The Warrior Princess (Discontinued)

~Chapter Eleven~

Story: The Warrior Princess
Chapter Eleven: The Riddle Unfogged

Emma was upset. She and Dan were currently in Dan's room. Dan was pacing around, looking tensed. King Ronan had just said that Nixon's throning ceremony would be taking place in two days and that King Clinton had temporarily requested the young Kimballs to not meet up with the young Darffersons. This meant that their plan to put together the puzzle will be postponed to until after the ceremony but surely Prince Nixon would not be available after the ceremony.

"What do we do now? That riddle. . .man! You figured something right? What was it?"

"I-I thought it was an anagram of sorts... but I could not figure it out. A place with misty water. How can water be misty unless it is polluted?"

"Wait, Emma...a place you said," Dan said. Emma nodded. "That means it need not be just a water body!"

"Yes, because there is an 'on' in the riddle instead of 'under' or 'in'. 'The jewel arm of the greatest man lies on a place filled with misty water'. It cannot be on a water body unless it's floating. I don't think a sword can float given that it has to be heavy. So, it must most probably be on some hill of sorts. . ." Emma said, looking thoughtful.

"Emma, leave that aside! Think of some place which has a name that has the words mist and water! Where is mist found?" Dan asked.

"Probably mountains or hills... Mist forms in places with low temperature conditions. Higher the altitude, lower the temperature..." Emma said, shrugging.

"A mountain which has some water... Didn't Nixon mention some mountain with a stream?" Dan said.

"Yes, Dewd-oh my God! " Emma looked surprised all of a sudden. Her face lit up and she grinned, "It must be Dewdrop mountain, brother! Mist is related to dew and water! Drop and water! How could I miss that!" she exclaimed.

Dan grinned and walked over to his sister and gave her a tight hug. "That's my smart sister, but what does the sentence, 'I am (pr) not wounded' mean?" he asked.

"Must be an anagram." Emma said. She rushed over to the study and took out a parchment, quill and an ink bottle. She began to scribble something furiously on it. Dan watched her patiently as he continued his pacing. If it was indeed Dewdrop mountain, he need only take a horse ride to pay the dear ol' elves a visit. After about five minutes, Emma let out a sigh of relief and joy. Dan turned around to face her with a curious face. She grinned.

"It is indeed an anagram. Look! The words 'Dewdrop Mountain' translate to 'I am (pr) not wounded'. I think pr means pure or purity or purely. I think it means that the sword is pure and does not want to wound someone..." she concluded.

Dan nodded with a smile. "Let's send Nixon a letter. I'll write to him," Dan said. Emma nodded. "We could meet him in the Valley of Blooms and take Ash and Austin along as well. Our parents may not get a doubt if we take Sylvie along like a chaperone. King Clinton may not get to know if Nixon says he wants some fresh air before the event. How does it sound?" Dan asked.

"Good. I shall leave you to your letter then, brother," Emma said. With a swift and graceful bow, she left the room. Dan smiled at her retreating form.

He sat down at his desk and began phrasing the letter to Nixon. Soon enough, he could hear the sweet music of piano being played by his lovely sister. O! How fortunate he was to have such a sweet and smart girl for a sister. He just hoped Nixon's ceremony will go well and that Nixon would be able to court the right girl. Sooner or later, even he would have to do the same thing and he was sincerely not looking forward to it. He was a ladies man. If anyone would get his sass at that sentence, he would gladly break the fourth wall to thank that intelligent person.

Yes, the riddle is figured out now. Sorry for the short chapter. I wanted the whole adventure scene for a separate chapter. Next chapter is (spoiler alert) elves for real and adventures of the royal quartet+Austin. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any queries or any suggestions, please feel free to comment! Love y'all. ❤
Marina