Author's Note: There is a reference in this story, about a meeting Keith & Allura have, regarding a memo she sent him. This scene will not be shown until my next story 'The Perils of Pollux'. That story is on the same timeline as this one, and there are character interactions flowing back and forth. It will not interfere with reading either story, or the main plot line. If more of these references come up, I will let you know at the beginning of the chapter.

Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you are enjoying the story. We are getting closer to solving the mystery of Keith's family, so stay tuned. Reviews are always welcome.

Bonus Points for who can figure out what C.S. Lewis book inspired the title for this chapter!

The Fox, The Curator, & The Museum

It was three days after the wedding, and Keith was heading up to talk to the Court Librarian, Mattie. He had wanted to do it sooner, but the wedding and Eimear side tracked him. Allura had shut all government matters down for two days after the wedding. She was busy celebrating with her family and friends, and assumed everyone else wanted to be with theirs too.

Keith had no problem when she'd asked him if the team could take a break from their flying drills also. He went along with her request, because it gave him more time with Eimear and Aiden. He had wanted to laugh at the stunned expression Allura had when he'd told her that it was a great idea. That had been after their meeting, regarding the memo she had sent him. Keith had misgivings about the plan she proposed, but had decided to give it a try. He then went back to focusing on Eimear and Aiden.

He spent most of the days over there, and hated leaving at night. Keith had never experienced the feelings and emotions he was having now. He was trying to figure out how quickly they could get married once he proposed, and if he should ask Aiden's permission. His feelings for Eimear also gave him a great deal of clarity about Allura, and what his feelings for her had been. Keith had been beyond pleased when Eimear remarked that Allura had invited her to tea the following week. Things were going to be just fine, he saw.

Mattie was at the library when he arrived, and they talked for a while about the wedding festivities. He learned about her family, and was surprised when she said that she was a distant cousin of Sir Percy Ainsley. Keith knew that everyone was aware that he was involved with Eimear, but didn't care. He remembered how defensive and closed off he'd been with people, not understanding that they were just showing that they cared.

"Are there any files about what companies carried warrants to do business with the royal house, from before the war?" Keith inquired, after telling Mattie about Eimear and Aiden. He had decided to focus on the necklace for now, until Pidge came back. He was going to be gone when Pidge and Larmina returned, but had left the book, wrapped up, on Pidge's desk, with a note asking what he wanted.

"Yes, Commander Kogane we do have the files. Do you know the name or type of business that you are looking for?" Mattie, who was in fact Lady Mattisen Dupeir, asked him.

"Please call me Keith, Mattie! The name will involve the initials JPC, and I am assuming the company made jewelry." He offered up, thinking that they should be on a first name basis because of her relationship to Aiden. Keith was surprised when she gave him an incredulous look, and he hoped it wasn't because he wanted her to call him Keith.

"That would have to be the firm of Jean Piel Clouthier! His work was exquisite, but he wasn't just an artist, he was also a scientist. He invented a type of enamel that was stronger than all others, with colors that glowed. He made some pieces of jewelry, but was best known for figurines, picture frames, boxes, and cigarette cases. They were brilliantly colored and decorated with gold and fine gems." Mattie informed him.

She excused herself, and went to a back section of the library, saying she was going to pull the file they had. Mattie came back several minutes later empty handed, with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Keith, I'm sorry I forgot; the files were transferred temporarily to the Arusian Art Museum, by request of Her Ladyship. Oh, excuse me, Her Grace now. It is hard to think of Prince Andrei's daughter as a married woman." Mattie laughed lightly, remembering what a wild tomboy the red haired girl had been.

Until Mattie had mentioned Prince Andrei, Keith had not realized that the librarian was talking about Larmina. He decided that he should not have been surprised that she was meddling in this matter of his, since she'd involved herself in his personal life. Keith still had a tiny bit of annoyance that Larmina had felt the need to weigh in on his character and love life.

"Why would Larmina be involved in this?" Keith asked candidly, not seeing the connection.

"Her Grace is patron of the museum, didn't you know? Her Majesty is not interested in art, but Her Grace is. The Queen thought it would be a good exposure to royal duties, as well as a safe one too." Mattie told Keith, with a sly grin on her face. Keith inquired what that meant.

"Just between us Keith, since you know the young woman, and won't talk and all. Her Grace has not been known for her tact or discretion; she is pro-Arusian to the core. Several years ago someone accused her of being racist, and it was a little bit of a scandal. Her Majesty thought the museum was a good fit for her niece, it being rather low profile." Mattie had lowered her voice several octaves, as she told Keith all that.

"I really felt bad for Her Grace when it happened. People forgot that she was a teenage girl, and teenagers say things without thinking. It is hard to be royalty and a teenager at the same time, as Her Grace found out." Mattie added for Keith's benefit.

Keith thought about what Mattie had said, and realized that she was right about Larmina being young. He knew that she was impulsive, loved Arus, and was better known for being brusque, than patient. Keith thought about how Allura had talked to her, the day he had overheard the conversation between them. He also remembered hearing the concern in Larmina's voice, about Pidge wanting them to have their own place. She loved Pidge, Keith saw, and wanted him to be happy, but she was also worried about what her Aunt would say. Keith realized that the young girl was very perceptive, more than people realized.

It came to him that Larmina had been concerned about him when she'd made those comments regarding his love life. She wasn't putting him down as he'd thought, instead being worried that he was going to do the same thing to Eimear that he'd done with Allura. Larmina had had a bird's eye view all those years, and he knew that she spied and eavesdropped better than anyone else in the Castle. She had seen the whole thing played out, and knew the personalities very well. Keith decided to forgive her for her observations, seeing the whole picture now.

"I think Larmina has grown up a great deal in the last couple of months, Mattie. She is also very smart about people." Keith told the woman, who smiled happily, saying that her parents would be very happy with how things had turned out.

"Why would those particular files go to the museum?" Keith asked, wanting to get back on the subject that he had originally come to talk about.

"One of the curators, Agathon Reinhardt is preparing an extensive exhibition of Clouthier items, to be shown next year. Her Grace has been helping him acquire items for the show." Mattie explained to Keith. He thought about what she'd said, regarding the types of things he made.

"You said he didn't do a lot of jewelry?" Keith queried, thinking about his mother's necklace.

"No, mostly small pieces like cufflinks, pins, things that could be done in enamels. He would use gems as accents, but wouldn't do something like a diamond necklace." Mattie informed Keith, adding with pride "My father had a lovely pair of cuff links from him; my nephew wears them now." Keith smiled at her as she shared a family memory with him. He thought about the other types of work that the woman had said Jean Piel Clouthier made.

"He was best known though for his art objects, and cigarette cases?" Keith thought about the case that Lance had, with the fox on it.

"The cigarette cases were very popular gifts among the nobility. They would be ordered for a person, and the designs included family crests, initials, and decorative embellishment. Those cases are works of art by themselves you know." Mattie detailed the information for him.

"People used to be a lot more open about their smoking than they are now, Keith. I'm sure it is the same on earth; it is bad for you, etc, but people still do it. The habit has fallen out of favor, just as well, but it is a shame as there lots of beautiful cases tucked away. I hope Dr. Reinhardt acquires some of them for his exhibit." Mattie divulged to him, and he nodded his head in agreement.

Keith knew that Lance wasn't the only person who smoked, but he still disliked it. It had taken all of freshman year at the Academy to get Lance to quit, he recalled. He wondered why Lance had started again, and was still surprised that Allura let him do it. Eimear had told him that it was a personal choice, and that he should mind his own business. Keith knew that was the correct thing to do, but he had a hard time with it. He also wanted to know how Lance had a case with his family's crest on it.

"Do you think Dr. Reinhardt would let me see the files? Or are they digitized?" Keith put the smoking issue to the side, and came back to what he'd come upstairs for.

"Unfortunately, those files haven't been scanned yet, being low priority. Let me call Dr. Reinhardt quickly, and see if I can set something up for you. He is very passionate about Clouthier, as his father was the top workman in the firm." Mattie offered, as she went to make the call. She came back about ten minutes later, and said that if he wanted to go over to the museum, Dr. Reinhardt would be glad to meet with him. Telling Mattie thanks, he left and headed into town, after stopping at his room to get something.

The Arusian Art Museum was on the back side of the main plaza in town. It faced a small park, laid out with flower beds, shrubs, and small trees. Keith knew that it had all been done in the last five years, but he was still impressed with how fast Arus had rebuilt. The museum was in a classical style of white stone, and he knew from his study of Arusian history that the building was an exact copy of the one that had originally stood on that sight.

Dr. Agathon Reinhardt wasa middle aged gentleman of small statue and piercing black eyes. He wore a suit that had seen better days, but his hands were fine and delicate. Keith saw they were the hands of an artist, and he remembered Mattie saying that the man's father had been the best workman for Clouthier. After saying hello to each other, and chatting some, the conversation turned to Clouthier.

"Commander Kogane, I don't mind you looking through the file, but can you tell me what you are looking for? I've been through it several times, so maybe I can help you. The file is very disorganized, and one of my first tasks has been to try to sort the documents into some kind of order." The curator told Keith with a kind glance.

Keith watched as the man's eyes widened when he took the necklace out of his pocket, letting it hang from his fingers. Dr. Reinhardt took a jeweler's loupe from his desk drawer, and with shaking hands examined the turtle pendant. Keith was concerned with the look of almost distaste the man had on his face.

"Where did you get this from?" Agathon Reinhardt asked in cold tone that took Keith back. Up until then the man had been affable and friendly, glad to have the chance to talk about his passion for Clouthier. Keith was all set to say that it had belonged to his mother, but something stopped him. The look of distaste on the man's face made him think of the references to the man in the diary that he had read.

"It was in a box of odds and ends that I found by accident. It looked valuable and I was interested in the workmanship of the piece." Keith laid out his explanation, not really lying, but not telling the truth either.

"My father made this necklace; it was custom piece for a very wealthy patron of Clouthier's store. It's been over thirty years since I saw it." Dr. Reinhardt said slowly, fingering the enamels in the turtle. His eyes had a faraway look in them, and Keith knew he was thinking of his father.

"Dr. Reinhardt may I know the name, so I can return the necklace to the family?" Keith was trying not to quiver as he thought that he might be close to finding out his family's history. He was wondering if the answer to his family history could be acquired so easily.

"I was about ten years old, and would sometimes go with my father into the shop. Jean Piel Clouthier had the showroom in the front, and then various workshops in the back. He and his family lived upstairs in the building. The showroom was amazing just by itself." Agathon sat down as he started his explanation, and motioned for Keith to do the same.

"Commander Kogane, I don't remember the man's name, and the shop was blown to pieces during the fifth year of the war. The blast decimated the place and everyone, including my father was killed. All the records were lost at the same time." Dr. Reinhardt told him sadly, and Keith extended his condolences.

"Dr. Reinhardt I saw the expression that crossed your face when you thought of the client. I am curious as to why it struck such a chord with you." Keith didn't want to look too eager and scare the man off, but he knew when someone wasn't telling everything they knew. At the back of his mind he had the wry thought that those years of hunting Black Lion had taught him skills he'd not possessed before.

"My mother adored turtles, Commander Kogane. When my father was commissioned to make that piece, he told my mother about it, for that reason. My dad decided that he would make a small copy of the turtle, as a gift for her. As Clouthier's top workman, he was allowed to do things like that." The curator started to tell Keith, who smiled at him to go on.

"I was with my father, at the workshop, when he was showing me both pieces. I clearly remember him saying that he hated making something so beautiful for a man who he was sure was evil. The way he said it has always stuck in my mind, Commander. My father wasn't given to making judgments, but he wouldn't explain what he meant." Dr. Reinhardt told his story, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Funny thing, my father decided not to give the small turtle to my mother, and asked me not to tell her about it. His excuse was that the workmanship was not that good, but I think now he just didn't like the association the turtle carried." The old gentleman offered up, getting a sad look on his face. He was still holding the necklace, and he carefully turned it around, to look at the back side of the turtle.

"I wonder though, mm." Dr. Reinhardt mused, as he took the loupe again and examined the engraving on the back. Keith kept quiet, hoping that the curator had remembered something about the province of the piece.

"Commander, my father kept a journal, a workbook kind of thing. He would note appointments in it, comments on pieces he was working on, and design sketches for future pieces. The day he was killed he'd been running late, and left the journal at home." The older man told Keith, as he brought up a holoscreen and started poking at it.

"As part of my work for the exhibit, I digitized the journal, because a lot of the sketches ended up being used. I was hoping that if people saw them, as part of the show, they might recognize the pieces if they belonged to them, or a relative." Dr. Reinhardt conjectured, as he scanned the holoscreen.

"There is something about this inscription, the language used, that I recall seeing a reference to in the journal." Agathon disclosed, and then suddenly found what he was looking for "I thought so! Here it is Commander, the entry about it." The curator read through the notes, then looked puzzled.

"Well this is interesting. The note references this necklace, but the inscription mentioned is for a different piece. The problem is that the engraver who did the work on the necklace wasn't available to do this other inscription. My father was concerned because the language used a different alphabet, which was very hard to work with." Dr. Reinhardt disclosed, looking very surprised.

"Are you saying that there is another piece engraved in the same language?" Keith was shocked at what the curator was telling him. He pressed for more details, but the journal didn't say anything else.

"Commander, I'm sorry there is nothing else I can offer you. I commend you for wanting to return the necklace to its rightful owner. If you don't find them, would you be willing to let me use it in my exhibit? I don't have any examples of Cloutheir's jewelry, and it is possible that maybe someone would recognize it." Dr. Reinhardt diffidently asked his question.

"Of course, Dr. you would be welcome to use the necklace; when is the exhibit?" Keith was sorry to learn that it wasn't scheduled until early next year. He really was starting to wonder if he would ever find out about his family. Just as he thought that, he was reminded of what Black Lion had told him. Keith pushed that aside, thinking about something else instead.

"Dr. Reinhardt do you have any pictures of Clouthier's work? I've only heard about it, and besides the necklace haven't seen anything else?" Keith was curious, as he remembered Mattie's comments about the enamel process. The old gentleman brightened up, and started to show him pictures of some of the pieces he had so far. He also gave Keith an in-depth lesson on the enamel technique.

"I am excited because Her Ladyship, I mean Her Grace, has offered to loan her father's cigarette case for the show. It will be a top level example of Cloutheir's work." Agathon enthused, as he thought about getting the royal object for the exhibit.

Keith found it interesting that Prince Andrei had smoked, but knew that the habit had been much more common even ten years ago than it was now. The mention of the cigarette case made him wonder about the one that Lance had.

"I think I've seen one of Jean Piel Cloutheir's cigarette cases, Dr. Reinhardt. It was white enamel, in a gold frame, with a design of a colored fox." Keith described the case as best as he remembered it, from the glance he'd seen of it in Allura's bag.

"It more than likely is, based on your description of the case. I would love to see the item, just to study the enamel work. It is very difficult to place colored enamels within white enamel, and not have them bleed together." Dr. Reinhardt almost glowed at the thought of seeing the case.

"Please mention the exhibit to your friend, Commander." The curator asked, and they chatted for several more minutes before Keith excused himself. He made his way back to the Castle, feeling like he'd made no progress at all, other than to learn about the enamel technique. It also ate at him that there was another piece out there, with an engraving in the mysterious language.

Keith had been through the newsfeed archives, and found no references to a business person with the initials MH. It surprised Keith, because according to the diary, the man had been a big player in Arusian commerce and industry. He had tried typing in just the initials, but had been flooded with too much non-relevant information.

The court circulars had turned out to unhelpful to, but that was because the year he wanted, and the prior year were both missing. Keith had noticed some other gaps too, and when he talked to Mattie about it, she'd been surprised. However, she did say that the library was bombed on several different occasions, and after each time things would get moved around. She added that she and three helpers spent two years, after the restoration, just putting things back where they should be.

That night, at Eimear's, Keith told her what he'd learned, which didn't amount to much. She sympathized with him, but couldn't think of any other avenues. He'd explained to her about lion talk, and what Aiden was referencing when he had said that Black Lion had talked to him. Keith also told Eimear about the warning the lion had given him, as well as the comment about humility and wisdom. She had hugged him, and said that however it worked out, she would always love him.

Keith helped Aiden with some math homework, and then they all had dinner together. It was nice to be with them, feeling loved and welcomed. It was hard to leave, and go back to his plain room at the Castle. It took him a while to fall asleep, the thoughts of Eimear jumbling together with images of his parents, while the fox from the cigarette case jumped over all the pictures.