Unfortunately it wasn't long until Puck found himself swooping down into the thickest parts of the Wyldwood, dodging vines and trees with an unnatural ease. He didn't dare try to resist the summoning. He could tell that the glamour behind this one was impossibly strong, and resisting would bring more pain to himself than anything else. Only Oberon's glamour could hold out for so long. He could also tell that the summoning had actually been out for him for quite a while… he had just been out of range. He figured the end of the world tended to do that.

Frustration boiled up in the summer jester as he began to recognize his surroundings, the trees becoming thinner and the mist lighter. He was approaching Arcadia fast- and he couldn't do anything to stop himself. His wings ached horribly, strained from the speed Oberon's magic had made him fly. The colours around him were brightening considerably. He startled a pair of summer guards as he burst through the Wyldwood in an explosion of feathers and leaves, already changing form as he landed on the bridge. A scowl was set on the fey's face as he was forced to continue onwards, ignoring the startled shouts and expressions of surprise as he entered Oberon's Kingdom.

He supposed it was mostly his own fault for staying away for so long. Oberon wouldn't know he had tried to run, but if he did the jester would be in some serious trouble. Puck found himself weaving through thick crowds of fey as he passed through the main castle halls, his legs moving without his permission towards a destination he wasn't aware of. He was reminded of a certain summoning he had been a witness to and sighed at the memory.

The castle looked exactly the same. The same high ceilings of stone, green and gold banners and random summer fey milling about. There were already fey in the hallways of the higher floors staring down at him with unabashed curiosity. He was tired of it. He thought back to his early morning flight and the taste of pine and mourned for it.

He managed to pick up snatches of conversation as he took a corner, barely avoiding a collision with a satyr who promptly stared at him before whispering to his friend in a barely-contained frenzy, goat legs twitching. Puck allowed himself a small grin of victory as he found himself going down another corridor. He was right- he could practically feel the nervous energy in the air. The story of Ash's journey for a soul had already hit Arcadia, leaving its residents reeling in the aftermath. Puck found he rather liked it when the courts were in chaos- not that that was anything new to him. He had always loved confusion and chaos- he was Puck. It was his nature.

Of course, his nature wouldn't do anything to help him now. Puck had a pretty good feeling where he was headed.

He was forced to push a few Seelie out of the way as he approached the court room, the whispers around him growing in volume. The jester knew he looked like shit- months of traveling and little to no time to bathe did that to you. There was dust in his hair and his clothes were fairly dirty and torn. He figured the only things he carried that were clean were his daggers, and they were only clean because blood didn't stain glass.

The conversations around him were steadily growing in volume as he approached, evolving from whispers to excited shouts to outright blabbering. Fey were openly staring now- looks ranging from excitement to fear. Puck pulled a reckless grin onto his face, knowing his time was short. His name was among the blabbering and shouts now as the crowd grew in excitement, confirming that he was within the castle walls. The higher ranked Seelie watched him curiously, a certain sylph batting her eyelashes at him from across the room. Puck pretended not to see the sylph and managed a quick wave to his adoring crowd before Oberon's magic promptly forced his arm back by his side. Never the less, he still received a few cheers and a smattering of applause as his legs finally slowed down, coming to a halt and a faintly mocking bow as he stood in front of The Erkling, his summoning finally dissolving. He reveled in the applause coming his way and suddenly realized why the court was so anxious- they couldn't have the full story yet. The only people who did know were Grimalkin, Ash and himself... Before now, they had only rumors. Since Ash had instantly headed for Meghan and Grim wasn't exactly the best storyteller, he was the only one left to fill in the cracks of their journey. Not that he thought The Wolf hadn't started the rumors- the beast just didn't start them at the courts.

He knew the exact moment when Oberon nodded, silencing the crowd as the red head straightened.

"Robin Goodfellow. So you've decided to return home." The Summer King spoke, voice low and powerful. It seemed to echo across the room, temporarily leaving the fey listening speechless. Puck figured he had heard the voice too many times to be entranced by it.

"One Summer Jester, at your service." He replied, bending into a half bow and sweeping his arm to the floor. He heard a haughty laugh and noticed Titania for the first time, sneering down at him. That wasn't new- she was always pulling faces at him for something. When was the last time he had seen her again? Oh yeah, when he was in the midst of stealing Leanansidhe's "violin" from her. Whoops. Well, she still looked as bitchy as ever.

He heard a few smothered laughs from the court as he straightened again, noting that Oberon wasn't smiling. Puck adopted a casual posture, keeping the careless grin on his face. Oberon regarded him for a few moments, golden hair shining in the glamoured forest around them, until the redhead finally detected the hint of a sigh.

"Goodfellow, you've disobeyed me." At a shrill 'hmph' from next to him, he added "And your Queen." Titania smirked like an ignorant child, crossing her arms over her chest. Puck merely raised an eyebrow at her behavior and returned his attention to the Erkling. "While I was away, you managed to steal something of importance to her."

"A human child." Puck said dully, noting a flash of something in Oberon's eyes. He was actually surprised that this was the first thing Oberon wanted to talk to him about. It wasn't nearly the most important one. "One of Leanansidhe's so called 'instruments.' It was never anyone's plaything to begin with." The king turned to the fey next to him, who suddenly seemed to shrink into her throne. Puck grinned, holding back a gleeful chuckle. Well, he hadn't seen that coming. The fey around them broke out into a chorus of hushed whispers before Oberon turned back to him, looking stone faced. It seemed that the treatment of humans in the Summer Kingdom had changed since Oberon had discovered his half human daughter. Puck spoke up again before Oberon could ask. "She was returned home, without her memories. No harm done." His words didn't have the effect he was hoping for- Oberon didn't react except to lean back slightly, his eyes still on the ragged looking fey in front of him. Puck tried not to think of himself as a bug under a microscope as Oberon took a few long, agonizing moments to think. Titania was still giving him the stink eye from her throne. He doubted that would ever change. Once a bitch…

"Goodfellow."

Puck snapped to attention, realizing he had been zoning out. Oberon was staring down at him with a hint of a smile on his lips. Apparently the Violin story had no significance anymore. He noticed fey gathering in small crowds around the corners of the room and on the balconies, looking at him expectantly.

"I do believe you have a story to tell us. A story about my daughter."

Puck grinned, making a show of dusting himself off and rolling his shoulders. Finally, something he didn't mind doing.

"Eh. I'll see what I can remember…"

-

It took him 3 hours. 3 hours to explain everything, dancing around the courtroom and playing with the crowd's reactions. Puck thanked whatever god there may be that he was a good storyteller.

He had his audience waiting on his every word, watching his expressions, eyes following him as he moved in a slow circle before the king and queen. His words were magic, weaving tapestries in his audience's eyes of old magic and unbreakable love. He heard gasps as he described the river of dreams and the monsters that lurked below the surface of the nightmare stretch. He heard sighs of relief when they were safe and gasps of horror when they weren't. Puck reveled in every second of it.

He started right after the war, leaving out the parts about the child Leanansidhe stole and the parts he couldn't remember- specifically the parts about the End of the World. He simply remembered entering a temple, and.. nothing. He knew Ariella had sacrificed herself for Ash, and he remembered the places inside the large stone temple, but nothing else. There was a vague memory of something that looked like the Grim Reaper that he promptly left out, going on a gut feeling. There was a lot running on this story. By telling it the right way, he could drag himself back on to Oberon's good side. That was important, seeing as he might be stuck here for quite a while. Besides that, The Wolf needed the story. He also liked the idea that by telling it, he was honoring Ariella's memory.

There was dead silence when he stopped. His audience had grown double its' original size from when he had started, entranced heads peeking in from windows and around other bodies. Fey lingered, unsure of what to do. Puck took a step back, mouth dry and fairly exhausted. He thought some applause was in order, at least- he'd made it to the end of the world and back!- But if anything, there were fey backing away from him, all but jogging out of the castle walls. The more courageous fey stood by with wide eyes, hiding themselves behind stone pillars and other fey. Confused, Puck looked towards the Erkling and froze.

He was angry. Fear spiked in Puck's chest. The glamoured forest behind the king and queen was spinning with wind, trees bending in a wind that didn't exist. Leaves whipped around the room, sticking to the walls and Puck's clothing. Oberon fixed him with a cold stare, strands of golden hair whipping around his face.

Oh god. He hadn't made him this mad in a long time.

"You tried to abandon your court." He said softly, and Puck felt his heart stop.

Oh no.

Puck froze, whipping through what he remembered of his story. So much of it had been his thoughts right off the bat- had he accidentally let something slip? He had just been recounting fact, things that happened! The careless grin he always expressed slipped from his face. Titania was smiling.

"You really thought you could deceive me, Goodfellow? You didn't think I had messengers watching for you, waiting for your arrival?" The wind hit him again, blowing his hair out of his eyes; bringing with it the smell of thunder and soil. A few fey scattered, darting out of the court room. Only a sparse few remained. Puck took a step back, closing his eyes. Of course- that was where the rumors had come from. They had been watching him, recounting who he'd been with and where they were headed. Puck realized there must have been someone watching him as he'd said goodbye to the prince- and then taken off in the wrong direction. He opened his eyes to find bright green eyes staring him down.

"I've let you get away with a lot of things in the past few centuries, Robin." He stated, his quiet voice carrying over the roar of the wind around them. "Maybe I've given you too much free reign. Too much time to… think…" Oberon said thoughtfully. Titania's grin widened, though she made no sound. Puck took another step backwards as Oberon slowly raised his arm towards him, knowing that trying to run would be useless. He felt the cool grip of the king's power tighten around his chest like a rope, constricting his breathing; forcing him to take a step forward. The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Oberon's face. Puck was scared and the Erkling knew it.

"I am giving you one last chance." The king started, and Puck was forced to take another step forward. "One last chance to prove yourself to me. To prove that you are not a deserter to Arcadia and your King." The magic binding Puck tightened, forcing a wheeze out of him.

"There is an item I require. An item of old legend. It is called The Mirror of Wisdom." Puck spluttered into the wind, staring openly at the king. He had heard of the mirror, but no one had ever found it- or lived, for that matter. That had scared most fey off. Oberon recognized the open fear Puck displayed and smiled. It wasn't a particularly nice smile. It reminded Puck that he was dealing with the ruler of Summer, someone far more powerful than him.

"Legend says the mirror displays how to solve the holder's most imminent problems. For this reason, many have tried to find it… none have succeeded, as you are aware." Oberon's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing on Puck as he was lifted off his feet. Through his terror, Puck thought he saw something flash through the trees behind the king. "Find this mirror and bring it to me, or forever be considered a traitor in the land of Arcadia." Puck gulped as he was lowered a few feet, trying to fully grasp the task he was being forced into. Oberon still had a hold on him.

"Now go, and-"

The Erkling dropped him. Puck landed on his back with a thud, the wind knocked out of him.

Well, that was rather rude. Puck wheezed, getting his breath back as he looked up at the throne-

Where Oberon still had his arm extended, looking confused. Puck stilled again, mind racing. Oberon was never confused, which could only mean one of two things. One, Titania had said something smart. Two… something had interrupted his magic.

There was a tug at Puck's chest.

The red head groaned, letting his head thump onto the floor before he scrambled wearily to his feet, the tug becoming more insistent.

The only thing that could interrupt Oberon's magic was a summoning.