"You've opened up the Traditional warrior-woman path a bit wider now, though, so — " the Fairy Godmother grimaced and shrugged. "What's to come of that, I suppose we'll have to see. But why didn't you wait for a few hours to get the replies to your messages? If you had — "
"If she had," Alexander said, his jaw set, "my brother would probably be dead. It wouldn't have taken that — Katschei, was it? — very long to discover he had the Prince in his dungeon."
" Yes, it was a Katschei, " said a Sorceress. "A kind of northern-Kingdom half-demon, not entirely human. He shouldn't have been in your Kingdoms at all!"
Elena bowed her head, and waited for them to tell her that the Katschei's presence was her fault.
But they didn't. "Try this, if you will," said the Fairy Godmother, grimly. "Despite Traditional pressure against anything of his sort coming into our Kingdoms, he got his foothold by getting an unscrupulous amber-merchant to bring his heart as far south as he could and bury it, a hundred years ago, then he waited for the amber-merchant and anyone else who might remember what had been done to die. Of course, a hundred years is nothing to his kind."
Elena's head came up and she gaped at the Fairy Godmother. "You mean — it wasn't my fault?" she squeaked.
"Of course not," the old Wizard replied. "What, were you worried because you'd been breaking Traditions? Good lack, girl, that's what the best of us always do! Bend them, anyway. Shape them the way we want them to go."
"Fretting because you'd gone and married that handsome piece you redeemed?" asked the Sorceress, with a lecherous smile. "Well, generally Godmothers take lovers, but if you're going to restrict yourself to just one man, that just leaves more choice for the rest of us!"
"Shariss!" scolded the Fairy Godmother, as Elena blushed and Alexander began to grin, "you're telling tales!"
"It's all right, dearie," said a particularly grandmotherly Godmother. "The only thing you did wrong — and I'm not saying it's wrong wrong, because as your young man said, his brother might well have been discovered before we could set up a rescue — was to go haring off before you could hear from the rest of us. No, indeed, you mustn't do that anymore, and you must promise us that you won't."
Elena and Alexander exchanged a look and a nod. "I think," she said, carefully, "that providing the next emergency doesn't involve any of Alexander's brothers or father, we can promise that."
The Fairy Godmother looked up, and gave Elena a quick wink. The Wizard chuckled. "She's learning," he said to the air.
"As for Alexander, there is ample precedent for Champions in a Godmother's household as Consort," said the Fairy Godmother. "At least, in the Elven Tradition there is. I see no reason why that can't be extended, although, as Shariss pointed out, I suspect that there are not as many as you might think who will take advantage of it. Champions tend to have wandering ways, you see, and they roam over several Kingdoms in the course of their careers."
Elena's brow wrinkled. "But I'm responsible for several Kingdoms," she pointed out.
"And you're about to get one more," said the Wizard. "There's no one to take Fleurberg. Poor old Hessian never took an Apprentice, and he wasn't strictly a Wizard anyway, he was a Sorcerer who liked to meddle. So Fleurberg's yours, and I expect this young man is going to have his hands full for a while. The Katschei's minions mostly fled. He's going to have to track them down and dispose of them as they pop up. And it's possible that having heard of a way out of an area, other Evil things may try to follow the Katschei's example, so he'll have to look sharp for that." He shrugged. "We'd better get together before we leave and put a Portal to your cottage in the back of an old wardrobe or something. What do you want to do about Glass Mountain?"
"Why don't you bring those six young Champions here and set them up as a sort of Order?" asked Alexander unexpectedly. "That way they have a place to come and go from, you'll have them here to clean up the Katschei's monsters, and they'll be able to come directly to Elena if they need magical help."
"Hmm. You didn't do so badly, did you, dear?" Shariss asked Elena, with an upraised eyebrow. "Beauty, brawn, and brains!"
Alexander blushed, and Elena flushed.
"Done," said the Fairy Godmother. "An Order of Champions is a fine new Tradition to start. Very useful indeed. I can see that you are going to be a valuable addition to the ranks, Champion Alexander."
She turned to Elena. "As for you — are you certain you wish to continue to be a Godmother? You certainly qualify as a Sorceress, if you choose. It seems a waste of your time for you to be puttering about with small problems and making potions and amulets."
She shook her head, vehemently. "No — I would much rather take care of things while they are small problems, please. And I really don't mind making potions and amulets for farmers and shepherds. It's only the ones that live in my village that come to me for such things, anyway."
"True enough, there are Witches in plenty in your other Kingdoms. Well, dear, there are those of us who would rather hide away on the mountaintop until terrible situations require resolving, and those of us who prefer to have people about us and nip smaller emergencies in the bud." She smiled. "And, truth to tell, I wouldn't be living among you mortals if I wasn't the latter."
"Nor me," said the old Wizard, cheerfully. "There's room for all sorts, thank heavens! Now, I hate to put you two to work immediately, but you'll have to for a bit. You, Alexander — I need you to go help your brothers sort out what to do with that little army that your brother Octavian brought. And help Julian out with his reconciliation letter to your father; from all reports he keeps weeping over it and tearing it up. He's a good boy, but a bit — "
" — sentimental," the Wizard and Alexander said together.
"Anyway, when you get that sorted, do something sensible with the Katschei's treasure, too. Just burying it or putting it in the treasury will only invite more trouble. I don't think Julian will need convincing, especially not if you hint at curses."
"You could offer most of it to a dragon," Elena suggested suddenly, recalling her initial impression of a dragon's hoard. "In exchange for monster hunting or something. The dragon could even live up here, as the symbol of the Order."
"Oh, there's a lovely thought!" said the Sorceress, brightening. "And we'd have a source for shed scales and blood!"
"Does that suit you?" the Fairy Godmother asked Alexander. "Good. I'll find the dragon, then."
"And the rest of it can be used to reward Octavian and his force, those magical creatures that came to help us, and repair the damage to the palace and compensate the families of those who were killed," said Alexander.
"And when you finally return home, I believe you'll find that you now have all the resources of the first inhabitant of Emerald Cottage, and the responsibilities that go with it. Which means that you will need to establish a permanent portal — or perhaps, I should say reestablish — with one Witch, Wizard or Sorceress in each of the Kingdoms for which you are responsible." The Fairy Godmother gave Elena a long look. "You will have your Mirror-Slave Randolf contact my Mirror-Slave Esteban when you have decided who will play host and where each one will be, and the appropriate Moot will gather to create them — or reopen them, if you decide to use the old ones. This is as much to keep you from acting too impulsively as it is for your convenience. If you know you can get to the source of trouble by stepping across a portal, you'll be less likely to fly off without waiting for answers to your messages."
Elena blushed.
"Now, I believe that this will do." She looked up and down the table, getting nods from all assembled. "Very well. This Grand Council session is closed. Commendations to Godmother Elena and Champion Alexander, who are admonished to go back down into Fleurberg and finish tidying up, keeping in mind that a Godmother always cleans up after herself and a Champion never leaves a job half-finished. All agreed?"
"Agreed," came the chorus.
"Opposed? Abstentions? Good." She looked back up at Alexander and Elena. "Well? What ar
e you waiting for? An invitation to join the Grand Council? Be careful or you'll get it!"
Elena made a small sound of alarm in her throat, and to the sound of kindly laughter from around the table, they turned and fled as one. Nightsong was waiting for them at the door, tacked up in a new saddle with a pillion seat. Alexander took the saddle, and greatly relieved not to be responsible for being anything other than a passenger, Elena took his hand and pulled herself up onto the pillion behind him.
"Ready?" he asked.
"For anything," she replied, with a soaring heart.
"Be careful what you ask for, Godmother," he warned. "You might get it!"
"And if I do?" she shrugged, gaily. "Then we handle it together."
"So we do," he agreed. "So we do! It can't be any worse than the family reunion we're about to negotiate!"
She laughed, and shook her head. "You're right. Oh, families! All right, Nightsong! To Fleurberg!"
He laughed as well. "To Fleurberg, and my brothers! But this time — we'll take our time about it."
And the great black stallion trotted off — rather than flying — under a cloudless blue sky.
Epilogue
Madame Fleur plumped herself down on a chair at the little table in the window of the Rose and Ivy with a sigh, and tucked her heavy string shopping-bag beneath the seat. Her sister Blanche did the same.
"Dear saints, what a day!" Blanche said fanning herself with her hand. "I do believe that every living body in town was in the market today."
"I would not disagree," Fleur said. "What a crush! I don't know, dear, perhaps we're getting too old to fight our way through the market. Do you think we ought to hire a boy for it?"
"Or a girl. Actually, I would not be averse to hiring another girl altogether, for more of the household chores." Blanche made a face. "Perhaps we are getting old."
"Well, if we are, then there's no shame in hiring another girl. We've earned it," said Fleur decisively. She looked out of the window. "I must say, it's very convenient, having this inn right next door," she added brightly. "So nice, being able to nip over for a bite when we're too tired to cook!"
"Terribly convenient," echoed Blanche, a twinkle in her eye. The pot-girl, a bit of hair straggling damply into her eyes, hurried over to take their orders. "Ah, Daphne, there you are. What has Theresa got on the menu today?"
Now, both of them knew very well what Theresa Klovis had on the menu, because it rarely changed, but both of them took a great deal of pleasure in watching Daphne Klovis stand there and recite it all.
Red-faced from her exertions, the formerly-plump daughter of Madame Klovis told over the menu without a flicker of exasperation. She daren't display any bad temper, not now, not when she knew very well that if anyone complained to the debtors who owned what had been the Klovis home, there would be a reckoning.
"Well, I do believe that I will have a Ploughman's Luncheon," said Blanche, as she always did. "With a nice ale to wash it down."
"And cold quiche for me, and a glass of white wine," said Fleur as she always did. Daphne hurried off, her back hair straggling down from under her cap. Gone were the silk gowns and ribbons; the Klovis's all wore what any working servant did; a plain smock-dress and canvas skirt, a plain apron to go over it, and a plain mob-cap.
"Well, all this work is doing her good," Blanche observed. "That weight has come off nicely."
When Madame Klovis had returned, without a rich husband, but expecting to find "her" house being cared for by her stepdaughter, she found something else instead. Forewarned by Madame Fleur that she was coming, a committee of those to whom she owed money was waiting.
The committee included a brace of constables, and before you could say "knife," they had hustled off Madame and her daughters, all three of them protesting at the tops of their lungs, while their creditors stripped the coach of everything and divided her belongings among themselves. There was less there than she had taken with her — foreign climes had not been receptive to Madame and the girls, and foreign merchants disinclined to part with anything on credit, and she had been forced to sell a great many things in order to support herself and her daughters in what she considered to be the proper style. There certainly was nothing near enough to settle her enormous debts.
But a solution had been suggested to this problem, by a party who had wished to remain anonymous, and the judge had presented them with this solution as a fait accompli the next morning.
"The portion of the home that is hers already having been deeded to the creditors — most generously — by Elena Klovis, the remainder is declared confiscated," the judge had said sternly, as Madame and Delphinium stared at him with angry arrogance, and Daphne wailed. "Being as the debts are still not discharged, your creditors have agreed to refurbish the house as an inn and hire a plain cook until you, Madame, have demonstrated that you have mastered the art of producing edible food. Whereupon you will become the cook and kitchen-maid. Monsieur Rabellet's cousin will serve as innkeeper, and you and your daughters as the inn servants until the debt is fully discharged, at which time, you may either continue to serve as servants for a wage, or go your ways."
Fleur and Blanche had been in the gallery, as had all of the creditors and indeed, nearly anyone who had a dislike for Madame and her daughters. And they really had fallen mightily; even the gowns they had been wearing had been taken from them, and they were now garbed in ugly grey linen prison smocks and caps.
Madame's nostrils had flared, as Daphne wailed still louder. "And if we refuse?" she had asked, icily.
"Then, Madame, you and your daughters will be packed off to the workhouse," the judge replied, just as icily. "And there you will remain until you die, since it is unlikely, at workhouse wages, that your debt will ever be discharged. I advise you to accept."
There really was no choice in the matter. Madame was forced to assent. And so she and her daughters had become exactly what they had forced Elena to be — unpaid servants, sleeping in the attic on whatever was deemed to worn to use in the inn, eating what was left over after all of the customers had been fed. In that, they were treated better than they themselves had treated Elena; they got two new smocks and a skirt a year, (where Elena had gotten rags), a set of sabots and underthings every year, and woolen shawls and stockings for winter. And they never starved.
But Madame and the girls soon found out that if they dared to show any hint of bad temper, Monsieur Rabellet's cousin would summon the debtors and let them know — and the judge would add another month to their "sentence," as a punishment for behaving in a fashion that would drive away customers.
Madame's fair, white hands were now as rough and work-ravaged as Elena's had ever been, with broken nails and reddened skin. Delphinium was developing quite a set of muscles from lugging pots of hot water for the overnight customers' baths. And Daphne actually had a figure that did not require winching down the ties of a corset to produce.
Of the three, Daphne seemed to actually be learning a lesson from the situation, Fleur reflected, as the girl brought them their meal. She had stopped weeping most of the time, and was beginning to show a healthy interest in one of the young farmers who frequented the place on market days. Fleur noted that he was at one of the smaller tables, and that Daphne was stopping there to "make sure he didn't need anything" far more often than she did for any other customer. And her interest seemed to be reciprocated.
"Hmm," she said, catching her sister's attention, and nodding towards the pair.
"Ah, that's the way the wind blows, does it?" said Blanche, with interest. "Well, I must say, her temper and character have improved enormously. She could do worse."
"And so could he," Fleur agreed. She and Blanche were shameless eavesdroppers on the trio, and she was actually beginning to feel some sympathy for Daphne. The girl was trying. And she seemed to have finally gotten it into her dense little skull that not only was taking things from merchants without paying for them wrong, but that perhaps what they had done to the n
ow-vanished Elena had been cruel. Fleur had heard her telling their master as much. "And we were that mean to her, and no wonder she ran away to take service from someone as would pay her," she'd said. "Now that I know what she had to do — well, I hope she's better off, is all I can say, and good luck to her."
"No sign of improvement from the others, though," Blanche observed, as Madame's angry voice, berating her daughter for some fault, drifted out from the kitchen.
"That's their choice." Fleur shrugged. "And the way they act, if they don't take a cue from her, they'll be totting up more months onto their service until they'll both be old and grey and scrubbing floors here, while Daphne's off making herself into a proper farmer's wife."
"Ha." Blanche nodded. "It all comes down to what we make of ourselves, eh ? The Tradition or no. Who knows ? If she really continues to improve her character, maybe a Fairy Godmother will take pity on Daphne and she'll find enough gold under a cabbage in the kitchen-garden to buy her freedom and give her a little dowry."
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