The Firebird and Three Princes

>Ivan: Throw gold banana at Dimitri's head to knock him unconscious, then finish what you were in the middle of.

Thinking quickly, you sacrifice a piece of your golden hoard to surprise Dimitri.



"Ow! Who threw that?"
Uh-oh. Looks like that wasn't enough to knock him out, though he's too distracted to see you yet. Better think of something else...

> Ivan: Hide under the bed.

Hopefully he won't think to look under here.

>Vasilii: Consider the hypothesis that your dad was the one who took the apple, and then forgot later or something. After all, his are the only other footprints.

You think about this, but it doesn't seem likely. Your dad has an excellent memory when it comes to his valuables.

> Vasilii: Look around to see if the apple may have, I don't know, fallen onto the ground? Perhaps look for some overturned earth. Maybe the gardener picked an apple to start growing a new tree.

Nope, you don't see anything unusual about the ground. Your dad would probably have looked there already anyways.

Vasilli: Climb up into the tree.

Uh... You'll have to pass on that one. You don't really like climbing. Plus, Dad would probably yell at you.

Vasilii: Try asking the royal gardener about the Golden Apple if you have one. Where is (s)he anyway?

Your dad doesn't trust anyone enough to let the gardener in here. Pretty much the only people allowed in here are Dad, you, and Dimitri, unless he's showing it off or there's an emergency.

Ask the guards what they were doing on the night the golden apple was stolen.

Vasilii: Ask some of the guards why they suck so much at their jobs.

"Hey, what were you guys doing last night? Why didn't you stop the thief?"



"Um... Oh, man, he's never gonna believe this, is he?"
"...no, probably not. And then I bet we'll be fired."
"Come on, just say it. I've got no leads at all, so I might as well hear your story."


"Well, it's like this. A little after midnight, this firebird flew in and ate the apple."
"It's true! We both saw it!"
"...A firebird? Huh. It sounds crazy, but that would explain why there were no footprints..."


"Okay, I guess that's all. You guys can go now."
"Thank goodness..."
"I can't believe we still have our jobs..."

So it sounds like the thief was a firebird. Should you tell the Tsar about this, or will you continue to investigate instead?

Meanwhile...



You are now Dimitri. You were just hit with a golden banana by an unknown assailant. You suspect Vasilii may be behind it as part of an ill-conceived scheme to assassinate you and take the throne.

What will you do?