Surprisingly, it was the elf princess and her mother with whom we were sent rather than field harvesters or servants. After I grabbed the small bottle from Aetos’s hand, Princess Gwynn, Queen Fawna, and I raced down the hall with Dabble in tow. We passed hundreds of open archways and closed doors, all as detailed as a lace doily. Going through the back entrance, we all snatched up as many old grape collecting baskets as we could. Luckily, there was goldenrod and chamomile growing in the old vineyards, and the ginger could be found in the castle garden. Dabble collected the ginger root, I procured the goldenrod and chamomile, Princess Gwynn gathered the grape vines, and her mother collected the flax seed. Once our baskets were filled, we raced back through the back doors, and Gwynn led the way to the castle kitchen. When we got to the kitchen, we must have been a sight to see. With twigs, flowers, and other debris in our hair and on our clothes and sweat dripping from our faces, we looked horrible. The castle chefs helped us prepare the boiled mixture and the paste. The paste only took about ten minutes prepare, but the enchanted liquid took a little longer to brew. Still steaming hot, the paste and enchanted liquid were given to Aetos. First, Aetos took some of the enchanted liquid and put in a smaller bowl; then he added other elements that came in small bottles from inside his robe. After stirring the liquid, he took a white cloth from the table to his left and soaked it in the liquid and placed in over the elf king’s nose and mouth with gentle care. Then he said a spell, a very beautiful one at that, and this is what he said: “Flowers gold and vine of old, buried in the steam of time is where thy powers thrive. On holy ground you rise, growing not from water or sunlight, but from kind acts of those who care, and careful acts of those who are kind. Cure the sick, and heal the hurt. Spread your old golden magic throughout this man and mend him from within .” Finally, he took the paste from the queen’s hands and spread a bit of it over the king’s chest, behind his ears, under his jaw, and on his sides. The king almost immediately jolted and awoke, and then he fell back into his coma. Seeing this, Aetos whispered something to the queen’s pointed ear. After Aetos stopped whispering, the queen summoned for her daughter, Dabble, and me to follow her. Before fully exiting the room, Queen Fawna whispered something into her daughter’s ear. With a nod of Princess Gwynn’s head, Dabble and I were led to the castle library by the princess and her mother. The library mesmerized me so much that I almost fainted. Lanterns hung from dark brown wooden beams and posts, and tapestries hung from the stone walls. The painted arched ceiling was absolutely captivating and added so much beauty to the royal room. The queen motioned for us to sit at a little brown table with her while the princess went to look for something. Though not a word had been spoken, I had a feeling that whatever the princess was getting, that it was something to help us. Gwynn returned with a slightly torn, yellowed map and a key placed on a strand of sturdy brown twine. “Thank you, darling,” said Queen Fawna to her daughter as Gwynn sat down beside her. Opening the map, she said: “This is a map of all the hidden portals and secret passage ways throughout Shornhelm and the mountains. When you come close to a passage or portal, this map will either glow red or blue. Red means that there is a portal nearby, and blue means that you have neared a passage. This key won’t be important until you reach your final passage out of the mountains, and it will help you to reenter the mountains on you journey back. Once you have gone through the mountains the map will glow one final time, but this time, it will glow a bright green. There will also be a keyhole in the side of a large boulder that will glow just like the map. Use the key to open a drawer hidden with the rock. Place both the map inside and keep the key tied around your neck and hidden from all. Remove the key from the rock and don’t speak of your assistance through our lands. When you come by us on your journey home, return the map and the key to us.” Then, she folded the map and handed me the key. Queen Fawna placed the map in a small leather pouch attached to a large leather belt. As the queen was sealing the pouch with a snap button, Princess Gwynn interjected saying, “Aetos knows all about this map and this key, actually it was his main plan to come here, or so he told my mother. He has used it many times before on missions that, er……Ummm……Let’s just say they didn’t go as planned.” “You mean….they failed?” Dabble asked, cringing.
