Difference between revisions of "Winter's Heart: Chapter 9"

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===Chapter 7: The Streets of Caemlyn===  
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===Chapter 9: A Cup of Tea===
 
''Ilissa al'Nari''
 
''Ilissa al'Nari''
  
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Characters: [[Elayne]], [[Aviendha]], [[Birgitte]], [[Sareitha]], [[Caseille Raskovni]], [[Deni Colford]], [[Tzigan]], [[Careane Fransi]], [[Venr Kosaan]], [[Yarman]]  
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Characters: [[Elayne]], [[Essande]], [[Halwin Norry]], [[Dyelin]]
  
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Setting: The streets of Caemlyn
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Setting: Dressing room
  
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Point of View: Elayne  
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Point of view: Elayne  
  
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Elayne and her entourage, including the Brown Sister Sareitha and the Guardswomen Caseille Raskovni and Deni Colford, are riding through the streets of Caemlyn in an attempt to raise support - or at least halt displeasure - among its citizens and visitors. Elayne gives out coins to several people, and is worried about not only the finances of her people but also of that of her nation. While all people she passes halt, the cheers are few and far in between. There are, however, no jeers, a fact that calms Elayne to some extent. Her entourage, consisting of the Brown sister, her Warder and altogether eight Guardswomen clad in the rather elaborate dress of Elayne's honour guard, attract their own attention, and as they pass through the streets of Caemlyn Sareitha gives Elayne a lecture on how the streets are not safe for her and how the ten Sisters currently in the Silver Swan do not bode well. Elayne brushes the Brown's various fears away, but inside she is not as calm as she appears.  
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Elayne changes out of her riding clothes with the help of Essande, a pensioner she has chosen for her maid, to get ready for the meeting with the merchants. She reminds herself to make sure Birgitte is there, and allows herself to notice a "heated knot of irritation" before going out into her sitting room where the First Clerk, Norry, awaits her. His first piece of news, the find of first quality alum at Danabar, is good news, because its prospective income will mean that the bankers are far more likely to agree to loan the kingdom of Andor some much-needed funds to, among other things, build up the needed army to secure the throne for Elayne. There are, of course, expenses to be taken into account, but master Norry still agrees that both the Guard as well as the Academy can now be looked into without too much worry.  
  
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As she rides through the city she also ponders the fact that some of the fugitives from the war-ridden or occupied neighbouring countries seem to have returned to themselves in the sense that they have taken up their own crafts again. Not only does it help these individuals to provide for themselves, it also reduces the need to import wares from other countries and has the additional advantage of the taxes being a possible income in the future. Some, or even most of the fugitives, though, are not only unable to fend for themselves, some of them are even unable or unwilling to accept the help they are being given. While soup kitchens have been set up for the poor, no one can make people accept them.  
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The next topic is the Dragon Reborn and Elaida's proclamation acknowledging him and offering him "protection and guidance" as well as pronouncing anathema on anyone approaching him save through the Tower. The proclamation stuns Elayne, and so does the news that someone attacked the Sun Palace using the One Power, and that Rand is gone. Norry's source suggests that Rand has probably gone to kneel at Elaida's feet, but Elayne refuses to believe he would even kneel to Egwene and that Elaida has as much chance as "a goat at a court ball".  
  
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Those she notices most, though, are the many mercenaries and merchant's guards wandering the streets. Whether Andoran or foreign, they are armed, and since there are so many of them that their "normal" professions are full, Elayne decides that getting some of them to sign up for the army should not be too much trouble. Mostly, she is concerned with two things; how to make sure the Guards remain mostly Andoran, and how to find enough coin to pay them. As she thinks about this she becomes aware of the strong emotions of her Warder Birgitte, and the combination of her strong emotions and the speed with which she returns to the palace sets "the alarm gongs ringing" in Elayne's head and she hurries back to the Palace by the most direct route in order to meet her there.  
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His other pieces of news are either outdated or Elayne perceives them as unimportant; the latter includes news of Sea Folk ships making their way through the Fingers of the Dragon without pilots and fighting the Seanchan at sea; Illian being quiet and full of Rand's soldiers, assumed to be recovering from a battle against the Seanchan, the Queen of Saldea still being on her long retreat in the country, the Queen of Kandor having been out of Chachin for months. Elayne asks for his advice, but merely, it seems, out of politeness since she already knows what to do about it - nothing. His last piece of news concerns the fact that King Roedran is gathering an army in Lugard, and when it comes to this aspect Halwin Norry surprises Elayne by seeming almost hesitant before giving his advice. Again it is to do nothing, but that is because Elayne has not yet been crowned Queen of Andor and thus cannot expect an emissary of hers to ever reach the King since that might mean repercussions for him if another contestant for the throne is able to get rid of Elayne. Elayne decides to calm Norry down, however, and tells him about Roedran's aims as she has been told by Egwene.  
  
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Birgitte finds them outside the inner city, climbing Pearman's Lane, and wastes little time before telling Elayne that the men escorting Naean and Elenia, two of the contestants for the Andoran crown, have been killed five miles out of Aringill. One of the guards' horses had returned to the town and thus let the soldiers stationed there know. Elayne promptly concludes that there must be at least one spy within the Palace, and Birgitte repeats her plea that Elayne accept a small bodyguard. The plea is refused despite of Sareitha's agreement that it might be a good idea, and Elayne angers her Warder further by suggesting that she should have gone to get the two captives herself. Birgitte harangues her not only about how her involvement in getting them would have made no difference except for possibly to the worse, and also hints to Elayne's and Aviendha's lone trip in town. The hint is enough to make the Brown Sister elaborate; she seems to know more about it than Birgitte has been told and Birgitte does not seem to appreciate this in the least. Elayne gets her own back to some extent by giving Sareitha a mini-lecture on Andoran practical politics that leaves the Brown stunned and somewhat surprised by the younger woman's grasp on the reality of the nation she has set out to rule, and the rest of the ride back to the palace is passed in silence and with Elayne pondering some of the problems she currently has on her plate.  
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This impresses Norry, and he "remembers" something he left out in his first round; the fact that Cairhien nobles are pondering coming to Andor to help her claim the throne there so that she can come to Cairhien quickly and claim her birthright from her father Taringail as well. Elayne thanks him and tells him to write out a letter ready for her signature and seal, in which she states that she will come to Cairhien once she has time and implies that the Cairhien nobles should keep out of Andor since anything else would only worsen the strained relationship between the two nations. She says nothing straight out, of course, but feels assured that the smarter among the noble Houses will understand and explain it to those who are not as smart.  
  
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Their arrival at the Palace is a surprise for everyone there, and Elayne notices that there are very few faces she can really say she recognizes among the current servants and soldiers, since many of the old ones fled when Rand took Caemlyn. After the news Birgitte brought she sees a potential spy in most people, and so, seemingly, does Birgitte. Sareitha and her Warder leave the two of them with the plausible excuse of Sareitha wanting something in the Library, and then Elayne and Birgitte have a small argument about a Warder's place and Birgitte's accusation that Elayne gave her the titles and the estate in an attempt to "saddle her down", after which Birgitte stalks out. Elayne notices a young boy (only a bit younger than herself, she realizes,) and tells him to go fetch Mistress Harfor, the First Maid, to her apartments.  
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After, three liveried maids bring her a large choice of midday meals, of which she chooses the one she always does; clear broth and bread served with tea. Dyelin enters during the meal, and announces that there is an army in Braem Wood; an army consisting of men from Arafel, Kandor and Shienar, tens of thousands altogether. Elayne says that it's more than likely Rand they are after, refills her cup and talks some more before she starts to slip away. She realizes that she has been dosed with forkroot, a drug that puts people to sleep and leaves channelers unable to touch the Source, and tells Dyelin to go get help. Dyelin pulls out a knife, and for a few seconds Elayne is grateful for the man entering, thinking that Dyelin has turned traitor - until she sees him pull out a blade of his own and two more following. Despite knowing there is nothing she can do to save herself, Elayne decides to try, and Dyelin screams for help and manages to send two men to the floor before she is stabbed and left to die by a third. He advances on Elayne, slowly at first but then with newfound determination, but suddenly, he and Elayne are equally surprised by the foot of steel sticking out from his chest, and he dies. Elayne falls to her knees and manages to think of how the carpets might never become clean again before looking at the motionless Dyelin and the three men gathered close to the open door. The second of the would-be assassins lie in front of it while the third and sole survivor is fighting an axe-faced man in the white-collared coat of a Guardsman. Her last thought is for Birgitte to come, and then darkness consumes her.  
  
 
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Revision as of 09:40, 18 August 2006

Chapter 9: A Cup of Tea

Ilissa al'Nari

Characters: Elayne, Essande, Halwin Norry, Dyelin

Setting: Dressing room

Point of view: Elayne

Elayne changes out of her riding clothes with the help of Essande, a pensioner she has chosen for her maid, to get ready for the meeting with the merchants. She reminds herself to make sure Birgitte is there, and allows herself to notice a "heated knot of irritation" before going out into her sitting room where the First Clerk, Norry, awaits her. His first piece of news, the find of first quality alum at Danabar, is good news, because its prospective income will mean that the bankers are far more likely to agree to loan the kingdom of Andor some much-needed funds to, among other things, build up the needed army to secure the throne for Elayne. There are, of course, expenses to be taken into account, but master Norry still agrees that both the Guard as well as the Academy can now be looked into without too much worry.

The next topic is the Dragon Reborn and Elaida's proclamation acknowledging him and offering him "protection and guidance" as well as pronouncing anathema on anyone approaching him save through the Tower. The proclamation stuns Elayne, and so does the news that someone attacked the Sun Palace using the One Power, and that Rand is gone. Norry's source suggests that Rand has probably gone to kneel at Elaida's feet, but Elayne refuses to believe he would even kneel to Egwene and that Elaida has as much chance as "a goat at a court ball".

His other pieces of news are either outdated or Elayne perceives them as unimportant; the latter includes news of Sea Folk ships making their way through the Fingers of the Dragon without pilots and fighting the Seanchan at sea; Illian being quiet and full of Rand's soldiers, assumed to be recovering from a battle against the Seanchan, the Queen of Saldea still being on her long retreat in the country, the Queen of Kandor having been out of Chachin for months. Elayne asks for his advice, but merely, it seems, out of politeness since she already knows what to do about it - nothing. His last piece of news concerns the fact that King Roedran is gathering an army in Lugard, and when it comes to this aspect Halwin Norry surprises Elayne by seeming almost hesitant before giving his advice. Again it is to do nothing, but that is because Elayne has not yet been crowned Queen of Andor and thus cannot expect an emissary of hers to ever reach the King since that might mean repercussions for him if another contestant for the throne is able to get rid of Elayne. Elayne decides to calm Norry down, however, and tells him about Roedran's aims as she has been told by Egwene.

This impresses Norry, and he "remembers" something he left out in his first round; the fact that Cairhien nobles are pondering coming to Andor to help her claim the throne there so that she can come to Cairhien quickly and claim her birthright from her father Taringail as well. Elayne thanks him and tells him to write out a letter ready for her signature and seal, in which she states that she will come to Cairhien once she has time and implies that the Cairhien nobles should keep out of Andor since anything else would only worsen the strained relationship between the two nations. She says nothing straight out, of course, but feels assured that the smarter among the noble Houses will understand and explain it to those who are not as smart.

After, three liveried maids bring her a large choice of midday meals, of which she chooses the one she always does; clear broth and bread served with tea. Dyelin enters during the meal, and announces that there is an army in Braem Wood; an army consisting of men from Arafel, Kandor and Shienar, tens of thousands altogether. Elayne says that it's more than likely Rand they are after, refills her cup and talks some more before she starts to slip away. She realizes that she has been dosed with forkroot, a drug that puts people to sleep and leaves channelers unable to touch the Source, and tells Dyelin to go get help. Dyelin pulls out a knife, and for a few seconds Elayne is grateful for the man entering, thinking that Dyelin has turned traitor - until she sees him pull out a blade of his own and two more following. Despite knowing there is nothing she can do to save herself, Elayne decides to try, and Dyelin screams for help and manages to send two men to the floor before she is stabbed and left to die by a third. He advances on Elayne, slowly at first but then with newfound determination, but suddenly, he and Elayne are equally surprised by the foot of steel sticking out from his chest, and he dies. Elayne falls to her knees and manages to think of how the carpets might never become clean again before looking at the motionless Dyelin and the three men gathered close to the open door. The second of the would-be assassins lie in front of it while the third and sole survivor is fighting an axe-faced man in the white-collared coat of a Guardsman. Her last thought is for Birgitte to come, and then darkness consumes her.

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