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Then, the assault began, and Ducks held to the throne, keeping the wards strong.  The shadow-fetch laughed and came against the gate, and as it ravened and twisted, a space cleared around it as the assault readied itself for the certain breach. Then we struck.  Amber and Ariel with magic, Marie sending her arrows against the captains of the host, Jean at the head of the host in a counterstrike from the sally port on one side, Tindalasse and his leman leading the rearguard in another sally, and Wolfie, Michael and I against the the Shadow whose concentration was broken.  The warriors who remained with us struck for the Shadow-Fetch's hyrthgar and the battle was joined as we broke the creature and then those who followed it paniced and were slain as they fled. The triumph was complete as the land came alive and the last of the demons and undead were crushed against the walls of the world and the warriors looted the camp of the Dremendrauger. Then it was time for a hot bath. Ever since we had gone through the gate out of the weaver's realm, whatever magic that had been with us to keep foul smells away had abated. Months in swamps and then the Dremendrauger's ichor was like the oil of rancid butter. As we returned in triumph to the city all I could think of was a bath. From the look in Ducks eyes when we greated he and his lawacore (yep, she's been helping him rule, bet she doesn't trust him in a realm named for "the Hetari"), not to mention the way everyone turned away, I could tell we didn't smell any better to the others than we did to ourselves. But when we asked for baths, there were looks, all around. "Er, we took a vow, that there would be no baths until all who came through the gate left this world" and then it hit me.  We had come through the gate and they were bound by their geas not to allow baths until we left too.  Not too much celebrating goes on when the guests of honor smell worse than a discharging skunk. I found myself thinking that they sure weren't as grateful as they should have been, but I'll bet if we had only not stunk so bad, they might have gotten closer. Then Tinda said "we have baths enough at home" and with the warriors carrying the treasure (more than our share really, but no one wanted to take time to divide it) we were using the master gate in Ducks' city to connect to the gate in the boy's house and return home. Except, as we moved, I could feel the pathway twist. Someone had placed a powerful sorcery, looking for us. I made the great leap and Micheal filled the room with light and a great shout (he is attuned to finding ways) as we exited first, and then Tinda rode through with Arilindalle on his lap -- right into the Christmas Court of the two Kings. Looking back, it makes sense.  We had been gone a long time, beyond tracking. If I was hoping to find us, I'd have done what they did to the gate too.  Not to mention, we made quite the entrance, especially with Michael acting like a herald giving the great shout, the warriors following after us with all the loot, and the magic that protects us against smells suddenly working again. The kings looked amused, though the Bitter King had that look, the same one he had last time it looked like Tinda was using Michael as a herald. He leaned forward and gestured with his sceptor (a new toy, I recognized it, the truthsayer), "Tinda, tell me truly, what did you intend coming this way." The magic took Tinda and he responded "I was looking for a bath and quiet, then I planned to see you." The Joyous King remarked "I had always wondered how your house approached baths" and the Court errupted in laughter, the moment of tension gone. Later they got it all sorted out, though looking at it from Pork Chop's view (he was there and told me how it looked to him), it looked like Tinda was making a triumphal entry with more than a little hubris. When they realized he thought he was going home to a bath there was a buzz of commentary about how if they had needed a bath as badly as he did, they would make as big of an affair of it as he was and things like that, you know how elves talk. Except, of course, the really big news when Wolfie asked  the Bitter King permission to marry some one I'd never heard of, some Left Hand in the Darkness, and everyone started looking at me and I realized he was proposing and it was me he was talking about. The Bitter King had this look, I think he was of half a mind or more to say no, when two of the warriors came forward and laid out the Regalia of the Stars. You could have cut the silence in the room with a knife.  The last of the Bitter King's missing treasures, lost three thousand years ago in the war against the Dremendrauger when it took the king and slew him and carried his body away out of the world. Blood, tears, salt and gold, none of them would have parted the Bitter King from that treasure. But he was struck speechless to look at it. Then, suddenly, the Lightwalker was there and speaking softly, he said "If the King will not give consent, I will." I think in that moment the Bitter King would have given his own wife and son for the regalia, but Wolfie seems to like me a lot more than some item of ancient magic.  The King about jumped out of his skin to say yes (especially since the Lightwalker would have claimed the Regalia as the brideprice otherwise). Oh, and I said yes when Wolfie then asked me if I would marry him -- but only after I finally got that bath.

Os.  Hot baths finally, with oils and perfume afterwards. Back at school we needed to get things sorted out.  Directed studies to work with the math tutorials we got from Parakyle and some special credit. The Lightwalker put in a word, as did the Bitter King.  The war went well indeed, though I've been told that the Seelie Court in Paris had the most powerful stench for about a month after we returned.  Then the magic faded.

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