The vast expanse of wood gleamed. It was a light blonde color, reflective as if it were coated with glass, and seemingly made out of many thin wooden strips neatly glued together, perfectly flat, even in the middle where it supported a dragon.

Vernon smirked, and his smirk was reflected in the floor, doubling his self-satisfaction. “That’s it, my dear- this is just right, you can stop now.” he said.

Elanor, facing him, opened her eyes. “It’s real shiny. Why did you want it to be all those thin lines, and so hard and shiny?”

The dragon chuckled. “Oh, but it must! Do you realise, my darling inflated panther, that now you can go bowling in any direction you like? I’ve always wanted to enjoy the spectacle of non-parallel bowling. Like a combination between bowling and billiards. Won’t that be fun?”

“Peter,” asked Elanor, “what is he talking about?”

Peter chuckled. “Never ask that question, Elanor. Just smile and nod. Trust me, it’s the only way…”

“I fancy a table we can gather at,” said Mick. “Over to the side, perhaps? By the third group of trees that we’re going to portal to the main tunnel, the one leadin’ to the Great Hall?”

“Oh, I have a better idea!” said Julia. “On the second level overlooking Vernon’s space!”

Mick chuckled. “Elanor don’t know her own strength- that there space would fit three Vernons without rubbin’ elbows.”

It was late morning. They’d left the tree-fantasy room alone, and with Mick’s help, had defined a portal to Peter and Julia’s home, and Elanor had gone with them to get some sleep, the group reconvening the next morning to whip the King’s Quarters- or, indeed, Queen’s Quarters- into shape. Vernon’s ability to communicate telepathically with the royal panther proved invaluable, as he could transmit images of proposed furnishings to her, letting her concentrate and turn them to reality. There was a downside- Elanor didn’t have the experience to recognize when Vernon was being whimsical, and so the vast main floor was surfaced as a bowling alley, and the prow of the beautiful canopied second level overlooking it was graced with a small figurehead, which was a nude of Julia. In its original form, it was life-size. Elanor would have removed it, as Peter and Mick were shocked, but Julia burst out laughing, and made her keep it, just at a smaller size and rendered more generically.

“A gathering-table would be good.” said Peter. “Do you suppose a round one…?”

Vernon looked at him pityingly. “I think not, Monster.”

“But you know Jinx doesn’t like being set above everyone else.”

The dragon chuckled. “Hard luck for him, then! He can be as reluctant as he likes provided he is still King. That makes him likeable, just as our Elanor is. If he’s really on the level of everyone else, they’ll stop respecting him. He’s got to be placed well above them, and then he can be bashful as he pleases. We’ll do a long table with thrones at the end.”

“Can’t he just fit in?” asked Peter.

“No, Monster, he can’t. Just look at him. He’s a walking tiger creature who stumbled into royalty through bloodshed. He can’t fit in, because he’s not really human at all, except for being cursed with the intelligence of a human…”

“Cursed?” asked Peter.

“Yes, hardship, starvation- you know! Can’t see how you creatures manage at all with so little… well, anyhow, he can’t possibly fit in. He’d like to behave with humility, but we’ve got to place him reluctantly at the top- because the poor fellow is more innocent than humans, and if he’s not at the top, Peter, he will be at the bottom.”

Mick looked distressed at this. “He was all right living at the outskirts of Full Hollow. Don’t seem fair, somehow.”

“But we do need him here- not just for Rainmoor, but so he can be with Elanor.” said Peter. “Vernon, are you serious? I don’t like what you’re suggesting.”

“Of course you don’t.” said the dragon. “You’re human yourself, and no doubt it’s embarrassing- but think for a minute. He’s got to be placed at the pinnacle of status, because his oddness and niceness complement it. We’ll arrange that whenever he’s self-deprecating, it will be taken as mere politeness… the alternative is to have him steadily become a mockery and a patsy.”

Peter frowned. “I don’t like the sound of that, but I begin to see what you mean, Vernon. Is there any way we can help him avoid this?”

Julia, looking solemn, ventured, “If we could convince him to work a little magic…”

Vernon nodded his huge head. “If I remember correctly, he hates it- but refusing to use it will make our job more difficult. Virtually everyone in Rainmoor can work at least a little magic. Normally a King has an advantage there, being attuned to the plane, but if he will not use that…”

Elanor interrupted. “I thought you were going to do a table, not sit around talking!”

“Sorry, Elanor.” said the dragon, and proceeded to envision a table, feeding the image to Elanor’s mind. She, in turn, visualized it in resonance with the extremely receptive room (if it even was a room anymore- only in Rainmoor could you have a ‘room’ extending infinitely in every direction, and still have room for everywhere else), and a table formed, shimmering slightly as molecules rushed out of the floor and from the air to form solidness.

It was tall. It was black. It was standing on end.

“Why,” asked Peter, “do you have it standing up like that?” Then, seeing Vernon look smug and ready to answer, Peter hastily interjected, “Never mind- I’m sure I don’t want to know what dreadful joke you’re making now.”

Vernon looked disappointed. “Oh, very well.” he said, and gave the precariously balanced table a significant look. It slowly toppled, and took its final position with an impressively solid bang, that shook the floor they were standing on, and startled Elanor out of her focus. The sound of the table hitting the floor made subtle echoes back from the endless tree trunks, a soft open sound that died away in the distance rapidly, but in doing so, gave a sense of vast empty spaces all around.

“We haven’t got all the gates and doors made yet,” said Julia. “I’m surprised you didn’t do the gate to outside first.”

“What g…” said Elanor, and blinked. “Oh! I have to do that one?”

Julia nodded. “Now I understand, though. You thought Jinx would create that as he needs it? It looks that way, but the hex is actually on this side. If it’s not there, he could be trying all day but the Gate wouldn’t open.”

“It wouldn’t?” said Elanor. “No, no, I want it to! Someone show me what to do!”

Peter glanced at Vernon, who nodded and said, “I’m quite familiar with it. Here you are, Elanor, concentrate.” The dragon effortlessly fed to the panther the complicated patterns of hexes and planes of force involved in creating a gateway to the outside world. It took her some time to master it and place it. Finally, she nodded.

“Can I test it out?” she asked.

Peter nodded. “It should open onto that hillside if you trigger it with a will to exit. Volition must be present but you can inhibit the action if you like…”

Mick snorted with laughter at Elanor’s expression. “Just step outside for a bit, hon. Just step outside.”

Elanor awkwardly began moving in the direction of the gate, which was established through a massive treetrunk, one of the supports for the whole fantastic setting. As she did, the gate obligingly opened onto a hillside covered with snow, a chill air blowing in.

“Right, it works.” said Peter, and Elanor sat back on her haunches, tired. “Can we make somewhere for me to sleep, now?” she said. “I don’t even want to stand up anymore.”

Mick raised an eyebrow, and exchanged a knowing glance with Julia, who asked, “Are you still able to sleep comfortably?”

“No!” complained Elanor. “Not at all! When will this be over?”

Julia swallowed, considering Elanor’s total inexperience, and lied, “There’s no telling, Elanor. Hang in there.” She exchanged a worried look with Mick, but got back a sympathetic gaze. Peter, on the other hand, looked as worried as she was.

Vernon, never a fool, sized up the situation and offered a distraction. “Perhaps you’d like to test out the other…”

One of the new gates to Rainmoor’s other areas abruptly opened, and almost before it was open, Lord Andrew was through it, and not even noticing the altered decor as he bore down on Elanor, declaiming, “My Queen, I beg leave to hunt down and slay a renegade!”

He stopped before her, and Elanor stared at him, dumbfounded.

“…gate.”

“What?”

Vernon regarded Lord Andrew levelly. “Gate, I said. We’re testing newly installed gateways. You’ve just done us the kindness of testing one for us. Do you favor the new look? We’re redecorating.”

Andrew glowered at the dragon briefly, but kept cool. “You’re quite welcome. Yes, it’s most impressive. This is serious, sir.”

“What on earth is wrong, Andrew?” said Peter.

“Carl is missing.”

Peter blinked. “And this is bad, because…?”

“He’s after our King! I’m glad the Queen is safe. The man wrote me a letter, asking my pardon, if you please, for his usurping the throne! Says he hopes I won’t mind serving under him!”

“Good God.” said Peter.

“He’s mine.” snarled Andrew. “His life is mine, the traitorous hound. I’ll kill him myself.”

“We’ve got to do something!” said Elanor, pacing- and then, she sat down. “Oog… I don’t feel at all well.”

Mick went to her, and said, not unkindly, “I’ll tie you to one of these trees if you won’t stay here and be safe. Anyone trying to hurt you will have to come through me.”

“And I!” said Vernon. The dragon snorted a bit of fire.

Peter turned to Andrew. “Well, then, we’ve got our Queen protected. Do you consider our protection adequate? You know Carl better than we do, he’s one of your Rovers.”

“No longer. We agreed that King Jinx would command us. Carl is not ours now- all the Rovers are alerted to seize him if they can, or kill him if pressed.”

“If they can?” asked Peter. “Which of them would be able to do that?”

“Gordon could probably manage it. Some of the others, if they had the advantage of surprise. Probably nobody else in Rainmoor could manage it.”

Peter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

“You don’t say. Well, Andrew… what, exactly, can Carl do?”