to go against a game rule again! He had gotten into the scene the first time by suffering a realization that there was something of importance underneath the punny facade. He had come at it obliquely, not quite believing in magic, but believing in something. So what did he believe in this time?
Dug closed his eyes, searching within himself. What was the nature of his belief?
Suddenly he knew what it was: he believed in the game. Because it had had the power to boot him out when he tried to cheat. It was a real world, there beyond the screen. The computer was merely his limited access to it Maybe his being in the scene was an illusion, but it was a real scene he seemed to be in. He might have doubted before, but now he believed.
"Oh, Dug—you're back!" Nada exclaimed, hugging him.
Hugging him? He opened his eyes.
Immediately she drew back. "Oh, I have done something unprincessly she cried, appalled.
"I'll never tell," he said gallantly. But he would never forget, either; that was the best hug he had ever felt, and maybe the best he ever would feel.
"Oh thank you! For a moment I feared I had disqualified myself."
"No, I was the one who almost did that." Dug looked around. All of it was there. He was definitely back in the scene. He intended to do his utmost to remain in it Because, fantasy or reality, this was the greatest experience of his life.
They were across the river, which had in its fashion proven to be a much greater challenge than it had seemed.
Nada looked around. "I see a pie tree," she said. "I feel like doing something wicked, after that scare, such as eating something fattening."
“I can hardly imagine you being fat," Dug said, trying not to look too closely at her body.
"Well, it certainly wouldn't be princessly. But I don't splurge often." She walked to the tree and plucked a rich lemon meringue pie. "Would you like some, Dug?" she inquired prettily.
Could he eat here? There was one way to find out. "Yes. Thank you."
She drew a knife from somewhere in her clothing and cut across the pie. Dug was startled; there had seemed to be no place in her costume to conceal such a knife. But of course she was a magical creature; she might have a magic pocket The rules were different here, as he had just been so forcefully reminded.
She handed him a slice of pie. He took it and tried a bite. It was delicious. It probably wouldn't have been, if he hadn't believed, but that was no problem now.
"I should explain that Companions represent another kind of challenge," Nada said as they ate. "We may be approached, but only in appropriate manner."
"Oh, I've learned my lesson!" he reassured her hastily.
"Yes. You were penitent and you apologized. Therefore you were allowed to re-enter the game. You could not have hugged me, but I was able to hug you. Because you had moved me to do so, even if it was unprincessly."
"It was one great hug."
"Were I other than a princess, it would be easier for you to relate to me."
Dug realized that she was telling him something significant Not outright, but obliquely. That if he wanted, for example, to kiss her, he might be able to do so, if he impressed her enough to make her kiss him. So the proscriptions weren't absolute; he just had to learn to play it right. It was good to know.
They finished the pie in short order. Then they resumed their walk.
After a time, a flying dragon spotted them. It veered toward them, blowing out anticipatory puffs of smoke.
Dug drew his sword, but Nada stopped him. "A sword won't work against a firebreather," she pointed out "It would toast you before you could use your weapon.”
Dug had to agree. "I guess we'd better hide behind a tree, then."
"No, I will simply scare it away." Suddenly she was a small snake, slithering out of her fallen clothing.
That was supposed to scare a dragon?
But once she was free of the clothing, she changed into a large serpent In fact it was huge. Three times the size of the dragon. Then she lifted up her giant
Dug closed his eyes, searching within himself. What was the nature of his belief?
Suddenly he knew what it was: he believed in the game. Because it had had the power to boot him out when he tried to cheat. It was a real world, there beyond the screen. The computer was merely his limited access to it Maybe his being in the scene was an illusion, but it was a real scene he seemed to be in. He might have doubted before, but now he believed.
"Oh, Dug—you're back!" Nada exclaimed, hugging him.
Hugging him? He opened his eyes.
Immediately she drew back. "Oh, I have done something unprincessly she cried, appalled.
"I'll never tell," he said gallantly. But he would never forget, either; that was the best hug he had ever felt, and maybe the best he ever would feel.
"Oh thank you! For a moment I feared I had disqualified myself."
"No, I was the one who almost did that." Dug looked around. All of it was there. He was definitely back in the scene. He intended to do his utmost to remain in it Because, fantasy or reality, this was the greatest experience of his life.
They were across the river, which had in its fashion proven to be a much greater challenge than it had seemed.
Nada looked around. "I see a pie tree," she said. "I feel like doing something wicked, after that scare, such as eating something fattening."
“I can hardly imagine you being fat," Dug said, trying not to look too closely at her body.
"Well, it certainly wouldn't be princessly. But I don't splurge often." She walked to the tree and plucked a rich lemon meringue pie. "Would you like some, Dug?" she inquired prettily.
Could he eat here? There was one way to find out. "Yes. Thank you."
She drew a knife from somewhere in her clothing and cut across the pie. Dug was startled; there had seemed to be no place in her costume to conceal such a knife. But of course she was a magical creature; she might have a magic pocket The rules were different here, as he had just been so forcefully reminded.
She handed him a slice of pie. He took it and tried a bite. It was delicious. It probably wouldn't have been, if he hadn't believed, but that was no problem now.
"I should explain that Companions represent another kind of challenge," Nada said as they ate. "We may be approached, but only in appropriate manner."
"Oh, I've learned my lesson!" he reassured her hastily.
"Yes. You were penitent and you apologized. Therefore you were allowed to re-enter the game. You could not have hugged me, but I was able to hug you. Because you had moved me to do so, even if it was unprincessly."
"It was one great hug."
"Were I other than a princess, it would be easier for you to relate to me."
Dug realized that she was telling him something significant Not outright, but obliquely. That if he wanted, for example, to kiss her, he might be able to do so, if he impressed her enough to make her kiss him. So the proscriptions weren't absolute; he just had to learn to play it right. It was good to know.
They finished the pie in short order. Then they resumed their walk.
After a time, a flying dragon spotted them. It veered toward them, blowing out anticipatory puffs of smoke.
Dug drew his sword, but Nada stopped him. "A sword won't work against a firebreather," she pointed out "It would toast you before you could use your weapon.”
Dug had to agree. "I guess we'd better hide behind a tree, then."
"No, I will simply scare it away." Suddenly she was a small snake, slithering out of her fallen clothing.
That was supposed to scare a dragon?
But once she was free of the clothing, she changed into a large serpent In fact it was huge. Three times the size of the dragon. Then she lifted up her giant
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