Total Wordcount: 14, 932 (includes the part written before SocNoc - 4143 words)
Percentage: 21.5%
I think I've finally caught the flow. This is good, because now I want to write, but bad because I also need to go to bed.
So today, Aurelia received a lecture on lemur politics and watched Matthieu face off against a hunter. There might be a duel yet. Anyone want to see a duel?
I have no idea where this story is going, except that it does not seem to be quite in the direction I intended.
On the other paw, I received back my second proof of "Aroha's Grand Adventure" which both my parents have now read - and found a number of typos and other areas in the process. They also both gave me rpetty rave reviews, but you should expect that - they ARE my parents after all.
Anyhow, today's extract is a lesson in Lemur Politics:
Celeste laughed, glancing around as though the birds might be listening. She lowered her voice. “Ranavalona may be our queen, but she is not of royal blood. Her eyes are golden, like ours.”
“That doesn't make sense,” Aurelia frowned. “How come she's queen then?”
“Because she was first mate to Queen Ramavo's brother,” Matthieu explained. “To understand you will need to know a little about lemur politics. Has anyone taught you before?”
“No,” Aurelia admitted, “I don't think the maki bother about it much.”
“I would agree to that,” Celeste stated. “Your vezo-maki spend their time engaging in primitive rituals and catching fish. They have no understanding of the greater scheme of things.”
“Be silent,” Matthieu snapped. “The lass did not come here for a lecture, but to learn. Let us teach her. Sifaka royalty is passed down from female to female, understand? The queens rule.”
Aurelia nodded. “It's the same in maki society, the females are the bosses.”
“Okay, maybe they are not so primitive,” Celeste smirked at her brother.
“But not all of the queens have the time or inclination to produce their own heirs,” he continued. “So this task falls to their brothers. The queen choses a mate for her older brother – one of fine breeding and good health, and it is their duty to produce a daughter to inherit the crown.
“However, in this situation, Ramova died early, before her only brother, Radama, had the chance to produce an heir. So, by default, the crown passed to his mate – Ranavalona. It was supposed to be temporary, until they fathered a daughter. But before that opportunity arose, the queen's brother died.”
“Under rather suspicious circumstances,” Celeste interjected.
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