Chapter 40
Our trip to Disneyland, which I had decided would be a day long outing, turned into three days. There is, very simply, more to see than you can fit into one day. Mirwanna was hooked from the first. I got us a hotel room in Disneyland itself and we did the rides, the shows, everything. She overloaded on trying to look at everything and do everything.
She was also getting hooked on TV. One night she excitedly told me a brand new episode of a show she had started watching was due out. I looked at her with astonishment! I was so glad I had not gotten around to copying my, 'Arch Angel', program for her as I had originally intended to do.
I had to smile at her reactions, over all. She was like a kid discovering things for the first time... which in a very real sense, was the truth. I told her that this was our last day, and that we would be gating back to the palace at the end of the day. She agreed, and wanted to ride Space Mountain again. Then she wanted to go to a spa later, as she had an appointment. I agreed.
While she was at the spa, I called the director about his agents who had taken those oh so illegal actions against me. He said the investigation was still ongoing, but that most likely they would be fired at a minimum and could receive several years of prison time at maximum.
I told him I wanted to know what the final outcome was. He told me I would be informed of the final dispensation of the case. I said that was satisfactory and hung up. After that I went in search of my sister.
She was doing that spa thing. I asked an employee where the spa was and was given instructions as to how to get there. I knew in a general way how to get there, but I was a little turned around.
Mirwanna was having a mud bath, and I smiled. She had gone totally decadent on me. They said she still had about an hour and a half, and then would be finished with the spa package she had booked. I nodded and left.
I was wondering around a section of the park, just people watching, when I felt a portal opening. I looked around. People everywhere. Shit! It didn't help that Svedra stepped through. Double shit!
(Ah, there you are, Paul. The conflict has been resolved and the army is headed home. I decided to come find you, and give you the news myself, before I went home, ) Svedra told me.
(Svedra! You can't just show up here like this! This world is not used to beings such as yourself. You will cause a panic!) I exclaimed to him without thinking.
We were definitely drawing a crowd. People were oohing and ahhing. I thought fast and asked Svedra if I could cast a minor glamor spell on him. I described it, and he chuckled in agreement.
"Wow, that's the best animatronic spider I have ever seen!" someone said.
"Who made it? Is it a new Disney movie advertisement?" I heard another say.
"Can I touch the spider," one voice said.
"How do you... ," another voice said.
We started walking through the crowd. Little servo noises accompanied his movements. Svedra was broadcasting amusement to me. I sighed with relief. I didn't need a demigod from another world getting pissed off here at Disneyland. I shuddered at the thought of the damage he could do in a moment of being miffed.
Everything was working fine. While people gawked and gaped at the large, 'Mechanical' spider, we seemed to be carrying off the illusion that he was not real. I also nudged things along with an area spell that helped that thought process along.
Since the spell moved along with us, it was not hard to do. Svedra wanted to look around. I tried to convince him to either go invisible, or shrink to a smaller size. He was not amused at those ideas, so we just walked around the park.
He was as fascinated with the place as was Mirwanna. Of course, he could not ride the rides, but he took in everything that he could. He was very impressed with what our technology could and had accomplished.
By the time I was supposed to pick up Mirwanna, we had drawn a huge crowd. I had been expecting someone from the park to show up, but I had not thought it would take so long. One finally did show up.
"Excuse me, Sir. Is this your animatronic spider?" an official from the park asked me after identifying himself.
How do you answer something like that? I looked at Svedra and asked him please to cooperate, mentally.
"Yes. I brought him as a possible item of interest for this theme park. As you can see, it seems to be a huge success," I said, making it up as I went along.
"Well, I can't seem to find anything about this in our records. I am afraid you will have to leave. Now. The safety of the people are tantamount, and you're endangering them," Mr. Official said.
At that moment, Mirwanna came up and asked what was going on.
"Ah, Mirwanna. This park official has asked us to leave. It seems we are endangering the public with this mechanical spider," I said to her. I was trying to mentally explain things to both Svedra and to Mirwaana.
"I see. We will offer the spider to the competition, then," Mirwanna said. Bless her for being quick on the uptake.
"Blood! Gore! I hunger," Svedra chimed in.
The kids screamed, and giggled. People just love to be scared. The park official looked around, and took note of the reactions of the crowd. He could tell that the people were impressed with this spider.
I sent out a spell of misdirection and illusion, opened a portal, and hustled Mirwanna through it. Svedra followed us, and I sighed with relief at his doing so. There was no way I could compel him, had he wanted to stay.
I felt amusement rolling off of Svedra like a cloud.
(I am not without understanding, Paul, ) Svedra said mildly.
I had ported us to the palace. Mirwanna immediately took off for her part of the palace, saying she needed to be briefed on what has been happening. Svedra told me he was going to see Vostich, to say goodbye. He sent me a mixed bag of feelings (all positive) just before he ported out himself.
That left me standing in the corridor. I headed toward my apartments. As I was headed up the final hallway, Vivian was coming down.
"Paul! I am so glad to see you! I have been so worried about you and Mirwanna. I heard that she had been wounded, and then you just disappeared," she said grabbing my arm.
She walked me back to my office, and followed me in to my rooms. I told her what had been going on. I told her about Mirwanna's apparent TV addiction, and Vivian laughed. I told her about Svedra visiting Disneyland. She laughed even harder.
"A real friend wouldn't laugh at this! I had a hard time getting us out without revealing who we were," I said in a woeful voice.
She laughed even harder than before. Well, it was funny. I grinned at her.
"Svedra thought it was funny, too!" I said.
"I swear. You just seem to live a charmed life. I just don't know how you manage to get into that kind of trouble, then get out of it so neatly," Vivian said, clucking her tongue at me.
"Clean living, and I pray twice on Sundays," I said.
So I started a pot of coffee. Vivian sat, and I filled her in on what had been going on since I had left for the front. She was amazed at some of it, and gasped at other parts.
"I swear, if we were back home, I would say write this up! I'd have it published somewhere. It would make a good fantasy-fiction novel," she said, after sipping her coffee.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. I could write up what happens to me here, and find a publisher on Earth, and publish it as fiction. That would keep an income flowing over there, and give you typing to do," I said musingly.
"Typing? They don't have a typewriter here. If you want typing, you better get me a typewriter. Better yet, bring me a computer with a word processor and a printer. Bring lots of paper, and give me a raise. You're not paying me enough to do everything, plus get involved in your fantasy life," Vivian said as she left the room.
I laughed. It was a good long drawn out laugh. It felt good. I felt as if a ton of weight was lifted off of my shoulders.
The next day I woke, had breakfast, and started for my office in the city center. I had to check on how the new tax changes I had implemented were doing. I was pleasantly surprised, but the people working in the tax office were ecstatic!
Already they had collected one and a half times as much taxes as they usually did. I told them it would get even better over time, when more and more people with money realized they were being treated more fairly.
I went to the official Ducal office, and told the attendants there that I would see supplicants this day. They said they had not had time to prepare. I explained that I was just back from the war. I would now see to the complaints of my people.
I almost regretted this decision. At first it was just a few people seeking the dukes justice. But word spread. Soon the room was jammed with people. They spilled out the doors. I did a count and came up with over seventy people in the, 'Hall Of Justice', waiting to see me.
I had the ability to cut through the crap fairly quickly. I simply cast a spell that compelled all who approached within ten feet of me to tell the truth. Not just the truth as they saw it, but the truth of the facts.
Even so, I was still swamped, so I decided to take a firm stand. I Cast a spell on myself, so that all would hear my voice, who were within the building.
"People of Landkur. If you are here to seek justice from your Duke, then I will stay to serve you. However, be warned. I have cast a spell that will force you to tell the truth, no matter how you might try to lie.
"I will take action against those who bring frivolous complaints. Know that those who bring before me such complaints, will be sentenced to 90 days labor on the roadwork crew. 90 Days is a fair recompense to your city, for lying to your Duke.
"However, if you truly have a complaint that is worthy, I will see you. I will see that justice is done," I said heavily.
The room started to empty a bit. After I had seen another 5 people I looked up and the room was two thirds empty. I nodded in satisfaction. Just as I thought. There were opportunists everywhere.
Finally, the last person was done. The last complaint dealt with. I felt bad about a couple of the decisions that I had had to make. One was almost heartbreaking. A mother had come to me for justice. The building she lived in was a rambling two-story, rat-infested place, which was unsafe. Her 3-year-old daughter had gotten out onto the landing of the second floor, and had fallen to her death, when she fell down the steep steps.
She had come to ask me to restore her child. I wept as I explained to her, that while I had power, that power was not within my abilities. The poor grieving woman left, probably feeling that her Duke was worthless. I felt so sorry for her. I prayed to the Goddess about this woman, and asked if there was something She could do. I received no answer. Still, it was all I could do. There seemed to be sad things happening in both worlds. Senseless, reasonless deaths.
All was not sadness or chicanery, though. I had also been privileged to preside over marrying two separate couples. As Duke De Landkur, it was my right.
I also was persuaded to look into some land boundaries.
All in all, after weeding out the idiots, it had been an educational day.
Edited By TeNderLoin