Tales from the Homelands

Things would be simpler if I could just kill the knight and the Glider. But if I did that, then Astra would probably feel that she was no longer bound by her oath, since saving the knight was her reason for making it. Of course, I could use my magic to force her to obey me anyway, but I like the piquancy of the current situation. Besides, having put such effort into saving the man's life, it seems rather a waste to kill him now. I'm also curious to see how he progresses medically over the coming months. There is also information that I should like to gain from Checkers before killing her. She seems to have some unconscious magical ability that I do not understand. Anyway, I have a few days in hand before I need to make a final decision on what their fates should be. I should be able to learn a lot from them in that time. To that end, I suggest that we should all tell of our homelands to help pass the time. Neither the knight nor the Glider seems eager to go first and, since I'd sooner not start myself, I send a mental command to Astra: You go first.

"I'll go first, if no-one objects," Astra said. "The northern two- thirds of my country of Aqualaria is mostly a mixture of grasslands and forests, and the climate is temperate. The southern third is very different, being hot and humid and covered by jungle. The capital, Themyscira, is just inland from the coast, roughly at the mid-point between the northern and southern borders.

My mother, the Queen, in theory has absolute power, but in practice she is guided by a council of ministers. The eldest daughter is heir to the throne. If there is no surviving daughter, then the Queen's sister would be her heir, or if she was already dead then her daughters would be next in line, and so on."

At that point Checkers interrupted with a question: "Are you the eldest daughter, Astra?"

"No, I am the second eldest. So unless something should happen to my sister I shall not become queen. But that is just as well, as I should find the duties irksome. There would be little freedom to have any adventure or excitement. That applies almost as much to my elder sister, the heir to the throne, too. She would never have been allowed to go on a dragon-slaying expedition like I was."

1. Astra continues describing her homeland's society and culture.
2. Checkers wants to hear all about Astra's ill-fated dragon-slaying expedition. "If it wouldn't be too traumatic for you," she adds.
3. Astra suggests that perhaps one of the others would like to take a turn now.

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