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"I don't even know about someplace called Lostagrace, and I don't eat out of garbage. like my father before me I eat people like you, might just have to get a can opener or something for that thick skull of yours."

hey, a good bluff, and he didn't know his father, so he wouldn't know if he was speaking true or not.

"But since I got a meeting with your king, I'll go and talk with him and then I'll be seeing you again in teh tournament and I hope you enjoy broken bones."

And he snorted, giving the guard a charliehorse, before following his nose to catch up with his cousin and his twin.

That last comment put a picture in his head of his brother kissing Esmerelda's mther. The picture was so..ridiculous that Moonstone laughed out load. "Oh yes," he chuckled, "wouldn't that be something?"

The castle was not hard to get to at all. Take any straight road and they'd get there no problem. As defenses went, things seemed lax if you disregard the..uh..gaurds. No high walls, no confusing streets, no tall buildings to block out the sight of the castle. This kind was either very confident, or stupid.

As they approached the courtyard, a familiar looking wizard dropped the bag he was carrying out of the gate and, very wide eyed, ran back inside.

The lazard took a bite at Onyx's back end, nipping out a good portrion of fur and leaveing a bald spot. Take that, thought the lizard, for kicking my mount.

Moonstone laughed. "Oh, you deserve it. And pipe down, it'll grow back." He opened the bag. It looked like nothing more then sugar. A bag full of sugar. Crazy way to carry it around though. The bag wasn't exactly of a great desingm and the sugar shoudl surly be running though holes in the stitching, but ti wasn't.

"It's sugar. Or at least it looks like sugar."

He slung the bag over his shoulder and procceded to go inside, where they were meeted by yet another gaurd. He bowed to them, not really looking at them, and motioned for them to follow. They did.

The castle was large, and the went through many large and grand hallways filled with statues, tapistries, and other pricey looking artifacts, before them came up to bronze doulbe doors, a winged bore reliefed on the front.

"Not the way you're thinking off."

The double doors opened slowly and magesticly, as if Onyx never had pouned so rudely on them. It was a big throne room with tall white marble pillars and a long red rug. The throne was...huge. The thing looked like a dragon head, with the kind sitting on it's bowing nose. He stood as they entered. The mage was standign to the left, looking scared with his hands behind his back.

"Ah, stragners! You have arrived much quicker then we thought you would as the ferries do not start again until tomorrow! I welcome your swift wings with open arms." He spread said arms. "I trust your journey was enjoyable?"

Moonstone nodded but did not speak.

The king seemed a little rattled by this, but his his ecpression quickly. "I am King Dimitri, ruler of Deep Water and surrpounding area. We have seen your comming, and have decided to make friends, rather then enemies."

The kind laughed heartily. "Yes, my furry friend. We were in fact hopeing for time. We wondered how best to approach you with our delema."

A look to his wizard, and a scowly one at that. "Sugar. The wizard has a thing for...sugar." The nervouse young wizard waved and smiled shakily.

"I see you get right to thepoint, winged one." He walked down the short stepped pedistal towards his guests, amrs open and inviting. "You see, we have a problem with some neighbors of ours. They keep trying to, wel to blow us up. Just recently we had to fire pillars that came very close to land. Their wizards you see," he said with a wink, "are good but don't aim well."

He made a sweeping motion with one arm. "With your stature and..um..uniqness, you may be able to persuade them to stop"

Moonstone was intriged but weary. Why were these neighbors attacing? And innocent people getting hurt....like his father Moonstone always tried to do what he could to help.

"Why send us into hostile territory? What is the chances of us getting a...hostile reception?"

"I am not a mage, dear cat. I do not know what else the sugar could be." The mage was going to be punished for this.

"The Purians are frightened by change. They will see you as gods, or demons. Either one will stop their hands from touching you. They are a barbaric people, and very superstitous. All I ask is that you go to them, persuade them to stop, and report back with the things you have seen and done."

He grabbed the wizard by the arm and thrust it forward. "Warren here will be going with you." Warrne gulped. "And their is another five thousand gold pieces for your return." Reminded of money, he gave the promissed monies to the white cat.

Moonstone shrugged. Well, at least it was sometihng to do. And you never know, maybe he'd find something that would help him get back home. H took the moeny and gave it to Onyx. He had no interest in money. "Here, use this to pay the fee for the tourny when we get back."

He wasn't sure, but he thought he caught an odd smile on the kings face for a second.

Warren, shaking in his robes, took the bag of 'sugar' and (hand shaking) popped a few grains into his mouth. This stuff wouldn't hurt him, but it didn't taste that great. He thought he did an okay job of hiding his displeasure. "See? Sugar!"

Poor kid. He was young, maybe 19, and was stick thin. His blond haird was scragly, and stuck close to his scull. His skin was pale from spending all his time indoors. The onyl thing notible about him were his iceyblue eyes.

"We have a forge l-located out back. It is p-possible that we will already have something to your l-liking." He wanted to go and show them the way...but the black cat terrified him really.

Moonstone shook his head. "Honestly brother, you're going to make the guy wet his pants. He nodded his head towards the young mage that was supposedly some kind of guid, or a spy. "Please, show us the way to the smithy."

"yes, Yes! Go arm yourselves and be off! The quicker you leave the quicker you'll return!"

And Warren lead them the long, long way out back to the smithy.