Inquiring of Melchizedek (1 Jan 2003) Tom wants to know the truth of his own identity.

The Black Boat
A mid-sized boat of dense black wood, about the size of a yacht but with a long, flat deck. A door in the deckhouse leads into quarters large enough for four - or six if they squeeze in and share the bunks, when the nights on deck turn so cold that icicles hang from the rails.

Nashita al-Zephyr, the djinn who has been graciously flying the boat, calculated that the remaining journey to the Palace of All Seasons would take them about eight hours. She is flying the vessel as quickly as she can, and they soon outdistance the knights on the ground below. Everyone is anxious and tense to arrive, but worrying will not make it pass faster. Many of the boat's occupants use the time to nap. They expect to arrive a little after dusk, and once there, no one knows when their next chance to sleep will be.

For a good part of the planning, Thomas has kept relatively quiet, only now and then offering his opinion on a course of action to take. Now, that the flight is underway, he paces the deck slowly, thinking -- unable to sleep. He pauses to listen and look around the deck as if searching for something. Now's the last chance you have to ask or confront the Lord Protector on many things, Tom. You might as well get done with it, even if you fear the answers, Thomas decides.

After making his decision, Tom turns from his pacing and strides the deck towards the stern, atop the deckhouse. He almost runs into Hannah, emerging from belowdecks.

Hannah stops suddenly on the last stair leading up to the deck, to avoid a rather embarrassing collision with the Lord Explorer. She runs a hand through her hair distractedly and smiles. "Sorry about that, Thomas. Too wrapped up in my own thoughts; wasn't watching where I was going."

"Don't be. I've been unable to sleep with all that is running through my mind. I've going to find the Lord Protector and seek the answers to a few things. If you like, you may attend. But, they may be not what you want to hear," Thomas says quietly as he looks at Hannah.

Hannah's expression turns grim at his words, but she nods and says, "Probably not. But I would like to hear what Melchizedek has to say, nevertheless."

Thomas nods and says, "As you wish, then. Have you seen him?"

Hannah points to the top of the deckhouse. "There, I believe," she says, then gestures to Thomas. "Lead the way, milord."

Thomas nods curtly, then turns and walks to the deckhouse. He pulls his cloak around himself tighter, preparing for some tough questions and perhaps tougher answers.

The Lord Protector stands at the stern, almost as still as the carved statue he was so long imprisoned within. But his piercing green eyes, and the fiery mane whipped in the cold breeze created by the boat's momentum, betray the life within. As Hannah and Tom ascend to join him, he turns, and executes a courtly bow. "Lord Explorer, Lady Hannah," he says in greeting.

Hannah bows in return to the unicorn, saying simply, "Lord Protector."

Thomas sighs quietly and nods in response to the title. "Melchizedek, I have some things I wish to ask of you that I didn't want to bring up in front of the others out of fear that I may be thought mean-spirited. But, I have always been known as rather blunt, and I feel I must ask them of you. Will you hear me out?" Thomas asks.

"Of course, Lord Explorer." Melchizedek's ears swivel forward, pricked. He watches Thomas with his deep green eyes, his expression neutral, neither approving nor condemning.

"As I have traveled and learned during these hard times, I've begun questioning the validity of my own existence," Thomas begins and starts to pace. "I have memories of a mortal life, and growing up there. I have few memories of this world. I have found things such as that the child who became Lady Cherise of February was my grandmother in the mortal world. So, I question if my past in this world is real, or just another fabrication of Mirari, pulling in yet another mortal. So, I want to know what you know about me -- or think you know, anyway. Am I real and of this world, or am I just another soul pulled into it, in other words? And if you have any insight, I'd love to know."

"Are you real, Lord Explorer?" Melchizedek repeats. "Of course you are. Are you of this world?" He considers that for a moment, then asks, "Do you want to be?"

"I do. But I fear accomplishments being decided for me. If I never did them, can my decisions now be trusted?" Thomas says.

"You belong to Mirari, Lord Explorer. You have done a great many things in this land, not the least of which was rescuing one old and foolhardy unicorn from the Fortress of the Destroyer," Melchizedek answers, solemn. "It was you who made a deal with the Bandit Queen, and you who founded the Golden Hawks, and you warned Mirari of the threat posed by the Jack, and you who sought him alone when he was fled, when none of the Houses believed him a threat any longer. You did these things, and more. None other did them for you. They are, and were, real, Lord Explorer. I remember them, as do you, as do others. They affected the very world we live in now. That is reality," Melchizedek answers. "But that is not the answer you were looking for, is it?" He pauses, drawing a breath.

"Then why cannot I remember much of it? What happened to me? How did I go from this world, to the mortal one? I can match the times up, and they make sense. Vanishing here, then being born there. It's just -- with the fact this world alters itself, I just don't know ... if that makes any sense," Thomas says and looks to the unicorn. "What is the last thing you remember of me, those fourteen Years ago?"

Hannah leans against the railing at the stern, listening quietly to the talk of Thomas and Melchizedek, her eyes bright and alert.

"The last thing I remember of you, Lord Explorer, is when you came before the Court, and told them the Jack of Hearts was the Year's End, come again. And the then-Lord of November laughed at you." The unicorn's nostrils flare. "And so did the Lord of March, and Lady December declared that you had been too long chasing phantoms, it had addled your brain." The unicorn snorts. "I stepped in, and bade them listen to wiser heads than their own prattling. This stopped them laughing but did not please them." He shrugs. "They did not believe. Your Hawks did not believe, either. You were so furious that you left in the dark of that same night, taking no one with you. That is what happened." He pauses, shaking his head. "As for your own memory, it will come back in time, if you allow it. It is addled because ... " The unicorn pauses again.

"Because of this: Thomas Winthrope was born, and lived, and played, in Ainigton, before there ever was a Lord Explorer Thomas of Mirari," Lord Melchizedek says. "Because the person you are was Ainigton first, and Mirari next, and adopting a new homeland is not easy. That does not mean you are not real, or were never real. You were real in Ainigton first. And you were real in Mirari next. Neither shape is false. They are both a truth."

"And in all honesty, I fear going before the Court again. To be laughed at again. While it is true that I usually don't care much for what people think, I let myself care then. This is why I wanted to disembark from the ship early and try to bypass the Court. I'm afraid to walk in there again," Thomas admits and looks away. "Part of me just wants to do what needs to be done and fade away to avoid any more personal ties."

"The Court today is not the Court you knew," the Lord Protector says. He glances to Hannah, and says, "The daughter of November has stood before them recently, have you not, my lady?" he asks her.

Hannah nods in response to the unicorn's prompting. "Aye, that I have - and most were willing to see the validity of the news I brought them. Not all, I admit, but most of them." She smiles ruefully, then goes on. "It seems to be within the nature of our Lords and Ladies to bicker amongst themselves. But they do need you and your skills, Thomas. I believe they see that, whether they admit it openly or not."

The Lord Protector looks wry. "And if that will not convince you, think on this: when last you went before the Court, the danger was past, and the Houses felt they were safe. Now the Destroyer's army is moving, and the Houses are afraid. They will listen to you now, out of fear, when they would not listen before, out of sense."

"And what when all this ends?" Thomas says and looks to the sky. "Do they want to find a real ending? Do they want to end this threat forever and solidify this world? Or will they all just be content to let things go right back to the way they were? From what I remember, I spent my life walking the lands, meeting the people and experiencing their lives with them. Isn't it time to give them some real peace? A chance to grow? Beyond houses, borders, and languages, we are all the same. One is not better than another," Thomas says more forcefully, then turns to look at the two. "We have to work towards standing united as one people after this, or we have gained nothing."

Hannah says gently, "You need not argue the point of each House needing to cooperate with one another with me. I agree with you. I am a Golden Hawk, made so by your own hand, and I believe in our precepts."

A chuckle from the unicorn. "Freedom to bicker is a kind of freedom," he notes. "I take your meaning, Lord Explorer. But do you realize: it is in your power to force them to stand united. To make them bring peace to the land. To end their bickering. Is that what you would do?" His eyes lock on Tom's, relentless. "Think carefully on it."

"It is what I want to do. It is also what I fear to do, because if I fail I could make things worse. I am a man. I am fallible," Thomas replies and looks back, unwavering. "I don't want them to place all their hopes on me. They need to find it in themselves."

Lord Melchizedek flicks his ears. "That is the outcome I would seek," he says. "That the Lords and Ladies fashion their own peace. What I would give them, if I could, is the freedom to seek it. Mirari should control her own destiny, Lord Explorer. I thought, for a time, that we did, but you have proven me wrong. Yet you say you know a way that might free us. How? That is what I would know."

"And I, as well," Hannah adds her own words to Melchizedek's.

"I believe severing the link to the mortal world would. But, the nature of that link has yet to be fully understood by me. Perhaps understanding the nature of the Destroyer would help answer that. And unfortunately, we can't just sit and talk out what he is. We must seek out what he is. We must find the answer," Thomas replies quietly. "And to find it, we must also be prepared that some of us may fall in the process. I need to find Simon and learn what he knows. And -- I need to face the Destroyer, I think. To discover the darkness, I may have to walk into it. I only pray I can walk out again."

Hannah looks directly into Thomas' eyes. "That is what your friends are here for - to make sure that you walk out again from that darkness, if it is in your destiny to meet it yet again head-on."

The black unicorn lowers his head in thought. "I misdoubt that the Sieges are your key. It was the time before there were Sieges -- indeed, before we had any direct contact with the mortal realm -- when we had the least control over our own realm. Over whom we were, and whom we had been."

Thomas quirks a small grin. "That's not the link I mean. I more refer to the link to the people's dreams that seems to exist. You know, were it possible, unifying the two worlds may be the answer. But that ... that would be beyond any of us, I think," he says.

"I would not venture to guess what your limits are, Lord Explorer," the dark unicorn says, solemn.

"Probably a lot less than I'd want them to be. I'm one of a few, no, the only one, who would think that riding a Wyvern while I'm dangling on a rope in front of it, would be 'fun'," Thomas comments.

Melchizedek snorts. "Was it?" he asks.

Hannah looks startled and opens her mouth to comment on this revelation, but suddenly closes it again, thinking the better of saying anything.

"I don't know. Didn't get the chance," Thomas says with a smirk. "The spines looked like they'd be a bit hard on the posterior, though."

The unicorn gives another whuffle. "I see you have grown conservative in your old age," he observes.

Hannah finds her voice at last and mutters, "That's certainly not what I would call it."

"You did not know him fourteen Years ago, either," Melchizedek comments mildly.

"Well, a bit, perhaps. Though, given the chance and some good armor, I might attempt it," Thomas replies. "Plus, having people I care about makes me take a few less insane risks. A few."

The unicorn directs a meaningful look to Hannah. "All the more reason for you to keep close to him."

Hannah slants a glance towards the unicorn and grins at his remark. "That I will. You can depend upon it."

"As for fourteen Years ago, the catapult worked, didn't it? I missed the wall and it was a heck of a ride. Some people do worry too much at times," Thomas comments with a rakish grin.

Hannah sighs and looks to her feet on the deck, saying to no one in particular, "Some people seem to have more luck than sense."

"If you would call that 'working', yes." The Lord Protector shakes his head despite his words. "You did miss the wall. You also missed the haystack, too. But not, I will admit, the pond."

Thomas waves a hand in dismissal. "It was fairly warm that day anyway," he comments. "Plus, I probably needed a bath. Heck, I could use one now."

"I would not gainsay you, Lord Explorer," the unicorn says, soberly.

Hannah continues to speak to the deck. "If the Djinn would allow us to land so that a catapult could be brought aboard, then we could rectify that, milord. Although as Mirari is currently within the grip of Winter, your landing in a pond would be rather ... uncomfortable."

Tom says, "Bah, it's exhilarating. Well, until your arms and legs go numb and you sink like a rock anyway. You should try it sometime," Thomas replies. "Now, Lord Protector, may I ask you a few other things? If you cannot answer, I understand."

"You have my full attention, Lord Explorer." Melchizedek's usual stern expression is marred by the hint of a smirk that formed at Hannah's observation.

"A couple things, then. Do you remember anything just before being imprisoned? Did the Destroyer gloat or say anything? Even trivial comments could be important at this point. Secondly, are there any old catacombs near the Palace, or caves? Heh, what is old now may have been young when I was last there," Thomas says.

"I recall the invocation of the spell," Melchizedek says. "I had managed to ride in with some of the Destroyer's people -- unnoticed, I thought. Until I heard it: 'Urjroun Dhid.'" The strange, guttural words rumble in the unicorn's throat. "I knew nothing else after that. As for the Palace -- there are the dungeons, of course, and the cellars. There was a siege-breaker tunnel, once, but it collapsed some Years ago and has not been rebuilt, to my knowledge."

"Doesn't mean it hasn't been done in secret, though. As the Destroyer apparently had some way to get his people in and out during this time. Hmm," Thomas muses. "And as Lord April, he probably could have gotten it rebuilt. I'll need to check on that."

"Could be how Simon got out, if it wasn't just pure magic. I hope it wasn't, as I cannot track that," Thomas adds and shrugs. "In any event, I suppose that information is something. I can't afford to overlook anything at this time."

"The siege-breaker tunnel, as I recall, no longer lets out of the city. But it has multiple entrances at different points within the city, and the Palace proper. It may be that your Simon shook his pursuers that way," the unicorn muses.

"And out of curiosity," Tom adds, nodding at this, "were there any malevolent spirits back before Mirari solidified that you remember? Strongly so, and more aware such as you were?"

Lord Melchizedek shakes his head. "No. There were none like that. Nothing like the Year's End." He adds, "The princess is correct, I believe: the Year's End was once Lord Eoin of January."

"Who was once John Harcourt, if I remember correctly?" Thomas asks. "Or, was John never directly involved in that way?"

The unicorn closes his eyes, reflecting on the question, then nods slowly. "Yes. John Harcourt played with his siblings, for a time. Before Riordan came to Ainigton. John's name in the game was Lord Eoin. When John and his siblings began to have troubles, Lord Eoin became the arch-nemesis of the Houses of Mirari."

"And he did always wish to Destroy the game because he wasn't made ruler. The question is, though, that since John died, how is Lord Eoin still around? They were linked, yes?" Thomas asks.

"Linked, yes, but how, exactly, I could not say." The Lord Protector shakes his head. "When you played at the game of Mirari with your friends, were you always Lord Thomas? Did your friends always play at being the same people in my land?"

"No, we did not. Well, I did, but many of the others did not," Thomas replies and hmms. "Did you know that many of the Harcourts met bad ends in the mortal world? I've often wondered if that was related to this world."

"That, I cannot answer, though in my heart, I do not believe it came of their game." Lord Melchizedek gazes into the distance. "Mirari has long been the mirror of your world. If anything, the troubles we have faced were the distorted reflections of the Harcourts' problems -- not the other way around."

Hannah looks to the Lord Protector with a troubled expression, but her voice is clear as she asks, "Forgive the interruption, but I would also like to ask a question, if I may. I do not wish to sound impertinent, or ungrateful, but ... this is something that has concerned me since I first learned of Mirari's connection to the mortal world."

The unicorn quirks an ear to Hannah. "Yes, Lady Hannah?" he asks.

Hannah says quietly, "Why was it that you pinned the stabilization of Mirari on a children's game? I know that finding an answer to that problem was a difficult one, but why was another one not found? Or even tried? Children only know so much of the world, and their visions of the future consequences to their actions are even more cloudy than those who have matured. So why were they chosen?"

"I suspect it is also because children are more open, but I may be misspeaking. Lord Protector?" Thomas says quietly.

Melchizedek shakes his head, his mane rippling like fire against his neck. "It was not simply a matter of selecting any mortal and trying to explain our position. We did not even understand our position, much less were we able to explain it to a mortal, to someone who had not lived as we had. We chose them because they chose us. They were potent. Their game affected our land, and what we could tell of the changes they wrought seemed better than most. And, beyond that ... they were friendly, with the exception of John. They were open to Riordan's influence. Were they perfect? Clearly not. I do not know if we could have or should have done better. At the time, to be truthful, it did not seem to us that we had other options. It was only to trust to the Harcourts, or stay as we were."

Hannah inclines her head slightly towards the unicorn. "I thank you for your answer. I agree with your assessment that this was not the perfect solution, but perhaps now is the time that we might find a better one? Forge our link with the mortal world anew, if that lies within our power?" At her last words, she gives Thomas a hopeful glance.

"Well, I believe it is within our grasp. We just need to understand the link, if we are to reforge it. To do so without understanding would likely shatter it and this world, much as trying to forge an unknown metal would be to a novice smith," Thomas observes.

"Whatever might free us, I am willing to try," the unicorn says, his voice low, but very serious.

Thomas rubs his chin as he muses. "Then I wonder ... Lord Protector, I have an idea. If the problem of the Destroyer is a reflection of the mortal world, then would understanding the problem John had, and finding a way to fix it, or what would have fixed it, help solve this one?" He then looks at Hannah and says, "I'll warn you now, you may get a trip to the mortal world, if leads point to it."

Hannah frowns at that thought, but says nothing, at least for the moment.

While Hannah frowns, a faint cawing breaks the brief silence. Then a moment later, they are startled by an outburst. "The Palace is besieged!" Princess Angel cries. "Oh no!"

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