Penny For Your Thoughts (6 Mar 2002) Hannah and Agatha discuss the relationship between Mirari and "the mortal realm."

Hall of Caer Bannuac
The grey stone hall at the base of Caer Bannuac features a greatly battered but still sturdy door, bolted shut against intruders, but not of great effect against the pervasive winter chill, and the flickering torches on sconces lining the great spiral staircase provide no heat -- hinting at their magical nature. The task of warming those staying in the ruin is left to a great hearth set next to the base of the stairs, burning scavenged broken boards as fuel.

The two Knightsteeds have fed and fallen asleep, and Bragwaine is curled up before the embers in the ancient hearth. The two girls have set out their bedrolls, and they try to rest while awaiting the dawn.

Agatha lays restless in her sleeping bag, and turns to see if her fey companion is still awake as well.

When Agatha turns, she can see that Hannah is definitely not asleep, but is awake and sitting on top of her own bedroll. Her eyes rest on the dying embers in the hearth, and she is seemingly lost in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Agatha asks, sitting up as well.

Hannah starts at the other girl's question, then turns towards her. "Oh, I didn't know you were still awake!" she says in a low voice, not wishing to awaken their feline companion. "I was just ... well, just thinking over some things you and the Lord Explorer told me. About your life in the world of the mortals."

"Confusing, isn't it?" Agatha asks. "I mean, which came first; Mirari or our imaginations? Either way, it's spooky. What'd Tom say about it?"

Hannah nods her agreement. "Confusing, yes. And somewhat disheartening, truth be told." She sighs and tucks a few stray strands of hair behind one ear. "Thomas did not say very much about this tie between our worlds ... probably because he knew how the knowledge might effect anyone who lives here in Mirari."

"I can see that," Agatha agrees. "I don't like the thought of my own actions recreating events from some other world's history much myself. I guess you're too young to have known the original Lord Thomas, right?"

"Yes, the Lord Explorer was very much a legend when I began reading of his travels," Hannah tells the red-haired girl. Then she looks somewhat embarrassed. "Those tales were what made me want to become a Golden Hawk, actually. I suppose you could say Lord Thomas became a personal hero of mine. I never thought that I'd get to meet him one day, though!"

Agatha grins, and asks, "Did he live up to your expectations?"

Hannah chuckles. "In some ways, he turned out to be very much the person I had read about in the tales: Headstrong, not afraid to take risks, no matter what others thought of his actions. I suppose this is why my friend Nathaniel called him 'Firebrand.'" She sobers a little and sighs. "What I did not expect was the sadness I found in him. Too much weight on his shoulders, perhaps. I can see a little of the reason behind that, now."

"That's some of my Thomas showing through, I think," Agatha says. "Always off brooding in his fort. But at least there was some humor in him before he turned into Lord Thomas again."

Hannah smiles briefly. "I hope there may be some humor in him yet. I have thought about what Thomas might say to me when -- Lord willing! -- we catch up to him. None of it is good. He did wish for me to remain behind with my father while he journeyed to the West. He will probably be displeased that I have come, anyway."

"If Thomas had his way, everyone would stay in bed while he went on to face peril alone," Agatha says with a chuckle, shaking her head, "which is probably what the Destroyer wants. The old chestnut about knowing your enemy works both ways, and the Year's End already knows everything about Lord Thomas, Nymuae and Redmane."

"I did my best to assure my father that there was ample reason for us to try and stop Thomas before he reached the Destroyer's Keep, which I'm sure I'll have to tell the Lord Explorer about. Hopefully that will make a difference, but that remains to be seen, eh?" Hannah says. "I just thought I should let you know in advance that he may not greet me with open arms, as the saying goes."

Agatha snickers. "I can't imagine Thomas greeting anyone with open arms. He'll be upset if we catch up to him, or actually get ahead of him, on general principles."

Hannah relaxes visibly at the teasing and smiles back at Agatha. "He did strike me as the sort of person who prefers to strike out on his own -- both in legend and in person!"

"His biggest fault, I think," the redhead mentions. "It's why we need to catch up with him. Even though he's not alone, I wouldn't trust him not to head out on his own if he gets the chance. From his letter, it looks like he's taking the bridge route, so we still have a chance to catch him."

"Let us hope that this is chance enough to reach him in time," Hannah says, eyes on Agatha's own. "Though he may have Simon and Rachel with him, they may not be enough to help him, at the last. Do you remember when we spoke to the Lady Sorceress before starting out after Thomas? I said that certain of Mirari's legends seemed to be repeating themselves. In the tale of the founding of the Golden Hawks, Thomas set out for the Destroyer's Keep with two others: Oberia, a translator, and Randall, a captain of the guard from House April. And yet their combined efforts were not enough to get them into that place. Does this not sound like the journey Thomas takes now, with Rachel and Simon?"

Agatha nods. "It does. And Simon isn't even a true knight. I'm glad I haven't fallen into Redmane's persona, for fear of repeating her old mistakes."

The purring of the grey cat by the fireplace dies down, as she shifts slightly, though still curled up in a tight little ball.

Hannah blinks at this, but does not comment on it. Instead, she says, "You know, the reason why I addressed you as Redmane in the Lady Sorceress's dwelling was because Thomas told me that's who you were. So I simply assumed that it was true, that Knight Redmane had also returned to Mirari -- just as the Lord Explorer had done."

"I probably am Redmane," Agatha admits. "I just don't have her memories like the others have theirs, and I don't think I'd give up being me even then."

Hannah smiles weakly. "As confusing as much of this is to me, I don't think I should be the one making guesses as to your 'hidden' identity -- if you truly have one, that is. All I can say is that Thomas himself said there is much he does not remember about his own life in Mirari, so you are not alone in this."

"I wouldn't think a little thing like that would keep Thomas from rushing forward," Agatha says, wearing a wry expression. "Still, it's just as well that you call me Redmane. Let the Destroyer think he can predict what I'll do."

Hannah's eyes twinkle a bit. "Before he left Hawksmoor, Thomas did say that we were to not to keep his return to Mirari a secret. He thought that learning of this might force the Destroyer to play his hand early. Now I am not so sure -- if, as you say, the Destroyer merely waits for Thomas to come to him so that he might spring a trap. Your reason for passing yourself off as Redmane appears a bit more sound, in hindsight."

"I hope so," Agatha says, sounding a bit more serious. "I suspected it might be a distraction, you know? Have the old heroes show up to face the enemy, and while everyone watches them, come around from behind with an army of trolls or something. I just want to recover Lord Mel, and bring him back to the Court. If Alice succeeds in her task, then getting the Houses mobilized for defense shouldn't be too hard."

"You know, you have yet to tell me who Alice is," comments Hannah. "I think you may have mentioned her before when we spoke to the Lady Sorceress, but I did not catch an explanation of who she is."

Agatha lays back with her arms crossed behind her head, trying to figure out a good way to explain Alice. "Well, Alice is, or was, the Princess Angel that supposedly died as an infant. Lord October confirmed it for her, but I've asked her not to reveal it to anyone else but the Queen, and to request her silence on it as well. Another question over the succession would just aid the Destroyer's plans."

Hannah looks as if all of this is news to her. "A daughter of the King was presumed dead and has now returned?" she asks incredulously. Then she shakes her head. "I'm sorry -- it's been a long time since I heard any news of the Palace. I was trapped at Hawksmoor Keep for a Year, after all. I'm still catching up on a few things -- as I'm sure you can tell!"

"A whole Year?" Agatha asks in surprise. "You must have been just a kid when you got there then, if my understanding of time here is right."

Hannah gives Agatha a lop-sided grin. "You are right, I was very young when I ran away to seek my fortune with the Golden Hawks. Much too young for the task, many of them thought, but I can claim my membership now!"

"So what was your first adventure?" Agatha asks, rolling onto her side and grinning.

"Getting to Hawksmoor," Hannah says, in all seriousness. "When I left House November, I was not aware that the Dark Witch and the bandits allied with her had taken over the Golden Woods, filling it with traps and illusions. As young as I was, I had little resource or experience to draw from on the journey, but I did arrive safely there."

Wide-eyed, Agatha asks, "A witch? Bandits? Hawksmoor is the base of the Golden Hawks, I guess. Sounds like it would be. Are the woods still that dangerous?"

Hannah nods. "Hawksmoor is a base for the Golden Hawks, possibly their oldest one. And the Golden Woods are no longer as they used to be, praise God! The Lord Explorer and I, along with Simon and Rachel, tracked the Dark Witch to her lair and put an end to her enchantments. My father came in with his guards afterwards, to hunt out the bandits."

"So the Dark Witch had been there for quite a while then," Agatha notes. "She wasn't also the Bandit Queen, was she?"

Hannah looks startled by the question, but manages to recover quickly. "I see you know some of the Lord Explorer's secrets, then," she answers. "Yes, the Dark Witch was the Bandit Queen of old. She was also," Hannah says, her face darkening, "a servant of the Jack of Hearts at that time. Now that she has been redeemed by the Grail, this is no longer the case. At least, I hope so. For her sake."

"I played the part of the Bandit Queen when we sent Simon on his quest for the Grail in our world," Agatha admits. "Reenacting the past again, it seems. And Thomas had some sort of relationship with the Witch back then as well, right?" she asks. "It hardly seems possible, knowing Thomas."

Hannah looks to Agatha, her expression blank, almost eerily so. "You played the part of the Bandit Queen? What about a Dark Witch -- was she a part of your games, as well?" she asks, voice even.

"Ah, no," Agatha admits. "There were other challenges we had for Simon."

Hannah's gaze searches Agatha's face for long moments. At last, she nods and her expression relaxes just a bit. "That is good to hear," she comments. "But still, that a game should control Mirari!" She sighs and drops that subject, answering Agatha's earlier question. "There was a relationship between the two of them -- regarding an oath that he made to the Bandit Queen, as I recall."

Agatha just shakes her head in wonder. "Amazing. His previous letter said she would be coming this way, into the Wild Lands. Maybe she already passed this way. How have the other Golden Hawks reacted to Thomas's reappearance?"

Hannah smiles as she considers this. "The other Hawks are taking it well enough -- with some reservations, of course. However, the breaking of the Witch's enchantments that changed the Golden Woods has done much to help Thomas's cause."

"He broke them himself then?" Agatha asks, looking surprised. "Before he met Lord December, Thomas did everything he could to convince himself that magic didn't exist."

"He broke them with much help from the Grail, which he and Simon and Rachel now carry with them," Hannah replies. "Thomas knew that it lay in a storeroom in Hawksmoor Keep for all those Years, of all places! At any rate, when Simon opened the case to show the Grail to the Bandit Queen, the light of its Truth cleansed the Woods of her enchantments. Then some water was poured from the Grail for her to drink of, which redeemed her -- and restored her youth and beauty, as well."

Agatha covers a yawn with her hand. "I still can't get over Simon being a ... Kobold, was it? It sounds like Thomas has plenty of things to slow him down then, if he keeps running into things like this along his way."

Hannah swallows a yawn of her own. "We can certainly hope that this will be the case," she agrees. Then she smiles. "We can't let Thomas get away with keeping all of the adventure to himself, now can we?"

"So long as it keeps him out of real trouble, I don't mind," Agatha says, laying back down. "I think we'd better catch a few winks before morning, though. All that exertion is finally catching up to me."

"Agreed," Hannah says, then slides into her own bedroll. "Sleep well, Agatha Redmane!"

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