Chapter 17: A Jester's Tact

Nathan had thought he had cried as much as he could cry, but at Chrysolis’ question he found unwanted tears welling up in his eyes again and he didn’t think he could handle any more. Collapsing again on the dragon’s neck, he covered his face. All he could manage was a hoarse, “Just take me home,” before his voice choked off.

Chrysolis looked at the others even as her scaled arms released her nieces and embraced the prince again. The looks on their faces told her that the worst imaginable thing must have happened and her own face fell.

Not understanding, but knowing that the prince needed to return home without further questions, the dragon quietly began to nudge him up onto her back.
Anna Monee and Coralee were openly crying now as they remembered again the tragic loss. The others patted the prince on his back in turn saying their silent farewells, none able to speak. Even Maid Madelyn had a tear in her eye as she watched the prince mount the dragon.

Finally Flindee stepped forward and looked around rather puzzled. “Hey, what gives? Why’s everybody adding more salt to the sea? I’ve seen less tears in the eyes of the onion peeler at Bouldergold castle after his twentieth bushel.”

Vonkar hushed him, irritated by his insensibility.

“Why?” he asked again. “What’s wrong?”

This time Frangen spoke with exasperation.

“Do you not remember what happened to the Princess? You were there to see it.”
“Oh that,” said the Jester with a shrug. “Well, I was kinda bummed at the time on account of her disappearing into that whirling ball of mist and all. I mean, she looked pretty scared when it happened… and the way she screamed for her daddy and clawed at the floor as it was sucking her in seemed pretty dramatic…”

Everyone turned to stare at Flindee as he callously recounted the princess’s horrific ending and this time it wasn’t just Vonkar that stood dumbfounded by the Jester’s mad disconnect from reality. In fact, it looked as if the whole group were going to gang up on the hapless comedian, including the two little sea serpents!

“Q and I were discussing how tragic the whole thing was,” he continued obliviously, “and how bad we both felt that we couldn’t help her at the time (what with me being tied up and Q being nearly unconscious on the floor), but the way I look at it now, there’s nothing to be too sad about after all.”

“That’s it!” Vonkar shouted, flexing his muscled arms as he advanced on the jester. “This is the absolute last time I listen to this lunatic and his dishonorable rantings!”

“I’ll hold him for you!” Maid Madelyn offered.

But before they could reach him, Flindee finished his point. “I mean, the vortex obviously didn’t kill her and it couldn’t have sent her very far away if she’s back already.”

“Flindee, what are you jabbering about this time?” Nathan finally asked, exhausted and exasperated by the jester. “My sister is gone! Do you understand? She’s dead and she’s not coming back! Don’t you understand the word ‘dead’?”

Though he was shouting by the end of the sentence, his voice choked up once again and he broke off. Tears of anger as well as grief filled his eyes this time. Why can’t this dumb, little dwarf ever figure out real life, he wondered bitterly. Some things just aren’t funny!

“Well, yeah.” Flindee continued, a bit flustered now by the prince’s emotional outburst and by the two warriors who were closing in on him menacingly. “But um, well forgive me if I’m wrong, but… hey don’t wrinkle the threads sweetheart… I mean, isn’t that your sister riding on the little white pony in the sky up there?”

They all turned to look up where Flindee pointed and gasped. To their utter amazement, Princess Nataleigh was indeed riding toward them on the back of her wind runner, Jewel! She was clothed in a brilliant white dress trimmed in gold and a jeweled tiara adorned her head. But most noticeable was the gleam of her eyes and the joy on her face as she rode toward them at full speed with her hair thrown back by the wind.