Legendary - Rescuing Dhuka

Thursday, June 23, 1066 SE continued ...

As Mon swings for the Cardinal, he thinks better of it, as it would remove his invisibility and reveal him to the Cardinal and all of the people currently gathered on the Cathedral Plaza to witness Dhuka's whipping. The Cardinal points at Dhuka, and tells Anya, his captive, that if she does not reveal where the book is, her sister will be whipped, and her pain and suffering will be her fault. Having seen enough, Mon quickly shadowsteps back to the Plaza and positions himself between Dhuka and the executioner ready to whip her. His body will receive the bite of the whip, but he will protect the girl.

Taking one more glance up the Cathedral's north tower, the executioner finally winds and releases the whip's bite, but instead of hitting Dhuka's back it bites into Mon's. As the whip lands, Mon casts major image and displays the church's religious symbol high above Dhuka's head, to the collective gasp of the crowd, which falls silent. The actor then uses motivational speech and prestidigitation. The five people who hear Mon will be inspired by his speech. Mon chooses the King, the executioner, and three high ranking guards. He disguises his voice, and announces to them that Dhuka is an innocent puppet, and that her sister is being kept in chains by the Cardinal himself, who wishes evil upon this land.

The image then transforms into the scene Mon witnessed up the South Tower, showing the Cardinal and his prisoners. The crowd looks up the tower. Meanwhile, upon seeing this visual display, Marigold insinuates to those who stand near her that the girl is not being punished by a decision of the Church, but rather on orders from the Cardinal himself, while Branna yells that it is a miracle, that Dhuka has not been touched by the whip, and that God surely must be displeased with the Cardinal! Pandemonium breaks loose on the Cathedral Plaza and angry murmurs quickly spread.

The King confidently steps through the crowd and walks straight to Dhuka. Motioning the crowd to quiet down, the King announces loudly that the child is hereby pardoned, and that her offenses are wiped away by the crown. The crowd cheers the King enthusiastically. Mon, who is still invisible, steps next to the King and whispers that her sister should also be freed. Without a hint of surprise, the King whispers back that Anya's release will happen in its own time, that at the moment things must play out. The King motions to the executioner for the key to the iron binding Dhuka, and he removes the cuffs from her raw wrists.  

Branna steps forward and wraps Dhuka in the cloak she brought with her, before bringing her back to the Legendary. She takes the child up to the staff doctor, who checks her out and pronounces her healthy, if hungry and sleep-deprived. Marigold, who followed them, tells Dhuka that when she goes out in the daytime, she must wear appropriate clothing. Dhuka replies she doesn't like to wear dresses. Nevertheless, Marigold tells her, she will need to wear them in public. Marigold further tells her she's valuable to the Cardinal, especially if he has Anya with him. She needs to bring someone with her at all times. Branna tells her she will make Dhuka several pretty dresses she will love to wear.

Mon takes the occasion to reappear, causing a fright to the doctor, who collapses to the floor clutching his chest. Mon cures wounds on the doctor, then the doctor heals Mon's backside wound. Dhuka is finally escorted to her room. Mon suspects that the Cardinal is looking for Anya's diary and that he has sights on the crown. They talk about what they should do with the diary if they found it, and how they could keep Dhuka safe from the Cardinal's hands. Marigold convinces Dhuka to give up her and Anya's journal, for her protection. Mon confirms the Cardinal has Anya,  and Marigold promises to bring another journal for Dhuka to write in. After a few more minutes, Dhuka is fast asleep.

Branna, Mon and Marigold discuss the possibility of asking the Marquess of Sidorov and Lady Sirenko to welcome Dhuka with them for a while, which should protect the child should the Cardinal be motivated enough to look for her again. The Cardinal was temporarily outwitted, but will seek to regain the upper hand. The Marquess and Lady Sirenko would need to solve their current fall-out, and Branna mentions that perhaps, with Dhuka now free, the two women should be reunited to have a frank discussion on the subject. Mon wonders if the two ladies would also be willing to adopt Anya, now that they know she is still here on Katarina.

As they return to the Legendary's lobby, Mon receives a message from Sir Gregory about volunteering at the Archduke's Palace for the party this evening. He sets off to find others from the Second Crew who could help, and he talks to several of the page boys to make sure they will be in attendance. Unfortunately for him, Herald is the only one willing to help. The cad seems to think that this will be a great opportunity to curry favor with the local nobility.

Mon sends a message to Sir Gregory that all girls working as page boys should have a specialized uniform for them to wear that would be based on the page boys' outfit. Sir Gregory replies that though he generally loves Mon's ideas, this one is pretty far fetched, as the Legendary would never employ girls as pages ...

Marigold dispatches a pageboy to Fabled Pages to purchase the pinkiest and sparkliest journal the pageboy can find to replace Dhuka's journal. The pageboy returns with something that meets the prop creator's standards.

With Dhuka currently safe, Mon sets to disguise himself so he can serve at the Archduke's Palace but not be recognized by the Cardinal. He returns to meet Marigold and Branna dressed in a fake wooden leg. Marigold tells him to go back and change, no one would send a servant to help out at the Palace. Mon returns a short while later wearing a long black waistcoat, black trousers, a white shirt, and a black tie, completing the look with an eye patch.

Readying themselves to head to the Palace, Marigold brings a set of tinkering tools hidden in her pettycoats. They could be useful as weapons or to disable a bomb. Arriving at the Palace with Herald, they are surprised to meet Zoryany, who tells them Sir Paul Stal graciously lent her services to assist the Archduke and his staff organizing the greatest social event ever to take place on Katarina. Greeted by the Archduke's chamberlain, Mon and Branna elect to work the ballroom, where they will be serving appetizers and drinks after the welcome banquet. They are joined there by Zoryany. Marigold heads to the kitchen, where she's assigned to the baker to get the breads and desserts ready. Herald is sent to the stables, much to his disappointment.

As the noble guests begin to arrive in the grand hallway, Mon and Branna can hear the various titles being called out by Sir Anatoli. Zoryany has secured a spot by one of the large windows, where she can see the guests as they disembark their carriage. The Cardinal's arrival is followed by that of Sir Sergeii. The King's arrival is greeted with loud applauses. Mon notices Zoryany turn a shade of green, and as she hurries out of the room, she tells the actor through clenched teeth that a nasty surprise is in the wings, and he should prepare himself to be shocked. Then the official greeter calls out the name of the King's traveling physician, Dr. Sadistik ...