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This is a story the people of Bell-town tell of the Lace Queen:
A young elf maiden had business to attend in the dark alleys of Near-Square. She came to a shifty-eyed merchant and said, I have need of ten ounces of morphenas, for my uncle is ill. The merchant replied, morphenas comes out of the Sunderground and is hard to get, it will cost you a hundredweight in gold per ounce. The elf maiden said, I have not gold in such amounts, but can offer you a fine pearl instead, and she drew forth from a small purse a shining pearl larger than any the merchant had ever seen. The merchant's eyes widened, and he stretched forth a hand to take the pearl, but in his greedy haste he trod upon the tail of a cat from the alley, which had been twining itself about the elf maiden's legs. The elf maiden drew back her hand at that and said, you should take more care for the cats. But the merchant spat and said, cats are worthless, skulking about and taking what they will but giving nothing in return, and he kicked the cat from his path. The elf maiden's eyes darkened and she declared, I shall not bargain with a man who mistreats cats, and she strode off.
Now the merchant was angry, and he called to him two ruffians and told them, I'll not lose out on a sale on account of some verminous cat! We'll go after that maiden and take her pearl, and more besides. So the trio pursued the elf maiden down through the dark alleys and cornered her, and the merchant said, you should have taken the deal, now I'll have your pearl and whatever else I may like. But the maiden said coldly, I told you I shall not bargain with one who mistreats cats, but I shall certainly deal with you! And the trio suddenly heard a chorus of snarling miaows, and found themselves surrounded by a circle of cats with narrowed eyes and bared teeth. As the merchant turned to swat at the cats, they pounced upon him. The ruffians too found themselves swarmed as they tried to help the merchant, attacked fiercely until they were forced to flee, with clothes and skin in tatters from claws, one with eyes scratched out, the other with ears bitten off.
An hour later, having convinced some other merchants to check out their story, the two ruffians timidly led a small crowd back to the alley where they had cornered the elf maiden. And there they found an unusually large number of cats lounging about contentedly, but no sign of the merchant who had kicked the cat and pursued the maiden, nor was he ever seen again. But later that afternoon yet another merchant told the tale of how he had been visited by an elf maiden who traded a pearl of great price for ten ounces of morphenas, and how the maiden had been accompanied by a cat that seemed friendly and content yet made the merchant nervous the whole time.
It is said that that elf maiden was the Lace Queen. And to this day, no one in Near-Square will dare to harm a cat.
A young elf maiden had business to attend in the dark alleys of Near-Square. She came to a shifty-eyed merchant and said, I have need of ten ounces of morphenas, for my uncle is ill. The merchant replied, morphenas comes out of the Sunderground and is hard to get, it will cost you a hundredweight in gold per ounce. The elf maiden said, I have not gold in such amounts, but can offer you a fine pearl instead, and she drew forth from a small purse a shining pearl larger than any the merchant had ever seen. The merchant's eyes widened, and he stretched forth a hand to take the pearl, but in his greedy haste he trod upon the tail of a cat from the alley, which had been twining itself about the elf maiden's legs. The elf maiden drew back her hand at that and said, you should take more care for the cats. But the merchant spat and said, cats are worthless, skulking about and taking what they will but giving nothing in return, and he kicked the cat from his path. The elf maiden's eyes darkened and she declared, I shall not bargain with a man who mistreats cats, and she strode off.
Now the merchant was angry, and he called to him two ruffians and told them, I'll not lose out on a sale on account of some verminous cat! We'll go after that maiden and take her pearl, and more besides. So the trio pursued the elf maiden down through the dark alleys and cornered her, and the merchant said, you should have taken the deal, now I'll have your pearl and whatever else I may like. But the maiden said coldly, I told you I shall not bargain with one who mistreats cats, but I shall certainly deal with you! And the trio suddenly heard a chorus of snarling miaows, and found themselves surrounded by a circle of cats with narrowed eyes and bared teeth. As the merchant turned to swat at the cats, they pounced upon him. The ruffians too found themselves swarmed as they tried to help the merchant, attacked fiercely until they were forced to flee, with clothes and skin in tatters from claws, one with eyes scratched out, the other with ears bitten off.
An hour later, having convinced some other merchants to check out their story, the two ruffians timidly led a small crowd back to the alley where they had cornered the elf maiden. And there they found an unusually large number of cats lounging about contentedly, but no sign of the merchant who had kicked the cat and pursued the maiden, nor was he ever seen again. But later that afternoon yet another merchant told the tale of how he had been visited by an elf maiden who traded a pearl of great price for ten ounces of morphenas, and how the maiden had been accompanied by a cat that seemed friendly and content yet made the merchant nervous the whole time.
It is said that that elf maiden was the Lace Queen. And to this day, no one in Near-Square will dare to harm a cat.
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