Well, it was Oberon in the hearse. Dworkin, his father (my great-grandfather!) was not best pleased with, well, everyone of the family who wasn't him from the looks of things. I just kept out of it. Then he went off and wrangling started again.
And two more of us younger Amberites Trumped in - Rune, and Xandra. More of the same generation as I, though older, again, than I. Apparently Rune is to be king of Amber, as he is Eric's son and Eric was the last king. Sounds to me like Corwin is just trying to wriggle out of it, given all the effort he's put into convincing us into accepting Rune. First time I ever heard of anyone doing that! But, so, Rune is not, as yet, giving too much of an impression of leadership. Saying little, showing little in the way of a sense of humour, radiating charisma to the same degree a rock does, really. But he did at suggest that perhaps other forms of government might be better than a king, which was rather unexpected. Perhaps he doesn't really want the job either.
And it looks like he'll be expecting all the family to swear oaths of loyalty to him. I'll just have to disappoint him for now, I suppose, or lie. I've never been to Amber, never even knew of it, and the Amber families existence until a few days ago. And I haven't been impressed enough, so far, to want to go swearing loyalty to it right away without having even been there. Especially as it appears Llewella is Queen of this Rebma place (which from the Trump Random lent me seems to be underwater) now. Does that make me the heir to this place, to and of which I have all the loyalty and knowledge I do of Amber? What will she expect of me once I make my presence known? I don't know what conflicts of loyalty there might be here.
Thinking on it, I'm quite glad Tobias has offered to come with me when I go to Rebma.
I wonder what kind of king Rune will make. Or, to be honest, what a king does, really. Timashkurabad hadn't had them for millennia, after all. He does seem very serious, perhaps a bit moody. But then, I suppose I might turn that way, too, if I were suddenly offered the throne of the universe!
Xandra seems all right. Though a bit sex-obsessed, and over-familiar hardly begins to describe her. Personable but irritating. And she does say a lot of things where I have no idea what she is talking about. Definitely a free spirit, a libertine. Was she deliberately trying to provoke me, there on the edge of the Abyss? Or were we just talking at cross purposes? I don't know. But she certainly has enough enthusiasm for any three people!
Oh! I almost wish I'd never come to Crystal's, despite my need for a drink. The rooms. All the nice things. I was only eight the last time I saw their like, before the Oricarians came. And now. I didn't even realise how sad it made me. How lost. How far from nice things. From just being clean. Oh, I didn't even realise I was crying. But it brought it all back. How it used to be. How long it's all been gone. How I miss Sarashjur and Malintha, even after all these years.
How long has it been since I cried? Years, must be. The last time I remember is when the Oricarians came, Sarashjur and Malintha's deaths.
I'm just glad the others didn't see my weeping. But then, in public I'd have controlled myself more, not let it show. But I worry. Worry how well I'll make the change to Amber. Fit in there. They say you can take the girl out of the rookery, but can you take the rookery out of the girl? I don't know. We'll have to see.
And lastly, Crystal. I don't really know what to make of her. She has power. The instant travel to her home proves that. Generous enough with cloths and board. But still, she seems very reserved. Distant, perhaps. Well, she has only just met all we strangers and invited us into her home. Hopefully she'll warm to us in time! We'll see...
And to bathe. So nice. As I told Xandra, I've not had the chance to do so this year. But now. So nice. So pleasant. And to get the blood off. And have new clothes. Clean clothes. Crystal should probably burn the old ones before they crawl away of themselves. Oh! One bath to clean, one to soak. I even seem to have changed colour (a little)! I hope there is less time between this bath and the next...