Bathed and fed, Crevan was sitting in the Solar with the three monarchs. Jareth as himself looked very different from the male he'd seen in leathers. Nuada was not happy, nor was Pen.

"They managed to get into the castle...I want to know how." Pen said. "...and what were they doing with a taser..."

Nuada looked over at Jareth. The goblin king paused in his pacing.

"...I wasn't able to get that out of him." Jareth said. "Near pissed his pants when Brin showed him the oublet and had ludo growl..."

Pen let a smile play on her lips, The hairy creature was in the nursery playing with the children, quite happily.

"...I did get the impression that Ge'els does not think much humans, let alone those who..." He looked at Crevan. "Take them as mates..."

"That we know, he wishes the Court of thorns disbanded..."

"He would have to go through every merchant, craftier and Singer to do that...and I know you allow humans guns in the freehold, to remind the Fey and Sidhe that it isn't just our world either."

"Ge'els has found that out. As many as twelve to eighteen riders have been felled in the raids. His healers are in worse shape from having to handle the silver and lead...They will have to tap the Aen Saevherne at the manse..."

Pen had known when the humans had started striking back, and most of the Surgeons were accompanied when on the road now.

"...Most see the knowledge they are gaining is a means to an end." Crevan spoke up. "...Give them the choice of to which end they use it." He looked at all three Monarchs. "...you will have a mass exodus or an army..."

Crevan would know this being an Aen Saevherne himself. He was sure there would be an army.

"And you as their general?" Nuada asked, more harshly than he intended.

Crevan straightened up, there were still a few things they had to iron out about him being Lord of the court. How he and Nuada interacted was one of them.

"...I did not mean that as harsh as it sounded." Nuada said. "...I am pissed they got into the castle, let alone took one of the court."

Jareth turned, was the High King apologizing.

"...We need no divide in the High Court...it may be used as a wedge to shatter our peace."

"I will ask Rhi what she has found out, and we have a few places that forget Bards use their ears too." Pen said. "Aiden will keep his open."

"...I have a few goblins who like to hide in the shadows, and have enough intelligence to relay simple messages." Jareth said. "I can loan you a few, no strings."

There were nods of agreement, they needed all the tools at their disposal.

#

The whisper began in the manse, the court was no longer safe and to stay was to fight for it. To use the knowledge gained to prevent its fall and enslavement. It was a full-blown statement by the time it got to the Freehold. Careful listening from the Singers in the tavern and the Court spies told who would stay and who would fight.

"...Ninety percent." Aiden said, having been summoned to Pen's office. "At last count."

"There is a petition to allow a second gunsmith into the freehold," Crevan said. "...but I have turned them down, we've had to confiscate several from the drunken patrons at the Orb-weaver..."

Pen let herself smile, "And our guests?"

"One in four are staying, It appears Lord Crevan isn't the only sage tired of the bullshit spouted by their Viceroy," Aethen said. "...We even had a Navigator ask to stay, his reasoning is that it would be good to know where the manse is vulnerable to them."

Crevan nodded, he could plot them and open a few but that took the time they probably would not have.

"...We've received messages from the House of the Gull." Aethen continued. "Basically saying they will stand with us."

Crevan frowned, "Yet they will not say..."

"...They have hidden for more than a thousand years." Pen said. "I do not think they ever had the intention of revealing themselves, but the return forced their hand." She frowned. "...Lara knew what she was doing, hiding her child here."

"...The House of the Swallow wishes to visit once again." Aethen said. "It seems Lord Cirdan liked Rhi's attentions and has inquired after her."

"...Thinking with the wrong head?" Pen asked. "He would not be the first..."

"No, he wishes to enroll his younger sibling into the School, a quite gifted from what we have gathered," Aethen said. "...The visit is to tour the grounds."

Dain knocked on the door frame with his cane, something had been found in the archive and whatever it was it could not wait.

#

The Diary looked like it had been written specifically to inform, to tell a truth. Whoever had written it wanted it found at this moment. That level said Guild master status. Pen skimmed it and did not know the handwriting.

"...Regis doesn't know where it came from, and considering its age the writer could not have known about you..." Dain said. "...It said for the Songbird, only Atar calls you that."

"Whoever wrote it knew how to get the attention of the searcher..." Pen said looking over a few pages. "...There are coordance, like locations."

Crevan looked them over, shivering. The memory of that sharpened and he began rubbing his thigh.

"You know these..."

"...Sadly, yes..." He rose. "I will have to bow out of this, for now." he let out a breath. "Ask the young navigator for help, I cannot be a part of it."

They watched Crevan walkout.

#

The sage walked and kept walking until he was in the center of the gardens. He leaned against a tree and puked. He did not need this, the sensations of the blots sinking into his back the taste of the potion that had purged the poison from his blood. He didn't want to remember any of it. A dark time had followed until Ciri had found him again. She had dragged him halfway across the world, it had been a long winter among the Aen Sidhe he had gotten control of the demon. The all too short time in Corvo Blanca.

"...I don't want to remember..." He whispered. "...Please, I don't want to remember."

The opening of a portal and the touch of a Unicorn horn. Pain, nausea as he fell to his knees. Inside his mind, he began screaming and did not think he would stop.

"You will remember it all, fox..." Said a voice. "...the price for your past, the price for your life."

The unicorn was gone by the time Pen and the small search party found him.

#

Pen frowned at the healer when they got Crevan back to the manse. He'd kept asking not to be left alone. Regis set a pair of watchers on him. It appeared some type of mental trauma had happened, enough to make him fear that he would seek out a fix. The healers had him sedated in addition to the watchers.

"...I would recommend quiet." The healer said. "...and a pause in his duties."

She frowned, he had been healing. This seemed another setback.

"Anything else?"

"No," The healer said. "...Just give him a bit of space to talk."

Pen nodded, She would give the fox all he needed to come back to her.