A Bard's Tale
as told by S'karlett, Rogue Princess, The Royal Court, Baja

Last night I was at the bank of Magincia trying to decide which hat to wear for the weekly allied guild hunt [my wide-brimmed red velvet rose-covered hat always gets in the way when I'm trying to draw my bow, so I had to settle on the simple black floppy instead *sigh* What one has to sacrifice when combining fashion and the systematic slaughter of earth elementals...]. Hmm...where was I? Oh, yes. So there I was trying on  hats when I notice a woman wandering around as if lost or looking for someone. Just then, no doubt associating my incredible sense of style with intelligence and knowledge, the woman said, "M'Lady? Have thee seen Bert?" 

Well, of course I had *not* seen Bert. Wondering then if this woman thought I looked like the type to keep track of the local peasants or some such, I was about to reply rudely when I suddenly remembered how Princesses are supposed to be nice and helpful and all that boring stuff. Therefore, with great effort and sacrifice on my part, which I am very very good at, I smiled sweetly and said, "Nay, I have not seen him. Can I help you?"

It was then that I learned the bard's name is Meredith and that she was looking for Bert so she could sign up for storytelling at the Skara Brae Feast of Spirits. "Do you know Lord Agnacio?" she asked. Well that was more like it: a "Lord" and not just some guy named Bert.  I wanted to say that I did know him; unfortunately, I did not. I also wanted to ask if this Lord Agnacio was filthy rich, handsome, and single...but before I could open my mouth to do so, Meredith said, "'Tis of no consequence." However, she kept asking locals if they knew Bert. I felt bad for her, thinking this must be of consequence after all, so I said, "Wait. I wish to help you." I then summoned a local boy to deliver a message to my Sister, Queen Ruby Flash, and her fiancé' Lord Phoenix, where I knew them to be gathered at the Magincia Parliament building for our weekly allied guild hunt. "Perhaps my friends can help you," I told Meredith.

Soon after my Sister arrived. I introduced Meredith to the Queen, and Meredith proceeded to explain her search for Bert and the upcoming Festival.

Not long after that, the rest of the Royal Court and the Knights of Steel gathered in answer to my summons.

Although we could not help Meredith find Bert, the size of our group apparently reminded her of a tale and she offered to pause in her search long enough to entertain us with a story.

She then offered to tell us the Tale of the Sapphire Knights.

The tale begins...

The tale continues....

When the story was over we applauded and thanked Meredith for taking the time to honor us with a tale. We had to leave quickly after that, for the evening's activities awaited us, and Meredith wished us well on our journeys. When last I saw her she was wandering away from the bank muttering to herself, "Perhaps I will go to Skara Brae..." And perhaps I will too. I still need to find out if that Lord Agnacio is filthy rich, handsome, and single *wink*