epilogues:another_castle [Reference II]

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======The Same Castle, Actually======

//Editor's note: Interfering with the Bookworm during operation can cause unexpected results and glitches. As a consequence of this, a number of passages in this Epilogue have been edited or fully redacted to produce a coherent and legible story.//

Setting off from Castle Alstrade, the Knights of the Temple Commune encounter a carriage lying shattered in their path. Bandits swarm its carcass, stripping jewellery and fancy clothes from the wreck, and they quickly identify it as the carriage of the Princess they have been sent to find.

Making short work of the brigands with the help of their Knightly Endowments, Sir Peahamlet and Lady Mimi interrogate the two unfortunate thieves who remain - Bingwuss and Bungwuss, who have become tangled in a pair of princess dresses they were trying on and fighting over.

The Knights are pointed towards the ruined Castle Durmont, to which, the bandits claim, a fearsome Dragon has carried off the Princess, having first sundered her carriage. They attempt to sneak into the keep, but are immediately spotted by the powerful beast, <del>who claims to have taken the Princess as leverage in a border dispute with King Augustine, the Princess’s father.</del>

The Dragon sets upon them, spewing fire and cleaving the Knights with its mighty tail. <del>In the course of the fight, Mimi coaxes out of it that the real reason it took the Princess was because it wanted a companion.</del> After a protracted struggle, Mimi befriends Cyn, the lonely Dragon.

At the same time, Sir Peahamlet sneaks past the Dragon and into its dungeon, <del>where he finds a cell littered with friendship bracelets and nail paint. Manacled to the back wall, the Pri£&!?!$/~~...</del>

----
The Princess is in another castle. The Knights convene in the keep, and realise that it must have been the King that took her, never the Dragon. King Augustine must have wanted the Knights to think it was Cyn, so they’d come here and kill it! On Cyn’s rippling, scaled back, they soar rapidly through the clear skies, returning to Castle Alstrade. Somehow they sneak into the dungeons, and there…
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<del>Suddenly,</del> the group finds themselves in the dungeons of Castle Alstrade, before a cell in which Princess Elizabeth rests languidly. She thanks the Knights for rescuing her, singling out Lady Mimi in particular. “You have the bravery to rescue me in this realm,” she chastises, peering through her with piercing eyes, “would you █████████████████████████████████████?”

With the Princess secured, Cyn and the Knights turn their attention to the traitorous King. For kidnapping his own daughter, and attempting to have Cyn murdered, his reign cannot be allowed to continue. Whatever his motivations, they are clearly nefarious. Armed with their Knightly Endowments and a powerful Dragon, the King’s guard should prove no concern. And, with the Princess supporting them, it should not be hard to convince the King’s subjects of the legitimacy of their coup.

They charge up towards the throne room…
----


“King Augustine!” Sir Peahamlet cries out, “Your ruse has been uncovered. It was you, was it not, who kidnapped the princess? It was you who kept her locked up in the castle dungeons beneath our very noses. Explain yourself, fiend!”

“<del>Wait, what?! I never did anything of the sort! This must be a mistake!</del> Gahhhh! No! You are ruining my plans, insolent worms. Guards, capture these traitors, and keep the Princess secure! Her words are not to be disseminated amongst the people anymore. I cannot have more unrest in my lands!

A thrilling battle ensues between the crown’s forces and the heroic party. Bursts of light and flame wreak havoc on the battlefield as guards are knocked left, right, and centre, and Mimi’s signature Starburst attack makes quick work of those who approach. Together with the support of Sir Peahamlet’s Void disorienting the foes and preventing an organised counterattack, and a //Dragon// flinging enemies around with swipes of her tail and claws, victory is swift.
“No!” the king yells. “This cannot be! Why have you brought the Dragon to this place? You dare betray the kingdom! BACK foul beast! I command you!”
Cyn pulls in a mighty breath, ready to exhale a stream of flames to incinerate this evil once and for all, before-

“STOP!”


The dragon halts, her attack faltering before flickering into smoke.

“Violence isn’t the answer here. It is never the answer.” Mimi stands between Cyn and the king, her arms outstretched.

“I know he did you wrong. I… I know the things he tried to do, what he would have gotten away with if we weren’t here… But we are! We have the choice here to save everyone! No-one has to die!”

The Princess steps forward and speaks. “She is right. He will pay for his transgressions in time, I will make sure of that. He will pay for locking me away. For trapping me here. <del> For stealing █████████████████. </del> He will be locked away in the dungeons, in my palace. A fitting punishment for his crime, I am sure.”

She turns back to ███ Mimi. “Thank you, for your kindness. Your **help** will //always// be welco**me**.”

----

In the weeks that follow the Princess’s ascension to Queendom, many changes befall the land. Resources are diverted from the rich inner cities to support the outlying towns and villages. A formal alliance is struck with Cyn, who is named the Royal Draconic Protector and Friend of the Crown.

On the advice of Lady Mimi, the bandits who looted her carriage are sought out, and Bingwuss and Bungwuss are hired as Royal Tailors and Fashion Advisers. They pick out the Queen’s fabulous new wardrobe, and become well-known personalities in the royal courts.

Sir Peahamlet is given high honours and joins the Queen’s Royal Guard as its Captain. He uses his powerful Knightly Endowment to great effect, disrupting his foes so his guards can pick them off one by one.

Lady Mimi remains fast friends with Cyn, splitting her time between patrolling the Queendom on her back, and relaxing in Cyn’s new and splendid court. She visits the Queen regularly, and they share long conversations over afternoon tea; unfortunately, the Queen is prone to fits of madness when they meet, which remains their closely guarded secret. She begs for Mimi’s aid, whom she often mistakes for some unknown, mythical hero named ‘███’. She begs to be freed from the dungeon from which she’s already escaped.

It seems that, in her mind, she’s still trapped there.