Day 42 - Saturday

I’m so relieved to see Greg when I arrive at Town Hall. It’s been over thirty-six hours since we last had any contact. Greg claims he left a note on my desk. I tell him I never saw it. He wonders if I misplaced it. I wonder if he looking for a fight.

How could I have misplaced something I never saw? I didn’t misplace the note and I didn’t misplace my picture frame. Maybe the same person stole both things. Greg says that’s highly unlikely. Before I can reply, he adds that the pond has been fixed and is awaiting my inspection. He’d like to go up to the castle right now.

I plan to go to Dawnshadow Lake today to look for those storybooks. It will probably take me all day to find them. I can visit the castle first and leave for Dawnshadow Lake from there, but first I need to approve some work orders. Greg agrees to wait.I’ve decided to approve Chumblepot’s request to expand the Glassworks yet again. Since I’ll be out all day, I won’t be bothered by the noise the construction will make. I also approve Troglid’s request for expansion.
On the walk up to the castle, Greg mentions that he’s going to start moving some of his personal things into the house. So far, I’ve only managed to find time to fix up the downstairs Great Room. I still need to organize the bedroom upstairs and it will be easier if I don’t have to work around his clothing piled up all over.

Greg tells me not to worry. The things he’ll be bringing to the house don’t go upstairs, they belong in the armory. Ah yes, the armory, the medieval equivalent of the twenty-first century’s man cave. Greg has an extensive collection of armor, swords, shields, etc and he’s thrilled that he finally has a place where they can be displayed properly. At least I’ll know where to find him every night.

Greg has done a wonderful job cleaning up the pond. There’s even water lilies floating in it. And the water is a lovely shade of blue, the same shade of blue as most of my clothing. Berengaria blue, Greg calls it. Tears of happiness start to spill down my cheeks. I'm going to be marrying the most wonderful man in the world.

As Greg reaches into his pocket for his handkerchief, he gets a funny look on his face. He pulls out a piece of paper and sheepishly hands it to me. The missing note! Check your other pocket, I tell him. Maybe my missing picture frame is in there.

Greg laughs and kisses me goodbye. Lucky and I head out to Dawnshadow Lake to look for those storybooks. As I predicted, it takes all day, but I find other useful items such as paintbrushes, pink moonflowers, fairy dust, dresses, shoes, runes, and crest. It will take some time to log all these things into the ledger books.

The Mayor is pleased when I give him all the storybooks. He’s sure the town folks will love them. He also reveals the reason why the pennants and banners haven’t been strung throughout the Village yet, they ran out of glue. Maybe I have some to give them? Alas, no, I don’t.

In that case, the Mayor tells me, my next task is to find glue and paintbrushes to apply the glue with. I’m tempted to tell him that lack of planning on his part does not constitute an emergency on my part. The Mayor assures me this is the last thing I’ll have to do regarding festival preparations.

It will take some time, I tell him. That’s a lot of glue and paintbrushes to find. It will probably take me an entire day to find the glue and another for the brushes. As long as the banners and pennants are in place before the festival starts, the Mayor says he will be happy.

After the Mayor leaves, Lucky gives me a look. So I lied. In my mind I had already made other plans for tomorrow. I’ve decided to try and get the things needed by Raphael so that he can repair the damaged painting up at the castle. It will please Greg. And maybe Raphael will be more willing to paint something for me afterwards. Now if I could just figure out what happened to my picture frame.
 

Day 44 - Monday

Well, Lucky, we know what we’ll be doing today: looking for poster glue. Lots of it. We’ll pack a lunch to take with us to the Forgotten Glen because it will probably take us all day to find the glue we need.

I’ll also have time away from everybody to think and try to come up with an idea of something old for the wedding. Lucky tilts his head.

Guess they don’t have that tradition here: some old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The something new is my dress, I explain to him. I’m going to borrow a pair of skycrystal earrings from the storage cupboard, and the something blue is my ring.

Better get started. Grab some carrots and let’s get out of here before somebody finds something else for us to do.

I have incredibly good luck finding poster glue. It’s practically leaping into my hands. I find enough for Raphael, enough for the festival pennants and banner, and even enough for another request from the Mayor, which I had sort of forgotten about. I also find a bunch of moonflowers, a couple Fairy Queen magic cards, runes, amulets, and a whole lot more. Now to get all this stuff back to Town Hall.

At Town Hall, everything gets dumped on my desk. Next I count out eight pots of poster glue and some golden oak and head up to Skycrystal Atriums to see Raphael.

While Raphael frames the painting, I stay and admire the newest additions to the Gallery: yet more portraits of Queen Sophia and the Fairy Queen. Raphael certainly found a lot of inspiration in those portraits I gave him.

Raphael returns and tells me the painting has been framed and is now hanging in the Castle. I tell him how much I like his latest works and once again drop broad hints that I would like to commission a painting for my own home.

Much to my surprise, Greg shows up at the Gildenhall Gallery. Before I can ask him what he’s doing here, Raphael suggests that we both go up to the Castle to view the finished painting.

Greg is very chatty during our walk up to the castle and wants to tell me all about his collection of armor and weapons. It’s too bad Queen Sophia didn’t give me time to pack before she kidnapped me, I could have brought along a kukri and jambiya to add to it. At least his chatter helps divert my attention from those dreadful lamps.

Inside the castle looks lovely now that it’s all finished. Too bad the wedding can’t take place here. Greg casts a critical eye over the painting and finally pronounces it just as good as the old one. That’s a relief!

I need to get back to Town Hall to give the Mayor the paintbrushes and poster glue. Greg decides to accompany me.

The Mayor asks me to assemble yet another poster and then remembers that he wanted me to check the scaffold site at Skyfleet Docks. But first I’ll have to find the safety helmet he left at Ancient Pond. Greg offers to go with me.

Excuse me, but you two gentlemen seem to have forgotten that the Yura Festival starts tomorrow. Looking for the safety helmet will have to wait. I have a wedding to attend: my own.

I give the Mayor the glue and paintbrushes he requested and he hurries off to finish the festival flags. Greg and I return to the office. On my desk are two packages. He tells me to open the smaller one first.

The package contains a skycrystal necklace. Greg expresses a wish that I wear it tomorrow. I agree and wonder if the necklace is perhaps old. It’s not. Greg had it specially made for me. However, he tells me, there is something old in the other package.

Very old? Generations old, Greg assures me. I open it to discover a tiara set with skycrystals. My father had given it to Greg for safekeeping during the wars. I wonder if people will think it pretentious if I wear it tomorrow. Greg assures me that people will expect me to wear it and be disappointed if I don’t.

We can hear hammering outside and decide to check it out. There are now multicolored pennants and banners all over the place. It looks like the circus has come to town.

Greg is beaming as he points out that there’s even banners and pennants in front of our new house. I swallow hard and say that it was very thoughtful of the people to do that. Silently I wonder just how long the festival lasts and when the decorations can be taken down.  

Day 46 - Wednesday

Happily ever after gets off to a rough start. I awake to find Greg already up and dressed. He tells me I had better hurry or I’ll be late for work. Work?

In Beechwood Cove, I inform my husband, newly married couples take time off from work to go away for several days so that they can be alone together. Greg is only half listening and asks what they do while they are away. I sigh, look at him, then at empty spot beside me in the bed, then back at him.

Greg reminds me that in Beechwood Cove I was a mere shopkeeper, whereas now I’m in charge of an entire kingdom. He’s going to check up on Artist Myke and make sure he’s still locked up, but he’ll meet at Town Hall. He’ll arrange his day so he can help me complete some of the unfinished work orders. Maybe I’d like to go look for that safety helmet today.

Greg leaves and I look at Lucky sadly. I know I’m just a beginner, but surely last night wasn’t that bad. Maybe I should have asked Blessilda about ‘things.’ Lucky just squeaks. He wasn’t very happy about having to sleep in his own bed last night instead of snuggled up against me. But he’s glad to see me get out his brown fedora instead of the funny festival hat.

At Town Hall, I look through the work orders for something somewhat entertaining to do. There’s a lot of requests for building upgrades, but they will have to wait until after the festival is over. We could visit Sacred Grove. I’ve never been there, but the Peddler also wants to go there, so that’s out.

There’s not much to choose from: look for the safety helmet at Ancient Pond and then go inspect the scaffolding at Skyfleet Docks; look for steam hammer in Gobholme and no doubt be asked to use it in the mines; or look for the enchanted clippers at Dawnshadow Lake and then trim hedges at Rosetum Gardens.

Greg arrives carrying a large picnic hamper. He looks at the three work orders and decides that Dawnshadow Lake would be an ideal spot for a picnic. We might even have time to go swimming.

At Dawnshadow Lake, we manage to find the enchanted clippers minutes after we arrive. So what shall be do next, I wonder. Go for a swim, or... Or, Greg murmurs as he pulls me close, definitely or. Maybe a working honeymoon won’t be so bad, after all.

Eventually we go for a swim and then it’s time for lunch. There’s plenty of food in the picnic basket, and I’ve found assorted fruits at Dawnshadow Lake to add to our feast. They’ll be enough left over for dinner, which is good, because I don’t think there’s anything to eat at home.

Next stop is Rosetum Gardens where we use the enchanted clippers to trim the thorny vines and gain access to Airlash Grove. I find some more fruit and vegetables to add to the basket. Greg catches a lobster. Looks like what to have for dinner is no longer a problem.

There’s still plenty of time left, so I suggest that we go back to Town Hall for some warmer clothing and then head out to Gobholme and deal with that steam hammer. Or rather, Greg can deal with the steam hammer and I’ll go shopping.

We can’t find Brad or Gobie to tell them to meet us at Gobholme, but we speak to Linea who is anxious to know whether we found the clippers. She is pleased to hear that Airlash Grove has been opened and offers to find Brad and give him our message.

At Gobholme, Greg finds the steam hammer, but nothing in the shops cries out "buy me". Brad and Gobie arrive and, as we suspected, want us to take the steam hammer to Glitterstone Mines. The steam hammer breaks through a huge pile of bolgite and opens up another section of the mine.

Brad thanks us for our help and mentions that the lift in the mine has stopped running. It needs new gears, but he doesn’t know what kind. I have a lot of gears back at Town Hall and I’ll be glad to give him some but he’ll have to come get them.

Back at Town Hall, I give Brad three sets of goblin gears. Greg and I then make a quick tour of the festival to make sure everything is okay. Finally it’s time to go home.

We’ve had visitors while we were gone. There are a number of wedding presents scattered around the Great Room. Blessilda has stocked our larder and pantry. Fahleed has woven a rug and the central motif displays our joint coat of arms. Chumblepot has given us a Tiffany style lamp for the bedroom, and Triffledore has made a chandelier for the Great Room.

But the best gift of all is from Raphael. Hanging on the wall is a painting of Greg and me on our wedding day exchanging vows. And the frame is my missing gilded frame!

I was right, I tell Greg. The same person who had the note you claimed to have left me had the frame. You took it! Why didn’t you tell me? Greg says he’s sorry I was so upset about the missing frame, but he wanted to surprise me. He hopes that I’ve noticed that the chicken lamps do not appear in the painting.

What shall we do next, I wonder. Greg says we could make dinner, or... Or, I reply, definitely or.

Day 48 - Friday

Greg continues to be preoccupied with whatever is troubling him and doesn’t make any mention of meeting for lunch or otherwise touching base during the day. The honeymoon appears to be over.

My workday doesn’t get off to a good start, either. Before I can speak to Blessilda about the order that expected at Skyfleet Docks, the Mayor summons me and informs me that because I’ve been so helpful to Troglid in regards to expanding his shop, I can now be his official supplier. He then hands me a list of things to be supplied. I get the golden oak, obsidian and blue prints from the storage cupboard and shlep down to Faire of Light with them.

My citizenship papers had been updated to reflect my new status as Greg’s wife. I wonder if I should ask that they be amended to read: Berengaria, wife of Gregory, Captain of the Queen’s Guard, Queen’s Steward and official supplier to Troglid. Obviously being recognized as an official supplier is much better than the unofficial supplying I’ve been doing ever since I arrived here.

When I return to Town Hall, I’m greeted by the news that Chumblepot also wants me to be his official supplier. The Mayor wonders if I can handle supplying both Troglid and Chumblepot. Who does he think has been supplying them these past weeks, the Easter Squabbit?

I silently hold out my hand for the new list and take the needed glass shards and yet more blueprints from the cupboard. Then a quick stop at the Glassworks before I again shlep to Faire of Light.

Instead of returning to Town Hall, I go directly to the General Store to see Blessilda. She tells me she ordered a lot of moonflowers and hands me her updated order.

Back at Town Hall, Troglid and Chumblepot are waiting for me. They want to give the Mayor a gift for allowing me to supply them with materials. They think a tour of the Black Bull’s lower deck would be the ideal gift, but they need to fix the broken stairs first. As official supplier, it falls to me to come up with the resources needed.

Their request has left me speechless. Luckily, the Mayor arrives, making it impossible to continue the conversation without ruining the surprise they have planned. The Mayor wants me to check with Quinn about his order.

Lucky isn’t happy about visiting the Squabbit Den and seeing Mr Vanderkins. He’s even more unhappy when Quinn asks us to feed the animals while he goes and looks for his list. Naturally there’s no pet food available, and I don’t have any back at Town Hall either. I tell Quinn I’ll be back to feed his animals after I have fed my own squabbit and Lucky and I head home for lunch.

Greg isn’t at home and there’s no sign that he’s been home. But there’s no time to look for him. I have to go to Mystic Copse and find oodles of pet food, which takes most of the afternoon. Then it’s back to the Squabbit Den to feed the animals and pick up Quinn’s list.

The next person I need to check with is Chumblepot. Of course he doesn’t have his list handy and of course he needs me to help out in the store by finishing some orders and of course he doesn’t have the glass shards needed to do so.

Looking over the uncompleted glassworks, I can see that I’ll need (gasp!) fifty-four glass shards. I tell Chumblepot that it’s getting late. He can look for his list tomorrow. Or the day after, I add under my breath.

Back at Town Hall, I look over all the uncompleted work orders. They consist of requests to upgrade building or requests for large amounts of resources or both. I can’t even start upgrading buildings while the Yura Festival is still going on. And nobody has seen fit to tell me when it will be over. I start to weep.

Greg finally arrives. He looks like I feel: exhausted and completely overwhelmed.



 

Day 50 - Sunday

Because I had been using our office as a holding cell for all the things I bought or found for the house, the fact that it was cluttered had seemed normal. It suddenly occurred to me that all of our belongings had been moved out yet we still barely had room to turn around.

The amount of inventory I’ve amassed is staggering. I could exchange dozens, maybe even hundreds, of collections for bolgins, or bolgite, or any number of other resources we might need. So why was I having the vapors over the pile of work orders awaiting my attention? It’s not as if anybody nags me about when I’m going to get anything completed.

I can do this job, I tell Lucky, who squeaks his agreement. So, who’s the next person I’ve got to see in regards to the cargo which is arriving at Skyfleet Docks? I consult my list and smile. I need to see the Captain of the Guard.

Greg has gone to check on Artist Myke. He should be back shortly. In the meantime, I can visit the Squabbit Den and pick out a new hat for Lucky. Money is no object, I tell him, as long as you choose something that costs bolgins. There aren’t any crystals to spare.

Lucky really wants the red fedora, but it costs twelve crystals. Maybe next time, little fella. He narrows his choices down to the Pork Pie Hat, the Straw Boater, and the Sun Pendant. What the heck, I’ll buy all three, he’s earned a nice reward.

Fashionista Squabbit decides to wear the pendant and green pork pie hat. When we return to Town Hall, Greg is waiting. He hands me his updated order list. Weapons? Greg claims we can never be too careful and must be prepared. I wonder how many of those weapons are intended for display in his man cave.

The next person I need to see is Triffledore. While he updates his list, I look through the artifacts and find some more I’d like to buy. Then Lucky and I head over to Fahleed’s.

Fahleed is just on his way out to deliver some orders. He invites me to go with him and he will update his list on the way. We visit Rosetum Gardens and Central Station and by the time Fahleed has finished updating his list, I’ve collected more things to put in the overflowing storage cupboard.

The last person I need to see is the Forester. He updates his list and mentions that he’s ordered some frozen delicacies. I hope some of them will find their way to my house. I think Greg is getting tired of stew for dinner every night.

Back at Town Hall, I hand the updated lists to the Mayor who makes a big show of organizing them for me. Lucky and I exchange glances. Oh well, I guess the Mayor has to appear to do something to justify his position.

At last I can go to Skyfleet Docks and check out the shipment which has just arrived. But before I go, I look through the work orders to see if anybody needs something else from Skyfleet Docks.

Gavin will be needing fungi tiles when the Fungus Hut is updated, and Leena wants me to find some things to give Gavin as a thank you for the flowers he gave her. I need one more Traveler’s Hat and, if I have time to visit the Treasure Vault, I may be able to pick up the two storybooks she requested.

At Skyfleet Docks, I find the hat for Leena and then check the cargo book manifest against the shipment. Everything is in order and the shipments can be delivered. And there’s still time for me to visit the Treasure Vault.

I had forgotten that I asked Greg to post a guard at the Treasure Vault and was surprised to see a soldier standing sentry at the door. I was relieved to see it was one of the young men who had accompanied Greg to the Fairy Dragon Nest yesterday. Suppose it had been Creepy!!!

I found the two storybooks I needed along with some other things that could come in handy. The soldier offers to bring the things back to Town Hall for me at the end of his shift. I thank him, but decide I can carry them myself.

Leena is pleased with the gifts for Gavin but wonders where she will put them. She comes up with the idea of customizing jewelry boxes as containers for the presents. I have oodles of them back at Town Hall but Leena doesn’t want them. She fears they may be dented or damaged. I must find her new ones. Whatever.

When I return to Town Hall, I find Greg trying to find a hiding place for a crossbow and shield. As I suspected, part of that weaponry order was for his own personal use. Boys and their toys. It’s okay, I tell him. I don’t mind, really, but please don’t store them here. There’s no room.

We’ve outgrown our storage cupboards. What we need is a storage room. Unfortunately for us, the Mayor hasn’t requested that Town Hall be expanded. But when he does, his request will go to the top of my to-do list.