Chapter Twenty-Seven - Adventures in Wienner
The following morning, as TaraLeila was donning her tabard, she heard a sharp knock at the door.
"Come in!" she called out, and then her eyes lit up as Heine entered. "Good mornin', Heine. What can I do for ye?"
For a moment, he just looked at her, then he closed his eyes and gave a faint sigh of relief. "I was concerned about you after... yesterday. But I'm glad to see you in better spirits."
Her expression briefly turned somber, and she looked down at her boots. "It took a while, but... aye, between ye and Prince Bruno, I'm fine."
Prince Bruno? That caught Heine off guard.
"Oh... I was not aware that the prince knew of the events of yesterday."
TaraLeila shrugged, but Heine could tell she was not quite as dismissive as she was trying to appear. "Weel, he doesn't. But... anyway, for now, 'tis over and done." She straightened her shoulders and smiled at the tutor once more. "So, what brings ye here this mornin'?"
"Today, I plan to have the princes visit the Parliament building and Town Hall, in order to further their academic instruction regarding the governmental structure of Granzreich. Would you care to accompany us? Provided it does not interfere with your duties, of course."
"Oh, no, today I'm free, and aye, I'd love to join ye. I suppose 'twould be best for me to get out and about today, or else I fear I'd be inclined to brood, and I've no wish to do that. 'Twill also probably be quite helpful to me, too, as I-"
TaraLeila stopped short, despite Heine's look of curiosity.
"It would be helpful in what manner?"
"What? Oh, weel, I don't know all that much about Granzreich's government, as I don't spend nearly as much time here as I do in, say, Fonseine or Madri."
Heine suspected, however, that she had another reason for wanting to learn more about the government of Granzreich, but now was not the time to press the issue. More likely than not, he guessed he'd be able to figure it out while observing her over the course of the day.
"At any rate, as with our previous excursion to the café with Prince Licht, the princes will be wearing more appropriate city attire. To avoid drawing attention, I would suggest that you do the same."
TaraLeila frowned. "What about security for the princes?"
"Maximilian and Ludwig will be shadowing us, and between them and ourselves, we'll have matters well in hand."
She smiled and gave a slightly mocking bow. "As it pleases ye, then. Though do ye have any objection to me ridin' Torran into town? He needs the exercise, and I think the carriage would be a mite cramped with six of us."
"No objections at all. I'll leave you to change clothes, then, and please be at the courtyard carriage house at ten o'clock sharp." He turned to go, then thought of something else and turned back. "If it's... not too indiscreet a question, are you... all right for funds?"
Her smile became warmer. "Come now, Heine, between ye and me, there are no indiscreet questions. But aye, I'm fine. As I've no' needed most of the funds set aside for this trip thanks to His Majesty havin' me stay here, I'm no' wantin' for anythin'."
By the time the princes and Heine arrived at the courtyard carriage house, TaraLeila was already there, wearing a dress similar to the one she'd worn when accompanying Heine and Licht to the café. She was standing beside Torran, making a few last-moment checks to her saddlebags when she heard the group arriving.
"Ah, good mornin', Highnesses." She paused and gave them all appreciative looks. "Weel, I must say, ye all look rather gallant in city clothes. Ye should do it more often." Licht preened while the others turned slightly red, and she grinned. "And of course, ye have to be the stubborn one, Heine. Sometimes I wonder if ye actually own other clothes."
"Don't be ridiculous," Heine replied loftily. "I have a perfectly serviceable set of nightclothes, which would be highly inappropriate for a trip to town."
She laughed aloud. "Ye're hopeless, Heine." Then she noticed the four princes staring at her. "What?"
"You... look different," Kai said at last.
"Don't be silly, Kai," Licht replied. "She looks as lovely as she always does."
"Indeed," Bruno said quietly, then he scowled as Licht elbowed him in the ribs. "Brother, I swear, one of these days-"
"Well... Kai's not wrong," Leonhard said, ignoring their bickering and looking at TaraLeila. "I mean, she's always wearing her tabard, except for the night of the ball."
"Do ye have to talk about me like I'm no' here?" TaraLeila complained in exasperation.
"Sorry, my lady," Leonhard said sheepishly.
"That's enough, Highnesses. It's time for us to depart." As the princes entered the carriage, he turned to the Knight. "TaraLeila, we'll be heading to the Parliament building first."
"Lead on, good sir." She bowed with a flourish and turned to mount her horse, but was surprised to see that Heine was there beside her, ready to help her into the saddle, as befitting a lady. She gave him a pleased smile and allowed him to help her to mount, then she turned Torran toward Wienner while Heine entered the carriage and closed the door.
A short while later, the group arrived at the Parliament Building, and as Heine and the royals stepped out of the carriage, TaraLeila rode up alongside them.
"Would any of ye happen to know if there are stables nearby?"
Heine gave her quick directions, and she rode off, then returned a few minutes later.
"Right, then. I've stabled Torran for the afternoon."
"Excellent. Let us be off, then."
As they began walking, Bruno politely offered TaraLeila his left arm, and with a faint blush, she took it and walked alongside him.
"That's right, leave it to Brunie to be the proper gentleman," Licht grumbled as he walked behind them, and Bruno glared at him while TaraLeila softly chuckled.
Heine led the group into the Parliament Building, lecturing as they went. The Parliament Building was not open to the general public, but Heine had secured permission from Viktor to bring the princes and TaraLeila, and the guards stationed around the building nodded politely as they passed. As they entered the building, TaraLeila glanced to one side and saw Ludwig and Maximilian following at a discreet distance, and she gave each of them a faint nod.
"The Parliament Building was actually completed earlier this year, following an extensive renovation.
Heine was saying. "The construction of the Ringstrasse served as the impetus for its renovation, as well as the construction of newer buildings for the Town Hall, the National Opera House, and others. Despite its recent completion, the Parliament Building is steeped in classical inspiration, as you'll note from the statuary and reliefs."
Bruno was busily taking notes, while TaraLeila, Licht, Kai, and Leonhard were looking around with interest.
"So what exactly happens here?" Leonhard asked.
"While your father is king, the ability to make and pass legislation lies with an elected Parliament. He does wield a great deal of political clout, but the monarchy here in Granzreich is not absolute. To that end, the elected members of Parliament work together to determine national law."
TaraLeila was slowly nodding as she followed along behind Heine. "So, 'tis no' so very different here than back home in the Highland Marches."
"Indeed. Although as I understand it, His Majesty King James VI holds more actual sovereign power than King Viktor, as the Highland Council of Lords technically only advises him."
After two hours touring the building, with Heine lecturing and the princes and TaraLeila asking occasional questions as they went, the group made their way through the park that divided the Parliament Building grounds from Town Hall.
"Ooh, ooh, Professor! Can we stop and get another käsekrainer while we're here?" Licht asked eagerly, and TaraLeila gave him a confused look.
"What's that?"
"What's that?!" Licht repeated in amazement. "Only the most delicious thing ever! Come on, come on, come on, there's got to be a sausage stand around here somewhere!"
Licht dragged them along through the park until they found a sausage stand, and soon the six of them were seated on park benches, eating lunch and enjoying the fair weather
"'Tis quite good. Thank ye for the suggestion, Highness," she said quietly to Licht, who looked startled at her words. Then he realized it was TaraLeila's attempt to apologize for the day before, and he nodded to her in return.
"You're welcome, my lady."
"You seem accustomed to eating outdoors," Bruno observed, and she nodded, looking thoughtfully at her food.
"Aye, as I was tellin' Prince Kai, eatin' like this is quite familiar to me." She looked down the row at Kai, who was tossing small crumbs of his käsekrainer bun to the pigeons. "Careful, Highness, they'll mob ye if they get the chance- why are ye blushing, Heine?"
"It's nothing," he said hastily, recalling with embarrassment how he'd nearly been carried off by a flock of pigeons the last time he'd taken the princes to town. "When we're all finished, we should be off again."
"Ever the diligent tutor," she smiled, standing and brushing crumbs off her skirts. "So where to now?"
"Wienner Town Hall." Heine pointed to a large building on the other side of the park, and TaraLeila stared in surprise.
"That's Town Hall? I thought 'twas a church! Or a cathedral, even!"
With Heine leading the way, the others followed him into the main atrium of Town Hall.
"It is the seat of local government here in Wienner, and houses not only the mayor's office, the city council, and other governmental functions, but also cultural and civic activities."
The princes and TaraLeila looked around with fascination.
"'Tis so elegant," she commented in admiration. "Are all public buildings in Wienner like this?"
"Is it different in the Marches?" Kai asked, and she nodded.
"Aye, the Town Hall in Kirkwall is far more functional and much, much older. And smaller. This is grand." She turned in a slow circle, her arms spread. "And I still think 'tis more like a church or an opera house than a government building."
"As I understand it, though, Kirkwall is quite rapidly growing, is it not?" Bruno asked her, remembering the book that Heine had lent him about the Triple Kingdoms. "Perhaps in the near future, His Majesty will see the need for a new Town Hall, such as we've done here in Granzreich."
TaraLeila looked thoughtful, and Heine began to suspect the real reason for her interest. Given the similarities between Kirkwall and Wienner, and her own deficiencies in formal education, this is one way for her to learn more about the governmental structure of the Marches, but from a different perspective. Fonseine and Madri, the two courts where she has spent most of her time, are closer to an absolute monarchy than Granzreich or the Marches.
But he was rather curious as to her sudden desire to learn more about the civic and governmental workings of nations, when by her own admission, that was not her usual purview. As he understood it, such things were more the focus of the Adept, Senior, and Master Knights.
Perhaps she is contemplating her future, and that possible promotion she mentioned the first night she was here. The Adept Knights are the administrators, and while she certainly has the spoken language skills, she's illiterate in all but Avalonian. And her lack of education would still work against her – she would require a great deal of instruction to bring her up to that level... and it'd mean she'd no longer be traveling as a Knight. But even so... I feel there's more to it than that.
After another hour or so, Leonhard and Licht's attention began to wane, and Heine wisely realized it might be time for a change of scene. They crossed the park back toward the Ringstrasse, with Maximilian and Ludwig once again shadowing them at a discreet distance, and as they reached the Ring, TaraLeila turned to look around, her eyes curious. "Does anyone else hear music?"
As the group rounded the corner into a small plaza, they noticed a band of musicians playing for the assembled crowd. A few couples were dancing in the cleared space in front of the group, their outfits noticeably different from the fashions in Granzreich.
Bruno's eyes lit up with interest. "That's Eroszian music," he commented, moving closer.
"Indeed," TaraLeila agreed, coming up next to him. "I've seen performers like that when I was in Odyesse." She smiled as she watched the dancers and the musicians. "It reminds me of some of the Highland reels and folk dances I learned when I was a wee lass."
"You can dance to this?" Licht asked her, and she nodded.
"Oh, aye. Music is near and dear to us Highlanders, and dancin' is a part of our culture, our heritage. Some of our dances have remained nigh unchanged for many generations, taught from one to the next."
"Well, then, shall we stop and listen for a while?" Heine asked the others. "I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the princes to learn a bit more about another culture."
As they drew closer, the musicians began a new song, the bright tones of the violin and flute echoing around the square. Laughing, Licht began to clap in time to the music, Kai joined in, and soon the others were doing the same.
TaraLeila was watching the dancers, however, her eyes bright with interest as she clapped along. The Eroszian dancers wove an intricate pattern of steps, occasionally pairing into couples, then joining hands and regrouping into an ever expanding and contracting circle. As the circle shifted to a line, they made their sinuous way along, spinning and stepping around each other with deceptive ease.
Then to the surprise of Heine and the others, TaraLeila stepped into the circle of dancers, who made room for her without pause. Her black skirt swirled around her ankles as she danced, her long black hair swinging in time to the music as she bowed and swayed and whirled with the others. Soon a few other Wienner residents began to join in as well, while a few children giggled and danced in their own small circle inside the larger circle of adults.
"She wasn't kidding, she is better at this sort of dancing," Leonhard said in amazement.
"Indeed, I imagine she is far more comfortable with this than with the formal sort of dancing you royals are familiar with," Heine replied, pleased to see TaraLeila enjoying herself for once.
Then TaraLeila gave Bruno a mischievous look and as she passed him, she caught him by the hands.
"Care to dance, my lord?" she teased.
"What?!" he exclaimed, startled, but she gave him no chance to protest. Rather than risk disrupting things by arguing, he focused instead on following her lead. It was fortunate that he was an excellent dancer, even if this was something completely unfamiliar to him.
Well, Father did say I needed to become more flexible in my thinking... perhaps this will continue to help me be more spontaneous.
With a laugh, Licht swept a lady into his arms and fell into line after him. Kai, Leonhard, and Heine continued to clap and watch as the two princes danced with their partners. TaraLeila laughed with delight as Bruno swung her around, then he handed her to Licht, who did the same and handed her to another dancer. As the dancers shifted to another line, she skipped behind him as he led the dancers around the outer edge of the crowd before swinging her around again and passing her back to Bruno.
Then Bruno and TaraLeila took the lead, and they ducked under the linked arms of the other couples, then whirled and held up their own hands for Licht and his partner to pass under, who did the same for the next couple, who did the same for the couple following them.
Bruno missed a step more than once at the sheer joy on TaraLeila's face as she danced in his arms, moving out from him and back again, her face radiant. It was undignified, it was common, it was nothing he would have ever dared do on his own... but in that moment, he wouldn't have traded it for anything.
Then the song shifted again, and Bruno, TaraLeila, Leonhard, Licht, and the other Wienner residents moved back to the crowd while the Eroszian dancers began another, much faster and more intricate dance. Once again clapping in time, the group watched in amazement as they spun and leapt in perfect time before finishing with a flourish.
The royals, Heine, and TaraLeila applauded enthusiastically, and TaraLeila tossed coins into the basket in front of the musicians.
"What are you doing?" Leonhard asked.
"'Tis a token of appreciation," she explained, and he frowned in confusion.
"But how do you know how much to give?"
She wasn't certain how to answer that one, and turned to Heine, who gave a quiet sigh.
"A few Kreutzer will be sufficient, Highness. Remember your lesson in the general store."
"Oh, right!" Leonhard pulled out a handful of coins and stared at them intently, then carefully selected a few and showed them to Heine, who nodded.
"Very good. Now toss them in the basket."
Leonhard did so, as did the other princes, and the musicians bowed and spoke at length in their native language.
"What are they saying?" Kai asked.
"They're thankin' ye for your generosity, and they hoped ye enjoyed the dance," TaraLeila translated with a smile before responding to the musicians in Eroszian.
"We should get them to perform at the palace," Leonhard mused. "I think Adele and Grandmother would enjoy it!"
"Perhaps you should suggest it to His Majesty when we return to the palace," Heine remarked. "It could prove an excellent example of cultural exchange. Though I would suggest you present it in the manner of a report similar to the one you presented regarding insurance exchanges."
Leonhard's eyes lit up at the idea. "Yeah, I can write a report for him!"
"I would also suggest, Highness, you pay more attention to your spelling this time."
To be continued...
