Folly Asks

Folly says, "Clearly, your heart lies in Arden -- and yet your heritage will always tie you to Amber. If you could change just one thing about Amber -- for its betterment -- what would it be?"

"Change something in Amber? For its betterment?.... I don't know that I'm even qualified to guess..." Robin rubs her chin thoughtfully.
    "I can't think of anything small. Like a different King or anything." A playful grin flickers across the girl's face.
    "But I think maybe -- if I could -- the one thing I would change about Amber is that betrayal wouldn't be rewarded. The place is a pit of vipers, Folly. And I don't think that treachery would be so prevalent here if it didn't work so very well. If it didn't pay off. In a big way." She smiles sadly.
    "And no, perhaps naively, I *don't* think that it's just 'human' nature. Or power politics. Or whatever." Robin waves a hand dismissively. "*We* are the models for human nature. What we decide we are is what all others after us become."
    "And for some reason, we've decided that betrayal and treason is the way things would be done. And *that* rippled out into all of Shadow.... Sickening really." Robin shakes her head as her stomach turns.
    "I wonder what Amber – and all of Reality – would be like if we weren't a bunch of treacherous back-stabbing bastards."
    Her green eyes turn back to her cousin. "I... just don't know how that came about. Or how to fix it. But if I could change it? Yeah. I would."