At the Earl's castle...
Blood drips from her fingers, as the young daintily-clad maiden peers into the blood-smeared mirror. Within, behind the reflection of her own visage (that of a hag not a fair maid!) she sees the Earl taken into custody.
"Curses! My plans are ruined. Those meddling knights will pay!" She smashes the mirror in outrage, and spins, her clothing spinning with a whimsy she does not feel.
She sorts through her treasures, gifts from the hapless and besotted earl, and those trinkets stolen over months in the castle. She takes only the finest of the lot, light and easily packed items, such as rare gemstones and priceless jewelry. Lastly into her dark sack she packs her last curse tablet.
"They did not break this one, and they'll have a surprise soon!" Her cackle raises the hackles of those guards in the castle within earshot.
In the Perilous Forest...
The earl is tied, his dignity intact with a cloth over his bindings. He comes along gently, his mind reeling at the events. As a fog of false certainty lifts from his mind he begins to question every decision he's made in months. A growing horror dawns upon him, upon his treatment of his people, his courtiers, and most despicably, his own lady wife.
When you return to the castle, you find the guards all have the same story. There was a loud crash, and when they entered the consort's chamber, the window was smashed and Shezbaz was gone. One, lone guard on the western trail shot at a monstrous bird that flew past. The screech was demonic, and when he chased down the foul fallen fowl, he found only a strange sack full of items stolen from the castle. Of the creature, there was no sign.
Expert trackers find nothing other than a few drops of vile smelling blood a dozen paces away.
In Camelot...
Arthur stands as judge at the Round Table as the Earl's story is told, then your own testimony added. He has no excuses, offers none, and instead explains each terrible decision, one after another. "Witchcraft" comes the cry, but there is no understanding of how much was dark magic and how much a man willing to be lead astray.
In the end, each of Arthur's knights lays their swords on the table one by one. The Earl is unanimously found guilty of the crime of treason against the laws Arthur set out, and is stripped of his lands.
Arthur, in his mercy, adds only,
"Sir Parwick, I beseech you remain as one of my knights. Prove yourself by deed as faithful and just as the best of us, and earn back your Earldom. For now, I grant your lands and title to your faithful and brave wife, Duchess Cynewise, in trust until that time her husband is once again a stalwart steward of our love and trust."
Through misty glens, young Valiant rides brave,
A witch's curse, his fate to misbehave,
Yet steadfast heart, his trials shall embrace,
In legend's tapestry, his name finds grace.
-Thank you for joining me on this quest!
