36. Moon, Stone, and Ember, on the eve of a court visit

Note:  since it's Memorial Day in the US, I'm going to leave this story visible to non-Patrons for today.

Moon knew why he was nervous, he just wasn't sure why Ember was. The impending visit from Emerald Twilight had the whole court on edge, but he had thought Ember would be used to events like that. 

Moon was leaving Jade's bower when Ember came out of the consorts' passage into the queens' hall. "I've rearranged the pillows in the first consort's bower," Ember said. "I need an Arbora to check the arrangement."

"You changed it?" Rill gasped. Gold and Merry, who had been supervising the precise placement of the tea set near the hall's bowl hearth, immediately leapt up and ran for the passageway.

"I thought it wasn't catching the light in the right way," Ember called after them. He turned to Moon and said, "I'm not sure about the west stairway. What if we use it? Has it been cleaned?"

Moon took Ember by the shoulders. "All the Arbora in the court have been doing nothing but meticulously grooming every pace of this tree since this visit was announced. It is clean, it can't get more clean." He wasn't sure who was whipping who into a frenzy, if the Arbora had driven Ember over the edge or if Ember was driving the Arbora. Whichever, today it seemed to be as completely out of control as a cold season storm. "Just relax."

"I am relaxed," Ember protested. At Moon's skeptical expression, he added, "I can look relaxed whenever I need to. What are we going to do about Stone?"

"That's a good question," Pearl said, just emerging from her bower, trailed by half a dozen of her warriors. "I've asked myself that many times over the turns. If you think of something, be sure to let me know." 

"I mean, his clothes," Ember corrected. He looked up appealingly at Moon. "Can you go talk to him?"

Moon sighed, let go of Ember, and gave up. "Sure."

Ember was skeptical. "You're not going to do it, are you?"

"No, I will," Moon said, and realized that meant he actually had to do it.

***

Moon found Stone out on the biggest garden platform. It had rained last night and the afternoon air was still fresh and cool, filled with the scents of water and wet earth and leaf rot, laced with the sweet traces of the flowering vines and tea plants nearby. Stone was sprawled on one of the terraces above an irrigation pool. Moon sat beside him and shifted. The air was cooler on his groundling skin. He said, "It's getting rough in there."

Stone made a noncommittal noise.

It wasn't much better out here. A group of Arbora were adjusting the arrangement of berry vines on the arbors past the irrigation pool, others were carefully grooming the nearest ground fruit beds. It looked like they were going to great effort to make the garden appear as if it had never been tended, but had naturally fallen into this attractive arrangement all on its own. The amount of work it took to achieve this effect seemed enormous. Especially since the garden had looked fine before they started.

Earlier, Moon had asked why the visits from Opal Night hadn't been as stressful, and Bark had said that the Arbora knew they couldn't impress Opal Night, and Opal Night knew it too, so Opal Night would be uninterested in finding fault. Emerald Twilight would be looking for faults.

Stone seemed to be falling asleep, so Moon nudged him and added, "Ember's worried about this visit."

Stone made another noncommittal noise and moved just out of arm's reach.

That kind of thing worked on the warriors and the Arbora, but Moon was neither. And he realized abruptly that he was actually a little mad, and not about all the preparations. "Why don't you like Ember?"

Stone, being Stone, said, "Who?"

Moon hissed. "I'm serious." 

After a moment, Stone said, "He doesn't need me to like him."

Exasperated, Moon said, "He's another consort, and there's just the three of us until the kids grow up. And he's the only one of us who knows what he's supposed to be doing."

Stone rolled over to glare at him. "I know what I'm doing."

"Right, but you don't do it. Not for turns. You don't want to."

Stone sat up so he could hiss more effectively. "My duty to the court is different." 

Some of the nearby Arbora flicked worried looks at them. Moon knew they were worried because they were afraid Moon or Stone might shift and fling themselves into flight in a rage, and the displaced air would disturb the vines' arrangement. "So help Ember do his duty. He's just trying to protect the court in the only way he can."

Stone sat back and rolled his eyes. "He doesn't need my help."

"No, he doesn't, but..." Moon fumbled to get his instinct into words. "He wants to feel like part of the court. You could...be there. He's afraid to come to you."

That seemed to hit home. Stone sat there for a long moment, long enough for the worried Arbora to forget them and go back to making minute adjustments to foliage.  He finally said, "So what is this about?"

It sounded stupid, even to Moon, but it was what Ember wanted. He said, "He wants you to dress up for the visit."

Moon was expecting a number of different objections, but what Stone said was, "That's a bad idea. Everybody coming from Emerald Twilight's seen me before. If I do anything different, they'll know it's for their benefit."

Moon considered it. He thought it was one of the dumbest things he had ever heard, but he also thought Stone was probably right. "I'll tell him."

Stone added, almost not grudgingly, "And tell him he can come to me and we can discuss a strategy."

By now Moon knew better than to ruin it by implying he had won or thanking Stone for the concession or anything else. He just got to his feet and went to find Ember.