Chapter 13:
Alexandria the next falling frog out the air, looking it over with a critical eye. She amended her earlier deduction, these were apparently toads, instead. Still very odd. She looked up into the sky at the toads falling.
Strangely enough, toads were stranger than frogs. Frogs could make sense, if a tornado went over a pond or lake, toads were mainly terrestrial. For so many toads to be in one place, where they could all be lifted into a tornado was border-lining on nearly impossible.
She looked towards the skyline again, the park she was in looked like it was in the suburbs of Chicago, and there was no sign of the Queen. The question remained as to whether she was still in some parallel world with myth and legend. Or perhaps she was back on Earth Bet.
That seemed unlikely since she should be able to see the PRT's skyscraper from here, and there was a distinct lack of a PRT skyscraper on the horizon. Still, there was one question she could ask that might elaborate on her current position.
"Tell me, Warden," Alexandria commanded, "Does a 'wizard' by the name of Myrddin live near here?"
She refrained from using actual air quotes when she referred to her magic obsessed colleague. However, even the slight emphasis she placed on those words, was evidence enough that she had some thoughts about the validity of that title. She knew, of course, that it wasn't real magic Myrddin was using. It was just the abilities of his agent displaying itself in unorthodox ways. However, many previous conceptions had been shattered in the last few hours and Myrddin was a friend, scarce as they might be, so she afforded him the respect of referring to his powers by his chosen term.
"Myrddin?" The Warden said, lifting his eyes from the dead toad, and lifting his ears, spotted with blood still to look at her. His eyes flitted to the toad in her hands, which squirmed, having narrowly avoided a gravity-induced death. Then his eyes flitted to her bare chest for a moment, then rose towards her face.
He did not meet her eye but focused on the bridge of her nose. After a long moment, his gaze drifted to the long scar and missing eye on her face. She did not react, even if it was somewhat out of the ordinary for someone to fixate on her injury. Usually, she either wore a prosthetic, indistinguishable from her natural eye, or she was wearing her visor. She could feel the absence of both now, acutely.
"Yes," Alexandria clarified, deciding to let slip a fraction more information, "A leading member of the Protectorate."
She almost added Chicago at the start of Protectorate but it was superfluous, either the self-acclaimed Warden would recognize the name in conjunction with the skyline, or he would not and provide further information on the nature of this new world.
"Pro-" The Warden half mouthed to himself before something like realization flashed behind his eyes, and his vision snapped to the left, out towards the waters of Lake Michigan. He swallowed once, shaking his head in the negative.
"The Wizard Myrddin is long dead, milady," He spoke quickly, seeming to regret his own momentary confusion.
"Is that so?" Alexandria replied, thinking intently. Myrddin was long dead? Either this was the future which she deemed unlikely, or she was in another world. She suspected, based on the look the Warden was giving her that he was referring to the Myrddin of Arthurian legend. How surprising. Especially since his intonation seemed to imply that Myrddin was an actual historical figure that was important to him.
"Warden," Alexandria spoke again, still staring at Chicago, "I will ask two things of you."
The Warden stiffened, eyes shooting back towards her, he attempted to wipe his bloody hands on his grey robe, but the blood refused to stick, after a moment he grunted in affirmation. Seeming to indicate something like, go on.
"I have given my name," Alexandria said, turning to look at him more directly, "But you have declined to offer yours?"
Alexandria ignored the distinction that she had merely given a title, even if it seemed more like the name of her true self to her than her birth name.
A myriad of emotions flashed across the Warden's face, fear, doubt, dread, and reluctance. Alexandria noted them all. Names… Something was fundamentally different about them here. It reminded Alexandria of Nanashi. A human in Japanese folklore who had no-name as the meaning of his name in order to trick demons and minor spirits.
Or perhaps it was similar to Odysseus in The Odyssey, where Odysseus gave his name as nobody to the Cyclops and avoided death henceforth by the Cyclops having no name to give out to the other Cyclops. Still, it was curious. Irish mythology had something much the same, with elements of both stories in obviously different themes.
Since this seemed to be a world that worked on fairytale narration and myth, names, true names, might very well give some thing's power over others.
"Warden Baines," He finally surrendered, deflating slightly as he did so. Baines… Alexandria nodded slightly to herself in the silent recesses of her own mind, it was a Welsh name, or at the very least English. This actually didn't stand for much on its own but added with the traces of an English accent and his earlier story she was inclined to believe this was his true name, part of it at least.
Alexandria regarded him for a long moment, perfectly still, before with an adamantine arm she gestured to her nude form, "If I may, clothes would be appreciated."
Baines colored, a slight red touching the tips of his ears and tinting his cheeks as his eyes were drawn down her form from her gesture. If she had more shame or was still a young woman maybe she would have shied away, embarrassed by her own nudity. As it was, wardrobe accidents had happened before, several times in fact so they were nothing new.
Secondly, she was Alexandria and had nothing to be ashamed of physically. Her inner demons were far worse and their revelation was worthy of shame and self-flagellation. Accidental nudity was beneath her. Irrelevant, no matter how inconvenient.
"I can help! I can!" Alexandria's hair was suddenly sharply yanked, and her pixie companion flitted in front of her. She held up a little green dress, made from pine needles, in front of Alexandria's eye. She held it proudly.
Alexandria's lips quirked up slightly before she replied, and there was the slightest trace of both warmth and amusement in her voice, "I need something more fitting of my stature."
The pixie stared at her uncomprehending for a moment, before her eyes blazed with sudden energy and she streaked, with the sound of tinkling bells towards the Warden.
"Servant!" the pixie commanded imperiously, "give me your clothes!"
She paused, looking confused for a moment and then pulling out her little pointed stick, speaking again in the tone reserved for a liege lord to a lowly servant "I shall grant you this in exchange."
Warden Baines regarded the pixie warily, before seeming to nod to himself, and raised his eyes back to Alexandria, "I can veil us, and then you can pick out what you like, would this then be my obligation to you fulfilled?"
Alexandria considered for a moment. Ignoring the complaints of her little fairy friend's aspirations of grandeur. Veil, it implied covering something. The reference here seemed to imply something that would negate her societal faux pas of nudity. Therefore, a veil was either some kind of stranger power, illusion or invisibility.
"Clothes for your life?" She mused, amused. Truthfully, the trade bothered her little. If she really wanted she could just streak into a store and steal something, repaying the owners later. She was fast enough. However, this was another chance to gain knowledge.
"I would speak with your superiors, then your debt is fulfilled," Alexandria decided, speaking her decision aloud to the Warden.
Baines grimaced, "There is a member of the White Council here. He will be able to contact them."
"Excellent," Alexandria said, turning to gaze over the nearby lake, her eye lingered on the various boats. She estimated it was sometime midsummer, maybe June, "I desire to speak about their aegis."