Decided to go through with posting the rest of this thing. This was the point where I felt like I was already kind of in overtime, but I had a lot of fun.

The victorious heroes finally came to rest at an outpost called Midgard. It was an isle between the Mushroom Realms and a far land mass known only as The Wild Wastes, which only the Biarmamen claimed any part of, and that a great wilderness still further off. Midgard, on the other hand, was jointly ruled and settled by the Azure Realm and the White North. Its effective purpose was to maintain a great tower where skyships could moor for resupply. Even the port was ill-prepared for the Amphion and the parasite craft. Still, they managed to land the large ship in a level tundra and the smaller one in a bay that had not frozen over.

Ajax and Meliboia met with Empress Pruna in a banquet room that served as operations center. A map of the Realms of the World Island was already laid out. The High King of the Azure Isles waited for them. "Welcome, King Ajax, Ladies Pruna and Meliboia," he said. "Matters do not go well, but they could surely be worse. There is word that you have already achieved a great victory."

Ajax shook his head. "They exaggerate, at best," he said. "We destroyed a force of twelve ground troops, their transports and four escort craft. The loss cannot be greater than a platoon."

Mel shook her head in turn. "For the Myrmidons, that is a major defeat," she said. "They are not like the armies you are used to fighting and commanding. Their total numbers are 10,000 fighting troops and under 500 ships. Most of them are organized as small units, each with separate commanders and interests. The loss of an elite Agema and their support craft is not something they can easily afford. Losing to a single Misthia and a few locals with paranatural artifacts is something they can afford even less. Aeacus will be dealing with whole Clans threatening to withdraw from his Coalition."

"All right," Ajax said. "Still, he will have many more troops and ships to send against us. Even if he makes no other move, he still has Naam and Prince Robert for ransom, probably on the Geryon. It may not matter. How goes the battle in the Realms?"

"Lord Morel is marching against the Lavender Realm with an army of the Beasts of the Woods and a number of Biarmamen," the High King said. "The armies of the Red Realm have already come to the aid of Dowager Prunus. It is not clear who will prevail, but there will be no easy victory for the Brown Realm. The treacherous Aurelius has schemes to take the Aquamarine Isles and the Gold Mountains, but he can barely advance beyond his own Realm without his Sky Marines. He fears a gathering of loyalists on the coast of the Orange Desert; if he does not guard his rear, they may take his Capitol while he advances elsewhere. Things are worst in the White North. There, the Biarmamen advance openly and in great numbers. They burn and kill!"

Ajax nodded sadly. "Much the same happened in the Mirror World," he said. "What of the Lindorm Realm?"

"I have received word from Lemmia," Pruna said. "She rules in Naam's place, for now, and the armies of the East are halted at her borders. It appears that Hama is satisfied. At least, she will not war against her own daughter, yet. It would not matter, much. The treaties say that the Lindorms are not to take part in a war among the Mushroom Realms, unless called on by the High King himself. As matters stand, Lemmia does more for us by forcing the Biarmamen to leave a guard on their flanks."

"I would not have expected more, or advised High King Hector to ask for it," Ajax said. "It is already clear what we must do. If we are to enter the battle, we must do it at a place where the balance is already even. The Orange Desert is certainly most promising. By adding our strength, we might draw Aurelius into an attack, or start the open invasion he fears if he still ignores us. What of the Myrmidons?"

"They been seen everywhere, or at least people everywhere believe they have, but they rarely engage in open battle," the Azure King answered. "It appears that they fight only with weapons provided to them by the rebels, when they fight at all. All who have met them say that they are fell warriors, even with no other advantage."

Mel nodded in turn. "It is the standard rules of engagement dictated by the `civilized' systems," she said. "We cannot bring superior technology into an indigenous conflict, unless an opposing faction does the same first. The same rules apply to me, except that as the mate of a native, I am permitted to use my full arms and armor to defend myself and my family. The Myrmidons only dared to bring a fully equipped force against us at the Palace because it was not part of your World. Do not count on it happening again."

An Attendant arrived. "Lord Ajax," he said, "a Myrmidon ship approaches. They ask to send an emissary. They promise that they will be unarmed."

"Tell them their promises are as good as fools' gold," Ajax answered. "But since we cannot afford to refuse, they can send their Emissary."

By then, High King Hector and Queen Daffodil had been led to a private and luxurious suite. They lay under the sheets on a spacious bed, looking awkwardly at each other. "So," Daffodil said, "I guess there's Lindorm on Mummy's side after all." She pressed against him. "Oh, I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"What do you mean?" he said.

"You know… fuzzy dragon monster…"

"You are not a monster. You are my bride. I saw you when you came out of the Bridal Chamber. I looked on you when you were giving birth. You have always been beautiful. Did you think seeing you like that would be different? If you changed right now, I would still have you."

"Oh, you wonderful man," Daffy said. "But I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. There's parts that don't line up when I'm in Lindorm form."

"Come on," Hector said, "we both knew, we just didn't need to talk about it. I mean, there was when we had Sara. And our wedding night."

"Hmm, yeah," Daffy said. She smiled and sighed. "But you liked that, didn't you?"

"Of course," Hector answered. He laughed, nervously. "Still, it was, ah, a lot all at once."

Daffy giggled at that. "Well, how do you think I felt?" she said. "Really, Pru had been telling me to… practice. It just didn't feel right without you."

"You could have asked me," Hector said.

Daffy just giggled longer and louder. "We're really just beating around the buck, aren't we?" she said. She gave her husband a long and passionate kiss. "You finally rescued me. Well, you helped. And I'm still crazy Blooming. You know we have to do this. Everybody says, there's nothing like Pollinating after a rescue. I'm going to regret it the rest of my life if I don't do this for you."

"Well… you don't have to do it," Hector answered. "I mean, not if you don't want to."

"Oh, of course, I want to," Daffy said. "Don't you… Oh, what is it?"

Her husband looked at her, his lip trembling. "Daffodil, you were gone and we knew the Myrmidons weren't going to let you go," he said. "I told my brother we would get you out, because I needed to believe it. But I was so scared, I was scared I would be too late, I was scared I might still see… Oh, Daff, I wanted to die before that! And now, now, we still don't have little Robert, and, and… I don't know what I did!" He pulled her to him and hugged her tight as he sobbed.

"Oh, Hector, my King," Daffy said, cooing as she did to their children. "Of course, you were worried. And my heart is breaking without Robertito. But if we could get out of there, we can get him back. And I'll tell you something else. I saw what you did. It makes me love you more. It makes me want you more." She drew him on top.

"Mm," Hector said, "but your wedding dress…"

"Oh, that old thing?" Daffodil said. "I would just look silly in it now. Besides, it's just once. We might beat the odds. And if it does happen, it will hardly even show by our anniversary…"

"Okay," Hector said. "There's, ah, just one more thing… Maybe you should be on top."

"Um. Yeah, that's probably for the best," Daffy answered. "Mmmm… just like our wedding night." She pushed her husband down. As she straddled him, she threw back her head and blew fire into the air.

She promptly sank down, coughing and hiccupping. "Oh, wow," she said, beating her sternum, "that is no fun at all…"

Ajax and Mel stood before the shuttle, an evidently unarmed version of the parasite craft. Aeacus exited from the rear, accompanied by a woman. It took a moment for Ajax to recognize her as Nopalina. He eyed a collar at her neck. "Father," Mel said, "you betrayed me and my mate."

"You were warned," Aeacus said. "You know it was costly enough for us. Amyclas is still sequestered in mourning."

"You will answer me," Ajax said sternly. "You came to me as a loving father and an honorable warrior. I was happy to welcome you, and proud. I still am not convinced that I was wholly wrong. But your actions have been beyond the pale. It would have been one thing if you had declared your intentions in taking Naam openly; Naam himself would have cooperated. But you took my brother's Queen and his only son hostage. You then used her as bait to lure a woman I have loved into a trap, with the intent of killing both them and anyone you found with them. The only thing that you could do that might redeem you in my eyes is to release Prince Robert to my brother, return Naam to his people for an honorable ransom, and then depart from this World and the World Islands of the Disc forever."

"I deny nothing," Aeacus said. "But I have done nothing for pleasure or my gain alone. Everything that has occurred was by the orders of the people of your own world. But I am not here to dictate terms to you. I am here to make sure that you will listen to the one person that matters. Observer, come."

There was a shimmer in the air. A figure emerged, as if from around an invisible corner. Somehow, the King was not surprised by who it was. "Skarff," he said.

"Well-met, King Ajax," the Eater said. "There arre certain things to discuss…"