"Yeah - okay, why don't we take your kids to court first. That way they won't interfere with capturing their father, and we can ask my brother to send an expedition to help us carry him there unwilling, which would be difficult for just the two of us. - I didn't want to go home until I had some things to start repaying them with, but it's not that important. Then we can leave the kids at court and come back here and pick him up and go get them before it's evening."

Nodnod. "Okay."

Are the kids amenable to being rounded up and taken to court.

Yeah, the kids pretty much agree that they have nothing better to do.

Well, that's good enough. Off they can go.

Yep. It takes a little while longer, especially since they have to find more food, and since the kids mostly lack adult stamina and cannot just all be carried there, but they should make it in plenty of time.

They get a less than friendly welcome only if you're very good at reading his facial expressions. The kids probably find it a welcoming sort of welcome. There's a feast, and wine, and dancing, and everyone wants Catherine to tell a story.

Yep, she can do that, she's still not very near to running out of ones these people haven't heard yet.

Then she'll have an appreciative audience who also is very impressed with the whole lineup of kids. Some people ask Rána how many he wants. 

"This seems like enough to me."

She does feel like they have kind of enough to focus on right now. They will probably need more than just the one room even though they will not all be staying for nearly as long as they did last time.

Three little rooms all next to each other, with three beds in one and two beds in another and a stack of soft leaves in the third. Also a box. 

Rána is summoned to explain himself almost as soon as they're shown to the rooms.

She will just... wait here with the kids...?

He's back a while later. "Are the rooms okay?"

"Yeah, they're all fine."

"Oh good."

"You were worried they wouldn't be?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe some of the kids have bed allergies too, or something."

"No, I think they're fine. They - didn't find the palace as difficult as I did."

"I'm glad of that."

"Yeah.

"Any idea how long we stay here this time?"

"If we're leaving the kids we should stay long enough for them to get familiar with the rest of my family."

"Yeah, makes sense. I can introduce them to your father tomorrow, I suppose, I told him last time that the oldest ones knew more Arabic than I did."

"Then I am sure he'll be their best friend. For a couple sleeps, anyway."

"Well. I'm not sure if they'll find the obsession as charming as I did, but it seems as good a place as any to start."