Lilia's Report

We found from the queen that Guillaume was trapped in a magic circle, unable to fulfill his sworn duty to the her. Leporideas offered to fulfill Guillaume's duty if we could not rescue him (Guillaume), and is bound by faerie magic from then on to act as a stand-in for Guillaume should he be unable to complete his task. Neither is able to speak of the geas laid on him.

Using our resources and talents and a little help from Juniper, we reached Guillaume, who was held in the Circle by the threatening presence of the Black King's henchmen. Members of the Black Court had previously been unable to get that close to the treasure. The Black King and Red Queen rule separate courts in Faerie and are dire enemies, and that makes the Circle a point of contention. Consequently, the sworn duty forced on Guillaume has gone from inconvenient to dangerous.

We retrieved the queen's treasure (a bowl carved out of light-coloured rock) and returned to the court. We made no progress in bargaining for Guillaume's and Leporideas' freedom, except for the possibility of temporary (one year) reprieve if we bring a gift that both amuses and delights the queen to her at the Winter Solstice. She would give no more specific instruction than that.

Currently, we are calling on all our resources to do two things: devise such a gift in hope of buying us some time and try to find a loophole or undo the magic that binds Guillaume and Leporideas. Also, the Red Queen claims the only reasons she seeks the contents of the Circle are that the Black King may not have them and the items amuse her. While not a priority, I would like to know if that is true, or to what use the items might be put.

I would beg clemency for Guillaume and ask the assistance of any who may help in understanding the twists and turns of the faerie world to make good gift to the Red Queen and to free Guillaume and Leporideas once and for all from the oath they have taken.