"You'd be surprised by how effective that is, not that I've tried it... yet," Crow smirked in response.  Without looking back at the general, the young prisoner walked on to approach the Empress.  While they were still near the door, he replied with a low voice, "Aye... to the Empress, I'll show respect."

As the youngster made his way, he took in the sight of the Great Hall before him.  His eyes wandered toward the tapestries and statues along the walls.  They continued wandering about the hall, though he kept his head from moving too much.  Several escape plans ran through his head; some plausible while others were downright dangerous... but fun to try.  He decided not to try anything for today and instead enjoy his meeting with the Empress, even if it was as a prisoner.

Once he was before the Empress, he got on his knee and bowed his head.  He did... whatever he was supposed to do in the presence of royalty.

"Your Most Exalted Highness. This girl was caught communicating with a known spy. The spy was captured and executed, by Your order, as You know. This worthless slave is here now for her punishment."

He bowed, then shoved the girl to the floor in front of the steps leading to the dias.

She looked down at the girl with great sorrow upon her face then spoke.

"Tamara. I am sadly disappointed with you. You had the most sought after position a slave can aspire to, and you allowed a pretty face to turn your head, to lead you into betrayal of your Empress. I should have you executed, but I won't. Instead, much as it sorrows me to pronounce your sentence, this is what you will recieve."
"In as much as you allowed a comely male to turn your head, I declare that you will be blinded so you can no longer see. In as much as you desired male companionship over loyalty to your Rightful Empress, I send you to be the pleasure girl for the lowest barracks, with the understanding that they can do nothing to cause you greivious bodily harm. There you will spend the rest of your life. In as much as you spoke things to this spy to betray your Rightful Empress, I condemn you to have your tongue cut out, so that you may never speak to anyone again. This I so Order, So Shall It Be."

She waved the girl and her guards away and sat back down.

Done with the girl before them, Raynald stepped forward, pushing Crow down into an even deeper bow.
"On your knees, worm," he muttered to Crow, while he gave a deep bow.
"Empress, I believe I have found a very suitable gift for your sister the Sultaness. This young man was found within the territories of Arn. When asked his profession, he was able to give none. Thus, we have brought him here, and believe he would be a suitable gift for the Sultaness."

She stared down at the young man, barely old enough to be called a man.

"What do you have to say for yourself? You claim you have no job, no talents, no skills? Be careful how you answer, and think well before you do."

She took a sip of something from the gold goblet that sat on the small marble and pewter table beside her throne as she studied the youth. He was barely older than she was, from the looks of him.

"Your Most Exalted Highness.  I claim to have no job because I do not believe myself deserving to claim any profession.  I can claim to be a mercenary because I was one among a team.  However, since their death, none would seek my services believing me too young and inexperienced for the job... and I don't blame them.  That is why I became a wandering traveller.  I wander because I have no direction and I travel to seek the skills to reclaim my former profession.  As for talent... well... everyone has talent.  I've simply yet to find mine," Crow explained.  "I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance and lack of any true qualities.  However, this is who I am and it would be distasteful to claim otherwise.  Perhaps if I could showed you what I have learnt during my travels, you could judge whether or not I truly lack any skills?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:59, Fri 09 Nov 2007.

"When my men approached him, Empress, he neglected to say any such things. He also did not state that he was looking for a job within the borders of our kingdom, nor did he state if he were simply passing through. He had no papers on his person, and no identification."
Raynald cast a disparging glance at Crow. "He is obviously a peasant of the lowest order. I suggest we let the Sultaness have her way with him. He has, apparently, a fine voice...Perhaps it will keep him around her harems a while longer."

"Oh? He can sing? Lets hear him sing something. We shall judge if he is suitable for acting as a bard, recorder and archivist for your trip with the caravan. My Sister should enjoy a singer's talents."

She sat back, waiting for the youth to start singing something.

"If it pleases you, Your Most Exalted Highness, then I shall do my best to sing a song for your enjoyment," Crow replied all the while keeping his head down with his hands on his knees.  With his future at stake, he contemplated on singing his best Arnian song... but chose his favourite one instead.  It was a song in Valkandian.  "The song I'm about to sing is called 'The Guardian Night':"

"The nights may seem cold and lonely,
but they're kinder than they appear.
Look up and see the stars and moon,
and you'll know there's nothing to fear.

Sleep and dream like everyone else,
and you will never be alone.
The sheet of darkness up above,
will protect with a quiet tone.

The nights may seem cold and lonely,
but you'll be safe under their care.
Look up and see the stars and moon,
and smile for they are always there.

When you're lost and without a guide,
you can always count on the stars.
Don't forget where the north star lies,
and you'll find your home when it's far.

The nights may seem cold and lonely,
but they're kinder than they appear.
Look up and see the stars and moon,
and you'll know there's nothing to fear."

Even to those who did not understand the Valkandian language could tell that Crow was no slouch when it came to singing.  He always sounded best when singing his favourite songs.  Of course, he wasn't quite as good as a seasoned and experienced bard... but impressive nonetheless.

She listened quietly, noding slowly. When the young man was done, she sat back up and looked at him.

"Very nicely done. Would you accept the official position of bard, and accompany the caravan as it takes tribute to my sister? You would travel there and back, recording anything interesting that happens along the way that has any importance. How do you answer?"

"Oh geeze..."
Raynald hardly wanted a bard on the trip, and wanted this whelp as their bard even less. If he sang so much as a note, the General swore to himself, he'd cut the boy's tongue out. The boy had already pushed his luck too far in Raynald's book, and singing over ridiculus things, which he no doubt would, would push his lukc over the edge.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!  I will be honoured to take on the official position as bard and accompany the caravan to you sister, the Calipha of Valkandis," Crow placed his hands back on the floor and bowed to the Empress.  His smile grew wider as his forehead touched the ground, then changed back into a simpler smile.  "Though undeserving of such a profession, if Your Most Exalted Highness deems me worthy, then I'll happily accept it."

"I will expect you to learn how to keep accurate notes about your trip. You must record all who you meet, what you see, all that happens that might be important. I want you to go see Brother Galen for instructions on how to do this."
"General, please see to it this man gets to see Brother Galen...under guard of course. See to it he learns how to act as well when he is in court. That is all. Next?"

"As you wish, Highness."
With Crow only moments away from not being under his control any more, Raynald was quite ready to have it done with.
"Come, lad," he said, turning to go. "You need to speak with Brother Galen, apparently."
Once he was in the care of the guards, the boy could rot for all the General cared. He had to organize three hundred infantry and one hundred cavalry still, along with their supplies. This new minstrel was spit in the bucket.

"Come here you."
Pulling Shigure along behind him, Marcus came before the Empress.
"Your Majesty," he said, his soft voice tinted with respect. "I found this girl intruding in my room. Naturally, I come before you now to let you decide her fate. I personally suggest cutting off her hand to discourage further thievery."
Of course, Marcus generally suggested rather harsh punishments. The last time he'd found an intruder in his rooms, he'd recommended having the man's tongue cut out for lying about it. That time he'd gotten his wish...Of course, that had been with the Emperor, Sidi's father.

Shigure frowns and looks back at the man, "What?! I took nothing out of your room! I wasn't going to!" Obviously having no idea on etiquette she retorts without waiting before taking a look around the hall.

Her eyes widen as she recognizes the 'white-haired man', "Hey, I was looking for you. I was going to give you the clothes back but I left them somewhere in the Palace."

"Did you in fact catch her stealing, or was she just in your quarters?"

She watched the man closely, not really liking his looks much, but she was trying to keep an open mind.

"Bow before the Empress!" Marcus hissed at Shigure, pushing her down to her knees, ignoring her words hastily shouted.
Looking back up at the Empress, Marcus bowed again. "I found nothing on her person, Empress. When I found her, however, she was attempting to hide from me, instead of stating what she was doing in the palace with nobody knowing why she was inside. I would hazard a guess that she did not come through the front hall. If she had, she would have found who she was after. I say who, because if she was seeking a what, she was no doubt attempting to take it. Naturally, the guards would not permit that, and so she came in through a window. If she had been looking for somebody, she would have simply come through the enterance."

"....." with a smirk on his face, he silently got to his feet and followed Raynald, quite ready to accept his new role as the bard.  He made a mental note to himself to remember to stock up on ink and paper if he wished to record all the events of the journey to Valkandis.  As he walked toward the door, he passed by Marcus and Shigure.

Turning his head back to get a better look at the man, Crow's smirk vanished and was replaced by a frown.  He immediately turned his head back in front of him before the slave trader could notice.  The youngster wasn't entirely sure why, but... he just got a bad vibe from the older man.

"How did you get into the palace? Were you passed at a gate, or did you somehow sneak in? And why were you in this mans room hiding? Was someone chasing you? What clothes were you bringing to who?"

She leaned forward slightly to study the girl kneeling before her.

Shigure gives Marcus a dark glare as he pushes her to her knees, before looking up incredulously at the girl on the throne. She's younger than me! From the reverence the others were giving the girl she knew it probably wasn't a good idea to voice her opinion, and she wanted to keep both her hands.

She remains on her knees and watches Sidi, "I came back because he," she points to Raynald, "Gave me some clothes today and I wasn't going to wear them so I thought I'd return them." She looks briefly over to Ranald before turning back to Sidi, "Anyway, I thought he would be around the Palace because he was organizing the convoy but I knew the guards wouldn't let me in. I jumped the fence and then climbed in through the kitchen window." She shrugs, as if the lack of security didn't surprise her, "I walked around the Palace and when I heard guards coming I ducked into a room to hide."

"Hmmmmm.You do know it is an insult to give back gifts once you have accepted them don't you? Do you have a job? What are we to do with you? Someone who breaks into the palace is a bad thing."

She tapped her chin with her finger as she thought about the girl's crime.

   A young monk walked soundlessly towards the General and Crow, clad in a simple floor length off white robe and yellow sash. The boy was, perhaps sixteen summers at most, his head shaved clean, with a simple geometric pattern of four blue dots tattooed above his forehead. Placing his palms flat against each other, he bows deeply from the waist, his intense brown eyes cast towards the floor humbly.
   "Forgive me for intruding, but I have heard the Great Empress Sidi's command that this man be taken to see Grand Master Galen?  I am a novice of the Temple of Enduring Truth and would be honoured to accompany this one named Crow to meet my Master, since I am returning now myself. Would this meet with your approval, most worthy General?"

   Seeing the General nod his approval, the monk once again bows respectfully. "Thank you, most worthy General, it is an honour to serve. This humble monk offers a prayer that your journey will be a prosperous and uneventful one."
   Turning to Crow the monk bows once more, though not quiet so deeply. "One named Crow, if you will please to follow me, I am sure Master Galen will be quite interested to meet you."

<To Galen and Sidi>

Shigure looks up at Sidi, unsure if she was supposed to answer the questions. Regardless she ventures some sort of explanation, "No, no job really. I do a few things to get by, if anyone wants help and has money. I don't really like accepting gifts, sure I know he meant well but still..."

She looks a bit worried at how everyone is taking this so seriously, she didn't mean to steal anything, hurt anyone. Just have a look around really