Layla flew over head like their own personal cloud as the stallion made his way carefully down the far side of the Tor. At the lake, Nimue had to go find Rupert who was indeed working on finding the bottle of the whiskey jug. He grinned, revealing blackened and broken teeth quickly agreed to the fare to take the two of them, the horse and the armor over.  Nimue rolled her eyes,<br/><br/>"Rupert, the armor is part of the knight. You shouldn't charge him for it any more than you would charge me for my cloak." Nimue protested.<br/><br/>"Now, Nimmie, the armor is as heavy as a small child. Ain't I in my rights to ask for a price to compensate me for the extry effort?' Rupert wheedled. In a soft voice he whispered, holding up his jug. "Did you want a wee nip of my brew? A dram and you will forget all about not liking me price."<br/><br/>Nimue just laughed and waved him on.<br/>"No matter, we will pay. No, I don't want a dram. I value my eyesight." She headed onto the log platform, letting Maric lead his horse.<br/><br/>The crossing was uneventful and Layla circled lazily overhead, dipping her wings occasionally to let Nimue know all was well in the countryside. At the far bank, she paid the ferryman and they continued on their way.<br/><br/>"You know, Layla has been with me since she was an egg." Nimue said looking up. "I found her, the egg, I mean. She had rolled from the nest down a small embankment. I didn't know what the egg was, I thought just a large opal or something but I heard the monks beating around in the bushes above me so I hid the egg and myself. They were talking about dragons and curses and hellfire and God's wrath. I was plenty scared. But I also had heard my old granny talk about the protection of a dragon and how they were loyal friends. She said that dragons had almost died out now but every two hundred years, somewhere in the world, a dragon would be born. I didn't know what to believe. Like I said, I didn't know the opal was really a dragon's egg. but I did know it was a beautiful stone. I managed to get it into  my basket and drag it off the mountain to my home. That is when my granny's rheumy eyes lit up and she told me to go for the Lady. I did as I was bid. The Lady took my opal and later, had me come to see it when she hatched. We bonded, Layla and I." Nimue tipped her face and smiled with the love a mother might have for a child.<br/><br/>"She has had to stay hidden in the cave under Avalon for fear the priests will want to kill her. They kill everything they don't understand. That is why the day the raiders came, we were defenseless. Layla would have burnt the Vikings in furrows of fire and ash but she was not there."<br/><br/>Nimue fell quiet again. She cleared her throat.<br/><br/>"Didn't mean to talk about that. Here we are at the hut. It isnt much but it will be dry and warm , once I get a fire roaring. Notice the door is large enough your horse can sleep in here too, the way a crofter's cow would. His body heat will also help the place stay cozy." She pushed open the door and waited.