Today's story is related to the previous one - A Fairy Tale Sir Honeydew, Knight of Meadowdown strode through the wooden halls of the palacetree. She was unhappy, and she intended anybody that saw her to know it. She hadn’t taken the time to clean herself or her armour after being called back from patrol – all the better to keep people at bay.
Her strategy worked, and she went undisturbed, any others who saw her quickly turning or heading a different way. She wished that the palacetree’s ridiculous rules didn’t forbid flying to the level she wanted – she had to start at the bottom and walk up. Meaning that by the time she reached her destination she would be in an even fouler mood than when she first received the message to report in. Didn’t the people here know that she was doing important work? More and more, the garden fairies encroached upon their own meadowland. More and more, the borders between the realms moved and Meadowdown was getting smaller. No matter how many she and her brethren slew, they could not stop the tide – but it would be even worse without her out on the front lines, ready to push back any foe. Eventually she opened the final door on her journey, not bothering to knock – protocol be damned. She approached the desk where her superior, Sir Roseglass sat, reading reports carved in bark. She stood to attention and raised her hand in salute – no matter how angry she was about being summoned back, a fellow knight was due her respect. Roseglass looked up, his moustaches drooping in a way that made him seen even older than he actually was – Honeydew knew that it was a cultivated look that helped him to maintain the respect of the nobility, even though they annoyed him. When they weren’t on duty, she would tease him about them, but this was certainly not the time for it. He looked as annoyed as she felt. “Honeydew,” he said as way of greeting. “Welcome back. I see you have taken your summons urgently.” “Yes, sir,” Honeydew replied. “The messenger stated that there was a matter of utmost importance and that no delay would be forgiven.” Roseglass shook his head, which made his moustaches shake as well. “My pardon – the prince sent the messenger himself, and before informing me of the situation.” Honeydew nodded, accepting the apology as it was meant – a shared frustration with royals who took the initiative rather than following protocol. “Before we get to that, however,” continued Roseglass, “kindly report on your recent patrol.” “In the last five days, I have toured most of our borders – I had reached the south-eastern corner when I was called upon to return, and so my report excludes intelligence from that section.” Honeydew didn’t think as she spoke – she had rehearsed what to say in her mind enough during her journey that it was automatic when the request was made. “We are facing the usual pressures from the north side – the houses there still stand empty, and so the gardens grow wild. Whilst this strengthens the gardenfolk that live there, and makes them numerous, it also presents an opportunity – if we were to attack and capture those gardens, we could work to revert the plantlife there to meadowlands. “The east is quiet – the gardens there are well tended, which creates a stalemate. We have made several contacts with dogs and cats that reside in those homes, and they are generally sympathetic to our plight. Efforts to the west are not so positive – whilst we have attempted to build a relationship with the felines of that area, they seem to have convinced the gardenfolk to serve them. In the future, that could cause difficulties, and I recommend an immediate sortie of mischief-makers to drive out the owners of the cats. “We have seen action to the northwest, and I bring a written report from the local commander.” Honeydew presented a piece of bark and placed it on the table. “We held back the gardenfolk, but not without losses. The report includes a request for reinforcements. The southwest shows an area of growth – the old sport field has been ignored for long enough that our meadow has started to encroach upon it. If we can encourage the pollinators to focus on that area, we could recapture the field long-term.” Roseglass waited patiently, taking in everything that Honeydew said, making some notes. When it was clear that she had finished, he nodded. “Thank you – I will take your recommendations to the Council. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try to see them enacted – I know that they’ll be good strategy if you are suggesting them.” Honeydew remained at attention. “With respect, sir, I did not complete my patrol. May I ask what was so urgent that I had to be called back?” Roseglass beckoned towards the chair on the other side of his desk. “Of course. Please – sit. For now, let us be old comrades, rather than… well, whatever we are now.” Honeydew allowed most of her defences to drop and slumped into the chair with a sigh. She was tired. And the worst part of being called back was that it would mean she was being sent out again. She was supposed to get a couple of days to rest after a full border patrol – she could sense that it wasn’t going to happen this time. “Fern is missing.” Roseglass didn’t have to say more for Honeydew to understand. “Again?” Honeydew was incredulous. She knew that bards had to travel to learn their stories, but that was from a past time, when it was easier to move between the realms. In these days, it was necessary to cross gardens to make such journeys, and it was simply too dangerous for a bard travelling alone – they couldn’t rely on the old traditions to keep them safe. If she had needed to travel, she should have requested as escort. Roseglass nodded. “Indeed. She remains as reluctant to be patient as ever and, as you would expect, Prince Dandeelion is concerned for her safety. I’ve already had reports from other trees that she was seen, though trying not to be recognised, heading southeast – naturally, towards the area that you were called back from.” “We assume that she has headed into a garden?” Honeydew asked. “If so, it will not be easy to find her – there are many houses and gardens in that section, and several streets and more gardens to cross before she would reach Greenwood. However, I have some contact with the pets in some of those gardens, so I might be able to catch up with her.” She moved to stand up. “I’m afraid it gets worse, Honeydew,” said Roseglass. Honeydew sat down again. “Worse? How?” Roseglass rang a small bell on his desk, and one of the squires assigned to serve him opened a door. “Send him in,” Roseglass said, and the squire nodded, and then closed the door again. Oh, no, thought Honeydew. It couldn’t be… The door opened again and as it did, Roseglass answered her question. “The prince has insisted that he should travel with you.” Honeydew’s heart sank. This was going to make a difficult task even harder.
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