Written by Ben Groenen (Raushan)

With only two more tokens to get, the Lady Lillane instructed us to seek out Merffyn. Lillane tells us, with a small smile, that we must go to Seville to find the sword, Excalibur. Making our travel plans after the audience, it’s decided that we’ll travel down the River Ebro to the coast and travel by boat, rather than to ride to Seville directly. This is in spite of the forceful opinions of my good brother, Rollon. However, everyone else said we did not want to ride (and fight) all the way to Seville. I believe, although they didn’t say much about it, that Rafi and Monaco wanted to visit a master herbalist who lives some way downriver from Saragossa.

Two nights of travel led us to the humble abode of Master Daffyd. We were all welcomed, but Monaco and Rafi received warm greetings. It appears that they had encountered Daffyd before, when they experienced their Sliver of The Moon adventure. Apparently, the herbalist had been worried that an evil mage would destroy “some wondrous things”, and Monaco and Rafi had convinced the mage to see the error of his ways. You know, the kind of declaration that always seems to be accompanied by a patently innocent expression. There’s not much more to tell of this break in our travels, except that Monaco told me afterwards that he hadn’t known until the end of the stopover that Daffyd was a member of the Hermetic Order. They had exchanged signs, and Monaco was offered the chance to become Daffyd’s apprentice. Monaco wanted to agree, but he was honour-bound to complete this task for the Lady Lillane and must ask her permission.

Reaching the coast, we took a fishing boat to Valencia, and then caught a much larger boat around the coast to Seville. I believe that our ships master was quite proficient and we were most fortunate, as our voyage gliding past Cadiz only took two weeks and we encountered no pirates. While looking out to land, I opened myself to my sixth sense and felt life around me again, but I was still pained by the Unicorns horn. Ham Kitab (It Is Written), truly, it is hard to atone for past mistakes … but I wish that it didn’t involve pain. From here we must travel up the river Guadalquivir to Seville. The lands we have been passing for the last week have been under the dominion of the Almohades. These warriors of Allah had come to these lands over 40 years before to fight the Christian invasions, but had instead taken over the rule from the prior Moorish inhabitants, the Almoravids. I don’t hold any rancour towards them for that, as the Almoravids had done exactly the same to my mother’s people. However, they have shown a marked intolerance for others which I thought only the Christians displayed.

We arrived as the night fell, and began to make plans on how to find Merffyn. We were still discussing this when Rollon leapt across to the docks before we even docked. Mystified by my eccentric brother, we begin to quarter the city but we are soon drawn to the richer quarter by a big clamour. As we neared the uproar, we encountered Rollon carrying a rolled carpet and swinging his sword to keep away the horde chasing him. Laughing all the while, we followed the running jinn, for that was what the mob were screaming at him.

Arriving at the dock, we find … Merffyn. I don’t know how he does it, but it is truly annoying. As we rush aboard urging the crew to set sail straight away, we are amazed to find that Rollon appears to have turned into a kidnapper. A few questions to Rollon’s beautiful, red-headed captive enlighten us to the reason for the mob chasing us. He has taken the Emir’s daughter, Angelica! Allahu Akbar! (God is Most Great!) My brother does not do things by halves. As most of us are contemplating the impending consequences in Spain, Gwyn is focusing on the quite distraught princess and guides her to one of the cabins. Meanwhile, three ships had left the dock to follow us, but Merffyn looked back at them, looked up at the sails and suddenly we began pulling clear of them.

La illah ill’Allah! (There Is No God But Allah!) Sailing back to Saragossa with nothing but fair winds behind us, we are treated to a most priceless sight. My brother, who has enough self-assurance to out-believe a Crusade, is a tense and tentative husk when meeting formally a serene and assured Angelica. If I don’t misread the signs, then I would say that someone is feeling amour. Allahu Akbar (God Bless You) my brother, but you make me feel as old as grandfather Time sometimes, until you make me laugh again. Ha! While Monaco and I have spent most of our time talking with Merffyn on many and varied topics, I have found that Angelica and I become good friends. She had an upbringing quite similar to mine, and has had an education the match of mine in my younger days. Rollon finds this friendship very annoying, and Angelica and I find delight in this teasing of him, but I don’t doubt that our reasons for this amusement are not the same.

On our arrival back at Sadaba, Lillane welcomes us in the courtyard and formal introductions are made all around, however I think the formality was all for Angelica’s sake. Merffyn is greeted in a more light-hearted manner, as befits a friend, perhaps. Retiring to the main hall, Lillane leads us to Tomas for further introductions and discussions on the possibility of repercussions of the kidnapping of the Emir of Seville’s daughter. To those of us who take note of such things, Lillane is looking very amused, the kind of look she has when there is a joke at someone else’s expense … but we don’t find out the joke until later.

The Song of Roland is known to me, I think it paints an violent, over-confident warrior as romantic, chivalrous soul, but my tastes run to things which hold some relationship with reality. Anyway, part of the legend is that Rollon’s true boon-companion (may we say it, love), Oliver, had been killed on Rollon’s own sword (Durandel, truly a jealous lover). Now, this tragically slain Oliver has been reborn as Angelica, which raises quite interesting questions as well as great hilarity. But enough of that for now.

Soon after I awakened the next night, I knew that Angelica was gathering information to make a great decision. I found out these details later, but they should come first in this narrative. During the day, Angelica came to Monaco and Tomas while they are playing their daily chess games. And began to question them on the bonds that bind us. I don’t doubt that they were taken quite aback, but they then found out what Rollon had already told her. She had been told that she would become one of two types – either like Monaco, Tomas and Owain, or like the others.

Monaco also drew out that Rollon had inferred that if she was made into either, then she wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with him. I don’t doubt that Monaco would have tried to give impartial opinions, as is his nature to do so. After some prompting, Monaco remembered the Song of Roland and that Rollon was holding Durandel when it ran through Oliver. When he re-entered the conversation, Angelica had been talking about how they were trying to protect her, but how could they stop betrayal! Wallâhi (By Almighty God), but the memories of past lives must lie shallowly under the surface … how interesting.

Monaco tells her the story of our trip to the Fae to point out to her how Rollon is able to control Durandel now, where he wasn’t able to before most of the time. Monaco remembered that Angelica went very pale and seemed quite shaken. I believe Monaco left it to Tomas explain the embracing of Rollon and the difference between us and Lucio. Heh heh, that too would have been interesting.

It’s at dusk when I enter the story again. As I’m leaving my room, Angelica runs into me and says she would like to ask me some questions. Pleasantly surprised, I invite her to speak in more comfortable surroundings but she gives quite a … squeak (I can’t describe it any other way) and says quite strongly no. Although I found out afterwards that she had met up with Lucio, who must have tried to charm her in private, feeling quite bemused I suggest we talk in the hall.

What we talk about, of course, is Rollon. We discuss many things about Rollon including the day of the Battle of Roncevalles, what I think of his flaws (his overconfidence, etc), his similarity to Gwyn and how they make each other worse. But all too soon, it is the time for our impending jump into the unknown Outer World.