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[It was a long walk to Caer Glaem. Fortunately, Susan was close enough that that the road to it was fairly safe. She would feel better about this whole thing if her brothers and sister were here, or if she had her bow, or even her horn. Instead she was wearing her school clothes, and they were none too clean at this point. Still, Susan was hoping for a better explanation, and from what the friendly fairies and townspeople had to say the castle was the place to get it.

She was hungry. Fruit trees and handouts didn't do much in the way of assuaging hunger when one was walking all day. She hoped there would at least be food in the castle; it was looming large in her vision now and she hoped to get there within the end of the day. It was a good thing, too. She'd bathed in a stream that morning, but--

"Lawkamercyme!" cried a high pitched voice, and Susan turned her head just in time to see a small, green-tinted fairy fall into a faint. A dark shadow globbed its way towards the fairy, Susan was sure it had foul intent. Dark shadows with gleam of teeth almost always did. She wished for her bow more than ever, but didn't hesitate to pick up a large stone at her feet. She was frightened - how did one fight a shadow? Oh, she hated to fight - but she wasn't about to just stand there and watch. She shouted, "You! There! Get away from that fairy!"

The shadow did not seem much impressed. And so Susan threw the stone with impressive aim, clipping the beast right in the mouth. It hissed and abandoned the fairy, heading towards her instead. She bent to pick up another rock.]

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[For a long moment, the locket shows a beautiful face with a furrowed brow, staring intently at its own reflection. Susan has never seen anything like this before. She is at the castle now, clean and clothed and fed, so her image doesn't look quite as dire as it had earlier that day, and her dark hair is swept back neatly in a braid.] Ah - so it does work! At least, I assume it does, and this is a message going out all over the lockets and not just some sort of fancy mirror.

[In either case, she's beginning to feel a little self-conscious. She reaches for easily remembered dignity.] I don't mean to intrude, but I have heard that this is something which happens often. And I wonder, is there anyone from England here? [She misses her family; two weeks of walking among strangers in a strange land was more than enough alone time for now, thanks.] Or even [marked hesitation] Narnia?

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[She pauses for a moment and then:]

Do you mind if I ask where you're from?

I do not mind.

[And then waiting. Are you going to ask?]

...where are you from?

My city is called White Gryphon.

[My... how... literal.]

It sounds like a majestic place.

[He doesn't have another name for it, so that's what she gets.]

It is a small city, built on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.

Beautiful. What's it like? Is everyone there gryphons?

No, no. Perhaps a quarter of us, if that, are gryphons. We live among humans and hertasi.

What are 'hertasi?' [She'd never heard of that before.]

They are a race who finds satisfaction in working quite hard. Very steadfast, very loyal. Many a gryphon and human might find themselves quite miserable without the hertasi around.

They sound like a very noble people. [This is diplomacy talking here, as that doesn't really tell her very much at all.] Although they are a little hard to picture.

[Oh. Describing them may have helped.] They are smaller than men, though not by much, and reptilian in nature. Does that help?

That does make it easier, thank you. Are they just the three races, then? Humans, gryphons, and hertasi?

These are the ones that inhabit our city. [There's a few other things out there. Generally not good things.]

[Hmm. Okay, so, next topic.]

Have you been here long?

I have been here nearly three months.

I've been here nearly two weeks. [She tries the diplomatic tactic of offering information in order to make the other party feel more comfortable.] What do you think of this place?

There are good people here. [It's the first thing he thinks to say, because as horrible as this place can be, what with war always looming, there are truly wonderful people trying to survive here.] But do not trust easily, whether it is your monarchs or your compatriots.

[Susan grew quietly sober.]

Why do you say that?

Some here have thrown themselves into their monarchs' war without much reservation.

[That... wasn't helpful, except she supposed to take the temperature of the general atmosphere.]

I'm not keen to join into any sort of war.

You need not be keen on it to be pulled into battle.

[Susan has never known gryphons to be particularly loquacious, but this one... She wonders a little if he was always like this, or if he was uncomfortable conversing with a stranger, or if this place had been cruel to him. He had not seemed to want to talk overmuch of home, and of this place he had but a kind word to spare for the nature of the people inhabiting it, the rest was warnings and approbations. She felt uncomfortable, as if she had committed a socially awkward sin, and decided to end the conversation.]

Indeed not. I thank you for your warnings, sir gryphon. I will be sure to bear them in mind.

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