Idunn's Diary

Idunn is not the sort of girl to spent time writing about life when she could be living it. Nevertheless, Simson has provided up with a journal of her thoughts and feeling as the adventure has progressed. Idunn joined the game when Bjarne left in Crieux, but only began a diary when the party arrived in Charouse.

Journal Entries - Secrets, Sewers and Serenades, The Erebus Cross part 1 - The Lady's Favour, The Erebus Cross part 2 - Scoundrel's Folly,

‘Secrets, Sewers & Serenades’

Met an old friend of Father Alejandro and Axel called Francine, twin sister of Eponine. Good dresser and queen of put down lines, I liked her the moment I laid eyes on her
This woman could go far and she looks like she has the determination to do so
- Heard about the murder investigation over breakfast
- Monsieur Le Droit was found in an alley with not a scratch on him
- Terrible dresser, he was carrying a red handkerchief – was this man born without any level of taste or shame?
- Carried a sealed envelope with address: 31 Rue de San Mihiel, which turns out to be small banking establishment in town house. The seal was in the shape of a dagger. Apparently Mr Le Droit is an investigator of some kind.
- Went to tavern called: The Black Cross. Alejandro tried to gossip with the barman and I had to come in and rescue him. A dazzling smile and a few sols loosened his tongue. Apparently Mr. Le Droit was drinking with shifty character called Chevalier Didonne. Looks somewhat Vodacce, drinks regularly at the tavern and wears red kerchief on occasions. Both men are certainly guilty of fashion crimes.
- Richard was getting on with one of the barmaids, but blew it big time and we had to leave in a hurry. I was most put out as I'd bribed the barman with 3 sols, so the next day I hinted on many occasions that he might be in to men.
- Fortune smiled on me when Pietro turned up and I tried to set him up with Richard. OK, so 3 sols is not the end of the world, but I got perverse pleasure out of seeing Richard squirm and go on about him manhood.
- Perhaps Pietro can make a man out of him? Perhaps I should ease up on the poor (handsome) young man. If I drive him far enough and turn on the charm he'll become like clay in my hands. Men are too easy, women are so much more interesting.

- Went to the bank whilst Francine went to the apothecary to test the mugs from the Black Cross for poison. Nice assistant works at the bank, well built young man with great legs.
- Axel was busy trying to become a knight of the Rose and Cross, as long as there are no written tests he might have a chance.
- Richard spent all day storming around in a huff. Pietro was hot on his heels and both ended up hot and bothered after a knife duel (for practice they assure me). Hmm, now there's an image. Two handsome men duelling with knives whilst wearing only tight breeches.
- Anyway, got ready for the social event of the year, at least in my calendar and who cares about anyone else at the moment. Decided on a beautiful faerie costume, if only Fiora could see me wear it. If only I could see Fiora wearing my faerie wings.
- It hurts to be so near and yet no be able to see her. Perhaps I can lose myself in the party tonight and make some business contacts.
- I've sent her a letter to tell her that Pietro is in town. I used the perfume on the letter that she chose for me before we went to Avalon.

- Francine dressed as a noble woman from far to the east. Not only was it a beautiful outfit, but she wore it well. Woe to any man who stands in her way.
- Axel came as a Crescent warrior. Interesting costume, I especially liked his wooden scimitar. Does this man ever stop playing at being a soldier?
- Richard dressed as a highwayman. So he dressed in black and wore a mask, nothing too impressive. Perhaps he used to wear these clothes when he travelled the roads of Avalon?
- Father Alejandro wore a Numan Soldier's outfit. The man must know someone in the palace as the there were lots of Numan themes at the party. Why didn't I think of trying to find out what the theme would be and dressing appropriately?
- Our host, the court composer, came as a famous musician. This must be a Montaigne thing as several other people at the party had similar costumes. OK, so the party was in honour of the gifted violinist Madeleine Prevoye, but surely people could be a bit more original.
- My stunning costume was that of faerie queen. White satin and lace with sparkles and bows. The gossamer wings were a must and a wand to complete the outfit. (37 on fashion roll!)

- We arrived at the party and saw the Numan theme from the pillars outside. Father Alejandro is a bit of a sly devil for having used that to his advantage, I'm beginning to like him more
- The Emperor certainly knows how to throw a party. Walking to the main event through the palace was an eye opener and Alejandro kept whispering to me all the items that the Emperor had 'borrowed' from Castille.
- The main ballroom was gorgeous. Glass dome over a gold-plated fountain with a miniature garden. Even the servants were incredibly well dressed.
- Francine came with her 'mentor' who was dressed as a pirate. If ever a man could do with meeting a real pirate, I can think of no one better that I would like to see walk the plank. That man has enough arrogance to sell it by the ship load.

- Oh well, best leave it on a good note for the moment.
- Did I mention how gorgeous my costume was? A few weeks in Montaigne and already I'm attending the Emperor's ball. Long live the Emperor. Long live his parties!

********************

The ball seemed like such a fantastic place to be, but now that I've been here for awhile it's beginning to lose its charm. How can this be that the pinnacle of my social calendar is rapidly turning in to one of the lowest points of the year? Fiora. Every time I see a fate witch or hear the violin being played, it reminds me of her. Every time that I pass a noblewoman with a similar perfume it reminds me of her. I can't stop thinking about her and it drives me crazy.

- Some very interesting nobles at the ball, but there are also some very scary people at the ball as well.
- There's a Montaigne nobleman (Remy Du Montaigne) who is a bodyguard of the Emperor and he prowls the hall with a deadly grace.
- Almost as scary as him is a Montaigne noblewoman (Lady Jamis Sices du Sices) whose wit is as sharp as his sword. The only difference between them is that the wounds she leaves are not immediately visible; whist the nobleman is mercifully swift in dealing his death blow.
- Some Vendel merchants are also in attendance. Where would the world be without Vendel merchants? It's reassuring to see some of my countrymen in attendance at this grand event.
- Richard seems to be having some trouble with the ladies at the ball. It seems that as soon as he opens his mouth, the ladies lose interest in him. He should merely stand around looking deep and moody. He certainly has the looks. Damn, what am I thinking? He's a musician and a fool. But if I was not involved with Fiora, I'd certainly be tempted to invite him for some private tuition.

- At last something interesting is about to happen. The police inspector has asked me to go to the suspicious bankers (aren't they all) to find out what is going on. I'd like to stay at the ball, but that last nobleman I spoke to was a little forward in his intentions to win my hand in marriage and perhaps an hour break is enough to calm him and his ego down a little.
- I have to stop thinking about Fiora every other minute, else I shall go insane. The woman that I passed as I left the ball looked quite a lot like her, but it wasn't her. Perhaps there is some truth to the tales that you see the face of the person you love in all the people you meet.
- Anyway, on with the bankers. Alas, I turned up too late to observe the meeting. However, the gentlemen who exited the premises (all wearing those ghastly red kerchiefs) mentioned an important meeting with one of their informers in a few days time. Apparently this man is rather important. As my Avalon tutor used to say: 'he casts a long shadow'.

- On the way back from the bank, accompanied by two musketeers we passed one of the royal coaches whose driver told us a bizarre tale.
- Apparently Madeleine Du Prevoye used the coach to leave the ball and went down in to the sewers of the city. Whatever possessed the poor girl to do so at such a crucial point in her life, I have no idea, but it gets worse, my companions have followed her down in to the sewers and Theus only knows what mishaps the rest of the evening would bring. If I survive to the end of the night with only a few mud stains on my beautiful costume then I will count myself very fortunate.
- Anyway, the two musketeers and myself took it upon ourselves to try to find Madeleine Du Prevoye and we sent the coachman off to get reinforcements. He was kind enough to lend me his cloak before we went down in to the sewers as I can only guess what we might find down there.
- Actually, knowing my luck we'll probably run across Pietro playing at being a peasant or pretending to be an Explorer. The man means well, but he should stick to being a Vodacce prince, walk around in tight trousers and let the women in his life take charge. We've all seen the 'success' that he has made of his life so far. I feel sorry for his wife, truly I do.
- Oh, I forgot to mention before. The reason why the musketeers were interested in the sewers (and hence why we came across the coach) was because they recognised a man of dubious moral standing by the name of Paul Étalon du Toille. Apparently he was not as well dressed as he normally was going about his illicit business and the musketeers almost did not recognise him.
- It turns out that this was a real stroke of luck as the man led us on a quick chase through the sewers to where Madeleine Du Prevoye was to be found. I'm sure that we passed all manner of dead-ends and pitfalls but with the con-man unwittingly leading us – we were able to navigate our way through the warren of tunnels beneath the city without mishap.

- The musketeers and I turned up just in time to listen to the end of Madeleine Du Prevoye's performance, if it could be called that. The 'music' that she played was something which was not off this world. Those are the only words that I can use to describe it. It was beautiful and inhuman.
- Just as she was coming to the end of her performance a glowing white archway began to open to reveal a monstrous creature beyond and the spinning globe within the chamber with Madeleine was little more than a blur.
- Unfortunately Madeleine was not alone. A ruffian stood over her with a knife intent to take her life as soon as she had finished playing. Several other ruffians were in deadly melee with my companions who were attempting to battle their way in to the chamber from the other side.
- The largest of ruffians began to bow down and welcome the monstrous creature and was rewarded with a blow that would have felled any lesser man. As it was he was hurled out of the chamber, but after wards no trace could be found of the man.
- I shot at the man who intended Madeleine harm and he hid behind the pedestal with the spinning orb. Paul Étalon du Toille also hid there, but the Musketeers were hot on his tail.
- Just as things looked like they could not get any worse, I made a grave mistake and was lost in a trance. The music box which Madeleine was carrying had spilled out of her bag and I had picked it up.
- After a few moments the same unearthly music began to play inside my head and I felt as I was being carried off amongst the stars. Fortunately I was able to break away from the influence of the music only to see Francine make an incredibly noble sacrifice.
- The monstrous creature had succeeded in entering the chamber and Paul Étalon du Toille had made his escape after using the other ruffian's life to win his freedom.
- To prevent the creature from advancing further Francine had opened a Porté doorway and the creature had somehow got partially stuck inside it. Just when it seemed that the creature was trapped – it attacked Francine with horrendous consequences.
- It picked her up and pulled her close to it. Francine bravely wrapped the edge of the doorway around both of them and they were lost from sight.
- I still wake at night in a cold sweat dreaming over and over again those awful moments. The sound of Francine being crushed by the creature as it held her in its grip. The screams of pain as she made her noble sacrifice. The look of utter madness in the monstrous creature’s eyes as it disappeared in to the Porté hole.

- Beyond the archway we found a room whose walls were rapidly cooling. The globe had stopped spinning and as it did so, it seemed as if normality of one form or another was returning.
- Each of my companions and I were stunned by the sudden loss of our friend. I refused to believe that she could be gone for good and immediately thought of contacting her twin sister or mentor to see if they could reach her.
- We raced back to the palace in a coach with two of the musketeers. Father Alejandro had passed out from his wounds and the rest of my companions were not in much better shape.
- When we reached the palace we were escorted in to the presence of L'Empereur and Richard almost lost his head for his lack of etiquette. Has the man got no sense what so ever? He should learn to stand and be silent, as I'm surprised that speaking has not resulted in his early death already.
- Fortunately Madeleine spoke on our behalf and we were rewarded by being named 'Knights of Music' and the same level as the lighting guard whilst within the palace.
- There were three reasons why I did not speak much whilst in the presence of L’Empereur. The first was fear of saying the wrong thing and suffering some horrible fate. The second was the shock of losing Francine so quickly, she was there one moment and gone from our lives in the next instant. The third reason was because I suddenly came to the realisation that I did not like L’Empereur, his ball or his guests. In fact the whole of Montaigne nobility have gone down in my estimation because of this man.
- I'll elaborate on it at a later date when I have had time to collect my thoughts, but now more than ever since leaving home I really miss Vendel.

- Francine’s mentor was not much help in locating our companion and Father Alejandro was insistent that 'those who are lost in the Void do not return'. He was beginning to sound more and more like those doom-sayers which you sometimes pass on the street corners and it was beginning to get on my nerves.
- There was one positive thing that kept the nightmares away to some extent. During the night I remembered something that had happened in the heat of combat which I had almost forgotten about. Richard was struck shortly after the musketeers and I arrived. He fell down and I thought that he would not be able to recover without the aid of a surgeon. But somehow he was back on his feet and in the thick of things. For a moment he was surrounded by a pale silvery light which then entered his body and he then struggled back on to his feet.
- At the time there was too much going on to ponder this strange event. But now that I have had a chance to think about it - I have come to the conclusion that it is not a fell or evil sorcery. Something about felt that it was a good thing. Perhaps there is a lot more to Richard than meets the eye. (And some of that which meets the eye is actually quite pleasing.)

- After two days of resting and mourning Francine we discovered that she had been in a chamber down the hall with her sister since the day before. Things could not get much stranger, but they certainly could get more scary.
- My heart swelled with joy when I saw her, but when I looked in to her eyes it felt as if I had been shot. Her eyes were like a Void, vast emptiness with a few pin pricks of light here and there. It was as if her face was a thin mask covering over an infinity that was somehow housed within her form.
- Just as suddenly as the truth was revealed it disappeared. Sitting on the bed was a pale (and uninjured) Francine clutching her sister's hand. Father Alejandro's response was less than welcoming although Richard and Axel seemed more pleased to see her. Had it not been for the strange vision that I saw upon entering the room I would have rushed across and hugged her like a long lost sister.
- After we had all recovered from the shock of finding Francine mysteriously brought back to us, I agreed to accompany her to see Fiora.
- At the mansion where Fiora was staying we ran in to Pietro in his favourite (and only) disguise. I convinced him to accompany Francine in to Fiora's presence to help out in case Francine was not all she appeared and wished to do Fiora harm.
- I will do all that I can to see Francine restored to her former self. But if that is not possible then I'm not sure what I to do.

As always I like to leave on a positive note. Last night (after we discovered that Francine was back) I had the same nightmare again about seeing her carried off by the monster. Except this time Richard came striding in to the dream, enveloped by a silvery glow. The monster turned and fled leaving Francine safe, but my eyes were on Richard. Beneath the silvery glow he had no clothes on and it was a fine sight. Oh, I forgot to say - my dress did get some mud stains on them but it's far from ruined.

********************

The visit to Fiora did not go according to plan. Pietro failed to be present when Francine told her story to Fiora and I sat in the coach the entire time. Perhaps it was the thought of seeing her again with bruises on her face. I hate her father with a passion and am beginning to believe that the less time I spend near her the better. Perhaps it would be best for both of us if we did not see each other again. Sitting in the coach gave me some time to think things over and the whole time I felt myself drifting further and further away from that magical night in Avalon. I'm not even going to think about our second night together, it was different and not in a good way.

- I had to explain to Pietro what I saw when Francine was lying in bed next to her sister, telling someone else about it felt good – but I'm not sure that he believes me
- We dropped Francine off at her mother's residence. She was very subdued and I could see that she had been crying, but my mind was on Fiora and thinking about how I would say farewell. Francine’s mother lives above a seamstress' shop. She was not here but an attractive young woman answered the door. It made me wonder what else apart from sewing went on in the building. Perhaps I'm being too quick to jump to conclusions
- When we returned Axel, Pietro, Richard and I had a small war of words and I threw a last volley at Richard as I left the room. He's so infuriating and handsome at the same time.
- I asked after Madeleine Du Prevoye and she has recovered from her ordeal in the sewers.
- Axel and Richard finally decided to duel and perhaps Richard is using it to vent his frustrations at failing to charm any ladies at the ball
- To be fair Richard did a magnificent job of winning the duel with a lightning strike that left Axel with a nasty cut that looked worse than it was.

- When we all met for lunch the next day Father Alejandro mentioned that some monsters in the Void can masquerade as people, hearing that almost made me lose my lunch. Has the man got no etiquette at the dinner table?
- I made a small joke about asking Fiora to intimidate people with her black dress and veil, which Francine took entirely the wrong way and she stalked off. I understand that she has been through a lot, but the manner in which she left was very rude.
- After lunch I had a lie down to try to forget about Alejandro's comments and to rest my nerves.
- Shortly afterwards Francine returned with news that the tankard from the Black Cross had indeed been used to poison the Inspector's agent.
- The poison was called something 'Enin' and the flower from which the poison is prepared only grows in parts of Montaigne, Vodacce and Eisen.
- The apothecary did not know of any antidote and claimed that it killed a person after an hour, what a horrible way to die.
- Since we were unable to formulate a plan about what to do next we turned to the Inspector for help. However, his suggestions were less than inspiring and I soon came to regret asking him.
- In the end we decided to have the men wait in the alley to ambush the informer; with Francine and I acting as backup in the Black Cross tavern.
- Whilst in the tavern I spent some time talking about the latest fashions with Francine and I slipped in to the conversation that I wanted to help and would not give up on her. It was not an easy thing to do as I still have my reservations about her. However, I still feel as though we are kindred spirits and I'm sure that she would help me if our positions were reversed.
- Outside the tavern things were not going well. Lots of people came to the banking institution including a Castillian nobleman, but Axel blew his cover when he got in to a fight with some drunken Montaigne noblemen.- I have no idea what Pietro was thinking as he decided that arrows would balance the numbers in the fight. As you can imagine the Montaigne were massacred. In his stupid attempts to get rid of the body he was justifiably arrested together with Father Alejandro.
- Axel had the presence of mind to take an injured man to the tavern but then the Musketeers turned up to arrest him. I was honoured when he asked me to look after his weapons and felt as if the Emperor has given me his crown for safekeeping.
- After arranging for the injured man to be cared for and taken home I made my way to the alley.
Francine, Richard and I were able to witness the conspirators leaving the house and I noticed that the Castillian nobleman dropped an envelope.
- Shortly afterwards we were ambushed and Francine together with Richard made short work of the incompetent assailants.
- I left Axel's weapons with the Knights of the Rose and Cross as I felt that they were people that he trusted the most. They asked after him and I told them enough that they would hopefully secure his release.

- In the morning the Axel, Pietro and Alejandro were released.
- Pietro had the gall to try to justify his use of arrows. It must be a Vodacce style of honour.
- Francine did a brilliant job unravelling the code from the dropped envelope and we learned from it that the next meeting would take place in one of the cemeteries of Charouse.
- Pietro, Axel, Francine, Richard and I set off for the cemetery in the afternoon and we found the tomb of Count Disguise after some searching.
- Although we sent one of our number off to get cloaks and red handkerchiefs, we eventually settled on hiding near the tomb to observe the next meeting
- It was at this point that I regretted not having told the Inspector of the meeting, but alas it was too late to do anything about it
- Richard's attempts at hiding were feeble beyond belief. I could spot him a mile off, has this man never had to hide from a jealous husband?
- Arriving for this meeting were a Montaigne banker and his two body guards, a Montaigne nobleman and his lackeys as well as the Castillian nobleman
- They were met by a group of ruffians whose leader stated that he represented some shadowy figure called 'Vincent'
- The banker's men brought forward a coffin shaped box filled with explosives, gun powder, money and weapons. They also handed over plans of important buildings in the capital and other cities.
- It was when the ruffians began to discuss how they would destroy all those in their way, including attacking schools and Musketeer infirmaries – that I was almost overcome by visions of dead children.
- That thought left me feeling cold all over and I decided that I could not stand idly by whist these men were plotting many murders.
- So I did the only thing that came to mind and that was to blow up the box.
- Although the shot was very tricky and the wind conditions were not ideal, I was certain of the shot and my training just seemed to take over.
- I could see each of the men clearly and had time to note their expressions of surprise an instant before the box and those around it blew up.
- Strangely I did not feel any great sense of justice, anger or other emotion. It just felt like I had done the right thing. Somehow that feeling actually felt good, much to my surprise.
- The next thing I was aware of was a tombstone pinning my foot and the fact that I had managed to ruin another perfectly good dress by being too close to an explosion
- The banker was not as fortunate nor were his men. The Castillian nobleman managed to flee and the Montaigne nobleman lay injured under some rubble.
- The man representing 'Vincent' made good his escape with the money, but only some of his men were as fortunate.
- The Musketeers turned up and arrested the surviving conspirators and once again we had saved the city
- The Emperor's secretary's assistant came to thanks us personally and the Knights of Music were recognised for their dedication in protecting the Emperor and Montaigne
- Somehow it left me feeling a little hollow inside. I did it to protect the innocents who would have suffered or even been killed because of those plans. If only conditions in the country were better so that extremists such as those ruffians could not find support or shelter.
- Axel got more respect from the Musketeers who kept muttering 'broom of doom', men are such strange creatures sometimes.

Once again the time has come to leave on a positive note and this one would make any Vendel proud. After news got around that a single shot had taken out the conspirators, the Laars pistols were in high demand with all the nobles who had good taste and an appreciation of superb pistols. I spent the next few days shopping for new clothes and socializing until my feet were sore. At the end of three days I had secured a handsome number of orders and hopefully my father will be proud of my achievements in Montaigne so far.

Erebus Cross Part 1 – The Lady’s Favour

It's amazing how life can lift you up at one moment and plunge you downwards the next. Any Vendel knows that in the world of business things change fast, but it appears that the same is true of the world of politics.

- It all began when Viollante came back to visit us in the Emperor's palace.
- She has heard about the exploits of the Knights of Music and she had recently finished training in some sword school or another.
- Pietro and I spend some time amusing ourselves by telling Viollante all manner of tall tales about Richard. Since I do not believe that Viollante and Richard had met, it all seemed innocent jesting.
- However, once this topic was exhausted Pietro and Viollante moved on to discuss Axel. The topic of conversation continued with jesting about the Eisen mercenary and I learned a few things about him that I did not know (and also some that I did not particularly wanted to know).
- In any case Viollante, Francine and Pietro all went off to visit Fiora and I spent time carefully crafting a letter to my father requesting more funds.

- When the others had returned a messenger arrived with a mysterious invitation
- The letter contained instructions on how to navigate around the palace to a secret location
After a brief interlude in the kitchen, we managed to open the door with the silk white handkerchief that smelled faintly of perfume and had a beautiful butterfly embroided on it inside the lace border. For some reason
- Axel decided to hold on to the handkerchief, perhaps he has an outfit that it will go well with.
- Francine was very reluctant to go down the tunnel and Father Alejandro made an issue of asking if there were any spiders down the stairs.
- Once we had convinced the others to join us, I deciphered the instructions in the letter and we continued on our way.
- There were mostly bare rooms and tunnels, but one chamber of was not as boring as it contained rows upon rows of pillars.
- Eventually we arrived at what appeared to be an underground village and our mysterious letter writer revealed themselves. It was none other than Dominique Du Montaigne.
- Accompanying her mistress was Anna, a fate witch. For a moment I thought that it was Fiora, but I dismissed it soon after and made a point not to look at the Vodacce woman again.
- Dominique explained that her husband, Montague, was in trouble from conspirators who were planning to take his life.
- It seems that Montaigne is a land of conspirators as we had blown some up only a few days before. Anyway, Dominique entrusted us with a letter for her husband which gave details of the plot on his life. She also expressed concern that her father had sent General Montague away to perish in the war in Ussura.
- I've grown to dislike the L’Empereur somewhat recently but do not believe that he would want to kill his won sun-in-law.
- Dominique also gave us a strange compass that would lead us to her husband and already my mind was beginning to list all the things that I would need to pack for a journey to the end of civilization and beyond.
- Unfortunately for us the Musketeers once again demonstrated their superb talent at arriving at the wrong time and promptly began chasing us, trying to arrest us.

- Fortunately for me I had decided to wear one of my more practical dresses that I've worn for travelling in the past so running was not as difficult as it might have been.
- After a dizzying chase through the tunnels we eventually came out in a store room that I recognized as belonging to a theatre. Images of my embarrassing performance came flooding back and I was determined not to be the first one on stage.
- Axel and Alejandro managed to force the trap-door open, rudely interrupting a Vendel operatic performance. The way that the singer was massacring the song, it was actually a mercy for the audience that it was cut short. I cannot believe that people were willing to listen to her awful rendition of 'My Husband Has Sailed On the High Seas and the Butcher's Son Keeps Looking at Me with Longing Eyes'.
- Viollante displayed quite a good singing voice and kept the crowd entertained whilst we all rushed on to stage and fled the theatre.
- She later told me of how that strange music critic had applauded her performance and had then attempted to slow the Musketeers down on her behalf.
- Once outside the theatre we continued to rush towards the West Gate and due to the fact that my corset was rather tight it almost caused me to black out.
- Finally we arrived at the West Gate and found the well build carriage that Dominique had mentioned.

-What she had failed to mention was that a scruffily dressed Highlander was sitting in the coach, arguing with the driver to get underway.
- As soon as we were all aboard the carriage began its journey at a fast pace and we all got a chance to look over the stow-away.
- He was dressed as a middle-class artisan with a poor taste in clothes. Apart from the fact that his clothes were shabby and somewhat worn, the way in which he spoke painted him as a man lacking refinement and having an uncouth tongue.
- His admission that he did not drink almost made me want to burst out laughing, but his silly curly orange hair was providing me with amusement enough.
- His name is: Aidan MacIntyre and he claims to be a doctor. The large sword that he carries must be his surgeon's blade.
- Thankfully the coach was well built and the journey south was not too intolerable. We amused ourselves by singing some popular Montaigne songs, but Aidan's croaking voice left much to be desired.
- We rested overnight in a serviceable inn which was almost full of musketeers. They were polite enough to fellow travellers and even gave up their table for us.
- Over dinner Axel made a shocking revelation that he had left the Knights of the Rose and Cross. From the looks on some of my companions faces I could see that they were not as shocked as I was. Which led me to the conclusion that perhaps he had not left willingly.
- I enjoyed a relaxing bath that night and shared a room, but not a bed with the athletic Viollante.
- In the morning I purchased some provisions and the coach left with all aboard early in the morning.
- Axel and Alejandro began to argue about money and eventually Francine threw some coins at Axel as he kept going on about a debt that she owed him. I can't see why they were all so upset about such small sums. Accounting for all ones money is important, but they must understand that it comes and it goes. This is the nature of money.

- On the way south we encountered an army encampment and the sergeant on duty insisted that we be brought to see his superior officer.
- Fortunately the Captain was an intelligent and sensible man who recognised our documents as indicating that we were on the Emperor's business
- Unfortunately a Musketeer and a Porté sorcerer decided to enter the tent at that moment and once again we were forced to flee for our lives
- One of the soldiers had the audacity to lay his hand upon my arm, but a quick tap of my pistol on his hand ensured that he remembered that he had business elsewhere.
- In the coach we all rushed again and this time the pursuers were not far behind.
- Alejandro had the presence of mind to instruct the coach down some roads that he claimed to recall and we were swiftly away from the main highroad.
- Inside a forest we came across a logging village that had the misfortune of having one of its houses on fire.
- Axel knocked down one of the neighbouring houses that whose thatch roof was threatened by the fire and Alejandro's attempts to do the same almost resulted in him losing his legs.
- The villages used the ruins of the houses to create barrier around the fire and it was soon under control, although certainly not burned out.
- We requested of the villagers that they help delay our pursuers and as we were later to learn they were true to their word.
- Aidan proved that he was in fact knowledgeable of medicine and helped Father Alejandro back on his feet.

- The final part of this journey led us deeper in to the woods where the path ended at a canyon that was spanned by a rope bridge.- In the process of unloading the carriage five musketeers came bearing down on us proclaiming their passion for arresting us in the name of their ruler.
- I decided that it was not an appropriate time to remind them that their ruler's musical entertainment was saved by us and that we had prevented a murderous bombing campaign from taking place.
- Instead I used my Vendel common sense and did the practical thing. I shot two of the horses and thereby reduced the number of Musketeers who would catch us at the bridge.
- Fortunately Father Alejandro was helped across the rope bridge by Aidan and Francine.
- Unfortunately the leader of our pursuers, one Charles Chevalier of the King's Musketeers was a very competent fighter
- Viollante displayed her prowess in battle by knocking two of the Musketeers unconscious and I had a very lucky escape when one of them was intent on ruining my dress with the sharp end of his rapier. No, not that way! Good Theus, that was very rude indeed!
- Anyway, Charles decided to disengage from the fight as he had no immediate supporters and he took the time to berate me on my callousness in shooting the horses.
- Men, all they think about it charging to save the day and fighting manno-a-manno with flashing blades. I think about numbers and stopping those horses evened the numbers enough so that we could make good our escape.

As always I'd like to leave this entry on a good note. Although this time there are not many things to sing joyously about. We're on the run from the Musketeers, but I have the feeling that we are embarking on a grand and fun journey. It's a shame to be leaving Richard and Pietro behind, although I am quite glad to get some distance between me and Fiora. Perhaps some time apart will give me the time for the wounds to heal and my heart to grow whole again. I still have not forgiven her for the manner in which we spent the second night together and I pray that this sorrow will be washed away along the journey. I'm looking forward to putting the Ussuran that I learnt in to practice and hope that I will meet someone special along the way.

********************************
Copy of the letter that Idunn sent to Pietro via Francine & Eponine.

My Dear Friend Pietro Villanova,

You may be surprised to receive this letter from me. But since I have departed the city in such a hurry, I thought that it was only fair to inform you of my hasty exit and to reassure you that all is well.

Alas I cannot tell you the details of why Francine, Viollante, Axel and I left the wonderful city of Charouse as we have each been sworn to secrecy. It is unfortunate that we could not depart the city without fanfare as it seems that the Musketeers have taken it upon themselves to try to thwart us from carrying out our noble quest.

Now that I have made clear the things of which I am not permitted to speak, for which I apologise, it leaves me some room on these pages to express my feelings and pass on some messages.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the time that we spent together in Montaigne, attending parties and carrying out benevolent deeds. It is good to see that you are dressing more according to your station and I hope that one day you will be able to put the clothes of 'Reinhard Muller' on a fire and banish that persona forever.

Please pass on my greetings to Richard and Fiora when you next see them. It pains me to leave the city without being able to say a proper farewell to two people that I have come to care about deeply. But due to the urgent nature of our departure I was not even able to pack some of my dresses and other treasured belongings. Perhaps Eponine will be able to find some new owners for the beautiful dresses that I left behind.

It looks as if my companions and I could be spending some time travelling and therefore I am not sure when my next letter will reach you. Please send my love to Fiora and Richard, as well as my best wishes to Eponine. It must have come as a shock to her to find out that Axel is no longer a member of the Knights of the Rose and Cross. I have to admit to being deeply shocked to hear of this. If you should find out any more information about how this came about, then please can you write to me as I would like to see Axel re-instated as a knight if at all possible.

Anyway, the coach is almost ready to leave and I must bid you farewell. Take care and may Theus smile down many blessings upon you. Love,

Idunn Laars

*************************

Always running. It seems as if Charles Chevalier is determined to chase us all the way to the ends of Théah and back. It's not been a particularly pleasant journey so far and I miss the comfort of court with each step that I take away from the civilized world. Anyway, I will cease my complaining and draw upon the 'core of steel' as my father refers to it. The strong fibre inside that keeps one going when all else fails. I have found my core of steel and I pray that I will not need to draw upon it again in the near future.

After crossing the rope bridge and cutting it down behind us, we approached a nearby harbour town just as night was falling. Francine asked one of the peasants for directions to an inn frequented by river boat captains and we headed towards it to get a meal, as well as booking passage East.

As luck would have it, securing passage on a boat in the evening was particularly difficult. None of the captains seemed to want to deal with Viollante or Aidan.

The food in the inn was wholesome, if somewhat bland. However, the wine that they served there was a rather fine vintage. I'm sure that they were not wholly aware of the quality of their stock as they would have charged more for it. But then again, the wine was probably 'acquired' by a river boat captain and sold cheaply to one of the taverns.

After getting in a spot of bother, Viollante and Aden found out about a man who could help us to secure passage on a boat.

Just as they were coming to tell us of this fortunate turn of events, the musketeers turned up in force. Since they had been riding hard and were offered 'a free glass on the house' (courtesy of the Vendel League) – they did not pay much attention to us as we slipped out of the tavern.

The man with the boat was an Avalon called Reginald Coleson and his Vodacce partner Antonio The two were arguing over their lack of funds and the fact that the river boat captain with whom they had booked passage was threatening to dispose of some valuable archaeological finds if they did not pay him. Again the coffers of the local Vendel League representative were put to good use by ensuring that the precious cargo remained on the ship and to provide an opportunity for us to pay to travel East on the same boat.

The Eisen river boat captain Ringer Gutwald allowed us to board his ship, the Rivermist, after we settled the accounts of the Avalon.

Francine paid for the trip East to Eisen and just as the boat cast off the musketeers turned up firing wildly. Only Aden was unlucky enough to get shot and he was carried downstairs bleeding in several places. Lucky for him the wounds were not mortal and he insisted that he would be fit and well within a few days.

That night Eponine turned up to Francine and Axel. Axel and Francine spend some time in the room that Francine and I were sharing. I cannot tell what passed between them as Eponine was in a rush to return to Charouse and for a moment I was tempted to ask her to take me back as well. Instead I gave her a letter authorising her on my behalf to pick up the money that my father had sent.

Later that night Francine and I went to sleep in one of the cabins with Viollante sleeping in the other. The men slept in the crew quarters and even the captain gave up his bunk. Thankfully I did not have any dreams of Fiora. Else I might have awoken in a delicate position and would have had to explain to Francine why I was lying so close to her.

Francine was informed by the captain that he was not fond of Porté mages During the day some of the others expressed an interest in the crates that the Avalon Explorer was taking to Lord Heilgrund. My companions asked me to speak to Reginald about his work as well as his relationship with Lord Heilgrund. Mister Coleson kindly explained that his chapter of the Explorers society is sponsored by the Eisen lord and that they provide some items for the Lord's private collection.

Mister Coleson was especially interested in the compass that Dominique had entrusted to me, but I was reluctant to let him examine it for more than a couple of hours.

Suddenly the boat was rocked and it happened again before the sailors saw that some large water animal was attacking the boat. A huge reptilian fish was ramming the boat, but the crew seemed unsure of what to do. I caught the name 'Beast of Dechain' which must refer to some local folk-tale or superstition.

Aidan volunteered to climb in to the lifeboat in order to help lower down a barrel of gunpowder and was almost swept downriver for his troubles. There was not enough time to lower a barrel of fish, so the sailors simply threw them by hand in to the lifeboat (and also at Aden who was busy climbing back on board).

Fortunately the river creature went for the bait and swallowed the lifeboat with its contents. When it came out of the water again I had my pistol ready and, with a shot that was guided by Theus's hand, I was able to set the fuse alight which blew up the gunpowder barrel

The creature was burned by the attack as flame erupted from its mouth and gills. Injured and confused the reptilian fish creature swam away as fast as it could and left us to get on with our journey in peace.

That evening Axel, Viollante, Reginald and Francine passed the time playing cards after Viollante had entertained us by telling the story of the O’Bannon bleaching the redcap’s hat.

On the next day a heavily armed Eisen warship, called the Drachen's Roar, pulled up alongside in order to inspect the boat's cargo. The captain confessed that smuggling in the Explorer's crates could cost him his ship and the unformed thugs on the Eisen ship certainly looked as if they were capable of taking the boat apart with their bare hands.

The captain of the Drachen's Roar claimed to represent Lord Sieger's navy and all seemed to be going well until he noticed Lord Axel's dracheneisen broadsword. The Eisen captain was rather rude towards my former bodyguard and Lord Axel (quite rightly) insisted that he be addressed with his proper title. The Eisen captain displayed at least a smidgen of civility when he used Axel's correct title, but his sneering tone betrayed his coarse manner.

It was when Francine displayed her talents with Porte that the Eisen captain lost his temper and ordered our boat searched. Our captain tried to calm the situation and forced me in to a position where I had to accompany the two captains to sort out the situation.

Had I known what lay in store, then I would have refused on the spot. Alas, I learned my lesson too late but once again the Laars pistols came to the rescue.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Our captain agreed upon a price to pay to the Eisen captain of the Drachen's Roar to cease the search and allow us free passage. As the 'Vendel Financier' of his trip our captain placed me in a position where I had no choice but to pay the 200 guilders.

However, the Eisen captain was not satisfied and attempted to coerce me in to kissing him or heaven forbid going even further. I was horrified by his behaviour, shocked to the core. As well as feeling very angry I also felt quite helpless. He made the mistake of standing too close to me as he tried to force himself on me and I resorted to drawing my gun and pointing it at him below his dracheneisen breastplate. I also told him that Lord Axel was my husband, but the man had no qualms about taking another man's wife.

I prayed to Theus that he would not realise that the gun was not loaded and my prayers were answered. The Eisen beast masquerading as a human being left our boat and sailed off with his pack of men towards the Montaigne border. To add insult to injury the boat that we were on changed name, sail and captain. Thus ensuring that I would not get compensated and that the Rivermist, now the Lady's Fan, would not be hunted in Eisen waters.

I should have realised that the boat that we were on was a pirate vessel, but having come face to face with a pirate in Eisen uniform – I was blind to the treachery that was going on around me. To say that I was angry, upset and very frightened was an understatement.

That night I could not fall asleep, instead playing the scene with the captain of the Drachen's Roar over and over again in my mind. My body was physically trembling and I was glad that Francine had fallen asleep so that she could not see me in such a state. By morning light I could cry no more and eventually got a couple of hours dreamless rest.

The next day was Viollante's birthday, but seeing as how we were travelling on a boat we could not celebrate properly. I felt rather guilty about not having bought her a present, but instead gave her a beautiful ivory comb that had belonged to my cousin's wife.

One fine afternoon we came across some rocks and boulders that had fallen in the river from the Drachen Mountains. The crew and my companions left the ship and before I knew what was going on – I discovered that I was the only one left on the ship.

Having remembered some of the things that my tutors tried to teach me about ships, I was able to steer it between some of the larger rocks. However, the boat was taking on water and shortly after leaving the rapids behind it began to pick up speed. Releasing the anchor was easier than I'd expected and my father can be proud of the fact that paying for all those tutors actually resulted in some practical applications.

After crossing the rapids we disembarked from the ship close to the Drachen Mountains. The crew was kind enough to provide us with some provisions as well as cold weather clothing.

As I stated at the beginning, I have discovered my 'core of steel' and it has seen me through being chased by musketeers, attacked by river monsters, almost being assaulted by Eisen brutes and being conned by Explorers and river boat captains. However, I fear that the price that I have paid for this is my loss of innocence about the world and an increase in distrust of my fellow man. My faith in the good nature of my neighbours has been sorely tested. Perhaps this is part of growing up and learning more about the world. Or perhaps not.

In the bleak landscape there is little that one can draw upon to find comfort, but the knowledge that I stand amongst friends is enough to see me through each day. The positive note that I will finish off on today is that I have thought of three new dress designs on the journey, as well as a cunning way to hide a blade inside the different dresses.

Finally we are off that accursed boat. The journey by river was a good idea at the beginning, but coming face to face with river monsters, pirates and rapids is enough to make any girl long for a comfortable coach with a servant waiting on her every whim and desire. How I miss the city with it's boutiques and markets. The sweet smell of spices, the taste of bon bons and feeling the soft fabrics in a dress-maker's shops – these are the things that I miss the most.

Once we had left the boat we set off on foot inland passing several abandoned villages along the way. The countryside looked bleak and inhospitable and there is something mournful about seeing farms without signs of life and the fields lying fallow.

The mystery of where all the farmers and their families had got to was soon solved as we passed a column of refugees looking for food and shelter marching along the road.

At first I though about saving some of our food or perhaps some money, but the sheer number of people was too much to contemplate. I've heard that there are kitchens in Charouse where Lords and Ladies can give money to ensure that the orphans and widows living on the streets are provided with soup and bread. When I saw all those poor and hungry people walking along the road, I immediately decided to give money for these “soup & bread” kitchens the next time that I am in Charouse (if they actually exist).

Whilst we were passing the peasants along the road I tried to explain to some of my companions that the way in which a person dresses has a great effect on their lives. If farmers and their families in a village dress well and ensure that they children are suitably attired, then travelling merchants will assume that there is some money to be made in the village. With the inflow of merchants there will be more trade taking place and as a result the village will prosper. So whilst clothes might (at times) be a trivial thing for some of my companions, it can mean the difference between prosperity and starvation for a village.

Anyway, I'll stop preaching for now. It's amazing that my companions manage to keep their finances under control considering the outlandish ideas that bring up in conversation. Perhaps when we go to Vendel I will let the example of my people speak for itself so that they can see what a proper enlightened society looks like.

In order to quash the burgeoning argument Aidan broke out in to a popular Highlander song. As performances go it was one of Aden's better ones, but that is not really saying much compared to the croaking noises that he made earlier in our trip.

They may be hungry and they may be desperate, but I have little sympathy for thieves. It turns out that the compass was stolen from one of my purses and that Francine lost one of her guns. Father Alejandro had a knife stolen and we soon caught up with the column of farming folk.

My attempts to parley with the peasants was not a spectacular success, but it turns out that Axel has some noble blood in him after all. Finally seeing him in the role of Eisen Lord has shown me what Eponine sees in the man.

Don't get me wrong he is a nice gentleman and a very capable warrior. But he does not often act as a man of his station, perhaps it is Pietro's influence rubbing off on him. Let's hope that was the only thing that rubbed off on Lord Axel.

After Lord Axel promised the farmers that they could work the lands belonging to his family, a man of dubious character was pointed out and he betrayed his guilt by running away. A bullet in the shoulder and Viollante and Alejandro bearing down on him soon made him see the error of his ways. We had our possessions returned and an Eisen girl called something like Gretchin was given a letter by Axel to grant her people permission to work his lands.

Instead of leaving the thief to face mob justice we decided to take him along. Perhaps the musketeers could arrest him or something.

Whilst we were walking I took the opportunity to find out more about the mysterious scholar from the Highlands and he told me a fancy tale or two. I'm not sure that I believe in fairy princesses carrying their lovers away, but Aden's stories sounded convincing enough. When I see one of the fair folk for myself then I may believe him and until then I will reserve judgement on the matter.

Having travelled through the countryside for awhile I have begun to notice that there are different stratas in peasant society. There are those with nothing but the clothes that they wear to those who have houses, farms and can afford a number of luxuries.

So when we came across a hut in the forest, my immediate reaction was: this is a hut belonging to a “lower upper class” peasant. It was a pleasant enough building and looked like it had been standing for more than a few winters. There was a clearing around the hut and we could not immediately see the front entrance.

The owner of the house turned out to be a pleasant woodsman who graciously took us in for the night.

The thief was locked up in the wood shed and I had to sleep on the ground for the first time in my life. As a child I had wanted to experience this, but every time that I tried – one of the servants would tuck me back in to bed after we had fallen asleep.

All I can say is that it was a much over-rated experience. The one saving grace of sleeping on the floor was that not only did I get all the covers, but that Viollante was kind enough to sleep close by to ensure that neither of us was cold. Alejandro and Aden also appeared to have slept very closely together, but they refused to talk about it in the morning.

For some reason the discussion in the morning turned towards getting me dressed up as a boy. Much like how Viollante dresses up and gets everyone to call her Roberto. Axel made a comment about me finding it more difficult to disguise myself as a boy and I presume that he was giving me a compliment. I chose to take it as such and breakfast finished without any arguments or strong words.

The thief apparently did not enjoy his stay in the woodshed as he chose to leave it sometime during the night. We could not find any trace of him in the morning. When we explained to the woodsman that the thief had offered to lead us through the mountains – the woodsman told us that he could carry out the same task, for a fee.

After we had packed up our things and left the house, the next part of the journey involved going up in to the Drachen Mountains. In the late afternoon I asked about finding a tavern or inn to stay the night and, for some reason only known to themselves, Aden and Alejandro became very sarcastic in their comments. I bit my tongue rather than cut them down to size as men can get very touchy sometimes when put down by a Lady. I'll save it for a different occasion when the subtlety of wit can be fully appreciated.

In the evening we entertained ourselves with some more songs and retired to go to sleep on the ground once again. Lying close to Viollante I looked up at the stars and wondered if Fiora was looking up at those same stars. It felt as if she was very far away and every step took us further apart. That night she was in my dreams briefly, but I could not understand what she was saying. The dancing in the dream only permitted us to talk occasionally and for some reason I could not understand anything that she said. I felt quite sad in the morning and made an extra effort to look good after sleeping on the ground once again.

My efforts at looking good helped me to feel better. Although after another day of walking through the mountains I was not sure if the effort had been worthwhile and whether I should repeat it the next day.

That night as I lay down on the ground again to try to get a few hours of rest I was woken up by Viollante who seemed very agitated. When I got up and looked at the horrible visage of the altered woodsman I could well understand her fear. The woodsman's eyes had a red tint, his mouth looked impossibly large with sharp teeth and he was whittling at some wood with his fingers which ended in talons.

It took me a little while to get used to the strange scene as two of my companions were missing and the other two lay immobilised on the ground.

The “woodsman fiend” was intent on playing games of one form or another and I decided that riddles would be the best way to vanquish him.

He made the mistake of asking one that my oldest sister had teased me about for weeks and so I was able to give him the answer right away. My older sister did eventually tell me the answer, but not before I had to brush and wash her hair for an entire week. So it was no surprise that I remembered the answer to:
“A rich man wants it, a poor man has it and if you eat only it then you will die”.
The answer being “nothing” of course. My oldest sister did apologise afterwards for keeping me in suspense for so long and she bought me a delicious small cake with berries, cream and nuts. Since that time we have had riddling competitions once in awhile and she is still by far the better player.

The woodsman fiend-thing was rather upset about losing and after returning all of my friends decided to throw his knife at me. Viollante bravely threw herself in the path of the knife and was struck by it. Aden's surgical skills were once again called upon and I was very grateful for Viollante's heroic act.

The next day we managed come down on the other side of the mountains and Francine informed us that we were crossing in to Ussura. She also mentioned something about Porté not working and I realised that my father's money would not reach me until we left this frigid country.

Shortly after entering Ussura it began to snow heavily and some strange creatures swooped down to attack us. We managed to fight them off and Aidan proved his skill with a blade. One of the creatures almost succeeded in carrying Viollante away from us. A lucky shot caused the gargoyle-like creature to drop her and for a second day running Viollante was badly hurt.

As if the winged monstrosities was not enough, sooner afterwards a wolf pack approached. Francine and I attempted to shout our apologies in to the wind for grandmother winter to hear and the wolver did not move in to attack. Axel and Alejandro kept their weapons to hand which caused the wolves to growl at them. For the rest of us the wolves brushed up against us and passed in to the snowy landscape.

When the wolf brushed up against me it felt amazing. They are truly magnificent animals and I could almost see the cunning in their eyes. I used all of my will not to think about wolfskin coats and vowed never to wear such a garment if it was offered to me.

We found a village nearby and it took awhile for the villagers to decide that we it was OK to invite us in to their houses.

An old woman came to tend to Viollante's wounds and Aidan paid a lot of attention to her work. Ever the scholar looking for new and interesting information.

One of the villagers spoke a few words of Eisen and he brought us Yuri the Headman of the village. We explained our mission to the Headman and he told us that Axel and Alejandro should apologise to the wolves. They duly went outside and some time later came back with muddy back and teeth imprints on their necks. I was very glad not to have been asked to do the same thing as the sight of all that mud splattered clothing filled me with dread.

Aidan tried to explain to me the significance of the teeth marks and it had something to do with who was number one in the pack. After his first sentence it all sounded too academic and I decided instead to look at the decorations on the clothes that the women in the village wore. They had some very nice embroided clothing, but it was too rustic for my tastes.

Aidan then went on to explain how “camouflage” was a way of dressing in order to not be noticed. It took awhile to understand why anyone in their right minds would try to do such a thing. Surely the whole point of clothing and fashion is to be noticed. It turns out that wearing white in winter and green in the forest is the “camouflage” way of following nature's fashion trends. I began to think about all the wonderful colours during autumn and had another idea for a dress. When I mentioned having animals embroided on a dress to “blend in more”, Aden threw up his hands in frustration and I could not help but smile.

Viollante told a fantastical tale about the White Queen escaping by wearing white in the snow, but I'm sure that no Queen with any fashion acumen would ever contemplate such a thing.

We bartered passage on some snow sleds to go towards Montague's army and I'm looking forward to travelling somewhere without having to walk (and perhaps not sleep on the floor).

It's time to leave on another high note. So far the trip in to Ussura has been quite amazing from seeing and feeling wolves up close up practising my Ussuran with the local peasants. Aden has some outlandish ideas (as I mentioned earlier). However, the ones that he described relating to guns sound intriguing and could reap very profitable rewards. Ussuran clothing appears to be more practical than elegant and the women in that village wove their stories in to their clothes. I wanted to find out more about how they made their dresses, but it appears that the word for corset is rarely used in Ussura.

*****************************

Success at last. We finally made it to General Montague before that dastardly Charles Chevalier could stop us. It was thanks to grandmother winter that we were able to get there just in time, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself. The journey was swift but very cold and I was glad to finally return to civilization (or as close as you get in Eisen) at the end.

Father Alejandro in his continuing delight of all things snow decided that it would be amusing to throw a snowball from his dog sled towards ours. It hit Lady Francine in the face and none of us was very amused.

With the wind at our backs we almost flew across the Ussuran landscape. The sled glided over the gently undulating countryside as a fast clipper with full sails and a strong tail wind. It was almost as if the land was leaping out of its way to make our journey as speedy as possible.

At the end of the ride we arrived at the edge of a tall and brooding forest. Whilst we bid farewell to the Ussuran villagers I went to pet the huskies and marvelled at how thick and warm their coats were. They were magnificent animals and seemed to posses boundless energy.

Francine demonstrated to me how to walk elegantly in snow-shoes as I was having a difficult time walking in them without making my step appear clumsy and unrefined. (Francine got 35 in fashion snow-shoes).At the edge of the forest Father Alejandro gave in to his childish nature again and began pelting others with snowballs. Francine and I decided to walk some distance away in to the forest and a brief glance over my shoulder showed me that the other three were directing the attentions of their snowballs at Father Alejandro's head, neck and shoulders. At the end of the snow battle he hurled himself at the group to avoid being rushed by the others.

Once inside the forest the others soon caught up with us and the only sound that could be heard in the dark forest was the soft crunching sound of our shoes breaking the snow. At one point I heard a branch break, but it turns out that Father Alejandro has decided to give himself a snow shower. I can't understand what goes through the man's head sometimes and I believe that often it is nothing at all.

It was not long after we had entered the forest that I noticed a small unusual bit of movement up ahead and Aidan informed me that he had heard a weapon being cocked. I asked him to explain the sound so that I could hazard a guess at whether it was a musket or a pistol when we were rushed by four Ussuran bandits.

The fired their muskets at our group and Axel, Aden and Viollante were struck. At the same time that the bandits attacked a wind began which slowed their advance towards us. This gave us time to ready our weapons and receive their charge.

Two of the robbers were cut down in quick order and I shot one before he could attack Viollante who had fallen from a sword slash. The last bandit was dispatched and then a huge lumbering bear came from out of the undergrowth to attack us.

Aidan and I saw to Viollante who was badly wounded from the musket shot, the sword cut and her injuries the previous day. Lord Axel and Father Alejandro did battle with the dire bear trading blows. Father Alejandro retreated after being struck twice hard, but it was the bear who broke and ran after Lord Axel gave it thorough thrashing.

Father Alejandro fell asleep next to a tree and it did not take a doctor to see that he was succumbing to fever and cold from being soaked through with water and snow. Axel carried Viollante and Alejandro was supported by Aidan and Francine. Afraid that Alejandro would fall asleep once again Francine engaged him in a conversation about the prophets and it seems that theology is enough to keep the Father Alejandro conscious in order to argue his views about religion.

Eventually we emerged from the forest and could see fully for the first time the utter devastation that had been brought to the land by the war.

We passed fields which had been burnt to the group and saw soldiers frozen to the stop as the stood on duty. One poor boy did not even manage to get his pipe lit before the cold fingers of death embraced him. The Ussurans had burnt the land and stripped it of all shelter and nourishment to slow the advance of the Montaigne juggernaut.

As we came closer towards the army we came across a group of twenty musketeers and Francine called out greeting to them. My heart almost stopped when I saw Charles Chevalier look up from his snow-covered hood and order his men to open fire on us. Fortunately for us grandmother winter smiled on us again and caused strong curtains of wind to make the shots go wide. A blizzard of snow and ice surrounded both us and the musketeers, but it's effects were only felt by them and not us.

Several times Charles Chevalier opened fire on us, desperate to prevent us from getting to General Montague. At one point he managed to get quite close to us and seeing the look of utter determination on his face was like staring death in the face. This man was doing everything in his power to try to prevent us from delivering the letter. That included trying to shoot us, or cut us down.

Fortunately for us his power was curtailed by the will of grandmother winter and we made use of her goodwill to get to the encampment of General Montague as swiftly as possible.

Had it not been for the fact that I'd seen Chevalier's face, I probably would not have tried running in snowshoes. However, with Father Alejandro burning up with snow fever and Viollante injured we could not make that fast time.

Still, after being challenged many times by guards, we made it to General Montague's tent. In the heart of the camp stood a large command tent with the wind whipping around it, almost as if invisible hands were tugging at the edge trying to let more of the frozen air inside.

Finally we got inside to see the General and his staff. I handed him the letter and Father Alejandro gave him the compass. As soon as he began reading the letter he stopped listening to Lady Francine and all of his attention was on the words penned by his beloved wife.

When he had finished reading the letter he ordered dry clothes, food, and drink and a surgeon to be made available to us. Afterwards he turned to his command staff and spoke the immortal words: “We are going home.”

He read over the letter briefly again and Francine asked him about his decision. The General replied by saying that he was not prepared to lose even a single life of his soldiers for the purpose of Montague dying in the cold fields of Ussura. His modesty and wry humour was both surprising and refreshing.

I had expected to meet a different soft of man, one who had risen in rank and had his ego rise ever faster. Instead I found myself standing in a tent with one of the most humble and honourable men in Théah. I successfully managed to hide the tears in my eyes when he explained clearly and honestly to Francine that he was intent on return the brave soldiers of Montaigne and welcome whatever manner of reception awaited him from the Emperor.

Father Alejandro and Viollante brought up the subject of Castille, but General Montague told them honestly that it was out of his hands. He joked in an off-hand manner that they did not have much to worry about with regards to free Castille as he believed that there was little chance of it being taken by the buffoons let in charge of the Montaigne army.

Later on Charles Chevalier came in to the tent and insisted on our immediate arrest. Had it not been for the presence of General Montague we would all have been dragged off (and possibly shot by firing squad) such was the fervour of Chevalier's demeanour.

General Montague told him in no uncertain terms that Chevalier was to return with the army and not to interfere with my companions or I. Charles Chevalier made a comment about us not being welcome in Montaigne. By not welcome I understood that to mean that he would hunt us down if we set foot in Montaigne.

I asked General Montague about the compasses after Viollante and Alejandro had received the attentions of a field surgeon. He stated that he did not know much about them and offered them as a small token of his gratitude for delivering the letter.

As I was holding the compasses I felt a charge build up, similar to how the air feels just before a lightning storm. Suddenly a Porté hole appeared and a man's hand reached out to grab Montague's compass. Just as suddenly as the hole had appeared, it simply vanished.

I had thought that the strange ordeal was over, but I was overcome by a premonition in which I witnessed where the compass would end up. Standing in a strange forested area a Montaigne man (possibly with Vodacce blood) stood over a chest with an indentation that matched the compass. With a mad gleam in his eye he held up the compass before placing it triumphantly on the box.

Just as quickly as the vision had appeared it disappeared leaving me feeling light-headed and nauseous. I quickly explained my vision to my companions before details began to sip from my mind.

We decided that it would prudent to try to stop the vision from taking place. When I described the strange forest with it's unusual plants and animals, Aidan commented that it matched the description of the Midnight Archipelago which he had read about.

Erebus Cross Part 2 – Scoundrel’s Folly

We travelled for a week through the Drachen mountains back in to Eisen and eventually ended up in the grand city of Freiburg.

On the way back we were visited by Eponine and she delivered by money as well as a letter from Pietro. I gave her a small gift and the address of a great dress-maker in Charouse so that Eponine could buy herself a dress similar to one that I'd left behind in the palace.

It was not until I had re-read the letter just before we entered the city that I realised that Pietro had mentioned he was working with the explorers in Freiburg. I immediately decided to look him up when we arrived to chat about my recent adventures.

When we arrived in the city Francine, Viollante and I went shopping for proper winter clothing. The range of fashions available was quite amazing and we dragged a bored Alejandro from one shop to the next. I'm sure that by the end of the day he was sick and tired of hearing the various virtues of different furs and the lining in fur cloaks and gloves.

In the end I purchased a nice simple dress, a fox-fur cloak, gloves and hat as well as going to a salon for having beauty treatments applied to my weather-exposed face and hair. It felt heavenly having someone to wash my hair and take care of my nails. It made the whole trip worth-while although I am loath to repeat the experience just to revel in the feeling of being pampered by servants.

I did make an effort to include Father Alejandro in some of our conversations but his lack of knowledge about clothing (in particular women's clothing) made it difficult at times. Still I did advise him on which cloak to buy and he ended up with one that really suited him.

Later on in the day we ran in to Pietro and Axel. Pietro was dressed as an Eisen peasant and I could not disguise my disappointment in not seeing him dressing according to his station. It was not until he explained to me that dressing as a peasant would make others take less notice of him that Aidan's idea about “camouflage” finally began to make sense. It was a bit of a revelation seeing Pietro in camouflage and for a moment I almost did not
recognise him.

We met up with Aidan who had gone out to buy a spyglass, some dusty old books and parchment. He seemed very pleased with his shopping trip, but I noticed a distinct lack of new clothes. Hiring a room for us all to get changed in to evening wear was rather expensive. Once we were all ready we set off towards Lord Axel's family residence in the city.

His family lives in a large townhouse in the nicer area of town. We were greeted cordially at the door and brought in to a room that can only be described as a war room. It must be the Eisen passion for battle which causes them to display their weapons with such enthusiasm. In Vendel we do have specially built cabinets for storing weapons. As well as being for display purposes they also serve the practical need to store weapons in case of attack.

Lord Axel's mother was a charming Lady who very courteously greeted us. Axel's youngest sister also came to greet us and I could tell from her choice of dress that we would get on immediately. She had incorporated some Montaigne designs in her dress to compliment her Eisen dress and I was impressed at how well it worked – as well as how she carried it off. We began to talk about the different clothes that were in fashion when I was last in Montaigne and she listened with rapturous attention. It was nice to hear that Eisen ladies take a healthy interest in fashion trends.

When Axel's father joined us just before dinner Axel mis-translated a comment made by Francine about the fact that Axel's fiancée (namely Eponine) would be joining us later.

Axel's father was a large built man who had fought in many campaigns and he was a firm believer in strength of arms. He was not very enthused about the idea of having gunpowder weapons on the battlefield, but had the wisdom to see the advantages that they brought.

Just after we had sat down to eat Pietro brought up the subject of the mis-translation again and Axel was momentarily at a loss for words.

Since this entry is rather lengthy I have decided to write it in two parts and I will leave it on a cliff-hanger as to what Axel's response might be. I was very grateful to be away from Ussura. It was a beautiful country, but it was not somewhere that I would want to spend a lengthy sojourn. Eisen was not a great deal better in some parts, although at least the land is not fighting you every step of the way. Putting on a new dress, having a bath and going shopping really made me feel reborn after the harrowing journey from Charouse to Ussura. Although we are not going to stay long in Freiburg I intend to spend at least some time with Pietro.

As always I'll leave this entry on a high note. I received money from my father, yay! Also, I finally got to grips with the concept of camouflage when confronted with Pietro dressed as Reinhard. Aidan bought a glass triangle and has promised to explain to me how light is made up of many colours. Whilst the idea sounds outlandish even for the Highlander, I am looking forward to learning more.

******************************

The city of Freiburg is an 'interesting' place. By that I mean that it is a law-less city of refugees and displaced nobles who somehow manage to keep the city from descending in to total anarchy. Walking the streets of the city during day-light hours is dangerous enough. But at night a Lady would do well to go out with a trusted set of guards and to make her journeys as brief as possible.

The drachen bones and old architecture make this an nice enough place to visit. The only other thing of value that I have found in this city is hope. In spite of the lawlessness, the poverty and the devastation in the surrounding countryside – the city and it's people conveyed a certain sense of hope to me. I spoke with a number of dress-makers and shop-keepers who were all of the opinion that Freiburg was an up and coming place to shop.

In the evening, after meeting at an overly expensive tavern on a bridge made of drachen bones, Axel invited us to dine at his parent's townhouse.

The Von Vendel family were very courteous in inviting us to their mansion and we were provided with (for Eisen standards) a very pleasant meal. There was some wine on the table, but the Eisen are very fond of their beers.

During the course of the evening, the Von Vendel family asked their son about his travels and each of us contributed a small anecdote or witty tale about our journey.

It was soon apparent that Axel's parents were not very happy with the direction that their son's life was going. Recognising familiar arguments from home, I decided to engage Axel's youngest sister in conversations about fashion in the Montaigne court. It's refreshing to find someone with as much interest in fashion as myself.

Eponine turned up after the meal and was introduced to Axel's parents for the first time. Initially their reaction had not been favourable when Axel almost failed to mention that he had a Lady friend whom he had been courting.

However, when Eponine made her grand entrance they were won over by her charm and Lady-like manner. I was glad to see that Eponine was making a good impression on the Von Vendel family, as Axel's evening up to that point had not been going well.

Later on in the evening whilst we sat and talked about a variety of topics, it became apparent that Axel and his father were in the midst of a furious debate in the next room. Although we tried to keep the conversation going to drown out their shouts, it did not stop us from hearing Axel shout: “I'll marry who I please!”. Which was followed by the sound of a door slamming.

Having grown up in a house with six sisters I am familiar with the sound of doors slamming after harsh words have been exchanged and our father was at one point considering hiring a carpenter simply to maintain the doors in our house.

The way that Axel stormed off and slammed the door did not bode well. It was plain to see that only a small veneer of civility was keeping this family together.

I went up to see Axel in his room, but I immediately decided not to stay as he had begun drinking. “When a man has to turn to the bottle to drown his sorrows he is on a slippery slope and those nearby are in danger of sliding with him”. That's what one of my nurse-maids used to tell us. Alas, I have found this to be true in several cases and I decided to wait until Axel was sober to give him my support.

Viollante, Aden and Pietro spent several hours drinking with Axel and made sure that he did not do anything rash. I went to see Francine to tell her what was going on and walked in whilst she was in the bath. After a brief chat to ask her if Eponine could return, I retired to my chambers and spent a very restful night in a proper bed.

In the morning Lord Pietro Villanova bid us farewell and told us that he was off to do some work for the Explorers. He told me that letters addressed to him could be sent to the chapter house in Freiburg.

The manner in which he said goodbye implied to me that I would not be seeing him again and that thought made me feel very sad indeed. I tried to hide my tears from him, but couldn't hide them entirely.

Pietro is a noble man who has been stuck in an unfortunate marriage from which he managed to escape for the time being. However, the spectre of returning to his lands and family has hung over him for a long time and living as an Eisen peasant has helped him to forget for awhile.

But when he met Lady Fiora the part of him that he had thought buried in the fields of Eisen came back and Pietro began to dress and act according to a gentleman of his station.

Though his love for Fiora was not to bloom in to a loving union, he became my dear friend who brought joy and wonder in to my life. I have never been friends with a Vodacce before and I'm not sure if my relationship for Fiora can be described as friends. We were lovers for awhile, but now that we have been apart remaining friends feels somehow hollow and empty.

But with Pietro I felt a strong sense of friendship. I fought hard at times to overcome my dislike of the Vodacce and went out of my way to help our friendship to grow. Yes, I'll admit that I led him around a bit and probably should not have worn that black dress. But in the end, when he was saying his farewell to me in Freiburg, I realised just how important he was to me. Just how much our friendship meant. I pray that someday I will be able to see him again and that he will be happy in the life that he is living.

Whilst we waited to travel on to Axel's castle I had the opportunity to thoroughly clean my guns which have not fared so well in the harsh Ussuran winter.

The journey to Axel's family castle was by barge which cost only two guilders each. The boat transports for people and goods seems to be one of the few things to have survived the War and without them the country would have collapsed entirely in my opinion. The old man who owned the boat did not talk much, but we certainly made up for it by bickering all the way down the river.

When we arrived in the village at the base of Castle Drachen we received a rapturous welcome from the peasants whom Axel had permitted to live on his land. They did not look very different to when we first encountered them, except for the fact that there were somewhat fewer in number and seemed a little more hopeful.

We did not stay in the village long and departed to head up to Castle Drachen.

There are two routes up to the castle. By road or by an ingenious mechanism involving buckets which are suspended from ropes that travel to and from the Castle. Axel was kind enough to lend me his cloak to protect my dress whilst I rode in the bucket and I have to admit that it was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Rising up above the land and seeing all the people, houses, trees become smaller and smaller was amazing. It felt like I was a bird and I was able to see the land drifting on the winds.

The Castle though impressive to look at did not have a great deal in it and I later found out that much of it had been sold to pay for maintenance and repairs to the castle.

After the reception that Axel had received from his parents, it came as no surprise that his sister (in charge of the castle) was not very happy to see him. When Axel gave her quite a bit of money to pay for provisions for the peasants her tone became less harsh, but I could see that Axel and his sister were not on the best of terms.

Fortunately we did not stay long in the castle and Axel's sister was kind enough o provide us with horses so that we could continue our journey to Lord Heilgrund's lands.

It was interesting to meet Axel's family and to visit the city of Freiburg. The Eisen still have quite a bit to learn about fashion, but at least there are some people like Axel's sister who show a keen interest. I was very sad to see Pietro go and hope that someday I will see him again in better circumstances. Travelling on that bucket contraption has to be the highlight of this part of the journey. Although being able to take a bath and sleep in a descent bed, after the horrible journey through Ussura, comes a close second.

***********************
We left Axel's run down castle and headed over to the county of Heilgrund to meet with the renowned explorer Reginald Coleson. I will not bother to describe much of the journey as the Eisen countryside is not much to write about. A long and bloody war can do a great deal of damage to the land and its people, which is something that I'll have to bear in mind when I eventually set up my own business in Vendel.

On the way to Heilgrund's castle I discussed politics with Francine and some of the others. It's interesting to hear their points of view, but they can be somewhat naive about how real politics works.

At one point along the trip we were stopped by a large group of black clad men who seemed to melt out of the shadows. They claimed to be the Iron Guard and that they wanted to know our business.

Fortunately we did not have to talk to these dark men for long and we were soon on our way again When I saw them melt back in to the shadows again I realised that camouflage could be used in a sinister fashion and decided that it was best avoided in the future.

Axel told us that the Steil Academy was located in Heilgrund and that it was one of the best academies in Eisen. War, it seems, is the only trade left to learn in this country.

When we arrived at the gate we were met by a pot-bellied bureaucrat named Ernst. He seemed to have a habit of repeating instructions or questions given to him. Perhaps he was a bit slow on the uptake. Still, the benefit is that he's not likely to gossip about his employer.

After we explained that had travelled to the castle to see Reginald Coleson, we were eventually allowed entry and were greeted by the smiling Avalon.

Master Coleson took care of securing us rooms and informed us that it was customary for everyone to dine together in the evening.

Before dinner we all took the time to visit the Lord and Master of the keep, Stefan Heilgrund, who was quite a bit younger that I expected. He was fairly handsome by Eisen standards, but his single-minded obsession with all things Syrneth probably does not provide him with much time for courtship and other civilized activities.

We duly introduced ourselves and Ernst finally caught up with the conversation that we'd had with Reginald half an hour ago – by brining up the topic of the Syrneth compass.

Stefan was very intrigued to see what it was and how it worked. He even went as far as proposing to sponsor our expedition to the Midnight Archipelago.

Father Alejandro spent quite awhile talking to Lord Stefan which I found curious given his previous comments, but perhaps it had something to do with that awful bracelet that he insists on wearing.

Somewhere during all of this talking about Syrneth artefacts, examining jewellery and how we were going to get to the Midnight Archipelago, the phrase "Cabora is coming" was mentioned. I have no idea who said it or why; but it stuck in my memory and unless I write it down it will go around my head for days on end.

Dinner was a fairly informal affair, but that it to be expected whilst in Eisen. The castle is truly immense and I cannot imagine anyone breaching its defences unless the attackers get help from within. It is literally carved out of the mountain and used to the centre of power of the Imperator.

There is a large castle in Vendel which is supposed to keep the shipping lanes clear, but it's not as impressive as this castle.

Anyway rocks and mortar are all very nice, but it's the people inside that is the interesting things. We had an enjoyable dinner and everyone turned out nicely.

Aidan wore a kilt and he was not the only one at the table wearing traditional Highland clothes. Francine wore her Montaigne best and Viollante had her usual mix of styles with her Vodacce spider and her Castillian clothes

The other guests around the table included: Antonio Natocelli (a large Vodacce merchant with whom I spent the good part of an hour arguing and exchanging barbs, a most unpleasant man), Greta Jansen (a delightful Vendel woman who had come to Heilgrund on business and was Antonio's rival), a well-dressed and dark Castillian lady whose name began with Sophia Della something (she looked like trouble and I successfully avoided talking to her), a Montaigne gentleman in military uniform (he practically had 'boring' written on his forehead), an Eisen woman in simple military clothes called Leina Vendlebury (a mercenary captain who worked with Axel in the past and revealed that Viollante used to dress as a buy with the name of Roberto), another well-dressed Eisen man, two young Montaigne ladies (who were away from home for the first time), two more Eisen noblemen, a dashing Avalon by the name of Henry "Hotspur" Clayborne (an Avalon in exile with some dark secret that he was hiding) and finally Fergus McAllister (the other man at the table wearing a kilt) who was hoping to win some mining contracts in Heilgrund.

The way that the Vodacce merchant looked at me when I walked in was clear that sitting near him would be trouble. Instead I decided to sit next to Greta and she invited me to join in a game of "we've been friends for years and oh look there's an unsavoury Vodacce with a chip on his shoulder". It was fun to work together to wind the Vodacce merchant up and I'm glad that I've never had those kinds of debates with Pietro or Fiora.

Pietro (and Viollante) have a different attitude to their homeland compared to many other Vodacce. Fiora's attitude is more like the rest of Vodacce nobility and in the past I've steered conversations away from topics relating to trade competitions between our countries.

The next day we visited Reginald Coleson in his laboratory, which was well guarded, and he spent time investigating the compass. During his studies he experienced the same premonition of doom that I'd seen and it came as some relief to hear that another person had seen the same vision.

Reginald spent three days looking at the artefact and during that time I managed to see Lord Heilgrund again. I told him that he could have the compass after we completed our journey and possibly the other compass as well, providing that he favour Greta Janses in the trade talks over the Vodacce merchant.

Reginald told us of his discoveries over dinner and stated that the metal from which the compass was made was a particular island in the Midnight Archipelago. This island (L'Il Du Bete) is owned by the Montaigne where the nobility hunt a variety of creatures. Popular legend has it that they hunt monsters, but I find this hard to believe.

We spent most of the three days, during which Reginald did his research, keeping ourselves amused and did not socialize much with the other guests. Axel spent some time catching up with his Eisen mercenary friend, whilst I spent my time enjoying sleeping in a good bed and a hot bath every day.

Well, we've travelled from one castle to the next in Eisen and have found a much friendlier reception in the latter. Meeting Lord Heilgrund and his guests was an interesting experience, but I was just glad to have finally found somewhere decent to stay in Eisen. Reginald and Aden are both interested in scholarly pursuits which is nice, but it does make conversation with them somewhat tiresome. I'm looking forward to our next stage of the trip and am bursting with curiosity to find out what the Midnight Archipelago is like. I've heard a number of stories about the place, but I'm sure that they will all pale compared to the real thing. As to how we're going to get there or how we'll land on the Montaigne island – well we can sort that out later.

Notes between Idunn and Alejandro
On the way to the Midnight Archipelago, Idunn and Alejandro got together in a very intimate way. It began with Idunn getting bored (which is always dangerous) and as usual has escalated into a romantic affair. Simson and Toos begun the affair by passing notes to each other, which I thought were worth sharing with you.

Idunn:
Since Idunn & Alejandro are spending quite a lot of time chatting – it's possible that something may develop. Idunn is bored and so is Alejandro – so why don't we pass the time having the odd shag to liven things up. Not for romance, but the others can NEVER find out.

Alejandro:
Argh! Grr... Gnash... You tempt the priest! Errm... Can't Really. SHOULDN'T. You know: PRIEST. Anyway, there's this girl in Castille – was thinking of proposing, but since I got shot, I'm no sure what's going on about that. Maybe she's forgotten, like Francine did. This is really awkward and confusing. SUMMARY: he's very tempted and will almost go for it, but [thanks to the strength given to him by Theus] he will resist the temptation.

Idunn:
Right... it's a challenge now! Idunn is a very attractive (drop dead gorgeous) and when she & Alejandro are away from the others – she'll really turn on the charm. (Seduction roll: 20 + 10 from stunning appearance). The girl in Castille thinks you're dead and what she does not know can't hurt her... wink, wink, *leans over to show more cleavage* Please! You're a handsome man, I'm a gorgeous woman. We don't love each other, but we need each other. We both love to hate each other and pulling this off successfully will be something we can taunt the others with.

Alejandro:
What do I need to roll to resist a seduction roll of 20. Can I use my faith to help – I will be asking Theus to lend me the strength to resist temptation
Simson's Note: Alejandro rolled Resolve 32, but after much discussion on the landing at Mark & Kat's house about Idunn's motivation (and hints about divine intervention) - Alejandro gave in. They found somewhere quiet / out of the way and shared a passionate intimate encounter. Alejandro made quite a bit of noise and Axel mistook the noise for Viola and Aidan. Alejandro was good, but Idunn was great.
Andy's Note: God did NOT make Alejandro give in, but he also wasn't going to stand in the way of a good shag. So I ruled that Alejandro's faith allowed him to see clearly whether this was a woman he really wanted or not, without worrying about who he might upset or what he really ought to do. Please don't ask me what we rolled to determine who was 'great'.

Alejandro:
I know we will be acting like nothing happened, but will Idunn be behaving any differently towards Alejandro now?

Idunn:
Yes, in public she'll act the same – but in quiet conversation she'll be nicer and warmer/friendlier.

Alejandro:
Fancy a walk along the beach if we can get away from the others?

Idunn:
Yes, but we have to be careful not to let the others get ideas... however if they do find out – I'm not ashamed at all!

Alejandro:
Damn, there goes our romantic walk on beach...

Idunn:
Idunn acts tough, but she has a soft and vulnerable side (Fiora saw it but Idunn is not used to showing it to men). If Alejandro is reciprocating then she'll want the friendship to grow. If the opportunity arises – Idunn may want to be intimate again, but this time slower, more loving and longer.

Alejandro:
Alejandro will certainly be reciprocating if Idunn wants the friendship to grow... :)

Idunn:
Ahh... this could be start of a beautiful friendship.
Note: Idunn and Alejandro have another passionate and intimate time together, this time longer and more loving. Idunn conceives, see note below.

Andy (GM):
You're late, and occasionally feeling ill in the morning

Idunn:
Actually this is not a terrible thing... Away from high society, shopping and Idunn's normal life. She has found a man who loves her for who she is. Yes Idunn is beginning to fall in love.