As soon as the king spoke, two more people walked through the village gate. One was a beautiful woman, and the other was a little girl holding her hand. The girl was toddling around a little off-balance, and the woman often had to tug at her arm to keep her from falling over. Soon Samek cried out, “It’s the queen!” And everyone immediately bowed down once again.
While everyone else took a knee, King Maximilian ran over to his beautiful bride and embraced her. Queen Krystara released her daughter’s hand and hugged the king. The royal couple held one another for a long time. Meanwhile, the little girl teetered over to her big sister Remmaline. Remma quickly came to her feet, grabbed her sister’s arms, and started swinging her around.
Andres glanced over and saw what her sister was doing. Not wanting to break the silence too much, he whispered very loudly, “Remma! Stop it! You’re going to throw her arms out of their sockets!” Remma glanced back at Andrew, pursed her lips, and kept swinging her sister.
King Maximilian then spoke. “Please, everybody, stand! This is a day of celebration! For about a fortnight past, our birthday party for little Julianna was interrupted by the kidnapping of our children. But we are back together at last, and it’s time to finish the party that we started!”
As the king spoke, more people started to file into the village. Skittlechip led the parade, followed by about a dozen of his fellow cooks. After him came some donkeys loaded with food. “Show me to a kitchen!” cried out Skittlechip to no one in particular. Samek, who knew the village well and who also loved food, immediately guided him to a home that could accommodate him in the preparation of a great feast.
Andres ran over to Skittlechip and asked, “This is incredible? How did you ever make it through the Great Swamp? I mean, from what I’ve heard, only Spartacus the horse knows the pathway through! And none of you are riding Spartacus, as far as I can tell.”
“Well, you’re right there,” replied Skittlechip, taking a moment to rub his back. “But you see, from what I understand, the white knights followed your father as they assembled for battle last night. Well, those horses trampled a nice little path for us. So when we arrived, we just followed their trail. And it’s a good thing for you, ‘cause we were powerful hungry. And if we hadn’t found that path, we’d have stopped where we were and made a great feast on the other side of the swamp. And you’d have smelled the whole thing and not eaten a single bite!” Skittlechip smiled, gave Andres a hug, and then said, “Now stop interrupting me, my boy! I’ve got to put my hands to the skillet and get cookin’!”
So that evening the village of Cliffton was treated to a banquet such it had never seen before. Julianna, who was usually in bed by about 7 o’clock, enjoyed the chance to stay up late. Whenever she seemed a little drowsy, Skittlechip would run up to her and stuff a piece of cake in her mouth. “A little sugar should keep her goin’!” he’d declare. And he was right. By the time the evening came to a close, Julianna was toddling around like a drunken woman, spending half her time on her feet and half her time on her rump. And the whole time a great smile was spread across her face.
This celebration brings this story to a close. But before we end, you may want to know what happened to some of the characters.
Gregorex and Annala got married the next day. You see, after the great birthday celebration, everyone was full and no one wanted to go anywhere. They needed to celebrate something, but because Julianna was so tuckered out from the party, they figured it didn’t make sense to drag out her birthday feast. So when everyone was gathered for breakfast the next day, Gregorex seized the occasion to propose to Annala. Annala surprised everyone when she said, “Yes! But only if you marry me this very day!” And so it was. About a year, the couple had a little boy that was named Little Gregorex. He became very good friends with Julianna in the years after that.
Samek settled back into his home, overjoyed to be reunited at last with his wife Susannah. Although he’d enjoyed sharing his home with Gregorex for the past four years, he had to admit that he preferred having Susannah occupying the other bed. This great benefit helped him to overcome the bittersweet emotion of seeing his daughter Annala get married.
Philip disappeared in the midst of the birthday celebration. Despite the warmth that had been shown to him by his mother and sister, and despite Gregorex’ imperfect but sincere attempt to forgive his treachery, Philip just couldn’t seem to cope with the reunion. He left a brief note, apologizing for his evil and thanking everyone for their kindness and promising to make it right some day.
Kaelanna and her father and mother ended up coming back to the castle with Remmaline. Her parents became the most devoted servants that you could ever hope for, and Kaelanna became the most faithful friend that Remmaline could ever hope for. The two girls became inseparable, as we shall see in future adventures.
Mitch eventually recovered from his wounds suffered at the great mound, and he and Jimbo enjoyed a happy reunion. Mitch apologized to the king many times over for the evil that he had done to Remma and to the kingdom. The king forgave him, of course, but asked him to keep the little bag of Remma’s hair clippings. “Let it be a reminder to you that forgiveness always comes at a cost to the forgiver,” the king said. And Mitch kept that little pouch for the rest of his life. Mitch ended up moving out into the woods with his brother Jimbo.
Jimbo was the life of the party in Cliffton, both during the birthday celebration and during the wedding feast. People just couldn’t get enough of the goofy man with the funny accent. Jimbo seemed to revel in the attention, and his accent seemed to get stronger and more pronounced as the party wore on. But after a couple of days, Jimbo abruptly declared, “I can see that me love, me Rachel, the one I adore and dream about, is not to be found here. Alas. I must go back to the woods and resume me search!” And he did, accompanied by his brother Mitch.
Remmaline, in the company of her friend Kaelanna, grew to be a beautiful, humble, and kind princess. Oh, she would occasionally quarrel with her brothers, and there were days when she and Julianna would trouble the boys to no end. But at the end of the day the siblings would all give each other a hug and a kiss goodnight. And so though the days would sometimes start out with grumbling and arguing amongst the siblings, they most always ended peacefully.
Andres and Cable grew to be handsome and stately young princes. At their father’s urging, they didn’t spend too much time dwelling on the topic of “girls.” They stayed busy studying and hunting and horse riding and other such vigorous occupations; they had very little time to think about the fair sex. And that was probably for the best, at least until they grew older.
Thus ends the story--a story of many rescues. It is the story of how Annala resuced Andres, of how Legs rescued Gregorex, of how Pipes rescued Fred, of how Ronaldus rescued Jimbo, of how Jimbo rescued Cable, of how Cable rescued Mitch, of how Gregorex rescued Philip, and of how the king rescued them all. It is a story of how people saved friends, how braver people saved strangers, and how still braver people saved enemies. It is a story of bravery and forgiveness which go hand in hand. And it is a story of how good not only conquers evil--it overcomes evil.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Chapter 52 - Well Done!
As King Maximilian entered the village gates, all those who were assembled knelt down before him. Every mouth went silent, and every head bowed down to the ground. It wasn’t as though the joy of the occasion disappeared. Rather, the joy was engulfed by the awe of finally being reunited with the one that all of them served. The silence represented a different kind of joy--the joy that goes beyond human expression, the joy that can only be expressed by fear and reverence.
Maximilian smiled as he walked through the silent crowd. First, he walked over to Samek. Grasping him by the shoulder, Maximilian said, “Well done, Samek.”
Without looking up, Samek shook his head. “It’s...it’s not true, O King,” he replied. “When the air became filled with those ghastly, soulless creatures...I was filled with fear. I could do nothing. I was good for nothing. I wanted to just give up, O King. If Andres hadn’t acted, I think I would have been slain right there. I...I can’t believe how quickly I was ready to surrender.”
Maximilian stooped down and gently tilted up Samek’s chin, so that they could look in one another’s eyes. “Samek, don’t be discouraged. Four years ago, I gave you an impossible task. That task was to occupy a village and be prepared to one day hold off an entire army. You fulfilled your task, Samek, and for that I am very grateful. Oh yes, you may have failed for a moment. But I remember your years of faithfulness, Samek. Those years far outweigh a few seconds of stumbling. Thank you, Samek.”
Samek sniffed slightly and appeared to choke up a bit as he replied, “You’re welcome, my lord the king. It was the least I could do for the one who put so much trust in me.”
The king then walked over to Gregorex. He stooped down next to Gregorex and put his arm around the man. “Well done, Gregorex,” he declared.
Gregorex, like Samek before him, couldn’t look up. He simply shook his head and mumbled, “No sir, I didn’t do all that well. You see, O King, my heart...well, it’s been full of anger. The whole time I was in Dor-ko’s prison, I really didn’t think much about you at all. I just wanted to get out and get revenge on Philip. He betrayed me and everyone I care about, O King. And I wanted nothing more than to pay him back. When I saw him lying on the ground back there...I swear that if his mother hadn’t been there, I would have killed him. And the whole time we rode back, my heart was still filled with hatred. So I’m not worth much of anything, O King.”
The king squeezed Gregorex firmly for a moment, then patted him on the back. “I understand your struggle, Gregorex,” he said. “I know what it feels like to be betrayed. But even as you struggled within your heart, you still remained faithful to me. You may have followed me imperfectly, but you did indeed follow me, and I am thankful for that. You are a wrestler, Gregorex--you struggle and you never let go. And even though you may have wanted to kill Philip, you didn’t give in to your emotions, even for a minute. That took a lot of courage and strength, Gregorex. The battles within are far more difficult than the battles without. You have fought the battle within, and today you have won.”
Gregorex then walked over to Philip, whose body was prostrate before the king. Maximilian knelt down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “As for you, Philip,” the king declared, “you have done well also, though not as well as the others. For when you were about to be cast into the pit, you resisted. Something within you decided that it would be better to serve me than to serve the forces of darkness. It took all the courage you had to resist your captors. And Philip, I’ve honored that courage by giving you a second chance. Don’t waste it.”
The king didn’t wait for a reply, but turned instead toward Annala. He walked over to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Oh Annala, I am so proud of you,” the king said. “Well done.”
At those words, Annala sprung up and threw her arms around the king. She held him as tightly as she could before breaking out in sobs and tears. In a few moments the words came spilling out. “O King, it’s not true!” she cried out. “I...I spent four years in that horrible prison. And by the end of it, I was sure you were never coming back. I’d given up, O King. I took pride in being your most loyal subject in the prison, but in the end I doubted you. I doubted you just as much as that wretched Slumbutter himself. I gave up on you, on my father, and even on Gregorex. I’d given up all hope, O King. Yet you came anyway. I...I am not worthy of any kind of reward, my lord.”
As Annala wept on his shoulder, the king just held her and remained silent. As her crying died down, Maximilian softly said, “Annala, don’t despair. Yes, you doubted for a moment. But that doesn’t undo your years of faithfulness. And I will never forget your kindness to my son, when he was cast into the dungeon. You cared for him and told him what he needed to know to escape. That was very brave of you, Annala. If you had been discovered, your life would have been in jeopardy.. But even in the midst of your dark hour of doubt, you didn’t waver in your service. Thank you for looking out for my son, and for never truly giving up.”
Annala looked into the king’s eyes and said, “It is I who should thank you, O King. For you didn’t forget us. We didn’t deserve your attention, yet you came back for us.”
The king smiled as Annala spoke. “I didn’t just come to set you free,” he said. “There is something even greater in store for you and for another young man here!” But without explaining himself, he turned from Annala and walked over to Andres.
As the king approached, Andres, unlike the others, rose to his feet. He ran to his father and embraced him. The king gave his youngest son a firm embrace as he said, “Well done, my son.”
Andres put his head down and replied, “Dad, I really didn’t do anything much. All I did was lead the charge. The white knights--they did all the rest. I probably didn’t fight for more than five minutes. And to be honest, I didn’t even feel like fighting at all. If you hadn’t said anything to me, I probably would have just stayed inside the village and watched.”
Maximilian smiled at his son and replied, “Andres, you’ve discovered something. The key to being a leader isn’t being the greatest or the strongest or the most popular or the most powerful. The key to being a leader and a prince is simply to take the next step. I didn’t tell you to go out there and win the battle. I just asked you to face the enemy and prepare to fight. And that is exactly what you did. You will be a good prince for this land, Andres, because you don’t seek greatness. You simply seek to obey.”
Andres said nothing. The approval of his father meant everything to the 14-year-old boy, but he couldn’t express it in words. So he just listened quietly to the words that he’d remember for the rest of his life.
The king then walked over to Cable. He patted him on the shoulder and said, “Stand up, my son. For you have done well this day.”
Cable obediently came to his feet and hugged his father. He then replied, “I haven’t actually done very well at all, Dad. You see, when it came time to play the trumpet, I...I preferred to just hide and do nothing. I didn’t want to play it at all. I never wanted to look into the mound ever again. i just wanted to run. And to be honest, I almost did.”
“Oh Cable, my son,” replied the king. “It’s true that you had a moment of doubt. But you have the heart of a lion inside of you--a heart that would never let you run. You stuck with the task that was laid before you, and in the end you fulfilled your calling. You completed your mission. You did all that I asked.”
Cable pondered these words a moment, then replied, “But Dad, all I did was play a trumpet. I didn’t lead an army into battle like Andres did.”
Maximilian gently grasped Cable’s face in his hands. Looking him in the eyes, Maximilian said, “Son, I have a question for you. Do you wish to be great in this kingdom? Or do you merely wish for people to think that you are great?”
Cable looked down and replied, “I’m not sure, Dad. I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean this, son,” replied Maximilian. “Both you and Andres were called to great tasks this day. Andres was called to a task that everyone could see, while you were called to a task that almost no one could see. But each task was important. I am just as proud of you as I am of Andres. And if you wish to be great, you must continue to be faithful, whether in public or in obscurity.”
Cable nodded and replied, “Thanks, Dad.” And he hugged his father once again. There was nothing quite as encouraging to young Cable as a hug from his father.
Then the king walked over to Remma. The girl still lay fast asleep on the ground. The king picked her up gently in his arms and carried her over to a spot near the village wall, where a young girl remained bowed down before the king. The king stroked his daughter’s hair and said to her, “Remmaline, are you awake?”
Remmaline soon opened her eyes and saw her father. Smiling, she said, “Yes, Daddy.” She didn’t even seem to be surprised to be in her father’s arms. It was like she expected every day to wake up in his embrace.
“Do you know this girl?” the king asked Remmaline as he gestured toward the girl that was kneeling on the ground.
“Kaelanna!” Remmaline gasped. She sprung out of the king’s arms and quickly gave her friend a big hug. But as she did so, she noticed something very different about her. She noticed that her hair, which had been very long, was now very short. “What happened to your hair?” Remmaline gasped.
Kaelanna looked at her friend and replied, “Remma, when I heard that you left the village in the middle of the night to help find Cable, well...well, I thought to myself that you must be the bravest girl I’d ever known. And I thought that I wanted to be just like you. And I didn’t know exactly how to do that, so the first thing I did was to cut my hair so that I would at least look like you. How do you like it?”
Remmaline smiled. “Oh Kaelanna, your the best!” she declared. “These next few months will be so much fun. We can watch our hair grow back together!”
At those words, Kaelanna’s smile faded a bit. “But Remma,” she said, “your father has returned. You’ll go back to your castle, and I shall stay out here in the country.”
Remma turned to her father with a questioning look in her eyes. A smile once again passed across his face as he declared, “Oh, I’ve already taken care of that. For Kaelanna shall come back with us! Her father was such a faithful servant in the dark dungeon of Dor-ko that he shall come and serve us in our home now! And as for Kaelanna’s mother, my servant Ronaldus is setting her free even now.”
The king then turned to the crowd and said, “Now please, everyone, come to your feet! We have a great birthday to celebrate!” And everyone rose and looked to the village gate, to see what he could possibly mean.
Maximilian smiled as he walked through the silent crowd. First, he walked over to Samek. Grasping him by the shoulder, Maximilian said, “Well done, Samek.”
Without looking up, Samek shook his head. “It’s...it’s not true, O King,” he replied. “When the air became filled with those ghastly, soulless creatures...I was filled with fear. I could do nothing. I was good for nothing. I wanted to just give up, O King. If Andres hadn’t acted, I think I would have been slain right there. I...I can’t believe how quickly I was ready to surrender.”
Maximilian stooped down and gently tilted up Samek’s chin, so that they could look in one another’s eyes. “Samek, don’t be discouraged. Four years ago, I gave you an impossible task. That task was to occupy a village and be prepared to one day hold off an entire army. You fulfilled your task, Samek, and for that I am very grateful. Oh yes, you may have failed for a moment. But I remember your years of faithfulness, Samek. Those years far outweigh a few seconds of stumbling. Thank you, Samek.”
Samek sniffed slightly and appeared to choke up a bit as he replied, “You’re welcome, my lord the king. It was the least I could do for the one who put so much trust in me.”
The king then walked over to Gregorex. He stooped down next to Gregorex and put his arm around the man. “Well done, Gregorex,” he declared.
Gregorex, like Samek before him, couldn’t look up. He simply shook his head and mumbled, “No sir, I didn’t do all that well. You see, O King, my heart...well, it’s been full of anger. The whole time I was in Dor-ko’s prison, I really didn’t think much about you at all. I just wanted to get out and get revenge on Philip. He betrayed me and everyone I care about, O King. And I wanted nothing more than to pay him back. When I saw him lying on the ground back there...I swear that if his mother hadn’t been there, I would have killed him. And the whole time we rode back, my heart was still filled with hatred. So I’m not worth much of anything, O King.”
The king squeezed Gregorex firmly for a moment, then patted him on the back. “I understand your struggle, Gregorex,” he said. “I know what it feels like to be betrayed. But even as you struggled within your heart, you still remained faithful to me. You may have followed me imperfectly, but you did indeed follow me, and I am thankful for that. You are a wrestler, Gregorex--you struggle and you never let go. And even though you may have wanted to kill Philip, you didn’t give in to your emotions, even for a minute. That took a lot of courage and strength, Gregorex. The battles within are far more difficult than the battles without. You have fought the battle within, and today you have won.”
Gregorex then walked over to Philip, whose body was prostrate before the king. Maximilian knelt down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “As for you, Philip,” the king declared, “you have done well also, though not as well as the others. For when you were about to be cast into the pit, you resisted. Something within you decided that it would be better to serve me than to serve the forces of darkness. It took all the courage you had to resist your captors. And Philip, I’ve honored that courage by giving you a second chance. Don’t waste it.”
The king didn’t wait for a reply, but turned instead toward Annala. He walked over to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Oh Annala, I am so proud of you,” the king said. “Well done.”
At those words, Annala sprung up and threw her arms around the king. She held him as tightly as she could before breaking out in sobs and tears. In a few moments the words came spilling out. “O King, it’s not true!” she cried out. “I...I spent four years in that horrible prison. And by the end of it, I was sure you were never coming back. I’d given up, O King. I took pride in being your most loyal subject in the prison, but in the end I doubted you. I doubted you just as much as that wretched Slumbutter himself. I gave up on you, on my father, and even on Gregorex. I’d given up all hope, O King. Yet you came anyway. I...I am not worthy of any kind of reward, my lord.”
As Annala wept on his shoulder, the king just held her and remained silent. As her crying died down, Maximilian softly said, “Annala, don’t despair. Yes, you doubted for a moment. But that doesn’t undo your years of faithfulness. And I will never forget your kindness to my son, when he was cast into the dungeon. You cared for him and told him what he needed to know to escape. That was very brave of you, Annala. If you had been discovered, your life would have been in jeopardy.. But even in the midst of your dark hour of doubt, you didn’t waver in your service. Thank you for looking out for my son, and for never truly giving up.”
Annala looked into the king’s eyes and said, “It is I who should thank you, O King. For you didn’t forget us. We didn’t deserve your attention, yet you came back for us.”
The king smiled as Annala spoke. “I didn’t just come to set you free,” he said. “There is something even greater in store for you and for another young man here!” But without explaining himself, he turned from Annala and walked over to Andres.
As the king approached, Andres, unlike the others, rose to his feet. He ran to his father and embraced him. The king gave his youngest son a firm embrace as he said, “Well done, my son.”
Andres put his head down and replied, “Dad, I really didn’t do anything much. All I did was lead the charge. The white knights--they did all the rest. I probably didn’t fight for more than five minutes. And to be honest, I didn’t even feel like fighting at all. If you hadn’t said anything to me, I probably would have just stayed inside the village and watched.”
Maximilian smiled at his son and replied, “Andres, you’ve discovered something. The key to being a leader isn’t being the greatest or the strongest or the most popular or the most powerful. The key to being a leader and a prince is simply to take the next step. I didn’t tell you to go out there and win the battle. I just asked you to face the enemy and prepare to fight. And that is exactly what you did. You will be a good prince for this land, Andres, because you don’t seek greatness. You simply seek to obey.”
Andres said nothing. The approval of his father meant everything to the 14-year-old boy, but he couldn’t express it in words. So he just listened quietly to the words that he’d remember for the rest of his life.
The king then walked over to Cable. He patted him on the shoulder and said, “Stand up, my son. For you have done well this day.”
Cable obediently came to his feet and hugged his father. He then replied, “I haven’t actually done very well at all, Dad. You see, when it came time to play the trumpet, I...I preferred to just hide and do nothing. I didn’t want to play it at all. I never wanted to look into the mound ever again. i just wanted to run. And to be honest, I almost did.”
“Oh Cable, my son,” replied the king. “It’s true that you had a moment of doubt. But you have the heart of a lion inside of you--a heart that would never let you run. You stuck with the task that was laid before you, and in the end you fulfilled your calling. You completed your mission. You did all that I asked.”
Cable pondered these words a moment, then replied, “But Dad, all I did was play a trumpet. I didn’t lead an army into battle like Andres did.”
Maximilian gently grasped Cable’s face in his hands. Looking him in the eyes, Maximilian said, “Son, I have a question for you. Do you wish to be great in this kingdom? Or do you merely wish for people to think that you are great?”
Cable looked down and replied, “I’m not sure, Dad. I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean this, son,” replied Maximilian. “Both you and Andres were called to great tasks this day. Andres was called to a task that everyone could see, while you were called to a task that almost no one could see. But each task was important. I am just as proud of you as I am of Andres. And if you wish to be great, you must continue to be faithful, whether in public or in obscurity.”
Cable nodded and replied, “Thanks, Dad.” And he hugged his father once again. There was nothing quite as encouraging to young Cable as a hug from his father.
Then the king walked over to Remma. The girl still lay fast asleep on the ground. The king picked her up gently in his arms and carried her over to a spot near the village wall, where a young girl remained bowed down before the king. The king stroked his daughter’s hair and said to her, “Remmaline, are you awake?”
Remmaline soon opened her eyes and saw her father. Smiling, she said, “Yes, Daddy.” She didn’t even seem to be surprised to be in her father’s arms. It was like she expected every day to wake up in his embrace.
“Do you know this girl?” the king asked Remmaline as he gestured toward the girl that was kneeling on the ground.
“Kaelanna!” Remmaline gasped. She sprung out of the king’s arms and quickly gave her friend a big hug. But as she did so, she noticed something very different about her. She noticed that her hair, which had been very long, was now very short. “What happened to your hair?” Remmaline gasped.
Kaelanna looked at her friend and replied, “Remma, when I heard that you left the village in the middle of the night to help find Cable, well...well, I thought to myself that you must be the bravest girl I’d ever known. And I thought that I wanted to be just like you. And I didn’t know exactly how to do that, so the first thing I did was to cut my hair so that I would at least look like you. How do you like it?”
Remmaline smiled. “Oh Kaelanna, your the best!” she declared. “These next few months will be so much fun. We can watch our hair grow back together!”
At those words, Kaelanna’s smile faded a bit. “But Remma,” she said, “your father has returned. You’ll go back to your castle, and I shall stay out here in the country.”
Remma turned to her father with a questioning look in her eyes. A smile once again passed across his face as he declared, “Oh, I’ve already taken care of that. For Kaelanna shall come back with us! Her father was such a faithful servant in the dark dungeon of Dor-ko that he shall come and serve us in our home now! And as for Kaelanna’s mother, my servant Ronaldus is setting her free even now.”
The king then turned to the crowd and said, “Now please, everyone, come to your feet! We have a great birthday to celebrate!” And everyone rose and looked to the village gate, to see what he could possibly mean.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Chapter 51 - The Great Reunion
Andres’ day had begun just before sunrise, when he led the charge against the black knights. The fighting had been fierce, and the battle had been bloody--for about five minutes. But Dor-ko’s army soon realized that the white knights, though far outnumbered, had no intention of retreating. They had come to fight till the last man. And so it wasn’t long before the Black Knights--who were much better at intimidating than actually fighting--turned tail and ran.
Some of the Black Knights simply ran back into the woods and tried to disappear. Others just got down on their knees and begged for mercy and for a drink of water. The remainder--those who were still mounted on their horses--organized themselves and retreated back to the Eastern Road. Andres figured that they would try to retreat to Dor-ko’s castle. Realizing this, he bellowed out at the top of his lungs, “Forget the wimps on the ground, men! They’re not going to hurt anyone! Let’s chase the rest of ‘em! We’ve got to destroy them before they get back to their castle!”
So the white knights charged onward, a hundred men chasing a few thousand. Andres had to pinch himself a few times, just to make sure he wasn’t imagining this. But every time he shook his head and looked around, the scene was the same: The enemy was on the run. So Andres, his sword raised to the sky and pointing forward, urged the men on.
Andres and the White Knights pursued Dor-ko’s army for about an hour when they suddenly came to a halt. The Black Knights abruptly dismounted from their horses, cast their weapons down, and surrendered. Just like that, the battle was over! Andres was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He was glad that his enemy had given up, but he had rather enjoyed the chase. He dismounted and walked over to one of the blubbering Black Knights who was on his knees. “What’s wrong with you guys?” Andres asked. “You come, you fight, you run, and now you just give up? What happened?”
The Black Knight looked up at Andres and said, “We’re trapped! Dor-ko didn’t tell us about no trap! We can’t fight if we’re trapped! And I don’t want to die in no trap! So please just let me go and don’t hurt me and I’ll never do anything bad ever again and if you let me join the White Knights I’ll be the bravest knight there ever was but please let me out of this trap!”
Andres just shook his head and remounted his horse. After riding through the scores of surrendering Black Knights, he finally saw what had stopped them in their tracks. Ronaldus had set up a wooden blockade across the road! He had led about fifty of the faithful followers of King Maximilian down the road and blocked the retreat. These brave souls had stacked some trees across the road, then stood behind it and launched a hail of arrows into the retreating mass of men. It didn’t take long before the Black Knights, attacked from the fore as well as the rear, were persuaded to give up.
Andres found Ronaldus and gave him a big embrace. He wanted to talk with him a bit, but Ronaldus wasn’t ready for any chit-chat. He simply said, “Prince Andres, please give my best to the King when you see him. But we’d best take care of these Black Knights while their spirit is broken. With your permission, sir, I will lead them back to Dor-ko’s castle. The dungeons are currently unoccupied, and it would probably be best if we fill them with Black Knights. If we offer them a good meal and a chance to sleep in peace, I don’t think they’ll put up much of a fight.”
So Andres followed Ronaldus’ counsel. He dispatched Legs and Pipes to corral the Black Knights and herd them down the road to prison. The Black Knights were remarkably agreeable and followed Ronaldus quite willingly. In less than an hour, the Black Knights were marching back to the castle from whence they came, and Andres was galloping back toward Cliffton.
On his way back, Andres happened to see an enormous Black Knight lying on the ground and shaking. As Andres got closer, he could hear the man crying out, “Mother! Oh Mother, save me! I want my Mother!” He said this over and over again, his large body seeming to bounce up and down on the ground as he did so. Andres thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar, so he dismounted and walked up to the strange fellow. He soon realized just who this poor soul was.
It was Chub.
Andres wanted to be mad at this man who had done so much to create this mess. But with victory in hand, Andres figured he’d be sympathetic rather than vindictive. So he walked up to Chub, knelt down by his said, and said the highest-pitched voice that he could muster, “It’s your mommy, dearest Chub. Thank you for being such a brave warrior!” Then Andres gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
Chub never even opened his eyes. He just said, “Thank you, Mother! Oh thank you!” Tears came streaming out of his eyes, a smile crept across his face, and the poor soul fell asleep. Andres shook his head, remounted his horse, and continued his ride back.
As he rode, Andres observed that the landscape was littered with black cloaks. It was like they were rained from the sky. After pondering this for awhile, Andres figured out what must have happened. These were probably the remnants of the creatures that had filled the air just the night before, with ghastly cries that had filled the men with fear. But after Andres had heard the resounding trumpet sound followed by the great explosion, the cries had disappeared. Something about the trumpet must have quenched the spirits of these creatures. They were to be feared no longer.
A nagging thought suddenly came to Andres’ mind. What happened to Cable? The last memory he’d had of Cable was when Pipes and Chub were kidnapping him. Though a hood had been placed over his head and he could see nothing, Andres had known that Cable was following him. But after entering the dense Southern Woods, Andres had never heard from Cable again. After seeing pathetic Chub again, this thought began to weigh heavily on Andres’ heart.
The thought didn’t weigh heavily for long, however. For after Andres returned to Cliffton and passed through the village gates, who should be waiting for him but Cable himself! He was sitting on a log that had been fashioned into a bench, with a plate on his lap, eating some kind of meat. Andres yelled out, “Hey Cable!” and then ran up to his brother and gave him a hug.
“Hey Andres!” Cable replied. “But be careful. I don’t want to drop my chicken.”
Andres wanted to get a little upset that Cable seemed to be more concerned about his chicken than about his own brother. But he quickly let it go; today wasn’t a day to be too concerned about the small stuff. “How did you get here?” Andres asked.
“She led me here,” replied Cable. While holding a drumstick in one hand, he pointed behind him with his other hand. A few yards away a giant horse lay on the ground. Nestled up against the horse, lying sound asleep, was Remmaline.
Andres shook his head. How did his sister get into these messes--and somehow get back out of them? He couldn’t figure out how someone who liked to get all dressed up and have tea parties could also run around the countryside in the middle of a battle. He wanted to ask her these questions, but he figured he’d just let her sleep. Besides, if she was awake, she’d talk a lot, and Andres needed some peace and quiet so that he could catch up with his brother.
So Andres and Cable spent the next hour or so exchanging stories about their adventures. Cable marveled at how his brother had escaped from prison and ended up leading an entire army into battle. Meanwhile, Andres was pretty impressed that Cable had plunged off a cliff into a river, and he was even more impressed that his brother could play the trumpet. “You know something,” Andres said. “Our dad--well, last night, when he was getting ready to start the battle, he just waited. It seemed like he waited forever. He wouldn’t even budge until he heard the trumpet. I guess he was waiting for you, Cable. If you hadn’t blown the horn, those wicked creatures might still be surrounding us now, and we might never have crushed those guys.”
Cable absorbed this news for a moment. “So the creatures disappeared after I blew the horn?” he asked.
“Yup,” replied Andres. “And that was when Dad motioned for me to come and lead the charge.”
Cable felt a bit better after this revelation. He just kind of nodded his head while munching on more chicken. Andres suddenly felt great hunger pangs invading his stomach. “By the way,” he asked, “where did you get that chicken?”
Cable’s mouth was full, so he couldn’t reply right away. As a well-mannered prince, he’d been taught long ago not to talk with his mouth full. But he did manage to point off to his right. Andres followed his finger and saw Annala approaching.
“Annala!” cried out Andres, running toward her. “I’m glad to see you’re all right!” As he gave her a big, princely hug, he whispered in her ear, “By the way, do you have any more chicken?”
“Prince Andres, I’m so glad to see you’ve returned from battle!” replied Annala, returning his hug and giving him a kiss on his forehead. “Of course, I’ll be glad to get you whatever you’d like. But tell me--did you see any sign of Gregorex?”
Andres was about to reply when the sound of galloping hooves was heard just outside the village gates. Two horses soon came trotting in. Atop one of the horses was Samek and a woman that Andres didn’t recognize. Atop the other horse was Gregorex and a man that Andres also didn’t recognize.
However, it became immediately clear that Annala recognized everyone. She ran over to the woman and cried out, “Mom! Oh Mom! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!” As her mother--whom we know as Susannah--dismounted, Annala cloaked her in hugs and kisses and tears.
Andres walked over and sat next to Cable to observe the family reunion. Andres figured that Annala would go over to Gregorex after she greeted her mother. But he was wrong. Instead, she walked over to the man that had ridden with Gregorex. She held the man’s face in her hands, gently kissed him on the forehead, and gave him a warm embrace. The man broke down and wept in Annala’s arms. He never raised his eyes from the ground. Andres thought he must be the most dejected man he’d ever seen.
Cable then piped up and whispered to Andres, “I’ve seen that guy before! Andres...just last night, that guy was about to get thrown into the fiery mound! He tried to run away, but he got caught and was carried away by Slumbutter himself. I...I don’t know how he ever made it back!”
Andres then turned his attention back to Gregorex, who leaned against his horse while watching Annala and the man (whom we know to be Philip) talk for a few minutes. Andres pointed him out to Cable. “You’ve got to meet that guy,” said Andres. “He and I were in prison together for awhile. He’s maybe the best horseman I know, next to Dad. And the man is fearless. I...I don’t know how he ever made it back, either. He disappeared in the middle of my first night here, and we all figured he’d gotten captured or killed.”
Finally Annala turned her attention to Gregorex. As Philip turned and walked away, Annala faced her man and held her arms open wide. Gregorex ran to her, swept her up in his arms, swung her around a couple of times, and then kissed her. Andres stared with his mouth wide open. This had to be the longest kiss he ever remembered. His first instinct was to be repulsed by the passion. But then he thought to himself, “For some reason, this kind of thing doesn’t seem as gross as it used to be. I guess I’m growing up.” So he just patiently watched.
After what seemed like hours, Andres heard someone clear his throat. He turned and saw Samek, who just didn’t seem comfortable about this phase of the reunion. He didn’t actually say anything; he just kept coughing and clearing his throat. Soon afterward, Gregorex and Annala stopped kissing and just held each other in their arms. Then the coughing stopped.
Soon everyone just gathered together and started introducing themselves and exchanging stories. Susannah told about her harrowing trip with Dor-ko that ended in the cave. Gregorex then told about his encounter with the flaming furball that knocked him off his horse and ended up leading him to Susannah. As he wrapped up his tale, he said, “I...I don’t know what happened to the king. He pointed me back to the village, and then he mentioned something about having to attend a great party. After that, he disappeared. I was hoping he’d be back here.”
Then it was Samek’s turn to speak.
“The king will appear when he sees fit,” said Samek. “He works in his own time. He always has, and he always will. But let me tell you something...the strangest thing happened during the battle,” he said. “While Andres led the charge, I saw someone galloping from right to left well behind the enemy’s lines. The horse wasn’t moving too fast, because it appeared to be burdened by a heavy load on its back.
“Well, Andres seemed to have everything under control. So I broke off and followed the mysterious rider. I figured I could catch him within a few minutes. And I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be Slumbutter himself, since he’s too much of a coward to actually stick around and fight.
“I never did actually catch him. But after about an hour of trotting through the woods, I did run into his horse. I grabbed the horse by the reigns and led him down the path, where I thought I heard some voices. Sure enough, there were Gregorex and Susannah and Philip. I pulled Susannah up on my horse, while Gregorex and Philip mounted Slumbutter’s horse. Then we all followed Gregorex, since he knows these woods better than anyone.”
Samek paused a moment from his narrative. Turning to Andres, he asked, “Hey, there is one thing that’s been nagging at me. We’re all glad that Susannah is safe and sound. But why did you stab Dor-ko, knowing that she was in danger and might never get found again?”
Andres said, “Oh yeah, I never had a chance to explain that. You’ve got to understand something. When I first met Annala, she played all sorts of word games with me. And so when I read the note from her mom, I had a feeling that it might have some words games as well. So I just stared at the note and studied it. I couldn’t take my eyes off it! Here is what it said:
So Love Abounds. You
Have Inflamed My
heart
today, even now.
trust me, believe me now,
Or Whenever Love
is seen.
“I looked at the first two lines and saw that all the words were capitalized. The thought occurred to me that maybe these letters were supposed to spell something. And sure enough, they spelled ‘SLAY HIM.’ Well, that seemed clear enough. And the next word said ‘heart.’ So I thought to myself, ‘She’s saying that I ought to send my sword right through his heart.’
“Well, I started to think, ‘Should I wait till she’s safe before I kill him?’ But her note answered that question for me. She said to do it ‘today, even now.’ And she said to ‘trust me,’ meaning that I ought to do it, even if it seems like it could put her in danger.
At this point Samek interrupted, “But how did you know that she would be okay? How did you know that she wasn’t just telling you to kill him, even if it meant that she might never be saved?”
“Because of the next two lines,” Andres replied. “She started using capital letters again. It spelled the word ‘OWL.’ And then the next line said ‘is seen.’ So she was saying that she had seen the owl--the great messenger of the high king. Cable and I met him in our first journey to Aberdeen, and he guided us every step of the way. So I figured that if she’d seen the owl, then she must be all right. So I did what she told me to do and plunged my sword into Dor-ko’s chest.”
“You did well, Prince Andres,” said Susannah. She walked over to him, bent her knee before him, then stood and gave him a great embrace.
“It...it was nothing...” he stammered. “It was nothing that anyone else in my place wouldn’t have done.” Then, looking desperately to change the subject and avoid the emotion of the moment, Andres asked, “Hey Cable, whatever happened to the trumpet that you played?”
Cable paused and thought for a moment. “You know...I can’t remember,” he said.
“You can’t remember?” bellowed Andres. “That’s a big deal, Cable! Can’t you keep track of anything?”
The scene threatened to degenerate into a moment of sibling squabbling. But suddenly the air was pierced by a trumpet sound. It was perhaps the worst-sounding blare of a trumpet that anyone had ever heard. It was garbled and unsteady and shrill. “Man, that’s awful!” declared Andres. “It sounds like a gargling giant.” Then looking around he asked, “Where did that sound come from?”
Cable then said, “Oh yeah! Jimbo took it! I’ll bet that was him!”
Andres was about to ask who Jimbo was, but before he could form the words in his mouth he saw an odd character appear at the village gate. In a curious accent, the man declared, “I hope you enjoyed my introduction! I’m sure you can’t believe that was the first time I’ve ever played this melodious instrument.”
“It sounded more like a cow with a stomach ache than a trumpet,” declared Andres. “Give that thing to Cable before you kill someone with it!”
Jimbo stared at Andres. “I’m hurt by that comment,” he said, though Andres was pretty sure that he wasn’t hurt too badly. “Because you see, I really didn’t play this instrument just for your hearing pleasure. I played it to announce the arrival of...”
And as Jimbo spoke, from around the corner of the village wall appeared the king.
Some of the Black Knights simply ran back into the woods and tried to disappear. Others just got down on their knees and begged for mercy and for a drink of water. The remainder--those who were still mounted on their horses--organized themselves and retreated back to the Eastern Road. Andres figured that they would try to retreat to Dor-ko’s castle. Realizing this, he bellowed out at the top of his lungs, “Forget the wimps on the ground, men! They’re not going to hurt anyone! Let’s chase the rest of ‘em! We’ve got to destroy them before they get back to their castle!”
So the white knights charged onward, a hundred men chasing a few thousand. Andres had to pinch himself a few times, just to make sure he wasn’t imagining this. But every time he shook his head and looked around, the scene was the same: The enemy was on the run. So Andres, his sword raised to the sky and pointing forward, urged the men on.
Andres and the White Knights pursued Dor-ko’s army for about an hour when they suddenly came to a halt. The Black Knights abruptly dismounted from their horses, cast their weapons down, and surrendered. Just like that, the battle was over! Andres was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He was glad that his enemy had given up, but he had rather enjoyed the chase. He dismounted and walked over to one of the blubbering Black Knights who was on his knees. “What’s wrong with you guys?” Andres asked. “You come, you fight, you run, and now you just give up? What happened?”
The Black Knight looked up at Andres and said, “We’re trapped! Dor-ko didn’t tell us about no trap! We can’t fight if we’re trapped! And I don’t want to die in no trap! So please just let me go and don’t hurt me and I’ll never do anything bad ever again and if you let me join the White Knights I’ll be the bravest knight there ever was but please let me out of this trap!”
Andres just shook his head and remounted his horse. After riding through the scores of surrendering Black Knights, he finally saw what had stopped them in their tracks. Ronaldus had set up a wooden blockade across the road! He had led about fifty of the faithful followers of King Maximilian down the road and blocked the retreat. These brave souls had stacked some trees across the road, then stood behind it and launched a hail of arrows into the retreating mass of men. It didn’t take long before the Black Knights, attacked from the fore as well as the rear, were persuaded to give up.
Andres found Ronaldus and gave him a big embrace. He wanted to talk with him a bit, but Ronaldus wasn’t ready for any chit-chat. He simply said, “Prince Andres, please give my best to the King when you see him. But we’d best take care of these Black Knights while their spirit is broken. With your permission, sir, I will lead them back to Dor-ko’s castle. The dungeons are currently unoccupied, and it would probably be best if we fill them with Black Knights. If we offer them a good meal and a chance to sleep in peace, I don’t think they’ll put up much of a fight.”
So Andres followed Ronaldus’ counsel. He dispatched Legs and Pipes to corral the Black Knights and herd them down the road to prison. The Black Knights were remarkably agreeable and followed Ronaldus quite willingly. In less than an hour, the Black Knights were marching back to the castle from whence they came, and Andres was galloping back toward Cliffton.
On his way back, Andres happened to see an enormous Black Knight lying on the ground and shaking. As Andres got closer, he could hear the man crying out, “Mother! Oh Mother, save me! I want my Mother!” He said this over and over again, his large body seeming to bounce up and down on the ground as he did so. Andres thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar, so he dismounted and walked up to the strange fellow. He soon realized just who this poor soul was.
It was Chub.
Andres wanted to be mad at this man who had done so much to create this mess. But with victory in hand, Andres figured he’d be sympathetic rather than vindictive. So he walked up to Chub, knelt down by his said, and said the highest-pitched voice that he could muster, “It’s your mommy, dearest Chub. Thank you for being such a brave warrior!” Then Andres gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
Chub never even opened his eyes. He just said, “Thank you, Mother! Oh thank you!” Tears came streaming out of his eyes, a smile crept across his face, and the poor soul fell asleep. Andres shook his head, remounted his horse, and continued his ride back.
As he rode, Andres observed that the landscape was littered with black cloaks. It was like they were rained from the sky. After pondering this for awhile, Andres figured out what must have happened. These were probably the remnants of the creatures that had filled the air just the night before, with ghastly cries that had filled the men with fear. But after Andres had heard the resounding trumpet sound followed by the great explosion, the cries had disappeared. Something about the trumpet must have quenched the spirits of these creatures. They were to be feared no longer.
A nagging thought suddenly came to Andres’ mind. What happened to Cable? The last memory he’d had of Cable was when Pipes and Chub were kidnapping him. Though a hood had been placed over his head and he could see nothing, Andres had known that Cable was following him. But after entering the dense Southern Woods, Andres had never heard from Cable again. After seeing pathetic Chub again, this thought began to weigh heavily on Andres’ heart.
The thought didn’t weigh heavily for long, however. For after Andres returned to Cliffton and passed through the village gates, who should be waiting for him but Cable himself! He was sitting on a log that had been fashioned into a bench, with a plate on his lap, eating some kind of meat. Andres yelled out, “Hey Cable!” and then ran up to his brother and gave him a hug.
“Hey Andres!” Cable replied. “But be careful. I don’t want to drop my chicken.”
Andres wanted to get a little upset that Cable seemed to be more concerned about his chicken than about his own brother. But he quickly let it go; today wasn’t a day to be too concerned about the small stuff. “How did you get here?” Andres asked.
“She led me here,” replied Cable. While holding a drumstick in one hand, he pointed behind him with his other hand. A few yards away a giant horse lay on the ground. Nestled up against the horse, lying sound asleep, was Remmaline.
Andres shook his head. How did his sister get into these messes--and somehow get back out of them? He couldn’t figure out how someone who liked to get all dressed up and have tea parties could also run around the countryside in the middle of a battle. He wanted to ask her these questions, but he figured he’d just let her sleep. Besides, if she was awake, she’d talk a lot, and Andres needed some peace and quiet so that he could catch up with his brother.
So Andres and Cable spent the next hour or so exchanging stories about their adventures. Cable marveled at how his brother had escaped from prison and ended up leading an entire army into battle. Meanwhile, Andres was pretty impressed that Cable had plunged off a cliff into a river, and he was even more impressed that his brother could play the trumpet. “You know something,” Andres said. “Our dad--well, last night, when he was getting ready to start the battle, he just waited. It seemed like he waited forever. He wouldn’t even budge until he heard the trumpet. I guess he was waiting for you, Cable. If you hadn’t blown the horn, those wicked creatures might still be surrounding us now, and we might never have crushed those guys.”
Cable absorbed this news for a moment. “So the creatures disappeared after I blew the horn?” he asked.
“Yup,” replied Andres. “And that was when Dad motioned for me to come and lead the charge.”
Cable felt a bit better after this revelation. He just kind of nodded his head while munching on more chicken. Andres suddenly felt great hunger pangs invading his stomach. “By the way,” he asked, “where did you get that chicken?”
Cable’s mouth was full, so he couldn’t reply right away. As a well-mannered prince, he’d been taught long ago not to talk with his mouth full. But he did manage to point off to his right. Andres followed his finger and saw Annala approaching.
“Annala!” cried out Andres, running toward her. “I’m glad to see you’re all right!” As he gave her a big, princely hug, he whispered in her ear, “By the way, do you have any more chicken?”
“Prince Andres, I’m so glad to see you’ve returned from battle!” replied Annala, returning his hug and giving him a kiss on his forehead. “Of course, I’ll be glad to get you whatever you’d like. But tell me--did you see any sign of Gregorex?”
Andres was about to reply when the sound of galloping hooves was heard just outside the village gates. Two horses soon came trotting in. Atop one of the horses was Samek and a woman that Andres didn’t recognize. Atop the other horse was Gregorex and a man that Andres also didn’t recognize.
However, it became immediately clear that Annala recognized everyone. She ran over to the woman and cried out, “Mom! Oh Mom! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!” As her mother--whom we know as Susannah--dismounted, Annala cloaked her in hugs and kisses and tears.
Andres walked over and sat next to Cable to observe the family reunion. Andres figured that Annala would go over to Gregorex after she greeted her mother. But he was wrong. Instead, she walked over to the man that had ridden with Gregorex. She held the man’s face in her hands, gently kissed him on the forehead, and gave him a warm embrace. The man broke down and wept in Annala’s arms. He never raised his eyes from the ground. Andres thought he must be the most dejected man he’d ever seen.
Cable then piped up and whispered to Andres, “I’ve seen that guy before! Andres...just last night, that guy was about to get thrown into the fiery mound! He tried to run away, but he got caught and was carried away by Slumbutter himself. I...I don’t know how he ever made it back!”
Andres then turned his attention back to Gregorex, who leaned against his horse while watching Annala and the man (whom we know to be Philip) talk for a few minutes. Andres pointed him out to Cable. “You’ve got to meet that guy,” said Andres. “He and I were in prison together for awhile. He’s maybe the best horseman I know, next to Dad. And the man is fearless. I...I don’t know how he ever made it back, either. He disappeared in the middle of my first night here, and we all figured he’d gotten captured or killed.”
Finally Annala turned her attention to Gregorex. As Philip turned and walked away, Annala faced her man and held her arms open wide. Gregorex ran to her, swept her up in his arms, swung her around a couple of times, and then kissed her. Andres stared with his mouth wide open. This had to be the longest kiss he ever remembered. His first instinct was to be repulsed by the passion. But then he thought to himself, “For some reason, this kind of thing doesn’t seem as gross as it used to be. I guess I’m growing up.” So he just patiently watched.
After what seemed like hours, Andres heard someone clear his throat. He turned and saw Samek, who just didn’t seem comfortable about this phase of the reunion. He didn’t actually say anything; he just kept coughing and clearing his throat. Soon afterward, Gregorex and Annala stopped kissing and just held each other in their arms. Then the coughing stopped.
Soon everyone just gathered together and started introducing themselves and exchanging stories. Susannah told about her harrowing trip with Dor-ko that ended in the cave. Gregorex then told about his encounter with the flaming furball that knocked him off his horse and ended up leading him to Susannah. As he wrapped up his tale, he said, “I...I don’t know what happened to the king. He pointed me back to the village, and then he mentioned something about having to attend a great party. After that, he disappeared. I was hoping he’d be back here.”
Then it was Samek’s turn to speak.
“The king will appear when he sees fit,” said Samek. “He works in his own time. He always has, and he always will. But let me tell you something...the strangest thing happened during the battle,” he said. “While Andres led the charge, I saw someone galloping from right to left well behind the enemy’s lines. The horse wasn’t moving too fast, because it appeared to be burdened by a heavy load on its back.
“Well, Andres seemed to have everything under control. So I broke off and followed the mysterious rider. I figured I could catch him within a few minutes. And I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be Slumbutter himself, since he’s too much of a coward to actually stick around and fight.
“I never did actually catch him. But after about an hour of trotting through the woods, I did run into his horse. I grabbed the horse by the reigns and led him down the path, where I thought I heard some voices. Sure enough, there were Gregorex and Susannah and Philip. I pulled Susannah up on my horse, while Gregorex and Philip mounted Slumbutter’s horse. Then we all followed Gregorex, since he knows these woods better than anyone.”
Samek paused a moment from his narrative. Turning to Andres, he asked, “Hey, there is one thing that’s been nagging at me. We’re all glad that Susannah is safe and sound. But why did you stab Dor-ko, knowing that she was in danger and might never get found again?”
Andres said, “Oh yeah, I never had a chance to explain that. You’ve got to understand something. When I first met Annala, she played all sorts of word games with me. And so when I read the note from her mom, I had a feeling that it might have some words games as well. So I just stared at the note and studied it. I couldn’t take my eyes off it! Here is what it said:
So Love Abounds. You
Have Inflamed My
heart
today, even now.
trust me, believe me now,
Or Whenever Love
is seen.
“I looked at the first two lines and saw that all the words were capitalized. The thought occurred to me that maybe these letters were supposed to spell something. And sure enough, they spelled ‘SLAY HIM.’ Well, that seemed clear enough. And the next word said ‘heart.’ So I thought to myself, ‘She’s saying that I ought to send my sword right through his heart.’
“Well, I started to think, ‘Should I wait till she’s safe before I kill him?’ But her note answered that question for me. She said to do it ‘today, even now.’ And she said to ‘trust me,’ meaning that I ought to do it, even if it seems like it could put her in danger.
At this point Samek interrupted, “But how did you know that she would be okay? How did you know that she wasn’t just telling you to kill him, even if it meant that she might never be saved?”
“Because of the next two lines,” Andres replied. “She started using capital letters again. It spelled the word ‘OWL.’ And then the next line said ‘is seen.’ So she was saying that she had seen the owl--the great messenger of the high king. Cable and I met him in our first journey to Aberdeen, and he guided us every step of the way. So I figured that if she’d seen the owl, then she must be all right. So I did what she told me to do and plunged my sword into Dor-ko’s chest.”
“You did well, Prince Andres,” said Susannah. She walked over to him, bent her knee before him, then stood and gave him a great embrace.
“It...it was nothing...” he stammered. “It was nothing that anyone else in my place wouldn’t have done.” Then, looking desperately to change the subject and avoid the emotion of the moment, Andres asked, “Hey Cable, whatever happened to the trumpet that you played?”
Cable paused and thought for a moment. “You know...I can’t remember,” he said.
“You can’t remember?” bellowed Andres. “That’s a big deal, Cable! Can’t you keep track of anything?”
The scene threatened to degenerate into a moment of sibling squabbling. But suddenly the air was pierced by a trumpet sound. It was perhaps the worst-sounding blare of a trumpet that anyone had ever heard. It was garbled and unsteady and shrill. “Man, that’s awful!” declared Andres. “It sounds like a gargling giant.” Then looking around he asked, “Where did that sound come from?”
Cable then said, “Oh yeah! Jimbo took it! I’ll bet that was him!”
Andres was about to ask who Jimbo was, but before he could form the words in his mouth he saw an odd character appear at the village gate. In a curious accent, the man declared, “I hope you enjoyed my introduction! I’m sure you can’t believe that was the first time I’ve ever played this melodious instrument.”
“It sounded more like a cow with a stomach ache than a trumpet,” declared Andres. “Give that thing to Cable before you kill someone with it!”
Jimbo stared at Andres. “I’m hurt by that comment,” he said, though Andres was pretty sure that he wasn’t hurt too badly. “Because you see, I really didn’t play this instrument just for your hearing pleasure. I played it to announce the arrival of...”
And as Jimbo spoke, from around the corner of the village wall appeared the king.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Chapter 50 - Gregorex Returns
Gregorex sat on the ground, his back against a tree, his head lowered. He was exhausted and frustrated and uncertain. He was too discouraged to continue his quest, and he was too tired to go back to Cliffton. So he just sat and waited for something to change, feeling utterly powerless to do anything.
*************************
His quest had begun about 36 hours earlier, when he was mounted atop Spartacus and traversing the Great Swamp. He had offered to ride back to the castle as fast as he could to tell King Maximilian of the impending attack. He knew that Cliffton was no match for Dor-ko’s army, so he rode with great swiftness to plead for help. He felt it was the village’s only hope for survival.
When he was midway through the Great Swamp (which Spartacus alone knew how to traverse), he caught a glimpse of a flash of light off to his left. He turned and saw what appeared to be a ball of fire hurtling out of the woods in his direction. Gregorex urged Spartacus onward, hoping to get out of the fireball’s path. But there was nothing he could do. The flying object struck him in the side and knocked him from his horse.
Gregorex landed in the swamp and immediately panicked. Slowly but relentlessly the swamp started to drag him under. The more he struggled, the more entrapped he became. Soon his feet were devoured. He was nearly down to his knees when he paused briefly from his struggle and stared across the swamp. In the woodland beyond the swamp, about 40 yards away, he could make out a glimmer of light. It appeared as though the object (or creature) that had knocked him from his mount was residing in the woods. And to his amazement, as long as he stared at the light, he no longer sank into the swamp.
Gregorex turned around to call for Spartacus. He felt, if he could grab hold of his horse’s neck, Spartacus would be able to pull him out of the miry mess. But as soon as he turned to look for Spartacus, he began to descend further into the Great Swamp. It didn’t take Gregorex long to stop searching for Spartacus and to look back toward the glowing light in the woods. He now realized that his only hope of salvation from the swamp was to keep his eyes on the light and to pursue it with all his strength.
So Gregorex began to move toward the illumination. Moving was excruciatingly difficult, yet he seemed to gradually emerge from the muck with each feeble step that he took. Within minutes, Gregorex emerged from the swamp and entered the woods.
For a moment, Gregorex was filled with great anxiety. He had felt as though the safety of Cliffton had rested upon him and his mission. He feared that his inability to notify the King meant that Cliffton--along with all his friends, old and new--was doomed to destruction at the hands of Dor-ko. He felt like a failure.
However, a strange joy came over him as he peered deep into the woods in search of the light. When his eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of the mysterious object, he was filled with hope. He had an inexplicable feeling that, if he could just place his hands on the object, then everything would be all right. So with his hope renewed despite his feeling of physical exhaustion, Gregorex pressed ahead into the woods in pursuit of the fireball.
Throughout the night and all the next day, Gregorex chased after the mysterious object. No matter how fast he moved, it stayed ever before him--bright enough to draw his intention, but not bright enough to reveal what it was. Gregorex lost all track of time as he dashed headlong through the woods, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around the light. Yet try as he might to fulfill his all-consuming quest, he was frustrated at every turn. The object was too elusive.
The pursuit continued through the second night. Gregorex had now been without sleep for over two days. His throat was parched from thirst, and hunger gnawed at his belly. He felt overcome by fatigue and weariness. Yet still he pressed on.
Until he came across a path. And then the mysterious illumination disappeared.
Gregorex stood still. He looked down the path in each direction. He neither saw nor heard anything. He peered into the woods, desperately searching for the light. He saw nothing. It appeared that the terrain rose abruptly on one side of the path, as though he were near a hillside. So he clambered up the hill in hopes that, from a higher vantage point, he might be able to see the light. But again, he saw nothing. So Gregorex trudged slowly back down the hill. He sat down on the ground, leaned his back against a tree, and sighed. Until the light showed itself again, his quest was over.
*************************
As morning dawned the next day, Gregorex thought he heard a noise in the distance. He looked around for any sign of the light but saw none. He then put his ear to the ground. Sure enough, he heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. A horse was galloping down the path in his direction! Gregorex quickly got to his feet. He was desperate for food and water, and this rider might have some of both.
Gregorex then remembered that he was in enemy territory. If anyone was coming, it was certain to be one of Slumbutter’s soldiers. He didn’t figure it was a whole platoon; as far as he could tell from listening, it was a single horse. But Gregorex didn’t take any chances. He looked around and saw a large rock, tucked into the hillside and situated just a few feet from the edge of the trail. He quickly climbed atop the boulder and waited for the horse to approach.
Within a minute, the rider came into Gregorex’ view. As he passed by the boulder, Gregorex leaped out and grabbed the rider. Taking hold of the rider’s cloak, Gregorex fearlessly yanked him off the horse. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap. As he fell, Gregorex looked behind him. He saw the startled horse kick up his hind legs, release a large pack that was on his pack, and flee down the path.
Gregorex turned his attention back to his adversary. “Are you a friend of King Maximilian?” cried out Gregorex as he attempted to pin him to the ground. “Tell me now!”
“Curse him!” replied the cloaked man.
An infuriated Gregorex drew back and tried to slug the insolent man in the jaw. But the cloaked man had no interest in fighting. Instead, he simply tried to escape. He crawled and slithered and twisted and writhed his way out of Gregorex’ grasp. He came to his feet and started running down the trail after his horse. Gregorex desperately tried to chase after him. He started to dive in one last attempt to grab him. As he did so, however, he tripped over an object that lay in the middle of the path. He fell at his fleeing adversary’s heels. He tried to grab an ankle, but all he did was grasp the man’s robe. The man slid out of his robe, leaving it in Gregorex’ hands while he continued his flight down the trail.
Gregorex lay on the ground, out of breath and out of strength. To his delight, he noticed a waterskin lying on the ground next to him. It must have fallen down along with the robe! He quickly uncorked and and took a long drink. Even though it was warm, it was the most refreshing drink he could ever remember.
He put the cork back in the wineskin, figuring he’d better save some for later. He then took a look at the robe that he’d grabbed. The inside of the robe was lined with a faded purple dye. A large golden “S” was embroidered into the fabric. Gregorex quickly realized who he’d just fought.
The faded purple was the cheap dye of phony royalty. It had been Slumbutter himself.
Gregorex shook his head in frustration, angry that he hadn’t managed to capture the rogue rebel king. He stood to his feet and walked over to the object that he’d tripped over. It must have been the pack that had fallen from the horse. It was long and large and...
Gregorex gasped. It was a body. Slumbutter had been carrying a body on the back of his horse!
Gregorex stooped down as he approached the body. Its hands were tied behind its back, and a hood was draped over its head. Gregorex immediately reached for the hands and untied them. To his relief, the body moved slightly, and Gregorex could hear a groan from under the hood. The person was alive! He started to reach for the hood when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a light off to his right. He eagerly stood up and looked into the woods. Once again, he gasped in surprise.
The rock that he’d climbed before jumping on Slumbutter had mysteriously moved! It revealed the entrance to a cave. And from insight the cave shone a bright light.
Gregorex was momentarily paralyzed. Should he stay and unmask the man that lay at his feet? Or should he complete his quest to find the source of the mysterious light? As he pondered the dilemma, he noticed that the light from the cave was fading. The longer he waited, the dimmer it got. He got the feeling that, if he unmasked the man, he might never catch sight of the light again. So he bellowed out, “You’re free, mister! Unmask yourself!” and then dashed into the cave.
Gregorex had never been a big fan of caves. Though he was a mighty hunter and a fearless warrior, he had a rather obsessive fear of bats. But he took comfort in the knowledge that the light itself had probably scared the bats away, so he pressed on.
The light grew brighter and brighter as he meandered through the cave. Finally, he rounded a corner and came to an open area. There, standing in the middle of the opening, was...an owl. A warm light radiated from it. The owl cast an unblinking stare at Gregorex as he entered the chamber. Gregorex knew immediately that he had found the one that he’d been searching for. His quest was over.
But as Gregorex’ eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed that there was something else in the cave as well. Leaning against the owl, resting in peaceful slumber, was...a woman.
Gregorex looked at the owl. He wanted to ask if it was okay to come closer, but he didn’t dare to say a word. He just stood there, waiting. Momentarily, though no words were actually spoken, Gregorex got the impression that it would be okay to approach. Slowly he walked toward the owl. He felt compelled to kneel down before the owl, for--as odd as it seemed--he sensed that he was in the presence of royalty.
The owl seemed to acknowledge the bow. He then slightly turned his head, as though beckoning Gregorex to tend to the woman. Gregorex walked toward the back side of the owl and looked at the face of the one who lay there. Yet again, Gregorex gasped.
Though mud and grime covered her face, there was no mistaking her. The woman was Susannah, the wife of Samek, the mother of Gregorex’ beloved Annala. She was alive!
Gregorex gently shook her shoulder. Susannah opened her eyes. She didn’t act startled or surprised in the least. She just smiled gently and said, “I knew that help would come. I just knew it. Gregorex...it is so good to see you.” Then she slowly came to her feet and hugged Gregorex, who fought back tears as he clung to one that he’d once feared was dead at the hands of Slumbutter.
Gregorex took Susannah by the hand and led her out of the cave. The owl did not follow them; he just stood where he was and provided enough light to enable Gregorex and Susannah to find their way through the labyrinthine cave. Once the pair exited, the light from within disappeared.
Susannah’s eye was immediately drawn to the path. She took a couple of brisk steps over to the body that still lay on the path. The hood was still draped over its head. Susannah quickly reached up and pulled it off. As soon as he did, the man turned his head toward her and coughed a couple of times. Susannah quickly leaned over and embraced the man that lay before her.
For it was her son--Philip.
Gregorex was shocked and repulsed. At his feet lay the man that was nothing short of a traitor. He had betrayed not only Gregorex, but his family--not to mention the entire village of Cliffton. He wanted to tell Susannah to get away from her son. He wanted to tell her what a rotten wretch her son was, and how he was responsible for a battle that was probably even raging as they spoke. He wanted to tell her that many people--maybe even her own husband--were likely dead right now because of Philip’s treachery.
But Gregorex held his tongue and walked away. He needed some space, or else he’d say something that he’d regret. He stood a short distance away, stewing and staring blankly into the woods. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped in the air and then turned around. He found himself staring at King Maximilian himself.
“Well done, my friend,” said the king softly with a gentle smile on his face.
Gregorex immediately took a knee before the king. “My lord!” he cried out. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“It was I who rolled the stone away,” replied the king.
Surprised, Gregorex replied, “Then why didn’t you just go in an rescue Susannah?”
The king smiled and answered. “Rescue her?” he said. “Gregorex, she was not the one who needed to be rescued. Susannah was just fine. You were the one who needed to be rescued. If you had pulled that hood off, Gregorex, you would have brought great harm to Philip. It would have caused great regret for the rest of your life. You needed to get drawn away.”
The king paused before resuming. “You did well to leave the body and pursue the light. But make no mistake--your obedience was more to your benefit than to hers.”
The king then grabbed Gregorex by the shoulder and raised him to his feet. “You have done well, Gregorex,” he said. “Come with me. A great party and splendid reunion await us. Victory is ours!”
*************************
His quest had begun about 36 hours earlier, when he was mounted atop Spartacus and traversing the Great Swamp. He had offered to ride back to the castle as fast as he could to tell King Maximilian of the impending attack. He knew that Cliffton was no match for Dor-ko’s army, so he rode with great swiftness to plead for help. He felt it was the village’s only hope for survival.
When he was midway through the Great Swamp (which Spartacus alone knew how to traverse), he caught a glimpse of a flash of light off to his left. He turned and saw what appeared to be a ball of fire hurtling out of the woods in his direction. Gregorex urged Spartacus onward, hoping to get out of the fireball’s path. But there was nothing he could do. The flying object struck him in the side and knocked him from his horse.
Gregorex landed in the swamp and immediately panicked. Slowly but relentlessly the swamp started to drag him under. The more he struggled, the more entrapped he became. Soon his feet were devoured. He was nearly down to his knees when he paused briefly from his struggle and stared across the swamp. In the woodland beyond the swamp, about 40 yards away, he could make out a glimmer of light. It appeared as though the object (or creature) that had knocked him from his mount was residing in the woods. And to his amazement, as long as he stared at the light, he no longer sank into the swamp.
Gregorex turned around to call for Spartacus. He felt, if he could grab hold of his horse’s neck, Spartacus would be able to pull him out of the miry mess. But as soon as he turned to look for Spartacus, he began to descend further into the Great Swamp. It didn’t take Gregorex long to stop searching for Spartacus and to look back toward the glowing light in the woods. He now realized that his only hope of salvation from the swamp was to keep his eyes on the light and to pursue it with all his strength.
So Gregorex began to move toward the illumination. Moving was excruciatingly difficult, yet he seemed to gradually emerge from the muck with each feeble step that he took. Within minutes, Gregorex emerged from the swamp and entered the woods.
For a moment, Gregorex was filled with great anxiety. He had felt as though the safety of Cliffton had rested upon him and his mission. He feared that his inability to notify the King meant that Cliffton--along with all his friends, old and new--was doomed to destruction at the hands of Dor-ko. He felt like a failure.
However, a strange joy came over him as he peered deep into the woods in search of the light. When his eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of the mysterious object, he was filled with hope. He had an inexplicable feeling that, if he could just place his hands on the object, then everything would be all right. So with his hope renewed despite his feeling of physical exhaustion, Gregorex pressed ahead into the woods in pursuit of the fireball.
Throughout the night and all the next day, Gregorex chased after the mysterious object. No matter how fast he moved, it stayed ever before him--bright enough to draw his intention, but not bright enough to reveal what it was. Gregorex lost all track of time as he dashed headlong through the woods, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around the light. Yet try as he might to fulfill his all-consuming quest, he was frustrated at every turn. The object was too elusive.
The pursuit continued through the second night. Gregorex had now been without sleep for over two days. His throat was parched from thirst, and hunger gnawed at his belly. He felt overcome by fatigue and weariness. Yet still he pressed on.
Until he came across a path. And then the mysterious illumination disappeared.
Gregorex stood still. He looked down the path in each direction. He neither saw nor heard anything. He peered into the woods, desperately searching for the light. He saw nothing. It appeared that the terrain rose abruptly on one side of the path, as though he were near a hillside. So he clambered up the hill in hopes that, from a higher vantage point, he might be able to see the light. But again, he saw nothing. So Gregorex trudged slowly back down the hill. He sat down on the ground, leaned his back against a tree, and sighed. Until the light showed itself again, his quest was over.
*************************
As morning dawned the next day, Gregorex thought he heard a noise in the distance. He looked around for any sign of the light but saw none. He then put his ear to the ground. Sure enough, he heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. A horse was galloping down the path in his direction! Gregorex quickly got to his feet. He was desperate for food and water, and this rider might have some of both.
Gregorex then remembered that he was in enemy territory. If anyone was coming, it was certain to be one of Slumbutter’s soldiers. He didn’t figure it was a whole platoon; as far as he could tell from listening, it was a single horse. But Gregorex didn’t take any chances. He looked around and saw a large rock, tucked into the hillside and situated just a few feet from the edge of the trail. He quickly climbed atop the boulder and waited for the horse to approach.
Within a minute, the rider came into Gregorex’ view. As he passed by the boulder, Gregorex leaped out and grabbed the rider. Taking hold of the rider’s cloak, Gregorex fearlessly yanked him off the horse. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap. As he fell, Gregorex looked behind him. He saw the startled horse kick up his hind legs, release a large pack that was on his pack, and flee down the path.
Gregorex turned his attention back to his adversary. “Are you a friend of King Maximilian?” cried out Gregorex as he attempted to pin him to the ground. “Tell me now!”
“Curse him!” replied the cloaked man.
An infuriated Gregorex drew back and tried to slug the insolent man in the jaw. But the cloaked man had no interest in fighting. Instead, he simply tried to escape. He crawled and slithered and twisted and writhed his way out of Gregorex’ grasp. He came to his feet and started running down the trail after his horse. Gregorex desperately tried to chase after him. He started to dive in one last attempt to grab him. As he did so, however, he tripped over an object that lay in the middle of the path. He fell at his fleeing adversary’s heels. He tried to grab an ankle, but all he did was grasp the man’s robe. The man slid out of his robe, leaving it in Gregorex’ hands while he continued his flight down the trail.
Gregorex lay on the ground, out of breath and out of strength. To his delight, he noticed a waterskin lying on the ground next to him. It must have fallen down along with the robe! He quickly uncorked and and took a long drink. Even though it was warm, it was the most refreshing drink he could ever remember.
He put the cork back in the wineskin, figuring he’d better save some for later. He then took a look at the robe that he’d grabbed. The inside of the robe was lined with a faded purple dye. A large golden “S” was embroidered into the fabric. Gregorex quickly realized who he’d just fought.
The faded purple was the cheap dye of phony royalty. It had been Slumbutter himself.
Gregorex shook his head in frustration, angry that he hadn’t managed to capture the rogue rebel king. He stood to his feet and walked over to the object that he’d tripped over. It must have been the pack that had fallen from the horse. It was long and large and...
Gregorex gasped. It was a body. Slumbutter had been carrying a body on the back of his horse!
Gregorex stooped down as he approached the body. Its hands were tied behind its back, and a hood was draped over its head. Gregorex immediately reached for the hands and untied them. To his relief, the body moved slightly, and Gregorex could hear a groan from under the hood. The person was alive! He started to reach for the hood when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a light off to his right. He eagerly stood up and looked into the woods. Once again, he gasped in surprise.
The rock that he’d climbed before jumping on Slumbutter had mysteriously moved! It revealed the entrance to a cave. And from insight the cave shone a bright light.
Gregorex was momentarily paralyzed. Should he stay and unmask the man that lay at his feet? Or should he complete his quest to find the source of the mysterious light? As he pondered the dilemma, he noticed that the light from the cave was fading. The longer he waited, the dimmer it got. He got the feeling that, if he unmasked the man, he might never catch sight of the light again. So he bellowed out, “You’re free, mister! Unmask yourself!” and then dashed into the cave.
Gregorex had never been a big fan of caves. Though he was a mighty hunter and a fearless warrior, he had a rather obsessive fear of bats. But he took comfort in the knowledge that the light itself had probably scared the bats away, so he pressed on.
The light grew brighter and brighter as he meandered through the cave. Finally, he rounded a corner and came to an open area. There, standing in the middle of the opening, was...an owl. A warm light radiated from it. The owl cast an unblinking stare at Gregorex as he entered the chamber. Gregorex knew immediately that he had found the one that he’d been searching for. His quest was over.
But as Gregorex’ eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed that there was something else in the cave as well. Leaning against the owl, resting in peaceful slumber, was...a woman.
Gregorex looked at the owl. He wanted to ask if it was okay to come closer, but he didn’t dare to say a word. He just stood there, waiting. Momentarily, though no words were actually spoken, Gregorex got the impression that it would be okay to approach. Slowly he walked toward the owl. He felt compelled to kneel down before the owl, for--as odd as it seemed--he sensed that he was in the presence of royalty.
The owl seemed to acknowledge the bow. He then slightly turned his head, as though beckoning Gregorex to tend to the woman. Gregorex walked toward the back side of the owl and looked at the face of the one who lay there. Yet again, Gregorex gasped.
Though mud and grime covered her face, there was no mistaking her. The woman was Susannah, the wife of Samek, the mother of Gregorex’ beloved Annala. She was alive!
Gregorex gently shook her shoulder. Susannah opened her eyes. She didn’t act startled or surprised in the least. She just smiled gently and said, “I knew that help would come. I just knew it. Gregorex...it is so good to see you.” Then she slowly came to her feet and hugged Gregorex, who fought back tears as he clung to one that he’d once feared was dead at the hands of Slumbutter.
Gregorex took Susannah by the hand and led her out of the cave. The owl did not follow them; he just stood where he was and provided enough light to enable Gregorex and Susannah to find their way through the labyrinthine cave. Once the pair exited, the light from within disappeared.
Susannah’s eye was immediately drawn to the path. She took a couple of brisk steps over to the body that still lay on the path. The hood was still draped over its head. Susannah quickly reached up and pulled it off. As soon as he did, the man turned his head toward her and coughed a couple of times. Susannah quickly leaned over and embraced the man that lay before her.
For it was her son--Philip.
Gregorex was shocked and repulsed. At his feet lay the man that was nothing short of a traitor. He had betrayed not only Gregorex, but his family--not to mention the entire village of Cliffton. He wanted to tell Susannah to get away from her son. He wanted to tell her what a rotten wretch her son was, and how he was responsible for a battle that was probably even raging as they spoke. He wanted to tell her that many people--maybe even her own husband--were likely dead right now because of Philip’s treachery.
But Gregorex held his tongue and walked away. He needed some space, or else he’d say something that he’d regret. He stood a short distance away, stewing and staring blankly into the woods. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped in the air and then turned around. He found himself staring at King Maximilian himself.
“Well done, my friend,” said the king softly with a gentle smile on his face.
Gregorex immediately took a knee before the king. “My lord!” he cried out. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“It was I who rolled the stone away,” replied the king.
Surprised, Gregorex replied, “Then why didn’t you just go in an rescue Susannah?”
The king smiled and answered. “Rescue her?” he said. “Gregorex, she was not the one who needed to be rescued. Susannah was just fine. You were the one who needed to be rescued. If you had pulled that hood off, Gregorex, you would have brought great harm to Philip. It would have caused great regret for the rest of your life. You needed to get drawn away.”
The king paused before resuming. “You did well to leave the body and pursue the light. But make no mistake--your obedience was more to your benefit than to hers.”
The king then grabbed Gregorex by the shoulder and raised him to his feet. “You have done well, Gregorex,” he said. “Come with me. A great party and splendid reunion await us. Victory is ours!”
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Chapter 49 - Redemption
Mitch had been right. The trail was steep. At times, the girls had to sling their bows over their backs and climb on their hands and knees. And all the time she was climbing, Remmaline wasn’t sure whether to be excited or scared. She was thrilled to think that she’d get to see Cable again, yet she was terrified at the prospect of meeting Dor-ko. Sure, she was armed with a bow and arrow. But would she dare to use it if she met him face to face?
The one consolation for Remmaline was that Kaelanna was by her side. Life is always better when you can share your danger, as well as your excitement, with a friend. The two girls didn’t talk much during their climb, but they didn’t have to. Side by side, they knew they could press on.
The steep climb lasted for several minutes, and the girls got quite winded in the process. They finally arrived at a small ledge that appeared to be about six feet high. They could tell that the ground above the ledge leveled off. “I’m pretty sure we’re near the top,” Remmaline declared. “I’ll bet that once we get over that ledge, we’ll see Cable.”
“Let me give you a boost,” said Kaelanna. She squatted down and clasped her hands together. “Put your foot in my hands and I’ll lift you up.”
Remmaline nervously complied. With Kaelanna’s help, Remmaline grasped the top of the ledge, swung her leg over, and pulled herself up. She rolled once to give herself some distance from the ledge. Then she came to her feet and looked around.
“Oh, my,” she gasped.
“What is it?” asked Kaelanna from below. “Help me get up so I can see!”
“Oh, my,” Remma repeated. As she looked around, she saw a landscape that was completely devastated. It looked as though a great explosion had taken place. Large boulders were strewn all over the place, including one that was very near the ledge. Trees were toppled over and lying on the ground. A thin cloud of dust still seemed to hover in the air. Remmaline wandered around as though in a trance. In the back of her mind was the question, “How could Cable have ever survived this?”
Before she could spend too much time asking that question, a voice from below interrupted again. “Hey, help get me up!” It was Kaelanna. Remma scurried over to the ledge, reached down, and helped pull up her friend.
Remma then started her search. All thoughts of Dor-ko were gone now. She just wanted to find her brother. And the more time passed, the more she feared that she might not find him alive. “Cable!” she cried out. “Cable! Are you here?” She repeated her call over and over again.
Kaelanna then interrupted her. “Remma!” she called out.
Remma jumped when she heard her name. She whirled around and faced Kaelanna. “What?”
“Remma...if you’re going to call his name, you’ve got to give him a chance to reply! You’re so busy calling his name that if he said, ‘I’m over here,’ you’d never hear it!”
“Oh,” Remma replied soberly. She really didn’t care for being corrected, but she knew that Kaelanna was right. She called out Cable’s name one more time and then paused.
A faint voice penetrated the dusty and the still-dim daylight of morning. “I’m over here, you blabbermouth,” it said. Remma had never been so happy to be insulted in her whole life. She instantly pinpointed the sound and ran toward it. Vaulting over a felled tree trunk, she saw Cable lying on the other side. He was rubbing his head and trying to open his eyes. His face was covered with dirt and his clothes were torn. The side of his head was all black and blue, like he’d been strafed with a tree branch. All in all, he looked in pretty bad shape. But he was alive.
Remmaline knelt down and gave him a hug. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again!” she said, with tears running down her face.
“Me either,” said Cable. “For a while there I thought I was dead.”
Remmaline thought about that for a moment. “Wait a minute,” she said. “For a smart boy, you sure say some dumb things. How could you ever think you were dead? Dead things don’t think. If you were thinking at all, you should have known that you were alive!”
“Oh Remma, why do you always have to argue with me!” Cable replied, some strength starting to come back to his voice. “This tree nearly fell right on top of me! I thought I was going to be dead when I saw it flying toward my head. Get it?”
“Then you should have said, ‘I thought was about to die,’ not that ‘I thought I was dead,’” Remma retorted.
“Remma, just be quiet and help me get up,” Cable answered. Remma lent him a hand and helped pull him to his feet.
Kaelanna then interjected, “Didn’t Mitch say that someone else was up here?”
Cable blurted out, “Oh yeah! We gotta find Jimbo! And hey...did you say that you saw Mitch?”
A new sense of urgency flooded over Remma. “Yes, that’s right,” she replied. “But we don’t have any time to lose. I can’t explain everything, but Dor-ko himself might be making his way here on horseback. We took a shortcut so that we could hopefully find you and get you away from here before he arrives. Whoever Jimbo is, we’d better find him fast!”
The threesome began searching in earnest, calling out Jimbo’s name and searching behind every boulder and every fallen tree. It wasn’t long before Remma found a body lying face-down in the dirt. She rushed over, scootched down, shook his shoulder and called out, “Are you okay?”
The body rolled over. Remma backed up just a little bit, simultaneously startled and relieved. The man opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He then said, “Rachel, is it you? Is it you, me sweetie? Is it the love of my life, the one I dream of all the days of me feeble life?”
Remmaline stood to her feet. “What are you talking about?” she declared with indignation, temporarily forgetting her mission to help the wounded. “I’m just a 13-year-old girl. If you weren’t Cable’s friend, then I’d slap your fresh face this very instant!”
The man slowly came to his feet. He rubbed his head and said, “Crikey, mate! Oh my, does me head ever hurt! It hasn’t hurt this much since I was in school!”
While the man was talking, Cable ran over. “Jimbo, you’re okay!” he declared. They gave each other a hug, thumping themselves on the bag as is the custom with manly hugs. But as Jimbo thumped Cable, he let out a scream.
“What is it?” asked Cable.
“I forgot about my hand,” said Jimbo. He held up his hand and stared at it, then raised it up and invited everyone else to look. Remma stared at the scar and was aghast. Seeing her expression, Jimbo piped up cheerfully, “Don’t worry, girlie! I was just playing catch with a knife thrower. It’s lots of fun; I’ll show you how to play sometime.”
Remma wanted to throw up. But she kept her stomach in check and remembered the imminent danger they were all in. “Look, we came up over there,” she said, pointing back toward the ledge that she and Kaelanna had climbed over. “We need to go back down that trail and get out of here. Dor-ko could be here any minute.”
“Who in the world is Dor-ko?” asked Jimbo. “What kind of ignorant mother would name her son, ‘Dor-ko’? Can you imagine that poor kid’s life? ‘Come here, you little Dor-ko,’ his mother probably said all the time. No wonder he grew up to be a bad guy.”
Remma couldn’t help but laugh. However, her laughter was quickly stifled by the sound of rapidly galloping hoofbeats that abruptly came to a halt. The four comrades turned about and looked up. About 20 feet away, mounted on a great black horse, was the figure of Dor-ko. While the four friends had reveled in reunion, Dor-ko had arrived. And he had an arrow notched and pointed in their direction.
As Remma stared at Dor-ko, she thought he looked rather pale. He seemed to have some trouble staying atop his horse. For some reason, though he was armed and seemingly intent to kill each one of them, she was not particularly afraid of the fiend.
But Dor-ko knew none of these thoughts. He simply sat on his horse and stared, his arrow poised. After pausing a moment, he took a deep breath and declared, “It’s my privilege to have found you. I hope you enjoyed your little party. Because within the next minute, your miserable lives are about to come to an end.
Dor-ko turned his attention toward Remma. “Do you remember the battle yesterday, you miserable little fiend? Do you remember your cowardly brother, stabbing me in the heart while I was lying defenseless before him? Yes, I saw you! I saw you!” Dor-ko’s voice rose as he continued. “You were standing atop the ramparts, looking down at us. And I saw you laugh. You thought you’d seen the end of me, didn’t you! You thought it was great fun to see a man get stabbed and have his life taken from him! But you were wrong, missy. You were wrong! You were wrong! I am still alive!”
Dor-ko laughed hysterically, his eyes wide and ablaze. But his laughter quickly turned into a coughing fit, and he nearly lost control of his weapon. He fought to regain his composure and then continued. “My life is draining out from me, thanks to your miserable brother. I’m going to die, of that I am certain. But do you know what? I’m gonna take some people down with me as I go. And it’s gonna start with you, Remmaline, daughter of the accursed Maximilian! Say good-bye to your friends, for you shall never see the sun rise again!”
Dor-ko stared and aimed at Remmaline. He slowly drew back his arm. Remma was frozen; she felt unable to run and unable to reply. She just looked blankly at Dor-ko, unmoving and unable to comprehend the danger that was unfolding before her eyes. Then she heard a voice speak out.
“Hold on there, matey!” said Jimbo. He slowly took a step toward Dor-ko. “I’m sorry about your pathetic name, chap. I really am. But hey, I draw the line when it comes to threatening little girls. Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything, Dor-ko? I’ll tell you what, Dor-ko. You’d better aim that arrow at me. Because if you let it fly at Remmaline, I will personally punch your head so hard that it’ll fly off your body and land on the moon.”
“Stand back!” Dor-ko sneered.
“Aim your arrow at me, Dor-ko!” declared Jimbo. “And whatever you do, don’t aim at my hand!” Jimbo held up his hand and waved it at Dor-ko. “Because if you do, the arrow will probably sail right through! And then I’ll still knock your blessed block off!”
At that point, as she continued to stare at Dor-ko, Remmaline’s world seemed to move in slow motion. She saw Dor-ko look directly into her eyes. She saw a devilish smile creep across his face. She closed her eyes and prepared to die, feeling paralyzed by her fear. She saw Jimbo move--not toward Dor-ko, but toward her. She felt Jimbo jump on top of her. She felt her body crumple under his weight as she fell to the ground beneath him. She heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air. She heard the arrow find its target with a thud. She heard a groan. And then she did what she’d felt like doing for a long time--she screamed.
A strange silence followed Remma’s scream. She was about to scream again when she heard a voice say, “Gee whiz, girlie, I think you’ve done blasted out me ears. I can’t hear a thing!”
Remmaline opened her eyes. “Is that you, Jimbo?” she cried out.
“I think it’s me,” Jimbo replied.
“So...so you didn’t get shot?” Remmaline asked. “You didn’t get hit with an arrow?”
“Well,” Jimbo said, “I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve never been shot before, so I’m not quite sure what it feels like. But right now, I don’t feel like I’ve got any sharp objects sticking out of me. I guess that’s a good thing.”
“Then who did get shot?” Remma asked.
“Well now, that’s a good question,” Jimbo replied.
Remmaline then heard Cable’s voice. “It’s Dor-ko!” he declared.
Remmaline struggled to climb out from underneath Jimbo. When she finally broke free, she jumped to her feet and looked toward Dor-ko’s horse. Sure enough there was Dor-ko, lying face-down with an arrow sticking out of his back.
“How did that happen?” asked Remma.
A voice called out, “Over here!” Remma’s eyes turned toward a small cluster of trees that stood about thirty yards behind Dor-ko. Out of that cluster came a man atop a horse. Remma instantly recognized the horse--it was the same horse that she’d ridden in her escape from the Village of Cliffton just last night. As the horse came closer, she recognized the rider as well.
It was Mitch. He still had a bow in his hand as he approached.
Jimbo rose to his feet. “Brother, is that you?” he asked. He then ran over to the approaching horse and grabbed his brother. Handling him like a rag doll, he pulled him off the horse and gave his brother the longest and stoutest of hugs. “You came back, didn’t you!” he declared. “I knew my brother was no coward! I knew you’d be back, matey! Oh brother, it’s so good to see you!” Jimbo swung his brother around like a dance partner doing a waltz. Remmaline thought she even heard Mitch giggle. It was the first time she ever remembered hearing him utter anything resembling laughter.
As Mitch swung through the air, Remmaline saw something fly out of his pocket. It was the bag that she’d handed to him earlier. Curiosity overtook her as she walked over and picked it up. A small note tumbled out as she pulled the drawstring. It said the following:
To my faithful servant and dear friend Mitch-
I beg of you to turn back. As you look into the bag, resolve that no more shall fall to the ground while under your watch and care. Redemption is nigh; it is not too late.
M.
Remmaline opened the bag further. Its contents shocked her.
It was her hair--the hair that Mitch had so cruelly shorn seemingly a lifetime ago. Tears came to Remmaline’s eyes as she remembered that horrible moment of betrayal. But her father hadn’t forgotten her; he never did. Her father noticed everything, and he used it all to help restore all things.
The one consolation for Remmaline was that Kaelanna was by her side. Life is always better when you can share your danger, as well as your excitement, with a friend. The two girls didn’t talk much during their climb, but they didn’t have to. Side by side, they knew they could press on.
The steep climb lasted for several minutes, and the girls got quite winded in the process. They finally arrived at a small ledge that appeared to be about six feet high. They could tell that the ground above the ledge leveled off. “I’m pretty sure we’re near the top,” Remmaline declared. “I’ll bet that once we get over that ledge, we’ll see Cable.”
“Let me give you a boost,” said Kaelanna. She squatted down and clasped her hands together. “Put your foot in my hands and I’ll lift you up.”
Remmaline nervously complied. With Kaelanna’s help, Remmaline grasped the top of the ledge, swung her leg over, and pulled herself up. She rolled once to give herself some distance from the ledge. Then she came to her feet and looked around.
“Oh, my,” she gasped.
“What is it?” asked Kaelanna from below. “Help me get up so I can see!”
“Oh, my,” Remma repeated. As she looked around, she saw a landscape that was completely devastated. It looked as though a great explosion had taken place. Large boulders were strewn all over the place, including one that was very near the ledge. Trees were toppled over and lying on the ground. A thin cloud of dust still seemed to hover in the air. Remmaline wandered around as though in a trance. In the back of her mind was the question, “How could Cable have ever survived this?”
Before she could spend too much time asking that question, a voice from below interrupted again. “Hey, help get me up!” It was Kaelanna. Remma scurried over to the ledge, reached down, and helped pull up her friend.
Remma then started her search. All thoughts of Dor-ko were gone now. She just wanted to find her brother. And the more time passed, the more she feared that she might not find him alive. “Cable!” she cried out. “Cable! Are you here?” She repeated her call over and over again.
Kaelanna then interrupted her. “Remma!” she called out.
Remma jumped when she heard her name. She whirled around and faced Kaelanna. “What?”
“Remma...if you’re going to call his name, you’ve got to give him a chance to reply! You’re so busy calling his name that if he said, ‘I’m over here,’ you’d never hear it!”
“Oh,” Remma replied soberly. She really didn’t care for being corrected, but she knew that Kaelanna was right. She called out Cable’s name one more time and then paused.
A faint voice penetrated the dusty and the still-dim daylight of morning. “I’m over here, you blabbermouth,” it said. Remma had never been so happy to be insulted in her whole life. She instantly pinpointed the sound and ran toward it. Vaulting over a felled tree trunk, she saw Cable lying on the other side. He was rubbing his head and trying to open his eyes. His face was covered with dirt and his clothes were torn. The side of his head was all black and blue, like he’d been strafed with a tree branch. All in all, he looked in pretty bad shape. But he was alive.
Remmaline knelt down and gave him a hug. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again!” she said, with tears running down her face.
“Me either,” said Cable. “For a while there I thought I was dead.”
Remmaline thought about that for a moment. “Wait a minute,” she said. “For a smart boy, you sure say some dumb things. How could you ever think you were dead? Dead things don’t think. If you were thinking at all, you should have known that you were alive!”
“Oh Remma, why do you always have to argue with me!” Cable replied, some strength starting to come back to his voice. “This tree nearly fell right on top of me! I thought I was going to be dead when I saw it flying toward my head. Get it?”
“Then you should have said, ‘I thought was about to die,’ not that ‘I thought I was dead,’” Remma retorted.
“Remma, just be quiet and help me get up,” Cable answered. Remma lent him a hand and helped pull him to his feet.
Kaelanna then interjected, “Didn’t Mitch say that someone else was up here?”
Cable blurted out, “Oh yeah! We gotta find Jimbo! And hey...did you say that you saw Mitch?”
A new sense of urgency flooded over Remma. “Yes, that’s right,” she replied. “But we don’t have any time to lose. I can’t explain everything, but Dor-ko himself might be making his way here on horseback. We took a shortcut so that we could hopefully find you and get you away from here before he arrives. Whoever Jimbo is, we’d better find him fast!”
The threesome began searching in earnest, calling out Jimbo’s name and searching behind every boulder and every fallen tree. It wasn’t long before Remma found a body lying face-down in the dirt. She rushed over, scootched down, shook his shoulder and called out, “Are you okay?”
The body rolled over. Remma backed up just a little bit, simultaneously startled and relieved. The man opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He then said, “Rachel, is it you? Is it you, me sweetie? Is it the love of my life, the one I dream of all the days of me feeble life?”
Remmaline stood to her feet. “What are you talking about?” she declared with indignation, temporarily forgetting her mission to help the wounded. “I’m just a 13-year-old girl. If you weren’t Cable’s friend, then I’d slap your fresh face this very instant!”
The man slowly came to his feet. He rubbed his head and said, “Crikey, mate! Oh my, does me head ever hurt! It hasn’t hurt this much since I was in school!”
While the man was talking, Cable ran over. “Jimbo, you’re okay!” he declared. They gave each other a hug, thumping themselves on the bag as is the custom with manly hugs. But as Jimbo thumped Cable, he let out a scream.
“What is it?” asked Cable.
“I forgot about my hand,” said Jimbo. He held up his hand and stared at it, then raised it up and invited everyone else to look. Remma stared at the scar and was aghast. Seeing her expression, Jimbo piped up cheerfully, “Don’t worry, girlie! I was just playing catch with a knife thrower. It’s lots of fun; I’ll show you how to play sometime.”
Remma wanted to throw up. But she kept her stomach in check and remembered the imminent danger they were all in. “Look, we came up over there,” she said, pointing back toward the ledge that she and Kaelanna had climbed over. “We need to go back down that trail and get out of here. Dor-ko could be here any minute.”
“Who in the world is Dor-ko?” asked Jimbo. “What kind of ignorant mother would name her son, ‘Dor-ko’? Can you imagine that poor kid’s life? ‘Come here, you little Dor-ko,’ his mother probably said all the time. No wonder he grew up to be a bad guy.”
Remma couldn’t help but laugh. However, her laughter was quickly stifled by the sound of rapidly galloping hoofbeats that abruptly came to a halt. The four comrades turned about and looked up. About 20 feet away, mounted on a great black horse, was the figure of Dor-ko. While the four friends had reveled in reunion, Dor-ko had arrived. And he had an arrow notched and pointed in their direction.
As Remma stared at Dor-ko, she thought he looked rather pale. He seemed to have some trouble staying atop his horse. For some reason, though he was armed and seemingly intent to kill each one of them, she was not particularly afraid of the fiend.
But Dor-ko knew none of these thoughts. He simply sat on his horse and stared, his arrow poised. After pausing a moment, he took a deep breath and declared, “It’s my privilege to have found you. I hope you enjoyed your little party. Because within the next minute, your miserable lives are about to come to an end.
Dor-ko turned his attention toward Remma. “Do you remember the battle yesterday, you miserable little fiend? Do you remember your cowardly brother, stabbing me in the heart while I was lying defenseless before him? Yes, I saw you! I saw you!” Dor-ko’s voice rose as he continued. “You were standing atop the ramparts, looking down at us. And I saw you laugh. You thought you’d seen the end of me, didn’t you! You thought it was great fun to see a man get stabbed and have his life taken from him! But you were wrong, missy. You were wrong! You were wrong! I am still alive!”
Dor-ko laughed hysterically, his eyes wide and ablaze. But his laughter quickly turned into a coughing fit, and he nearly lost control of his weapon. He fought to regain his composure and then continued. “My life is draining out from me, thanks to your miserable brother. I’m going to die, of that I am certain. But do you know what? I’m gonna take some people down with me as I go. And it’s gonna start with you, Remmaline, daughter of the accursed Maximilian! Say good-bye to your friends, for you shall never see the sun rise again!”
Dor-ko stared and aimed at Remmaline. He slowly drew back his arm. Remma was frozen; she felt unable to run and unable to reply. She just looked blankly at Dor-ko, unmoving and unable to comprehend the danger that was unfolding before her eyes. Then she heard a voice speak out.
“Hold on there, matey!” said Jimbo. He slowly took a step toward Dor-ko. “I’m sorry about your pathetic name, chap. I really am. But hey, I draw the line when it comes to threatening little girls. Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything, Dor-ko? I’ll tell you what, Dor-ko. You’d better aim that arrow at me. Because if you let it fly at Remmaline, I will personally punch your head so hard that it’ll fly off your body and land on the moon.”
“Stand back!” Dor-ko sneered.
“Aim your arrow at me, Dor-ko!” declared Jimbo. “And whatever you do, don’t aim at my hand!” Jimbo held up his hand and waved it at Dor-ko. “Because if you do, the arrow will probably sail right through! And then I’ll still knock your blessed block off!”
At that point, as she continued to stare at Dor-ko, Remmaline’s world seemed to move in slow motion. She saw Dor-ko look directly into her eyes. She saw a devilish smile creep across his face. She closed her eyes and prepared to die, feeling paralyzed by her fear. She saw Jimbo move--not toward Dor-ko, but toward her. She felt Jimbo jump on top of her. She felt her body crumple under his weight as she fell to the ground beneath him. She heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air. She heard the arrow find its target with a thud. She heard a groan. And then she did what she’d felt like doing for a long time--she screamed.
A strange silence followed Remma’s scream. She was about to scream again when she heard a voice say, “Gee whiz, girlie, I think you’ve done blasted out me ears. I can’t hear a thing!”
Remmaline opened her eyes. “Is that you, Jimbo?” she cried out.
“I think it’s me,” Jimbo replied.
“So...so you didn’t get shot?” Remmaline asked. “You didn’t get hit with an arrow?”
“Well,” Jimbo said, “I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve never been shot before, so I’m not quite sure what it feels like. But right now, I don’t feel like I’ve got any sharp objects sticking out of me. I guess that’s a good thing.”
“Then who did get shot?” Remma asked.
“Well now, that’s a good question,” Jimbo replied.
Remmaline then heard Cable’s voice. “It’s Dor-ko!” he declared.
Remmaline struggled to climb out from underneath Jimbo. When she finally broke free, she jumped to her feet and looked toward Dor-ko’s horse. Sure enough there was Dor-ko, lying face-down with an arrow sticking out of his back.
“How did that happen?” asked Remma.
A voice called out, “Over here!” Remma’s eyes turned toward a small cluster of trees that stood about thirty yards behind Dor-ko. Out of that cluster came a man atop a horse. Remma instantly recognized the horse--it was the same horse that she’d ridden in her escape from the Village of Cliffton just last night. As the horse came closer, she recognized the rider as well.
It was Mitch. He still had a bow in his hand as he approached.
Jimbo rose to his feet. “Brother, is that you?” he asked. He then ran over to the approaching horse and grabbed his brother. Handling him like a rag doll, he pulled him off the horse and gave his brother the longest and stoutest of hugs. “You came back, didn’t you!” he declared. “I knew my brother was no coward! I knew you’d be back, matey! Oh brother, it’s so good to see you!” Jimbo swung his brother around like a dance partner doing a waltz. Remmaline thought she even heard Mitch giggle. It was the first time she ever remembered hearing him utter anything resembling laughter.
As Mitch swung through the air, Remmaline saw something fly out of his pocket. It was the bag that she’d handed to him earlier. Curiosity overtook her as she walked over and picked it up. A small note tumbled out as she pulled the drawstring. It said the following:
To my faithful servant and dear friend Mitch-
I beg of you to turn back. As you look into the bag, resolve that no more shall fall to the ground while under your watch and care. Redemption is nigh; it is not too late.
M.
Remmaline opened the bag further. Its contents shocked her.
It was her hair--the hair that Mitch had so cruelly shorn seemingly a lifetime ago. Tears came to Remmaline’s eyes as she remembered that horrible moment of betrayal. But her father hadn’t forgotten her; he never did. Her father noticed everything, and he used it all to help restore all things.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Chapter 48 - Following Orders
When Remmaline heard Mitch’s name, her first reaction was to cringe in fear. She gasped and cowered atop her horse, half-expecting Mitch to rise up and attack her once again. But Remmaline heard no movement in the bushes below her. Her courage grew as the moments passed, and eventually she pierced the silence and cried out, “Come out of the bushes and show yourself!”
“Just...just a moment, Your Majesty,” replied Mitch. Remmaline heard a rustling noise from the undergrowth that lay before her, and she backed her horse up a few feet. A few seconds later, a man came crawling out out of the bushes. He knelt down before Remmaline’s horse and begged, “Please! Have mercy on me!”
Remma was shocked at what she saw. Mitch looked awful. His face was scruffy, as though he hadn’t shaved for days. This was very unusual for a man who was always fussy about his appearance. His face was also drawn and thin, as though he hadn’t eaten for days. Scrapes and scars marred his high forehead, and great bags sagged underneath his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded once again, “I beg of you...please grant me just the smallest sip of your water! I’ve not had a drink for at least two days...”
As Remmaline’s fear diminished, her sense of outrage grew. She again aimed her drawn arrow at Mitch and said, “Why should I help you? You kidnapped me, you cut my hair, and you handed me over to Dor-ko himself! My father trusted you, and you left me to die in a nasty prison! Why shouldn’t I leave you to die, the same way you left me?”
Mitch hacked and coughed before he replied, “There is no reason at all that you should help me, Princess Remmaline. I betrayed you and treated you cruelly. If you help me, it would only be because you are gracious like your father.”
Remmaline was torn in her heart. She was moved by Mitch’s plea, yet she still felt the wounds of Mitch’s treachery. She cried out again, “Nothing you can say will change anything, Mitch! My brother Andres is fighting for his life. I don’t even know where Cable is--maybe you tried to kill him too. My father is nowhere to be seen. You’ve wrecked everything, Mitch. Everything!” Remma’s arms trembled as she continued, “You deserve to die this very second! And I can make it happen, you miserable wretch!”
“I am miserable indeed,” Mitch replied. “And you could put me out of my misery by simply releasing the arrow that is in your grasp. But please...I know I’ve caused great misery. I deserve nothing. I beg of you, just give me a drink. Then you can do with me whatever you please.”
“I don’t trust you!” cried out Remmaline.
“I don’t ask for your trust, Your Majesty. I ask for your mercy.” Mitch bowed his face to the ground in front of Remmaline.
“No!” Remmaline declared. She drew the arrow further and shouted, “Sit up like a man and take the punishment that you deserve!”
As Remmaline stared at Mitch’s groveling figure, she heard a voice behind her. “Don’t do it!” declared Kaelanna. “Don’t do anything here that you will regret later! Think of what your father would do!”
Remmaline didn’t take her eyes off Mitch. The man came back to his knees, staring up at her, his face filled with fear and shame. But Remma’s rage remained. “My father set him free four years ago, and look what good that did! He’s ruined everything! He deserves to die!”
“You are right, Remma,” replied Kaelanna. “But don’t you think it would be better to follow in the footsteps of your father than to follow in the footsteps of Mitch? Isn’t mercy better than cruelty?”
“It wouldn’t be cruel to give him what he deserves!” yelled Remmaline.
“Look, Remma...let’s help him out,” called out Kaelanna.
“What kind of a friend are you?” declared Remmaline, her arms shaking again, the arrow still pointed at the groveling Mitch.
“I’m a friend who was sent to remind you of what your father said,” replied Kaelanna.
“What do you mean?” snapped back Remmaline.
“Before you left, your father said that an old friend of his was in grave danger, and that you needed to do whatever you could to help him. Well, here he is. Mitch may be a traitor, and he may have harmed you in a way that will never be repaired. But he is an old friend of your father, and he needs our help. He needs your help. If we do as your father has requested, I have a feeling it’ll be okay. But it’s up to you, Remma. It’s up to you.”
Remmaline pondered Kaelanna’s words as she stared at Mitch. Tears started to stream down her cheeks; soon she began to sob. She was angry at Mitch, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to forgive him. There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to make him pay dearly for the misery he’d caused. But Kaelanna was right: Her father had given her a task. That task was not only to find Cable but also to help an old friend in need.
Remmaline realized she had a choice to make--to do what she wanted, or to do what her father wanted. In frustration mingled with relief, Remmaline cast her bow and arrow to the ground. She then dismounted, grabbed her waterskin, and handed it to Mitch. Mitch mouthed the words “Thank you” and took a few grateful sips. He started to hand it back to Remma, but Remma insisted, “Go ahead, have some more. I’m sure if my dad were here, he’d tell you to finish the whole thing.”
When he was done, Remma took it back and tucked it in her satchel. She then remembered the small bag that her father had given her. Handing it to Mitch, she said, “My father asked me to give this to you. He said it has a message in it, and that you’ll need it if you have any hope of surviving. I’m not sure what that means, but that’s what he said.”
Mitch took the bag in his hands and stared at it as if it were a precious diamond. He shook his head, stared up at Remma, and asked, “Are you sure? He said this was for me?”
“Yes,” Remmaline replied. “He was thinking of saving you, even while you were thinking of destroying him.”
Mitch started to open it but paused and turned back to the girls. “Look,” he said, “I have an urgent message for you. I know you are looking for Cable. Well, to find him quickly, you’ll want to take the trail to your right. It is very steep--it almost goes straight uphill. But you’ll get there quickly.”
“Did you come down that trail?” asked Remmaline.
“I...I did, sort of accidentally,” replied Mitch. “I was...I was running away from danger last night, like the coward that I am. And then there was a great explosion. I was sent tumbling down the hill before getting knocked unconscious. I’m sure I broke my leg; that’s why I had to crawl out of the bushes.”
“Are you okay?” asked Kaelanna. Remmaline figured that Kaelanna had to be the most friendly and caring girl on the face of the earth.
“I’ll be okay, thank you,” said Mitch. “But please, I implore you--start climbing up the hill. You’ll find Cable and another man named Jimbo at the top, barely a quarter mile away. I’m sure they’ll need your help. Because here’s the thing--just moments before you arrived, I saw Dor-ko galloping along the trail. Thankfully he never saw me. But he was moving fast. He went down the trail that goes off to your left, and I’m pretty sure that’s a much longer trail. But there is no doubt he’s trying to get Cable. You’ll need get to Cable first, or we’ll all be in danger.”
Remmaline started to remount her horse when Mitch interrupted. “I’m afraid your horse will be useless on that trail,” he declared. “It’s too steep. Take your bows and arrows and start climbing immediately. You may yet beat him to the punch.”
Kaelanna immediately dismounted, and the girls grabbed their weapons. As they started down the trail, they heard Mitch call out one more time. “One more thing...Dor-ko looked awful. He has been wounded, and he is greatly weakened. Do not fear him, okay? Do not fear him! You can defeat him! Now go! Run!” And with those words, the girls ran as fast as they could.
“Just...just a moment, Your Majesty,” replied Mitch. Remmaline heard a rustling noise from the undergrowth that lay before her, and she backed her horse up a few feet. A few seconds later, a man came crawling out out of the bushes. He knelt down before Remmaline’s horse and begged, “Please! Have mercy on me!”
Remma was shocked at what she saw. Mitch looked awful. His face was scruffy, as though he hadn’t shaved for days. This was very unusual for a man who was always fussy about his appearance. His face was also drawn and thin, as though he hadn’t eaten for days. Scrapes and scars marred his high forehead, and great bags sagged underneath his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded once again, “I beg of you...please grant me just the smallest sip of your water! I’ve not had a drink for at least two days...”
As Remmaline’s fear diminished, her sense of outrage grew. She again aimed her drawn arrow at Mitch and said, “Why should I help you? You kidnapped me, you cut my hair, and you handed me over to Dor-ko himself! My father trusted you, and you left me to die in a nasty prison! Why shouldn’t I leave you to die, the same way you left me?”
Mitch hacked and coughed before he replied, “There is no reason at all that you should help me, Princess Remmaline. I betrayed you and treated you cruelly. If you help me, it would only be because you are gracious like your father.”
Remmaline was torn in her heart. She was moved by Mitch’s plea, yet she still felt the wounds of Mitch’s treachery. She cried out again, “Nothing you can say will change anything, Mitch! My brother Andres is fighting for his life. I don’t even know where Cable is--maybe you tried to kill him too. My father is nowhere to be seen. You’ve wrecked everything, Mitch. Everything!” Remma’s arms trembled as she continued, “You deserve to die this very second! And I can make it happen, you miserable wretch!”
“I am miserable indeed,” Mitch replied. “And you could put me out of my misery by simply releasing the arrow that is in your grasp. But please...I know I’ve caused great misery. I deserve nothing. I beg of you, just give me a drink. Then you can do with me whatever you please.”
“I don’t trust you!” cried out Remmaline.
“I don’t ask for your trust, Your Majesty. I ask for your mercy.” Mitch bowed his face to the ground in front of Remmaline.
“No!” Remmaline declared. She drew the arrow further and shouted, “Sit up like a man and take the punishment that you deserve!”
As Remmaline stared at Mitch’s groveling figure, she heard a voice behind her. “Don’t do it!” declared Kaelanna. “Don’t do anything here that you will regret later! Think of what your father would do!”
Remmaline didn’t take her eyes off Mitch. The man came back to his knees, staring up at her, his face filled with fear and shame. But Remma’s rage remained. “My father set him free four years ago, and look what good that did! He’s ruined everything! He deserves to die!”
“You are right, Remma,” replied Kaelanna. “But don’t you think it would be better to follow in the footsteps of your father than to follow in the footsteps of Mitch? Isn’t mercy better than cruelty?”
“It wouldn’t be cruel to give him what he deserves!” yelled Remmaline.
“Look, Remma...let’s help him out,” called out Kaelanna.
“What kind of a friend are you?” declared Remmaline, her arms shaking again, the arrow still pointed at the groveling Mitch.
“I’m a friend who was sent to remind you of what your father said,” replied Kaelanna.
“What do you mean?” snapped back Remmaline.
“Before you left, your father said that an old friend of his was in grave danger, and that you needed to do whatever you could to help him. Well, here he is. Mitch may be a traitor, and he may have harmed you in a way that will never be repaired. But he is an old friend of your father, and he needs our help. He needs your help. If we do as your father has requested, I have a feeling it’ll be okay. But it’s up to you, Remma. It’s up to you.”
Remmaline pondered Kaelanna’s words as she stared at Mitch. Tears started to stream down her cheeks; soon she began to sob. She was angry at Mitch, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to forgive him. There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to make him pay dearly for the misery he’d caused. But Kaelanna was right: Her father had given her a task. That task was not only to find Cable but also to help an old friend in need.
Remmaline realized she had a choice to make--to do what she wanted, or to do what her father wanted. In frustration mingled with relief, Remmaline cast her bow and arrow to the ground. She then dismounted, grabbed her waterskin, and handed it to Mitch. Mitch mouthed the words “Thank you” and took a few grateful sips. He started to hand it back to Remma, but Remma insisted, “Go ahead, have some more. I’m sure if my dad were here, he’d tell you to finish the whole thing.”
When he was done, Remma took it back and tucked it in her satchel. She then remembered the small bag that her father had given her. Handing it to Mitch, she said, “My father asked me to give this to you. He said it has a message in it, and that you’ll need it if you have any hope of surviving. I’m not sure what that means, but that’s what he said.”
Mitch took the bag in his hands and stared at it as if it were a precious diamond. He shook his head, stared up at Remma, and asked, “Are you sure? He said this was for me?”
“Yes,” Remmaline replied. “He was thinking of saving you, even while you were thinking of destroying him.”
Mitch started to open it but paused and turned back to the girls. “Look,” he said, “I have an urgent message for you. I know you are looking for Cable. Well, to find him quickly, you’ll want to take the trail to your right. It is very steep--it almost goes straight uphill. But you’ll get there quickly.”
“Did you come down that trail?” asked Remmaline.
“I...I did, sort of accidentally,” replied Mitch. “I was...I was running away from danger last night, like the coward that I am. And then there was a great explosion. I was sent tumbling down the hill before getting knocked unconscious. I’m sure I broke my leg; that’s why I had to crawl out of the bushes.”
“Are you okay?” asked Kaelanna. Remmaline figured that Kaelanna had to be the most friendly and caring girl on the face of the earth.
“I’ll be okay, thank you,” said Mitch. “But please, I implore you--start climbing up the hill. You’ll find Cable and another man named Jimbo at the top, barely a quarter mile away. I’m sure they’ll need your help. Because here’s the thing--just moments before you arrived, I saw Dor-ko galloping along the trail. Thankfully he never saw me. But he was moving fast. He went down the trail that goes off to your left, and I’m pretty sure that’s a much longer trail. But there is no doubt he’s trying to get Cable. You’ll need get to Cable first, or we’ll all be in danger.”
Remmaline started to remount her horse when Mitch interrupted. “I’m afraid your horse will be useless on that trail,” he declared. “It’s too steep. Take your bows and arrows and start climbing immediately. You may yet beat him to the punch.”
Kaelanna immediately dismounted, and the girls grabbed their weapons. As they started down the trail, they heard Mitch call out one more time. “One more thing...Dor-ko looked awful. He has been wounded, and he is greatly weakened. Do not fear him, okay? Do not fear him! You can defeat him! Now go! Run!” And with those words, the girls ran as fast as they could.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Chapter 47 - A Burden Shared
Remma hadn’t traveled too far beyond the city walls when she came to a terrifying realization. The entire city was surrounded by the Black Knights of Dor-ko! How did she ever expect to get beyond the enemy’s lines and over to the pine tree? Just moments before, she had taken off with her head down, blindly confident and ready to obey her father’s command. But now that she realized just how impossible that command really was. She quickly reined her horse in, looked up, and prepared for the bitter end that she was sure to meet as she stood alone before her enemies.
To her surprise, there wasn’t a soldier around her. The entire battlefield had shifted away from her, off to her left. The noise of battle was deafening, as steel clashed with steel and as men uttered shouts of triumph and cries of anguish. But thankfully, these sounds were off to the side, not in front of her. She turned and again scanned the horizon for the pine tree. Finding it, she spurred her horse onward. She just hoped that no one noticed her solitary dash across the plain.
To her dismay, she’d scarcely gotten started when she heard a sharp whistle somewhere in front of her. Once again, she abruptly reined in her horse and listened. The whistle pierced the air once again. Remma cautiously dismounted her horse. She and the horse knelt down together, and Remma scanned the ground in front of them. The crescent moon cast very little light--enough to detect vague silhouettes in the distance, but nothing more. Remma saw nothing at first. She just hoped that she and her horse were equally hard to see.
Remma then heard the whistle a third time. She nearly jumped off the ground from surprise. It seemed to be coming from just a few yards away. A moment later, she heard hoofbeats approaching. She turned to the left and saw a horse approaching. The horse stopped a short distance to her front. As Remmaline continued to strain her eyes, she could see the figure of a man rise up from the ground. Remma couldn’t understand how she hadn’t noticed him before. He was a tall man, and he appeared to move very gingerly. The man appeared to bend over and grab a weapon from the ground. He then climbed aboard the horse and started to ride. At first, Remmaline couldn’t tell whether he was moving closer or further away. But as she gazed intently at the shadowy figures of the horse and rider, she could see that they gradually became smaller. To her relief, they were riding away from her.
Remma’s relief didn’t last for long, however. She soon realized that the mysterious horse and rider were heading straight for the same pine tree that was her destination.
Remma was despondent. How could she follow this man? He must not be one of the white knights, or else she would have recognized the silver armor in the dim moonlight. Certainly this man was an enemy! And what if she caught up to him? There is no doubt that the man would hear her, draw his weapon, and kill her! Why didn’t her father tell her about this?
Remma looked back toward the city gates. The battle continued to rage on the other side of the city. The path to the city gates was still wide open. She could turn around, re-enter the gates, and be safe in her father’s arms within a matter of minutes. Surely he would understand that she couldn’t do what he asked...wouldn’t he?
Remma sat for minutes, staring at the city walls, unsure of what to do. She finally convinced herself to return. Cautiously, she rose to her feet and nudged her horse to do the same. But this time, as she looked back at the city, she saw the towering figure of a man silhouetted against the horizon. She knew that it must be her father, standing atop the scaffolding and surveying the battle. She was sure that he would see her and wave at her to come back. She stared and noticed her father turn, as though he had seen her and was now staring at her. She waited for the signal to return. She was sure it would come any moment, as soon as he realized what grave danger she was in.
But the signal never came.
Instead, Remmaline saw her father slowly disappear from view. He evidently had gotten down from the scaffolding. Remma watched for another few minutes, hoping that he would reappear. He never did.
Remma was despondent. Her father saw her, yet he did nothing. How could he turn his back on her? How could he ask her to go on this mission, trailing behind an overpowering enemy that wouldn’t hesitate to kill her? Didn’t her father care? Remma’s mind was flooded with questions. She had no answers for any of them. Yet one thing she did know--her father had sent her on a mission. And it was her duty to fulfill it. He would expect nothing less.
With new resolve, Remmaline got back on her horse and headed once again for the great pine tree. It seemed to Remma as though her horse glided through the air as he raced to their destination. Within minutes, horse and rider arrived at the woodline. Remma then brought her horse to a stop, dismounted, and began to look for the location where the trail began. Her father said it might be difficult to find, and she was sure that the horse wouldn’t find it on his own. So she began to traipse through the bushes in an attempt to find it.
Unfortunately the trail was nearly impossible to find. Once again, Remma entertained thoughts of going back to the city. What if the man that she’d seen earlier was lurking just around the next tree? Her life could be in great danger, and she wouldn’t even realize it until that man sent an arrow flying through her heart! Surely if her father knew how truly risky this was, he would expect to return...wouldn’t he?
As Remmaline hesitated in fear, she heard footsteps coming toward her. She turned back to face the city. Sure enough, she could make out the faint outline of a horse galloping straight toward her. Remmaline was sure that this rider had seen her leave the city and was out to capture her--or worse. In the moments that followed, Remmaline cowered behind a tree in fear. She was sure that life as she’d known it was about to come to an end. She was angry with her father. How could he send a 13-year-old girl off on her own in the midst of a raging battle?
From her hiding spot, Remma saw the horse approach the woodline and come to a halt. She stared at the rider; he was not nearly as big as she had thought he would be. In fact, he seemed rather small? Of course, it really wouldn’t matter once he drew his bow and arrow. Arrows shot by a small man are just as deadly as arrows shot by a big man. Remma saw the rider look back and forth, as though searching for her. Like a little child, Remmaline closed her eyes in the hope that somehow, if she couldn’t see the rider, the rider would be unable to see her as well.
“Remma! Remma! Where are you?”
Remma heard the voice of the rider call her name. Yet it wasn’t the voice of a man; it was the voice of a young girl. Remma quicklly realized who it was--it was Kaelanna! She jumped out from behind her tree and cried out, “I’m over here, Kaelanna!” as she dashed out of the woods. Kaelanna dismounted from her horse, and the two friends embraced.
“What are you doing here?” Remma asked.
“The king sent me to you,” Kaelanna replied, talking quickly while repeatedly gasping to catch her breath. “I had fallen asleep on the ground, propped up against the inside of the city walls. Then just a few minutes ago, the king grabbed my shoulder and gently shook me awake. I couldn’t believe it was him! I mean, you’re probably used to it. But for me--well, to open my eyes and see the face of the king, that was something I think I’d dreamed of my whole life. I mean, I didn’t see it too clearly, ‘cause it’s dark and everything. But I opened my eyes and there he was! I jumped up and gave him a big hug, and he hugged me back, like he’d been waiting to see me his whole life. But he didn’t hug me for too long. Instead, he took me by the hand and led me to a horse. Then he pointed me toward the tall tree and said that you needed my help. And so I started riding. Wow--I’m so glad you’re okay!”
The two girls hugged once again. As they did so, Remmaline realized something. She had gotten her father all wrong. When he stared at her from above the city walls, he hadn’t abandoned her at all. He had seen her need and had sent her a friend and helper. Why hadn’t she just trusted him?
Kaelanna interrupted Remma’s thoughts. “We’d better get going,” she said. “The king said that the trail started just to the right of the pine tree. I’m sure if we let our horses look around a bit, they’ll find it and we’ll be off and running. Let’s go!” And at Kaelanna’s command, the two girls mounted their horses and gingerly led them into the forest. Within a minute, the horses found the trail, and the duo was racing once again through the night.
The trail scared Remmaline just a little bit. Though the horses didn’t gallop at full speed, it seemed like they were racing out of control as the branches of nearby trees whipped by her face. The trail was wide enough such that the branches never actually struck her. But Remma was sure that, just around the next bend, a big branch was waiting to knock her from her horse. Though she was thankful to have a friend with her, she couldn’t shake the sense of fear that seemed hover over her ever since she’d left the city gates.
“Wow, these branches sure are close!” Kaelanna said, breaking the silence. Remma was relieved to know that she wasn’t the only one that was just a bit fearful. Then Kaelanna continued by saying, “But at least we can be thankful that someone rode in here in front of us.”
“Did you see that guy?” asked Remma.
“I didn’t, but your father mentioned it to me,” Kaelanna replied. “It’s kind of creepy to know that someone is ahead of us. But hey--if there is a big branch somewhere across this trail, it’ll knock him off before it knocks us off. That’s pretty good, huh?”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Remmaline said. She was glad to have a friend with her that took a little more cheerful view of the situation.
The girls continued to make their way through the woods. Remma had no idea how long they rode for. Time seemed to stand still as she rode silently through the woods with her new best friend behind her. The only way she knew that time was passing was by the slowly emerging light. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, Remmaline began to more clearly see the trail in front of her. The emerging light seemed to bring courage to the young girl. Yet it was a courage mixed with fatigue. She hadn’t gotten much sleep lately, and she was exhausted. She began to sink into despair once again. Even if she found her brother, how would she ever be able to get back again?
Soon after this thought crossed her mind, Remma came to a fork in the trail. One path went off gently to the left, while the other bore sharp to the right. Remma brough her horse to a halt and turned back to face Kaelanna. “Did my dad say anything about a fork?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t,” was Kaelanna’s reply.
“He didn’t mention anything to me, either,” said Remma. “I...I don’t know why he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t know about it.” Remma paused and thought for a moment before she continued. “What do you think we should do?” she asked.
“I...I don’t know.”
Just then, a groaning sound was heard. “Help...” came a low voice from what appeared to be a few feet away. “Please...help...”
This time, Remmaline didn’t react in fear. She reacted with resolve. She drew her bow and quickly notched an arrow. Remma pointed it toward the sound. “Who are you?” she cried out.
“What are you doing?” asked Kaelanna.
Remmaline ignored the question. She held her arrow steady. “I want to know who’s out there!” she cried out. Give me your name, or I will shoot!”
“Please don’t shoot!” came the voice once again. The voice was weak, but it was strangely familiar to Remma. The last thing she expected to hear was a familiar voice.
“You’d better tell me who you are, or I will shoot!” declared Remma. “Are you for the King or against him?”
“I...I am for the king,” replied the voice. “But I am about to perish. Please, have mercy on me and give me a drink. I beg of you...”
As the voice trailed off, Remmaline persisted. “What is you name?” she demanded.
“Don’t you recognize my voice?” was the reply. “It...is me. Mitch.”
To her surprise, there wasn’t a soldier around her. The entire battlefield had shifted away from her, off to her left. The noise of battle was deafening, as steel clashed with steel and as men uttered shouts of triumph and cries of anguish. But thankfully, these sounds were off to the side, not in front of her. She turned and again scanned the horizon for the pine tree. Finding it, she spurred her horse onward. She just hoped that no one noticed her solitary dash across the plain.
To her dismay, she’d scarcely gotten started when she heard a sharp whistle somewhere in front of her. Once again, she abruptly reined in her horse and listened. The whistle pierced the air once again. Remma cautiously dismounted her horse. She and the horse knelt down together, and Remma scanned the ground in front of them. The crescent moon cast very little light--enough to detect vague silhouettes in the distance, but nothing more. Remma saw nothing at first. She just hoped that she and her horse were equally hard to see.
Remma then heard the whistle a third time. She nearly jumped off the ground from surprise. It seemed to be coming from just a few yards away. A moment later, she heard hoofbeats approaching. She turned to the left and saw a horse approaching. The horse stopped a short distance to her front. As Remmaline continued to strain her eyes, she could see the figure of a man rise up from the ground. Remma couldn’t understand how she hadn’t noticed him before. He was a tall man, and he appeared to move very gingerly. The man appeared to bend over and grab a weapon from the ground. He then climbed aboard the horse and started to ride. At first, Remmaline couldn’t tell whether he was moving closer or further away. But as she gazed intently at the shadowy figures of the horse and rider, she could see that they gradually became smaller. To her relief, they were riding away from her.
Remma’s relief didn’t last for long, however. She soon realized that the mysterious horse and rider were heading straight for the same pine tree that was her destination.
Remma was despondent. How could she follow this man? He must not be one of the white knights, or else she would have recognized the silver armor in the dim moonlight. Certainly this man was an enemy! And what if she caught up to him? There is no doubt that the man would hear her, draw his weapon, and kill her! Why didn’t her father tell her about this?
Remma looked back toward the city gates. The battle continued to rage on the other side of the city. The path to the city gates was still wide open. She could turn around, re-enter the gates, and be safe in her father’s arms within a matter of minutes. Surely he would understand that she couldn’t do what he asked...wouldn’t he?
Remma sat for minutes, staring at the city walls, unsure of what to do. She finally convinced herself to return. Cautiously, she rose to her feet and nudged her horse to do the same. But this time, as she looked back at the city, she saw the towering figure of a man silhouetted against the horizon. She knew that it must be her father, standing atop the scaffolding and surveying the battle. She was sure that he would see her and wave at her to come back. She stared and noticed her father turn, as though he had seen her and was now staring at her. She waited for the signal to return. She was sure it would come any moment, as soon as he realized what grave danger she was in.
But the signal never came.
Instead, Remmaline saw her father slowly disappear from view. He evidently had gotten down from the scaffolding. Remma watched for another few minutes, hoping that he would reappear. He never did.
Remma was despondent. Her father saw her, yet he did nothing. How could he turn his back on her? How could he ask her to go on this mission, trailing behind an overpowering enemy that wouldn’t hesitate to kill her? Didn’t her father care? Remma’s mind was flooded with questions. She had no answers for any of them. Yet one thing she did know--her father had sent her on a mission. And it was her duty to fulfill it. He would expect nothing less.
With new resolve, Remmaline got back on her horse and headed once again for the great pine tree. It seemed to Remma as though her horse glided through the air as he raced to their destination. Within minutes, horse and rider arrived at the woodline. Remma then brought her horse to a stop, dismounted, and began to look for the location where the trail began. Her father said it might be difficult to find, and she was sure that the horse wouldn’t find it on his own. So she began to traipse through the bushes in an attempt to find it.
Unfortunately the trail was nearly impossible to find. Once again, Remma entertained thoughts of going back to the city. What if the man that she’d seen earlier was lurking just around the next tree? Her life could be in great danger, and she wouldn’t even realize it until that man sent an arrow flying through her heart! Surely if her father knew how truly risky this was, he would expect to return...wouldn’t he?
As Remmaline hesitated in fear, she heard footsteps coming toward her. She turned back to face the city. Sure enough, she could make out the faint outline of a horse galloping straight toward her. Remmaline was sure that this rider had seen her leave the city and was out to capture her--or worse. In the moments that followed, Remmaline cowered behind a tree in fear. She was sure that life as she’d known it was about to come to an end. She was angry with her father. How could he send a 13-year-old girl off on her own in the midst of a raging battle?
From her hiding spot, Remma saw the horse approach the woodline and come to a halt. She stared at the rider; he was not nearly as big as she had thought he would be. In fact, he seemed rather small? Of course, it really wouldn’t matter once he drew his bow and arrow. Arrows shot by a small man are just as deadly as arrows shot by a big man. Remma saw the rider look back and forth, as though searching for her. Like a little child, Remmaline closed her eyes in the hope that somehow, if she couldn’t see the rider, the rider would be unable to see her as well.
“Remma! Remma! Where are you?”
Remma heard the voice of the rider call her name. Yet it wasn’t the voice of a man; it was the voice of a young girl. Remma quicklly realized who it was--it was Kaelanna! She jumped out from behind her tree and cried out, “I’m over here, Kaelanna!” as she dashed out of the woods. Kaelanna dismounted from her horse, and the two friends embraced.
“What are you doing here?” Remma asked.
“The king sent me to you,” Kaelanna replied, talking quickly while repeatedly gasping to catch her breath. “I had fallen asleep on the ground, propped up against the inside of the city walls. Then just a few minutes ago, the king grabbed my shoulder and gently shook me awake. I couldn’t believe it was him! I mean, you’re probably used to it. But for me--well, to open my eyes and see the face of the king, that was something I think I’d dreamed of my whole life. I mean, I didn’t see it too clearly, ‘cause it’s dark and everything. But I opened my eyes and there he was! I jumped up and gave him a big hug, and he hugged me back, like he’d been waiting to see me his whole life. But he didn’t hug me for too long. Instead, he took me by the hand and led me to a horse. Then he pointed me toward the tall tree and said that you needed my help. And so I started riding. Wow--I’m so glad you’re okay!”
The two girls hugged once again. As they did so, Remmaline realized something. She had gotten her father all wrong. When he stared at her from above the city walls, he hadn’t abandoned her at all. He had seen her need and had sent her a friend and helper. Why hadn’t she just trusted him?
Kaelanna interrupted Remma’s thoughts. “We’d better get going,” she said. “The king said that the trail started just to the right of the pine tree. I’m sure if we let our horses look around a bit, they’ll find it and we’ll be off and running. Let’s go!” And at Kaelanna’s command, the two girls mounted their horses and gingerly led them into the forest. Within a minute, the horses found the trail, and the duo was racing once again through the night.
The trail scared Remmaline just a little bit. Though the horses didn’t gallop at full speed, it seemed like they were racing out of control as the branches of nearby trees whipped by her face. The trail was wide enough such that the branches never actually struck her. But Remma was sure that, just around the next bend, a big branch was waiting to knock her from her horse. Though she was thankful to have a friend with her, she couldn’t shake the sense of fear that seemed hover over her ever since she’d left the city gates.
“Wow, these branches sure are close!” Kaelanna said, breaking the silence. Remma was relieved to know that she wasn’t the only one that was just a bit fearful. Then Kaelanna continued by saying, “But at least we can be thankful that someone rode in here in front of us.”
“Did you see that guy?” asked Remma.
“I didn’t, but your father mentioned it to me,” Kaelanna replied. “It’s kind of creepy to know that someone is ahead of us. But hey--if there is a big branch somewhere across this trail, it’ll knock him off before it knocks us off. That’s pretty good, huh?”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Remmaline said. She was glad to have a friend with her that took a little more cheerful view of the situation.
The girls continued to make their way through the woods. Remma had no idea how long they rode for. Time seemed to stand still as she rode silently through the woods with her new best friend behind her. The only way she knew that time was passing was by the slowly emerging light. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, Remmaline began to more clearly see the trail in front of her. The emerging light seemed to bring courage to the young girl. Yet it was a courage mixed with fatigue. She hadn’t gotten much sleep lately, and she was exhausted. She began to sink into despair once again. Even if she found her brother, how would she ever be able to get back again?
Soon after this thought crossed her mind, Remma came to a fork in the trail. One path went off gently to the left, while the other bore sharp to the right. Remma brough her horse to a halt and turned back to face Kaelanna. “Did my dad say anything about a fork?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t,” was Kaelanna’s reply.
“He didn’t mention anything to me, either,” said Remma. “I...I don’t know why he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t know about it.” Remma paused and thought for a moment before she continued. “What do you think we should do?” she asked.
“I...I don’t know.”
Just then, a groaning sound was heard. “Help...” came a low voice from what appeared to be a few feet away. “Please...help...”
This time, Remmaline didn’t react in fear. She reacted with resolve. She drew her bow and quickly notched an arrow. Remma pointed it toward the sound. “Who are you?” she cried out.
“What are you doing?” asked Kaelanna.
Remmaline ignored the question. She held her arrow steady. “I want to know who’s out there!” she cried out. Give me your name, or I will shoot!”
“Please don’t shoot!” came the voice once again. The voice was weak, but it was strangely familiar to Remma. The last thing she expected to hear was a familiar voice.
“You’d better tell me who you are, or I will shoot!” declared Remma. “Are you for the King or against him?”
“I...I am for the king,” replied the voice. “But I am about to perish. Please, have mercy on me and give me a drink. I beg of you...”
As the voice trailed off, Remmaline persisted. “What is you name?” she demanded.
“Don’t you recognize my voice?” was the reply. “It...is me. Mitch.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)