Smash had left Irene to look for a bed bug, and Chet had gone looking for a healing plant.
They had no idea Dor was already back, and Irene's wound had healed. "Look what me found
aloft," Smash pointed to a tree, "This bug make bed very soft." He started the bed bug on making
a bed for Irene, then Chet came back. "I found no elixir Arnolde I..." Chet stopped in mid-
sentence, "Oh, it seems as if she has already been healed. I was able to locate a pillowplant." With
that, he fluffed the pillow, and propped Irene up, so as not to lose circulation to her wound.
Once the bed had been set in place, Dor picked Irene (and the pillow) up, and laid her to rest.
The bed was big enough for both of them, so Dor got on, and dozed off. He awoke about an hour
later, "Thanks for the dream, stupid nightmares...," Dor said. "Oh, don't be so hard on them, Dor,
they're just doing their job," replied Irene who had also awoken. "You're alive!" shouted Dor.
"Of course I am silly, I wouldn't leave you alone in this..." Her voice was muffled beneath the
most passionate kiss Dor had ever delivered. It was long, and enjoyable for both of them. It was
the kind of kiss you get when you ask your loved one to marry you, only that had already been
done between those two. He was simply glad she was alive, æIf those centaurs hadn't shown
up...No, stop thinking about that Dor' he thought to himself.
"Dor, the others may be watching," said Irene.
"So what, let them look. I should be proud of you, and I'll kiss you even if they do look. I
love you, and if they don't understand that, well, that's too bad for them," replied Dor, with
concern. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, just to be sure of himself.
"Well, I guess you're right, so they can look all they want, as long as you never leave me,"
she said. "Consider it done, I'd never leave you anyway. I'm in love."
They moved themselves from the comfortable bed, and went to join their companions.
They were well refreshed, and were ready to start their journey towards Ogre Pass. When they
neared their friends, al they heard we loud snoring sounds, and a few words. Smash was th one
snoring, and all of the centaurs were sleep-talking, a common trait.
"We'd better not wake them," said Dor, "They look so peaceful when they're asleep." He
smiled towards Irene. "Maybe we should scout ahead, just to be sure there is no danger," he
continued, "If there is, we'll simply scream." Again he smiled towards Irene, who smiled back She
screamed a lot, maybe because she thought proper girls to be so, but she realized that she was no
longer a girl, she was a woman. "If there is danger, we'll try to protect our friends from it. I need
to learn how to fight, for my own protection," she said. "I can teach you, but we'd only be able to
practice while the others are sleeping. We'll be mostly on the road, and it would look strange for
me to be training a... woman in swordplay." He thought this was a good idea, but it would look
silly to be training a girl. "Okay, but if they can see me kissing you, why can't they see you
training me?" she asked. It was a good question, "You're right, Irene. This is how I can pay you
back," he started. "Pay me back for what?" she asked. "For making me the happiest man alive," he
replied.
They began to train. Dor had cut makeshift wooden swords for practice. They would have
to get her a real one soon enough. Irene was showing unexpected aggressiveness. "Good, you're
a valiant fighter," Dor said. Then a twist and into the heart, he'd have been dead if they were real
swords, and he knew it. "Wow, you sure showed me. You sure you haven't had your father
training you?" asked Dor, with a hint of curiousness. "No, he has been, but I've never been able
to do that before. I guess you're not as good of a fighter as I thought. I don't know if I want to
marry someone who can't protect me." She smiled, her teeth shined in the dawning sun.
"Uunnghh," moaned everyone as they awoke. "Me want to eat, need monster to beat,"
Smash rhymed, of course. "Well, you're not going to get any monsters around here, This place
looks pretty barren," said Arnolde. "Me find food, me in the mood," Smash replied. He was
obviously very hungry, and no one would oppose a hungry ogre, especially in Xanth. "Alright,
we'll go along," said Chet, "We need to search for food as well. I think we should be on the move
towards Ogre Pass, if there are any monsters, they'd be near here."
With that they set out once more, towards Ogre Pass. Smash had taken the lead,
considering he was the most formidable of the group. " I think I may have stumbled on a theory,"
said Arnolde, "I believe that the magic is, indeed, fluxing, but since the healing elixir had worked,
the magic was here all of yesterday. I believe that the magic seems to fade for a few hours, then
return. It seems to have happened only every other day since we began our quest. Because there
were times, I noticed, that Irene's hair had gone...bland."
"Okay, so it happens every other day, and only for a few hours, but what if the problem
evolves to everyday for a few hours. Then to every hour for a few minutes? It's got to be
stopped," the first thing Grundy had said that was intelligent this whole trip.
They had no idea Dor was already back, and Irene's wound had healed. "Look what me found
aloft," Smash pointed to a tree, "This bug make bed very soft." He started the bed bug on making
a bed for Irene, then Chet came back. "I found no elixir Arnolde I..." Chet stopped in mid-
sentence, "Oh, it seems as if she has already been healed. I was able to locate a pillowplant." With
that, he fluffed the pillow, and propped Irene up, so as not to lose circulation to her wound.
Once the bed had been set in place, Dor picked Irene (and the pillow) up, and laid her to rest.
The bed was big enough for both of them, so Dor got on, and dozed off. He awoke about an hour
later, "Thanks for the dream, stupid nightmares...," Dor said. "Oh, don't be so hard on them, Dor,
they're just doing their job," replied Irene who had also awoken. "You're alive!" shouted Dor.
"Of course I am silly, I wouldn't leave you alone in this..." Her voice was muffled beneath the
most passionate kiss Dor had ever delivered. It was long, and enjoyable for both of them. It was
the kind of kiss you get when you ask your loved one to marry you, only that had already been
done between those two. He was simply glad she was alive, æIf those centaurs hadn't shown
up...No, stop thinking about that Dor' he thought to himself.
"Dor, the others may be watching," said Irene.
"So what, let them look. I should be proud of you, and I'll kiss you even if they do look. I
love you, and if they don't understand that, well, that's too bad for them," replied Dor, with
concern. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, just to be sure of himself.
"Well, I guess you're right, so they can look all they want, as long as you never leave me,"
she said. "Consider it done, I'd never leave you anyway. I'm in love."
They moved themselves from the comfortable bed, and went to join their companions.
They were well refreshed, and were ready to start their journey towards Ogre Pass. When they
neared their friends, al they heard we loud snoring sounds, and a few words. Smash was th one
snoring, and all of the centaurs were sleep-talking, a common trait.
"We'd better not wake them," said Dor, "They look so peaceful when they're asleep." He
smiled towards Irene. "Maybe we should scout ahead, just to be sure there is no danger," he
continued, "If there is, we'll simply scream." Again he smiled towards Irene, who smiled back She
screamed a lot, maybe because she thought proper girls to be so, but she realized that she was no
longer a girl, she was a woman. "If there is danger, we'll try to protect our friends from it. I need
to learn how to fight, for my own protection," she said. "I can teach you, but we'd only be able to
practice while the others are sleeping. We'll be mostly on the road, and it would look strange for
me to be training a... woman in swordplay." He thought this was a good idea, but it would look
silly to be training a girl. "Okay, but if they can see me kissing you, why can't they see you
training me?" she asked. It was a good question, "You're right, Irene. This is how I can pay you
back," he started. "Pay me back for what?" she asked. "For making me the happiest man alive," he
replied.
They began to train. Dor had cut makeshift wooden swords for practice. They would have
to get her a real one soon enough. Irene was showing unexpected aggressiveness. "Good, you're
a valiant fighter," Dor said. Then a twist and into the heart, he'd have been dead if they were real
swords, and he knew it. "Wow, you sure showed me. You sure you haven't had your father
training you?" asked Dor, with a hint of curiousness. "No, he has been, but I've never been able
to do that before. I guess you're not as good of a fighter as I thought. I don't know if I want to
marry someone who can't protect me." She smiled, her teeth shined in the dawning sun.
"Uunnghh," moaned everyone as they awoke. "Me want to eat, need monster to beat,"
Smash rhymed, of course. "Well, you're not going to get any monsters around here, This place
looks pretty barren," said Arnolde. "Me find food, me in the mood," Smash replied. He was
obviously very hungry, and no one would oppose a hungry ogre, especially in Xanth. "Alright,
we'll go along," said Chet, "We need to search for food as well. I think we should be on the move
towards Ogre Pass, if there are any monsters, they'd be near here."
With that they set out once more, towards Ogre Pass. Smash had taken the lead,
considering he was the most formidable of the group. " I think I may have stumbled on a theory,"
said Arnolde, "I believe that the magic is, indeed, fluxing, but since the healing elixir had worked,
the magic was here all of yesterday. I believe that the magic seems to fade for a few hours, then
return. It seems to have happened only every other day since we began our quest. Because there
were times, I noticed, that Irene's hair had gone...bland."
"Okay, so it happens every other day, and only for a few hours, but what if the problem
evolves to everyday for a few hours. Then to every hour for a few minutes? It's got to be
stopped," the first thing Grundy had said that was intelligent this whole trip.
