THE HEDGE! (Long scene, turns out. Until 23 January!)

Arden is visibly torn between excitement and freaking out.
"Are you talking about what i think you are, are there truly that many events that happened a hundred years ago? I'd ask if you were insane, but well not many of us retain sanity that far down the rabbit hole."
Arden takes the bottle from johann.
"Thank you sir, i believe this is going to be needed."
Arden starts drink straight from the bottle but not too quickly.

Jude looked at the tesseract and sat up to focus better on it. She heard the names being tossed about, but none of them really meant anything to her. She rubbed her eyes a bit.

"Okay, I am more than a little confused. Who are the people you speak of, and what are we doing?" She glanced at Johannes. "Also, is there anything back there that isn't acoholic to drink? Preferably something hot...coffee? I'll even take tea?" She really just wanted the caffeine boost.

"You are no doubt correct Arc, if i live so long as to experience it i'm sure my perception of "sane" will grow and alter."
Looking around at everyone and no one in particular.
"Now can someone PLEASE fill me in on the details or will i have to do something I am certain will give me a headache to get the information i need to be more helpful and hopefully extend my life span?"
Looking over at Crux appreciatively
"Flapper doesn't look like your thing, usually goes better with shorter hair, try late 70's early 80's London punk/proto goth. And if you'd like a boost to your dreaming I can do that."

        Ysolda laughs. "Arc? Arc? Is that a thing you kids say? Really?"

        Poking around on the train reveals two peculiar items; they can only be described as 'calling' to you. The first is some kind of ornamental piece - perhaps a necklace without its chain - silver, with an onyx stone. The second is a small ampuole, wrapped in snakeskin, containing a remarkably well preserved cutting of the verbena plant. Other, more mundane items are also recovered; a first issue Colt .38 Police special (one bullet missing from the chamber, and a small cache of about 30 rounds complete with quick loader) with its accompanying truncheon, a wide brim black fedora, the components of a penny-farthing waiting to be assembled, a very nice collapsible hand fan, a cigarette extender, and a near-mint-condition Seneca Competitor camera.

        The conversation continues to amuse Ysolda. "You young ones love your abbreviations. I mean, look at texting. The hell is that? Archmagi, we were called. Back in the old days. That, and other things; each cabal tended to have its own way of titling members. The Hermetics were the worst," She rolls her eyes to emphasize her displeasure, "with all their 'lord of the golden pentacle' or 'keeper of the celestial key' or whatever other frivolous nonsense that went along with all the politics of the day. We didn't hold with such nonsense." She is visibly reluctant to clarify who 'we' is - doesn't take an Empathy roll to extrapolate from the distress in her features that she's speaking of her old Cabal, and misses them dearly. Anyway. Details. Not many of those, I'm afraid. The only person who knew enough Fate magic to See clearly the outcome of all this is currently trapped beyond time - but that assumes she even did See clearly. Fate is rarely certain, more a bundle of possibilities. This Prophecy wasn't even revealed to her; the Dreamspeakers told us, but they heard it second-hand as well.

Four go up the frosty crown, but three come tumbling, tumbling down.

I fear no Winter King,' said he, a Prince of rabbits, fine of fur,
We are four and he is one, as lucky a battle as ever there were.
But when its hunting song was heard, as great as the moon, as wide as wood,
The rabbits quite forgot themselves, and frozen there like saplings stood.

The Prince, he said the greeting, The Tinker followed through,
The Farmer bought three loaves of bread, But the Jester paid the due.
The Prince said 'please' and 'thank you'. The Farmer, 'how do you do?'
The Tinker stole an apple, But the Jester paid the due.

Four went up the frosty crown, but three came tumbling, tumbling down."

        Ysolda lapses into a brief silence after this recitation, her expression thoughtful, and drinks her mead. "None of us are sure what it means. Is it just about our past experiment gone wrong? Or does the verse repeat, old words with new meanings?" She shakes her head, mane of hair swaying. "I noted the similarity to Shakespeare, Simon divined there were indeed five acts, and Tycho reasoned out which players we each are. We've struggled along since then, mostly just trying things - occasionally they even work - but we do know one thing; Helena needs to be returned next, and we can't be the ones to do it. We can't even know for sure how to do it. It should be as simple as taking the Tesseract to the right location in space... though what happens after that is anyone's guess." Shrugging, Ysolda returns to her mead, though eyeing Arden as if expecting further questions.

(NOTE: I had a brain fart during the original writeup and must retcon: The SECOND act is drawing to a close. The THIRD act is about to begin. I am going back to edit my earlier posts accordingly.)

        Based on the elements you know of, this 'riddle' is of exceptional difficulty, imposing a -4 successes penalty, leaving you with net successes of two. You simply don't have enough information to make for proper deductive reasoning, and no intuitive leap comes to mind. The symbolism of the names is interesting. The Prince, a leader but not senior, still with much to learn. The Tinker, an inventor, the clever one. The Farmer, practical and grounded, with an affinity for the natural world. The Jester... that one's tricky. The Fool as an archetype often represents someone at the beginning of a journey, someone with much to learn... but in other senses, The Fool is the wild card. The Fool of medieval courts was an entertainer, but also the only one who could put a mirror to contemporary events in an unapologetic fashion - criticizing and insulting anyone, as long as it was funny.  The Fool of Shakespeare was usually of common standing but great wit and character, able to outmaneuver those of 'higher' standing, obeying no one and in many ways the truest of all characters on the stage. In short, though not a villain, The Fool is dangerous.

An Intelligence+Academics roll, relevant specialty in Literature, may give more details, though their usefulness is up to question.