A mule of indeterminate age lives on a grassy plateau here, sheltered from the elements by a cliff face that rises above the plateau. He has dragged a number of useful tools here over the years, including a large piece of cured leather that he uses as a lean-to and a plough that he can - with some difficulty - operate alone.
This mule is a sworn blood brother of The Jester Prince. They exchanged blood under the Arch of Sod (06.14) and swore to come to the other’s aid in times of need.
This affection is born of the one time that the prince left the Duke of Thring’s service. The mule bore him away from Castle Tarengael (16.16) in the dead of night.
Eventually, their wandering brought them to Cragsend (04.06) where the prince rescued a flock of firebirds from Edrin Tain’s cult. One of the escaped firebirds is now Lady Naideen’s pet (17.11).
In the cult’s counter-attack, the mule’s cunning saved the prince’s life. Neither has disclosed what happened, but the mule finds it amusing and the prince is mortified.
Hooks
- Why did the prince leave the Duke? What made him return?
- If the firebird escaped, how did it come to be sold to Lady Naideen’s father?
- How did the mule save the prince’s life?
- Have the mule and the prince called upon one another since becoming blood brothers?
- Are there other animal-human blood brothers?
- Why is the mule living here?
- What does the dragon cult have planned for revenge?
