An Exchange of Explanations

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 18385

Astra 9:

Sheesh! I think. How much more complicated is this mission going to get? The mission had originally been planned as something quick and comparatively straightforward to fit in before going to the Doctor's and Inquirer's wedding, so we'd turn up feeling relatively rested and relaxed. All we had to do was to free this Sir JH from the Witch of the White House. With three mages in our party, that should have been easy.

But then Slith had had his vision, and things became much more complex. A dragon had moved in from somewhere unknown, had overthrown the Witch, and presumably had inherited custody of Sir JH. Much worse, this dragon was protected by a legion of fanatically loyal creatures that were a cross between dragon and woman. Worse still, these dragon-women had originally been dragon-slayers whom the dragon had pulled in from various realities and then transformed. At least one, now called Frozh, had originally been a Fred; we rather suspected that all of them had been. That meant that we must try to avoid bloodshed amongst the dragon-women, but of course the dragon-women would have no such inhibitions about spilling our blood. The wish spell that Morgana had provided us with would only work on someone whose transformation had been very recent, so whilst we hoped it would work on Frozh it wouldn't work on the others.

And now we have encountered these two Astras (as it seems), which can surely only make things more complex still. If we are surprised to see them, they are naturally stunned to see us, not being familiar with the concept of parallel worlds. There is something odd about the naked Astra, though. She seems highly embarrassed by her nudity, and embarrassment is something that we Astras don't normally suffer from very much.

Her companion is dressed as one might expect, going by the remark of hers which we have just overheard. She wears gauzy harem pants and a bikini top, slippers that curl up at the toes, and has what looks like a large ruby set in her navel.

I look from one to the other, then at Jarlath. "Well don't just gawk at them," I say, a hint of irritation in my voice. I suppose in the circumstances I can't really blame my husband for staring, though. I go on: "I'm sure the naked one would welcome some clothes."

Jarlath recovers enough composure to cast the appropriate spell, and an outfit similar to my own appears on the woman. Jarlath even remembers to include a sword. His action naturally does a lot to reduce the suspicion of us that I could see in the woman's face. "Thank you," she says.

"My pleasure," Jarlath replies. "Perhaps I had better introduce everyone, and then explain what brings us here."

Once he has finished, the two women tell their own story. It turns out that one of them isn't actually an Astra at all, as I'd naturally been assuming, but is a Fred. "Though I can't very well use the name of Fred now," she says ruefully. "I'm a little reluctant to accept the name that Belboz gave me, but I must admit that 'Astrid' does seem to fit, so Astrid I shall be from now on."

"I haven't had the chance yet to thank you properly for what you did on my behalf," Djinn Astra says to her. "It was very brave and noble of you, and I'm very sorry about what's happened to you on my account." She gives Astrid a hug.

Astrid blushes. "Any knight would have done the same," she says.

"I'm afraid we can't restore you to how you were," Synizn tells her. "Belboz didn't intend his handiwork to be undone. Nor can we undo what has happened to your friend."

  1. Both Astrid and Djinn Astra seem to take this news quite well.

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1/26/2002 1:25:56 PM

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