"Please," he said, motioning Electra to the better chair.
"Thank you," she said. "Have you any ideas?"
Cristo looked at her as if she had just accused him of a crime.
"Of course," he said.
"Umm, perhaps we should decide on a main course," she said. Her expression showed doubt even at this.
"Only one?" he asked, startled.
"Perhaps more?" she asked.
"Were we to follow tradition, we would have three: fish, fowl and meat. But there are no rules, only your commands."
"Best we stay with tradition," Electra said.
"One can hardly go amiss with tradition," Cristo agreed.
"And traditionally, what would precede the main course?"
"We would have the soup, of course, and the vegetables. We could have the cheese passed in the receiving room, or we could wait until everyone is seated. Both are workable."
"I see," Electra said, although she did not see at all. "I believe Queen Delphinia has some entertainment planned, a magic show. Would that make a difference?"
"Oh, in that case, the dinner will be quite late. There may not be time for the cheeses to be passed."
"Quite right. No cheeses then."
"None at all?" Cristo asked.
"Perhaps later? At the table?" Electra asked, feeling the beginnings of a headache.
"Certainly, later would be possible."
An hour later, with the menu finally in place, Electra made a tentative move to leave, when Cristo said, "Shall I send in the wine steward now?"
"Yes, of course, the wine steward," she said, sitting down.
The wine steward arrived carrying a box of various colored bottles and a tray full of glasses for tasting.
Electra groaned silently and smiled at the wine steward.
"I'm afraid I must rely entirely on your expertise for the wine selection", she said. "I will tell you the courses we have selected and will listen to your recommendations, but I am not schooled in the knowledge of wines."
"I am at your service. You will do me the honor of a small taste of each to be sure?" he asked.
After another hour of polite discussion over wines, ales and all manner of drinks, Electra made her escape from the kitchen. She retraced her steps to the main entryway in time to hear the Sergeant at Arms shouting to the busy crowd.
"We have word from the tower. The Barburians have entered the valley. Make ready."
Chapter 7
Kingdom of Fernland
Take the Thief led Bear and Smiles to his friends' house. Tom and Angie lived in a little one room hut made of mud and twigs woven on to a wooden frame, with a roof of thatched straw. The door to their house was open and Tom sat in the doorway whittling out the holes of a flute. When he saw Take, he jumped up to welcome him.
"Take! Now 'ere's a nice surprise. An' who be these gents with ya'?" Tom asked.
Take looked up at Smiles. "This big fellow is called Smiles and this lit...ah, I mean this other fellow is called Bear. They're interested in a spot of acting work, on the side of being in the baking business, that is." He pointed to Tom and continued. "Tom and his wife Angie are my partners in the magic show."
Angie, Tom's wife, ran up to the doorway to look over Tom's shoulder.
"Goodness sakes, Take's not jokin'. Yer a big man fer sure," Angie said, staring at Smiles. "An' look there at yonder cutie Bear. Come on in, the lot a you. I've got a stew cookin'."
Bear blushed and bit down a smile at being called a cutie bear. They all followed Angie into the hut and sat down on stumps of wood around the cook fire.
"Be ya actor folk then?" Angie asked as she dropped more potatoes and carrots into her stew.
Smiles looked at Bear as if he expected him to answer, but Bear was preoccupied with watching Angie.
Smiles said, "Off an on, we was actor folk. We sorter take work as we find it. Ain't that the case, Bear?"
"That's the case," Bear said, finding his voice again.
"Ain't that the way with us all," Tom said. "Why up 'til a year ago, weren't none of us actors. Not 'til ole Take comes along an' changes everything." Tom beamed at his friend Take.
Take flicked his wrist to brush away the compliment, then turned his hand palm up toward Smiles and Bear. "Now Tom," he said, "Looking at these two fine gents, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I'm thinkin' that there's a big fella and there's a little fella." Tom smiled broadly as he pointed to Smiles and Bear in turn.
Take waited a few seconds and realized that was the extent of Tom's thinking.
"You know that flying trick with the fairies that we've been wanting to try if we had someone strong enough to hold the weight?" Take asked.
"Sure," said Tom, still smiling.
"And that disappearing trick we could do if we had someone small enough to fit in the box?"
"Uh huh," Tom said. He stopped smiling and slapped his hand on the table. "An' I'm daft as a moon bat if these two don't fill the bill," he said.
Take held his hands up and smirked. "There you go," he said.
A commotion at the door drew their attention away from one another.
They all watched as Trixie and Peaches, bursting with excitement, jostled each other, trying to get through the door at the same time. Angie stood up to welcome her two best friends. They were the last two members of the acting troupe.
"My land," Angie said. "Ain't this a day when all our friends come visitin'?"
"We got news," Trixie said, trying to catch her breath.
"We got important news," Peaches said.
"Grab a stump an have a sit. We got stew fer the lot a you," Angie said, as she loaded still more carrots and potatoes into the pot.
Peaches and Trixie looked at each other. "You tell them," Peaches said.
"The Queen wants us to perform tonight for guests at the castle, an' she's givin' us five times our regular rate," Trixie said.
Take the Thief stood up, mouth open, and promptly sat back down, raking his hands through his hair.
"Tonight!" Take said. "Five times our rate? Who are we performing for?"
Peaches lowered her voice. "It's fer them cutthroats from Barburee."
"Barburee!" the others echoed.
"The Queen wants ta make a good impression but no one knows why they've come ta visit," Trixie said.
"We don't have much time to get ready," Take said. "But with Bear and Smiles here, we could make this our best show ever."
He looked at Angie. "You'd best forget the stew, Love, or bring it along. We've got to get over to the shed for our props and start rehearsing."
Angie dumped the stew into a bucket and they all headed out the door.
Chapter 8
Kingdom of Fernland
Preparations for the Barburee visitors were still underway when the Barburian ambassadors arrived at the castle's drawbridge that evening. Fernland's royal family, the royal guard, the chief ministers and the townspeople fortunate enough to be invited, all scurried to take their places in the castle square.
The royal family sat on a raised platform with their backs to the castle, facing the canopy that would shelter the visitors. The chief ministers of Fernland sat below and in front of the raised platform holding the royal family. The royal guards stood to the right and left of the platform in two long rows. Townspeople lined the square on the left side. On the right, a high, black three-sided curtain had been erected. In front of the curtain a grassy area was dotted with props for the magic show. The props were covered with sheets and blankets which would be removed once the magic show began.
All eyes faced the entrance to the square as the Barburee men rode in on horseback. The first five men to enter the square wore brightly colored silk tunics with red sashes at the waist. Their heads were topped with felt cone-shaped hats that came to a point in front. Each of the hats was densely embroidered and beaded with symbols. They wore leather boots wit
h upturned toes and had bows and quivers of arrows strapped to their backs. The next ten men were dressed in dark tunics, but otherwise outfitted as the first five.
Bystanders whispered so excitedly to one another the entire square sounded like a pit of snakes. They had never seen anyone dressed in such a flamboyant style. Even the horses of the visitors were foreign and exotic. They were much shorter legged than Fernland's horses, with large heads and long manes and tails. Some of the riders' legs came close to touching the ground. Horses and riders seemed to be of a single piece, so attuned to one another that together they made one whole being.
The five brightly garbed Barburians dismounted and followed soldiers of the royal guard to their assigned places at the front of the canopy. The ten men in dark clothes cantered to the rear of the canopy where they left their horses to graze on the castle grass. They took their places at the back of the canopy. The Fernland community expected to see some sort of carriage carrying the most important ambassadors. They looked in vain, as none appeared. It seemed the ambassadors had already arrived--on horseback.
Attention settled on the brightly clothed men. A Fernland youth, a student of languages, approached the front row of Barburians tentatively. He tried out the few words he knew in their language and made some notes on a piece of paper. He then left to confer with Queen Delphinia. She gave a smile of encouragement and the nervous young man stepped to the edge of the platform and began to speak in a loud voice.
"His Majesty King Geoffrey of Fernland and Her Majesty Queen Delphinia of Fernland greet their visitors from Barburee."
He then translated this welcome into the Barburee language. He looked at his notes and proceeded to introduce the dignitaries.
"We welcome the honorable Yeke Unegen, the Great Fox of Barburee."
The eldest of the dignitaries, a thin, white haired man with hard eyes, stood as his name was called. Enthusiastic applause, led by Queen Delphinia greeted him.
The language student continued. "We welcome the honorable Bayan Arslan, the rich lion of Barburee."
The 'rich lion' produced a few giggles from the townspeople. They were quickly silenced with stern looks from the royal guard soldiers, and the giggles replaced with applause. A slight young Barburee man with dark hair and a tattoo on his neck, stood, nodded once and sat back down.
"Next we welcome the honorable Batu Bataar, Loyal Hero of Barburee."
A broad-shouldered, muscular young man with quick, dark appraising eyes, stood slowly and took his time studying the royal family. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in what might have been a smile, an expression not unlike that a hungry cat might wear upon encountering a fat mouse. He dropped back to his seat gracefully, seemingly much at ease.
"We welcome the honorable Cherin Burilgi, The Long Life Destroyer of Barburee."
The applause here was slightly less enthusiastic as a tall, strong man with a military bearing stood, nodded and sat. His scarred face took in the crowd with an expression of ominous disapproval.
"And finally we welcome the honorable Qoren Qarchi, The Twenty Quiver Bearer of Barburee."
The puzzled crowd looked with skeptical expressions at the young language student as they applauded, wondering if this could possibly be someone's name. The final dignitary, a round-faced middle aged man, stood and nodded pleasantly at the royal family.
"And now," the young language student continued, "Her Majesty Queen Delphinia will address our visitors concerning the entertainment she has prepared to celebrate this important occasion."
The young student appeared at a loss as to how to translate this last bit of information into the Barburee language. Several attempts led to surprised and confused looks from the Barburee men. Finally the honorable Twenty Quiver Bearer stood up and faced the royal family.
"I am know some little of language. Is better I say in Barburee?"
The language student nodded, relieved.
"You are having some fun for these?" he asked pointing at the Barburee men.
The red-faced student nodded gratefully.
Twenty Quivers addressed his fellow ambassadors in a stern voice and a torrent of gruff words. The Barburee men applauded and cast curious glances at the black curtained area.
Queen Delphinia stood up, looking quite regal in a gown of heavy red and gold brocade. She stepped to the front edge of the platform and faced her visitors.
"King Geoffrey and I are so honored by your presence. You have traveled far to visit Fernland. We wish to welcome you tonight with feasting and entertainment. Tomorrow is time enough for any business you may wish to conduct with His Majesty, King Geoffrey. We will begin the festivities with a show of magic."
As Twenty Quivers translated the Queen's welcoming message to the Barburee men, the torch lights began to dim and all faces turned toward the black curtained area where a lone drumbeat sounded.
Chapter 9
Kingdom of Fernland
A fairy danced onto the stage from behind the black curtain. In the dim light she peered curiously at the draped props. One by one she removed the drapes and clapped her hands as giant wooden toadstools and large candles were revealed. She twirled to the edge of the curtain and pulled a flute from her waistband. She blew a few notes on the flute and put one hand to her ear as if listening for a reply.
The crowd broke into applause as other fairies and elves danced on to the stage to the accompaniment of drums, horns and tambourines. The group danced barefoot among the brightly painted wooden toadstools, sometimes vaulting over the toadstools, sometimes coming to rest on top for brief solos on their instruments. Then each of the fairies lit a large candle and held it high over her head. Very slowly, they removed their hands from the candles, which remained floating in air. The audience clapped loudly as the candles rose even higher, lighting the scene from above.
While the elves sat on the toadstools playing their flutes, the three fairies danced slowly around them. As the fairies moved their arms up and down, their feathered wings began to flap. Suddenly one of the fairies was airborne, floating gracefully above the elves. The audience came to their feet, cheering. The royal guard had to restrain people who came forward, trying for a closer look.
The fairy flew higher and higher, then disappeared against the black curtain. The remaining fairies and elves circled the stage, looking for the missing fairy. One of the elves ran to the edge of the stage. He pushed a large black box stamped with silver designs to the center of the stage. He opened the top of the box and the fairy who had just disappeared, stood up and waved at the stunned crowd.
The ambassadors from Barburee talked excitedly among themselves and one gestured to a guard, apparently seeking permission to inspect the box. A royal guard went to speak to the elf.
"Perhaps later, after the show," the elf whispered, drawing his cloak around him as he turned his attention back to the box.
The elf waved his hand and the fairy climbed back into the box. The elf replaced the top of the box and tapped three times on the lid. After a slight rustling within the box, the elf removed the lid and in place of the fairy, a small black bear stood up, surveying the crowd malevolently.
Several children cried out and sought the protection of their mothers' skirts. The crowd clapped and stomped their feet. This time the elf replaced the lid on the box and rapped four times on the box. He removed the lid and the fairy popped up. She jumped from the box and joined the other two fairies in a dance. The elves joined in the dance and the whole troupe moved in a line as they exited the stage, pushing the box ahead of them.
As the cheering died down, Queen Delphinia stepped forward.
"We are so grateful to our acting troupe for this outstanding performance. Now I invite all our guests to follow us to the Great Hall for what I believe will be a memorable feast. And we thank Princess Electra for making this feast possible."
Princess Electra, caught off guard, managed a brief wave to those assemb
led. The royal family stepped down from the platform and led the way into the castle.
The men from Barburee were already out of their seats as Twenty Quivers translated the Queen's invitation into their tongue.
Batu Bataar ran to the black curtain, trying to locate the black box and the elf. Several of the other men followed, lifting the curtain and studying the toadstools. The acting troupe were no where to be found. Soldiers of the Royal Guard circled the Barburee men, gesturing toward the departing crowd. Finally, at the insistence of the Royal Guard and some gruff words from Twenty Quivers, the Barburee men gave up the search and followed the Fernland ministers into the castle.
Chapter 10
Kingdom of Fernland
King Geoffrey and Queen Delphinia sat at the head of the long wooden table. Twenty Quivers, the English speaking Barburian, sat on the King's right. Avor sat on Queen Delphinia's left and Electra was to sit next to Avor. Electra left at the urgent request of Chef Cristo. The wine she had chosen for the fish course had been accidently used as a soup base. Electra assured Cristo that any wine of the wine steward's choosing would be an acceptable replacement. She returned to the dining table to find her seat occupied by Batu Bataar, the Loyal Hero of Barburee. As none of the servants spoke his language, he was left to sit there. Electra took the seat beside him and was soon joined on the other side by Long Life Destroyer. She supposed sitting between the two Barburee men would mean a quiet dinner for her and decided things could not have worked out better if she had planned them herself.
The soup course, a beef and barley mixture, worked well. Although the king was served first and all watched as he spooned a bite into his mouth, the men from Barburee chose to lift their bowls and drink the soup, as must have been their customary method of dealing with soup. The Barburee men spoke to one another loudly in their language, and the Fernland ministers were forced to speak more loudly to be heard as a result. The addition of ale made for a noisy, cheerful gathering.
The fish along with its new wine was served. Electra thought the oysters and pickled cod on a bed of lettuce looked quite attractive. Long Life Destroyer took a bite of the oyster, spit it out in his hand and threw it over his shoulder with a loud oath. Batu Bataar, on her right side laughed at whatever Long Life Destroyer had said. Soon the pickled cod also took flight. The wine, he spit out and drowned out the taste with a swig of ale.