Everything feels heavy and indistinct to Hannah. She had no idea how long she has been asleep, nor honestly the condition of her own health. It's a slow and steady process for her mind to ease back to wakefulness. The first thing she notices is her hands still hurt; a soft throb of pain that seems to ebb and surge with her own heartbeat. Awareness of her surroundings continue as she realizes she no longer feels the heat of so much iron, instead the room in which she lies is cool and quiet.
Its here that light intrudes into Hannah's dark world as her eyes slowly crack open, revealing that she is once more in the dragon's lair only there is no more dragon that she can see. Instead she makes out Eis sitting a few feet away. Long, bloody, stripes run across his chest and shoulders, likely wounds suffered at the claws of Valanice. Elysia is sitting next to him and seems to be treating his wounds or more specifically, she is carefully sewing them closed.
Rosy, Sam, and Peaches are also here; they're gathered around the still glowing crystal that contains the shadowy and somewhat goblin shape inside. If she had to guess, they're probably discussing just how to undo that terrible prison.
Sam looks uncommonly worried about Hannah, the ancient fae kneeling by her. A few last notes still hang in the air; he might have been playing music to ease her sleep and bring rest.
"Hey, where's the corpse?" Rosy barks. "Shouldn't there be huge melting dragon corpse? With big bones and claws and teeth and all that good stuff?"
"Must you shout?" Elysia asks, sounding slightly annoyed. "She exploded into mist; which I presume was after Hannah managed to destroy her heart. The few fragments left of her remain mixed in her hoard."
"We need a claw, to free.. the guy with the great hair!" Rosy notes. "From your old trap."
Hannah blinks a few times, slowly. Then she runs her tongue over the roof of her mouth, trying to moisten it. She tries to speak the minstrel's name, only to have it come out as a cracked half-whisper. "Sam? Can you...help me sit up?"
At the first signs of Hannah stirring, Peaches bounds over to her side and whickers and wuffles and is no doubt complaining about how horrible it was staying here with the dragon while Hannah went off after the heart.
Sam moves over to help her up. "Ye've been worryin' us all awfully, good to see you've got a bit of life left in you!" He confides, "Not that Tom hasn't done his fair share o' worrying me too, but still, 'tis never a good thing to see."
"Trap? Which one? I had many," the roadworn fey woman asks with an almost amused quirk of her lips. "And will you hold still. You are going to tear these," she complains at Eis; whom is also now trying to push himself upright to get a look at Hannah.
Even Rosy tries to help, by wagging her tail and.. licking Hannah's face.
Hannah chuckles at Rosy's decidedly doggy greeting, although that sound is dry and weak, too. "Calm down, Rosy. I didn't escape the dragon's iron chamber just to be licked to death." Once the old fae helps her into a sitting position, she thanks him and takes a moment to pat the Princess' nose, which the mare has dipped towards her. "Is everyone all right? More or less?"
"Ye won't get licked to death, just to wetness," Sam says authoritatively. "I'm fine, but it was a bit hectic."
"It takes more than a dragon and some lizards to stop the Glammer Girl," Rosy claims, striking a heroic pose.
"Your cat nearly got himself skinned by trying to fight that dragon by himself," Elysia notes as she gives up trying to stitch him up for the moment. "It was a bit touch and go in dealing with Valanice; but we were able to delay her long enough for you to deal with her heart. Nicely done, just don't expect to be writing any letters or drawing maps for a bit. Your palms are rather blistered from grabbing that iron studded weapon. That will take a bit to heal, even with help from some poultices."
"Oh, better find out if she can help with Tristan before you kill her or anything," Rosy whispers to Hannah, and then goes treasure-diving in search of useful dragon parts.
"Pft, I am fine," Eis claims as he rolls completely upright and seems as if those nasty-looking stripes don't hurt him much.
Sam offers Hannah some tea. The fire appears to have been built in an old tapestry that was never going to hang on a wall again in any case. "You sound a bit parched, lass."
Hannah gives the minstrel one of her crooked grins. "Good to know." In answer to Elysia, she says, "In that case, I guess I'll have to rely on your swordsmanship if we get into any more trouble. Which is good, considering you're better than I am, for a certainty." Slowly, she tilts her head up to regard Eis. "Your wounds don't look fine," she tells him. "Perhaps you should let Elysia finish sewing them up? We still have to make it out of here, you know. Which won't happen if you bleed to death."
Peaches keeps hovering about Hannah, and looks to Eis when the girl tells him let Elysia finish. She gives him a you'd better do what she says, because I'm not carrying you look.
Hmph goes Eis again. "You sound like a mother worrying over her cubs," the great cat grumbles as he lowers himself back to the floor so, in fact, Elysia can finish.
"The dog mentioned an old trap of mine and some man," Elysia comments as the older woman resumes her work on the cat. "Describe the trap. I was not even aware my older traps still functioned or I would have disabled them."
Hannah takes the tea mug gingerly from the minstrel with her fingertips only and sips from it. "Thank you. It does seem to help," she admits, her voice actually sounding a little stronger for the drink.
In the treasure pile, the doglin keeps snuffling and digging, hoping to find a shed claw or something. She pounces on something... and then sighs when it's just another gem. She tosses it over her shoulder and keeps looking.
"If it smells like old socks, that's just 'cause I haven't had a chance to do laundry in a bit," Sam jokes. "Actually, that's the medicinal herbs I put in there. It'll do you good."
Hannah sips more tea and tries to think; a difficult task when your hands keep throbbing in time with your heartbeat. "The man Rosy mentioned is Sir Tristan of House April. His Knightsteed, Souhait, was also caught in this trap. Basically, they are both frozen statues now. Literally. Something very cold holds them in place, unable to move."
Elysia has to think for a bit while she works on the cat's wounds. "Ah, yes, that one. A rather clever trap, I thought at the time. The desire to save someone being the trigger," she finally says, remembering. "It was intended for your leader, but he never even walked into my maze. He always had an uncanny way of avoiding any traps I laid. It should be removable providing the guardian spirit that powered it is still bound to it. If not ... it may prove harder to dispel."
Sam gives Hannah a look.
Rosy surfaces, to note, "The spirit said the touch of a creature of ice could free him, right?"
"Did he? Then there must have been a flaw in my crafting the spirit never informed me of," Elysia comments as she looks towards the doglin. "That would simplify things, then, providing any chunks of our foe remain that are usable."
"I'm still looking!" Rosy says. "Sam found a scale earlier, so maybe there's more!" And then she's back to being a bulge moving around inside the pile.
"The spirit is not," Hannah says bluntly, frowning. "In order to leave the place at all, I had to free him. Not that I wished to leave him there at all. As Rosy says, he was the one who told us that the claw of a creature of ice was the only thing that could dissolve the trap. Which means we should probably help Rosy search the dragon's hoard. Without becoming frozen ourselves, of course."
"I've had a poke through it, but y'know, there's a saying that dragons should never be let to become librarians or curators - they're messy!" Sam jokes.
"I'm impressed you managed through that maze, given it was designed to have no solution at all," Elysia comments. Her attention for the moment seems to be split between the remaining two ice prisons and the shadows within.
"Does a dewclaw count?" Rosy asks, holding aloft a curved, nasty looking claw out of the mess of jewels and precious metals.
The minstrel looks impressed. "Probably easier to carry than the bigger ones at that," he comments. "An' either way, you can get someone to set that in bronze or silver an' have a wicked little knife at the end of all this."
"It might!" Hannah says, looking more hopeful now. "Do you wish to try it on one of the remaining pillars, to see if it will free Valanice's other prisoners, too?"
The doglin hurries over and presents the claw to Hannah. "Gotta get them out somehow! Although.. well, the cat is optional if you ask me, but better try it on him first!"
The minstrel takes a cup of medicinal tea himself, and stifles a sneeze. He rubs his nose as he ambles after Hannah.
Hannah puts her empty tea mug on the floor, then says to Rosy, "Grab my wrist and pull gently but firmly, please. I'll need help to stand up."
Elysia nods as she stands. "Yes, we should try. If it can cut away her spells, it should be more than enough to cut away one of my old ones." The older fey walks over to the crystal containing the large form of another one of the cats. she looks up at it. For a time she's quiet, then lets out a soft sigh, saying something under her breath to herself.
"If not, well, y'never know, maybe we'll need the claw of a creature of fire," Sam observes, wise in the ways of fables.
The doglin helps Hannah to her feet, with Peaches providing a little head-push from behind.
"Don't even think it. I do not wish to deal with another monster," Eis rumbles and swats one of his great paws at the older fey (lightly).
Sam ducks, laughing.
Hannah thanks them both and takes the dewclaw from the doglin. On unsteady feet, she approaches the pillar that Elysia is examining. "By God's own luck," she says, by way of a charm, then tries scraping at the first layer of ice that surrounds the great cat.
The ice-claw in her hand feels warm and it cuts easily into the pillar. Where it touches water falls away.
Encouraged by this, Hannah grips the dewclaw more firmly with both sets of fingers and continues to scrape away at the ice. She also grimaces and tries to ignore the pain this causes in her hands.
The old fae watches with wonder, which shifts to concern as he notices the grimace. "Want me to take over on that?"
"Hannah, Lady of November," Elyisa says, her voice soft and its tone betraying perhaps a hint of sadness as her oand comes to lay on the back of Hannah's to still her movements for a moment. "I may be leaving you soon. Once you free him ... he may end my life. He and I ... we have a history. I know the hatred in his heart for me. It was well-earned. You of all know the kind of woman I once was. I once caused him much pain too. Once he is free, he may seek revenge, here and now. I will not try to stop him."
"Hmmm, the dragon got the Bandit Queen out much faster," Rosy notes unhelpfully. "You should have tried to chop off her tail or something," she says to Eis.
Eis rolls his great head to look at Rosy. The look he gives the doglin is chilling. "You were not here for her to sup on as a distraction while I did that," the cat says flatly.
"I think...I can free Eis' relative," Hannah pants, working harder to free the cat from the pillar. "You'll have to...destroy Prince Feezle's prison, though."
Minstrel Sam checks. "Why don't we free Feezle first?"
"The irony may be poetic if he wakes up to find that he's found the Bandit Queen but she's dead," the old bard points out pragmatically. "But it won't do him a lot of good. Or was it Prince Feezle you were talking about, Elysia?"
Great swaths of ice melt into water as the claw cuts into the prison. Soon the stark white fur of its prisoner is exposed. In another moment a long-frozen paw begins to flex, its claws extending then retracting.
Hannah flashes the minstrel a grin while she works. "Don't worry too much, Sam. I'll hold out until this job is done. Besides...I'm not entirely sure Eis' relative wants to harm Elysia. Or am I wrong?" the girl asks the older woman now.
"Okay, I'll just get the ironically poetic lyrics ready, just in case," the old fae agrees.
"No, Sam. Lyne ... Thomas' son, was a victim in the war between him and I. I tore them apart," Elysia admits. She shakes her head, then looks to Hannah. "I captured Lyne long ago. He was my lure to finally trap Thomas. He was my leverage to get Thomas to agree that he could no longer raise a hand against me. Had he not sworn that oath ... I would have killed Lyne back then. And well, if THomas could not hunt me again, then I was safe for no one else could find me if I wished to hide. Lyne never forgave Thomas for giving it, for sacrificing others safety and lives to just save him. For all his faults, Thomas taught him to care about others before himself, and then he saw Thomas betray what he had taught him and save one over many."
Rosy steps back from the pillar, retreating towards Feezle's. "Maybe you should come stand back here, Mistress Elysia?" she notes. "I'm sure Lord Thomas would be upset if his son killed you, right?"
"Well, Feezle seemed to think he owed you a debt of some kind," Sam says. He goes to search the treasure for more claws. "How he intends to repay it, I have no idea."
"Lyne did not understand why Thomas would risk so many others to save just him," Eis rumbles as he ads to the tale, "He did not understand that to a parent ... their child is their world. That there is no choice when it comes to their child's life. It is ... a lesson he learned later and then forever regretted the last words he said to Thomas."
Hannah stops her work for a few moments to consider the older woman carefully. At long last, she says, "But you came for Lyne when you found that Valanice had captured him. With no help, no exact plan - nothing but yourself. Perhaps that will count for something?" After another pause, she adds, "Should I continue to free him now? Or...do you wish to do it?"
Elysia shakes her head to Rosy. "No. I must face the actions of my past. I was given a chance to atone for my actions, I will not hide from them now," she says. To Hannah, she then adds, "No, please, go ahead. It may give me a change to apologize if he sees you first."
Hannah nods, saying. "Then perhaps you should stand back a bit. A few moment's warning can be all the help in the world." She turns to her work again and scrapes at the pillar of ice once more.
Sam digs through the treasure. "Hmm, what's under this-- whoa! Chateau d'Elysee Ambrosia '27!" He fishes up a bottle and studies it appreciatively, missing Hannah's suggestion.
The doglin eyes Sam. "You know, that's probably vinegar or worse now. I mean, think about what's been sitting on it all this time!"
Hannah smiles a little when she hears her companions' by-play but it does not stop her in her efforts to free Lyne.
"Oh, no, ambrosia never goes bad, it just... concentrates. Just a glass of this stuff'd probably go for a sackful of gold back in Mirari," the minstrel says licking his lips, distracted from his search for another claw. "Find me a few cups, we'll have a proper toast to freeing Lyne and Feezle!"
Elysia does finally take a few steps back from the pillar. The ice continues to fall away in great chunks. The feline beneath is build much like Eis, though perhaps the fur is a little longer now and the cat thinner from age. As the chunks fall from his head, the cats blue eyes slowly open, blinking, the slit iris' flexing as they try to focus. Its his eyes that betray his age, more than anything; sill strong yet the corners betray the tiredness that comes from a long life. "Have you grown bored, dragon?" the cat begins to say. Obviously he's not quite aware of his surroundings yet.
"Cups?" Rosy asks, looking to Peach's saddle bags. She doesn't say anything more though. "Why not just take a bag of gold instead?" she notes.
"Valanice will trouble you no longer, Lyne," Hannah replies, rather breathlessly because of her exertions. "She is dead. Now just hold still while I melt the last of this ice from around you."
"'cause to a connoissieur of fine drink like myself, this is worth more," Sam says with a grin. He sets the bottle down and looks up to notice Lyne stirring. Wait, wasn't I looking for... Oh yeah.
"Who are you? You have the scent of my people but you are not one," Lyne says, his head rolling a bit so he can look to Hannah.
Hannah pauses in her work long enough to incline her head to Lyne. "I am Lady Hannah of House November," she says, by way of introduction. "And I probably smell like one of your own because I've been carried recently by your great-great grandson, Eis." Then she goes back to scraping.
"Maybe you should save that ambrosia for Lyne and Feezle," Rosy suggests to the minstrel. "They'll probably need it more."
The minstrel nods wisely. He searches about the treasure some more, since Lyne doesn't seem to have turned immediately homicidal.
"Lyne," Elysia now speaks up, "It has been many Years since we last spoke ... and I know that last time..." She doesn't get any further than that; Lyne's great head swings around and his eyes level on her. "You!" he roars, all signs of tiredness gone. The cat surges off the pedestal, shattering the remaining ice even as Hannah works on it. His forehands spread and this large claws slide out as he slams into the woman and takes her down to the floor, pinning her hard. The great cat's head lowers and eyes narrow. His lips draw back, revealing still sharp teeth between which he hisses out, "I have waited ... dreamed ... of the day I would kill you."
"Stop!" Rosy barks, running in front of the angry cat! "Pet me!" the doglin demands. "Petting me makes everything better!"
The dewclaw falls from Hannah's nerveless fingers in her shock. "Lyne, no!" she shouts, as loudly as her weak voice will allow. She stumbles forward, in the vain hope that she can reach them before the great cat slits Elysia's throat. "She came before we did, to save you and apologize!"
The minstrel spies something long, white and curved at the top of an ornately carved wooden box. A horn? "Aha!" He fishes up what looks like a dragon's talon, from the bowl of a goblet carved entirely from amber - stacked on eleven more like it. "Ah-ha? Uh oh." He mentally starts tagging items heavy enough to throw to distract angry cats from disemboweling Hannah.
Lyne's jaws are just about to close around Elysia's neck, the great cat halting as he's assaulted by both the doglin and Hannah. Though his eyes remain narrow, he does draw back a bit and look between the two.
Even Eis speaks up now, saying, "They speak the truth. She was imprisoned by the dragon as you were when she came to save you. She is not the woman of the old stories; she has changed."
To try and help, Rosy makes big sad goblin-puppy eyes at Lyne.
"Lyne, please believe me. Elysia came before us to free you from the ice dragon - and she would have done it if she hadn't been captured herself, as Eis says," Hannah pants, now dropping to her knees beside them to plead the woman's case. "I swear this is true, on my honor as a Golden Hawk. If it will convince you, I will swear it twice again."
"And once more to make it truth, for I will vouch for Elysia," concurs Minstrel Sam.
"And your dad would be mad if you killed her!" Rosy pipes up.
"Your taste in women was always suspect, Sam. Thomas told me of the many tails you chased," Lyne remarks. Apparently the cat recognizes him, at least. He hasn't released Elysia yet, but nor has he made any further attempts on her life. He looks about to say more, then Rosy's comment causes him to set his jaw in anger. "My father is dead. He died alone after we abandoned him. I, you Sam, the Hawks, the crown. Everyone abandoned him. I ... I went looking for him long after he disappeared. What I ... I found where he died. How he died," the cat growls.
"He petted me when he came and... uh... well, he didn't kick me!" Rosy claims.
The doglin turns to Hannah, looking confused. "What's he mean about Thomas being dead?" she asks.
The minstrel moves up. "Thomas has returned," he says quietly. "But I think now, I see why he never spoke of the cats. He thought you lost... Forever."
"He was taken from Mirari for many Years by the Destroyer, this much I know. But I do not know how he accomplished this," Hannah interjects quietly. "Do you have other information on the matter?"
"They speak the truth. He returned. IT was through him and the efforts of this young woman my eyes were opened. They gave me a chance to repair the actions of my past and that I have tried to do," Elysia adds.
"I was the Destroyer's dog," Rosy offers, wagging her tail. "But I'm not bad!"
"Just half-bad," Sam quips.
Lyne lifts his hands from Elysia and sits back. "I found a small crystalline pendant of his. He used it now and then to record events of his life, small messages, other things. A relic of his grandmothers, I believe. It was within the mountains, not far from where I presume the Destroyer's lair was," the cat explains, "In it I found his last message; to his friends, to those he loved like Miurenn, to even me. He had been harrying the agents of Lord Eoin, causing them much grief as he was so good at. But ... they had finally cornered him. He ... apologized for failing all of us. We abandoned him and in the end all he said was that he was sorry. What did he have to apologize for?"
"He's always been good at that," Sam says. "Swearing he's no hero, he nonetheless goes out and performs deeds of great errantry. Though perhaps his soujourn through a different life has mellowed him a bit." He grins over to Hannah. "Since now he doesn't insist he has to do everything himself."
Peaches eyes Sam skeptically. Perhaps her opinion of the new Thomas isn't so high.. but then she doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of anyone on two legs.
The ghost of a smile flickers over Hannah's mouth. "So it would seem." Then to Lyne, she says, "Thomas - your adoptive father - is no longer gone from us. He has returned to Mirari to lead the Hawks once more. If you wish to see him, in order to make your peace with him...then I will do everything within my power to make that happen."
"Who is Muirenn?" Rosy whispers to Sam.
The minstrel crooks a smile. "An old friend of his... maybe more than that."
"So ... that was what his final words meant," Lyne says as he now looks into Hannah's eyes. "He lay bleeding as a wraith told him how he would serve as one of Eoin's minions ... and all my father did was smile and talk about how beautiful the stars were. About all the stories of may worlds that would share the same sky and that perhaps it was time for him to walk among them until his home called him back. The crystal recorded his body simply breaking up into points of light as he spoke, swirling and dancing like one of the sieges of legend and then he was gone. In truth, I had always thought he was just being dramatic as he robbed Eoin of complete victory over him that way; of not becoming one of his servants. But ... I guess he sent his own soul to ride the sieges of the world and wait until the cry of magic would bring him home again."
"So my master didn't kill him then!" Rosy declares, all smiles.
Sam rolls his eyes. "The Destroyer passed on into Historie as well," he whispers to Lyne. "You've missed a lot in the Years gone by, me fine kitty."
"But you know how it is, dogs like to relive their glory hound years." The minstrel winks.
Hannah nods, slowly. "From what I know of it, Thomas ended up in the world of mortals, as did several other legends of Mirari. The Knight Redmane, for example, and the Sorceress Nymuae. They have all returned...and now it is the Destroyer who is gone."
"So it would seem," Lyne has to agree as he looks to Sam. "My great grandson is all grown; he was just a cub when I saw him last. Elysia .. she has turned away from Darkness ... and not only that, gets a chance at a second life. So, when do we get to be young again?"
"Don't you get nine lives?" Rosy asks the big cat, with perfect seriousness.
"Have to find the Fountain of Eternal Youth first," Sam says mournfully. "I did get a hot tip on to find one, from a djinn as she was heading on home from Mirari."
The comment about Redmane returning gets a snort from the old cat. "Both of them are back? Has the Kingdom survived those two?" he asks Hannah, "Or better yet, has Thomas quit running?"
"Actually, we're all placing bets on who breaks first and kills the other one," Hannah replies with a perfectly straight face. "My money's on Redmane."
Peaches just shakes her head and whickers.
"May I get up?" Elysia asks. She may not be pinned by Lyne,but she's still under him. "We have someone else to free. The real object of Hannah's journey, I think?"
"Oh yeah, Feezle!" Rosy barks.
Lyne shifts the rest of the way off Elysia. He casts her a wary look, but in the end dips his head. "You are forgiven," he says.
At this, Hannah looks to the minstrel. "Would you mind, Sam? After all this excitement, I don't think I'll be moving from this spot for a while," she says, sounding and looking tired.
"I'll take care of it," the minstrel says with a chuckle. "Hopefully he won't be as... intimidating."
"Thank you," the girl replies gratefully, sinking all the way down to lie on the cool surface of the floor. How Thomas still manages to save the day after he's hurt is beyond my comprehension...
The old fae goes over and sees if the talon will work as well.
The talon seems to work well on this pillar as well, it cuts into the ice like a hot knife through butter. Sam had best take care to not cut up the occupant too.
"Be careful," Rosy notes, looking ready to bite Sam should he accidentally nick the goblin prince.
Hannah rolls her head in Lyne's direction and asks softly, "Do you wish to see Thomas again? I understand if you need time to consider this first. I can't imagine that it will be an easy thing to do."
"Best sculpture garden I ever saw belonged to a medusa," the minstrel says to Rosy conversationally as he trims away chunks of ice. "Hmm, was that a toe? Mm-- no. Anyway, she claimed that she'd gotten out of the habit, hadn't had an accident in Years, and the collection was just to remind her of the bad old days. But I did notice that one bore a striking resemblance to the King's tax man who'd gone missing a while ago."
"I would rather face Valanice's jaws again than have to look in his eyes. How do you apologize for telling someone you hated them and far worse things?" Lyne actually asks Hannah. "It makes it no easier that his message to me was that he was never mad with me for what I said and forgave me. He was always good at getting people to do what he wanted, through either inspiring ... or guilt."
Peaches grunts, wether in agreement or just because she felt like grunting.
Hannah considers this for a minute in silence. Then she asks, "So, I take it that you don't wish me to tell him that you still live?"
"She'd left out a pan of birdseed on his head, which I thought was rather nice of her. Had a nice collection of pigeons on his shoulders and rather long ears," Sam recounts as he works his way up Feezle's block. "Was well on her way to making it look all nice and as aged as the rest of her collection."
"No, not that. I do. I just ... I am not sure what I will say to him," Lyne admits.
"I could tell him you wish to speak with him eventually, but it must be in your own time," Hannah offers. "Thomas would respect that, coming from you."
"You say, 'Hi Dad, this is your great-great-grandson who isn't named after you but is just as stubborn!'," Rosy suggests. "Then you hug him! Why do cats have to make everything such a big issue!"
"Hm. I would rather that you distract him. Then if I surprised him ... I would not have to come up with what to say; at least for a bit," Lyne says after some thought on the matter. "If you told him that, he would just hunt me out."
Sam chuckles. "Believe you me, I think Tom would be just as hard-up for something to say as you seem to think you would be."
"After what Thomas did to protect you...and after all the Years he didn't seek you out when you were still angry with him, in order to set things right...I'm not sure that he would," Hannah tells the great cat gently. "But, as you wish. How do you want me to distract him?"
Rosy prods Sam, "Don't stop digging out Feezle."
"Wow, you re uglier than Grizelda," Sam suddenly finds himself being told by a rather unusual looking ... goblin? Yes, Feez;e has aspects that look goblinish, but he also has rather obvious fey traits. He's almost handsome, really, fairly tall, muscular, and cleanly dressed. His eyes also betray the significant intelligence that lucks behind them. "Oh, wait, you aren't a woman. For a moment I thought you were one of the dwarven women I've heard so much about ... but that's just your jowls, not an actually a beard." The odd goblin steps off the pillar and flicks off he remaining bits of ice. "I would have escaped, you know. I had the dragon right where I wanted her."
The minstrel tucks away the ice talon and chuckles, "Of course you did, your Highness. And the medusa had me right where she wanted me, except that when she removed all mirrors from her home, she neglected the silver plates... And a little boot grease does wonders for tarnish. Welcome back to the land of the awake-and-about!"
"Prince Feezle!" Rosy barks. "You are okay! Now you can come home and marry the Princess and live... ever after!" she adds, smiling and wagging her tail.
"Ack ... Rosy," Feezle says, is ears actually wilting. "Er, can't you just claim you didn't find me? I still have things to do, places to see! Mysteries to uncover! And frankly, I'm not even sure Griszelda is a woman. Bot that I want to look..."
Hannah rolls her eyes before sitting up slowly and getting to her feet, just as slowly. Wonderful. The Prince is intelligent and delusional. A dangerous combination. She approaches the goblin and says formally, "It seems we have found the one we seek. Prince Feezle, your fiance' asked us to bring you safely home. I am Hannah of the Golden Hawks. The one who just chipped you out of your prison is Minstrel Sam." When she hears what he says to Rosy, she quirks an eyebrow. "You...don't wish to go home?"
"Let's be honest here," Minstrel Sam whispers to Hannah. "Would you want to go to his home and live there? With his future wife to be?"
"But.. but.." Rosy says, her own ears drooping. And then they perk up! "Does this mean you want to run away and elope with me then?"
Sam rubs his chin. "Hmm. Were we actually supposed to bring him back or just find him?"
"Go home? To a town that eats he books and can't count without using their toes?" Feezle says as he pulls at his ears, "To a town that requires instructions on how to use a chamber pot. The maids thought they were hats! Why heck, why wouldn't I want to go there?" The odd goblin rolls his eyes, adding, "Besides I still have to get this pendant identified. Yep, I have to find the elusive bandit queen, the woman no one has ever ... drat it." Yes, Feezle just spotted Elysia.
Elysia smirks slightly and waves, "You caught me. You caught the Bandit Queen. Hurray."
"Congratulations on your success, Your Highness," Sam quips.
Rosy looks from Feezle to Elysia, and back again, and then sniffs the Prince.
"And what's with this Highness stuff?" Feezle asks Sam, "My first name is Prince. I'm not a prince."
Hannah can't help it now - she throws back her head and roars with laughter! (Weak laughter, but laughter nonetheless.) When she finally calms herself, she says lightly, "All right, first things first, Not-Your-Highness. Could you please tell us why you needed to track down the Bandit Queen for the sake of a pendant?"
Sam grins. "Bards are noted for poetic irony... And I couldn't really use the lyrics I whipped up for when you'd awaken from your icy slumber to find the object of your quest slain moments ago, so I had to use the irony somewhere."
"Prince is a fine name," Rosy notes. "My brother was named Prince! He could never stop licking himself though.."
"Well, it was a good excuse to go on a quest. I've had it all my life and decided to find out where it came from," Feezle explains. "The bonus was it was likely an impossible quest ... so I would be gone a long time..."
"May I see this pendant?" Elysia asks as she approaches the goblin and holds out her hand.
"Well, there's your answer, you need a new impossible quest," Sam suggests.
Hannah smiles hugely as she folds her arms across her chest. "You know, if you really don't want to go back to your...ahem...charming finace', there is one way to solve this. Which doesn't involve you wandering off on any dangerous quests."
"Hannah, I don't think Grizzelda will take Sam in Feezle's place," Rosy notes.
Feezle looks over to Hannah as he's handing over the pendant.
Minstrel Sam agrees with Rosy's suspicion.
Hannah laughs again and says good-naturedly, "That's not what I had in mind, either."
"Well, what, then? You want to marry her?" Feezle asks.
Sam suggests, "A little assassination and no one has to get married?"
Elysia takes the pendant and turns it over and over in her hands. The older woman's brow arches slightly and she mutters to herself.
"We'd have no choice but to accept a parting gift from the bereaved fiance, of course, even though we couldn't technically get paid by a deceased client," Sam observes.
The doglin just stares at Sam in disbelief.
The girl makes a face at the goblin. "Of course not! When we return to the goblin city, we must tell Grizzelda the 'true' reason why you ran away - because you love another. You could not bear to dishonor her by putting her into a loveless marriage. So you did the only thing you could think of. You left her a free woman, to choose again as she sees fit. Trust me, the royal types eat up this kind of romantic drivel for breakfast."
"Hey, that's a great plan! You can be my new love," Feezle claims as he puts his arm around Hannah. "You're attractive for a fae." The odd goblin grins.
"Um... I'm not sure that will work," Sam says. "You're thinking of Mirari royalty. Goblin royalty tends to be much more practical in these matters - in their mind, a sturdy shackle is a good substitute for actual love. In fact it works out better because it prevents unauthorized excursions into the town 'for a night out with the boys'."
"Oh.. yeah.. Grizzelda is all about the romance," Rosy says, rolling her eyes. "Just make sure there aren't any axes lying around first.."
Sam admits, "And then there's the 'show me the proof of this other one you love' business, aye."
"Actually, there may be a simpler solution," Elysia says as she holds up a finger.
"She can't throw an axe at someone who isn't around," Hannah points out mildly. "Besides, it's better than assassination, don't you think?" To the goblin, she says as she disengages herself from his arm, "I'm sorry, but I'm not available."
"Kill Feezle?" Sam suggests.
The minstrel hastily wiggles two fingers on each hand to emphasize quotes around the 'kill'.
Hannah then looks over at Elysia. "What is it? Apparently, my idea doesn't seem to be going over so well."
"He isn't completely a goblin," Elysia comments, "I think that would eliminate his eligibility."
The minstrel examines Feezle again.
"It's true," Rosy agrees, pointing to Feezle's knees. "There's no way he can chew on his own toes."
Elysia holds up the pendant Feezle gave her earlier. "Prince is related to me and I'm not a goblin," she says. "A long time ago I gave away my first born child to Eoin to obtain my magical powers. It looks like Eoin put my child in charge or organizing his ... goblins."
The minstrel examines Elysia.
"Are goblins so concerned with marrying only those of pure goblin blood?" Hannah asks, in a very dry tone. "As it has been pointed out, I thought we weren't dealing with the fae?"
Her curiosity piqued now, Rosy goes around and.. feels up Feezle's rear. "Hey, he doesn't have a little tail either!" she reports.
"They would be if they want to be sure of clean goblin offspring," Elysia says, "But no matter, there is time enough to sort this out. I, for one, would like to get out of the dragon's lair in case any of her wyverns survived."
Sam whispers to Hannah, "I vote that we get a potion of suspended animation from the shaman and use it on Feezle, then explain that we couldn't get to him in time before he froze to death."
"Fair enough," Hannah says to the other woman. To Sam, she murmurs, "We may not have to resort to that, if what Elysia says is true. Although I'm not sure if we shall have to carry this message to Grizzelda or if Feezle must do it."
"There's a whole pile of shiny stuff behind us," Rosy points out. "Grizzelda likes shiny things! Feezle can trade her some for not marrying him."
"Why not offer Feezle membership into the Hawks as the liaison between the goblins and the fae?" Lyne asks, injecting his opinion into the conversation. "Grizelda would have to agree that there is greater long term value if better relations with the fae than just getting herself a ... man."
"Oh, she's got a whole stable full of men," Rosy points out, waving a hand. "That's not the point! Feezle is special! He designed the whole city! Everyone looks up to him, even though he looks and smells funny."
"I bathe," Feezle explains.
Sam pauses. He whispers to Hannah, "Are you sure we can't just let him run away?"
"But.. umm.. if Elysia is his grandmother..." Rosy notes, working things out in her head, "Well, she'd have to approve of the wedding. Or else maybe be made Queen. One or the other."
Hannah whispers back, "Oh, we could...but we would still have to come up with a reason why we couldn't return him to the goblin city. Or else we'd be duty-bound to continue hunting for him. We simply must find a way to dissolve the engagement."
"Let's celebrate with a little ambrosia before we head back, eh?" Sam suggests, eying the bottle longingly.
"And petting!" Rosy adds in.
Hannah claps the minstrel lightly on the back and quips, "Better we save the toast for after we get back. Or we might not have the wits to get back!" She looks about the group. "Are we ready to move out?"
Peaches stamps a hoof in the affirmative. She's somehow acquired a new tiara while nobody was watching her.
The old fae, experienced in these matters, collects the bottle, a half dozen of the goblets, and only as much treasure as he can comfortably pack. He eyes Eis's bags thoughtfully with an obvious eye toward 'sharing the burden'.
"Yes," Lyne and Eis agree in unison. "All of us need rest."
"Although, taking a little of Valanice's hoard with us might not be a bad idea. At least we could put funds back into the Hawks' coffers to defray the cost of this little expedition," Hannah says, eyeing the pile of treasure thoughtfully. "And if a bribe is needed...well then, we'll have it." Her gaze wanders to Sam's full pouches and she grins. "Ah, ahead of me already. Now we may go."