“His name is Phoebus and he makes a rather irritating travel companion.”
Gregorian felt his mouth hang open as he watched a tall woman in splendid robes stride purposefully towards them. There had been no visitors in Thronegarden for so long and now all these people had come at once.
“Of course, my name is Phoebus. Don’t you think I know that,” the owl snapped.
“It is good to meet you,” Delridden offered.
“Who are you?” Phoebus enquired.
“My name is Delridden.”
“Is that what you call yourself now?” The Matriarch raised an eyebrow.
“It is an honour to meet you again, Matriarch,” the warrior acquiesced.
Gregorian recognised the sorceress from Damselfly’s tale. Magicgarden’s last guardian had travelled all this way and she was not alone. The greatest surprise came in the shape of a rather insignificant-looking man whose name was as famous in Fable as any king’s.
“Bakka, the great smith.”
“Why are you here?” Delridden questioned.
“We are looking for a bell,” Phoebus stated.
“No, we are looking for a girl,” the Matriarch corrected.
Gregorian was getting a bad feeling about the conversation, and despite his fascination at meeting such an exciting band of travellers, he wished someone else had found them first.
“That is strange. We are also looking for a girl,” Delridden explained. “The Princess Damselfly.”
“It seems we are all here for the same reason,” the Matriarch discerned.
“I have some bad news,” Gregorian interrupted.
As everyone turned to look at the gatekeeper, he felt his heart drop and soon his expression was mirrored in the faces of his new friends as he described the recent events.
Luyna was just starting to feel that the tide was turning in her favour when Tyten rushed into her chambers with news that a band of travellers had arrived. Visitors were rare enough in Thronegarden to cause a stir, let alone these famous and unique individuals. The sorceress cursed her luck before following the Captain of the Guard to the courtroom where the guests had been stationed. Luyna immediately recognised her counterpart, the Matriarch, amongst the unusual band and steeled herself for another battle. The other faces were unfamiliar although she recognised Phoebus from the Thrane family crest and there was no mistaking the Peritwinkle whose massive frame was currently covering all the available space.
“Luyna, tell me there is some mistake.” The Matriarch came forward.
Soldiers created a barrier between the magicians before Luyna signalled for them to stand down; this was not a conflict that could be won by sheer force.
“Did you condemn Damselfly to the Evergarden?”
“She was found guilty by the court,” Luyna rationalised.
“She is only a child,” the Matriarch criticised.
“Princess Damselfly is much more than that,” Morris, the Wintergarden innkeeper interrupted. “She is the bravest of us all.”
“It is true,” Delridden agreed. “No one else came as close to saving time as the princess.”
“Unfortunately, such a goal is impossible,” Luyna stated.
“We cannot continue like this,” the Matriarch criticised. “Wintergarden is a frozen wasteland, magic is running out and even here in Thronegarden the fields are dry. Time may have stopped but the cracks are growing larger and soon we will all be standing on a precipice.”
“What do you suggest?” Luyna asked.
This was a question that stumped the small group for a moment as each attempted to come up with a plan to achieve the impossible.
“I came to help Damselfly,” a figure at the back relayed.
“Who are you?” Tyten posed.
“My name is Bakka.”
Luyna was truly shocked at this revelation and thoughts rushed through her mind as she considered the consequences of the great smith’s return.
“Damselfly is lost to the Evergarden,” Luyna added with a note of sincerity. “However, we will find a solution to these problems.”
Remembering the young woman whom she had known years ago in the Magicgarden, the Matriarch offered Luyna the benefit of any doubt, and it was agreed that they would reconvene later to discuss alternative options. This granted Luyna a short time to come up with a fresh solution.
Gregorian was glad he returned to the castle so soon after leaving with a feeling of unfinished business. Unfortunately, the growing tension pervading Thronegarden meant that conflict was always likely.
With his new friends bringing a fresh wave of impetus to the residents, the royal army was under greater pressure. The catalyst was Delridden who, unable to help Damselfly, turned his attention to visiting his lost love, Uriel. When the guards stopped him from going down to the dungeons, a skirmish broke out that resulted in Tyten and Delridden facing off. With neither warrior willing to back down, others had to get involved to stop bloodshed.
Gregorian had warned the visitors that discussing Princess Damselfly broke the new proclamation set down by Luyna. At first this could be tolerated due to the ignorance of these outsiders. After being told repeatedly to cease their fire branding without success, another argument broke loose, and Luyna demanded that if the strangers were to stay in Thronegarden they must obey by the castle’s rules.
“What if I refuse?” Delridden questioned.
“You will be removed from Thronegarden,” Luyna threatened.
“This rule cannot stand,” Delridden argued. “I want a trial.”
Luyna debated back and forth before finally agreeing to a court case. Feeling exasperated, the sorceress was accosted again by the Matriarch who had some further questions.
“I have spoken to the kitchen staff and they have advised food supplies are running low and with no rain falling our underground wells are almost dry,” the Matriarch queried.
“I shall look into rationing,” Luyna attempted to evade.
“Even that will only work for a short time,” the Matriarch pressed.
“We still have the animals,” Luyna stated.
“Who also require fresh water and food.”
“What do you want from me?” Luyna
