Chapter 12

After the initial shake, everything seemed to quiet down. However, just as the Fraggles were starting to calm, jets of mud spewed from various vents and cracks all over Fraggle Rock. The only good thing about it was that it was rather warm in comparison to the cold winter air. So, for a time, the Fraggles started to dance and cover themselves in warm mud, until you couldn't tell the Fraggles from the rocks.

Princess Gwenalot tried to wipe off the mud from her once-shiny helmet, to no avail. She found Blundig, who seemed to be trying on mud as some sort of facial treatment. "Blundig, I have to go find out what caused this," she told her assistant leader. "Will you check on the Fraggles of the Great Cave for me while I'm gone?"

Blundig nodded. "Of course, Princess. I'm happy to assist you." Before the Princess could get away, she added, "Won't you need someone to go with you? It could be very dangerous."

"I'll take Blunderbrain with me," replied the Princess.

Princess Gwenalot started down a rarely used tunnel, leading to a large chasm that, had they had more accurate maps, would almost fully separate the Great Cave from the Great Hole. She started to hum to herself as she traveled, hoping to catch up to the Fraggle knight, who had left to investigate damage to various tunnels.

"May I join you?" asked Crooner from behind.

She turned and stared at him. He wasn't as dirty as other Fraggles. Apparently he had used his once-white robes as shelter from the mud. "You really want to come with me?" she asked innocently.

Crooner was rather surprised the Princess wasn't yelling at him for causing the recent trouble with the genie, but he thought maybe it'd be better if he didn't bring it up unless she did first. "I just wanted to accompany you," he told her softly. "This could be dangerous --."

"I don't need a bodyguard," Princess Gwenalot sighed. "I'm glad you and Blundig are worried about me, but I'm not really that weak, you know. I've survived being Fragglenapped, being caught in a cave-in in the Crystal Caverns --."

Crooner nodded. "Yes, yes – I know. May I not tag along? You are always calling me lazy … I just want to feel useful right now," he said as he hung his head.

The Princess sighed and nodded at the twin pipe buried in his robes. "Where did you get that, anyway?"

Crooner frowned imperceptibly, hating that she liked to change the subject when it came to offering a chance to be together, and told her, "The lead Fraggle Minstrel's instrument is the Magic Pipe. It has special powers and is inherited from the previous lead Minstrel." He shrugged. "I don't usually have it out because I like the guitar better."

"But you saved me," Princess Gwenalot noted with a sly smile.

Crooner stood back and blushed. "Uh … yes … I suppose so." He scoffed and averted his eyes, unable to contain a small grin. "I just didn't want to get caught having to take care of your mirror should anything happen to you. She can be hard to get along with, sometimes."

Princess Gwenalot laughed. She enjoyed the idea that Crooner wanted to woo her, but was too cowardly to take as well as he gave. Still, there was business to attend to. "Actually, speaking of Mallory, would you mind checking on her?"

Crooner's face froze. "Mallory? Your mirror?" He slicked back his hair and stared at the ground. "Why are you suddenly worried about her?"

Princess Gwenalot smiled warmly and placed a hand tenderly on Crooner's shoulder. "She's my best friend. I want to make sure the rockquake didn't crack her." She paused, knowing full well that Crooner would protest this as yet another attempt to distance herself from him. "Crooner, I'm not mad about the whole genie thing. You didn't know he'd try to kill me and Sir Blunderbrain. I'm asking you to do this important thing for me because … because … because I trust you with her most of all."

Cooner sighs and looks away wistfully. "Your wish is my command, milady," he told her sadly.

She smacked him upside his head. "Don't talk to me like that, Crooner," she barked half-playfully. "You aren't my slave or anything. You're … more than that," she said finally as she left him to return to her cave.