We haven't done one of these in a while, I always enjoy them even if I am not the best writer. Please feel free to contribute.

A lone man sits at a table in the corner of the Inn pouring over a well weathered tome. The fire cracks as he turns the well worn pages. The man looks up as the innkeeper's son approaches the table.

"PPPardon Sir but are you called Airon?" The frightened lad stammers.

A look of puzzlement flashes briefly across the man's face. The man's cowl slips back to reveal his elven features.

"Yes lad that is what I have been called before."

"Well sir we have recieved a letter that is addressed to you. "

"Thanks lad." The Elf accepts the letter from the boy gives him a few silver for a tankard of Ale, and for the boys troubles and opens up the letter.

A smile crosses the face of the elf as he starts to read the letter. Then a chuckle escapes his lips. "It just figures I am in a completely different realm and they still manage to find me and leave me a note. I suppose that I have been neglecting my duties a bit, and it will be nice venture out again."

With that the elf gets up from the table and starts to head toward the rooms of the inn but not before hailing the Innkeeper and asking him to make sure his horse is saddled and ready to meet him out front.

The message was recieved...

A cool wind blew in off the balcony as Murtano sat in the shadows watching the sunset. A few plumes of smoke rose in the dying light from warm hearths preparing for the evening. He closed his eyes... "just meditating" he always told the squires, and thought about days past when life was simpler... slower it seemed.

He was brought out of his reverie by a gentle knock on the door, and as he rose to go back inside he simply said, "enter".

A young man, not more than fourteen years I'd wager, approached with a rolled parchment in his fist. "Bbbegging yer ppardon milord", he stammered, "but I have an urgent message for the Lord Chancellor." As he finished with a well practiced (but still somewhat awkward) bow, he extended the scroll before him.

"Thank you lad", Murt said as he broke the wax seal and unrolled it. "Don't recognize the seal...", he mumbled as he turned away starting to read. Hearing the scuff of a boot Murtano turned back again, "Oh! Sorry there lad, get up and get off to the kitchen would you? Tell the cook to send up some rose hip tea, and get something for yourself to eat. I swear I can almost see right through you!"

The boy stood agape for a mere flick of a cats whisker, and then grinned from ear to ear and took off out the door like he was shot out of a cannon.

"I wonder who else may have received one of these.", Murt ponders...

The forest was quiet, the wind flowing geantly though the trees, in the distance he could hear a stream flowing. He paused to check the trail, he felt sure the deer he was tracing was close.

All of a sudden the birds took off from the trees to the south, not one or two, but what seemed like hundreds. Something had distubed them, something that didn't belong. The elf sighed, so much for the hunt. He had heard reports of bandits moving though the forests in this area and knew he had to investigate.

Checking his bow to make sure the string was dry he slipped quietly off. As he approced the area where the birds took flight he heard branches breaking. Whatever distered the birds was definetly not a woodsman. Slipping from tree to tree he approced the noise, as he got closer he could hear a voice, the voice sounded as if it was grumbling. But only one voice, seems whoever was makeing the disterbance was alone.

He waited behind a tree directly in the path the person was moving. As the person passed by he saw that it was a lad, no more than 14 or 15 seasons old. Stepping away from his hidding place he called out. "Ho boy, Are you lost?"

The lad jumped and shrieked and started stammering. "Yippes, ppplease sir, don't hurt me."

"I didn't mean to frighten you lab, and I have no intentions of hurting you. Are you lost boy? What brings you out here, your days from the nearest village."

"I I'm looking for the ranger Kenweth, sir. Do you know of him. I have a message for him."

"I am who you seek, but who would send me a message?"

"I don't know M'lord, I was just asked to deliver it." The boy said as he handed the message tube over.

Taking the message Kenweth pondered who would send him a message, and how did they know where to find him. It had been many months since he was last in Camelot and he avoided towns prefering to live off the land.

Breaking the seal and reading the message he sighed for the second time in an hour, "Seems my hunt will have to wait. Come boy you can travel with me to the nearest village, then I have far to travel."

"Thank you sir, I don't think I could have spent another night in these woods alone"

Sylphan was just getting ready to join Fawnre on the balcony when he was rushed to the door by a pounding that wouldnt cease.
He turned back down the 3 stairs he had managed to climb and hurried to the door. "I hope you have urgent business he yelled out," "Otherwise you might wish you had." He opened the door with a swish, and wondered how in the world did a small skinny kid like that sound as though he was tearing the giganic hard wood castle door off.

"I beg your pardon Lord Sylphan, but this is the most urgent of messages," he stammered as he handed the note to the tall impressive man.

Sylphan seeing who the note was from, stop scowling and handed the youth a gold piece.

"Oh thankyou me Lord," and he did his best to bow with all the dignity he could muster."most generous of you."

The Lord even managed a smile as he looked from the letter to the lad, " Thankyou lad for the speed in getting this letter to me." he closed the door gently.

He ran up the stairs, "Fawn, Fawn, your never going to believe this," he yelled.

Fawn had poured two of MurtsRed ale,and had set them down on the small table between the two wooden chairs on the balcony.

"What is it my love?"

He handed her the letter and said, "You will have to read it to believe it."

"You are right as usual my love," she replied as she read thru the letter.
"Now what do you suppose this means?"

It was a warm sunny day as Abrianna was walking toward the castle. It was days like these that she considered the best as the sun was bright and the flowers were in bloom. As she stopped to pick a couple of the flowers she was in awe at how it was only a year ago that she was standing almost in this very spot, surrounded by her loving brothers and sisters, as she took her vows and accepted her knighthood.

As she got up and continued walking she saw a little figure running toward her. Because the sun was pointing in her eyes she couldn't make out who it was but she knew that whomever it was had something important to tell her.

When the lad approached, Abrianna noticed he was quite underfed as he was practically all skin and bones. As soon as the lad approached he started speaking...

"Mmmilady, I have aan urgent mmessage for Lady Aabrianna. You wwouldn't happen to be her wwould you?"

"No need to fear young boy, as it is I that you seek."

As Abrianna spoke the young boy handed her the parchement and in return Abrianna gave him a few silver for his eager efforts to find her. Before the boy could run off she directed him to the kitchen.

"Head into the castle to the kitchen young boy and tell the cook I sent you there so that you may have a choice between a slice of the apple pie I baked last evening or the left over cookies I made prior. And please tell the cook that if Lord Murtano notices and comments on anything missing that he is to take it up with me."

Abrianna noticed the lad's worried look and she spoke once again...

"Don't worry lad, Lord Murtano seems like he is a hard and callous man but underneath his skin he couldn't be anymore soft and loving. You shall be fine."

With those words she watched the lad scurry off toward the castle. Looking at the parchment she broke the seal and began reading.

"Hmm, I wonder what this means and who else got the message."

A bird chirps softly as it flies through a grove of trees. It lands on a nearby rock pillar, the pillar is one of 8 arranged in a ring.

There is a sudden flash of light and the startled bird squacks in alarm and takes to flight.

The lone druid shakes the fog out of his head tries to acclimate himself to his new surroundings. He is in the center of a druid ring which resides in the center of a field. There is a small grove of trees to the north, to the south he notices smoke rising above what appears to be a small town.

"Ahh that must be the town of Avinlough, my note instructed me to retrieve an item from there before I am to head to Camelot. "

Airon's head shot up as he heard a nearby flock of birds take to flight suddenly, as if startled. He quickly cast invisibility on himself.

A few moments later 4 horsemen ride by him, they are bloody and carry bags of what appear to be spoils. Airon looks back at the city and realizes that there is alot more smoke than normal.

"Darn, those must be Bandits. I hope the others aren't having this much trouble with their assignments..."

Sylphan sets down and takes a long draw on his ale, "Well Fawn it appears to be an assignment, and then the meeting at Camelot."

"Yes love I understand that, but what of this assignment? We must go to Drakking and get this item, an old saddle bag from Friar Helsnor. How odd, what could this item be for?"

"It is odd indeed love, but that is what it says. The trip to Camelot concerns me more, I fear that trouble is brewing."

"Well of corse we must go at once,do you know where the nearest portal is to drakking?"

"That should be your expertise my dear Druid wife," Sylphan laughs softly, "however, yes I am acquainted with that town. Just port us to the Halas tele and Drakking is 20 miles north in a remote outpost.

"I knew you would be my love, you travel so much more then I do."
Fawn finishes her ale in one last gulp.
"Now we must make haste," Fawn recalls the cantation for Halas and she and Sylphan are spirited away in the blink of an eye.

"Whoooa," Sylphan exclaims "My dear your landings are getting a bit rough. Next time I shall levetate before take off."

"My love the older we get the more you complain," Fawn frowns, " however feel free to use any spell you wish."

"Awww now I have hurt your feelings, but dear we are 8 years older and not as spry as we once were. Wow 8 years, and your still as beautiful as when we met." Sylphan felt sure that would take the frown off his wifes face."

"You do have a way with words my love." Fawn looks at Sylphan and smiles wide.

Sylphan calls the horses and they begin the slow trek up the mountain to the outpost of drakking.