"Cesia! What do you mean that I've cast a spell on the Dragon Castle?" shouted Rune.
"Rune, calm down," intoned Cesia, a profound frown on her face.
"No! That's ridiculours," yelled Rune, fidgeting and twitching, hopping from one foot to the other and generally acting as though an electric current was frying his body. "What do you mean?"
Cesia slapped him across the face and pushed him down easily.
"I'm sorry," she said kindly, "but I've had a rough day. I don't like running around castles after hysterical elves."
"I'm sorry too," mumbled Rune, rubbing his cheek. "I shouldn't have hit you earlier. I can't apologise enough."
"That doesn't concern me as much as this spell." Cesia knelt down beside Rune and pleaded with him. "Do you have any idea of what might have caused it?"
Rune shook his head.
"In that case, we'll have to round everyone up and try to get them to figure it out," she said, standing, then brushing the dust off her skirt.
"Are you mad?" asked Rune, his eyes bulging out. "They'll go for me. It's not safe."
"Rune," sighed Cesia. "I don't think you have a problem. In your state, you couldn't fight anyone off, so if they really wanted you, they'd have you right now."
It took a lot more coaxing to get Rune out of the attic. He clung to the wall and started every time they met anyone, or a door opened, or he heard a loud noise, but once they'd reached the great hall and no-one had attempted to ravish him, he calmed down.
"Err, what now?" he asked.
"We need to round everyone up. Where's the Dragonlord?" Cesia asked.
"He's in my room, but I don't think we want to go in there."
"Why not?"
"He's naked... and he's not alone."
Cesia looked at Rune and Rune looked at Cesia.
"How do you..." She gestured rather than finish the sentence.
"I was going there to lie down, when I saw him sneak in," Rune replied.
"I'll knock."
They made their way to Rune's room, although they went by the longest route and Cesia had to cough three times before she managed to knock on the door. The door was flung open by Lykouleon. He wasn't wearing a thong, but he did have a pillow covering his modesty.
"Yes?" he barked.
"My Lord." Cesia blushed, then tried again. "I bring dire tidings."
"Dire tidings right now, or dire tidings that can hold on for another hour or two?"
"There's been a spell cast on the castle and it's a strong one."
Lykouleon groaned. "Right-now, dire tidings it is then." He hit the wall with his fist. "I'll be out in a minute."
He walked back inside and closed the door. Cesia and Rune heard mutterings coming from inside, then a high-pitched squeal. There was more muttering and then Lykouleon walked out the door, buttoning up his shirt. Raseleane ran after him. She wasn't so modest.
"No! No! No! Get back in there, I'm not finished yet," she cried, pointing back into the room. Rune spun away from her, but Lykouleon kept on walking. "Lykouleon?"
The Dragonlord swiveled and kissed her on the lips. "I won't be long, Sweetie. Go back inside and wait for me and I promise that I'll make it up to you."
"You better," she said, glaring at him. "The longer you're away, the more time I have to think of ways to make you prove you love to me." With that, she marched back into the room. When he heard the door slam, Rune's shoulders slumped and he looked back at it.
"But that's my room," he mumbled.
Lykouleon was far more helpful than Rune at ferreting out the others. He found Ruwalk and Cernozura enjoying a picnic at the lawn, although both of them shot daggers at the party for breaking them apart. Alfeegi and Tetheus were harder to find and they'd run into both Rath and Thatz before cornering them by the duck pond. They were in the middle of a somewhat heated argument, or so it seemed. Alfeegi had turned an odd colour, but Tetheus looked the same as always. He winked at Rune as he approached.
"Something is wrong!" shouted Lykouleon.
Everyone stared at him. "Well, the rest could be explained away, some sort of coincidence, but now I'm certain, something has happened to the Castle. Cesia, what is it?"
He faced the fortuneteller and she spread her shawl on the ground before sitting on it and pulling out her crystal ball. She leaned back, electricity crackled in her hair, the ball lifted and she sighed.
"There's a strong spell in the air and it's all centered on Rune."
Everyone stared at Rune. He backed away, raising his hands to fend them off.
"It couldn't be me. I haven't done anything."
Everyone stared at Cesia.
"It's definitely Rune."
They stared at him again.
"Look," said Lykouleon. "What have you been doing since... when did it start, Cesia?"
Electricity crackled. "It's been building for a while, but the spell was cast earlier today."
"Okay," said Lykouleon, returning to Rune. "What have you done today?"
"I was just walking, in the gardens," said Rune, defensively. "That's all."
"When did you notice people acting strangely?" asked Cesia, the ball still floating in the air. She grabbed it quickly and put it down.
"Shortly after." He blushed. "I saw Rath..."
Rath glared at Rune, then blushed when he caught Cesia looking at him.
"So what were you feeling, when you were walking in the garden?" asked Lykouleon.
"I was just a little sad," replied Rune.
"Sad why?" snapped Ruwalk, glancing back to his picnic spot and waving at Cernozura who glared at him in return.
"I..." started Rune.
"You?" prompted Alfeegi.
"I just wondered why I'm all alone," he replied.
Tetheus smiled, Ruwalk shivered and Thatz pried further. "You're all alone?"
"I don't have a girl-friend!" shouted Rune. "I wondered why no-one wanted to go out with me."
Rath shared a smirk with Thatz. "I thought that you did have a girlfriend," he said slyly.
"Yeah," said Thatz. "Isn't she asleep somewhere, in some place that you can't reach or explain properly?"
Rune went very quiet.
"Rune?" prompted Rath.
"Yeah," mumbled Rune. "I do... I did... We broke up."
"Your sleeping girlfriend who loves you soooooooo much... broke up with you?" sang Thatz.
Rune looked away. Thatz and Rath burst into laughter. Ruwalk crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Tetheus perked up and Lykouleon sighed.
"It's obvious what we need to do." He patted Cesia on the head. "You need a girlfriend. Cesia, my dear, you'll have to do it."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Rath. He ran up to her and through his arms around her. "Rune can't have her! No way!"
Cesia flinched at the embrace, before reaching out a hand and stroking Rath on the back. Lykouleon sighed again. "All right then, Cer.."
Ruwalk kicked him.
"Ki..."
Thatz kicked him. "Sorry, my Lord.
"Then the rest of us are going to have to draw straws." He reached into a pocket and pulled out three sticks of different lengths. He turned away and mixed them up, then presented his closed fist to Alfeegi.
Alfeegi reached in and pulled out a stick. "Do I win?" he asked, coldly.
Lykouleon ignored him and moved onto Tetheus. "You next and I'll take the one that's left over."
"My Lord," said Tetheus, with a cough. "You're married."
"I'll pick for Kai-Stern," he replied.
Tetheus grumbled, but took a straw and then the three pickers went into a huddle and compared straws. Eventually Tetheus shrugged, said "He'll never know," and grabbed Alfeegi's straw.
They broke and rejoined the main group.
Lykouleon frowned. "If things don't improve, then you'll have to go the whole way..." Rune squealed "...but hopefully dinner and a play will be romantic enough to cancel the spell and return the grounds to normal."
Alfeegi nodded, then Tetheus swept Rune off his feet and waltzed out of sight.
"Whatever," said the Dragonlord. "Rune's not going to need his room tonight, so don't call me again unless the castle catches fire."
That's it. Reviewing won't get you any more, but it'd be nice to know what you thought of it.