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Wilhelmina had followed the massive foot- and knuckle-prints that Queen Quon had made until at last she spotted the creature on the horizon. Apparently she had stopped and sat on the ground to reunite with her ferrety lover. Cautiously, Wilhelmina came closer, fearing that Queen Quon would detect her presence and get angry, but all of the ape’s attentions were focused on Mr. Swanky. She watched Queen Quon hold the ferret up to her face and pat him on the head ever so gently with a finger that could bend an iron bar. She couldn’t bear to watch this.
“Hey! Queen Quon!” she shouted. The ape grunted and stood up, turning around to glower at her. Wilhelmina cleared her throat and mustered her courage. “Please give me my ferret back,” she asked boldly.
Queen Quon made a sound that had the same attitude as someone sassily saying, “In your dreams.”
“He doesn’t belong out here!” she said. Queen Quon cocked her head to the side. “You see, if you give Mr. Swanky back to me, he’ll have the chance to get out of Mordor! Don’t you want what’s best for him? Don’t they say ‘If you love someone, set them free?’” Wilhelmina had never actually believed in that dumb old romantic cliché, but it sounded convincing enough.
Queen Quon scratched her head thoughtfully. She looked sadly from Mr. Swanky to Wilhelmina and back. Finally, and with great deliberation, she held the ferret out to the old woman.
“Thank you, Queen Quon,” Wilhelmina said happily. “We won’t forget you. In fact, we’ll send you a postcard if we get back to Minas Tirith.”
Suddenly she found herself up in the air, and then on Queen Quon’s upper back. The ape slowly started walking on her knuckles; Wilhelmina grabbed onto the fur so she and Mr. Swanky wouldn’t fall off. Queen Quon then took off at a run towards the university.
“Oh!” she exclaimed to Mr. Swanky. “Queen Quon’s a celebrity, right? And you were the most important thing to her, yes? Maybe we will get out of here, after all! I hope Anakron’s in a good mood…”
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