Jess shrugged at that, having, in truth, very little interest in the Noble Council.
Apple gave her sister a measuring look. “You know, women taking other women as lovers is quite common in those circles, and from what I understand, their husbands have no objections either.”
Jess laughed at that. "Onnika said something similar about the Royal Ladies Academy. Seems everyone is a bit and corrupt and licentious between the sheets, in those circles. They just have a care to be discrete."
Apple chuckled. “Yes. Discretion. Not your strongest suit, I’m afraid. But still, I don’t think you’ll find the Academy half as bad as all that, and who knows? Maybe Onnika will be able to visit you!”
Jess sighed. “That would be sweet. Too bad she was banned from returning there.”
Her sister gasped. "Oh, my. Details, sister, don't keep me in suspense!"
Jess stretched upon her sister's silken sheets, feeling herself sink into the soft feathery bed beneath her. "Maybe another time, Apple. Right now? Time for some shuteye." With that Jess began to doze, completely oblivious to her sister's caustic comments.
A short time later a very serious looking Apple gently nudged a grumbling Jess back awake. “Jess, this letter looks important.”
Jess blinked herself awake, gazing at a seal that gave her pause. “It has the seal of Highrock. Hmm… if it's from the college, it just might be important.” Wasting no time, Jess carefully opened it, reading the contents within, not bothering to translate the cipher to her frustrated sister until she was finished.
“Well, what does it say?” Apple asked impatiently.
Jess's gaze was solemn. “This is serious, Apple. Can you keep a secret?” Her sister’s nod was equally solemn. After all Apple had been through, Jess would have felt bad denying her sister even this small way of sharing with her, and strengthening their own bond.
Jess took a deep breath. “It seems that my trip to the Royal Ladies Academy is more than just a random whim.”
Apple blinked. “You mean…”
Jess nodded. “Yes. It seems my being placed there is a deliberate move on the part of a certain third party with concerns on that front. Apparently, something strange is happening at the Academy, and they want me to use my ‘unique talents,’ so to speak, to investigate it.”
Apple blinked. “What, they want you to ride in with your ridiculously brilliant mithril mail and sword you fished from the realm of legends, confront some random individual who by miraculous coincidence will just happen to be the evil inhuman mastermind behind it all, lopping off his head before the rest of us can even blink, having put together all the pieces of the bizarre puzzle in a mere handful of seconds, no matter that outside the realms of strange oddities and eldritch enchantments you have the common sense and discretion of a drunken goat?”
Jess smirked. “I know, right? You’d think that. But he keeps emphasizing the importance of my being discrete, and as low key as possible.”
Apple’s chuckle was incredulous. “Angels above, Jess. Are you serious? I was kidding. But discrete? I’m sorry, Jess. I love you with all my heart, but discretion is not really your strong suit.
"I know!" Jess nodded in emphatic agreement. "Why be discrete? When you can just follow the sense of wrongness and foul play, find the evil mastermind, confront him and taste his vile lies, and lop off his head. Exactly as you put it."
Apple sighed. “This is why Mother and Father don’t let you out much.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “I was kidding, Apple.” Her gaze turned serious, playful banter aside. “I was a Squire of War, Apple. The things we did? Don't bear repeating. But none of us were fools, sister. We didn't just study the treaties. We didn't just mime them in mock combat. We lived them. Do you understand, Apple? We lived them.”
Apple paled, even as Jess chuckled ruefully. "All right, I admit it. When the fey mood strikes, when I feel myself somehow connected to dream, a player in the saga enfolding, I am hit by whimsy and impulse to a degree that probably does resemble drunkenness. I know I was in quite the state when hunting down, well, you know."
Jess gave her trembling sister a hug. "I'm sorry for the pain you've been put through, Apple."
Surprisingly, Apple laughed, squeezing her sister back. "I love you, Jess. And don't worry, I have a pretty fair idea what things were like for you. Or let's just say that I can imagine."
Jess swallowed, suddenly nervous, though she couldn't say why.
Her sister flashed a teasing grin. "But seriously, Jess. Even if you get hit by some mad frisson of insight, destiny peering at you with its terrible gaze, you still can't go around lopping off people's heads, no matter how ethically compromised they may happen to be. Why, if you did that, we'd be short two-thirds of the Noble Council!"
Jess gazed at her feet. “When I sense malice directed at us... it's hard, Apple.” She sighed. “I know all too well the real reason why Father now only trades with diOnni factors, and it shames me, it truly does. That's one of the key reasons why I have no interest in attending Court.”
Apple sighed and shook her head. "And our family might have suffered greatly, thanks to the despicable wiles of those corrupt merchants in the pockets of our enemies. We owe you so much, Jess. We know that, even though we fear the consequences of your impulses unchecked." Apple smiled, stroking her sister's fiery locks. "Anyway, the quandary before us here is learning to keep a cool head, and a certain measure of discretion." Apple clapped enthusiastically. "Why, this is perfect, Jess! In a sense, you will already be in disguise. You won't go in as Jess the Delver, infamous for her fiery temper and far too free use of her blade, but as Jessica de Calenbry, demure noble lady of the Calenbry household, there to polish her social skills and net a suitable husband. Oh Jess, this is exciting!"
Jess blinked. “You mean actually going through with it? The whole dress and finishing school thing?” Jess sighed. “I thought that, well, you know, with what happened, and Mother being so patient with the tree situation and all, that…you know…
Jess wilted under her sister's bemused gaze. “You mean you thought that since Mother’s been freakishly understanding about you turning our entire great manor into a gigantic sprouting shrubbery, she’d be equally lenient about not actually forcing you to go to finishing school?” Apple grinned evilly. “Not a chance. Besides, having an endless supply of nuts in our storage bins is rather nice, and the house does sprout some awfully tasty apples and pears,” she laughed. “Don’t look quite so cross, Jess. Aren’t you glad they are not pushing you to change the house back? In point of fact, Father says the house has never been so secure and um… promise you won’t hold what I’m going to say against Geoff, okay?”
Jess nodded solemnly.
"Well, Geoff actually did try to cut away some of the branches… don't look so angry! He just wanted to be able to get out of his room easier to meet with… you know. Anyway, he said the axe pretty much bounced out of his hand, and he was lucky the back end hadn't smacked him in the face, and the blade was badly damaged, as if he had tried to slam his axe through stone. That's not normal wood, is it Jess?"
Jess shrugged. “It is not so much a cluster of trees living in harmony as it is the very essence of trees, reminiscent of Erovering in all her wooded splendor, centuries ago.”
Apple blinked. “Right. Anyway, Father thinks it might be useful to have a home as… resilient as ours. No enemy would dare try to scale our walls with all those steel-like thorns coming out, and the wood doesn’t even seem to burn! Only the fruit is pluckable, and as sweet as any fruit from our groves.” Apple sighed. “Really, Father’s only concern is the king maybe wanting to claim it for his own.”
Jess's countenance momentarily hardened before she gave a slow, accepting nod. "I swore to defend our nation against all foes, Apple. No matter how horrific the acts, or brutal the campaign, no enemy would be allowed to penetrate our borders, no foe allowed to devastate our towns and cities. Not so long as I, or any other Squire of War has a br
eath of air left to them. If General Eloquin or the king thinks that using our home as a base for any future campaigns is in our nation's best interests, or if he feels that the Calenbry Manor can otherwise serve his cause, then I shall bow my head to the desires of the king I have trained so hard to be worthy of serving."
Jess felt a fierce protectiveness swell through her. It would be a bitter blow to lose the home she adored, but for Erovering's sake, she would not flinch for the sacrifice. She was a loyal servant of the king, after all, having trained with extreme diligence for three years at Highrock and was more than ready to lead countless forces in deadly assaults against any enemy that would dare invade her homeland. Of course, in her heart of hearts, she hoped that the Crown took no undue interest in her rather unusual home.
Apple gave her sister a curious tilt of her head. “You are a strange one, sometimes, Jess. First your Jopple tree, now our manor. I teased you with both prospects, yet I see that you really would give it all up, should the king but ask it of you.” She flashed a cheeky grin. “At least no one can doubt your loyalty. Probably why we are still alive, all things considered.”
Jess shrugged. "It's not like he can hurt my house, in any case. He'd just get a place to sleep, and all the fruit and nuts he can eat. A small price, for a happy ruler."
Apple nodded. “There is that.”
“So, Mother and Father are okay with the house awakening to taste sweet life once more, but they’re still hung up about me going to the Academy?”
Apple nodded solemnly. “Exactly. It is a gesture of appeasement for the king, after all, something I know you can understand. Like it or not, you are now a valuable piece on the board, dear Jess, what with your unusual talents, and it's important to show the Royal House that you are a malleable and loyal subject of the Crown.”
Jess nodded solemnly. "I know. But the thought of having to present myself like the most demure of ladies-in-waiting, all to appease the more reactionary members of Court, well, I was kind of hoping that the king would want me back to doing what I do best, mastering the skills needed to help defend Erovering." Jess sighed, giving a rueful shake of her head. "But, yes, I know. With the odd talents I seem to be manifesting, showing that I am as desirable in a dress as I am leading a charge on the battlefield seems to be the new role the Crown expects of me, as demeaning as it feels."
"Look at it this way, now you have an adventure before you!" Apple said brightly. "You know how most nobles are. For all that the common folk love the stories of adventurers, and those with true power know to tread softly around the Guild, most lords and ladies choose to think of them as no more than fanciful storytellers that like to drug drinks with poppy juice and dreamspice to heighten their shows, as if it were all a performance! If you don't advertise your exploits, most of the girls will just think that the rumors pertain to someone else, or perhaps that you enjoyed a hobby as an amateur actress of sorts, back at Highrock."
Apple squeezed her sister's hands animatedly, doing her best to excite Jess about the prospects ahead. “But think about it, Jess. It’s perfect. Everyone assumes you are just a young lady looking to polish herself for her future husband. No one suspects you are actually working on behalf of powerful associates to investigate a mystery at the Academy.”
Jess contemplated this for a few minutes before giving her sister an approving nod. “You’re right, Apple. This might not be so dreadfully dull after all, if I’m really just in disguise.”
“Exactly!” Apple enthused. “Just remember, if you find that there is something to the mystery, whatever it is, try to exercise some restraint, okay? Investigate and report! No lopping off heads, no matter what fey impulse grabs you.”
Apple’s chuckle was playful, but her gaze was deadly serious. Jess felt her cheeks grow hot.
“In any case, what’s the mystery?” Apple asked brightly, suddenly eager to change the subject.
“It appears that some of the girls are either missing, or lost in a daze. It's kind of fuzzy on that point. They’re not sure if its rumor, a prank, the effects of odd drugs that some of the young ladies have unfortunately begun to experiment with, or perhaps there is some open portal to the Dreamrealms on Academy grounds, with pockets of Shadow oozing into our world, corrupting whatever it touches. In either case, my talents as a Delver or an herbalist might come in handy. But yes, the request is for me to investigate and to report my findings before I do anything overly hasty, if at all possible.”
“There, you see? It's perfect for you, Jess. You just have to play the role of a beautiful young noble, which you already are, who is a bit reserved, proper, and can keep a low profile while you investigate. That part, I admit, might be a little bit trickier, but just think! It's all for the sake of unraveling this mystery.”
Jess gave it some thought even as she lay back down upon her sister’s soft, comfy bed. “You know what? You’re right, Apple. This might not be so bad, after all. And who knows? Maybe one of the girls I rescue will be grateful to her heroic knight. You never know.”
Apple laughed, throwing a pillow at her sister. “You’re terrible! And I do believe I hear the dinner bell.”
Finding herself for the first time actually looking forward to her upcoming journey to the Academy, Jess followed her sister to the dining hall, feeling in better spirits about the whole thing than she had since her mother had first given her the news about finishing school.
8
“Well, my dear, I would say all in all that you’ve done me proud. You look beautiful by the way, my Jess.” This from her mother, gazing at Jess warmly from the plush bench on the opposite side of the carriage, grated window slid open for the fresh autumn breeze, their conveyance all but gliding upon the exquisitely well crafted leaf springs that assured them a smooth ride as the horses clopped along the road heading towards the capital, and the Royal Ladies Academy.
Jess smiled. “Thank you, Mother. I know for a while we were both at our wits' end with the whole matter. But, we got through it. And who knows? Perhaps something at the Academy will catch my interest.”
Her mother nodded with deep satisfaction, even as Apple rolled her eyes at Jess laying it on so thick, before slapping down a card. "Six of spades, Mother."
Without even glancing her way, Agda slapped down a heart and Apple grumbled as her mother claimed the suit. "Focus on the game, my love. It will be awhile before you can engage in card play and conversation with equal skill, simultaneously." With that their mother turned to Jess, eyes proud. "The important thing is, despite the difficulties encountered, you've managed to blossom into womanhood quite beautifully. Green really is a good color on you, my darling."
“Which is good, considering that all her dresses are some shade of forest hue,” Apple grumbled before laying down a queen of spades.
Her mother casually tossed out a four of clubs, letting Apple claim the suit. “Really, Apple. To waste such a treasure so early in the game. There is a lesson in there, if you but look for it.”
Jess smiled. In truth, she wasn't that much more fond of ruffles and lace than she had been after sharing the mysterious letter with her sister. It appeared a mystery was indeed afoot at the Academy, however, and perhaps with her unique skill set, she might just be able to unravel it. She needed to keep a calm head and play the meek lady-in-waiting, however, the very idea making her skin crawl. She only hoped that as part of an act, she might find it amusing.
Of course, she thought with a satisfied grin, she was happy for other reasons indeed. Her mother was right. Games often had moves that lay unseen for those without the eye to spot it, as Twilight had reminded her just last night, telling her to prepare to awaken, even as she began to slip into dream.
“Twilight, your back!” Excitement had been quickly replaced by confusion, looking down at her ghostly form. “What did you do?” She had asked in awe, looking down at herself sleeping even as she stood by the bed in the very same nightdress.
“It was not I but you that did it, my mistress
. I simply reminded you how. Right now you are both asleep and awake. Put another way, you are aware in the realm of dreams that is infinitely close yet impossibly far away from all points on this, the lowest realm of all the mortal planes between the divine and the infernal. Your realm, my dear Jess.”
Jess nodded, knowing quite well that this was still her home. “So I am both asleep and awake. Does this mean I can affect the world about me?”
Twilight gave a catlike shrug. “In a sense. You can certainly witness many fascinating things if no one knows you are about, though beware, the cost in terms of disillusionment can be high. Most who walk the Shadows so close to our own realm have no more substance than shadow, and so are unable to affect their environment. I have a strong suspicion, however, that you might be one of the very few who can. Now come.”
With that, Twilight led the way to her door, gazing back at her. “Our first test. Open your door.”
Jess gazed quizzically at the door, touching it gently, shivering slightly as she felt the slightest tingle, her fingers passing through the finely grained wood with much the same ease and resistance as her fingers would caressing the surface of a vessel of water, though with no ripples that she could see.
“Not that way,” her familiar corrected, and Jess suddenly understood. She closed her eyes, though she found it rather disconcerting that she could still see, and instead focused on the tingling pulse of life emanating through her door and, in fact, through the entire manor, brought to strong, vibrant, arboreal life through Jess’s gift but a handful of weeks ago. Within moments she sensed that her creation was dimly aware of her, and Jess gently impressed upon the door her driving need to leave the room.
At first, nothing. And then the door softly opened.
“Excellent,” Twilight nodded approvingly, and daintily loped along to her parent's room, appearing the same as ever to Jess’s eyes, for all that she was a bit silvery and translucent at that moment.
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