King Aldar hadn’t changed much since Hyden last saw him, but he was dressed less crudely. The previous meeting had taken place where Loudin of the Reyhall was buried. The ancient, silver-maned giant had been wearing thick furs and traveling clothes. Now he wore a sky-blue floor-length robe the hue of his own sparkling eyes.
Princess Gretta however, did not look the same. Where Hyden expected to see a child stood a beautiful, budding young woman. The definition of features on her wide, pretty face had sharpened. Framed by dark, curly ringlets, her look held the promise of long-lasting beauty. The daisy and lace layered dress she wore went well with her turquoise eyes and was of a cut similar to Telgra’s. The garment enhanced the slightly curvaceous turn her growth had taken. When she saw Spike clutched in Telgra’s hands, eyeing the wolves suspiciously, she came over for a closer look. As mature as she looked, the excitement that spread across her face betrayed her youth.
To Hyden’s surprise, the King of Giants stepped forth, then bent down and gave him a powerful hug. Hyden felt like a little boy being clutched by his father. When the king straightened back up, he spoke to the group in a conspiratorial whisper.
“Once we get to the dining hall, and the queen has been announced, we can dispense with all the formalities. What’s this?” he asked, suddenly looking down at Oarly. A sort of uneasy surprise registered on his face as the dwarf thrust up the leather pouch he had brought.
“This is for your highness, King Aldar.” Oarly spoke most properly, drawing looks from Hyden and Phen. “It’s a gift from the people of Doon. It’s not much, but it’s precious.”
As soon as the king accepted the pouch, Oarly handed the silverwork box to Princess Gretta. “And this is for you and your mother, my lady.”
Without opening the pouch, King Aldar beckoned the group to follow him down a series of oversized halls, all of them decorated in eye-bulging opulence. Immaculate paintings hung on the walls, and pedestals displayed carvings of dragons, elk, wolves, and various trees all fashioned from wood, ivory, and different types of stone. The walls were done in paneled burlwood and the halls were illuminated by gold-and-crystal chandeliers that hung at intervals from the ceiling.
Princess Gretta, with Talon perched on her wrist near the silver box she was clutching, and with Spike cradled lovingly in her other arm, urged Princess Telgra to open the silver box for her. Hyden watched, noting that Telgra seemed relieved after meeting the giantess. Both young ladies gasped at what lay inside the box. On a tiny pillow of black velvet lay seven pairs of sparkling ear danglers, each made of a different precious metal or gem. There were diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, as well as silver, gold and a set made of some delicate stone that was deep gray traced with tiny veins of scarlet.
Both Corva and Lieutenant Welch caught a glimpse in the box. Corva wondered why a woman wanted to decorate herself with pieces of the earth, while Lieutenant Welch wondered how many hundreds of years he would have to work at his present salary to buy even one piece of such precious jewelry.
Princess Gretta saw Corva looking at the contents of the box and spoke to him shyly. “You look like Vaegon, somewhat,” she said. Clearly, the observation took Corva’s breath away. Vaegon was the closest thing to a hero the race of elves had known for his entire lifetime. Vaegon’s fame came from his friendship with Hyden and Mikahl, two humans whom most of the Elder elves didn’t regard highly. Princess Telgra, though, before she lost her memory, had idolized the brave archer from the Willowbrow Clan. Corva replied with a shaky, “Thank you, my lady.” Then he swelled with visible pride.
Princess Gretta covered her mouth and then whispered something to Princess Telgra. Both girls giggled, and Corva flushed a light shade of blue.
“She likes you, Corva,” Dostin observed loudly.
They entered a set of double doors with panels carved into something resembling a wildly split face that was hidden in the features of a mountain landscape. The room was cozy and just big enough for all of them to feel comfortable in, without feeling swallowed up. A table of glossy black marble was set for them. Chairs with higher seats, fitted so the humans could be above the surface, were set around the length of the slab. Three golden candelabras were spread down its length. The reflection of the tiny flames flickered and danced on the golden goblets and dinnerware.
Once the group were all in the room, the great wolves took up alert sitting positions just outside the dining hall. Then the heavy wooden doors swung silently shut, seemingly of their own accord. Hyden was drawn to look at them as he sensed the ozonic sensation of magic in action. His attention was drawn back to their host as King Aldar himself announced his wife.
“My honored and distinguished guests, may I present the Lady of Afdeon, Gertra Awln, Queen of the Mountains and Valleys, and the holder of my heart.”
“Oh stop it, Aldar,” the big woman said. She was close to thirteen feet tall and probably four feet across. A proportionately fit woman, her round face showed traces of youthful beauty. It was impossible not to notice the foot-and-a-half of cleavage her forest green dining gown revealed. With breasts the size of barrel kegs and a cheery smile, it would be hard to call her anything less than pretty. She looked easily a third of her husband’s age, but such was the way of things when kings took wives.
Everyone had bowed again, and while they did, Princess Gretta hurried excitedly to her mother’s side to show her the gift the dwarf had given them.
“Please rise,” Queen Gertra said. “Hyden of the Skyler Clan is the only one of you who owes fealty to the Crown of Afdeon.” She turned toward Princess Telgra and beamed. “I hope that after you have visited the Leif Repline you will come stay with us for a while. I would love to get to know you better, as would Gretta.”
Telgra found herself taken aback at how deftly polite and well worded the queen’s invitation had been. She smiled broadly at her hostess. “Thank you, Highness, that sounds pleasant. Getting to know me is also on my list of things to do.”
Phen, Corva, and even Hyden Hawk laughed out loud at that.
The giant queen ignored them and looked at Oarly. The dwarf looked as serious as he’d ever been. “Master Dwarf,” the queen said with a smile. “Your gift is wonderful. I’d like to speak with you more during dinner. If I wait a moment more, though, the sun will be gone and you’ll miss it.”
With that, she turned and clapped. Two servants appeared and moved to the center of the tapestried wall behind her. Slowly, the hanging panels of cloth slid open, the full-length curtain revealing the most spectacular view of the world that any of them had ever seen. Immediately, the bitter chill of the air swept into the room. As the group eased forward to gawk at the expanse of sun-coppered mountain peaks that extended as far as the eye could see, the servants drew back the curtains on the opposite wall, revealing a fireplace the size of a small farmhouse. No sooner was the fire raging than another curtain door slid open, filling the room with the savory smell of freshly baked bread and seasoned meat.
It didn’t take long for the fire’s heat to force the cold back out of the huge embrasure. And though these other things were going on around them, none of them ever stopped taking in the view. The snow-capped mountains literally looked to be formed of molten copper as the sun inched down behind them. Then as the sun’s glow faded and the silvery light of the stars took over, the mountains appeared frosted in crystal. Finally, the aroma of the meal drew them to the table. A special seat had been set for Oarly to boost him up to the point that he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. As the golden goblets were filled with sweet berry wine, King Aldar peeked into the drawstring bag Oarly had given him. Hyden elbowed Phen, and both of them watched curiously as the giant’s face began to split into a grin. His expression quickly went blank and he did his best to try to hide the gift under the table, but the queen had seen him and held out a snapping finger.
It was comical. The huge, powerful king of the most treacherous terrain known looked like a scolded boy handing over a frog he had kept in his pocket too long. The queen pulled from the bag a silver canteen. In her hand it looked like a boot flask. She unfastened the lid and sniffed at its contents and nearly dropped the thing. This caused both King Aldar and Oarly to lurch forward as if they could catch the container.
“What is that horrible-smelling stuff?” the queen asked.
“It’s granite juice, my lady,” Oarly said. “It’s used to polish hard metals and etch stone… among other things.” The last was mumbled so that only King Aldar and Hyden could hear it.
“It’s a very precious liquid, dear,” King Aldar said gingerly. “Please don’t spill it. Master Oarly has carried it such a long way.”
As she closed the container, King Aldar relaxed and smiled again. “What was it that the ever-so-kind dwarf gifted my ladies?” he asked.
“Oh,” the queen’s face suddenly beamed as she handed the flask back to her husband. “It’s a wonderful gift that Gretta and I can share. Look.”
She showed him the box and King Aldar nodded appreciatively at Oarly. Hyden noticed that both the king’s goblet and Oarly’s goblet were filled from a different flagon than everyone else's. With a hard look at the king, Dostin managed to get a refill out of that particular flagon once, as well. Hyden got a whiff of the stuff they were drinking and nearly vomited from the harsh smell. It reminded him of the concoction Master Amill once used to rid Queen Willa’s castle of rats and other vermin. Whatever it was, it was potent. Oarly’s eyes were glazed, and a slight grin stayed on his face as he feasted dreamily.
The fare was simple yet delicious. Everyone had their fill of meat, bread, vegetables, and gravy sauce. After a bit of pleasant conversation, the three women excused themselves. Only then, King Aldar sneaked a tiny sip from the canteen Oarly had given him. After he swallowed, he went completely pale. Hyden, Lieutenant Welch, and Corva shared looks of concern for a moment, but the king’s color came roaring back with a vengeance. His face slowly turned as purple as a plum. His huge hands were gripping the edge of the marble table so hard that Hyden thought he might snap off chunks of it.
“It’s the best, I assure you,” said Oarly through a lilted stupor.
After taking a few deep breaths, King Aldar agreed. “’Tis!” he managed with a nod.
Noticing that Hyden hadn’t been drinking much, Corva took the moment to ask him something that had been bothering him since he and Dostin joined them.
“Is there any way that I can escort Princess Telgra home, once she’s visited the Leif Repline?” the elf asked in an unassuming manner. “I understand your purpose for going onto the Wedjak, but she is the only one of her kind. If something were to happen to her, there is no telling what the elves would do.” Corva looked desperately concerned for her safety.
“I can’t make her do anything,” Hyden answered truthfully. “And I can’t allow anyone to force her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do.”
King Aldar pointed at the empty space between them and shook his head as if he were about to make a point, but apparently he couldn’t find the words just yet.
“It would be better if our group wasn’t so large,” Lieutenant Welch said. “I agree with Sir Hyden Hawk, though. I won’t allow her to be coerced into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.”
“We’ve still got two weeks of journeying, and that’s after winter relents. It’ll be months before we can get to the Leif Repline fountain,” Phen said matter-of-factly. “There will be plenty of time to figure all of that out, Corva.”
“He he tweedle dee,” Oarly sang out quietly. His voice sounded distant, like he was somewhere else. “Tweedle dee and tweedle do, flutter high and hammer true.”
Dostin giggled girlishly for a moment then lapsed into a soft snore.
“I understand,” Corva sighed. His voice and his expression showed his frustration. “I just have this sinking feeling about what my people might do in the meantime.”
“You’re starting to sound like Vaegon,” Hyden said.
Before Corva could respond, King Aldar finally found his voice.
“Your journey to the Leif Repline won’t be… so… so…” The giant sneezed hard, causing Dostin to erupt into a peal of giggling.
Corva put a hand on the monk’s shoulder and calmed him. Over the interruption, the king finally blurted out what he had been trying to say.
“It will take days, not months,” King Aldar said, fighting off another sneeze. “I… I… could put you a few days’ journey from the Leif Repline in a heartbeat.” He finally let loose his sneeze and seemed to lose focus for a few moments. When he gathered himself, he looked at Oarly appreciatively. “The best it is, dwarf.” The king’s eyes closed and his head lolled to the side.
“Teleporting?” Phen asked.
King Aldar nodded as he slid slowly into his chair. “You’ve got the Gwag to contend with, though. It guards the fountain jealously. It… it… is…” The king was out of it then, his huge face a study in bliss.
“Well that’s good news,” Hyden said.
“Good?” Lieutenant Welch asked. “A thing called the Gwag is guarding the fountain pool and that’s good news?”
“Aye.” Hyden grinned at Phen.
“Aye, it is,” Oarly mumbled into his dream.
“It’s good because we can find out what this Gwag is about, and get Marble Boy, Princess Telgra, and Talon back to normal in just a day or two.” He grinned.
“I can hardly wait,” Welch added sarcastically.