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BELTAINE'S VISIONS IN TIR-NA NOG'TH


This page details a number of visions which Beltaine has seen in Tir-Na Nog'th (and other places, while asleep) over the years.


Vision The First:

The original version of this vision occurred at the full moon immediately before Tamarind arriveed in Amber for the first time in 97 PPF (when Beltaine was fifteen years old or so), so Beltaine saw him in a vision before she saw him in the flesh.

But later Beltaine also took Tamarind up to Tir-Na Nog'th to find the vision again, explaining that she thought she should show him it. Perhaps he will understand more of it than she did - or maybe not. But she still thinks he should see it. It seems clear that this was something she thought she should do, rather than something she wanted to do. Throughout the visit to Tir-Na Nog'th, Beltaine held very tightly to Tamarind's hand (assuming he allows this) saying that she 'lost Esmée up here, once'. It should be fairly clear where the younger Beltaine intervened in the original vision...

There is a throne room, with a sense of being Amber, yet not Amber. Like the Amber throne room, it is huge and impressive, but the design is entirely different from Amber's. Huge windows open to left and right. At the end, close to you, is a dais upon which are five thrones; over it hang two banners, their designs somehow in shadow.

Courtiers and members of the family of Amber mill about; the family members look somehow cowed and smaller than normal. The five thrones are all occupied.

The two at the top of the dais contain Brand, on the right, and Deirdre, on the left. Both are dressed in Royal robes and radiate arrogance. To Deirdre's right, on the next step down, Tamarind sits indolently in another throne. To Brand's left, on the same step as Tamarind, in the fourth throne sits a beautiful, very pale, silver-haired and -eyed woman - you'd guess Persephone from Beltaine's descriptions but looking older than she described; she is concealing an air of fear, which gives the impression of having been worn for a long time.

The last throne, to the left of Persephone and one step down, holds a woman apparently in her late 20's - Beltaine. But Beltaine more moon-aspected than she has ever been in reality - almost translucent, with hair and skin both almost glowing a pale, silvery sheen. This other Beltaine has her head on one side and seems almost asleep, or somnambulating; her eyes are open, almost glowing green, but seem to see nothing...

Another Beltaine - this time a child of fifteen or so, the way Tamarind remembers her from when they first met - appears in the vision. She looks insubstantial, and the other ghosts don't seem to notice her. She moves towards the dais, the perspective of the vision moving with her. As she gains a little height, you notice Gerard off to one side on the other side of the dais. Although he stands as he normally does, there is something cowed about him. Random also becomes visible; he seems much less careworn, and maybe younger, than the Random you know. And also unlike him, there is an air of debauchery about this Random; perhaps it's the way he's looking at people. Maybe cruelty in his eyes, too.

The vision of Brand claps his hands, and gestures at the people around the dais, who move back to each side of the dais. From left and right come two figures in jesters motley. It's hard to recognise them under the makeup and the twisted, near-crippled bodies, but it seems to be Bleys and Fiona, their eyes empty. At a gesture from Brand they begin a crippled parody of a dance, moving jerkily around the clear space like puppets...

At this point, the blank green eyes of the older Beltaine seem to focus slightly. She seems to be watching her younger self...who suddenly stops and looks back at her. As their eyes meet, the child Beltaine suddenly solidifies and looks as real as the other ghosts in the vision.

"Father," the older woman says in a quiet, sleepy, emotionless, voice, "someone is here," in a slightly surprised voice, she continues, "it's me." As she speaks everyone there seems to notice the child; every eye in the room turns to her (the jester puppets cease their dance and stand motionless as this happens); fastest are Brand and Deirdre. Brand smiles, thinly. "Another of you, Beltaine? How fascinating. Explain yourself, child," he asks...

"I do not explain myself to ghosts." this is said with a certain childish dignity, rather spoiled by her biting her lip and having to look up so far at Brand.

"I might say the same, child," he replies, with a small indulgent smile, which rapidly becomes something chillier and more dangerous, "now if you would be so kind as to reply..."

"Where is this place, and how do you come to rule here?" She includes Deirdre in the question.

"This?" He gestures round at the throne room. "This is the joining place of the New Kingdoms." He glances over at the other Beltaine, who has been watching the proceedings sleepily, her head still on one side.

"She's not the same as me, father," she says, in the same sleepy emotionless voice, the bright green eyes still on the child "She's not as powerful as me, and she doesn't love you like I do. Where did she come from?" The question seems directed at herself more than anyone else.

Brand studies the young Beltaine a little more. "I think you have had enough answers for now, child. Now perhaps you will provide some for us?" Although phrased as a question, his words don't really give much impression of being one...

Beltaine looks a little afraid. "I came from where you left me, father. You went away and never came back, so I used the stones to find a way out. After -" she hesitates, looking over longingly at Persephone "- after mother...died."

Persephone looks at the young Beltaine sadly, and with no little longing herself. Brand raises a slightly surprised eyebrow. "Fascinating. But not what happened, as I'm sure you can see."

The young Beltaine begins to back away, growing less substantial as she does so.

To her 'older self' she asks: "Where did you come from?"

"I came from where father left me. But he never left me. He came back, and when the time was right, he brought mother and me out, to here." She smiles sleepily, and happily.

The young Beltaine retreats further. As it starts to fade back to a normal Tir-Na Nog'th vision, you hear a command of, "Beltaine, stop he....." Then the sound stops as the vision is left behind.

Brand and Deirdre look angry, and the somnambulant Beltaine continues to watch the young Beltaine (despite her having removed herself from the vision). But after a short while the somnambulant Beltaine blinks and leans forward very slightly, a faintly interested expression crossing her face, as her gaze turns onto the real Tamarind and Beltaine who are still observing the vision from 'outside' it...


Vision The Second:

A path in Castle Park in Amber, the sloping greensward outside the castle walls. A warm, windy, sunny day. Where you would expect the Royal Standard to fly over the castle, the flag of Bleys snaps in the wind. Just down the path, a man and a girl of about twelve years, who Beltaine recognises as herself. The man is Brand. He carries a large diamond-shaped kite under one arm; his other hand holds the hand of the young Beltaine. Both seem very happy. They stop at a broadening in the path and begin to prepare the kite to fly...


Vision The Third:

The edge of the Abyss. The two halves of the sky rotate slowly overhead; below lights burn, die and move within the Abyss. Brand stands at bay on the edge of the Abyss, Deirdre held at knifepoint, Random, Fiona and a green-clad knight facing him. Words are exchanged; Brand slashes Deirdre's face as he begins to smoulder, at which point Deirdre bites his hand and drives an elbow into his gut, twisting to get free. A silver flash and an arrow buries itself in his throat; another following into his chest, spinning him round. The edge crumbles as Deirdre is almost thrown onto it, and she falls, reaching hopelessly out to Brand with a scream. Brand slumps to the ground as another silver arrow imbeds itself in his back. Random and the green knight begin to move towards the prone and bleeding Brand...

Beltaine tries to move toward her father, if possible to reach him before the others and place herself between him and them.

Random and the green knight seem slightly nonplussed as she effectively appears out of nowhere (from their point of view). From behind them there's a cry of 'NO!' and a figure you recognise as Corwin begins to run towards the edge. Random glances back at him. The green knight does not. He continues to face you. His bow is shifting between Brand and you as he watches both. 'Step aside, girl, or suffer the consequences,' he snarls (obviously Beltaine recognises the voice as Caine's)...

Beltaine keeps herself between him and Brand, edging closer to Brand. "Not until you tell me what you intend to do with my father," she answers. As she speaks she kneels beside Brand, reaching one hand to touch him, one towards the dull stones at her throat, keeping her eyes fixed on Caine.

Brand is wearing the Jewel of Judgement; Beltaine can feel it, in fact, at this range. She can also feel heat radiating from it as she reaches back towards it. An arrow smacks into the ground between her hand and the Jewel; "Do not touch that bauble, girl," says Caine in a level, merciless voice, reloading and redrawing his bow almost faster than you can see.

Beltaine stops reaching, and her fist clenches.

"Brand's daughter?" says Random in surprise, glancing over from where he's worriedly observing Corwin as he moves towards the edge of the Abyss. Fiona is moving to intercept him. "And what is your part in this? I really wouldn't touch the Jewel; he means what he says," he adds, almost as an afterthought. "But I don't believe any of us would execute him now," he continues, and his words seem directed at Caine as much as at you, "there is too much left undone and unsaid for that."

"My part? I would like to know that as much as you. More, perhaps."

She looks down at Brand.

"Why, father? What was it all for?"

Her face betrays her distress at seeing him so badly hurt, but there is a perceptibly cold edge to her voice as she asks the questions - the tone of one who expects to be answered.

It takes quite a while for Brand to focus on her. In the background Corwin is intercepted by Fiona; she says something to him, trying to get him to stop, you imagine, but he continues on towards the edge; she concentrates, and slowly Corwin stops, falling onto his knees, then onto his face, apparently unconscious, just before the brink of the Abyss.

"Beltaine? Little Beltaine? Out so soon?" croaks Brand from the ground; his one eye focuses on you. "How you've grown. So big. So soon." He pauses, "Then it worked! It worked!" He giggles maniacally, then coughs rackingly. "Come with me, my daughter; when I triumph you will sit at my side in glory. When we remake it all, new and better, you will be the most honoured of my subjects." Although only a whisper, his voice projects conviction, and passion, "Come with me, daughter. It can all be ours if you do!"

Beltaine looks puzzled. "What...worked, father...?"

"The plan! The power and the plan!" He giggles again.

As if unable to stop herself, Beltaine reaches towards him to take his hand - - but before she touches him, her hand wavers, and stops and her head comes up again. "Random!" she says, pleadingly, reaching out towards him instead. In a voice that makes it clear what she means is "Help!"

Random looks a little confused as Beltaine reaches out to him. But takes a step toward her. Behind her (from Brand) there is a sense of something building. "No," growls Caine, loosing his arrow at Brand as Brands hand grabs her wrist. There is a sudden shifting, vaguely like passing through a Trump link, and you are elsewhere, a flat black plain under a silver sky. But as Beltaine glances back, there is an arrow through Brand's remaining eye, and he shows no signs of life. The vision starts to fade...


Vision The Fourth:

On the second night of her stay while visiting Castle Corvallin with Tristan Beltaine has one of her dream visions:

The Pattern room in Tir-Na Nog'th. Benedict suddenly appears out of nowhere. He only has one arm; the right seems to be missing below the elbow. He seems to be waiting. Suddenly Brand is there, around the Pattern from Benedict, the Jewel of judgement burning on his chest. He slowly approaches Benedict, talking all the while about what his plans are for re-writing everything. Eventually he reaches Benedict, who, it seems, cannot move any more. Drawing a dagger, Brand slips it neatly into Benedict's chest, and Benedict slumps, dead. Then Brand takes the Jewel in his hand, and walks the Pattern. At the centre he sits, almost slumps, and concentrates on the Jewel for some time. Then he seems to regain awareness of where he is. His head comes up, and he surveys the Pattern room before smiling and throwing his head back and laughing, long peals of unpleasant sound which go on and on for far too long, before he vanishes...

And she wakes up screaming, taking quite some while to calm down, being really quite incredibly distressed. Tristan hugs Beltaine and tries to comfort her as best he can, looking grave and concerned while Beltaine tells him about the nightmare.

"Benedict isn't dead - is he?" she asks Tristan, pleadingly.

"No. Definitely not. It never happened and will never happen. What you have just seen is something which occurred almost a hundred years ago, but which ended completely differently - Brand never stabbed Benedict or walked the Pattern, but fled instead. Benedict definitely survived since I've seen him with my own eyes many times after this." Tristan sighs. "Not all visions or dreams are true, Beltaine. Sometimes they just show what might have been under different circumstances. Often they can be far more distressing than what happened in reality until you remember that they are just illusions."

Beltaine shakes her head. "They aren't illusions. They're-" she is obviously struggling to find the right words "-a different sort of real."

Tristan looks interested. "How do you mean?"

"I don't know. They just are." She shakes her head and tries again.

"Illusions could never be real. They come from inside people. Visions come from somewhere else. And where they come from, they are all as true as each other."

After she is soothed, she describes the dream to Tristan, describing Benedict and the Tir-Na Nog'th Pattern room remarkably well for someone who has never seen either...


Vision The Fifth:

This vision was seen in Tir-Na Nog'th at the full moon just before the start of the Prologue:

A garden within the castle. Walking through it, smiling happily and talking are yourself and a blonde young man who, standing next to you, bears a striking resemblance to yourself. However, hovering around him you can very faintly make out another ghostly figure - a tall, thin and handsome man with harsh angular features and very pale skin, long straight black hair in a ponytail with a 'widows peak', long fingered 'surgeons hands' with pointed, almost claw-like fingernails, and eyes with pupils of swirling scarlet but which are otherwise normal, slightly pointed ears and canines longer than normal.

When Beltaine intervenes in the vision, the vision-Beltaine says, smiling, "Hello! I was wondering if I'd see myself from here as I did from where you are. You won't believe what's happened! Just like I didn't! But this is my - our! - brother, Telemachus!"

The vision-Beltaine won't say much else - "I don't want to spoil the surprise any more..."


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