Saving the Princess

Through starry night the dragon soars

O’er darkened streets and sycamores

While the city sleeps behind locked doors

At the castle the dragon roars

And carries off the princess

Torches now light the way below

The city takes an orange glow

A single archer nocks his bow

But cannot hit the fearsome foe

Escaping into darkness

Night covers their headlong flight

’Til another city comes in sight

The palace windows all alight

Waiting to greet the scaly knight

Who flew to save the princess
And was crowned with gold upon his head

Now she rests in her own bed

Fireworks burst overhead

As the joyous news is spread

The city bathes in brightness

written for dVerse

Rumpelstiltskin

for dVerse

Firelight reveals
Dusty straw; spinning wheel
For the king's iornclad deal
Gold or death's seal

Little wonder she heeded
The voice that greeted

An unsual sight
The girl and spirte
Her paranormal knight
Escaping the blight

Morning light shines cold
Over the shimmering gold

Rina vs. The Band

for The Honeybee

It had been a long time since Rina had attended a ball. She had almost forgotten why she hated fancy dress balls. The restricting ball gown quickly reminded her. Balls had been one of the few lady like things her stepmother had not allowed her to participate in. She knew Rina would ruin them. The annual Goldgate Fall Festival, in Rina’s hometown, was coming up and the band had a quest to escort a young girl there.

“Why do I have to do this?” Rina complained while tugging at the green dress.

            Gold smiled apologetically. “Sorry Rina, the fairy godmother hired us to help her godchild out, since she has to attend the Godparent Continuing Education Seminar this week. We’re getting paid well too, so grin and bear it.”

            Rina sighed resignedly. “I know. Okay, so the godchild’s name is Ellen, and she wants to dance with her true love. Who is he anyways?”

Gold checked the notes. “Actually, the fairy godmother didn’t fill that part out. Weird. Just ask Ellen. Once you figure it out, push the guy into dancing with Ellen. True love should take care of the rest. And try not to look uncomfortable in the dress.”

            Rina made a face but she knew he was right. The band’s sorcerer had made a decent looking carriage out of an old pot and the band’s horses were hitched to it. Rina envied Thomas, he got to do the driving, which she was sure was much more interesting than sitting inside with Ellen. Ellen was pretty enough, but seemed incapable of giving an accurate description, much less name, for her true love. Rina eventually just looked out the window.

She had been surprised to get a quest in her hometown. As they pulled up to Goldgate Manor, she sighed. Actually, the pervious baron had been her father. But she had given up the barony to go adventuring. Her cousin Cedrick was the baron now. For her, the worst part about this quest wasn’t the gown. It was going inside Goldgate. To her heart it was still home, even though she had willingly left it.

            “Alright,” Rina whispered as they entered the dazzlingly ballroom. “Who is your true love?”

            But Ellen appeared to be rendered senseless by all the wealth and lights in the hall. The ballroom was very large with an exquisite mosaic of dancers on the floor. Having grown up running around Goldgate Manor and sliding all over the ballroom in her socks, Rina wasn’t quite as impressed. Suppressing another sigh, Rina diligently tried to get Ellen to be able to communicate, until the baron approached them. All ability to speak promptly left Ellen.

Baron Cedrick had recognized Rina. “May I have this dance?” he grinned at her.

            Rina smiled back. Cedrick had been one of her favorite cousins. Figuring that the best way to get Ellen to talk was to get the Baron away from her, Rina accepted. And maybe Ellen needed some time to settle in first.

            “What are you doing here?” Cedrick asked as they danced.

“My band has a quest here. We have to help a girl meet her true love.” Cedrick was a very good dancer, making it easy for Rina to follow him and hopefully disguise the fact that dancing was not her strong point.

            “A noble quest,” agreed Cedrick. “Can I help?”

            Rina shook her head. “I think she’s afraid of you. Just stay out of her way. She’s pretty overwhelmed as it is.”

             So she danced after that dance they parted ways and Rina went back to Ellen. Cedrick diligently steered clear of them, but Ellen didn’t calm down. She was crying and wouldn’t say anything until they returned to the band.

            “You danced with my true love!” sobbed Ellen as they stood in her kitchen garden.

            “Cedrick?!” exclaimed Rina indignantly. “How can he be your true love if he doesn’t even know you exist?’

            It was not the right comment. Ellen sobbed harder and Gervas signaled for Thomas to drag Rina away. Later Gervas warned Rina that if she tried to interfere with the quest, the band would tie her up. Rina scowled. She couldn’t let her cousin get married off to some goosey empty-headed girl.

            The next night Rina decided on a bold, direct approach to get Ellen with her true love. Once they got into the ballroom, Rina didn’t waste any time trying to let Ellen settle in or admire the room.

            “Come on Ellen,” said Rina. “You really need to meet your true love.” Grabbing her hand, Rina plowed through the room. Nimble dancers gracefully leaped out of their way, while clumsy ones stumbled and bumped their toes. They all gave Rina dark glares. Rina didn’t pay any attention to them and headed straight to her cousin.

            Cedrick raised his eyebrows, surprised that Rina was introducing him to the women she had told him to avoid.

“Cousin, this is Ellen. You should marry her.”

            Ellen fainted from embarrassment. Baron Cedrick restrained himself from rolling his eyes and called for a healer. He asked Rina to dance with him, but she sweetly said she would only do so if he danced with Ellen first. Cedrick really did roll his eyes and then spent the rest of the night avoiding Ellen. Which was difficult because Rina kept dragging Ellen after him. Once again, Ellen left the ball in tears.

            The next night, the band had the sorcerer put a spell on Rina to keep her at camp. Then they managed to lock Baron Cedrick and Ellen in the library in hopes that close contact would help them warm up to each other. But Rina’s work was already done. Cedrick took the most boring book in the library, a collection of Goldgate’s tax records, and read the entire thing to Ellen in a monotone. Ellen decided that she needed a different true love.

For more of Rina's adventures, see the Green Crescent Heroes.

The Other Side of the Story

for dVerse

Rina and Her Stepmother: Table of Contents

1. Grieving, Lucretia vows to husband to protect his daughter

    Rina’s beloved father dies leaving her sadder.

2. Lucretia instructs Rina in the Fine Art of Being a Lady

    Rina is subjected to torture daily.

3. Lucretia travels to oversee her estates

    Rina takes the opportunity and escapes.

4. Lucretia must recover errant charge and so plans

    Rina joins Green Crescent Hero Band.

5. Lucretia sends out a call for heroes

   Rina and Band deal a dragon a deathblow.

6. Lucretia enjoys the quiet and waits

    The Band has a missing girl to locate.

7. Lucretia receives spiteful girl back

    The Band rescues Rina and heads off-track.

8. Lucretia tries once more to save Rina from her ways

    Rina outwits her stepmother for always.

9. Lucretia casts off her ungrateful stepdaughter

    Rina lives happily ever after.

For Rina's adventures mentioned here check out: To the Rescue and Gold and Silver.

The Adventures of A Second-Rate Cook

Magpie Tale 148
 

Fern Inman tasted the soup. Liese hovered at her shoulder nervously. There was a long silence while Fern rolled the soup over her tongue before swallowing. She looked at Liese and her eyes were full of apology. Liese felt her shoulders slump. “It’s still second-rate isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry Liese,” Fern sighed and patted her shoulder.

Liese looked glumly at the soup. She was the best second-rate cook in the province, and everyone knew it. When the Bronze Salamander Inn had been a second-rate inn, her meals had been legendary. They hit the fine line between tasteless and inedible perfectly. Her second-rate cooking was so bad it had once killed a dragon. But now that the Salamander was a first-rate inn, Liese’s cooking just wasn’t up to starch. “What will I do?” she moaned.

Before Fern could answer, her husband Finn, came bustling into the kitchen. “The Green Crescent Hero Band is coming for the week,” he announced. “That’s fifteen more people to feed tonight.” Then he caught a look at their faces. “Still no luck?” he asked.

Liese shook his head.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” said Finn reassuringly, but Liese wasn’t so sure.

The next day Liese was helping Meg wash sheets at the back of the inn. The weather was beautiful and she and Meg where splashing each other and laughing when Finn came running out. “I’ve got it!” he called.

“Got what?” asked Meg while Liese tried to stop laughing.

“The Green Crescent Heroes! They can take you with them.” Finn said to Liese and looking very pleased with himself.

“Take me where?” asked Liese, all laughter gone.

“Anywhere. They range all over the province. They know where all the inns are. They could help you find a new job.”

Liese thought about it. He was right. And as much as she loved the Bronze Salamander, it was clear her talents needed to stay with a second-rate inn. But – “Someone would have to file a quest at the Quest Office. And I don’t have the money for that.”

Finn brushed off this objection with a wave of his hand. “Fern and I will file the quest. It’s the least we can do. After all,” he looked at her fondly and suddenly sad. “You’re like family. We’ll miss you of course, but it seems like this is the best option.”

So at the end of the week, Liese packed a bag, hugged the Inmans and Meg goodbye and headed off with the heroes. After three weeks they had been to twenty-two second-rate inns, and while they all agreed that Liese’s cooking was horrible, none of them were in need of a cook. As they rode out from the last inn the clouds darkened above them and it began to rain, which reflected Liese’s mood. If only she could cook something to cheer herself up, but the band wouldn’t let her cook. They already had a cook, who was also their healer and could even use a sword if necessary. Liese felt very inadequate. At the end of the day the rain had let up some, but it was still drizzling. They camped in a forest clearing and she went to sit by herself a little away from the band. She managed to find a dry spot under a tree. Rina, the youngest member of the band and about Liese’s age, tried to talk to her, but Liese insisted she wanted to be alone. After giving her a sympathetic look, Rina had gone to practice her swordplay.

Leaning against the tree, Liese was lost in her own thoughts when the bandits attacked. At first she wasn’t sure what was happening. One minute she was staring off into the darkness, and the next there was a lot of yelling and clashing of swords. Liese jumped up and found a man pointing his sword at her. She gulped. “Move,” the man growled, jerking his head towards the forest. Liese was a cook, not a warrior, so she went. She stumbled across tree roots trying not to think about what would happen to her. By the time she thought of trying to memorize her way back to the band’s camp, she was already lost; and anyways it was too dark. Eventually they came to another clearing where the bandits’ camp was. Liese shivered and they waited.

“What’d you bring that girl back for?” another bandit asked as he came into camp.

“Anyone rich enough to travel with a hero band will pay a nice ransom,” answered her captor.

“I’m not rich,” protested Liese, sick at the thought of Finn and Fern paying a ransom. They had already done enough for her. “I’m just a cook.”

The men looked at each other and Liese couldn’t see their expressions. “Then cook something,” the second man ordered. He lit the fire and directed her to the food packs. What have I gotten myself into? Liese wondered. But at least she could cook. More bandits wondered into camp while she was cooking. Liese concentrated on cooking, glad to be doing something so familiar. She was sorry when she was done and started handing out wooden bowls that the men snatched from her.

For a moment there was the sound of chewing. Only for a moment though. “What is this?” roared one of the men spitting his food out. The rest quickly followed. They all looked angrily at Liese. “Who brought her here?” Liese’s heart pounded as the men argued about what to do with her. She backed away, glad they weren’t paying attention to her, but fearful that they would do something with her soon.

“How’d you do it?” someone whispered in her ear.

Liese jumped and turned. One of the bandits was standing next to her. “Do what?” she asked.

“The food. How’d you make it so bad? I’ve never seen uncle Rob refuse food before. Could you teach me?”

Liese couldn’t help but feel slightly flattered. While she was wondering if it would be possible to teach someone all the secrets of second-rate food, a sharp whistle sounded on the other side of the camp. Liese and all of the bandits looked towards it. A few bandits went to investigate. Liese considered making a run for it, but then remembered one bandit was standing right next to her. “Shouldn’t you go see what’s going on?”

He took a step forward then turned back, “Now wait a minute - ”

Suddenly he toppled over. Liese gasped, what was going on?

“Come on Liese, let’s go!” Relief flooded through her as she recognized Rina’s voice. Rina tossed her club away and they ran. “Gold did the whistling,” Rina explained. “He’s good at distractions. We have the camp all packed up. Once we get there, get on a horse and we ride!”

“What about the bandits?” gasped Liese.

“We’ll tell the authorities at the next town about them.”

Liese didn’t know how Rina knew where they were going, but she was happy to follow. It seemed to take longer getting back to the band’s clearing than it had to get to bandits’. Liese tried not to trip and had to keep ducking branches. At last they arrived. Rina helped Liese on to a horse then swung up behind her. Liese held on for dear life as they galloped away.

“Well, that was a great adventure!” said Rina when they finally stopped galloping. Liese decided that she didn’t like adventures. She wished Finn hadn’t thought to send her off with the heroes. When they reached the next town she knew she was the most glad to see the inn, even though it was first-rate and she couldn’t possibly get a job there.

The heroes spent the next day consulting with the local authorities how best to catch the bandits. Liese was happy to just hang around the inn. She talked with the cook, who tried to teach her how to cook first-rate, and even though she knew she couldn’t do it, Liese was delighted to be in a kitchen again.  As the cook tried to teach her, Liese thought about the bandit’s question from the night before. If I where trying to teach someone, how would I do it? She wondered. Slowly an idea began to form. When the heroes came back that night, she had it all fleshed out.

“Teach second-rate cooking?” Rina grinned. “Anyone who wants to learn would fall over themselves to have you as their teacher.”

Liese flushed at Rina’s praise. But she was pleased. Maybe this would work.

“But where will you teach?” asked Gold.

“The Inn and Tavern Guild in Gibbous City,” Liese answered promptly. “All inns have to be approved by them. It’s the perfect place for me.”

So they headed out the next morning. It was raining again, but Liese was happy. Soon she would have a new job, and if she was lucky they wouldn’t run into another adventure before they reached Gibbous City.


To find out how Liese's cooking killed a dragon check out The Bronze Salamander. 

What Happened With the Witch

“I didn’t have any anticipation of what was going to happen. One minute the stranger was eating soup; the next I found myself trying to fend off six men.” Rina told Gervas after everything was over.

“We guessed that.” Gervas nodded. “They overpowered and kidnapped you. Where did they take you?”

“There’s some caves up on the west side of the mountain – we should probably go clean them out later. But anyway, that witch was there. My stepmother’s sister.”

He roared into laughter. “When will you stop making people mad?”

Rina groaned. “I think it’s settled now. I wasn’t tied up very well, but she watched me at first, and said she wouldn’t make any deals with me, and went on about her plans for me,” she shuddered.

“Turn you into a slug or something?” Gervas asked.

“Imprison me in a crystal. I’d be stuck. If I was a slug, at least I could move. There was a long table with vials and rocks waiting to do the job. So when I got the ropes undone, I knocked them over.”

Stunned, Gervas gaped at her. “Don’t you know how stupid that was? Breaking all those magical things – you should have ended up as a slug.”

Shrugging she grinned. “I already said a slug would be better than a rock. There were some terrific explosions, but it worked out all right. Here,” she handed him something.

Gervas inspected the rock. Something inside it moved and gave off faint purple sparks. “The witch?”

Rina nodded. “I think she got turned into a moose, or maybe a gazelle, before she ended up in the crystal. Once everything settled down, I hiked back. When’s our next quest?”

Gervas could only shake his head and laugh.


For more of Rina's adventures check out Silver and Gold. 

Metronome Hunt

Magpie Tale 146

The band of heroes crept into the music store. It seemed quite ordinary. Stacks of music lined the walls while displays of various instruments – trumpets, fiddles, harps – took up most of the room.

“What are we looking for again?” Rina whispered to Gervas.

Gervas consulted his notes for this particular quest. “A metronome. Six inches high, wood. Has an eye. Delights in tormenting music students.”

Rina scanned the musical merchandise. Metronomes had been one of her stepmother’s favorite tools when she had tried to teach Rina music. Rina hated the metronomes. She wasn’t surprised that one had gone evil.

They quickly found seventeen metronomes in the store that fit the description. Well, except that none of them had any eyes. “I think we should destroy them all just in case. What if it’s sleeping and the eye is closed?” Rina asked.

Silver laughed while Gervas smiled and shook his head. “I think we’ll know it when we find it. We’ll just have to search every nook and cranny.”

And they did. Four hours later the store was a wreck. All the sheet music was on the floor. They had started out in stacks, but with everyone moving around and bumping into them, the floor was now a black and white swamp. Instruments where tilting precariously in their display stands, or shoved rudely onto the shelves. And a pile of metronomes was in the middle of it all. They had only found three more. Rina still thought they should burn them all. When Gervas moved a drum and lost his grip and it fell on him, he declared a break. Everyone sat down with groans and sighs of relief, or stretched stiff muscles.

Rina sat down at one of the harps that had been practically smashed into a shelf. She had never liked her stepmother’s music lessons, but she had liked the harp. She pulled it back and began playing one of the songs her stepmother had hated, which was consequently one of Rina's favorites. After a few bars something fell from the top on the self and crashed into her hands. “Ow!” cried Rina, letting go of the strings.

“You all right?” asked Gervas.

Before Rina could respond, the thing began rhythmically beating her hands. Jumping up from the harp, Rina finally saw what the thing was. A wooden ticking metronome with an eye on the pendulum which glared at her as it swung back and forth. “That’s it!”

Just as Rina dived for it, the band surged into action and leaped too. Rina didn’t think to brace herself until the band slammed into her. The harp broke with a deafening bang. Rina lay stunned at the bottom of the pile, trying to breath. Eventually she heard Gervas and Silver getting the band into order. Once they got up, the remains of the harp fell on her. Rina didn’t really care; she was still worried about breathing.

“Are you all right?” Gervas asked her for the second time his hand on her shoulders.

Rina finally groaned. “Yeah?”

“We missed the metronome,” said Silver. “The rest of the band will keep looking. We’ll make sure you’re okay.”

“Nobody has to look anywhere,” Rina sat up, revealing the metronome clutched in her hands, the eye still glaring and trying to swing against her fingers.

Once Rina got her breath back they took it outside and burned it. Gervas had offered to let Rina light the fire, but her fingers weren’t up to it. She assured him that she was content to watch the evil thing burn. They eye kept glaring at them and Rina had to concentrate hard not to shiver. The flames danced merrily along the wooden body in orange and yellow patterns, and Rina grinned at it while the band’s healer made sure her injuries would heal. Slowly the wood charred the pendulum blackened. At last even the eye succumbed as the flames surrounded it. The metronome was no more.

Home Sweet Home

Magpie Tale 145

Rina curled up in the red chair and surveyed the room. ‘Nondescript,’ would best describe it; the red chair was the lone bit of color there. But the floor was sound, the walls weren’t about to fall over, and since it was raining outside, she knew the roof didn’t leak. Those were the only good things she could come up with about her new lodgings. The little house held a bedroom, a kitchen and the small front room she was in. It certainly wasn’t much, but she needed a place to live during the off-hero season and this shack was the only thing she could afford. As it was, the house had taken out a large chunk of her earnings from adventuring with the Green Crescent Hero Band. The next eight months would require very frugal living. Still she smiled at her beat up walls and bare surroundings. It was all she had.

After the next hero season she would have some more gold and she could start making improvements. A proper bed instead of her adventure’s bedroll was on the top of her list. Although, a table for her kitchen so that she wouldn’t be cooking on the floor, was a close contender. Then she would whitewash the walls and probably the floor as well. The outside of the house could use some whitewash too. And then perhaps some rugs for the floor and some curtains for the windows. Or more likely, a bookshelf and books. Rina sighed contently as she planned. Tomorrow she would clean. She could probably clean for the next eight months. Rina fell asleep in the chair dreaming of what her house would be.

Eight months later when the hero season started and the Green Crescent Hero Band came to collect Rina, they were not as enamored with the year-by-year house improvement plan as Rina was. They promptly developed a plan behind her back.

Throughout the hero season, a few members of the band would slip off on a private quest. Rina knew the band was up to something, but as they were all determined to keep her in the dark, she had very little success in finding out what they were doing. When the hero season ended, the entire band insisted on accompanying her home. Rina had a deep suspicion that she would find her house demolished and would wind up staying with one of the band members for the next eight months. While she wouldn’t mind being with the band, she really liked her house. When she finally saw her house, she couldn’t believe the transformation it had undergone. Instead of being a rundown wreck, it was neat and prim. The inside was immaculate and comfortable. The walls were painted, rugs were on the floor, there was an abundance of furniture, and the band had carved scenes of their exploits on the headboard of the bed. Rina was delighted, and the band was smug.

For more of Rina's adventures check out To the Rescue.

Silver and Gold

Magpie Tale 144

Rina was miserable. She was miserable partly because she and Gold were riding through a thunderstorm. And she was worried sick about Silver, Gold’s sister. They were on a quest to save her life. Rina shivered and urged her horse forward. Up ahead through the dim light she could barely make out Gold’s back and her heart ached. He must be even more worried than she was.

“Gold,” she called out to him. “How much longer do you think?”

Gold’s tired voice came back to her, “Just keep going.”

Rina tried not to pay attention to the darkening sky. They had left the Bronze Salamander Inn that morning at a gallop. Now their horses were too worn out to do more than walk. The enchanted road they were traveling on was taking them far away indeed, and Rina wished it was one of those enchanted roads that made traveling faster. According to the instructions the fourth-order wizard had given Gervas, they would reach the witch’s hut soon. The day before the band been excited to reach the Bronze Salamander, although Gervas had complained that the prices had gone up now that it was a first-rate inn. But Rina suspected he was just as glad as the rest of the band to have clean sheets and a delicious first-rate meal. The band had been enjoying themselves until the fourth-order wizard showed up. Apparently on one of Silver’s first quests she had stolen a magic necklace from him and he wanted revenge.

Silver pointed out that the fourth-order wizard had stolen the necklace first and she had returned it to its proper owner. The fourth-order wizard didn’t care and he cursed her. He wanted to curse the rest of the band as well, but Finn Inman, the innkeeper, reminded him that only second and first order wizards could curse people with no connection to a feud and he would incur a hefty fee if cursed anyone else. Rina tried not to think about how Silver had looked, so still and pale on the floor of the Salamander’s great room. She had crouched over Silver, trying to revive her, while the rest of the band drew their swords and menaced the fourth-order wizard. Rina was surprised he had gotten away. She was also surprised that he had told them how to lift the curse.

If they could find the witch who lived at the end of the enchanted rode she would give them an elixir, if they traded her something for it. The wizard had also said that only Rina and Gold could go. Rina frowned. There was something about this quest that just didn’t ring right. But the wizard had said Silver would die in three days if they didn’t get the elixir, so there hadn’t been time to question what he had told them. Rina strained her eyes ahead. The rain was picking up and she could hear a roaring up ahead. “Gold, what’s that noise?”

“It’s the ocean we must be close.” There was new life in Gold’s voice, and Rina felt her own hope pick up. The wizard had said the witch’s hut was by the sea. Suddenly she saw a dark shape looming just beyond them.

“There it is!” They guided their horses into the meager shelter the hut gave from the squall. They dismounted and Gold pushed the door open. The inside of the hut was surprisingly dry. Bare wooden boards made up the floors and the walls and it was clean, and well lit. It was not at all what Rina had expected. Water dripped from their clocks, making puddles on the floor. The witch stood in the middle of the room wearing a red dress and a long black cape. Beside her stood Rina’s evil stepmother. Rina stiffened. This was not good.

“We’ve come for an elixir for my sister.” Gold said glaring at the witch.

The witch smiled. “Is that so? What will you give for it?”

“Anything.” Gold answered.

Rina groaned. No wonder the fourth-order wizard had wanted Gold to come. He was so concerned for his sister that he wasn’t thinking straight. Everyone knew not to offer anything as a price, and most certainly not to a witch. The witch’s smile grew wider. She snapped her fingers and Gold turned into a golden statue. Then she turned to Rina. “And what will give me for this elixir?”

Rina gulped, but before she could answer her stepmother spoke. “Sister, this ungrateful girl ought to make an unbreakable promise to come back home with me forever if she wants your elixir.”

The witch was her stepmother's sister? Rina’s eyes narrowed. “This was all your idea! You got that wizard to curse Silver to lure me here for the cure so that you could force me go with you. I won’t do it.”

Her stepmother shrugged. “Then this friend of yours dies.”

Rina glared at her stepmother. This couldn’t be. She had always thought it was her Stepmother’s sense of duty that made her try to raise her properly. But she had been sure that after she had run away twice her stepmother would give up and be content running her beloved estate. Rina wouldn’t go back with her stepmother. But even as she thought about marching out the door, Silver’s face, not pale as it had been when the wizard cursed her; but laughing and full of life danced before her. Rina wouldn’t let Silver die, even if she couldn’t be happy in a life of fancy dresses and running a castle. But I’ll tear up every dress Stepmother tries to make me wear.

Rina sighed. “Turn Gold back into himself and give me the elixir. Then I promise to come back with you.”

“Forever,” her stepmother prompted.

“Forever.” Rina agreed.

The witch snapped her fingers again. Gold shook himself and looked around. The witch pulled a small green bottle from her dress pocket and handed it to Rina. As their hands touched, violet light flashed. Rina took the vial and said, “I also promise to be as unladylike as possible. I will cut up every dress you try to make me wear. I will throw every corset into the fire, I will wear my swords, and destroy every single to-do list that you make and any other sort of mischief I can come up with.”

Her stepmother looked aghast. “You can’t do that.”

It was Rina’s turn to smile. “I just made an unbreakable promise to do so didn’t I?”

Her stepmother turned to the witch, who shrugged. Gold looked between them confused. Her stepmother turned back, “But that would destroy the estate.”

“You’re the one who cares about the estate. But if you’re so worried, you could let me out of the unbreakable promise and not force me to go back with you.”

The stepmother reluctantly nodded and the witch reached for the elixir. Rina held it out of her reach. “I’ll keep this, too. And you can promise not to try and force me to go back with you anymore.”

There was nothing else they could do. Rina’s stepmother wouldn’t let her estate be destroyed and Rina wouldn’t give up the elixir. The witch took Rina’s other hand and another flash of violet light filled the room. Rina was free. “Get out,” the witch hissed.

Gold and Rina were only too happy to comply. The enchanted road was much shorter on their return trip. Rina suspected the witch wanted to get rid of them faster and had re-enchanted the road to take them away quickly. The Bronze Salamander was a welcome sight and the band greeted them enthusiastically. They were hurried up the stairs to Silver’s room, where she laid listlessly on the bed. Within moments of receiving the elixir she opened her eyes, much to the band’s relief.

When Rina and Gold told their story, Gervas shook his head and asked Rina if she had any other people in her past who would try to make trouble. Rina didn’t know and Silver pointed out that most, if not all, of the band had made enemies during their adventures that they didn’t know about. In a few days Silver was well enough to complain loudly about being treated like an invalid. After two weeks she was begging to go on a quest, and the band promptly begged with her. Gervas laughed at them, but a few days later he came back to the Bronze Salamander with a quest to slay a dragon. With great excitement the band packed and rode out. Rina grinned from the top of her horse. Ahead of her Silver and Gold rode side by side making jokes and Gervas was at the front. Rina was perfectly content.


Check out The Bronze Salamander and To The Rescue for more magical adventures.

To the Rescue

Magpie Tale 142

Rina slumped against the outcropping of rock and looked up at the circle of people around her who were waiting for an explanation. She was relieved that they didn’t seem mad. Silver looked like she was going to start laughing even, but Gervas. Gervas was their leader and Rina hoped he wasn’t mad.

Sighing she began, “Stepmother and I never really got along. I wouldn’t say we hated each other – well not most of the time. And Father always kept us from really squabbling. Father liked it when I did weird things anyways. So he was fine with me learning to sword fight and eventually joining a band of heroes. But Stepmother - ”

“She thought more lady-like pursuits would be a better way to spend your time?” Silver asked helpfully.

Rina nodded. “So after Father died, it didn’t take long for me to runaway. I thought Stepmother would be expecting it. I knew I would join a hero band, so, well you guys know that part.” Rina looked at the heroes who had been her family for the last two months. Silver was defiantly trying not to laugh and everyone else looked amused, but Gervas was still unreadable. “And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done!” she added fiercely. “I just never thought when we took this quest to find that missing girl she’d end up being me.”

Rina looked down at her shoes. She could only suppose it was her Stepmother’s sense of duty that had made her look for her. She looked up at the band hopefully. Surely they wouldn’t make her go back.

Gervas shook his head sternly. “It would be against our honor to not fulfill our quest. We’ll have to take you to your Stepmother.”

Rina groaned. She tried to enjoy the three-day ride to her Stepmother’s knowing it would be her last bit of her freedom. She contemplated running away, but she knew the band too well. They’d simply find her again. Stepmother made a fuss when the band brought her back, but Rina wouldn't acknowledge her.

Stepmother locked her in her room in an attempt to make Rina see the error of her ways. For her part Rina refused to change out of her tunic and leggings and promptly cut up all the dresses in her wardrobe so that she wouldn't have to wear them. She also contemplated how to escape again. She barely paid attention to the darkening sky outside her window until she heard a tap.

Surprised, she turned and found Silver grinning through the window at her. Rina flew to the window and signaled to Silver that it was locked. Nodding, Silver smashed it with a hammer she had brought for that purpose.

“What are you doing here?” cried Rina.

“It’s our next quest. We have to rescue this girl who’s locked up in a tower.” Silver jumped into the room and began unwinding a rope she had around her shoulders.

Rina watched with mounting excitement. “What about Gervas? Does he know?”

Silver threw the rope out the window. “Gervas? This was all his idea.”

Rina laughed in delight and quickly followed Silver down the rope. Their horses were waiting for them and before sunrise, Rina was back where she belonged.

And I have to say thanks to Hedgi for giving me this idea. Check out Hedgi's Magpie, it's awesome.

The Bronze Salamander

Magpie Tale 139

Meg polished the gold sign of the Bronze Salamander, second-rate inn, vigorously. Meg had never seen the inn so clean. Second-rate inns were expected to be dirty with questionable sanitation. She didn’t mind not having to clean the inn more, but she hated gathering lice for the guest beds. But hopefully that would change. The inn had been preparing all week for the arrival of the master evaluators from the Inn and Tavern Guild all the way in Gibbous City. If they were lucky they could raise the Bronze Salamander from a second-rate to a first-rate inn. Meg grinned. Sure there’d be more cleaning, but no more lice! She took her rags and reported to Finn Inman, the innkeeper. “I think we’re ready. The Bronze Salamander is going to be a first-rate inn!”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know-”

“We got dragon-proof rights last year. They may as well have made us first-rate then,” Meg argued.

“Yes, but that was an exception. If the mayor hadn’t insisted that the Salamander was the only place large enough for town meetings, it would have been denied.”

Finn’s wife came out from the kitchen followed by Liese and overheard them. “Don’t worry,” she ordered. “We’ve done our best. I’m just glad we were able to apply for first-rate status during the off-season. We wouldn’t have been able to prove we’re first-rate with heroes crawling around, starting fights and sneaking out the back way.”

They nodded in agreement. Business was good during hero season, but it was a relief not to fix up the inn after every batch of heroes came through. Finn rubbed his hands together and sighed. First-rate inns could charge more and cope better with hero damages.

“The kitchen’s all stocked.” Liese said. “We have a small selection of first-rate food for the evaluators and all of the second-rate food is organized.”

Meg grinned. Liese was the youngest cook in Green Crescent Province. She had to renew her license every year, because no official could or would believe she had the skills to run an inn kitchen. But no one could deny Liese was the best second-rate cook once they tasted her cooking. She could burn a stew just enough to destroy the flavor, while at the same time keeping it edible enough to serve. She even kept a separate dish to overcook select bits of meat and veggies for the heroes. After all, heroes didn’t sign up at second-rate inns for the food. Liese’s stews where known for turning a hero’s bad day into full blown misery. Proud as she was of Liese, Meg was always glad Finn’s wife cooked the staff food. That was properly edible.

Finn looked around at his empty clean room. Few people stayed at the inn in the off-season. The tables and benches were lined up straight like school children waiting for inspection. “I guess we wait now.”

They waited. The evaluators didn’t show up until just before suppertime.

Meg gulped when she saw them. There was a tall skinny woman and two short fat men. They wore long dark robes, which Meg knew were the regulation brown, but looked black in the dim light. The Inn and Tavern Guild crest – an inn with a dragon perched on top – was sewn onto the fronts of their robes. Dark cloths were pulled across their faces, with only slits for the eyes. Meg never could understand why the Inn and Tavern Guild insisted on masking its evaluators. Innkeepers didn’t retaliate if things didn’t go their way.

They all tried not to fidget as the evaluators went over every part of the inn. They tasted the food and prodded the beds and ran their fingers along the railings checking for dust. They asked questions about how to spot a hero, mislead evil henchmen and keep mobs from breaking out. They crawled through the secret tunnel that led into the woods and muttered to each other. Finally they gathered in the great room. One of the short fat men started, “We have decided-”

“Master Inman!” The doors to the inn flew open and a man dressed in furs and skins stumbled in. “Dragon!” he gasped and fell against a table.

“Nonsense,” snorted the evaluator. “It isn’t the season.”

The man looked up and Meg recognized him as Jed the fur trapper. He stayed up in the mountains during the off-season and came into town when hero season started to sell the heroes his furs. Sometimes he even led heroes over the mountains. Meg couldn’t remember ever seeing him during the off-season at all.

“I don’t tell tales,” Jed gasped. Meg frowned. Like all trappers Jed talked up his time in the mountains, but he never brought false reports about dangerous creatures and that she felt was what he meant.

“What can we do?” She asked deciding to take him seriously. “Can we get a hero here in time?”

That question promptly sparked a discussion that bordered on argument and ended up with everyone seated around the table eating Liese’s second-rate stew. There wasn’t enough first-rate food for everyone. There were several grimaces and everyone tried to eat as quickly as possible. Liese’s second-rate stew was truly terrible. The evaluators took off their masks to eat and Meg was surprised to see that they actually looked quite pleasant.

Finn pounded the table. “We can’t let the dragon into the village. It would burn all the buildings down.”

“Not the Bronze Salamander. It’s dragon-proof,” said Liese mopping up her stew with stale bread. She alone didn’t seem to mind the taste of the stew. But then, she made it.

The woman evaluator frowned, “That’s not the point-”

“Do you suppose we could lock the dragon up in here?” Meg mused. “Since it’s dragon-proof, it couldn’t get out.”

After some discussion, Meg’s plan was adopted. The Bronze Salamander was the closest building to the mountains, which was why it was popular with heroes, and the reason Jed had come there first. It would therefore be the first place the dragon would come. Meg went with the evaluators down to the local hero supply store to buy some dragon poison, while Jed and the others went to get a goat to lure the dragon into the inn. It was very dark by this time and the owner of the hero supply store was not happy to have to keep his store open. The hero season had cleaned him out so he was all out of dragon poison and the only dragon spears he had were the cheap kind that were really only good for deer. The owner didn’t believe them about the dragon until flames shot through the night and the Bronze Salamander glowed red. Then the storeowner promised to special order some dragon poison first thing in the morning, but as it was the off-season, he couldn’t guarantee how fast it would come. He sold them some tents so they would have somewhere to sleep while the dragon occupied the inn.

It was a long miserable week in the tent. Meg was sharing with Liese and the woman evaluator. The woman was named Rye and she was nicer than she had seemed at first. Rye had lots of stories to tell about city life and the best ways to sneak heroes out of inns and how to stall evil henchmen. But Meg knew they had failed the evaluations, and she couldn’t bring herself to like Rye. The Bronze Salamander would still be a second-rate inn.

At the beginning of the week, the dragon bellowed and flamed, but the dragon-proof walls stayed firm. Eventually the noise and the fire stopped and Liese wondered out loud if the dragon had starved to death. Rye promptly squashed this hope by pointing out that dragons slept on their gold for centuries without eating; a few days could hardly harm one.

At last the dragon poison arrived, delivered by a hero eager to grab some glory in the off-season. A crowd gathered to watch as he climbed in through the window. They waited for screams and flames, but nothing happened. Presently the hero opened the door and showed them all in.

The dragon was laid out in the kitchen where it had obviously been eating the inn’s food. It was dead.

“I found it like this,” said the hero, obviously disappointed.

Meg frowned. “So, the second-rate food killed it?”

Everyone had their own conjectures, but no one could come up with any better theories. The dragon was given to the Bronze Salamander and the sale of its skin, talon, wings, etc. would help repair the damage the dragon had done. The crowd broke up, and Meg saw the evaluators had put their masks back on. She sighed. Couldn’t they just say they’d failed the evaluations and get it over with?

“Finn Inman,” began one of the men. Meg still couldn’t tell them apart. “After completing our inspection of the Bronze Salamander, and witnessing the events of this week we duly award your inn the status of first-rate.”

“What!” gasped Meg, along with the Inmans and Liese.

Rye took her mask off and laughed. “Well, the Bronze Salamander is good enough to kill a dragon. That’s pretty first-rate in our book.”