LIFE IN THE FAIRY KINGDOM
The Palace Household staff have regular meetings amongst themselves. They do this by type of employee - all the maids meet, all the butlers and so on. There is a huge AGM which all attend. The Queen does not go. Any concerns raised by these meetings do go directly to her. In her nastier moods, the monarch could see Eileen having an alternative role as a militant shop steward. Eileen denies this - she has moments when she can be reasonable. Besides most shop stewards are genuinely trying to care for their members. One of the pleasanter tasks of the meetings is to arrange the annual trips out for the hardworking Palace staff. Later, of course, the Christmas rosters are drawn up. The Queen likes to join in with nice traditions like Chrismas and thinks it a good way to keep in with the Ultimate Authority at the same time.
L’Evallier’s household is effectively run by his parents with some assistance provided by Melanbury’s mother and father, given the happy couple are busy at the Palace and do not go back to their ancestral estates that often. Naturally these households are efficiently run as the noblest elf families see it as an obligation and a pleasure to ensure all such grand estates are run well. A monthly, formal report is sent to L’Evallier, though he and his wife are now thinking of going “home” once every three months or so once Melanbury’s had the baby and life is a bit more settled. Both are conscious their child should be aware of life outside the Palace as well as be in more contact with his/her own family.
Rodish, later Balkish’s, immediate family run the Manor House near Amnerbury, the traditional constituency seat for the Chief Dwarf. The house is for the convenience of non-dwarvish visiting species. Rodish, and later Balkish, still prefer to spend as much time down the mines as possible. The house is well and luxuriously equipped and there’s never any shortage of decent beer but Rodish liked to escape towards the back of the property where he had his own tunnel which linked up with the nearest mine. It really was a case of getting away from it all. The house is given to the dwarf elected Chief Dwarf and they are meant to give it back once their tenure is up. So far this has not proved to be a problem but accommodation is highly valued and Eileen fears this issue will raise its ugly head at a later date...
Eileen’s story has coloured Jenny’s views on fiction too. Where Jenny had loved Lord of the Rings now she sees it as a potential warning to anyone foolish enough to get caught up in a magical world. It also gives her a cast list of unpleasant magical beings that might take it into their heads, or other suitable orifices, to come and visit her. These days Jenny reads far more non-fiction, British based history especially, as she likes things rooted in a world and country she knows. Eileen doesn’t blame Jennifer for taking this attitude but takes a different line. Eileen sees Lord of the Rings as a potential documentary - okay it didn’t happen on her world but she knows there are other magical worlds around. She sees the trilogy as advance information!
The Kingdom, despite its general loathing of humanity for warmongering and pollution, is developing sympathy for Jenny. They too see Eileen as having dropped her daughter in it. They also see the Queen trying to use Jenny for her own purposes. They don’t like it any more than Jenny does. It is some comfort to her that the magical realm doesn’t want her presence any more than she wants theirs. L’Evallier would like to do more to help Jenny. Funnily enough so does Melanbury but only because she loathes hybrids. Whilst not a pure blood maniac, she fears cross-breeds of any kind. In Jenny’s case, Melanbury has some cause to worry. Nobody is sure just how much magic Jenny is capable of - and that goes for Jenny herself.
L’Evallier’s household is effectively run by his parents with some assistance provided by Melanbury’s mother and father, given the happy couple are busy at the Palace and do not go back to their ancestral estates that often. Naturally these households are efficiently run as the noblest elf families see it as an obligation and a pleasure to ensure all such grand estates are run well. A monthly, formal report is sent to L’Evallier, though he and his wife are now thinking of going “home” once every three months or so once Melanbury’s had the baby and life is a bit more settled. Both are conscious their child should be aware of life outside the Palace as well as be in more contact with his/her own family.
Rodish, later Balkish’s, immediate family run the Manor House near Amnerbury, the traditional constituency seat for the Chief Dwarf. The house is for the convenience of non-dwarvish visiting species. Rodish, and later Balkish, still prefer to spend as much time down the mines as possible. The house is well and luxuriously equipped and there’s never any shortage of decent beer but Rodish liked to escape towards the back of the property where he had his own tunnel which linked up with the nearest mine. It really was a case of getting away from it all. The house is given to the dwarf elected Chief Dwarf and they are meant to give it back once their tenure is up. So far this has not proved to be a problem but accommodation is highly valued and Eileen fears this issue will raise its ugly head at a later date...
Eileen’s story has coloured Jenny’s views on fiction too. Where Jenny had loved Lord of the Rings now she sees it as a potential warning to anyone foolish enough to get caught up in a magical world. It also gives her a cast list of unpleasant magical beings that might take it into their heads, or other suitable orifices, to come and visit her. These days Jenny reads far more non-fiction, British based history especially, as she likes things rooted in a world and country she knows. Eileen doesn’t blame Jennifer for taking this attitude but takes a different line. Eileen sees Lord of the Rings as a potential documentary - okay it didn’t happen on her world but she knows there are other magical worlds around. She sees the trilogy as advance information!
The Kingdom, despite its general loathing of humanity for warmongering and pollution, is developing sympathy for Jenny. They too see Eileen as having dropped her daughter in it. They also see the Queen trying to use Jenny for her own purposes. They don’t like it any more than Jenny does. It is some comfort to her that the magical realm doesn’t want her presence any more than she wants theirs. L’Evallier would like to do more to help Jenny. Funnily enough so does Melanbury but only because she loathes hybrids. Whilst not a pure blood maniac, she fears cross-breeds of any kind. In Jenny’s case, Melanbury has some cause to worry. Nobody is sure just how much magic Jenny is capable of - and that goes for Jenny herself.
