The courtyard of Oberon's Castle in Amber was a beehive of activity. Servants scurried back and forth, taking long-forgotten portraits and statues and tapestries out of storage. The King had returned, at long last, and all was to be returned to the way it was before. Of course, few still living remembered the way things had been before, but somehow it was not difficult to know the will of the King. It was certainly easy enough to know when he was displeased.

In the midst of the hustle and the bustle, a shimmering line formed in the air in the usual place. Stepping through the contact point, a young man dropped two large bags on the ground and scanned the area. Dressed in clothing quite suited to the new old Amber, muted blues and greens, obviously well-travelled, he seemed like a young Julian or Caine newly arrived from the pages of ancient history.

"You, boy!" the young man called to a page walking by empty-handed. "You are obviously between jobs, take up one of these bags and show me to the Chief Steward of the castle."

"Oi sir, yes sir," the lad replied, bowing and picking up one of the bags. "Might I ask who you are, sir?"

The young man smiled, "Indeed you may, lad. Information is a valuable thing and you are wise to seek it. Serve me well today and perhaps I shall take you into my personal service. I will require a reliable young lad." Running his hand through his short black hair, blue eyes scanning the whole courtyard and missing nothing, the young man swept up the other bag and fell into step beside the boy. "I am Jared and I am a Prince of Amber. That is enough for you to know, for now."

"Excellent." is the response."His Majesty said you would be coming."

"This is her Royal Highness the Princess Zariya." said the servant indicating a tall woman dressed in loose and flowing clothing, that looked Arabic in nature, of varying shades of brown. Her hair was black as well, and hung in a tight braid to about halfway down her back. Her face was very severe looking as she had sharp cheekbones, pointed nose, and a jaw that might be considered 'jutting'. Her cloak was clasped with a wyvern pendant of some sort, and she inclined her head to Jared. "Marhaba salam alekom," she said in a rough, almost husky voice, "Hello. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Jared looked at her blankly as she spoke in the alternate language, but bowed after she greeted him. "I am Jared and the pleasure is all mine."

"We hope you have a chance to talk before Court."

"And when will the Court meet?" Jared asks the page.

Her brown eyes flashed as she obviously looked him over, but she said nothing more. By her feet was a bag, looking more like an American army duffle than anything else, which most likely carried her personal possessions, indicating that she had just arrived as well, probably just moments before.

Jared gestured toward another page, who took up Zariya's bag as the first page hauled Jared's. As they are shown to their quarters, Jared kept a sharp eye on his surroundings, but still maintained a conversation with his companion.

"So, you are a Princess of the Realm and also newly arrived," Jared stated. "We must be related then, perhaps closely. What do you make of all this?"

Zariya walked alongside him as the page showed them the way through the castle. "I am not sure what to make of everything. My honored father told me very little. I was supposed to come here, and meet my relatives." She paused as they turn a corner, giving a short, clipped sigh and a ghost of a smile, "My honored father prefers to keep things close to his chest. Yourself?"

"It is not too dissimilar to the place I come from," Jared noted casually. "If..Oberon.. thinks it best for me to be here, then I'm sure that it is. I trust there will challenges and opportunities aplenty. How many others such as us do you think there might be?"

"There may be more than we could count, or just the two of us," she replied. "There is no way of knowing this early." Zariya threw him another look, "Unless you know something I do not."

Jared smiled but did not comment.

After that, however, she changed the subject, "What was your homeland like?"

"It was not unlike this, though without these exotic items and artworks." Jared gestured to a fine porcelain vase and enameled set of armor that decorated the hallway they were in. "I have little enough to compare it to, of course. The residents of the palace appear as those of my world did, and act in a similar manner as well." Jared never bothered to make eye contact with the servants who might pass them in the halls.

"And your home?" Jared asked. "Different than this I would guess."

She nodded, "Different culture, of course," she glanced around, "but more beautiful. I have yet to see exactly how different Amber is, so I cannot make too many comparisons." Zariya gave an indifferent shrug, "My home was very structured, many rules, many responsibilities. But there were many rewards for those that worked hard to get what they want." She paused for a moment, to see if he had any reply to this before moving on.

"Ah, but is this not true most anywhere? Those who work hard and work well receive rewards, while those who do not, do not." Jared smiled. "I suppose that the happy accident of noble birth makes up for much, however. Fortunately, there can be no greater blessing than a noble birth aligned with a desire to work hard and the capacity to work effectively."

Zariya nodded in all seriousness, agreeing to this. "The desire to work is a blessing unto itself, since it seems so few have it."

"How are you related to the family?" she inquired politely.

"I am the grandson of His Majesty, the son of a Prince called Julian whom I have never met." Jared replied cautiously. "And you?"

She nodded again, giving him the barest of smiles, "We are closely related indeed then, from what I understand. My honored father's name is Caine, and I was led to believe that Gerard and Julian were his closest family."

"Interesting," Jared noted. "I suppose we shall meet these dignitaries at Court. How did you spend your time in your homeland, if I might inquire?"

"Hunting, writing poetry, the normal," she said offhandedly, "when I was not working for my lord." Zariya paused momentarily, "I was a headhunter for my lord; seeking out the criminals and bringing back their heads. Yourself?"

Jared gave Zariya an odd look at the term 'headhunter' but did not comment. "Serving his Majesty, though I knew him not in that role at that time. Delivering messages, conducting negotiations, nothing out of the ordinary. I hope to continue to serve in such ways for this realm as I did my last."

Zariya nodded her head and stopped as the page indicated her room. "It was a pleasure talking to you," she commented.

Jared bowed as Zariya entered her room and continued on to his own.

This text is copyright © Jim Ghiloni and Lana Gjovig; "Amber" is copyright © Roger Zelazny; "Amber" the diceless RPG is copyright © Phage Press. No copyright infringement is intended.

Please click to go back to:

Zariya: Equinox

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page