Chapter 20 - The End of the Beginning

That night, the boys slept more deeply and more soundly than they'd slept in all their lives.  In fact, they not only slept that night, but they also slept all through the next day and all through the next night as well.  In fact, they didn't didn't awaken for about 36 hours.  In order to understand why they slept so well, and in order to appropriately bring this story to a conclusion, it is necessary to recall three scenes from the hours that followed the return of the king.

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The first scene took place while the cheers for the returning king were still filling the air.  Someone with a deep voice that somehow was able to make itself heard declared, "Let's free the prisoners!"  And with that, many people stormed into the castle, lit some torches, and found their way to the damp, dark basement.  At first, the group was fearful, because no one had any keys.  But Andres piped up and said, "I bet I know where there's a key!" and he ran back to his cell.  Sure enough, the key was still stuck in the door.  "I didn't figure that the fat guard was all that bright," Andres declared.  "I never did see him take the key out."

Devlin, who had followed Andres down to the dungeon, then grabbed the key and raced down another hallway.  Andres and Cable ran to keep up, while the others followed at a slower pace.  Finally, Devlin found the door he was looking for and opened it.

A lady, whose beauty managed to pierce through the grime and filth of the dungeon, was standing just inside the door.  "I knew you'd come back for me," she said.  It was Devlin's mother.

Devlin jumped into his mother's arms, and the two hugged each other for what seemed like a week.  Cable watched the whole scene with tears in his own eyes and with cheer in his own heart.  He had never realized that a person could experience such joy, just by seeing someone else have the longing of their heart fulfilled.  Then he noticed that Andres was looking at him.  He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, cleared his throat, and said, "Uhhh...that's really cool, Devlin."  Then he turned to head back upstairs, followed closely by his brother, who really did hate the dark and was anxious to see some sunlight again.

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The second scene happened shortly after the boys re-emerged from the dungeon.  The people had started to disperse, but the castle was still filled with people running to and fro.  Suddenly, two men came running up to the brothers.  One blew a little bugle.  A sickly, rather pathetic little sound came out of it.  No one other than the bugler himself was too impressed.  But the second man standing next to him declared, in a raspy, high-pitched voice, "Hear ye, hear ye!  The king hereby summons Prince Andres and Prince Cable to his throne room."  And with that, the two men took Andres and Cable by their arms and led them to another portion of the castle.

As they approached the door to the throne room, two guards stood erect, with very formal and unsmiling expressions on their faces.  They were only armed with wooden clubs and slingshots, but that was the best they could do at this point.  Seeing the two princes approach, they opened the great doors and let the boys enter. 

Lying before the boys' eyes was a long, purple carpet that led to the king's throne.  The room was filled with people standing on either side of the carpet.  The two men that had been dispatched to fetch the boys nudged them toward the king.  The boys slowly walked toward the throne.  When they finally reached it, they both got down and knelt before the king.

Then the king stood from his throne, reached down, grabbed the boys, lifted them in the air, and held them in his arms.  After a few moments, he placed them back on the ground and declared to the crowd, "My sons have returned!"  And the room erupted in cheers.  Looking the boys in the eyes, he said, "I have long awaited this day.  Now come, follow me.  I have something to show you."  And the king then took the boys by the hand and led them out a back door and into another hallway.

Finally, after reaching the end of the hallway, they stopped at another door.  Above the door, in faded letters on a gold plaque, said the names, "Cornicus and Abello".  Opening the door, the king said, "This used to be your bedroom, boys.  You left the castle as Cornicus and Abello.  But you have come back with the names Cable and Andres.  And...well, now that I think of it, I rather like the new names.  Why don't you just keep them?"  Cable nodded while Andres shrugged.

A set of bunk beds lay in the corner.  Cable yelled, "I've got top bunk!" and began a race to the beds.  As usual, Cable got there first and vaulted onto the bed.  Then he looked and saw a great sword with a jeweled hilt lying at the foot of the bed.  "Hey Andres, check it out!"  he yelled.  Andres had the same gift awaiting him.  They stared at the swords, carefully fingering every square inch of them.  Cable got down from the top bunk and walked over to the king.

"Are these for us?" he asked.

"Yes, my sons, of course they are!" he replied.  "I'd had them made just after Abello...er, Andres...was born.  I'd planned to give them to you after your 10th birthday.  Well, you've both passed that point, so I figured it was time.  My silversmith had hidden them well!"

"I can't believe it," said Andres, mostly to himself.  "I can't believe it.  I can't believe it.  Wow.  I just can't believe it."

Then, just as Andres was striking up quite a conversation with himself, Cable yelled, "Andres!  En garde!"  And the two started swordfighting.  The sound of clashing steel filled the air.  "Sure beats bamboo!" declared Andres, just before Cable nearly removed his head.

The king came over and gently laid his hands on his boys.  "Why don't we wait a bit on this?" he said.  The boys reluctantly agreed that their skills probably needed some fine-tuning.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *   

The third scene happened about an hour after the boys got to their rooms.  They were still exploring their new abode when they heard a great commotion back down the hallway.  They ran out of their room and back to the throne room.  When they got there, they saw a man walking down the carpet toward the king.  His face was covered with dust and sweat.  He carried someone in his arms, and a young girl followed him from behind.  "Your Majesty," he said with a weak and weary voice.  "It is good to see you again.  Please attend to the lady.  She has been ill for a long time."  Then he collapsed to the floor.

Immediately the king stood to his feet and rushed forward.  He called for a doctor, and two doctors soon arrived.  Cable turned to Andres and said, "They sure look familiar!  Let's go!"  And they rushed forward as well.  When they came to the side of the king, they both gasped.

The man who collapsed was Ronaldus.

The young girl who had been following him was Remma.

And the lady he'd been carrying was Remma's mother, whose name they'd never found out.

One doctor looked at Ronaldus, while the other quickly examined the lady.  The doctor looking after Ronaldus was not worried.  "He's fine--just exhausted," he said.  The doctor by the lady's side felt for her pulse.  "She's still alive," he said at last. 

Then the king knelt down, took her hand, and gently kissed it.  "It's so good to see you again, Krystara," he said softly.  "I see that the kingdom now has a princess."

At the sound of his voice, the lady stirred.  She sat up and said, "I've been waiting to hear that voice for so long."  Then the king took her in his arms and sat back on the throne.

Thus, the royal family was finally restored.  Andres and Cable now realized that the girl that they'd saved on the riverside was actually their sister, and that the lady they'd met in that house in the woods was actually their mother.  Ten years ago, the king had planned to make a great announcement--that the queen was to have another child.  But the invasion of the black knights had thwarted those plans, and Krystara--after escaping the invasion with the aid of Dorian's friend, Dylonius--had given birth to her daughter six months later, while hiding in the woods. 

We won't go into all of the details of the family reunion.  It is enough to say that Krystara revived when she was restored to her family, and she lived for many years thereafter.  Remma loved living in the castle and being a princess.  She particularly loved having some brothers to boss around.  And whenever her brothers responded to her bossiness with a dose of teasing and torment, she would simply declare, "That's no way to threat a princess!" before stomping and storming out of the room.  She loved to dress up in royal clothes at every opportunity.  And she had her own set of dolls, which she kept in her room.  Whenever she was alone in her room, she became a queen herself, and her dolls were her princesses.  She expected her dolls to be a whole lot more obedient than she ever was.  But that seems to be the way it is with princesses and girls and dolls.

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Of course, many questions have been left unanswered.  Whatever happened to Dor-ko and Slumbutter?  How did Ronaldus find Krystara and Remma?  And what about Dylonius, the faithful friend of Dorian who had helped Krystara escape?  What was his fate? 

These and many other questions will simply need to linger for now.  After all, it is hard to have a sequel unless there are at least a few loose ends.  For now, suffice it to say that you can understand why the boys slept so well during their first night back in the castle.

THE END

Chapter 19 - Triumph

As the whole assembly watched, a silence swept over the courtyard.  Slumbutter stood to his feet and walked over toward Dor-ko, who was no longer smiling.  The two of them watched the king walk over toward the three prisoners.  His footsteps seemed to echo throughout the courtyard, as though an elephant were walking across the stage.  Finally, unable to tolerate the quiet, Slumbutter pointed to the other executioner and yelled,  "Stop him, you dolt!"

"I'll do no such thing," was the reply that emerged from under the other hood.  Cable thought he recognized the voice.  The man peeled back his hood, and who should it be but Kylus!  Kylus then reached under his cloak and pulled out a second sword, which he tossed to Dorian.  "Please forgive me for ever doubting you, old friend!" he declared.

"It's a joy to see you again, Kylus," replied Dorian as he grabbed the sword in midair and slashed it through the air a couple of times.

Despite the surprises, Slumbutter managed to regain his composure.  Speaking in more measured tones, he said, "Maximilian, you know that your reign is over.  You've been searching for the ring, and your search has been foiled.  It rests upon my finger now.  You command nothing!"  Then, turning to the assembly and raising his voice, Slumbutter shouted, "To arms, black knights!  I order you to seize the rebel Maximilian!"

A tentative shout was raised from the black knights.  They stood to attention and drew their swords.  However, despite their great numbers, none of the knights was anxious to charge to the stage.  A great fear seemed to have descended upon them.  They stood still, seemingly awaiting another command.

Slumbutter yelled once more, "I said to seize them!"  His command echoed throughout the castle.  And still, nothing happened.  A nervous quietness once again enveloped the courtyard.

A gentle sound then pierced the silence.  A "whoooo.....whoooo...." was heard from above.  The black knights seemed to shake at the sound.  Slumbutter dropped his sword, then quickly picked it back up.

Maximilian stood tall and erect.  He looked up and to the right, gazing upon the castle ramparts.  An owl stood there, his eyes gazing down upon the entire spectacle.  He then laid down his executioners sword and approached Cable.  Looking into his eyes, he asked, "Do you have the ring, my son?"

At that point, Cable broke down in tears.  His joy in seeing the king had masked the great sense of failure that he'd felt when the ring was pulled from his neck.  But now, the weight of his failure fell upon him.  Just when the king needed him most, he had nothing to offer.  With his eyes misty, he looked up at Maximilian and, in a feeble, cracking voice said, "I'm sorry, sir.  I...I lost it.  I did my best."

Maximilian gave Cable a big hug and then reached into his satchel.  He pulled out the dagger that was still there.  Holding it in his right hand, he walked over toward Slumbutter.  Dor-ko moved over to intervene.  Slumbutter, cowering behind Dor-ko, said, "Do you suppose to take me down with a child's dagger, Maximilian?  You are a bigger fool than I'd thought."

Maximilian replied, "Yes, I do intent to take you down, though not as you might think."  He paused before Dor-ko and switched the dagger into his left hand.  With his right hand, he seemed to unscrew something at the bottom of the dagger's handle.  Finally, a small object tumbled out of the hollow handle and bounced upon the stage.  Without a trace of hurry, Maximilian grabbed the object.

It was a ring--a shiny, golden ring that seemed to shine as bright as the sun.  Maximilian placed it upon his finger.  He pushed a dumbounded Dor-ko to the side and stared at Slumbutter.  "You have failed, my former friend," he said, his voice steady.  "You thought you'd thwarted my return, but you failed.  The boys fulfilled their quest.  They found Dorian, who--as you've known all along--was completely innocent.  And they have returned the ring to its rightful owner."

Slumbutter would not yield so easily.  "You lie!" he bellowed.  Then, turning to the black knights, he shouted still louder, "He lies!"  The assembled knights remained still, unsure of what to do.

Maximilian's calm voice continued.  "You know that the ring--the true ring--bears the name of Romanix.  He gave that ring to me on the day that we conquered Bagowind, and his name remains inscribed on the ring to this very day.  Take your ring and examine it, Slumbutter.  You will see that it is not the ring.  You will see that you have failed."

Slumbutter refused to touch the ring.  He replied, "If that is the case, then only Romanix can truly discern which is the true ring.  And since he's not here, it is just your word against mine."  Then, raising his voice and again turning to the black knights, he declared, "I defy you, Maximilian!  Black knights, I order you, seize the rebel king!"

The assembled knights reluctantly moved forward.  Maximilian, not the least bit intimidated by the approaching warriors, reached into his cloak and pulled out a horn.  "If you seek Romanix, then Romanix you shall have," he said.  Then he blew upon the horn.

The sound of the horn reverberated around the castle and through the hills beyond.  The knights stopped in their tracks.  The courtyard again grew silent. 

Then a great shout was heard in reply, from beyond the castle walls.  The shout, which didn't stop but just grew in intensity, was followed by the rolling thunder of drums.  The sound of a marching army seemed to shake the ground on which they stood.  It was now Maximilian's turn to address the black knights.  "An army is approaching," he said.  "Go out and protect your leader!"

The black knights, who had ignored Slumbutter's commands throughout the entire episode, suddenly decided that obedience wasn't such a bad idea.  The drawbridge was opened, and the knights prepared to charge out of the castle. 

However, none of them actually bothered to leave the castle.  For, standing outside the gates, was Romanix and an army of citizens.  They had no armor, yet they were all armed with various weapons of their own devising--bows, arrows, homemade spears, and even slingshots.  There was not a trace of fear on their faces as they stared down the black knights.

Maximilian walked toward the drawbridge, followed by Kylus, Dorian, Cable and Andres.  The black knights instinctively stood to the side as Maximilian walked through their midst.  For some reason, it never occurred to any of them to strike out at Maximilian.  Rather, they seemed overwhelmed with awe as he moved amongst them.  Finally, he and the others emerged from the gaggle of black knights and crossed the drawbridge.  Maximilian ran up to Romanix and threw his arms around him.  "You've come back for me!" he declared to Romanix.

Romanix quickly bent the knee before him.  "No, my lord," he replied.  "You have come back for me."

When the army of citizens saw Romanix bow before the king, they all did the same.  The entire landscape was silent for a few moments.  Then a lone shout was heard--"Long live King Maximilian!"  At the sound of that cry, the entire army rose to their feet.  Waving their weapons in the air and shouting with great joy in their hearts, they all spoke as one--"Long live King Maximilian!  Long live King Maximilian!"  Once again, the ground seemed to quake with the cheers.  It was as though the very earth itself rejoiced at the restoration of the true King of Aberdeen.

As the throng chanted and cheered the return of the king, Andres turned to Cable and asked, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Where did all these people come from?" 

"You ought to know," Cable replied, attempting to raise his voice above the roar.

"What you you mean, 'You've got to row?'" asked Andres in reply, with a puzzled look on his face.  "We're not even in the canoe!  In fact, I wouldn't care if I never saw a canoe again!"

"No, that's not what I said!" yelled Cable.

"I know you're not dead!" bellowed Andres in reply.

At this point, Cable knew that it would be futile to continue their discussion where they stood.  So he motioned to Andres, and they moved away from the king a short distance, where they could have a better chance of hearing one another.  Cable put his mouth to Andres' ear and said, "Don't you remember when we were floating down the stream on our way to the castle, and you asked me if I felt like we were being watched?  Well, I think the answer was that we were being watched--by hundreds of people, all of whom were just waiting for the king to return.  They were cheering us on, even though they didn't say a word.  They must have somehow followed us all the way to the castle!"

As the noise started to subside, King Maximilian raised his arm.  The people gradually quieted and fixed their attention on the king.  The black knights remained at the gate of the castle, unwilling to leave the castle and too scared to attack.  Finally, the king turned to the knights and said, "Black knights, servants of Slumbutter, listen!  I hold you no ill will.  If you wish, you may remain peacefully in my kingdom.  My only demand is that you remove your armor, lay down your arms and come join the people.  For those who do not wish to stay, you may leave and depart for the western wastelands with your lives intact.  But your weapons must stay."

The king stopped speaking.  All eyes were on the black knights.  For several minutes, no one moved.  Finally, one knight stepped out onto the drawbridge.  He took off his armor and threw it into the moat.  Then he declared, "It is indeed hard to kick against the goads.  I've had enough."  Then, bowing before King Maximilian, he said, "If you're willing to take me, I'm willing to follow."

Maximilian took the man's hand and raised him to his feet.  "You may join us, friend," he said.  And then the throng erupted in cheer again.

Perhaps a hundred black knights ended up discarding their armor and joining the people.  The rest remained in place, as though paralyzed.  The king then spoke again and said, "To the rest of you, I order you to come out of the castle, lay down your arms, and head away to the Jagged Mountains.  My patience has nearly come to an end.  If you are not gone within the next ten minutes, I will unleash the people on you.  I want no bloodshed, but I cannot restrain my people for much longer.  Now go!"

At that word, the black knights came streaming out of the castle.  Rather than simply laying down their arms, they cast them away as though they were on fire.  And they ran pell-mell toward the mountains, with wings of fear lending them speed that most had never experienced before.

The last two men out of the castle were Slumbutter and Dor-ko.  Slumbutter stopped and face the king as he came out.  "Here are your arms," he sneered as he laid down his sword at Maximilian's feet.  "We shall meet again, you know."

"We once shared great triumphs together, Slumbutter," replied the king.  "It pains me to see my good friend overcome by such bitterness.  Lay aside your ambition, Slumbutter, and join us."

Slumbutter spit in the king's face and turned to walk away.  Romanix drew his sword and charged at Slumbutter.  "I will relieve your spineless back of the wasteful weight of your brainless head!" he yelled.

But King Maximilian intervened.  "Peace, Romanix," he declared.  "He's had his chance.  His judgment will come soon enough.  Let him go."  And Romanix relented.

Finally, Dor-ko walked up to the king.  He took his sword, snapped it over his knee, and tossed the pieces at the feet of the king.  "If I can't have it, then neither can you," he said.  And he walked away and followed Slumbutter.

When the last of the rebels disappeared from view, the throng broke out in cheers once again.  This time, the cheers lasted for nearly an hour.  During that time, Andres and Cable ran around and tried to figure out what had just happened.  First, they went up to Romanix.  To their great surprise, Devlin was not far behind him!  As it had turned out, the owl had appeared to Romanix shortly after Andres and Cable had left the great cave.  Romanix didn't feel right about leaving Devlin with Brandonio, so he took Devlin and followed the owl.  The owl led them to a path that had recently been cut through the woods, and then he disappeared.  Romanix and Devlin followed the path, which led them past dozens of small villages that were tucked away throughout the forest.  In every village, people grabbed their weapons and silently followed Romanix.  It was as though a great calling had overcome them--as though they knew their long-awaited king was coming.  Some of them had witnessed Andres and Cable floating down the river just the night before.  They followed Romanix all the way to the castle gates.  The owl finally reappeared to Romanix from atop the castle ramparts, confirming that their journey was complete.

After speaking with Romanix, Andres and Cable dashed over to speak with Kylus.  He explained that just last night, a hooded visitor had come to his cave.  Kylus felt obliged to let him in.  When the guest was seated inside, he pulled off his hood.  To Kylus' great amazement, it was the king!  After eating a meal and catching a few hours of rest, the king suggested that they follow the great underground tunnel back into the castle.  When they emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves in an empty room, and they heard footsteps heading toward the courtyard.  They rushed out of the room and into the hallway, only to encounter two executioners.  The king and Kylus quickly overpowered the two rogues, knocking them senseless, stripping them of their garments, and locking them in a room.  Then they put the executioners garments on themselves and assumed their position on the stage.

"But how did the king know about the ring?" Cable asked.  The question had been gnawing at him for a long time.

Kylus smiled.  "Oh yes, I never told you about that.  When I first dragged you into my cave, I saw the ring around Cable's neck.  I was worried sick about it--it just seemed too visible!  So I took it off your neck and inserted it into the dagger's hollow handle.  Then I replaced it with a fake gold ring that my sister Krystara used to play with when she was a little girl.  It sure fooled Slumbutter!"

Chapter 18 - The Return

Cable was utterly thrilled by Dorian's long tale.  He was so amazed, he'd even forgotten that he was locked in a miserable cell and condemned to rot to death.  Sensing a pause in Dorian's story, he asked, "So you didn't kill the king after all?"

"Of course not," Dorian replied.  "For the life of me, I can't imagine why anyone would think that I would do such a thing.  Everyone knew I loved my father."

"And you weren't trying to kill Kylus and Romanix during the battle?" Cable queried.

"Cable, you've got to understand something," said Dorian.  "Everyone knows that I was the best archer in the kingdom.  If I wanted to hit something--especially from close range--I would hit it.  Both Kylus and Romanix would know this.  Why would they think that my intent was to kill them?  Boys, it seems as though only Ronaldus understood--things are not always as they seem.

"And let this be a lesson for you," Dorian continued.  "If you encounter something that seems to make no sense at all, then perhaps you simply don't understand it properly.  Kylus and Romanix saw me dressed in the garb of the black knights and thought I'd turned into an enemy.  But they were my friends!  Surely they'd know that such a change was impossible!  They should have realized that they simply didn't have the whole story.  I can't wait to set them straight!"

Cable, who had come back to his senses as he listened to Dorian's reply, couldn't avoid a pessimistic response.  "We won't exactly have a chance to set them straight, though, if we're trapped in this cell."  He looked over to the torch that was mounted on the wall.  The flame was already starting to grow dim.  Soon the light would be extinguished and the trio would be plunged into darkness.  "What makes you so sure that the king will help us?  What makes you so sure that we're not hopelessly doomed?"

Dorian walked over to Cable, whose satchel was still draped over his shoulders.  "When you walked around, I heard a little jingling," he said, reaching into the satchel.  "They sound like our old coins.  Let me see..."  Dorian then grasped a couple of coins out of the bag and walked over closer to the torch.  "Ah, yes, just as I thought.  Do you see that face?  That is the face of King Maximilian.  You would not be carrying these coins, my brothers, if he did not intend to come back, perhaps this very day."

Andres was about to say something, but he held his tongue.  He was still trying to put a couple of mental pieces together in his brain.  Cable, who tried to be encouraged by Dorian's words but still had his doubts, asked, "Are you sure that he'll come back, just because he said so 10 years ago?  I mean, a lot can change in 10 years.  Perhaps he's died, or perhaps he's changed his mind.  Or perhaps he's left the kingdom altogether, or has better things to do, or has just forgotten."  Cable shook his head.  He just couldn't believe, no matter how hard he tried.

A smile crept back over Dorian's face, surprising Cable.  "If you knew our father like I do, you wouldn't doubt.  He always did what he said he would do.  And that hasn't changed, and won't change."

While Cable puzzled over the reply, Andres could remain silent no longer.  "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" he declare.  "I GET IT!"

Jumping up and down, he continued.  "Okay Dorian, I've been thinking about this.  You said that Ronaldus took two boys to Corrin 10 years ago.  And just before we left on our mission, our mother said something about our being prepared for this mission ever since we arrived 10 years ago.  And you just called us your brothers.  And you just said something about Maximilian being our father.  And Cornicus is two years older than Abello, like Cable is two years older than I am.  So if I figure this right, that means that Cornicus and Abello are really the same as Cable and Andres, which is really the same thing as us!  We are the king's sons!"

Dorian nodded.  "That's right, Andres.  I knew it from the moment you walked in the door.  I worked to save you those 10 years ago, and now you're returning the favor by coming to save me.  The High King is good, isn't he?"  And the three brothers huddled in the flickering light of the torch.  In the midst of utter misery, there was joy.

Just then, Dorian lay down and put his ear to the floor.  "What are you doing?" Andres asked.

"I'm listening, Andres," he replied.  "When you spend 10 years in a prison cell, you learn to listen for things that catch your attention.  There's not much else to do, after all!  I hear many footsteps in the distance.  It is though an army is on the move, though they are not here yet.  And...well, I hear some footsteps approaching our cell as well.  Be prepared, boys, and follow my lead.  Everything is about to change."

A knock was heard on the cell door.  Andres hoped inside that someone had come to rescue them.  He was quickly disappointed.  It was the voice of the fat man that had thrown them into the cell in the first place.  "Hey, it's your lucky day, guys!" he declared, with an edge of sarcasm.  "Why don't you slide that key back under the door.  The king has decided to let you out!  He just wants to see you for a minute before you go."

Cable grabbed the key from the floor and turned to Dorian.  "Do we trust him?" he whispered. 

"Of course not," replied Dorian.  "But the way of escape planned by the High King may not look the way that we'd expect.  Go ahead and give him the key."

Cable slid the key under the door, and soon it was opened.  As the boys looked into the hallway, they saw the fat man and the tall man, together with about 15 armed guards.  They all had spears pointed directly at the prisoners.  The tall man then said, "You've got to come with us," he said.  "King Slumbutter has summoned you."  He turned to a tall, muscular man with a tiny head that stood by his side.  Andres thought his head looked like a pear, and was about the same size.  "Hey Brains," said the tall man to the muscular man, "go ahead and tie 'em up.  We don't want them running off anywhere."  Brains grabbed some rope and headed over to tie the brothers' hands behind their back.

Dorian looked at Brains and said, "There is no need to tie us, Brains.  You have our word.  We're not going anywhere."

Brains turned to the tall man.  "Hey boss," he said in an oafish voice.  "They said they ain't going anywhere."

"Fool, I said to tie them up!" bellowed the tall man in reply.

"Okay, boss," said Brains.  He turned to Dorian and said, "Sorry, fella.  The boss says I gotta tie you up."

"Nonsense," replied Dorian.  And then he grabbed Brains' little head and kissed him right on the forehead.  Brains was stunned.  "Oh my oh my oh my!" he yelled.  And then he turned and ran down the hallway.

The tall man was disgusted.  "Guards, prod them down the hallway and up to the courtyard," he said.  The guards stuck their spears into the backs of the three prisoners.  The prisoners followed the tall man down the hallway, up a set of stairs, down another hallway, and into the courtyard.  The bright light startled the three prisoners, and they squinted as they were pushed toward a platform that stood at the opposite side of the courtyard.

As Cable's eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that they were walking in the midst of an assembly of the black knights.  Four men stood on a platform in the front of the assembly.  One was Dor-ko, a wrathful smile draped over his crooked jaw.  The second was a man with a crown on his head, whom Cable assumed was Slumbutter.  The other two had hoods over their heads and great swords in their hands.

That is when Cable's heart sank.  He knew that the hooded men were the executioners.  They were not about to be set free at all.  They were about to be killed.

The three prisoners were led to the platform and made to sit down, facing the assembly.  The guards remained on the platform, surrounding the prisoners.  Andres couldn't resist muttering, "What's the matter, you sissies?  Do you think it takes 15 of you to guard 3 of us?"  One of the guards took the butt of his spear and swatted Andres on the side of the head.  Andres grunted, but he smiled as he did so.  He'd heard the spear's handle crack as it struck his head.  Once again, he'd given as much as he'd taken.

When the prisoner's were situated, Slumbutter spoke.  "We've gathered you together to celebrate my kingship," he declared.  "Many people in the kingdom have doubted my right to reign, on the grounds that I do not possess the ring of the former King Maximilian, who was slain by the treachery of Ronaldus and Dorian.  We've kept Dorian alive these many years, hoping that he would one day lead us to the ring.  Well, my friends, that day has come!"

At that time, great applause broke out amongst the black knights.

Slumbutter continued.  "Some troublesome boys tried to help the knave escape, but they were caught...with the ring in their possession!  And so, with this great gathering, we will do two momentous things.  First, I shall don the ring which will confirm my place as King of Aberdeen.  And second, we shall slay the treacherous Dorian and the boys who so foolishly tried to restore the ring to him!"

More applause rang through the courtyard.  Then Slumbutter beckoned, and the fat man came forward with the ring.  He handed it to Slumbutter, who took it and walked over to Cable.  "Boy," he asked, "is this not the ring which you carried into the castle?"

Cable was doing all he could to still believe Dorian's words from moments earlier.  Without saying a word, he nodded.

"Then that settles it," declared Slumbutter, turning to the assembly and sliding the ring onto his finger.  "I declare myself once and for all, the sovereign King of Aberdeen!"  The black knights cheered and jeered and rattled their swords and shields.

Slumbutter then turned to the executioners.  Nodding in their direction, he simply said, "Now do your duty," and turned his back.

Cable closed his eyes, not bearing to look.  Andres kept his eyes open, searching for the owl or some other sign of hope.  Dorian's face was wrapped in calm.

The executioners approached.  They drew their swords from their sheaths.

And then one of them said, "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Slumbutter."  He then threw off his hood.  A great gasp was heard amongst the black knights.  Slumbutter recognized the voice and whirled around.  His legs shook uncontrollably and he fell to his knees.  Andres and Cable turned and looked at the one they'd feared was about the kill them.  They'd seen this face just moments before, in the horror of the prison cell.

With one voice, a name was uttered by everyone in the courtyard, friend and foe alike.  Most uttered it in fear; the boys uttered it in sheer joy.

"Maximilian!"

Chapter 17 - Innocence

Andres and Cable silently stared at the prisoner for a long time.  Even Andres, who generally was not comfortable with awkward silence, was utterly dumbstruck for a time.  But after a few moments, he felt compelled to speak.  And pessimism got the better of him.

"Great," he said at last.  "Our search is over.  We found the lost prince.  But now it doesn't matter, because we're locked in a prison and we'll never escape.  We'll just die and rot in here.  But we found the prince!  Big deal.  We're doomed."  He turned away from Dorian and started to walk around the room.

"Ah, so you were sent here?" asked Dorian.

"Yeah, by some guy named Ronaldus who for some reason didn't bother to tell us that this mission would wind up getting us killed," replied the embittered Andres.

"Ah, my old friend Ronaldus!" replied Dorian.  "That can only mean that the king is on the move!"  Then Dorian walked over, grabbed Andres from behind, picked him up in the air, turned him around and held him at arm's length.  Andres was shocked to see a huge smile break across Dorian's face.  "Do not be discouraged," declared Dorian, looking straight into Andres' eyes.  "There is always hope if the king is on the move!"

Cable was confused.  "What do you mean, 'the king is on the move'?" he asked.  "The king is dead."

Andres, who was still being held by Dorian, couldn't resist adding, "Yes, and you killed him!"  Cable shook his head.  Why did Andres have to say such things?  What good would it do to offend a tall guy that you're stuck in a cell with?

But Dorian appeared to take no offense at the charge.  He gently put Andres down, then sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, facing the two boys.  "Ah, so that's what everyone thinks, eh?" he asked, a wry smile coming across his face.

Andres didn't appreciate the smile.  "What in the world do you keep smiling for?" he asked.  "Yes, that's what everyone thinks, and it really isn't all that funny!"

Dorian shook his head.  He rose to his feet and walked over to the table where the guards had placed the two old pieces of bread.  He sniffed them and then handed one to each of the boys.  "The bread isn't too bad, boys," he said.  "Eat and celebrate.  Your mission is nearly complete, for the king is certainly coming.  You see, I didn't kill the king at all.  He is alive and well, and I doubt that we shall be in here too much longer."

Cable was still trying to make sense of it all.  "But hey, we heard from Kylus that he saw a headless body with the king's garments on it after the black knights attacked," he said.

"Ah, so Kylus is still alive as well?" asked Dorian in response.  "What good news!  I can't tell you how encouraged I am by your visit!"

"If this is what you call 'encouraging', I'd hate to see one of your bad days," Andres muttered.

Dorian ignored the remark.  "Boys, settle down," he said.  "Let me tell you the real story of the king's apparent death."  The boys sat down, leaned against the wall opposite Dorian, and listened.

"The story starts 10 years ago, boys, when I was about 17 years old.  One morning, my friend Dylonius and I got up early in the morning to go exploring on horseback.  It was still dark when we left.  The king--my father--had an announcement to make at noon, and we wanted to make sure we got back in time.

"We headed off toward the Jagged Mountains.  I adored the cool, clear, fresh mountain air, and I was always eager to head up to the mountains whenever I had the opportunity.  Dylonius and I had traveled for about two hours when we crested the first ridge.  Below us stretched a great valley, which we had planned to cross in order to go up to higher elevations.

"However, we found that we could go no further."

Dorian then stopped and looked at the old bread that Andres had in his hand.  "Are you going to eat that?" he asked.

"Hey, keep going!" said Andres.  He sank his teeth into the bread and motioned to Dorian to continue.

"All right, if you say so," Dorian said, with a wry smile again appearing on his face.  "The reason that we couldn't cross was that it was filled with an army of black knights.  They were in formation and armed for battle, with bows and quivers slung over their shoulders and spears and shields in their arms.  They were facing in the direction of the castle, and they were preparing to move.

"Dylonius and I, who knew the woods well, maneuvered around in order to try and get a better look.  As we looked toward the head of the formation, I saw someone I knew very well--Slumbutter.  I was filled with anger at that moment, for I knew that he was about to launch a rebellion.  I wanted to dart out of the woods and slay him that very moment.  But Dylonius grabbed my arm and pulled me back.  He whispered, 'We must get back and warn the king!'  I knew he was right, though it killed me to do so.  I turned my back on my enemy and we retraced our steps to the castle.

"When we returned, we immediately rushed to my father's chambers.  He was sitting there, almost as though he were expecting us.  I ran up to him and said, 'Dad, a whole army led by Slumbutter is preparing to attack!  They shall be here within a matter of hours!'

"My dad shook his head wistfully.  He turned his head to the side and said, to no one in particular, 'Oh Slumbutter, Slumbutter!  You were once a faithful warrior in battle.  How great was the triumph we shared over Bagowind!  But in end, what you really wanted was the throne.  And soon you shall have it...for a time.'

"I objected to my father's words.  'Don't say such things, Dad!' I replied.  'We can prepare for battle this very minute and defeat him!'

"My father wasn't convinced.  'Slumbutter has been plotting against me for some time,' he replied.  'He will have his hour of success.  Too many people have believed his lies.  But still, we must resist him to the end.'

"Then my father looked straight into my eyes.  'Look, Dorian,' he said.  'You must do something for me.  You must take my two boys away from here.  They--and you--must be kept safe.  Here, let me show you something.'  Then my father walked over to a desk and pulled out one of the drawers.  He grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it to me.  'Here is a map.  The queen comes from this village right here, named Corrin,' he said, pointing to a point on the map.  'Please see that you take the boys there.  You must leave immediately.  I command you--go now, and do not return until the messenger of the High King tells you to do so.'  He did not raise his voice, but he was firm.  If the messenger of the High King was involved, there was no room for debate.

He then removed the kingly ring from his finger.  'You must guard this at all costs,' he said.  I clutched the ring and nodded, not knowing exactly what to think.  I embraced my father, and he kissed my forehead.  It was an abrupt farewell, but I knew I had to act at once.

"I ran out of the chambers and went to find my mother, leaving Dylonius behind.  I couldn't help but wonder what mission my father would have for him.  However, as I ran through the hallways of the castle, I began to hesitate.  The king was asking me to leave the castle just when a battle was about to commence!  I couldn't do it!  I just couldn't do it!  So instead, I found Ronaldus, who also stayed in the castle.  I knocked on his door and asked to speak with him a moment.  When he came out, I asked, 'Ronaldus, could you do the king and I a great service?' 

"Ronaldus--the most faithful servant the Kingdom of Aberdeen has ever seen--said, 'Of course, my lord.' 

"So I told him, 'Then please, listen to me.  I need you to go to the crest of Mighty Hill, just west of here.  You will find a grove of trees at the crest.  One of the trees has a ladder built into it.  I'd built it as a child, for a lookout.  It will be of good use to us today.  Climb up that tree and look for me.  When you see me, in an hour or two from now, I should be carrying a basket and a boy.  Watch carefully.  I will shoot an arrow at the tree with instructions concerning what you are to do.'

"Ronaldus bowed before me.  'I only wish to serve my lord the king,' he said simply.  Even though it meant that he might never see his own family again, he didn't hesitate to obey.  He is perhaps the greatest man I've ever known.

"You see, I couldn't just tell Ronaldus to take the boys himself.  The queen would never surrender the boys to him, and she would certainly know that it was my job to attend to their welfare.  So I figured that I would take the boys, deliver them to Ronaldus, and then come back and fight.

"I left Ronaldus, went back to my room, and donned my armor.  I then ran to the castle ramparts.  To my surprise, the enemy was within sight of the castle gates!  Flaming arrows were already being launched, and fire had already broken out in parts of the castle.  I knew that I had to act quickly.  So I found my mother and, with no explanation, grabbed the boys out of her arms.  It was perhaps the most difficult thing I've had to do.  I could hear my mother's crying..I can hear it even today.  But my father had given me charge of the boys, and I knew that any delay could mean their lives would be in danger.

"I then made my final preparations.  I grabbed a basket from my room and placed baby Abello in it.  I took the ring that my father had given me, placed a string through it, and laid it in the basket with Abello.  Then I grabbed the map that my father had given me and wrote the following: 'Ronaldus--please see that these boys are safely taken to Corrin.  Please watch over them until the messenger of the High King tells you to move.  And guard the ring with your life!'  I carefully wrapped the map and instructions around the shafts of one of my arrows.  Leaving my shield behind, I grabbed my sword, along with the boys, and ran to the castle's stables in order to get my horse.

"My horse seemed to sense the urgency of the situation.  He ran from the castle faster than I'd ever seen him run before.  I was seen by a couple of the black knights, but no one bothered to pursue me.  There wasn't a horse in the kingdom that could keep up with mine.  I raced to the foot of Mighty Hill, hoping that Ronaldus had also seen the urgency of the situation and was in position to act.

"I got to the base of the hill, from which I had a clear view of the grove of trees.  I thought I saw Ronaldus hiding in the treetops; this greatly reassured me.  I took the basket with Abello in it and hid it under a bush.  Then I took Cornicus and said, 'You may not understand this, but please do as I say.  Crawl under those bushes and watch over your brother.  Do not leave his side, no matter what.  Soon, a friend will come by and take you away for a little while.'  Cornicus seemed to understand.  I don't know how he could--he was only two-and-a-half years old!--but he had the heart of a young king.  He obeyed me without question and started to crawl under the bushes.

"No sooner had Cornicus gotten on his knees when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw an arrow flying.  I instinctively dove and covered the boy.  The arrow struck me in the side, knocking the wind out of me.  Oh, how that hurt!  I pushed the boy into the bushes and struggled to rise to my feet.  Turning my head, I saw a tall black knight rapidly approaching.  The coward!  He would sooner shoot at an innocent boy than fight me!  In my fury I forgot about the pain in my side and steeled myself to fight to the death.

"As we fought, I was amazed at the skill of my adversary.  I was one of the best fencers of all the White Knights of Aberdeen, yet the rogue deflected my every thrust.  It didn't help that he had a shield while I had none.  And his strength was nearly overwhelming.  He kept pushing me further and further from the bushes in an obvious effort to get between me and the boys.  Only one man I knew had strength like that--the evil Dor-ko, whom my father had let go many years earlier.  It appeared that he--the ungrateful wretch--had joined forces with Slumbutter to overthrow my father.

"Finally, Dor-ko succeed in knocking me down.  He raised his sword to pin me to the ground.  I knew that, unless I gathered my strength for one last attack, both I and the boys would be dead within a minute.  So I rolled away from the slashing sword, leaped to my feet, grabbed Dor-ko's shield and thrust it upward into his jaw.  The blow knocked him senseless.  I should have finished him off at that moment, but my mind was immediately diverted to my primary mission--to see that Cornicus and Abello were safely delivered to Corrin.

"At that point, I came to a terrible realization.  As the smell from the burning castle pierced my nostrils, I realized that I would not have a chance of getting back into the castle if I kept my white armor.  The castle was surrounded, and I'd have to fight my way through a thousand enemy soldiers.  The only way to get back in would be to somehow switch armor and pretend to be one of the black knights.  I hoped that, once I got into the castle, I could at least save my father, if not my friends.  As I looked at Dor-ko's body, I realized that he was as tall as I was.  It would be a perfect fit.  So I made the decision to switch armor with him.

"Once the switch was complete, I reached into my quiver and grasped the arrow around which I had wrapped the instructions to Ronaldus.  I sent it flying through the air and into the base of the tree in which Ronaldus was perched.  I then grabbed Dor-ko's black horse and dashed back to the castle.

"When I arrived at the battle front, the black knights were preparing to assault.  The battle seemed to be at a standstill, but when the black knights observed my armor, they thought that Dor-ko had arrived.  This seemed to inspire them, and they fought with renewed vigor.  The flaming arrows continued to assault the brave but thinning line of White Knights.  I knew that Romanix and his forces would not be able to hold out much longer.

"At that point, as I looked across the battlefield, I saw Romanix himself.  What a great man, leading his men from the front!  The White Knights have never seen so courageous a leader.  I wanted to salute him, but then I realized that he was preparing to draw his arrow and shoot me down.  For of course, he thought I was Dor-ko!  In self defense, I quickly drew an arrow myself and let it fly.  As I'd hoped, I struck him in the shoulder--enough to stop him from killing me, but not enough to kill him.  I then charged forward, and the black knights followed me.  I knew that if I kept going, the black knights would find Romanix and thrust a spear through his heart.  So, when I came upon him, still writhing in pain on the ground, I dove on top of him and protected him.  Once the line of black knights passed, I got back to my feet and continued to press forward, into the castle.

"However, as I ran forward, I got the feeling--the sixth sense of the combat warrior--that I should turn around.  When I did so, I saw that brave Romanix had somehow stood to his feet and was preparing to shoot me from behind.  I raised my visor in order to show him that it was I, not Dor-ko.  I then saw, behind him, the great messenger of the High King.  I pointed to him in wonder, for it was the first time I had seen the owl in many years.  But as I pointed, Romanix turned around and followed him.  I was relieved for the moment.  At least one of my old friends would be saved.

"I continued to press forward.  My next goal was to get to my father's chambers in hopes of protecting him.  It wasn't hard to get there--the thousands of black knights were overwhelming the courageous but horribly outnumbered White Knights.  When I got to the room, I threw open the door and looked to the far corner.  There was my father, backed into a corner yet singlehandedly holding off six black knights.  In a great fury, I yelled out, 'I have returned, Father!' and ran headlong at the knights.  Together, my father and I made short work of the vile filth.  The last one paid for his treachery with a great swipe from my sword that sent his head tumbling to the floor, separated from his body.

"Finally there were a few brief moments of calm.  My father and I both leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor, exhausted.  For several moments we just fought to catch our breath.  He said, 'I knew you wouldn't leave,' to which I replied, 'How could I leave my father's side in battle?'  Then he asked, 'Are the boys safe?'  I said, 'They are in Ronaldus' hands now.'  My father said, 'Then they are safe.'

"At that point, my father rose to his feet.  'Come with me,' he said.  I replied, 'I must stay to the end, Dad.  I...I just can't leave.'  Then he took his sword and touched both my shoulders with its tip.  'You are not just an heir to the throne,' he told me, 'but you are also the bravest of warriors.  I am proud to be your father.'  Then he reached down and helped lift me to my feet.  As I stood, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.  'I leave you with one more mission, my son.  Please deliver this to Kylus.  It is a brief message, but he will need it.  And know this, that I will come back for you.  Never give up, and never lose hope.  I will come back.'  With those words, he went over to the other side of the room, grasped a small handle that protruded from the floor, and lifted up.  A trap door was raised.  He descended into the opening in the floor, closed the door behind him, and disappeared.

"Then an idea struck me--one that could deceive the enemy, if nothing else.  While the room was calm for a moment, I went to my father's wardrobe and grabbed some garments.  I then walked over to the headless knight, pulled off his black armor, and put on the king's garments instead.  Then I took the knight's head and heaved it out the window.  I hoped that, when people saw the body, they would think that the king had died.  I figured my father would be back in a few days and surprise everybody.  Little did I know that ten years would pass before he'd be on the move again!

"At that point, I became very concerned about my mother.  I had forgotten to ask my father if she had been taken care of!  So I dashed out into the hallway.  I heard great commotion to my right.  I stopped and turned and who should I see but Kylus!  I raised my visor to show him that it was I, and to let him know that I had a message for him.  But there wasn't time to explain anything, for one of the black knights was coming up behind him and preparing to cut him down.  Quickly, I drew another arrow and let it fly.  Kylus ducked, and the arrow struck the black knight in the throat.

"But evidently, Kylus thought I'd been trying to kill him.  So he raised his sword in anger and charged at me.  I fled around the corner and waited for a minute.  Hearing the door to the king's chambers close, I figured that Kylus must have gone in there.  So I ran back to the doorway, grabbed the note that my father had given me, and slid it under the door.  Then I ran down the hallway in search of any other White Knights that I might be able to aid.

"But my search was in vain.  The black knights had overrun the castle.  When I saw that no one was left, I walked up to Slumbutter and pulled off my helmet.  'You are not fit to wash my father's boots,' I declared.  Having no more strength to fight and no hope of escape, I laid down my arms.  Without so much as looking me in the eyes, he turned to a couple of knights that stood before him and said, 'Take him to the dungeon.  Give him enough food to keep him alive, and no more.  He will draw his father back here one day, and then we shall finish him for good.' 

"Well boys, that was when I was thrown into this cell.  And I've never left it since that day."

Chapter 16 - The Prisoner

Cable was a captive again, and he was utterly miserable.  Anyone watching the boy--with his hands and feet tied and with a hood covering his head--would have felt sorry for him.  He was draped over the back of a horse, exposed to the hot sun.  His sweat made the fresh wounds from the wolves sting horribly.  He could see nothing.  The hood was suffocating.  He was hungry, and thirsty, and filled with despair.

The despair was the worst part of it.  Cable wondered why he'd ever come on this mission.  He'd done the right thing, after all.  He could have taken the hermit up on his offer and gone home to Corrin, but he didn't.  He'd done everything he could in order to fulfill his mission.  And now, it seemed as though his mission had ended in failure.  He was a prisoner again. 

Then Cable's mind drifted toward Remma and her mother, and he sank even further into despair.  He knew that Remma would be able to escape the fire, but what about her poor, sick mother?  He felt like a fool, chasing after the wolf in the yard and falling into a trap.  And now, because he'd let his desire to get revenge on the wolf get the best of him, Remma and her mom might not even be alive.

The only thing that gave Cable any hope whatsoever was remembering that he'd been a captive once before, at the hands of Dor-ko.  He had escaped that time.  Perhaps he would escape again.

Eventually, the riders stopped.  Cable heard one of them--the fat one with the raspy, high-pitched voice--say, "Guess what, kids!  You're at the castle!  Just where you always wanted to go!"  He laughed and pulled Cable off the horse.  Cable tumbled to the ground, grunting in pain.  He heard Andres fall as well.

Cable then felt someone cut the ropes around his legs.  "Get movin', boys," said the tall man with the deeper voice.  Cable was pushed from behind, and he stumbled to the ground.  He winced in pain.  He could barely feel his legs after the long ride.  But before he could recover, the tall man grabbed him and yanked him back to his feet.  "Better not fall down again, boy," he said again.  "Next time, you might just fall into the moat.  And then I wouldn't be able to pick you up."  With that, Cable staggered along as best he could, not seeing where he was being led.

After a few minutes, Cable heard the tall man's voice again.  "Watch your step, boy," he said.  "You're heading down some stairs.  I wouldn't want you to break your neck before you even get to your prison cell."

"Yeah," said the high, raspy voice.  "If you die in the cell, we can leave you to rot.  If you die in the hallway, we've got to lug you out and toss you in the moat.  You'll make it a lot easier for us if you just get to your cell."  The fat man laughed.  He was quite impressed with his own sense of humor.

At that point, Cable heard Andres speak for the first time.  "Hey tubby, do you ever notice that you're the only one that laughs at your dumb jokes?" he asked.  Cable cringed.  Why couldn't Andres just keep his mouth shut?  He heard Andres get smacked with a stick of some sort.  Then he heard a snapping sound, and he heard the fat man mumble some curses.  Cable managed to chuckle to himself.  The fat man must have broken his staff over Andres' head!

Cable descended the stairs, and then was pushed down another hallway.  At long last, he stopped.  He heard a door open--a great, creaky door.  He was pushed into the room.  Then, at long last, his hood was removed.

He and Andres were in a dungeon.  The air was cold and damp.  The only light in the room was a torch that the tall man was carrying.  There was no window to the outside.  It had a dirt floor.  The only furniture was a small wooden table that stood in the middle of the room.

The fat man then spoke again.  "As I'd said, boys, today is your lucky day!  You're about to get a candlelight dinner!"  He inserted the torch into a slot on the wall.  He then reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of moldy bread.  Throwing them down on the table, he said, "Here you go, boys!  You're last meal!"  And he laughed again.

"What do you mean, 'you're last meal'?" demanded Andres.

"We mean this," sneered the tall man.  "When we leave this room, we're not gonna come back.  We're gonna lock this door and throw away the key.  We don't want to worry about you boys ever again."  Then the tall man walked over toward Cable.  He reached down, grabbed the necklace that was around his neck, and yanked it off. 

Cable's heart sank.  If he'd felt like a failure before, he knew he was a failure now.  The ring--which he'd so carefully guarded for so long--was gone.

"You see, this is all we wanted," snarled the fat man.  "Now that we've got it, we don't need you any more.  Yeah, Slumbutter's gonna be some happy when he sees this!"

The tall man and the fat man then turned and walked out of the cell.  If the boys had been thinking, they'd have made a dash for the door in an attempt to escape.  But it was as though the despair had paralyzed them.  Their feet felt like they were nailed to the floor.  They couldn't move.  They just stared in disbelief at the men that had taken them captive.

The tall man spoke up one last time.  "You boys can keep your satchels," he said.  "I saw the daggers.  They sure do look nice!  But you see, there is another prisoner in that cell.  He's lying in the corner, like he always does.  He's crazy, you see!  Pretty soon he'll start moaning and groaning and screaming.  You'll love it!  And since your hands are still tied up, I kind of wonder if the crazy man might want to grab those knives and kill you himself."

The tall man and the fat man then left the cell and slammed the door.  The boys shuddered when they heard the lock tumble into place.  Then the fat man spoke once more.  "Hey kids, I'm gonna leave you one last present!  Since I won't need this key any more, I'm gonna give it to you, just 'cause I'm such a nice guy!"  He then slid the key under the door.  "Of course, it won't do you much good in there, since it only opens from the outside.  Ha ha ha!  Am I clever or what?"  And the fat man filled the hallway with a sinister laugh as he walked down the hallway.

The boys were prisoners again.  And this time, there was no getting out.  The ring was gone.  There was no reason for their captors to pay any more attention to them.  Whatever hope they may have clung to before was gone.  They had followed the hermit's directions and made it to the castle.  But their quest had ended in complete failure.

The boys then heard a sound from the corner of the cell.  A voice muttered, "Who is in here?"

Andres turned to Cable.  "It's the crazy man!" he said.  "He's going to come kill us with our own daggers!"

Cable thought quickly.  "If we can get over to that torch and burn off the ropes around our hands, maybe we can grab the daggers before he does."

The boys darted over to the torch.  But it was mounted too high.  They couldn't reach it.  And as they turned to the other side of the cell, they saw a tall figure stand to his feet.  He slowly came to walk toward them.

"Stay away from us!" cried Andres.  "Stay away, you wild man!"

But still the man came closer.

Andres and Cable backed away.  They moved toward the door, hoping that somehow it might swing open.  But of course, it did no good.  Their hands were tied, and they couldn't get away.

Andres then did something desperate.  He lowered his head and ran as hard as he could at the approaching man.  He startled the man and knocked him over.  "Way to go, Andres!" shouted Cable, who was impressed with his brother's courage.  But it did little good.  The man simply pushed Andres to the side and stood back to his feet.  He then grabbed Andres' satchel and pulled it off from his shoulder.

The man pulled the dagger from out of the satchel.  Andres backed up against the wall, terrified.  The man walked toward Andres, grabbed him with his left arm, and held him against the wall.  Andres shrieked and wiggled and made every attempt to get free.  But it was no use.  He couldn't escape.

Cable then ran at the man in an attempt to knock him over.  But it was futile; the man just pushed him away with his elbow.  Cable fell to the floor.  As he rolled over and looked upward, he saw the man take the knife and point it toward Andres.

Andres, pushed against the wall, closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.

And then--to the boys' great surprise--the man cut the ropes that bound Andres' arms. 

Andres spun around.  The man handed Andres' dagger back to him.  "Here, you can have this back," he said.  "Go free your brother.  I mean you no harm."

Andres was stunned.  "But they said you were crazy!" he half-whispered and half-yelled.

The man remained calm and still.  "Haven't you learned that these men are nothing but liars?" he asked.  "Why would you believe anything they say?"

Silence overtook the room.  Andres shuffled over to Cable and cut his arms loose.  The boys laid their satchels on the ground and slowly walked over to the man.  Looking up into this eyes, they finally asked the question they'd been longing to ask.  "Who are you?" they said in unison.

"I," the man replied, "am Dorian."

Chapter 15 - Captivity!

Andres squinted when he finally awoke.  A shaft of light was shining through a nearby window, and he turned his head to shield his eyes.  The surroundings were strange.  He found himself lying on a bed in the corner of what appeared to be a log cabin.  On the other side of the room, leaning against the wall, was Cable.  He was sound asleep.

Andres then tried to roll on his side.  However, as he leaned on his left arm, he grimaced.  His arm hurt terribly.  He looked and saw that a big white bandage had been wrapped around his arm.  Slowly, the events of his immediate past came rushing back.  That must have been the arm that had been grabbed by the wolf.  It was very painful--and that said a lot, because Andres wasn't the kind of boy that typically felt a lot of pain. 

When Andres finally sat up, he looked back over at Cable.  His brothers face and arms were covered with scratches and bite marks.  Andres was filled with admiration for his brother.  "He must have got those when he was fighting off those wolves," he muttered to himself.  "And I couldn't even find my own dumb dagger."

Andres then stood to his feet to try and stretch.  When he did so, the old bed on which he'd been laying let out a creak.  The noise startled Andres, and he jumped and stumbled into the wall, which made his sore arm hurt even more.  Andres shook his head.  This just wasn't his day.

As Andres grumbled to himself, however, a young girl came dashing through a door from an adjacent room.  She had wavy blond hair and brown eyes.  Andres figured she must be a little younger than himself.  When she saw Andres on his feet, she ran up to him and poked her finger into his chest.  Beaming a smile that stretched from one ear to other, she blurted out, "HOORAY!  YOU-ARE-A-WAKE!"  Then she promptly twirled around and danced in the middle of the floor.  When that was done, she ran back to Andres, pulled his head down, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  Then she danced again.

Andres watched in complete bewilderment.  He just didn't understand girls.  He didn't figure he ever would.

Andres knew he wouldn't be able to dance with her, so he figured he'd try talking instead.  Mentally fumbling for something to talk about, he asked, "So...uh...what's your name today?"  As soon as he asked it, he felt dumb.  Talking to girls really wasn't his strong suit.

The girl turned back to him and smiled again.  "My name is Remma," she replied, evidently quite proud of her name.  "What is yours?"

"Well, I guess I'm Andres," he said, again kicking himself for the awkwardness of his response.  He just didn't know quite how to handle girls.  In an attempt to cover up his obvious discomfort, he continued, "Hey, can you tell me what happened?"

"Andres...hmmm, I like that name," Remma said (mostly to herself), evidently ignoring Andres' question.  "Did you know that there isn't a single word in the whole world that rhymes with Andres?  Wow, that's weird."  She then started to dance again--more slowly, this time.

Andres started to get just a little irritated, kind of like brothers get with their sisters.  "I hate to interrupt your silly dancing," he said without much restraint, "but could you tell me how I got here?"

Remma stopped and glared at Andres.  "Dancing is NOT silly!" she declared.  "But I can't get too mad at you.  After all, you saved my life from those horrible wolves!

"I was down at the riverside doing some fishing," Remma continued.  "You see, my mother is quite sick, and she needs me to fish in order to get food.  Almost as soon as I got there, I saw about four wolves surround me.  I've lived here all my life, and I'd never seen them before.  But there they were!  There was no way out!  And then I saw you, and I realized you were my only hope.  So I yelled as loud as I could."

"I'd say you're pretty good at that," Andres mumbled.  He didn't think Remma would hear him.  He was wrong. 

Remma glared at Andres, put her hands on her hips, and asked, "How else was I supposed to get your attention?"  Then, turning away from Andres, she continued.  "Anyways, you saw me and came swimming.  Just as the first wolf was about to grab me, you jumped on top of me and...well, the wolf ended up biting you instead of me.  You were very brave--you stayed on top of me the whole time.  I could hear a bunch of growling and yelping and fighting, but you never moved.

"After awhile, the fighting seemed to stop.  The other boy came over and shook you, but still you didn't move.  So he gently rolled you off and helped me to my feet.  He had fought off the wolves all by himself!  He had a dagger in his hand, and it was covered with blood.  His face and arms were all scratched up.  But he was more worried about you than himself.  He picked you up, put you over his shoulder, and asked me, 'Can you take me to your house?'  So I led him here.

"As soon as he walked through the door, he laid you on that bed.  Then he walked over to that wall, leaned against it, and collapsed.  I think he was exhausted.

"I looked at your arm and saw that you were still bleeding.  So I wrapped a bandage around your arm as tightly as I could.  Then I went over to the other boy and washed him up a little bit.  And then I went to tell me mom.   And that's it, Andres!"  When she was done talking, Remma walked up to Andres and gave him a gentle hug.  Andres wondered how someone that acted like such a girl could have done such a good job putting on his bandage.  Most girls he knew fainted whenever they saw blood.

Just then, Cable started to wake up.  He moaned and groaned and shook his head.  "Where am I?" he said, mostly to himself, as he came to his knees in an attempt to stand up.  But before he could get up, Remma went over and hugged him as well.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Cable," replied Cable. 

"I'm Remma.  Thanks for killing all those wolves," said Remma.  "I don't know how you did it.  You saved my life."

"That's okay, Remma" mumbled Cable, still trying to clear his head.  He started to shake his arms a little bit, wincing as he did so.  The scratch marks were still fresh and extremely sore.  Then he continued, "Actually, I didn't kill all of the wolves.  I got three of them, but one got away.  If I ever see him again, I'm gonna stick my dagger right down this throat!"

Andres then asked, "Where is your mom?"

"She's resting in the other room," Remma answered.  "She's been very sick lately.  I'm starting to get really worried."

"Where is your dad?" asked Cable.

"Well...Mama says that he had to go away for awhile.  Actually, I've never seen him.  But Mama has told me all about him.  He's very brave, and a good fighter, like you boys.  He's also very kind, and he loves us very much.  But something happened a long time ago.  He went away, since before I can even remember, and hasn't been able to come back yet."

Remma then started to wipe a tear from her eye.  "I hope he comes back soon," she said quietly.  "I don't know how much longer Mama is going to make it."

Just then a quiet shuffling of feet was heard.  Cable, who was still fighting through the grogginess of the struggle, looked over toward the doorway to the other room.  He then saw perhaps the most beautiful lady that he had ever seen.  She had long dark hair and brown eyes that seemed to immediately grasp his attention.  She wore a kind smile that put him at ease, though she was a complete stranger.  Though she walked very slowly, she carried herself with great dignity--like she was a queen or something.  Cable stood motionless and stared at her.  He figured she was fairly young--maybe in her mid-30's, or 40 at the oldest.  But he knew enough not to ask.

Remma turned and pranced over to her mother's side.  "Mama!  You're awake!"  She gave her a hug and a kiss.  Andres figured he'd never seen a girl that did more hugging and kissing.  Then Remma told her mother, "You've got to meet the boys that saved my life!"  She took her mother by the hand, led her to a wooden chair that was set up against the wall, and told her all about her brush with death and her salvation at the hands of these brave young boys.

When she finished her story, she said, "Boys, will you please come here?  I'm so sorry.  I don't have the strength to move around very much."  The boys immediately came over.  She reached out and hugged the boys and said, "I'm so thankful for what you've done--more thankful than you can imagine."  The boys melted inside her embrace.  They hadn't felt so comfortable since the last time their own mother had tucked them into bed, the night before their great adventure had begun.

Wiping a silent tear from her eye, Remma's mother said, "Can you boys look at me?"  As they did so, she said, "You know...you remind me of two boys I used to know a long time ago."  Then she began to weep.

Cable didn't really know what to do.  Neither he nor Andres really dealt with emotional stuff very well.  But one thing Cable noticed was that Remma and her mother seemed very poor.  So he found his satchel, grabbed out a bunch of coins, and said, "Here, Ma'am, why don't you take these coins?  We don't really need them.  Please, take them."

As Remma's mother took a handful of coins, she looked at them intently.  For a minute or so she was completely silent.  Then she shook her head and whispered, "My goodness.  It's been so long.  I haven't seen him in so long..."  And her voice trailed off.

Andres immediately interrupted.  "You haven't seen who in so long?" 

Cable muttered, "You mean, 'whom', right?"  As a loyal brother, he found it to be his duty to constantly correct his brother.

Just before Remma's mother answered, a great howl was heard in the air.  It was a chilling sound that pierced the daylight.  Cable ran to the window and looked out.  "It's the wolf that got away!" he cried.  "Let's go get him!"  And he grabbed his dagger and ran out the door.  He was filled with rage at the beast and couldn't wait to end his life the way he'd ended the lives of the other wolves.

Cable dashed out the door and rushed madly toward the wolf.  As he did so, the wolf turned and ran.  "Come back, you coward!" he yelled at the retreating wolf.  But it was the last thing he yelled.  For while he was running toward the wolf, two men clad in black snuck up behind him, tackled him, and quickly put a gag in his mouth.  They had been lying in wait for Cable, having been led to this house by the wolf.  They tied his hands and feet and threw him to the ground.

The men then burst into the house.  One was tall and skinny, while the other one was short and fat.  Both wore black masks.  Remma shrieked in fright.  Ignoring the women, the fat one turned toward Andres and said, "Get over here!"  Andres tried to resist.  But one of the men grabbed his bandaged arm, squeezed it, and said, "Better get moving, buddy, or I'll rip this arm off for good!  King Slumbutter, may he live forever, has been looking for you.  And we wouldn't want to disappoint the king, would we?  So come along!"  He squeezed the arm again.  Andres nearly fainted again from the pain.

Remma's mother spoke up.  "Be gentle with the boys, you miserable wretches," she said, her voice steady and firm.  "When Maximilian returns, you will pay for your treachery."

The tall man replied, "Maximilian is dead, and you know it.  And soon, you will be too!"  With that, he grabbed a torch that he'd left just outside the door.  Staring at the woman as he did so, he lit the log house on fire.  "Sweet dreams, lady!" he yelled as he grabbed Andres and left.  Both men laughed as they heard poor Remma cry out.

The men grabbed the boys and pushed them toward some black horses that had been hidden in some nearby woods.  They then threw the boys over the backs of the horses.  "Today is your lucky day!" they cackled.  "You'll get to come to the castle!  The castle prison, that is!"  They laughed some more as they grabbed hoods and pulled them over the boys heads. 

The boys were captives again.

Andres would have been in complete despair were it not for one thing.  Just before the hood was lid over his head, he'd taken one last hopeful look at the tree that towered above him.  In that tree, silently staring at them, stood the owl.

Chapter 14 - Riverside Rescue

The first hour or so of the boys journey went swiftly and quietly.  It went swiftly because the current was both gentle and steady.  It went quietly because the boys were deep in thought.

Andres' mind was focused on food.  He was rather miffed that Romanix had sent them off without so much as a snack.  He wondered when they'd ever enjoy a decent meal again--one where everyone sat down and relaxed, without having to gulp down their meal for fear of being caught by some jerk with a crooked jaw that was intent on killing them.  Andres just wanted some peace and quiet and food.

Cable, in the meantime, was trying to decide whether to be anxious or relieved.  He couldn't help but be a little anxious.  After all, he held a ring around his neck that was destined for the next King of Aberdeen.  Slumbutter and Dor-ko would stop at nothing to find him, tear it from his neck, and then kill him.  That was enough to unsettle any young boy, wasn't it?  At the same time, he was relieved to be out of the cave.  The cave was nice in that it was safe, but it was very confining.  He felt that he needed to be on the move.  There is nothing quite like the anxiety that a boy feels when he is forced to be still while there is a mission to be accomplished.

So the boys proceeded in silence as they moonlit trees passed them by.  But after awhile, Andres--who really hated the feeling of being alone--began to be rather unnerved by the extended quiet.  Finally, he spoke up.

"Cable, are you worried?" he asked.  He would have asked, "Are you hungry?" but that would have just made him more hungry.  He figured it was best to avoid the topic of food altogether.

"Yeah, I figure I'm probably kind of worried," Cable replied.

"Hmmm...would you say that you're a little bit worried, or a lot bit worried?" Andres asked.

"Well, I'd say that I'm a little bit worried.  Not a lot bit, but a little bit," said Cable.

Andres pondered this a moment.  Then he asked, "Don't you think that's strange?  I mean, here we are, riding down a river we've never been on before.  We're headed into a castle we've never seen before.  Bad guys are after us, trying to find the ring.  If they catch us, they'll probably kill us.  We have no idea how to actually get to the castle.  If we somehow get to the castle alive, we have no idea what we're going to do.  So it seems like it's pretty much hopeless.  We're just kids, right?  So why aren't we really really really worried?"

Cable appreciated the question.  Cable had been pondering these very thoughts for the last hour or so, and he liked how Andres had put it into words.  Brothers can do this, of course--no one has insight into the inner workings of a boy's mind than his brother.  Cable replied, "You're right, Andres.  We ought to be worried.  We ought to just give up and try and find our way home.  But you know, I'm starting to learn some stuff from this trip."

"Stuff like what?" Andres interrupted.

"Well, stuff like the time when we left Kylus' cave to look for the Hermit.  Do you remember how hungry we were when we saw that wagon on the road?  All we could think of was the food that we saw.  And so we chased after what we saw, instead of just following Kylus' orders.  That's when we got into trouble."

Andres had to jump in.  "Don't say 'we', Cable.  I was the one who ran out into the road.  You didn't do anything wrong."

"No, Andres, we both went out there.  I'm just as much to blame as you are.  But anyway, the point is this--sometimes it's much better to just do the things that you've been asked to do, whether you understand it or not.  Sometimes our eyes can fool us, right?  It's like there are two paths to follow--the path that seems good to our eyes, and the path that seems right to our heart.  As far as I'm concerned, we're on the path that seems right to our heart.  Plus, as far as I can figure, we're on the path that seems right to the High King.  So that's probably why we're not as worried as we ought to be."

Andres had to admit that Cable was right.  Time and again, when the boys had done the seemingly obvious thing to do--the path that seemed good to their eyes--they just got into trouble.  Andres had been in trouble many times before, and usually it didn't bother him too much.  But now it was a matter of life and death.  If ever there was a time to start to be obedient, this was it.

As they continued their drift down the moonlit stream, Andres piped up again.  "Hey Cable, you know what's kind of weird?  It was only about a week ago that we were fighting with bamboo sticks.  It was all just playing around.  Now it's for real.  When we get to that castle, we could be fighting for our lives.  It just seems strange to me that it could all change so quickly."

Cable didn't answer right away.  He glanced up at the moon, then down at the river, and then over at the riverbank.  He was trying to find the right words--trying to piece this puzzling quest together.  Finally, he spoke up.  "Hey Andres, do you remember the time we went searching for treasure in the middle of the night?  We'd seen that tall oak tree on that hill on the other side of the pond, so we pretended that it was flag that pointed to buried treasure.  But we didn't want anyone else to know.  So we snuck out at midnight and paddled across.  We pretended that the chipmunks and squirrels were really lions and tigers.  So we shot 'em with our slingshots.  We pretended that bamboo sticks were like machetes, and we slashed our way through a pretend jungle.  When we got to the top of the hill, we pretended that the acorns were gold nuggets, and we filled our pockets with them.  Then we slashed our way back to the shore.  When we got there, we were hungry.  So we grabbed a big log, pretended it was a cannon, and thumped a jackrabbit with it.  We started a fire and cooked the poor critter, but as far as we were concerned, we were eating wild antelope.  Then we crossed back to our side of the pond.  When we got out, we drove our bamboo into the ground and pretended like we'd claimed a new land for the king.  Then we laid out under the stars and went to sleep."

Andres nodded as Cable told the tale.  Andres didn't actually remember the part about the jackrabbit, but he didn't want to let the truth get in the way of a good story.  So he let it go.

Then Cable asked, "Andres, do you remember what Dad did when he woke us up beside the pond the next morning?"

Andres replied, "Yeah, I think he scolded us a little bit, maybe spanked us, and then made us go to our room or something.  It wasn't anything too bad."

"Yes, that's right--it wasn't anything too bad," Cable said.  "Well, while you were on your bed taking a nap, I crawled over to the door and listened to Mama talk with Dad.  And Mama said, 'Torey, if those boys keep playing like that, they're gonna get killed some day!'  And Dad said, 'Hannah, remember this.  The boys aren't just pretending, and they aren't just playing.  Hannah, they are practicing.'

"Well," Cable continued, "I think they were right.  The time we spent playing around was getting us ready for this trip.  That's another reason why we're not as worried as maybe we could be.  Do you remember what Mama said just before we fled from our home?"

"You bet I do," replied Andres.  "She said something like, 'This is the job you've been prepared for these past ten years, ever since you first came.'  I was confused at the time.  And I still can't figure it out."

"I don't really understand the 'ever since you first came' part of it, either," said Cable.  "But the first part--the part about being prepared--well, I guess I kind of understand that.  Dad knew we were preparing for something.  That's why he wasn't too hard on us when we when boating in the middle of the night.  We were practicing.  And now we've just gone on to the real thing."

With that observation, the canoe once again descended into silence.  This was the boys' second canoe ride on their quest, and Cable especially had come to appreciate them.  All the other times, they were actually doing something, and they almost had no time to think.  But the canoe rides provided some time for the boys to reflect on all that had just happened.  Cable was glad for the chance to give his body a rest and to let his mind work a little bit.

As the boys continued to paddle downstream into the unknown, the moon intermittently moved behind some high, thin clouds.  During those time, Andres--the more intuitive of the brothers--came to sense something.  It seemed as though the riverbank was lined with people that were watching them and silently cheering them on.  Andres was almost certain that hundreds of people were emerging from the woods to watch the boys and wish them well.  But every time the moon emerged from the clouds, it seemed as though the people disappeared.

Finally, Andres spoke again.  "Hey Cable," he half-whispered.

"What?" Cable replied.

"Do you get the feeling that we're being watched?" Andres asked.

"Well, I'm sure Dor-ko and his gang are looking for us.  I hope they aren't watching us just yet," said Cable.

"No, that's not it.  I'm wondering if you feel like anyone else is watching--some of the good guys."

Cable strained his eyes and looked toward shore.  As he examined the riverbank in the faint moonlight, he too thought he saw dozens of pairs of silent eyes looking at him.  "Yes, now I see it," Cable said.  "Or, at least I think I see it."

"Yeah," Andres said, relieved that it wasn't his imagination.  "I think there are all kinds of people out there, and it's like they want to say that they are rooting for us.  But Slumbutter and Dor-ko have been in charge for so long, that they are afraid to say anything.  So they just silently watch and cheer.  Oh well, I don't blame them for being quiet.  I just wish I could see them more clearly."

"It's like everything else on this trip," Cable interjected.  "The best stuff is the stuff that's a little hard to see, but is just as real.  I don't know about you, but knowing that people are cheering us on is enough for me.  Let's keep going."  And the boys paddled with renewed vigor. 

After another hour or so, the boys were encouraged yet again.  For when their stomachs started to grumble, they instinctively reached for their satchels.  Inside, they found some sticks of smoked meat.  It appeared that Brandonio had snuck them some snacks when they weren't looking!  Cable began to feel a little guilty for getting so annoyed at the little man.  The boys sunk their teeth into the meat and were refreshed yet again.

As morning began to dawn, and the silent witnesses by the side of the river began to fade from view, the boys came to a fork in the river.  Cable began to panic.  "Hey, Romanix never said anything about a fork!" he cried.  "What are we supposed to do now?"

Andres began to look around for the owl, who had seemingly given guidance to them every other time they faced a difficult choice.  But he was nowhere to be seen.  And now the current was picking up.  The time of decision was upon them.

Finally, Andres said, "Maybe they both work.  Let's go to the left."  Cable didn't find that too convincing, but he was glad that at least they'd reached a decision.  He steered the canoe to the left.  The current was swift as the river narrowed a bit after the fork.  The boys maneuvered through intermittent whitewater for about 10 minutes.  Then the river broadened.

And then the boys realized that the river had just emptied into a pond.  At first, they hoped that this was near their destination.  But as they looked around in the increasing light, they saw nothing but shoreline and trees.  There was no castle, there were no building, there were no people.

"Great," mumbled Cable.  "Wrong choice.  I knew we should have gone right."

"You're the one that was steering!" said Andres.  "If you thought we should have gone right, why didn't you?"

"Because you sounded so sure that we should go left!" argued Cable.  "You make it sound like your the expert, and then you lead us to some dead-end!"

"Hey, you're the oldest!  You're supposed to know what to do!" yelled Andres.  "Just because you did something dumb, don't blame it on me!"

And with that, the boys stood up and moved toward the middle of the canoe.  They were tired, and their nerves were frayed, and they did what brothers have done for generations--they fought.  But this was a short-lived fight.  For as soon as Andres threw a punch, Cable grabbed his arm, and together they plunged into the water.  The cool water seemed to cool their heads, and eventually they gave up fighting and just started swimming.

But their frolic in the river was abruptly ended by a piercing scream.  "Help!" a high-pitched voice yelled.  "I need help!  Please!  Please!!!"

The boys turned to their right.  About 20 yards away, they saw a young person standing on the shoreline.  It appeared to be a girl.  She had a pouch in her hand, but her attention was directed to the woodline.  As the boys listened, they could hear howling.  "Wolves!" bellowed Andres.  "Let's go!"

With that, the boys swam with all their might toward the shore.  The screams from the girl continued to come; she didn't even seem to notice that the boys were behind her.  Andres and Cable watched as the wolves slowly approached the girl, their mouths open and slobbering.  "Grab your dagger!" yelled Cable.

Andres reached for his satchel and tried to find his dagger.  But in the panic of the moment, his fumbling hand simply couldn't find it.  And the wolves were closing in on the girl.  So when he reached the shoreline, he did the only thing he could think of.  And a very brave thing it was.  He simply ran to the girl and jumped on her.  The attacking wolves sunk their teeth into his arm, but he wouldn't let go.  He just gasped and grasped the girl as close as he could.  As he kept her covered, he heard what seemed like a distant voice in the background, telling him not to give up.  Then, when he couldn't take the pain any more, he passed out.

Chapter 13 - Onward to the Castle

The boys sat in rapt silence as Romanix told his tale.  Andres typically couldn't listen to a story while sitting in one place.  Usually, he'd have to do somersaults or whittle on a piece of wood to occupy his body while his mind listened.  But he found that he could hardly move a muscle while Romanix spoke.  His mind was racing, trying to see how he and Cable fit into this remarkable tale of intrigue.  He thought that history is pretty exciting stuff when you are actually a part of it.

Romanix continued to pace around the room, his hands gesturing, as though he were reliving the event even as he told it.  "As I left the king's chambers, a horrible thought struck me.  When I'd been talking to the king, the ring was no longer on his hand.  For the first time since assuming the throne, he failed to wear the ring!  I wondered--had someone stolen it?  Had Slumbutter taken it, and then gone to summon this army of black knights?  For some reason, this thought never struck me until after I'd left.  It was just as well.  Time was of the essence, and there was no time for questions.  Little did I realize that it would take 10 years to answer this question!

"I ran to to castle ramparts and drew my horn.  Blowing it with all my strength, I summoned the White Knights to battle.  At the sound of three blasts from the horn, the White Knights quickly realized that danger was imminent.  They raced to put on their armor.  As was our custom, the knights had 20 minutes to prepare and then rally in the castle courtyard.

"But as I looked down from the castle ramparts, a strange sight greeted my eyes.  Below me, I saw Prince Dorian, fully dressed in his silver armor.  I saw him race toward Queen Krystara, who was standing in the courtyard with her two sons, Cornicus and four-month-old Abello.  Dorian swiftly grabbed the boys out of Krystara's arms and ran toward his horse.  As the queen wept aloud, Dorian--without even turning around--mounted his horse and galloped out of the castle.

"While I pondered this strange spectacle, I raced down the castle stairs to assume my place in the courtyard.  Within minutes, our army of White Knights was assembled.  My commands to them were succinct.  We were to take our positions around the castle and defend it--and the king--to the death.  I led one group outside the castle.  We'd built a berm around the entire fort, and my group would defend from that position in order to slow down the advance.  A second group of knights stayed inside the castle, assuming their positions at the castle's windows and atop the ramparts.

"As my group charged outside the castle, we ran into a hail of flaming arrows.  The black knights had stunned us with their swiftness!  They were less than a quarter of a mile from the castle!  My men took our positions and fired back.  We were all sharpshooters, fully confident in our ability to tackle any enemy.  But the numbers of the black knights were overwhelming.  Our army, perhaps 1500 men, was staring down an onslaught of about 10,000 black knights.  Yet not a man flinched.  We stood our ground and held back the assault.

"For nearly an hour, the brave White Knights kept our enemies at bay.  But then a trumpet sound was heard, and a tall black knight charged to the foreground.  I could tell from his height and from the unique design of his armor that it had to be Dor-ko.  The black knights seemed to be revived at his presence.  With a gruesome and terrifying yell, the black knights attacked with renewed strength.  The flaming arrows grew in intensity.  Their line drew relentlessly closer to ours.

"As I looked through the smoke and across the field, I saw the tall black knight facing me from perhaps only 30 yards away.  Seeing an opportunity, I quickly drew an arrow and prepared to let it fly.  But...alas, I was too late.  The tall black knight drew his arrow first, and it struck me in the shoulder before I could let my arrow fly.  I tumbled to the ground in great pain.  It felt like my arm must have nearly been ripped off by the blow.

"At that point, the black knights charged the castle. 

"I tried to get up, but I found that someone had jumped on top of me and was holding me down.  I expected that, at any moment, a sword would be thrust through me and my life would be ended.  But that didn't happen.  I simply was held to the ground.  I could feel the feet of thousands of black knights treading upon the ground and charging my king and my home.  And I was helpless to do anything about it.

"Finally, the great weight atop me departed.  I quickly jumped up and looked toward the castle.  The black knights had slain our first line of defense, and they were preparing to enter the castle itself.  Just a few yard from me stood the tall black knight.  He had been the one to jump on me and pin me to the ground!  As I drew my arrow, he turned to me and raised his helmet.

"To my utter amazement...it wasn't Dor-ko at all.  It was...it was...it was Prince Dorian.

"He didn't flinch when he saw me draw my arrow.  Rather, he simply pointed to something behind me.  I instinctively turned.  And sitting behind me, I saw the owl--the messenger that the king had shown me less than an hour before.

"Boys, this was when I faced the hardest decision of my life.  Would I run to the castle and fulfill my own command--to defend the king at the cost of my life?  Or would I obey the king and follow his messenger?  I alternated looks between Dorian and the owl.  Dorian pulled his mask back down and continued his charge into the castle.  Oh, how I wanted to send an arrow through the heart of that traitor!  But the king...oh, the king had made me promise to follow the messenger.  And so I was faced with whether to do what I thought was best or to do what the king had ordered.  Against my own will, I turned from the battle and fled, following the owl as I left the battlefield.

"I threw my armor off as I ran.  Boys, to be honest, I secretly wished that some black knight would find me and run me through with his spear.  I hated the thought of being a coward and running from the battle.  I would rather die than be judged a coward!  But just as the men had to obey my orders, so did I have to obey the king's orders.  And I ran to the mountains.

"Well boys, the owl led me to a tall cliff near one of the mountain passes.  At that point, to my distress, he disappeared.  I didn't know what to do.  However, I did know that I was completely exhausted.  In order to steady myself, I reached up to grab a branch that was protruding out of the face of the cliff.  And, to my great surprise, two rocks moved and an opening emerged.  The branch was some kind of secret lever that triggered an opening to a cave.

"With nothing better to do, I entered the cave.  And guess who I met inside?  It was Brandonio.  After the king's coronation many years before, he come out to this spot to build a cave dwelling for himself.  When he saw me, he quickly took me in and cared for my wounded shoulder.  He gave me food and drink and put me to rest.

"And I've not been outside since.  The king told me to follow his messenger, and this is where he has led me.  I won't move again until he leads me out.  That, boys, is the end of my story."

Romanix shook his head as he sat down, apparently exhausted by recounting his drama.

Cable was the first to break the silence.  "You know, this kind of makes sense, now that I think of what Kylus had told us.  He said that he saw Dorian come out of the king's chambers during the battle.  He also said that Dorian tried to shoot him, just as he'd tried to shoot you!"

Then Andres jumped in.  "Yeah, and when Kylus went into the king's chambers, he found a headless body with the king's clothes on.  So it sure looks like Dorian became a black knight, charged the castle, and killed his own father."

And then Devlin spoke up.  "Hey Andres, didn't you say that you saw the owl, leading you to the branch that opened up the cave?"

When Romanix heard mention of the owl, he rose to his feet.  "You've seen the owl?" he asked.  Andres shook his head up and down as hard as he could.  Romanix then began to pace again.  Andres figured he'd have to be pretty good at pacing, since he hadn't been outside for 10 years.  As he paced, Romanix thought out loud.  "Boys, this is strange.  After ten years of silence, the owl has emerged again.  He is directing your steps, and--more than likely--he was directing Ronaldus' steps as well.  So it was likely the owl that directed Ronaldus to send you on this mission.  And yet, I can't understand what it means!  Your mission couldn't possibly be to turn the ring over to Dorian, could it?"

Cable then interrupted Romanix.  "Ronaldus didn't say anything about turning the ring over to Dorian.  He just said to find Dorian and to guard the ring.  Isn't that what he said, Andres?"  Andres nodded.

"Well boys," Romanix said, "there remains but one thing for you to do.  You must go to the castle.  That is the last place that I saw Dorian.  If the owl led you to me, then I must lead you to your next destination.  And I see no other way--to the castle you must go!"

Andres was deeply troubled by this.  "But Romanix, how is that going to work?  We'll just march in there, and he'll take the ring and throw us in prison and the kingdom will belong to Slumbutter or whoever else wants to put the ring on his finger!  We're doomed!"

"No, my son," answered Romanix gently.  "Those who are guided by the High King's messenger are never doomed.  It is true, I have no idea how this journey will end.  But that's not our job, is it?  We are simply to obey and follow our calling.  You've been called to a great mission, boys.  You will either see it to its end, or you will die in the attempt.  In either case, you're serving the High King, and there is no greater joy in all this world than to do that!"

Andres couldn't really see how their could be joy in "dying in the attempt".  But it was too late to go back now.  "Let's go, guys," he said.  Cable and Devlin began to put on their sandals.  The boys donned their satchels.

Once again, Romanix interrupted.  "No, Andres--Devlin cannot accompany you.  The mission to find Dorian and protect the ring was given to you, not to Devlin.  He must have another mission.  He will stay here.  You and Cable must follow me."

Andres and Cable reluctantly shook hands with Devlin.  They hated to leave their new-found friend.  But Romanix was not terribly sentimental, so he didn't permit too much time for good-byes.  Instead, he grabbed a torch and led the boys to the back of the cave and down another set of stairs chiseled into the rock.  At the base of the stairs was a small opening.  Romanix and the two boys crawled through it, and soon they were outside.  Once again, it was a clear, moonlit night.  They stood by a gently-flowing river.  Romanix guided them over to a canoe hidden in the brush.

"Ah, this is the first fresh air I've breathed for 10 years!  I hope I shall soon have occasion to do it again," said Romanix.  Then, changing his tone, he continued.  "Boys, this is Brandonio's canoe.  You must take it and follow the river.  It will take you to within a stone's throw of the castle.  What awaits you there?  I do not know.  But you must continue your mission.  I hope to see you soon." 

Romanix shook the boys hands, staring each of them in the eyes as he did so.  With no further words, he crawled back into the cave.  The boys looked at each other without speaking, hopped into the canoes, and continued their quest downstream.