Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 10:09:30 -0000 From: RainiMadden Subject: INT: Return to the Keep Christian passed by Raini and gave her the half-smile he reserved for those whom he *had* to be polite to. That smile sliced right through Raini like a sharp ax through soft wood. He left her standing there in the Throne Room to wait for Kolban. She started to tremble as she picked up and sheathed her rapier. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked around. Her eyes settled on Christian's coat-of-arms as she pondered. How could she have been thrown back so far that he didn't even remember her? He never mentioned a 'Syrilyn' before. Was he engaged before they had met? Her gaze followed the outline of the shield. Had she taken Christian from his rightful destiny and now fate had righted itself? The lion. The gryphon. What was to become of...wait! Raini stepped up to the coat-of-arms. The gryphon was on the bottom. It should have been on the top. She looked around more carefully. It *was* the Throne Room, but small things were missing or different. The platform was slightly larger. She sat on the Throne and put her legs across the arms like she had done so many times while sitting in Christian's lap when no one was around. The arms were too short! The details were missing or wrong! Raini's fear was quickly replaced by her insatiable curiosity. She loved to solve puzzles, to Christian's constant merriment, and this one was a champion-level conundrum. Someone was creating all of this...or, had sent she and Christian into another reality...or, something. Raini decided to play along for a while and see if she could unmask the solution...and the creator. "The Throne is for the Master only," Kolban said from the doorway. "Oh, I'm sorry," Raini said as she jumped up. "I was weary from waiting for you and didn't wish to disturb the rest of the dead around the table." "Follow me," was his only reply as he turned toward the stone stairway. Raini followed him up the spiral stairway to the Shadow Corridor, a hallway that she knew very well in their *real* Keep. She made a mental note that she would have to explore the rooms in this one. Kolban stopped at the first door on the right and opened it. "Your room. Dinner is at 8." He dropped his gaze to look at Raini and added, "Proper attire is in the wardrobe." "Thank you," she said, stepped inside and closed the door in his face. She looked around. It was one of the guest rooms at the Keep all right. Bed, wardrobe, table, chair, mirror. Spare, not comfortable. She opened the wardrobe and frowned. Most of the clothes were men's clothes. There was a black satin gown that she could wear to a ball, but not dinner. A purple velvet dress that *might* work. She flipped through the men's clothes and found a white linen shirt and embroidered vest she could wear along with a dark blue, long skirt. Raini tried everything on and stood in front of the mirror. She sighed, it would have to do. In the adjacent room, on the other side of the mirror, Syrilyn grabbed the collar of a misshapen creature and shouted, "How the hell did *she* get here, Morto?!"