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"That would please us greatly, your ally, disht I am most anxious to hear what you have been up to in the tione"

We bowed, and Ash reached down a second tiht the back of the queen’s hand to his lips "Until tonight,her eyes on us until we ducked back into the tunnel

I held in hter until ell away froleeful cackle "What was that, ice-boy? Since when did you get to be such a charmer? I didn’t think you had it in you"

His face fla his arot close to the queen and sahat Leanansidhe sent us for Now the question is, hoe get her away froet her out of the Summer Court?"

"Worry not, ice-boy I already have a plan" I flashed hiether "One brilliant Goodfellow prank, co Hall wasn’t really a hall, more of a marble courtyard underneath the stars, surrounded on all sides by a giant hedge y unicorns and lions, the Su white and gold table, very reminiscent of a certain Mad Hatter’s tea party To be invited to one of these affairs, you had to be a personal favorite of the queen, or the next one on her figurative chopping block Needless to say, Oberon never attended

The labyrinth was easy for "Sir Torin" and I to navigate, despite a couple statues that tried pointing us in the wrong direction, and all too soon we reached the table in the center of the entry in their fanciest clothes, gowns of feathers and rose petals, cloaks of baby’s breath and spiderwebs And at the head of the table, her golden hair braided with flowers and sparkling moonstones, the Summer Queen smiled and waved us over

Vi, the ht, soleh an impressive fountain of pink and blue cake Her violin sat on a pillow, held by a waiting satyr behind the girl’s chair She didn’t look up as we approached, but the queen gave us a welco smile

"Now," Titania purred after introductions were entry were settled, "let us hear of your latest adventures, knights Sir Torin, would you like to regale the court with your hty quests and deeds?"

Besidewould make me happier" He nodded to an has won the right to sing of our adventures this evening We made a bet on ould have the honor, and I lost If it pleases you, I will leave the storytelling to hihtened "Very well, then, Sir Torin I insist you keep estured to the empty spot on her left "Do sit, Sir Torin Relax for a while Let e"

"My lady, it is not proper--"

"I will decide what is proper in my court or not, Sir" Titania’s voice was like a velvet coating over steel "As you can see, my husband is not here, so I have the need to be protected fro a faestured to the seat, more firmly this time "Sit, Sir Torin That is an order from your queen"

Sir Torin sat Vi stared at hi her lance at the child Her attention see at her elbow Torin ave a hesitant, furtive s atof your adventures tonight I do hope it will prove entertaining"

Oh, you have no idea "Certainly,away from the happy couple, Iout a lute as I did Sir Fagan--the real Sir Fagan, that is--could do a fair job of struht would be his ers flew over the lute strings, and I sang about two knights, sent by their king to retrieve the Treasure of the Moonbeast, only neither of the no answers, it was decided that the Treasure of the Moonbeast reat pearl at the bottom of the Mermaid Queen’s ocean, rumored to be able to draw the hts nearly drowned, fighting off waves of sirens and e to steal the pearl However, when they held it up to see if it would really capture the ers, rolled off a cliff and fell back into the ocean froentry roared with that tale, laughing and clapping, calling for lanced at the head of the table and saw Torin and the queen, deep in conversation, paying little attention toin whispers, and Torin was nodding sole," I announced, as my audience fell silent, "is a tale about lost love, and hoe ht now"