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A short while later Her Highness, Crown Princess Selice de Brique of Ashkern, was introduced to the three messengers who refused to leave.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked as she was seated.

"Your Highness," Minister Jindrich began, "these people are here to see His Majesty and refuse to leave until they see him."

"Actually," called one of the travellers, a young woman with auburn hair. "Only one of us refuses to leave. It just happens that since we other two are following him--and he may try to abandon us, given the chance--we refuse to leave without him."

Princess Selice was confused, but said, "I am acting sovereign at the moment, whatever you need to tell to the king can be told to me."

Another of the three stepped forward. He wore a simple brown robe, but a more proud mien than any noble she had ever seen. She remembered that while the others had shown signs of deference to her when the princess had entered, he had not.

"Highness," he addressed her now, "with all due respect, I have been ordered to deliver my message to the king, and only the king, of Ashkern. Though you may be acting sovereign, you cannot by nature be the king. I must see him, to deliver this message." He held up a scroll with a colorful triskele seal.

Selice recognized the seal, but not entirely. "You bring word from the Archcardinal of Magic?"

The third traveller guffawed at her comment. He was a mangy old man, and the princess wondered how he had been allowed into the throne room so ill-groomed. He would have fallen backwards in his mirth, had not his female companion caught his shoulder. Their leader seemed neither to notice nor to care what happened behind him.

"No, Highness," the man--or perhaps boy was a better word for him?--said.

"The king is indisposed. You cannot see him," she said.

"Then I will wait here until I may," he answered. "My time is valuable, but I am willing to spend as much as I need to fulfill my task. Please send the king my regards, and alert him to the fact that I await an audience with him."

Selice's temper was fast approaching its breaking point. "Sir, you will remove yourself from this room momentarily or be removed to the dungeon below by force. The choice is yours, of course, but your decision must be made shortly, lest I make it for you."

The man stood stone still, unblinkingly watching her. His gaze made her skin crawl, but Selice steeled herself and stared angrily back at him. The flame of her gaze struck him and dissolved into steam in the calm pools of his eyes. After long moments, the princess, feeling she had lost, called for the guards to take the three travelers away. The guards moved to obey, and the old man and the woman acquiescently allowed the guards to take them.

One of the guards put a hand on the youth's shoulder and tried to turn him, but met resistance. "All right, son, let's go," he said, pulling harder at his shoulder. Again, there wasn't the slightest give. Grabbing the youth's hand, the guard tried to pull it around, but was unable even to bend a finger! "He won't budge!" the man cried in disgust.

The princess sprang from her chair. "Then carry him! I don't care how you do it, just get him out of here!"

The old man laughed. "Push, pull, try t' drag him. Th' boy'll still be there when yer done. An' nothin' ye can do'll change that, t' be sure."

"What do you mean?" Selice asked.

"Old sayin' once went: 'ye stand ready, ye set yerself in place; ye stand firm, ye root yerself in place; ye stand waitin', ye let th' gods hold yerself in place'. Truth, Inlé'll be there 'til th' next king comes, 'r th' next, 'r th' next, until whichever one's in power an' ready f'r lettin' him give his message.

"Now, he says his time's valuable, but meself, I've time t' spare. Waitin' don't bother me none, 'specially if I'm with a pretty like I have here, eh Arrats?"

The woman, Arrats, put a light smile on as she answered with a light agreement. "True, but I don't have much time. I have to get back to the Tower as soon as possible."

Hearing 'Arrats' and 'Tower' so close together, Selice connected them and tried to remember why they should do so. "Then ... You are a mage, madam?"

The woman Arrats answered calmly, "Yes, Highness, I am."

"Are you stationed in High Sorcery, then?"

"No, Highness, though I hoped to stop in while in the city. It has been too many years since last I was there."

"I see," Princess Selice said. She didn't. "Then to which Tower are you assigned?"

"The Mage itself, Highness."

"I have heard that Aurora is a beautiful city."

"Thank you, it is."

"And what position do you hold in the Order?" But for the guards behind him, the old fool would have fallen again as his laughter redoubled.

"I am Servant to the Goddesses, Highness. No more."

"I see," Selice said again. She thought for a few moments longer, then asked, "And had you heard that your Archcardinal was spirited away from the Tower. They say she may have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped!" the old man cried and collapsed into a fit of laughter so strong that he knocked the guards around him to the ground with him. "Oh, oh! Kidnapped!" he chuckled to himself, breathless on the floor while the guards scrambled back to their feet. The old man made no attempt to rise, seemingly trying only to catch enough breath to resume his laughter.

Arrats was flushed as she waited for the man to finish, and when his cackles had become more subdued, she spoke. "Actually, your Highness, I had not heard that she was kidnapped. The last I had heard, she had gone to see the king of Ashkern. As best as I know, she is still in his audience chamber, patiently awaiting her meeting with him." Of the dozen guards surrounding the woman and the old man, half of them seemed to come to an interesting realization as she spoke. They took a few steps back, giving her a bit more space.

Selice felt her own face flush as she also realized what should have been so obvious to her. Obviously, she should have recognized the name of the Archcardinal immediately, but she had allowed her emotions to cloud her thoughts. She stepped from the dais and walked to more personally greet the Archcardinal, waving the gurads aside. A few steps from Arrats, the princess curtsied slightly. "My sincerest apologies, Archcardinal Arrats, for not recognizing you sooner. I meant no offense with my questioning."

Arrats smiled as she returned the curtsy. "None taken Princess Selice. You have not seen me since you were a young child, after all. Had you recognized me, I would have been surprised, in truth. You have grown into a beautiful woman, though. There is much of your mother in you."

"You are too kind, Archcardinal. But what does bring you here at this time, may I ask?"

"As I said earlier, princess, I am merely following the young man-turned-statue now behind you. He may not look like much, but he is, for the time being, a person I have to follow."

"And what of the rumors of your kidnapping?"

Arrats chuckled sheepishly. "Spirited away is likely a better way to put it. I snuck out, so that the city council would not detain me. Inlé was leaving, and if I had had to go to them for permission, I would have been abandoned by him.

"He may not look it at the moment, but I think he's much more impatient than he lets on. And he's quite showy, whenever possible. As you can see by this new display, he tends to get his way by bulling through whatever gets in his way."

"Well," Selice said, biting her lip, "Perhaps something can be arranged."

"Your Highness!" the minister protested, but she silenced him with a wave.

"Guards, leave us. I wish to speak with my guests alone."

"With respect, Highness," one guard began, "are you sure? The Archcardinal, I would trust, but what proof have we that this woman is, truly, the Archcardinal?"

In response, Arrats reached into her robes and revealed her pendant of rank.

Description
A short while later Her Highness, Crown Princess Selice de Brique of Ashkern, was introduced to the three messengers who refused to leave.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked as she was seated.

"Your Highness," Minister Jindrich began, "these people are here to see His Majesty and refuse to leave until they see him."

"Actually," called one of the travellers, a young woman with auburn hair. "Only one of us refuses to leave. It just happens that since we other two are following him--and he may try to abandon us, given the chance--we refuse to leave without him."

Princess Selice was confused, but said, "I am acting sovereign at the moment, whatever you need to tell to the king can be told to me."

Another of the three stepped forward. He wore a simple brown robe, but a more proud mien than any noble she had ever seen. She remembered that while the others had shown signs of deference to her when the princess had entered, he had not.

"Highness," he addressed her now, "with all due respect, I have been ordered to deliver my message to the king, and only the king, of Ashkern. Though you may be acting sovereign, you cannot by nature be the king. I must see him, to deliver this message." He held up a scroll with a colorful triskele seal.

Selice recognized the seal, but not entirely. "You bring word from the Archcardinal of Magic?"

The third traveller guffawed at her comment. He was a mangy old man, and the princess wondered how he had been allowed into the throne room so ill-groomed. He would have fallen backwards in his mirth, had not his female companion caught his shoulder. Their leader seemed neither to notice nor to care what happened behind him.

"No, Highness," the man--or perhaps boy was a better word for him?--said.

"The king is indisposed. You cannot see him," she said.

"Then I will wait here until I may," he answered. "My time is valuable, but I am willing to spend as much as I need to fulfill my task. Please send the king my regards, and alert him to the fact that I await an audience with him."

Selice's temper was fast approaching its breaking point. "Sir, you will remove yourself from this room momentarily or be removed to the dungeon below by force. The choice is yours, of course, but your decision must be made shortly, lest I make it for you."

The man stood stone still, unblinkingly watching her. His gaze made her skin crawl, but Selice steeled herself and stared angrily back at him. The flame of her gaze struck him and dissolved into steam in the calm pools of his eyes. After long moments, the princess, feeling she had lost, called for the guards to take the three travelers away. The guards moved to obey, and the old man and the woman acquiescently allowed the guards to take them.

One of the guards put a hand on the youth's shoulder and tried to turn him, but met resistance. "All right, son, let's go," he said, pulling harder at his shoulder. Again, there wasn't the slightest give. Grabbing the youth's hand, the guard tried to pull it around, but was unable even to bend a finger! "He won't budge!" the man cried in disgust.

The princess sprang from her chair. "Then carry him! I don't care how you do it, just get him out of here!"

The old man laughed. "Push, pull, try t' drag him. Th' boy'll still be there when yer done. An' nothin' ye can do'll change that, t' be sure."

"What do you mean?" Selice asked.

"Old sayin' once went: 'ye stand ready, ye set yerself in place; ye stand firm, ye root yerself in place; ye stand waitin', ye let th' gods hold yerself in place'. Truth, Inlé'll be there 'til th' next king comes, 'r th' next, 'r th' next, until whichever one's in power an' ready f'r lettin' him give his message.

"Now, he says his time's valuable, but meself, I've time t' spare. Waitin' don't bother me none, 'specially if I'm with a pretty like I have here, eh Arrats?"

The woman, Arrats, put a light smile on as she answered with a light agreement. "True, but I don't have much time. I have to get back to the Tower as soon as possible."

Hearing 'Arrats' and 'Tower' so close together, Selice connected them and tried to remember why they should do so. "Then ... You are a mage, madam?"

The woman Arrats answered calmly, "Yes, Highness, I am."

"Are you stationed in High Sorcery, then?"

"No, Highness, though I hoped to stop in while in the city. It has been too many years since last I was there."

"I see," Princess Selice said. She didn't. "Then to which Tower are you assigned?"

"The Mage itself, Highness."

"I have heard that Aurora is a beautiful city."

"Thank you, it is."

"And what position do you hold in the Order?" But for the guards behind him, the old fool would have fallen again as his laughter redoubled.

"I am Servant to the Goddesses, Highness. No more."

"I see," Selice said again. She thought for a few moments longer, then asked, "And had you heard that your Archcardinal was spirited away from the Tower. They say she may have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped!" the old man cried and collapsed into a fit of laughter so strong that he knocked the guards around him to the ground with him. "Oh, oh! Kidnapped!" he chuckled to himself, breathless on the floor while the guards scrambled back to their feet. The old man made no attempt to rise, seemingly trying only to catch enough breath to resume his laughter.

Arrats was flushed as she waited for the man to finish, and when his cackles had become more subdued, she spoke. "Actually, your Highness, I had not heard that she was kidnapped. The last I had heard, she had gone to see the king of Ashkern. As best as I know, she is still in his audience chamber, patiently awaiting her meeting with him." Of the dozen guards surrounding the woman and the old man, half of them seemed to come to an interesting realization as she spoke. They took a few steps back, giving her a bit more space.

Selice felt her own face flush as she also realized what should have been so obvious to her. Obviously, she should have recognized the name of the Archcardinal immediately, but she had allowed her emotions to cloud her thoughts. She stepped from the dais and walked to more personally greet the Archcardinal, waving the gurads aside. A few steps from Arrats, the princess curtsied slightly. "My sincerest apologies, Archcardinal Arrats, for not recognizing you sooner. I meant no offense with my questioning."

Arrats smiled as she returned the curtsy. "None taken Princess Selice. You have not seen me since you were a young child, after all. Had you recognized me, I would have been surprised, in truth. You have grown into a beautiful woman, though. There is much of your mother in you."

"You are too kind, Archcardinal. But what does bring you here at this time, may I ask?"

"As I said earlier, princess, I am merely following the young man-turned-statue now behind you. He may not look like much, but he is, for the time being, a person I have to follow."

"And what of the rumors of your kidnapping?"

Arrats chuckled sheepishly. "Spirited away is likely a better way to put it. I snuck out, so that the city council would not detain me. Inlé was leaving, and if I had had to go to them for permission, I would have been abandoned by him.

"He may not look it at the moment, but I think he's much more impatient than he lets on. And he's quite showy, whenever possible. As you can see by this new display, he tends to get his way by bulling through whatever gets in his way."

"Well," Selice said, biting her lip, "Perhaps something can be arranged."

"Your Highness!" the minister protested, but she silenced him with a wave.

"Guards, leave us. I wish to speak with my guests alone."

"With respect, Highness," one guard began, "are you sure? The Archcardinal, I would trust, but what proof have we that this woman is, truly, the Archcardinal?"

In response, Arrats reached into her robes and revealed her pendant of rank.