Days passed, then weeks. King Ajax and Meliboia made a stopover in the Pearl Palace their honeymoon, and found it more wonderful than the treasures of far-off lands. They toured the Palace and the Isles around it. They played with Prince Robert and his sisters, laughing in joy as he called them by name. And at night, they retired, unless the High King and High Queen called on them to tend to the children while they themselves withdrew to the Royal Chamber, or the Dungeon.

Still, there were grimmer duties as they cemented their final victories and dealt with the prisoners brought in. A day came when Morel came before them, and with him Amanito. It was Ajax who rose to inspect them. "Manny," he said to his Chamberlain, "I did not know you were unhappy."

"Of course you did not," Manny said. "You always wanted to see peace, even when there was no peace. I saw the havoc you caused, just by trying to be kind to everyone in equal measure, and I took full advantage of it."

Ajax turned to Morel. "Morrie," he said. "We always treated you well. We let you expand your Realm into the largest of the Mushroom Realms. Did you feel the same?"

"I was happy," Morrie said. "But you and your brother and the rest still treated me like the minstrel I once was."

The King shook his head. "It is for the memory of who you were that I would show you mercy," he said. "What I see now, I do not understand. I place both your fates in the hands of the High King."

Hector finally spoke. "There are vast territories in the Wild Wastes that Biarma has opened to us as part of the peace," he said. "You are both to be sent there, with your Ladies and any who prefer exile to my rule and that of my brother. You will be free to rule as you please, but do not think you are too far away to be watched. Now, bring Biaku."

The Emissary of the Biarmamen was brought in. Hector spoke directly to him. "You came to us as ambassador, so even now, you are not in my power," the High King said. "But I have not forgotten that you presented yourself as a friend, and allowed us to confide in you about our Realms and our families. You may return to your Khan, but you will never be welcome in our Realms again."

Biaku bowed in submission. "It was my duty to appraise your Kingdoms as potential ally or potential threat," he said. "My further actions were by order of the Khan. Your sentence is lighter than what is likely to wait where I return."

"Then I offer an alternative, if my brother approves it," Ajax said. "I will give you passage to the Red Desert and New Irem. Then if they will admit you, go to the courts of Pruna and her Lord Naam. Give them counsel on your Khan and his ways, so that they may further advise the lords of the Realms on how to guard against him, and how to deal fairly as well."

"You are good and merciful Kings," the Biarmaman said at Hector's nod. "I accept your offer."

"Now," Hector said, "let us see what Skarff has to say."

The Eater entered, escorted by two Astakoi. "Well met, Ajax and High King Hectoorr," he said. "I have come to inforrm you, a decision has been made by the Union. Lemmia is to speak for the Worrld Island in our proceedings. Lady Meliboia indicated that this woould be most to your liking."

"Yes," Ajax said. "We discussed it between ourselves, Lemmia and the Dowager as well. All of us fully approve. There may be trouble with the Kings of the Realms, once they fully understand what was offered and what your decision entails. They will honor my decision and yours, one way or another. Nothing they can do would change things."

Skarff bobbed in something like a bow. "Have yoou considered ourr further offer?"

Ajax shrugged. "The choice is my Lady's as much as it is mine," he said. "If you can provide the means to sire a child with another without breaking our vows or another's, I would consider it. We will think on it."

"It is already yoours to receive, whenever you are ready," Skarff said. He gave another bow and departed.

Finally, Joe and John were led in, accompanied by Lady Meliboia. Rather than coax them to speak, she gave a direct report. "A search party of the Myrmidons found the largest section of the Halcyon Dawn in the islands beyond the Middle Kingdom, far from any lands known among the Realms," she said. "Joe and John had helped Kiv and his copilot build a watercraft from the wreckage. When the search party arrived, he asked immediately if there was word of Nopalina. When they told him of her farewell, he swore to find her and set sail." She sighed. "That's Kiv."

"And what of Nopalina?" Ajax asked.

"It appears that she disabled the transponders and the autopilot on the parasite craft," Mel said. "If she travelled as far as its range would allow, it would have come down somewhere in the Far Isles, unless she turned directly east over the Sundering Sea. If Kiv is searching for her, he will at least be looking in the right place."

The King shook his head. "We know enough of the Isles to see that it is folly to try to survey them," he said. "There are thousands of them, teeming with dangerous creatures on land and sea. If he would search them, all he will get is a lifetime of questing, if something does not eat him first. Perhaps that will be enough to give him peace. For that matter, has anything been learned of Persephone?"

"I have had my best Mages look into it," Hector said. "They say they have lore of the spell she attempted. It could have taken her anywhere in the World Island, or to another Island on the Disc, or to another plane of existence entirely. That is assuming nothing went wrong and she did not trap herself in limbo."

"She did not make a mistake," Ajax said. "Whatever else she was, she was confident enough to take me with her. She would not have gone without utmost confidence." He looked back to Mel. "Ah, and what has come of the Geryon?"

"It appears repairable, if it can be lifted into orbit," Mel answered. "By the Codes of the Myrmidons, the ship is mine to claim. Our chief difficulty is the ship computer. If Infra truly transferred herself to the ship, than nothing can be done without her approval. It is possible that her reason and consciousness have already decayed."

"It is best to lift the ship soon, whatever may come," Ajax said. "Hama is pressing for access to see if she can replicate its technology. So are the Smiths and Alchemists of our Realms. A great deal of trouble could come of it, even if they can do nothing."

"They still haven't replicated your Music Box," Hector said. "I'm not worried. But yeah, it's better that they don't get any more ideas than they already have."

"Yes," Ajax said. "Now, I have another matter to attend to… the Mirror."

Ajax descended to a lower chamber that counted as part of the Dungeon of the High King's Palace. The two Prunas stood, each with a hand to the mirror. The glass showed the luminous form of their counterpart, both hands raised. Lemmia shook her head. "The last Pruna is not just in the Mirror, she is of it," the Lindormess said. "We cannot free her, short of destroying the Mirror itself. For all we know, that would destroy her. For that matter, I cannot rule out that it would destroy the Realm, and perhaps the World Island itself."

The Image in the Mirror spoke to them all, like an itch inside the skull. "The root of your fear is ignorance," she said. "The Mirror was made in love, for good, not evil. Even now, its magic cannot be so corrupted as to do harm, much less destroy a world. The real perils are those you can neither know nor foresee."

Ajax waved the Prunas aside. He pressed his own hands to the Mirror. "Image," he said, "is there a way to free you without destroying the Mirror?"

"Not without summoning Powers that could do you far greater harm," the Image answered matter-of-factly.

Ajax nodded. "Could the destruction of the Mirror also destroy the one who destroys it?"

The Image appeared to consider her answer. "No, not directly," she said. "But the Mirror is not without the capability to defend itself. Take its power too lightly, and you might be lost in a world of its making, or your own."

"I would be the last to make that mistake," Ajax said. "I have a final question. Would you ask to be free?"

The Image smiled, sadly. "I would wish to be freed, though I know not what would wait for me beyond the Mirror," she said. "I still would not ask you to bear the risks that you would take if you set out to free me, or the pain it might bring you. But you would not be the man we all loved if I did not know you would do it."

"Then the course is decided," Ajax said. "First, however, I must speak to Hector."

He returned bearing the Hammer of Hector, with both Hector and Meliboia at either side. "Come on, brother," the High King said. "We're talking about a copy of a Princess in a magic mirror. Let it be."

Ajax gave more heed to Mel. "If you need this, I'll take care of it," she said. "Give me that hammer, and the Mirror is sparkly sand."

He considered that. "No," he said. "I can see now how much harm I have done to those I loved and those who would have loved me. Every time, I admitted I was to blame, even if I was not, but I still never accepted the price. Now, I am paying once for all. Besides, this Mirror has caused me enough grief that I will be glad to see it go."

To everyone's surprise, and Hector's embarrassment, High Queen Daffodil emerged from an adjacent chamber. "Hello, everyone," she said. "I was… ah. Um. Down… here. So, I overheard a little. I thought, maybe, it would be good to talk."

She put a hand on Hector's cheek. "My husband," she said. "My brother." She kissed Ajax on the lips. "I have loved you both, for as long as I have known you. Sometimes, I still am not sure which of you I love more." She took his hand. "Now, whoever is in the Mirror is my sister. If it's anyone's fault she's there, it's mine. So if you can set her free, then kick that Mirror's butt!"

She stepped aside, and the others did the same. "Hold on," said the Mirror Pruna. "I should be back in my world before you do this. I will help you if I can." She disappeared into the Mirror.

Ajax advanced with the Hammer raised. "You have tempted me, and I have feared you," he said directly to the Wishing Mirror. "It ends now. Whatever happens from here, I will be free of you." He swung.

The next moment, the Mirror was still there, shimmering visibly. King Ajax was not. "Dammit, not again," Mel said.

"Well, that was my Hammer," Hector said.