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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BoldItalic" data-source="post: 6786199" data-attributes="member: 6777052">Tharivol spoke up first. "We are oath-bound to King Gil-Galad," he said, "And our duty is to report all that has befallen here today. Strictly speaking, we should also try to apprehend you and hand you over to him, but we have seen your power and we know that such a thing would be impossible. Notwithstanding, We must go back if you will release us."Rylnethaz nodded. "Your loyalty does you credit," he said, "But you do understand that you go to your deaths? The moment you report to an officer, he will immediately disclaim responsibilty for the situation and send you straight to the king to give your account of his daughter's death at my hands. Then, whatever you say, the king will read your mind to see if you speak truly and he will realise that you know the secret of his power over his court. He will have you instantly gagged, bound and summarily executed to prevent you revealing it.""Nonetheless," put in Heian stubbornly, "Tharivol is right. We must go back.""Hmm." began BoldItalic, "Perhaps I can offer a way out. With a little double-thinking you can preserve both your lives and your honour.""How so?""You know that we entered the citadel through a portal from another world. We did not enter as enemies, but we might have done and indeed, if we leave and one day secretly return with a great army, we are now your king's enemies anyway. The portal is a weakness in your citadel's defences, is it not? But we have not revealed where it is, have we? Is it not also your duty to obtain intelligence that might help your king thwart a possible invasion? You must follow us to the portal, and through it, so that you can, when the opportunity arises, return to your superiors with detailed information. No-one else in the king's service is in a position to do that. It falls to you. In short, it is your duty to come with us."The two swordsmen paused a moment while they thought through the twisted logic of what the cunning wizard had said. They seemed to come to some unspoken agreement."Where is the portal?" demanded Tharivol bluntly."It lies within the heart of the citadel itself," said Rylnethaz carefully. "To show you that, we will all have to return there anyway.""You will not get past the outer gates. We will call for aid and you will be apprehended.""If we are challenged, you will say that the princess is behind us with her bodyguard - which is true - and that you are escorting us back to the citadel, which is also true. You need give no details."Of the two, Heian looked the more uncomfortable. Clotbert could see that something else was pressing on his mind. He guessed what it was. "I will scribe a sealed note addressed to your captain and you will ask for it to be delivered to his quarters to await his return. It will accompany a package of your comrades' personal effects and request that they be returned to their families. Eventually, when the captain does not return, someone will find the note and act upon it. By that time, we will all be long gone."Clotbert had guessed right, and Heian looked relieved. "You are not bad people," he said simply.And so it was, that they all reached the Infinite Staircase through the basement of the tower in the citadel. In case you were wondering, the gnomes had by now finished their work upstairs and gone home, whilst the lady-in-waiting, blissfully unaware of the deaths of both her mistress and her fiancé the captain, had gone to visit the glazier for immoral purposes that we need not dwell upon. Suffice it to say that handcuffs and a stepladder were involved.</blockquote>

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