"Hello, Cheiron and Chex," the girl said shyly, blinking. She was pretty in the gobliness manner, in a bright red dress and red slippers and with a red bow in her hair. With other species, appearance was no necessary guide to character, but with goblins it was. The ugly males were brutish, and the pretty females were nice.

"And my friend Jenny Elf," Che said, turning to the elf girl. She was in a blue dress, slippers, and ribbon, a perfect complement to the goblin's outfit. She had brushed the snarls from her hair so that it hung long, as the goblin's did; she seemed like an elf sister, except for the pointed ears and huge spectacles. "She helped save me from the Goblinate of the Golden Horde and has been a great comfort to me in my hours of need."

"Hello," Jenny said, almost as shyly. "We met before, Chex Centaur. You gave me these spectacles."

"Yes, of course, dear," Chex said. "I am glad they have served you well."

"And Sammy Cat," Che concluded, indicating the orange speed bump now snoozing at Che's front feet. Sammy twitched an ear.

"Hello, Sammy Cat," Cheiron said formally. "Now we must talk with the goblin chief, because this matter has not been resolved."

An older gobliness appeared at the tunnel opening. With her were Nada Naga and a male naga.

"This is Godiva Goblin, who is handling business while the chief is indisposed," Nada said. "And my brother, Prince Naldo. Godiva, these are Cheiron and Chex, Che's sire and dam."

"As you have learned, Che has agreed to be my daughter's companion," Godiva said. "Your continued hostile activity seems pointless, in the light of that decision."

"You abducted our foal," Cheiron told her. "The fact that you subsequently prevailed on him to accede to your purpose does not absolve you of guilt or justify his continued presence in your mountain."

"I did what I had to do," Godiva said.

"And I will do what I have to do," Cheiron said.

"Oh, Che, I did not know it would be like this!" Gwendolyn said to the foal. "I don't want all this trouble."

"And it's all my fault!" Jenny Elf said, tears on her face. "I must have made the wrong decision!"

"No," Che told her, before Cheiron could speak.

Cheiron was silent, because he was not going to challenge the word of his foal.

"We are on different sides," Chex said. "It is a situation that can not be resolved by the decision of any one person. We shall have to work out some compromise."