The Tourney

by Juliet Sem

  They stepped inside, seeing on one side of the shop a pair of noble women dressed in gold satin sitting idly at their counter looking bored. On the other side, Keestu saw a Dunne woman, who looked up, smiling brightly at them as she set aside a length of cloth she was busy embroidering. She jumped off her comfortably cushioned chair and bustled up to them. Seeing their alien clothing, she slowed, stopping some distance away, bobbing her head.

  "You those foreign visitors they've been talking about?" She said in Unity, nodding her head in the direction of the other women, who were suddenly paying attention to their customers.

  "Yes," Rue answered. "We are. We've come to see what wares you have that might be of interest on our worlds."

  The woman blushed, indicating the nobles on the other side of the room. "They're be better suited to serving you then, Your Highness."

  Rue stopped her, stating, "We've seen those brightly-colored geometric-patterned trade goods already. Prince Dinus and his entourage brought a lovely selection of cloth with him on his visit to our world, but he made no mention of your textiles."

  "Nobles can dress down, but we Dunnes can't dress above our station," the woman explained. "I don't know any nobles who do dress down, 'cept those occasionally having some fun with foolin' us."

  "Not everyone on our planets is noble, either, just like here," Rue said to the now shy woman. "I should look over all the shop's wares if I'm to make an accurate report to my king, as all our peoples are interested in what goods your culture can offer."

  Keestu watched the noble women settling back with disdainful looks, as if the Dunne's fabrics were so beneath them they didn't even want to touch them.

  The Dunne woman directed them into her section of the store. "All our fabrics are locally made. Dunnes can't use satin, nor bright colors, nor geometric patterns, not even geometric patterns that are not assigned to rank or planet. But, we can and do use many Autocracy animal and plant fibers, along with natural dyes that are colorfast and lightfast; they won't bleed in the laundry or fade in the sun. As you can see, we are allowed to use images of people, plants, animals to decorate our cloth."

  Keestu, seeing a lovely pastel pink stole, picked it up. The material was quite thin, flexible, and soft, embroidered with a simple light blue flower border, and when she slung it over her shoulders as a test, she found it surprisingly warm. "I'm certain many women at home could benefit from these," Keestu said, "Especially during the winter months."

  "Yes, those are popular here during the cold season, for while we don't get much snow at this elevation, it does get rather cold given the higher humidity we have compared to other regions. This stole is meant for indoor use, when some extra warmth for your core is needed and you don't want extra bulk. In the snowy regions on Vulo they use much heavier clothing; more waterproof materials are needed for outdoor winter clothing in those areas, so synthetic fibers are what you'll mostly find there."

  The woman went to her counter, returning with two metal pieces, one a straight pin, and another twisted into a simple flower shape. "When both hands are needed to do work, these shawls are pinned so they don't slip off." She held her hands inquiringly out to Keestu, who nodded. The woman rearranged the shawl, overlapping its ends before slipping the pin through both layers and the flower. Stepping back to survey the result, she nodded.

  Rue had wandered off, but turned to look at Keestu, nodding while examining a table of needled and embroidered socks, gloves, and mittens. "I think these would be very popular at home."

  "Do you often wear needled hats here?" Keestu couldn't recall seeing any of the Dunnes wearing hats.

  "Not as a general rule. We Vuloans tend to wear hooded outer garments. Hoods can be tied or buttoned tightly closed, or worn looser, and are impossible to lose unless you take off your outer garment, an advantage when you are wearing natural colored clothing in the woods."

  "I would like to purchase a pair of needled socks, gloves, mittens, and the stole and pin my handmaiden is wearing. How do I go about paying you?"

  "Oh, the Prató said we are to give you whatever you require while here. I can wrap them and you can take them with you, or I can have them delivered to his palace. Your choice."

  "I can't just take your goods without giving some payment in return," Rue said, shocked.

  "The Prató said he will deduct any goods you wish to take with you from the monthly tithe we shopkeepers pay, so it's not like I'm not being fairly compensated."

  Rue looked at Vahin, who moved to her murmuring something Keestu couldn't hear.

  "Very well, then, please wrap these up for us," Rue said reluctantly to the woman.

  "Fine," the woman smiled, "Let me write up a bill of trade for you to sign, and you can take these items with you."

  She pulled out two sheets of paper and a pen and began writing. Rue went to the counter, scanning the first sheet with her cuff, reading the translation. Using her cuff as a guide, she printed her name in the Autocracy script underneath the signature line before signing it and afterward was presented with an identical handwritten receipt the shopkeeper had signed.

  The saleswoman deftly rolled the socks, mittens, and gloves up in the stole, working the pin through it so that the bundle was secure while leaving a ring of fabric available to slip an arm through. Rue handed the bundle to Keestu.

  They wandered the streets looking in other shops, which held a variety of household goods. They spent an hour in a grocery store examining the various fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables, many which had been harvested from the wild. There was also a large selection of canned and dried goods available, and a small selection of premade food items as well.

  They passed another hour in a furniture store. Keestu was drawn to the natural green wood items, liking the rough hewn logs that had been split, polished, and made into tables or chairs, for while they were rustic looking, the chairs were quite comfortable. However, none of these would fit in with the palace decor at home, so she shook her head when Vahin asked if she thought they should take any with them. They accepted a single chair as a sample, and Tenget took it upon himself to carry it back to the flitter.

  Tenget put the chair in the cargo area while Vahin was instructing the pilot to take them to the tavern they had visited the previous night.

  Keestu walked into the tavern, inhaling the enticing scents of food and fresh bread, and realized with all their walking and shopping that she was quite hungry since breakfast had been light on protein.

  Looking over her menu, Keestu ordered a sweetened fruit drink along with soup in a bread bowl from their noble waitress, curious to try it after hearing Vahin's description.

  Keestu was delighted when her meal arrived. A small round bread loaf had been hollowed out and filled with a delicious meaty soup with the cut top placed alongside it with some whipped butter. The bread was chewier than she was used to, but certainly a far cry from that served at the palace the previous night. She alternately dipped chunks of her bread lid into the soup to moisten it or spread it with butter as she ate her meal. Rue ordered the same, while the men ordered plates of roast meat and vegetables in gravy, served with thick slices of dark beer bread. Since Keestu was having a bread bowl with her lunch, she reluctantly skipped sampling the beer bread, though it looked moist and hearty.

  Looking around the tavern, Keestu saw a small raised stage against one wall and long narrow shelves along another piled with a variety of games. After finishing her meal, she excused herself to check out the dice, Valjer boards, and Engine Room boards. She flipped through a deck of Arsk cards, and while she couldn't read the Autocracy's script, she found she could identify most of the cards by their pictures.

  They walked back to their flitter to find their pilot was still at lunch. They sat on benches under trees at the edge of the lot while waiting for their pilot to return. More people joined them, mostly Dunnes, who chatted amongst themselves while waiting. Hearing the soft wheezing of a motor, Keestu looked up to see a segmented transport pull
ing up to the benches. Doors whooshed open to allow nobles to debark from the front while Dunnes exited from the rear. Once the exodus was complete, those waiting began to board. The driver, dressed in noble satin, called out to them in Phaet. "You going to Outskirts?"

  "No. We're waiting for our pilot to return from lunch," Vahin responded, turning up the volume on his cuff so the driver could hear his reply. The driver nodded to them before sealing the doors. The transport lumbered off, slowly circling the flitter lot before going back the way it had come.

  Chapter fourteen

  On arriving at the palace, they were met by a male servant.

  "Fernuin and Bott have returned from their trip, but are too busy to attend to you now. They suggest you return to your suite for the afternoon."

  Once in the suite, Keestu was bored with nothing to do. She turned on the vidcom, but all the broadcasts were in Phaet, so she quickly gave up trying to follow what was said since her cuff couldn't keep up with the more rapid exchanges.

  Ushering everyone into her bedroom, they used their cuffs to destroy Fernuin's monitoring equipment so she could record a message, repeating their actions in the other bedrooms to insure no monitoring equipment could pick up Keestu's recorded report home.

  "Father, as you know, I've been to Phaet and am currently on Vulo, the same system where the wood came for the green table that Praton Dinus gave to the Senator of Chtawlikt. We had our first formal dinner last night, an extremely horrid experience--the food was bad, the hygiene of the tableware questionable, and the company less than desirable. We made up for it today, going into town to shop while our host and his wife were elsewhere. We found some nice clothing I think would be useful in the winter, stoles with ingenious bent metal pins to keep them from falling off, needled gloves, hats, and mittens, some of which were also embroidered. We bought samples to bring back. After that was done, we visited a grocery store but didn't buy anything there, and then stopped in a furniture store and bought a chair. We ate at a tavern, the same one Vahin and the others ate at last night while Rue and I attended the official dinner. I had a delicious meat soup in an edible bread bowl. They seat nobles separate from the Dunnes here, but do allow them into the same establishments, which is a surprise given the Prató's stubbornness with regards to station. I can't honestly tell you much about Phaet, since all I saw was the Prató's house, the palace, and the spaceport, so I'll have to reserve judgment for when we return to Phaet after we finish our tour of the Autocracy. We are telling our Vuloan host that the Crown Princess can't stomach his wife's cooking, so we should be dining out for the remainder of our stay. The Prató's wife, Bott, has got to be the meekest noble I've ever met. I'm not certain what we are to do tomorrow, or if our host will accompany us on trips to show us what his planet has to offer to the Union; he lost many close family members to a fever shortly after taking power, and he along with his son, who is the current Praton, their proper title for a Crown Prince, are the only ones running all the major affairs of Vulo at this time. As far as I can tell, his full grown daughter doesn't do anything, and relations between her and her father are so hostile I doubt she'd carry through with any duties if he trusted her to perform them. Our suite here in the palace is quite large and was used by the Prató's mother and father before their deaths, very suitable accommodations for a visiting Crown Princess. All for now. I love you."

  She went out into the common room, handing her capsule to Vahin without comment. He received one from Rue, and to Keestu's surprise, both Gontu and Tenget had message capsules as well. Vahin put them into a single locked container before sending Tenget to find a servant to ship them to the Jewel on Autocracy Station.

  Sitting on a couch near Rue, she asked. "Did you notice the quilts on your bed?"

  "Yes, they're decorated with the close family rank insignia," Rue replied.

  "And every other bed is decorated with quilts using the lesser Vulo noble pattern."

  "And yet, the carpet in this room is a different design," Rue said, lightly scuffing her foot on the interlocking hexagonal pattern at their feet.

  They looked at the walls, consisting of plain wood planks for the inner walls and stone block for the outer; there was no wallpaper, and the drapes were made of dark blue velvet. There also were no tapestries or paintings to be seen. However, the spare decoration of this suite bespoke elegant taste. The wood used for the furniture had been stained a light warm brown, giving the impression of Vulo's noble gold, but in a muted shade that did not glare at the eyes like the satin quilts in the bedrooms did. Looking more closely at the windows, Keestu noted the wooden window frames were stained the same warm brown.

  "Lovely," Keestu said to herself before explaining her observations to Rue.

  Looking around the anteroom with fresh eyes, Rue said. "Yes, I think you're right about these being muted tones of the planet's colors! Maybe this room was decorated before the brighter blue and gold tones were adopted? Or maybe they've faded over time--it's entirely possible that this room was decorated years ago, perhaps even a century."

  "Perhaps we'll get a chance to ask our host sometime."

  A knock sounded on the door. "Come in," Rue said after a moment.

  The noble woman they recognized came in, flanked by two men. She was carrying a small gold satin bag in her hand.

  "I was sent to inform you that since your digestion does not agree with Bott's cooking there are no plans for a formal dinner tonight. The Prató and Praton are busy with planetary matters, so you are free to go out and do what you wish for the rest of the day and evening. Churnó has been assigned as your pilot for the duration of your stay here." She pulled a small square gadget from the bag, offering it to Rue. "Push this button, and Churnó will be ready to take you where you wish by the time you reach the garage. Again, remember the Prató's instructions with regards to the shiuns, and do not try and enter his wing of the palace, and you have your run of the place. Feel free to explore it at your leisure, but do not disturb the Prató unless you have actual business with him. That wing is where the Praton works as well. If you don't remember the way, there are guards stationed at the head of that hall who will let you know that it's off-limits."

  Gontu spoke up. "Is Bott available to speak to us for a few minutes? We need to know the foodstuffs she prepared the previous evening so that the Crown Princess knows what to avoid."

  "I believe Bott is in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family." She moved into the hallway, taking out a pocket com. She spoke softly and quickly into it, then waited for a reply.

  "Yes," she confirmed. "Bott is in the kitchen, so you may ask her what she served last night. Please follow me."

  They were almost to the stairs when they saw Shariel being escorted into her quarters by several guards, who ordered her into her suite before locking the door behind her.

  Shocked, Keestu stopped and stared.

  "Shariel failed her weekly weigh in again," their guide explained. "The Prató has rationed her food and forces her to exercise several hours a day, but she doesn't lose any weight. The Prató claims there is no medical reason why she should not be losing weight, so every time Shariel fails to lose weight at a weigh in, she's locked in her room without dinner as punishment. The Prató has had her room searched many times and can never find any cached foods, so it's a mystery how she maintains her weight at one hundred and sixty kilos."

  Once downstairs, they went through the dining room and the door that led to the kitchen. However, Bott wasn't there.

  "She must have gone to the pantry for something. Please wait here for her. I'm sure it won't be long. Unfortunately, I must leave you, for I have duties that can't wait."

  The woman hurried off with her guards, leaving them alone in the kitchen. Curious, Keestu went around it, examining the cooking equipment, not recognizing the function of anything beyond the oven. The others followed her as she peeked through a door at the other end which opened onto a staircase leading down.

  "The pantry must be i
n the basement," she said to the others, who followed her into the dark stairwell and looked down at the lighted landing below, trying to find Bott. She turned around and was about to go back into the kitchen, when she heard a cupboard banging shut in the kitchen.

  Shushing the others, Keestu looked through the door, which was slightly ajar. She saw Shariel in the kitchen, her arms full of cooked food in containers. She was hurriedly shoving trash into the disposal chute and was trying to find something with which to carry her bounty.

  A door shut below, and Shariel whirled in their direction. Keestu froze, hoping that the princess couldn't see her in the unlit stairwell and was relieved when Shariel didn't. She waddled to the decorative molding on the wall by the side of a set of cabinets, pulling on a protruding decoration. The molding swung out, revealing narrow entry with a hidden staircase going up behind it. Shariel turned sideways, wedging herself through the opening with difficulty, placing her purloined food on the steps. Dashing back into the kitchen with surprising agility, Shariel grabbed a large bottled drink container that had been left on the counter. A swift look around confirmed no cabinets had been left open, and Shariel forced herself through the narrow opening again, closing it behind her. There was an audible click as the hidden door was secured.

  Keestu motioned to the others and hurried back out into the kitchen, leaving Gontu to quietly shut the basement door. They barely got to the other side of the kitchen before the door was shoved open by Bott, who was lugging a large metal jug with several gallons of milk in it. Gontu turned his retreat into a gallant offer of assistance for Bott, as she looked in surprise at her unexpected guests.

  "I'm very sorry to disturb you, Bott," Rue said, "But I have to ask you what you served last night, so I can avoid eating it again."

  Bott, who was directing Gontu to set the jug in the fridge, thought for a moment. "The meat was gouma, the Prató's favorite. The beans were amian. The bread was made from an imported grain called roshil."