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The Scientist Problem
"My servants tell me that Renat has found his way to the infirmary," Aurora commented as she walked down the hall with Brinn, Mairwen and Zan.
"Is he sick?" Mairwen was worried.
"Did you hurt him, Your Majesty?" Brinn was quickly returning to her plucky self.
The Empress looked at her friend sidelong. "Not yet. Renat seems to have taken up well with the doctor. Great minds must gravitate towards one another."
Mairwen only heard the threat at the beginning of her mother's words. "Please do not hurt him! Remember that he saved my life and yours too with those special glasses. Renat is one of your most loyal subjects. Anyway, he is just a friend so there is no need for alarm." The last part was more to herself than to the others.
"I will reserve my judgement until after I have met him," the Empress responded, suppressing a smile. It was nice to have the tables turned after days of fretting over her daughter. 'Let her sweat a little,' Aurora thought. A
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Mairwen tensed and backed away humbly. In her heart, she hoped that her mother had forgotten to punish her. Of course, the Empress never forgot anything. The princess answered quickly, "I should have been honest with you about my intentions to follow father. I should not have gone alone. I put myself and possibly the Empire in peril by my reckless actions. I submit myself to your judgement.""Not that you have a choice," Aurora reminded her. "But appreciate your graciousness. I know you have already suffered unspeakable horrors because of your choices. So I will make this brief. You will complete menial labor for the next month. You will assist in the building of the rest of those unique orange glasses and any other things that the scientist thinks will be useful in the defense of the Castle Valiant…"Mairwen nodded dutifully until the words sank in. "Wait, you will let me work with Renat?!"The Empress held up her finger. "You must always have at least T
Empress of the World Home of the Gnomes
Cafer came above ground with Alaron in a cloud of dirt. Their stops were frequent as the gnome kept having to surface to communicate with Xander via leprechaun. The messages were increasingly expensive, and Cafer was running out of coin. His frustration and greed made him decide that continuing to use magic to travel underground was his best option. The gnome had been making record time even with the extra strain from the teenage boy.Alaron stepped away from the gnome and brushed himself off. "It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic," he grumbled. "But I will admit it is fast. How much further do we have to go?""A day or two if we keep up this pace.""Will we have to go underground the rest of the way?" Alaron was obviously not fond of the idea."The other option is traveling via eagle." Cafer suggested. He was also tired of using his magic.The prince scrunched his face. "An eagle? The small bird?""No, an eagle big enough to carry bot
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Cafer and Alaron descended into the strange grayish light of the cavern. Although this was not the same set of tunnels as Gandr had destroyed ten years prior, it had a similar structure. The spaces were wide and tall. It seemed the gnomes either had not learned or were too prideful to adapt."The ceiling is so high! It is almost like being outside," the prince observed."Minus the sun, flowers, and open air," Cafer replied bitterly. He was already unhappy to be home. Four soldier gnomes came to meet them as they reached the end of the first hall."We are here to escort the prisoner to the king," one of them said in human-speak.Alaron took a step back. He had not expected that kind of welcome. Cafer bristled, "You are mistaken. Prince Alaron has come to meet King Baak to talk of an alliance. You will treat him as an esteemed guest not some lowly prisoner. Now apologize!" he boomed.The guard was taken aback. "Sorry, Prince Alaron. May I...escort...
Empress of the World Meeting the Gnome King II
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Empress of the World The Seeker
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Empress of the World Back to the Boatman
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