"My lady, we'd already sent out a search for you but I assumed you'd found your way down here. Or that you'd . . . you'd gone exploring, or something. Anything." He gave Goneril a less-than-pleased look for the giggling.

"What?" Goneril asked with a scowl. "I'm not allowed to be amused that someone threw something at my ass of a brother?" She sighed and gave Fiona a look. "I'm sorry you got lost, but honestly, this is how most people live."

"My lady, please tell me you did not spend all this time away slinking along the walls," Faolin said, with a little more patience than Goneril.

The Queen did not quite sulk. But it was a near thing. "No, good neighbor, I did not slink along the walls. I had a dance. And I played in the snow. And I had party food." She omitted that she'd gotten violently ill from it. "And the countess might take me out riding with her."

Goneril sighed. "I don't see what's so bad about all that, then," she replied. "It sounds like you had a fine time. Do you want to hear about my time?" she asked.

Fiona blinked in surprise. "Yes?" she tried. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure if that was you being sarcastic or not. I'm sorry if it was terrible." She took on a more guilty expression. "You didn't have to take the silver stuff?" she asked in sympathy.

"I had to take the silver stuff," Goneril answered, matter-of-fact. "And I couldn't sleep, and I had to get help dressing and undressing." She glanced sidelong at Faolin, but only just.

"It was fine, Your Majesty," Faolin said in a more assuring tone. "The same things as always, just with a little more explaining involved." He, for his part, looked with some irritation up the table at the countess.

If anything Fiona looked more mortified. "I'm sorry," she said again. "No one can find the hob. I was supposed to be riding out with the Countess because she hopes to find someone who can deal with it. Her grandfather, I believe."

"It isn't your fault," Goneril replied. "And your Queensman is excellent company, when he can be convinced to not take himself quite so seriously. And that's a relief," she said to Fiona. "Although I feel awful about making you take this body back."