(no subject)

"No sign of him?"

Amy has tracked Lord Stefan down to Ochre State Room (which, it must be admitted, is hardly the most attractive of the Palace's formal rooms).

The Commander of the Palace Guard (and, more importantly, Perry's best friend) shakes his head. "Not yet, Your Majesty. We are still looking. It is rather a large palace, after all. Especially as we are having to search the rooms that are usually closed off."

"Keep looking."

"And if we don't find him?"

"We'll figure that out when we're done searching the Palace," Amy says.

After all, she can't even be certain he's in Ambergeldar.

"As Her Majesty wishes."

"And stop calling me 'Your Majesty.' There's no one here but us."

"Yes, Amy."

But she's wrong about that, because just then someone standing in the doorway clears his throat in a terribly apologetic manner.

Amy turns to the unremarkable young man waiting there. "Yes?"

He bows, rather awkwardly. "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I, that is, well -- "

"Out with it, man," Stefan says.

Amy waves a hand to shush Stefan. This is hardly the first person she's seen get tongue-tied trying to talk to a Queen. "What's your name?" she asks the stammering young man.

"William, ma'am. I'm one of the King's clerks."

"And what do you want, William?"

William takes two steps into into the room and holds out a small piece of paper. "This just arrived by pigeon from Sir Lionel, the Mayor of Lorlisfax Bridge, and I think it might require your attention, ma'am."

"I'm sorry, William, whatever it is will have to wait. Leave it with my secretary, and I'll look at it as soon as I can."

"Begging Her Majesty's pardon," he says, rather quickly and a bit more forcefully than is, strictly speaking, usually recommended when talking to a Queen, "but I really think you should look at it now. I heard the guards talking about a Captain Reynolds, and um, I think this might be about him. Ma'am."

Amy crosses the room very quickly, to take the paper, while Stefan tells William, "Next time you open with that information."

Amy skims down the note very quickly.

"He's in Lorlisfax Bridge," Amy says. "Or he was."

"However did he get to Lorlisfax Bridge?" Stefan asks.

"I don't know. Sir Lionel just says that he helped them apprehend a dangerous criminal, and asked for directions to Amber, and then urges that we receive him and his companion most gracefully should they present themselves at the Palace," Amy says, handing the note to Stefan.

"Companion?"

Amy shrugs. She can't imagine Inara has wound up in Ambergeldar, but then, she can't imagine how Mal wound up in Lorlisfax Bridge.

"William," she says, "would you be so kind as to ask the stable to saddle my horse? Lord Stefan, you and I and whatever guard you deem necessary are riding out immediately."

"Yes, ma'am," William says, and bows and goes.

"Amy," Stefan says, "don't you have to ask Perry's permission to leave the Palace?"

"Technically. Do you really imagine he's not going to give it to me?"

Stefan shakes his head slightly. "I'll meet you in the stables in ten minutes," he says.

"Make it five."

"As Her Majesty wishes."