Garia's latest scheme for clarifying her position produces frustratingly mixed results forcing Robanar to intervene. Later a State banquet leads to an evening of danger, misdirection and subterfuge.

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

7 - Unexpected Visitors

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2016 by Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

---

As Jenet came into the bedroom she discovered Garia standing in front of the fireplace wearing nothing but a fluffy robe. She was facing the bed and she had pushed the furniture as far away as she could to make a space in which she could practice. She was making some strange, slow movements with her arms and legs.

"Mistress?"

Without stopping her movements or moving her head, Garia replied, "A moment, Jenet, I'm nearly finished."

When it became obvious that Garia had ended whatever she was doing Jenet asked, "What was that, Mistress? Some kind of dance of your own people?"

"No, it's a form of exercise," Garia replied. "It's called Tai Chi and is a way of stretching and loosening one's muscles ready for the day. I thought I ought to start keeping this body in shape now I've got it and am likely to be keeping it."

"It looked very strange, Mistress."

"Yes, it does, especially if you don't know what's going on. It is a form of a martial art practiced by people in another part of my world."

"Martial art? What's that, Mistress? I thought art was paintings and statues."

"Oh, martial arts are a means of unarmed combat, or combat with minimal weapons. The idea is to use your opponent's strength or movement against themselves. There are a number of different disciplines, the names wouldn't mean much to you. Let's push these chairs back into place."

"Have you thought about what to wear this morning, Mistress?"

"Is it going to be as warm today as it was yesterday, do you know?"

"No, I heard it said there is more cloud, so it will be a little cooler. Why?"

"Let's try that pale blue dress today, then. Do you think that will be suitable?"

Jenet considered. "Very suitable, Mistress. Now, you're already in your robe, shall we head for the bathroom?"

~o~O~o~

Garia entered the dining room for breakfast and Robanar beckoned to her. He was talking to Morlan and Garia's stomach immediately did a back-flip. She rallied and walked over.

"Mistress," the King greeted her. "I trust you slept well?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she replied with a curtsey, "I did, even though it was so warm." She turned to Morlan. "Good morning, Master Morlan."

Morlan gave her his usual glower but he seemed edgy. Perhaps he didn't like discussing Garia with the King in her presence.

"Mistress Garia," Morlan eventually responded with a tiny nod of the head. "I trust you will have something more sensible to say to me today?"

She favored him with a small smile. "Yes, Master, I think I do this time." She turned to Robanar. "Will it be possible for me to borrow Keren this morning, Sire? I don't want to keep him from his duties, but just this once more will be sufficient, I think."

Robanar smiled. "Oh, I think we can arrange that, Mistress. He'll be out on the training field at the moment, I'll send someone off to fetch him. I imagine that he enjoys the chance to involve himself in something different for a change."

Morlan's sour look returned as he heard that Prince Keren was to be present but he said nothing. The food began to be brought in and they all took seats at the tables, this time Garia found herself between Queen Terys and Morlan. Because of this the meal was fairly short of conversation.

Towards the end of the meal Keren appeared. He had cut short his usual morning's activities and changed into tunic and hose. He seated himself across the table from Garia and drank some of the 'tea' while he waited for everyone else to finish eating. As had happened the previous morning Morlan cut across the garden towards his quarters immediately the meal had finished, everyone else trailing behind. Once settled in the study the Questor favored Garia with a sour expression.

"So, Mistress. What have you to say to me today, that might convince me of your pure intentions?"

"Master Morlan," Garia began, "It occurred to me yesterday evening that part of the problem we suffer is from your perception of me." Morlan's brow furrowed. "By that I mean that because I look like a typical Palarand girl of fifteen, that's what you see, and you therefore make assumptions about my maturity and my education which bear very little relation to the truth. So, this morning, I want to try and make you understand that in my world, a girl of about my age and education knows a great deal more than you might expect. In fact, it is possible that in certain areas, I know a great deal more than you."

Morlan's lip curled but he said nothing. Instead he gestured with his arm for her to continue.

"Since I don't understand any measuring system you use in Palarand, I may need to make extensive use of your blackboard," she added. "If you will permit me?"

Morlan nodded assent and Garia stood and walked to the blackboard. "Is there anything here you wish kept, Master Morlan? No? Good."

She turned and gave him a broad smile, quite unsettling him.

"Then first, let us talk about an old guy who lived in my world thousands of years ago." She gave him another smile. "His name was Pythagoras."

---

"You cannot divide the diameter of a circle into it's circumference and get a whole number," she said. "It just isn't possible. There are other numbers that work out like that, we call them 'irrational numbers'. We have to use special symbols to represent them."

"But surely, Mistress, you can find a fraction to represent this number you talk of? Such as twenty-two divided by seven?"

"It depends how accurately you need the answer, but you can never make it an exact fraction. We have to use formulae to calculate them, formulae with no end."

"How can you have a formula with no end? That doesn't make sense."

"Like this..." She applied chalk to board, setting out an arithmetic progression.

---

"But, everyone knows that summer comes when the sun is highest in the sky."

"Yes, but I've just explained why it gets higher in the sky during summer, because of the axial tilt of Anmar."

---

I'm not a nerd but I definitely have nerd-like leanings, I suppose. It's not surprising when you grow up over a bookshop. Oh, I played enough sports, hung out with the guys and got interested in the girls, but I would always prefer a book to a TV show or a computer game. Don't ask me why, I just find them more satisfying. Oh, there are certain kinds of programs that I can find interesting. Thank God for the Discovery Channel! And it's probably just as well I am the bookish type, too. Imagine if I'd been one of the jocks, landed here with nothing but what's left in my memory. Ouch! I'd probably have already gotten laid!

---

"And that's why a meander in the river eats away the bank on the outside and deposits sediment on the inside, making it even bigger."

---

"I want to try a word, see if it is known in the common tongue. Telescope."

"How do you know about those? They're supposed to be secret!"

"To you, maybe. My people have known about telescopes for over five hundred years. I'm not a spy, Morlan. I know most of what you want to hide from me anyway, things that aren't specific to Palarand, that is. Now, have you tried, um, actually looking at a planet through a telescope?"

"I don't see the point. I think some of the Questors who are star-gazers looked at stars through telescopes when they were first invented but they only show points of light no matter what you do. A planet is just a star that moves around, isn't it, so I can't see why it would make a difference."

Garia sighed. "They are not stars, Morlan, they are worlds just like the one you are standing on. Get a telescope. Look at each planet. Tell me what you see."

"If you insist, Mistress."

---

"There are only twenty-two elements, Mistress. Everything else is made up from different combinations of those twenty-two."

"There are actually ninety-two natural elements, Morlan. Some of those are extremely rare, some are well-hidden in unlikely places. Trust me, you'll find more if you devise careful enough experiments."

"Natural elements, Mistress? What does that mean?"

"We can make our own elements, Morlan. Don't ask me how, it involves extremely big machines that I know nothing about. Now, have you thought about what makes one element different to another?"

---

"...and that's why rain falls. Do you understand that explanation?"

"Yes, Mistress, that's amazing! To think that there's all that going on up in the sky, and we only see a tiny fraction of it. I would be interested to find out how your people discovered these things."

"Actually, some of it can be shown with experiments in a laboratory."

"What's that, Mistress? The word is unfamiliar."

"Laboratory? Why, Morlan, you have one yourself! That's the name I would give to the room outside that door."

~o~O~o~

They had to send for drinks, snacks, and more chalk. A totally transformed Morlan had to be persuaded to stop for the mid-day meal. Both Garia and Keren were exhausted, and Garia's throat was beginning to feel raw with all the talking she had done. Nevertheless, it seemed as though Morlan now had a better appreciation of Garia's abilities and it was readily apparent that in a number of cases she was truly better informed than he was.

More interesting to Garia was the effect that her barnstorming lecture session had made on Keren. He had joined in the discussions right from the start and she realized that only the demands made upon him simply because he was the son of the King had prevented him from becoming a Questor himself. Or, as she realized as they walked across the cloistered garden to the dining room for lunch, Scientist.

She had completely misunderstood the nature of Morlan's position in the palace, she had assumed that he was some kind of counter-intelligence operator and it had now become apparent that he was more of a natural scientist in the mold of Newton or Franklin.

"Sire, I have much to report," an excited Morlan told Robanar. "Mistress Garia has demonstrated to me that, to my shame, she is much better informed than any member of the Society of Questors. I have learned new things about the physical world, discovered much that I did not understand about the natural world and been shown several new interesting mathematical techniques. It is certainly my wish that I should have more conversations with her, as it seems that I have much to learn."

The King nodded approvingly. "So, in your opinion, would you recommend that Mistress Garia be made a member of the Society of Questors, then?"

"Sire, I would recommend such a thing, even though I suspect that some of the other Questors will object to the fact that she is a woman."

"And, in your opinion, do you still consider her to be a danger to Palarand?"

Morlan hesitated. "Sire, that question still remains to be determined. I have learned nothing about how she came here nor the reason why, nor anything about the whereabouts of the place she claims to come from. I still consider that she might be some kind of spy."

Ooooh! That man! Garia felt her teeth locking together and a red haze descending in front of her. How can he be so stubborn! Standing behind Morlan, Keren rolled his eyes at his father and gently shook his head. Robanar looked at them both and then gestured that they all sit at the table. Morlan moved off, oblivious of the rage he had left building behind him.

"Keren, Mistress," Robanar cautioned quietly, "leave this for now. Let us eat and then we can discuss it afterwards in some privacy. Mistress, do you think you can command your temper during the meal?"

"Sire, it will be difficult, but I will try."

"Then sit beside me, if you will, since the Queen is visiting friends in Palarand today and you may help the meal-time conversation along."

"As you wish, Sire."

At the end of the meal Robanar beckoned to Morlan.

"Sire?"

"Would you care to discuss this morning's findings in greater detail, Morlan? I can spare some time this afternoon if you need privacy to tell me your complete thoughts."

"Why, thank you Sire for the offer, but unfortunately I have a previously arranged engagement in town I must prepare for." He gave a small, hard smile in Garia's direction. "Mistress Garia will probably welcome some time away from me, is that not so?"

"As you say, Master Morlan."

"Sire," Morlan continued, "I would look forward to discussing these matters with yourself tomorrow morning if that will be convenient, along with Mistress Garia and any others you may wish to attend."

Robanar nodded. "Very well, Morlan. Tomorrow after breakfast." He turned to Keren and Garia. "Keren, Mistress, would you walk with me?"

Morlan watched the King lead the two youngsters from the dining room with a frown. It was already apparent that the King disagreed with Morlan's opinion, would he go further? With a shrug, he turned and left the room to get ready for his trip into the city.

In the parlor they all seated themselves.

"Keren, tell me as much as you feel able to about what happened this morning," Robanar commanded. He turned to Garia. "Mistress, I intend no disrespect but it is important that I understand how my son has interpreted whatever you said this morning. If it is necessary for you to clarify something, I will ask you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Keren then proceeded to give his father a blow-by-blow account of the morning's session, Garia discovering during the process that he had an extremely good memory. Because of the nature of the conversation talk spilled over to include the previous afternoon's session which Keren had also attended.

"Mistress," Robanar said to her when they had finished, "This world you come from sounds rather frightening in some respects. That being said, it appears to be no better or worse than our own, merely with different advantages and dangers. Tell me," he asked her, "do you think that you will ever be able to return there?"

Tears had started to form in her eyes. "No, Your Majesty," she said, almost in a whisper. "I'm completely lost. I don't know how to get back because I don't know where I am and I don't know how I got here."

"Jenet," Robanar commanded. Garia had forgotten that her maid had followed her into the parlor, and neither man had commented or tried to make her leave. "A cloth to wipe your Mistress's tears, if you would."

"Sire."

Robanar's gaze was on the rich carpet as he considered what to do about Garia. He looked up at Keren, a question in his eyes. A startled Keren returned his gaze, then nodded quietly.

"Mistress, I have come to a decision," the King said to Garia. "Despite Morlan's insistence, I do not think that you represent any immediate danger to Palarand or its people. You are completely stranded in a strange world about which you know very little, with almost no prospect of leaving. In this world, I would think that any place might suit you as well as any other, but it is to Palarand that you were brought and it is Palarand that offers you safety. You may remain in our lands as long as you wish, as one of my subjects. If it is your wish, you may remain in the palace as a resident. There are a number of good and sound reasons why I would prefer that you did remain in the palace, but in the end it must be your own choice."

"Sire," Garia stammered, "I don't know what to say. Thank you for your kind offer." The tears started again and she dabbed with the cloth. To be accepted, somewhere, by people who apparently had her interests at heart touched her in an unexpectedly deep fashion. I am completely stranded, aren't I? A pint-sized girl like I am now needs to have someone look after her, I can't do it all on my own. The palace is probably the safest place around, surely?

"Sire," she started again, "If I may, I will accept your offer to remain in the palace. As I mentioned yesterday, I know next to nothing about my surroundings and there is much I have to learn. As time passes it may be that I can offer help to you and your country, perhaps then my needs might be different. For now, I feel safe here."

"Mistress Garia," Robanar said, "you are welcome in my palace. I said that there are good and sound reasons for you remaining in the palace, did I not? You may not yet realize that you could represent a serious danger to Palarand and the countries which surround it, because of the knowledge which you hold. I do not seek to detain you but I would like to keep you safe from those who might covet that knowledge."

Garia was surprised at this comment. Of course, she thought. Inside my head is a virtual Pandora's Box. We will have to find some way of benefiting from that knowledge without causing too much disruption. And I never thought that there might be others who would be after that knowledge. Surely Robanar doesn't think -

"Sire," she asked slowly, "when I was, er, well, arguing with Morlan yesterday afternoon, he told me that a woman's word counted for nothing here. Is that true?"

"That is not true, Mistress, and never has been. Did he really say that to you?"

"Father, he did," Keren confirmed. "I do not know whether he meant it or not, or if it was just an angry retort flung out in the middle of an argument to belittle Mistress Garia. Mistress, the word of a woman, particularly a woman of noble status, is as valid as that of any man."

"Then, Sire," Garia got up from her chair, pulled up her skirts and awkwardly got down on one knee in front of a surprised Robanar, "before Prince Keren as a witness I give you my word that I will never do anything to harm Palarand or its people, and I also swear that I will only use the knowledge that I hold for the good of the peoples of Anmar." She looked up at his astonished face. "Sire, in my country it is customary for every child to swear an oath to my country's flag every morning in school. I do not believe that that oath binds me here, since I do not believe that the United States of America has the faintest idea where I am. If you wish me to take an oath as a citizen, or your subject, or whatever you do in Palarand, then I will do so."

Robanar's eyes softened as he considered the young woman kneeling in front of him. "Rise, Mistress Garia. You make a very generous offer and you have touched me deeply. I will not ask you for an oath, not yet, as you have yet been in Palarand a bare four days. When you have had time to understand us, then you may freely give your oath. It will not change your status here."

He held out both hands to Garia. She took them and he helped her to her feet.

"Jenet! Find a footman, ask him to bring the Chamberlain."

"Sire."

In a short while the Chamberlain appeared, puffing with exertion. Garia realized that the man must have been asleep as it was now the 'siesta' period after lunch.

"Kendar. Mistress Garia's status will be changing."

"Sire?"

"She is to become a Lady of the court, with all the privileges that apply, and I am granting her long-term residence in the palace. Which chamber is she presently assigned?"

"Ah, the Lilac Chamber, Sire."

"Ah, yes, that is suitable for now. Will you make the necessary adjustments?"

"As you command, Sire. Uh, Mistress Garia's maid."

"Yes? Mistress, are you satisfied with your maid? You would not want another?"

"Sire, Jenet is a treasure. I would not wish to change her." Behind her, Jenet's face colored.

"Then she shall be assigned to you permanently. Kendar, see to it."

"As you command, Sire."

After Kendar had left Garia had a question.

"Sire, what might you be thinking to do about Morlan? Assuming that it's any of my business, of course."

Robanar's face set, his mouth a line as he considered. "Hmm. A very difficult problem, Mistress. He may very well consider that you have talked me into accepting you, which is not true at all. In truth, although his knowledge and wisdom have been invaluable to Palarand in the past, your arrival has shown that he has some severe weak spots. It seems that he cannot handle unusual situations. It may be difficult to do much directly as he is my Royal Questor and I may antagonize the whole Society of Questors if I just relieve him of his post." He smiled at Garia. "Thank you for reminding me, my dear. I fear I may have to spend some time considering this awkward question. Until then, I trust you will say nothing of these matters to him?"

"As Your Majesty commands," Garia said with a straight face.

Robanar grinned openly then. "Keren, I do believe that we will enjoy the company of Mistress Garia at court, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed I do, Father."

Garia thought. "This Society of Questors. Didn't you say originally that more than one should be involved in questioning me? I ask because it seems strange that I have seen no-one but Morlan since my arrival here."

Robanar looked at Keren.

"An interesting question, Mistress. I will ask Morlan about that at the next opportunity."

Garia had an inspiration. "That old coot! I wonder if that's what he's up to." The two men looked at her enquiringly. "He wants to keep me as his own personal source of knowledge," she said. "Then I get stuck in the palace, unknown to all, and he takes the credit for all the new things he tells them about. It might be worth checking if he has told any of the other Questors anything about me. I guess that's my own fault for not considering the vanity of an established scientist."

"That is a grave charge, Mistress, and one I fear it would be difficult to prove." Garia opened her mouth but Robanar held up a hand to forestall her. "I didn't say you were wrong, in fact the more I think about it the more I fear you might be correct, I just don't think that any of us would be able to prove such an accusation. Never mind, it will all go on the scales when I consider Morlan's future."

There was a knock at the door and Kendar reappeared.

"Sire, Mistress Garia has been added to the palace rolls as you commanded. There is a delegation from the city council to see you."

"Oh, aye! I had forgotten the time. If you will excuse me, Keren, Mistress."

"I think I'd better be heading back to my room," Garia murmured. "It's getting warm, I could do with a short nap."

"A good idea, Mistress," Keren replied. "I'll escort you."

~o~O~o~

A knock came at the door. Garia went and opened it to find a footman standing outside. He bowed.

"Mistress, the Chamberlain asks me to inform you and your maid that tonight you will be dining in the Receiving Room."

Jenet had come quickly to the door.

"A State reception? Are we expecting visitors, Serdel?"

Serdel nodded. "Aye, it is but a small party, I have not been informed who. If you'll excuse me, Mistress, Jenet." He bowed and walked off along the corridor.

"That changes things slightly, Mistress. You'll have to have a quick bath before I put you into another gown, and it will be one of the more formal gowns I saw at the back of the rail."

The heat of the day and the conversations in Morlan's quarters had left Garia feeling a little grubby so she didn't object to another dip in the tub. Being laced into a stiff, formal gown was entirely another matter though, particularly when that included a stiffened underbodice and voluminous underskirts. She almost changed her mind about wanting to learn to become a woman.

Finally Jenet, having temporarily left Garia on her own so that she could go and change into something more formal herself, escorted her mistress out of the room and along the corridor in the other direction. This was the way Garia had first come to the Lilac Room and she guessed that it led towards the more public parts of the maze-like palace. After carefully negotiating stairs down to the lower floor in the awkward gown Jenet led her along corridors she didn't recognize.

"Well, what have we here?"

A party, led by a footman, met them at an intersection. The party was seven men dressed in a different fashion than most others Garia had noticed around the palace, their clothing consisting of long straight colorful jackets with stiff, high collars over loose trousers. The whole effect reminded her of middle eastern or Indian costume. The leading man wore an elaborate pill-box hat and he came forward and offered his hand.

Garia curtseyed. She guessed that these men were from another country but had no clue how to address them or what protocol she should use towards them. The man, she guessed he would be in his mid-forties, frowned and lowered his hand.

"My name is Garia, Lord," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm new to the palace, I do not know how to address you properly."

"Mistress Garia," the man said, and bowed. "I am Farber Blackshield, I am the Resident in Palarand of the Ascendancy of Yod. Are you going to the dining room? Perhaps you may accompany us."

Garia turned and raised an eyebrow at Jenet. Jenet gave a small nod, but her expression said danger!

The group turned along the corridor Garia was about to use and they all set off, Garia alongside Farber Blackshield with Jenet relegated to the rear.

"You are not from Palarand, then, Mistress?" Blackshield asked.

This could get extremely dangerous, Garia thought. This man might be the equivalent of an Ambassador back home and they aren't known for being stupid. Almost anything I say to him is going to give away information Robanar might not want him to have. Damn them all for preventing me from finding out anything!

"No, I'm just visiting," she said after a pause to think up a strategy, "I come from the State of Kansas."

"...Kansas? I've not heard of the place," Blackshield said. "I assume it's far away. You've had a long journey, then?"

"Lord, I've no idea how far away," Garia answered truthfully. "I was ill for part of the journey, I don't even know how many days it took our wagon-train to do the journey."

"There are others in your party?"

"Yes, they have a mansion in Palarand. I am staying at the palace as a guest of the King." Oops. Now I've just told him I could be important. "That's as a result of my illness, it was felt that the King's medical people would know more about what was wrong with me." Nice save, let's see if he buys it.

"You have been ill? I'm sorry to hear that. I trust you are feeling better." But the words came out flat, Blackshield clearly didn't care one way or the other. "Are you staying long?"

"I'm not sure," Garia said. "That's for others to decide, Lord." She decided to see if the information flow worked the other way. "I've never heard of... Yod. Is it far from here?"

"It is up-river," Blackshield said. "About two hundred Marks as the ptuvil flies, although of course by boat the distance would be about double."

Ah, the meanders of the river. And that thing, sounds like a bird, doesn't it? I think I'd better shut up now, before he starts asking me things I can't answer.

"Thank you, Lord. I'm sorry, I have a headache, it's something left over from my illness." Also true.

The footman led them towards a pair of huge, open, double doors, the room beyond being brightly lit. When she got to the doorway Garia realized that it was the room where they had waited the day she had arrived while Keren had gone off to find his father. Along the middle of the room ran a long table set for a grand banquet, the chairs which previously had been lined up against either wall were now along either side of the table in front of place settings. The room was full of people standing around, those who weren't servants were talking to each other.

"His Excellency the Resident for the Ascendancy of Yod and party," the functionary at the door announced and all the talk died as every head turned towards the group. Garia realized that she had accidentally been included in the "and party" and was about to say something when she noticed Keren heading towards her. She gave him a grateful smile as he approached.

"Your Excellency! Thank you for taking care of Mistress Garia," he said, holding out his arm for her to take.

"My pleasure," Blackshield replied. "An interesting person. I look forward to hearing more another time, Mistress," he said to Garia. She curtseyed and then accompanied Keren over to join his parents.

"A few minutes for everyone to relax," Robanar muttered, "and then we can start. How did you manage to get tangled up with them, Mistress? They are very dangerous people, I should have made sure your maid chose another route."

"An accidental meeting in the corridor, Your Majesty. Jenet gave me enough of a warning, I was mostly careful."

"Mostly?" Keren hissed under his breath while still appearing to keep a friendly public face.

"Ah, I told him I came from Kansas, I was ill on the journey and didn't know how long it took or how far, and that I was staying in the palace. All true, unfortunately the last fact may suggest that I have some importance."

"You did well, my dear," Robanar murmured. "You spoke nothing but the truth, so far it goes, and much good may it do him."

Garia could see the party inspecting the King's group with great interest, and then at a word they moved towards the King. The Resident held out his hand and the King shook it, but he didn't offer any direct greeting to Terys or Keren, merely nodding when Robanar gave their names. Finally the introductions were over and Robanar nodded to his Chamberlain. A gong sounded and servants assisted everyone to their seats.

After learning to negotiate stairs without breaking any bones Garia discovered the second difficulty with wearing voluminous skirts. She could not sit down in the chair provided. Her face flaming, she had to ask Jenet for help.

"Reach round behind your bottom, Mistress," Jenet whispered, "grab two handfuls of skirt and lift up as you sit. That should give you sufficient loose cloth to sit down properly."

Garia wasn't surprised to find that the group from Yod were seated opposite the King and Queen in the center of the table. Keren was next to his mother with Garia on his other side. Robanar stood and made a short speech welcoming the Representative and his associates to the palace before servants began bringing in the first course and filling goblets.

Damn. I'm seated in front of these strange people and I can't say a word. The moment I start eating they'll know I don't belong in the palace, that I'm just a country hick unfamiliar with noble ways. I'm going to have to be so careful. She nearly dropped her goblet of wine when she noticed that Morlan was seated at the other end of the table. Oh, no. That's all I need to make my day complete. Just concentrate on the food and play up the headache.

The meal was just as awkward as the one the previous evening had been and Garia again cursed a society which hadn't yet invented the fork. As before, Jenet was on hand to assist, and Garia noticed that palace servants provided the same services to the visitors. None of them was about to get their hands dirty, and she noticed one or two superior looks from them as they spotted palace functionaries further down the table using their hands to tackle the leg-joint each had been given.

"Mistress, you look uncomfortable," the man sitting opposite her said.

"I am, Master," she replied. "Since I am not from these parts I am not used to wearing such formal clothes as these and they are not comfortable."

"Then, Mistress, why do you not wear clothes from your own country, such as we are doing? It is quite acceptable for strangers to wear different garb when being received by the Head of State."

"Thank you, Master, for your concern. Since I do not know how long I shall be in Palarand, I am taking the opportunity to try out some of the local fashions. It's a female thing, you understand. I suspect tonight I have made a mistake in my choice of gown."

"As you say, Mistress."

Course followed course and so did the accompanying drinks. Garia, unused to alcohol in any quantity, tried to moderate her intake and was eventually reduced to asking Jenet to bring some water. By that time everything had begun to float a little and she realized that she had better be extra careful for the rest of the evening.

As the meal ended Robanar rose and so did everyone else. Garia was therefore surprised when she felt Keren's hand intertwine with her own as they stood side by side. She thought that he might have some plan to prevent the Yodans from cornering her, and she was right, but it wasn't quite what she had realized it was going to be.

Behind them, servants had removed all the chairs and were placing them back against the wall. Robanar took Terys's hand and the two strode off towards the end of the room where their thrones were. Keren turned to Garia with a smile.

"Shall we sit down, Garia?"

"Of course, Keren," she replied, fully conscious that neither had used the other's title.

Keren led her to the end of the room and found two chairs set to one side of the thrones. He seated her carefully before sitting beside her. Wide-eyed at the sudden deviation from protocol, Jenet took up station behind and to one side of the chair of her mistress. Keren turned to Garia.

"Quickly, before they start nosing around," he said rapidly and quietly. "Your visit here is personal, do you understand me? You've been brought here to be assessed as a possible candidate to be betrothed to me." He smiled. "Actually, I might wish that it were fact rather than fiction, but we have to act as though it's all for real. You mentioned that they might think you important, well, let's pretend that you're important for another reason altogether."

With a forced smile on her face she replied, "Are you mad? That story will never hold up for very long! The details of my coming here were never kept secret, they are bound to find out the truth sooner or later."

Keren raised an eyebrow. "The truth? Mistress, what exactly is the truth?"

Garia looked thoughtful. "Yes, you could be right, almost anything we say will confuse them further, won't it? Look out, here they come."

The Resident for the Ascendancy of Yod approached accompanied by two of his men. The others had scattered in search of other possible sources of information. Behind them, in the middle of the room, a mass of servants was clearing the tables and dismantling them, returning the room to its normal function. Garia smiled at Farber Blackshield.

"Resident," she said, giving him a brief nod. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

"Your Highness, Mistress," he replied. "I have eaten at the palace before. The food here is prepared to an agreeably high standard, thank you very much." He turned his attention to Keren. "I had not realized that the young woman was brought here to meet you, Your Highness. If I may venture an opinion, the Ascendancy of Yod would approve of this match were she to be found suitable."

Garia's face flamed. How could he! Then she realized that in this time and place, as it was much closer to her own time back on Earth, matches between royalty were matters more akin to horse-breeding than romance.

For some strange reason I quite liked holding his hand, though.

Never mind. Concentrate.

The Resident passed a few bland comments before excusing himself and heading for Robanar. Looking around the room, Garia snickered and nudged Keren.

"Look at Morlan!" she said quietly. "He's just spotted us and I think he's going to explode."

Morlan indeed looked displeased by the fact that Garia was seated next to Keren, and he began to make his way towards them round the mass of servants in the middle of the room. One of the Yodans intercepted him, however, and he became lost to view. Garia turned to Keren again.

"I need to know things," she hissed. "I'm stuck in Palarand and I know nothing at all about it! I don't know how to address anyone, I don't know my way round the palace, I don't even know what times meals are! I don't care what Morlan says, I have to start learning about my surroundings otherwise these people from Yod are going to take full advantage of my ignorance."

"It's tricky, Garia," Keren replied. "Looked at from one angle, what you ask for is just what Morlan would say makes you a spy. As far as he's concerned, you could even be working for Yod yourself."

"Not flaming likely," she said with passion. "In case you hadn't noticed, at least one of them has had his eyes locked on me the whole time since they discovered my existence. I represent a whole new factor to them and they want to know everything they can find out about me."

She turned to Jenet. "Could you possibly find me some fruit juice, Jenet? I don't think I can drink any more wine this evening, my body's not used to it, and I'd prefer something with a bit more taste than water."

"Fruit juice, Mistress?" Jenet asked cautiously.

"Yes, like what they serve for breakfast. See if you can find me some, will you? A goblet should be enough."

"As you wish, Mistress."

Garia waited until Jenet had left the room before turning back to Keren.

"I don't think that I met that group from Yod in the corridor accidentally," she said softly. "I think they were waiting for me." Keren's eyes widened. "That means, you have one or more spies among the palace staff."

"Maker! Are you sure of this?"

"No, I'm not, as I don't really know my way round the palace. But I'm making an educated guess that the Yod party wouldn't normally have been found going that way, would they?"

"I don't know which way you came. Oh! That's why you sent Jenet off, isn't it?"

"I don't accuse her of anything, at the moment it's more a case of, 'trust no-one'." She smiled. "I think you and the King and Queen are trustworthy, though."

"Thank you, Mistress." Keren said dryly and grinned, and Garia had to restrain herself again. His face grew thoughtful. "I might have wondered why they turned up here suddenly today. I'm sure there was nothing in the State diary. There's nothing much we can do here and now except fend off any awkward questions, though. Let's wait until the function's over and have a quiet get-together with Father and Mother. Oh, and we'll have to include Morlan, I'm afraid."

"And Jenet," Garia amended. "Whether she's trustworthy or not, she's the safest way of getting information about the household staff without alerting anyone else. Any lies she tells can soon be brought to light, can't they?"

Keren nodded. "True."

"Your Highness, Mistress Garia." Morlan had finally reached them and stood glowering.

"Do stop it, man," Keren told him, "you'll burst a blood vessel. Of course Garia was going to get invited to this reception. Because it is Yod and they are so nosy about everything, we had to make a cover story that was plausible, so calm down. Nothing's changed." He glanced at Garia. "Actually, that's not entirely true. Join us after the function is over, will you, Morlan? We need to have a quiet word with the King and Queen once everyone has left and we need you as well."

"As you wish, Highness." Morlan bowed and reluctantly moved away.

~o~O~o~

They met in the parlor. Jenet looked distinctly nervous as Keren chased all the other servants out but insisted that she stayed. Robanar looked at Keren as he closed the door.

"You wanted to discuss something in private, Keren?"

Keren told them what Garia had said earlier and Morlan's eyes bored into her as she sat in one of the big armchairs.

"You say that the Yodans deliberately positioned themselves to come across you, Mistress?" Robanar asked Garia. "Why would you think that?"

"They were waiting for us, I'm sure of it," she replied. Jenet's eyes widened. "I can't be absolutely certain, but I'm not sure that they should have been in that part of the palace if they were going from the front entrance to the Receiving Room. It also seemed to me a little odd the way they appeared at that intersection just when we did."

"Sire," Morlan said, "it is just possible, if they had got wind of the presence of Mistress Garia in the palace, to arrange a chance encounter with her, to find out more about her." He fixed his gaze on her. "To receive a report from her, perhaps."

"Morlan," Garia said, "do you trust Jenet?"

"Mistress?" Morlan was confused by the apparent change of subject. "I don't know her that well, but I have heard no bad reports of her. Why? How is this relevant?"

"Because Jenet was guiding me through the corridors. If you trust her, then she will tell you that I said nothing to them that could be used by them. If you do not trust her, then she may also be a spy, since she may conceal whatever I may have said to them."

"Mistress Garia," Queen Terys pointed out, "Jenet is an old retainer, known and trusted. I cannot believe that she had anything to do with this."

Garia bowed, as much as she was able. "Thank you, Your Majesty. That then means that there is at least one spy amongst the palace staff who told them when and where I would be walking."

"Mistress," Jenet said, "I was with you the whole time, from the moment you got out of bed until now. I could not have told anything to anyone."

"Not quite true, Jenet," Garia said. "After I had changed this evening you left me to go and get changed yourself. You could have spoken to someone then, even innocently."

"I didn't, Mistress! There were others there, it is true, we were all talking about the function, anyone could have passed on the word."

Morlan jumped. "You say Jenet left you, Mistress? On your own? Perhaps you took the opportunity to to contact these people yourself while she was gone?"

"And how would I do that, Master Morlan?" Garia responded. "I barely know the way from my room to the dining room for breakfast, I certainly don't know enough to find my way around the palace to contact people I've never heard of before."

"Ah," Morlan said with a self-satisfied smile, "we have only your word for that, of course."

"Morlan," an irritated Robanar broke in with an authoritative wave of his hand, "you left the palace this afternoon while conclusions were being made concerning Mistress Garia. I have decided, on the basis of what I have heard from yourself, from Mistress Garia and from Prince Keren, that Mistress Garia is not a danger to Palarand or its people, and I have offered her residence in the palace until such time as she wishes to depart."

"Your Majesty! You can't do that! There is no way of proving -"

"Enough!" Robanar's voice suddenly had the tone of command which would brook no dissent. "Unless you can bring me some specific example to show why Mistress Garia's status should be re-examined, I see no reason why she should not be offered a home here in Palarand." Robanar's tone softened slightly. "She will reside in the palace, so she will still be available for all those conversations which you told me at lunch you intended to have with her. I trust those conversations will include your fellow Questors?"

"I most humbly apologize, Your Majesty. As you say, Your Majesty."

"We will discuss this thoroughly in the morning, Morlan."

"As you command, Sire." Morlan stood. "Sire, if there is nothing further, it is late and there are some matters I must attend to. If you would permit me to retire?"

Robanar looked at Morlan thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose so. I don't think we can come to any conclusion tonight, in any case, but tomorrow we must meet together, here, after breakfast and consider the implications of Mistress Garia's arrival in Palarand more fully. I must confess that until this afternoon I had not properly understood what might be at stake. Aye, Morlan, you may go."

~o~O~o~

"Mistress?"

"Jenet?"

"I think in view of what's happened this evening, I would suggest that you put the key in your side of the door and lock yourself in after I've finished. Since the King has changed your status I don't think you need to be locked in any more."

"That's true, although I haven't heard anyone say so explicitly. It's a good thought, Jenet, and thank you for having it. It'll provide just that little bit extra security."

"Good night, Mistress. I'll knock in the morning."

"I'll probably already be up doing my exercises, so the door should be unlocked. Good night, Jenet."