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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3526688" data-attributes="member: 3448">At the appointed time, they prepared for the meeting with Baroness Francesca de Borde-Wais.  Dame Brionna and Alistair waited in a small reception room, without any other guards.  Or at least, so it appeared.  In reality, Dame Brionna waited with a projected image of Alistair, while the real Alistair, Kit, and Princess Cecilia waited in one of the secret passages that ran by the reception room and allowed them to look in.A guard announced the Baroness, and a maid who had accompanied her passed a package wrapped in cloth to the Baroness before she entered, but did not accompany her in to meet the Archduke.  As the Baroness walked in, she saw Alistair and froze, her face going completely white.  Alistair could tell that she was terrified, but Dame Brionna also saw that she was very determined.  Princess Cecilia murmured in the hallway, “oh, that poor dear… I didn’t know that it was possible to stand upright and be that frightened.”The Baroness inclined deeply to Alistair, more like a client greeting a sovereign than like one noble greeting another, even a higher one.  She was young--certainly no older than Alistair and Kit.  Alistair guessed that she was as old as seventeen or eighteen, but also thought that she could be as young as fifteen, although she was very poised for a girl that age.  Based on the signs of rank on her gown, she was no more than fifth in line for the Despot’s throne, well within the nobles who could prevail if the election were soon.  However, her gown was also the most severe clothes imaginable.Kit reached out with her mind.  She had a clear read on the Baroness’s thoughts, but what she heard as she listened worried her.<< Oh, great Lord of Light, what am I doing here?  He will not dare do to me what he did to my sister.  They are not that powerful.  People know that I’m here…>>“Greetings, and welcome to our court.  You wished to speak with me?” said Alistair’s image.Baroness Francesca swallowed nervously before responding.  She also glanced at Dame Brionna, but concluded that this was as private an audience as she would get, or at least as private an audience as she could both get and want.  “Your eminent grace, I come before you on behalf of my sister Echila.  I bring you greetings from the Principality of Korflock and from our barony.  I bring this gift that you left with my sister, that she thought you should have.  She regrets that she cannot be here herself, as she is in retreat at a convent in light of her condition.”She advanced forward, holding out the package to Alistair.  Dame Brionna moved to intercept her and to take the package herself; it was unlikely that anything could hurt the Archduke through the projected image, but there was no point in taking chances, or in revealing that the image was not the real Archduke.  Besides, the image would not be able to physically hold the package, which could rapidly become very awkward.  The Baroness and Dame Brionna did a small dance of maneuver as she tried to pass Dame Brionna and Dame Brionna resolutely moved to keep herself between the Baroness and the image.  Finally, the Baroness admitted defeat and handed the package to Dame Brionna:  a baby, perhaps a year or a bit less, stirring gently from the agitation but still basically asleep.</blockquote>

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