The Beginning aphne put the last of the Sunday dinner dishes in the cupboard and sighed. She was completely drained for some reason. Instead of being a day of rest, Sunday seemed to be the busiest day in her week. With less than a week until the wedding, and Donny away until the day before, and then the fittings for his and Niles morning suits the day he came back, and oh! There was so much to do. She looked forward to falling into bed. She walked into the living room. The Crane men were all glued to the television "I'm off to bed, good night all," she called. "Night, Daph," Martin shouted. "Yes, sleep well," Frasier followed. Suddenly the fitting came back to her. "Dr Crane," she said to Niles. "You won't forget the tailors are coming Saturday morning with the suits for you and Donny. I think he said 9am." "Yes, Daphne, I'll be here," Niles said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "Good night and sweet dreams." Daphne went to her room and dressed for bed. As she climbed in the last thing she thought was how ridiculous her earlier reservations about the wedding had been. Mystery men and dragons indeed! Then she feel asleep. Mandolins played softly. Daphne opened her eyes. She lay on a large four poster bed in a room with great stone walls. She got out of bed and moved to the wash stand in the corner of the room. The water was cold and refreshing. She ran the broad brush through her hair. She slipped into the long pink gown and sighed contentedly. It was a mere six days until she wed the ever attentive Prince Donny of Douglas. It had all been so sudden. One minute he was just the ruler of a neighboring court, and the next he was serving her wine at the May banquet. Later that night he had asked her to marry him. She had accepted straight away. It was obviously kismet, she'd told herself, and now it was so close. She hummed along with the music as she tied the lilac sash of her dress around her waist and headed out the door. The gentle breeze in the stone corridor ruffled the layers of her skirt. She made her was through the winding corridors of the castle that had been her home for so long, past the embroidered wall hangings and suits of armor. The walls of the main hall were dominated by three large oil paintings. The largest was of King Martin, patriarch of the court of Crane. On either side where identically posed portraits of his two sons: Sir Frasier, eldest and heir to the Crane estate, and the younger, her very best friend Sir Niles. He was such a good friend to her. The speed of the engagement troubled him so he had even offered to speak to Prince Donny. She told him it was unnecessary, but he would not be put off. He was to head out that very morning after breakfast to have conference with Prince Donny. Daphne entered the banqueting hall and cutseyed to the three men were seated at one end of the large table. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Good morning, my Lady!" Sir Niles rose from his chair and pulled one out for her. Thanking him, she seated herself. Sir Frasier, who was dressed in his finest clothes, put down the scroll he had been reading and got up to leave. "I must take my be off," he said. "I am in negotiations with the Court of Sternin for a end to the long standing unpleasantness we have encountered. Niles, if you insist on continuing with this plan to visit the Court of Douglas this morning you must go on horse back as I am taking the coach. My journey is longer and of much greater importance." And with that he was gone. "So, my Son." King Martin said, "Do you intend to continue with your journey as planned?" "Of course I do," Sir Niles replied indignantly. "The honor of the Lady Daphne is at stake, Father. I am not prepared to let the matter go un-investigated." "You are a dear friend my Lord, but truly I feel there is no need for you go to such trouble. Prince Donny has never been anything but chivalrous and I am convinced of his good will!" Daphne implored "None the less, I shall not be content until I hear it from his own lips. Now I must be on my way. I have but the morning to make the journey, so, until this evening my lady." He gently took her hand and kissed it. "Father, I shall return a satisfied man or not at all. Good day to you both." Eager to be on his way, Niles took the shortcut through the gardens. Past the ornamental bay trees and sculpted ferns, the gardeners busily trimming the hedges that made up the maze. He reached the stables just as Frasier's coach was pulling out. The coach had recently been polished, and the black wood reflected the morning sun onto the shires hitched to it. Frasier motioned his brother to him. "I do wish you would give up on this idea. She's going to marry him, and she's happy. Your chance for her hand has past. I think you should do the gentlemanly thing and bow out. Believe me, Niles, this quest can only cause trouble. We have good relations with the Court of Douglas and I would like for it to stay that way." "Frasier, I will not be dissuaded! I believe there is evil sorcery behind her sudden infatuation with a man she barely knows. I intend to find out." A shout from the gardens made both men look up from their heated exchange. "Master Eddie come back here! Now come on!" Daphne, skirts billowing in the wind, chased his father's ever annoying pet dog into the stable yard. Niles bent and caught it by the scruff. Daphne approached, panting and cheeks flushed, and he handed the dog to her. "Oh thank you my Lord, he is such a scamp!" She turned and disappeared into the greenery again, gently scolding the little dog. Niles watched her until she was out of sight, then turned to his brother again. "I could not live with myself if I allowed such a gentle maid to be harmed by my inaction. Now if you'll excuse me, brother, I must away." "And I," Frasier agreed. With a last nod, they parted company. As Niles galloped his horse through the country side the trees and fields merged into one another. Before long the Castle of Douglas loomed on the horizon. The Castle perched high on a jagged peak. It was built entirely from obsidian stone carved from that same hill, giving it the appearance of having sprouted from the ground like a malignant fungus. Eschewing gardens, only dry bramble grew in the vicinity of the walls. As Niles neared the gates, he glimpsed a face in one of the upper windows. The draw bridge opened as he approached. He rode in, and a stableboy took the reins of his horse as he dismounted. The Prince was already striding across the courtyard, arms outstretched in greeting. "Sir Niles, welcome! What brings you to my home this good day?" "Prince Donny. Good afternoon. May we get straight to business? I wish to return to the Court of Crane this evening." "Why of course! Do come with me, I'll have the cook prepare a small meal for us." They proceeded into the castle. The interior was as dark as the stonework. Hanging tapestries of blood-red velvet gave Niles the sensation of being swallowed by the structure. Sculptures of mythical beats leered and snarled from niches and pedestals. The fire of the high ceilinged dining room's black marble heath was unlit, and the chill in the air filled Niles with apprehension. "Please be seated." Donny said, himself slumping in an overstuffed chair. "And do tell me to what do I owe this conference so close to my wedding day?" Niles remained standing. "I see no reason to be deceitful about this. I doubt the sincerity of your fondness for Lady Daphne. In fact, I believe that you have cast a spell of some sort on her. I am here to request that you release her before it is too late." "Oh, Sir Niles!" the Prince laughed. "I see not what concern any of this would be of yours. Lady Daphne is no relation to you, merely an employee in your father's court. And as she has raised no objections to our marriage, I fail to understand why you feel the need to come all this way to implore me to release her." "I consider Lady Daphne not merely as an employee but a good friend. I do not wish to see her unhappy. As she will undoubtedly be upon wedding a man who has no genuine fondness for her." "I suspect, Niles, that you have a fondness for the lady yourself! But I am not an unreasonable man." The Prince leaned further back in his chair and laced his fingers together. He regarded Niles out of the cold, slitted eyes of a reptile. "You are correct in you assumption. I have indeed cast a love spell, though there is no way it could be traced back to me. I would be happy to reverse it . . . but I cannot." Niles dropped his hand to the hilt of his rapier. "Nothing which is done cannot be undone, sorcerer," he said with deceptive softness. The Prince nodded, his eyes never leaving Niles's face. "True. The spell can be removed, but only with great difficulty. Although the binding is simple, she was bound by the light of the moon. Only the four crystals of the Moon can break the spell. They are widely scattered, and will require considerable effort to retrieve. I have only the vaguest idea of their hiding places, as it is of no consequence to me whether the spell is broken." "So if you have the four crystals of the Moon, you will release the Lady and relinquish all claim on her affections?" "I will. One pretty girl is much as another to me. If you insist on being a pest about this one, I shall simply find another. Of course, I am in no condition to seek the crystals myself." The prince slapped his not inconsiderable belly. "That would require a knight of uncommon bravery and fortitude. And speed, for once I wed the Lady Daphne, it would be assuredly too much trouble to seek another fair maiden. So you see, much as I would like to give my attention to your request, I have not the power to do so." Niles was perfectly well aware he was being manipulated, though for what dark purpose, he knew not. Whatever the Prince was plotting, he would deal with it when the time came. For now all that mattered was that he deliver Lady Daphne from her peril. "I will undertake the quests myself, Prince Donny. I will bring you the crystals in time to prevent the wedding. I assume you at least know the nature of the quests involved?" The Prince chortled, shaking his head. "I must say, the favor of the Lady obviously means a great deal to you! Yes, can at least direct you in the general nature of your quests. I think that in order to be assured you will not simply abscond with the crystals, each one should be delivered to me as it is found, at which point I will brief you on the next quest." "As you say. I wish to start immediately." The Prince drew a scroll from the pile of refuse heaped on the table and unrolled it. It proved to be a crude map, with Castle Douglas in the center. Niles bent over it, staying as far away from the vile sorcerer as he could and still be able to see the map. The man stank, like unwashed clothes and rotting meat. "You need to make your way to the crypt of Elliot in the heart of Tower Wood. The crystal is somewhere in the main atrium." It sounded deceptively simple to Niles, but that was all the information the Prince could, or would, give him. "I take my leave. The first crystal shall be in your possession by nightfall." "I look forward to your return. Until then, give my regards to my bride." The Prince's hoarse, grating laughter echoed in the hallways as Niles left the castle apace. He snatched the reins from the stableboy and flung himself atop his charger. Rested and refreshed, the animal broke into a gallop. Niles intended to relay the information to his father and inform the Court of his plans. As he rode through the wood, he was disturbed by a faint but insistent cheeping . . . Daphne hit the alarm clock. She looked around, startled to find herself in her own room and not the castle. "What a peculiar dream," she thought. Stress always made her have funny dreams, but this one had been unusually detailed and coherent. "Oh, do pull yourself together Daphne! These jitters are going to be the death of you before the week's out." She rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.