BARON
'Tis ever thus, good friends. For though stout stone
provides protection from our foes, 'tis cold
eternally, and winter's chill seeps slowly
from its grasp. So, do we burn our fires
e'en when these shores are bathed in summer's warmth.
GARION
It is, my lord, as though dost speak, and in
the walls of great Vo Mimbre, thy cousins
distant feel that same unchanging season.
BARON
And thou, Sir Knight, hath seen Vo Mimbre? I
would give all that I own, all that I am,
to view that fabled city. Speak on it.
GARION
'Tis mighty, and its golden stones doth shine
reflected light in such bright beams, 'tis if
it were thy kin's intent to put the sun to shame.
BARON (in tears)
Blesséd am I, oh knight most eloquent!
For this brief meeting with a man of such
nobility doth give my life its crown.
The memory of that great citadel
doth echo down the decades since our day
of exile here in Perivor – though that
great sound grows more remote with each year that
goes by, until, like dreams that fade and die
our memories of our ancestral home
grow dim.
ZAKATH
My lord, thy speech hath touched my heart.
If I have pow'r – and, by my troth, I do -
then thou shalt be conveyed with all due speed
to Vo Mimbre of legend, whereupon
I shall present thee to the throne in that
great palace there, that we may reunite
thee with thy brethren, long since lost to thee.
GARION aside, to Z. You see? It gets to be habit-forming.
BARON I note this hound of thine, Sir Knight – a bitch,
I do perceive – (SHE-WOLF growls deeply)
GARION (aside) Steady.
SHEWOLF I find that term
he used most offensive.
GARION He coined it not.
BARON (nervously)
I do perceive she is intelligent
beyond the wits of those poor dogs who roam
this realm, and of a lean and lithesome build
is she. I pray thee, tell what breed she is?
GARION (milking it) She is – a wolf, my lord.
BARON (jumps on throne, grasps robe around legs)
A wolf! We must
all flee, before the beast devours us all!
GARION (scratches SHE-WOLF's ears)
SHE-WOLF As I love thee, child, try that trick but once. (GARION moves as if nipped)
BARON Sir Knight, thou art brave beyond all belief!
GARION
She is my friend, my lord, and linked to me
by ties beyond the realms of common thought.
BARON
Thou canst speak with the beasts?
GARION Not all, my lord.
I cannot, for example, master yet
the language of the snake. In truth, I think
my tongue is ill-shaped for it.
BARON
A forked wit!
Thou hast given me much to think on here,
and more to wonder at. But, to the matter.
What canst thou tell me of thy worthy quest?
SHE-WOLF
Be very careful here.
GARION
So that's your task!
I'd wondered. Glad I am to stand beside
a creature so well loved.
SHE-WOLF
Good pup! But keep
thy knowledge to thyself for now. Well? Speak!
GARION
As thou dost know, my lord, great evil stalks
abroad in these fell days.
BARON
Tis all too true.
GARION
Tis the sworn task of this, my friend and I,
this evil to seek out. But know this truth -
that rumour, like a dog, doth run before
us, barking out our names to our great foe.
So roused, would their dark minions slow our path.
Thus, all unwilling, do we hide behind
these masks of steel, that our faces, too
well known for deeds of honour 'round the world,
do not appraise our target of our wrath.
We two do not fear any thing on life,
but our companions on this quest are all
too dear to us to risk – and more, that quest
surroundéd is by magics perilous
So that our prowess will be at sore test.
And so, although our masking be affront,
we bear it up, and know that each step brings
us close towards that miscreant despised,
and speeds the day when they shall be chastised.
BARON (excited)
My sword, and those of all my house, will stand
to strike this evil's heart at your command!
GARION
My lord Astellig, give thy troops their ease.
It may not be. I wish it were not so.
Our company doth stand on pain of death
to meet our obligations on our own.
To aid us now risks bringing down the wrath
of the undying spirits that surround
this mortal world. Those spirits who weigh in
upon our side would leave us all too soon
if we defied their word and asked for help.
BARON
Although it wounds my heart, I will concur.
Know then this news a kinsman of mine brought
from Perivor, the capital. Not five
days since, a wizard did appear at the
king's side, and with some magics of his own,
no doubt hath easily beguiled him, and
holds now all the power in the kingdom.
If this dark mage doth serve the foe you seek,
the task you face grows grim. I wish our king,
noble though he be, had proved a harder
challenge for his spells. Alas, our liege is
somewhat lacking in his wits, oft-times. I
do implore thee, stay! Face not this mage?
GARION
I thank thee, Lord, but destiny must guide
our steps – and we know that Dal Perivor
must be our destination. But fear not.
If we are meant to rid your kingdom of
this wizard's baleful influence, we will.
BARON
May the Gods and the eternal spirits
guide your hand. An – if it please thee – I would
watch as thee and thy companion, whose few
words, I pray, will come to pass, administer
whate'er...
ZAKATH
Chastisement?
BARON You see fit.
ZAKATH
We would be honoured, good my lord.
BARON
So, then.
Dal Perivor awaits. The king will hold
a royal tourney, to select some few
to travel on a different quest for him.
Woulds't thou join me to travel to the court?
GARION
Thy noble gesture could not suit us more.
And now, good lord, we retire, to prepare.
SHEWOLF (to Garion)
Well enough done – for a pack of puppies.
BARON (brooding)
Perhaps it is the Dal in me that swears
We shall not find this wizard unprepared.