“Prince Alphonse! So good to see you.” The woman announced this, Tor realized, as more of a warning to anyone in earshot about who was there than anything else. Clever of her, and something he should remember just in case a similar situation ever came up in the future.
The woman then bowed to Trice, who had stood when Rolph had. No one seemed upset, but it was probably a good idea to meet strangers on their feet, so Tor stood up as well when Sara did. He got ready to slap his shield on just in case, but tried not to look like a spas about it. So far these people had seemed polite enough.
“Baronetta Morgan?” The woman hazarded, her voice a little tentative.
“Ducherina Morgan, but please, call me Patricia.”
The woman went wide eyed and bowed again. It was well done on Trice’s part, since she’d have been in her rights to chew the woman out over getting her title wrong. That she’d treated the whole thing casually made her look good he knew. It would have to him at least, if he’d been the one making the mistake.
“Thank you… Patricia.”
Sara grinned and moved forward to give the woman a small hug.
“Aunt Betty! This is my aunt, well second aunt really. She leads Debri house in Galasia. So, that must be where we are.” Sara chuckled and stood back so that she could be introduced.
“This is Sara Debri, daughter of Heather Debri and the woman that personally arranged for Tor to make the miracle that saved the city!” Aunt Betty yelled this rather loudly, her voice sounding joyful enough to Tor. It was kind of true, in that Sara had passed the message to him herself and explained what was needed, plus he’d done it because she was his friend and asked. He nodded a little. Yeah, it was fair.
The crowd had grown a bit while the introductions were being made and a large cheer went up, almost making Tor trigger the shield for real. People surged forward to try and touch her, as if her good deeds would give them luck or maybe just trying to cop a feel if the look on some of the men’s faces could be interpreted by someone like him. After a half minute both he and Rolph started laughing and slapping at hands a little, forming an impromptu honor guard of sorts around their pretty blond friend.
Ferdinand smiled and stuck his hand out towards Tor, indicating that he got that the smaller man was probably some country guy. Tor took the hand easily and shook, leaning in from a distance as was appropriate.
“Don’t want to forget anyone. May I ask who you are sir?” The tone was polite and interested, kind even.
“Oh, me? Torrance Baker. I’m just the guy that helps with the luggage and whatever little projects come up.” He waved his hand towards the boxes behind them. It was literally the truth after all. He’d even nailed the plates to all the chests himself earlier.
The Baron second smiled and patted him on the back as the crowed started chanting Sara’s name.
Chapter four
In all it took nearly two hours to get Sara back from the crowd, and another three for everyone in the town to feel satisfied that they had done everything in their power to make sure she knew how grateful they all were to her. Singers came forth and sang several songs in which she featured prominently, which made her blush prettily and hide her face in her hands. The singers weren’t all that good, some hit more than a couple flat notes and the words made it clear that the writers hadn’t been professionals at all.
It was heartfelt and touching for all that. Tor felt tears coming to his eyes a few times when the songs spoke of how they were nearly dead, how people had laid in the street suffering and even those not made ill were dying of thirst as they struggled to care for those that simply wouldn’t make it. He hadn’t known how bad it had been. When a group of school kids acted the whole thing out, he had to hide his face from the crowd, so that no one would see how soft he really was.
Crying at a children’s play? After a few minutes he noticed that he wasn’t the only one. Ferdinand used a handkerchief to dry his own tears and caught Tor noticing the action, his own eyes tearing a bit at the time. He smiled a little, sadly, and went back to watching the play.
Then the scene changed to a dark cave, in the wilderness most likely, but you could only see the inside, a rough place that looked well constructed enough that you really kind of felt like it was a cave in truth, not just a painted backdrop. Someone had put some real effort in, making it three dimensional and everything.
A tall blond girl, who might have been twelve or so entered the cave, fighting her way through several trials to get there. A wall of force that had no source, which she cleverly tricked a giant with red hair into turning off for her was the first one. Tor smiled getting it. That was supposed to be Rolph? Well, he was big enough… The force field then was the door to their room? There was that magical device he had to use to let her in, so the play was kind of right in a stylistic way. Then she had to face down a pack of wild beasts, who she sang to sleep with her beautiful voice. The girl could actually sing, Tor noticed, even if the song itself was just a simple lullaby. Then she had to face freezing to death while she walked the endless track of cave, snow falling on her even inside. That, no cleverness would fix, so she had to simply persevere, going on simply because Galasia needed her too. A boy narrated this for them, so they didn’t get lost.
Tor couldn’t get the last things. Freezing? In his room? Was that about the heat plate thing? The timing for that would be way off though. And why were there beasts? Their dorm didn’t even have a pet cat or dog like some of the sections did.
Finally she had to face the evil troll know as Tor. He was short, played by an old man that stood on his knees, so that the proportions were “right”. Their Tor had a lumpy mask which appeared to have currants or raisins stuck all over it haphazardly. Moles he realized after a second. The nose was huge. Big enough that Tor touched his own nose self-consciously. His nose didn’t look like that. It was slightly small if anything. In his whole life no one had ever bothered to make fun of his nose, not even Dorgal. His hair, his too pale skin, his being too skinny or little, all that, but his nose? Trice saw him do it and stiffened a bit, he noticed. He did it again and gave her a worried grin.
The troll Tor didn’t seem to care much for Galasia at all, saying several times that the city deserved its fate for being lazy and not doing the work they should have to fix the problem before it poisoned them all.
“They deserve to die. It’s no kindness to save them, for they shall only forget in time and let this happen again. Oh yes, oh yes. Humans always forget their lessons.” The troll shouted at the audience shaking a fist. The audience booed back and called out denials, saying they’d never forget.
The girl cried, and pleaded, and even offered her own hand in marriage to get the evil little being to cooperate, which he cruelly spurned. He spent several minutes berating the girl for daring to think she was good enough for a being of true magic like him and called her names that Tor thought were a bit strong for a children’s event, if not actual curse words. The troll even called her ugly and suggested she go away and die several times. Tor definitely didn’t remember that conversation with Sara at any point. Really it had been more of her handing him an envelope and explaining things and him setting to work on a plan, then going almost directly into an emergency build.
Finally the evil Tor Troll relented, but he placed a geas on the devices he sent with her, so that they would run for only twenty years and not a second more.
“If in that time the fools of Galasia cannot fix their own problems in two decades, then they deserve to parish. Any fool could fix such a trifle in the time they have. Let them not come back to me a second time if they fail to even try! I’m much too busy for such nonsense. Much too busy. Now take these devices and be gone girl. I have work to do and no time to stand about nattering with the likes of you.”