Table Talk

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 85859

The Queen said, "My belief is that the spell works on those that can hear it. I would not want someone who was not expecting it to end up thousands of miles from here, especially as you have told us that your fellow Gliders are scared of human beings. But I do not have trouble with the idea of you saying it in a barn outside the town, to see if you cannot get back home quickly."

Checkers replied, "That is probably wise. I know Astra will be disappointed, as she wanted a more satisfying adventure than what she received down in the caves, but I could give her a map to the League and she might be satisfied with the journey."

The Prince Consort said, "We will see. Perhaps another one of our spirited youth might be allowed to take a risk and listen to your speech. I just do not think that it should be someone like Princess Astra or Lord Fred - whom, we hope shall soon be Prince Fred, once the Duke of Suffex is able to make the required arrangements."

"Is there any danger of the Duke not giving his consent?"

The Queen smiled and replied, "Heavens, no. The Allarian ambassador also thinks it an advantageous match, and with Minestus now gone, and with the pass now open to trade, such a match has political as well as personal advantages for both sides. The heir apparent of the duchy will now be Fred's younger brother. Things become less complicated that way - we have no desire to acquire Suffex, and it is out of the question that the Princess assume a passive role in a duchy north of the Shreken, even if it is an important one. However, both Fred's father and the King of Allaria wish to travel to attend the Royal Wedding, and arrangements are being made even as we speak. A wedding between a princess of the Royal House of Aqualaria and a noble of a major kingdom of the Havnheim is unprecedented, and the ceremony shall be as well."

The Prince Consort said, "Dear, have you heard about the other monarchs that wish to send representatives?"

"Outside the Ryngaerd, you mean? As the mistress of the Ryngaerd, it is up to us to pick and choose the nobility whose dignity is appropriate to such a ceremony."

"Yes, outside the Ryngaerd. I know that far-off Gala wishes to send a party led by a prince, and that Grand Duke of Petrona wishes to come as well. With a gift appropriate to the dignity of the wedding, his representative tells me."

The Queen said, "Gala will not be a problem. Their nation is at the level of the most civilised of the Ryngaerd nomads, and they would be coming from such a great distance that it would bring credit upon us. Petrona - we will have to talk about that one. It seems like the Grand Duke is sending a message to Hespan. While I would certainly welcome a friend in that quarter of the world, I do not want to be seen as writing any cheques that we cannot cash. We are perhaps boring Checkers with the petty politics of the wedding day. And perhaps we should be more discreet, although I trust that she will not talk about these matters."

Checkers said, "Of course, what is said here will not be repeated. I am just a little Glider from Electric Pass, and most of this is going over my head anyway."

The Queen replied, "Checkers, you are naive in some ways, but one does not best Minestus and survive a journey like you did by ignoring things. You have seen the world beyond the bounds of your League. And you have been very busy writing an account of your journey, finishing that even before finishing the translation of the Dolomite parts of the Great Tome. I suspect that it is not from a wish to glorify yourself. I think that you do it because you are not only one of those uncommon souls who looks beyond the end of the day, but also one of those truly rare souls that looks beyond the end of her own life - someone who works toward ends that she knows that she will not be alive to see. No false modesty, Checkers. Am I right?"

"Your grace, you are right, in many ways. I do write for the future. But I also write for my people of the present, who are absolutely unaware of what lies beyond the Four Buroughs, and of a true understanding of human character. My people see humanity crudely, as being nothing but powerful monsters, when each of the nations is more complicated than that. If we are to survive, we need to get beyond our fearful picture, so that we can deal with them and ensure our survival."

"I would like to read those accounts myself, for I have become curious about the lands beyond Aqualaria. And as the guardian of my people, I also need to know of any dangers or opportunties so that I can prepare for them. Just as I expect you are doing for your people."

"You do have a copy of my accounts. But it might help if I wrote a little about our own land. Otherwise some of what I write might not be understood by you."

The Prince Consort said, "That would be very interesting to us. I have an interest in botany and agriculture, the mother of civilisation. What sort of farming do you do?"

Checkers replied, "We do not farm. That would require breaking the soil, and do not have animals strong enough to plow. Nor can we make the type of iron plowshares that you humans can. And the grasses that you eat are poor in nourishment for us."

The Queen said, "I had noticed that you hardly touch bread. Now I can see why. So - you do have meat, fruit, and vegetables. I see you eating that gladly. What do eat at home?"

"Pork, when we can get it. We do not have cattle, although I will confess that I have acquired a taste for them. Cats, birds, rabbit, raccoon, and squirrel are some of the other animals that are good."

The Prince Consort raised his eyebrows. "Cats?"

Checkers replied, "The wild scattercat is a little smaller than your bobcat, and we don't have mice. So we do not keep them as pets, as some of your people do."

The Queen said, "What is a raccoon?"

"It is a little animal about the size of one of your small dogs, that looks a little like a bear. We do not hunt bears. They are too powerful, and are best avoided."

"What sort of food do you eat there that is similar to ours?"

"The apple is about the same - even the same size. We also have acorns from oaks, although it appears to me that you do not take advantage of them. Almonds, of course - although your almonds are a bit weak as far as taste goes. We also have sunflower seeds and walnuts - but we do not have your pecans or peanuts, which are excellent. We also have pine nuts and beech nuts up in the higher parts of the League."

The Prince Consort said, "Do you have peaches?"

"Not nearly as large as yours! Ours are about this big," she cupped her index finger and thumb into a circle about the size of a cherry.

"So is there anything that we would find unusual?"

"Tinflower, surely. It is the one thing that I have only seen grown in the Dolomite range."

The Prince Consort said, "What is tinflower? What does it look like?"

"It looks like a grayish-green, stringy sort of grass. It sort of smells like a cross between vanilla and caraway. It is most useful in preserving meat. During the winter the meat that you eat is either very dry or very salty. Tinflowered meat is going to taste like tinflower, but it is at least tender and juicy."

The Prince Consort said, "We will have to send a cook to get some of this tinflower."

The Queen said, "Do you have dogs? Horses?"

Checkers replied, "Oh, yes. We do keep dogs as pets, just like you do. Our two most common types are closest to what you would call a bloodhound and a terrier. We call the first "boarhounds" because we sometimes use them to hunt pigs. The terriers are also used to hunt smaller animals. As for horses, we do not have the huge beasts that you do. We have little Dolomite donkeys, which are actually wonderful little animals. They do not go as fast as horses, but they are very reliable, and can go off a trail when needed."

The Queen then said, "So you don't farm at all? How do you get enough food to last you through a winter? And can you keep any cities going? Without farming, we would constantly be hunting, or at least herding animals, and we would be like the nomadic tribes of the Ryngaerd."

Checkers replied, "I guess we do farm after a fashion. Most of what we eat grows on trees or bushes, and we do make sure that seeds are scattered, and have rules in place, so that Gliders don't use nut trees for firewood, say. And yes, we do have tools to cut down trees. They are different than your axes - it requires two Gliders to use the tool, and some coordination, but we can do it."

After spending some time talking about the various tools that the Gliders used to overcome the fact that their arms were adapted to flight, and the limitations that still persisted and how it influenced things like their architecture, they came to the subject of politics.

Checkers said, "There are fourteen large market towns, with the status of boroughs. These towns are where the Gliders of the smaller, outlying towns flock to for ceremonial events, fairs, and courts of law. There is a sort of Glider heartland of ten market towns on the Dolomite Plateau. Most of these are actually in meadows, and not on the mountains themselves. To the west are two border towns that lay in forested valleys - White River and Blueberry Patch - which are our border with the humans of the Four Boroughs - these Boroughs being human of course. Catfish Lake is the market town of the wild lands to the North. There are lots of lakes and ponds, and a number of volcanoes in a range farther north, and on the other side is a waste where few Gliders live. To the east there is a market town of Wagon Wheel Gap, which oversees a vast forest to the east, thinly populated by Gliders.

Most decisions are made by what you would translate as "elders." They are generally fifty years of age or older. There is a council, called the "House of Elders", in each market town that will come together to make decisions about things. These market towns - borough towns - also send a Glider to meet with the Gliders from other market towns in a council at Celestial Mountain, in the Dolomite heartland. This Council is called the House of Burgesses. The Burgesses do two things. The first is to work with all the borough towns to make sure that any threat from the humans is prepared for. The second is to work on certain projects that are good, but too much for one borough to handle.

The Queen said, "So do you have a monarch, or a leader?"

Checkers said, "Not officially, although the word of the Burgess of Celestial Mountain carries a lot of weight. Celestial Mountain is unique amongst the market towns. In all towns, young Gliders are given a series of examinations. Those that pass are sent before a set of wise men and women. If one of the wise men or women thinks that an applicatant is promising, they claim the applicant as an apprentice. The lucky applicants are trained in the arts and philosophy - similar to your 'Curriculum of the Liberal Arts'. Celestial Mountain is the city where these apprentice hopefuls go."

The Prince Consort said, "I am surprised that they did not pick you to go. You seem to be more of a scholar than warrior."

"If I had only been a better hunter, I might not be here now. Getting a boar is an activity that requires that each Glider know his or her role, and perform it perfectly. I blundered one time too many, apparently, and was sent to kill Minestus to prove myself. Although I sometimes wonder if there was not more to it than that."

The Queen said, "How so?"

Checkers said, "Your Grace, at the time I did not understand, but I have some sort of ability that is hard to define. For lack of a better term, you can call it supernatural, although I do not feel very powerful. I think that someone suspected that I might have it, and wanted to get me away from the League."

The Queen said, "Someone jealous?"

Checkers said, "More likely fearful. I noticed this among humans, too. Magic users are either exalted or feared. In our case, there is fear - a magic user upsets things, and elders do not like things to be upset. But they also think of a claim to supernatural ability as being a sign of defective character - being anglideri. The word is difficult to translate, but 'un-Glider-worthy' would give you some sense. It also has some hint of 'vulgar' and 'unnatural,' too. But I do not wish to talk about such things before Your Grace."

The Queen said,

  1. "Let us come out into the gardens, and continue this conversation."
  2. "I am glad that you are speaking freely. You have stayed well within what is proper. We shall have to continue this conversation later. I shall have more questions after I have read the account of your journey."

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