"Ok, I am ready for the first question," Erin said. He gave Lysander's hand a light squeeze, to make sure that the half-demon boy was not panicking.
"You find trash in the forest, what do you do?" The nymph asked. Erin blinked. Well, this was an easy one.
"Pick it up, and throw it in a trash bin!" Erin said, smiling happily, for he thought that he won the first round.
"And if there are no trash bins in the forest? Tell me boy, have you seen any trash bins in the frontier?" She asked, amused.
"Place it in the bottomless bag, and then use it for kindling," Lysander managed to say. The nymph nodded in approval.
"Question number two: You find something you like that others might think of as trash. Do you search for the person who dropped it?" Lysander stiffened, and his hand went to his bottomless bag. Did the entire forest belong to the nymph? Surely, she wouldn't want to take their bag away?
"Well, mama said that such things are to be brought to the police station, but there isn't one in the frontier, so..." Erin said, not wanting to voice the fact, that he'd keep the thing.
"You'd just take it, then?" The nymph asked. Erin nodded.
"Clever boy, rules are different in the frontier. Now, for the third question..." she tapped her chin three times, and then smiled.
"Would you be willing to steal a cave, from a beast in the wild?" The nymph asked. Erin began to shake his head, but Lysander cleared his throat.
"It is not stealing. Caves are big. If the animal didn't want to share, then it is in the wrong, not us," Lysander said. Something that Anna used to tell him, often enough.
"Hm, quite right," Erin turned to stare at Lysander then.
"But, Ly, the animal saw the cave first. And it is not like we can reason with it. Animals can't talk," Erin protested. Lysander bit his lower lip.
"We are in the frontier, Rin. Things like that don't matter. Besides, we also need to eat," Lysander said, leaving out the fact that they might end up both stealing the animal's home, and eating it too.
"Final question, boys, and you better be of the same mind on it," the nymph said. She was glad that these two boys, or at least the wanderer, were survivors. Too many children had died in her patch of the forest. If they had answered even a single question wrong, she was going to lead them back to Crystargar herself.
"We are ready," the blonde said, and she smiled down at him.
"You find a skeleton in the forest. What do you do?" Erin worried his bottom lip. On the one hand, it was noble that they took the adventurer's bones with them. To bury on a sunny hill. On the other hand, they had done graverobbing. The blonde turned to Lysander, and huddle next to him.
"Do we tell her what we did? Does she know?" Erin asked, keeping his voice to a whispering level.
"She probably knows by now, princeling. I bet; she just wants us to come clean. Come on, you are more poetic. Tell her the truth," Lysander urged. He believed, that Erin's innocence was going to soften the nymph to them. He watched, as Erin faced the nymph once more.
"I won't lie, we already came across a skeleton," Erin began, and the nymph nodded, so that he could continue. "We took his bottomless bag, because we really needed it. Ly makes money by selling herbs, dried ones."
"And what did you do with the bones?" The nymph asked. Erin smiled up at her, then.
"They are in the bottomless bag as well. We are looking for a sunny hill, with a big oak. We will even plant flowers over the grave, and visit, every time, we are in the area," Erin patted himself on the back mentally, for having such a great plan for the adventurer.
The nymph chuckled then.
"You are too good for my forest, boys. I rather like your chances," she said, and then did a bow. "I accept you in my forest. May you find food and shelter here. You may use the water."
"Wait, can we play the game again, for another prize?" Lysander asked suddenly, and the nymph blinked at him. She ran a hand through her long green hair, and nodded. "But this time, we ask the questions."
"For what are we playing, children?" She asked.
"A cauldron, pot, and potions vials," Lysander said, listing what he needed. He guessed, he could always use sticks, to stir the potions.
"Sounds simple enough. Ok, I'm game," the nymph then made a couple of steps before them. Erin began to bounce on his feet.
"Can I ask the first question? I know a lot of riddles!" Erin asked. The nymph chuckled at his enthusiasm, as Lysander regarded him with a calculating look.
The truth was, Lysander knew some riddles, but not all. He hasn't played a guessing game, since Anna died. The few riddles he remembered, would probably be known to the nymph. He huddled with Erin again, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"How many tough riddles do you know?" Lysander asked. Erin beamed at him.
"I know one, which doesn't have a right answer," which would be cheating, but Lysander didn't mind.
"Then ask her that one, and then we can have a pot for stews," Lysander said, already dreaming of having something warm in his belly, that hasn't roasted on a stick, beforehand.
"Ok, lady, here goes," Erin said, when he let go of Lysander. "I march before armies, all salute me. My fall can bring victory, no archer will shoot me. The wind is my lover, the marching band my soul. Who am I?"
Erin was rather proud of himself. For, he hadn't been able to answer this riddle, when his father had asked him this question. Yet, Lysander looked at him with despair on his face. Now, they were at the mercy of the nymph.
She tapped her lips three times, and then sighed.
"Well, kids, this seems to be a tough one. No one has ever asked me it before," she said, and Lysander looked at her with wide eyes. How come was it a tough one? He already guessed it, and he was someone who spend his days either on the frontier, or outside walls. "I can't guess it. Do tell me who this man is?"
Erin puffed up his chest, not knowing what Lysander had figured out. The nymph let them win, for whatever reason.
"The flag, lady! Flags are captured, and then the battle ends," he said with a beaming smile. "When Papa asked me this riddle, I couldn't answer either. Will you give us a big pot now? Big enough for two bowls of stew? Oh, wait, can we play a game for bowls?"
The nymph chuckled at the blonde child and nodded. The truth was, she guessed all his riddles, but she pitied these children.
She knew that she couldn't look after them, for it was against the contract she had with the demon lord, who ruled the frontier.
Yet, giving them basic things like pots, and bowls? Well, she could at least do this much. Besides, no one could blame her, that she didn't let them work for their prize.
"Ok, I am ready for the first question," Erin said. He gave Lysander's hand a light squeeze, to make sure that the half-demon boy was not panicking.
"You find trash in the forest, what do you do?" The nymph asked. Erin blinked. Well, this was an easy one.
"Pick it up, and throw it in a trash bin!" Erin said, smiling happily, for he thought that he won the first round.
"And if there are no trash bins in the forest? Tell me boy, have you seen any trash bins in the frontier?" She asked, amused.
"Place it in the bottomless bag, and then use it for kindling," Lysander managed to say. The nymph nodded in approval.
"Question number two: You find something you like that others might think of as trash. Do you search for the person who dropped it?" Lysander stiffened, and his hand went to his bottomless bag. Did the entire forest belong to the nymph? Surely, she wouldn't want to take their bag away?
"Well, mama said that such things are to be brought to the police station, but there isn't one in the frontier, so..." Erin said, not wanting to voice the fact, that he'd keep the thing.
"You'd just take it, then?" The nymph asked. Erin nodded.
"Clever boy, rules are different in the frontier. Now, for the third question..." she tapped her chin three times, and then smiled.
"Would you be willing to steal a cave, from a beast in the wild?" The nymph asked. Erin began to shake his head, but Lysander cleared his throat.
"It is not stealing. Caves are big. If the animal didn't want to share, then it is in the wrong, not us," Lysander said. Something that Anna used to tell him, often enough.
"Hm, quite right," Erin turned to stare at Lysander then.
"But, Ly, the animal saw the cave first. And it is not like we can reason with it. Animals can't talk," Erin protested. Lysander bit his lower lip.
"We are in the frontier, Rin. Things like that don't matter. Besides, we also need to eat," Lysander said, leaving out the fact that they might end up both stealing the animal's home, and eating it too.
"Final question, boys, and you better be of the same mind on it," the nymph said. She was glad that these two boys, or at least the wanderer, were survivors. Too many children had died in her patch of the forest. If they had answered even a single question wrong, she was going to lead them back to Crystargar herself.
"We are ready," the blonde said, and she smiled down at him.
"You find a skeleton in the forest. What do you do?" Erin worried his bottom lip. On the one hand, it was noble that they took the adventurer's bones with them. To bury on a sunny hill. On the other hand, they had done graverobbing. The blonde turned to Lysander, and huddle next to him.
"Do we tell her what we did? Does she know?" Erin asked, keeping his voice to a whispering level.
"She probably knows by now, princeling. I bet; she just wants us to come clean. Come on, you are more poetic. Tell her the truth," Lysander urged. He believed, that Erin's innocence was going to soften the nymph to them. He watched, as Erin faced the nymph once more.
"I won't lie, we already came across a skeleton," Erin began, and the nymph nodded, so that he could continue. "We took his bottomless bag, because we really needed it. Ly makes money by selling herbs, dried ones."
"And what did you do with the bones?" The nymph asked. Erin smiled up at her, then.
"They are in the bottomless bag as well. We are looking for a sunny hill, with a big oak. We will even plant flowers over the grave, and visit, every time, we are in the area," Erin patted himself on the back mentally, for having such a great plan for the adventurer.
The nymph chuckled then.
"You are too good for my forest, boys. I rather like your chances," she said, and then did a bow. "I accept you in my forest. May you find food and shelter here. You may use the water."
"Wait, can we play the game again, for another prize?" Lysander asked suddenly, and the nymph blinked at him. She ran a hand through her long green hair, and nodded. "But this time, we ask the questions."
"For what are we playing, children?" She asked.
"A cauldron, pot, and potions vials," Lysander said, listing what he needed. He guessed, he could always use sticks, to stir the potions.
"Sounds simple enough. Ok, I'm game," the nymph then made a couple of steps before them. Erin began to bounce on his feet.
"Can I ask the first question? I know a lot of riddles!" Erin asked. The nymph chuckled at his enthusiasm, as Lysander regarded him with a calculating look.
The truth was, Lysander knew some riddles, but not all. He hasn't played a guessing game, since Anna died. The few riddles he remembered, would probably be known to the nymph. He huddled with Erin again, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"How many tough riddles do you know?" Lysander asked. Erin beamed at him.
"I know one, which doesn't have a right answer," which would be cheating, but Lysander didn't mind.
"Then ask her that one, and then we can have a pot for stews," Lysander said, already dreaming of having something warm in his belly, that hasn't roasted on a stick, beforehand.
"Ok, lady, here goes," Erin said, when he let go of Lysander. "I march before armies, all salute me. My fall can bring victory, no archer will shoot me. The wind is my lover, the marching band my soul. Who am I?"
Erin was rather proud of himself. For, he hadn't been able to answer this riddle, when his father had asked him this question. Yet, Lysander looked at him with despair on his face. Now, they were at the mercy of the nymph.
She tapped her lips three times, and then sighed.
"Well, kids, this seems to be a tough one. No one has ever asked me it before," she said, and Lysander looked at her with wide eyes. How come was it a tough one? He already guessed it, and he was someone who spend his days either on the frontier, or outside walls. "I can't guess it. Do tell me who this man is?"
Erin puffed up his chest, not knowing what Lysander had figured out. The nymph let them win, for whatever reason.
"The flag, lady! Flags are captured, and then the battle ends," he said with a beaming smile. "When Papa asked me this riddle, I couldn't answer either. Will you give us a big pot now? Big enough for two bowls of stew? Oh, wait, can we play a game for bowls?"
The nymph chuckled at the blonde child and nodded. The truth was, she guessed all his riddles, but she pitied these children.
She knew that she couldn't look after them, for it was against the contract she had with the demon lord, who ruled the frontier.
Yet, giving them basic things like pots, and bowls? Well, she could at least do this much. Besides, no one could blame her, that she didn't let them work for their prize.
