Wow! Two updates in less than a week; I guess I have finally turned
enough assignments in and the teachers are too busy grading them to give me
anything new. This chapter is slightly different from the others as I am
headed towards the ending. Of course, the location and some of the
characters belong to Tamora Pierce (Lady Bavarde does not, but if French is
part of your school's torture regimen you might recognize her name.)
It took several weeks for the effects of Lucille's presence to wear off completely. (A few of the councilors seemed to have been permanently effected and suffered periodic hysterical fits for the rest of their lives.) During the interval the entire palace was cheerful. Kadar and Hachel fell into spasms of laughter during archery practice. Servants giggled when they delivered the breakfast trays. Usually somber courtiers chuckled for no apparent reason. Even the camels were rumored to be in good spirits-although this may have been due to the goods spirits of the camel hands.
Eventually, however, things began to return to normal and the councilors' brains once again fixated on getting Kadar married to the most sensitive princess they could find. Kadar decided it was time to take things into his own hands (perhaps Lucille had given him confidence) and he realized his own hands might have to take some desperate measures.
Hence his decision to visit Lady Bavarde, the court's oldest,( she wouldn't reveal her age but most knew she was cruising towards 90), biggest, (though only 4'11 she had considerable girth and even more to say), and chattiest gossip. Lady Bavarde was rumored to know everything about everyone who was anyone and a great deal about those who weren't anyone. She frequently had returning travelers brought to her room (ostensibly "to give a poor invalid news of the world" but really to squeeze them dry of gossip before anyone else could get to them).
Kadar hadn't seen her since his mother had dragged him to a terribly dull tea-party in her room sometime around his 12th birthday. Therefore, he made another decision: he would take Hachel with him for moral support-and for revenge. Kadar's plan was to stay with her and keep her talking-which shouldn't be too difficult-until she gave him a hint of one princess who was a hair more perceptive than the rest and didn't have too many obvious flaws. Then he would tell his councilor's to invite that princess. They would be glad to see he was taking an interest in marriage and he would be able to avoid more encounters with thoroughly unsuitable princesses.
Kadar wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers just before the door opened. He darted into Lady Bavarde's room, pulling Hachel in with him. He found himself face to face with a pale corpulent woman wearing a hideous purple dressing gown. "Greet-" he began to say and then she cut him off.
"Oh, Emperor Kadar, how kind of you to stop by and visit a poor invalid like me. You must tell me all about Princess Lucille and her entourage. I fancy her gown wouldn't have been as pretty as Princess Petunia's. But, we'll get to that later. My how you have grown so tall and handsome-only you're not quite as handsome as my husband was in his youth. Ah, well, the times have changed haven't they?" Lady Bavarde had reached the age where one can say anything, even to the Emperor, and get away with it and she was well aware of the fact.
Kadar had only time to attempt a smile-it came out more like a grimace-and nod before she caught her breath and began again. This time it was an appraisal of Kadar and Hachel's apparel which ended with the conclusion that things just weren't what they used to be. Then, before Kadar could draw breath to ask her about sensitive princesses she began a tirade, asserting that the manners of young people weren't up to the old standards.
Finally, it seemed that, at least for the moment, she had talked herself dry. She ordered her chambermaid-a very harassed looking young woman-to bring her a pitcher of water. Next, she ordered Kadar to describe all the princesses who had been to visit.
Kadar sighed as he realized it might be hours before he could bring the subject around the way he wanted to. He hesitantly described a few princesses, expecting every instant to be interrupted by Lady Bavarde. She seemed content to listen and nod. Kadar supposed she must listen to some people some of the time in order to have things to tell people. Hachel looked like he was trying to slide off the couch and melt into the carpet.
After a glass or two of water, Lady Bavarde was back in action. She gave a long speech explaining why each princess had been unsuitable in the first place and ended finally with the exclamation: "Those idiot councilors have no more sense than frogs!"
Amazing, thought Kadar, we finally agree on something. But he lost his chance to pose a question because after a brief pause, Lady Bavarde began again.
"I anyone had asked me," -which they hadn't, probably because they couldn't get a word in-"I could have told them which princess they ought to invite." Kadar remained motionless; he didn't dare do anything to distract her now. "If they had had any sense at all, they would have invited princess Kameko. Now there's a girl with respectable breeding and decent looks. She's tolerably well accomplished too, from what I've heard. Of course, she probably couldn't hold a candle to the ladies of my youth but she's better than most of the riff-raff you see around these days.."
Kadar had heard enough. He began searching for an excuse to leave. After a few minutes he had a handful of great excuses but no way to introduce any of them because Lady Bavarde wouldn't stop talking about the ladies she had grown up with, great beauties who were currently rotting in glorious tombs all across Carthak. Hachel was shooting you-had-more-than-enough-revenge- and-now-its-my-turn looks at Kadar. Finally, he decided that he was the Emperor, in name if not in ability, and he could get up and leave if he wanted to.
Lady Bavarde did not notice and continued telling her chambermaid and her walls about Lady Melyn's jewelry.
Sign that you are a bookworm: If you run-I've found that about 50% of bookworms exercise regularly-you spend the time running outside planning fanfictions, or you run inside on a machine and spend the time reading instead of watching TV.
Thank you for reading and please review!
It took several weeks for the effects of Lucille's presence to wear off completely. (A few of the councilors seemed to have been permanently effected and suffered periodic hysterical fits for the rest of their lives.) During the interval the entire palace was cheerful. Kadar and Hachel fell into spasms of laughter during archery practice. Servants giggled when they delivered the breakfast trays. Usually somber courtiers chuckled for no apparent reason. Even the camels were rumored to be in good spirits-although this may have been due to the goods spirits of the camel hands.
Eventually, however, things began to return to normal and the councilors' brains once again fixated on getting Kadar married to the most sensitive princess they could find. Kadar decided it was time to take things into his own hands (perhaps Lucille had given him confidence) and he realized his own hands might have to take some desperate measures.
Hence his decision to visit Lady Bavarde, the court's oldest,( she wouldn't reveal her age but most knew she was cruising towards 90), biggest, (though only 4'11 she had considerable girth and even more to say), and chattiest gossip. Lady Bavarde was rumored to know everything about everyone who was anyone and a great deal about those who weren't anyone. She frequently had returning travelers brought to her room (ostensibly "to give a poor invalid news of the world" but really to squeeze them dry of gossip before anyone else could get to them).
Kadar hadn't seen her since his mother had dragged him to a terribly dull tea-party in her room sometime around his 12th birthday. Therefore, he made another decision: he would take Hachel with him for moral support-and for revenge. Kadar's plan was to stay with her and keep her talking-which shouldn't be too difficult-until she gave him a hint of one princess who was a hair more perceptive than the rest and didn't have too many obvious flaws. Then he would tell his councilor's to invite that princess. They would be glad to see he was taking an interest in marriage and he would be able to avoid more encounters with thoroughly unsuitable princesses.
Kadar wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers just before the door opened. He darted into Lady Bavarde's room, pulling Hachel in with him. He found himself face to face with a pale corpulent woman wearing a hideous purple dressing gown. "Greet-" he began to say and then she cut him off.
"Oh, Emperor Kadar, how kind of you to stop by and visit a poor invalid like me. You must tell me all about Princess Lucille and her entourage. I fancy her gown wouldn't have been as pretty as Princess Petunia's. But, we'll get to that later. My how you have grown so tall and handsome-only you're not quite as handsome as my husband was in his youth. Ah, well, the times have changed haven't they?" Lady Bavarde had reached the age where one can say anything, even to the Emperor, and get away with it and she was well aware of the fact.
Kadar had only time to attempt a smile-it came out more like a grimace-and nod before she caught her breath and began again. This time it was an appraisal of Kadar and Hachel's apparel which ended with the conclusion that things just weren't what they used to be. Then, before Kadar could draw breath to ask her about sensitive princesses she began a tirade, asserting that the manners of young people weren't up to the old standards.
Finally, it seemed that, at least for the moment, she had talked herself dry. She ordered her chambermaid-a very harassed looking young woman-to bring her a pitcher of water. Next, she ordered Kadar to describe all the princesses who had been to visit.
Kadar sighed as he realized it might be hours before he could bring the subject around the way he wanted to. He hesitantly described a few princesses, expecting every instant to be interrupted by Lady Bavarde. She seemed content to listen and nod. Kadar supposed she must listen to some people some of the time in order to have things to tell people. Hachel looked like he was trying to slide off the couch and melt into the carpet.
After a glass or two of water, Lady Bavarde was back in action. She gave a long speech explaining why each princess had been unsuitable in the first place and ended finally with the exclamation: "Those idiot councilors have no more sense than frogs!"
Amazing, thought Kadar, we finally agree on something. But he lost his chance to pose a question because after a brief pause, Lady Bavarde began again.
"I anyone had asked me," -which they hadn't, probably because they couldn't get a word in-"I could have told them which princess they ought to invite." Kadar remained motionless; he didn't dare do anything to distract her now. "If they had had any sense at all, they would have invited princess Kameko. Now there's a girl with respectable breeding and decent looks. She's tolerably well accomplished too, from what I've heard. Of course, she probably couldn't hold a candle to the ladies of my youth but she's better than most of the riff-raff you see around these days.."
Kadar had heard enough. He began searching for an excuse to leave. After a few minutes he had a handful of great excuses but no way to introduce any of them because Lady Bavarde wouldn't stop talking about the ladies she had grown up with, great beauties who were currently rotting in glorious tombs all across Carthak. Hachel was shooting you-had-more-than-enough-revenge- and-now-its-my-turn looks at Kadar. Finally, he decided that he was the Emperor, in name if not in ability, and he could get up and leave if he wanted to.
Lady Bavarde did not notice and continued telling her chambermaid and her walls about Lady Melyn's jewelry.
Sign that you are a bookworm: If you run-I've found that about 50% of bookworms exercise regularly-you spend the time running outside planning fanfictions, or you run inside on a machine and spend the time reading instead of watching TV.
Thank you for reading and please review!