Ahornbaumädchen shakes her head, and says, “I’ll pay. He did this for me, and I promised.”
“Promised?” asks Aykuh.
Ahornbaumädchen tells Aykuh of the pixies and how she promised to try her best to save Larrikan. “The Queen won’t want much service for this anyway,” Ahornbaumädchen rationalizes, “He is just a Shy Folk.”
Aykuh says, “It is good of you to take this promise seriously, but the Queen won’t help a mortal.”
“You don’t know?” asks Ahornbaumädchen.
“Apparently not,” replies Aykuh, “What have I missed?”
With a grin, Ahornbaumädchen replies, “You didn’t hear it from me, but Shy Folk are minor fey. Not only will the Queen help him, he will be fine here in this realm.”
“Oh!” exclaims Aykuh, “That is great news! I was worried what would happen if he woke up here.”
“It isn’t common knowledge, so keep it quiet,” warns Ahornbaumädchen. She adds, “I wonder how Coldwillow knew.”
She adds, “I’ll go get help. Keep him safe.”
After Aykuh thanks her, and tells her that she will keep watch, Ahornbaumädchen walks off into the woods. As she walks, the forest becomes less like a forest, and more the concept of a forest. Once traveling entirely in concepts, Ahornbaumädchen starts trying to find the concept of the Queen’s court.
This is never as easy as it should be, and the dryad wanders through some related concepts before she finds the Queen’s court.
The court is highly symbolic and conceptual. Many of the courtiers, and other nobility don’t exist in the material world well.
The dryad’s age, longevity, and experience grant her a little standing in the court. Her desire to petition the Queen for help is also unusual, and an audience is soon arranged.
The Queen is an impressive force, even for a dryad of Ahornbaumädchen’s age and experience. As awesome and powerful as she is, a great part of the concepts the Queen encompasses lend themselves to listening to the dryad brings her, understanding the true meaning of the request, and the desire to help keep her subjects safe leads to helping this very insignificant Shy Folk subject.
Ahornbaumädchen is grateful for this and thanks the Queen profusely.
The Queen lets her know that Larrikan has a bigger part to play yet, and she is glad to have the opportunity to keep that possibility open. This is why she will only ask Ahornbaumädchen for five years of her service.
Ahornbaumädchen is relieved to know the Queen is pleased, and all too happy to give this very reasonable service.
Back in the outskirts of the Queen’s realm, where concepts merely influence the world instead of dominating it, Aykuhbowmedchen rests in a clearing, in the eternal sunshine, gently stroking the soft fur of a hurt friend. She was just considering the surprise she feels that this young fox can have made himself so memorable to her when he moves under her fingers for the first time since they arrived.
Larrikan looks up at Aykuh, smiles, and says, “Is this the afterlife?”