The Tsuki Saga
The Lost Companion
Lienad did not arrive in the main hall at lunchtime. Nor was he there at dinner. By about seven the group was getting worried, so they called for Stanley. He appeared almost instantly as they rang the bell, and enquired what the matter was.
"Our companion, the tall elf," the knight chose to speak first, "Appears to have disappeared, and we can't find him anywhere, do you have any idea where he may be?"
Stanley looked worried for a second. "Mistwess will know, Mistwess will know." He said. He rang another bell and Sidney appeared. "Sidney, dea' brotha', fetch Mistwess, we have a pwoblem."
Sidney answered "Yes brotha', indeed, fetch Mistwess." And off he went. He returned, only a few moments later, with the princess in tow. She entered the room as ladylike as ever, despite being tugged by the side of her cloak.
She curtseyed to the four and then began; "Sidney here tells me you have a problem?"
The four nodded, and this time Shalnek spoke, "Well, more of a mystery, madam." She smiled at this statement and nodded for him to continue. "Our companion, the tall elf," he began, "Has gone missing. He went out this morning to the orchard and we haven't seen him since."
"What?" exclaimed the princess, before she recovered herself a little, "Why did you not speak of this before? - No don't answer, I know why. Worry not, I shall find him. You shall stay here though, we'll have no more disappearances if you please." And with that she left them, and Sidney and Stanley, a little startled and somewhat bewildered, in the hall.
About a half-hour later she dragged a bedraggled looking Lienad into the hall and sat him in one of the more ornate and well-padded chairs. She sent Sidney off to get some wine and a bowl of hot water to clean him up. Moments later she was gently washing his face and torso with a damp face cloth and talking soothingly in a foreign language at him. She forced him to take some wine and continued to talk to him. He still did not come round. Turning to the others she said solemnly "We must care for him well, you should have come to me sooner, we could have prevented this," then as if to herself, "I'll kill that damnable fairy, I truly will." She instructed Sidney and Stanley to carry Lienad to one of the other rooms, not the room he had in the night. She also told them to move the guests to a different wing, but to let no one else know where. She then knocked on the table. A small girl appeared, beautiful, in her way. She was blonde haired and blue eyed and dainty looking. She refused to smile and blushed when any of the gentlemen so much as looked at her. The princess spoke quietly to her. The girl then nodded and when Sidney and Stanley left, carrying Lienad, she followed them.
This left the four remaining travellers and the princess. She nodded to them, "I am afraid that your friend's condition may be serious. However, Ginny is a first rate nurse, she will be sure to give him the best care he can have." Then the princess left the room. The four remaining men looked at one another, still unsure what to make of the situation. They had been alone barely a minute when Stanley arrived back in the room. He bowed and smiled at them, before beginning his usual banter, "Mistwess says that we must take you to the other wing, so the other wing is where we go, come, come, the othe' wing. East wing not safe for sleeping in now. No, not safe." He beckoned for them to follow, and they obeyed, as this seemed the only sensible course of action. "We awe moving you to neawe' to my Mistwess, safe wooms there, indeed, not getting faiwies in there, no, no little devils get into these wings. Mistwess wouldn't allow it." Stanley continued to blather on, leading them through corridor after corridor.
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