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...
Emme is escorted up two flights of circular stairs and shown a very large room with regal appointments.
She hesitates and says: "This must be a mistake."
As she discusses the matter with the young man, the Queen arrives. Emme bows her head, but the Queen says "tut, tut. Be completely at ease. This is exactly the room you deserve. For bringing back my daughter, I could seal the castle and let you live undisturbed in that room forever."
The Queen throws her arm around the crook of Emme's elbow and leads her away. She leads Emme to the hall of heroes. There Emme finds a large portrait which depicts a barbarian woman wearing a chain mail bikini (identical to the one that was immaterially visible in the protection spell).
The portrait even depicts a modest crown which would have been unlikely in reality.
Queen says: "This was my grandmother. She was from the warriors of the mountains in the north east. Her armor was not much, but never a sword or arrow ever touched her. She did confess to me that she had gotten quite a few scrapes (knees and elbows) in jumping down rocky ledges or landing in trees.
Yva took this image to create her sigil. We suggested a few changes, but as you seen. It was faithful to the model."
The room is full of portraits and innumerable books. Before Emme gets a chance to read titles, the Queen pulls her to the hall and into another room.
Further back in the castle, she shows the magic workshop. Looking like it had been stripped. No scrolls, no potions. Only a few basic tomes and a few magic storage spheres.
The Queen asks Emme for an assessment. Emme places hers hands on the storage spheres and thinks each might have only a tenth of the capacity.
She faces the Queen who then says: "Pretty sad, huh."
Emme lowers her head and says: "Needs Must. I have had to do with less."
Queen: "You know diplomacy fairly well."
The Queen leads Emme further along the hall, but a woman servant comes down the hall in a rush. She bows and says that laundry is burning. Laundry from the guests, wrapped in a bag.
Emme blurts: "Clothes! The bag! The cursed Spider blood! Where is princes Yva???"
The Queen grabs her hand and speeds through the back halls. When they arrive, princes Yva is on the floor. A strange magic fog wafts around her.
Emme says: "Oh No! The curse of the blood is still in effect. We must get her to the magic workshop room."
The Queen rushes the princess down the halls, and the King is arriving also (due to the shouts).
Emme brings over the magic storage spheres and has them set before her and princes. The Kings asks what they might do.
Emme: "Place your hands on my shoulder for a bit, take them off when I start reciting."
Emme drains the spheres into herself. Takes parent-magic out of the King and Queen (but is at her personal capacity for holding magic), then spoke with her hands on the princess.
The King and Queen exchange looks.
Emme invokes a curse breaking spell, but the curse remains (at least partially).
Emme says: "No, no, I will not see this end this way."
Emme continues the curse breaking spell from her own energy. Emme collapses on the floor. The curse appears to be gone. The King and Queen look at each other, the Queen holding a shaky hand to her mouth.
This stranger has spent her life-source magic into their daughter. A risky thing to attempt and a price that is difficult to quantify.
They are pleased to see Yva move and are gravely concerned for this woman of magic.
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