Editing Hamilton

'''<Font Face="Papyrus"><Font Size ="5">At the request of the King Of Amber; I, Hamilton of Carardala,  hereby submit this conditional Oath of Fealty to the King of Amber, possible head of the House of  Bariman.'''
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'''But let this be clear; this does not include my submission. 

'''Mine has been a long life.  I little miss Amber. To be honest I was only there for sort periods of times.

'''I am Duke Hamilton op Oberon, once Emperor of Caradala, once Count of Tondril, once Duke of Rocara.   I suppose one could say I still hold those ranks, though the realms are fallen.  The Steel General likes to say he recognizes the rights of the government in exile.  So do I.  And those of perished realms.

'''To tell the tale of the vast lands of Caradala would fill many a night, if not a life time.  Let it be said that of the five kingdoms that contended, in all of them proud deeds were done, mighty wars were fought, base treachery committed, love marriages consummated, children born, infidelity performed, heroes praised, villains decried, and traitors executed.  

'''So it was a proper shadow of Amber.

'''In those days Oberon was Emperor of Caradela.  He took a wife of the royal great house of the kingdom of Rocara.    I was their only son.  I am told giving birth to an Amberite is hard on the mother.  It seems many do not survive the experience. Mine did not.  

'''Oberon was many things but a doting father is not one of them.  I was raised by my Rocara family though I spent much of my time in Caradela as well. I was raised in a time of war and held a blade before I held a spoon. I'd killed a man in self-defense before I was four. At nine I stood to battle during the assault of the Tondril because every blade was needed.  I was a page till I was twelve.  A squire till I was sixteen.  

'''I was knighted into the Order of the Sword of Caradela by Oberon himself.  Later he told me that made me a Knight of Amber as well but it was long to I accepted that accolade. 

'''I shall not bore you with many more details.  Mine was a life in the field.  The rise and fall of battles.  From cornerstones of great fortifications until their ruins.  My first fief under the King of Rocara was the Demesne of Afkir.  Afkir was a rich land, a valley with ample water, hamlets, happy people, mooing cows, honking geese.  In time I saw it laid to waste. A poor ruler was I that first time.

'''One day Oberon took me to a place where Benedict trained the warriors of Amber.  A cruel and [[nasty place]] it was.   I was already a warrior born.  I became more there.  Benedict knew me as what I am.  A warrior of the Blood of Amber

'''Afterwards Oberon took me with him and we hellrode to Amber.   He told me to act as a Sword Bearer and not to speak of our kinship.  I did as I was told.   

'''We spent time there.. I met my kin though they knew it not.  Caine, Julian, Gerard, Eric Corwin, Deirdre...squabbling arrogant childlike wargods.  Benedict among them, aloof.

'''Arguing over favor, pride, position, horses, seating at dinner.  And they treated young Delwin and Sand like servants and picked on them when they did not bow and scrape to their elders, certainly not their betters.  Pride is deep in the blood of Amber.  Honest pride and vain pride.

'''Circumstances led Delsing and Sand to befriend me.   We spent time together.  They were not so prideful that they could not find friends among the staff.  

'''One night Oberon took me the the dungeon and saw me through the pattern.  After that I was revealed as kin. My elders were not amused at Oberon's subterfuge and they spoke cruel taunts to rise my temper.  I held it despite all. 

'''I was away most of the time.  Gerard was away quite often as well learning the sea trade.  But one of the times he wasn't he and Delwin and Sand and I took a sail boat out spent a long day laughing and fishing.  It was among the finest days I had in Amber.  Gerard was the best of them but even he squabbled. 

'''When we returned there was turmoil.   These petty brothers of mine had disparaged a good woman, a Queen of Amber, so much that she fled Amber.   She was packing up her things while Oberon ignored the whole matter.

'''Sand and Deirdre argued like fishwives.  Delwin and Julian stared each other down like wardogs.  Eric and Corwin, as much as they hated each other, stood back, laughing with each other.   

'''Caine came to the Queen of Amber and said something truly vile.   I watched her almost crumble.  I stepped up to keep her from falling.  Caine said, “Let her fall.  She is no queen here anymore. Out with bad trash.”  

'''I saw the color drain from Delwin's face.. I saw Sand's eye go wide.  

'''I stepped up and laid Caine out with a kick to the balls and a right cross to the ear. 

'''Gerard led Sand and Delwin out of the melee.  I carried Queen Harla.  We went to the Conclave of the Unicorn at Far Isle for a time.  Oberon tried to bring her back to Amber but she would not.  We took her home.  Oberon came there and and she would not return.

'''She aged quickly and died.  Delwin, Sand, and Gerard learned I was more then just their brother.  That I was a boon companion to be trusted.  It was a hard time to find friendship, especially among Amberites.  What loyalty I had to Oberon was lost.  Though my loyalty to amber, tested, remained.

'''I returned to my homeland and found it in shambles.  I spent several generations rebuilding it.  Amber could manage without me.  Generations past. 

'''Then Patternfall came.  The road to Amber from Chaos tore through my realm and left its a demonstrewn land.  We fought.  Nations unified.  The battles raged.  Amber fought Chaos for 5 years and I fought it for 200.  The kings of those realms formed behind me as they realized I was not just of royal blood but an immortal.  An immortal wargod.

'''I write this now, in a tower over looking what remains of the lands of my birth.  What once were proud kingdoms are now little more then sheppard realms.  No kingdoms.  No royalty. One in a thousand survived the wars of Patternfall in our realms.  Those that survived became one people.  A people with no ambition to greatness.  Survivors.  And they no longer need me as their king.

'''So I wander.  I wander.  I fight wars. I have no desire to come to Amber.  But I have no ambitions against it either.  

'''In time I found Mandalay.    It is a place of peace.  They embraced me as a Lord though my alliance with Adrian is clear.  They have no need of a wargod.  They do not require I deny Amber 

'''I tender my fealty to thee if you wish it but do not call on me save in dire need.  I have decided that I need an age or three to not be a wargod before I shall be of much service to anyone. 

'''Ask little of me and I shall be of little grief to you.


'''<big>Duke Hamilton op Oberon, Emperor of Caradala(retired),Count of (retired),Duke of Rocara (retired). Lord of Amber</big>