"Yes!  The Fay came from a different world to my world, too!  And then a lot of them went back, but some of them stayed.  I've met a few of them - wish I could meet more!"

They were very curious and eager to talk, and - unlike most of the other Court visitors - not at all upset to let the very young Princess listen in.  Occasionally they'd even answer her questions!

"... You're undying?  I didn't even know that was possible... Barvid -"

- the evil wizard who's usurped her throne; Eriape might be able to see a momentary expression of distaste -

"- says he's undying, but I thought he was just lying?"

"He Might Be! It's Very Tricky to figure out how to be Undying. This Barvid- is he a Smart Man? Does he have Badger Friends?"

This might be Useful!

"I've never met him - they say he's smart.  He's definitely got new magic nobody else has, especially battle magic.  He says he's invented it... Fraddir says he might be telling the truth there.  That'd mean he's smart, right?

"I haven't heard he likes badgers.  Or any animals, really."

"Inventing new Magic shows some Cunning, it is True, but- If he doesn't like Badgers, he cannot be Very Smart."

(badgers cheer)

Eriape looks at the Girl with renewed interest.

"What kind of Battle Magic does he have?"

She breaks into a smile on that first response.  "Oh - badgers are wise?  Smart?"

"They didn't tell me the whole story - about the battles - but I overheard -

"He cast the whole army into fear and confusion even before anything else.  And then he threw fire over them.  And reached out at a distance to make the catapults misfire.  And - and -"

^{"- and Papa tried to be brave, they said, but the fire burned him -"}

(She's openly crying now, not even thinking about her disguise. Though when she does remember it, she'll remember that any number of girls' fathers died in that battle.)

She nods, listening to the description with Interest.

She is Crying! I should Comfort her. 

Clarabella walks over and leans against Lila, with some of her badger friends. 

"This man seems to have Good Spells. You should Learn Magic even Better than He, and Defeat Him. Since you are a Girl and you Like Badgers, you are likely to be Successful in this Endeavour."

Lila flops down sitting on the floor and cuddles the badgers up around her.

Eriape has the same Plan as Fraddir!

"Yes!  I'm trying to - or, well, I want to - Fraddir's trying to teach me, but I can't do much yet.  And he has to spend most of his time with the forge; he's making something magical for me but he hasn't told me what."

Somehow it doesn't feel right to show Eriape her invisibility ring.  That's something for enemies or the wild.  Instead, she sticks her hand in the pocket of her homespun skirt.  Yes - there're still a few lodeflower leaves there.  And that's one spell Fraddir and Selma both made her practice till she got.

"I could show you a pointing spell if you want?"

"Yes! I would like to See!"

(Editor's Note: Eriape has Permanent Arcane Sight!)

Lila takes out the lodeflower leaf.  It's not quite dried, but not fresh either; Selma had plucked it a couple days ago.  She rips it into three parts, breathes on them, and (with a whispered "pardon me" to nudge the badgers aside) sets them on the ground in an equilateral triangle.

Then she takes out a sliver of wood from her pocket.  It'd come from the door to Fraddir's cottage; Selma had made sure she'd always have it to point her way home -

- and she shakes her head.  "Oh, I'm not sure if it'll work from here.  And... even if it did work, how would it point to something in another world...  Got something I can use?  Something that comes from something else, like maybe a bit of fur from a badger?"

Eriape opens her belt-purse and digs around inside, and picks out a few things.

"This a Little Leather Sack that used to be full of Basilisk Scales, but I keep bits of Copper Wire in it."

"This is a Horse Chestnut. I think they're Pretty. I have Preserved it Magically, though a Clever Spell of my own Devising."

"This is piece of Adamant, that I broke off a Ruined War Golem with a Mighty Spell"

"This is a Rock I found on the Beach. It is Interesting, because it has a Natural Hole Straight Through."

"This is an Orb. It is Magic. I do not know whose it is, but it is not Mine."

She hands Lila a black glass ball, very heavy for its size, with tiny white sparks zipping around on the inside

She looks at the girl. "Would any of those do?"