Historical records tell us that in the dusk of the last age, the Ranger Tesorilivesa was sent as an emissary of peace from Prime Minister of Aisorbma into the heart of the Kingdom.

To the Prime Minister, he was their best hope for peace. But to others, he was the most dangerous enemy to righteous war.

The following is a reconstruction from historical accounts. The account begins immediately after the death of Baroness Erica del Erica.

Episode Seven - A Ranger's Plight

Ranger Tesorilivesa sat very still. The bowl of warm, honey-drizzled rice pudding say in front of him, a royal spoon beside it. At the ends of the table, the King and Queen of the Kingdom watched him intently, daring him to refuse their hospitality and generosity.

And of course, there was the girl, with her head in a similar bowl of rice pudding at the Queen's end of the table. Tesorilivesa supposed she must be dead, because the warm pudding splatters would be causing her considerable stress were she to be alive.

'I think we have found the cause of the problem,' he said slowly. 'You said it yourself. A misunderstanding between us could condemn us all.'

'Verily, there are many sides to this argument, Ranger,' said the King. 'I wouldst much prefer peace to war, but I must also support the defining principles of mine heritage. The rice pudding must be eaten hot, and fresh, for so it hath been with us for as long as memory
serves us. Even reheating that which we hath prepared most carefully doth sit uneasily with us.'

'On such a point, we must agree to disagree.'

'Until thine heathen ways are renounced, such tolerance must needs be the only way to peace. It is not, however, an answer which satisfies the majority, nor is it an answer which will long postpone cruel war,' the King replied. 'On the last occasion that one of thine countrymen hath been received within these walls, he too hath refused the hot rice pudding. His tongue was cut out for speaking such blasphemy.'

'If I mayest ask,' asked the Queen, 'of what age art thou, Ranger? Art thou of the age that remembereth mine husband's father's battle at Rene Ponit?'

'I am twenty-nine years of age, your Majesty, and was not born at the time of the battle. My sister was three at the time; her first memory is of the Ranger who brought the message of my father's passing at that battle.'

'Then thou wouldst not cherish a return to such times,' said the Queen. 'Sadly, it seemeth that the number who wouldst agree with you ist smaller than that which would disagree merely because they do not understand. Agreeing to disagree doth not suffice for people
such as those.'

'We see that the Prime Minister of Aisorbma hast at least sent an emissary who shares his and our perspective,' said the King. 'What we now require is to see if he hath chosen a man of wit, skill and cunning, for we fear that if thine journey to this place hath fatigued
you, thine journey home shalt prove far more perilous. A message must be sent from us directly to thine Ministry. Wilt thou convey it?'

'I can, and I shall, your Majesties,' promised Tesorilivesa. The King rose from his seat, and Tesorilivesa did likewise, following the custom he'd been hastily taught. There was a silver tray on a small table near the edge of the room, and there were three envelopes, wax-sealed, on the tray. The King took one of these and brought it to Tesorilivesa. The burly, bearded Ranger knelt to accept it, and the King gave it to him, an approving acknowledgement of Tesorilivesa's deferment of authority showing in his eyes.

'I do not desire war,' stated the King. 'The message doth offer some small hope of peace, shouldst thine Prime Minister act upon it quickly enough. Speed ist of the utmost importance, as those who wish war do seek its delay or destruction. I am fortunate, however, to be able to offer thee some protection. Mine Queen, if thou wouldst?'

The Queen was standing at the other end of the table, fingers outstretched and pointed at Tesorilivesa. Some kind of glow was building around her fingers. Tesorilivesa relaxed his legs, preparing to leap out of the way, but the King touched his hand. 'The Queen hath
informed me recently that her most excellent spell should cause thee very little discomfort,' he said. 'Though to our knowledge it hath not been performed on a living being in many long decades.'

The Queen cast her spell, which struck his cloak. It began to shimmer, and then the rest of him began to shimmer too.

'I have empowered thee with a spell of invisibility,' said the Queen. 'None shall be able to see thee except the intended recipient of the message. Beware, Ranger, for the spell ist not perfect. None of hostile intent shall espy thee, but their arrows shalt surely hurt you if thou shouldst be in their path, and blades shalt surely cut thee when thou art too close. Take comfort, however, that no user of magic shalt be able to undo the spell, and that its effect shalt also conceal thine tracks.

'Thou hast little time, Ranger Tesorilivesa. One week, perhaps two, before war will start heedless of our efforts to prevent it. I have no desire to exert myself with thine welfare, nor to grant thee unusual strength against us, shouldst thou fail and yet survive. So mine spell shalt last seven days, and no more. I wish thee sufficient luck, Ranger, no more than that.' Tesorilivesa realised she was still staring at him, fingers outstretched, because the King could not see him.

'Go then,' said the King. And Tesorilivesa bowed - futilely, since the King could not see him, then moved from the room, taking care to make a little noise so the King would know he had gone. Then he ran, silently, to the stairs and down the East Tower of the Palace.

Hearing voices near the bottom of the stairwell, he was careful to move more slowly. There were men at the bottom, dressed in grandiose and impractical military uniforms, resting their hands on their glittering sword hilts. It didn't matter to him that they might be
nobles, simply gathered around and talking, or that they might be guards on duty, protecting the King in his meeting.

They were now the enemy, and they were in his way.

He loaded his crossbow, considering briefly how impolite he would be if he killed a servant of his host, someone he was technically working to protect. So he lowered the weapon and fired. The shaft - suddenly visible - impaled one man's thigh, and the man screamed and fell, clutching his leg. One man knelt to tend him, the others began to draw
their swords. 'A crossbow bolt!' said the kneeling guard. One man exclaimed: 'An Aisorbmian attack, cloaked most stealthily in magic!'; another said: 'Indeed, our liege the King must be protected from all forces thereof!'.

While these words successfully rallied the morale of the group, Tesorilivesa could not help but observe their naivety. A trained swordsman would wear his sword on the opposite side from his better hand, to facilitate combat readiness; these guards had not. He chose
this moment of awkward manoeuvring to move forward, pushing the men aside whilst avoiding their blades. One man swung his sword, hoping to catch the intruder, and accidentally stabbed his neighbour.

There was a great amount of shouting and shrieking as Tesorilivesa left the Tower and exited the castle. He moved quickly across the drawbridge, then moved into the undergrowth, reversing his cloak so the grass-green side was outside. Best not to get used to this power,
he thought. He'd never do this again.

Moments later a rather reduced force of guards exited the castle over the drawbridge and fanned out. Above them Tesorilivesa could see archers moving into position behind arrowslits in the walls of the palace. Above them he saw pigeons released into the air, and these flew east. Tesorilivesa did not know whether they belonged to the King, or to warmongering nobles, or to Aisorbmii agents among the palace staff, and he did not know whether they contained warnings of his mission and movements or were nothing to do with him. But he assumed the worst, and decided to move, believing some form of obstacles would be set up ahead to intercept an invisible messenger.

He set off, heading north-east, towards a small settlement he'd visited just before arriving at the palace. Behind him the guards moved around, hoping to stumble across him. He avoided them easily. Then he heard the arrows loose, and he ran, hoping the arrows would avoid him.

They landed in scattered patches, several yards in front of him, but he kept running, hoping he would escape their range before they could reload. He was several yards beyond the landed arrows when he heard the next release. These whistled past his head and landed around his feet. Suddenly he stopped, a great stabbing pain having flared unexpectedly in his arm. There was a shaft in his wrist, and blood was pouring out around the hole.

He kept his mouth shut, incredibly, but he fell over. He crawled forward, intent on moving out of range before the archers saw the successful arrow creeping away from them. The third loose landed dottily nearby him, but he seemed to be just beyond their range. He got
up slowly and ran for the village, the Queen's spell hiding his tracks and his blood.

He swung his cloak forward over the arrow, to hide it from view, as he moved between the thatched houses, stopping outside one and knocking in a pre-arranged pattern at the door. An old man opened it, and Tesorilivesa entered, waiting until the man closed it, confused,
before speaking.

'Remolorirati, it's Tesorilivesa,' he said, using the Aisorbmian form of Remolor ir Ati's name. He pulled back his cloak, revealing the arrow. 'I've been made invisible. It was a spell.'

'And yer've been shot, too,' said Remolor, brightly, slipping into the old accent. 'Sunder, go and fetch my medical kit.' A man in his younger twenties entered from one of the two adjoining bedrooms, saw the arrow, but read his father's expression and quickly moved to fetch the kit from his father's bedroom.

'Which bit 'as the arrow through it?' asked Remolor.

'Me left wrist,' said Tesorilivesa. 'I'm goin' to 'old my arm outstretched, pointing towards the door.' He moved his hand, shakily, fist clenched with effort, and Remolor's eyes watched the arrow turn to point downwards and then sit motionless around four feet above the floor.

'Yer still know nothing about medicine,' Remolor mocked. 'Yer can't stay stood like that while I tend to it. Sit down, boy. Ah, Sunder.' Sunder entered, and placed the kit near his father's feet. 'Sunder, listen carefully: Make some rice pudding. Let it cool.'
Sunder didn't move. 'Now, Sunder.'

'Yer an unusual man,' Tesorilivesa said. 'Askin' a Kingdom man to let rice pudding cool down so an Aisorbmian can eat it.'

'I was Aisorbmian myself once, don't ferget. Just found I couldn't eat the stuff cold, so naturally I was kicked out as a heretic. Never stopped supporting the side, though,' Remolor chirped. 'Now sit down in that chair, and put yer arm on that table, and we'll see what we can do.'

Sunder entered the room. 'Men doth gather outside, father.'

'They might be after me,' said Tesorilivesa. 'I have a message from the King to the Prime Minister, it's an offer of peace.'

'I see,' said Remolor. 'The force which can track an invisible Ranger must be impressive indeed. We don't have much time.'

'Leave,' said Tesorilivesa, pulling the message from his shirt pocket, and handing it to Remolor. 'Return to Aisorbma, give this to the Prime Minister. I'll create sufficient distraction to cover yer escape.' Sunder tried to give him an unconvinced look, but had
misjudged the size of the burly Ranger and was staring at his neck. 'I'm bleeding to death, boy. And they're tracking me, probably with magic.'

'We go immediately, Sunder,' said Remolor, accepting the envelope and the responsibility of the mission. 'before we art killed, and war doth become certain.'

Tesorilivesa moved slowly to take the pot of rice pudding off the stone stove in the kitchen, while they packed various belongings. He gave them some items from his own belt: his Ranger brooch, his dagger, some rations, and his cloak, which was visible when Sunder wore it. Remolor had a dark cloak of his own. As night was approaching the darker colours would provide better camouflage, Tesorilivesa thought.

They left through a back window, and moved east. Ranger Tesorilivesa moved to the front of the house, loaded his crossbow, and aimed through a crack in the glass of one window. He pinpointed a target, and fired, smiling with grim satisfaction when he heard a groan in the night.

He tasted the rice pudding, which was cooler now, and began to pray.

Just let him have enough bolts to take them all.

And so Remolor ir Ati and Sunder set off to continue the quest. They were the last, best hope for peace. Later we will see how they fared after escaping the house.

Tesorilivesa had six crossbow bolts remaining, but one of the four men outside was a wizard, and the Ranger succumbed quickly to smoke once the wizard had set the house on fire, killing only two of those who persued him. The wizard was one of those who did not
survive the encounter.

They never found Tesorilivesa's body.

The Next to the Custard

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