"Visiting is a pleasure; being visited is usually a mixed or ambivalent joy… The visitor can always go home; the visitee is already home, trapped like a rat in a drainpipe.”
Barbara Holland
We had visitors. I was sitting outside for my afternoon Yoga session with my Grandfather when the Lady arrived. Grandfather was the first to notice, whether this was because he wasn’t trying as hard as I was to maintain his balance upside down on his head or simply because of some hidden skill he had yet to divulge I didn’t know. That or the fact that Des and Sinis were sailing back to the eastern side of the island after obviously just passing on a message I had clearly missed.
“Callen, we have guests.” He ended our sessions with a few short words as he came to his feet and picked me up by mine without letting them hit the floor or for me to stand the right way up before moving off. A throw later, I was the right way up and he was moving far swifter than usual to our home.
I would hesitate to say he burst through the door but we did enter at speed startling Mother and Aleera who were weaving and Father who was preparing dinner.
“Nobel,” was all that he said as he passed through our home into the tunnels within the mountain. Mother, Father and Aleera followed in his wake at their respective speeds. Nobody was flat-out running but they were all moving at the fastest speed that they could without leaving them breathless at the end of the journey.
The tunnels flew by quickly as our family stretched out along the tunnel dependent on their speed. Each one carrying their own light. My own most recent contribution to our family was a liquid lantern. Like most of my solutions, I had managed to create it more by accident than by design. I had managed to discover some form of glowing plankton-like organism called mana motes, that had gradually been attracted to the increased levels of mana found within our cave and the pearls that we were growing in it. They appeared to like the higher levels of mana and glowed brighter the more mana they received. We now collected it filling bottles with the stuff which glowed on its own. But with a burst of mana would glow even brighter lighting up our journey through the tunnels.
I didn’t really need the light to see my way but I was not in charge of the feet carrying me along still being carried by Grandfather. Still, our lantern was the brightest as I fed it an excessive amount of mana to the mana motes within the bottle.
The next brightest lantern was my mothers in the middle of the pack fathers physical attributes outstripping hers kept him in between her and us. His lantern had a feeble glow that barely lit his way, unable as he was to independently apply any more mana to it. Aleera was at the back of the pack but her lantern was bright enough for her to have no difficulty following our course through the tunnels with or without us.
We soon passed through the centre chamber of the mountain. Our gradually growing spiral tower was climbing its way up through the core to the hidden garden above in the cauldron garden of paradise. Another architectural wonder in progress.
The tunnel grew straighter as we exited the other side of the chamber we had drilled straight through to the eastern side of the mountain where we had made our entrance to our mountain palace.
Quicker than we probably realised we arrived at the rear of the chamber hall. I looked over the square tiling I had created covering the floor of the hall. I had spent so long adding the physical form of sound to the square stones that now covered our entrance hall. We had taken it in stages keeping the large hall perfect in each stage. Our classically Greek Parthenon-style entrance led into a large hall which was hewn from the mountain itself and did not technically need the carved columns that decorated its sides. Although we had played it safe with our ceiling arching up above our heads in a dome that should in theory support itself on top of the walls we had left.
Finally, having arrived we began the second stage of our preparations to meet who we hoped was merely Aleera’s new tutor, not another new surprise guest, especially if they were noble. As was suspected by Grandfather.
First, as modestly as possible we stripped and stepped into the outfits that had been laid out in a side chamber at the back of the hall.
It had been decided that we would not be using the clothes Grandfather had pulled out of one of his trunks as they were probably a couple of decades out of fashion and although they were the best we had on hand they would give away the fact that our old Silver Wood family was originally from the North-Western Kingdom of Maestro rather than our current residence in the western Kingdom of Ponente.
So instead we were using our purple-dyed cloth for the togas that mother had made for us. We were going for simplicity of style in terms of our clothing. But all of us were adorned with the pearls that had afforded us our current status. Aleera and my mother both had necklaces of them on top of their earrings and hair ornaments. Grandfather and Father had a single ear piercing with pearl studs filling them. They also had availed themselves of some of the simpler rings that were hidden in the chest that would hopefully not reveal any of our hidden histories.
We were primped and primed standing in light falling through a light tunnel that lit us standing at the end of what essentially looked like a throne room. It was all in time for the arrival of what appeared to be a lady accompanied by both Mercurio, Cadmus and Grandpa Smit. They paused at the entrance to our homemade Parthenon before striding across the Chladni-style squares that I had formed to ensoul song into stone.
She paused as she approached to contemplate the five of us before she began to speak. “I am Lady Acacia, and have been asked by the Prince of Ponente’s Seneschal to tutor your two children for their debut into noble society.”
“Welcome to our humble home Lady Acacia,” Mother replied. It had been decided that she would be the voice for our family in meeting any other travelling families. “I hope our provincial pleasures are not too parochial for a lady from the centre of the kingdom.”
“I am suitably impressed by your entrance hall this will be perfectly suited for dance practice Although I would recommend a set of mirrors to be installed to ensure that you can continue to improve with or without my corrections and instruction. Or even my presence should I find myself otherwise occupied. Mercurio Cadmus, I can describe to you the mirrors that we will require purchased and to be delivered on your next visit to the capital.” She deigned to answer in detail.
“We are glad to hear that it meets your approval. Would you like to rest after your long journey?” Mother asked.
“That is very kind of you. But I would like to get started as soon as possible with tutoring your daughter towards her debut.” She answered. “Perhaps she could show me towards my room?” she asked.
“Before she starts her training we were hoping to hear from you what exactly such tutoring might include.” Mother returned her own question delivering it as a statement, a requirement for moving forward rather than a request.
She paused perhaps taken aback by the protective nature of our mother who was not afraid to stand up to this new noble, “Certainly, as a new noble, a young lady of the Silver Sea family I will be teaching her how to do every basic art a Lady is expected to be able to do; read through learning works of literature by heart, write and practice her calligraphy through creating poems, calculate through the managing of a households accounts, draw through sketching and mapping the local landscapes and architecture, paint through self-portraits and watercolours of the sea.”
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She drew a breath before continuing a long list of lessons my sister was going to have to learn. “Once she has made sufficient progress on the basic aspects of her mind we will work on . . .” She tilted her head taking a glance at each of us in turn starting with Grandfather and descending in age to me. “the minor magics that all nobles have learned before attending court. From what I can sense of your family I will provide my basic magic lessons to all who appear to have unlocked the stat. I am surprised that your family have not already been forcibly apprenticed but I suppose you have the distance to the mainland to account for that. We truly are at the edge of the compass out here.”
“We might surprise you with some of our knowledge.” Grandfather gruffly interrupted.
But she wasn’t about to be dissuaded from the dialogue of her monologue, “I sincerely hope so. Alongside moulding our young Lady Aleera’s mind we will also have to work on her body. Starting with her body’s poise and decorum through dancing the set pieces one for each of the cardinal and ordinal compass kingdoms as well as covering manners for each along with their individual etiquette along with a basic understanding of each lingua franca and their proper elocution. After the above, we will also have to learn the ‘Code of Chivalry and Courtly Love’ for the Kingdom of Ponente as well as have to find either an instrument or have her excel in singing. Then we can move on to the physical conditioning she will require to meet her peers on the dance floor or defend her honour in the duelling arena. Children can be cruel and she will need the skills to defend herself. I am assuming that she at least has her sewing, weaving, and embroidering skills as I have been told you are both a songstress and seamstress. Which will hopefully leave us some time to look at her riding and hunting skills with knife, bow, horse and hawk. Should we complete all of the training mentioned for her mind and body we might have time to contemplate cultivating Aleera’s soul but I doubt we will be able to achieve all of the above even with the best will in the world. It appears that you have already turned 10 so I . . . we will be working at a serious disadvantage in attempting to complete all this in significantly less time than most would be given.”
Aleera had looked fairly defensive at the initial critique of her possible failings but by the end of her diatribe listing the multitude of sets of subjects that she would have to cover in the next decade she looked a little shocked by the unrelenting litany of lessons she would have to learn. I reached up to squeeze her hand. I knew she could do it, I knew she could already do half of what she was outlining as the bare minimum of requirements. Emboldened by my support she strengthened her spine and faced her new tutor without fear.
“I will endeavour to learn all the lessons you aim to teach without fail, Lady Acacia.” She answered for herself. Proud of her own achievements though she had not been given the opportunity to reveal them.
“Well said, Aleera. I cannot abide those who will not stand up to life’s adversity no matter what form in which it arrives.” Lady Acacia nodded.
“And for our son?” Father asked.
“The same as his sister but we will have an extra ten years to complete them. He looks very strong for someone so young. The lessons will be much the same,” She paused, “Well less some of the skills of the gentler sex such as the sewing, weaving and embroidery but adding in a few manly weapon skills,” she smiled, “such as the sword, axe, mace, dagger, lance and bow. I have a retainer or two I can call to help with such aspects of his training when he is older should you be able to provide sufficient remuneration. Either way, I will be able to provide his foundation with or without them. Which brings us to an awkward element of our introduction to one another, my remuneration.”
“And how much exactly are you expecting?” Mother interjected. “We were of the understanding that the Prince of Ponente had appointed you to be our children’s tutor. Were your costs not already covered?”
“My trip here has been without cost, Mercurio providing the means and method. The fact my tutelage is a favour owed to the Prince is true, but I will still require significant remuneration to actually teach your children all they will need to know. Seeing your wealth within your home an aspect of each every month would be sufficient recompense.”
“An aspect?” Mother asked for further elucidation.
“A tithe or a percentage if you will.” She casually clarified.
“Of what exactly?” asked Aleera.
“Stone flooring, sea salt, deep-sea pearls and interestingly enough from what I see in front of me Caracol Purple it would appear.”
“Stone flooring?” Mother asked affecting surprise to cover her true unease at the speed and ease of the Lady working out that our purple was neither purloined nor paid for but produced ourselves. “Why would you be interested in our flooring?”
“Because it is novel and new. I have never seen it’s like before it could fetch a high price back on the continent should I favour it to my acquaintances. Mercurio could easily enough carry it there and sell it for you.” She revealed.
I was interested in another product to sell but it would not scale particularly well as I was the only one so far to manage the stone singing and it would once more rely on me. Furthermore listening to the long list of lessons we would soon have to take on board I doubted I would have much time to manufacture more than we required for our own home alone. A percentage of nothing was hardly anything to me. More troublesome was the speed at which she had noticed the purple. We had always known that we would be unable to sell the clothing or cloth without a significant increase in the quality of the first. I was still holding out hope to discover the right pest among the insects that we were capturing for my collection but it was yet to be found. One day though.
“A percentage would be acceptable.” Mother demurred.
“I would be asking for more than a single per cent.” She returned. “I know that this island is currently not paying tax to the crown so you clearly have more surplus than a single per cent.”
“We are in renegotiations with the local tradesmen, fishermen and divers daughters. Our turnover is possibly going to be drastically cut into.” Aleera entered the conversation.
“I’m sure you are working your way around such challenges, no?” Lady Acacia raised an eyebrow. “10 per cent should be sufficient along with all costs for daily living are covered by the family.”
“10 per cent that’s ridic . . .” Aleera found her words halted in her throat.
She clearly had begun to exert some pressure or skill on the family. It halted Aleera midflow in her sentence unable to rebut her demand.
Mother too started to speak, “To cont . . .” the pressure rose and my mother’s voice too fell quiet.
“Enough.” Grandfather intervened.
The pressure rose our family bowed under it's weight but Grandfather and I stood tall. Well, he stood tall while I was still being carried upright. But I was still able to look into her eyes to see her surprise when Grandfather refused to fold.
“Lay it off. 10 per cent is too high, let them speak freely.” Grandfather gruffly continued unbowed by the effect she was exerting.
“Interesting,” she tilted her head in acceptance and a second later the pressure vanished. “The true patriarch of the family is revealed. Where did you sharpen your teeth old wolf and what did you dine upon?” she asked intrigued.
“Questions for another time.” He deflected an unconscious decision more than an active one judging by the number of times we had danced around the subject often enough before. He did not like to talk, particularly about his past. “Aleera,” he prompted.
Coming back to herself she stopped her hands from checking her throat to see if it still worked, “Two per cent.” She nervously started to use her voice once more.
“Very well,” she responded rolling her eyes at Grandfather. “9 per cent of the products stated earlier in products or profits.”
Still almost untrusting that she would be allowed to counter, she responded “3 per cent of my profits for my tuition.”
Frowning she watched her remuneration diminish before countering with “8 per cent of total profits or total products.”
Gaining confidence, her voice rose, “4 per cent of mine and Callen’s profits in the manner requested.”
Repeating her demand in a tone as hard as stone signifying that this was as low as she was willing to go she reiterated “7 per cent of total profits in product or currency.” A slow pressure began to build up possibly almost subconsciously she was exerting her area of effect.
This time though despite the pressure Aleera refused to be cowed once more. “5 per cent of our total profit and that is our final offer. Take it or leave it and return to the capital.”
The pressure increased but Aleera remained unbowed and silent in the face of it. Before Grandfather once more stepped in to mitigate the pressure with a single word, “Enough.”
“Very well, 5 per cent of total profits in a manner of my choosing.” She responded to Aleera. Before turning to face Grandfather. “But I expect the difference to be paid in stories, old wolfhound.”
Relieved that she had maintained her composure through the pressured negotiations Aleera slumped somewhat now that the pressure had lessened.
“Don’t let yourself slip now girl. Stand up straight.” She nodded in praise before correcting Aleera’s posture. “Now where am I staying exactly?” she asked.