In A Better Light: Sc.07


                                            >Long ago, decades or even centuries before you were born, your family may have served under a local earl or duke from an office much like this.

                                            >Warm wood paneling, portraits of prior famous office-holders, banners of state, a giant heavy desk…

                                            >How much of this would have been familiar to your ancestors?

                                            >Do they look fondly on your elevation to your current position?

                                            >If they can see you at all.

                                            >And if they don’t get hung up on the talking horse thing.

                                            >Or the shame you had undoubtedly brought upon your family’s title and name, leading to your forgoing of a name entirely.

                                            >What strange, unfortunate paths lives sometimes take, to put you so close to ancestral obligation in such desperate circumstances.

                                            >To you personally, however, it just reminds you of some Admiralty office.

                                            >And a matter of military discipline has just entered.

                                            >Two Night Watchmares enter your office, and Tene closes the door behind them.

                                            >Surprisingly, in their full battle-armor, not just the pieces worn on display and normal duty.

                                            >They’re practically marching, stiff and well-timed as they approach your desk.

                                            >One of them drops a scroll on your desk.

                                            >Then, with a great clatter of plate mail, the both of them prostrate themselves on your floor.

                                            >If you had a normal pony’s desk, you might be able to see their faces.

                                            >But this custom furniture made for you is too tall, and you’re not about to stand for these derelict delinquents.

                                            >There were many failures in the halls last night, but these two failed the more for keeping them from you.

                                            >That being said, you didn’t expect such a grand display of contrition.

                                            >You’d simply been looking for this report, which was delivered-

                                            >You look out the window, to see the sun just kissing the horizon

                                            >-at the precise moment you requested.

                                            >You snatch the scroll off your desk and unfurl it, sighing as you lean back in your chair.

                                            >As you scan it, you come to an inescapable conclusion.

                                            >This castle has not seen a real threat in generations.

                                            >Nothing else could explain this list of preposterous security gaps and violations.

                                            >The first entry corresponds to what happened last night.

                                            >When the ‘dignity of high officers of state’ require it, infiltration via low-visibility or less-traveled passageways will be facilitated by Guard forces on duty.

                                            >You yourself were one such high officer, and you hadn’t known about this.

                                            >Not that you’d ever been in a position your dignity was compromised since you first arrived.

                                            >What else, let’s see…

                                            >A short list – six entries long – refers to entities who are under no circumstances to be detained by guards.

                                            >The last one has a curious list of qualifiers and caveats, including baking and parties.

                                            >Strange.

                                            >Several other ponies, all with some sort of title of status ranging from knight to prince or princess, are to have free access to and use of all palace facilities, excepting certain wings of the library and floors above or below generous limits.

                                            >Dame de Lis was one of that list.

                                            >You scan the numerous other entries, then drop the scroll in a drawer.

                                            >You’ll burn it after studying; exceptions to essential edicts like this should not be written down.

                                            “Stand.”

                                            >Another cacophonous clattering carries the two over-armored batponies back to a stiff stand at attention.

                                            “Is this list complete?”

                                            >Both nod a single time, in sync.

                                            “I intend to make adjustments to it.”

                                            >They look at each other briefly, then straight ahead again.

                                            “At the moment, however, I am more concerned why you did not tell me – your commanding officer and the foremost agent of your sovereign – what was happening.”

                                            >The two stand still for some time.

                                            >But you’re more perceptive than they may think you.

                                            >You can see their jaws move every so often under those giant helmets.

                                            >A flick of an ear here and there.

                                            >The flash of fang behind faceplate, reminding you of predators back home.

                                            >Wolves barking at each other in their canid pack-language no human could understand.

                                            “And as that foremost agent of the Sovereign of the Night…”

                                            >All four of those ears fix you now.

                                            ”…you will answer me in a range I can hear!”

                                            >You slam a fist on your desk in punctuation.

                                            >One of them dips her head again in contrition.

                                            >But the other takes a step forward.

                                            >”That’s real different than being her!”

                                            >You narrow your eyes.

                                            >The mare, for her part, steps back again, and you can tell from her body language even under the armor she surprised herself with her outburst.

                                            >You spread your hands on your desk and lean forward.

                                            “Continue.”

                                            >Her partner – head still bowed – kicks her in her side with a foreleg.

                                            >The speaker only spares the gesture a glance to re-plant her own leg, then look back up at you.

                                            >”I- we…”

                                            “Such boldness, fleeting as the breeze? Go on. Tell me what mysterious power prevents the exercise of my authority.”

                                            >”Sir. I apologize, sir. I was out of line, sir.”

                                            “Do not make me insist.”

                                            >The two mares share a glance through bulky helms.

                                            >The other speaks, this time. “Some of us feel you have not earned the respect of your position.”

                                            “An interesting proposition, but I do not know of any competitors for it.”

                                            >”We were not compelled to serve, sir, and we are not still.”

                                            >You draw back to full height, crossing your arms.

                                            “You cannot make me believe at this late date that you are somehow not subjects of Her Majesty.”

                                            >”We pledged ourselves willingly, in thanks for her freeing our kind from the Waking Nightmare.”

                                            “And because I have not performed some suitable deed, you believe me unworthy of the office.”

                                            >”Not I, sir. Others.”

                                            “Like your friend here?”

                                            >The mare who started this with her exclamation kicks the hard floor with a forehoof. “Just don’t know why she picked a foreigner.”

                                            >”They just feel a little betrayed!” the first interjects. “She only recently returned, and to put an intermediary in the way hurts some of us, that’s all. They’ll still listen. Your words carry her weight, sir, and we all know that.”

                                            >Wolves looking to their Alpha, but the Alpha denies them its presence.

                                            >Instead, they only have you.

                                            “I will take this under advisement. You may go.”

                                            >The two shuffle around each other, past Tene, and out your office door.

                                            >And Tene, for her part, looks terrified.

                                            >”Adjutant, they’re just-”

                                            “I don’t intend to punish them, Tene. It would hardly be proper, when I was hoping for better communication in the first place.”

                                            >She relaxes. ”That’s, uh, very generous of you.”

                                            “I will not say I am pleased with it, however.”

                                            >You look around the room.

                                            >Stuffy Admiralty offices.

                                            “Lets go for a walk.”

                                            >Tene nods, and leads the way out the door and into the halls. “Where to?”

                                            “I want to check up on Raven.”

                                            >You explain the prior night’s situation to her as you move through the palace halls.

                                            >She’s heard much from other guards.

                                            >Scuttlebutt moves fast through your ranks.

                                            >Makes for bad discipline.

                                            >Probably allows a lot of very useful info to move around, however.

                                            >Something to ponder another time, decide whether to promote or dissuade.

                                            >She had not, apparently, heard about the second encounter with the dragon.

                                            >”He WHAT?”

                                            “Yes, taking advantage of the dark.”

                                            >Her shock receded in favor of regret. ”I’m sorry, Adjutant. I should have been there with you.”

                                            “You cannot be with me at all hours. You have a family too, don’t you?”

                                            >”Well, not like that, but… he could have seriously hurt you! Or done some weird gem magic or whatever it is they do.”

                                            >So that is how dragon magic works.

                                            “The patron of my sovereign was a slayer of dragons. His witchcraft cannot harm me. Merely heated my sword.”

                                            >He probably could have killed you right there, though not without you inflicting a terrible wound.

                                            >But it would not do to inspire your personal bodyguard to overwork herself.

                                            >A good captain must acknowledge the needs of his crew and their well-being. All watches in shifts.

                                            >You’re the one who had stormed off without taking any of the Watchmares with you.

                                            >Tene, however, is eyeing the pommel of your sword, with its massive crystal, skeptically. “I don’t know, that’s a pretty big focal point.”

                                            “Does their witchcraft work better with larger stones?”

                                            >”I don’t know much about magic, but maybe. Ask a unicorn. And why do you call it witchcraft?”

                                            “Last night, I learned they were vile, dishonorable creatures. Surely their magic matches.”

                                            >”But what about pony magic? Unicorns use gemstones a lot too.”

                                            “Unicorns are noble and valiant, symbols of purity. Totally different.”

                                            >Tene squints at you as she falls back to your side. “Unicorns, in your world without magic?”

                                            “They were a symbol of my homeland.”

                                            >And Pegasus the name of the ship you captained, but you never mention that. Especially not to the Night Watch. Rivalries run deep, and you have learned this evening that they have reason enough to resent you.

                                            >Speaking of pegasi, one is ahead. Tene resumes her lead as you two approach Raven’s office, her personal attache Alpenglow standing guard outside, though likely as attentive to her call as Tene is to yours.

                                            >He nods you in, though his hooded gaze under his helmet lingers on Tene.

                                            >Rivalries.

                                            >Raven, as expected, is behind her desk.

                                            >She looks up at your entrance. “Ah, Adjutant Anonymous. An unexpected but not unwelcome surprise.”

                                            >You give her a nod and a little bow.

                                            “I was hoping to see you in good health, after last night.”

                                            >You can see the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks, but her demeanor is too stiff to let it show in her body language, shrugging whatever it is off with a smile. ”Take heart, then. I feel well.”

                                            “Was something the matter, last night?”

                                            >”A friend convinced me to… partake in vices I have had little experience with.”

                                            >Your mind flits to images of sailors who drink too deep.

                                            >Raven has better discipline than that.

                                            >What, exactly, did her friend get her into?

                                            “About that friend. One Dame de Lis. Where might I find her?”

                                            >She pauses, eyeing you for a moment, before responding. “Had she done something wrong?”

                                            “No, but I would like to speak with her anyway. Last night and today revealed to me some…”

                                            >You think back to prior conversations with Tene about your positon, the Royal Air Patrol, and relationship with Gefen.

                                            “…trust issues.”

                                            >”Adjutant, I…”

                                            >Raven trails off, still staring at you, but something about that hard disposition cracks. What, you can’t say, but she doesn’t seem quite herself for a moment.

                                            >You hope she’s being truthful about being well.

                                            >After a few moments, she shakes her head with a weak smile. “I can provide you with her address.”

                                            >In her magenta bubbles of magic, pen is put to a strip of paper, and the latter floated to where you may grasp it.

                                            >A glint of Tene’s connecting dragon magic to unicorn magic flits through your mind.

                                            >No, ignore that; you’ve worked alongside Raven for quite some time now.

                                            >You grap the paper and slip it in a pocket.

                                            >The gem you recovered from the dragon’s flight is still in that same pocket.

                                            “Thank you. And I am truly glad to see you doing well. Please take better care of yourself in future; if something untoward happens to you, I would rather have me and mine take care of you than palace outsiders.”

                                            >Raven gives you a stiff nod, but looks down at her desk.

                                            >You give her another polite nod of your own, then turn to go.

                                            >Alpenglow is glowering at you when you leave.

                                            >No, at Tene.

                                            >Of course; claiming you would have the Night Watch assume responsibility for Raven was probably a smack in the Royal Guard’s face.

                                            >Particularly with a pegasus assigned as her escort.

                                            >But he had probably been off-duty by then, as Tene had been from you.

                                            >Knowing your and Raven’s personal guards were as devoted as demonstrated in this excursion is heartening.

                                            >The trust issues lay elsewhere.

                                            “It occurs to me, Tene, that I face a dearth of loyal sentiment. My own command is leery of my position, and I find an ever-increasing number of reasons to doubt my companions. Present company excepted of course.”

                                            >Tene nods, but doesn’t otherwise respond.

                                            “Adjutant Inkwell has always been faithful, at least to our shared sovereigns, and she extends me considerable respect for the same. Loyalty is the virtue of the wolf, yet I find myself lacking in packmates.”

                                            >”You’ve lost me with the metaphor, boss.”

                                            “Good companions are hard to find. I would prefer they remain legible to me; the pack must read each other. So what on Earth – pardon – was that back there?”

                                            >”Oh, the hesitation.”

                                            “It was more than that. I saw something similar, a few nights ago. Before her unfortunate incident.”

                                            >”Like what?”

                                            “I think the good Adjutant does not know how to not work.”

                                            >”Anyone could have told you that.”

                                            “But I also think that somewhere, she wishes she could.”

                                            >Tene turns to eye you. “That would be… new.”

                                            “Or so old she’s buried it.”

                                            >The two of you fall into silence, before you retrieve Raven’s strip of paper.

                                            >Tene notices this. “Visiting Raven wasn’t enough for you?”

                                            “We’re on the hunt for answers, tonight, and she only gave me another question.”

                                            >She sighs, then takes the lead again. “Alright, tell me where.”

                                            >’Where’ turns out to be a small but luxurious estate within the walls.

                                            >’Within the walls’ meaning the de Lis family is exceedingly old, rooted in the very founding of the capital city of the principality.

                                            >She did not strike you as the stuffy, decorum-minded nobility typical of old blood back home,  when you saw her the night before.

                                            >Totally different mannerisms.

                                            >Perhaps her family is more like yours then, long and storied but without significant status.

                                            >Even though one does not stand outside, her house must have a door guard, because her door opens for you when you arrive.

                                            >You’re a distinctive enough figure for easy recognition.

                                            >You and Tene stop inside what is obviously a waiting area. A stallion dressed in servant’s attire bows to you, but before he can ask the purpose of your visit, you can hear the Dame’s voice from further inside the house.

                                            >”-yet another point adding to his commanding presence. When he- Ah!”

                                            >Fleur and another unicorn mare – having physical proportions more typical of unicorns like Raven than Fleur’s slender stature – round a corner into view.

                                            >She smiles at you, then turns to address her companion again. «Quand on parle du loup on en voit la queue.»

                                            >It takes you a moment to parse what she just said.

                                            >And to get over your surprise at hearing that language here in the first place.

                                            «Je me sens un peu comme un loup récemment.»

                                            >Her head snaps back to you lightning-fast, shock plain on her face. «Quelle suprise!»

                                            “I would still prefer we use the common tongue. I’m quite out of practice with… that language.”

                                            >Her smile returns. “Of course. What may I do for you this evening of ever-increasing delights?”

                                            “I said I would come visit you, after last night’s events.”

                                            >She gives you a contrite tilt of her head. “Ah, yes. As I said then, I take full responsibility.”

                                            “Could you tell me just what happened, then?”

                                            >”Of course. Please, follow me.”

                                            >She guides you through a door on one side of the entryway to a small sitting-room, probably for precisely this purpose of entertaining short-term visitors.

                                            >The furniture wouldn’t work for you at all, and you guess she understands this, because she does not offer you a seat, nor does she take one.

                                            >Tene, however, helps herself, hopping up on a low couch to rest her hooves.

                                            >”You know how hard poor Raven works,” Fleur begins.

                                            “Everyone does.”

                                            >”As her good friend, I feel that must change.”

                                            “With liquour?”

                                            >”Oh, and more! Alas, she’s still a lightweight.”

                                            “So you had to carry her home.”

                                            >”And not for the first time!”

                                            >This renders you momentarily speechless.

                                            >Fleur just smiles at you sweetly.

                                            “How… how often do you get palace staff drunk?”

                                            >”For work or for pleasure?”

                                            >You pinch the bridge of your nose. “That is answer enough, thank you.”

                                            >Fleur laughs. “I’m sorry, Adjutant, but alcohol is a powerful weapon in the hands of someone in my line of work.”

                                            >Activities of ill-repute flit through your head.

                                            “What, precisely, would that work be?”

                                            >”A secret.”

                                            “I would rather not compel you to tell me.”

                                            >”Oh, but I just did. I trade in knowledge, dear Adjutant.”

                                            >Interesting.

                                            >A potential resource for yourself.

                                            >If you figure out how to leverage it.

                                            >Perhaps you already have an opening here.

                                            “Regardless, Dame de Lis, I agree with your feelings about our mutual friend.”

                                            >«Je suis ravie!»

                                            “In the future, however, I would appreciate if you did not use such embarrassing methods.”

                                            >Her smile turns into the faintest of grins. “Do you care about the lady’s dignity that much?”

                                            “If you tarnish the reputation of her office, you tarnish mine.”

                                            >The grin fades, but the light it brought to her eyes does not. “I would hate to see that.”

                                            “Thank you. Now, if you deal in knowledge, I have a question for you as a unicorn.”

                                            >She nods, and you take the dragon’s gem from your pocket.

                                            “Is there a way to determine what magic this held?”

                                            >Fleur’s smile fades for a look of contemplation, as she gazes at it. “I am no expert on magic, I’m afraid. However, unicorns learned the art of manipulating gems from dragons long ago, so I suspect any court mage may be able to assist you.”

                                            “I see. Thank you. I will not keep you any longer, then.”

                                            >”Ah, Adjutant, one of the many pieces of knowledge I hold is your close relation to the Gryphon ambassador. If I may lean on his kind’s culture, I too prefer fair exchanges.

                                            >You narrow your eyes.

                                            “What do you wish to know?”

                                            >”Oh, don’t give me that look, it’s nothing serious. I’m curious as to where you learned the ancient unicorn tongue.”

                                            >You wave a hand.

                                            “Not the tongue of unicorns back home, that would be quite different. My sovereign’s court shared elements of a rival nation’s traditions, due to historical entanglements. French was part of my education as a child, due to my family’s position.”

                                            >”French. What an interesting name.” She dips her head. “Now it is my turn to cease keeping you.”

                                            >The dip of her head furthers into a bow-like gesture, as she extends one foreleg out and bends the other. «Je vous souhaite une bonne soirée»

                                            >You give her a slight bow of your own, then turn to leave.

                                            >As you’re walking out her front door, however, her voice calls back. “And about our mutual friend.”

                                            >You turn back to face her, where she stands in the entryway.

                                            >She’s got that grin on again. «Sur ce sujet, Seigneur Loup, nous pouvons courir ensemble»

                                            >You turn to face her more fully.

                                            “How might I help?”

                                            >She tilts her head, but the grin doesn’t fade. «La nuit porte conseil»

                                            >After a moment’s hesitation, you nod, then depart, the unseen doorman – doormare? – closing the door behind you and Tene just as they had opened it.

                                            >”What did she say?” Tene asks, once again walking beside you.

                                            “She told me to sleep on it. A literal translation would be-”

                                            >Oh.

                                            >It was a pun.

                                            >What an interesting recommendation.