After Swiftmark’s declaration that he wants to take his uncle’s place in the trial, the courtroom breaks into chaos. The judge, a wizened old halfling, pounds his gavel until everyone is finally quiet, and then explains that Swiftmark, who he calls Wally Digglebottom, can’t simply replace Uncle Weasel in the trial as he is not the one on trial. He protests, and everyone starts yelling again.
The judge tells the bailiff to remove him from the building and they start to take him out. The friends try to intervene by intimidating the bailiff, but it doesn’t work. Elysant yells loudly and suddenly everyone stops, and they release him. The friends take Swiftmark with them and quickly leave.
Swiftmark is shocked and tearfully happy at seeing his friends again and apologizes for leaving without notice a few weeks ago. He had gotten word that Uncle Weasel was on trial, and wanted to help him in any way he could. The friends ask what they should do now, and Swiftmark says that they should go to Granny D’s house as they should be safe there.
At Granny D’s house, the friends are treated to tea and snacks. They learn from Granny that the lawyer who brought this case against Uncle Weasel, the halfling named Hector Fungal, had been jealous of the rich farmlands that the Digglebottom family has owned, and he was also in love with Swiftmark’s cousin, Bun, but she did not return his affection. Granny D says that Bun is actually in the yard, and that they should talk with her.
The friends go outside and see Bun reading under a tree. They argue about who should talk to her, as even Swiftmark doesn’t want to be the one to broach the subject of Hector to her. It’s decided that Elysant will do it, and she approaches Bun gently and asks her what she’s reading. Bun says that it’s a story she really likes about a bunch of halfling girls growing up. She asks who Elysant is and what she wants. Elysant asks her about Hector, and Bun says that she likes him but is too scared to talk to him. Elysant suggests that she try it because Hector is clearly in love with her and them getting together would solve a lot of problems for the town. Bun agrees and goes with the friends back to city hall.
Once downtown, they see that the courthouse has been cleared and everyone is milling around in the square very confused and upset. They see Hector near city hall and have Bun approach him. He is shocked but happy to see her and they begin talking. The friends find Uncle Weasel and take him back to Granny D’s house.
Uncle Weasel thanks the friends for helping out him and his family. He is not happy with Swiftmark because he doesn’t want him to suffer for his crimes — he says that he has led a long life and it’s okay if he needs to go to prison for what he did. Swiftmark, tearful, says that he knows Uncle Weasel is innocent because you can’t be held accountable for the things that he did while his family was being threatened by the wizard’s men.
After a while, the friends ask Uncle Weasel about the wizard’s castle, and the door that cannot be opened. Uncle Weasel knows about the door and says that it can only be opened by the wizard’s key, which he always kept around his neck. He must have had it when he disappeared, because it was never found. The only other way to open the door is with a device that stops things from being magical, making the lock into a normal lock. He knows of such a thing, but it is currently in the possession of a giant on the north side of Rock Island. It would be dangerous to go retrieve the device because the giant is extremely mean and greedy.
As the group is talking, there is a knock on the door. They answer it and find Hector Fungal there, along with Bun. He says that after thinking about it, he has decided to drop the case against Uncle Weasel, so he is a free man. Uncle Weasel and Swiftmark let out whoops of joy and begin hugging each other and Granny D. They thank the friends again for all they have done to help. Hector and Bun leave and go off together.
The friends ask Uncle Weasel if he will go with them, as he was once a master thief, but Uncle Weasel says that his adventuring days are over, and that Swiftmark should go with them instead. Swiftmark agrees and the friends turn in for the night, as they will leave in the morning to seek out the giant.