Thym, the blue dragon, and Crystal, the pseudodragon, are enjoying a leisurely flight around Senrinca, when they both hear the unmistakable sound of someone crying. Both dragons look around but don't immediately see anyone or anything, and Thym motions for Crystal to fly lower, mostly due to her smaller body. The pseudodragon nods in agreement and heads for the forest, ducking in and out amongst the trees and bushes until she sees the small body that is curled up near a stream.
"Thym, I found him. It's a human child, but I don't recognize him from any of our communities. He looks exhausted and lonely and scared."
Thym finds a clearing and changes to his human form. He runs to where Crystal is hovering over the child. There are tear streaks on the child's face, the little one is shivering and he knows that he has to get the small human to his friends.
"Hello?" Thym kneels down, so that he's not such an intimidating figure.
"Unca Tim? Is that you, Unca Tim?" The little boy doesn't open his eyes, just lies there shivering and Thym glances up at Crystal who shakes her head. She's never heard that name before, however it doesn't mean that their friends wouldn't know someone. Crystal twines herself around Thym's arm as he picks up the child and runs for King Jed's castle.
Due to his dragon nature, Thym has an easy run, and sends Crystal ahead to inform King Jed of their find. Crystal unwinds herself from her friend's arm and with a small swoosh of her wings heads to Senrinca and her liege lord.
King Jed is currently in his garden, entertaining his few guests. His ward Sarah, the knights Ziva and Anton, the bard Ducky, as well as Tandel, the wood elf, are all there. Zavad, the king's squire as well as Jamie the mage and Abdiel the advisor are also there, but in the background listening to their liege as he tells them how decades ago, he and his wife at the time had created the castle's garden and maze.
At the fluttering of wings, everyone turns to see Crystal fly in, and Jed automatically extends his arm so that she can land. She carefully does so, making sure not to scratch him, as she telepathically tells them all about the child that Thym is bringing in.
"We have never seen him before, my liege, and he keeps asking for someone named Tim."
Jed looks around at the group who are all shaking their heads. None of them are familiar with the name, but that doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who hasn't heard of the man. When Thym enters with the child in his arms, they are all taken aback when the child reaches out for King Jed, crying, "Granpa Jefro!"
NCIS-NCIS
King Jed looks at the little boy in his arms. The youngster had fallen asleep almost immediately upon seeing him, and he can't help wondering just who the child belongs to.
"Granpa Jefro?"
Anton's whisper has them all shaking their heads. None of them know what to make of the little boy who had appeared from out of nowhere. Thym and Crystal offer to go search the hinterlands of Senrinca and Nacrines, to make sure that no one was missing a child, but they didn't think that anyone would be. King Jed sends them on their way with an absent nod of his head. Anton motions for Abdiel and Jamie to come forward.
As they do so, they too are surprised by the trust that the little boy has in their liege lord. To their knowledge, there is no current lineage of King Jed's anywhere in the lands.
Tandel steps forward and frowns. She can sense something different about the child; nothing dangerous about him, just something out of place or time.
"He's out of time, Tandel Yestreen. As in, he's not from this time or dimension. He's from another universe."
Tandel slips away from the others and heads to the small temple that she's built in honor of her deity Corellon.
"What does that mean, and how do we get him back to where he belongs?"
Tandel's question is interrupted by a small cry of sadness. She glances back to where the boy is still curled up in King Jed's arms. From her viewpoint, the child is still asleep, but he's obviously lost and wondering why no one can find him.
"I am working on a solution. Be patient, my cleric; you and the others need this young one for your survival and he will need you too."
With that Corellon slips away again, leaving a frustrated elven cleric behind him.
Tandel heads back to the others and relays what Corellon has told her.
"How is that possible, Tandel? Another time and place? Is that even possible?" Sarah is staring at her and Tandel nods.
"It is possible, but that means that the Gods are at work and that we must wait for Corellon to contact me so that we can figure out what to do. In the meantime, I suggest we take this little one inside and keep him warm."
Anton and Sarah both step forward. King Jed raises an eyebrow, but carefully relinquishes the child into the young couple's care. He then motions for Tandel, Abdiel and Jamie to follow him into an antechamber.
"What do we do? How do we protect this child when we know not where he came from?" His question has Abdiel and Jamie throwing out ideas, but Tandel gives him a sign, indicating she will be back.
The elven cleric runs down to the suite of rooms that she was given upon her arrival in King Jed's kingdom. She sits down on the small bed and pulls out her spellbooks, trying to find an answer. Hours later King Jed knocks on her door.
"Come in." She says wearily and the king knows that she's no closer to a solution than the rest of them are.
"Call it a day for now and join the rest of us at the dining hall. I don't have much news but there is some."
Tandel nods and carefully puts her spellbooks on the bedside table. She will be studying them most of the night, but for now she needs to eat and find out what the others have discovered.
NCIS-NCIS
The child is awake and all of the adults are enchanted with his behavior and mannerisms. He greets them with a soft hello and then tells them that his name is Donny.
"My name is Donny DiNozzo. Are you guys from my Unca Tim's story?"
King Jed looks at the others who shrug in bewilderment.
"My Unca Tim was telling me a story about a faraway place and there was a good king named Jed, with his loyal knight Anton. Anton is supposed to be like my daddy."
Jed smiles at the thought of his loyal knight being a father. "What does your daddy do, Donny?"
Donny stares at him, and Jed can see the thoughts crossing the little boy's face. "He's the lead agent at NCIS. Him and my Unca Tim and Aunt Ziva are the bestest in the whole wide world."
Blank looks cross all of the others faces and Jed asks, "What is an NCIS, Donny?"
"It means, Naval Criminal Investigative Services."
Abdiel looks at the little boy, "You mean that they help people."
Donny nods enthusiastically, "Yep, Granpa Jefro is in charge of the whole building, but Daddy and Unca Tim have been part of Granpa Jefro's team for a whole long time. Daddy and Unca Tim and Auntie Ziva sometimes get help but usually it's just the three of them. Auntie Abby, is a, a, um, I don't know how to say it, but she and Major Mass Spec help find clues. Then Unca Jimmy talks to the dead people like Granpa Ducky used to."
Thym and Crystal come in just then and Donny's blue eyes widen in surprise. Thym is expecting the child to be afraid of him, but instead Donny steps forward and puts a hand on Thym's armored leg.
"You're Thym! You're the blue dragon in my Unca Tim's story!"