Inkway to Albreton

Chapter Four

Castle Albreton was enormous. Jasmine had seen castles in Germany when she'd gone to England but none seemed to hold up to the sheer scale that this one did. It looked like a bird from above, Prince Albert informed her, while the kingdom itself was shaped like an egg. A wizard long ago, before the days of Fragmaroginog, had instigated the design. That ancient wizard had claimed the castle was a spell in itself, and would always regrow from the inside if it were conquered. The citizens of Albreton lived by this belief and never faltered in the face of foreign animosity.

At least, they did before the dragon came. Jasmine looked around as she and the prince had entered the kingdom and all she saw in the people's faces was regret and pain. There was something seriously wrong here.

"Lady Jasmine," Prince Albert interrupted her thoughts, "Welcome to Castle Albreton." He spread his arms wide in presentation. Then he winced and dropped them.

"Careful there mister prince," Jasmine teased. It earned her a scowl. Before that moment she didn't think Prince Albert was capable of a scowl. "Hey just saying," She hurriedly continued, "Might want to get that looked at. You do have doctors here right?"

"We do indeed," A male croaking voice came from in front of them, "Too bad they're all incompetent fools." Jasmine looked for who was talking but there was no one there.

Swift bowed, one front hoof curled up, and pointed his ears forward. Prince Albert lowered his eyes and only then did Jasmine notice a toad in their path. The moat rippled. It ran all around the wings of the castle and its water was the darkest Jasmine had ever seen. It must have been very deep. It wasn't the depth that Jasmine noticed, though, it was the lily pads. All in a line leading to the castle gates, lily pads floated on the surface of the moat, bobbing in the waves.

The toad croaked, "Prince Albert has returned with a lady friend. I assume you're his new mistress, what was your name?"

Jasmine nearly fell over. "Did you hear that? That toad just talked!" Never mind that she'd just been insulted.

Before the prince could explain, the toad hopped from its lily pad onto the dusty bank and said, "I am no toad! Be respectful you ingrate. I am Sir Fragmaroginog and it would be nice if just once people would address me properly. Honestly prince, where do you find these people? The pub in Folderton?"

"You know as well as I that a prince never drinks," Prince Albert said, seemingly as an introduction.

"He may say that," said Fragmaroginog, blinking slowly, "but I have seen him drunk and stupid and he is an embarrassment in that state. Now why are you here exactly?"

There was a talking toad. And it was talking to Jasmine. And she couldn't find it in her to say anything.

"Sir Fragmaroginog I bring excellent news!" Prince Albert straightened and hid a wince at his shoulder, "This is my love, my Princess Salina, and I have brought her back safely to our kingdom!"

"So you're the little tart?" Fragmaroginog hopped to Jasmine's feet, "Shorter than I expected. And not as fit."

Jasmine found her voice, "Say what?"

"Oh well," continued Fragmaroginog as though he hadn't noticed Jasmine's response at all, "Come on then." Then Fragmaroginog spoke a magic word. Jasmine recognized it; it was something the birds had sung when the color returned to the forest after their encounter with that strange white cat.

As the lily pads grew and expanded and floated closer together, the prince whispered something in Jasmine's ear, "Sorry about that. Fragmaroginog has always been a tad, well a tad rude."