“Welcome Ma'am,” a voice says.
Writer Lady turns to find Lady Gray’s guard standing behind her. Several ogres in full armor stand at attention behind him. Writer Lady looks down at her jammies, robe, and fuzzy bear paw slippers suddenly embarrassed she hadn't changed before leaving home.
“It seems you left home without having been properly outfitted.” The guard observes.
“Unfortunately yes. I left home right after I read her ladyship's message.” Realizing there was something heavy in one hand, Writer Lady looks down at the pack Tinkletoes handed her before they left. Squatting down, she opens the bag looking for what’s so desperately needed, something to wear that isn't pajamas. Writer Lady finds smoke bombs, grenades, a large knife, a small hatchet, sunscreen (In The Graylands? Seriously?), a lightweight semi-automatic, lots of bullets, rations, and a small first aid kit. Not one single item of clothing. “He's a man, of course he wouldn't think to pack clothes.” Writer Lady looks at the guard. “Sorry about this, no one seemed to notice that I'm not wearing day clothes, including me.” Which is when she realizes she's missing a few people. Okay, everyone she left home with. “Where are the others?” She asks.
“The warrior known as Tinkletoes as well as your other escorts are in the field. Where they're most needed.”
“Then why am I here?” She asks.
“This is where you are needed.” A familiar voice says. Writer Lady turns in the direction of the voice. “Your Highness,” she says, she watches as the young cat, little more than a kitten, crosses the room. The gray cat moves slowly, not as a hunter would, as a much older cat would. One who's every step causes her some level of pain.
Lady Gray slowly and carefully ventures a little too close to the stone wall nearly crashing into it. The cat stops and sits for a bit. Her guard, Captain Ozar, lifts her back to her feet and sets her down in front of Writer Lady. The ruler of The Graylands looks up at him with admiration and love.
“Thank you.” Lady Gray says.
“Of course Mi’lady.”
The long-haired cat turns her attention to Writer Lady. “Welcome. Thank you so much for coming to the aid of myself and all who reside within The Graylands. As you can see I'm not myself these days. I'm not myself and neither is my magic. It's one of the reasons I reached out for help.”
“The other reason you contacted us?”
“My enemy is not of this world. I suspect he may be of yours.”
“Why?”
“During the first attack one of the invaders dropped this.”
Lady Gray’s guard held out a laminated card to Writer Lady. Accepting the card, she reads it. She looks at Lady Gray and her guard. “This is a driver's license for a Richard R. Badman? You're right, your enemy is from my world. And it appears his last known address is only a few blocks from my house. What's he doing here?” She asks. The guard makes a face. Writer Lady looks at him. “I know. It's pretty obvious what he's doing here. But why? What does this Richard think he's going to do with The Graylands if he could manage to defeat her ladyship, which he can't, rule?”
“Isn't that what happens in your world? How many rulers has your homeland had before Tinkletoes?” Lady Gray asks.
“None. And Tinkletoes does not rule my world.”
Lady Gray and her guard exchange glances.
“Things are done a bit differently where I come from.” Writer Lady explains. “It's more of a group effort.”
“Faerie has rulers. I have ruled these lands for thousands of years. Although, many do not remember what The Graylands were like before I arrived.”
“What were they like?”
“The day I arrived was quite interesting, everything was running wild.”
“Plants, animals, magical beings.” The captain adds. “A lot of fighting. We hadn’t said a word, we stood there watching, taking it all in.”
Lady Gray continues, “You see The Graylands are located in the center of Faerie. All of the ecosystems of this world share its borders.”
“So The Graylands have a little bit of everything.” Writer Lady says. “The forests, meadows, the lands with flying bubbles. The jungles. All of the creatures of Faerie live in The Graylands as well?” She asks.
Lady Gray nods. “All of the animals. Faeries, pixies, dragons, demons, unicorns... If the being is native to Faerie at least one of them lives here. When I arrived, everyone was fighting over control of The Graylands. The Lady of the Lake contacted me, notifying me of the problems here and asking me to see what I could do to bring some semblance of order to the place. After we arrived, my soldiers and I found the castle, took control of it, put an end to the fighting, and started rebuilding. Excalibur arrived a short time later and has been integral to keeping order.”
“The sword represents power.” Writer Lady says.
“Yes it demonstrates that Lady Gray has the ability to take down any invaders.” Captain Ozar replies.
"An ability I do not have at the moment." The cat looks at Writer Lady. "I keep The Graylands protected with my glamour. I have turned everything gray making it feel sad and dismal. Food looks unappetizing and water appears unsafe to drink. It has kept invaders away. This army knows that if it keeps attacking until I weaken enough that it will be possible to slowly begin peeling away the layers of the glamour revealing the beauty and magic that resides here. Once that beauty is revealed..."
"....we will be surrounded on every side." Captain Ozar says.
"Without Excalibur to fortify my defenses," Lady Gray continues, "all could be lost."
"How long has Excalibur been gone?"
"Several months. It has been known to disappear at times, it's a sword, it needs an adventure every now and then. When Excalibur is no longer needed, the sword returns."
Writer Lady nods, “Who ruled here before you arrived?” She asks.
“All of the other civilizations of Faerie have held The Graylands at some time. It is very valuable. Because The Graylands are where Faerie began. Sit down.” Lady Gray says gesturing to a comfortable looking chair on the far side of the room. The cat follows Writer Lady, jumping on to her lap and settling down. “I just need to rest for a moment. Would you mind rubbing a bit while I talk?”
Writer Lady complies.
“Much better. Thank you. Let’s continue. No one knows why or how Faerie began.” Lady Gray says, “The elves were the first to appear. Unicorns arrived a short time later. They discovered one another while wandering in what would someday become The Graylands. They got to know each other a bit, then shortly thereafter began working together, finding and harvesting food, building shelter, and eventually discovering the magic of Faerie and how to wield it. Elves and unicorns thrived and flourished, building villages, towns, and eventually, a kingdom. As other beings arrived, the elves learned about them recording the history of every being. They shared what they had learned about these lands with their new friends, helping them establish villages and farms throughout. They established the first records of what lay beyond these lands and drew the first maps of Faerie. Ultimately, the elves and unicorns sat down with the others to write the first laws, protecting our way of life.”
“So The Graylands are the heart of your civilization.” Writer Lady observes.
“They are.”
“Why don't we just ask the elves for help?”
“My dear Writer Lady the elves are long gone.”
“What about the history they left, the records they kept?”
“I have spent many years studying all that has been interpreted with my best scholars, it's quite interesting. There is lots of information about how to run things and fascinating history but nothing regarding how to defend the lands.”
“That is not entirely true your highness.” Captain Ozar says correcting her.
The deep gray feline jumps down from Writer Lady's lap and crosses the room turning her back on Writer Lady and her security detail. “After all this time you still believe.”
Writer Lady looks at the captain, “There's a story about the elves. At one time they had a central building where magic was studied. They established that Faerie is not only a place but a living entity. They taught themselves how to communicate with Faerie herself, how to speak to her and learn from her. The elves knew some day their time would come to an end but before that time came Faerie gave them the information they needed to create a means for keeping The Graylands well fortified regardless of what or who was attacking her. The problem is we can't seem to locate it.”
“And...” Lady Gray says prompting her guard to continue.
“Even if we did find it we can't read their writing.”