The service started only a moment later and, truth be told, it was as dull as it was solemn: nothing like the wakes of home, with a number of short speeches in remembrance given by various guests (her new associate was not among these). These all boiled down to a few options, praising the good Dame's various deeds, her charitable work, her tireless service to the realm.<br/><br/>The first break came when the Queen stood to take her turn, casting a wan smile out at the gathered attendees.<br/><br/>"My staff will be horrified that I'm doing this," she said, good humor in her voice. "But when, ages ago, a blushing young girl arrived in Aldis with a head full of hopes and a heart full of dreams it was Dame Glarthe who took her briefly underwing and helped her settle herself. She wasn't Dame Provost then, and House Phoryntimar had not yet grown to its present welcome reputation." She paused, turned to look at her husband, smiled at him. "Dear 'Auntie' Glarthe, who taught me a few neat tricks for fitting in with the big city folk, helped me learn of this bizarre thing called court fashion, and even suffered my first true pangs of homesickness with an understanding smile and gentle words of support. For all that, if nothing else, I would be here today to say goodbye and to tell her family what a gift they have had in knowing her."<br/><br/>Beside Kenna, the dark-haired girl sucked in a deep breath.<br/><br/>"Of course, that would only be half the story. She was not eternally nice, she was not endlessly patient, and she could be a pain in the rear if the mood took her," Queen Jaellin continued, setting loose a few ripples of muttering surprise. "She did not suffer fools gladly, even when it cost her more than milder words might, and there were times her unofficial presence on my council proved contentious."  More muttering...  "Oh, you didn't know? She served me well, she served me longer than she ought, and it was her honesty, gruff though it might be, that I valued most. And now I repay that honesty by speaking a truth I kept hidden."<br/><br/>She took a deep breath, smiled a little more.<br/><br/>"Dame Provost Glarthe Phoryntimar is hereby granted the full honors due a lifelong member of the Sovereign's Finest for her tireless work on the behalf of Our Realm and Our Person. House Phoryntimar, rejoice in knowing that your kinswoman was among the bravest, most loyal, most caring exemplars of Aldis."<br/><br/>With that, she relinquished the podium and returned to Kelyran's side, leaning into him as if somehow drained by that short speech. It took a few moments for normal programming to resume...and frankly most of this was over Kenna's head, but it sounded as if the old woman had been some sort of secret agent for the Queen! Wasn't that interesting?<br/><br/>Her new friend, when the service ended and the guests were instructed to move to another hall for the reading of bequests, lingered behind.<br/><br/>"Do you think Her Majesty is...was Grandmama..."  She let out a sigh, turned to look down at Kenna--she was tall, Kenna had found, almost as tall as Mother but much more slender--and brushed her bangs back to give the small scholar a brief look at her pale face, large dark eyes and straight nose. Not pretty, exactly, but handsome enough. "It would explain much, an' she had been in royal service for so long."<br/><br/>