Mystery? In a Royal Court?
What price do you pay to protect someone? What cost to yourself do you pay to make sure tender dreams are not crushed?
There are no dragons (not on this planet, everyone is glad about that). Dungeons are generally fo...
The Queen and Princess Yva make their way to a door off a bit from the thrones. The King regards Emme and 'Big Guy'/Rogue for what seems a longish time.
Please excuse my brusqueness, but what can you two say about the things that have happened?
The 'Big Guy' says: "I was hired to escort a being out of these kingdoms. In anger, I stuck your royal daughter. Cursed irrevocably, I did manage to restore her bodily. I await my fate."
King: "Go down the stairs you came up. Head left and go down those stairs. At the bottom, open the door. At the end you will find a single cell with an open door. Enter the cell and close the door behind you. It will lock. We will be down to visit."
Immediately, 'Big Guy' / Rogue turns and leaves.
The King asks Emme to follow him. He walks around the beads on the floor and seats himself on the throne.
Leaning forward he says: "Your turn. Tell me everything."
Emme is quite confused but knows questions from the throne carry a grave penalty for mistakes.
She breathes and calmly relates all the details: her unusual arrest, Rogue knocking out the guards, a standoff resolved by a promise of gold, escape, gold found, the strike that invoked a magic curse, the spider, the transformation, the swap of persons, the purchase of clothes, and concludes with the trip here.
The King leaves the throne, kneels before Emme and says: "Thank You. From the bottom of my being. You have returned my daughter to us. I recognize the magical form of the valiant man.
This is not something that should have ever lasted so long. We wrapped our daughter in a protection spell.
Strange fate dealt us calamity on the day, and our daughter was carried off by a powerful magic creature that I shall not name."
The King stands 'If you head right at the bottom of these stairs, you will find stairs to the kitchen. Please go there and have them give you.. whatever they have that might like.'
Emme walks around the beads and heads out. Before getting out the door, she sees the King collecting the beads and necklace string.
The halls are very quiet, but she does find some nice older ladies in the kitchen. Emme would like some tea or cocoa, preferable without the mental stimulants (since the light of the day is fading).
They have none at this time. As she looks confused, one of the older ladies says that an accounts review with the merchants is underway. The castle is unable to transact purchases right now.
Emme pulls out her bag and grabs some gold coins. 'Can I use your purchase doorway to make a private transaction? Tea and cocoa in both stimulating and non-stimulating variety?'
One older lady says: "Well, yes. But let me write the order slip to make sure your purchase does not become confused with our castle's account."
Several notes are passed by a magic door to a merchant in the central kingdom. Tins are finally procured. Emme receives a merchant 'paid slip' that thanks her.
Emme suggests that they make enough for the three of them.
Sitting and enjoying the drink. She tells them of her life as a curse practitioner. The talk of were-beings appears to unsettle them.
How brave Emme must be. How curious that she has not found a quite good husband in being so skilled. Emme enjoys the light talk.
At one point, a young man arrives and indicates his royal order to show Emme to an upper floor room for the night.
After she leaves the kitchen women, remark and how kind, well mannered, and fair the guest was. Tea, such a luxury these days.
Both ladies say how she looks just like a specific relative.
Neither says so, but the other one must be going a bit off. They know exactly the relative being described, and that person looks nothing like their guest Emme.
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