Chapter 48: Extensive Sleepwalking is a Bad Habit

Yerdl was sleeping quite peacefully until he began to feel unreasonably cold.

“The window, the window” he muttered.

He stood up on his fingers, eyes still closed and waddled off.

Fancy Chill was going to say something but she stopped when she noticed that Yerdl was sleepwalking.

“Jui…” Marlequant began.

He was stopped by one of Fancy Chill’s wings. Marlequant hadn’t yet separated from the slush minion, Fancy Chill was sure it’d happen shortly, she wondered how the otter would feel about it. She decided to freeze him if he complained too much.

So, she watched Yerdl in silence as he scuttled towards the massive hole through the tower that Gosgos had caused.

Yerdl almost stumbled over some debris.

“Gotta stop leaving stuff on the floor” He muttered.

Fancy Chill watched with interest, was he going to make his way all the way over to the abyss?

Yerdl continued to walk.

“This is a terrible dream, why is the window so far away” Yerdl muttered.

He walked right over the edge, but still didn’t wake.

“Hate falling dreams” he muttered as he fell.

A blizzard flew down below him and pushed him back into the ruined dungeon. He woke up then.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

He screamed as he was tossed off the blizzard, he rolled for a bit until he hit into a pile of jars, scattering them. With remarkable swiftness, he got up and took stock of his surroundings. That was when he saw the ruined surroundings, Marlequant in armour and Fancy Chill.

He gasped and shot behind a table, hoping that he hadn’t been seen, his brain clicked a bit and more of the fog of sleep wore off.

Of course they had seen him. What was he going to do? Bluff! Yes, Bluff!

Yerdl swaggered out and stared at Marlequant and Fancy Chill with steely eyes.

Fancy Chill had to put serious effort into not laughing.

“Where is my family!” He commanded.

Fancy Chill silently pointed a wing at the pile of Ismi, Kejo, Loro and Turmeric. None of them had woken yet. They had eaten more jam than Yerdl had. Turmeric, Ismi and Kejo were clutching at Loro’s furry mane. It actually looked quite comfortable, if you weren’t Loro.

“You fiends! You’ll pay!” Yerdl shouted.

He was banking on Fancy Chill thinking that he had some kind of power backing him that allowed him to be so bold.

He was pretty fortunate that Fancy Chill was finding his efforts amusing.

“Oh?” She began “Do rescuers usually have to pay a fee to those they save?”

“What?” Yerdl asked confused.

At that moment, a crack ran out, and Marlequant’s ice armour crumbled off him before turning to slush and sloshing over to Fancy Chill. Marlequant fell to his knees and gasped. He spun around after a breath and knelt before Fancy Chill.

“Marlequant?!” Yerdl exclaimed.

He had not realized that the ice knight had been Marlequant.

“I thank thee noble lady of the cold winds for sending your servant to aid me, I, Marlequant offer my troth to you! I beseech you to bestow upon me your name, my saviour!” he grandly said.

“What?” Fancy Chill said.

Then, her eyes sparkled and she ruffled her feathers.

“Aaha, Aaha! It was but a trifle, I SHE-SENDING-FANCIFUL-CHILLWINDS, just moved my wings a little. Arise Sir Marlequant, My Knight of the… uh…”

“What is going on here?” Yerdl muttered.

Fancy glanced at the slush minion.

“…slush, no that isn’t any good at all, hmm juice knight? AH!”

Fancy Chill spread her wings masjestically.

“I accept your service, my Knight of Flavourful Ice!”

“My Lady! You honour me!” Marlequant said with tears in his eyes.

“This all very nice, but what on Elcon is going on here? Why is the tower messed up, what are these sinister piles of sugar and why do I hear the faint sound of rejoicing?”

“Gosgos was foul enchanter! He turned people into jam, he tried to turn us into jam, but with my bravery and Milady’s minion I did enrage the enchanter so much that he exposed himself to milady, spelling his doom!”

“Ah” Yerdl said.

He then frowned.

“Did you just say that he was turning people into jam?”

“Yes”

“I’m not going to think about that, but I’m telling the others, they can share this sense of horror with me, yes.”

Speaking of the others they all woke up.

The first thing Ismi saw was Fancy Chill.

The second thing she did was shout at Kejo.

“QUICK TELL A JOKE!”