While Sam was speaking, Coralie handed her a steaming bowl of stew and a generous slice of cornbread -- the two men sat gawping at the otherworld girl, their food suspended in their hands while they tried to wrap their heads around her story. They were about to get a much bigger shock.

At Sam's prompting, Dorothea sat up primly and scanned her audience with cool yellow eyes -- and she waited until they all were looking at her before she spoke. "I am Princess Dorothea of Eldonia," she said clearly -- and the dwarves just about fell over.

"The cat can talk!" Florian blurted.

"You can't be the princess!" Coralie pointed out. "The princess is a human girl, the last time I checked!"

"Your wicked witch of the wood is my stepmother, the Queen Narissa," Dorothea went on solidly, unruffled by the shocked murmurs that went up among the dwarves. "She has dreams of power and control over the five kingdoms: her plans began with getting [i]me[/i] out of her way. The Marshal and his men attacked my caravan, slaughtered my guards, kidnapped me, and left evidence that the culprits were soldiers of Verinia. Your kingdom has been framed for a grave crime," she added, seeing the horrified look in the dwarves' eyes. "The queen -- the [i]witch[/i] -- turned me into this form as a mockery, but before she could cage me I escaped into Sam's world, to which the Marshal followed."

The quiet that followed was broken only by the crackle of the campfire. Eventually, Coralie gathered enough wits to lay a bowl of stew for the princess, who ate hungrily yet delicately.

Florian spoke first. "Well, that... That's really awful." None of the dwarves really knew what to say -- they were only getting over the shock that the cat was a princess, let alone that they were sharing supper with a girl from another universe.

Alphonse finally recovered enough from his embarrassment of meeting the princess like this, and he cleared his throat. "So the witch wants you locked away in hiding, to further her personal goals of power," he clarified aloud. "So I am glad she is not getting what she wants. You are free and safe here."

"The witch should be put down like a dog!" Coralie cried fiercely.

"I can't stay here," Dorothea said. "By tomorrow morning my father's men will be on their way to Verinia's castle to accuse them of my kidnapping. If Narissa has her way, there will be war. I must prevent that from happening."

"We will take you there," Alphonse offered immediately -- and the others did not object. "Sleep well here. At first light we'll ride for the capital. Your story shall be told."

"I would be honored to accept your help," Dorothea replied in a low voice. She looked up to her friend. "Sam, I hope that you might consider staying here. The queen's hollow isn't far, and someone can take you down to the mirror door once it's open again. You might be waiting a long while, but you'll be safe, and you can go home."

"You seem to be under the impression," August's voice suddenly rose up from the far side of the camp, "that a bunch of dwarves and a talking cat have the least chance of even getting a message to the king and queen, let alone would such a story be believed."

"Then we'll find Liam on the road and convince [i]him[/i]," Dorothea spat.

"These three dwarves are the bandits that've been terrorizing the King's Road for the past three years," August pointed out -- and he was proven right when Alphonse, Florian and Coralie exchanged uncertain looks. "They'll be run through before they get close enough to shout. The girl is innocent and unknown. She's your best asset right now."