During dinner, the queen explained that Sir Reynaert and Lady Ysmeina were to join Prince Emrys on his quest to save the princess. They did not go against her orders, but questioned her decision as they held a strategic meeting afterwards, on Xenos’ request. They gathered in Prince Emrys’ room, where Lady Ysmeina was the first one to voice her doubts. “I respect my queen, but how could she possibly expect that a small party of six can do what an army of a hundred men strong could not?” she said.
“The objective of King Arthurus’ army was to slay the dragon. We are only to rescue the princess,” Prince Emrys said, “if she’s still alive…”
“Oh she is,” Xenos said, “lest we arrive back at the dragon’s den before the next New Moon.”
“What do you mean arrive back?” Rosemary asked.
“Because mortal weapons cannot harm a dragon,” Xenos said with a shrug.
“No, only magic weapons can. But where in the name of everything that’s sacred, do you expect to find magic weapons in this day and age?” Rosemary said. A silence fell. Sir Reynaert knew nothing of magic. It all sounded like hocus pocus to him. Lady Ysmeina had an idea, but she doubted it’d be possible. Xenos knew the exact answer, but he waited for Lucas to remember the same. Which he did. “The fairies,” he said, “we get an audience with the fairy king, and he might give us magic weapons.”
“But...fairies are extinct...are they not?” Lady Ysmeina said.
“As are immortals, and other kin of the gods you still worship today,” Xenos said. A silence fell. He did have a point. Immortals were generally thought to be extinct, but Xenos was there, and Lucas and Rosemary had met the Lady Tritea on their way to Acropolis. “About a thousand years ago, the fairies, among with immortals and various others, went into hiding in order to escape the slaughter of the Kings of Old,” Xenos explained, “we’ve been hiding for centuries, from others and from each other.”
“So...you don’t know where the fairies are?” Lucas asked.
“Yes he does,” Lady Ysmeina said, “he’s met them before. The fairy king himself contacted him, asked for his advice as a seer.”
“I was about to explain that, thank you, Lady Ysmeina,” Xenos said, “but that was a thousand years ago. I do remember the way, but the chance that they are still hiding in the same realm…”
“It’s a chance we’ll have to take then,” Prince Emrys decided, “we ride tomorrow. Lord Xenos will guide us to the fairy kingdom...or what’s left of it…”