things to be about, things to see with my
own two eyes -- such as the Fire Pattern.  I was still alive, but the
ribbon of doubt crept within me, nagging and worrying at my mind as to
wether I had been truly successful.  Was it repaired?  And if so, what
effect did my actions have on Ember?
        It also slowly dawned on me that I had left my backpack with
provisions, my crossbow, my lamp, and my sheathed sword back in the
Pattern Chamber in Vesuvius.
        Whups.
        I chuckled, my lips curling upward.  Even in the midst of all
these tumultuous events, I was concerned over mundane things.  What
could happen -- somebody would steal them?  I snorted in amusement.
Hardly.  The city of Ember had been empty for centuries if not
millennia; a few more days would not disturb my belongings.
        Even so, they did provide a focus for my plans.
        Yes, I would return to Ember.  I would Trump to the chamber of
the Fire Pattern, and see if I had accomplished what I had set out to
do.  I would gather my personal effects, and then see if any changes
had been triggered by the repair.  And then, I would return home, to
help assist in any way I could with the coming crisises.
        But, before that, I would eat.  I was starving.
         
        An hour and a half later, I polished off the remains of the
meal provided to me by Chef Tell.  He had brought my food to my room
personally, and had fussed over me at seeing that I appeared to be
bedridden.  I managed to wave off his offers to contact Wasyuu,
instead claiming that I truly wasn't that bad off, and that his meal
would help me feel better.
        Which was true.  Already I was feeling more alive and
energetic, thanks to the high-energy foods Chef Tell had provided.  I
now felt up to the task of exploring Ember once more.
        I got up out of my bed and stretched, working the kinks out of
my limbs and back.  I rolled the cart that had held Chef Tell's late
lunch at the side of my bed back into the outer hallway.  It would be
picked up and returned to the kitchens by one of the servants.  I
returned to my room, and locked my door.
        I searched for my shoes, and found them arrayed on the floor
where I had cast them off earlier.  Sitting on the edge of my bed, I
pulled my footwear back on and secured them.  I stood again, and
stretched once more.
        I considered myself in the open closet mirror.  I looked
disheveled but still healthy, my hair moderately presentable, my
clothes wrinkled and dust-stained.  They could use a wash, but I
wasn't overly concerned; I tended to look worse after a long day of
patrol in the depths of Arden.  I patted myself down, straightening my
garments, and felt the reassuring bulk of my trump case on my left
hip, and the warm bulge of the Fire Demi-Jewel of Judgment in the
middle of my chest.
        I was as ready as I was going to be for resuming my
expedition.  There was no sense in waiting any longer.  I reached for
my trump case, popped it open, and pulled out another one of the
Trumps I had painted for Ember, years ago.  This one portrayed the
great curving arcs of a Pattern, engraved in red against a black
basalt floor -- the Fire Pattern chamber of Ember.
        I concentrated on the image on the card.  I felt the
beginnings of connection, and the world behind me became shadows at my
back as the card's image resolved into clarity, becoming my reality...
        I stepped between places in a shimmer of rainbow light.

        The heat assailed me once more as I stepped through the Trump
into the Fire Pattern chamber.  Oddly, the temperature didn't feel as
overwhelming as it had on the prior times I had visited.  I gained my
bearings as I adjusted to the warmth, looking around the large room in
the heart of Vesuvius.  I had appeared in the area of the chamber that
was between the door and the Fire Pattern itself, and therefore I had
a good amount of space to turn around and move.
        One thing I noticed first off was that the room seemed
brighter, somehow.  The Pattern still provided the primary means of
illumination of course, but the walls themselves appeared to glow dimly
from within.  Enough light was added that it was doubtful that I would
need a lantern anymore.
        I reached forward to touch the nearest wall, and could feel
the warmth of the glowing volcanic rock through my palms.  Curious.  I
couldn't recall them having done that before.  I patted the carved
stone, and then turned to regard the Fire Pattern itself.
        My eyes traced the lines of the glimmering ruby Pattern as I
walked closer.  The landmarks were familiar as I skirted the edges of
the great glowing sigil in the rock, moving towards the far end where
the Fire Pattern started -- the First Veil, the Second Veil, the Grand
Curve...
        And there, gleaming brightly near the center, where once there
had been darkness, shone the Final Veil in all its glory.
        My eyes widened as the knowledge settled into my mind and
soul.  Here was incontrivertable proof of the validity of my actions,
a testament to my deed performed here the day before.  There could be
no denying it now, not as long as the Fire Pattern blazed in all its
glorious brilliance in front of me.
        I had repaired the Fire Pattern.
        A chuckle began to rise in my throat.  It rapidly transformed
itself into laughter as a curious elation spread through the core of
my being.  My voice echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the
walls.  I performed a little pirouette in the far corner of the large
room, uncaring if anyone saw me, which was doubtful in the extreme.
        I had DONE it!  I had accomplished an act of restoration, of
creation, unequaled by my siblings.  To the best of my knowledge,
only two of my brothers had attempted similar deeds, and each of them
had had less damage to repair.  My eldest brother Tylor had repaired
the Earth Pattern in Kolvir mere days before his crowning as King of
Amber, and my younger brother Derith, a master of the arts of the
Pattern, had repaired the damage done to the Water Pattern of Rebma
while the rest of us watched.  Both of them had been extremely tested
by their own efforts, to the point of collapse, as I had.
        But neither of them had needed to repair the torturous curves
and angles of the Final Veil, the most difficult part of the Pattern
to traverse.  To walk its expanse when its lines had been damaged,
burned out, would have been suicidal for a lesser person, or even the
more hardy of my siblings.  Including Tylor and Derith.
        But I had.  I had survived.  And in the process, thanks to the
Fire Demi-Jewel which now rested against my chest, I had recreated the
path.  I now had a true measure of what I could accomplish when I put
my mind to it, what limits I could push myself to, clearer than any
battle I had ever fought.
        I slowed in my happy turnings, my laughter settling down as I
once again looked out over what I had accomplished.  My eyes again
traced along the lines of the Fire Pattern towards the center and the
Final Veil.  I paused, and re-traced the curves and angles of the last
portion of the Pattern with my eyes.
        Was it me, or were those twists and turns different from what
I remembered?
        I shook my head.  It couldn't be, of course; after all, the
Fire Pattern was a one-hundred-eighty degree rotation of the Earth
Pattern in Kolvir.  Their orientation was different, but the layout
was the same.  
        Of course, to make certain of my hypothesis, I would have to
walk the Fire Pattern once more.  I had no doubts I could traverse it
without difficulty now, but I did not have a desire to do so at this
point of time.  For the moment, I would leave this particular mystery
unsolved.
        I started to walk my way back to the entrance side of the
Pattern room, skirting the opposite side of the great sigil from where
I had walked before.  I looked down at the ruby tracery as I passed
close by it.  The Fire Pattern gleamed and shimmered, and I tapped my
chin, thoughtfully.
        For some reason I could not completely understand, it felt 
more familiar to me now.  I could not put it into easy words, but
the sensations felt similar to what I had experienced after I had
attuned myself to the Fire Demi-Jewel of Judgment.  But they were
different, as well.  It was almost as if the Fire Pattern had marked
me as I had marked it in walking and repairing it, connecting us on
some primal, base level I could not fully elucidate.
        I shook my head.  Something to ask grandfather about when I
had the time, I supposed.  I then looked upwards, and paused.
        The gigantic hole that had been punched straight through the
core of Vesuvius, through the ceiling of the Fire Pattern chamber,
directly above the Final Veil, was gone.
        My brow furrowed.  This was odd; I could not even see any
signs of repair.  It was as if the tunnel that had admitted whatever
had damaged the Fire Pattern had never been created in the first
place.  Of course, in order to physically repair said hole by mundane
means would have required a scaffolding erected over the Pattern, a
foolhardy maneuver at even the best of times.
        So how had the damage above the Final Veil been repaired?  I
did not know.  It was another in the line of questions to ask
Fuyutsuki that were building in my mind.  I continued the rest of the
way to the front of the room, intent on collecting my belongings and
leaving the Pattern chamber to see what other changes had occured.
        However, this intention was thwarted, for my personal items
were not near the door as I remembered.
        "What the hell?"  I scratched my head in confusion, and
kneeled down to examine the area where I had dropped my sword-belt and
pack before starting to repair the Fire Pattern.  There was a decided
lack of provisions and weapons at the juncture of wall and floor, just
a light coating of dust and dirt...
        ... No, wait.
        I ran my bare hands through the drifted detritus, brushing it
from side to side.  My fingers caught on something.  I pulled it free,
and blew the dust away from its pitted surface.
        It was a piece of corroded metal.
        I peered at the strip of iron, confused.  How did that get
there?  The last time I had checked the Pattern chamber, it had been
clear of debris.  I had specifically taken the time to try and clean
up the room several visits back, as a matter of fact.
        I rubbed my fingers over the strip of metal some more.  It was
thick, and somewhat curved, with prongs at both ends.  Holes in the
middle indicated it could be mounted to something.  The metal piece
seemed familiar; where had I seen its like before?
        The answer hit me, and I drew in a quick breath.  It was the
main crosspiece of a crossbow.
        Specifically, the crosspiece of -my- crossbow.  I shuddered,
and tossed the strap aside.  The strip of metal clattered against the
basalt floor as I resumed my search.  I found more scraps and shavings
of metal in various states of disrepair that after some examination
became recognizable: buckles and fasteners that used to be a part of
a backpack and sword-belt, a chipped and pitted length of metal that
in some distant past could have been a broadsword, fragments of
lattice that could have been parts of a lamp...
        I sat back on my haunches, and regarded the scraps of
corroded, decayed metal.  One piece could have been a coincidence, but
the total collection told a different story.  These were the sole
remains of my supplies from when I had arrived the day before.
Everything else, the wood of my crossbow, the fabric and leather of my
pack, belt, and scabbard, the food and drink that had been my
provisions, had long since crumbled away to the dust before my knees.
        How had this happened?  If I didn't know better, I would have
sworn that my supplies had fallen prey to time's swift passage.  After
all, I had seen plenty of the same in the castle and city I was
currently in, during past explorations.  I certainly knew how to
recognize the signs.
        But, I had only been away for a day.  This couldn't have
happened.
        Could it?
        A possibility was coming to my mind.  I didn't like it, but it
was there.  I tried to put it out of my thoughts as I stood up to
consider the Pattern chamber again.  I needed more information, and I
doubted I could find it here.  Perhaps exploring the remains of the
castle would help.  I turned to step through the open doorway.
        There was a door in the middle of the doorway.  
        A very solid door, too, I noted to myself as I rubbed my nose.
That had hurt.
        I took a step backwards to regard the unexpected impediment to
my progress.  It was a very large door, similar to the ones blocking
the way to the Pattern chambers in Amber, Rebma, and Tir'na-Nog.  The
door was made of some wood I couldn't immediately recognize, perhaps
oak or walnut, and bound across its height, width, and edges with
broad straps of riveted iron.  Clearly, this door had been made to
withstand a lot of punishment.
        I reached forward, and pounded the side of my fist against the
wood of the door.  It was thick, too, if the dull thunk was any
indication.
        I nodded.  That was as it should have been.  The doors to the
Pattern chambers had been designed to be very difficult to penetrate,
so that one would have to unlock them to enter or exit.  The fact that
the key was usually left hanging by the door in the hallway appeared
to be an oversight, but Fuyutsuki had always assured us that there was
a very good reason why this was so.  Of course, he hadn't -explained-
what this reason was.  The going theory among the family was that it
was so that something inside the room could be prevented from
escaping, but it wasn't like the Patterns, any of them, would get up
and walk away...
        I idly tried the door handle.  Locked, of course.  For some
reason, I was not surprised.  I was now stuck in the formerly
hypothetical situation of someone trying to escape a Pattern chamber.
        Well, not technically stuck.  I did have the option of walking
the Fire Pattern once more.  If I was careful in traversing it, I
would not be harmed.  Once at the center, I could have the Fire
Pattern teleport myself to anywhere in Reality or Shadow, any place I
could imagine.
        I dismissed the notion.  I wanted answers, I wanted them now,
and my mounting concern and frustration over the mysterious
circumstances I had found myself in made me refuse to take any "easy"
ways out.
        I considered the door again.  In my experience, no door was
completely impenetrable.  It was just a matter of figuring out where
to apply the right amount of force.  
        I pulled back slightly, and then slammed my fist into the
center of the door, well away from the metal straps.  The door
shuddered slightly, but otherwise did not budge, as a loud thud echoed
through the Pattern chamber.
        A smile began to grace my lips.  From that one hit, I could
tell that the door was not as strong as it might have seemed to a
casual observer.  I had felt the wood of the door distort as I punched
it, and that meant if I kept up my assault, it could eventually be
broken through.
        I shoved up the sleeves of my blouse, and began to throw one
punch after another at the same spot.  My motions settled into an easy
rhythm, my body's muscles tensing and untensing in synch to provide
the precise amount of force that I needed.  The experience was almost
like one of my workouts in the stronghold's gym, just without the
additional background noise of other Rangers training.
        After what seemed to be hours, I took a momentary break to see
what damage I had caused.  I took some steps back, brushed away the
sheen of sweat that had developed on my forehead, and considered the
door once more.  A sizeable dent had developed in the vicinity of
where I had been punching the door, and fracture lines had started to
spread up and down along the grain of the wood.
        I nodded in satisfaction.  I was making clear progress, but in
order to break through I would need to redouble my efforts.  The
fracturing wood was halted by the straps of iron, clearly placed there
to prevent pinpoint attempts to break through, like what I was doing.
        Well then.  I would just have to adjust my methods a bit.  Let
it never be said that I wasn't adaptable.
        I backed up several more steps, and ran towards the door,
throwing the weight of my body behind my shoulders as I hit.  This
time, the entire door shook, and when I stepped back, I could see that
the metal straps had begun to bend around the point of impact.
        I grinned.  This was more like it.  So heartened, I increased
my attempts, slamming against the door again and again, feeling the
shocks through my muscles and bones as the chamber door began to give
way.  The sounds of my body hitting the door echoed through the room,
as well as that of splintering wood and distorting metal.
        The slight sound of cracking distracted me for a moment; had I
broken a bone?  I checked myself, found nothing wrong, and then looked
to the sides of the door.
        The edges of the doorway, carved into the very rock of
Vesuvius, were beginning to fracture near the door's hinges.
        I chuckled.  It would not be long now.  I returned to my
efforts, moving back and throwing my weight at the door like a short,
stocky, female battering ram.  Each impact shifted and stressed the
door a little more.  One more try ought to do it...
        I ran back, halting a few feet away from the glowing lines of
the Fire Pattern.  I rolled my sore shoulders, squared them, and then
sprinted the distance to the door.  I twisted at the last moment
before I hit, the strong muscles of my legs working in unison to throw
my body at the door.
        There was a resounding crash as the door finally ripped free
of its frame and tumbled out into the hallway, impacting hard against
the opposite wall.  I imagined the sound could have been heard
throughout Castle Ember, if there had been anyone around to hear it.
I rolled with the blow, landing in a crouch in the middle of the
dungeon hallway.
        I slowly got to my feet, and brushed off the splinters and
metal flakes that had accumulated on the shoulders of my clothes.  My
body was sore, but intact.  To my right, the remains of the Pattern
chamber door leaned against the wall, a gigantic crack spreading from
top to bottom, only barely held in check by the remains of the iron
bands.  To my left, through the doorway, I could see the Fire Pattern
continue to cast reddish light up onto the walls and ceiling.  The
light also glinted off something that had landed on the floor.  I
turned, moved over, and picked it up.
        It was a key.  Thick, plated with gold, and about the same
size and shape as the key outside the Pattern chamber of Amber.  I
raised my eyebrows as I considered it.
        "A fat lot of good -you- did me," I muttered to the key as I
replaced it on the hook next to the door opening.
        I turned to look down the hallway again.  Unlike the dungeon
hallways in Amber, there were regular light sconces arranged down the
length of the walls, each one filled with a flickering torch.  The
torches, the door, the key; they all hinted towards probable human
habitation in my absence.
        But who could have settled here?  And so rapidly?  I shook my
head, lost in thought.  I started walking down the hall, my feet
knowing the route to the staircase that would lead back up to the
castle.  My earlier thoughts at finding the remains of my supplies,
plus the presence of what I had just knocked down, implied that
somehow, during my period of recovery in Arden, people had found out
about Ember and moved here.  It was a disconcerting thought, as Ember
was not exactly the most hospitable and accessible of locales.
        Either that, or I had somehow ended up in a Shadow of Ember
where things had never been destroyed, but I doubted that.  I knew my
Trumps, and I knew that Pattern in the room I had just left.
        I heard footsteps.
        Immediately, my pace slowed as I tried to place the sound of
approaching, running feet.  At least a dozen men were headed my way,
and fast.  My body tensed, but I did not halt my forward motion, ready
for a fight but not willing to commit to bloodshed quite yet.
        "Halt!  Stop where you are!" a voice cried out in the
distance.  I didn't stop, but slowed some more so I could figure out
who was addressing me.  Soon, the source of the voice became visible.
He was one of twelve guards, each one kitted out with a halberd and
sword, their loose uniforms covered with greaves and gauntlets to
provide protection for their limbs.  "Explain yourself, trespasser!"
the lead guard exclaimed as he pointed his sword at me.  "Explain
yourself immediately before --"
        I smiled slightly, and lifted my hands up in a gesture of
supplication.  "Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Easy there, no need to go and
over-react.  I don't mean anybody any harm.  I just took a wrong turn
and --"
        There was a collective gasp from the guards, and in unison
they fell to their knees behind the first man, their weapons on the
floor, their heads bowed.  "Your eminence!" the lead guard proclaimed,
sheathing his sword and joining his associates in prostrating himself
before me.  "I apologize for our rudeness!  We had thought that
invaders had managed to penetrate the dungeons; we did not realize it
would be -you- appearing in these halls!"
        I blinked.  I managed a quick smile, and made a dismissive
gesture with my left hand, while my mind whirled and backpedaled.
This was not quite the reception I had expected, but I was determined
to make the best of it and take advantage of the guard's confusion.
        "That's... quite all right," I said quickly.  "I commend you
on your vigilance, and it was rightly justified.  However, as you can
see, it -is- me."
        "Yes, your highness!  You have returned to us at last!"
        I nodded, as if being addressed as such was the most natural
thing in the world to me.  It wasn't, but I couldn't afford to let the
guards know that.
        "Of course.  And now I have things that need doing.  You all
are dismissed; though you might wish to have somebody look at the door
to the Pattern chamber.  I had to get rough with it."  I smiled
slightly, and tried not to look too sheepish.
        "Of course, your majesty!  We shall attend to it immediately!"
The guard nodded, and looked up at me expectantly.  "By your leave?"
        I nodded back in return.  "My leave is given."
        At that, the first guard stood and saluted me.  I returned the
brisk salute, and then he led the rest of his men down the way that I
had arrived.  The sounds of their booted footsteps proceeded quickly
down the hallway before fading.
        I let out a sigh of relief, and started walking in the
original direction I had been headed.  One crisis averted, at least;
though I had my doubts on how many more guards I could fake out in
such a fashion.  After all, if they had recognized me...
        My steps faltered as the thoughts occured to me.
        There -had- been guards here.
        And they HAD recognized me.
        My eyes widened as the earlier discoveries of the day, added
to the recent encounter, cascaded into a conclusion that was
inescapable, no matter how much I tried to deny it or to present
alternatives.  There had to be some mistake.  There -had- to!
        I immediately broke into a run.

        My mind was awhirl with confused thoughts and the need for
immediate action and answers as I sprinted down the hallways through
the dungeons of Castle Ember.  I managed the turns in the corridors
like a pro, quickly arriving at the larger room at the base of the
spiral staircase that served as the guard station.  A man who had been
sitting at the guard post dropped his book and looked up in surprise
at my passage, but I ignored him, heading straight for the stairs.
        I ascended the spiral staircase two steps at a time, my rapid
movement causing the flames of the wall torches to flicker and shift
at my passing.  The stairway to the dungeons was a long walk at even
the best of times, but I didn't even notice how long it took to climb
it, given my urgent need.  I rapidly made my way to the top platform,
and sprinted past the upstairs guards for the hallway choke-point that
led to the rest of Castle Ember.  Their cries of confused alarm fell
on deaf ears as I reached the end of the short hallway, and hauled
opened the door that was there.
        The last time I had been in the Dining Hall of Castle Ember,
it had been a barren room, with only a few stray pieces of cast-off
metal utensils to hint at its original purpose.  The window frames had
been empty, the walls and floor stained with the passage of time and
the accumulation of dust and debris, the flooring cracked and pitted.
        That had been a day ago.
        Today, light streamed through tall, clear glass windows, their
window panes opened for ventilation.  The black, gold, red, and silver
marble floor tiles gleamed from a combination of polish and reflected
light.  Large abstract tapestries hung like pennants from the walls; I
could have sworn one of them was styled after a Mondrain, and another
after a Pollock I had once seen in the states.  Long tables were
arranged around the periphery of the Dining Hall, arrayed around a
central dais with another table atop it.  Benches and chairs were set
around the tables, and several serving girls were busily straightening
tablecloths and arranging silverware.
        I know they were girls because I nearly ran into one.
        The young lady gasped in shock as I bumped into her, my elbow
impacting against the tray she carried, flipping it upwards.
Silverware flew to both sides and clattered to the floor as the tray
hit her chest.
        I spun around, my hands moving out to help support the woman.
"I'm terribly sorry," I automatically apologized, kneeling to help her
pick up the flung knives, forks, and spoons.  "Here, I'll help you
gather things up --"
        "Oh--OH!  Oh, your majesty!  I-I'm sorry!  I didn't k-know it
was you!"  The serving girl stammered and immediately got onto her
hands and knees in front of me, averting her gaze as her hands
scrabbled for the scattered utensils.
        This random bowing-and-scraping was really starting to make me
nervous.
        I got to my feet, hesitant.  The other servitors had started
looking our way, and there were more than a few gasps and hurried
conversations between them.
        "No, it's all right." I hurriedly explained.  "I didn't expect
to return so soon.  Anyway, I've got places to be, so I apologize for
not staying around to help out."
        "As milady wishes?" the serving girl replied, somewhat
confused, still kneeling.  I nodded back in curt reply, trying to hide
my own confusion and harried expression.
        "Indeed.  Again, I'm sorry, but I've got to go..." I explained
to the room at large, starting to back up towards the side doors that
led out of the Dining Hall.  I ducked out into the hallway before I
could get more proclamations about my return.
        This did not help matters much, for the hallway was occupied.
        People I did not recognize did double-takes as I hurriedly
walked down the corridor.  I tried to ignore the reactions,
distracting myself by briefly studying the paintings and objects d'
art that I passed by.  They were of high quality, crafted by a hand
that was unknown to me yet maddingly familiar at the same time.  A
building murmur followed in my wake as the crowd in the hallway parted
before me, and there was more than one respectful bow from those
spread out along the hall.
        I attempted to avoid the distractions from the crowd as I made
my way to the large doorway that marked the entrance of the Great Hall
of Castle Ember.  Two giant embossed gold-plated doors, flanked by
armed guards, stood before me.  The guards raised their staves to
block my path, and then hesitated as they caught sight of me.
        I took advantage of their momentary confusion to shove open
the doors, disregarding wether or not they would try and stop me.  I
stepped inside, and came to a halt right past the threshold, my eyes
and mouth agape.
        The Great Hall was a long rectangular room along one side of
Castle Ember, and like the Dining Hall I had just exited, it had been
transformed in my day's absence.  The great pillars along its length
were unbroken, unshattered.  Along one long wall, a wide gallery of
windows between the pillars let in the outside light.  Pennants and
flags, none of which I recognized, hung high between the soaring
columns.  The floor was pristine, tiled with an alternating pattern of
silver maple leaves on a red field, and a flaming alicorn on a gold
field.
        The hall was also occupied.  This I knew for certain, given
that all eyes had turned towards me upon my sudden entrance.  There
were many people seated along a long, low table situated down the
middle of the room, as well as along the walls or in small groups.
All of them were clad in formal robes and foreign costumes; quite
possibly I had stumbled into a general meeting between diplomats and
courtiers.  I recognized none of the faces there.
        Save for one.
        Directly opposite the great golden doors, beyond the low table
and beneath a giant pennant with a flaming alicorn rampant on a gold
field, there was a dais with a great throne carved from a solid block
of obsidian.  I could see another flaming alicorn carved into the
throne's back.  And next to that throne sat a woman in a smaller
wooden chair, garbed in orange, red, white, and silver, a small silver
tiara gracing her brow from beneath her dark chocolate hair.
        But for the color of her heavily tanned skin, she was
immediately recognizable to me.  I stood there, still at the end of
the Great Hall, in obvious confusion and shock.
        Across the distance, the woman's deep blue-green eyes met my
own.  Her eyes widened in confusion, and her lips moved, murmuring
something I could not hear from the other side of the room.  Her eyes
then widened further at something that she saw, and she stood from her
chair, her skirts fluttering around her lower body.
        A broad grin graced her face as she proclaimed in a clear
voice over the building silence of the room:
        "ALL HAIL THE RETURN OF THE QUEEN!  ALL HAIL CORRINE THE
FIRST, QUEEN OF EMBER!"
        I gaped, dumb-struck.
        I could NOT have heard that right, my inner cynic protested as
the rest of my mind scrambled for alternate explanations and found
none to match the evidence that had already accumulated.  Apparently,
by some means I did not understand but suspected all the same, I -was-
Queen of Ember.  But there was no more time for me to dwell on these
facts, for a resounding cheer had gone up from the crowd, drowning out
my thoughts.
        I continued to stand there in shock as the woman at the far
end of the room left the dais in a run, clearing the distance easily.
I didn't resist as she swept me into a tight hug, her eyes and lips
alight with joy.
        "Corrine, your majesty!  You've returned at last!" she
exclaimed, ignoring my shocked state.  Her voice and proximity
triggered something within me, allowing me to react.
        "c-c-C-CATHERINE??" I blurted, finally regaining my voice.
She could not be the same as the Catherine's I had known in the past,
both in Shadow and at home, but at the same time her appearance,
voice, and posture were so strikingly familiar that my mind could not
easily dismiss the possibility.
        "Yes, it is I, your loyal assistant and Regent," the woman
continued to grin, still holding on and looking up at me.  "It's been
too long since you've last graced us with your presence, your
majesty."
        "Er, likewise."  I continued to fumble, dazed and confused.  A
-Regent-?  Since when did I ever have need of a Regent?  Admittedly,
if I'd ever had a kingdom to rule, and if Catherine had been around,
she would have been my first choice, but she had been long lost, faded
back into the Shadows after I had returned from my exile.
        I shook my head, embarrassed.  "I'm sorry, it's just --"
        Catherine nodded, and released me.  "I understand.  It's been
so long that you need some time to come to terms with all the changes
we've made."
        I nodded, rapidly.  "Exactly!"  I was not willing to go
further into the reasons for my confusion, not here, and so that was
the best answer I could give.
        Catherine chuckled, and then turned to address the rest of the
room, holding my right arm with her left hand.  Perhaps she was afraid
I was about to bolt and run.  I certainly felt that I could have, if
all eyes had not been upon us.
        "Ladies, Gentlemen, Ambassadors, Diplomats; today is a
momentous occasion -- the return of our long-beloved monarch, Queen
Corrine of Ember, Princess of Amber.  In honor of her arrival, I do
hereby declare the rest of the day's meetings canceled, and call for a
general holiday for the kingdom -- by her majesty's leave, of course."
Catherine quirked a smile, looking up at me, waiting for a response.
        My lips moved for a moment, and then my voice returned to me
once more.  "Um, yes, of course.  You have my leave.  Take the day
off; you've all earned it."
        Another cheer resounded through the Great Hall, as well as a
wave of applause.  My head swam with the sound and the implications
this reaction to my words indicated.  The crowd began to break up, and
more than one functionary gave me a greeting or an introduction in
their passing.  I murmured words of acknowledgment, my mind still in
a daze and operating on automatic.
        Catherine looked up at me, a moment's expression of concern
flickering across her face.
        "You look like you could use some time away from the crowds to
get settled in, Corrine.  Shall I escort you to your suites?"
        "I'd... appreciate that, yes.  It's been a very long day."
        Catherine smiled at me.  "Very well then, your highness."
Taking my hand, she led me out of the Great Hall without further
comment.

        Together, we walked through the halls of Castle Ember,
expertly swerving around functionaries, servants, and guests of the
castle.  Catherine waved off attempts to interrupt us, for which I was
silently grateful.  The population lessened as we left the first
floor, ascending the great stairway in the middle of the castle.
        It did not come to much surprise that the route Catherine led
me along took us to the fourth floor of Castle Ember.  In Castle
Amber, that had been where my father, King Gendo, had lived out his
years, and now my brother Tylor lived there with his wife Yuriko as
the rightful heir.
        Therefore, if I was now Queen in Ember, it made sense that my
own suites would occupy the same location.
        I still could not shake the feeling that I was trespassing on
sacred ground, however.  Years ago, I had explored the top floors of
the castle in Ember in order to glean more information on the original
ruler of the kingdom, Queen Shayla.  I had not learned much, sad to
say.  That, and its congruence to the same suites in Castle Amber had
made me reluctant to proceed further in my investigations.
        The two guards at the entrance foyer, their faces unfamiliar
to me, saluted at Catherine and then glanced at me.  Their eyes
widened with recognition, and then two of them immediately went down
on one knee, setting their elaborate staves on the ground in front of
them.  "Your majesty, your regent-ness..." they chorused, before
looking up at the two of us, hopeful.
        Catherine nodded to the two of them, smiling.  "Azaka?
Kamidake?  The Queen is going to be in her quarters for a while.
Please make sure that she will not be disturbed."
        "Of course, Regent Catherine," the black-haired member of the
two guards replied.
        His red-haired companion continued, "We shall make sure that
none disturb Queen Corrine's privacy!"
        "By your leave?" the two of them chorused, looking up at me
again.
        "... Of course.  Thank you." I managed to say.  "And do get
up, you don't -need- to bow and scrape all the time, you know."
        The two guards glanced at one another, looking sheepish, and
then slowly stood up.  "As her majesty wishes," replied the
black-haired man, nodding towards us.
        I smiled with relief.  "Thank you."
        The two guards moved out of our way, and Catherine took my
hand again, leading me through hallways and anticillary rooms.
Finally, we arrived at what appeared to be a small lounge, with a
series of windows along the far wall letting in the Ember light.
There were doors leading to other rooms on both side walls, currently
closed.  Several couches and chairs were arranged along the walls, as
well as what appeared to be a wet-bar set up in the near corner.
        Catherine gestured to one of the couches as she let go of my
hand and headed over to the bar.  "Now, you just go and sit down,
Corrine, and take the weight off your feet.  Want anything to drink?"
        It occured to me that I was parched, despite my earlier meal
in Arden.  "Yes, please."  I walked over to one of the couches, and
sat down in it.  It was very comfortable, a fact for which I was
grateful.  I let out a sigh, and Catherine chuckled, returning to my
side, bearing two glasses in her hands.  
        "You sound like you've had a long day, Corrine."  She smiled,
and handed one of the glasses to me before sitting down.
        "You don't know the half of it, Catherine," I mumbled, while
peering dubiously at the glowing liquid inside the glass.
        Catherine sipped from her own glass, looking at me with a
curious expression while I hesitated at drinking from my own.
Finally, I took a tentative sip.
        But for the subtle heat and light it gave off, and the tingling
sensation on my tounge, the liquid was actually quite refreshing.  So
far as I could tell, it was not alcoholic either, so I took a longer
drink, allowing its liquid heat to permeate my being and soothe my
frazzled nerves.
        Catherine chuckled, and drank more from her own glass.  "You
-looked- like you could use some refreshment."
        I nodded, finally capable of letting out a vocal expression of
amusement, in the form of a chuckle.  "Yes, I did.  Thank you."  I
took another sip of the glowing liquid.
        "You looked rather dumbstruck when you stumbled into the day's
diplomatic meeting... surprised to see us there?"
        "That's... something of an understatement, Catherine." I
regarded the contents of my glass, and then glanced up at the woman
next to me.  "... though, I seem to recall that -you- were somewhat
surprised as well at my appearance." I quirked an eyebrow at her.
        Catherine blushed.  "Well, of course!  None of us had any idea
of when you would be returning from your explorations in Shadow, so we
just tried to carry on as best we could in your absence, awaiting your
return.  I really ought to fill you in on what's happened in Ember...
but then again, that -is- my job."  She chuckled.
        "Ah." I tried to cover my surprise at her statement.  "So...
what -has- happened in my absence?  It's clear that much has occured."
        "Well, let me see..." Catherine tapped her lips thoughtfully
with the edge of her own glass.  "Where to begin..."
        "At the beginning?" I dryly replied.
        "Very well, then."  Catherine nodded, and set her half-empty
glass aside on the nearby end-table.  I sat back on the couch some
more, trying to relax.  "As everybody knows, Corrine, you drew the
Fire Pattern.  By doing so, you created and shaped this Shadow, the
Kingdom of Ember, in the heart of Amber's sun."
        I blinked, and glanced at her.  "...Erm?  But..." I shook my
head, stopping my train of thought.  "Never mind, please, go on."
        She quirked an eyebrow, likely at my hesitation.  "As you
wish.  Anyway, you gathered us out of Shadow to settle here, to live
and prosper and thrive.  Before you departed to explore Shadow some
more, you appointed me as Regent in your absence, to rule justly and
fairly until your return."
        "Ah..." I fumbled for an answer that would hopefully hide my
confusion over what she had just said and what I remembered.
"... well, clearly I chose wisely, if the current state of the kingdom
is any indication."
        Catherine blushed, a smile on her lips.  "Thank you, Corrine.
I'm glad I've lived up to the trust you've put in me."
        "Yeah, me too.  Anyway..."
        "That was five hundred years ago.  Since then, our population
has grown, Trade has flourished among the kingdoms of the Lava Circle,
and our military patrols the borders of Ember, protecting the populace
from any possible outside attack."
        I stared at Catherine, unable to hide my surprise and
confusion any longer.  "Five... hundred... years..."
        I shook my head to try and clear it.  "But Catherine, I just
only -repaired- the Fire Pattern a... little while ago!  How could all
of -this-," I gestured with my empty glass at the room, "have come to
pass?"
        Catherine blinked at me.  "Well, you -were- out in Shadow,
your majesty.  Perhaps the time differential was different for you?"
        "And how come -you- know that about the Shadows, Catherine?"
        "You explained the basics of Shadow to me before you left,
Corrine.  And our trade along the Pyricorn Threads to the members of
the Lava Circle certainly leave little room for doubt about its
existence."  She looked at me, as if I should have already known this.
        Save that I didn't, but I couldn't afford to reveal the true
depths of my ignorance at the present time.  Not unless I was to be
thought a madwoman, or even worse, a mere Shadow of who they expected.
        "There is that," I admitted. "... I'm sorry, it's just been a
long while for me.  You know how it is."  I smiled sheepishly.
"Adjustment is going to take a while, I'm afraid."
        That was the understatement of the millennium, my inner cynic
commented.
        Catherine relaxed, and smiled at me.  "Of course, your
majesty.  And you'll be able to have all the time you need.  And here,
let me get you a refill..."  She got up, reaching for my glass.  I let
go of it easily, and she returned to the wet-bar to fill it.
        I nodded, and accepted the glass when she returned.  "Thank
you... for both of these."  I drank the glowing liquid once again.
"This is quite refreshing, actually."
        "You're welcome."  She grinned, and sipped from her own glass.
"It wouldn't do for you to be getting drunk on firewine now that
you've returned, so I figured that you'd just want some raw plasma for
the nonce -- erm?  Are you all right?  Was it something I said?"
        I coughed, trying to hide my embarrassment with little
success.  I pulled a handkerchief from my pants pocket, and tried to
clean up the spray of plasma that had occured when Catherine had
explained to me what exactly I was drinking.
        "S-sorry ..." I hacked some more, trying to clear my throat
and nasal passages.  "... just went down the wrong pipe.  It wasn't
you."  I blew my nose, wincing slightly before taking a deep breath.
"There.  That ought to have done it."
        Catherine nodded.  "Good.  I'd hate to have to explain to
Doctor Tofu why I had to bring you to the infirmary right after you
arrived, Corrine."  She quirked an embarrassed smile.
        "Ah, right." I nodded, for the moment avoiding the question as
to who this "Tofu" was.  Well, other than the castle's resident
doctor.
        "So... is there anything else you need, your highness?"  She
looked at me, expectantly.
        I blinked at Catherine's question.  There were a LOT of things
I needed right at the moment, the only problem was assigning
appropriate priorities to them.  But the most important one of them
was...
        "Some time, Catherine?" I smiled sheepishly.  "I think I need
some time alone for a little bit, to gather my thoughts about all I've
seen so far today.  It might take the rest of the day, at that."
        Catherine nodded with a smile.  "As your majesty wishes, of
course.  I'll let the staff know that you're getting some well-earned
rest, and I'll have dinner sent up at the appropriate time."  She got
up out of the couch, and curtseyed towards me.  "If I may have your
leave?"
        I nodded in return.  "Of course... and Catherine?"
        Catherine paused, looking back at me, having already made it
halfway across the room with her empty glass.  "Yes, Corrine?"
        "...thank you," I managed to get out. "... for, everything
you've done, I guess."
        Catherine blushed once more, and nodded.  "You're welcome,
your majesty.  Always."  She smiled at me, placed the glass on the
counter of the wet-bar, and left the room.
        I let out a shuddering breath, tilting my head back as I
looked up at the room's ceiling.
        Five hundred years.
        FIVE HUNDRED YEARS!
        How in the Unicorn's name had THAT happened?
        I shook my head, my hands trembling as the implications sank
in from what Catherine had told me.  I knocked back more of my plasma,
drinking rapidly.
        A complete, fully formed kingdom in the heart of Amber's sun,
created in a relative eyeblink when compared to Amber's time frame.
Those of us with enough skill in the arts of the Pattern could easily
find or adjust a Shadow so that time moved faster or slower when in
relation to the One True City.  Even I had done the former on
occasion, but I had -not- had that intention in mind when I had
repaired the Fire Pattern.  No desire for Queenship, no want or need
for a Kingdom, just a wish in my heart to contribute somehow to the
defense of my homeland, to prevent its destruction at the hands of
madmen.
        So HOW had this come to pass?  Repairing the Fire Pattern
likely had something to do with it, there was no other reasonable
explanation, but when Tylor and Derith had repaired the Earth and
Water patterns in Amber and Rebma, neither of those countries had been
rewritten to their wills.
        Well, so far as I knew, anyway.  For all I knew, they could
have been changed and none of us would have been the wiser, including
those who had done the repairs.  But that was a metaphysical question
I was not qualified to investigate right at the moment.  Not when I
had more pressing matters.
        For instance, what should I do next?
        I considered the lounge I was in, and by extension the whole
of the castle and kingdom of Ember.  No doubt news of my "glorious
return" was already spreading like wildfire among the castle's staff,
given my rather abrupt appearance in the Great Hall.  Given the speed
of rumor, before the "night" was out the entire City would likely
know.  And from there the nearby towns, and then along the trade
routes...
        I estimated by this time next week, every location connected
in some way to Ember, including this "Lava Circle" that Catherine had
mentioned, would know that I had appeared in Castle Ember.
        To put it bluntly, running for the hills was -not- an option.
Not given the reactions among those I had encountered, especially
Catherine's.  A mix of surprise, wonder, and joy at my return, along
with eager expectation.  It was a heady sensation to be the recipient
of, but also more than a little unsettling.  After all, I hadn't done
anything to warrant it...
        ... had I?
        I took another long draught of glowing plasma.
        I suppose that in a way, I had.  In repairing the Fire
Pattern, redrawing the Final Veil, I had done -something-... an act of
creation of whose scope I was just now beginning to realize.  I was
not one to let my action's repercussions, for good or ill, go
unaddressed or unexamined.  And I certainly couldn't skip out on
Catherine, given all she had done for me in my absence, even if it had
just been a day for me...
        I let out a soft chuckle, and drained my glass.  It seemed
that the decision of what to do next had been made for me, or at least
reduced to the only logical one.
        If I was going to be Queen in Ember, then it was in my best
interests to learn all I could about this new situation I was in.  I
set my glass aside, got out of my seat in the couch, and started to
look around the room.
        The small lounge was decently sized, clearly designed for the
entertainment of guests in a private setting, given the placement of
chairs, couches, tables, cabinets and shelves.  I moved over to the
wet bar in the corner, and tried one of the knobs of the faucet that
curved over the sink.  Glowing plasma poured out.  I ran my hand
quickly through the falling stream of glowing 'liquid', expecting to
be burned, but nothing happened.
        I arched an eyebrow, and then tried the other knob.  More
plasma poured out into the sink, and I tried it again.  It felt much
warmer, but still not enough to scald me.
        "Well.  'Hot' and 'Hotter' running plasma.  What -will- they
think of next?" I murmured to myself with some amusement.  I turned
off the faucet, and then paused as I considered the large white
enameled box next to the wet bar.  It couldn't be...
        I opened the door of the upright box.
        A light flickered inside, and there was a refreshing burst of
cool air that wafted out.  Containers of various sizes, bottles and
boxes standing upright, were arranged on the interior shelves.  Upon
detailed examination, there was even a container of lime jello sitting
there in the middle of one of the shelves.
        I laughed.  It was an operating magical refrigerator.  Exactly
the same design as that which resided in my rooms in Castle Amber and
the Stronghold of Arden.
        Exactly the same sort of refrigerator I had removed a
container of Jello from for a contemplative and concerned Shizumaru.
        My expression sobered, and I closed my eyes as I closed the
refrigerator door.  I clearly needed to get up to speed on things, and
fast, lest my life in Amber passed me by.
        I turned to regard the room once again.  After a moment's
thought, I realized that it was laid out in a fashion I had used for a
similar small recreation room that I had in my beach house in Shadow.
The carpeting went well with the couches and chairs, and the tables
were well-worn yet sturdy.  I wondered how many other rooms in the
royal suites would parallel my own in other places.  To answer this
question, I headed for the right-side door, and opened it.
        The room beyond was larger, or at least seemed that way,
thanks to the large floor-to-ceiling windows that graced the edge
wall.  Through the wall of glass, interrupted by a set of sliding
doors, I could see a spacious balcony jutting out over the castle
courtyard.  The grouping of couches in this room allowed for easy
viewing of the outside without blocking others, arranged in a curving
arch.  Another door on the inner wall presumably headed back into the
hallway, and a second door in front of me led to places unknown.
        Well, this definitely wasn't like any of my rooms back home,
so I took the time to explore it some more.  There were some
bookshelves and cabinets along the walls, and some paintings between
them.  It felt like an ideal place to sit and while away the hours
reading or chatting in relative solitude.  I considered the
bookshelves and their contents longingly for a moment, but instead
moved for the wall of glass, sliding open one of its doors.
        I stepped out onto the balcony.  A warm breeze stirred my hair
and the edges of my blouse, and I raised my left hand to shade my eyes
as I walked towards the railing that defined the edge.  I rested my
free hand on the railing as I looked out over the courtyard and city.
        The view from the balcony was breathtaking.  There was no sign
of the tremendous damage the city had taken in ages past.  The
hundred-foot-wide tunnels that had been punched through the city, that
had been visible even from Castle Ember, had vanished from sight.  In
their place stood gleaming buildings of carved stone and machined
metal, all the way from the foot of Mt. Vesuvius to the shores of the
great lava bay that defined the Gulf of Ember.
        Although the overall layout of the city was familiar to me,
looking very much as Amber City and Amberport would at this height
back home, it was as if the entire architecture of the two cities had
been put through a customized Photoshop filter, changing the overall
feel towards something more akin to Morocco or turn of the century
France instead of the more familiar medieval European styling of my
home country.  Graceful curves, wide boulevards, and large parks could
be seen at even this distance, and there was the flash of gold leaf
and silvery chrome from the domed rooftops.  It appeared to be a city
out of Arabian fantasy, or a romance novel, save with modern ideas of
architecture and city planning.
        I smiled slightly.  It was a kind of city that I would have
liked to live in, if I'd ever sought it in Shadow.  My eyes ranged
over the landmarks scattered throughout the metropolis, and I wished I
had a pair of binoculars with me, so as to study them better from this
great height.
        I paused and backtracked over one boulevard leading
approximately west to east down the center of the city.  Had my eyes
deceived me?
        No, they hadn't.  For even at this range, the large blocky
shape of the Arc de Triomphe was unmistakable.  I leaned out further
over the railing, but I could not make out the details of its
decorations.  I tried looking for other landmarks that might have been
familiar to me.
        A cry from below caught my attention, and I glanced downwards.
The castle courtyard spread out below me, filled with courtiers and
servants, among an arrangement of five plasma fountains and several
small gardens of native Ember plant-life.  One of the servants was
pointing up at me.
        I didn't recognize him, but I watched as he gestured towards
his other fellows.  People began to stop what they were doing, instead
looking upwards towards the balcony.
        Up at me.
        Before I could react or retreat, a cheer came up from the
gathering crowd, their words spiraling upwards to reach my ears.
        "ALL HAIL THE RETURN OF QUEEN CORRINE!  ALL HAIL HER GLORIOUS
RETURN!  HIP HIP, HUZZAH!  HIP HIP, HUZZAH!"
        I considered myself very fortunate that they likely could not
see my face at this distance, for I was blushing, deeply embarrassed.
I managed a brief wave towards the people below, which only encouraged
them, their cheers ringing louder.  With a quick, quiet eep, I
retreated back into the safety of the sitting room, pulling the
sliding glass door closed behind me.  The cheers took another minute
to fade away.
        I took a deep breath, leaning against the back of one of the
chairs in the room.  This sudden trend towards proclamations whenever
I appeared was going to take some getting used to.  I only hoped that
over time, they'd no longer see the need to do so.
        I gathered my thoughts, and returned to my examinations of the
royal suites.
        I considered the door opposite to the one I had entered from,
and then moved over to open it.  The room beyond was some sort of
office, and I entered it.  The layout was familiar in some ways; there
was a large desk set so as to face the door that presumably would lead
out into the hallway.  Bookshelves and filing cabinets lined the
walls, as well as partitions and racks to support maps and scrolls.  A
calendar hung on the wall near to me, and what appeared to be a large
map of Ember opposite.  A pair of landscape paintings graced the near
and far walls, showing places in Amber.  One of them was of the
Stronghold of Arden, and the other was an overlook of the Plains of
Harad, as seen from the slope of Mt. Kolvir.
        It dawned on me that this was very likely intended to be my
office.  The room was laid out in such a way that was reminiscent of
my own offices in the Stronghold and in my art school back in Paris,
in the Shadows.
        Admittedly, I had never used this particular office before,
but if I was going to start using it on a regular basis, this would be
how I would lay it out.
        I walked over to the desk, and sat down in the chair behind
it.  The chair was a large, wooden affair, with a swept back and
arm-rests, the entire assemblage capable of movement thanks to a
five-point roller system.  I rocked in the chair; it gave a
reaffirming creak in response, not loud enough to be annoying.  It
gave the room a feeling of long-standing use, which was reassuring and
disturbing at the same time.  After all, it was the same type of chair
I owned in the Stronghold's office.
        In fact... it appeared to be the exact same chair.  Down to
the dings and scrapes along its sides, including one nasty one from a
misfired crossbow quarrel in the past.
        I shook my head, and pulled myself up to the desk.  Trying to
ignore the Twilight Zone theme playing in my head, I began to study
the items spread across the desk's surface, around the forest green
blotter.  A selection of quill pens, fountain pens, and ball-point
pens stood upright in a cup.  A pot of India ink stood next to it.  A
pad of paper, faintly lined, sat ready to my right.  To the left there
were four stacked trays: "In", "Out", "Through", and "Holding".
        There were several envelopes and sheets of paper in the "In"
box.  I quirked an eyebrow, and reached for them, pulling them out of
the tray.  Odd that so soon after my appearance that I'd be getting
correspondence...
        I glanced at the first sheet of paper, more of a note than
anything else.  The handwriting was very familiar.  It was
Catherine's.  The note read:

        Corrine;

                I realize that all of this has been likely
        very sudden for you; at least, that was the feeling
        that I got when we talked in the lounge earlier.  I've
        started rearranging the week's schedules so that you
        can get up to speed on the current state of the kingdom
        slowly but thoroughly.  I left a copy of your schedule 
        for the next week and a half in your Inbox for review; 
        let me know if there's anything in it that seems
        uncertain or unworkable?
                I also left some letters that came today in the
        mail for you as well; I figured you could use the
        distractions, and would find them interesting.  To the
        best of my knowledge, none of them know of your return
        as of yet.  Though no doubt, in time, they will. ^_^
                
                            As always, I remain, your obdt.

                                    Catherine of Pariseau

        My lips quirked upwards.  Well.  This was very kind of her,
and I appreciated the effort Catherine was putting forward to ease my
discomfort.  But "Catherine of Pariseau"?  This was a new one to me.
        I chuckled softly, and placed the note back on my desk.  I
shuffled through the papers, and found the schedule that she had
mentioned.
        The schedule was quite efficiently organized, and the events
on it were spread out enough that I would not become overwhelmed, at
least to my eyes.  Plenty of time for meals and my daily routines of
exercise and recreation, as well as some decent periods to get some
relaxing reading and painting in, if I was so inclined.
        I had a feeling I was going to need as much time as provided
to digest what I learned over the next few days, so the down-time
between meetings and events was greatly appreciated.  I checked the
schedule some more.  There was nothing else listed for me today save
for a private dinner up in the royal suites (my first dinner in the
Dining Hall was being reserved for tomorrow "night"), and tomorrow was
mostly taken up with the three meals, meeting with my Privy Council in
the mid-morning, and a tour of the castle grounds and staff in the
mid-afternoon.  That seemed reasonable, so I glossed over the
remainder of the schedule before setting it aside next to Catherine's
note.
        I paused.
        ... I had a Privy Council?
        I shook my head.  Somehow, it figured that I would.  After
all, Catherine couldn't run the entire country by herself, and neither
could father, or Tylor... ergo, neither could I.  I resolved to pay
close attention to what they would have to say the following day.
After all, they had been running things presumably very well in the
past five hundred years.  I had not.
        I returned to studying the envelopes in my hands.  At least
Ember appeared to have a decent postal service.  I looked over the
addresses, which looked to be pretty normal, all things considered, if
from places I didn't immediately recognize.  I started tossing the
envelopes back on the desk, when one address caught my eye.  I sucked
in a breath as I read the words:

            Lady Maria Dubois
            Madame d'Ambrelle's Art Conservatory
            Boulevard of the Sunflowers
            Ember City
            Kingdom of Ember

        Maria?  Maria was here as well?  I pulled open the drawer of
the desk, searching for a letter opener.  I found one, and rapidly
sliced off the top of the envelope in my hands.  Setting the opener
aside, I reached in and pulled out the letter within.

        Dear Catherine;

                I am pleased to hear that you and your father
        are still doing well in the castle.  I recall how you 
        were complaining two months ago about the miscommunication
        between ambassadors in the Lava Circle; I do hope the
        upcoming summit hosted by Ember will help resolve the
        difficulties.  After all, it would hardly reflect well
        on our skills if our dear departed Queen returned one day
        and the kingdom was a shambles, hmmm?  But with you
        as Regent and your father as Castellan, I have no doubts
        that the realm is in good hands.
                I realize that both of your duties do not allow 
        us to travel in the same circles that often, but if it is
        possible, I would like to invite you and your father to 
        this year's unveiling of the new Van Gogh exhibit in the 
        Juri Arisugawa Museum of Fine Art next week.  I remember
        how Corrine always enjoyed seeing his works when he was in 
        Paris, and how much she cried when she heard of his death.  
        I wish that she could be here to see the exhibit; I can 
        only but hope that this would be a fitting tribute to him.
                In any case, I hope to meet you again soon over
        lunch sometime.  May the Pyricorn watch over you, always.

                                                    Maria

        My eyes widened as I read the letter, and read it again.  I
did not understand how this could be -- Somehow, not only had my old
art school in Paris been recreated here in Ember, but my old art
gallery as well!  Although here, it was apparently a full
museum... and Maria Dubois, my old teaching assistant in Shadow, now
apparently ran both establishments.  My mind swam with the
implications, especially the ones spurred by Maria's letter.
        Catherine Pariseau existed here.  Maria Dubois existed here.
Catherine's father, Johann, also apparently existed here.  My old art
school and gallery... how many other people and places that I had
known in the past would turn up in the coming days?
        I rubbed my brow with my free hand.  Just when I thought I had
been getting a tentative grip on things, Reality decided to throw me a
curve ball in the form of this new knowledge.  What else was in store
for me?
        I felt the tingle of a Trump contact in the back of my mind.
        I blinked, and ruffled through my Trumps; none of my existing
ones were active.  My brow furrowed in consternation.  Who could be
attempting to contact me, or knew that I was here?  Caution warred
with curiosity in my head for several seconds while the tingle
continued.
        Finally, I decided to allow the contact to complete.  My eyes
widened with surprise.
        "Oh, -there- you are, Corrine." Catherine smiled from the
other end of the Trump connection.  Behind her I could see the vague
outlines of an office.  "I was worried that you'd vanished on us
again."
        "-Catherine-?  How in the Unicorn's name did you get a Trump
of me?"
        Catherine chuckled.  "Oh, father made me a deck in his spare
time.  He's made them for most of the staff, actually."
        I blinked at this news.  "... Johann can make Trumps?"
        She nodded, a rueful smile on her lips.  "Yes, father can.
After all, how else could we rapidly communicate across the kingdom?
Unfortunately, though, their range is only limited -to- Ember.  Father
just doesn't have the capability to make Trumps that can reach across
Shadow, like you can."
        I absently nodded in return.  "That makes sense.  Clearly I'll
have to address this problem soon, if we're to be able to start
communicating across Reality and Shadow... not to disparage Johann's
efforts, of course."
        Catherine nodded, still smiling.  "Of course not.  He's
looking forward to seeing you again, you know."
        "That's nice to hear; so am I," I admitted, smiling
sheepishly.  "So... what was it you wanted to talk to me about,
Catherine?"
        "Well, for one, were you able to get the schedule I provided
for you in your office?"
        "Indeed I did, and it looks good so far.  I don't suppose we
could add a visit to the museum next week?"  I held up Maria's letter
with my left hand.
        "Oh, that's what Maria's letter was about?  Oh splendid!  I'll
be sure to rearrange the schedule so we can all attend.  Could I have
the letter, please?"
        "Sure, go ahead... It was addressed to -you-, anyway." I
reached through the Trump Contact with my left hand, handing off the
letter to Catherine, who took it from me.  "Anything else?"
        Catherine nodded.  "Yes.  Chef Makoto informs me that she's
ready to have your dinner sent up any time you want it..."
        "That sounds reasonable... and I'm starving."  I managed a
grin.  "Please, send it up."
        "... and the Red Knight wishes to speak with you as soon as
possible."
        I blinked.  I blinked a second time, and then a third time for
good measure.  "... The Red Knight?  Erm?"
        "Yes, the Red Knight.  Shall I tell him you're indisposed
right now?"
        I shook my head, a little more rapidly than I had intended.
"Erm, N-no, no need.  Please, send him up.  I'll see him in my lounge,
where we were chatted earlier."
        "Very well, Corrine.  Take care."  With that, Catherine's palm
moved across my vision, and the Trump contact ceased.
        I sat there for several moments in my office, my thoughts
whirling.  The knowledge I had learned over the past few days
continued to repeat in my mind, as well as hypothesises that I was
unsure that I wanted answered.  Carefully, I got out of my chair, and
left the office, heading for the lounge.
        The lounge was as I had left it, and I sat down in the nearest
couch.  I tried to wait patiently, but to no avail.  My fingers
fiddled with the edges of the seat cushions, my nails picking at the
fabric.  After what seemed to be an interminable period, there was a
heavy knock at the door.
        "Come in!" I called out, getting to my feet.  The door opened,
and a red armored figure stepped through.  Clearly this had to be the
Red Knight.  His armor made no sound as he crossed the distance and
went to one knee in front of me, his head bowed as he removed his
helm.
        "Queen Corrine... your majesty," he said with a warm, friendly
voice as he looked up at me, his amber eyes meeting my own blue ones,
which were wide with surprise and shock.  Save for his tanned skin and
the amber eyes...
        ... the Red Knight looked exactly like Harold Kusanagi of
Amber.
        The rational part of me was not surprised.  After all, Forest
Arden had its Green Knight, who was able to take any form based on who
he or she was associating with.  Therefore, if the Red Knight was
Ember's protector, then he would take a form that was pleasing to me
as well.
        However, I wasn't feeling particularly rational at that
moment.  So, I stood there for several seconds before finally being
able to answer.
        "Ah... rise, Sir Knight," I tried to say in my best regal
voice, which was sorely lacking.  I offered my left hand to him.
        "Of course, Corrine."  The Red Knight smiled, and accepted my
hand, giving it a quick kiss before standing up in front of me.  I
could feel a blush rising on my cheeks, unbidden, as I quickly studied
him.
        The Red Knight was taller than me, by about six or seven
inches.  His skin, what I could see of it, was well-tanned and smooth.
His ash-brown hair was combed in a part on the left side of his head,
his face attractive and thoughtful.  The Red Knight looked to be in
his mid thirties, or perhaps a little bit younger than that.  His
scarlet plate armor gleamed, and given our proximity, I could see
subtle detailing in the gold trim along the edges of his gauntlets,
pauldrons, shoulders, and greaves, hinting at dragon scales or Celtic
knots.  A bright yellow stylized sunburst graced the armor's left
chest-plate, over a vertical oval spiral that after a moment I
realized was a representation of the Fire Pattern.
        "So... what brings you here?"  I managed to ask, still
flustered.  "Catherine informed me you wished to speak with me."
        The Red Knight nodded, in a way that was heartbreakingly
familiar.  "Indeed.  Corrine, I am the Red Knight, the protector of
the Fire Pattern, and by extension the whole of Ember.  For the past
five hundred years I have watched this Kingdom grow from the first
buildings at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, observing without
interacting, waiting for your return.  And now, you are here at last."
He smiled at me, his expression hopeful, as if wanting to confirm my
existence with his eyes.
        I nodded, continuing to blush.  "Yep... I am at that.  Go
figure."  I gestured with a hand towards the nearest couch.  "Um...
care to sit down for a bit?  There's no need for either of us to
stand..."
        "As you wish, Corrine," the Red Knight replied, still smiling.
He moved over to the edge of the couch, and glanced at me.  I blinked,
and then moved over to sit down.  Once I was seated, he sat down as
well.
        I looked up at him.  Even seated next to me, his head was
still higher than mine.  At this distance, his resemblance to Harold
was even more striking.  "So, what was it that you wished to talk to
me about?  From what Catherine was saying, she implied that it was
important."
        He nodded and reached over with one of his gauntleted hands to
grasp my hand.  My fingers were pale against the red metal, which was
warm to the touch.  My eyes widened as my pulse accelerated.  I
looked down rapidly at our hands, and then up at his face again.
        "Corrine... Queen of Ember... I have --"
        A knock at the lounge's door interrupted whatever the Red
Knight was about to say next, and I gasped softly.  I quickly removed
my hand from his, still blushing, but I could have sworn that the
Knight looked as embarrassed as I was feeling right at the moment.  I
cleared my throat and raised my voice.  "Yes?  Who is it?"
        "It's Chef Makoto with your dinner, your highness!" a feminine
voice replied.  "Are you ready to eat, or shall I come back later?"
        I glanced at the Red Knight, who shrugged, and I turned to
regard the door again.  "You may enter!" I called out.
        The door opened, and a large serving cart rolled in, pushed by
a tall woman clad in a green and white apron and a white chef's hat,
her wavy brown hair tied back into a pony-tail.  Her build was
well-defined, much akin to Juri's, though I think she was somewhat
shorter.  She moved the tray over to the side of one of the tables in
the room, and bowed to the two of us with a smile.
        "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Queen Corrine!  I'm Kino
Makoto, the Royal Chef of Castle Ember."  She stood up again, and her
green eyes widened as she saw the Red Knight sitting next to me.  A
blush began to gather on her cheeks.
        I smiled slightly.  "And it's good to meet you as well, Chef
Makoto.  I'm sure your meals will be excellent -- is there something
wrong?"
        Chef Makoto shook her head, rapidly. "Ah... no, it's nothing,
really.  Let me get your dinner served, and I'll get out of your way."
Still blushing, she turned around and started laying out plates,
utensils, and food.  I quirked an eyebrow at the fact she was
preparing two place settings.  It did not take her long to set
everything up.  Finally, she turned around and bowed to us again.
        "Your meals are ready, Queen Corrine, Sir Knight.  Will there
be anything else?"
        I shook my head.  "No, I don't think so, Chef Makoto."
        She smiled, still glancing at the Red Knight every so often.
"Thank you, then.  And it's... a pleasure to see what you look like at
last, Red Knight."
        The Red Knight coughed, and nodded at Makoto.  I quirked an
eyebrow at her.  She seemed to catch the expression, and busied
herself with moving the cart to the edges of the room, near the wet
bar.  Then she bowed quickly to the two of us, and backed out of the
room.  As the door closed, I could hear her muttering something about
a boyfriend.
        I glanced at the Red Knight after Makoto left, curious.  "She
looked surprised to see you without your helmet.  Why is that?"
        The Red Knight looked back at me, an expression of
embarrassment on his face.  "I... have never removed my helm for
anyone else, Corrine.  Not until you and I were finally face to face."
        I blinked.  "Not... anyone?  Not even for Catherine?"
        He nodded.
        I stared.  "But... if you've been around for five hundred
years..."
        "There was no reason to reveal my face to anyone else,
Corrine."
        "Ah."  That was about as eloquent I could be, given the
circumstances and my own growing blush, so I let it go at that.  I
coughed once more, and gestured towards the table.  "Shall we eat,
then?"
        "I do not require physical sustenance, Corrine, but if that is
what you wish..." His lips quirked upwards, his eyes twinkling.
        I returned the smile.  "Yes, I do."
        "Then, we shall."  He got up off the sofa, moved over to the
table, and pulled out a chair for me.  Still blushing, I got up,
headed for the offered seat, and sat down with a murmured "Thank you".
The Red Knight smiled and nodded, and moved to the seat opposite me,
sitting down.
        I licked my lips, regarding the spread of food in front of me.
I wasn't as famished as I had been that morning, but I was still
extremely hungry, and the meal was just what I needed at that moment.
I started eating with a vengeance, and after a few moments, the Red
Knight joined in.
        The meal was very filling, although some of the foods provided
were unfamiliar to me.  Presumably, they were native dishes.  I didn't
pay much attention to what they were, for my eyes were continually
drawn to the Red Knight sitting across from me.  I could not look
away, still overwhelmed by his presence and his similarity to the love
I had lost long ago.  His every motion and gesture as he ate reminded
me of Harold.  Even though it had been over six hundred years since
his death, my impressions of him had been indelibly engraved in my
mind, and the Red Knight matched them nearly completely.
        The experience was disconcerting and relieving at the same
time.  Every so often his eyes would meet mine, and we would both
quickly avert our gazes, returning our attentions to our meals.  It
was a wonder that we managed to finish our dinner as quickly as we
did.  
        Finally, however, we finished, and I cleared the dishes back
to the rolling cart.  The Red Knight helped, and when we completed the
task, he stood before me again.  I looked up at him, and tried to
figure out what to say next.
        "So... what did you think of the meal?"
        Somehow, I felt that wasn't it, but the Red Knight smiled down
at me.  "It was actually quite refreshing, Corrine.  Thank you for
recommending it."
        I smiled back up at the red armored figure, relaxing a bit.
"Well, that's good.  I'd hate to think I was keeping anybody
malnourished..." I realized I was likely babbling, and shook my head.
"But, anyway.  Before we were interrupted by Chef Makoto, you were
about to say...?"  I looked at him, curiously.
        "Ah... yes."  The Red Knight nodded, and got down on one knee
in front of me.  I blinked, and blushed as he took my left hand in his
right, looking up at me with his amber eyes.
        "Corrine... Queen of Ember... I have come here..." he took a
deep breath before continuing.  "... to offer to form a Compact with
you.  A covenant between Ember and its Queen, to defend and protect
one another from any outside forces that seek to destroy us."
        I stared down at the Red Knight, my blue eyes wide, my mind
rapidly remembering prior conversations with the Green Knight back in
Arden.  "This... 'Compact'.  It wouldn't happen to involve sexual
intercourse, would it?" I asked in what was a poor attempt at a calm,
composed voice.
        The Red Knight coughed, and a blush formed on his cheeks,
noticeable even beneath his tan.  "That is how the Compact is meant to
be formed, to the best of my knowledge, Corrine."
        "Er."  I swallowed, my pulse starting to race once more as I
looked down at the Red Knight.  I could feel my blush increasing as my
mind raced, contemplating all the possible implications of what could
possibly come next.  I gripped his armored hand tight, the red metal
warm against my palm and fingers.  "Then..." I hesitated, and then
continued, each word formalized and unplanned at the same time.
        "... I accept the formation of the Compact, Red Knight,
between myself as Queen of Ember and Princess of Amber, and yourself
as the Incarnate Protector of the Fire Pattern."
        The Red Knight smiled, still blushing slightly.  "Thank you,
Corrine," he said, kissing the back of my hand before standing again.
        I smiled a bit, my hands fumbling a bit.  "You're welcome."  I
coughed.  "So... how do we go about this?"
        "I am given to understanding that these sorts of things begin
with a kiss, and then they proceed from there."
        I quirked an eyebrow up at the Red Knight.  "Have you ever
kissed before?"
        The Red Knight shook his head.  "No, I have not.  Have you?"
        I blinked, and coughed, looking down at my shoes for a moment
before looking up again.  "I have... some experience.  Generally, they
go something like this..."
        I took a step forward, and raised my hands to rest on the Red
Knight's shoulders.  Using his armored bulk as a foundation, I lifted
myself up onto my toes, so as to better approach his face.  He seemed
to have some inkling of what to do, and leaned down slightly, his head
tilting as it approached mine.  I could feel the warmth of his
proximity through my clothes as our eyes closed...
        .. then a moment later, I felt the warmth of his lips as they
brushed against my own.  A thrill went through my body, and I quickly
drew back my head, looking into the Red Knight's eyes briefly in
surprise and increased arousal, before leaning in for another kiss.
        This second kiss was rather more ardent than the first one.
        The Red Knight wrapped his armored arms around me in an
embrace, but I did not notice the hardness of the metals holding me as
we continued to kiss.  I worked my arms around his neck, since I no
longer needed my limbs to support me directly.
        This second kiss was also rather longer than the first one.
        Finally, our lips parted, a soft gasp exchanged between the
two of us as we looked into each other's eyes.  My face, in fact my
entire body felt hot, and it was not due to the warmth emanating from
the Red Knight's armor.  Neither of us said anything for several long
seconds, but finally the Red Knight spoke.
        "... oh my," he murmured, looking at me with wonder in his
expression.
        I nodded slowly, my eyes lidded but still aware of the
surroundings.  "... i... think we had best retire to my chambers, Red
Knight, before we go any further."
        "... that... would likely be a very prudent idea, your
highness," the Red Knight replied, his own face somewhat flushed.
        I considered something, and then coughed, embarrassed.  "Now...
if I only knew where they -were-..."
        The Red Knight chuckled, his voice deep and warm.  "If you
would allow me to show you to your quarters, Corrine?"
        I smiled fully.  "Yes, I would, please."
        The Red Knight grinned, and swept me up into his arms,
carrying me between them.  I let out a startled, happy exclamation,
and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning my head against his
armored shoulder as he carried me from the room.  He walked through
the other doorway leading from the lounge, and into a large bedroom,
well-appointed with cabinets, dressers, wardrobes, and personal
effects.  A row of windows wrapped around two corners of the room, and
light poured out of them, highlighting the very large, canopied and
curtained bed that sat along the left-hand wall.
        The Red Knight sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding
onto me.  I was not particularly inclined to let go, so I straddled
his lap, leaning up for another passionate kiss.  He returned it fully
and in kind, his arms wrapped once again around me.  My hands started
to search, my fingers seeking out the fasteners holding his armor
together.  The Red Knight appeared to take his cue from me, and his
own hands began to roam about my body atop my clothes...
        And then there was just the warmth, and the love, and that was
everything.