The travelers file into the main hall of the castle, where a couple of barefoot guards are dusting the statues. A Skreek cook chases one of the guards out of the kitchen. "I said it's not ready! Ohhhhhh! Master Naochi, you're back!" The plump cook curtseys. "And Prince Dack as well! So pleased to meet you, sir!"

A spotted cub patters across the floor from a side room, chasing a red ball. As he catches it, he stops, and looks up at the new arrivals. His ears wiggle, and he drops the ball, running up to Willow!

"Heya Thorn! Did you and your pap make it here without too much trouble?" Willow shakes some of the snow from her clothing and kneels down to meet the cub at eye-level.

Thorn starts making a flurry of signs. In the middle of it, there's something about punching and running and grabbing and climbing and somebody bigger than Thorn but smaller than Burr, and more running, and riding on something, and something in his hand that's shiny, and more riding, then somebody jumping out of hiding, then more punching, then another shiny thing in his hand, then more riding, more punching … and then he wipes his brow and holds up the red ball.

"I hope they treated you well at Dack?" asks the black Khatta prince.

"Where's your father? Did you or he get hurt?" She pats the ball gently. "I see he got you a present."

Rezhinald walks past, carrying luggage. He then leans over to whisper to the cook. She gasps, and says, "Oh my! Yes, I'll set extra places right away!"

Thorn nods his head toward the doorway, then shakes his head, then nods enthusiastically.

Kiri makes his way past the cub. "Well! I'm going to go kick up my heels and rest my backside. Been on the back of an n'gyah too long!"

Willow stands and then holds her hand out to Prince Dack. "Have a good rest, Kiri. I guess we'll see you at dinnertime."

Prince Dack takes Willow's arm, walking alongside her. "I'm glad to see that Thorn made it here. I'll feel better when I see his father. All that punching pantomiming … I hope that didn't happen in my lands."

"Burr might not take the news all that well. You have to remember the condition you were in when he last saw you." The Skreek pats the Khatta's arm. "I really hope he doesn't think I've gone insane or doesn't hate me because of this decision. He doesn't like magic users, and I'm going to be marrying a mage."

Sebazhan's expression sobers. "Ah … yes. Ahem. Well, Thorn doesn't seem concerned… "

As they head along, through one of the side doors, they can see Burr lifting up a suit of chitin armor while a guard slides a pedestal in place. Another stands back. "Uh … a little more to the left. No no no … to the right just a smidge. There. Hold it! Hold it! Perfect! Now set it down careful-like… "

Willow bites her lip. "I'm probably just being a worry-wart." Her eyes widen as she sees the larger Savanite work on arranging the armor and she starts to pull her arm out of Dack's, clearing her throat a little.

Sebazhan seems taken aback at the sudden move, but catches on, and puts his arms to his side.

The armor hits the floor with a *KRANG*! "What are you doing? Why did you set it down so hard?" the guard protests.

Burr spins about, looks at Willow in surprise, then grins … though his smile fades to a curious and then wary look as he sees Prince Dack. He gestures toward Dack, orbits a finger around his ear, then makes a "no?" sign.

"He's fine, Burr. There won't be any more incidents like in Olympia." Willow shifts on her feet a little and then starts to pat the cheetah's arms and chest. "You big fuzzy… I was so worried you'd gotten hurt! Did you make it out okay?"

The cheetah has a few bandages on him, and it looks like he might have been in some scrapes … but it looks like the bandages are well applied. He signs, "Not get all you luggage. Sorry." He digs around in a pouch, then pulls out a silver coin, which he holds out and drops in Willow's hand.

The Skreek folds her fingers over the coin and then reopens her hand again. "Burr, you should keep this… as payment for everything you've done for me. I'm not sure if you're going to want to stay around after the news I'm about to tell you."

Burr gives Willow a questioning look, then signs, "But me get more coins. Beat up bad men try rob me, steal Thorn. Shepherds happy. Want hire me to beat up bad men all time now. But me come here instead."

"You were offered a job? But Burr… you could have… " Willow sighs. "Prince Dack and I are engaged to be married, this New Year's. I won't be going back to work for the Merryweather, and will probably settle here in Kroz. Dack's going to clean up his land, and we're going to get rid of that throne." She rubs the surface of the coin with her thumb.

Burr blinks. "You marry? You no need Burr and Thorn now?" the big cheetah signs.

Willow puts a hand to the cheetah's cheek. "Burr… X… I'll always have a place for you and I'll be willing to take care of you until the day I die. But you're a free man now, and so is your son. What is it that you want to do?"

Burr pauses, looking to be deep in thought. Not his strong suit.

"I'm sure you could have all sorts of employment potential," says Prince Dack. "You make work look easy. Do you have any idea how much that armor weighs?"

"I'll ask you this way then. How did it feel to know that someone wanted to pay you to work for them instead of being required to do so because of a collar around your neck? How did it feel to be able to buy your son that toy?" The Skreek tilts her head sideways. "You can support yourself here. It's not that I don't need you anymore, it's that you don't need me."

Burr finally signs, "No want say good-bye, but Burr want family. Burr work, get shekels. Buy freedom, mother of son. Maybe she marry me? Get Thorn books. Thorn smart. Not like Burr. You think good?"

"It sounds very good to me. As long as you're here in Kroz, I'll be happy to teach Thorn… to teach Little-Reed everything I know about reading and herbs. You don't have to use the names I gave you anymore either, if you don't want to." Willow tries to keep a happy tone to her voice, but her drooping ears and tail betray how she really feels.

Burr signs, "Me not call him Little Reed. He not stay little. Call Reed for now. He do good in fight. Sign me not to get hit in head from behind. Very good. He smart."

Thorn/Reed basks in the signed praise, ears wiggling.

Burr signs, "Burr go back to be X. Easier spell."

The Skreek laughs. "So be it. Although I hope you'll consider settling down here in Kroz, or at least visiting when you can? I don't want this to be goodbye forever… "

Burr nods. "Me go back south. Innkeeper have job. Me work there. Safer than pound bad guys. No want Thorn hurt."

"Then as long as you're south, I'll teach Reed everything I know, if you'll allow me." Willow clears her throat. "And I hope you'll join us in Rephidim for the wedding?"

Burr/X nods. "Me want see this for self!"

Prince Dack says, "I take it that whatever he's signing is good, right?"

"My dear companion X, formerly known as Burr, has agreed not to pummel you severely, good Prince Dack," Willow says, bowing to the Khatta with a flourish and a glint in her eye. "Just make sure he gets an invitation, and we get Bromthen Heaven to cater the whole event, and everything will be fine." She spares the prince a quick wink.

The prince lets out a quick sigh, at the "not to pummel" part. "Well! That went well. If you'll pardon me, I'll see where my bags have gotten off to." He winks back at Willow on his way out of the room.

The Skreek grins after the departing prince and then looks back to the cheetah. "One question… I don't care about most of the luggage, but were you able to save the big book that Testy gave me and the silly hat I picked up in Chronotopia?"

X nods. "They no touch big book. Hat get scrunch, but one piece."

"The hat's been scrunched a dozen times already. I just didn't want to lose one of my only memories from my time on the Merryweather. Ariel didn't spook you too much, did she?" Willow folds her hands behind her back.

X shudders. "She scare X. But she nice. She say you sister now. She say happy in west land. That good."

"I sort of adopted her." The gray rat grins. "How do you mean 'happy' in… west land?"

X signs, "In west land, Misty get married. Happy now."

His sign for "west" is pretty much the same as "that way", only pointing … west.

"Oooooh! Yeah… I wish you could have seen it. That Goldmane fellow showed up to cause problems, but Misty snubbed him and then the whole town pounded on him." Willow droops. "I think I've been exposed to too many weddings and caught some kind of bug." She draws circles on the floor with her toe. "Um… I know this is a crazy question but … Reed's mother, you fell in love with her?"

X nods, but drops his chin a little. "X love her, but not know if she love X. X be bad. She get stuck with Reed. X take care of Reed, though. Want make better. Take care of her, too."

"Is there any way to know if you're in love with somebody? I mean… I could easily see myself spending the rest of my life with Sebazhan and all of that. But how do I know what something is if I've never seen or felt it before?" The Skreek sighs. "I know this is a stupid question, but do you think I'm in love with Prince Dack? And do you think he can really love me back?"

"If you think you love Dack, it must be love," signs X. "Me not sure about Cloudsmile, but me know you no love easy. So if you think love, it must be big."

Willow smiles. "Thanks, X. I think you're smarter than what you give yourself credit for." She blinks. "Cloudsmile?"

X signs, "Cloudsmile is mother of son. Slave in Abu Dhabi. Me find when there with Oresta. Remember we go there? Then X get beat up, no help at all. You get mad at X."

"I wasn't mad at you… I was mad at the whole situation that you had no control over, and decided to take it out on you." The Skreek shakes her head. "She'd better love you, otherwise you'd better be able to run if you see her pull out a meat cleaver. From what I remember, she was awfully good with one."

X shakes his head. "Me no understand. She fighter? But me save her from … " He shakes his head. "X not smart. No good at thinking much. Me not try to figure it out."

Willow grins. "Don't try to understand women, X. You'll only make your head hurt. Now then, how about we try to sneak an early bite from dinner out of the kitchen before the chef catches on?"

Thorn bounces up and down.

X's ears wiggle. "Okay!"