Travellers

Fred approached them. He reflected that it was definitely a good thing that Astra was invisible, because if these people attacked Fred and Jarlath they would have a distinct advantage. "Um, hello," Fred said.

"Greetings, fellow traveller," said the man who was the most ornately dressed. He was speaking in a strange language, but Fred, Jarlath, and Astra could somehow understand it. "Where will the road take you?"

"My brother and I are just going to the city," said Fred. Fred realized, to his shock, that he was speaking the same language the merchant had spoken.

"For the festival?" said the man.

"What's he talking about?" Fred whispered to Jarlath.

"Well," Jarlath said, "we must have arrived during the Millennial Feast. Every thousand years, the Tetrilonians held a great festival, which people all over the empire and beyond attend."

"Yes," said Fred to the merchant, "I have come to the festival."

"You look like a warrior," said the merchant. "Have you come to seek the hand of the princess?"

Fred was puzzled. He looked to Jarlath, but he didn't seem to have any idea either. "What princess?" he asked the man.

"You mean you have not heard!" said the man. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"We come from very far away," said Fred. "Of what princess do you speak?"< p>"I speak," said the merchant, "of the fair daughter of the Emperor Azathoth. She has fallen under a curse, no one knows why. The king has said that any man who frees her of her curse shall have her hand in marriage."

"Oh really?" Jarlath cut in. "And how fair is she?"

"No one knows, because she is kept under guard in the palace and no man has seen her face. It is whispered that she is so lovely that any man who sees her will fall in love with her instantly, and will die of sadness if he does not have her.”

”And how old is she?” asked Jarlath.

”She is in the flower of her youth, a mere eighteen, no much older than yourself.”

”Interesting,” said Jarlath. “Do you know of a good place to stay?”

”Yes,” said the man. “I recommend the Red Aggedor Inn.”

”And how does one get to it?” asked Fred.< p>”It is simple,” said the merchant. “Do you wish to have a map of the city? I can sell one to you, for a price.”

”Er, no thanks,” said Fred. “We’ll just ask around.”

”Very well,” said the merchant. “But be careful. It is easy to get lost in the streets of Tetrilonia.” And with that, the merchant rode off.

”Well, what do you make of that?” Fred asked Astra once the carriage was a safe distance away.

”I don’t know,” said Astra. “I’ve heard legends of Tetrilonia. I’ve also heard legends about the princess and her curse. But I always assumed they were just legends. They seem a bit too improbable to be true.”

”And this is coming from a woman who was just turned invisible and flung back several thousand years in the past,” said Fred.

”I suppose you’re right,” said Astra. She smiled, but of course the others couldn’t see it.

The man watched cautiously in the bushes.< p>His master, reading the timestreams, had said that someone who could help them would ride into Tetrilonia this morning. But he had waited and waited, and no one had come. Then, these two had come.

The older man was clearly a warrior of some sort. He seemed very strong and brave. The younger one was a wizard. He had very powerful magic in him. The watcher could almost feel it from this distance. And although the watcher could not hear what was said, he could hear that he was conversing with the voice of a woman, yet there was no woman nearby. Clearly this wizard was more skilled than his age would indicate, if he could already summon spirits.

He cautiously followed them as they entered the city.

1. What's going on? Will Fred, Astra and Jarlath become involved in rescuing the mysterious Princess? What are the plans the mysterious sorcerer has for them? What has this all got to do with Bel-Shamharoth? And how complicated can this possibly get?

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