"Who is?"

"Who is the Lord of the Seelie Court. Come with us, and you can meet him in person."

She huffs and rolls her eyes. "Fine. But Ares," she gestures to the kelpie, "stays with me."

Ares snorted as if to emphasize her point.

"...Fine."

She doesn't say anything more.

Grimalkin moved to doze in Lise's lap, a warm, heavy weight, and refused to talk to her. The knights wouldn't answer any more of their questions, either. The horses flew over the forest floor, and up ahead that the trees were beginning to thin.

She doesnt say anything, silently riding Ares.

Lise stared ahead, not looking anywhere else.

They broke through the tree line, and ahead of them rose an enormous mound. It towered above them in ancient, grassy splendor, the pinnacle seeming to brush the sky. Thorny trees and brambles grew everywhere, especially near the top, so the whole thing resembled a large bearded head. Around it grew a hedge bristling with thorns, some longer than their arms. The knights spurred their horses toward the thickest part of the hedge. The brambles parted for them, forming an arch that they rode beneath, before settling back with a loud crunching sound.

Her eyes widened as she saw it. It wasn't exactly like castles and such in the real world, but it was just as beautiful.