Epilogue - 005

Turns since TBfGK: 1

"My Mistress favors the term 'decrypted,'" Prince Ansom was saying, "but I cannot help but think of this as having 'popped again.'"

"Popped...again?" said Stanley absently. Wanda had left them alone for a few moments while she prepared some kind of parade thingy. He still had not dismounted, but just kept staring down at Ansom's chiseled face and features. Prince Ansom. Was his warlord now.

Also, Wanda could bring back the croaked.

"Indeed!" declared the man in front of him, with booming enthusiasm. "I once was croaked, but now am popped anew. The Titans have given me a new purpose...cleaved me to a new side...a new ruler... To your side, my Lord Stanley the Tool!"

Stanley squirmed a bit in his saddle, and touched the handle of his Arkentool. This wasn't going at all the way he imagined. How are you supposed to rub it in when the other guy is telling you how right you were all along?

"Uh, Prince Ansom..."

"Please, Tool," Ansom winced. "It is a small thing, but--"

"Oh rightrightright," said Stanley, holding up his hand. Ansom didn't want to be called that. Insisted he was "merely a warlord formerly known as Prince."

These were strange turns they were living in.

"Warlord Ansom," said Stanley, "let's, um, let's talk about the religious stuff later, all right?"

Ansom nodded gravely. "Yes, Tool."

"Good." Stanley glanced up at the tower, then leaned forward in the saddle and said quietly, almost conspiratorially, "I wanna talk about Hamster."