It's All a Question of Timing
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 20058
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The negotiations were due to resume at 11am. By that time Fred should have
returned from his early morning hunting expedition, as he might be needed
to run errands. An hour before, at 10am, Astra at last reluctantly came to
a decision: she would have to do as the Allarians wanted. She couldn't
bear to see her people butchered in a bloody war.
At almost the same moment as Astra finally made up her mind, the Allarian courtiers and officials ended their session. Caldor had made the room they had been meeting in too smokey to be pleasant, and in any case they had discussed everything they had needed to. Charles D'Honaire returned to his room to have a brief rest before the negotiations with Queen Astra resumed. He welcomed the opportunity after what had just happened, with that crazy mage appearing and disappearing like a jack-in- the-box. At least the mage hadn't returned after his fourth departure, which was a small mercy. At a little after 10:30, there was a knock at Astra's door. Expecting it to be one of her entourage with some message for her, she opened it. Standing there was a plainly dressed man, whom she would have taken as one of the Allarian servants were he not holding a sword. The man lunged at her. She attempted to dodge the stroke, knowing that she was at a big disadvantage through being unarmed. When indulging in diplomacy, it wasn't the done thing to have a sword - or even a dagger - visible at one's belt. As nearly simultaneously as could be arranged - for if the alarm were to be raised because of one assassination, then carrying out the other would become almost impossible - Charles heard a knock at his door. He opened it, and saw a man dressed like a servant except that he was holding a sword. The man lunged at him.
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JH
7/5/2002 1:49:56 PM
Extending Enabled
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