"Er..." said Benny, "I had a bit of an accident."
"Yes, it looks like it!" said the Emperor.
"I came to take you to the infirmary to get Ron and Fred. Then we'll have a quick tour of the palace, a bit of lunch, and then you'll be taken home." said the Emperor.
Benny quickly got dressed and followed the Emperor along some long corridors and up and down some staircases. When they got to the infirmary, Ron was out of bed, admiring his new black eye (the result of his crash-landing in the courtyard the night before) and smoothing his quiff into shape in a mirror. Fred was counting the tiles on the floor (more than ninety).
"He's o.k. Isn't he?" the Emperor asked the doctor.
"He's suffered concussion to the noggin and has beak ache, but he's o.k." said the doctor.
The Emperor led them on his quick tour of the palace. They saw the Great Hall, the No-So-Great Hall, the Arena, the Opera House, the Picture Gallery and the Ice Sculpture Hall, the Atrium, the battlements, the Observatory and the Conservatory and the lavatory. Finally, thoroughly overwhelmed and rather exhausted they were shown into the Grand Refectory, where lunch was served. They had fish sausages and blueberry tart, snow beer and giant potato crisps and prawn cocktail and sherry trifle. Jam tarts, a chocolate glacier, mint hoopoes, cranberry-flanbury, coffee with cream, cream with sugar-ice and a globe of fruit crumble.
Benny scribbled something on a paper napkin and gave it to the Emperor.
"What is this?" said the Emperor, trying to make sense of Benny's note. "A riddle?"
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