NarniaMUCK

Library
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You stand in a surprisingly long, quiet room that runs the length of this side
of Cair Paravel's west wing. The room is narrow in shape, and thus appears to
be more of a long, unusually wide corridor. Someone has constructed a series
of shelves along the north wall, under tiny windows that let in only enough
light to see by. Torchwicks line the south wall that can be lit for
additional illumination, and under them sit several wooden tables and
accompanying benches.

The floors are bare, so your footfalls send hollow-sounding echoes through the
marble walls. There are archways at the southeast and west ends of the room --
the west archway leading into the northwest tower, and the southeast archway
leading into the common gallery.
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You can go: Common Gallery <SE>, Northwest Tower <W>

Odell enters from the Common Gallery through the southeast door.
====> Odell is an adult Male Otter, with brown fur and black eyes.
====> He is wearing a Small Leather Pouch and an Odell's Cape.
====> Odell is the picture of health.

Lucy fans herself lightly with a hand fan tipped with lace as she reads a book at a wooden table. A miniature stuffed lion sits near her right hand, its head tilted in her direction. She suddenly giggles in amusement at something she has read before turning the page eagerly to see the next few words of a sentence.

The door from the common gallery clicks open and slowly pushes open, the faint jingling of hat bells signaling the approach of the court bard. Slipping through the door the otter turns to push it shut again then turns to look over the shelves. His small ears prick at the rustling of pages and he eeps when he spots the Queen and bows to her, removing his hat. "A thousand pardons for disturbing you my Queen."

Lucy starts and then smiles, nodding graciously. "Odell, do come in." She gestures to a set at her wooden table. "I hope you are having a good afternoon?" She moves a half-written letter to the side along with the feather and inkwell. As a last minute thought, she moves the lion obscurely to the side as well as though it belonged there with the writing utensils for a properly written letter.

Odell walks over, putting his hat back on his head and once he is close enough bows again, eyes on the lion before turning back to the Queen formally and straightening up. "Quite well Majesty, I was thinking of reading this afternoon, historical tales of Narnia for inspiration."

Lucy raises an eyebrow in marked interest. "Oh? That sounds lovely. Was there any particular bit of history that captures your fancy or are you looking for something you haven't tried yet?" She closes her book softly, her thumb tucked between pages. The cover is a light brown with gilded decorative leaves.

Odell tries to sneak a peak at Lucy's book's title and smiles, "I was going to look into the founding of Narnia, I've not read much about it before your majesty."

Lucy ahs, standing gracefully and releasing the page she had been holding with her thumb. She doesn't bother to bookmark the page, but instead sweeps to an older section of the library where the books hold a bit more dust (despite frequent dustings). "I think this is what you are looking for. I'm afraid we don't have as much as in later years. These are mostly stories that have been passed down from parents to child by tales before someone thought to write them down, so there are minor disagreements in certain descriptions." She pauses to place a finger on a dyed green book to hold her place as she appears to look for a book in particular, brow furrowed in concentration.

Odell follows the Queen, jumping lightly onto a set of wooden steps used to reach the highest shelves. Bells jingling brilliantly as he looks over the walls. "They are still part of our history, even if they are shrouded in mythology now your Majesty. I am sure I can make an interesting song out of a tale of the time of the founding."

Lucy smiles pleasantly, "I have no doubt of that. I just hope that you will write it down. I have a bad habit of forgetting the words to songs that I get stuck in my head and as result I'm afraid I don't do it justice when I try to sing them to myself later. I find your songs to be caught in my head, especially the merry ones." She glances around them before lowering her voice, "Especially your song about dwarves, as 'naught' as it was." She winks mischievously.

Odell puts on his most innocent otter expression, whiskers fanning out behind his smile, "What dwarf song your majesty? I would never sing about the dwarfs. It would upset them." He grins a bit wider before remembering himself and adjusting his hat. "I do keep a record of my songs written down, though the charcoal scratching of an otter on parchment is not always easy to read."

Lucy grins in mirth as she pulls out a faded red book, thumbing through the first few pages as she listens, before putting it back. "And we both know that tis better not to cause trouble where it can be helped." She pulls out the book next to the one she put back and thumbs through that one as well, surveying the material. "This one is commentary on early tales of King Frank and Queen Helen. There are a few interesting myths about the first King and Queen of Narnia. At least, I assume they are myths. I cannot picture King Frank as having a snore so loud that he could awaken creatures leagues away. The author of this book assumes the same."

Odell perks his ears and peers forward then holds out his paws, "May I look at it my Queen? A song about King Frank and his Queen might well go down very well at court." He sways his long, thick rudder like tail back and forth happily as he thinks about it. "I heard some tales of them when I was a small kit, how Queen Helen taught the birds their first songs."

Lucy pulls out a much smaller tome next to the empty space that marks where she had pulled out the last book. She hands the commentary with its faded blue cover to Odell. "That's a lovely thought. She must have had quite a beautiful voice. I don't believe I've met a bird who could not sing wonderfully."

Odell accepts the slim volume and smiles at it then glances back up at the Queen. "The tale goes that there was much argument over who would get to sing the Queen's Song. So in the end she gave each type of bird a single song to call their own."

Lucy thumbs through another small tome. "A sweet compromise. There is a singular beauty in each song, just as there is a singular beauty in every good beast." She hmms thoughtfully to herself. "If I remember correctly, this book is just a collection of tales from Lantern Waste about the tree of protection." She glances at Odell in askance.

Odell tilts his head and taps his chin, "The tree of protection, I have heard that legend before, it was meant to protect Narnia from the evil that was in the world. When the tree failed, the line of Kings failed and Jadis, the White Witch was able to enter Narnia."

Lucy nods with a smile, "You know your history." She puts the book back and reaches for another one, thumbing through the new one. "Reading tales about the past makes me curious of what others will write about my siblings and I. It seems to me that in Narnian history there is a fine balance between making light of certain curiosities of famous persons, informing future generations of history that occurred during that time, and fond affection carried over the ages through written words."

Odell sets the book down beside him on the steps and nods, "All history seems to be... a mixture of fact, some fabrication to make the story more appealing and affection for the heroes and true villainy for those who have done wrong."

Lucy nods and states as though reading from a history book, "So shall it be written that Queen Lucy had great affection for Aslan, her siblings, all good beasts, adventure, and let us not forget- honey cakes." She grins good-naturedly and looks back at the very faded green book in her hands, thumbing through it. "This is detailing the real and imagined properties of apples. I'm not certain that this book is in the right place."

Odell perks up and peers at it, "What does it say the properties of apples are? Legend says the fruit of the Tree of Protection was apples and they had miraculous properties. It could be a legend concerning them perhaps?" He then taps his chin and grins, "And lo, did the Queen also tolerate the rambunctious court bard, an otter who it is said managed to get himself declared public enemy number one of all dwarf kind and precipitated a near crisis between the thrones of Cair Paravel and dwarf kind, an incident only ever spoken of as "The D-Song incident."

Lucy chuckles mirthfully, her eyes twinkling, "That would be an amusing anecdote." She thumbs through the chapters, appraising them quickly. "The Tree of Protection is listed, but it appears to only have a single chapter spanning two generous pages. The chapters list healing properties, protection from evil, use for enlisting courage, use in cooking, use in superstition, and lastly the possibility of corruption toward evil purposes." She makes a wry face. "I remember when the ruler of Ubel tried to poison Queen Susan with an apple in our larder."

Odell tilts his head, "I do not think I know that story your Majesty! Did someone truly try to Poison your sister Queen? That is... most horrific! Who would ever try to harm Queen Susan, she is the most gentle of ladies."

Lucy sighs as she sets the book on apples aside, "Oh, I am certain Ubel would have settled for any one of us royals. One of our subjects was tortured and released under pain of recapture and death if she did not put the poisoned apple in the castle larder. Queen Susan happened to be the unlucky one to have eaten it. Luckily, I still have my cordial from Father Christmas and so we were able to administer the drops to prevent her from any real ill."

Odell shakes his head, bells chiming "Oh my that is most terrible and fortunate that your cordial was so close to hand. Was the Narnian involved ok afterwards? That is a terrible thing to be forced to do."

Lucy nods with certainty. "Oh yes, that did weigh heavily on our minds for a time. When we discovered the whole truth of the matter, we provided protection for our unfortunate subject and sent out a jolly strong reply of our own to Ubel in the form of knights sent from the castle. That was many years before you came. I can hardly remember the whole of it."

Odell inclines his head, "I thank you for sharing the story with me your majesty. Such things should not be forgotten, but then I am sure it has been recorded in our history books already."

Lucy's smile reappears, "I would not doubt it." She glances over Odell's books and asks, "Do you suppose that will be enough for now or did you need more on Narnia's beginning?"

Odell places a paw on the books "Oh these should do me your majesty, thank you for pointing them out to me. Now I just need to carry them back to my room." He looks up and bows, "And... thank you again for your assistance, I am after all here to serve you and your family. Your assistance has been a great honor."

Lucy chuckles lightly as she nods in turn to his bow, "You are quite welcome, Odell. I think sometimes it is well to serve as well as to be served. There is no rush to leave unless you have something pressing. I do not mind sharing one of the coolest places in the castle on a hot day."
Odell sits up on his hind legs and smiles, "I have no duties until this evening your majesty, and if you wish company and find mine pleasing I am most happy to stay and speak with you." He looks around and tilts his head, bells jingling. "And this part of the castle is indeed most cooling."

Lucy appears pleased by his reply, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of company. "Would you join me at my table, then? I only have some light pursuits this afternoon until supper. It's too hot to do anything particularly taxing."

Odell bows and lifts the two books he has selected, tottering with them in a sort of swaying shuffle. "Of course Queen Lucy, it is my honor to join you..." he stops and stares up at the table, tongue poking out as he tries to work out how to get the books up there. "It is indeed dreadfully hot at this time of year."

Lucy sees his plight and efficiently borrows them from his paws to place the books on the table. She, then, goes to her seat, bustles her skirts, and sits comfortably. "Is that better? I suppose smaller beasts weren't exactly in the mind of the artisan."

Odell bows in thanks and hops up onto a chair, but even standing is only about head height with the top of the table. Another leap and he is sat atop the table comfortably. "There are beast appropriate tables in other rooms. But the library was designed with sons of adam and daughters of eve in mind I believe."

Lucy smiles, though not unkindly. "I believe I had a similar plight when I was first here in Cair Paravel. Even if I was tall for my age, I was still smaller than my older siblings." Her hands unconsciously reach for her stuffed lion, pulling it toward her.

This tiny plush lion is no bigger than an orange and is made to fit perfectly in the palm of a lady's hand. The stitching on the small creature is exquisite, sewn with the greatest care. The thread joining the cloth is so close in color and stitched in such a manner it is nearly invisible. The fabric on the lion's body is made of a very fine silk in a pale, golden color. It shimmers in the sunlight. Surrounding the face and neck is an incredibly soft fur, probably a well-treated pelt of a rabbit. Dyed in a more rich golden color, it provided a small but pleasant contrast to the softer fabric. Two glass beads with two small onyx dots in the center stitched onto the face are luminous eyes, which capture and reflect the light that strike it giving the small lion an almost thoughtful expression. Rosie pink threads of a vibrant color make the nose and mouth. The lion looks like a small, colored version of Aslan's statue.

Odell tilts his head and examines the lion, "That is a most beautiful toy Queen Lucy, may i ask were you got it from? I've never seen such a construction before."

Lucy blushes slightly. "Oh! This!" She holds it out for Odell's inspection. "Lady Astera from Archenland sent it here to me with Sir Tyren. I know I'm getting rather old for carrying around stuffed animals, but this is...it's remarkably similar to /him/ and so well-made. Please don't tell Queen Susan."
Odell sniffs the toy then grins up at her, whiskers twitching, "My lips are sealed" he sighs, "I do hope I get the chance to see lady Astera again someday. She was most kind when I met her but I'm not the sort of court member likely to be required should yourself or your royal siblings journey to Archenland." he touches the plush's nose and stares into the glass eyes. "Is it truly like him? I was born long after the great victory against the white witch."

Lucy nods eagerly, "Very much like him." She frowns slightly in thought, "Only he was much much bigger. Queen Susan and I rode on his back once, if that helps you picture how large he must be."

Odell blinks, looks at the Queen, and tilts his head imaging the Queen Susan and then gapes. "But... but he'd have to be almost as large as a horse! Maybe bigger!" He stares at the toy then Lucy. "I... wow...."

Lucy nods with a grin, "Yes, he was that large. He may have even grown since then. I think it's been many years since we saw him." She appears thoughtful, "I wonder..." She looks down at the half-written letter and then back at Odell. "Odell, it is a thought that...perhaps....perhaps I could arrange for Lady Astera to visit us once again if King Lune were inclined to allow her to travel here." She glances back down at her letter thoughtfully.

Odell perks up and twitches his ears, "Oh he sounds like the most magnificent of lions, I hope I will be lucky enough to meet him one day. Did I ever tell you about how I met the Lady Swift on my very first Christmas?" He tilts his head and glances at the letter then up at the Queen. "I am sure it would be most delightful, but it is would be frivolous of us to call the lady to travel so far unless it was on business."

Lucy chuckles lightly, "Royalty are allowed to ask small favors from time to time and Lady Astera is a friend of the court whom I have not seen in some time. It would be strange if I did not ask for her company at least once after many years. Besides, Prince Corin may appreciate seeing someone from his own country who can relay news and health in person."

The supper bell rings, alerting the castle to the time.

Odell tilts his head and nods, "It would be good company for his Highness I am sure ah.." his ears perk, "Well that sounds like the supper bell your majesty. Gosh the afternoon has simply slipped away."

Lucy giggles as she stands. "Good company tends to make time fly faster." She unbustles her skirts again and then slips the stuffed lion into a pouch at her side. "I should let you alone to eat supper and work on your verses. Have a good evening, Odell." As a last minute thought, she retrieves the books for him from the table, leaving her own book lie on the table.
Odell bows low to her and smiles, accepting the books, "Thank you your majesty. I shall look forwards to the next time I get to spend time in your most delightful company."

Lucy inclines her head in farewell with a smile and leaves humming a few bars of Odell's dwarf song before her humming is drowned out by other courtiers also walking toward the Great Hall.