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[Best Character]

It's me and the Zlang-Zlang Squid to the rescue! Let's break that tie!

Best Character Blondbraid for the studio exec
Best Writing I have to go with DBoyWheeler. Even though Momotaro is probably one of my least favorite fairy tales (yep, another Japan-based AGS-er right here!) I really like the way it was written here
Best Atmosphere Mandle
Best Change Blondbraid. I remember reading a version of that fairy tale as a child (it was a little different but the essentials were identical) and seeing what the executive tried to make it was fun. Plus the line "The wolf's ass or Ivan's ass?" really cracked me up

[two of his eyes]

My buddy three cubbies over had two of his eyes clawed out by a freaker a few weeks ago.

Yes, I picked up on that and it was a good way to do it

These lines (and quite a few others) were all supposed to tell the reader that the narrator's world was not the human one.

The trouble is that it's not enough to tell the reader what something isn't; they need to know what it is. Otherwise what the reader ends up with is something like "On vacation, Johnny saw an animal. The animal wasn't a lion" This goes double for sci-fi/fantasy when a creature could look like absolutely anything. We don't even know if the 'Gods' in this story are the same species; does the main character have more than two eyes as well?

Too much exposition can make for lazy writing, I agree, but if it's something that the character would know and the reader needs to know, then a little bit of 'tell-not-show' is needed. (Show-don't-tell is good, but stories need both; a better guide is "Show if you can, tell if you can't")

(Oh, and the "seem you next time" line was to suggest that these lifeforms had other senses than just seeing to sense and communicate with each other.... A subtle attempt at something clever which seems to have maybe failed...)

Different senses need different words. "Rnik you later!" "Not if I rnik you first!" would get the message across that whatever rnik is, it's something that's unique to your race. Or invent a word that your readers can figure out ("Mindlink you later!" gives us a feeling of what kind of exchange it might be, even though we don't possess the sense needed to 'mindlink')

[Best Rant:]

*sigh* Every time I tried writing for this, it morphed into the complete opposite of the prompt. Here's hoping I'll have more luck next time

The trick is to book beforhand as a group. We didn't go through the main entrance and waited exactly as long as it took security to scan our bags.

Ooh, I'll have to remember that. I went to Paris years ago but never got to visit the Louvre (it was one of those school exchange things).

Best Rant: I'll go with Sinitrena. I didn't spot much in the way of ranting in either story if I'm honest, but Arnaud's speech about the painting comes the closest.
Most Unique Thingy that is Popular: Mandle. The Mona Lisa's popularity goes without saying, but I like how Mandle came up with something specifically for this contest.
Most Insight Into the Psyche: To tell the truth, I really didn't get any of this from either entry. Sinitrena comes closest with Ben's comment at the end about how art is based on people's perceptions of it, so I'll vote for her.
Least Meh Atmosphere: Sinitrena. I could picture the surroundings and the characters very well. Mandle's seemed like it was a good idea, but we only ever got the bare bones of it and I couldn't picture it in my mind. I couldn't picture any of the characters or the place - is it on another planet, another plane of reality; are they gods, superbeings, aliens, prawns, VR programmers or all of the above; what is the background; where are they - there were too many questions and like Sinitrena, I didn't really get what was going on.
Most Entertaining Whateverness: Again, I'm going with Sinitrena.

I'll try and get an entry finished but no promises. I've been battling a cold as well and just want to curl up on the couch with a box of tissues and variety TV shows

[JudasFm]

The third place is shared by JudasFm and JudasFm, with 4 points for each story. The Nemesis is a world with depth and character and obviously a place JudasFm knows quite well. It seems alive. But I don't think a travel guide is the right way to tell us about this world because it left me wondering why someone would want to visit this place. No matter how much the text insists that it "is not the violent hothouse of paranoia and xenophobia that most people seem to believe", that is exactly the impression I ended up with. It seems restricted, dictatorial and a bit like what one had to expect when visiting the GDR in our world (when it still existed). I'm not sure if this is the impression you were going for.

Dictatorial towards outsiders, perhaps, but never towards crew members The idea behind the Travel Guide contest really wasn't to make the most enticing world or the nicest one; it was just to create any kind of world and share it in non-story form. As to why you would want to visit, well, partly the lure of the unknown (there are people who want to visit North Korea for much the same reason) and as it mentions, it is the only way to get from planet to planet in a hurry

Also, this is supposed to be a Wikitravel entry, so what you're getting is the opinion of whoever wrote it. There are a lot of people who visit the ship who feel pretty much the same way as you do Prompts willing, I plan to do more stories around that world...

Just made it!

Done for Petty Deity. I'm not sure how closely I managed to follow the rules though...it's more of a snippet than an actual story

It's not easy being a goddess.

People usually think, "Ooh, immortality, divine powers, hordes of worshippers sending you goodies every day!" And, well, yeah, there is some of that.  But it's a two-way street: if we don't make with the miracles, sooner or later people stop making with the goodies.

My name's Stephanie.  I used to be mortal.  All of the Pantheon were once; you know the story, I'm sure.  As a human, Rae, Queen of the Pantheon, journeyed through the Dreamlands in search of her sister's and when she found her, she traded her soul for her sister's.  Her sister went home, Rae stayed in the Dreamlands and her power gradually grew and grew until she became a goddess.  Yadda yadda yadda.

Anyway, Rae soon figured out that all the races â€" elves, dwarves, humans, centaurs, Eyriens, Nurani etc â€" were just too much for one omnipotent deity to handle, so she picked her favorite Devotee and promoted her to goddess.  It sort of snowballed from there.  Now we have the Pantheon â€" twelve major goddesses â€" and lots of minor ones like me. People in these towns barely know I even exist, which is why I'd been rather surprised to be recognized by someone in the Adventurers' Barracks of Adutho while hunting for miracle ideas.

Oh, what, you think it's easy coming up with those things in a world full of magic?

I studied the human in front of me who had dared to speak my name. Early twenties. Adventurer. Archer. Name Mark Siemanns.

"Cower at my feet, mortal!" I commanded.

Mark went back to fletching arrows. "Sorry, I'm a little busy right now. Maybe next time, okay?"

No respect. I get no frigging respect!

"My powers are unbridled over my dominion!" I shouted.

Mark didn't so much as blink.  "Yes, my Lady.  I'm well aware of that.  However, forgive me but your dominion is, well, rather restricted. With all due respect, it does seem to me as though Our Dark Lady was running out of ideas when your turn came to be deified."

I waited for Rae to smite him for blasphemy for that little comment. She didn't. Typical. I bet Caitlin would have done, although mortals don't mention her name at all, or even let their thoughts dwell on her if they can help it. Not that I can blame them. I mean, she creeps us out too.

I tried again. "I am the undefeated ruler of the Golden Wheels, the Sacred Holes and gleaming Sapphire Veins!"

"Yes," Mark said again in the same politely neutral tone. "Again, my Lady, with the greatest respect, I would venture to suggest that you're not undefeated so much as unchallenged."

"My dominion is vast, spread throughout all of Elbia! There is not a home anywhere where my bounty is not bestowed or desired, from the richest kings to the poorest shack!"

"Yes, I can well believe that too.  Butâ€""

"All partake in my glorious bounty!" Or should that be 'partake of'? I can never quite remember. I made a mental note to look it up when I got back to the Panland. "I am the goddess of...of…"

Mark waited for me to finish the sentence and then, when I didn't, filled in for me.

"Cheese."

Well, of course it would sound silly if he said it like that! I would have made it sound much more ominous. You know, deep, booming voice, a little roll of thunder, maybe darken the room a little and draw the word out â€" "Cheeeeese!" â€" like that.

Oh stop smirking! If you know of a more dramatic way to say cheese, I'd like to hear it, that's all. I'd tried doing a booming laugh after it once or twice before my friend Chandra (goddess of ice) had an attack of hysterics. I really need to start hanging out with some more sympathetic deities.

I was still pissed at Mark's complete lack of reverence though, and so I turned his chair into cream cheese before I vanished. Sometimes, even being a petty deity has its perks.

What time zone would that be? I've nearly finished my other entry but I don't want the contest to close while I'm still writing it

[Sleep]

All right, the deadline is looming now. Can I have an extension please?

Dangit, Baron, you sneaky banana dictator, you ninja-ed my post I wanted that slot to keep my entry going.
Oh well

(Continued from here)

Sleep

The typical Nemesean quarters are small with a three-tier bunk bed on both walls. Single rooms are available at an increased price.

Nemeseans will put families together, but if there's a bed, they'll fill it. In other words, if there are four of you, you can expect to share with two strangers. It's possible to buy the room out, but only if there are no other passengers who need the space. Moving rooms is not allowed unless there are extremely mitigating circumstances, such as one of your roommates attacking you or stealing from you.

All the rooms are covered by security cameras, but the adjoining bathrooms are not, so the more modest of you can always go and change in there.

Those who are moving worlds as opposed to visiting on a tourist visa can expect to spend their entire time locked in the room, so think very carefully about who will be staying with who. Nemeseans are very amenable to requests for single or twin rooms providing those requests are made before booking.

Learn

Although there are educational facilities on the Nemesis, no outsiders are permitted to make use of them or even visit. If you have children who you're taking with you, either bring the equipment you need to home-school them or accept that they're not going to be going to classes all the time you're on the ship.

Work

In a word, impossible, or pretty damn close.  The Nemesis won't hire outsiders on any long-term basis, regardless of your skills.  You may be allowed to help out in the mining crews or in the kitchens, but don't expect to be paid and regardless of how much younger your boss is, remember that he/she is your boss and treat them accordingly.  Doing this is a hard way to spend your vacation, but it offers the best way to get to know some of the crew members, although it's very unlikely they'll socialize with or even acknowledge you much outside of work.

An exception may be made for those in the medical profession, such as doctors and dentists.  However, you will not be paid for your services unless it's in the way of personal gifts or tokens directly from your patient (refusing is a serious insult, but re-gifting is perfectly acceptable. For example, if you receive a ring, the crew member who gave it to you won't be at all offended if you decide to pass it on, although it's considered polite to wait until they aren't around).  It's worth noting that since you're not guaranteed to receive anything from it, if a crew member asks for your help, you are not obliged in any way to give it.

The only permanent, guaranteed work is in the acting world.  The crew script and produce their own dramas and movies, but due to their young age, they often require more mature actors aged around thirty and above.  Since they can't afford to pay the high wages demanded by A-list performers, they're very happy to hire inexperienced performers looking to build a portfolio.  Auditions â€" or at least, preliminary interviews â€" are required.  You will not receive any money, but you will be given free room and board and far better treatment than any tourist, according to accounts from performers who have worked in several dramas. An example is Kanae Godai, who played a large part in one of the first Nemesean dramas and who built up enough of a rapport to be granted the status of honorary crew member, allowing her to come and go from the ship freely with no need for a visa and even be granted crew quarters.

Stay safe

Violent crime is very rare on board the Nemesis, and pickpocketing is unheard of.  Your belongings should be safe in your room, but you are advised not to leave valuables lying around in plain sight.  As one crew member famously said, "We're not criminals, but we're not saints either." 

Illegal drugs of any kind carry an extremely stiff penalty, both for the crew and for outsiders.  Depending on where you're going, the crew may decide to hand you over to the authorities at the other end, but you can count on a good few days without food before you get there, and if the crew doesn't consider the penalty at your destination harsh enough, or thinks you may be able to avoid it due to money or connections, they will mete out justice according to their laws.

Stay healthy

If you need medication, be sure to bring a copy of your doctor's prescription with you, otherwise you'll likely be refused entry.  This may seem harsh, but it relieves the crew of the pressure of trying to decide whether you're genuinely ill or attempting to smuggle drugs.  The Nemesis has a fully stocked and equipped mediwing should you become injured.

Respect

Crew members on board the Nemesis are known for being extremely touchy, at least with outsiders, although they're usually pleasant and friendly outside the ship and with each other. Those outsiders who have managed to find work as actors are usually accorded a lot more respect, even liking; a few have even managed to reach the unofficial status of honorary crew member.  For a tourist though, it's sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't philosophy.  If you attempt to strike up a friendly conversation, you'll be seen as over-familiar and presumptuous; if you keep your mouth shut apart from addressing your guide, you'll be seen as arrogant and thinking yourself too good to speak with the likes of the crew.

Age is not a factor on the Nemesis, the youngest crew member being eleven.  This can take some getting used to, and your guide will most likely be in their mid to late teens.  Accept this and do not act offended or outraged when they forbid you from going somewhere or doing something.  They're not doing it to be bratty; they're doing it because those are the rules and if you break them, your guide is the one who will get into trouble.

Do not attempt to enter a Team room or a crew member's personal room.  These are all marked with the names on the outside.  It's highly unlikely a tourist card will grant you access, but anyone inside will know someone is trying to get in and if someone catches you in the act, you're going to have some awkward explaining to do.

Do not offer helpful suggestions on how to improve things unless you have managed to build up an extremely close rapport with your guide (very difficult, as most of them will keep you at a polite distance!) or unless your suggestions are very innocuous and crop up naturally in the course of a conversation, such as being asked your opinion on someone's outfit.  Even then, keep it very neutral; saying something like, I saw on this TV show how they made outfits by... will be far better received than I think you should... Even if the crew in question know that such an episode was never aired, the effort at modesty on your part will be appreciated and none of them will call you on it.

Although it's not uncommon to see several members on the pool islands using each other as headrests and bundling up together like wolves in a den, physical contact from you is a big no-no.  Most will accept a handshake, but this is as far as you can go.

Do not criticize any decision made by the bridge crew, or the crew members themselves.  Doing so will land you in serious trouble.  The bridge crew don't care what people say about them, but the regular crew will, and they are fanatically loyal to their leaders.  Even if you heard them making the exact same criticism five seconds ago to their friends, keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself. 

Occasionally, a crew member may attempt to engage you in a debate along those lines in an effort to set you up for a fall.  If you're asked your opinion on anything, be very vague and non-committal in your answers, and keep those answers along the lines of, "Well, I don't really know enough about it to be able to offer an opinion; after all, I'm just a visitor here." Other crew members tend to frown on this kind of tourist-baiting, so it's very likely one or more of them will extricate you from that situation.

All your photos and holojections will be examined before you leave.  It's highly unlikely any will be erased, but the faces of all crew members will be blurred and distorted to avoid recognition.  Do not attempt to do this yourself; the crew will take the view that what you've done, you can also undo, and will erase the pictures.  They will blur the faces for you during the final inspection of your goods and photographs.  You will not be charged for this, nor will you get in trouble unless you attempt to stop them; it's part of their job and they expect to do it, so smile, thank them and let them get on with it.  Instead of blurring, you can also request they paste an image over the top of the faces.

Nudity when swimming or occasionally basking is considered normal and accepted, although not all the crew indulge.  This should not be taken as an invitation and if you find it offensive, you are advised to stay away from the biodeck and the swimming areas.  Do not pass comment or request they cover themselves up; no one in the crew cares about your delicate sensibilities.  Outsiders are not expected to strip off, although if you choose to, you won't be judged.

Some areas are more popular than others, however, and should you want to avoid seeing any nudity, you are advised to ask your guide to scout ahead.

Contact

Outsiders are not granted access to any networks.  While on board the Nemesis, you will be entirely cut off from your friends, family and your workplace.  Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis; permission to send a family member a virtual birthday or Col-Day card will always be granted, but if you want to send a long-winded email to a family member talking about the crew, you'll hit a wall.  Writing about how the Nemesis is set up is fine to a certain extent so long as you don't get too specific.  For example, you can say how T-cards work as the currency system and that there's a movie theater on the rec-deck, but not how to get to that deck.

All communication devices must be turned in at the beginning of your stay and will be kept safe and returned to you when you leave.  It is possible for people on the outside to contact you, but it is strongly discouraged and you should be aware that any communication you receive will be examined and read before being passed onto you.

Conclave

There seems to be some confusion over the purpose of Conclave, with most outsiders thinking of it as a kind of courtroom equivalent where the bridge crew presides as judge, jury and executioner.  While this is reasonably accurate, it's only half the story.  The structure of Conclave can vary in that sometimes it's used to determine guilt, and other times it's used solely to determine the punishment, in cases where a person has been caught red-handed. 

Should you be summoned before Conclave, you can expect to lose everything you own except the clothes you stand up in.

Outsiders do not have the right to call Conclave on anyone, but they can request their guide to do so under appropriate circumstances, such as something of theirs being stolen or one of their group being assaulted by a crew member. 

Do not antagonize or challenge the bridge crew.  They are not just above the law; they are the law, and despite the xenophobic attitude of most of the crew, you will be given a fair hearing at Conclave and granted the same rights as anyone else.  If the crew member is the one at fault, you will be compensated adequately.  In your case, this will likely be in the form of a favor, such as an extra two hours on the biodeck.  While you can make a request as to the type of compensation you would like, it may or may not be granted, and unlike a crew member brought to Conclave, you do not get any say in the guilty person's punishment.

If your belongings are damaged, the bridge crew will cover the cost of a replacement for you. 

Conclusion

The Nemesis is not the violent hothouse of paranoia and xenophobia that most people seem to believe; in fact, if you look at it from a purely demographical point of view, it is the only society in existence to have achieved full integration of all planetary cultures, an unemployment rate of zero percent, a crime rate of around two percent and a stable, working economy.  The main reason for the extremely high restrictions is because the crew would very much like to keep it that way.

--

Anyone thinking that the world might sound familiar, well, you obviously have an awesome memory But yes, it's the world my Whodunnit entry was set in

[Wikitravel Entry: The Nemesis]

This is one for the Travel Guide contest, which I administered in the past. I wasn't sure about entering myself at the time, but I always wanted to write this. I'm working on an entry for Archer as well, but unless we get an extension (hint hint!) I'm not going to make that particular deadline.

This was too long for one post, so I split it.

Wikitravel Entry: The Nemesis

WARNING: Travel to the Nemesis is extremely dangerous for those affiliated with reform camps.  If you are discovered to have a link to one of those camps, no matter how tenuous, you will be held for ransom. 

The Nemesis is unique: a city-ship with no fixed port or allegiance to one particular government.  Travel to it is difficult, but not impossible.  However, outsiders are viewed with suspicion bordering on xenophobia by a lot of the crew and must be accompanied by a guide at all times while outside their rooms.  If you're not prepared to have your every move watched and your actions restricted as an outsider, don't even think of applying for a tourist visa.

Understand

English is the official language on board the Nemesis.  The unique multicultural crew, boasting members from every settled moon and planet in our solar system, means that you will have no trouble finding someone who can interpret for you.  Important signs are in every language, but place names are often only in English.  It is advisable for you to have at least a rudimentary grasp of the language before arriving.  Your guide will also interpret for you.  If you need a guide who is fully bilingual, this can quite easily be arranged at no extra charge, providing you make your request when you apply for your visa.  Please note that it is impossible to change or choose your assigned guide; however, if you have visited the Nemesis previously, you are allowed to request the same guide or a different one. In the case of the same guide, your request may or may not be granted â€" the guide themselves has to agree â€" but a request for a different one will always be allowed.

Regions

The Nemesis consists of forty three decks, plus the biodeck, engineering sub-levels and the pool.  In theory, if you're accompanied by your guide â€" and you will be â€" you can go anywhere so long as the guide is also allowed there; the engineering levels, for example, are off limits to most of the crew. 

In practice, ninety five percent of the Nemesis is strictly off limits to outsiders.  Respect this and do not attempt to explore.  If you're not certain whether or not you can enter a place, ask your guide. 

Bridge

The heart of all operations on the Nemesis.  Any crew member has the right to enter the bridge, but outsiders are banned not only from the bridge itself, but from the main corridor leading up to it. Unless you're summoned by a member of the bridge crew â€" which is probably not a good thing â€" you'll never see this place.

Dining Hall

Off limits to non-crew members; you can either choose to have your food brought to you, or to eat at one of the other diners on the rec-deck.

Rec-deck

Short for recreation deck, the rec-deck is where most of the fun things happen.  There is a movie theater which can seat five hundred, although the viewing selection is quite limited, and several shops, a few diners and a huge room that is used as a concert hall.  Mostly it's the Mavericks and/or Lunar Eclipse who play here, but you can sometimes find the odd play or musical.

Engineering

Off limits to you, but there's very little down there anyway.

Swimming pool

Strictly speaking, this isn't off-limits to visitors, but the only chance you have of being taken to it is if you impress your guide with your good behavior.  The swimming pool takes up the three lowest decks of the Nemesis, and since it's free, is extremely popular among the crew.  However, there are no kinds of pool toys or slides; the 'pool' in fact isn't a pool at all, but the filtered source of the ship's fresh water supply.  There is no cause for concern, however, as the excessive filtration methods means that this water is safe to both drink and swim in, although doing both at the same time is not recommended.

Memorial Hall

A poignant reminder of all deceased crew members.  Again, technically not off-limits to outsiders, but your guide will refuse to take you if you show the slightest sign of inappropriate behavior on the ship.  If you do somehow persuade them to bring you, be very respectful during your visit and all cameras and recording equipment must be handed to your guide before you enter, or better yet, not brought at all.  The Memorial Hall is not a tourist attraction, and the Nemesis's crew will not appreciate you treating it as such.  When in this room, you must remain completely silent at all times, which is something the crew do as well.  If you want to know more about one of the markers, your guide will probably tell you, but do not ask him/her until you are both outside.

Outsiders who are related to one of the deceased crew can be granted a special permit upon proof of DNA. Since it would be unthinkable to move or otherwise tamper with a shrine, relatives of the deceased are permitted to take a photo of their loved one's shrine.

History

The Nemesis was originally a top secret and highly classified Military ship, whose commanding officer deliberately broke regulations to rescue a group of middle school and high school students who were in an accident. The exact details of this accident are unknown to all except those involved, but the most likely theory is that it was the same accident that supposedly wiped out the school shuttle Syzygy.

What is known is that when the Military crew disappeared, the current crew took control of the ship and for some six or seven years were falsely accused of seizing it, and treated as space pirates.  Up until a year ago, the Military made many attempts to retake it and execute those on board, but were unsuccessful as the Nemesis possesses jump drives and engines far superior to the average ship, and would simply fly away. A plethora of booby traps and several more ruthless members of the crew ensured that on the rare occasions when the Military did succeed in boarding, they invariably came off worse.

When the current crew's names were finally cleared, they refused all offers of compensation, insisting on being given the Nemesis and complete autonomy instead.  This was reluctantly granted, due to pressure from almost every newspaper in existence and one or two high-ranking members of the Military itself.

Tension between the crew and the Military still runs extremely high, however, and anyone affiliated with the Military or any of the governments is forbidden from setting foot on the Nemesis, regardless of purpose.  Ex-Military members may be granted access, but this is strictly on a case-by-case basis. However, those discovered to have some kind of connection with the Military after boarding shouldn't have too much in the way of trouble.

The reason for the extreme level of hostility towards reform camp personnel remains unknown.

Get in

It's not known when the Nemesis is going to arrive at a certain world, so booking travel in advance is very difficult.  The best way is to register with your local agency and have them call you as soon as the Nemesis arrives.  The Nemesis usually remains in port for at least a week, so you and any others will have time to pack.

You will need a visa to enter the Nemesis.  Unfortunately, the only place where your visa can be ratified is on the Nemesis itself, so your agent will have to sort the paperwork for you.  The good news is that this tends to happen very fast; if there are no problems, you can have a valid visa ready and authorized within twenty four hours of applying.

With its H-drive, the Nemesis is well known for its ability to travel far faster than any other ship in existence and is willing enough to act as paid transport for those moving to another world.  However, for those planning a vacation, remember that the ship will not wait for you at the other end unless there are a lot of tourists wanting transport, such as for a festival, and that the crew will have no compunctions about leaving you behind.  Those of you who do wish to use the Nemesis as a cheaper and much faster alternative to interplanetary shuttle companies should note that you will be locked in your room until you reach your destination, with food being served to you.  Since the Nemesis can theoretically travel from Pluto to Mercury in just over twelve hours, thanks to the H-drive, this won't be too much of a hardship.  It is worth noting, however, that the physical stress placed on the crew during an H-jump means that they're unlikely to use the H-drive more than they have to, which means that travel from Pluto to Mercury is more likely to take around a month.  If you want to be really safe, budget six weeks for it.

Get around

Transport is mostly on foot, although there are three systems of public transport: the chain, the engineering track, and cleaning machines.  Of these, the chain and track are both off-limits to outsiders; the chain isn't much use except for moving through and getting out of the swimming pool, and the track â€" a narrow platform carried along in the engineering gears â€" is too dangerous to be attempted unless you know what you're doing.

Cleaning machines have a hook on trailer, some with seats that offers comfortable transport.  However, it is also extremely expensive and consequently viewed by most of the crew as a soft option, although concessions are usually made for the injured and elderly.  Otherwise, if you insist on being ferried everywhere, you can expect a certain amount of hostile looks and snide comments, particularly if you left your guide walking alongside.  The crew of the Nemesis regularly use the cleaning machines to have items such as laundry delivered to them, however, so as long as you put your clothes in your own net bag (provided in your room) nobody will complain on this score.

If you become separated from your guide at any time, do not attempt to find them.  Stand very still against the wall so that you're out the way of any crew members, and wait.  Chances are they will retrace their steps and find you.

If a crew member asks what you're doing there, smile, apologize and explain the situation.  Give them your guide's name and they'll contact him/her.  Do not be offended if the crew member stays there to keep an eye on you until your guide reappears.

Talk

Because of the borderline xenophobia throughout the ship, most crew members outside of your guide will be reluctant to strike up a conversation with you.  Accept this and do not make a nuisance of yourself.

Asking questions such as how someone makes a particular dish or sweet will be taken as a compliment and a sign of interest; the assumption being that it was so delicious you want to make it for yourself at home.  However, it's very unlikely you'll get an answer, as competition for jobs among crew members is fierce, and your host will not want half a dozen people overhearing and attempting to put him/her out of business.  Again, accept this and don't pester people; if you're polite and respectful, it's not unknown for the recipe you wanted to somehow find its way into your belongings.

See

For those not wanting to travel, a few parts of the Nemesis are open to the public whenever the ship is docked. Day passes are required but can be purchased at the entrance. Since no ID is required, this is a good way for Military personnel or those working with reform camps to explore; however, your background must be kept secret, for your own safety. The Nemesis doesn't offer discounts; day passes for babies cost the same as those for adults and every member of your party, regardless of age, must purchase one to reduce the risk of stowaways. Costs can vary, and bargaining or trading for some item or other isn't unheard of.

The day pass can be purchased at any time, but is only good for twelve hours, after which you must leave the ship and turn in your pass at the exit.
During the twelve hours, you are free to come and go from the Nemesis as often as you please, but your DNA will be checked both when you purchase the pass, and every time you go in or out. This ensures that no pass can be traded or forged.

Biodeck

This is the reason most people travel to the Nemesis, to see the vibrant Terra-like hills, forest and lakes. The biodeck takes up the whole of the top deck, making it roughly around twenty five square miles in area. Cleaning machines are not permitted. Please note that certain parts of the biodeck are not hoverchair friendly and that the trails can become very muddy, so you are advised to bring sneakers or hiking boots.

Food and drink are permitted, but all waste must be taken with you when you leave. Exceptions may be made for fruit pits, as they can be planted.

The weather is customizable from the control room.  The crew will not listen to requests for nor complaints about rain, snow, hail or brilliant sunshine, so you take your chances.  However, they can sometimes be bribed with off-ship offerings such as books, movies, music and local currency.  This is something the regular crew do on occasion as well, so it's considered perfectly acceptable.

That said, Nemeseans do appreciate that not many tourists will enjoy squelching through the pouring rain, so you're guaranteed reasonably good weather.

Krystal Gallery

Krystal Lynn is an extremely talented artist, specializing in oil landscapes. All paintings in her gallery are for sale, but most of them are expensive and she will only accept Nemesean tokens or hard currency.  A small one (A4 size) will cost you around two hundred tokens, or the equivalent of.

Do

Concerts by the Mavericks and Lunar Eclipse are always worth seeing, although tickets are near impossible to come by, even for the regular crew members, and tend to sell out within the first five minutes. Concerts are also never given during normal planetfall, so only those actually traveling on the Nemesis have the chance to see these bands perform. Anyone hoping to attend will have to get at least two tickets, one for yourself and one for your guide. It's sometimes possible to reserve at the rec-deck ticket offices, but costs for doing so will be prohibitive. If you do decide to go down this route, expect to pay quintuple prices, and all these offices operate a no-refund policy. If you leave the ship before spare tickets come up, well, that's just too bad for you.

Buy

The Nemesis runs on an entirely virtual currency known as tokens, payable and transferable with a T-card. You will be given a tourist version, to be handed in whenever you leave the ship. Nothing is free on the Nemesis; food is paid for with green tokens and entertainment with yellow. However, bartering and exchanging one item for another is also a very common way of doing business.  On the Nemesis, anything is up for exchange, so if you don't have enough tokens, it's not uncommon for a shopkeeper to say something along the lines of, "Well, I'll give it to you in exchange for your ring."

If you don't want to trade that particular item, a simple, "No," or "No, I'm not interested in trading any of my jewelry," will suffice.  Do not hesitate or worry about causing offense; no is a perfectly acceptable answer, and any hesitation in this case will likely be taken as an invitation to haggle.

All stores on the Nemesis will accept any planetary currency.  However, there is no fixed exchange rate, so it's worth shopping around.  By and large, though, the traders will treat you fairly.  You'll pay more than the regular crew, but usually no more than around ten percent.

Green tokens are always placed before yellows in terms of pricing and priority, so if someone offers you two and four, they're offering you two green tokens and four yellow ones. Tokens are not interchangeable (ie, you can't convert yellows to greens) on the same card but if you want an extra yellow and can find someone who wants an extra green, swapping tokens across T-cards is perfectly fine and something that the regular crew do on pretty much a daily basis. Many crew members are known to have formed working partnerships along those lines, where one receives an abundance of greens and the other yellows and the two of them split the takings fifty-fifty.

Eat

For those of you who are vegetarians, there are salad bars at every meal, and the Nemesis also features Vegan Tuesdays, where everything is safe for vegan consumption.  On Fridays there's a Planetary Buffet, where local cuisine from one particular world is offered. Otherwise, you get whatever the meal crew feels like serving.

As an outsider, you will not be allowed to eat with the regular crew.  You will be given a menu the night before and place your orders with your guide, who will relay them to the dining hall.

The rec-deck has a few small diners, but service at these tends to be very slow and not all of them welcome outsiders.

Fi's Diner

The first of its kind and arguably the most popular. Fi's has a set menu, which costs one green and offers a starter, a main and a dessert. This makes it marginally cheaper than the dining hall, which charges two greens for a three course meal (two course meals cost one green). The portions are slightly smaller than those in the dining hall, but the lower price makes this an attractive option. At the time of writing, Fi's is the only diner on the rec-deck to serve outsiders.

There are one or two sweet shops, but products from here are highly in demand.  However, some are more easily obtainable than others.  It's worth noting that sweets on the Nemesis are considered as something pleasant rather than something nutritious, and so generally tend to be paid for with yellows.  However, most sweet shops will also accept the equivalent in greens.  Since the crew like to have a healthy balance of both, it's not unusual for a shop to change the accepted currency midway through the day.  Because of the high demand, haggling for sweets or offering things in exchange is not possible, and everyone is limited to one item only.  This stops the rich from going in and buying out the shop before anyone else has a chance to get in.

Cobyte

Coconut shavings, rolled into a ball and deep fried to a crunchy medium brown.  These are usually sold in bags of four each for two tokens.  They taste very good; however, biting them directly is not recommended unless you know a good dentist.

Nums

Small, thumb length pieces of crispy fried dough covered in glazed sugar.  Not quite as soft as donuts.  Unhealthy but easy to produce and therefore the easiest to come by.  A bag of six costs you one token.

Chippings

What's left after the confectioners have done their work with fruit flavored sugar treats.  Chippings are often too hard to bite but can be good to suck.  If all you want are a few pieces, the confectioners will usually give them to you rather than throw them out.

Fruities

Fruit-flavored boiled sweets.  These sell out incredibly fast and even the crew are limited to one bag of six per visit.  Unlike nums and cobytes, fruities take longer to make and are far more complicated, so there's no ready supply.

Drink

There is no alcohol on the Nemesis, nor are you allowed to bring any with you.  This is not a place to go if you want to get drunk and piss the night away.  The main drinks on the ship are water, tea (herbal or regular) or coffee.  However, you are free to bring any non-alcoholic beverages you please.  Since so few of the crew get to buy soda due to the lack of hard currency, a can of Coke can be an extremely powerful bargaining tool.

Part two

I have unfinished stories for at least six of those themes.

Which brings up an interesting question; can we enter more than once? I have three unfinished stories, plus I've been reading some of the other topics I didn't get to enter and I would really love to submit something for those!

Maybe enter more than one story, but limit the number of votes an author can receive to one? (Example: I enter three stories, but anyone who wants to vote can only pick one of those stories to vote for)

Deadline is the 5th September. As this topic is rather unusual, I'm more than willing to extand it.

Um, September? Either that's a typo or this is going to be a really long round!

This is a really great idea for a round though! I wish I could enter lots of times but I've already picked my topic and am working on my entry right now

JudasFm: Very well written. The only thing I missed was a bit of foreshadowing for the end. You do mention at one point that the cooks don't ask questions when Alexander asks for stuff, so why not also mention that he asked for saffron? Why not have Rosella wondering at one point where her perfume is? Why not say that Alexander picked up a feather during his walk in the morning? It would probably mean something for people familiar enough with the games without really giving anything away.

Put simply, because I was trying to write this around classes and work and I just ran out of time With the exception of Rosella wondering about her perfume, that's pretty much how it happened (Alexander wouldn't be stupid enough to take an entire jar that could be missed; he'd bring a small vial and just steal a tiny amount) The ending also changed a bit from the original idea I had - that involved Alexander stealing a horse and sneaking away in the middle of the night, only to be caught by Graham in the stables; it seemed a little OOC even for this version of Alexander - so when I wrote the first few parts, I was heading towards a completely different ending. If I'd had time, I would have gone back and rewritten the earlier posts

Also, a very small nitpick: "But if you really want to know then yes, there are two dungeons in this castle but no one can find the key for one of them and the other one is full of cheese. We don't solve problems that way in Daventry." That is a very stupid idea and speaks very bad of Daventry. Every country everywhere and at all times has some kind of crime. Not using the dungeon implies that they deal diffrently with criminals and there really aren't that many options: Maiming, execution, ect. And it also usually means that sentences are passed out without a proper court of law - this stuff takes time and what do you do with the suspect until then. Alright, I assume you didn't mean it like that and the cities have prisons and th castle's dungeons are just not used. As I said, nitpicking.

Actually, this is more a case of Real Life interceding. Granted Daventry is a fantasy kingdom and so obviously we can take a lot of creative license, but it borrowed heavily from medieval settings.

The truth is that the traditional deep, dark dungeons in medieval times were used mostly for traitors against the Crown, or in some cases, people who the Crown thought might become traitors (this is why royal siblings were often locked up in the Tower of London; to prevent them claiming the throne). Typical criminals (thieves, murderers) would be tried by a court and put into prison. Whether it was a fair trial is another matter, but still...

Despite his habit of gallivanting off on adventures, Graham struck me as a king who was loved by his subjects and he certainly has no siblings that anyone knows of (although that would also make for a really interesting fanfic in itself!) King Edward the Benevolent...well, the clue's kind of in the name there Basically, there have been no cases of traitors to the Crown for a long time. No traitors to the Crown means no use for the dungeons

I'd played the AGD Kings Quest 2 Remake like a decade ago, but have never played KQ3.  But thanks to your story I looked it up and downloaded the AGD version.

The AGD version is definitely the best remake! The original Sierra version was unforgiving even by Sierra standards; I could never get past the spell casting stage

My beef would be that the Queen seemed a bit flat, but I get that the true story revolved around Graham and Alexander.

I've always found Valanice very, very difficult to write, which is why I kept her out of the story as much as possible. To tell the truth, if we're going with the original Sierra games as opposed to the AGD or Old Gentlemen remakes (both of which I highly recommend!) Valanice never got a lot of character development, even in KQ7, which just shows her as a typically prim and proper noblewoman.

To be honest, I don't know about this new voting system.

I remember, as the grand old man of this particular competition board (except for Ponch, who is sometimes grander and always older, but I digress), that this idea of contest adminstrators entering came up back in '15.  I forget whose idea it was, but he was a spry young buck with an impressively tall pickelhaube spike and a mischievous glint in his monocle.  I think in the end the consensus of the writing regulars was inconclusive.

Personally I've no problem with admins entering, but I don't think they should be allowed to win twice in a row (though I'm speaking as someone who likes hosting a whole lot more than participating, so I'm probably biased ) or get their own trophies

The voting process doesn't require that you pick a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place by the way.

It's fine if you do so of course, but all votes will be counted as equal in the final tally.

To be honest, I wasn't thinking of categories when I voted; these were just the three stories I enjoyed most

[An Experiment in Consciousness]

Just don't vote for me. Hell knows I won't be

Well, voting for yourself would be a bit strange

Anyway, here are my votes:

1st Place: An Experiment in Consciousness. I loved the original take on the prompt; it was very cleverly done
2nd Place: Day Of The Funeral I was really torn over whether you or Baron should get second place, but this one just squeaked in for me
3rd Place: Lost In The Baron The idea was clever but even after replaying it, there didn't seem to be much of a cohesive story tying it together, which is why it came in third for me

Does this mean we're voting for your story as well, Mandle, even though you're the organizer? I'm confused

Meh, let's just extend the deadline over the weekend until Monday. We can't have a FWC without teh Baron!

(And also I've found the time, inspiration, and motivation to complete my own entry)

Let's party like it's 1995!!!

Great, that means I can write my final epilogue too

All these submissions make me think that I really should get started on continuing my introductory sentence....

I know I'm on the edge of my seat It reminds me of the Three Word Story forum game

[Part 4: Evening/Late Night]

My entry is finally done! I was going to do another part with Graham and Valanice, but I ran out of time. Again, sorry but I had to split the post as it went over the character limit.

Part 4: Evening/Late Night

Spoiler

Alexander didn't budge. "Where are we going?"

Graham regarded his son for a few moments before answering quietly, "Not to the chopping block, if that's what you're frightened of. Or the gallows, or the stake, or to anywhere that could be considered remotely dangerous to you."

Still his son didn't move. "Does this place have a dungeon?"

Graham sighed. "Alexander, if I really wanted to throw you in the dungeon, I'd call the guards and have them do just that. Except I wouldn't, because I don't do that kind of thing. But if you really want to know then yes, there are two dungeons in this castle but no one can find the key for one of them and the other one is full of cheese. We don't solve problems that way in Daventry. To tell you the truth, a king from the Eastern Three sent me a matching pair of thumbscrews as a coronation gift and we use them for cracking nuts."

Alexander backed off half a step. "As in, the edible kind?"

"Yes. Come on." Graham turned and walked away, leaving Alexander to follow him as he led the way through the castle and up onto the ramparts.

Nobody else was there. Graham had made sure of that. If Alexander wouldn't speak to him in private, he certainly wouldn't want to do it in front of witnesses.

There was a click as Alexander shut the door behind him and stood in front of it, waiting.

Graham moved over to the edge, looking out on the countryside beneath him.

"It's a nice view from here."

Alexander didn't move away from the wall. "I'll take your word for it, Sire."

Did his own son really have such a low opinion of him? Graham would have been the first to admit things weren't going as well between them as he hoped, but did Alexander seriously believe that his father was displeased enough to kill him? That he would even consider such a thing? Or maybe he was reading too much into this. Maybe Alexander was simply afraid of heights.

The casual approach obviously wasn't working. Graham turned around to face his son, both of them illuminated by the torches flickering on the walls.

"How are you? And Alexander, if you say you're fine then I probably will throw you off the roof!"

Alexander shrugged. "Good, then."

Graham sighed. "You're not fine, you're not good and we both know it. Now why don't we start again: how are you?"

So it was to be that game, Alexander thought. Manannan had sometimes done something similar, where Alexander had faced severe punishment if he didn't tell the wizard what he was expecting to hear.

"Why don't you tell me? You've obviously picked out the answer for yourself, you don't need me to give it to you."

Graham looked at his son for a long, long time. At last he said, "Alright, I will. You're jumping at shadows, you clearly don't trust anyone in this castle and your one thought seems to be to get as far away from us as you can for as long as you can. Am I wrong?"

Alexander didn't reply.

"Alexander, I want you to do something for me. I'm going to ask you a question and when I do, I don't want you to think about the answer. I don't want you to worry about how I might react. I want you to say the first thing that comes into your head." Seeing Alexander shift away slightly, Graham added, "You won't be punished for doing so, whatever you might say. Alright?"

Alexander stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Good. What do you want to do?"

"I want to leave Daventry!"

Graham closed his eyes slowly, leaning against the wall for support. The truth really did hurt, even when you were expecting it.

"I see," he said very quietly.

He opened his eyes to see Alexander looking rather shell-shocked. He supposed it was the first time his son had ever succeeded in voicing a wish or opinion of his own.

"Youâ€"" Alexander coughed, cleared his throat and tried again. "You should get back inside, Your Majesty. It's late and you have a meeting with that ambassador tomorrow."

"Damn the ambassador! Alexander, if you tell me how you feel â€" really tell me â€" maybe we can work on a solution together."

"I don't think you have any interest in how I feel, Sire."

Graham swallowed back his knee-jerk protest with an enormous effort, instead striving for a calm tone as he asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Since I came back, I've lost my clothes, my magic items; even my damn name! Everything I had that you could take from me, you took! Everywhere I turn, it's the same damn thing: do this, don't do that, we control your movements, your clothes, your name, everything you're allowed to have or not have must be cleared with us first!" Alexander struggled to stop the words spilling from his lips, failed and finally let them flow out of him unhindered. If he was going to be punished for insolence, he might as well deserve it. "I'm no freer here than I was in Llewdor. Train Alexander up, make him say what we want, act like we want, wear what we want and live the life we want. I'll say this much for Manannan; he may have considered me no more than a slave to serve his ends, but at least he was honest about it! All these years, you've had some mental image of what kind of man I'd grow into, and you and your wife are put out because the real thing is different. You can dress it up in any kind of fancy words and excuses you like, but that's what it boils down to." Alexander shook his head. "Manannan was right. The last thing he said to me before I left was you'll never be a prince. You've been a pauper too long. The moment I came back it was all parades in my honor, stick my face on a coin, formal dinners, etiquette lessons, get ready to take over the throne and be a noble, courteous prince, but none of you ever bothered to ask me what I wanted."

"Then I'll ask you now, although from your words, I think I already know what your answer will be." Graham's voice was heavy. "What do you want?"

Alexander didn't hesitate. "To be left alone. To be allowed to enjoy the freedom I worked so hard and risked so much to earn, without being hounded about this point of etiquette or that one. Let Rosella find a good, solid prince, let the two of them inherit the throne after you've gone, and let me go."

Graham forced himself not to look away from his son as he answered very quietly, "Alright."

Judging from the shock that darted across Alexander's face, it had never once occurred to him that Graham might say yes.

"If you really want to go that badly, then go," Graham said. "You're not a prisoner, and I'm sorry if we ever made you feel like you were. You don't have to worry; I won't come after you."

Alexander smiled, the bitterest smile Graham had ever seen.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Where will you go? Back to Llewdor?"

Alexander didn't answer his father, just looked at him.

Graham sighed. "Very well. But I hope you don't believe me capable of kidnapping you, whatever else you think of me. And you can come back whenever you want. There won't be any attention or ceremony, you can just walk in like you're coming home from a stroll."

"Yeah." Alexander looked away and Graham knew with that one simple act that it was truly over, that he'd waited too long to have this conversation and his son would never return to Daventry. "Well. Anyway."

Graham shook his head slowly. "Where did it go wrong? When did we lose you?"

A cold, bitter look flashed through Alexander's eyes. "About seventeen years ago. Or had you forgotten?"

"You know what I mean."

Alexander shrugged. "You didn't lose me, Your Majesty. You never had me."

"You never let me have you. If I've been at arms' length from you, Alexander, it's only because you've been doing everything in your power to keep me there."

Silence descended, Alexander shifting his weight in an I know you're right but... manner.

"You can go by the road. I'll stop the guards or anyone coming after you. And I'll make sure the patrols don't interfere â€" not that they would have anyway â€" but I want you to do something for me in return."

Alexander curled his lip. "What might that be? Leave by a so-called secret route where you just happen to have hidden your best men?"

"Come back in a year. Not to live here, not if you don't want to, but you'll be able to see your family through new eyes. Maybe it won't be so bad. Come back in a year, stay for a month and if you still feel like you do now, you can leave again. If you want to stay on or come back again later for good, you can." Graham risked taking a step forward and then, when Alexander didn't react, another one. "Go away for a year, go wherever you want to go, do whatever you want to do. Then come back and give us another chance. I meant what I said; there'll be no fanfares, or if you come back earlier, no I-told-you-sos. I can give you that much, at least."

There was a new look in Alexander's eyes as he stared at his father, a vulnerable look, as though he were a child who had been punished for something he hadn't done.

Graham suddenly realized he'd never once hugged Alexander after that first joyful reunion. He wanted to now â€" more than anything, he wanted to take his son in his arms and hold him tightly until all the pain in the boy's eyes was finally gone â€" but it was out of the question. In Alexander's world, physical contact had only ever resulted in pain, and to force the issue would likely prove counterproductive, possibly even dangerous.

"Do you still want to leave?" he asked.

Alexander nodded.

"Alright. When? You should at least say goodbye to your mother and sister."

Alexander hesitated. "Tomorrow, then. Before the dinner with the ambassador. At least that way I won't embarrass the family."

"You have never been an embarrassment to us. Ever. And if that's why you're going, because you think we're disappointed in you, then you're very wrong."

Alexander tightened his lips and turned his head away. "With all the criticisms your beloved wife heaped on my head, you could have fooled me."

Even though Alexander had a valid point, loyalty to Valanice kept Graham from agreeing with him. Instead all he said was, "Tomorrow, then. That should give you enough time to get prepared. If you still want to do this, that is. You might feel different after a good night's sleep."

Alexander studied his father for a long time, unsure whether or not he was being honest, then nodded once, slowly.

"Agreed."

Graham nodded back, his face calm and betraying no hint of the pain inside. He couldn't give his son back his childhood, but at the very least, he could give him his freedom.

"Shall we go inside, then?"

Alexander shook his head. "You go ahead. It's a nice evening. I'd quite like to stay out for a while. Maybe take in that nice view you mentioned."

He walked over to the parapet, leaning on it as he looked out over Daventry. Not wanting to push things any further, still cherishing a faint hope that Alexander might yet change his mind and decide to stay after all, Graham went back inside, giving his son the privacy he so obviously wanted.

Alone, Alexander's hand strayed into his shirt. There was one spell he had that nobody knew about, purely because he'd made it earlier that morning and hadn't got around to putting it in that chest yet.

Time to go.

When Graham went back up to the roof a few hours later to see if his son wanted any food before going to bed, he found it deserted. On the ground was a shattered flask, and in the air the scent of saffron and rose petal essence.

[close]

(Quick explanation of the end for all those who never played KQ3:

Spoiler

One of the spells Alexander/Gwydion learns is one that enables him to turn into an eagle or a fly. The ingredients are saffron (easy to come by in a royal kitchen) rose petal essence (likely used as a fragrance by either Rosella or Valanice) an eagle feather and fly wings. In other words, rather than wait until the next morning and risk being stopped, Alexander simply turned himself into an eagle and flew away

[close]

[Part 3: Afternoon/Early Evening]

I'm also going to split posts, because this latest installment pushed my first story post over the character limit. I'll stick a link to this post in the first one so it won't be too jarring and another link to part four for ease of reading.

Anyway, here's installment three! Only one more to go and my entry's complete!

Part 3: Afternoon/Early Evening

Spoiler

Alexander hadn't thought he would miss Manannan.

His life as the wizard's slave had been hard, cruel, often painful but one thing it had never been was boring. Alexander had often dreamed about what it would be like to sit back with nothing to do, nowhere to go, just himself and the freedom to relax.

Now he had it, he was climbing the walls. He could go out walking, and Daventry was beautiful enough for him to genuinely enjoy doing so, but the need to return by evening limited his range somewhat. He couldn't even watch the stars; there were too many candles and torches around the castle for him to really see them. Manannan's place may have been gloomy, but the night view from the top of the mountain had been breathtaking. Alexander often used to sneak outside until Manannan caught him one terrible night. Since then, he'd kept all stargazing to out of his window.

His window. His room. Occasionally he caught himself thinking it would be worth being back with Manannan just to have the privacy of his own room. Alexander wasn't sure why, but his room was the one place in the entire house that the wizard had never entered. The one place he'd been able to relax, as much as anyone in his position could.

Here, it was different. Servants were coming in and out, the queen breezing in to wake him for breakfast or etiquette or some more fitting sessions and everyone else treating his room as their own. Two weeks in, Alexander had resorted to putting a Do Not Disturb notice on the door, and half an hour later his room had been invaded by the royal physician, half a dozen assistants and his worried mother all demanding to know what was wrong, was he sick, was he injured, what was going on with him?

On the one hand, it was certainly nice to be able to walk around and take a stroll now and again without the possibility of being fried to ash for the privilege. On the other, he was going out of his mind. There was too much going on, too much surrounding him and too many things he had to do and remember and people to talk to and royal functions to attend where all of the above problems boiled together into one single nightmare. To someone who had had very little social interaction growing up, it was the equivalent of hell. There was another one tomorrow, with the ambassador of such-and-such, and right there Alexander decided he was going to skip it. He wasn't worried about being hungry â€" his caches would take care of that, and even if he couldn't get to one, he'd skipped a meal before. You didn't die from it.

He had good cause to remind himself of this on the return journey, as he took a little longer than usual and by the time he arrived at the castle, the shadows were starting to get long and he knew lunch must have been over long ago. He managed to sneak in without running into anyone who might have asked awkward questions and headed straight for his room.

For a wonder, it was empty when he got to it and Alexander paused to savor this. Usually there were servants coming and going or people coming in wanting to talk to him and pester him and demand his attention.

This time the servants had been and gone while Alexander had been out by the lake. They'd made his bed, or at least had a good attempt at it. Alexander had already learned that Graham wasn't so strict about perfection as Manannan had been and so with a sigh he stripped the sheets back and started to remake the bed to his own standards.

He'd got as far as the second layer of blankets before his bedroom door opened.

"You should call a servant to do that," Rosella said from behind him.

Alexander gave her an irritated look. "They've got enough to keep them busy. Why add to their workload when I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself?"

"We're royalty. We don't do housework."

"I've noticed. Your mother would faint if anyone suggested she wash a dish or sweep the floor. Well, I suppose the rank hath their privilege." Alexander pulled the counterpane tightly across. "Besides, the servants don't do a good enough job."

"Then tell the housekeeper and she'll see that they're punished."

Punished. The word was enough to make Alexander's body twitch with remembered pain, even as he knew that the punishment in question would probably be no more than a stern telling off. Certainly the court wizard would never hang them upside down for hours at a time, or force them to exercise until their body was screaming for release, unconsciousness, anything to end the suffering.

"That's not necessary." He passed a hand over the bedclothes, smoothing them until they lay on the mattress like velvet glass.

Two minutes later, Rosella sat on them. "You weren't at lunch."

"I know I wasn't." His stomach knew as well, but Alexander ignored it. He'd stashed away some bread and a hunk of mutton yesterday and he was looking forward to a good meal as soon as Rosella left him alone.

"Didn't you feel well?"

Why did everyone want to know everything about him? Was privacy really such a dirty word in this place?

"I'm fine, Rosella. I just went to the lake and lost track of time. I'm not really hungry, anyway."

His stomach disagreed with a loud rumble and Alexander placed a hand on it as though quieting a large dog.

"You weren't at breakfast either. When do you eat, Alexander?"

The answer to that was frequently. Alexander was used to furtive bites snatched here and there in between chores and no matter how much he tried to tell himself it was crazy, that no one here would care, he still thought of eating as something to be done in secret.

"We're all really worried about you, you know."

Alexander sighed. This wasn't Rosella talking, he knew that much. His sister was just as cautious about him as he was about her and the rest of the family, which made for a refreshing change and made her the only person in the whole castle who he could sort of relax around. She certainly wouldn't have come into his room to interrogate him of her own free will.

"Who put you up to this? Was it your mother?"

"Don't call her that. She's your mother as well. And she's really trying."

"My thoughts exactly," Alexander said dryly. "Did you come here for anything in particular? I'm not in the mood for small talk."

"I thought you might like this." Rosella held out an obsidian scarab. "It's a charm to protect against the undead."

Alexander stared at it with hungry eyes. Apart from the obvious magical nature, which drew him in like a bee to a honeypot, the item itself was a true work of art. He reached out, hesitated, then drew his hand back. His eyes, dark and narrow with suspicion, caught Rosella's gaze and held them.

"Why?"

"Because you're into magic things and I'm not."

"And?" The idea of an unconditional gift was beyond Alexander's world. The closest he could get to the idea was payment in advance for services about to be rendered. Fair enough, he had no issue with that, but he did wish people would stop dancing around the truth of the matter.

Rosella bit her lip. "And I want to talk to you. Really talk, not just have you wait for me to leave you alone, because I think you're the only person who can understand what I went through in Tamir."

"Unless you were captured and enslaved by an evil wizard in between being sneezed out of a whale and your assorted bouts of grave robbing, that's very unlikely."

Rosella tossed her hair back and fixed Alexander with a rather cool stare. "Do you want the scarab or not?"

Alexander returned her stare without blinking for several seconds, his face unreadable. Rosella shifted her weight, hoping none of her discomfort showed. Even though she'd been born two and a half hours before he had, at times like this she felt like Alexander was far older than she could ever hope to be.

One corner of Alexander's mouth quirked into a grim smile and he held out his hand. Rosella dropped the scarab into it and Alexander settled himself on the floor, back against the dresser, running a thumb over his prize.

"Go on."

Rosella picked at the counterpane with a perfect fingernail. "Is Manannan dead?"

Alexander blinked. Out of all the questions he'd been expecting Rosella to lead with, that wasn't even on the list.

"Maybe," he answered. "I suppose he might be picked off by an eagle or something if he goes outside." What would the wizard eat? For a moment Alexander entertained himself with the thought of Manannan being forced to lunch on insects and dead rodents. It wasn't an unpleasant image.

"But you didn't kill him?"

"No." Alexander turned the scarab over and examined the underside. There was something carved there, something in letters or sigils so tiny that he'd need a magnifying glass to make it out.

"Would you have? If you could?"

"Of course." How was it enchanted? Maybe Rosella had invented the obsidian scarab in her story. Or maybe this was a replica. No matter; he wasn't planning to put it to the test and the pure beauty of the carving made it a fair payment in his book.

"Wouldn't you have felt guilty? I mean, he was the closest thing to a father you had growing up."

"Not in the least." Alexander's voice was so neutral Rosella couldn't tell whether he was answering her question or her statement, or possibly both. "Why are you so interested in this?"

Rosella's mouth worked for a few moments but no sound came out. At last she blurted, "I killed Lolotte."

Alexander's head snapped up and Rosella could see he was finally giving her his undivided attention.

"Lolotte?" He stared at her for a few seconds. Rosella could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he said, half to himself, "So that's who..."

"You know her?"

"No, but I found a letter in Manannan's desk that was signed by someone called L. It didn't register when you first told your story."

Rosella stared at him. "You mean they knew each other?"

"Probably. I can't think Manannan would have had many other correspondents whose names began with L, and from what you said about her and what was in that letter, it seems like the same person."

"Did she ever come to the house? Or did Manannan go to see her?"

Alexander shrugged. "If she did, I never knew about it, and I can't think Manannan would have served her refreshments himself. He went out on journeys quite a lot though, maybe one of those was to pay her a visit. But when you told everyone your story, you said you...what was it? Enchanted her?"

"You didn't believe that, did you?"

Alexander shook his head. "No. Nor would anyone else who knows even half a thing about magic. If you enchanted her, where did you find the spell? How did you collect the ingredients while you were locked up? Lolotte's a fairy so she wouldn't need a magic wand, so what did you use to cast the spell? I knew there was more to the story than that."

Rosella tilted her head to one side. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I've had first-hand experience of just how aggravating it is to have people poking their noses into your affairs and trying to drag all your secrets and feelings out into the open for them to have a good look at!" Alexander took a deep breath, fought the damn emotions back under control and smoothed his face back into an expression of polite attention, all in under two seconds. "So you thought that since I possibly killed someone, I might be able to help with brotherly advice about how to cope with the guilt, is that it?"

"Yes. Or just, well, listen."

Alexander shrugged. "I don't see how my listening to you talk is going to help with your problems, but if that's what you want in exchange for the scarab, then fine. Talk away."

Now the time had come, Rosella didn't know where to begin. Alexander didn't help; he just sat there watching her like he watched everyone, with the same unblinking intensity that a hawk watches its prey.

"I had an arrow left. The love arrows I picked up, there was only one and I had it left over. I found my way up to her bedroom and she was asleep and so I, well, I used the arrow."

Alexander's look shifted to one of bafflement. "You wanted her to fall in love with you? Wasn't it bad enough having one person in that tower obsessed with you?"

"No! I didn't want that! I just...I thought if I could turn her good, she'd give the talisman back of her own free will. I wanted to show her that there was another way to be. That even though she'd locked me up, I was still going to behave in an honorable manner towards her."

"So you shot her in her sleep. I see."

"I didn't want to kill her. I really didn't know what would happen."

Alexander stared at her. "You fired an arrow into someone's heart at near point-blank range and you didn't know they would die? I'm curious; what exactly did you think they would do? Turn into a tea-cozy?"

"I am not a violent girl, Alexander!"

"You shot someone. That's quite violent." Alexander sighed. "Why did you really come? To get help with your feelings? Or because you wanted one person in this place to condone what you did so you can go back to feeling like you're a nice, kind person who never put a foot wrong? Ahâ€"" Rosella's head had flown upâ€" "I thought so."

"I had no choice."

"Of course you had a choice. Everyone has a choice. I could have chosen to stay with Manannan. I could have chosen not to untie you. I could have chosen to make a new life for myself in Llewdor and I'm starting to wishâ€"" Alexander broke off and bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood, but it was too late to take the words back.

"That you had," Rosella finished very quietly.

Alexander looked away, his lips tight.

"I saw someone in the Cave of the Oracle. In these clothes." He jerked one hand down his body for emphasis. "He was the Crown Prince of Daventry, he had all the etiquette malarkey down pat and he could behave perfectly and make small talk but he wasn't me! The real me got choked and stifled under all this!"

"You should tell Father this."

Alexander snorted. "And get my head cut off for daring to defy the King of Daventry? No thank you."

There was no obvious change in Rosella's expression, but to Alexander's eyes it suddenly seemed full of pity.

"Father isn't Manannan, Alexander."

Alexander snorted. "No. I knew where I stood with Manannan." He hadn't liked where he'd been standing, and he certainly didn't regret his actions against the wizard, but there was no denying that his life as a slave had been wonderfully uncomplicated compared to this. "Was there anything else you wanted?"

There was no gracious way to ignore such a pointed dismissal and Rosella rose to her feet, leaving a rumpled counterpane behind her.

"Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Alexander didn't look at her. "Do I have a choice?"

"Yes. Of course. I can tell Father you're tired and decided to have an early night, but are you really alright going for the whole day with nothing to eat?"

Alexander thought of the mutton and bread he'd squirreled away and felt his stomach purr in anticipation. "I'm sure I'll survive. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Alright." Rosella stood there awkwardly and then, when Alexander didn't acknowledge her, walked over to the door. "Well...I suppose I'll see you in the morning then."

"Yeah. Maybe." Alexander waited until he heard the door click shut behind Rosella, turned to make sure she'd actually gone through it, then headed over to the chest at the foot of his bed where he kept the few things he'd brought from Llewdor. Unlatching the clasp, he flipped it open.

It was empty.

Well, not empty; it had been filled with clothes much like the outfit he was now wearing. Princely gear. Were his things underneath it? A servant dumping clothes all over his ingredients and spells was an inconvenience, but one he could live with easily enough.

Every single outfit was strewn around him on the floor before Alexander realized the truth: all his magic ingredients and spells he'd brought with him were gone.

Gone and destroyed. Or sold. He hoped it was the latter; someone might as well get some good out of his hard work. Thank god he'd had the sense to keep the wand on him, otherwise he'd have lost that too, but that was secondary. Uppermost in his mind was the thought of someone coming into his room when he was out and rummaging around through his things, poking their noses inâ€"Alexander yanked the raging emotions back under control and closed his eyes, imagining himself wrapped in ice until he was outwardly as calm as ever, although it was some time before he trusted himself to move. When he did, he picked up the clothes, folded them neatly and replaced them in the chest. No point making extra work for the servants. It wasn't their fault his things had been taken, or if it was, then Alexander was sure they'd only been obeying orders.

He picked up a chair, carried it over to his bedroom door and wedged it under the handle. It wouldn't keep people out for long, but it would give him some warning if anyone decided to come in.

That done, he went over to the closet and opened it. It had taken him a lot of patient maneuvering but at last he'd been able to pry up the bottom, providing him with a small hiding place. He knew the royals would be aware of his under-the-bed stash; that was nothing more than a decoy.

He lifted out a piece of bread that had been wrapped in oilcloth to keep it fresh and a slab of mutton that was as thick as the bread itself, put the mutton on the bread and proceeded to enjoy his daily meal. Luckily the cook didn't ask questions and, so long as Alexander kept his requests fairly simple, was happy to oblige.

Hunger satisfied, Alexander lay down on his bed and picked up the book he'd been reading from his nightstand, settling in for some good reading. The book in question â€" A Concise Description of Ruling Families in the Eastern Three â€" was one Valanice had insisted he read, all about the ruling families in the Eastern Three, that group of continents several days' sail from Daventry. Although Alexander hadn't been impressed by the plain cover or the fact that the book was some six inches thick and only readable if he lay on his stomach, it was very well written for such a dry subject, citing interviews with people who had met the families or worked for them, personal anecdotes and memoirs, making for a surprisingly good read.

He didn't know how long he lay there absorbed in tales of places like Aruatoll and Al-Muradhi, only that he was rudely interrupted by the sound of someone attempting to open his bedroom door.

"Alexander?" Graham's voice came from outside. "Open the door."

For a moment Alexander was tempted to ignore him, then he pushed himself to his feet with a sigh. It was getting a bit too dark to read easily and he'd have to light the lamp. He might as well open the door at the same time. Agree with everything Graham said and he'd be left alone again.

He pulled the door away and opened the door. Graham was standing outside but made no move to come in.

"Why didn't you come to dinner?" he asked.

The few hours of reading had calmed Alexander to the point where he didn't have to fight to keep his voice neutral as he replied, "I wasn't hungry, Your Majesty."

Graham winced as though the last two words were physically painful. "You weren't at breakfast or lunch either."

"I wasn't aware anyone particularly required my presence, Sire. Had I known, I would have remained here instead of going out."

Graham took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out slowly.

"Alexander, come with me. We need to talk."

[close]

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