All the conspirators played their part well, including Petain.  Baron Huebald, Duke of Carcassone, a grim and respected  member of the Royal Court listened to the arguments  after verifying that the Marquis was quite mad.   The Marquis was brought in under restraint.  Red faced, eyes wide, his green pupils the size of needle points and sweating profusely.  He uttered incomplete sentences, rolled his eyes about and screamed cries of alarm.

 A squire announced the arrival of Lady d’Ascoyne and her daughters interrupting the inquisition.  She was not blocked for her sister Millicent, had the ear of the King and she knew courtly protocols.  The sight of her husband behaving like a madman caused her to swoon and she ordered her daughters out of the room.  She begged to speak with her husband and the boon was granted.

 AndreaLyn and Cobina left the room weeping.  From seeing their father obviously insane and knowing that there was nor reason for the behavior.  They both arrived at the same conclusion together.

 “Lady Gandolfyn!” and word was sent to the Carcassone to the elfin prophetess.    Two days later a reply was received that Lady Donda Bromeliad Gandolfyn was on a trip far away and could not be reached.  Both daughter did not accept the response as genuine so they sent a second hawk, but went far afield to release the bitrd.

This time the response was genuine.  Three words ‘On My Way’ and sealed with the seal of the Prophetess.

 Yet in the three days lost to these events the Marquis had slipped deeper into the dementia.  Now he bayed at the moon and acted bestially, much to the delight of the conspirators.  He ate no food, drank water on occasion and by the morning of the fifth day had lost 45 pound and his lucidity.

 By protection of the Lady’s Chapel, the Marquis was allowed a specific  time to recover, but he had made little progress and the period was soon running out

 Now dear reader this is not one of those bloody melodramas where everything hinges on one giant heroic effort which occurs at the last minute.   Lady Donda Bromeliad Gandolfyn arrived on back of a Pegasus in the Courtyard.  She was dressed in leggings and surcoat and in her colors of Blue and White.  She bore a Royal scepter which provided safe passage for the bearer and within minutes of her arrival had spoken to the Duke.  Naturally her arrival upset the conspirators.

 “Kill the Prophetess and we succeed!” cried Villachaize, obviously terrified at being revealed.

 Baron Rothamund said that, although an elf, even she could not discern what had brought on the Marquis “inspired Lunacy” and he laughed.

 Petain was cold and aloof.  He had put himself so far above suspicion, he would escape should the plan fail.

 The plan failed miserably.  Lady Donda Bromeliad Gandolfyn visited the prisoner and spoke to him all the while he raved and drooled and foamed at the mouth.  She was calm and  loving.

 “Now dearest Hercule, I understand you are not quite yourself” and he tried to bite her hands.  She slapped him on the face. He looked shocked before returning to the bestial behavior.

 “No!”, she said motherly, “No biting and she wiped his sweaty brow with a cloth and smelled the residue.  He responded by spitting.

 “No!’, she said serenely, “We do not spit at our friends”.  Next she checked his ears with a swab and withdrew a reddish substance.