In a Weary World

Chapter XVI: Council of Not-Quite-War

When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better. -- C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

Strange to relate, animals made of fire wandering around one's sitting room had a tendency to make one believe that the woman who claimed to be a witch was in fact a witch. There wasn't a peep out of either King or Queen on the subject of whether Solvej was a fraud or not. Hjalmar wondered -- rather uncharitably, it must be admitted, not to mention unfairly -- if this was only because they were afraid the lion might attack them.

"What do you want?" the King asked, sounding much more respectful than he had a minute ago.

"To help your daughter, and to get revenge," Solvej replied.

"Revenge?" The Queen raised an eyebrow.

"The Magician who cursed Rigmor also killed me."

Hjalmar could see the royals attempting to wrap their minds around that statement. He took pity on them and explained, "She's a ghost."

Oh dear. Now it looked like they were having panic attacks. Hjalmar couldn't find it within himself to blame them, considering his reaction to first meeting Solvej had been to faint.

The Queen turned to Rigmor. "You've met some very strange people on your travels. Tell me, are these all or are you about to introduce us to a dryad or a gryphon next?"

Rigmor laughed, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "No, nothing like that, just these two."

The King gave Hjalmar a dubious look. "And what are you? Another ghost?"

Hjalmar didn't know if he should be amused or insulted. "No, I'm as alive as you are."

"He's my friend," Solvej said helpfully. "He can be a bit of an idiot at times, but he's still my friend."

Now he didn't know if he should be touched or insulted. This was turning out to be a terribly confusing day.

"Your Majesties?" The question drew everyone's attention to the guards who had captured Hjalmar and Solvej. One of the guards was staring at the scene before them with his mouth hanging open. The other, the one who had spoken, was glancing nervously from Solvej to the King and Queen. "What should we do, your Majesties? We thought these were intruders."

The King waved his hand dismissively. "You can go back to your normal duties."

"Yes, your Majesty."

The poor guards still looked all at sea. Hjalmar gave them a smile of commiseration. He wasn't the only one having a confusing day.

~~~~

"Now," said the Queen in a business-like tone. "You say you know how to break the curse, Miss..."

"Solvej will do, your Majesty."

The Queen raised an eyebrow, but let this pass without comment. "You say you know how to break the curse. How, may I ask?"

Hjalmar felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

"It's really very simple," Solvej said. "The Magician wants to marry Rigmor, doesn't he?" The King and Queen nodded mutely. "And he has cursed her to set impossible tasks for any other man who wants to marry her, hasn't he? Well, then, the solution is obvious. All we have to do is find a way to fulfill the tasks, and the curse will be broken."

The King snorted. "Easy, isn't it? How do you expect to find a way to grow crops in the middle of the sea?"

Hjalmar had no idea what the man was talking about, but Solvej didn't seem to realise there was anything odd about such a question.