It Pleases Me to Go There.

Fred answered his squire. "It pleases me to go there. It may be some months before I can recover, and that is as good a place as any to get a rest. This should satisfy you for the present." Tomorrow Fred would tell Alric privately that he had another motive. He would ask Astra's parents for Astra's hand in marriage. But now was not the time to discuss that, as he was tired and worn from the long day.

Alric nodded his head, and replied, "Yes, my Lord." The prospect of a journey to exotic Aqualaria both scared and excited him. There were wild stories of its forward women, and strange customs. This was a chance that might never come again. While it did seem a distraction from the original quest, it did not take long for Alric to convince himself that this trip was a good thing.

Astra had escaped the troubles of the day by falling asleep on the ground, and Checkers sat dazed on a bench. Belboz had placed four hammocks by the entrance of the caves, with the hammocks in two sets, each set having one hammock hanging over the other. The night was now clear, although it was getting chilly.

Fred suggested to Alric that they perform a chivalric action by carrying the women to the hammocks, and covering them with light blankets that Alric had in his pack.

Belboz overheard this, and suggested, "Fred, please let me check and redress your wound before you proceed. I would not want you to drop Astra."

Fred agreed, and Belboz had the opportunity to get a bit of Fred's blood when he changed the bandage. He would need it to reverse the spell that he placed on Fred that caused horses to fear him, now that it was in his interest to see him go.

Fred cradled the sleeping Astra in his arms, and, with difficulty, placed her in one of the top hammocks. He brushed away a lock of Astra's hair, gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and then stooped into the lower hammock. His faithful squire removed his boots and gave him a warm blanket. He then went back to fetch Checkers. She was very tired, so she went along with the squire's request to transport her to the hammock, and he was able to complete this task with little difficulty, placing the Glider and a blanket in the other top hammock. He offered the last hammock to Belboz, who declined. "I have some things that I need to do, and I often have a fitful sleep, especially during times like these. Please accept the bottom hammock as an act of hospitality." The squire accepted, and after looking after the horses, took his place, and dreamed of glory.

Belboz went to his workshop, where he removed Fred's curse.

1. He then got a good night's sleep, in his dragon form.
2. He then decided that an additional spell was in order.

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