Chapter Eleven



    Lita brought a tray over to the bedside.  On it were a stack
of folded cloths, an ornamental knife and a couple of lengths of silk
embroidery floss.  She stood near the Healers, patiently holding it.  

    Mulder once more opened his arms and chanted in Old
Realm, as in the background he heard Kyla's and Scully's
instructions.  He let his eidetic memory continue on autopilot,
chanting the unfamiliar Old Realm rite, as he watched Skinner
and Andalor support Shannon's back as she sat up and pushed with
all her might.  She sank back against them, panting until the next
wave hit, then once more leaned into the contraction.

    His chant ended just as Scully called out, "Here we go!  
Two more like that, Shannon, and you'll have your baby."  The girl
smiled for a moment, then a look of intense concentration crossed
her face and Skinner and Andalor pushed her upright once more.  
There was a flurry of activity from the Healers at the end of the bed,
and Lita spread a thick white cloth over Shannon's abdomen and
chest.  As the girl relaxed against the men, Mulder wiped her
perspiring face with surprisingly steady hands.  Seconds later, she
was sitting up again, her face contorted with effort.

    There was a squawl from the end of the bed, and another
burst of activity from the fully-involved Healers.  A few seconds
later, Kyla was laying a kicking, writhing, red-faced little form on
the thick cloth on Shannon's chest. "Say hello to your son," she
said, smiling, to the King and Queen.

    Mulder blinked back tears of relief and gratitude.  He began
the most important portion of the ceremony, chanting in a voice
thick with emotion.  Dimly, he was aware of Shannon and Andalor,
cooing over their child, counting fingers and toes like new parents
anywhere.  He was aware of Skinner sinking into a chair, exhausted.  
And of Lita's wide-eyed stare at the child.  Almost automatically,
with rock-steady hands he picked up the knife from the tray, still
chanting as Scully and Kyla tied off the umbilical cord in two places
and held it steady.  With a quick motion of the razor-sharp knife
between the ties, the cord was severed and Mulder's melodious
chant wound to a close.

    He was exhausted, he suddenly realized, and would have
headed for the nearest chair, but he remembered that Walter had
to be substitute priestess.  He picked up Ballorca's Book of Ritual
from the small table on which he had set it.  Intending to spoon-
feed it to Walter, he was bringing it over to the Warrior Priest when
he suddenly stopped, his mouth gaping in astonishment.

    Walter stood, arms raised and eyes closed, chanting in a
rich bass in Old Realm - *perfect* Old Realm.  Mulder's eyes fell
to the page in Ballorca's book, reading along as Skinner chanted,
never missing a word, a single syllable of the age-old prayer.  A
prayer he had never seen before - in a language he didn't speak.  
"Jesus!" he whispered hoarsely.  His bondmate's surprise didn't even
come close to his own.

    //Did he practice that?  He must be a quick study, he's
doing great,\\ she mindspoke appraisingly.

    //Scully, I don't know if you're going to believe this....  
He's never seen that prayer before, never heard it.  We didn't even
know he was going to have to do it until ten seconds before we walked
through the door.  And he hasn't missed a beat - he's been letter-
perfect!\\

    He sensed her astonishment as the prayer closed and
the others in the room began going about their duties again. Andalor
fussed over Shannon, while Kyla delivered and examined the placenta,
and then gently bathed the Queen.  Walter sat sprawled in an armchair,
his eyes closed, his hands trembling slightly.  Lita had taken the
child to give him his first bath.  The squawls of the aggrieved infant
made it clear he was not enjoying the experience. Moments later, a
cleaner and happier baby, swaddled in soft, warm blankets, was placed
in his mother's arms.

    //Do you see what I see?\\ Mulder asked his Companion.  
Apparently there was no be no end to the surprises today.  Eyes
fixed on the child, she nodded mutely.

    Kyla assisted Shannon to maneuver the baby to her breast,
where it began nursing vigorously.  The new mother's look of delight
was replaced moments later by startled concern.  Chuckling, Kyla
slipped a thick cloth under the Queen's nightdress.  "Just press
your nipple," she whispered.  "The leaking will stop."

    Shannon glanced gratefully up at the Healer.  "Thanks.  
I'm kind of new at this," she said shyly.

    "You did fantastically, Your Majesty. And you have a
beautiful, healthy son."

    Lita cleared her throat and everyone in the room focused
their attention on her.  Her part of the ceremony had begun.  It was
less formal, with no set speech.  "Normally at this time, I would
perform an aura reading," she announced.  "While newborns rarely
have an aura, and aura reading is not generally done for ones so
young for that reason, an exception is made for newly-arrived Royals,
in accordance with our traditions."

    Her eyes swept the assembly.  "There is no need for me to
go through the motions of setting up the black and white fields
necessary for a reading. The aura-sensitive among you already know.  
Mage Mulder, Warrior Healer Scully, and I believe Warrior Priest
Skinner have already seen it."  She glanced at Skinner and received
a quick nod in confirmation. "An aura of this magnitude, this clarity
and quality is almost unheard of in a child this young.  King Andalor,
Queen Shannon... I can say without a shadow of a doubt...  your son
possesses the potential for incredible Mage talent."

    The proud parents gasped.  Although both were aura-sensitive
to a degree, in their excitement they simply hadn't noticed.  "The
return of the Mage Kings," Andalor murmured, awed.  He gazed down
at his wife, who was drowsily stroking their son's soft dark hair.  
"Thank you, Lita, thank you Healers, Mage Mulder, Warrior Priest
Skinner.  You have all done a service today to the Realm, and a
personal service to Shannon and myself.  It won't be forgotten, my
friends.  But now... if you don't mind...."

    Kyla smiled.  "...you'd like to be alone for a while with your
wife and son.  Very understandable, Your Majesty. Healer Scully and
I will be in the reception room.  We will need to check Her Majesty
and the Prince frequently for the next several candlemarks."

    "Thank you, Healer Kyla.  We'd like just a few moments
alone.  Mage Mulder, if you will please tell Ballorca our news so that
he may send out the runners...."

    "Of course, Andalor."  Mulder saw that once again, the
young king's concentration was wholly focused on his wife and child.  
They all withdrew to the reception room, where an anxious Ballorca
and Hannu were pacing. Smiling, Mulder strode up to Hannu and
offered his hand.  "Congratulations, Granddad. You have a grandson."

    The Mage exhaled and a smile lit his normally dark features.  
"Shannon?"

    "Shannon is radiant.  She did a wonderful job.  And
apparently your grandson is a chip off the old block."  In answer to
Hannu's questioning look, he replied with a twinkle in his eye,
"Mage talent. The kid's loaded with it."

    Hannu chuckled.  "A mixed blessing, at best.  Wait until
Reinald hears we have another student."

    Ballorca danced impatiently at Mulder's elbow.  "A boy -
a Royal Heir!  The child - is he strong? And the Ritual - it was
observed?  Everything?  The prayer?"

    "The child is strong - fat and sassy.  And everything was
done, Ballorca.  Everything went surprisingly well - perfect, in fact."  
The words were meant for the Minister of Protocol, but no less for
Walter, fixed in Mulder's gaze.

    "Thank you, Mage Mulder.  Oh, thank you.  Forgive me if I
was rude before, but I -"

    "It's all right, Minister Ballorca.  I understand.  But if you
would please excuse us, we're quite tired."

    "Quite so, Mage.  Well, I have runners to send out, and a
Naming Day Ceremony to plan.  Our subjects must know of this
glorious news!"

    Mulder nodded, smiling.  Lita had departed for the kitchens
some minutes before.  No doubt, runners would be superfluous.  
Lita would have already seen to it that the news spread quickly
enough.  They said their farewells to Hannu and made their way
slowly back to their passageway.  Outside, the sun was just rising
over frosted fields.  Now that the excitement of the night was over,
both men felt the drag of exhaustion relentlessly pulling at them.

    As they arrived at Mulder's room, they met Tilfo coming
from the opposite direction, bearing a large tray.  "Lita asked me to
bring you breakfast.  She said you'd been up most of the night and
would need a good meal... with nighttime tea.  She assumed you
would want to retire after you dine."

    Mulder looked questioningly at Walter.  "I could eat,"  
admitted the Warrior Priest, and Mulder opened the door for the
troll servant.  They settled comfortably by the fire and let Tilfo
bring them trays.  They ate in silence.  When they were finished
and sipping their tea, finally Walter spoke.

    "What's happening to me, Mulder?" he asked bleakly.  
"I don't know Old Realm, I don't know shit from shinola about the
rituals and religion of this place.  How the hell did I know what to
say, what to do?  I'm losing myself, Mulder.  I'm not me anymore."

    Mulder thought for a moment before responding, knowing
he owed the man the truth rather than meaningless platitudes.
"Scully felt the same way, and to a lesser extent, so did I.  I can't
tell you how to deal with it, Walter, I wouldn't presume to.  But I
can tell you how Scully and I did.  I accepted it more easily, but
Scully had real problems, as you can imagine.  Here she is, her
whole career, her whole life based on scientific principles and laws,
and all of a sudden she's thrust into a place where magic and
psychic healing are the norm.  Not only that, but where, in total
defiance of all that's logical, psychic healing is effective *and* her
aura shows she's expected to practice it.  I was worried about her,
Walter - very worried.  It really looked for a while like she was
going to crack up."

    "Then how did she come to terms with it?"  Skinner added
dryly, "Presumptuous or not, I'll take any tips you can give me at
this point.  I don't think I'm that far from cracking myself."

    He shrugged.  "Part of it may have been that we had very
little choice.  We weren't sure for a long time that we *could* get
back to our world.  We were faced with trying to make the best of it,
so it was only logical to accept it."  He chuckled suddenly.  "The
logic appealed to Scully, as you can imagine.  Another part of it was
that she saw how well psychic healing worked, proved it to herself.  
That was clear evidence, something that she could grab onto, to
anchor her.  We also had come here at a time of great peril for the
Realm, literally a war for its survival. Healers were needed badly.
The carnage was... indescribable...."  He pulled himself back from
his memories of those dark days to gaze at his friend. "Scully's
natural instinct is to want to make the hurt go away, by whatever
means at her disposal.  God knows she had enough opportunity
during that war."

    Mulder paused for a moment, then slowly continued.  "I
can't tell you what to do, Walter. All I can say is that you *are*
the same person you were in our world.  Your gifts won't change what
makes you *you*.  They're just an added bonus. Something that was
always there, beneath the surface.  Think about it - over the past two
years, have you noticed any huge changes in Scully or myself?"

    "Actually, yes," he replied.  "You've been happier.  Maybe  
less frustrated.  Even more of a team, a stronger partnership.  And
of course there's that communication thing that you do."

    Mulder nodded. "We'll get to that later - I haven't forgotten
my promise.  But, any essential differences?  Acting completely out
of character for the people you know as Mulder and Scully?"

    "Tough to tell, in your case," Walter replied dryly. He
sighed.  "No, not really. You both do exactly what I'd expect.  Not
what I'd want, necessarily, but what I'd expect.  You're still you.
All right, point taken." He hesitated.  "Do you - do you use magic
in our world?"

    Mulder made an equivocal gesture. "But it's harder.  Much
harder.  Some things work, others don't. Same thing with Scully's
psychic healing.  Some things she can heal, others she can't.  But
it takes much more effort, much more energy and concentration than
it does here.  Try to think of your gifts as latent talents, Walter.  
Lying dormant until activated by coming here.  They existed in our
world - you just didn't know how to recognize them."

    "Oh, come on, Mulder," he replied, shaking his head, a small
incredulous smile on his lips. "Did I ever strike you as priestly in our
world?"

    His eyes twinkled.  "To be honest, no.  You always seemed
more like Scully's descriptions of Sister Mary Agnes, her old nemesis
from parochial school."

    Skinner chuckled, but quickly sobered.  "So you don't see
any big change in me, then?"

    "I wouldn't say that, I do see changes.... I see growth, and
fulfillment, and even peace, from time to time. All pluses.  But
essentially?  No - you're you.  In spite of our differences at times,
Walter, I have always respected you - your experience, your sense of
honor and integrity.  None of that has changed."  He leaned forward,
his forearms resting on his thighs, his hands folded loosely between
his knees. "Walter - can you honestly say you wouldn't welcome the
sense of calm and serenity that you created for all of us tonight?
That the ability to create such a mood wouldn't be a wonderful gift?"    

    "No... no, I can't say that."  He fell silent, lost in his own
thoughts.

    Out in the courtyard below, they heard cheering as word of
the Heir's birth spread.

    Skinner shook himself out of his funk.  "All right, what
about you and Scully, your communication? She didn't seem to want
to talk about it."

    "Well, it's an intensely personal thing... but I don't mind
sharing it with you, Walter. Uh... that was difficult, probably moreso
for me than for her."  Mulder sat back and stretched his feet closer
to the fire.  "We're lifebonded - fated, if you like, to be together.  
Seemingly unknown in our world, and rare enough in this one. It scared
the shit out of me, to tell you the truth.  But it explained so much,
Walter.  You know how I was after Scully had been abducted?"

    Skinner nodded, his eyes downcast.  "I was watching you
come apart before my eyes.  I thought you'd eat a bullet, Mulder,
I really did.  It was horrible."

    "Very perceptive of you. Yeah.  I came close - very close.
And it wasn't just Spooky Mulder being spooky.  It was more than
that.  When two people are lifebonded, they...." He sighed.  "Singly,
each is less than a full person.  Only by being with the other are
they a whole.  I was looking at not only the loss of Scully, but at the
loss of the better part of myself as well.  I didn't know that at the
time, it was well before we first came here.  But when we got here
and all this was finally explained to me, everything fell into place.  
And God... I almost lost it. Faced with what the loss of Scully would
mean to me.  Confirmation of what I had always felt.  You see, the
downside of being lifebonded is that, so close is the bond, the death
of one usually means the death of the other. Not just emotionally, but
physically as well."

    "Christ...."  Skinner felt the words as a physical blow.  The
thought that some day, he might have to bear the loss of not one
but both of his agents - now, his friends.  He glanced up, and saw
Mulder's grim features. Quickly he shook off his feelings of loss,
afraid that he might have unintentionally been passing them on as
he had his serenity earlier.  "So how did you resolve it?"

    Mulder smiled tightly.  "Just made up my mind that the
benefits outweighed the potential dangers.  We found we were
telepathic - that was one of the things that tipped us off to the
existence of the lifebond.  It was only after we acknowledged it
that we were taught how to consciously drop a shield in order
*not* to have the other in our minds."

    "That means you can tell where Scully is, what she's
doing?  Right now?"

    Mulder closed his eyes for a second.  "She's on her way
to Kyla's, to bring some herbs back for a potion for Shannon.  She's
feeling happy, but very tired.  She's thinking of- " He smiled
crookedly and broke off.  "Well, I guess you really don't need to
know what she's thinking."

    "Incredible," Walter said, fascinated. "And you can do this
in our world?"

    "Yeah.  Much better than I can do magic or Scully can do
healing."

    "So that's when, uh...."

    "So that's when our physical relationship started, yes."  
Mulder met his superior's eyes squarely.  "And that won't change,
Walter, now that you know.  It's non-negotiable.  We've been
discreet, and - "

    He waved his hand dismissively.  "I know that, Mulder.  And
I appreciate your discretion.  I can't say I didn't suspect something
was going on.  A partnership like yours - that closeness - is pretty
rare.  But that's your's and Scully's business.  Lifebond or not, I
wouldn't intrude.  It's none of my business."  But it seemed to
remind him of something that was very much his business.   He
paused, evidently having difficulty finding the right words for what
he wanted to say.  "Um... in our world... priests... priests are
celibate, Mulder...."  He let the unspoken question hang in the air.

    Mulder noted his friend's discomfiture.  "And you want
to know about Realm Priests?  I'm not sure. I guess I always
assumed that they were celibate, but I don't know for certain."  
He noted Walter's downcast expression and bit back the question
he was about to ask.  Instead, he commented, "Then again, very
few Realm rules seem to apply to those of us who come from our
world.  There seem to be certain differences for us, maybe
because we haven't been brought up in this culture and received
the usual training. Or maybe it's a factor of our physical
differences, I don't know.  Take Mages, for example.  Not only has
a Mage never been in a lifebond, but they never have sexual
relationships, and rarely form even close platonic ones."  He
shrugged.  "I'm living proof that that isn't always true.  Besides,
you're both a Warrior *and* a Priest, which is unique.  And warriors
sure as hell aren't celibate.  So I wouldn't automatically assume
you're off the Realm's 'Most Eligible Bachelors List' yet."

    Skinner smiled, but avoided Mulder's eyes.  "Just a
hypothetical question, Mulder.  That's all."  Then he yawned
enormously.  "God, I'm exhausted.  I think I'll hit the sack."  He
rose and started for the door, followed by his friend.

    "Walter...."  Mulder's tone was hesitant, his clear
hazel eyes soft with emotion.  "Thank you for tonight.  I know
it's hard for you - being here, coming to terms with everything,
accepting all the differences... accepting your gifts.  But if it's
any comfort to you, if it makes it any easier to accept them
- tonight would have been a lot tougher on all of us, especially
Shannon, if it hadn't been for you.  You were our anchor in there.  
I would have come apart at the seams, Shannon would have been
terrified and her labor would have been longer and more painful if
you hadn't been there....  If you hadn't used your talents to the
benefit of all of us.  For that, I'll be forever in your debt."  A
look of intense curiosity crossed his face.  "I've been meaning to
ask you - how the hell did you know that Old Realm prayer you
chanted?  I was all ready to read it to you and have you parrot
it back.  That way we would have had the bases covered and Ballorca
wouldn't pitch a fit.  I was stunned when you stood up and started
chanting.  Do you realize you nailed it?  You got everything one
hundred percent right, including the pronunciation of some of the
tougher Old Realm vowel combinations.  How the hell did you pull
it off?"

    Skinner shook his head tiredly.  "I wish that I could take
credit, Mulder, I really do.  But the truth of the matter is, I didn't
make a conscious effort to do it.  It just... happened.  That's what
bothers me...."

    Mulder watched as the door to Skinner's room clicked
shut.

      
            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


    In a room dimly lit by a spent fire and a single flickering
candle, three men sat at a table, their heads together, their
voices hushed.  They were dressed in the colors of one of the
Noble Houses.  Their heads shot up as the door opened and
the newcomer joined them.

    "The Realm has an Heir," he announced grimly, taking
a seat. "A healthy boy."

    "So the boy King and his outworlder whore have managed to
reproduce, at long last....  You're sure - that the child is healthy,
not defective?"

    "Robustly so, Milord.  My sources are impeccable."

    "Impeccable, perhaps.  But unfortunately, not effective enough
to be sure that the Queen consumed our little potion in her food," the
noble sneered.  "The potion that would have guaranteed that the
child, even if she had been able to carry it to term, would have been
deformed, an imbecile unable to ascend the throne."

    "The potion worked twice, Milord. But the incorruptible Dorbo
has been preparing all their food and drink personally since she lost
the second child.  The King is not stupid.  He has not been fussing
over her like a nursemaid for no reason.  He has had his suspicions."

    There was a tense silence.  "And do you feel he knows the
source of the tragic misfortune he and his whore-wife have suffered
in the past?"

    "No.  Not specifically.  He suspects the Houses, of course,
all except his precious Ranfaus.  But he has no proof, and does not
know where to point the finger."

    The tall, austere noble nodded.  "Very well, then.  A healthy
Heir has been born....  And we know what we must do now...."


End of Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve


    I slept - or tried to - a good part of the remainder of that
day.  As I tossed and turned, trying to get my new-found talents out
of my head, I heard Scully come back from the Royal couple's suite.  
I hoped that meant that Kyla, too, was getting some rest.  I had to
see her for a treatment at some point.  I was hoping I'd get the
chance - and the balls - to ask her if I was mistaking her interest
in me as a patient for something more personal. Thoughts in that line
were no more restful, but eventually pure exhaustion weighted my
eyelids and I slept.

    It was dusk when I awoke.  Hastily, I pulled on my boots, shirt
and cloak and found my way to Kyla's cottage.

    She responded immediately to my knock.  "Come!"

    I ducked under the low lintel to find her sitting by the hearth.
She turned towards the doorway and smiled when she saw me. "Walter!  
I was hoping you'd be along."

    On the way over, I had been debating with myself whether to
bring up what I thought might be our mutual attraction.  Well, to be
honest, I was bailing out and trying to justify it. But the warmth and
genuine pleasure in her welcome gave me renewed courage.  "Hello,
Kyla.  Were you able to get some rest?"  All right, kind of a lame
beginning, but it beat talking about the weather.  Hell, it had been
nearly twenty years since I had had to practice my social skills on
anyone but the brass at the Bureau, and those were a completely
different set of skills.

    "Yes, thank you, I was able to sleep for a few candlemarks."
She busied herself making the obligatory tea while she talked.  
"Actually, I've just returned from seeing Her Majesty. Everything
is still going perfectly."

    "I'm glad to hear that."

    She handed me a thick earthenware mug.  "Please sit down," she
said, laughing. "You'll injure your neck, stooping under the beams like
that." When I had taken a seat, she continued, "What brings you here,
Walter - business or pleasure?"

    "Both, I hope."  With any luck, she would think the flush rising
from my neck to my cheeks was from the warmth of the fire, crackling
comfortably in the hearth.

    "Ah, yes.  We had a treatment to do - your last, I'm afr- ...  
I'm thinking."  Quickly, she turned back to the fireplace to brew her
herbs.  I guess she thought it would cover her slip, but I was finding
there was some advantage to my growing empathy. While I couldn't
read her mind, I could certainly feel her emotions, and they were as
tumultuous as a teenager's at her first high school dance.

    I drank the herbal brew without my usual grumbling.

    "May I enter your body as a Healer, Walter," she requested, and
I nodded.  I had none of the misgivings I had had on my first visit.  I
relaxed completely.  Let her see what was in my mind - that way I
wouldn't mess it up by trying to put it into words.  Her hands were
soft upon my head and chest.  There was the fragrance of fresh
flowers, and Spring breezes, and then I was floating....

    When I finally became aware of my surroundings again, she
was once more gazing dreamily into the fire.  I think she knew I was
'back', but neither of us said anything for some time.  Then, we both
opened our mouths to speak at the same time.

    I chuckled.  "Ladies first."

    She smiled nervously, then taking refuge in her profession,
composed herself. "You are completely healed. You will not require any
further healing treatments."  She hesitated, and avoiding my eyes, went
on awkwardly,  "But I...  I hope you do not feel you must require
healing treatments to come and see me."

    I paused, then gambled.  "I think you know I what feel, Kyla."

    She blushed. She was a beautiful creature, sitting there in the
firelight.  Her hair was in a single thick braid, the light from the
hearth turning it into a red-gold meteor blazing down her back. Her
midnight-blue eyes sparkled in a flawlessly creamy complexion.  I
was so enchanted, I was startled when she spoke.  "I could not help
but.... I mean, I did not intrude, or pry.  But your feelings were
quite... open."

    My heart thudded in my chest.  "I intended them to be.  And
your reaction?" I asked, letting the question hang in the air.

    Her lips twitched mischievously. "I think you know my reaction,
Walter."

    I reached for her hand and took it in mine.  God, it was so
small and delicate that once more I was filled with misgivings. "Those
are my feelings, Kyla. I can't deny or ignore them any longer.  But
that doesn't mean there aren't problems."

    She tensed, but only a little.  "What problems?"

    I got up to pace.  After getting a splinter in my scalp from
the low beams overhead, I thought better of it and sat down again.  
"To start with there's this priest business.  I don't know what that
means here, but in my world it means that I have no right to what I
feel for you - much less the right to act on it."

    She considered the question seriously.  "It's not the custom,
that is certain.  But you are not from here, and you are also a Warrior.  
Perhaps...?"

    I shrugged.  "That's what Mulder said.  But that's only one of
the problems. There's also the age difference."

    "Age difference?" she repeated in a completely different tone,
as if she really didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

    I grasped her hand again.  "Kyla, you know that I am very
attracted to you.  But I'm old enough to be your father."  I was
dumbfounded when she burst out laughing.  "What? What's funny?"

    "I take it you haven't had much of an opportunity to speak
with Professor Neumann."

    "No," I admitted.  "But what does that have to do with it?"

    "I don't understand all of it myself.  But he says time is
different here.  The span of our lives is different."

    Intrigued, I asked, "In what way?"

    "Well, for example - how old would you say Reinald is?"

    I shrugged.  "I don't know. Sixty, sixty-five maybe."

    She laughed again.  "Reinald didn't even arrive in Fairwoods
until he was well past sixty.  We don't keep much track of such things
here, Walter, because they really have no meaning.  But I would guess
Reinald's age is three times that."

    "A hundred and eighty...." I breathed.  "But.... Then how old
are y- "  Thankfully, the rudeness of my question brought me out of my
state of shock and I bit off the remainder.

    "Let us say only that the age difference is not as much of a
problem as you might have thought," she replied coyly.  "As for the
other - the Royal Priestess will be back by early tomorrow for the
Naming Day Ceremony.  You could consult with her to have your
questions answered.  But... well, you might think me very forward...."

    "Go on, Kyla - please."

    She took a deep breath and continued.  "You will know what
is right in your heart, Walter. If... such a thing... were not to be
permitted you, I do not believe the Goddess would allow you to feel
what you do."

    I stroked her hand as I thought about that.  I didn't know the
religion in the Realm from a hole in the ground.  While I hoped with
all my heart what she said was true, I couldn't discount that our
feelings might be overriding our judgment.

    Her left hand grasped mine, and her right stroked the side
of my face.  "Listen to your heart, and speak to the Royal Priestess.  
And if your feelings are unchanged, perhaps, after the Naming Day
ceremony tomorrow...."

    I stood to leave, still holding her hand.  Bending low, I
brought it to my lips and kissed it. "If I listen to my heart, Kyla,
my feelings won't change," I said, softly but firmly.

    She smiled and a wave of love hit me like a Mack truck.  
"Tomorrow, then."

    When I could speak again, I repeated "Tomorrow," and got out
of there before I lost control of myself.

    This time, I completed seven circuits of the castle grounds
before I was fit to go inside.  I noticed the steady streams of every
sort of being coming through the portcullis. Everyone within a day's
travel would be here by tomorrow for the Naming Day ceremony.  
Already, the inns were full and the stables nearly so.  Finally, the
chilly wind and hunger drove me inside. As I passed through the
archway to my floor, I saw Mulder standing in front of my door.

    "Oh, there you are!  Would you like to join us for supper?
Lita has everything laid out in our room."

    "Yeah - thanks."

    He surveyed me inquisitively.  "Been to Kyla's?"

    "Yes."  My 'Let's drop this subject vibes' were out in full force.

    Evidently they were communicated to Mulder, because he merely
smiled and stepped back to allow me to precede him into his room. I
think he also let Scully know via their link that it was not a topic
for discussion - she watched me with a mix of frustrated curiosity and
sympathy.

    "Come and sit, Walter.  Looks like some sort of gamebirds for
dinner."

    They smelled delicious. I suddenly realized just how hungry I
was.  I helped myself to the poultry, unfamiliar vegetables and bread.  
It was a pleasant meal, making small talk as we ate and rather
conspicuously avoiding the subject of Kyla, priestly talents and other
indigestible topics. When we had finished, we moved over and sat in
the armchairs by the fire.

    "This is when I really miss coffee," Mulder commented,  "but
I have compensated somewhat."  He handed around pewter goblets.
An aromatic, dark red liquid shimmered inside, tasting like a fine aged
port.  "Reinald would probably have a fit if he knew - Mages aren't
supposed to drink - but it's been a hell of a day and I feel like
celebrating."

    We toasted the young Heir's birth. Then I said, "Speaking of
Reinald, did you know he's something in the neighborhood of a hundred
eighty years old?"

    "I didn't, but I'm not surprised," Scully replied.  "Corvay was
reputedly several hundred season-cycles old when he died."

    "Jesus, just when I think I'm getting used to things here..."

    "And you don't even want to guess at how old Hannu is, in
that case. Well, we'll tell you a bedtime story to take your mind off
it, how's that?"  Mulder's expressive eyes glowed with amusement and
warmth.

    "Ah!  So I'm finally going to learn about the secret life of
Mulder and Scully, am I?"

    "Part of it, anyway." He and Scully took turns recounting the
story of their first experience in the Realm.  Through their words and
the emotions behind them which I was able to feel, they held me
entranced.  I got so caught up, I could almost see Mulder creating
the great funeral pyre for the Wide River victims of the Dark
Creatures; I imagined myself in the Great Hall during Reinald's trial;  
I felt like I was with Scully and Aldara, riding hell-bent for leather
across the Uriin Plains.  Mulder was right. I would have been
overwhelmed - or just plain incredulous - hearing this before I had
gotten to know the Realm a little.  I was beginning to understand
much better their close attachment to this place, their fierce sense
of protection.  And the fact that they were every bit as much a part
of this world as they were my own.

    A knock at the door broke the spell.  Scully went to answer
it and admitted a bustling Ballorca.  Mulder didn't quite manage to
stifle a groan at their guest's entry.

    "Ah, Mage Mulder!  I am glad I caught you in."  The Minister
of Protocol stood expectantly, his beady dark eyes shifting from
Mulder to Scully and back again.  Resignedly, she began making tea.

    Mug in hand, he ensconced himself in Scully's armchair.  "As
you know, tomorrow is the Naming Day Ceremony, and as Royal Taabsut,
you will of course be expected to take part in the ritual.  Now, I have
here your part, all copied out...."  He withdrew a thick roll of
parchment from his tunic.

    "If you'll excuse me, Minister Ballorca. Since your business
is with Mage Mulder, I'll just be on my way," I said, rising.  Mulder
gave me a look like I was abandoning him to the Inquisition.  
Chuckling, I said, "Thank you for dinner.  I'll see you two in the
morning."

    "The ceremony starts at midday," Ballorca called out to me.
"As the priest who officiated at the Royal Birth, you will take your
place in the seats immediately in front of the dais with Mage Hannu,
the Healers and Lita.  Please be prompt!"

    I nodded and made my escape. So I was to be in the front row
with the Healers.... There would be some compensation, then, I thought
cheerfully.

                ~ ~ ~

    The next morning I awoke to Lita bustling around in my sun-
striped chamber.  I slid out of bed clad just in my shorts.  Lita
handed me a mug of tea, and then draped my robe over my shoulders,
though she had to stand on a chair to do it.  A quick squint at the
position of the sun told me I had slept far later than I had intended.

    "Just  two candlemarks until the ceremony, Warrior Priest.  
Just enough time for breakfast and bath.  I'm going to let you get
dressed on your own today, if that's all right. As aura reader for the
little Prince, I will be sitting up front, and I have to get dressed
myself.  My, Ballorca did fuss when he realized a new Priest robe
would be needed for the ceremony - they've never had a big one like
you do the honors before.  But the Royal Seamstresses came through
again!  Quickest needles in the Realm," she declared proudly. She
chattered on about the coming ceremony. I didn't bother to try to get
a word in edgewise. - I doubt she would have noticed, anyway.  I ate
while she went on about the Prince,  who would be wearing what and
sitting with whom and all the rest of the gossip gathered from the
four corners of the castle.  After my bath, she left me on my own. I
was grateful for the sudden silence after the avalanche of words.

    I pulled on tight black leather breeches, reminding myself I'd
have to keep a firm rein on my thoughts as I did so.  A loose white
linen shirt came next, so fine and delicate it felt like silk gliding
over my skin.  Then I tugged on high black leather boots, polished
to a mirror-like shine.  Then the cloak.

    The Royal Seamstresses deserved a raise.  Of softest wool, the
cloak was light but warm, with a wide border of heavy green satin and
intricately-worked embroidery in a garden of colors.  I fastened the
ornate silver clasp at my throat.  After jotting down a brief note to
Mulder in case he came looking for me, I went off to find the Royal
Priestess.

    I suppose I should have remembered to ask Lita where I
might have been able to find her. After a lot of fruitless running
around the castle, I gave up and walked over to the Great Hall where
everyone was lining up for the procession - that is, everyone who
wasn't already inside. I asked around, and eventually the Royal
Priestess was pointed out to me, standing in a crowd of humans and
other beings.

    "Warrior Priest Skinner, I'm glad I'm getting the chance to
meet you at last." She radiated serenity.  It was a good thing - my
errand was nerve-wracking enough, but I had been thrown a curve.  
For some reason, I had been expecting the Royal Priestess to be an
elf or something.  The smallish, elderly human before me made me
even more uncomfortable about what I needed to ask her.  It was like
discussing my sex life with a nun....

    "Is it possible to speak to you for a moment? Someplace
private?"

    "Of course." She indicated a small cottage across the
cobblestones from the Hall.  It was a tavern, deserted now for the
ceremony.  We slid onto benches polished by use.

    Now that I was here, I didn't know how to begin. Fortunately,
I didn't have to.

    "I sense your disquiet, Warrior Priest.  I have heard your
strange story from none other than the King himself, and know you
must have many questions.  How can I help you?"

    "Royal Priestess... you're right when you say I have many
questions. I was... unprepared... for the discovery of this particular
gift.  I know nothing about your faith, and I have no wish to dishonor
it through any ignorance on my part."

    "But you are wondering about our traditions," she completed
smoothly, and smiled. "I wish I could tell you. Oh, our traditions are
simple, there is no problem there. But your combination of gifts is
unique amongst us.  And not just your particular combination, but
any. Rarely, a being in the Realm may be gifted doubly, like Warrior
Healer Scully.  But priests and priestesses have always been simply
that - servants of the Goddess.  As much as I would like to ease your
mind, Walter, I am afraid I cannot.  I have little idea how your being
a warrior impacts your priesthood, or how your being a priest will
affect your conduct as a warrior. The only advice I can give you is
that the Goddess will reveal what you seek. Listen with your heart
and not your ears, and her message will be clear."

    What was clear was that I wasn't going to get the concrete
answer I sought. Disappointed, I accompanied the Royal Priestess back
across the courtyard and we looked for our places in the crowd.

    My agents were among the last to arrive, Mulder hurriedly
tucking in his shirt and Scully buckling the golden belt carrying her
dagger.   Mulder and the Priestess were hustled off to an anteroom
just inside the hall by a frantic Ballorca as the trumpets began to
blare.

    "We, uh...overslept." Scully's explanation was shouted over
the fanfare, as she searched for her place in line.

    Uh-huh.

    I worked my way through the queue so I was standing between
Scully and Kyla.  They looked beautiful.  Kyla wore a beige linen
sheath below a chocolate-colored cloak, decorated with delicately
embroidered leaves and flowers.  Her hair was bound in a golden
knot at the nape of her neck. It was simple and stunning. Scully, too,
was lovely in a leaf-green sheath that perfectly set off her hair and
skin, and the cloak of her unique double status. Seeing her like this,
it was hard to picture her as ever belonging in a suit and heels.  
Kyla reached out to give my hand a reassuring squeeze.  Then the
line began to move into the Great Hall.

    We processed through a short, wide narthex area which had
several doors off to the side, evidently anterooms of some kind. Then
we moved through immense double doors and into the heart of the
Great Hall. From what Mulder had told me, the original hall had been
destroyed the last time they were here, but the replacement was
certainly impressive. The building took on the appearance of an
enormous, banner-bedecked amphitheater with a small raised dais in
the center.  Chairs, for the moment empty,  were set in concentric
circles around the dais on the floor level for a radius of perhaps a
hundred feet. Then tier upon tier of benches rose to the buttressed
ceiling. It was a marvel, and I guessed that both magic and Professor
Neumann must have been involved in its construction.  Here and
there, I could have sworn I saw the influence of Saarinen and Pei.

    My eyes drifted to the crowd in the stands.  The benches
teemed with every imaginable kind and color of being.  I saw creatures
even Steven Spielburg hadn't thought of.  As we processed along the
wide central aisle, I became increasingly self-conscious, as those of
us at the head of the line seemed to be drawing a lot of pointing and
whispering from the throng.  While I hoped much of it was directed at
Scully, one of the Heroes of the Realm, I had a feeling that the
unique talents signified by my cloak might also have been an
attention-grabber.

    I followed Kyla to a single short arc of chairs right in front
of the dais.  I sat, nodding to Jourdain, Aldara, Daanna, Reinald,
Lita and Mage Hannu, who joined us in the VIP seats.

    "This is incredible." I whispered to Scully, on my left.

    She grinned.  "Take your time checking everything out, Walter.  
You've never been to a Realm ritual, but they go on for hours and
hours. Believe me, you'll have plenty of time to see everything."

    I think it took the better part of an hour just to get everyone
inside. The procession of dazzlingly-attired nobles and representatives
from all parts of the Realm and beyond seemed neverending, broken
only by occasional shoving matches between nobles jockeying for a
better seat.

    At last the final being took his seat and the processional music
stopped.  After a few moments, a new fanfare was started and everyone
got to their feet. Cheers rang out as the young King, his lovely Queen
on his arm, walked down the center aisle.  The affection for the pair
was palpable from their subjects in the stands, and it was returned
by the Royal Couple, who waved and smiled and even stopped to exchange
greetings with some, much to Ballorca's displeasure.  But the love and
approval were not unanimous, especially among the nobles seated on the
floor level.  I felt the animosity very clearly, and from the Royal
Priestess's occasional frown, she did as well.  The final member of
the quartet was a very uncomfortable-looking Mulder. The enormous
double doors leading to the narthex were closed behind them.

    The quartet eventually reached and climbed the steps up to the
dais and took their places in front of huge, elaborately carved chairs.
They remained standing as the Priestess stepped forward and began to
chant.  I guess she was speaking Old Realm. In spite of my miraculous
linguistic ability at the Heir's birth, I didn't understand a word of
it now. Scully wasn't kidding, either. It seemed to go on forever, and
I was as restless as a three year old in church by the time she wound
to a close.  The Royal Couple sat, and at last we were able to do the
same.

    What followed was a kind of antiphon, as the four on the dais
chanted and the nobles and priests chanted back.

    "When the hell does everyone learn all this stuff?" I muttered
to Kyla.

    She smiled.  "The nobles have little else to occupy their time,
other than to learn the rituals and hatch plots."  My hand reached for
hers under the protection of our cloaks.  Suddenly, I didn't give a
damn if the ceremony went on all night, as long as I could be beside
her.

    Then it was Mulder's turn.  There was a murmur of approval
from the beings in the stands as he stood and began his chant.

    Scully leaned towards me.  "We couldn't make it here for the
wedding and it didn't go down well.  Rituals and traditions are
tremendously important here - the Realm derives its stability from
them.  Ballorca may be a pain in the ass, but his function is a critical
one. I think everyone's just relieved that the Royal Taabsut showed
up this time. It's a good omen."

    I was to remember that particular little bit of irony later.

    "Good thing he has an eidetic memory," I whispered back.

    She nodded, her eyes on her bondmate.  "The tough part is that
he has to read it in order to remember it.  He was up half the night
trying to decipher Ballorca's scrawl.  Even then, he had to guess at
a few words. He's hoping no one will notice."

    If anyone did, it wasn't apparent. Half an hour or so later,
Mulder sat down, his relief obvious.  I gave him a subtle 'thumbs up'
and his lips twitched in a brief smile.

    Shannon came next. She had a short - by Realm standards,
anyway - chant, which she sang in a beautiful strong contralto. But
she looked as relieved as Mulder had when it was over.  I noticed him
unobtrusively squeeze her hand as she relaxed back in her chair, and
the look of gratitude she returned.

    Andalor stood, gesturing to the assembly to stay seated.  He
launched into his chant without hesitation. After another hour at
least, Kyla whispered to me.  "I recognize this part - it's in most of
the rituals.  He's reciting his lineage which gives him his right to
the throne."

    Evidently, his forebears went back to the Flood - or whatever
the equivalent was here.  The ceremony had now been going on for
hours. I would never again complain about the meetings I had to
attend at the Bureau. They were a piece of cake, compared to this.
The last rays of wintry sunlight were gone from the windows and it
was almost dark by the time Andalor's now-hoarse voice came to a
close.  The Royal Priestess stepped to his side.

    Kyla smiled in anticipation.  "This is the part where the new
Heir is officially introduced to the Realm," she whispered excitedly.  
"He will be brought in by the Royal Nursemaid - just a ceremonial
position for this ritual.  Lady Livirnea, Their Majesties' best friend,
was named to the position yesterday."

    I nodded.  Mulder had pointed her out when we peeked in on the
Professor's workroom late the day before. She was a lovely, delicate
thing, with huge, clear gray eyes and pale blond hair.  According to
Mulder, her frail appearance was deceptive; the teenager was
brilliant intellectually and her mild manner hid a strong streak of
individualism rare in the Realm.

    "So when does the baby get his name?  I thought that's what
this was all about."

    Kyla shifted in her seat.  "Not until the very end, I'm afraid.
They save the best for last. It seems everyone in the Realm has at
least a few silvers wagered on what his name will be, so expect a
noisy reaction from the crowd when it's announced."

    The Priestess finally came to a stop.  With that, the huge
double doors to the narthex were thrown open and the trumpeters
raised their instruments to their lips and began to blow another
fanfare. It lasted for some minutes, but nothing else was happening
and eventually they trailed off in apparent confusion.  I didn't
think anything of it until I noticed expressions of concern from
the four on the dais. Something was definitely wrong. At the end
of our row, Ballorca was looking like he was going to blow a gasket.  
Springing to his feet, he gestured to the trumpeters to begin the
fanfare again, and waddled up the central aisle to investigate the
delay himself.

    I don't know what any of us expected, but it sure as hell
wasn't what followed.

    Ballorca had disappeared into one of the anterooms in the
entryway of the Great Hall.  Seconds later, he stumbled out, his
hands and cloak stained with crimson, his face a horrified white
mask. The trumpeters lowered their horns in open-mouthed astonishment.

    Then Ballorca began to scream.

End of Chapter Twelve


Chapter Thirteen




    "The Prince has been abducted!" Ballorca wailed.

    The Great Hall was pure pandemonium.  As the throngs screamed
and yelled, Hannu leapt to the dais to comfort his stricken daughter.
Lita stayed with Daanna, and the rest of us from the VIP seats and
the dais tore down the central aisle to the anteroom.

    The four members of the Honor Guard lay in pools of blood,
their throats cut. There was no sign either of the Prince nor Lady
Livirnea.  A profusion of gory footprints stained the floor, the only
clues as to who might have committed this horror.

    Almost automatically, we fell into our roles.  Jourdain
questioned those who had been seated at the back of the Hall, vainly
seeking someone who had heard something, anything.  Aldara took
charge of clearing the Hall and preventing panic, as squads of
Jourdain's best troops combed the village for the missing Heir.

    Mulder, Scully and I swung into action as we might have back
in our world. While we scrutinized the footprints, Scully examined the
bodies. From their approximate temperature and how much the blood
had clotted, she determined that they had been dead at least two
candlemarks - plenty of time for the kidnappers to have gotten out of
the village. Mulder and I found five or six distinct sets of
bootprints, not that that told us much. Most men wore boots here, and
common sense told us it would have taken at least four men to overpower
the guards.  We reported our findings to Jourdain.

    "I'll send out brigades in all directions," he said grimly. He
stopped, as a shell-shocked Shannon was led past, supported by Hannu
and Andalor. "We'll find your son," he promised her. "We will find him,
Your Majesty." Kyla touched my arm, then went with the Royal Party to
give what comfort she could to the grieving mother.

    Mulder made a little sound in his throat - half sob, half growl.
This was hitting him hard, too.  "We *will* find him, Mulder," I
assured him. Without making too big a deal of it, I placed my hand on
his shoulder, hoping that once again, I could impart some calm. My own
emotions in an uproar, I don't know whether I did or not.  He was able
to keep going, anyway.

    "Aldara and I are going to finish up here," Jourdain announced.
"We will meet in Reinald's quarters as soon as possible to plan our
next move."

    "Am I going to be a part of this?" I asked Scully, watching his
retreating figure.

    "I'm not su- "

    I felt a tug on my cloak.  It was Daanna.  Lita was trying her
best to get the child away from the blood and the bodies, but she
had made a beeline for me. "You *must* come, Warrior Priest Skinner.  
You must be the one to help!"

                ~ ~ ~

    All right, this was weird.  I mean, the whole situation was
weird, but this was the weirdest thing yet. What possible reason
could the kid have for deciding *I* would be the one to help?  I was
just barely keeping my head above water as it was in this strange
place, with its magic, its auras, my growing empathic ability -

    "What do you mean, poppet?"  Jourdain's tone was soft
yet serious as he held his daughter in his lap.  We were all seated
once again around Reinald's hearth.  Tarnor had joined us. From
what I could gather, the place seemed to beckon the tightly-knit
group in times of trouble, to derive what comfort they could from
being together around its warmth.  "Did you have a dream?"  
Meaningfully, the big warrior caught the eyes of the others.  

    "Well... not a dream, 'xactly."  The little girl seemed to
consider the question thoughtfully.  "*They* told me."

    "They told you what, Daanna?" asked her mother.  "Who
are 'they'?"

    "They said a man would come, that he would help.  And they
are... they are...  I don't know their names....   The Shiny People...
all yellow and white, with big voices.  They talk to me sometimes...
sometimes when I'm awake and sometimes when I'm asleep.  And
they said a man would come and help."

    Reinald surveyed the child somberly. "Did you know the
Prince would be taken, Daanna?"

    Eyes wide, she shook her head, her black curls dancing around
her face.  "But they said that if something bad happened, a stranger
would help - a special stranger."

    She seemed so positive, but Christ, she couldn't have been
more than eight years old.  I leaned forward, closer to the child,
trying to minimize the height difference as much as possible.  She
was tiny and I'm a big guy, and I didn't want to scare her. Then
again, she was so self-possessed I don't think she would have been
scared of much....  "But Daanna, Fairwoods is filled with strangers
right now.  A lot of beings came to see the Naming Day Ceremony.  
What makes you so sure they were speaking about me?"

    "Because you're special," she patiently replied.  "No one is
like you."

    "That is certainly true," Tarnor observed.  "Both Warrior and
Priest - an impossible combination."

    "But- " I began weakly, protesting. They couldn't be taking
this kid seriously.  I looked to Mulder for assistance.

    He just shrugged.  "Don't fight it, Walter.  Daanna has her
own talents, and if she says that you're going to help, you can bet
the farm that your presence is going to be instrumental in some way."  
Mulder turned to the girl's mother and said thoughtfully, "It's
looking like you were right, Aldara - that there is a reason why
Walter was drawn here."

    Grimly she nodded.  She was about to speak when the door
to the chamber opened and Andalor, Hannu and an older gentleman
with a pronounced limp came in.  Tiredly, the King waved us back
into our seats as they found empty ones around the fire.

    "How is Shannon, Andalor?"  Mulder inquired anxiously.

    "Kyla is with her."  He dropped into a vacant armchair as if
his legs couldn't have carried him another step.  "She alternates
between tears and vowing to impale the kidnappers on her sword.  
Kyla was trying to get her to sleep."

    "Andalor, I'm so sorry," Scully said.  "Whatever we can do...."

    "I know."  He looked up, blinking away tears that had welled
in his eyes.  "I know, and that is more comfort than you would
believe.  If anyone can get my son back unharmed, it will be the
beings in this room."

    "And Lord Mandor - we'll get your daughter back as well,"
Mulder promised the old gentleman.

    So this was Lord Mandor. I had heard his name once or
twice in passing.

    He laughed bitterly.  "So, Mage Mulder, you obviously do
not ascribe to the rumors that have been making their filthy
rounds."

    "What rumors?" Scully asked.

    "It appears that the other Houses have not lost time in
turning this outrage to their advantage," he replied heavily.  "It's
being said that Livirnea herself plotted this hideous act."

    "Livirnea?  But why?"  Scully gazed at him, open-mouthed in
amazement.  "Why would she do such a thing?"

    "Well, that depends on which rumor you hear.  One has it
that Livirnea never recovered from her broken betrothal to the King -
that it drove her insane and she has been plotting her revenge since
it happened.  The other accuses me of influencing her to take the
child as a way of advancing Ranfaus House."

    "Goddess!" spat Tarnor, disgustedly.  "Surely no one with
the sense of a bug would put any credence in either of the two.
They're absurd!"

    "Mandor, I am sorry."  Reinald sighed.  "Unfortunately,
Tarnor, there are more than a few who would believe it.  The King
breaking his betrothal was unprecedented and bound to invite comment
and speculation.  Remember, we were all privy to details the general
public was not."

    Nor was I, but I expected Mulder to fill me in later.

    "...most beings have an idealized view of the Crown," the
Royal Mage was saying.  "It was simply beyond their comprehension
that the King would not want to make what was clearly an excellent
marriage to the lovely daughter of a major House, and even more
impossible that Livirnea would not want to marry the King."

    Andalor nodded.  "And as for Lord Mandor plotting against
the Crown, well... it's nothing that Maalfees, Dordinal and several of
the smaller Houses haven't thought of doing themselves.  But nothing
will make me believe that Ranfaus has turned against me." He reached
out to place a reassuring pat on the older man's shoulder.

    "Thank you, Andalor. I'm honored by your faith in me and my
House."

    "But someone wants to see the erosion of that support,"
commented Reinald grimly. "Probably several someones.  
And one may have knowledge of the beings that stole the Prince."

    "Whoever has done this will pay dearly." Andalor's words
were quiet but glacier-cold, somehow much more reflective of his
state of mind than if they had been heated by temper.

    The room was silent for several moments, the tension and
worry almost palpable. I had had but brief acquaintance with these
beings, yet even I had to work to maintain focus, to keep my anger
under control.  How much worse was it for the young parents and
those who loved them? Mulder was just barely holding himself together.
Not only did he care deeply for Shannon, but I was certain that the
infant's abduction brought back memories of the helplessness, grief
and frustration he felt when his sister was taken. And then Scully....

    He got up and started pacing.  "It's just so infuriating,
just sitting here, doing nothing...." he said tensely.  "Surely there
must be something we can - "

    "Regrettably, there isn't," Andalor responded.  "If there
was, believe me, I'd be doing it."

    Reinald nodded.  "The King is right, Mulder.  We've sent
runners out, troops are combing Fairwoods and the surrounding
villages, searching every structure.  Until we know what direction to
look in.... " He shrugged tiredly and everyone was submerged in
gloomy silence.  I could see that he was as attached to the King as
Mulder was to the Queen.  Andalor's and Shannon's hell was theirs
as well.

    "Look, there'll be a search party eventually, right? When we
know what direction they went?" I asked. God, the sound of my voice
in that tomb-like chamber startled even me. "Maybe if we make plans
now, decide who will be in the search party, we'll be ready when the
time comes."

    "Good idea, Walter," Scully said warmly. From the glances
she had been throwing Mulder's way, I knew they had been
communicating.  Hell, probably her messages to him were the only
things keeping him from taking off alone in typical Mulder fashion
and getting into God knew what trouble.

    "I will go on the search," Andalor declared firmly.

    The Royal Mage sighed.  "I could have predicted this," he
murmured.  Louder, he said, "I knew you would want to, Andalor.  
And it's just as certain that you must not."

    "It's my son!" the young man nearly shouted.  "What kind of
a father would I be if I didn't...?  Besides, I want to be there when
he is found, I want to know that he is safe.  And," he continued
darkly, leaving no doubt as to his intentions, "I want to be there
when we find the sons of bitches that took him."

    "And that's just one of the reasons why you must *not* go,"
Reinald said firmly.  In a gentler tone, he explained, "Look, Andalor,
I know that you are sick to death of hearing this, but it makes it
none the less true.  You are the King.  If anyone must let Realm
justice play itself out, it must be you.  Not to mention that there
is an emergency session of the Council of Representatives tomorrow.  
You must remain here to preside, and show the Realm that you and
the kingdom are strong and secure. And- !" he raised his voice to
forestall Andalor's ready objections, "...and you must be here for
Shannon. She needs you."

    The final argument at last made some impression, and the
King collapsed back in his chair dejectedly.  "All right - but only
for Shannon, Reinald. Only for Shannon."

    The Mage nodded.  "Good, Andalor, I'm glad you are being
sensible. I do feel, however, that it is your right to choose the
members of the search party."

    "Thank you for that, anyway."  The King's glance ranged
along the semicircle around the hearth, from one face to the next.
"Mage Mulder, Warrior Healer Scully - I hate to presume upon you
once again, after all you have done for the Realm, and for me
personally.  But would you...?"

    Quietly Mulder replied, "We wouldn't have it any other way,
Andalor."

    He nodded, a sad smile on his lips.  "You've brought about
miracles in the past.  I am relying on you to do so again."  

    Miracles?  Plural? That must have been some of what had been
left on the cutting room floor from the conversations I'd heard. I
made a mental note to pin Mulder and Scully down about the rest of
their exploits.

    "But apparently we'll need help," Scully observed.  "Daanna
says that Walter must go with us."

    "Warrior Priest Skinner?" he asked with some surprise, a
frown coursing over his features.  He turned to me.  "I am most
reluctant to permit this, Walter.  You were brought here by
accident, and you know little of us.  Certainly not enough for me
to ask this of you. This mission may well be dangerous."

    "You don't have to ask, King Andalor.  I'm volunteering."  
I looked over at Mulder, who shot me an approving nod and I turned
back to the King.  His strange violet eyes met mine and I was
instantly flooded with his sorrow and fear, overwhelming me as if
they were my own.  I was glad I didn't have to say more; I didn't
think I could force the words out around the lump in my throat.

    "You do the Realm a great service, Warrior Priest.
Thank you," he said humbly. He turned his attention back to the
others. "And who will accompany them?"

    "Aldara and I will.  With your permission, of course,
Andalor."

    "You have it, and with it my thanks, Captain Jourdain."

    "And me!" declared Tarnor, his fearsome gargoyle face set
determinedly.

    The King nodded his appreciation.

    "While I would want to go, Andalor, and still will if it be
your wish, I feel you might be able to use my help here," said
Hannu quietly.  "And I would like to be with my daughter. I have
missed so much of her life, not being there when she needed
me...."

    "I agree, Hannu. I was going to request that you stay behind.  
Between Mulder and Tarnor, there should be no lack of whatever Mage
gifts might be necessary."

    "I too would prefer to go, but...."  Lord Mandor gestured
helplessly at his withered leg.  "I fear I would only hold up the
mission. And in view of the circumstances, I feel my presence is
required here, to answer the inevitable accusations in the Council
tomorrow."

    "Again, I understand and agree, Lord Mandor.  You have
always stood by the Crown in times of need; now the Crown will
stand by you, and by your daughter."

    "My thanks, Your Majesty."  The dignified noble was haggard
with worry. I felt his torrent of emotions as well, but to a lesser
extent than I had with the young King.  But the force of the
anguish and outrage in the room grew by the moment, threatening to
overwhelm me.  I struggled to control it, to find my peaceful center.  
Evidently that struggle must have shown in my face.

    "You are dealing with many new things, Warrior Priest,"
Reinald said, his expression thoughtful.  "And if Daanna is right -
and I have never known her to be wrong, however mysterious her
talents - then your gifts may well make all the difference."

    I frowned.  "That's what I'm afraid of, Royal Mage.  I... I'm
just learning about them myself.  To have everything counting on
them - the safety of the Royal Heir and Lord Mandor's daughter....  I
shook my head. "I just hope I know what to do and how to do it when
the time comes."

    "I've been thinking of that," he nodded.  "That's why I have
decided to ask Urielle to join the search party."

    "Urielle?" I asked, puzzled.

    "Urielle is a priestess," Mulder explained.  "I've worked
with her once before - remember I told you about that priestess
who tried to control the mob ?  She's an empath of great strength.  
If anyone can teach you what you need to know in the time you
have to learn it, it will be Urielle."

    "She is a very learned and holy being," Tarnor added.  "And
next in line to become Royal Priestess because of it."

    "Yes!" Daanna piped in suddenly.  She had been resting on
her father's lap with a faraway look in her eyes.  But now she was
alert and animated.  "Yes, Urielle will go."

    "That settles it then," Reinald said.  "I'll get word for her
to be ready at our call."

    "You can if you want," the little girl conceded complacently.  
"But she already knows."

    I wished the Realm had cameras, Reinald's expression was
that noteworthy. In spite of the terrible reason we were all there, I
thought Mulder was going to swallow his lips to keep from laughing
out loud.  

    The Royal Mage's eyebrows finally descended from up near
his hairline.  "Very well, then, Daanna - "

    HIs next words were lost as there was a knock on the door,
and Kyla came in.  My heart started to beat a little faster.  She
looked tired as she joined us at the hearth.

    "She's asleep," she said, before Andalor and Mulder could
put voice to their questions.  "Dorbo is with her, but she should
sleep for several candlemarks.  Before she drifted off, she asked me
to see you, Your Majesty, to perform a healing treatment for you, to
help you deal with your son's abduction."

    "I don't want to 'deal with it'."  Andalor's tone was coldly
furious, and the Healer took an inadvertant step back from him. "I
don't want to deal with it and I don't want to feel better.  I want
to stay feeling just as I am until our son is back in his mother's
arms where he belongs."

    "It was Her Majesty's wish - "

    "Then Her Majesty will not be told."  His eyes scanned the
group, his face set.  Young though he might be, there was no doubt
as to his authority.  Uncharacteristically it appeared, the King was
pulling rank.

    "As you wish, Your Majesty," Kyla said simply.

    "I - I didn't mean to  snap," he stammered, once more the
unsure young man.  "But I need to hold on to my anger.  I need it
right now.  It's the only thing keeping me going....  Can you
understand that?"

    "I may not agree with it, Sire, but yes, I can understand it."

    Reinald cleared his throat.  "I think it's time we all tried
to get some sleep - what sleep we can, anyway. Tomorrow is going
to be a very difficult day for all of us. Especially for those in the
search party, your next opportunity for rest may be long in coming."

    "Goddess willing," said Tarnor, rising.  "At least that will
mean that we have some direction to go in."

    "Amen to that," murmured Mulder.

    With that, everyone began to drift back to their chambers.  
Mulder slowed his steps, I guess waiting for me. When he saw that I
was walking with Kyla, however, he looped his arm around Scully's
shoulders and they struck off down the hall.  The man could be
uncannily intuitive at times.  

    "You look tired," I said to her as we strolled the chilly
passageway.

    She laughed shortly.  "Scully told me a quotation from your
world - 'Physician, heal thyself'. Is that what you're implying?" She
looked up at me, a teasing smile on her lips.

    I grinned back.  "I don't know - *can* you?"

    "For minor ailments, yes. For major injuries and illness,
usually not. And for disquiet of the mind and soul, definitely not,
unfortunately."  

    Gone was her smile. Now her anxiety and fears were hitting
me like a tidal wave.  "Who are you most worried about?  The parents
or the child?"

    "I'm worried about all of them." She sighed.  "This child
means everything to Andalor and Shannon, especially after the loss
of the others.  But I'm most concerned about the infant.  I can only
pray that whoever took him did so to demand a ransom," she said,
voicing the Number One fear we all had but hadn't mentioned.  God
knows Mulder and Scully and myself had seen enough kidnappings
by sick sons of bitches that hadn't been for financial gain, but
rather for- ...no, I didn't even want to think about that. Kyla went on,
"He's a strong, healthy baby, but they are so fragile when so young.
I hope whoever took him is taking care of him."

    "I'm hoping that it's a promising sign that they took
Livirnea along, possibly to care for the child. In any case, we're
going out to find him tomorrow. I'll be going with the search party,
Kyla.  Daanna of all people says it's important that I go, that
somehow I'll help to get the baby back."

    She nodded as if Daanna's pronouncements were standard fare.  
"Mage Mulder and Warrior Healer Scully are going as well?"

    "And Tarnor and Jourdain and Aldara.  And someone named
Urielle."

    "It may be dangerous."  Her voice was uninflected, almost
flat, but I could feel her anxiety notch up a level or two.  Perverse
as it was, I couldn't help but take heart from it that she really did
care about me.

    "My job in my world carries a certain amount of danger,
Kyla.  I'm not a stranger to it." Changing the subject, I said, "I...
I can feel your disquiet. Can you go to Scully for a healing
treatment?"

    "I could... but I think she's going to have her hands full
with Mage Mulder."

    I had to admit that she had a point. I took her hand, hoping in
some small way to put her mind at rest. We walked in silence down the
staircase and out the archway into the windswept courtyard.  "Kyla,
about tonight...."

    She waved dismissively, then clasped her cloak tighter
around her.  "I know, Walter.  With this terrible act....  The time
is not right.  We both have duties we must attend to first."

    We cut across the courtyard to stroll at the base of the
wall, which blocked the worst of the wind.  I was depressed, and
not just as a result of being on the receiving end of everyone's
emotions.  I sighed.  "Maybe... maybe it's not meant to happen."  
Then I laughed humorlessly.  "I don't know, I've never been a
Warrior Priest before. I didn't get the rulebook...."

    She laid a restraining hand on my arm and we stopped for a
moment.  The warmth never left her dark blue eyes.  "I don't believe
that, Walter.  I believe it *will* happen.  When you have finished the
task the Goddess has set for you... when you find the child.  Then it
will happen. I believe that, and you must as well."

    We began walking again along the path through the herb
garden that led to her cottage.  I had no idea what the Goddess
might have in store, but there was no doubt Kyla believed what she
was saying, and I took comfort in that.  A lot of comfort. We came
to the door of her cottage, both of us feeling a bit awkward.

    "Walter, be careful...."  Suddenly, she embraced my
face with both hands and leaned toward me.  Her kiss, wistful and
sweet, was still warm on my lips as she disappeared behind her door.

                ~ ~ ~

    I wandered down the passageway, in no real hurry to get to
my chamber.  Outside, I had walked around the castle several times
in an effort to put my thoughts to rest - not to mention baser urges.  
In the end, the cold had driven me in.  My hand was on the wrought
iron door latch to my chamber when Mulder's door opened and he slipped
out into the hallway.  He seemed calmer - evidently Healer Scully had
been at work. I nodded to him and together we entered my room and went
to sit by the fire.

    His eyes showed that concern again - like I was his fragile
little brother and he was looking out for me. Maybe I should have
resented it, felt patronized... I don't know. Instead, the concern I
saw there, felt radiating from his essence, moved me beyond words.
"Walter, are you okay with this?"

    I shook off the emotion with some difficulty.  "Okay with
taking orders from an eight year old who's just obeying the voices
she hears in her head?  Is that the part you mean?" I asked gruffly.
I realized my words carried some sting, and I sighed.  "Yes, oddly
enough, I *am* okay with it. Christ knows why.  Other than the
feeling, of course, that I'm going to horribly disappoint a lot of
people.  Mulder, I don't have a clue what the hell I'm supposed to
do.... How my being with the search party is going to be of any
earthly help."

    His eyes, always so expressive, shone with an awed gravity.  
"Maybe that's it, Walter.  Maybe it won't be 'earthly help' at all."  

    He rose from his chair to leave. "We'll be getting up before
first light.  We can't wait any longer, we're losing too much time.  
Hopefully by then we'll have heard some news so we have an idea of
where to go.  Pack tonight - bedroll, warm clothes, and an extra pair
of boots.  Your weapons too, of course.  We don't know how long we'll
be out there.  Lita will awaken you when breakfast is ready in our
room.  Try and get some sleep."

    Ironic advice, coming from Mr. Insomnia.  He had reached
the door when I called out softly, "You do the same, Mulder."

    He shrugged helplessly and went out the door.  I stared
into the fire and rejoined my whirling thoughts.

                ~ ~ ~

    I was into my second helping of elven porridge the next
morning when Lita came in.  The news from all quarters was,
bluntly, no news at all.  It was like the kid had vanished into thin
air and, given the use of magic in the Realm, I advanced my theory
to Mulder. Actually, it was the first thing he and Reinald had thought
of.  But all the Mages - Tarnor and Hannu included - had agreed
there was no telltale stench of black magic in the air.  While that
was a comfort in a way, it was also a source of frustration, since
we were no closer to a direction now than we had been the previous
night.  Worse, having no word of the child's whereabouts heightened
the chilling fear that we all left unvoiced - that the child had
already had been killed.  Neither Mulder nor Scully looked like they
had slept a wink all night, and I hadn't done much better.  We were
sitting listlessly at the refectory table, shoving down a meal that
we knew our bodies needed but had no appetite for. But Lita was
animated enough for all of us.
    
    "Mage Mulder, you need to hear this."

    One glance at the excited elf was enough to capture his full
attention. "What is it, Lita?"

    "Well, as you can imagine, there are hundreds of rumors
flying around - some of them complete stable-droppings, as usual,"
she sniffed.  "But I was just told something down in the kitchens
that... well, it just struck me that there might be something to this
one."

    "Sit down, Lita," Scully suggested.  "Have some tea and tell
us about it."

    "Aye, I won't say no."  She took a deep swallow of the brew
and continued.  "I heard this from one of the vendors, a rascal named
Sharmi.  Now Sharmi gets around a lot, delivers vegetables to the
Noble Houses as well as to the castle."  She snorted.  "If what I
have heard is true, he delivers more than vegetables.  He keeps
odd hours and has a bit of a reputation.  Rumor has it that he has a
brisk trade going in untaxed home-brewed spirits....  Anyway, he said
that all of the Noble Houses have held meetings all night - secret
meetings.  About the Prince's abduction.  Plotting, he called it."

    Mulder frowned.  "That's hardly news, Lita. I'm not surprised
that the Houses are plotting how these events could best benefit them.  
Sometimes I think that's all they do.  Did any one of the Houses seem
more suspect than the others?"

    She shook her head.  "If there was, he didn't mention it.  
Of course he has his business to protect, though I think if something
had stood out - something treasonous - he would have told me.  But
what Sharmi did say was interesting enough.  He was talking very late
last night to an innkeeper in a little village west of here, and the
innkeeper happened to mention a strange little group that had
travelled through just a candlemark before. There were three men on
horseback, and three other figures in a wagon, travelling fast and
light. They stopped just long enough to water the horses and grab
some food, and then they were off again.  Now you know, Mage, no
one travels through the night without pressing reason.  Between the
bandits and the night beasts....  That's what got the innkeeper's
attention.  And Mage... the innkeeper said one of them was holding
something in her lap - something like a small bundle."  She
looked pointedly at Mulder over the rim of her earthenware mug.

    I felt the tension increase in the others - that, and more
importantly, for the first time, hope....

    "What was the name of the village, Lita?"

    "Elvenwood.  It's on the main western road, about four or five
candlemarks' ride from here."

    Mulder looked at Scully, probably conferring silently out of
habit.  I cleared my throat noisily, just to remind them I was still
around.

    Scully smiled apologetically.  "Sorry, Walter.  Mulder and
I were just discussing this latest turn of events.  It's not much
of a lead, but it's the best we have."

    "If it's any help to you, Warrior Healer - Maalfees' ancestral
lands lie far to the west, out past the Great Robe Desert," Lita
added.  "It's said that their manor house is like a fortress."

    "This might be it," Mulder said. "Lita, do me a favor and run
to Reinald's quarters.  Tell him what you told us. If he thinks it's
worth checking out, go tell Tarnor and Jourdain and Aldara we'll
meet in the stables as soon as everyone can get there."

    She stood and gathered her cloak more closely around her.  
"Right away, Mage.  I'll stop by the stables on my way and let them
know to start saddling the horses and getting the pack animals ready.  
Tilfo will be in to bring your things down."

    "Thanks, Lita."  His words of appreciation were probably
lost as the door clicked behind her scurrying figure.

    I glanced over at Mulder.  There it was, what I had been
waiting to see... the excitement of the hunt, the recognition,
whether by intelligence or intuition, that this was a lead worth
following.

    It appeared my adventures had only just begun.


End of Chapter Thirteen


Chapter Fourteen


    We had just finished tying the last of the bedrolls and
sacks of supplies to the pack animals when Urielle came into the
stable. I was beginning to get used to the diminutive stature of the
other beings that shared this strange place with humans, but even
for an elf, she was tiny and frail-looking. I glanced nervously at
Mulder and murmured, "Look at the size of her!  If we're going to
be travelling hard and rough, do you think she's up to it?"

    His eyes swept over towards the elven priestess who was
chatting with Scully.  "I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Elves
are much stronger than they look, and are natural-born horsemen.  
To tell you the truth, I'm more worried about you.  Walter, I didn't
think to ask you this before, but have you ever ridden a horse in
your life?"

    I chuckled.  "You think I've never travelled in anything more
taxing than my Lincoln Town Car, I suppose."

    "Well, *have* you ever ridden?  These Realm horses are big
bastards, and they can be a handful, especially in cold weather
when they're feeling their oats."  As if to underscore Mulder's point,
my steed reared up, evidently anxious to be on its way.  Mulder's
wary eyes bore into mine.

    "Don't worry, I'll manage," I replied drily.

    Anxiously, he assured me, "We'll keep it relatively slow
at first, until you get used to it," then turned to confer with
Jourdain and Scully.

    I'll always remember his look of wide-eyed astonishment
when, waving aside the offers of assistance from the stableboy, I
swung easily up into the saddle, controlling the stomping, snorting
beast with only subtle pressure of my hands on the reins and my
heels in its flanks.  When he had recovered from his shock, he mimed
a tip of an imaginary cap to me and with a bemused expression, found
his own mount.

    Minutes later, we had all saddled up. Saying goodbye to
Andalor, Reinald and Hannu and with their heartfelt wishes in our ears,
we struck out westward at a ground-eating canter.


                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    We had ridden for perhaps two candlemarks when, at the head
of the column, Mulder reined in his horse to the side of the road and
waited until I rode by.  He cut in next to me as Urielle - an
accomplished horsewoman as Mulder had promised - pulled back to
ride next to Tarnor for a while.

    "Here you've been accusing us of having all the secrets,"
he began, speaking loudly to be hear over the clatter of hoofbeats.  
"It looks like you have a few of your own."

    "Who, me?" I grinned, and continued, "My life's an open
book, Mulder."

    He smiled in return, but predominent in his expression was
curiosity.  "Apparently not.  For example, where'd you learn to
handle a horse?  Unless of course you want to confess that your
father was an elf."

    " 'Fraid not," I laughed.  "But it's been a while, and I
suspect I'm going to feel all this in the morning." It was funny -
in spite of the seriousness of our mission, I suddenly realized that
I was happier and more relaxed than I had been in years.  In fact, I
don't think I could have named a time in my adult life when I had
felt this good.... I shook myself from my reverie, feeling like I had
tried my companion's patience long enough. "I, uh... I spent
eighteen months on a youth ranch, Mulder," I replied. "In Washington
state, not far from where I grew up.  There were a lot of family
problems at the time, and I acted out in the only way I could.... I
boosted a car."

    I thought he was going to fall off his horse.  "*You*?  *You*
stole a car?"

    "Cut me some slack, Mulder.  I wasn't born in the Bureau,
you know.  I was not quite sixteen at the time. My parents were in
the middle of a divorce. Six months before, my older brother Bobby
had been killed in Vietnam. The war at that point was just a police
action; no one expected their kid to come home in a box. My mother
and father were having problems anyway, but when Bobby was killed
- well, it just blew them out of the water.  He was always their
favorite, the fair-haired boy.  My mother had been against him
enlisting, my dad was all for it...." I shrugged.  "The usual.... She
blamed him for Bobby's death, he blamed her for blaming him,
everyone hating everyone else. Between the fights and the tension
at home....  My sister and two younger brothers weren't hit as hard
as I was, for whatever reason....  Shit, to tell the truth, I guess I was
feeling pretty guilty.  I had always been jealous as hell of Bobby. I
was angry at the world - at my parents, at Bobby, everybody. So I
got in with the wrong bunch of kids, cut school, generally raised hell
and acted like a horse's ass.  Then one day, I hotwired a car and set
the Seattle record for how fast I got caught."

    "And that's when you figured that you had no future in crime
- committing them, anyway," Mulder teased.  "Actually, since it was
a first offence, I'm surprised you didn't get off with just a slap on
the hand."

    "Well, I almost did. But my aunt intervened."  I glanced
over and, catching his expression of confusion, chuckled.  "No, she
did me a favor, Mulder.  My aunt was the only one in the family
who realized that if I had just gotten a lecture and returned to my
home, the same damn thing would have happened again - or worse.  
My only chance was getting out of there.  Not that I appreciated it
at the time.  Shit, I was furious with her, didn't speak to her for
years. I think it was when I was in college that I finally had the
sense  - and the balls - to thank her.  Anyway, she convinced the
judge to send me to a youth ranch.  She knew a little structure
and discipline and hard work might smarten me up."

    "Obviously, it worked," he observed mildly.

    Remembering back, I laughed.  "The first three months were
pure hell.  Parris Island wasn't as bad as that place, to a rebellious
kid.  Finally I got with the program, stopped fighting it. I was lucky
- there were people there who saw potential in me, and encouraged
me.  I excelled at the school they had there, even became a kind of
mentor to new kids coming in. Since it was a working ranch, I also
learned everything there was to know about horses - which included
riding."  I smiled, nostalgia for the place flooding me unexpectedly.  
Funny, I hadn't thought about the ranch in years.  "In a way, I hated
to leave.  But I got my high school diploma and went back home.  I
don't think I was home a month when I realized I just didn't fit in
there anymore - if I ever had.  I didn't have the money for college -
or the inclination to go at that point.  I was at loose ends, so a
couple weeks later, over my mother's vehement objections, I enlisted
in the Marines.  You pretty much know what happened there...."

    "Up to a point," Mulder agreed.  "What happened when you got
out?"

    "Well, I was wounded near the end of my tour, and that
pretty much ended it in any case. After I got out of the VA hospital
 - and that took a while - I went to San Diego State on the VA Bill...
majored in Criminal Justice. I got lucky again and had the opportunity
to go on immediately, so I got my MBA.  At the time there weren't
a lot of guys lining up to join the Bureau - either they had all gotten
their asses shot off in 'Nam, or had tuned out and turned on, so to
speak, and didn't want anything to do with the government.  So I got
in with relatively little trouble. The rest you know."

    "From what I heard, you were a hell of an agent and set
records for how quickly you were promoted. Records that still stand."

    I shrugged.  "I caught some lucky breaks - in the right place
at the right time, that sort of thing."

    Mulder smiled knowingly. "I also heard that you distinguished
yourself in the field twice for valor. Crawled on your belly for
thirty yards to drag your wounded partner out of the line of fire.  Is
that what you refer to as being in the right place at the right time?"

    That was pretty far back, and I hadn't thought it was
common knowledge.  Then again, knowing Mulder and his habit of
delving for the truth, maybe it wasn't necessarily commonly known.  
For some reason, I was less comfortable with this heroic, larger-
than-life image he was painting of me than that of the surly,
authoritarian, anal-retentive boss.  "Partners cover each other's
asses, you know that," I replied dismissively. "What I did was no
more than what any agent would have done."

    "Uh-huh."  He sounded unconvinced.

    "Look Mulder, if you want to make me a hero, I suggest you
wait until we've recovered the Heir to the Throne.  If we can pull
that one off, we'll deserve hero status.  Then again... you and
Scully apparently already have that here...."  I let my words hang
and he had the grace to blush.  Unfortunately, our arrival in a
little town cut short the conversation I hoped would shed more light
on their past exploits in the Realm.

    We slowed as we hit the cobbles of the single street into
the town.  It was a pleasant enough place, a mixed species village,
if the variety and the sizes of the dwellings was anything to go by.
Curious beings lined the road, pouring out of shops and cottages as
we rode by.  I looked for the inn and found it without difficulty, a
whitewashed, half-timbered structure with a thatched roof.  I was
surprised when we rode by it, and turned questioningly to Mulder.

    "Realm custom demands we call first on the village elder
for tea and to state our business," he explained.

    I was amazed.  The Mulder I knew in our world was not big
on observance of custom or tradition - or even common courtesy a
lot of the time. Not when he was on the scent of a case.  "Can we
afford the time?"

    "No," he replied grimly. "But unfortunately, we can't afford
not to.  A major breach of Realm etiquette like that would just
alienate the town and we'd have a hell of a time getting any
cooperation. Don't worry, we'll keep it short."

    The difference in the man was incredible.  If I could just get
him to be half as politically sensitive in our world as he was
here....  We dismounted.  Jourdain, Aldara and Tarnor opted to stay
outside with the horses - and no doubt to glean what information they
could from the bystanders - while Mulder, Scully, Urielle and I
followed the elven elder into his cottage.

    We sat - or crouched, in Mulder's and my case - around the
hearth while he poured and distributed the tea. "I am Horliss, village
elder of Elvenwood. I welcome you in its name.  I see you bear the
King's standard.  Is it the Prince's disappearance that brings you
here?"

    "Yes, honored elder."  Urielle, as the lone elf in our party,
served as spokesper-  ...spokesbeing.  "We received information that a
group of travellers stopped here last night.  Three mounted men and
three others in a wagon.  We were told they stopped but briefly at
the inn, and then resumed their journey.  Night travellers are
uncommon," she said noncommitally.

    "And foolhardy.  Aye, it raised comment," he agreed.  
"One moment."  He stepped just outside the door and murmured a few
words to one of the curious villagers clustered nearby.  "Sesha the
innkeeper will be here in a moment," he said, reseating himself. "He
is an observant one, and may well be able to give you what you seek.  
From what I heard, the travellers came through very late indeed, well
after most of our beings had retired for the night.  We are but a
simple trading and farming community," Horliss explained
apologetically, "with nothing much to stay up for after the sun has
set."

    We made polite small talk for several minutes, though I
could see from the way Mulder kept clenching his jaw that he was
impatient to get the information and be on his way.  I couldn't help
but sympathize.  Finally, a middle-aged human wearing a somewhat
grungy apron entered the elder's cottage.  "You summoned me,
Horliss?"

    "Ah, Sesha!  Come in and have tea.  Our guests wanted to
ask you about the travellers who came through last night."

    Scully took over - a wise move since Sesha's eyes hadn't left
her since his entrance.  "Horliss told us you were very observant,
Sesha.  We need your help.  We are here on the King's business,
searching for the Prince.  Can you tell us everything you remember
about the  travellers?"  How Scully managed to be both authoritative
and coquettish at the same time amazed me.  She certainly seemed
to make an impression on the innkeeper.

    Sesha's chest puffed out with pride.  "Yes, I have a shrewd
eye.  A successful businessman must, you know.  And I knew they were
up to no good the moment I laid eyes on them.  Just three of them
came in - humans, speaking New Realm with a high class accent.  Very
proper, they spoke."

    "That's good, Sesha, that's just the sort of detail we're looking
for.  Anything else?"

    "Hmm....  Well, their clothes surprised me, seemed wrong."  

    "Seemed wrong in what way?"
    
    "Well, from their manner of speaking, I would have thought
they'd be in silks, and the finest, softest wools.  But their clothing
was like workman's clothing - rough, plain.  Aye, I noted it at the
time.  It didn't fit with their classy speech, nor with their hands."

    "Their hands?" Scully prodded.

    He nodded vigorously.  "Aye, they had soft hands, well kept.  
Like they had never done an honest day's work in their lives.  I
thought at the time that perhaps they were disguising themselves,
dressing down to fool would-be bandits on the road."

    "Did you hear anything they said?" asked Urielle.

    He looked at the elf and scowled.  "Nay.  Every time I came
near - to take their order or bring more wine - they stopped talking.  
Except to complain, that is. Goddess!  They arrived just as I was
closing.  They were lucky I let them in at all.  But did I get any
thanks?  No - they said the wine was swill, the food overcooked.  
I run a good inn, I do," he declared, aggrieved.  "They had no call to
insult me!"

    "I'm sure your inn is wonderful," Scully soothed.  "I wish we
had time to visit it ourselves, but...." She shrugged regretfully.  "I
understand there were others in their party."

    He nodded, mollified for the moment.  "They stayed outside.  
The men had me prepare a basket - flasks of wine and water, some
meat and cheese, a couple of loaves.  I caught a glimpse of them,
though, as they were pulling out of town.  Two figures on the wagon
seat - a man and a woman. Or possibly a man and some variety of
being. Smaller than the man, though.  And in the back, a woman
- a girl really.  Very pale in the moonlight.  She had on a hooded
cloak, but she was turned toward me, so that's how I saw it was a
human girl.  And she was holding something."

    "Did you see or hear anything that would give you an idea
what it was?"

    "No. Except that she seemed very careful with it, like she
was afraid it would break or something.... Oh!"  He broke off
suddenly, his brow furrowing in thought.

    "What is it, Sesha?  The smallest detail could be important."

    "Well, it was something I had forgotten until just now.  
There was something else I put in the basket, something they asked
for specifically.  Something they were lucky I was able to put my
hands to at that time of night, not that I got any thanks for it."

    "Which was..?"

    "A flask of fieldbeast milk."

    Scully smiled warmly and clasped the innkeeper's rough,
slightly grubby hand.  "Thank you, Sesha.  You've been enormously
helpful."  She and Urielle rose and Mulder and I followed suit, my
muscles protesting strongly after a morning spent first in the saddle
and then crouching in the tiny cottage.

    "Are you certain that you will not be my guests for midday
meal at my inn?" Sesha invited.

    Before anyone else could answer, Mulder cut in.  "I'm very
sorry, Sesha.  Perhaps on our way back.  We must leave now to
follow those travellers.  Perhaps they have a good explanation for
their actions, perhaps not, but we must find them in order to
ascertain that.  They already have many candlemarks' lead.  You have
the King's thanks for your assistance."

    Pleased, the innkeeper nodded and followed us out to the
brilliant sunshine where the others awaited us.

    "Did you get anything?" I asked Jourdain.

    He nodded.  "A little something.  An old lady who swears she
heard the cry of a newborn babe late last night. And there are no
newly-born infants in the village."

    "Do you think she's reliable, or just telling you what you want
to hear?"

    "Difficult to say."  The old warrior shrugged. "From what the
others tell me about her, she is both reliable and has extremely
good hearing. I take it you had some luck as well."

    I nodded and brought him up to date with what the innkeeper
had said, while Scully did the same with Tarnor and Aldara.  Mulder
had already mounted and was making it clear he was more than ready
to leave the village.  The rest of us quickly followed suit, and we
were out of the village a few minutes later.

            
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    
    I must have been in my own little world, because I was
startled when Urielle spoke.  I looked to my left and down.  God,
she looked so impossibly tiny to be able to control the huge Realm
horse.  But I could see that Mulder had been correct once again -
she was a consummate equestrienne.

    "I asked, how are you finding the Realm, Warrior Priest
Skinner?" she repeated in a surprisingly low, musical voice.  "I
apologize that until now I have not had much opportunity to speak
with you."

    I smiled.  "Things have been happening pretty fast, haven't
they? I don't think I've had a lot of time to dwell on how I'm finding
things in the Realm. All in all, I guess I'm getting used to it."

    "And your new-found powers?"  She watched me shrewdly.    

    "That's... taking a bit longer.  I'm just not the type that....  
I just never...."  I shook my head and gave up trying to explain.

    She appeared to take my discomfort in stride.  "Normally
we have our whole childhood to become accustomed to the idea,
then another ten or so season-cycles living amongst the priests and
priestesses, learning to control and direct our talents.  I am not
sure how I myself would react to have them so suddenly foisted upon
me.  I think I would probably be afraid, and perhaps resentful."  She
slid a glance at me under her lashes.

    "Those are certainly part of it, both of them," I admitted
quietly.  "There's a lot of self-doubt about whether I can control
these powers I supposedly have, put them to any use.  Whether I
can learn what I have to, for the mission we're on.  But it's not
even that simple.  Throw in a sense of disbelief that any of this
is happening at all. And yet at the same time..."  I took a deep
breath, then sighed.  "At the same time, a feeling that after a
lifetime of confusion and uncertainty and denial and pain, the
pieces have finally come together.  A feeling of completion, of
one-ness, for the first time in my life.  If that makes any sense."  
I looked over at the elven priestess.  "I don't know - maybe it's
just me." I was somewhat taken aback at my openness with this
little stranger I had just met.  But somehow there was something
about her that made me feel as comfortable as if I had been with
Mulder or Scully.

    She smiled and shook her head.  "I don't think so, Walter.  
I think all this is perhaps more startling because of your origins.
But I'm not particularly surprised to hear you feel that way. Many
of us feel a sense of 'arrival' or fulfillment when we begin to
harness our powers and use them as the Goddess intends.  And
it appears you're learning quite quickly.  Mulder told me what
happened at the Heir's birth."

    I grunted.  "Oh. That."  Yes, Walter - that.  That little
stand-out performance that you've thought about every hour or so
since it happened. "I'm sorry, I can't explain that.... I was hoping
perhaps you could."

    She laughed then, a gorgeous sound like windchimes. "I have
no explanations for you, Walter.  What do you think it was?"

    Oh, great.  Now she was sounding like one of the Bureau
shrinks.  "Well, I guess under different circumstances I would
have to say it could be classifed as a miracle."

    "Why under different circumstances?"

    I sighed, exasperated  "Look, I don't know the first thing
about your religion or the Goddess or anything else.  So it's not
like my deep and abiding faith had anything to do with it, because
I don't have any faith. And miracles are reserved for the faithful."

    She shrugged.  "Or perhaps as a little demonstration to plant
the seed of faith in a non-believer."

    That shut me up.  We covered several more miles of winding
dirt road while I mulled over what she had said.  I felt the turmoil
in my mind start to settle, like more puzzle pieces dropping into
place.  Some of it was her - Urielle.  I felt her influence in helping
me to calm down, sliding things into perspective and clarifying my
thoughts.  But most of it was me, the serenity making its appearance
once again and locking into place like nothing could ever displace it
again.  And a feeling of rightness.  I looked across at Urielle - she
had noticed it too.  "Looks like I have some catching up to do.  When
do I start?"

    "Now's a good time," she smiled.


                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    We stopped briefly at a tree-shaded spot near a sparkling
stream just long enough to water the horses and force down some
food. At this point, we all believed that those we were pursuing were
indeed the kidnappers and that they had the Prince in their
possession.  I'm not sure there was sufficent evidence to back up
our beliefs, but it was too depressing to contemplate anything else.  

    When we resumed the pursuit, we began to notice signs of
recent travel on the road - mounds of partially dried horse dung, and
bits of cloth and parchment whose appearance was too regular to be
entirely accidental.  Evidently Livirnea was doing her best to give us
some sort of a trail to follow.  I wondered for a moment how things
were going back at Fairwoods for the young King and Queen, and for
Lord Mandor....

    By the time the sun was low on the horizon, the road was
becoming steeper and narrower, permitting no more than two horses
to travel side by side.  I had been riding on autopilot, my knees
automatically gripping the great beast's sides, my mind occupied by
what had transpired with Urielle.     

    "Walter?  Are you all right?"

    I turned to see Scully riding by my side.  I had no idea how
long she had been there.  "Yeah, sure.  What makes you think I'm not
all right?"

    She smiled sympathetically.  "Your expression, for one thing.
And I had to ask you three times before you heard me.  Have a rough
lesson with Urielle?"

    "Not rough, exactly....  Just a lot of things to think about."

    "Been there, done that," she nodded.  "I remember when I was
learning Realm healing from Corvay. There were days that I had to
drag myself back from his cottage and could hardly make it up the
staircase to our room.  I think the mental exhaustion from trying to
learn to control my mind was ten times worse than the physical
exhaustion of learning to be a warrior."

    "Corvay?  You've mentioned him before. Who was he?"

    Sorrow touched her lovely face.  "He was amazing... the
Royal Healer when we first arrived in the Realm. He was murdered,
the last time we were here.  He was terribly old and frail, but
still... what a presence he had!  Warm, empathetic, practical - often
iracible....  And a  wonderful Healer.  I miss him so much. I wish you
could have met him, Walter," she concluded wistfully.

    "So he the elven Healer before Kyla?"

    She nodded.  "She was his last apprentice.  He had gradually
turned over more and more of the healing duties to her.  She was
almost ready to leave apprenticeship anyway, when it happened. It
nearly killed her, as well."

    Kyla - nearly murdered! The thought made my gut cramp
in alarm.  That's it, Walter, don't betray your cool exterior.  I
looked over the landscape in the dusk.  Tilled fields and lightly
wooded areas had given way to dense forest punctuated by sheer
ebony rock walls, as the road climbed and wound around the foothills
of the Blackforest Mountains. "I wouldn't have thought that murder
was a big problem around here."

    "Normally it's not.  But things were hardly normal then. The
Realm had an enemy...."

    I smiled.  "Am I finally going to get to hear another one of the  
stories Mulder's been promising me?"

    "We really haven't been holding out on you, Walter.  We just
thought hearing everything at once would be too - "

    "Overwhelming - yeah, I know.  Come on, Scully - tell me a
story so I can get all this priest stuff out of my head for a while.  
Besides, I think I've gotten beyond the point of being shocked."

    She shrugged.  "Don't say I didn't warn you.  All right....
The Realm had an enemy, a queen from ages past with enormous powers
of black magic and an equally enormous hatred for the Realm...."

    It was long past dark by the time her story drew to a close.
"...so that's how the Dark Queen was defeated, and how Hannu
discovered Shannon was his daughter, and helped Andalor and
Livirnea break their betrothal agreement so that he and Shannon
could become betrothed."  She looked over at me.

    I was silent - stunned silent. Finally, I said, "Well, I stand
corrected, Scully.  I guess I am still capable of being shocked - "

    There was a shout from up ahead. Jourdain and Aldara, leading
the party, had dismounted and were making their way back toward the
rest of us at the end of the caravan.

    "We need to make a decision," Jourdain began. "The road ahead
gets worse, from what Tarnor tells me. Narrower, steeper, hugging the
edges of cliffs as we cross the mountains. No one but a lunatic would
attempt it in the dark.  We should make camp for the night and start
again at first light."

    Aldara glared at her husband. "Since we haven't come across
the kidnappers, I think it's safe to assume that they have completed
the crossing. They are probably camped on the other side for the
night. If we keep going, we could gain back a lot of their lead.  
Jourdain is unwilling to risk it, I'm willing to try. So, as you can
see, we're in need of a decision."

    Mulder frowned. "I hate to lose that much time. If we travel
through the night, we might even catch up to them by morning and
recover the Prince.  Maybe Tarnor and I can whip up a little something
that will allow us to carry on."

    Now *that* was the Mulder I was familiar with - the 'come
hell or high water or common sense' Mulder.  I glanced over at Scully,
the misgiving clearly written on her face - and being communicated to
her bondmate, if his expression meant anything.  It looked like a
pretty even split - Mulder, the fierce-visaged Tarnor and Aldara all
eager to continue the pursuit, and Scully, Urielle, and Jourdain
reluctant at best.  Which left - oh, shit.  

    I felt six heads turn toward me, and I stared back at them.
"Look, I can't make this sort of decision.  I'm not in charge of this
mission and I have no idea how bad the travelling conditions are
going to be." I might as well have saved my breath, as six pairs of
eyes continued to look at me. I sighed. "All right. Can you Mages do
something to make the going safer?"

    "Well, we can certainly create some light to travel by," said
Tarnor. "I don't think we have the wherewithall to create a protection
spell for a group this big and this mobile, but the light should help
considerably."

    "Think that will be enough?" I asked Jourdain.

    He shrugged. "Let's see."

    Tarnor and Mulder conferred for a few seconds, then stepped
back.  Still facing each other, they raised their arms and began to
chant.  As the twin globes of blue fire rose over the heads of the two
Mages, shadows cast eerily sharp images in black and white. Electric-
blue sparks danced from their fingertips to crackle in the charged air
surrounding them.  I felt the hair all over my body stand up, as if I
were some kind of a conduit for static electricity. Somewhere nearby
I could hear thunder rolling. Lightning split the black sky, starkly
illuminating us.

     Suddenly I saw a startled Tarnor drop his arms, and begin
waving them in Mulder's face to bring him out of his Mage-trance.  
"Stop, stop!"  The  lightning  was getting fiercer by the second,
and the thunder was now continuous.  Still Mulder chanted on, his
eyes staring sightlessly into the distance. Frantically now, the little
gargoyle finally leapt up, grabbed one of the outspread arms and
shook the tall human as hard as he could. There was a resounding
crack of Mage energy, just about the same time a bolt of lightning
struck not twenty feet from where we were standing. With a sharp
cry, Tarnor hurtled through the air to land some ten feet away.  
Scully rushed over to him, while I saw to Mulder, who had stumbled
to the ground.

    He sat gasping for a  few seconds, then shook his head as if
to clear it.  "What the hell happened?"

    "You got me. I'm not from around these-here parts," I replied
drily. "Can you stand?"

    I helped him to his feet, then the two of us went over to
where Tarnor was just standing with Scully's help.

    "Well?" I asked the reeling little gargoyle.

    He shook his head. "Goddess, what a headache! There's nothing
that Mulder and I can do, Walter.  It's this area, these cliffs around
us. Certain metals have powers of their own to affect magic - I
believe the Professor calls them 'magnetic'. These cliffs must be