A/N This chapter was supposed to be finished last Friday, but that obviously did not happen. Crackfic Writes, since I promised that and couldn't hold to it, this chapter is for you.

Guidance

"...And so I hit him, a-and I ran to the landing, where I MindLinked with Ullr—my cat—and the Guardian Hid me because she thought I was a Witch. Now she has let me go, I came to you."

The Princess of the Eastern SnowPlains sighed. "Why, you poor girl. Oh! The tea is ready," she added as a shrill whistle sounded from across the room. She got up from the sofa, and soon returned with two steaming mugs, handing one to Snorri. "Be careful, it's very hot."

Snorri accepted the tea gratefully. Taking a sip, her eyes widened. "My head. It—clear. Head feels clear."

"Good," the Princess said, looking pleased. "My childhood governess's special herbal tea. It helps with the fogginess of the senses. And one certainly acquires that in the House of Foryx, no?"

Snorri nodded sagely. She wasn't sure she understood all those big, foreign words.

"But we were discussing your problems," the Princess went on, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "So you say you haven't the faintest idea of how to resolve the argument with your husband."

"Ja. That is it."

"Tell me, what was the fight about?"

Snorri shrugged. "Was not really a fight. I lost my temper with Nicko."

The Princess chuckled. "Most fights are that way. But I sense that you are avoiding the question," she went on, raising an eyebrow.

"Ja, det är jag," Snorri admitted. "It is...well, I learned we are pregnant."

A look of utter pity crossed the Princess's features. "Ah. Now that would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

Snorri bit her lip and nodded. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Jag vet inte. I do not know what to do."

Next thing she knew, Snorri had been wrapped in a warm embrace. "Oh, you poor thing," the Princess murmured over and over, as Snorri quietly cried on her shoulder. Eventually she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "But this is why I come to see you. I must know what to do. To say to Nicko."

The Princess was silent. "Well, that will depend," she said at last, fiddling with her furry robes absently. "Now, I need to ask you an important question. It may be a little awkward, and I am terribly sorry, but I must know if I am to help you." She leaned forward, and in a grave tone asked, "Did the two of you have intercourse before or after your arrival at the House of Foryx?"

Snorri cocked her head, a little embarrassed but mostly puzzled. "After. Why?"

Sighing in relief, the Princess broke out grinning. "Because this means you're not pregnant!"

Snorri gasped. "Vad? Men hur? How?" She looked down at herself. Can this be true? Oh, please be true!

"This is the House of Foryx," the Princess explained happily. "The place Where All Times Do Meet. Which you know means that there is no Time in here."

"Ja," Snorri said, nodding slowly. She was beginning to see where the Princess was going. "Fortsätt. Go on."

"For women, this means two side effects. One is that you cannot conceive. The other is that you eventually will not menstruate."

"Men-stru-ate?"

"Oh dear, um...menstruera. There, I believe that's your word for it. Now as I was saying, I discovered when I first came here that the periods slow down and stop after staying at the House of Foryx long-term. Because the body cannot judge the Time in between."

Snorri's mind was racing. "So, when my periods stopped, it was only a—oh, the word—coincidence?" When the Princess nodded yes, Snorri sank into the cushions, weak with excitement, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her. "Oh, I must tell Nicko!" She jumped up from the sofa and hugged the Princess. "Tack så mycket! For everything!" In another moment, she was gone from the chamber.

The Princess of the Eastern SnowPlains gazed at the mess on the floor. In her haste, Snorri had accidently dropped the mug, leaving a steaming wreckage of tea leaves and shattered ceramic. Chuckling, she stood up to hunt for a mop. Her appointment with the young girl in the dragon chair could wait. Not that there was any Time to keep track of.

Snorri raced down the spiral steps of the far turret and across the landing, deftly avoiding both the Guardian and her sharp tongue. She clambered up the stairs of their turret and dashed into the first hallway. It was only then that Snorri slowed to a walk, mentally rehearsing what she would say to Nicko: first the apology, then the good news, and finally the story of what she had been through. Soon she stood in front of their door and, feeling a little apprehensive, pushed it open.

"Nicko?" she called softly. There was no reply. Snorri stepped into the chamber and looked around, but the room was empty. With a start it dawned on her that nothing had changed in the room since their argument. The bedsheets were still rumpled, her Northern Trader robes were still lying in a heap on the armchair—Jösses, everywhere I wore my robe and nightdress—Nicko's drawings were still scattered all over the desk, and his clothes were still strewn near the fireplace. But when she took a closer look, Snorri discovered that the clothes Nicko had left were his sleepwear. So he is looking for me, she thought.

And then it hit her. Snorri wasn't the only one feeling guilty about the fight. Nicko, her sweet Nicko. To imagine how he would be feeling right now! To be the one that slept with me—he believes it was all his fault, Snorri finally realized with a sinking feeling. And now I know how impulsive he is...Åh nej! I must find him!

Almost before she could consciously think again, Snorri was staring at the soot-streaked marble walls opposite the balustrades of the landing. But there was one spot where the soot had been smeared away, and it was at this spot that Snorri made out the shape of a familiar handprint.

Nicko's handprint.

Snorri vaguely noticed that there were tears streaming down her face yet again. Brushing them off, she rubbed at the smeared soot with wet fingers until the outline of the handprint was unmistakably clear. Then Snorri wiped away the remaining tears, leaving black smudges on her cheeks, and dashed into the ocean of people below.