Inconvenient Reality

"Very well then," the wizard said, standing aside. "She's through there." He pointed across the town hall lobby to where a door stood ajar.

Fred walked across and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"It's me - Fred."

"I don't want to see you. I don't want to see anyone."

"But don't I deserve an explanation? You took me away from my quest, and dragged me halfway across Allaria. I promise that I won't be cross. Besides, I'm worried about you."

Fred heard Astra sigh. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation; in fact I owe you a lot more than that really. You've been very sweet. All right, come in. We will have to be brief, though. They promised that they would be back with some proper clothes for me soon."

Fred entered the small room, and found Astra sitting in a chair, the wizard's robe wrapped around her. Her face was still tear-streaked. She indicated that he should sit in a nearby chair.

"Well, Lord Fred," she said, "I've found that there was something to be said for being insane. All the while the Dragon's spell held, I didn't have to worry about inconvenient reality. Even being nude didn't concern me. Suddenly to come back to my senses was a terrible shock, and the circumstances were extremely embarrassing.

"I suppose you'd like to know just how much of what I told you was true. Well, I never had a boyfriend called Sir Toby. In fact Sir Toby doesn't even exist, as far as I know. I've never met your country's Princess Exotica, and I'm sure that she's a lovely person rather than a man-stealer."

"How about what you told me about yourself?" Fred asked. "Are you really the warrior-princess Astra of Aqualaria?"

1. "Yes, that much at least is true."
2. "I'm Princess Astra, yes, but I'm no warrior."
3. "I'm a warrior, yes, but a commoner not a princess."
4. "The only part which was true is that my name really is Astra."

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