Maenad looked around carefully to make sure no one was near, then went to where Sir Edelhart had laid the message on his desk. The parchment had been re-used, as was common practice. On one side was a crossed out letter regarding taxation on Flemish wool versus Welsh wool. On the other side was an exceedingly polite letter from King Pepin asking Edelhart to come fill the ranks of the castle guard due to the fact that several knights had suddenly gone missing while on a mission. The letter did not go into detail about what happened to them or what the mission was, but she could easily guess. She'd barely escaped the Houma dragons, and she was more familiar with what they were.

She'd been crushed by the barn roof collapsing, and was forced to spend the night under a pile of rubble and thatch until the moon rose again, allowing her to heal. Thankfully, the King's knights only surveyed the situation and left, or she would probably be in a dungeon right now. And she never did find the Smurfs. It had not been one of her more pleasant excursions.

He must be desperate if he wants Edelhart to come defend them, she thought to herself as she laid the parchment down and hurried to the spiral staircase leading to the main hall. The knight was there with his steward, making plans to leave.

"You can't be serious about going to help the King," she interrupted.

"Despite what happened last Saint Matthew's, I still consider the king a friend and ally, Lady Maenad. I realize you may not feel the same." Edelhart did not take his eyes from the list they were compiling.

"That's not what I meant. I'm taking about the Houma…the dragons. I told you about how they came after me. They'll kill you." She had to give a generic 'damsel in distress' version of her misadventure to Edelhart's household, and confided the story of the Silk Road caravan to him in private.

"I'm not going to slay dragons, Maenad, I'm going to make sure the King and his family are safe. Including my grandchild. The castle is poorly guarded, that makes it a target for all kinds of danger, least of all dragons." He spoke to her as if she had never attacked a fortification before. She wanted to hit him.

"I know that, but you're being foolish about the Houma. They're not like the dragons your people have dealt with before. What will you do if they come back to the castle? You were in pain for a fortnight, and now you want to go leading soldiers again?"

"I'm going, Maenad. Your opinion on the matter is irrelevant. You're welcome to stay here, but please don't get in the way of my duties." He was becoming very irritated with her. Maenad's company was pleasant enough to deal with most days, and she turned out to be a surprisingly good musician, but then there were days like this when she reverted to her headstrong, arrogant ways.

"You could decline the offer. The King was nearly apologetic when he asked you in the letter."

"You were into my things again."

"Because I don't want you to die. I know what you're up to; you can't stand to stay idle here. You're forty-seven and you want to go off on another adventure like a man half your age!" She had reverted to the dialect she used in the swamps, a close match to Edelhart's native tongue. The steward looked terribly confused and watched them argue.

"I'm not planning on dying. And if I do, what do you care? You're always bragging about how many human generations you've seen pass."

"I…"

He looked up at her finally, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't want to have to explain to your son what happened to you when he comes back."

"Your concern is admirable. But it hasn't changed my mind."

"Don't make me prevent you from leaving."

"How do you intend to do that? You know you can't follow me. You'll be arrested."

"I'll break your other leg."

"You'll have to be more charming than that if you want me to stay." He wasn't exactly sure if she was joking or not.

"But I can't send any knights, I have to keep a guard here, and I've sent the rest out to look for a group of assassins," Gerard told the herald who brought him a message similar to the one Edelhart received.

"I'll inform His Majesty, then," the herald replied, before bowing and taking his leave.

"Hold on a minute, what's this I hear about trouble in Hauvon?" Johan, who had been casually listening while playing chess with Peewit, stopped the herald on his way to the courtyard.

"Several knights went missing on a mission last week, and most of the rest are out looking for dragons that have taken up residence near the castle. Actually, the Princess saw one inside the castle. His Majesty is asking for reinforcements to his guard until the menace has passed, but if your men are stretched thin as well, then I won't bother you anymore."

"And people have been disappearing?"

"The Knights have. The dragons even destroyed a barn not far from the town. Tore the roof right off to get to the cattle inside."

"I'm afraid you will need to look elsewhere. King Gerard has made his decision. I'm sorry." Those creatures were inside the castle, and the King was sending out requests for help? Maybe the he was just being cautious. Maybe the herald was mistaken. He sincerely hoped so, and went to tell Peewit the news from home.

Two days later, the two announced that they would be leaving to go spend the rest of the winter at Sir Edelhart's manor. Gerard was disappointed to see them go, as were the Smurfs, who never did get an explanation about what happened. The pair was assured that they would be welcome should they need to return.

"What made you change your mind about going to stay with your father, Johan?" Peewit asked as they left with refreshed supplies and warm woolen cloaks for their trip. "Was it the woman who tried to kill you at the inn? I told you then we'd be safer inside a castle."

"We're not going to see my father. That was just an excuse to leave, remember?"

"What? You said it was safer there and it would be just as comfortable as Gerard's castle!" Peewit pulled Biquette to a stop and started fuming. Johan sighed.

"I was trying to be subtle, so King Gerard wouldn't try and stop us."

"Why?" Peewit whined.

"I don't want to run anymore when almost everyone I care about is in danger. And I'm not going to go visit father when I've lost my grandfather's sword. Do you think he's going to take it well when I have to tell him it was stolen by an assassin pretending to be a prostitute?"

"Well, when you put it that way…."

"I'm going back to find the dragons. I shot one down, I think I can do it again. You can decide not to follow me if you don't want to. I'll understand."

"But…if anyone finds you…"

"I know. I've thought about that. But the King wanted me to put the welfare of the kingdom first, and that's what I'm going to do."

Peewit watched his friend ride down the snowy road, and disappear into the forest.

"Oh, fine. He'd better appreciate this." He coaxed Biquette down the road after him.

I know what some of you are going to say: "You said Edelhart was old, and he's only 47, what the hell?" Well, 47 is old by medieval standards. Average life expectancy in the high middle ages was around 49 for highborn adult males, around 43 for highborn adult females (these were the people who could afford the best nutrition and medical care.) That doesn't mean every nobleman died at 49, but living into one's sixties or seventies was the exception, not the rule. Compare to the current American average life expectancy of 79. However, this world has magical healing, so I'll skew those statistics a wee bit

And yes, King Gerard is way too easy to lie to. But considering that in the show he kept trusting his evil relatives despite the fact that they all practically wear signs that say "Do not trust anything I say, I just want your stuff" I'm just keeping him in character.