[Myds]

Again, the door creaked open, but this time Elorien and Himnu walked into the room, staring in wonder at the how its inhabitants were frozen in time. “This is amazing! How long will this effect last?” gushed the armored warrior. “Not long, we need to work fast.” “Maelyrra told us only to use the amulet if things go afoul,” Himnu added. Elorien pointed at their comrades, bent over in the stocks, the skirts of their armor lying on the floor as courtiers poked and slapped at their backsides, two Glantrians about to smash cake in their faces. “I’d say this qualifies.” Approaching the stocks, they moved their companions into the chairs vacated by the Glantrian delegates. Himnu moved the two tall guards one at a time to the stocks, and put them in the devices in lieu of their elven compatriots. Meanwhile, Elorien had something special in mind. Approaching Adrienne, she produced a small knife, and cut the dress from her, leaving her in her smallclothes. She had an easier time undressing the other two Glantrians, who were standing up. After throwing the remains of their clothes into the fireplace, she moves Anwen, the thinner Glantrian delegate, who was in the process of rubbing a cake in Maelyrra’s face, so that she is about to the same to Adrienne, and the larger Glantrian, Emelyn, to the Duchess. Seeing that final move, Himnu objected, “Elorien, no! We need her on our side!” But it was too late to change anything. Blinding flashes of light bathed the room. “It’s ending,” Elorien screamed, “we have to get out of here!” In a nick of time, the elves closed the doors behind them and made it to the courtyard just as time resumed.

Back in the great hall, chaos ensued. First, Adrienne screamed as Anwen rubbed cake into her face, then the Duchess was heard sputtering and cursing as a surprised Emelyn gleefully rubbed icing on her face, until she found out that she was no longer facing an elf in the stocks. Then, the Glantrians looked down and, realizing they were half nude, attempted to cover themselves. Their shrieks of humiliation were drowned out by the laughter of the other courtiers and dignitaries in the hall, which ended abruptly as they noticed the cake-faced duchess rising to her feet. “Sieze them!” she screamed to her guards, and all eyes turned to the stocks, where her guards were now restrained.

Adrienne jumped up, covering herself with her arms as best she could. “They did it!” she screamed, pointing at Maelyrra and Laurana, seated on either side of her, still fully armored. “Those Elven witches again.”

Rain, the court mage, who usually kept silent except on matters mystic, approached the throne and bowed to the duchess, trying not to smirk at the Glantrians attempting to cover themselves. “With all respect, your Grace, this looks to be the work of a chronomancer.”

A gasp spread over the hall. “But chronomancers were driven from this plane in the second age. Surely it cannot be…”

Maelyrra roses from her seat. She knew that Elorien must have used the amulet, but sensed a diplomatic advantage. “Yes, Alfheim has summoned a chronomancer.” “But such a being cannot be controlled. They could destroy time as we know it,” Rain objected, credulously. “Do you wish another such display to the contrary?” Maelyrra bluffed. “War with Alfheim is an undertaking to be avoided, contrary to what these three naked cows would coax you into believing.”

Emelyn, Anwen, and Adrienne were seething, covering themselves and looking for something to help clothe them. The duchess wiped icing from her face slowly, licking her finger, as she considered the point.

“You should run such charlatans out of town, their manipulations disgrace your sovereignty.” Maelyrra continued.