Untouched by Clocks

                                                                       Chapter One

Edelweiss, Edelweiss,

Every morning you greet me

Small and white, clean and bright,

You look happy to meet me.

Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow,

Bloom and grow forever,

Edelweiss, Edelweiss,

Bless my homeland for ever.

~*~                                     ~*~                                      ~*~                               ~*~                                      ~*~

     "Rumor has it you've got a daughter about," the Trickster jingled about behind Jaque.

     The pale face kept straight, "Only fools listen to rumors and gossip."

     An insane chuckle came from behind, Jaque could feel wet breath on his ear, "You must have forgotten dear Jacky-boy, I am a fool!"

     Again there was little reaction from his victim. The Trickster never liked these kinds of people, always business, always boring. His step dragged a bit compared to his rhythmic bounce. Folding his arms and stopping he looked at his puppet staff, "You know," he said a little darker stroking the large nose of the wooden face, "You shoudn't doubt the spiderwebs of voices a Fool can gain. The knowledge he has of the underworlds is oh so great..."

     The silk wheat colored hair kept wagging slightly from side to side as Jaque kept walking, ignoring the insane and sick sounding laughter of the court's fool. The Trickster would report every single word that took place and Jaque may be suspected of something unspeakable. That he did commit.

     The jingle echoed through the courtroom's grand marble hallway. Black marble with silver veins were draped and clothed in tapestries of rich reds and purples. Gold edges glimmered in the light that the few candles gave off. The Trickster did not particularly like this kind of place. This was not a place that tolerated 'tricks'. It was a place of laws and straight faces, not even cracking by the most colorful of limericks the Fool possessed.

     But this place seemed to be attracted to the Trickster. He seemed to come here often, most of the time out of his will. The 'Table of Time' much appreciated his audience. But not the comedic kind, which he specialized in.

    It enjoyed his more darker tricks he hid up his hideous black sleeves. The kind you heard in whispers and saw in the eyes of rats. The secrets of weasels and the tales of beetles. Those were the tricks they most enjoyed. The 'Rulers of Time' much enjoyed those undesirable and dirty kinds of tricks. Filled with cheating and secrets, with knives and glares.

     He didn't really enjoy these tricks himself, but they came with the trade of being a Fool.

     He got to the room which awaited him at the end of the dim hallway. Shadows decorated this place. No light, no dust, just darkness. Which suited the Trickster quite fine. He spent most of his time in the shadows of the court. That was one comfort of being in this dreadfully depressing place of laws and such.

     He sauntered in and gave his most spirited bow, his long and thin nose nearly touching the floor. "Most beautifully cruel and merciless Time Keeper, you have called upon this most humble and lowly servant?"

     The black room that went deeper than the sides of hell echoed with a chilling deep voice, that was just one of many, "We have no interest in your empty compliments fool." The hissing words gave goosebumps to even the creepiest of snakes. The Fool was one of them. He held back the shiver that forced down his spine.

     He put on his angelic smile that won the hearts of the leader's children in puppet play and responded, "Dear ruler of darkness, in no way would they be empty. They are true and full words from your ever thirsting slave of duty."

     "What is it you have come to hear in the grape vines of your awful streets idiot?" Idiot being one of the many unpleasant names of a fool, which took it as a most beautiful compliment.

     "He did not deny nor not deny it! He is a very monotone rope-walker I feel. Keeping steady on his way over the cascading cliffs of impending doom!" Cackled the fool.

     A fist slammed against stone, "Silence and answer directly!" Came the third voice.

     He bowed lowly once again, "Oh great rulers five, he neither has done it and not done it. It is impossible to get more simple than that, oh great mighty lords." He praised. He would not be the first fool to loose his head in a fit of insanity and laughter while in front of the Rulers of Time. It's what they did when nervous.

     "What do your impudent and stupid riddles imply, Fool?" Came the fourth. Oh how he hoped it wouldn't get to the fifth voice.

     "We can suspect him and we can't. He is a very hard nut to crack my lords," He puttered out quickly. How was the best way to explain to these keepers of time when the fool was taught from birth in the speech of riddles and rhyme? He did not know. "He is not," He said carefully, "Admitting, and yet he is. He is not guilty, but he is. I have interrogated him to no end. Dear merciless Lords of Clocks the holy messenger is not admitting a crime he may or may not have commited."