The little vixen came over toward the wardrobe and Ainsel held his breath, his sharp mind racing. She passed by the cracked open doors and bent over to pick up the elegant clothing she had recently removed from the King. Ainsel admired her rear view until she stood up arms full of silks. She dumped them onto the chair near the bed and dusted her hands off as if she had been working terribly hard. By the time she had closed the massive oak door behind her, Ainsel had crept out of the wardrobe and over toward the bed. As the door clicked he reached up and eased his hand over the blanket. He peered over the bed, guided by another tiny glint, and gently laid hold of the ring. Taking a deep breath, he eased it down the length of the finger and into his waiting grasp.

Oberon took that moment to roll over, flailing the blanket about his legs and nearly smacking Ainsel right in the mouth. He ducked back behind the bed, breathing heavily. Oberon continued to snore lightly, the blanket now tangled about his waist and his right foot hung out over the edge of the bed in the open air. Ainsel resisted the urge to tickle the dangling foot and checked the treasure in his fist. He tucked it next to the other ring in his leather pouch at his waist and took his leave. As he left the room, Oberon snorted loudly then settled back into snoring.

Ainsel made his way back to the Mortal Realm and then back to Santa Fe, New Mexico. All in all, it was a reasonable use of a couple of hours, but it made him extremely hungry. When he sensed Prince Taliesin had returned with the woman, he wanted to eat, a lot, both in quantity and quality. To that end, he knocked on the adjoining suite door, thinking how tacky it was to have a door linking two rooms, just like in the other ‘hotel’. He rolled his eyes in exasperation, waiting impatiently for the Prince to answer his door.