News of a Long-Lost Brother

"Before I tell you where he is, I shall require your oath as a knight that you will carry out your side of the bargain. But I can provide proof that I am telling the truth: a letter in his own hand and signed by him dated only a week ago. I imagine that you know his calligraphy well enough to be confident of detecting a forgery."

"Show me this letter."

The Dragon reached into his pocket and produced a piece of parchment. Fred could see at once that the message on it was written in his brother's own, rather idiosyncratic, handwriting. It was dated at the top. Fred wasn't sure of today's exact date, but if the date on the letter wasn't a week ago as the Dragon had claimed then it must be very close. The letter was addressed to someone called Simon. That name meant nothing to Fred. The message was only a few sentences long, and said little beyond the facts that he was healthy and was not being mistreated.

"The letter seems genuine," he conceded. "I wonder how you came by it?"

"Fred, think carefully," Astra said. "If your brother is missing, then I can understand that you would wish to find him. But would even that be a good enough reason to betray your people and your knightly code by aiding the Dragon? If you should decide to do so, then surely neither you nor the Dragon can expect me to aid you?" It seemed that she was sufficiently concerned to have dropped any idea of being diplomatic in front of the Dragon.

The Dragon said:

1. "Ah, but I have an incentive for you too, my dear princess."
2. "Princess, if you refuse to help I shall not kill you, for I know that even such a threat would not be enough to coerce you. But there are much worse fates even than death."
3. "Fred, before we proceed perhaps you would like to tell Astra your brother's history, up to the point when he disappeared. I can continue the story from that point, though I won't yet let you know where he now is."

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