Ivy’s Room, Hatching a Plan

In the privacy of her room, Ivy carefully retrieved Daffyd from within her clothing and set him atop the colorful patchwork quilt on her fairly plain wooden framed bed.

Looking up at her, “If I hadn’t seen him fall right in front of me, I would suggest it was Sir George come looking for me, but Ella dropped him from a great height,” he explained.

She seemed pensive a moment, “He is the one that attacked her?” she asked, seeking clarification.

Daffyd nodded.

“Are you sure the fall killed him?” she inquired.

He wasn’t. The crash was loud, there was blood, though not an overwhelming quantity. Could he still be alive? Despite his age and his deteriorating physical condition, he was still fearless Sir George and as tough and resilient a man as Daffyd had ever known. Shaking his head slowly, “No,” he said.

“Okay, so it stands to reason that unless some other unfortunate, whom you knew, wandered through the portal, she got your name, which is uncommon enough all by itself from Sir George,” she surmised.

He shook his head in agreement, “I have met no other with it,” he replied, “It must be him,” he asserted.

“Which would explain her great haste haste to depart the carriage house,” Ivy said.

“We have to rescue him before Alexa does something dastardly to him,” Daffyd said, concerned for the health and welfare of the aging knight.

Turning and looking down on the tiny youth seated on the bed beside her, “If she has him, and I think we both know she does, I have no idea how we are going to get him away from her,” she confessed.

Running a hand over the short sandy colored hair on his head, he pursed his mouth. What could they do? He knew Sir George’s brusque demeanor would not mesh well with the cosseted girl. Looking back, he considered himself fortunate that it was Ivy he first met and not Alexa. He shuddered to think what things that might have done to him if she had found him instead of Ivy. “She reminds me of an indulge brat who would break something rather than let someone else have it,” he remarked.

Ivy nodded. “That is a fair assessment,” she said. “I fear for your liege,” she added. “Pets and the like do not last very long in her care.”

“Sir George is no pet,” he rebuked.

Shaking her head, “No I know, all I’m saying is in the past she has not been gentle with living things in entrusted to her care,” she replied.

Nodding, “I wonder if there might be a way to ransom him from her,” he offered.

Ivy shook her head, “Other than a small handful of coins and some of my mother’s heirlooms I was able to hide from my stepmother, I have not much to offer,” she lamented.

“When I awoke in Ella’s lair, I stumbled across something metal. It has long been rumored dragons horde treasure, maybe there is something there?” he suggested.

Crossing her arms, Ivy tapped her right index finger to her chin as she cogitated. “Perhaps the prospect of treasure might be enough to entice her to make the trade,” she mused.

“What do you mean?” he queried.

“If I offered to divulge the location of Ella’s nest in exchange of your knight, she might be inclined to make the swap,” she expressed.

Daffyd shook his head, “I don’t think you should do that, give away Ella’s lair,” he stated.

She chuckled, “No, I mean tell Alexa that Ella’s nest is somewhere in the carriage house, sprinkle in a few baubles around the area to make it seem all the more convincing,” she said, nodding slowly as she considered the strategy.

“Hmm,” noised Daffyd, mentally evaluating the strategy. “Maybe,” he offered, hopeful.

“I could tell her I found it when she was hurrying away,” she added.

“How do we explain our knowledge of Sir George?” he inquired.

“I am not one accustomed to speaking mistruths, but I could say I got it from you before Ella gobbled you up,” she suggested.

“That would explain the lack of a body,” he mused.

She smiled, “I think it can work. Alexa loves gold and riches and all things fancy. She might be eager to accept the bait,” she proposed.

“There’s another thing we need to consider. Even if Alexa yields up Sir George, there’s nothing to prevent her from trying to steal him back or even tell on you to get what she wants,” he said.

Letting out a long sigh, Ivy slumped her shoulders, “That’s true,” she agreed with resignation in her tone.

“Which leads me to my next suggestion. If we are able to make the exchange, I think the three of us should leave this home and venture forth out into the world and search for your father,” he said, nodding sharply as if to punctuate his statement.

“I can’t, I have to wait in case my father returns,” she countered.

“You yourself said hope fades with each day that passes,” he reminded.

Her expression turned glum, “It does,” she said softly, letting out another long sigh.

“Then now is the time for you to take affairs into your own hands. Although we are only small, you would have Sir George and myself along to aid,” he said.

“And Ella, there is no way I could leave her behind,” she said, a determined look creeping onto her face as she began to assemble components of the plan together in her mind.

 Daffyd frowned. If they were successful in getting Sir George back from Alexa, how would the aged knight get along with the dragon? Especially considering their prior encounter. That could be problematic. Regardless, he knew she was right, she should include the dragon in her departure from the manor house. Would Ella come? Ivy had said the creature was not a pet, but independent. Maybe she wouldn’t abandon her lair and the issue between her and the knight might be moot. “If she will come,” he offered.

Ivy nodded. “We need to go back out there and make something that looks like a dragon has lived there,” she said with a grin. “Do you remember what her nest looked like?” she inquired, rising from the bed and turning to face him.

“Dark and scary,” he replied with a grin.