On the Horns of a Dilemma

Yet it seemed she had no other choice. If she did not agree to the king's offer, Aqualaria would surely fall to the alliance of MalBoncton, Salmonshire, and Califie. Which would be worse, the tyranny of the alliance of Aqualaria's enemies, or that of Prince Henri?

"I shall consider your offer," said Astra. "Give me time to decide."

"Very well," said Charles D'Honaire. "But do not take too long. The King may tire of waiting for an answer."

And Astra retreated to the room where she was headquartered to rest, brooding.

Meanwhile, in the nearby small village of Karvol in Aqualaria, life was going on at its normal pace. The village, relatively untouched by the war, was still going through its normal small tragedies and triumphs. The townspeople were excited about the arrival of Queen Astra in the nearby outpost, and all sorts of gossip about the negotiations was running through the town.

That was the state of things when the man entered. He was old and stooped, wearing a robe that covered all of him except for a long and flowing white beard, wearing sandals, and carrying a simple wooden staff. He was worn with travel, and had the air of one who had been searching for something for a long time. Soon, he would reach his goal.

The man walked to the nearest inn. He approached the innkeeper, a plain middle-aged woman. "Excuse me," he said, "would you give some help to a poor old beggar?"

The innkeeper looked him over with disdain. He seemed dirt-poor, and was just a man. "Sorry, this is an inn, not a homeless shelter."

"You don't know who you're dealing with," said the man, an implicit threat in his voice.

The woman quietly shuddered at this. Could he be a wizard? On thinking about it, he had the look of a wizard about him. Even if he was just a man and dirt-poor, a magic user would be a dangerous person to have mad at you, she decided. "Alright. You can have a room."

"I don't want a room," said the old man. "I want directions to the nearest border outpost."

This intrigued the innkeeper. Was he somehow connected to the negotiations that were going on? "Why?" she asked, cautiously.

"I have to speak with someone there," replied the old man.

"Who?" she asked. "Queen Astra? The diplomat the King of Allaria sent?"

"No," he replied. "I wish to speak to the son of the king's diplomat, one Frederigo D'Honaire."

"Is he important?"

"If you're asking wether he has a high position in court, no. He is a mere page boy. But yes, he is important, in a way you cannot possibly understand."

He's definitely a wizard, the woman decided. Wizards often made that sort of bizzarre, enigmatic statement. "Alright," she said, and gave him the directions. After hearing them, the old wizard (if that was what he was) left the inn. The innkeeper was glad. He gave her the creeps.

That night, the old man left the village and made his way to the outpost.

1. Meanwhile, Fred...

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