Winter has lately come, and on a still cold night, Martin visits his
cousin the Lord Marshal Antonio.

Knocking on his door, Martin replies to the resulting query with
"Martin. You decent?"

From beyond the door, Antonio answers, "No. I'm marvellous. As usual.
Come in."

Martin smiles quietly to himself as the door opens to reveal a large
room filled with eclectic clutter, including a hot-tub in one corner.

Antonio grins, "Welcome to my parlor."

Martin leans against the open doorway as the door swings in, arms
folded, grinning a lopsided grin. "Thank you, cousin, and a fine evening
to you."

Antonio chuckles, "So, what brings you to paradise?"

Martin says, "oh, the usual business-" as he enters, when his gaze takes
in the nude portraits over the hot tub, and his grin puzzles into polite
disbelief.

Over the hot-tub in the corner are large paintings of the Princesses
Deirdre, Fiona and Florimel, which might be described as *very* frank
portraits: Deirdre lies asleep in a bed of white satin, more or less
wearing a white fur; Fiona brushes her hair before her mirror, preparing
for bed perhaps; and Florimel, uh, shows off her best features in the
Great Hall.

Antonio quietly closes the door behind Martin.

Martin stares at the nudes. "You're kidding. They didn't... they
don't... do they?"

Antonio chuckles and gestures to the chair, "Sit down."

Somehow, Martin finds his way to a chair, even sits in it, eyes stuck on
the nudes. "Your work..?"

Antonio grins and joins Martin, "Of course", he gestures to the canvas
still being worked upon, "There's my latest."

Martin raises a hand to cover the half-grin creeping back onto his
otherwise startled expression. "I don't know what's worse: the thought
that you did all these out of your fervid little imagination, or the
thought that they might have posed for you."

Antonio grins, "Drink?"

Martin nods absently, reluctantly tearing his eyes off the portraits,
"yeah."

Antonio wanders over to the bar, "Scotch?"

Martin nods, "Sounds good." He glances over at the canvas Antonio
indicated.

It is an oil painting, depicting their cousin, the Lady Mira, at her
bath.

Martin, slowly, raises an eyebrow at the canvas.

Antonio pours two glasses of scotch and wanders back. He offers Martin a
glass, "Do you like it?"

Martin takes the glass, nods, looking over the canvas with a grin, "You
know, I could almost believe you did this one from life."

Antonio turns and drops into a chair before sipping his scotch.
He doesn't respond to Martin's comment.

Martin turns his attention from the canvas, slouches down in his chair,
tries his scotch. "They're pretty good paintings, by the way."

Antonio nods, "Thanks."

Martin says, eyes smiling though the rest of his face doesn't, "Just one
thing...

"Don't *ever* let me find one of Vialle in here."

Antonio chuckles, "I might do a scultpure instead. I like my subjects to
be able to experience my art."

Martin says, very firmly, "No." He grins, returns to his drink.

Antonio says "Now, what brings you here?"

Martins says, "Want to talk to you about a couple of things. Godwin, for
one." He considers the paintings over the rim of his scotch glass "you
will have heard about his maneuvres in Arden by now?"

Antonio nods, "I heard he was intending to go there. I also heard there
were some...difficulties."

Martin chuckles, "some? Oh, no. I had a great time. I watched him march
a bunch of men and horses straight into the forest, charge up and down
at trees, trumpets blaring, men shouting at one another... you know, the
whole calvary works... all this while expecting some sort of surprise
ambush by you and your rangers."

Antonio chuckles. "I find our Lord Godwin so amusing some times."

Martin waves his glass at Antonio, "ah, but I haven't got to the good
bit. The good bit is, after deciding you weren't going to show, and that
it was probably time to return, your rangers had fucked with the trail,
and he and his men were very very lost."

Antonio frowns, "The Rangers did what? I hope you have some very solid
proof to support this allegation, Martin."

Martin smiles, "well, that's what it looked like to Godwin and his men.
Personally, I think they rode round in circles and just kept crossing
their own trails."

Antonio sips his scotch before saying, "Arden is a strange place.
Accidents happen there."

Martin sighs, grinning, "Still, I spent a beautiful night under the
trees, the stillness of the old forest, the pale stars shining through
the canopy, the men screaming about snakes in the latrine."

Antonio arches his brow slightly.

Martin mmms, "you should have been there."

Antonio says "It's winter. The snakes hibernate during winter."

Martin grins, "the snows hadn't fallen yet. And as you say, Arden is a
strange place."

Antonio looks at you with a faint smirk. He nods once before sipping his
scotch.

Martin returns the smirk, says, "which brings me to the point,
unfortunately."

Antonio nods.

Martin sighs again, with less humor, "Godwin needs to learn to think
fatser on his feet. His men, too. They've been getting a bit soft
hanging around the palace, charging dummies. I'd like to make a regular
thing with the maneuvres in Arden, with your permission."

Antonio says "As I told him. Accidents happen in Arden. I won't have my
men burdened with their rescue should they encounter any difficulties."

Martin nods, "understandable. But someday the defence of Arden, and of
Amber, may also fall on these idiots. Better they learn how to now,
instead of then."

Antonio nods, "I agree." He sips his scotch. "I'll make the necessary
arrangements."

Martin nods, sips his scotch in turn, "appreciated, cousin."

Antonio asks nonchalantly, "And the second matter?"

Martin looks at his drink, sets it down on a nearby tabletop. Without
much enthusiasm, he says, "our... guest."

Antonio nods, "What about her?"

Martin steeples his hands before him, hmms, "it's not my business how
you choose to deal with her..."

Antonio says evenly, "I agree."

Martin meets Antonio's gaze over the steeple of his fingers, "So do I,
but I've been dragged into it now."

Antonio simply nods.

Martin says levelly, "you've got her scared and hating you so much she's
convinced if you so much as caught her with a dagger in her hand, you'd
take that hand off at the wrist before asking her how she got a dagger
there in the first place."

Antonio says "Fear is a wonderful motivator."

Martin says "For what? Something she should have told you, or Gerard,
she won't, because she's terrified for her life if she does."

Antonio says "But she obviously told you something. What was it?"

Martin shakes his head, answers quietly, "you'll have to ask her."

Antonio says "Is there a point to you bringing this up or do I have to
guess?"

Martin unclasps his fingers, reaches into his jacket, withdraws a slim,
emerald-studded, silver-steeled blade. "You tell me," he says, handing
it over.

Antonio takes the blade before placing his glass down upon the nearby
table. He turns the dagger in his hands, examining it carefully.

"Curious", is all he says.

Martin regards Antonio silently, then "It's his, isn't it?"

Antonio says "Probable. So, it was this that she dropped through the
floor then?"

Martin nods once.

Antonio smirks, "Good."

Martin quirks a brow.

Antonio slips the dagger into his boot, "I appreciate you bringing this
to my attention."

Martin says, "This is a matter between you and her."

Antonio nods once. He retrieves his glass and leans back in his chair.

Martin comments, as he reaches over for his glass, "You and I were born
to this. She wasn't."

"My father learnt. So will his daughter." Antonio sips his scotch.

Martin nods, drinks, does not comment further.

Antonio says "What are your intentions towards my sister?"

Martin arches an eyebrow, regards Antonio over the rim of his glass
part-sip. He lowers the glass, "not so very different from yours,
cousin."

Antonio quirks his brow, "You presume, cousin."

Martin chuckles drily, "do I? I want her eventually to take her place in
the family, as is her birthright. That is all."

Antonio eyes Martin amusedly and then nods before sipping his scotch.

Martin adds, "and I would grant her the same chance that I was granted.
No more nor less."

Antonio says "That will be offered to her when she admits to who and
what she is."

"She won't admit to a lie, or a tale, to suit you"

"I have never asked her to."

"Then what would you have her admit?"

"What she knows and what she suspects."

Martin nods slowly, says reluctantly, "She won't be frightened, or
threatened, into saying anymore than what she has told you before."

Antonio says "Then I will entice it from her in other ways."

Martin shakes his head, hides a pained grin, "You could actually try
being nice to her, cousin, just for a change, you know?"

Antonio smiles without humour, "I was being nice to her, cousin."

Martin returns the humorless smile, "I know.

"But she doesn't know you like I do. Your 'nice' just makes her want to
run for her life."

Antonio chuckles, "I enjoy a challenge." He sips his scotch.

Martin shakes his head, smiling a litte, "just try not to have too much
fun at her expense, alright? We can't afford to go around traumatising
every new foundling we come across."

Antonio answers by taking another sip of scotch.

Martin considers the scotch left in his glass, downs it all in one
swallow.

Antonio says "You seem less than pleased with my reaction, cousin."

Martin sets the glass down on the table beside him, smiles a little,
looks to Antonio, "Were she my sister, I might have been a little kinder
to her. But she's not my sister."

Antonio says "Why give her a false impression?"

Martin considers Antonio without answering, then, brightly, "Ah, but I
forget. You have sisters aplenty. What, then, is one more to you?"

Antonio drains his glass, "You failed to answer the question."

Martin replies, "I answered it. You didn't hear it."

Antonio says "I don't plan to let my sister become a pawn of her uncles
or aunts. She must learn our way. Treating her with kindness would only
do her a misservice. Later perhaps, but now she must learn the hard way.
Just as we all did."

Martin says, "And I said before she wasn't born to this game. Before you
treat her as you would any others in this family, you might want to make
her understand that she *is* one of the family, and that this is what it
means to be one of us. *That* is the kindness I would have showed her,
were she mine."

Antonio smirks and says, "But she isn't," as he places the glass onto
the table.

Martin answers, "No, she isn't."

Antonio smiles, "But your words are well considered."

Martin acknowledges Antonio with a barely perceptible nod, and a faint
smile, "Well, she is a cousin, after all."

Antonio says "So is Mira."

Martin glances over at the canvas, grimaces, laughs softly instead,
"don't remind me."

Antonio chuckles, "I can make you a copy if you like."

Martin says very quickly, hands up, "No!" He laughs, "Thanks, but no,
cousin. I don't want to know that much about her, I assure you."

Antonio grins.

Martin chuckles, says after a while, "it would seem I am done for this
evening, cousin."

Antonio nods, "If you say so."

Martin rises, after setting his emptied glass down, "thanks for the
drink."

Antonio rises also, "Hospitality is a family trait."

Martin's glance flickers over the portraits on the walls, and he grins
"among others."

Antonio chuckles, "Some are more talented than others, cousin."

Martin makes his way to the door, grins, "I bet." He notes pleasantly,
"There doesn't seem to be one of Llewella, though."

Antonio smiles faintly, "No."

Martin glances sidelong at Antonio, quirks a brow, smiles, "No, not much
point, I suppose."

Antonio chuckles, "Whatever you say."

Martin opens the door, grins, "good night, cousin."

Antonio moves over to join you by the door, "Night."

Martin takes one last look at the portraits past Antonio, heads out
chuckling with a wave.

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12/5/97