Garia begins to settle in her new quarters as part of the Royal Family. Master Gerdas learns more than he expected, and it dawns on everyone that steps have to be taken to manage Garia's other-world knowledge effectively and safely.

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

10 - Astronomy, Cutlery, Murder

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 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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"Is that a dance, Mistress?"

Garia had expected the question but continued sweeping through the positions to the end before repeating the explanation she had given Jenet two mornings before. Kenila looked completely blank. It occurred to Garia that in this society women never fought except presumably at life-or-death moments and possibly not even then. The maid just couldn't grasp the concept of fighting back.

"Never mind for now. Let's go and get bathed."

After washing herself - and the maid - the pair walked into the dressing room in their fluffy robes. Garia was unprepared for what she found after opening the door but on reflection she realized that the daughter of a King would need a bigger dressing room than a mere visitor. This wasn't a closet, even a walk-in closet, but a large room with its own tall window, the same size as the three in the bedroom and the two in her sitting room. In front of the window was an ornate dressing table with a mirror and a row of stoppered porcelain pots. Beside the table and beside the window was a full-length mirror like the one in the Lilac Chamber, made of what Garia had previously decided was polished and lacquered steel. Behind, her transferred clothing filled less than a quarter of the available rail space and there was plenty of room on the shelves as well.

'My' clothing? This is unreal, but I'd better get used to it darn quick.

"What do you suggest I wear today, Kenila?"

"Try this one, Mistress," the maid said. "Or perhaps this one? Do you know what you might be doing today?"

"Not really. The last few days have been a bit... haphazard, haven't they? I wondered if I might get out into the fresh air today." The maid looked concerned. "Oh, I don't mean I'll be going anywhere, I think I might like to get a chance to wander in some of the enclosed gardens here, have a bit of time to myself to think about things, you know? A lot's happened recently, I need to think about it all."

"I understand, Mistress. Perhaps something light, then. I heard it's still going to be warm today. This one, perhaps."

Kenila held up yet another white gown. This one had pink trimmings and gathered flounces at neck, sleeves and hem. Garia sighed internally and nodded acceptance.

A week ago I'd fight to the death if someone attempted to get me to wear something like that, she thought. Now it just plain doesn't matter. They feel good against the skin, though. They look good on, as well, although I'm really not into all these flounces and twiddly bits. This whole business is just so outside my experience I might just as well be in the school play. At least I look as though I ought to be wearing this stuff. Gary would just look plain stupid.

She examined herself in the full-length mirror before sitting in front of the dressing table so that Kenila could brush her hair.

"Do the women where you come from normally wear their hair like this, Mistress?"

"No, not really. A lot of women have short hairstyles though just as many have long hair like yours. The fashions change from time to time." Garia peered into the smaller mirror. "This is beginning to look bad, isn't it? How is hair looked after in the palace? Do you have someone who cuts it?"

"Yes, Mistress, there's a -" the word Garia mentally heard was salon "- where the ladies of the court have their hair trimmed and lots of other things done besides, like feet and nails. Would you like me to arrange a session for you, Mistress?"

Garia sighed internally. She was going to have to spend maybe a couple hours immersed in a totally alien environment and she wasn't looking forward to it. If nothing else, there were too many other things going on to waste the time, but looking at the state of her hair she recognized that there was really no option.

"Yes, Kenila, I think you'll have to. I need to at least have this hair trimmed into something respectable-looking." She paused, a thought surfacing. "But don't make it for today, I'll be too busy, I suspect. Tomorrow at the earliest." And then I'll have Jenet back. She seems to understand my problems much better than the Queen's maids ever will.

"As you wish, Mistress."

As she stood and turned to go she had another thought.

"Kenila, there's a lot of rail space here. What will it be used for? What different sorts of clothes am I likely to be wearing through the rest of the year?"

"Ah, Mistress, there'll be more gowns, I expect. We'll soon be into the rainy season, you'll need outerwear to keep the rain off, capes, cloaks, waxed boots and head wear. As the weather cools there will be different fabrics and styles to keep the drafts off. As winter approaches you'll need woolen underwear, tights, boots and so on. Maybe some furs if you'll be visiting outside the palace."

"Winter. How cold will it get then? Does it snow here?"

"Not very much, Mistress. We get a thin layer two, maybe three times in a winter. Of course, the mountains are entirely covered, nobody can travel very far. Sometimes it gets cold enough that the river starts to freeze. You'll be warm and snug inside the palace, though, don't worry about that."

"I'm not worried, I just didn't know what sort of climate there was round here. Thank you, Kenila. Another question, then. What sort of clothes do I wear if I want to do some exercise? I can't wear something like I have on now, can I?"

"Mistress?" Kenila looked at Garia as if she had grown another head. "Exercise?"

Garia sighed again and dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. Oh, well. A t-shirt and shorts, or even a hockey skirt is obviously going to be out of the question. I'll have to work on that one. "Never mind, let's go and get breakfast."

As they walked into the dining room Garia belatedly remembered Gerdas. He stood talking with the King and Queen as she approached. I'm going to have to make him my first priority this morning, I think. Robanar wasn't entirely fair to the poor man yesterday. She curtseyed to the group.

"Good morning, Your Majesties, Master Gerdas."

"Mistress Garia," Robanar responded. "I trust you slept much better than you did the previous night?"

She gave him a wry smile. "That wouldn't be difficult, Sire. For any of us, I think. Is there any further news?"

"None, Mistress. Certain inquiries are being made in the city and countryside but I have not heard of any progress in that regard. Will you sit next to the Queen this morning?"

"As you wish, Sire." She hesitated, then continued. "Sire, I think it might be a good idea if, after breakfast, I put Master Gerdas out of his misery. It was perhaps unkind to dangle such a bait in front of him yesterday and then tell him nothing."

Robanar looked startled then grinned. "I had not realized that I had done so," he said. To Gerdas he added, "You have my apologies, Master Gerdas. Aye, I think a talk with Mistress Garia after breakfast is a good idea. Shall we sit at table and continue this discussion?"

Halfway through breakfast Prince Keren appeared, grabbed a mug of pel from the serving staff and sat down between two of the officials facing Garia.

"Good morning, Mistress!" he said to her with a smile. He acknowledged his parents. "Father, Mother. I thought I'd come and assist Mistress Garia this morning. Without even her maid to support her today I wondered if she would be strong enough to cope with the questions Master Gerdas is going to throw at her. After all, I'm familiar with much of what she will be telling him." He looked along the table. "Master Gerdas! I can already see that you are anxious to have your curiosity filled today."

"Highness," Gerdas replied. "Am I that transparent? I must admit I spent a poor night, my head filled with speculation as to what I could possibly learn today."

Keren grinned at him. "I can promise you won't be disappointed, Master."

Robanar added, "Mistress Garia has pointed out that I have treated the poor man cruelly by giving him a hint yesterday and then not telling him any more. The two of you had better go and satisfy his quest for knowledge before he expires with frustration."

"Aye, Father."

After breakfast the Prince found them a small meeting room at the front of the palace and they made themselves comfortable. Gerdas immediately made his position clear.

"Mistress, I have been thinking over what the King said to me yesterday and I am wondering just how you can be sure that you come from another world." He shrugged. "I grant it is possible that you may come from a part of Alaesia where conditions are very different to those in the Valley, where different plants grow and different animals wander. You might even come from a distant group of islands in the great ocean we know little or nothing about, for that matter. But... another world? How can you be so sure, Mistress?"

"Easy, Master Gerdas," she replied. "Orbiting my world there is only one moon, not the three that I see here. As I explained to Morlan, my world has been completely and thoroughly explored and there is no part of it that resembles this one, no animals here that are known in my own world."

"One moon, Mistress? Um, it may be possible for there to be a part of Anmar where only Kalikan is visible. I'm not sure, I'd have to make some calculations, but it might be possible."

"Master Gerdas," Garia emphasized, "there is no possibility of my coming from any part of Anmar. Although people from my world cannot travel very far, we have put ships of space in orbit around it, we have even sent men to stand on our Moon. We would know very definitely if there were other moons. No, I can absolutely guarantee that I come from somewhere else entirely."

The color drained from Gerdas's face. "You can send ships up there?" He pointed to the ceiling. "How is that possible?"

"A lot of money, Master Gerdas, a lot of time, a lot of research, a lot of effort. I suppose I'd better explain the reason why we can do things like this. In terms of development my world is about three hundred years ahead of yours."

Garia explained as she had done to Morlan about the progress through technology that Earth had made compared to the present state of Anmar. Unlike Morlan, however, Gerdas immediately accepted the truth of what Garia told him and obviously thirsted for more knowledge. She had to let him down gently.

"It's not that simple, Master. Each advance has to be developed and understood thoroughly before the next can be made. If you can imagine, you would have to make tools to make tools to make tools to make... you get the idea. There are other, ethical factors involved as well. Many, many of the things I know about could prove disruptive to society here. Some of the devices invented on my world can destroy yours utterly. They have come near to destroying Earth, certainly. Most of the technologies would completely change the face of Anmar. A lot of people are going to be out of a job, and mad about it. I promised the King I wouldn't let that happen."

Gerdas seemed frustrated by that statement but accepted the logic of it.

"So," he said after thinking things through, "what you are telling me is that you have some knowledge which is known in your world but not in Anmar." Garia nodded. "And that some of this knowledge you consider dangerous to us. Does that mean that you aren't going to tell us anything? If so, why tell us that you have the knowledge at all? Why say anything?"

"Because not all of that knowledge is dangerous, Master Gerdas. There are certainly things I can tell you, for example, which would advance the science of astronomy by many years without disturbing more than the Society of Questors."

Oh, shit, I forgot. Telling the Pope the truth didn't do Galileo any favors, did it? I'd better find out how the land lies, I think. Now, how can I phrase it so that I don't get burned at the stake?

"Um," she continued slowly, "I've had a thought on the matter of astronomy. There's a fair amount I might tell you, but it may be somewhat different than any current theories you might have. If so, how might new knowledge be received? I don't want to cause any arguments or get myself into trouble for saying things any of us would come to regret."

Gerdas gave a shrug. "Knowledge is knowledge, Mistress. There are many things that puzzle us about the night sky and if someone can provide an explanation which makes more sense then it would generally be accepted, I think. Oh, there are always one or two who will stick to a favorite theory but if your arguments are persuasive most will accept them. Why do you ask? Was there some problem on your own world?"

"Oh, yes, Master, there certainly was. It took hundreds of years before the plain truth of the way the sky worked was accepted and even now there are a small number who insist on different explanations. In fact, many were killed for their beliefs."

I might have struck lucky here. So far, apart from the word 'Maker' used as an exclamation I've come across nothing that indicates religion at all. That doesn't mean there is none, of course, but it might mean that these people are fairly laid back about the whole thing. I can certainly hope so.

"I find that hard to understand, Mistress," Gerdas said, shaking his head. "The truth is the truth, surely. Once demonstrated it should be accepted by all. However," his tone changed, "so far I've actually heard nothing new this morning. Is there something you might tell me which would confirm your story? Some small, innocent thing, perhaps?"

Garia smiled. "Certainly, Master Gerdas. After all, that's the purpose of this meeting, isn't it? Now, what I need is something to write on, to draw diagrams."

Keren rummaged through the drawers and cupboards in a sideboard and found some small sheets of parchment together with some reed pens and bottles of ink. Garia looked at these for a while before shaking her head.

"Given what I did the other day in Morlan's study," she said to him, "I don't think I want to try and do the same thing using those, do I? It would only be a waste of parchment and I'd cover everyone and everything with ink."

Gerdas raised his eyebrows. "You are not familiar with pen and ink, Mistress? Can you not write, then?"

"Oh, yes, Master, I can write all right but we don't use pens like that and loose ink back home, we have other methods." She turned to Keren. "Highness, do you think we could go and use Morlan's study? I can use the blackboard in there if we do."

Keren briefly considered before agreeing. "I shouldn't think he'll mind given the circumstances. Gerdas, do you know if Morlan would object to us using his study? Have you been inside it?"

Gerdas nodded. "I have, but never when Morlan was absent, of course. You're assuming that he will come back eventually, I take it?"

Keren shrugged. "If he does he'll have many questions to answer. In the meantime, I think we can go and use the study ourselves. We'll try not to disturb anything in there."

"Actually," Garia said, "it might be useful in any case. I want to see if he took any of my belongings with him."

"You brought belongings with you?" a startled Gerdas asked. "From the other world, you mean?"

"Not much but, yes, I did. The clothing I wore would not have been appropriate wear for me here, so the palace has fitted me out with more suitable attire."

"How so, Mistress? Is the clothing on your own world that much different than our own, then?"

"Gerdas, on my world I wasn't even a mistress. I was a boy like the Prince here."

Gerdas gaped like a fish.

"And no," she continued, "the clothing on my world is nothing like that worn here. Men's or women's." She looked at the expression on Gerdas's face. "And now you're wondering if I'm completely mad, whether this whole business is a complete waste of your time. I can assure you I'm not and it isn't, and if we go to Morlan's quarters I shall convince you that I am telling the truth."

"Believe her, Gerdas," Keren said. "The King, Queen and I do. The Ascendancy of Yod certainly do."

Keren led them through the palace to Morlan's quarters. A word was needed to Morlan's manservant but the presence of the Prince was sufficient to reassure the man. As they entered Morlan's study Gerdas immediately walked up to the blackboard where the most recent of Garia's explanations was still displayed.

"This is not Morlan's hand, certainly," he said. "You drew this, Mistress?"

"I did," she replied. "I was explaining rainfall."

The rest of the morning was taken up partly repeating the session Garia had had with Morlan and partly with more astronomically related items. Gerdas was surprised but not completely so when Garia told him that the stars were also suns like Anmar's own and that the planets were worlds like Anmar itself. It seemed that some of his astronomer colleagues has suspected as much but had no method of proving or disproving their theories. He was surprised to find out how big the sun was and therefore just how far away even the closest stars must be.

Garia sketched out for him Newton's laws of motion and the gravity formula. She showed him that if he treated all orbits as ellipses rather than circles the calculations came out more accurate. There was also a discussion about telescopes and what might be seen through them, and the nature of the light that came from stars of different colors. After a while Morlan's manservant came to find them to tell them that lunch would shortly be announced.

"Before we go," Garia said, "let's have a look at my things. They should be on the desk over by the window."

The clothes were still there and Gerdas took a close interest in them, especially her shoes. They could not find her watch or wallet, though.

"He could easily have concealed those small items under his clothes," Keren mused. "I wonder if we'll ever see them again?"

"I'm not really too bothered about the wallet," Garia said. "The money is just a curiosity here, after all. The watch is a different matter, it could have told me how long the day here is compared to Earth's. Without a watch there is absolutely no way I know to compare them."

She turned to go, but then inspiration struck her and she turned back.

"I can do one thing, though," she said. "Highness, I'm assuming you have an accurate measure in the palace, a rod or stick of a Stride in length?"

"Yes, of course we do, we keep several," a puzzled Keren replied. "But, there is nothing of your own you can compare it with, surely? After all, even your own body is different here, isn't it?"

"But there is! I know exactly how long the inside leg of these jeans are, thirty-two inches. I measured them when I got them home after buying them to make sure they were the right length. With those and a standard measure from here I can work out what your distances mean in my own terms."

Gerdas looked interested. "How will that help you, Mistress?"

"It will enable me to visualize lengths, volumes and distances," she replied. "That way, whatever I learn of Palarand and Anmar will make more sense to me. After lunch?"

"Yes," Keren said. "I'll ask the tax office if I can borrow a standard measure for the afternoon."

~o~O~o~

"Sire," Gerdas began, "I am extremely pleased to have been given the privilege of talking with Mistress Garia here. Just the few small matters we discussed this morning will mean the beginning of a new era for Astronomy on Anmar. I'm sure that her knowledge will benefit Palarand in many other ways too."

"That may be so, Gerdas," Robanar replied, "but we must tread carefully and cautiously all the while. Mistress Garia has indicated that if her knowledge is used thoughtlessly then there are serious dangers which may beset us, and I'm not just talking about the personal danger she faced the other night. Sit, sit. Leave this discussion, that is for another, more private time, I think. Our lunch awaits. What of the stars, Gerdas? Are there any late adjustments we must make to the calendar?"

Keren showed Garia to her seat, explaining, "Master Gerdas is part of a whole community of astronomers who live all over Alaesia. Of course, we don't know much about what happens right over the other side but I know Gerdas manages the occasional letter with them even so. What they all do is take sightings of the moons, planets and stars in order to keep our calendar straight. When they all agree we update the calendars so that all countries use the same days, weeks, months and years."

"You'll have to explain that a little more, Highness," she said as Kenila pulled out her chair for her. "A week is a week, surely?"

"It's complicated. A week is seven days which is the time Annis takes to go round once and return to any chosen starting point. The problem is, it doesn't take exactly seven days so every so often an extra 'holiday' day is declared in order to correct the discrepancy. The same thing with a month, Kalikan takes thirty-one days and a bit. When the bits add up to a whole day then another holiday is declared, and so on. That happens about every year and a half. There's also an adjustment made so that the year always begins on the shortest day. That happens about every six years or so. Didn't you tell Morlan that your own year was adjusted that way?"

"It is, but we use a standard formula to do it, rather than occasional adjustments like you do. I shall have to find out how your days, months and years are named or numbered, won't I?"

"Of course." Keren smiled. "I shall be honored to instruct you in such matters." Beyond Keren Terys pursed her lips but said nothing.

The main course of the three was a cold dish of sliced meat and some strange vegetables in a dark sauce. The cold meal was perfectly suited to a hot summer's day. Some of the ingredients Garia recognized from previous meals but others were new. Everything she ate tasted fine to her palate for which she was thankful. Something she wasn't thankful for was the awkward manner in which her knife and spoon had to be manipulated to get anything actually into her mouth. A small, round vegetable the size and color of a radish slipped from under her spoon and skidded off her plate in a trail of sauce, across the tablecloth to land in the lap of Captain Bleskin.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Captain," a mortified Garia told him. "I didn't mean to, obviously. It's just this sauce makes everything so slippery."

"No trouble, my dear," Bleskin lifted his napkin from his lap, complete with offending vegetable, and handed it to a waiting servant for disposal. "I sometimes have the same trouble myself. Although, of course," he smiled at Garia, "I usually take care to aim at junior officers." There was a chuckle from Robanar.

Garia felt her annoyance at the awkward eating implements begin to rise but she managed to hold herself in check. She held up her spoon so that the King and Queen could see it.

"Your Majesties," she began, "may I ask who provides your eating tools?"

"Why, we have metalsmiths in the city who supply the palace, dear," Terys replied. "Why? Is there something wrong with your spoon? I can have a servant replace it if so."

"No, there's nothing wrong with it as such," Garia said. "I have a much better idea, though, and I would like to try it out, please. That means getting your metalsmiths to make me an eating tool of a different design."

"This would be something from your own world, wouldn't it?" Robanar asked. "Are there any problems likely to be caused by using this new device?"

All the other diners at the table stopped eating and looked at Garia. She looked up and down the table and flushed at being the center of attention.

"No, Sire, none at all. It might just make your mealtimes easier, is all."

"We shall speak to the Chamberlain after the meal," Terys decided. "You can inspect all the other cutlery that the kitchen uses, see if there is anything similar that might be useful, make some arrangements. Then," she leaned over the table to make sure she caught Garia's eye, "we shall go to the household chambers and take our afternoon rest."

"As you command, Ma'am."

After the meal most people went off for their afternoon siesta. Captain Bleskin went back to trying to figure out who the intruders were and how they might have gotten in or out of the palace, if indeed they had done so. Terys, Garia and the Chamberlain Kendar followed the serving staff into a part of the palace that housed the great kitchens which kept everybody fed. Here Garia was shown drawers, trays and racks of kitchen and table tools of all kinds and sizes, but there wasn't a single fork in evidence anywhere. She put a question to one of the Master Cooks standing nervously in front of the small party.

"Master, how do you slice meat from a joint, may I ask? I see that you must use a knife, how do you hold the joint steady while you carve?"

"Mistress," the man answered carefully, "we use holding pins. Let me find one for you."

He walked off and returned with a strange device consisting of a wooden handle with a spike sticking out of the end. A disk of metal prevented the spike from going all the way in. Garia could see how it worked. It's like a ski pole without the pole, she thought. Okay, maybe it's time for forks to be introduced to Anmar. She turned to the puzzled man.

"Thank you, Master. The situation appears much as I thought. I don't think we need cause disruption in your kitchen any longer." She turned to the Queen. "Your Majesty, there is nothing suitable here. Perhaps I could talk to this metalsmith you mentioned."

"Certainly, my dear. Kendar, ask Master Parrel to come to the palace tomorrow morning to see me, would you? Tell him I wish to commission, hmm, something new from him."

"As you command, Your Highness."

"And now," she continued, "It is time for our rest."

~o~O~o~

When Garia opened her eyes it was mid-afternoon, maybe four by Earth reckoning. She raised her head and saw that the Queen, Keren and the Queen's two maids were still all asleep, although she knew that it wouldn't be long before they all woke up. She had discovered that her own sitting room had a door onto the balcony and so she was lying in her own recliner a short distance from those the others were using. Looking beyond the other recliners in her line of vision she noticed two Guardsmen sitting at the very end of the balcony, both attentive with weapons to hand. It seemed that, although unobtrusive, Robanar was taking the security of his family very seriously indeed, and that family now included Garia.

She stood and then stretched, working her arms and legs to take the stiffness out, then entered her sitting room to look for something to drink. A jug of water was on a side table with some goblets, the water was warm but in a world with no refrigeration that was to be expected. She went back out onto the balcony and looked the other way, discovering that another pair of Guardsmen sat at the other end as well. She walked towards them and they both automatically stood.

"No, don't bother getting up on my account," she said. Neither man listened to her, they were too well trained. "I just wondered if this was a normal duty for you."

"Mistress, normally there's a single man at each end," the older of the pair said. "Since the other night the Captain has been more cautious and sent four for this duty."

"Oh. You look familiar, somehow," she said to him. "Are you one of those that follows the Prince and me when we walk about the palace?"

He nodded. "Aye, Mistress. I'm sorry, we try not to get in your way, but we have to be near enough to help if there's trouble, you must understand that."

She smiled at him. "You don't have to apologize for doing your job. After the other night I'm glad to have people like you around to look after me."

The younger Guardsman could not have been much older than Garia. He swallowed, then ventured to speak.

"Mistress, that was a brave thing you did the other night. Are the women all like you where you come from?"

"Not at all. I would like to think that most would try and look after themselves a little better than the women I've met so far in Palarand, but then my world is so different than yours that they have to. We're a little more independent, say."

"As you say, Mistress." He looked at the decking, and then at Garia again. "Mistress, we've been hearing all kinds of rumors about you. All kinds of crazy things."

"I would treat all such rumors as fantasy if I were you. I imagine that one day the story of where I come from will be common knowledge here but for now, it's best that we keep things to ourselves. After all, it was probably those rumors which sent those men to my bedchamber." She took pity on the young man. "Look, as far as you and the other Guardsmen are concerned, I'm just a young woman who's come here by accident, don't know how I got here, don't know how to get home. I can speak the language but that's all. I know next to nothing about Palarand, Alaesia or Anmar. The King has offered me a home until such time I might be able to find my way back, which probably means never. Other than that, I'm just a normal person."

"Are you high-born, Mistress?" the older one asked.

"No. We don't have such distinctions where I come from, not like that." Garia could see them having difficulty with that concept but decided not to elaborate. "My Dad is a... merchant, if that makes my status any clearer."

"Thank you, Mistress."

The two men suddenly stood straighter and Garia turned to find the Queen bearing down on her.

"Garia? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Ma'am, thank you. I was just curious, is all."

Terys nodded to the two men then said, "Very well, then. Do you want to come into the sitting-room? Kenila is brewing up some afternoon pel."

Garia correctly interpreted this as a direct command and followed Terys back into their sitting room. They sat down facing one another and the Queen spoke.

"That's not really a good idea, you know. You're a young woman and those are Palace Guardsmen, who knows what could happen. You should have a chaperone with you at all times when you are talking to men you don't know. And sometimes when they are men you do know. I don't know what it's like on your own world, but here it isn't seemly for a woman to talk to men that way, not unless she's one of the unsavory kind."

"A prostitute, you mean?"

Terys responded to Garia's involuntary reply with a look of distaste. "You know about those, do you?" When Garia nodded she continued, "Everyone in Palarand recognizes that they have an important function to perform but nobody speaks about them in polite company. Can you remember that, dear? I wouldn't like you to cause another fuss like your remark to Morlan did the other day."

"Uh, I understand, Ma'am. But... those Guardsmen, it was an innocent question or two, that's all. I think they were more frightened of me than anything."

"That's fine, dear. Just remember that it might not be so innocent next time and act accordingly."

"Yes, Ma'am."

After taking afternoon pel Keren appeared bearing an official Stride measure. This was a length of rectangular cross-section brass which had been inscribed with appropriate subdivisions and stamped as a legal standard measure. It was the first time Garia had seen the Royal Arms of Palarand up close, a disc with a wavy line across it, a strange animal either side and a crown on top.

"This the kind of thing you meant, Garia?"

"Oh, yes, I think that will do just fine. Ma'am, is it all right if we go? I must do some measuring in Morlan's study."

"What are you two up to now? What are you doing in there?"

Keren explained how they had spent the morning and how Garia had an idea for comparing dimensions with Earthly ones. Terys's eyes started to glaze over at the explanation and she waved them away. Keren led the way back to Morlan's quarters where they discovered Gerdas waiting for them.

"Master Gerdas."

"Mistress Garia. Well, knowing what you were about to attempt, I couldn't miss the opportunity to watch you make calculations in your own numbers. I trust I was correct in this assumption? Do you mind me observing?"

"Not at all, Master. Now, I'm going to need some help from you both, since I don't understand your numbering system, so I can't read this measure."

By dint of some counting and adding up on her fingers, she worked out the length of the trouser leg as a proportion of a Stride and started making calculations on the blackboard. Gerdas was fascinated by her rapid scribbling. When she had finished she frowned at the result.

Damn. I had hoped that a Stride was going to be close to a yard, which would have meant that a Foot would be almost the same as an Earth foot and so on. They must have taken big steps in these parts when they defined the Stride. This thing is just short of thirty-nine inches. Hmm. Those jeans have been washed a couple times, now I think about it. Did they stretch or did they shrink?

She sighed. Oh, well, at least I have another option, although the all-American in me wishes it were otherwise. I will have to assume that a Stride is almost a Meter. I can live with that. It means a Mark is just under a kilometer or so. It will do. If I need miles I can just use the five-eighths rule. I can use metric tons as well for weights but I really don't get kilograms like I do pounds. Oh, well, I couldn't expect it to come out a perfect match, could I?

"Mistress? You look disappointed."

"Hm? Oh, it's not really compatible with the measures I'm used to at home but there's a different set I can use. I'll get by. It'll only be until I get used to the measures you use here, anyway."

"These calculations of yours," Gerdas said. "They mean absolutely nothing to me at all. Might I ask you to explain them, Mistress?"

"Why, certainly, Master Gerdas."

She started to explain but found that it was first necessary to write down the digits and show how they were used to do positional arithmetic. In the course of this explanation she discovered that in the Valley they used a system derived from the ancient Chivan method which functioned somewhat similarly to Roman Numerals. This used a mixture of letters and special symbols and went up to eighty before repeating. Needless to say Gerdas was ecstatic to find another system which was so much simpler.

"Mistress, may I write these symbols of yours down and use them myself? In working out the positions of moons, planets and stars there are many calculations and your own methods will make my work so much simpler."

"Um."

It's here. This is the first real decision I have to make. Introducing forks is almost nothing compared to this. This will change a world.

"Um," she said again. "Master Gerdas, what you ask is simple, but it may have far-reaching consequences for the whole of Alaesia." She gave Keren a significant look. "I think it's time we had that long talk with the King and Queen. We need Gerdas as well."

"I agree," Keren said. "I want to learn these symbols as well. If you're figuring out the taxes, or supplying the palace, or administering the Palace Guard, these are going to make a lot of difference. Maker, almost any activity I can think of will benefit. I can see why you need to talk to Father and Mother."

Gerdas had gone pale at the Prince's words. He found a seat and sat down, pulling a cloth from his waist pouch to wipe the dampness from his forehead.

"I hadn't realized," he said. "I understood that Mistress Garia had come from another world, but I hadn't thought through the implications of the knowledge she brings. Maker! No wonder someone tried to kidnap her!" He looked at Keren. "Highness, we most certainly do need to discuss these things." He turned to Garia. "Mistress, I assume that the knowledge you have may contain bad as well as good?"

She nodded. "Yes, Master Gerdas. The problem is, of course, that it's not immediately obvious which category some knowledge falls into."

"Yes, I can see that. Maker!" He put his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands.

"That's that," Keren said. Garia looked at him questioningly. "I don't think we ought to proceed much further here till we work out how to handle the knowledge you bring. I don't think I'd realized either just what a difficult task you have in front of you. Let's all go back to your sitting room, maybe we can work on that problem in the time we have left before we eat. Master Gerdas, your opinion will be invaluable."

Gerdas looked up. "Yes, Highness, of course. No wonder His Majesty was so anxious to find someone to deputize for Morlan until he is found again." He stood, addressing Garia. "Mistress, may I assume that you have told Master Morlan more than you have told me so far?"

"Yes, although not in such detail," she replied. "We didn't do so much astronomy either but we covered a number of other subjects. It was necessary to do that to convince him I wasn't making it all up. To start with, he just thought me a silly little girl who couldn't even read or write."

Gerdas nodded. "That sounds like Morlan. He's not quite the most difficult of the Questors in Palarand but his position as Head of the Society sometimes makes him unpleasant to deal with. I wonder what's happened to him?"

The three made their way through the palace back to Garia's sitting room.

"I need more information," Gerdas began. Keren raised an eyebrow and Garia gave him a wry grin. He continued, "what I mean is, because I don't yet know your history, Mistress, I am unable to understand what kind of knowledge you might possess. In your world, what are you? Are you a young person much as we see you here?"

"As far as I can make out, I'm exactly the same age I was before I came here," she replied. "Although finding that out was complicated to start with because my world has a shorter year. That's not the whole story, though, because where I come from all children attend school until about the age of... seventeen here, I guess. I have a year left of school at home. If you think of me as being the same age as Keren, I mean the Prince here, you won't be far wrong. Don't forget I was a boy before I came, although girls get the same schooling boys do, so I guess I was about the same size as him as well."

"This is going to take some sorting out," Gerdas muttered. "Boys, girls, different year lengths, still at school!"

"I think the best idea is going to be that I tell everyone my story once, after the evening meal," Garia said. "Otherwise I'm going to get hoarse repeating the same thing over and over. I've told the King some things, I've told the Queen other things, it's all getting complicated."

"We'll do that," Keren said. "I have an idea, too, that I'll put to Father. We have special scribes within the palace who can write down as fast as a person speaks. I'll ask him if we can find one who is reliable and able to keep his mouth shut. That way, whenever you tell us something, we'll have a record of it and you won't have to keep repeating yourself."

"An excellent idea!" Gerdas said.

At that moment Kenila came into the sitting room and curtseyed.

"Highness, Master, Mistress, the evening meal will soon be served. The mistress needs to change her gown."

"Of course," Keren said. "Here, Gerdas, let me take you back to your own chamber, we'll both need to freshen up. By your leave, Mistress."

~o~O~o~

During the course of the meal a Guardsman hurried into the dining room and saluted as he leaned over beside the King. A hurried discussion was held, Robanar's face changing from interested to surprised to grim. He gave some instructions to the man who promptly withdrew. Terys tried to question Robanar about the message but he just shook his head. The rest of the meal was conducted in a more somber manner than it had begun with.

~o~O~o~

"During the evening meal I received grave news," Robanar said to the company. This consisted of himself, Terys, Keren, Garia, Gerdas and Bleskin, all seated in the downstairs parlor. Servants had been dismissed.

"A body has been found," the King continued, "three Marks south of South Slip on the highway north. A Valley messenger on his way north spotted the body lying in full view by the side of the road. Naturally he couldn't stop, but he informed the detachment at the ferry guard post and they sent out a party to retrieve the body. Bearing in mind the description we sent out this morning they seem to think it might be that of Morlan."

"Oh, no!" Terys gasped. "It couldn't be, surely? The poor man!"

Robanar shrugged. "We won't know until the body gets back here. They are packing it in straw and a little ice which remained in their stocks and are sending it back here by wagon at first light tomorrow morning. It should get here by lunchtime or a little after."

"Were there signs of injury on the body, Father?" Keren asked.

"A thin blade - likely a longish knife - right through the left chest," Robanar replied heavily. "We'll have to examine the body to determine if it went in from the front or the back but I don't think that's really important." He sighed. "Apparently, the description we sent fitted that of the victim quite closely. We will have to assume, at least until there's evidence to the contrary, that Morlan is dead."

"Excuse my ignorance," Garia said, "but what is the likelihood of this being someone else's body? I mean, I suppose, how often does this sort of thing happen in Palarand?"

Keren replied. "Not that often, fortunately, Mistress. Central Palarand - that's the part of the Valley where we are - is about half the total for the whole country, but that's because most of the population lives in the city here. We get between one and two suspicious deaths a week, I suppose. Most of those are among the townspeople, drunken squabbles, domestic fights and the like. Most nobles travel with armed retainers and that means they are generally safe from cut-throats and such people. Of course, up in the mountains, where you were found, for example, it can be a lot worse, with armed bands roaming about, but even up there very few actual deaths occur these days."

"Oh. Thank you, Highness." I was very lucky, then, to be found by Tanon and Merina.

"So," said Terys, "do you want to discuss this now, dear, or continue as Keren originally proposed? I don't see we can actually do very much until tomorrow."

Robanar sighed again. "No. As you say, we shan't be able to do much about the body till it arrives here and the healers examine it. Mistress Garia has a bigger problem and it's already here, not on a wagon at South Slip. Keren? If you would take the lead on this one, you've been closer to the mistress than any of us since she's come to Palarand."

"Aye, Father." He thought for a moment then said, "Mistress Garia presents many problems to Palarand, Alaesia and possibly all Anmar. She comes from somewhere else entirely, and the society which she comes from is completely different than our own, so different in fact that we have difficulty comprehending much of what she tells us."

Keren was speaking initially for Bleskin's benefit, as he had not been fully aware of Garia's origins and nature. The surprise was evident on the captain's face.

Keren continued. "What is clear is that she comes from a society much further advanced than any we know about on Alaesia. Even though she is just a young person, and she brings with her essentially no possessions that might be of use to us, what she remembers is enough to promise huge changes here if we decide to make use of them. This in itself is the first danger. Almost anything she tells us is going to lead to changes in the lives of everyone, changes that might not be for the good."

"Like that eating implement she wants us to try," remarked Terys.

"Exactly," Keren agreed. "But I don't think that is going to do much more than possibly make eating meals easier. On the other hand, this afternoon Garia demonstrated to Gerdas and myself her system of numbers, and it was immediately evident that it was so much better than what we use now that we both wanted to learn her new system straight away. Both of us."

Keren looked at his father. "Father, if we switch to her numbering system I can guarantee that it will reduce the time taken to sort out the taxes by half at the very least. The potential is enormous. On the other hand adopting such a system could cause problems we can't even guess at yet. She has also discussed astronomical matters with Master Gerdas here and if he uses her numbering system as well, I can't imagine what changes it will make to his profession."

"A golden age, Highness," Gerdas said. "We will increase our knowledge of the heavens tenfold at the very least. Especially if we start using telescopes properly."

Bleskin started. "Telescopes? She has, beg pardon Mistress, Mistress Garia has discussed telescopes with you?"

"She talks of telescopes strides wide, made from mirrors," Gerdas replied. "I don't think we can quite manage anything like that yet, but since I now know that such things are possible my fellow Questors and I can make plans for the future."

"And therein lies the next danger," Keren concluded. "The mere fact that Mistress Garia says that something is possible, even if she can't describe it or its construction, would be enough to cause changes to our way of life. While I have no doubt that there are things she could tell us which can only improve life here, there will be things which are bad and there are things which may be either. Or, indeed, both."

"I also have talked with Garia," Terys said. "While mostly we talked about her family, she also told me about, um, what her world uses instead of healers. I didn't understand very much of what she told me, but I did understand that they had a well-organized system for identifying and treating diseases, for preventing diseases in the first place, for treating accidental injuries and for extending life. Those are all things that I would ask that we must have for Palarand. Just preventing unnecessary deaths in childhood would be its own reward."

"True," Garia confirmed. "Our modern medical methods have saved countless lives and I would be glad to add what knowledge I have to what your healers already know."

"There is another factor I haven't yet mentioned," Keren resumed. "That is the fact that someone tried to abduct Mistress Garia the night before last and that means that other people know of her existence and that she has new knowledge. She represents a treasure-house to any other country and some would go to great lengths to obtain her. That being the case, we are obliged to keep her safe in Palarand. Should we therefore try to keep her and her knowledge secret?"

"Mistress," Robanar said to Garia. "I don't want you to get the idea that we want to keep you prisoner here. We merely wish to keep you safe. If you, at any time, want to leave us, then we will release you to go wherever you wish. At the moment I would advise against that as you know little about Palarand or even Alaesia to make any such decisions. But I gave you a promise, that we would not detain you against your own desires, and I repeat that promise here."

"Thank you, Sire," she replied. To Keren she said, "Highness, I don't think that you can keep much of what I tell you secret. It doesn't work that way. If you start using my numbering system it is more than likely that everyone in Alaesia will be using it within a year. If you start using forks here then, since the King and Queen will use them, they will become fashionable and everyone will start using them as well. Similarly, if I tell things to your healers the knowledge will spread, and that can only be a good thing if it means more lives are saved."

She turned to Bleskin. "Captain, I understand what an advantage telescopes must give to your troops when your enemy doesn't have them. The problem is that you can only really keep such secrets in time of war, and, believe me, my world has known countless wars so I know what I am talking about. In peace time, though, the knowledge will inevitably leak out. Telescopes are going to be too useful to keep them a secret very long."

"How so, Mistress? I can perhaps understand Gerdas's interest, but who else might use such things?"

"Every single sea-captain, for one thing," she replied. "To be able to study a dangerous coast from a safe distance, to be able to identify a hostile ship when you are still far enough away to make your escape. Or how about long-distance communications? When I was coming here with Tanon's caravan we stopped at a place at the top of a cliff."

Bleskin nodded. "The Lookout."

"There was a man there looking down at the Valley when I went there. Was he posted there to look for signals?"

"I understand your point, Mistress. We have long agonized over giving them a telescope but because the secret would be lost, we just have to find someone with sharp eyes."

"Yes." Garia paused to marshal her thoughts. "My real point is, though, that the secret - any secret - is going to come out eventually. Therefore I have to tell you all that there are some things which I don't want to tell you at all. The problem I have is, I don't know if I have the right to do that. I don't know if I'm supposed to do that."

She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. "What I mean is, I'm here, and changes are going to come to Anmar. Is this right? Is this the reason I've been sent here? If so, it would have been nice of someone to tell me. I really don't know. I can't get over the idea that I might be doing the wrong thing."

"Mistress," Robanar said. "I believe - and the Queen also believes - that you were sent here for a reason, even if we don't yet know what that reason is. We understand your dilemma. I think that you should let us determine what might be right for Anmar and what might not. I shall make a proposal for you all to consider. Firstly, two councils, an inner and an outer council. The inner one should be just those in this room and maybe one or two others expert in their fields.

"I propose that you tell your story, as much of it as you feel able, to the Inner Council and let us decide, on the basis of what you tell us happened in your own world, what we ought to pass on to the Outer Council. If we decide that whatever you tell us would not be suitable for our society we would keep that entirely secret from everyone else, but it would be written down for scholars in a future more enlightened time to consider then. Anything we consider Palarand, Alaesia or indeed Anmar would benefit from, we would pass to the Outer Council whose job will be to ensure that the knowledge is made use of and not hoarded for gain.

"I fully agree with you about secrets, Mistress. Therefore we should make sure that there are none in this process except where we deem the knowledge too dangerous at the time. If there are good ideas, like your numbering system, then we should make sure those aren't restricted to a privileged few." He pulled a face. "If that means giving such wonders to the likes of Yod, so be it. We will at least have the satisfaction that the ideas come from Palarand, not their little bit of Valley mud. Any questions, suggestions?"

Keren spoke. "Father, I think we'll need some Quick Scribes," he said. "One of the problems we've had so far is that poor Garia has to keep repeating her story for every new person she meets. It would be more sensible to write down everything she says and then it's all on record."

Robanar nodded. "Aye, I agree. I have noticed that Mistress Garia's voice is already becoming rough with the speaking she has done thus far. We'll have to find some reliable people, and to find somewhere secure to store the records." He turned to Garia. "What is your opinion of my idea, Mistress?"

"It sounds workable, Your Majesty," she replied slowly. "Can I think about it overnight, please?"

"Certainly! I suggest we all do that, and tomorrow as well. We'll reconvene here tomorrow evening after the evening meal - assuming nothing happens in the mean time - and formalize the arrangement, if that's agreeable to all of you?"

"Sire."

~o~O~o~

"Jenet!"

"Good evening, Mistress. I thought I'd move in this evening, to be ready in the morning. The healers have agreed that I can return to work."

"You are feeling better, now?"

"Yes, Mistress. Mistress Margra said that the drug was a known herb, I shouldn't have any after-effects that haven't already occurred."

"Wait, you said you were moving in."

"Yes, Mistress. These suites have a room for the servants to sleep in. It's over here."

Jenet led the way to a narrow door beside the fireplace and opened it. Inside was a small room with a bed either side, a small locker at the far end of each under a hanging rail. Jenet's few clothes were on the rail and on top of one of the lockers.

"This is ridiculous! This room is smaller than my dressing room! There's not even a window!"

"That's all right, Mistress. It's really only used when we sleep at night. Remember, I should always be in your presence, so I don't need that big a room to keep my things in."

"I suppose. It just doesn't seem that fair, is all. I get all these rooms and you end up with something little bigger than a closet."

"Remember that this was Princess Elizet's suite, Mistress. She needed all these rooms, especially once she had reached ten winters and grew from girl to woman. It doesn't worry me, Mistress. That's just the way things are in the palace."

"As you say, Jenet."

"Now, Mistress, shall I help you with that gown? Perhaps you can tell me what's been happening today."