First visit to a Dungeon Cell

By Scipio Aurelius Florimel, as told to Paul Justin Weimer

"So there I was, in the dungeon for Vialle's murder. In Corwin's old
cell, no less! Not the first time I had ever been in a dungeon cell."
Scipio paused to light his cigar and take a sip of cognac. The interviewer
coughed, and then with a perplexed look, asked: "Excuse me, but you don't
seem the type to wind up in jail very often." Scipio puffed, then replied.
"Well, sometimes things just don't turn out the way you plan. As an aside,
let me tell you about the FIRST time I was incarcerated. Unicorn knows I
replayed it in my mind while I rotted in that filthy cell"
It was a couple of months after Grandfather Oberon had disappeared for the last time. This would be about a year or so before Corwin showed up.
The party had gone on too long the night before. I was wrung out to dry. It
wasn't on Mom's social calendar--believe me, she invented the daybook long
before you Earthers dreamt it up. Still, everyone needed some tension
relief. A masque was just the ticket. She even tried to set up Prince Eric
with Queen Moiré of Rebma! Anyway, I had only lately arrived back in Amber. After finally beating my horrible depression, I had been touring the Golden Circle kingdoms on behalf of the crown--I was
sort of a junior ambassador at the time, not like today. I had already served
as assistants to various ambassadors, but never on my own in any capacity. Grandfather thought it would be good experience, and thought I might have some value
serving the crown.
My tour, however, was now over, and now I was adrift. Really, the
situation in Amber was like...if your President disappeared, and no one
replaced him, but things just kept going. There was no one for me to report
to, really, for any new assignments, and I was far too junior to initiate
anything on my own. So, I was a little depressed. So, I was surprised the
morning after the masque, to receive a note from Eric to see him in the
Throne Room. So, I went. My mother had always gotten along with him, and I
had liked Eric--he taught me fencing, you know. Corwin disappeared before I was born, so I never saw him until he and Bleys showed up with an army.
I entered the Throne Room to find
my uncle studying Oberon's Throne. He turned to me, smiling and we exchanged
some pleasantries. Then, he queried me about what I had done for Oberon lately and expressed his sympathies that my rebound relationship with Mora the Weir hadn't lasted longer. He suddenly placed both of his marvelously strong hands on
the back of the throne.

"Scipio, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to sit in this chair
now that Dad has seemed to forsake Amber completely. Still, I would not want
to sit on the throne if it was not worth it. There are those who would do
anything to seat themselves here, but they wouldn't help keep it strong in
the meantime." I wasn't tired of his generalities that is they way many of
us Amberites speak. It's a form of caution, and I am a born politician anyway. He continued: "In fact, I
believe some of my relations would deliberately weaken Amber in order to
conquer it. I am not willing to do that. Amber must be made strong, and if
that means I can't be King right now...so be it. But I won't let Amber die
waiting for a chance to rule."
" Remember Scipio, what does not grow will soon die. Amber must grow,
too. And that's why I summoned you here. Several days ago, a mysterious
sorcerer appeared in Shadow Kashfa. He had apparently arrived in that shadow
in the service of a more distant shadow, looking for allies and trade.
Kashfa, of course, referred the matter to us. So, wee need someone to visit
this sorcerer's world and see if it merits inclusion in the Golden Circle. I
don't want to offend them, so I'd rather send a family member. That is
where you come in. Considering what you were doing for Oberon, and from what Gerard tells me, you do seem
to care for Amber's well being. I think you're perfect for the job. What
say you?"
Naturally, I was deliriously happy. A chance to make a real impact and to
help Amber. Not just as an aide to an ambassador. I could do something on my own, finally. I jumped at the chance. I proceeded to gather some gear, loaded
my horse, and armed with a description of the city of Canberra, I set out to
visit this unknown world. The trip there was relatively dull--Kashfa has been out
trading partner for generations, and it is quite a peaceful realm. Still, I spent a couple of nights in Jidrash, looking up an ex of mine. I had a lot of catching up to do after what happened to Delphina..." Scipio stops a second, almost with a tear in his eye. He takes a sip of cognac and pauses a moment before continuing.
"Soon, I
shadow shifted into this new world. I gazed upon a beautiful silver city
perched on a mountainside. The sun was a shade more orange, too. Still, it
looked peaceful enough. Thankfully, their speech was close enough to Thari
so that I could get directions to the Royal Palace. The Canberrans were a
short people, mostly with blond hair and skin with a slight red cast.. I soon found myself in the audience of His Royal Highness
Xavier III.
Xavier was a tall man for his people, which meant he was about my height.
His throne room had some similarities to our own, from liveried nobles at
attention to banner from various worlds hanging on the walls. However, the
Throne itself, which resembled a large bird, perhaps a falcon or other bird
of prey, was quite different from the standard Amberite royal chair. I
bowed to him as he rose to greet me.
"So, you are Prince Scipio. Welcome to my kingdom. Tell me, how do you
travel beyond the world of Kashfa to your world? Our broken spiral does
not allow us further travel in that direction." I was a little out of my
depth, but I gathered he was talking about a pattern, not The Pattern.
Really, while Amber has the real Patterns, there are flawed versions out in
shadow, and they work similarly. I had never visited one, though. My experience with magic was very limited back then, not like today. For years I had been afraid of it after Aunt Fiona played a trick on me...anyway, I was a
bit naive, so I told him that our Pattern had no flaw. He seemed very
interested in this admission, and so he dispatched some servants to ready my
room. He then invited me to dine with him and his courtiers.
Dinner was excellent that night, a part I focused on while recalling this
story while trapped in Corwin's Cell. Innumerable courses, attractive
servants, amusing and exciting tales of heroines won and villains vanquished.
I had a good time. After it wound down, I decided to turn into my quarters.
I got the surprise of my life when I opened the door. One of the servants at
the dinner, Lyneete, her name was, was lounging on the bed, half-dressed with
a come-hither look in her eyes. Naturally, I decided to do what came
naturally--no need to offend my hosts. Oddly, while in my arms, she started
asking me about Amber, and specifically, our Pattern. I started to get
suspicious and upset, but I kept calm. I deflected her questions and fell
fast asleep.
My second surprise came when I woke up in a cell adjoining a large
guardroom. Several liveried men were playing cards and feigning keeping an
eye on me. I could tell they were clearly bored. The bed had been cleverly
placed in my cell, I suppose so I stay asleep longer. It also cut down on the
open space in the cell. A person I remembered from dinner as an advisor to
King Xavier viewed me from the other side of the bars. He addressed me.
"His Highness is very interested in your superior ability to travel the
worlds. You are to be our guest until you tell us all about how we can tap
into this power ourselves. Breakfast is served." A dish of something
resembling grits was given to me via a small slot. My equipment, including
my Trump deck, were in plain sight on the other side of the guardroom. I
looked at the size of the cell, and decided I couldn't move far enough to
start a shadow shift. I needed to get my Trump deck. Fortunately, I had
included the regular cards along with the real Trumps in the deck, so that I
could play solitaire if the mood struck me. This gave me an idea.
I decided to wait a day or two, hoping Eric or Mom would call me. That
would have been the easy solution, but it didn't pan out. I guess they
really counted on me instead of checking up on me frequently. I slowly
ingratiated myself to the guards--Hanno, Kleon, Freedy, and Gus. The game
they played was very similar to poker. So, after a hand, I think Gus won, I
piped up. "You know, this is nice, but in Amber we play a man's game."
Hanno, the burly one feel for it. "Oh, yeah. show us how to play. Anything
that has rules, we can learn." He opened up the food slot and they moved the
table. He was about to give me the deck when I told him the game could only
be played with my deck. Obligingly, they retrieved my deck and gave it to
me.
"As you can see," as I panned through the deck," the number cards are the
same. It's the face cards", and I pulled out a picture of Mom, "That are
different. They affect the game in special ways. The name of the game is
Princes and Princesses, and it's very much like poker." I shuffled the
deck. "The cards are dealt one at a time, every other card face down. After
each face down deal, bets are placed after the special rules for the face
cards are done." I dealt a card to each of us. All number cards. "O.K. No
one has a face card, so we start the second deal. This would normally be
face down, but I want to show you what happens if you get a face card." I
dealt a 9 of pentacles to myself, and then dealt the Trump of Benedict to
Hanno. "O.K. Hanno, you got the Benedict. This means, if you had a pair of
threes, they would be a pair of fours. If you had three sevens, you'd really
have three eights. Great card but too bad you only have a 2 of swords.
Maybe you'll get another two..." I continued the deal, and only number cards
came out. I explained that now, we would bet, starting with the person to
the left of the dealer, except on Monday. I really was snowing them.. I
continued in this fashion, assigning weird and unusual powers to the Trumps.
I explained away their coldness as protection against marked cards, and we
actually played a few hands of my made-up game. I made sure I lost, so that
when I asked to keep the deck in my cell to play solitaire, they thought I
was such a nice guy they agreed. I had to hide it on occasion, when a
servant of the King came by to see if I cracked and was ready to tell all.
"That night, however, with Gus alone and snoring, I contacted Eric. I
explained the situation and asked to be pulled out of there. "Eric shook his
head, and smiled. "They have imprisoned a loyal Prince of Amber, Scipio. I
have a much better idea. Tell them you want to talk about the Pattern, but
only to the King and in his Throne Room tomorrow at noon. I want to spring
a little surprise on that tinpot excuse for a noble." He explained his plan.
I thought it was brilliant, and going to be quite surprising to Xavier.
The next morning, the advisor stopped by, and I explained my desires.
After sending Hanno to check with the King to obtain his approval, I
eventually found myself led back to that Throne Room. As I stood before King
Xavier, I felt the reassuring mind touch of a Trump contact. Quickly, before
anyone could react, a trump gate allowed a couple of dozen Amberite guardsmen
through, plus a very angry Julian and Gerard. The guard captain threw me a sword, and we
quickly subdued Xavier and the rest of the castle in short order. Eric then
Trumped in on Julian's Trump to confront my jailer. He spat at him, and
forbade him ever to contact Amber or it's neighbors again. To prove his
point, he had Gerard chuck him from a low window into a pig slop. We also
took the Throne as spoils.
Several days later, back in Amber, I once again got a note from Eric. A
little more fearful this time, and not knowing what to expect, I strode into
the Throne Room again to meet a smiling Eric holding a scroll and a case.
Eric spoke, as when I was but a boy. "Nephew, despite being jailed, you
handled yourself pretty well. I think you are perfect for the job." Eric
paused. "If you want it, of course. What say you?" I wasn't sure what he
had in mind, and said so. He opened up the scroll, and read. "On this day,
by the power vested in me as a Prince of the Realm, and in the name of the
monarch of Amber, I hereby grant the position of Ambassador for Amber to
Prince Scipio Aurelius Flaumel, son of Flora." I was choked with emotion. I readily agreed
and thanked him. He then handed me the case and instructed me to open it. A
gleaming curved sword shone from the black velvet lining. "A proper
Ambassador, young Scipio", Eric said, "should be able to defend oneself. As your little adventure shows, you
never know what trouble you will find--or will find you. Arc is a good
sword. Treat it well, and it will treat you well. Congratulations, nephew.
You've earned this. " I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see most
of the royal family--Mom, Kaitlyn, Julian, Caine, Gerard, Fiona, Bleys, LLewella and even Deirdre and Marianne, smiling and clapping. I felt happy, loved, and I felt
that I had a purpose in life.
Scipio took a long draught of cognac. "Now that I've told you the story of
my first trip to a jail cell, let me get back to the tale of the time I was
in Corwin's cell. So there I was, in the darkness, going crazy, when
suddenly..."

The End