Tamora Pierce owns the entire universe of this story, all the characters,
the world they live on and the very air they use to sustain life. Only the
vague plot and dialog I have attributed to TP's characters in this tale
belongs to me. I freely give my permission for anyone to use any or all of
the plot/story/dialog if they are so inclined.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System.
Chapter 29
Relentlessly, morning rolls around and the manor starts waking up, the Duke and Sandry were up and dressed, in fresh clothing kept at the manor for them, after having used the bathing facilities of the guest quarters reserved for them.
The staff of the manor was back at the usual daily routine, eggs were gathered at the manor farm, cows milked and sent out for the day and the other animals were being fed. The fresh eggs and milk was brought into the manor and the staff kitchens for the breakfasts being prepared by the cooks.
Briar came out of his room and hailed a page in the hall, "I want all the manor staff in the ballroom for a short meeting, go get them together for me will you?"
"Yes Baron." The boy replied, and left at a jog.
Half a candlemark later the staff was gathered in the ballroom and wondering what was going on.
The Duke and Sandry entered with Keth, Evvy and Glaki.
Briar, Daja and Tris followed them in and Briar jumped up on a chair and clapped his hands to get attention.
"You are going to meet a new friend today and I want to tell you a few things about him. His name is Igor Quasimodo fer NotreDom and he has been here longer than any of us. He is a hunchback and you have been calling him the Ghost of Green Acres. He is physically different from normal and because of that he has been excluded from society all of his life. We all know what it means to be ostracized by normal citizens and I will not tolerate it on Green Acres. Treat with him as you would with anyone else or leave Green Acres."
Briar looked around at the staff, "Let's get back to work."
The cook went back to the kitchen and started the eggs and sausage, fresh bread was just ready to come out of the oven and the rest of the meal was being placed on the tables.
Briar went into the staff lounge and located the catch to the hidden cellar door, he surprised the staff in the room when he opened door and went down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs he called out, "Igor, Moglee it's time to come up for breakfast."
Moglee opened the curtains and Briar heard Igor say, "Are you sure of this?"
"Yes," Briar told him, "it's time for you to join the rest of us. There is a lot you have to contribute to our community."
As they went up stairs Briar asked Moglee, "So you're a Chandler family member?"
"Yes."
"So is Trisana, do you know just what the relationship is?"
"No, Igor told me that when I was young he attempted to get in touch with house Chandler, he sent letters to various citys addressed to them but he never got a reply."
Going through the staff lounge Moglee told Briar, "I remember my mother and father but to me they were mommy and daddy, I do not remember what their names were, if I ever knew them."
All the staff was interested in seeing the Ghost of Green Acres and watched the three of them walk through the room.
Leading the way down the hall to the dinning room, Briar asked Moglee, "Do you want to know?"
"I'm not sure, as far as I'm concerned Igor is my father. I don't really think that knowing exactly who I am is all that important at this late date."
As they entered the dinning room Briar said, "It could be important, you may have some inheritance due from your parents. Think about it for awhile, let's eat."
Breakfast was set out buffet style on a table next to the door to the kitchen, Briar grabbed a plate and utensils, filled his plate and moved to the dining table as Igor and Mog filled their plates.
The Duke was sitting at the head of the table and Sandry was sitting at the other end of it, Tris had not made it in yet and Daja was just starting her breakfast, Keth, Glaki and Evvy were sitting on one side of the table, Briar took a seat opposite Keth with Igor beside him and Mog sat across the table from Evvy.
Evvy glanced up at Mog and then quickly back down at her plate and faint blush crept up her cheeks.
Briar looked down the table at Mog and saw that he was studying his breakfast intently.
Using the bond Briar asked, "Daja, Sandry, did you see that?"
Daja replyed, "Ah, puppy love. Remember those days Sandry?" Sandry sent back, "Barely. I'm a decrepit old woman now." with a mental smile.
Briar sent in a sarcastic mental tone, "Right, and I'm Crane's illegitimate son."
The two girls had trouble suppressing their laughter at that.
Igor noticed the supresson attempts and looked at the two with a raised eyebrow.
"Never mind them," Briar told him, "they are not quite right in the head."
Sandry threw a muffin at him, Briar caught it, "Thank you." He said and started to butter it.
"Ignore the them all, Igor." The Duke told him, "Years ago Sandry was forced by circumstances to spin their mage together and ever since then they can speak mind-to-mind with each other. Usually when they start snickering like that they are telling each other risqué jokes that they don't want us to hear."
Briar sat up indignantly, "I am not telling dirty jokes."
The Duke ignored him, "Have you given any thought to what you would like to do here at the manor, Igor. I remember that you said that at NotraDom you worked at a wide variety of things but you enjoyed assisting in the library the most. Trisana is setting up a new printing press here at the manor to print books. You might want to speak to her it you are interested."
"I would like to see that." Igor told the Duke.
Tris came in with chime on her shoulder, she filled a plate and sat next to Evvy. Chime jumped to the table and wandered down examining what was in the plates to see if it was anything she wanted to eat.
"And who is this?" Igor asked.
"That's Chime, she is a magical creature accidentally created by Keth several years ago." Tris told him.
Igor reached out a finger and stroked Chimes head gently saying, "She's beautiful."
Chimes musical purr sounded as she pressed head into the caress.
"Ah vanity thy name is Chime." Tris misquoted.
Chime glared at Tris and then turned he back on her and continued down the table accepting a caress from each person at the table.
The Duke smiled and said, "That will show you."
"Tris, have you ever been in touch with your family lately?" Briar asked.
"Not since they sent me to Stone Circle in Ninver10 years ago. Well actually since Aymery died during the pirate attack."
Moglee look at Tris, "Why?"
"I have ambient magic, it is a type of magic that the can not seem by the normal magic testers so when the hail, lighting, winds and rains came when I got angry the Chandlers thought I was haunted, possessed by a demon or something, so they passed be from one family member to another and every family worked me like a slave, I was told I had to earn my keep, they finally gave me to the Dedicate Superior of Stone Circle who gave me to Niko who saw the magic in me, he brought me to Winding Circle where I found my new family. The last time I saw my father he told a stranger that he and my mother didn't want me back, Not Ever."
Sparks of lighting appeared in her hair and started to run up and down her braids.
"They threw me away like I was garbage and have never tried to get in touch with me so Tuhengri Stormlord can take them all I will have nothing to do with them."
Sandry reached out and took Tris's hand, "You're throwing sparks Tris. Calm down before you burn something."
Tris closed her eyes and started the meditation breathing and the lighting faded back into her braids.
Moglee told her, "House Chandler never replied to Igor's inquiries about the caravan in which my parents died, so my feelings about them are about the same as yours."
Briar spoke up, "I thing we should start some inquiries, Mog might have some inheritance coming from his parents."
"It is something we could look into." Said the Duke.
"Come to think of it, doesn't house Chandler owe Winding Circle some money for Tris's education? It's not free, is it." Briar asked.
"It is definitely not free, you would have to check with Winding Circle about that."
"What about it Tris, want to make some waves in house Chandlers waters?" Briar asked with an evil grin.
"I will have to think about that for a little while."
"Tris, I was telling Igor about your printing press and he would like to see it." The Duke told her.
"Fine, I'll show him around after breakfast."
Briar turned to Moglee, "Do you have any place where you would prefer to work?"
"My shape shifting magic gives me a limited animal mind speech, and in the boxes in the cellar we found some books on improving the breeds of animals. I would like to try working with animals."
The Duke stood up and said, "I hate to break up the morning but Sandry have committee meetings to got to. We are going to have to get back to the Citadel."
Sandry finished her tea and prepared to leave, "I will let you know when to come in for the wedding."
Daja's and Tris's heads came up, "What wedding?" they asked.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"You are about the get hurt, what wedding?"
"Marion the librarian in Tris''s book store and Harold, the owner of MUSIC."
"Igor tells me that there are boxes and boxes of clothing down below, we might be able to find a wedding dress among the lot. Sandry, tell her if she is interested to come out and see what she
"We should start bringing it up and checking it over, what can't be used here by the staff and be sent to the school and used or sold to help with the financing." Daja said. "You know I will bet that a lot of nobles have surplus clothing that we could pick up cheap, we could start a used clothing store in the Caravans store when it is not being used."
"Some thing to think about anyway." Tris commented.
Daja reached into her belt pouch and pulled out two small boxes and slid them across the table to Igor and Moglee, "Here, these are for you."
Opening the boxes they each found an enameled Circle Four pendant on a gold chain. "What are these?" asked Igor.
"Those pendants will identify you to anyone on the estate as a member of the estate. Wearing those you have the freedom of movement, no one will question your being where you are. Without those you will be assumed to be a visitor to the manor and watched by the staff."
Igor and Moglee slipped the chains over their heads and grinned at each other, "Now we are official." Said Igor.
As they left the dinning room Briar told two pages in the hall, "Donny you go tell the Dukes guards that he will soon be ready to leave, Marie you run to the stables and have their horses saddled and brought to the manor." The two left at a run.
When the pages informed the Duke that his guards and horses were ready the left the manor and mounted up and headed back to the Citadel.
Keth, Glaki and Evvy followed in a Circle Four carriage, Evvy waved to Moflee as they went out the estates main gate.
"Party's over, time to go back to work," Daja told the group and headed toward the forge.
Briar took Moglee to the stables and Tris took Igor to the building where she was setting up the printing press.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
One case of puppy love.
One wedding.
That should be enough romance for anybody.
Anyone want to write a wedding ceremony for Emelan? Since I am a crusty old bachelor and have never been to a wedding I won't. Write a good one and email it to me and I will use it and credit you with it. You could start of with a new wedding march called Seventy-six slide horns.
I was checking the enhanced statistics on this story and 27 people have accessed the last chapter, only 3 reviewed it. You don't have to log in to review the story. Come on PUMP up my ego. Say something.
And now to all of you who have been kind enough to review, thank you, I would like to give you all an imaginary gift. How about a complete set of all the novels set in the tammyverse, custom bound in leather, with you name embossed on the covers and printed on acid free paper, autographed by the author. With a magic spell imbedded so they never wear out from overuse. You can pick up your books at the Circle Four store in Emelan, Tris has them at BOOKS.
Lady Lorene, Goddess Of The Moon, Evilstrawberry
PKNight, icefalcon, Nagem, PincessAlyssa16, AJ 4EVA
EclipseAzNGTX, Little Birdie, sycommansonboy, Angel of Light
Eric Marsh, Ryuuen Chou, endenmage, Sam Humphries
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System.
Chapter 29
Relentlessly, morning rolls around and the manor starts waking up, the Duke and Sandry were up and dressed, in fresh clothing kept at the manor for them, after having used the bathing facilities of the guest quarters reserved for them.
The staff of the manor was back at the usual daily routine, eggs were gathered at the manor farm, cows milked and sent out for the day and the other animals were being fed. The fresh eggs and milk was brought into the manor and the staff kitchens for the breakfasts being prepared by the cooks.
Briar came out of his room and hailed a page in the hall, "I want all the manor staff in the ballroom for a short meeting, go get them together for me will you?"
"Yes Baron." The boy replied, and left at a jog.
Half a candlemark later the staff was gathered in the ballroom and wondering what was going on.
The Duke and Sandry entered with Keth, Evvy and Glaki.
Briar, Daja and Tris followed them in and Briar jumped up on a chair and clapped his hands to get attention.
"You are going to meet a new friend today and I want to tell you a few things about him. His name is Igor Quasimodo fer NotreDom and he has been here longer than any of us. He is a hunchback and you have been calling him the Ghost of Green Acres. He is physically different from normal and because of that he has been excluded from society all of his life. We all know what it means to be ostracized by normal citizens and I will not tolerate it on Green Acres. Treat with him as you would with anyone else or leave Green Acres."
Briar looked around at the staff, "Let's get back to work."
The cook went back to the kitchen and started the eggs and sausage, fresh bread was just ready to come out of the oven and the rest of the meal was being placed on the tables.
Briar went into the staff lounge and located the catch to the hidden cellar door, he surprised the staff in the room when he opened door and went down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs he called out, "Igor, Moglee it's time to come up for breakfast."
Moglee opened the curtains and Briar heard Igor say, "Are you sure of this?"
"Yes," Briar told him, "it's time for you to join the rest of us. There is a lot you have to contribute to our community."
As they went up stairs Briar asked Moglee, "So you're a Chandler family member?"
"Yes."
"So is Trisana, do you know just what the relationship is?"
"No, Igor told me that when I was young he attempted to get in touch with house Chandler, he sent letters to various citys addressed to them but he never got a reply."
Going through the staff lounge Moglee told Briar, "I remember my mother and father but to me they were mommy and daddy, I do not remember what their names were, if I ever knew them."
All the staff was interested in seeing the Ghost of Green Acres and watched the three of them walk through the room.
Leading the way down the hall to the dinning room, Briar asked Moglee, "Do you want to know?"
"I'm not sure, as far as I'm concerned Igor is my father. I don't really think that knowing exactly who I am is all that important at this late date."
As they entered the dinning room Briar said, "It could be important, you may have some inheritance due from your parents. Think about it for awhile, let's eat."
Breakfast was set out buffet style on a table next to the door to the kitchen, Briar grabbed a plate and utensils, filled his plate and moved to the dining table as Igor and Mog filled their plates.
The Duke was sitting at the head of the table and Sandry was sitting at the other end of it, Tris had not made it in yet and Daja was just starting her breakfast, Keth, Glaki and Evvy were sitting on one side of the table, Briar took a seat opposite Keth with Igor beside him and Mog sat across the table from Evvy.
Evvy glanced up at Mog and then quickly back down at her plate and faint blush crept up her cheeks.
Briar looked down the table at Mog and saw that he was studying his breakfast intently.
Using the bond Briar asked, "Daja, Sandry, did you see that?"
Daja replyed, "Ah, puppy love. Remember those days Sandry?" Sandry sent back, "Barely. I'm a decrepit old woman now." with a mental smile.
Briar sent in a sarcastic mental tone, "Right, and I'm Crane's illegitimate son."
The two girls had trouble suppressing their laughter at that.
Igor noticed the supresson attempts and looked at the two with a raised eyebrow.
"Never mind them," Briar told him, "they are not quite right in the head."
Sandry threw a muffin at him, Briar caught it, "Thank you." He said and started to butter it.
"Ignore the them all, Igor." The Duke told him, "Years ago Sandry was forced by circumstances to spin their mage together and ever since then they can speak mind-to-mind with each other. Usually when they start snickering like that they are telling each other risqué jokes that they don't want us to hear."
Briar sat up indignantly, "I am not telling dirty jokes."
The Duke ignored him, "Have you given any thought to what you would like to do here at the manor, Igor. I remember that you said that at NotraDom you worked at a wide variety of things but you enjoyed assisting in the library the most. Trisana is setting up a new printing press here at the manor to print books. You might want to speak to her it you are interested."
"I would like to see that." Igor told the Duke.
Tris came in with chime on her shoulder, she filled a plate and sat next to Evvy. Chime jumped to the table and wandered down examining what was in the plates to see if it was anything she wanted to eat.
"And who is this?" Igor asked.
"That's Chime, she is a magical creature accidentally created by Keth several years ago." Tris told him.
Igor reached out a finger and stroked Chimes head gently saying, "She's beautiful."
Chimes musical purr sounded as she pressed head into the caress.
"Ah vanity thy name is Chime." Tris misquoted.
Chime glared at Tris and then turned he back on her and continued down the table accepting a caress from each person at the table.
The Duke smiled and said, "That will show you."
"Tris, have you ever been in touch with your family lately?" Briar asked.
"Not since they sent me to Stone Circle in Ninver10 years ago. Well actually since Aymery died during the pirate attack."
Moglee look at Tris, "Why?"
"I have ambient magic, it is a type of magic that the can not seem by the normal magic testers so when the hail, lighting, winds and rains came when I got angry the Chandlers thought I was haunted, possessed by a demon or something, so they passed be from one family member to another and every family worked me like a slave, I was told I had to earn my keep, they finally gave me to the Dedicate Superior of Stone Circle who gave me to Niko who saw the magic in me, he brought me to Winding Circle where I found my new family. The last time I saw my father he told a stranger that he and my mother didn't want me back, Not Ever."
Sparks of lighting appeared in her hair and started to run up and down her braids.
"They threw me away like I was garbage and have never tried to get in touch with me so Tuhengri Stormlord can take them all I will have nothing to do with them."
Sandry reached out and took Tris's hand, "You're throwing sparks Tris. Calm down before you burn something."
Tris closed her eyes and started the meditation breathing and the lighting faded back into her braids.
Moglee told her, "House Chandler never replied to Igor's inquiries about the caravan in which my parents died, so my feelings about them are about the same as yours."
Briar spoke up, "I thing we should start some inquiries, Mog might have some inheritance coming from his parents."
"It is something we could look into." Said the Duke.
"Come to think of it, doesn't house Chandler owe Winding Circle some money for Tris's education? It's not free, is it." Briar asked.
"It is definitely not free, you would have to check with Winding Circle about that."
"What about it Tris, want to make some waves in house Chandlers waters?" Briar asked with an evil grin.
"I will have to think about that for a little while."
"Tris, I was telling Igor about your printing press and he would like to see it." The Duke told her.
"Fine, I'll show him around after breakfast."
Briar turned to Moglee, "Do you have any place where you would prefer to work?"
"My shape shifting magic gives me a limited animal mind speech, and in the boxes in the cellar we found some books on improving the breeds of animals. I would like to try working with animals."
The Duke stood up and said, "I hate to break up the morning but Sandry have committee meetings to got to. We are going to have to get back to the Citadel."
Sandry finished her tea and prepared to leave, "I will let you know when to come in for the wedding."
Daja's and Tris's heads came up, "What wedding?" they asked.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"You are about the get hurt, what wedding?"
"Marion the librarian in Tris''s book store and Harold, the owner of MUSIC."
"Igor tells me that there are boxes and boxes of clothing down below, we might be able to find a wedding dress among the lot. Sandry, tell her if she is interested to come out and see what she
"We should start bringing it up and checking it over, what can't be used here by the staff and be sent to the school and used or sold to help with the financing." Daja said. "You know I will bet that a lot of nobles have surplus clothing that we could pick up cheap, we could start a used clothing store in the Caravans store when it is not being used."
"Some thing to think about anyway." Tris commented.
Daja reached into her belt pouch and pulled out two small boxes and slid them across the table to Igor and Moglee, "Here, these are for you."
Opening the boxes they each found an enameled Circle Four pendant on a gold chain. "What are these?" asked Igor.
"Those pendants will identify you to anyone on the estate as a member of the estate. Wearing those you have the freedom of movement, no one will question your being where you are. Without those you will be assumed to be a visitor to the manor and watched by the staff."
Igor and Moglee slipped the chains over their heads and grinned at each other, "Now we are official." Said Igor.
As they left the dinning room Briar told two pages in the hall, "Donny you go tell the Dukes guards that he will soon be ready to leave, Marie you run to the stables and have their horses saddled and brought to the manor." The two left at a run.
When the pages informed the Duke that his guards and horses were ready the left the manor and mounted up and headed back to the Citadel.
Keth, Glaki and Evvy followed in a Circle Four carriage, Evvy waved to Moflee as they went out the estates main gate.
"Party's over, time to go back to work," Daja told the group and headed toward the forge.
Briar took Moglee to the stables and Tris took Igor to the building where she was setting up the printing press.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
One case of puppy love.
One wedding.
That should be enough romance for anybody.
Anyone want to write a wedding ceremony for Emelan? Since I am a crusty old bachelor and have never been to a wedding I won't. Write a good one and email it to me and I will use it and credit you with it. You could start of with a new wedding march called Seventy-six slide horns.
I was checking the enhanced statistics on this story and 27 people have accessed the last chapter, only 3 reviewed it. You don't have to log in to review the story. Come on PUMP up my ego. Say something.
And now to all of you who have been kind enough to review, thank you, I would like to give you all an imaginary gift. How about a complete set of all the novels set in the tammyverse, custom bound in leather, with you name embossed on the covers and printed on acid free paper, autographed by the author. With a magic spell imbedded so they never wear out from overuse. You can pick up your books at the Circle Four store in Emelan, Tris has them at BOOKS.
Lady Lorene, Goddess Of The Moon, Evilstrawberry
PKNight, icefalcon, Nagem, PincessAlyssa16, AJ 4EVA
EclipseAzNGTX, Little Birdie, sycommansonboy, Angel of Light
Eric Marsh, Ryuuen Chou, endenmage, Sam Humphries