Fallon returned to the table, sitting to the left of the King. He asked, "Are you going to tell him?"
"You, Fallon, are his uncle. It would be easier on his nerves if you told him."
"Before or after his first mission?" Asked Fallon.
"First, he must prove himself, and then he will more readily accept the startling news, especially as we know his inability to accept magic and then see magic in technology." The King declared. 'We need to discuss war plans if he fails this task."
"He will not fail," Fallon staunchly said.
"Ah, the Scot has spoken, and it shall be so," laughed the King.
"And it is written in the Diary!" Fallon reminded the King.
"I am disturbed by the Griffin situation. The Queen should not have come here to brood. The Griffin King has given us an ultimatum that must be accomplished within days. First, the Queen and cub/chick will be put through the portal.
If not, After that, his troops are ready to go through the portal. And that is a swarm we want to avoid seeing or fighting."
"Will the Griffin King give us an exchange?"
"Yes, more than we need, but I agreed to it.
A small compound will be erected on the hilly mountaintop. Two couples will nest and raise their families - when the young are grown, those families will return to Griffith, and two new teams will replace them. They will be our first defense against an invasion.
But first, the Queen goes with or without her cooperation," declared the Panther King, then asked, "How long will it take the youngster to return to us?"
Fallon said in his official reporting voice, "You know that tunnel likes to appear to elongate when someone new goes through it. It is an anti-theft/spy device that automatically clicks on until it recognizes it is a repeater and friendly - so, I estimate we have time to discuss what tools I need to equip the hunter."
&&&&&&& In the tunnel
With all alerts up and on high, the tunnel added more turns due to Alaisdair's curiosity. The tray of dishes was starting to become a heavy burden - another feature that stopped indolent workers, not that there were any in this Keep, but the tunnel had this feature and used it for the first time, and it worked perfectly.
As soon as Alaisdair realized he needed to relieve himself of the burden and paid attention only to get to the scullery, the tray lightened but still was heavy as the tunnel features caution. Two more turns and Alaisdair spied the door at the end of the tunnel.
The door was a swing door. Alaisdair pushed his hip to open, brought the tray around to enter, and fumbled with the tray.
The young woman at the sink had turned to help, and Alaisdair was in awe of her beauty. She grabbed the tray, managed to right it, and slid it onto the counter. Her hair was golden and flowed in waves kissing her creamy white apple cheeks and nesting on her shoulders.
The sunlight through the window was bathing her in its glow. Her deep sapphire eyes twinkled as Alaisdair blushed shyly and walked backward into the wall knocking the clock off the wall.
She again sprang forward and grabbed the clock on its way to the floor, bumping him, and he grabbed, steadying her. His blush deepened as she was enclosed in his arms, albeit with a clock as a barrier.
She looked up at him with a large dimpled smile and said, "Welcome home, Prince Alaisdair."
Alaisdair dropped his arms, inched along the wall to the door, and said, "I beg your pardon. My name is Alaisdair, but it is Peyton - I am Alaisdair Peyton."
"Yes, Alaisdair, welcome home."
Alaisdair, still bemused, said, "Thank you, Pretty Lady - excuse me, I must get back to the King and Fallon. It's right. Right?"
She said, "Yes, Alaisdair, it is correct. Just stay right."
&&&&&&& bemused and amazed
Alaisdair was lost in the corridor maze, thinking of the young woman in his arms for too short a time. She was his ideal dream. But did he meet his vision, or was this all a dream?
He bumped into the door to the King's chamber. Fortunately, it too was a swing, but his bump was forceful, and it swung back and hit him, knocking him down.
This time the King sprung from his chair and went to help him up.
Alaisdair was dazed as it had also hit his head. Did he see the Black Cat again, and it morphed into the King? Tosh! Your imagination is running ahead of your senses. Doubt has ridden his mind since he dropped into the misty valley.
The King said, Alaisdair, "You move very fast, and in that, you will have an extraordinary ability to overcome all the monsters you meet in your path, but daydreaming is not a good characteristic to entertain because it bewitches your senses and will cause you to harm like what happened now."
In a musing undertone, the King returned to his sitting area and said, "You. my boy, will soon outstrip your sire in size. I sense another spurt is soon to hit you."
In a hearty voice, the King said, "Ah, Fallon, just in time, young master is eager to start on his quest."