Home again, home again.
It was early evening when they saw Troutdale airport lying ahead of them.
Roger smiled and said, "Well, we made it and Moby Dick made it!"
"Ay coorse he made it, Ah did most ay th' flyin'!" Cried Freya with a laugh.
Having gotten clearance to land and after a final check on the landing gear, Freya eased the big sea plane onto the runway at Troutdale airport.
As the heavy plane scrubbed off speed, Roger glanced out his window and saw their tall van parked beside the hangar where Moby Dick was kept between flights.
He thought he saw the slight forms of Anita and Anastasia standing beside the tall van, but they had gone past it before he could be certain.
Slowing almost to a halt, Freya steered the sea plane onto the service road running parallel to the runway.
Many of the denizens of Troutdale were standing outside and waving at them as they taxied past.
Roger grinned and waved back, acknowledging their welcome home gestures and glad expressions.
Moby Dick was back!
Home from a nearly nineteen thousand mile excursion across the Pacific, the plane's formerly white exterior bore the travel stains from its long flight, and Roger knew he would be hearing from the airport's own aircraft maintenance crew about giving him a much needed scrubbing!
Freya stopped the plane and by holding the brakes on the right side then throttling up the left engine a bit, neatly pivoted Moby Dick until he was lined up with the parking spot next to the hangar.
She then reversed the propellers and backed him into place before stopping, setting the parking brake and shutting off the engines.
Activating the post flight cool down system, Freya grinned at Roger and he laughed, they were back!
Unbuckling their seat belts, they opened up the plane and stepped outside in the evening air.
"Welcome home strangers!" cried Anita and she zoomed into Freya's arms for a hug, while Anastasia glomped onto Roger with surprising strength for one so slender.
A warm kiss later she said softly, "Welcome home!"
Roger grinned at her, "It's good to be back! Annnd, I've brought a little surprise!"
Anastasia stepped back, raised a perfect eyebrow and said, "What did you find this time?"
He grinned, turned slightly and called out, "You can come out now!"
Moments later, both Anastasia and Anita squealed in girlish delight and said in unison, "You're sooo cute!" as they beheld tiny Lana for the first time.
The two foot tall menehune was standing in the doorway of Moby Dick, dressed in an outfit she'd lifted from one of the fashion dolls Freya had gotten from Danny Chen's Smartdoll booth at AX, 20XX when she had gone there.
Smiling at everybody Lana said brightly, "Hello everybody, my name's Lana Llacuna, what's yours?"
Anastasia smiled at the tiny menuhune and said, "My name is Anastasia Karloff and it is my great pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
Anita bowed slightly and said, "My name is Anita Larsen and I am delighted to meet you!"
Anastasia grinned and said to Roger, "Dena, is going to have kittens!"
He laughed and replied, "I expect her to! Now, enough with the gabbing, we've had a long flight and a nap is in my very near future."
Anita laughed and said, "Good luck with that once Dena sees Lana here."
Anastasia paused a moment, then asked, "What happened to your friends?"
Freya smiled and replied,"Lorna is wi' 'er auntie's fowk in Japan an' Christina was invited tae bide wi' 'er fur th' rest ay th' Summer."
"Ah, okay"
A few minutes later, with their luggage tossed in the back and their travel weary forms ensconced in their seats, Anita drove the tall white van to the big house known as Wolf Hills manor.
Lana sat up front in Anastasia's lap, looking out the windows at the sights and sounds of Portland, Oregon.
When Anita brought the van into the driveway and came to a halt, Lana saw the massive forms of several giant wolves, several humans, and a house spirit, all patiently waiting for them.
Sitting on top of the mature female wolf was a tiny, blonde haired, very curvy girl, same size as her.
The van stopped and shut off, then Roger opened the sliding door and stepped outside the van.
The curvy little blonde squealed in delight, leapt off the she-wolf's back, grabbed onto him and began kissing Roger right on his lips, something Lana would never do.
After a moment, he deftly moved the tiny blonde to one side and glommed onto the huge female wolf, her floofy tail wagging happily as she shlurped him on his grizzled cheek.
Finally, Roger let go of the gigantic wolf and said to the little blonde, "Dena, I'd like you to meet what may be a distant relative of yours!"
He gestured to Lana and she waved before saying, "Hello Dena, my name is Lana, Lana Llacuna and I'm a menehune from Hawai'i!"
Dena's mouth briefly formed an adorable 'O' and she said,"Ah'm a wuidelf frae Canada an' Ah bide wi' Roger tae tak caur ay heem."
The two tiny women circled around each other, sizing each other up until Dena said, "Ah see yer me own size."
Lana grinned and replied, "It does look that way, I got these clothes from a fashion doll that was given to Freya. I hope you don't mind my wearing them, I didn't really have any clothes for this cooler climate we're in."
Dena raised an adorable blonde eyebrow and asked, "Whit sort ay clase did ye bring?"
Lana smiled and held up her little satchel made from palm fronds and replied,"This sort of 's my native clothing and all I have!"
Dena looked up at Roger and said accusingly,"Did ye hae 'er runnin' aroond naked sae ye coods swatch at 'er? Am Ah nae guid enaw?"
Freya laughed and said cheerfully, "Then Ah guess we'd best nae tell 'er aboot aw ay us skinny dippin' in th' lagoon at Wake Island!"
Roger rolled his eyes at Dena's gob smacked expression and said, "Welp, there's no putting that cat back in the bag, our secret's out now!"
"Whaaaa?!" cried Dena, then she said, "Whit were ye daein'? Runnin' aroond aw naked? An' ye didnae tak' me?!"
Roger chuckled, picked up Dena and as he cradled her in his arm he said, "First off my tiny bedbug, it wasn't planned that way, it just happened and yes, they saw as much of me as I saw of them, not that anyone was complaining."
He grinned and said, "I hadn't been thrown like that since I was a tyke!"
Anita grinned and said, "Nevermind the nekkid part, how was the lagoon?"
Lana giggled and said, "It was very nice and warm, like a giant bathtub kinda warm and Freya was just tossing us around like we were her playtoys. She threw me the farthest!"
At that comment, Dena twisted herself around and poked Roger on his grizzled cheek as she said stoutly, "Dornt ye e'en hink ay takin' anither trip loch 'at withit includin' me!"
"Or me!" declared Anita Larsen nascent author of several young adult novels.
Roger smiled at her comment then glanced at Anastasia who quickly said, "Not me, that's waaay more sunlight than I can handle, I'd burn to a crisp!"
"But, you're always going outside during daylight hours up here?"
"Hello! Northerly latitudes? Sunlight less strong up here, easier to compensate for with proper clothing and sunscreen lotions, liberally applied!"
"So, no tiny swimsuit photos of Anna Karlsen next to a tropical lagoon, then?" said Roger with a wink and a grin.
Anastasia smiled and retorted, "As if! I only do boudoir spreads with lots of pastel satins and fluffy pillows, to be seen by a very select few, no cameras allowed!"
Freya merely rolled her eyes, took up her luggage and went into the house muttering to herself.
When he had a moment, Roger turned to the ever so patient, pastel shaded silk clad house spirit, bowed towards her in respect and said, "As always, thank you very much for your patience with me."
Silky flushed slightly and swept into his arms for a very brief hug, then she disengaged and swept back into the house, the faint rustling of silken garments being the only sound she made.
He next turned to Warren who was standing there with a foaming tankard in one hand and a grin on his leprechaunesque face.
"Welcome home and here's a bit of ale to wash the dust from your gullet!" he said as he handed Roger the foaming jack of ale.
Roger gratefully took the tankard, saluted Warren and with a cheery "Probst!" Took a big sup.
A long moment later, he lowered the somewhat lighter tankard with a sigh and said,"You're not going to believe this, but I barely touched alcohol while I was gone, too busy flying the plane and keeping two young ladies in the same condition I found them!"
"And that condition was?"Asked Anita while Anastasia hovered nearby in case of a juicy tid bit.
"Virginity unsullied for one." replied Roger "Of course once we left Christina in Japan with Lorna, all bets are off!"
"How did that happen?" asked Anita with one raised eyebrow in place.
Roger grinned and said, "It seems her grandmother wanted to marry her off to someone she knew and Christina was having none of it! A big argument ensued with lots of bad feelings and unkind comments tossed into the mix. Grandmother read her father the riot act and it was decided that perhaps, Christina should stay in Japan a bit longer until things have cooled down in Quezon City."
"Sounds like it was pretty crazy for a bit." remarked Anita.
Roger shrugged and said,"It'll be alright, I made sure I was the bad guy who interrupted everything and took Christina away from her grandmother's house...Without permission."
Anastasia purred, "Deflected and distracted?" her lovely eyes twinkling in amusement.
"It worked, didn't it?"
Roger looked down at his tankard and remarked, "Somebody's gotten into me ale! As Old Harald would say."
"'at someain woods be ye!" cried Dena's squeak of a voice from down by his right knee.
Roger laughed, took up his luggage and went into the house once built for a giant.
He was now officially home!
The next morning he and Freya woke to a mild uproar.
Tired from all that flying over the past three weeks, falling asleep together in her huge bed was the perfect welcome home for both of them.
Even the tiny presence of Dena happily burrowing in between them was barely noticed.
Sitting up in their bed, Roger looked around in confusion until he remembered where they were, in Freya's bedroom.
He listened for a few moments and picked up snatches of conversations drifting through the air.
"Trust me, you look great! This is the last weekend, we gotta make it count!"
"Where's my book of bawdy poetry?"
"Axel! You're getting hair all over my bodice!"
"Check out Dena! Flauntin' those curves, you go girl!"
He heard a soft clopping sound, the sound of Flora's hooves, "Woah! Check out Flora!"
There was a gentle rapping of knuckles on Freya's door and Anita quietly said, "You guys awake in there? We're getting ready for Faire in case you might want to go."
Freya groaned softly and muttered, "Ah'm awake, gie me a few..."
Roger called out, "We're still waking up, give us a few!"
Anita laughed and replied, "Take your time, we're still garbing up out here!"
Roger slipped out of Freya's huge bed and toddled into the en suite bathroom with its giant sized fixtures.
Feeling like a child again, he turned on the shower and soon was standing in the warm stream, washing away the dregs of sleepiness and travel weariness.
Halfway through his shower, Freya stepped in and suddenly, the huge shower stall didn't seem quite so roomy as her towering frame took up much of it.
Finishing up his shower, Roger stepped out and quickly toweled off before exiting the huge bathroom, once made for a giant.
With his towel wrapped around himself, Roger slipped out of Freya's bedroom and into his own before he was seen by anybody other than one of the many sprites that lived in the house.
He laid out his Renfaire garb before he took off his towel and when he did so, he heard Dena's squeak of a voice as she exclaimed, "Noo Ah can say Ah've seen th' sam things Lana saw!"
He yelped and threw his damp towel at Dena's tiny form, "You little pest! Go peep at someone else...Sheesh! It's not like you haven't seen me before!"
Dena artfully dodged his clumsy attempt at revenge and gleefully skipped out the door to his bedroom, which he firmly closed and locked after her departure.
Dressing quickly, he left his room and went down stairs to see about a breakfast.
Entering the dining room he saw the whole mob seated at the big table, all dressed in their period finery as they ate.
At the head of the long table sat a silvery dome.
Anita said cheerfully, "That's your breakfast, courtesy of Silky."
She grinned and said, "She must've really missed you as she insisted on making your breakfast, even though Anna was already in the kitchen playing short order cook."
Roger smiled at Anastasia seated at her own breakfast and said, "Funny seeing you here so soon after AX, and all that it entails!"
She smiled and replied, "I came up here to decompress after that madhouse. The final headcount was almost four hundred thousand attendees for that weekend, I must've sold and signed thousands of my books!"
She grinned, "This'll be my first Renfaire!"
Roger chuckled as he uncovered the hearty breakfast Silky had made for him, he would give her an extra large cup of fresh cream later on in appreciation.
A short time later, they were piling into their prospective vehicles.
Anita and Flora were riding with Warren Johnson, while Anastasia would be riding with Roger, Freya, Dena and Lana. Naturally little April, Roger's spritely companion hitched a ride, she wanted to visit and play with her friends at the Faire.
The drive south was its usual tedium in town and picking up its pace once past downtown Portland and onto Silverton, near where the Faire was being held.
Freya steered the tall van into a parking spot and soon they were exiting the tall white van.
Anastasia slathered herself up with sunblock and set her big hat into place before tying it down with silken ribbons, to keep it in its place.
With everything in place, they headed towards the entrance where they could hear the town crier making announcements.
Moments later, a cannon boomed, the gates opened and fanfare commenced, the Faire was open!
Freya grinned, she was wearing her special doublet that she had been given for helping to set up the faire stages, it signified that she was a crew member and therefore, got in for free.
Drawing nearer they saw Tom Shannon puffing contentedly on his gnarled pipe as he extended greetings to one and all.
He grinned hugely as they drew near and called out, "Yer cuttin' it mighty fine this year, ye almost missed it!"
Freya smiled at him and said, "We jist got back frae uir trip athwart th' Pacific in uir aeroplane!"
Tom grinned and said, "Why'd ye hurry back?"
Freya laughed and retorted, "Whit, an' miss th' Faire? Ah hink nae!"
Roger grinned as tiny April settled on his shoulder so Tom could see her.
The older man smiled at the wee sprite and said cheerfully, "It's glad I am to see you again, Miss April!"
He smiled at Anastasia and said, "It is good to see you again, welcome to Canterbury Shire Miss Anna."
He then spotted Dena walking with Lana and said, "Oh, Hello! These old eyes haven't seen you before. Whence came you and from where?"
Dena beamed and said in her piccolo of a voice, "She's me cousin an' she cam frae Hawai'i!"
Tom smiled and bowed as he swept his battered hat off his gray head before he said in his most courtly manner, "'Tis my great pleasure to welcome ye to our marvelous faire, what name shall I convey to our most gracious queen?"
Lana smiled at the older man and replied,"My name is Lana Llacuna and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, kind sir!"
Her ensuing fit of the giggles was politely ignored by all concerned.
After all, she was new here, mistakes in protocol were to be expected and allowances were made.
As they got closer, Roger paused to pick up the ladies to lessen the likelyhood of either one of them getting stepped on.
Stopping at the ticket booth, he bought three adult tickets and got two alcoholic beverage wrist bands which he gave to Lana and Dena who wrapped them around their waists.
The girl in the ticket booth freely gawked at the sight of the two tiny ladies as they put on their wrist bands like belts and smiled at each other.
Taking them up again, he grinned at the ticket taker as he realized that Roger was carrying two doll sized girls with him.
Freya had simply smiled at the ticket takers as she strode through the gate and into the faire grounds, her doublet signifying her as being a crew member.
Once inside the Faire proper, Roger saw Lord Thistle waiting for them with a smile.
He was to escort them to the Queens court at once!
Smiling at Roger's approach he spoke, "Hail and well met, sir knight! I see you've brought visitors!"
He smiled at Dena and said, "Lady Dena, it is a great pleasure to see you again, you are as lovely as ever I see!"
Dena tittered before she said, "Et is guid tae ye agin, yer lairdship!" she gestured towards Lana and said, "Thes is Lana, she may be a cousin frae Hawai'i, nooly cam tae thes lain."
Lord Thistle smiled at the tiny menehune and said, "It is a great pleasure to meet you Lady Lana, our gracious queen will greatly enjoy meeting you!"
Roger smiled as he set down Dena and Lana before turning to Anastasia and saying, "Anna, Id like you to meet John Thistle, Lord of Canterbury shire and emissary to Elizabeth, the queen."
He said to Lord Thistle, "My lord, may I introduce to you Anastasia Karloff, AKA Anna Karlsen, author."
Anastasia smiled as she extended a hand and Lord Thistle shook it politely while saying, "Our gracious queen enjoys reading your works, she will be delighted to meet you Lady Anna."
As he turned to lead them to the Queen's court Roger asked,"Have you seen Anita the Bard yet?"
Lord Thistle smiled and replied, "Yes and her friend the Lady Flora Oakenwood made quite the impression!"
Roger chuckled and muttered, "I'll bet she did!"
With Freya taking one hand and Anastasia taking his other arm, Roger found himself being the center of attention as he appeared to be squiring not one, but two lovely ladies.
His cheeks darkened slightly at the attention he was getting, namely the knowing grins on the faces of the menfolk.
Or the occasional muttered, "How does he rate two?"
With Lord Thistle leading the way whilst carrying and chatting with Dena and Lana, they made for quite the impression.
Court protocol required that they stroll in an unhurried manner, so as not to appear to be in a rush, while proceeding towards the Royal Court to pay their respects to the queen.
Arriving at the Royal Court, Lord Thistle paused to set down his tiny companions who smiled and thanked him for the ride.
Roger and company stopped just outside the court and waited until they were announced.
Freya standing just over nine feet tall now, made for quite the sight as she stood there in her garb.
Anastasia stood beside Roger wearing her own form of garb, it being a simple long sleeved dress that even covered her hands and had no discernable seams, as it was a gift from Silky.
The outfit helped bring out her lithe dancer's build and being like a second skin, it hid nothing while covering her up from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
'Devastatingly sexy' was the comment Roger had made when he first saw it.
Standing just in front of them were Dena in her own traditional outfit and Lana wearing a Hawai'ian traditional native dress.
Lord Thistle stepped forward and announced, "Your grace! May I present Sir Roger Tate, knight of the realm. Ladies Freya Sigurdsdottir and Dena Greenwood of the realm. The lady Anna Karlsen, author and the lady Lana Llacuna, come all the way from the realm of Hawai'i!"
The queen smiled and clapped her hands in delight upon hearing Anna's name and strove to control her urge to squeal at the sight of tiny Lana dressed in her native garb.
Roger, Freya and Dena all stepped forth and paid their respects to her majesty, which she acknowledged with gracious smiles and nods of her royal head.
Then it was Anna's turn to step forward, curtsy and say, "Your Majesty, it is a great honor to make your acquaintance. I look forward to visiting this faire and enjoying its entertainments, its foods and its drinks!"
The queen beckoned and said, "Come hither that I may look at you better!"
Anastasia smiled as she stepped forward and the queen rose from her throne and stepped down from the dais to embrace Anna Karlsen, author of popular Gothic romance novels and actual 263 year old vampire out in the sun.
The two women separated and the queen turned her royal attention to the two tiny mythical beings, come to pay their respects.
The queen gestured and a page swiftly placed a three legged stool for her to sit on.
Lord Thistle assisted her as she took a seat.
Once seated she smiled at the tiny visitors and said to Lana, "Welcome to our fair shire, may your visit be a pleasant one. What pray tell, do you call yourself?"
Lana smiled at the queen and replied,"My name is Lana Llacuna, I get my clan name from the Hawai'ian native family my family lives with, as Menehunes we adopt the name of the family we choose to live with."
"I decided to join Roger and Freya on their way around the Pacific after I had learned of Dena's existence and wanted to meet other 'little people'."
She smiled and said brightly, "It has been very interesting!"
The queen smiled broadly at her remarks and asked,"How so?"
Lana grinned, "The people that I let see me have all told me about the stories of the 'shy ones' or the 'youkai' in the form of bakenekos or kitsunes in Japan and on my home island we spoke of the Nawao, the giants that were driven up onto the high mountains."
Lana glanced up at Freya's towering form and said, "My people believe that the Nawao may have been some of Freya's people and after learning of Dena's people, I decided to travel with them to meet her."
The queen smiled at her remarks and said, "We are grateful that you came here and are looking forward to learning more about your people and your customs."
At her signal, a page stepped forward and held out a small purple ribbon.
The queen took it and said, "Lady Lana, allow us to present you with this small token of our esteem!"
Lana stepped forward and at the queen's directive, turned around so the queen could tie the ribbon in her dark brown tresses.
When Lana turned back around the queen smiled and declared, "Welcome to our fair shire Lana. May our friendship grow and prosper!"
Having paid their respects to the queen at her court, they set out for the nearest ale stand.
Arriving at the stand, Roger placed his tankard and the little tankards of Dena and Lana on the counter.
"A pint of your Summer shandy for me if you please and the same for my friends."
The tavern maid glanced at him and smiled as she whisked away his tankard to be filled.
Moments later she set his foaming tankard on the counter then took up the two little tankards.
She looked them over then leaned over the counter which caused her operatic bosom to lap against the top of her peasant blouse and threaten to spill over.
Seeing the two tiny women looking up at her, she smiled and said, "Hello Dena, you're looking well I see."
Smiling at Lana she said, "My name is Marian, I run this ale stand, and you are?"
Lana grinned and replied, "My name is Lana, I am a Menehune from Oa'hu and it's my pleasure to meet you Mistress Marian."
Marian smiled and replied,"I'll have your wee tankards filed in a jif!"
She straightened up and the crashing waves of her bosom settled down quickly.
Filling the tiny tankards took but moments and as she placed them on the counter while Roger counted money to pay for their drinks.
She smiled as the two little ladies sipped at their drinks and smiled at her.
Noting the 'of drinking age' wrist bands placed around their waists, she chuckled and said, "I like your choice of belts!"
Lana giggled and said, "We didn't know what else to do with them!"
There was brief pause while Freya got her own tankard filled with a cider and a remark from Marian, "It's hard to believe you're not yet twenty one, as big as you are!"
Marian smiled at Anna and gladly filled her tankard with cider as she said, "Thank you for coming to our faire!"
Anna grinned at her and replied, "It's a pleasure to be here!"
They set out to find Warren's booth where they could sit in its shady interior and enjoy their drinks.
He was easy to find as his giant wolf companion was sitting outside under the shade and enjoying the attention of many a faire goer, before they stepped inside Warren's booth to peruse his wares.
In her deep fur was nestled a goodly number of tiny sprites taking advantage of her bodily warmth and soft fur.
Warren was standing outside his booth talking to Anita and Flora when he noticed them approaching.
He smiled and called out, "Hail and well met!"
Roger called out, "Good morrow! How fares thee?"
Warren grinned, "No complaints here, except for my tankard running dry faster than I'd like!"
"I can't help you there my friend! Could it be a pixie has gotten into your ale?"
Warren smiled, "Pixies are always welcome to my ale, just as our sprites are always welcome to come visit a spell."
Roger held out his tankard, "Summer shandy, courtesy of Marian's ale stand, care for a sip?"
Warren grinned and took the proffered tankard, said "Probst!" and took a mighty sup.
A young couple strolled past and there was a pause as the young man found himself looking Flora over a little too closely for his young lady's liking, before she tugged on his arm and all but dragged him away.
In his defense he could be heard exclaiming, "Did you see the costume she was wearing? Those horns looked so real, and I could've sworn she had hooves!"
Anita giggled and said merrily, "That's the fifth guy today to react like that!"
Flora could only smile shyly and say apologetically, "I don't mean to stand out like I do, I can't help being what I am!"
Swftly glancing over her outfit Roger grinned and said,"Wearing an outfit designed to catch the eye is certainly a part of it. Then again, you are a part of the show here."
Roger smiled and said, "This is a fantasy faire in many ways, and in recent years people have come to expect fantasy more than authenticity."
He gestured at Freya and said, "It really began when Freya and I first started coming here, then we brought Dena and noticed all the sprites living around here."
He grinned, "Warren and I began putting up hidey holes for the sprites in addition to the bat boxes and that encouraged more sprites to come here. It's all good really, the faire has benefited, the sprites have benefited and so has our karma!"
He smiled at his towering companion, "Freya has pretty much grown to womanhood here and is now a part of their crew."
Warren smiled and said, "I'd love to see some of Freya's people come down here especially her cousin in law Britt! That girl dressed like a barbarian and carrying a huge axe, would really make an impression!"
Anita laughed and said gaily,"All those gamer boys who love to play WOW or any of the other fantasy games involving muscular barbarian types would be following her around like love sick puppies. All those curves and muscles of hers covered in furs and chain mail, would be killing them!"
"Or a chain mail bikini and a big ass sword, like some comic books I've seen out there." opined Warren.
"Death by snuu snuu would become a possibility in their minds." said Roger drily.
Warren chuckled and said, "Let's hear it for snuu snuu!"
Freya merely rolled her bright blue eyes at their commentary and said, "Whilst ye twa hae yer wee fantasies, Ah'm aff tae see abit a coupla acrobats an' their noo show!"
Not caring who saw it, she leaned way over and lightly kissed Roger before straightening up and striding towards one of the stages.
As she walked away, virtually everyone turned their heads to watch her walk by.
At nine feet two inches tall with red gold hair and Norse goddess looks, she stood out no matter where she went when she wasn't at home with her people.
Dena naturally reached up and tugged on Roger's sleeve, "Dinnae fret none, Ah'm still haur!"
"And what about your cousin?"
Dena glanced over at Lana who was happily sitting on Astrid's furry self and said, "She'll be fine, nae warries thaur!"
Roger simply reached down and picked up Dena who as always, snuggled up against him as they were bonded for his lifetime.
Anita called out to Lana, "Flora and I are taking off, you want to come along?"
Lana seeing that Dena was occupied by Roger, grinned and hopped off Astrid's mighty form before getting picked up by Anita who said cheerfully, "Bring on the puritans!"
A few moments later, it was just Roger, Warren and Dena now seated inside his booth.
Warren paused a few moments while he slipped behind the curtain that hid the cubby hole in the back of the booth.
When he reappeared his large tankard was full again and he said with an impish grin, "One gallon growlers are a wonderful thing!"
"That and lax security not looking too hard at what the 'merchants' are bringing in, a growler or two lurking beneath the day's luncheon can be easily missed,especially when the thirsty Beefeater knows they can stop by a certain booth and get a sip or three."
Warren merely grinned and remarked, "This faire is much more casual about us merchants bringing in 'refreshments', they know we're pretty much confined to our booths during the day. Getting food is no problem as the Green Man inn will send me a lunch if I ask for one."
He sighed, "Southern Faire got to be pretty strict about a lot of things, I knew a few guys who got banned when they objected to the stricter rule changes after the new owners took over."
"I'm guessing no more 'after faire' parties?"
"That and no more camping out in the back of the booth, even though they still allowed a cubby hole, you weren't allowed to spend the night in it."
Warren gestured around, "Some of these booths belong to folks who live in other states, these folks travel from faire to faire during the season. To keep their costs down, they'll live in the back of their booths throughout the faire, they're almost like the Roma at times."
Roger heard the faint buzzing of her wings and tiny April came whizzing into Warren's booth, a big grin on her tiny, quite adorable face.
Settling down on the cabinet where Warren kept his sales stock, she chirruped, "Choclit?"
Warren smiled at the wee sprite standing before him and said, "Just a moment please!"
As he was getting out his tiny cannister filled with chocolate morsels, a second tiny sprite came whizzing in and settled down beside April, she also wanted 'choclit'.
Roger smiled at the newcomer and said, "Well hello there Julia, is Maribel nearby?"
Julia giggled, which on a tiny sprite was almost too cute and pointed outside.
Roger looked where she was pointing and saw Maribel in full Renfairy mode, her tiny, taut body dressed in an almost not there outfit, she was perched beside Astrid's massive form where even the most ardent lurker would keep his distance.
Warren smiled and said, "That girl is definitely easy on the eyes." as he was giving out chocolate morsels to the two sprites.
The tiny pair thanked him and with a whirring of their lacy wings, they left the booth to go play.
Roger chuckled and said, "Wearing an outfit designed to catch eyes and being insanely cute also helps."
Warren saw Roger's grin as he was putting away the chocolate and said,"What?"
"And I'm the one who gets called a sap when it comes to the sprites!"
Warren grinned and retorted, "I'm just better at not getting caught spoiling the wee sprites, like you do."
Roger could only shrug at Warren's comeback, it was true he did get caught regularly 'spoiling' the sprites as he enjoying watching them going about their daily lives.
"Any more travel plans?" asked Warren.
"I think we're done with traveling for this year, Freya's got college starting this fall and her studies might interfere with any traveling she might want to do. She does have a coming of age ceremony coming up around her eighteenth birthday, but that's next year."
A mundanely dressed woman with a young girl in tow, entered Warren's booth to look around.
The girl child was wearing a blue Disney Princess costume, the one where the princess in question lived in a frozen land.
While her mother admired Warren's offerings, the girl was looking around in her boredom, clutched to her bosom was a somewhat bedraggled plushie toy snowman with a carrot nose.
As luck would have it, she spotted Dena who had fallen asleep on the straw bale while Roger and Warren were talking about boring things, again.
The curious child gasped and exclaimed, "Wow! Lookit th' dollie!"
Then reached for the sleeping form of Dena Greenwood before Roger could intervene.
Hardly had the child picked Dena up before she awoke and began kicking to be set back down, NOW!
The child released Dena in her surprise at finding that the sleeping 'dollie' was now wide awake and pissed off!
"Leave aff ay me!" cried Dena in her most outraged squeak of a voice.
The man sitting next to her suddenly extended his arm between the child and the angry woodelf.
The child's mother exclaimed, "What's going on here, why is my child so upset?"
She rounded on Roger, "What did you do to my daughter?" she demanded to know.
Dena cried out, "He didne dae anythin' tae yer bairn, she grabbed me an' Ah gart 'er tae pit me back doon!"
At the sound of her high pitched voice, both mother and child gaped in amazement at the two foot tall woodelf standing on the strawbale beside Roger.
"You can talk?" gasped the child's mother.
Dena folded her shapely arms across her well rounded bosom and declared,"Ay coorse Ah can gab! Aam nae dollie tae be snatched up loch a toy! Ah am a woodwife an' wulnae be handled withit sae much as a by yer lae!"
The girl child smiled at Dena in wonder and said, "My name is Samantha and I'm sorry to have been so rude. I really did think you were a sleeping dollie and wanted to get a better look, please forgive me!"
Her mother briefly glanced at her in surprise and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost be saying 'who are you and what have you done with my child?'"
The girl looked up her mom and said, "Don't you get it mom? We're in a fantasy, here we'll see people like her. Don't you remember the giantess we saw earlier, or the girl with the horns and hooves?"
She gestured at a somewhat mollified Dena and said brightly, "Now we're seeing an elf!"
The child looked at Dena and asked, "Did I get that right?"
Dena smiled and replied,"Ah am a woodwife, ur a wuid elf hen. True elves ur taller much loch men ur tall. Oanly they left a lang time ago."
The child cocked her blonde curled head slightly and asked, "Where did they go? The true elves I mean?"
Dena could shrug and reply, "They left ben a gate tae anither warld beyond uir own.
"That's aw Ah ken abit it. They simply left."
The child sighed and murmured, "I'm sorry to hear that, I would love to see elves someday."
At her remark Warren muttered, "Wouldn't we all!"
The girl's mother blinked and said, "That's right, we came in here to buy something to remember our dog by, before we got so distracted!"
Roger grinned and said, "Dena and I have got some visiting to do and we must be off!"
He smiled at the girl and said, "Samantha, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance, enjoy your stay at our faire!"
Samantha grinned and squealed with delight when Dena held out her tiny hand so she could shake it.
Extending her own hand, Samantha beamed when Dena grasped a finger and shook it gently.
Roger stood, gathered up Dena, doffed his hat at the woman and her child, then left to see who else he might chat with for a spell.
One of his first stops was the small booth selling freshly baked Scottish meat pies.
The young woman inside the booth grinned as she saw Roger and Dena approaching.
"And a good morrow to you M'lord, m'lady!" she called out as they drew near.
Roger smiled at her and replied,"And a very good morrow to you, young miss, how fares your booth on this fine day?"
She grinned, "Middling well M'lord, middling well. The visitors seem to be liking my wares."
Roger chuckled, "That's always a good thing is it not?"
The young woman nodded enthusiastically in agreement and asked, "How may I help thee M'lord?"
Roger looked over her offerings and said, "I would like a couple of your steak and mushroom pies with some mash and crumbled bacon on top."
He glanced at Dena and she said, "Ah woods loch a steak an' tattie pie."
The girl smiled at the tiny woodelf and asked, "Would you like some mash with bacon on top? It's very good!"
Dena thought briefly and smiled as she nodded a 'yes'.
Roger laid money on her counter and said, "We'll be right back, our tankards have runneth dry!"
As he took up Dena and strode away the girl called out, "M'lord! Your change!"
"Keep it!" replied Roger as he homed in on a nearby ale stand.
"Huzzah, for the tipper!" was heard in the background as he stepped up to the ale stand and smiled at one Meredith Baker, a long time friend of Warren's and at present, manager of an ale stand at the Canterbury Shire Renaissance Faire.
Meredith smiled at the two of them and she said to Roger, "I'm so glad you and Freya made it back in time for our faire."
She grinned and said in a conspiratorial tone, "Warren was fairly pining for you two to get back from the Pacific."
Roger chuckled and remarked, "We almost didn't get back in time, Freya found herself putting up a few Inukshuks here and there and we brought back a distant cousin of Dena's!"
"Oh? Pray, tell me more!"
"Her name is Lana and she is here with Anita and Flora, so you might meet her before end of faire, if not at the closing party afterward."
"Does she look like our Dena?"
Roger chuckled and replied, "Think Polynesian beauty Dena's size and you'll have a good idea of her appearance."
Meredith clapped her hands together and smiled, "All the more reason to stick around tonight!"
Placing his tankard on her counter Roger said, "Summer Shandy if you please!"
Dena set down her own little tankard and squeaked, "An' fer me too!"
Moments later, Meredith accepted Roger's money plus his usual tip and they returned to fetch their Scottish pies.
With pies in hand, they sought a place to sit and eat and were soon perched on a picnic table, enjoying their meat pies and sipping at their Summer Shandy.
Sitting on the table top, her feet dangling, Dena quickly demolished her steak and potato pie with mashed potatoes and bacon bits sprinkled atop the mixture.
Roger eyed his tiny companion and said, "You weren't very hungry were you?"
Dena grinned and said, "Ah skipped breakfest thes morn as Ah wasnae guttin'."
Roger rolled his eyes and muttered, "That explains your appetite just now."
"Whit's next?" asked Dena.
"Next we catch a show! Let's see how Freya and her acrobat friends are getting along?"
Dena grinned as he picked her up and cradled her in his arm, the look on her tiny face was one of pure bliss.
She was with her Roger again.
Striding purposefully, they soon left the eateries behind them and were rapidly approaching the the 'arts and entertainment' district.
Roger smiled when he saw the 'pocky arsed mob' up on the 'den of iniquity' stage in the midst of performing one of their favorites.
The young woman who had been lured on stage was blushing prettily while the singer was beseeching her with wooing words, she burst out laughing when he began pleading with her to have intercourse with him, regardless of what her man thought about the idea.
He in turn, was laughing at her discomfiture, while she was mouthing 'I'm sooo gonna get you for this!'
Continuing on his way, they walked past the 'Iron Lady' show.
She was a big, muscular woman, well over six feet tall and she was performing feats of strength with a small man as her assistant/ toy.
She easily tossed him about while going through her routine.
Roger smiled to himself as he pondered the effect Greta Ericsdottir would have on such a show.
Greta had greatly impressed him with her size, strength and fashion sense.
Her clothing tended to emphasize her shapeliness and muscularity with its 'steampunk meets Scottish Highlander' look.
Her ability to carry two firkins of ale without discernable effort and her workout that left Ildico and her boyfriend Phillip exhausted had made quite the impression.
Her younger sister Britt was no slouch either in his opinion.
Leaving the Iron Lady and her 'toy' in mid toss, they rounded the bend and saw Freya strolling along, a young giantess out enjoying the fresh air.
A loud whistle and a haloo! interrupted her leisurely stroll and she paused while a colorfully dressed small man strode out from the stage and began coaxing her to join him.
By signs and courtly speech, he lured her onto the stage whilst Roger and Dena quietly took their seats to enjoy the show.
"We have a volunteer!" The small man cried as he stood next to Freya's towering form.
He turned to her and cried "Hast thou time to spare for a dalliance with romance?"
She looked him up and down, measured his height with her hand and noting that he barely came up to her crooked elbow, declared, "A dalliance wi' thee? Surely thou jest, for thou barely come up tae mine elbow.
P'raps thou hast taken lae ay thy senses if ye seeketh a dalliance wi' me."
With that she made ready to leave until the small man cried out, "Oh beauteous lady, spare me a moment more, for I have a solution to our dilemma!"
He dashed off the stage while calling over his shoulder, "I shall return!"
For a few moments Freya stood alone on the stage looking around and muttering, "Ah was mindin' me own business until jist a moment ago."
She looked at a small hourglass she was carrying and shook her head at how long it was taking for her would be lover to return.
She was just about to leave when her would be suitor reappeared.
He was now her own height, although his legs were absurdly long for his height.
Freya looked at him skeptically and remarked, "Whilst thou ur noo me own heecht, it appears thy legs ur overly lang an' yer torso is much too cuttie!"
She looked at the audience and declared, "He main hink Ah'm slaw upstairs, 'at me heecht has somehaw caused me tae become addled frae lack ay oxygen!"
The man stoutly declared, "My legs are just the right length, whatever do you mean by saying they're overly long?"
Freya laughed and said, "We'll see abit 'at!"
She stepped forward and slipped her hands under his armpits while asking, "Ye did wash thes morning, did ye nae?"
Before he could react, she lifted him above her head and shook him, which caused his stilts to slip out of his trouser legs and drop to the stage floor to his mock horror and the audience' s laughter.
Setting him back down she declared, "Whit dae ye tak me fur if ye hink Ah kin be fooled by a pair ay stilts?"
"A big, dum...Beautiful girl!" he cried in desperation.
Suddenly from off stage, a man's voice called out,"Freya?...Is that you up there?"
She looked over the audience, then broke into a big smile and waved her hand energetically.
"Cam oan up haur, me loove!" she cried and moments later, a man made his way to the stage, on his sturdy shoulders was riding another man.
This man cried out, "Freya my dove! My beauteous lady, how I have missed thee!"
The sturdy fellow doing all the work, got to the stairs and grumped,"T'would be nice if thou wert playing the beast once in a while!"
He tried to take the first step, failed and groaned, "Ooof! Thine arse hast grown too heavy for mine knees!"
The top man visibly rolled his eyes and said, "I offer you fame and this is the thanks I get?"
He looked around for sympathy and cried, "Why can I not find good help these days?"
The beast man grumbled, "Why can I not find a good boss these days?"
The costumed duo briefly separated until the bottom man finished mounting the stairs and resumed his alloted task, that of being the living platform supporting his boss' attempts at wooing.
Freya embraced the awkward duo and as she held them, the first man stood there in disbelief and cried, "What do they have that I don't have? Why have they barged into my show and thwarted my desires? Was it the stilts?"
From off stage, a woman's voice called out, "I turn my back and off you go, chasing after tall women, am I not tall enough for you?"
Everyone's head turned and a near seven foot tall woman, strode to the stage and leapt up onto it.
She stood towering over the first man, while ignoring Freya and the costumed duo at their social intercourse.
"Am I not tall enough for you?" she growled.
Roger chuckled as he recognized the woman, she was Emma Schmidt a former team mate on the Portland Pilots basket ball team.
He felt a presence sitting down next to him and a soft voice purred, "Isn't that Emma Schmidt? I gave her a signed copy of one of my books that one year."
He smiled and asked, "Enjoying our faire?"
Anastasia smiled at him and said, "Very much so. The climate here is more in keeping with the English renaissance than the southern faire where it can get so hot!"
"So I've heard."
Anastasia asked, "Just what is going on here? I'm seeing Freya with two men and Emma with a man, what gives?"
"Utter chaos as far as I can tell!"
Anita's soft voice asked, "What on earth is going on up there?"
Glancing over, Roger saw her and Flora taking their seats nearby.
Despite the floral garlands wrapped around them, her glistening horns were readily apparent and so was tiny Lana seated on her knee.
The original actor threw up his hands and cried, "How could this shit show possibly get any worse?"
Emma cried, "Don't you go changing the subject!"
The first actor declared, "Anyone else want to join in?"
Anita grinned and said, "C'mon Dena, I've got an idea!"
Scooping the tiny woodelf up, Anita clutched her to her modest bosom and murmured her idea as she headed towards the stage.
Seconds later she strode to the center of the stage and with a smile and a curtsy, said, "Hello everybody, I would like to show you what my puppet can do!"
Setting Dena on her feet, Anita stood over her and began waggling her fingers as if she was working with a puppet.
Dena began by walking around at first and as Anita's fingers waggled more, she began to dance.
Leaping and bounding, twirling in place Dena danced across the stage with a brilliant smile on her pretty face.
The first actor stood there with a bemused look on his face, "Upstaged by a puppet! Is there no end to my suffering?"
Anita's fingers ceased their waggling and she turned towards the actor, "You asked for volunteers!"
Dena at that point strode over to the first actor and standing as tall as she could, cried out in her piccolo voice,"Who're ye calling a puppet? We're aw puppets haur!"
The audience gasped as what they had thought to be a realistic looking puppet turned out to be in actuality, a real person albeit a very tiny one.
Not to be outdone, Lana jumped down and quickly made her way to the stage where she too confronted the actor by saying, "Am I a puppet to you?"
This inspired even more exclamations from the audience as they realized Lana was also a real person.
Roger looked over at Flora who was fidgeting while she sat and looking around hesitantly.
She clearly wanted to get up on the stage along with the others, she looked at Roger, her lustrous eyes pleading, her hands snugged against her pretty bosom.
He smiled and said, "Go ahead, I'll watch your things."
She smiled and stood up, then adjusted her skirts to show off her deerlike legs and cloven hooves to even greater effect.
With a firm clopping sound, Flora strode up to the stairs and cried out, "Don't forget me!"
Once on the stage she began dancing, her cloven hooves drumming on the stage's floor.
The original actor cried out, "Oh beauteous lady! From whence you came and why haven't I seen you before?"
By now, Roger could hear mutterings of, "Woah! Didja see her legs?" "Does she really have cloven hooves?" and "How did she make those shoes?" "Are her horns for real?"
Anastasia muttered, "They think she's either in costume or she's wearing some sort of prosthetic limbs."
Flora whirled to a stop and declared, "I came from afar to visit this lovely shire and see for myself if the tales I've heard be true!"
She fixed the actor with her look and said, "Are they?"
He just stood stock still while talking to himself.
"Are they true?"
The actor shook his head and looked out at the audience while saying, "Ever had one of those days? Welcome to my version!"
The sudden ringing of a bell signaled the end of his show was fast approaching to which Dena strode to the center of the stage and waved to get the audience's attention.
Once she had their attention, she began singing and waving her hands in a fare thee well.
For those with the sight, sparkles could be seen coming from her fingertips while she sang her song of forgetfulness.
When she was through singing, she said happily, "Thenk ye aw fur comin' tae uir show, we'll se ye aw next year!"
The audience broke into applause and gave generously to the tip collectors as they made their way out of the open air theatre.
Finding themselves standing in the road, Roger and company mulled over their choices as it was getting late and the faire would soon be closing down for the season.
Then the after faire party would take place and would likely go on through most of the night for the younger and more energetic faire crew members.
Anastasia, Anita, Lana and Flora decided to help Warren Johnson take down his wares for the season and quickly set off for his booth.
Roger, Freya and Dena made their way to the royal court where Freya was given a Beefeater's doublet made in her size.
Putting it on, she joined up with two other Beefeaters and they set off to begin shooing visitors and playtrons out of the faire's grounds.
The queen smiled at Roger and remarked, "We nearly missed you three this season and next season will be running an extra week end. Thanks in part to you and Sir Warren's efforts at improving our faire site. Because of your efforts we have had a larger attendance than before and we feel that you in keeping with your position, shall henceforth wear clothing in keeping with your stature within our community."
Roger smiled at her and bowed in response, "Thank you, your majesty. The Whartons have my measurements, I shall contact them once I get home tonight."
Moments later the closing gun boomed and the merchants began finalizing their last sales or closing up their shops.
The Beefeaters began gently shooing dawdling playtrons or visitors towards the exits.
At the royal court, the nobles and their entourages began assembling for the closing parade.
The musicians and the guardsmen arrived and formed into their groups.
When the last of the Beefeaters had returned and taken their places, a great fan fare was sounded by the trumpeters and the marching drums began their steady beat.
The parade began and Roger fell in with the other knighted minor nobles as directed by the queen herself.
Finding himself marching alongside Sir John Thistle he smiled and remarked, "It seems I have to upgrade my wardrobe at the request of Her Majesty!"
The Earl of Canterbury Shire chuckled and remarked, "Wait till she makes you a member of her court!"
Ahead of them they could see Freya's red clad form striding alongside the queen's sedan chair.
Sir John remarked, "It wasn't so long ago that she was merely a very tall peasant girl come to visit the faire. Now she is wearing the Beefeater's tunic and walking alongside our gracious queen in a closing parade."
As they marched past the merchant's booths and acknowledged their efforts, the merchants fell in line behind the procession and added their number to the ranks.
Marching past Warren's booth, Roger saw him with Anastasia, Anita, Flora and tiny Lana as they waved at the queen.
Once the end of the procession marched past, they joined the serried ranks and added to the merriment in their own way.
At some point, Roger found himself scooping Dena up and placing her in the crook of his arm as he strode.
Lord Thistle chuckled to himself as Roger had executed this maneuver without breaking stride.
As they entered the tavern green in front of the Green Man inn, the procession circled around until it had formed a colorful circle with the queen overlooking them all.
There was a final fanfare and a frenzied beating of the drums, then there was silence.
The queen stood and smiled at her gathered subjects. Then she spoke, "To my loyal subjects, the time has come for this wondrous faire to close."
She paused, "It has been a most delightful journey to this fair shire of Canterbury and it saddens me to leave you all, to have to resume my responsibilities as your regent."
She smiled brilliantly and said, "But first! I have an announcement! Because of the hard work of all of you here, our faire will be extended next year to three week ends, instead of the paltry two."
A collective gasp was heard, then spontaneous applause broke out and the crowd roared its approval, this was welcome news indeed!
Still beaming the queen placed her lace gloved hands together and she bowed to the colorful assemblage, to which the crowd responded in kind.
Straightening up again, the queen cried, "If you all will join me in song, we will now say our fare thee wells to Canterbury Shire 'til next year!"
Her clear voice began to sing.
"May the circle be open but unbroken...
Moments later the crowd took up the song and joined her.
"May the peace of the Goddess be ever in our hearts
"Merry meet and merry part
"And merry meet again!"
Their final verse was, "Huzzah! God save the Queen!"
And with that, the faire was ended when the queen took off her crown and placed it in its carrying case until next year.
The musicians began playing a lively reel and before long, couples began dancing on the tavern green.
Others lined up at the ale stand with tankards in hand, among them stood Warren Johnson with his own tankard, standing with him was Meredith Baker, the long time friend he had moved north to be near.
Roger himself was feeling a mite peckish so he got into the food line at the tavern, with him was Dena, as always.
Freya soon joined him and the trio enjoyed watching the dancers all awhirl.
Roger smiled when he saw Anita dancing with her long time paramour and knew that they would soon slip away to engage in a more intimate form of dance.
Maribel the Renfairy, had found herself a dalliance for the evening and he was marveling at how tiny and taut, her finely tuned body was.
Flora was dancing with a fellow who was dressed as a Satyr.
At best, he was clumsy by comparison to the lovely Northern Wood Nymph with her deerlike legs so lively and in full view, no lurkers or cameras were around now!
Overhead there seemed to be this soft glow as if the stars themselves were shining down upon the revelers at play.
To Roger and the others with the sight, they could see the hundreds of tiny sprites flying overhead, their sparkling trails blending together to form a soft glow.
Even though he was carrying Dena in one arm, he still held Freya's long fingered hand.
Roger smiled when he recalled that at one time, her hand was the same size as his own, now it was considerably larger and it was even more comforting to hold on a quiet night at home before the fire in the front parlour.
Freya looked down and smiled at him, the warmth in her expression conveyed her hidden feelings far better than mere words could manage.
He too, felt the warmth deep inside his most secret of hearts, the one he kept hidden from all who came near. It was not time, not yet.
They ate, they drank and they danced until the midnight hour, and that was when Roger called it a night.
Making their way out to the parking lot, Roger was relying on Freya's excellent night vision to help find their tall van in the dark.
She opened the door and climbed in while Roger with Dena in the crook of his arm, climbed into his own seat.
Behind them Flora settled into her seat while Anastasia said happily, "I haven't had that much fun in ages, I must've danced with half the nobles in the Shire!"
She grinned and said to Flora, "You're really quite the dancer!"
Flora giggled and replied,"It kinda just happens when I hear lively music, my feet just want to dance!"
They paused before leaving and looked back at the faire.
While it was mostly dark, above where the tavern green lay was a softly glowing dome from the sparkling trails left by the many, many sprites flitting about high over head.
Roger gently patted the tiny form of April snuggled in his Doublet and said to the sleepy young sprite, "Your friends really do make a pretty light."
She said sleepily, "They're shawin' their gratitude fur aw th' shelters ye an' Warren hae put up fur them."
He murmured, "And we were happy to put them up!"
Freya engaged the transmission and they were off.
Back to Wolf Hills Manor, and their home.
21