Fred Interrogates the Elf

Perhaps this elf would be more amenable than the one he had encountered earlier, he reflected. He might be able to get some useful information from him. So he bent down and gently took hold of the elf's shoulder.

The elf woke at once. Understandably startled, he leapt to his feet, and turned as if to flee.

"Don't be afraid," Fred said. "I mean you no harm."

The elf appeared to relax a little. "Why did you wake me up?" he asked rather petulantly.

"I thought that you might be able to help me. I'm here to kill the dragon, but I've become rather lost."

The elf looked alarmed. "I don't know anything about the dragon."

Fred was fairly sure that the elf was lying. But he still had several more questions that he wanted to ask. He would try those before deciding whether he needed to resort to threats.

"A Princess Astra came to these caves a few months back, to try to slay the dragon. She never returned. I don't suppose that you know what happened to her?"

The elf shook his head vigorously. "No, definitely not. Never met her."

"I found this sword." He drew it, and the elf took a step back as though Fred might suddenly decide to run him through. "I was wondering if it might have been hers."

"Wouldn't know."

"There's a picture of her on the wall just back there, so she must have come here."

"Is that who it is? I can't read human writing, so the name plate meant nothing to me. Why isn't she wearing any clothes in the picture?"

"I was hoping that you might be able to tell me... That sash that you're wearing. How did you come by it?"

1. The elf's answer, and Fred's response.

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