"I expect we will. Hopefully only the once."

He's still walking. He kind of didn't realize that there was a bunch more stuff between himself and the Byzantines, he still has to conquer most of Bulgaria once he slows himself again. Bulgaria is somewhat bigger than he remembers. Greece, though, is largely under Byzantine control, so it might be useful to get his bearings there before he heads around to Asia Minor and then circles up around the Black Sea again to meet the Russian fairies who are going to slow him. He heads to Greece.

He's clear on the fact that you shouldn't eat fairy food, but not on which food belongs to fairies. He kind of assumes that if it's growing undisturbed in the wild, it's probably OK.

The fairies who stop him strongly disagree! They're really mad about it, actually! They want to know how he's going to pay for that.

Great. What do they want?

Well, what has he got?

Not a lot on him, honestly. 

Maybe they'll just keep him? That sounds fun.

He sort of has to get back to these other fairies up north, though. 

That really sounds like not their problem. 

Well, see, if they don't let him go he's going to stab them, and then that will be their problem.

He stole their stuff, he can't stab them.

He can, though.

She can hear Sigrun and Tyr crying, elsewhere, but it takes her a moment to be capable of caring about it.

"I really, really hate that guy."

"Technically it's possible that one of my parents did something really stupid instead but I admit it's not likely.

We should be cautious - this night - misfortune's often subtler than this and there's no guarantee that this was all of it  -"

Nodnod. 

...hug?

Hug. 

Much hug.

"I should find the kids and explain. But - the last time he hurt me there wasn't anyone to go to. And at least now there is. ...also this time I know he's hurting at least as badly, that's some comfort after all."

"Should be much worse. I'm entangled for about his life, which isn't great, obviously, but it's not nearly enough to get full transference."

"Well. That's... something, I guess.

"Maybe he'll decide not to do it again."

"Maybe! I hope so! My family's probably pretty mad at me right now."

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"'s okay. Hopefully he learned his lesson."

"Yeah.

"I really wanna snuggle you for five more hours but I should actually go give the kids a hug and an explanation first," she says, and then very reluctantly leaves to go do that.

The Emperor of Scandinavia wakes up naked in a stone dungeon cell with a bad headache and a sword arm that doesn't work anymore.