//------------------------------//
// Nuit Étoilée 
// Story: Voyage 
// by Comrade Bagel Muffin 
//------------------------------//

After several hours Escutcheon had related his tail to mayor Silk Touch. He covered everything that he had with all of his other retaleings, of his story, only leaving out the sphinx everything that happened in the sphinx's jungle. Silk Touch and the others listened to him completely enraptured. And the mayor watched his every move. At the end of it there was a long moment of silence which was then quickly ended by the two griffon sibling. "Damn horn head that was pretty freaking amazing!" Gilda burst out.
"Yeah so you've taken on a living storm and a dragon, what was the third one?"
"Hey, yeah you skipped that one come on nerd what was it? Behemoth, Giant pony monster?" Escutcheon froze his white face going pale.
"He'd prefer to not talk about that one." Dusk put a hoof on Escutcheon's shoulder. "And you two should respect that." The two griffons paused for just a moment then nodded. Escutcheon looked down at  his hooves.
"It was that bad, huh."
"Sorry about that horn head." Gildan stood up. "But hey that's why Griffon Stone sent us. To help you out and make sure that bad stuff doesn't happen to you again."
"Sorry we were late, but hey you got to be the hero for you cute bat pony mare friend," Gilda said causing the two of them to softly blush. "And don't worry. If anyone can fix this situation it's Escutcheon."
"Yeah, I keep telling him that too." Dusk smiled.
"Well it's time for dinner." Silk stood up. "Escutcheon, you can stay here in the library. Every book I have here you can read if it will help you find a solution to this." She stood up and motioned for everyone else to head out of the door. "As for the rest of you, please follow me to the dinning room."
"I'll join you all in a minute," Escutcheon said. "As soon as I finish these books."
"That will take you at least several days." Myrrh said following Silk.
"He has his ways." Atlas smiled and walked past her following the mayor to the dinning room. "I'll save your seat." Escutcheon nodded and his horn started to glow, and the books on the shelf. The words began flowing out of the books and into him, as he began to use his mother's speed reading spell. Ten minutes later he stood up. Turkeylegs looked up at him still sitting where they had been when he had started the spell. 
"Come on Turkeylegs, let's go to the others." He head out the door, and Turkeylegs followed close behind him. They made their way down the hall and into the dinning room. "Hello. Did you save me my spot?" he asked as he walked in.
"Indeed I did right next to Dusk."
"Yep, she fast, she's poached nearly everybody's mangoes." Gilda said.
"Yes, yes I am, and yes, yes I did." She smiled waving at Escutcheon. "Did you find anything?"
"I mean what is there to find?" Myrrh asked.
"Lots." Escutcheon answered. "But none of it still makes any sense." He started to eat his salad. "Nothing is adding up."
"What's not?" Red Wine asked.
"Everything. The wine and the inn. The histories. The aristocracies. None of it makes sense." He sighed. "I'm starting to think that everything is all wrong, but I'm not sure why it would be, but I'm starting to get an idea, and even it doesn't make any sense." He sighed.
"Inn and wine?"
"Gallum's inn and wine." Red Wine clarified.
"Right." Escutcheon nodded. "That wine and that inn were not a thousand years old. They were closer to seven hundred, and I'd bet my combing stick on it."
"He still has that stupid thing." Gilda snickered.
"Yeah," Dusk said. "He does, and that's fine. It's all fine." She finished her supper quickly and headed off. Leaving everyone else to finish their meals. Escutcheon didn't feel like talking and soon finished his own plate and followed after Dusk. Leaving Atlas, Red Wine, and Myrrh to deal with the finer points of the diplomatic mission.
"Dusk?" Escutcheon asked as the butler opened the door for him to Dusk's room. The door to her patio was open letting the chilly valley air blow into her room. He slowly made his way inside with Turkeylegs following behind him. "Dusk?" He asked as he walked onto her balcony. She didn't answer just looking up at the crystal clear night sky. And them millions upon  millions of stars shinning down on them.
"Hey how was dinner?" she asked wiping her eyes.
"It was okay." He sat down next to her. Turkeylegs coming up form behind and wrapping the two of them in their flightless wings. "How are you?"
"Scarred." She looked to him and then back to the sky. "Really scared." She leaned into him. "Everything could be lost, and there's nothing I can do."
"Dusk. Everything is going to be okay." Escutcheon promised as he looked up into the night sky. "I promise you that."