Garia encounters Tarvan while the gang cleans Morlan's study, and decides that it's time to give another technology to Palarand. Following an instructive morning Snep gets a new saddle and the King reminds her that she will soon need to take charge of the lands granted to her.

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) 2011-2012 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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"Try this one," Keren said, handing over a square of parchment.

"Okay." Garia held the letter flat on the table with her fingertips and squinted at it.

"Seventh day of... Avilat, is that?"

"Avilat, yes. That's early last Spring."

"...Avilat, in the year 1173 since the Great Flood. To Morlan, respectful greetings. Master, I must protest! Master Sovordar insists that he has the right to investigate the... what is that word?"

"Steglid," Keren told her, but inside her brain she also heard composition.

"Oh, yes, steglid, I see. ...investigate the composition of the higher clouds, as they are obviously not of the same kind as that of the lower... what's that, Keren?" she said, pointing. "Is that supposed to be an oon or an ahn?"

Keren looked closely. "An ahn, I think. That's the trouble with much of the writing you'll see on these documents, if the writer is in a hurry or is under some emotional stress," he grinned at Garia, "then the writing deteriorates. Yes, he's missed the tick off the top of the ahn, I'm sure of it. Most times you can guess what's meant from the context, of course, but that requires you to know what the letter is about in the first place."

"Yes. It's much the same on Earth, of course. Sometimes people's writing is so bad you have to guess at half what they write. So, to continue, um... the same kind as the lower... clouds. Even the stupidest peasant in Palarand knows that all the clouds we see in the sky are made of the same stuff! I will tell you now that I shall not allow a mere... dreamer such as Sovordar to steal the life's work which is rightfully mine. I appeal to you as the Royal Questor to take appropriate action. I will not rest until this... gravest of insults has been answered. Signed, Branjof Son of Kerildar, Questor of Clouds."

Garia grimaced. "These people don't do mild, do they? What happens when they meet, for goodness sake? Scrolls at ten paces? This is the third letter I've read which more or less threatens open war between the Questors. I thought Morlan was bad, some of these are far worse, if their letters are anything to go by."

Keren shrugged. "I don't think it's just the Questors, Garia. There are people like that everywhere in life. Some of father's barons are much worse than anything you've read here, and remember, they can call on their own armed retainers if they wanted to press a point. No, I think the Questors are just unpleasant people, mostly, fond of the sound of their own voices. Anyway, was he correct?"

"Correct? What do you mean?"

"The clouds. Are they the same, or different?"

Garia smirked. "Yes and no." Keren mock-scowled at her, then grinned. "Clouds are all made from water vapor," she continued, "just like steam. In the high atmosphere all the clouds are ice crystals, though, because it gets colder the higher you go. Lower down they can be water droplets, which fall as rain, or they can contain hail or snow depending on conditions. So they were both right, I guess. I don't think it's worth fighting over, though. There's enough to study for twenty Questors, let alone two."

"I thought it might have been something like that. Your reading has improved quite rapidly, hasn't it?"

"Yes. I'm a little surprised myself, although I probably shouldn't be. After all, I seem to already have the vocabulary and I can understand spoken speech. It won't be like learning a language the normal way. All I have to do is match the squiggles to the sounds and the word pops up ready. It helps that your written language is reasonably phonetic, so the letters match the sounds I hear."

Keren nodded. "The sensible way to write a language, don't you think? From what you've told me so far, English is not phonetic at all."

"Well, it is, sort of. But there are lots of exceptions, because English has roots in several other languages and takes up words from all over the place as well. Usually we retain the original pronunciation, so it all just adds to the complication."

Jenet poked her head round the door of Morlan's study. "Highness, milady, Milady Merizel, the pel is ready."

"Thank you, Jenet," Garia responded.

"I also think," Keren said as the three left the room, "that your accent is disappearing. When you first arrived in Palarand, you sounded quite distinctive, and not like any of the usual foreigners who visit our lands. Now, there's barely an oddness about some of the words you use."

"Yes," Garia replied thoughtfully. "I can't say I've noticed my accent changing, but one never thinks they have an accent themselves, do they? It's always other people. But, I have noticed there's been a curious echo in my head whenever I speak now. Almost as though I've begun thinking in the local tongue." She frowned. "I don't think I'm losing the ability to speak English, though. Perhaps I'm finally adapting to being here on Anmar."

They took seats in the sitting room and picked up their mugs, glad to have a break after an afternoon's hard work.

"Merry, how are you getting on with those scrolls?" Keren asked her.

"Much better than I hoped, Highness. Garia was right, as usual, when she thought that the damper air would help us unroll them. Now, of course, we have to find a way of storing them flat, and making sure they don't get so damp they start becoming moldy."

"Or causing the ink to fade," Garia added. "Or sticking to each other."

"You seem to know quite a lot about the subject," Keren observed.

Garia shrugged. "I grew up over a bookshop. The roof leaked a couple times. You get to know what books can stand and what needs doing when there's a problem."

"Yes, of course," he said. "It still seems strange to me that one can make a living from nothing but the sale of books, but that's because we've only just begun to print things here. I can't imagine what Palarand will be like even fifty years from now, when all the exciting things you have been telling us about have become everyday matters."

"Whatever you imagine, I can guarantee that the reality will be different," she replied. "Goodness knows people on Earth have been guessing the future for centuries, and they always get more wrong than they get right."

Keren nodded. "Aye, I can believe that."

They talked companionably while they sipped their drinks, still too hot to drink properly. Today, they had finished the major cleaning effort in the study, although much sorting and analyzing of the mass of papers still needed to be done. Much of the laboratory still remained, but that area would have to be tackled with greater care, as they did not know what chemicals and other dangerous items the former Royal Questor might have stored there.

"What was that?"

"What was what? Did you hear something?"

"A noise..."

The maker of the noise appeared in the doorway of the sitting room.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was anyone here... Milady Garia?" Tarvan did a double take. "Your Highness?"

Keren flushed beet red as he realized that Tarvan had just recognized him... while wearing his woman-servant's cleaning kit.

"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, you're dead, Tarvan!" Keren said sharply, wagging a finger at the stunned young man. "I'll see to it that your body is never found!"

Tarvan turned white, then stepped into the room, hands wide.

"Highness, I never intended..."

"Calm down, Keren," Garia butted in. "Tarvan, we already rely on your discretion. You know what a terrible state these rooms were in and we're the only people who can possibly clean them. Our Mistress of the Wardrobe seems to think that this isn't a job the Heir to the Throne ought to be doing, so we've had to be a little creative."

Tarvan looked at the five people sitting in front of him, all dressed exactly the same in a wrap-around cleaning dress, with a scarf tied over each head and another slung loosely around their necks. He gave Garia a tentative smile of acknowledgment before returning his attention to an embarrassed Keren.

"As you say, milady," he said. "Highness, I apologize for putting you in such a position."

Keren began to see the funny side of it. "Ah, you've no need to apologize, Tarvan. You didn't put me in this position, I did it to myself. But how did you get in?"

"My mistake," Garia said. "If you remember, I gave him a key so that he could deliver the materials needed for our experiments. I forgot completely that he could come and go. Tarvan, sit down, please, you're making us nervous. Jenet, a mug of pel for our guest."

Once armed with a mug and seated, Tarvan began to relax.

"Would you really have made my body disappear, Highness?"

Keren grinned. "There must be ways to do that but I don't know of any. You're quite safe with us, Tarvan. I was just a little shocked to be discovered like that."

"Have you brought all the parts for our experiments, Tarvan?" Garia asked.

"All that I could think of, milady. If I may ask, what must we do next?"

Garia looked at Keren and Jenet. "Do we have time to get started this afternoon? Would it be better to wait until tomorrow, do you think?"

"I know you want to begin," Keren said, "but we ought to tidy up what we started today first. By the time we have done that we will need to change before the evening meal, so, not today, I think."

"Milady," Jenet said, "the Prince is correct. But tomorrow morning, you will only be performing the Tai Chi, which will leave you the rest of the morning to begin whatever you intend."

"There's also a visit to be made to the saddler tomorrow morning," Merizel added. "That shouldn't take very long."

"Okay," Garia agreed, "I give in. Tomorrow morning, then, at about the third bell, we'll meet in the laboratory. Does everyone agree? Right. I will take a look today, however, at what Tarvan's brought us, just in case there's something I've forgotten."

As they stood to return to the study Tarvan remarked, "Highness, I approve of your attire. I know just how filthy places like this can get at times. I wish there were a more useful garment that I could wear, as you know the guildsmen often only have our leather aprons to protect us."

"Just so long as you keep it to yourself, Tarvan," Keren muttered. "I don't want people getting the wrong idea about me."

"My lips are sealed, Highness."

"I had an idea for some clothing you can wear, Tarvan," Garia said, remembering a past conversation. "I bet Yolda's forgotten all about it now."

"Milady?"

"A sort of garment that would cover your whole body. We call them overalls, or cover-alls or boiler suits. I'd asked her to design one for the guildsmen, for use when you're making steam engines. That's going to become a dirty business all of it's own." She paused, thinking. "Merry? Remind me to ask someone about that project."

"Yes, Garia."

"Let's go," Keren said. "We have some tidying up to do before we can go and change."

~o~O~o~

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name before."

"Bowdran, milady. Is the saddle more comfortable now? It is almost two fingers wider each side than when you tried it yesterday."

"It feels better, yes. Of course, we won't really know until I can get it onto Snep and start riding, will we? But overall I think you've done a good job so far."

"Thank you, milady. And you are certain that is where you wished the stirrup straps placed? It looks most unnatural to my own eye, even though you explained that your own people rode with them further back than we do."

"It feels about right, Bowdran. Trust me, doing it this way will make your riders feel safer and give them more control over their mounts. You had no problem fixing these metal stirrups, I take it?"

"None, milady. Fixing them is no different than fixing any other harness. I would be interested to see how they function compared with the stirrup loops we customarily use, milady. Would you permit me to watch you when you ride?"

"Of course! I would expect nothing else, especially since it's a new saddle."

"Then I think it should be finished for you by tomorrow, say by the fifth bell. There is a certain amount of finishing to be done, now that we have found the correct shape and size, but unless there is any remedial work to be done for the Guard, I can give your saddle my full attention, milady."

"Thank you very much, Bowdran. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, then, probably after our nap."

"As you wish, milady."

The saddle was a curious hybrid of styles, as far as Garia's experience went. It was wider and flatter than Gary would have been used to on the farm, but given her different anatomical shape this was reasonable. The polished, leather-covered, wooden 'handles' which went across the front and back of the saddle gave it an almost Western feeling while still allowing her widened pelvis room to move. Gary had always preferred his stirrups to be higher than everyone else's, bringing his thighs more horizontal rather like a jockey's stance, and this worked well under the new circumstances. Of course, a new saddle also had to fit the mount properly, and she wondered what Snep would think of it, having become used to the standardized Guard saddles. Oh, well, tomorrow would answer all those questions.

"We'll leave you in peace, then. Until tomorrow."

~o~O~o~

"Very well." She smiled at her audience. "I'm going to become Teacher again, for a while. Even though we're just going to be exploring what's possible this morning, you'll all have to have some kind of idea what I'm talking about, especially as it is something none of you have ever known existed before."

She walked over to the blackboard on the end wall of the laboratory and picked up some chalk. 'Electricity', she wrote on the board in the local script.

"You've all seen electricity," she told them. "Although what you've seen is an immense, incredibly violent form of electricity, and that is of course lightning. Now, you already know that lightning can kill, and do immense amounts of damage. Electricity can be as dangerous as anything else around us, but it can also be made to do useful work if handled right. A frayen or a dranakh can injure a man, can't they? Fire can burn, acids can eat skin and flesh, a man can drown in ankle-deep water, but it doesn't prevent us from taking baths, does it? So just keep in mind to treat it with respect, and you'll find we can do amazing things with it.

"One of the things you'll have to understand is that it's very difficult to see electricity, except when it sparks like lightning. There are ways of telling whether it's there or not, we'll get to those. One way to think of electricity is to compare it with water. Now, water always wants to flow down to the lowest point, doesn't it? Electricity always wants to get back home, and the way it does that is by flowing through solid objects. Some objects are easier for it to get through than others. Metals are easiest, things like wood and stone are hardest. If there's enough electricity, it will go through air if there's no easier way to get there. Incidentally, it will go through your body if it can, since you're mostly made of water."

"Water?" Merizel said, surprised. "But I thought..."

"It doesn't seem that way, does it?" Garia grinned. "But water can be present even when you least expect it. That's an explanation for another time, though. All you have to remember is that it's possible we could end up doing things that might make you jump."

Keren asked, "Is it dangerous to us, then?"

"It shouldn't be. All our experiments will be using metal circuits so the electricity should take the easier path. Now, Tarvan, if you'll bring up the parts for a cell."

The young metalsmith placed a shallow copper dish, a round felt pad, a disk of zinc and a jug on the bench.

"If you bring any two metals together with a liquid, they will try to have a chemical reaction," Garia explained. "That reaction can also generate electricity in what we call a battery. Strictly speaking a battery is a lot of cells strung together but we tend to call any chemical source of electricity a battery. So, if we put the felt in the dish, then place the zinc disk on top of the felt, nothing happens. If we now pour some of this salt water into the dish so it soaks the felt, then we should have electricity wanting to flow between the two metals. So we connect the two sides with a piece of wire, and complete the circuit."

"I don't see anything happening," Keren said.

"No, because we're just allowing the current to flow round without it doing anything. Suppose we multiply up the battery by making more of these cells, and piling them up into a stack?"

"More electricity?"

"Sort of. There's two ways to get more electricity, one is to stack up cells like that, the other is to make bigger cells. Do you see the difference?"

"Not sure. I understand there's a difference, but I can't describe it."

"Compare it with a tank of water, like the big one in the high tower. The higher the water is above you, the more pressure the water has coming out the pipe at the bottom, right? That's like piling up the cells. And the width of the pipe determines how much water comes out at a time, that's like the size of each cell."

They were all frowning as they tried to make sense of her explanation.

"Tarvan, let's build us a pile. I think five will be enough for the first demonstration."

They put together five cells, added salt water and stacked them. Tarvan had a small bag of pottery fragments.

"I realized, milady, that if you were going to stack these up the weight would compress the felt pads. These chips of roof tile will be just right to stop that happening."

With a copper wire buried under the bottom cell and Tarvan gingerly holding another against the top disk of zinc, Garia gingerly touched the two free ends to her tongue.

"Bleh! Well, that proves I'm not going to make a complete fool of myself."

"What did you just do?" Keren asked, concerned.

"Passed a current through a short section of my tongue," she said. "Want to try? You'll just get a tingle but it will taste funny."

With some initial reluctance they all tried the wires against their tongues.

"Now," Garia said with a smile, "time to do some magic, I think. Tarvan, where's that magnet?"

Keren frowned at her choice of words but saw that she was describing how electrical phenomena might appear to those who did not understand it. He watched carefully as Garia showed the shape iron dust made on a piece of parchment when a bar magnet was held underneath it, then told them that whenever an electric current flowed, a magnetic field was also to be found around the wire. She showed them what happened to the field when a wire was made into a coil, and then proceeded to make a coil and attract the iron dust to it.

"Of course," she explained, "you can improve the magnetic effect by putting something in the middle of the coil. Different materials have different effects, and no, I have no idea how or why. Tarvan will have to do some experiments to discover how it all works, I guess. One thing I do know is that iron will make the magnetic field stronger, and that's what we'll do next. Tarvan?"

Tarvan had a small chunk of iron, about the size and shape of a roll of dimes, and around it a thin piece of parchment had been wrapped. Garia carefully wound some wire round the parchment and then connected the ends to her battery wires. It was obvious from her tests that the arrangement was more powerful than before.

"Okay, let's move on. Where's that other piece of iron?"

Garia showed that the iron was attracted to the coil when the current flowed, but dropped away when the circuit was broken.

"So, here we have a magnet we can control simply by making a gap in the circuit. This means that unlike the other magnet there, which we call a permanent magnet, we can turn this one on and off as we want to."

"An interesting trick, milady," Tarvan observed. "Though, there are but few uses for permanent magnets, as you called them, so how will this new kind benefit us?"

Garia gave him a big smile. "Tarvan, this is fundamental to everything I am about to tell you. Did you hear the click as the piece of iron touched the coil? Supposing we used that click as a means of sending messages. The battery doesn't have to be anywhere near the coil, does it? It just depends how long the two wires are. Supposing the battery is in the next room? Or in the next building? Or the next town?"

It broke upon them all like a dazzling burst of light. Action at a distance, to this society, meant firing an arrow at someone. The idea that a pair of wires would let you communicate between places far apart was almost overwhelming.

"Actually," she said, "the battery can be anywhere in the circuit, it could even be in the same room as the coil. The wires just have to go somewhere and come back in order to make the circuit useful. All we really need at the far end is a switch."

She explained to them the concept of a switch, pointing out that there could be more than one switch in the circuit, and even more than one coil. Then she described how to make a buzzer, and finally how to add to the buzzer to make an electric bell.

"Amazing," Keren said. "Amazing! To think that all this lies unsuspected all around us, and we never knew it." He considered. "If you're thinking of doing what I think you're thinking, you're going to need a lot of copper wire, aren't you?"

"Keren, you have no idea," she told him with a large grin. "This is barely the start. Let's move on to the next important concept. Tarvan, will you hold the piece of iron against the bench for me, so it can't move?"

Garia placed the coil near the iron and completed the circuit. The coil immediately jumped towards the iron with a click.

"But," said Keren, pointing, "that is merely the same as what you just showed us, isn't it? When the electricity goes round, the two will come together."

"True," Garia allowed, "but the point is the coil moved. By passing a current through them, you can make coils move. And if we can make coils move themselves, we can make ourselves an electric motor, to power anything the same way we can do so with a steam engine."

The next bell was passed in the construction of a very crude electric motor. Tarvan had found some very light and easily carve-able wood, with which they fashioned a shape which could be used to hold three coils at different angles. This was then mounted on a thick wire axle, along with some more disks of wood which would support the crude current pickups she would make out of bent pieces of wire. The whole thing was then assembled on a wooden base and connected up to the battery.

"I don't know if this is going to work," she said. "We have to get the coils connected so the current flows the right way round, or it's not going to spin properly. Here goes."

She brought the magnet close to one of the coils and the crude armature began to move. Adjusting her position, the little motor began to spin up, the motion being very jerky. The other watched in awe as movement was apparently conjured out of nothing. Finally, she removed the magnet and the spinning stopped.

"What do you think?" she asked. "One of my teachers showed us how to make these years ago in a science class. We had a great deal of fun building electric motors out of almost nothing."

Tarvan scratched his head. "I'm not sure what I'm seeing. Are you saying that all you need to do to make an... electric... motor... is to wind some coils and then connect them to a battery? And that you can then use this motor to do useful things?"

"That's exactly right, Tarvan," Garia told him. "What you have just witnessed is the first ever electric motor to have worked on Anmar, so of course it looks crude and feeble. Just imagine what you might be able to do once you get some experience in building motors! Once you have worked your way up to generating a decent amount of power, you'll be able to do many things you can barely think of now."

"But... as you said before, milady, to make more power means we'll need..." he frowned in concentration, "more cells? Bigger cells?"

Garia gave him another big smile. "You can, and you probably will have to, for your initial experiments. But there's a big secret here as well, and I'll tell you all about that now."

She moved round the bench and patted the battery stack gently. "This kind of a battery is made of what's known as primary cells. This means the chemical reaction which produces the electricity can't be reversed. Once all the materials involved, metal and liquid, have been used up you'll have to throw it away. Or, more usefully, re-smelt it back into fresh metal.

"But there are other ways of making electricity. Another type of battery, which we call a secondary battery, can be re-charged once the electricity is all used up. I'll talk to you later about how we can make those. To charge such a battery, of course, you'll need electricity from somewhere else, and that's the fun thing about an electric motor, because you can make it work in reverse if you need to."

"Make it work in reverse?" Keren repeated, frowning. "But that would just mean it would spin the other way... no, you can't mean that, can you? You'd still be using the battery." Garia waited until he figured it out. "Ah! You mean, surely, that if you turn the axle by some other means - say by using a steam engine, perhaps - you can use the motor to make electricity? Is that what you mean?"

She turned to the metalsmith. "Tarvan?"

"I think I understand, milady. When you said that the process was reversible, you meant that exactly, didn't you?"

"Yes, that's right. If a current is passed through a wire, it makes a magnetic field, and if a wire is passed through a magnetic field, a current is made to flow along the wire. That, in practice, is how we generate all the electricity that we use on Earth, except for portable purposes, which is when we use batteries."

"Let me think about this then, milady," Tarvan mused. "What you would have us do is to make motors which are turned by various means like steam engines, water wheels and even windmills, which will make electricity." He blinked. "Ah! Now I understand why you talked of large quantities of wire! You would have us place these..."

"Generators, we call them when they are used that way."

"Generators, yes. We place them away from the city and use wires to bring the electricity in, where we..?" he looked questioningly at Garia.

"Use it to run your factories, light, heat or cool your homes, cook your food, make your transport run from city to city and enable you to talk to anyone in Alaesia," she told him, dead-pan.

Tarvan stared at her, then said in a faint voice, "My Lady, I think I need to sit down. I feel strange."

"Every time," Keren said feelingly, "I think I begin to understand Earth, you come along with something new and prove me wrong. If your world uses electricity like this, no wonder you found it so unfamiliar when you came here."

"We've barely begun the subject," Garia said. "There's lots more you can do with electricity once you become familiar with it. Look, I think I've done enough for now. Why don't we go and sit down with some pel? I know Tarvan could do with a sit down while he comes to terms with what I just told you all, and I could do with a drink myself, I think."

In the sitting room again, they nursed mugs of pel and considered all they had seen and heard so far that morning. Bursila wandered around the room lighting some of the lamps, since it was still raining and the light was not great. Tarvan nodded to himself occasionally as he worked through the consequences of the new technologies Garia had exposed while Keren considered how his father might take the revelations.

"Milady," Tarvan finally said, "I now understand why you chose to tell me of these things rather than Guildmaster Parrel. He will have to know, of course, but it is already apparent to me that, as you said before, a new Guild will be required for this work. I must thank you for suggesting me for this immense task."

"You're welcome, Tarvan," she replied. "You have a long way to go, and I think it needs somebody young like ourselves, who aren't perhaps restricted by age-old custom in the way they think about matters." She grinned. "Of course, all young people think the oldies are stuck in their ways, don't we? But there's some truth in that, as I've found out to my cost since coming to Palarand."

"That may be true, Garia," Keren said, "but we can't just ignore established custom whenever we want to. If we did so we might throw out the good along with the bad."

"As you say, Keren, and that is why we have the Council of the Two Worlds."

Tarvan said, "I see now why you wanted to make these experiments first, milady, before taking the matter to the council. It took us several bells to build the simple devices we made today and get them to work. We could not have done that with the whole council around us, could we?"

"Exactly, Tarvan. I want to have everything set up and working so that we can make a tidy demonstration to the council when the time comes. To begin with, I wasn't even sure any of it would work."

"I understand completely, milady. With your assistance, there should be no difficulty making the items we need."

"Good. Thank you, Tarvan. Merry, how much of what we did this morning did you understand?"

"Garia? Why, most of it, I think. It was interesting to see what could be accomplished with but a few pieces of copper wire."

Garia was surprised, since Merizel up till now had appeared not to be as intelligent as, say, herself or Keren. Perhaps it was because she had not yet found something to interest her?

"You did understand? I'm pleased for you, Merry. It didn't seem to me to be something that you would find interesting. I wondered if you might have gotten bored while we were fiddling about."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll fall behind as you go on, Garia, but for now I'm interested, and I'd be glad to help whenever I can."

"That's great! Although, there's as much work for us to do in the study as there will be in the laboratory, and I thought you'd be more use in there."

"I don't mind, Garia. Just so long as I'm busy doing something useful." Merizel smiled at Garia. "You probably have little idea what the life of the youngest daughter of an obscure baron can be like. Sometimes I would have to stop myself screaming out loud from the boredom and frustration. Embroidery can be interesting, and calming to do, but not every day for weeks at a time. Coming to the palace was the best thing that has ever happened to me." She gave Keren a demure look. "Even if there have been kidnappings, bodies, fights in crowds and arguments with the palace staff."

Keren gave her an amused smile. "All that is better than embroidery? You did live in the back country, didn't you? I'm glad you're here, Merry, because I don't think Garia would have managed very long without you. You've fitted in so well I forget you've only been here two months or so. But Garia's right. I think, for the present, your talents would be better used in the study, if you would."

"As you wish, Highness."

"Don't get all formal with me, girl."

Merizel poked out her tongue at Keren.

Tarvan stared at the others. Their ranks were way above his, and they were all different in ways that should have invited deference when speaking, but he could see that they all treated each other just as friends. This posed him a problem. Should he become more familiar, if they were to be working together, or would that be awkward, as he was an outsider? Should he remain stiff and formal instead? He decided to let matters develop at their own pace.

The Lady Garia was interesting. It was obvious that she was driving the new developments, and her attention was entirely on those at the moment. Would she one day look for a husband? She was far too smart for the likes of himself, he thought. The Prince, now, he was at least as smart as Lady Garia, and he approved of that, because if there was one thing any country needed it was a clever ruler, and Prince Keren would be Palarand's next ruler. Would she perhaps marry the Prince? He did not know if there were rules about such matters, and who was he to be match-making his own Prince? Perhaps the Lady Merizel, then. Would she consider the Master of a new guild? Assuming the various Guild factions allowed such an innovation, of course...

"You look thoughtful, Master Tarvan."

"Hmm? Lady Merizel, I was thinking about what I have recently seen. It will require much planning to develop this new idea, and I fear I will require much guidance from Milady Garia."

"I would not think too much about the long-term consequences just now, Tarvan," Garia told him. "There is a more immediate use for electricity which I'll point out to you now. Did you notice the sparks, when the motor was running?"

"Of course, milady. How could one not? And there was a strange smell."

"The smell is something called ozone, which you'll often get around electricity. The sparks are because the contacts were not smooth, and there were breaks in the current flow as the motor spun."

"I see, milady. Are these sparks a problem to us?"

"They can be, since they represent lost energy, turned into heat. For a motor, that's not a good thing. However, sparks can be very useful when controlled the right way. If you had a very big battery, you would get a very big spark, big enough to be extremely hot. You can use that spark to weld metal, Tarvan."

"Weld metal, milady? Surely not!" Tarvan's brow furrowed. "Perhaps. If you would explain, milady? This is another new idea, and I find it difficult to imagine how one could use electricity to weld anything."

"I have been thinking about how to make boilers and other parts for steam engines," she said. "In the beginning, on Earth, we used to make large iron or steel plates, drill holes in them and rivet them together. It was the only way to make the boilers strong enough to stand the pressure. That's a time-consuming way of building what is a metal tank, and there's ample chance of making a mistake along the way. So, suppose this instead. We have a big steam engine, the sole function of which is to drive a big generator. To even out the flow, we feed the electricity into a big bank of rechargeable batteries, right? Then, we can run thick wires out to wherever we want to do the welding. That means you don't need a forge, or an anvil, or anything like that at all." Tarvan's eyes widened as he grasped the possibilities. "One wire you attach to the plates you want to weld, and the other you attach to a handle, with a stick of metal in it. When you bring the stick to the plate, you'll get a big spark, which will melt the end of the stick and part of the plate next to it, fusing the plate to the bit you want to weld it to. You move the stick along the join slowly as it melts. Get the idea?"

Tarvan shook his head in wonder. "You describe an amazing thing, milady! I begin to understand what you describe, but I fear I will need a demonstration before I can fully appreciate what this might mean for us." He thought. "You do not mean to demonstrate this new process to the Council? From your description, it will take us much time and effort to build what you will require."

"Not yet, Tarvan," she said, smiling at him. "For now, we'll just dazzle them with motors and generators, okay? But I think welding sheet metal is something you're going to need in the near future, as industry begins to build up all over Palarand, so I'll begin planning what we'll need for a demonstration when I have some free time." She rolled her eyes, and everyone else grinned at her.

"Let's finish our drinks and go tidy up," Keren said. "Lunch will be called soon, and we have a full afternoon ahead of us."

~o~O~o~

There was nearly an unfortunate accident in the Large Training Room that afternoon. The stable hand who fitted Garia's new saddle onto Snep's back was confused by the stirrup arrangement, and managed to place it back-to-front.

Snep did not like this, and showed his discomfort in a very noticeable fashion. It took all of Garia's powers of persuasion to calm the beast, talking to him quietly while holding his reins very loosely so that he didn't feel pressured. It took longer before she discovered the source of his distress, and when she did the unfortunate stable hand received a heavy reprimand from several quarters.

With the saddle reversed and secured in what they all judged was the correct position, Garia took hold of the handles fore and aft. A loop of harness had been secured to the rear handle and she placed her right foot in it, allowing her to raise herself up and put her left foot in the stirrup. Then she swung her right leg over Snep's back and seated herself, finding the right stirrup.

"How does that feel, milady?" Bleskin asked.

"Not too bad, captain," she replied. "The stirrups are a little too high, and I think they could be slightly forwards as well. Until I actually climbed up here I wasn't able to tell, of course. For the rest of it, it feels comfortable enough. Of course, I'll need to spend some time riding before I can truly tell if everything's right."

Bleskin nodded. "As you say, milady. The shape and position of a saddle is as personal to a rider as his - or her - own attire." He appraised her posture with a seasoned eye. "You appear to be seated comfortably to my eye, milady, even though your position is unusual. Shall you try Snep about the hall?"

"As you wish, captain. Snep?" Garia clucked softly. "Walk on."

Snep pricked up his ears and ambled off towards the wall, realizing very swiftly that the weight on his back was different than he had ever encountered before. He stopped and turned his head around to view his rider.

Garia smiled back at him. "New saddle, Snep! This is how I'll ride from now on." She patted his neck gently. "Walk on."

Since the traditional saddle had the stirrups set at the front of the saddle, the rider's weight had been carried mostly at the back. Garia's stance was more nearly over her feet and this brought her weight, and that of her saddle, further forward, where Snep's rib cage could better carry it. Snep's ears flicked up, and he resumed walking. This was comfortable to both, and the weight was better distributed.

Garia went through her paces, adapting to the different positions needed on the new saddle. It was obvious that both she and her mount preferred this arrangement over the previous one. Finally, she reined in in front of Bleskin and dismounted smartly.

"What did you think, captain? For myself, I think it's exactly what I wanted."

"An interesting display, milady. I look forward to watching your progress outside, once the rains have ended."

"And I, captain!" She gave him a satisfied smile. "I think I could ride like this all day."

"That may be possible in time, milady. For now, we must remain within the palace walls. And there is of course the matter of your attire."

Garia nodded. "I understand, captain. We are working on that. What I'm wearing now is certainly not suitable."

"As you say, milady. I am not familiar with the fine details of a lady's attire, but I'm sure that what you will bring before us will be every part as interesting as your new saddle has proved to be."

"Thank you, captain." She gave him another smile. "And thank you for putting up with a young girl's whims."

"Hardly that, milady. Over the past two months and more, the Guard has profited greatly by 'a young girl's whims'. We have learned much that will permit us to protect our King, and all his household, so much better than before."

~o~O~o~

"We have a trifling problem, Garia," Robanar told her as they gathered in the Queen's Sitting Room. "As you probably remember, Keren here will reach his sixteenth birthday in about seven weeks time and at that time he will formally become an adult. There will be a short ceremony at which he will officially be recognized as the Heir to the Throne and he will then take up some of the duties expected of him from that day onwards.

"Now, Garia, we also have your own position to consider. Like Keren, you will also soon become an adult, and at that time you will formally become the custodian of the baronial lands granted to you. The trifling problem we face is that, by your own reckoning, it will be very difficult to determine the date by which you will reach your own sixteenth birthday, since neither the length of day or length of year are what you know on your home world, nor do you know exactly when you came here."

Garia opened her mouth to speak, but Robanar waved a hand to stop her.

"I have no doubt that by using your new numbers you could determine a day when you might consider your birthday to be, but I do not propose to subject you to that complication, it will not be necessary. With the consent of yourself and Prince Keren, I propose instead to make his coming of age ceremony a joint one with yourself."

Keren nodded. "Father, I have no objection to offer."

Garia gulped. "Sire, I thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't want to interfere in what will be an important ceremony for Keren."

"Have no fear of that, my dear. The ceremony I mentioned will be a short affair, conducted in the Receiving Room in front of as many nobles as wish to present themselves. In Keren's case, that would be a substantial number, because he is in favor amongst the nobility. Your own coming of age would be noted and agreed following Keren's ceremony."

"Sire, wouldn't that give the nobles a chance to object to me? I have heard rumors that a few already resent my being made a baroness."

Terys explained, "This is true, dear, but a moment's thought will tell you that what the King proposes is necessary. Your coming of age will happen in any event, dear, whether you are a baroness or merely a stranger from somewhere else entirely. The King considers, and I agree, that by exposing you to the nobles he may learn just what faction objects to your presence and who might be behind them."

Garia went cold as she remembered that there were other players in her life, ones not always motivated by petty court jealousies. She bowed her head to Terys.

"As you say, ma'am. I had overlooked that possibility."

Terys smiled. "Of course, dear. Lately you have been too busy corrupting the Guard and the palace tradesmen to concern yourself with life beyond the palace." Garia blushed. "I do not think there will be much trouble at the ceremony, but we must do all we can to expose those who would cause mischief and worse. Do you understand, dear?"

"I do, ma'am, and thank you for reminding me that the palace is not the world."

"Furthermore, Garia," Robanar added, "you must needs be instructed in the duties expected of you in future. My son of course has had instruction all his life, but you have not graced our court long enough to know the duties of any noble. I have instructed Kendar to teach you what any nobleman," he grunted, "or woman must know to properly and legally perform their duties as my representative."

Robanar indicated Kendar, standing waiting against the sitting room wall.

"Since this is a new barony, he will also need to arrange your house colors, a device, and many other details which will identify the barony to your fellow nobles and the people at large."

"A device, Sire?"

"Yes." Robanar struggled to find a way of explaining.

"Sire," Kendar said, "If I may. Milady, a device is a design, which may be painted onto a shield, or embroidered on clothing, or carved in stone or wood upon your residence."

"Ah!" Garia nodded. "I understand. We would call that a badge, or a shield, or a coat of arms, or something like that." Her eyes narrowed. "I have to think up a design?"

"With the help of my department, milady. Briefly, we need something that may not be mistaken for another device at a distance."

Garia turned to Merizel. "You'll set up meetings with Kendar?"

"Of course, Garia."

"There are some other minor matters involved in setting up your barony," Robanar continued. "Lady Merizel?"

"Sire?"

"If you wish to continue in the post you now have, you would leave the employ of the Crown and become a vassal of Baroness Blackstone. Will you consent to this? As matters stand, this should make very little difference to your status, your activities or your place of residence."

A startled Merizel stood and curtseyed to Robanar. "Why yes, Sire! I would wish for nothing more."

"And Lady Garia has my permission to choose some small number from among my own guard to form the core of her own men-at-arms." He wagged a finger at her with a smile. "Not too many, mind! I suspect you have so beguiled my loyal troops that they would follow you from the palace to a man, leaving me to fight my enemies by myself."

A quirk twitched Garia's lips as she in turn stood and curtseyed. "Thank you, Sire. As you command, Sire."

Robanar nodded and relaxed. "Good. Now, let us turn to other matters. Milady, explain to us, if you would, this new saddle of yours. I hear there was some difficulty putting it on your beast?"

"Well, Sire..."

~o~O~o~

Garia sat on her bed, knees drawn up under her nightdress, arms wrapped around her legs, her breasts pressed against her knees. Outside the steady dripping of the rain in the dark punctuated the dull roar she had become so used to.

My breasts. I don't remember them feeling quite like this before. Are they growing bigger? Duh, that's what happens, isn't it? I know there's a bit of 'time of the month' can happen, but I also know what that feels like and this isn't it. I'm that age, aren't I, and they are still developing. I wish the things weren't quite so sensitive. A remembered session in the dark. Sometimes. It's just as well those new bras take some of the sensitivity away when I'm training. I'll get Rosilda to check the size.

Her mind wandered on to their activities in the laboratory.

That must be the longest I've been with Tarvan, and I've never seen him before without Parrel by his side. Does he qualify as nerd or geek? Don't rightly know, but he'd certainly be one of the quiet ones at the back of the class, getting his work done and not screwing around like the rest of us.

He was checking us out, too. I remember seeing him look at Merry and me when we had our drink. What is he? About twenty-two or so? Earth years, that is. I don't know when they start apprenticing around here, or how long it takes. Is he the sort of man I should be considering? The age gap wouldn't be that great on Earth, but I don't know the rules here yet. Come to think of it, he looked at Merry more than he looked at me. Perhaps he thinks she would be a safer bet. I know that if the male me was to consider the female I now am, I'd run a mile. As I now am, I'm far too demanding for most boys to bother with.

She reddened and cringed, remembering how she had behaved the last few weeks. Not the way to make friends, not that kind anyway. They all think I'm like Superwoman, I guess. Who could match up to that kind of power? So far, I've only met one boy who would be able to keep up with me.

Her blush changed as another kind of warm feeling washed over her.