Brownie was expecting to enjoy her time soaking in a luxurious bath cut into one of the mountains. The resort Clan Melusine brought her to was a wandering spa path, with cold water pools, waterfall mist resting stops, and a variety of hot springs all found in the harsh beauty of nature. It was almost dinnertime, and the sun was casting shadows through the mountain pass.

Brownie was not expecting the waterfall she was meditating beside to light up like the Peldeep Festival of Lights. She also did not anticipate a lizardkin clothed in robes of silver to burst from the waterfall and land before her as she sat in nothing more than cotton bathing attire and fluffy slippers.

At least he wasn't facing her.

He landed in a powerful pose, robes billowing. His blue-gray hair was pulled into a top knot, and his black scales were gray at the tips.

“Ha ha ha!” The man laughed, elated, chest puffed out and his hands in fists on his waist. He managed to feel like an esteemed graceful master and a battle ready Warrior at the same time.

“The Ten Thousand Star Artsss are complete! Nothing shall ssstop me this time in our revenge, father. I shall defy the heavens, and reclaim my birthright.” And then he was talking to himself in a very main-character manner that Brownie wished she could pay closer attention to. “Oh father, if only you could see me now. I will restore our honor! Thisss I swear to you.”

Brownie didn't get up; She hadn't finished her meditation cycle yet.

He relaxed from his impassioned speech and then stretched, one arm over and held before switching to the other. He cracked his neck and then bent into a crouch, one leg extended each as he touched his toes.

She finished counting her breathing and focused on the feeling of her mana flowing in a calm manner throughout her entire body. When she was ready, Brownie stood up. For a large and curvy half-giant, she could mute her presence quite effectively. As such, she coughed to get the man's attention.

“Good Evening.” She said, calmly so as not to startle the lizardkin.

It didn't work.

“Ack!” He twisted around and a bolt of icicle shattered against the mountainside beside her left shoulder. “You court death, sssneaking up on this Master!”

Her heart raced and she ignored the cloying fear that crawled up her spine. She was not a direct combat type. The man hadn't seemed like the type to fire ice now and ask questions later, but apparently Brownie was mistaken…

Still, bluffs were bluffs, and if she didn't walk her way out of this with pretend bluster, then she could at least fake it until she got close enough to push him off the side of the mountain.Stolen novel; please report.

Based on what she had overhead, Brownie had some idea of the identity of the man she was talking to.

She smiled. “General Knolith, I presume?”

He paused, taking in Brownie's tall curvaceous stature and partial undressed state. A ruddy hue bloomed on his otherwise dark cheeks. The man only came up to her elbow, with a full view. “I apologize for interrupting you misss, but… do I know you?”

“No,” Brownie stated simply, crossing her arms, “But I've heard about a lizardkin who practices the Ten Thousand Star Arts from His Royal Viciousness, King Keith, and I assumed. My name is Minstrel Bronwynn Lyriel.”

Good. She praised herself on an excellent name drop - always important when coming across random all-powerful martial generals bursting out of waterfalls on an otherwise quiet day.

“And who are you to speak freely with the King of the Dark Enchanted Forest?” He demanded.

“I,” Brownie stated, “am the Queen of the Dark Enchanted Forest’s best friend.”

“Wait,” he took a step back, a hand going to his chest. “Who is your best friend?”

“I am Queen Henrietta's best friend,” She repeated. “And traveling with General Rufus Triever on our way to Servalt.”

“Keith has a wife?” General Knolith said, incredulous. “Our Keith? The one who never leavesss his workshop?”

Brownie smiled, “As far as I know, Henrietta met him in that workshop– and the rest is history. They got married yesterday.”

“He got married and I missed the wedding by one day?” The lizardkin spat blood. Literally. Somehow no droplets managed to get on his clothes as he pulled out a silk kerchief and swiftly wiped. He recovered remarkably quickly, eyes meeting mine. “Wait, you said Rufusss is with you?”

“Yes.” She wondered if General Knolith always had a habit of saying ‘wait’ and then repeating exactly what had been l told to him. “I did.”

“Take me to him!” The lizardkin ordered. “I need newsss from a reliable sssource, and better him than that ssspider.”

Brownie couldn't help it, she raised one eyebrow and stared at the general. He waited, expectant.

At this point, Brownie’s mind was racing and she settled on two options.

One, she could politely tell the lizardkin general that she was not going to leave her relaxing spa day to go traipsing about Thistlecrick wearing nothing but her cozy cottons and fluffy slippers. Explaining to him that she was in fact, not a citizen of Nilheim to be ordered about. Letting him know that she didn't, in fact, know where Rufus was. And even if she did, why would she lead him there just so he could interrogate a potentially similarly undressed Rufus lounging in some hot spring somewhere trying to relax.

That image made her pause for a second.

Or two, she could lead General Knolith out of the mountain path, take him to the highly private inner quarters of the General of the North’s lair - where she assumed Rufus was - and potentially get to listen in on Dark Enchanted Forest gossip, and watch the lizardkin’s reactions when Knolith learned that the Heroine of Justice didn't mass murder everyone in Nilheim and instead became the Dark Lord's pastry chef and won him over with bimbleberry scones.

Between the two, there was only one real option.