Author: thaumobabble | The remaining two days of the walk are much more affectionate, and also much more free of wizards and snakes than the first two days were. Somehow, all three travelers manage to not realize that Bella has not yet produced her name, even though on at least one occasion it would have been convenient for Tony to have.
And there is the castle, and there is the -
"Skyvault," sighs Bella, diving into her hat for her specs. |
Author: allthebrightest | The Skyvault is a gleaming arch of blue steel that seems to be continually leaping over the front gate of the castle, anchored in the moss to either side.
To mundane vision it has the illusion of movement, but magically speaking it is in motion, a continual flow of power up over the arch from one side to the other and then back again. It's self-contained, self-sustaining, and entirely beautiful. |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella is enthralled. "Oh, that's gorgeous." |
Author: allthebrightest | "The prettiest," Tony agrees, gazing fondly at it. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Do you want a look at it with the specs?" asks Bella. "It's so pretty, so efficient..." |
Author: allthebrightest | "Sure!" |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella takes a moment longer to gaze through her specs, then hands them over with their current lens configuration. |
Author: allthebrightest | "Whoa," says Tony. "Yeah, I know what that is! I didn't know you could see it, though, that's awesome." |
Author: thaumobabble | "That's what the specs are for! I'm very proud of my specs," nods Bella.
When everyone who wishes to has gotten a good look at the Skyvault - although Bella plans to take a second and third look later and take notes on it at various times of day - Bella puts her spectacles away.
"I guess this is when I meet your mom?" she asks tentatively. |
Author: allthebrightest | "Yep! C'mon in," says Tony. |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella adjusts her hat and smooths out her robes and murmurs her cleaning spell and follows the princesses into the castle, taking small careful steps. |
Author: allthebrightest | Someone comes into the front hall to meet them as they enter.
She looks a lot like the twins, except that she's older, wearing a much nicer dress, and her hair is a bright fiery red.
"Hi!" Tony says brightly. "We found this magician in the forest and we wanna marry her."
"Does this magician," inquires Queen Marianne, "have a name?"
"...Um..." says Tony. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Sparks and fumes, I've been hiking with you in the woods for four days and somehow my name never came up," snorts Bella, "that would be sad if it weren't so funny. I'm sorry, Your Majesty - I'm Isabella Swan. Bella for preference." |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock smiles slightly.
"Aha," says Queen Marianne. "Well, welcome to the castle, Bella Swan. Is there a particular one of my daughters that wants to marry you, or were they planning to share?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "The second thing," says Bella. "Possibly not both right away, given the probably-a-minor-technical-issue around succession." |
Author: allthebrightest | "Well, pick one," says the queen, "and if you manage to get her pregnant, you can marry the other one too."
Tony snorks. |
Author: thaumobabble | "...Okay," says Bella. "...Now I have to pick. Um." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Take your time," the queen says, amused. "You can stay in the castle while you get to know them. There's room." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay, thank you!" says Bella, smiling. |
Author: allthebrightest | "Thanks, Mom," Tony adds, and she takes Bella's hand. "C'mon, wanna go find somewhere to put you?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "Yeah," Bella agrees comfortably, following where Tony leads. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock follows after them.
"Bella," she murmurs. "It's a pretty name." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Thank you," Bella giggles. "I can't believe I just never thought to introduce myself. You never asked, either." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I knew who you were." |
Author: thaumobabble | "What do you mean?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I didn't need to name you to anyone. You were right there." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Yes, I suppose if we'd been more than three of us it would've come up." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Yes." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Well, now you know. And my middle name is Mariel, if that ever matters." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I will remember it." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I went by Mariel for about three months in school. I thought it sounded more witchy, and I hadn't yet quite realized I could do more than just witchcraft. It didn't stick. I like Bella better." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "They are both pretty." |
Author: thaumobabble | "You're pretty." Pause. "Do either of you have an opinion on who definitely marries me and who has to wait for technical innovation and maybe doesn't marry me if I can't do it?" |
Author: allthebrightest | "Well," says Tony, "if one of us still has to go find a husband, it should probably be me." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella looks at Sherlock to see what she thinks of this. Just in case anything about what Sherlock thinks of this is visible. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock is nodding! |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay. Unless something particularly compelling pointing the other direction comes up in the amount of time allotted to this decision, we can go with that." Pause. "I can probably solve the technical issue, though." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I support this plan." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay." Sherlock gets a kiss on the temple. This maneuver proves reasonably complicated for Bella and she trips on the hall rug. "I need to make myself another pair of moccasins, I wasn't even this clumsy before I made them, I'm too used to them now," she mutters as she gets up again. |
Author: allthebrightest | "Want me to carry you?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "Yes. And then I need to know where to get nice imitation leather for new moccasins. At least I have my sewing kit and my bead stash on me." She hops gratefully into Tony's arms. |
Author: allthebrightest | Cuddly!
"I bet somebody knows," she says vaguely. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Palace staff of some sort?" |
Author: allthebrightest | "Yeah, them." |
Author: thaumobabble | "All right. Any names I should be learning in that department?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Yes," says Sherlock.
She has a list. It is extensive and detailed. |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella starts writing things down after it is clear the list will have more than three people on it.
Hey, look! Is that a guest bedroom suitable for containing a Bella? |
Author: calendarofcrime | Yes! |
Author: thaumobabble | It is pretty! Bella likes it.
She unpacks into it a bit. Not most of her stuff - her sleeves are perfectly serviceable for holding a lot of things - but spare changes of clothes and so on are put in appropriate locations.
"Should I start on the kitchen now or later?" she asks, when this has been done. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "It may as well be now." |
Author: thaumobabble | "All right then." She hops into Tony's arms again. "About the fake leather, when I run into someone I can ask do I need to produce money for it, or what?" |
Author: allthebrightest | "Only if you feel like it." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella takes that as a no. "Okay," she says, nuzzling Tony's neck. |
Author: allthebrightest | Tony turns her head and kisses Bella's cheek. |
Author: thaumobabble | Hurray!
Here is the kitchen. Bella scopes it out, specs on. There is some spell residue. She guides it into her marble with coaxing murmurs and little hand motions so the space will be clear for her to work, and then she inventories the tools and all the compartments for ingredients in the cupboards and the pantry. |
Author: calendarofcrime | The kitchen is extensively but somewhat eclectically supplied. For some reason, they have six crepe pans. |
Author: thaumobabble | "You have," Bella observes, "six crepe pans." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "They were there when I got here." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Huh. Well, it's not going to throw off the spell or anything." Bella starts placing little glass droplets as markers in key locations around the kitchen. "How often do you acquire new kitchen equipment?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Infrequently." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay. If I skimp on the seamlessness of adding new things - it'll still work, it'll just take a bit to get used to anything you bring in - then that makes having dishes wash themselves easier." Bella places a marker near the sink.
Soon enough there are little markers all over the kitchen. "Do you want multiply-opening cabinets or are you satisfied with your existing storage space?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Would they conflict with any other conveniences?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "Cabinets can open themselves, but they can't switch between multiple compartments themselves, so it does mean that you have to manually close and reopen the doors or drawers or whatever if you need things from compartments other than the last one opened." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Then let's leave the storage as-is." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay." Bella counts the tokens she's placed, and pulls out a notebook and flips through it until she finds what she's looking for and checks something, and then she counts the spice jars, and then she peers into the ovens, and then she peers critically at the organization of the preserves jars, and then she inspects the arrangement of the silverware. "Can you think of any customizations you want that we haven't already talked about?" she asks, making small tick marks in various places in her notes and then nudging the placement of a glass token. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I cannot." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay."
Bella sits crosslegged in the middle of the kitchen. She holds her notebook up in front of her face, and recites a series of verses that is about half nonsense words and half vernacular. (The exact proportion of the two isn't perfectly clear, since some of the sequences of syllables that could be ordinary words have no clear purpose in a kitchen spell.)
Her glass tokens glow, and all of them stretch out ribbons of light to connect to each of the others till she's sitting in the middle of a web of beams.
They go dark - not all at once, but staggered, in ones and twos - and Bella grins and gets up again and starts retrieving them.
"It should have enough place-memory to already know how to help you with things you've made here a lot in the past. It'll pick up on new things much more efficiently going forward, though. You can talk to it. It's not a person, but it'll respond to the attitudes behind the words." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Thank you," says Sherlock, and impulsively hugs her. |
Author: thaumobabble | Hugs! Bella likes hugs. She hugs back. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Hugs and kisses? |
Author: thaumobabble | Oooh yes please. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Mm. Kisses. |
Author: thaumobabble | "I bet," says Bella, "that you could also carry me if you so chose, if there were a better room than the kitchen for us to be in right now." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I believe that is true," says Sherlock, and picks her up. |
Author: thaumobabble | Yay! Bella is developing quite an appreciation for being carried around. She tucks her head in against Sherlock's neck.
"I have honestly no idea how my parents will react when I tell them I have gone and gotten engaged to at least one princess," she says. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I hope they will not be upset." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I don't think it will be a negative reaction. Well, maybe a little, because it's very fast - they have an unusual perspective because when they got married it didn't work out. They'll probably have all kinds of questions about how I can be sure I want to marry you." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "And how are you sure you want to marry me?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "I think you're pretty much as you present yourself," says Bella. "Some people aren't, but I don't think you're one of them. I like the way you present yourself. If there weren't princess-related issues lurking about I'd probably want to wait longer before getting married, and just be your girlfriend for a while first, but I'd still really like you." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I am exactly as I present myself," says Sherlock. "And I really like you too." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella grins. "So few people are exactly as they present themselves. I have a deal with myself that I won't pretend to be anyone I'm not to myself, but I'm not always perfect about being open with everybody else. I'm not proud of all my characteristics." She sobers a little throughout the course of this utterance. |
Author: calendarofcrime |
Sherlock waits, still carrying her toward her room. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Like, you said I was a helpful person. I am, in the sense that I help people, but that's just because I feel like it. I don't go far out of my way to do it. It falls by the wayside if it's competing with other things I want more. I've never been able to - never been interested in fooling myself into doing anything I didn't really want. And I'm good at figuring out what I really want. It just usually includes helping people who wander by." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I see," says Sherlock. |
Author: thaumobabble | "But," says Bella, "unless my thinking turns up something unexpected, I want to marry you, and I had not really been planning on kids anytime in the immediate future but I expect I can warm to the idea, and if I manage the technical stuff I want to marry Tony too, and I want to be a queen and do all your politics for you when that is called for, because I think being an effective and decent monarch sounds like a fascinating challenge." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "That seems very reasonable to me." |
Author: thaumobabble | Nuzzles and neck-kisses! |
Author: calendarofcrime | Nuzzles and cheek-kisses! |
Author: thaumobabble | Yay!
Is that Bella's new room there? Bella thinks it might be. |
Author: calendarofcrime | It is!
Sherlock carries her into it and sets her down on her bed. |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella tugs Sherlock down after her. For snuggles. If she also waves a bare foot at the door in such a way that it is convinced to close, that's unrelated. Maybe. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Snuggles!
Kisses and snuggles. |
Author: thaumobabble | Kisses and snuggles and making the knowledge of Bella's name useful, maybe? |
Author: calendarofcrime | Well, Sherlock is not a very exclamatory sort of person. |
Author: thaumobabble | Awww. Does she mind if Bella tries to fix that? |
Author: calendarofcrime | Not at all. |
Author: thaumobabble | Good! |
Author: calendarofcrime | In fact, she appreciates the effort quite thoroughly. |
Author: thaumobabble | Excellent.
It's some time later when, staring up at the ceiling, Bella says, "I should probably call home and tell Cricket the news. He expects me home in a few days." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Yes, you probably should." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella starts reaching for a change of clothes. "Where's a mirror I can use?" she asks, stuffing her head into a raspberry-colored tunic. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I will fetch one," says Sherlock. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Ooh, portable mirrors, fancy." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Perhaps not so portable as all that."
When she does in fact fetch one, it is not in fact extremely portable: just an ordinary smallish wall mirror, convenient enough to carry around a medium-sized castle but not something you'd want to pack on a long trip. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Ah, I see, you are of course less wary of carrying fragile objects than I am," laughs Bella.
She props the mirror up against a wall. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I would like to make a call."
"Who?" asks the mirror.
Bella blinks; hers is more polite than that. "Cricket the cat at the home of Bella Swan, in the Enchanted Forest."
"Just a sec," the mirror says. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock glances at Bella, perhaps wondering what was so surprising about the mirror's response, perhaps thinking about something else entirely. |
Author: thaumobabble | Presently the mirror shows Cricket. Since Bella's mirror is up on her wall, Cricket has apparently dragged a chair over to sit on and get into frame. "Mrooow?"
"Hi, Cricket! I'm engaged!"
"Meow!"
"If they were allergic to cats I think it would have come up sooner."
"Mew mow?"
"Yes, they - well, sort of, they're princesses, they need heirs, I have to see if I can do that before I can marry both of them."
"Meowwww?"
"Sherlock first."
"Mew."
"Yes, I know Tony was flirting with me more. Tony pretty much just flirts more, period, that's part of why Sherlock first, Tony will have an easier time finding an acceptable husband if I can't come up with a spell."
"Meoooowow."
"Your confidence is, I hope, well-placed." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Confidence," Sherlock murmurs. "That sounds promising." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Oh, Cricket thinks I can do anything," laughs Bella self-consciously. "I can do a lot of things, but 'anything' is pushing it."
"Mewew."
"Cricket," says Bella dryly, "she's not a cat. She doesn't go into heat."
"Mow!"
"Whenever, okay, and that's all I'm telling you about that." |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock giggles. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Mooooow."
"Cricket says to tell you," Bella relays to Sherlock, "that you'd better be good to me."
"Mew."
"Or you may be scratched. 'Ket-cat, I don't think you want to try that." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I will be good to you," says Sherlock, "regardless of Cricket's opinion on the matter." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella beams at her.
"Meow."
"Cricket thinks we're cute," laughs Bella. "Anyway, Cricket, I'll be home to pack up everything, including you, soon, but not likely four days soon. You'll be okay?"
"Mrrrrow."
"If you need to, yeah, I'll pay her back - in fact, you could go anyway, tell Bobbin to tell Sanda the news." |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "Meow."
"Yes, I could call her, but if you're going to be over there anyway - look, Cricket, I told you first, I haven't even called Ranata and Charlie yet, and I have other things to do, I lost a moccasin -"
"Mew mew."
"Tony carried me most of the way," Bella admits. "Don't interrupt. So I have new moccasins to make, and a Skyvault to look at, and maybe a sword, and of course there's Sherlock and Tony to get to know, I'm calling you because you generally expect me to feed you and you need to know how long I'll be gone but Sanda's down the priority list some." |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "Mow."
"If that were what 'getting to know' meant, I certainly would not tell you."
"Meeeeow!"
"If you're just going to make dirty jokes, then this call is over," says Bella firmly.
"Mowww."
"Apology accepted."
"Mew?"
"There's knowing someone well enough to be sure you want to keep them and then there's knowing them really well. You should know that, you'd decided I was going to be your witch - after a fashion - when you were five weeks old and had spied on me talking to Sanda for about ten minutes."
"Mew."
"Yes, you were very clever about it, but that didn't mean that you had nothing new to learn at the time I was convinced and brought you home, did it?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock grins a little. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Meooow?"
"In this metaphor neither I nor either princess is a cat. It's not a direct metaphor like that."
"Mew."
"You'll just have to live with it."
"Mwow."
"No, we don't have a wedding date set." |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "Mew."
"I will certainly not name my firstborn after you."
"Mew!"
"I don't care if it's unisex. I'll probably only be able to produce daughters anyway." |
Author: calendarofcrime | ...Sherlock giggles. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Meow meow."
"Thanks, Cricket. I love you too."
The mirror goes blank. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Shall we come up with a wedding date? Or would you like to make more calls first?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "More calls will probably be to people who also want a date," Bella says, leaning her head on Sherlock's shoulder. "So we should probably pick a day. Hmmm." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Anytime within the next year would be likely to satisfy Mother." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Late summer? Maybe mid-Umber." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Entirely acceptable." |
Author: thaumobabble | "And Ranata won't have to take off work then either, although Charlie will no matter when it is. Umber fifteenth." She kisses Sherlock on the cheek and beams. |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock grins back. |
Author: thaumobabble | "I will probably have to wear a dress to be proper about it, won't I," muses Bella. "Oh well." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "You may wear whatever you like, as far as I'm concerned." |
Author: thaumobabble | "There's also your mother who may have concerns," Bella points out. "And however many guests who'll be scandalized anyway but could be slightly placated." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Ha." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I'll wear a dress," shrugs Bella. "It's not a big deal. I admit I'm having some trouble picturing you in a dress, though." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I do not wear them." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Well, you're the one who's royalty to begin with, you've probably got more social leeway than I have." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Likely yes." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I know I said politics sounded fascinating but I haven't actually studied it, since I didn't expect to get to do any... am I likely to get an official crash course or will I wind up picking things up as I go?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "You may ask Mother." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Will do. Should I also ask about the sword or should that wait a bit?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "You may also ask about that. The worst that might happen is that she asks you to wait until we are married before you look at it." |
Author: thaumobabble | "All right. And then I'll be able to pick it up without getting burnt," says Bella with understated glee. "I wonder, if I do marry both of you, if that'll leave me able to use royal magic instead of just have low-level perceptions like I think royal spouses usually do? Or if for magical purposes marrying Tony will be redundant?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "I suspect," says Sherlock, "that there is only one way to find out." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Yes," says Bella placidly. "With any luck, I will get to perform the experiment." |
Author: calendarofcrime | She nods. |
Author: thaumobabble | Sherlock gets a kiss, and then Bella addresses the mirror again. This time she calls Ranata.
"Hi, Mom!"
"Bella, hi! It's - this isn't your house, is it? Did you remodel?"
"No, Mom, I'm in the royal castle of the Enchanted Forest," says Bella smugly, "and this is Princess Sherlock and we're going to get married."
Ranata squeals at the top of her lungs. |
Author: calendarofcrime | ...Sherlock smiles. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Hello, Your Highness," exclaims Ranata when she's recovered her composure somewhat, "it's lovely to meet you, I'm Bella's mother Ranata Swan, I want the whole story." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "My sister and I went questing for someone to marry," says Sherlock. "We found Bella. She is delightful." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Questing! Oh, goodness. That's utterly precious. My baby's going to be a princess!"
"We've settled on the fifteenth of Umber," Bella adds.
"I'm so excited!" Ranata cries. |
Author: calendarofcrime |
Sherlock smiles. |
Author: thaumobabble | "I'm going to call Dad, next," Bella says, "and tell him - questions before I go?"
"Oh, no, he should know right away, I'll talk to you again soon, Bella dear - I'll want to come visit and meet your fiancée in person if that's all right -"
"Sure, we'll set something up," says Bella happily.
Ranata beams and waves goodbye, and the call ends.
"So that's Ranata," Bella says. |
Author: calendarofcrime | "She is very sweet." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I like her," says Bella. "Charlie's turn."
Charlie answers the mirror less effusively, but not less affectionately, and addresses Bella as "Bells".
He reacts with stunned silence to the news of his daughter's engagement. |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "Dad," says Bella. "It's traditional to congratulate me."
"...Congratulations," says Charlie. "Bells. Your Highness."
"Thanks, Dad."
"How have I not heard about this before, Bells, why wouldn't you call me?"
"It's just happened," exclaims Bella. "I met Sherlock four days ago. This is the first I've been at a mirror since we decided to get married. I told Cricket because I'm not going to be home to buy him more food, and I told Mom next, and then I told you, Dad."
Charlie does not look fully comfortable with the situation, and he keeps peering at Sherlock. |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "It's very sudden," says Charlie after a long silence.
"The wedding's not until the fifteenth of Umber," says Bella.
"It's still - sudden."
"Does it help that she rescued me from a giant river-snake?" asks Bella, frowning.
"...Not as much as you might think." |
Author: calendarofcrime | |
Author: thaumobabble | "Well, Dad," says Bella, "I'll... call you another time and hope to catch you in a better mood, I guess."
"Bells, it's nothing against you or Her Highness, but such a short time..."
Bella shakes her head and waves the mirror image away. Charlie disappears and it reflects only herself and Sherlock.
Bella wraps her arms around her fiancée. "I was expecting both of them to have reactions about halfway between those," she mutters. "Worried-but-happy. Not one just happy and one just worried." |
Author: calendarofcrime | Sherlock hugs her back. |
Author: thaumobabble | "He'll get over it. Especially if Ranata visits and then talks to him. She'll like you. And Tony too. I'm debating whether to announce that part of the plan ahead of time." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Perhaps not until we know it will happen." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Yeah, that's my thinking. Stagger the revelations, that way, too. Marrying princess! Expecting baby! Marrying other princess!"
Snuggles? "Are you okay?" |
Author: calendarofcrime | "It worries me that your father is worried," she says. "I'll live." |
Author: thaumobabble | "It's only because it's fast. Nothing about you. We already knew it was fast." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "Yes, I suppose we did." |
Author: thaumobabble | Nuzzle. "Umber is a ways away. It's only Brown now. He'll have plenty of time to get used to the idea, and we'll have plenty of time to confirm that it's a good idea." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "All right." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Now," says Bella, "fun as it is being carried everywhere, I'm going to atrophy if it goes on much longer and I'm going to crack my head open one of these days if I try doing without, so I need to go find one of the servants you mentioned and see about moccasin material." |
Author: calendarofcrime | "All right." |
Author: thaumobabble | Bella goes off - carefully - to look for someone to solicit fake leather from, then goes back to her room.
Sherlock's not there to ask about timing, so Bella wanders into the castle, exploring the layout and keeping her eyes peeled for Her Majesty to ask about politics lessons and sword-looking-at permissions. |
Author: pythbox | There she is! |
Author: thaumobabble | "Your Majesty?" inquires Bella, quite ready to be sent away if the queen is busy with important queening. |
Author: pythbox | "Ah, Bella," says her majesty. "Have you decided which of my daughters you are going to marry?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "Sherlock first," Bella says. "In the event - I think it's an unlikely one, but not an impossible one - that I can't help out with producing you a royal grandchild, they think Tony will have an easier time finding a more traditional sort of spouse." |
Author: pythbox | "I think they're right," says her majesty. "Very sensible." |
Author: thaumobabble | "But since I probably can work out a spell for it - it may already have been invented, although I'd need to do a bit of a research project to find it - and since I'm going to marry Sherlock anyway, I was wondering if it would be a good idea for me to take some sort of politics lessons? The topic interests me but I haven't done a lot of investigation into it as I never expected to have a chance to apply it." |
Author: pythbox | "Also very sensible," she says approvingly. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Is there something like that available already, or that can be easily set up, or should I just investigate your library and talk to key staff members...?" |
Author: pythbox | "I think the most instructive method would be if I taught you myself," she says. "Although you're free to browse the library as much as you want." |
Author: thaumobabble | "That does sound very instructive, and I'd appreciate it," says Bella brightly. "What sort of schedule works for you?" |
Author: pythbox | "That depends," she says. "Will you be staying in the castle for the forseeable future?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "I will need to go to my house to collect my belongings and my cat, in the next week or so, and possibly again to sell the place. This will be pretty quick if I get a carpet to enchant and fly there and back instead of having to hike, though." |
Author: pythbox | "Good, then I can keep you plenty busy," the queen says with a smile. |
Author: thaumobabble | "I like to be busy!" Bella says approvingly. "Where are we going to start?" |
Author: pythbox | "Good question," she says musingly.
"What do you know about wizards?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "I know a fair amount about the magic works, considering that I'm not personally a wizard or related to one," Bella replies. "And some incidental facts about the Society and not very much about their history." |
Author: pythbox | "Wizards," says Queen Marianne, "are apparently very relevant all of a sudden." |
Author: thaumobabble | "We met some on our way here," Bella says. "I checked, and they weren't - at the time I looked - stealing any magic in active use." |
Author: pythbox | "Good for them," the queen says dryly. "Any interest in looking again?" |
Author: thaumobabble | "I can, yes, although if you want me to look more thoroughly instead of just again I'll need prep time to add a new lens to my spectacles or research some other sort of divination." |
Author: pythbox | "About how long would that take? I'm thinking of sending you with the delegation. Practical experience," she says. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Oh! Um, I'm about halfway through figuring out how to wrestle a dwarf spell into a lens, and given the gorgeous design on the armor Tony made I bet she can help me and shave a week off the time. If I just do that and don't make myself new moccasins so I can walk without tripping, or a flying carpet, I can probably have it done in a couple of days. Help from one of the princesses, or maybe you, could get me up to version two on the item-reading lens that uses fire-witch principles, but I haven't been actively looking into that recently so it'd take a little longer. And I've been meaning to add a lens or two enchanted with dragon spells but I've been putting it off in the hopes that I could get my friend Kexan to introduce me to King Kazul so I could ask for a look at the King's Crystal, which has yet to happen. Non-lens-based divinations, it depends on what exactly you want me to look for." |
Author: pythbox | "We can probably wait for the dwarf lens," says the queen. "I don't have a specific notion of what you should be looking for, but I like information and I like more information better." |
Author: thaumobabble | "I also," Bella adds, snapping her fingers in sudden memory, "now have an intact wizard staff that's not a discard to play with - did Sherlock mention this? - and I haven't started inspecting it yet, but there could be some kind of divination wrapped up in there that I can apply to myself or to a new lens, and it would probably be ideal for checking out what wizards are up to if I can make the adaptation." |
Author: pythbox | "That sounds like a longer-term project to me," says the queen. "But I'd be interested to see what you could dig up with it." |
Author: thaumobabble | "It could take a very long time," Bella admits, "mostly because there might not be anything like what I'd be looking for in the staff, but I've had staff fragments pass through my possession before and sometimes things rise to the surface right away. It's probably at least worth an hour checking that out before I start working on the dwarf lens full time. ...Should it be full time, are we in enough of a hurry that I should skip the moccasins and the carpet?" |
Author: pythbox | "The official delegation will be going sometime this week," says the queen. "I'd rather you were able to accompany it without falling over." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Okay. I've already asked for the material I need to make them. It won't take long, since I've done it before and I have all the beads and my sewing kit. I can get started on a preliminary check of the staff and talking to Tony about dwarf magic before the imitation leather arrives." |
Author: pythbox | "Aren't you efficient," the queen says approvingly. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Well, I haven't figured out immortality yet, and it's the next best thing," says Bella brightly. |
Author: pythbox | The queen laughs. |
Author: thaumobabble | "Is there anything else I should learn or have prepared before the delegation goes out?" Bella asks. |
Author: pythbox | "Nothing crucial. Use your judgment." |
Author: thaumobabble | "Always," says Bella, and she sweeps into a completely incompetent curtsy and departs to get to work on the staff. |