Chapter 11 - Putting Some Pieces Together, Part 1

The three boys huddled together in a larger, more brightly lit room. They found themselves standing before a stocky, rugged man whose unsmiling glare seemed to be staring right through them. It was almost impossible to discern his age. He walked around in a stately manner, as an old wise man might do. But his black hair and his piercing eyes suggested a younger age. They instantly feared him--not in the same way that they feared the evil Dor-ko, but in the same way that a child fears a parent whom they do not want to disappoint. It was simultaneously unsettling and comforting.

The dark-haired man finally spoke. "Where did you get this?" he asked, holding up the coin that Andres had given to Brandonio.

The boys remained silent for a moment, fearful of making a sound in the presence of this imposing figure. Finally, Cable spoke up on behalf of the trio. "We got it from a man in our village," he replied. "He's the one that sent us on this mission."

"What was his name?" probed the rugged man.

"His name was Ronaldus, sir," replied Cable.

The name seemed to stir something in the rugged man. He turned his back and began to pace around the room. He shook his head and gestured with his hands as though he couldn't believe the news. Then he turned and asked, "Are you sure, boys?"

"Yes, sir," said Cable.

Without raising his voice, yet with great enthusiasm, the rugged man then declared, "He's alive! Ronaldus is alive! Then there is indeed hope. Yes, there is hope for this oppressed kingdom." Then he paused and turned back toward the boys. "Tell me, what did he ask you to do?"

Andres piped up this time. "He told us two things, sir. By the way, are you the Hermit? I kind of expected someone with gray hair and a big beard. That's what I figured a hermit ought to look like."

"If you answer my questions first, I promise I shall answer as many of your questions as I can," answered the rugged man. "Now tell me, what did Ronaldus ask you to do?"

The mildly chastised Andres immediately said, "He told us that first, we need to find King Maximilian's son, Prince Dorian. And then he said that we need to guard a ring that belongs to the true King of Aberdeen. That's pretty much all he said to us. Then he gave us each a bag of coins and told us we could use them to tell whether someone was a friend or a foe. Ever since then, it seems like we've been running for our lives. Do you have any food?"

The rugged man seemed to ignore the request and turned to Cable. "How did you find me?" he asked the elder brother.

"Kylus--the man called the Watcher--sent us here, sir. He said that you would explain everything," Cable replied.

The rugged man absorbed the news in silence. Turning to Devlin, he asked, "How about you, son? Were you sent on this mission by Ronaldus as well?"

"No, sir, well...not really," Devlin answered. "But I think Ronaldus sent these two guys to find me, I'm pretty sure. You see, he's my father. I haven't seen him for 10 years."

More silence followed. The rugged man seemed very comfortable with silence. Andres figured that anyone that lived in a cave probably had to learn to enjoy silence. Cable wondered how he was able to live with Brandonio's annoying manner of speech. Finally, the rugged man approached the boys. In a very unexpected gesture, he actually knelt before Andres and Cable. After remaining on one knee for a moment, he rose and spoke.

"My name is Romanix, and yes, I am indeed the Hermit. Brandonio, please fetch some food for our guests. They shall be here for awhile."

The boys turned to each other and exchanged silent glances of wonder. Cable was glad the Brandonio did not say anything, but instead just left the room. Romanix also disappeared into another room for a moment, then returned with a large canteen. Handing it to the boys, he said, "Please drink your fill and relax. I have much to tell you boys." The boys obeyed. Cable was skeptical of drinking water that had been stored in a cave. But to his surprise, it was perhaps the coldest and most refreshing drink he's had. He was immediately energized, as were his two companions.

A few moments later, Brandonio entered with what appeared to be some pieces of smoked venison. The boys made themselves comfortable as they sunk their teeth into the delicious (and surprisingly filling) slabs of meat. As they did so, Romanix spoke again.

"Boys, let me tell you my story. Perhaps it will help you better understand why you are here.

"I grew up in this kingdom. When I was about 4 or 5 years old, a very wicked king took over. His name was Bagowind, and he swept into power with many great promises. He told all the adults--including my parents--that he would shower them with wealth beyond their imagination. All they had to do was come and work for him. We were relatively poor at the time--happy, but poor. So my parents, focusing more on what they didn't have than on what they did have, leaped at the chance for great wealth. They went to work for the king. And so did most of the adults.

"The king fulfilled his promise. He showered the adults with beautiful homes and all sorts of luxuries. Of course, my parents had no time to enjoy these things, since they had to work all hours of the day and night in order to earn them. But they didn't seem to mind. As long as they had just a little more than their neighbors, they seemed to be satisfied.

"While the parents worked, however, the king rounded up all the children for 'instruction'. During this time, King Bagowind taught us to despise our parents. He said our parents were just mindless servants of his. When we got old enough, he would give their wealth to us and turn us into the masters of our own parents. That's what the rogue told us! And we believed it...every word of it. We came to hate our own parents.

"So when we turned 18 years of age, King Bagowind rounded up our parents and put them labor camps scattered around the kingdom. He put us in charge--us kids! We were elated, but we were fools. If we'd been thinking, we'd have realized that the same thing would happen to us when we had kids. We'd have our wealth for a time, but eventually our kids would come to hate us and then overthrow us. And the circle would continue.

"But we weren't thinking clearly, and so we went to work, driving our parents as slaves in the king's fields. We too never had time to enjoy the wealth that the king had given us. But most people didn't seem to notice. We were rich, right? Wasn't that all that mattered?

"One day, about 30 years ago, a group of men emerged from the woods and approached a group of us who were working the fields. They were led by a tall, handsome man who seemed to be about 25 years old, though he carried himself as someone who was much older. He declared in a booming voice, 'We come in peace, for the time being. We have come from far away to overthrow the evil King Bagowind. Who wishes to come and join us?'

"No one stirred at the offer. The parents who were working the fields didn't dare to move, lest we should beat them. Those of us who were supervising the parents didn't dare to move either, lest we lose our position of authority. No one loved the king, but no one wanted anything to change. Still, I couldn't help but think--this might be my last chance! I was tired of the long days, and I was oppressed with guilt for having been so cruel to my parents. Though no one else moved, I through down my whip and my club and said, 'I'm done. I'm going with him.' And I left. I was the only one.

"The man that I followed was General Maximilian.

"We went back into the woods and joined a larger group of men--perhaps about 100 in number. They were cheerful men who loved the General and who loved their mission. They had been sent by the High King, who rules over all kingdoms, to set the oppressed people of Aberdeen free. They welcomed me into their midst and treated me like one of their own. And for the next few days, we worked together on a plan to overthrow Bagowind.

"One day, two of the men came into the camp, having been on separate missions spying out the land. The first man said that he'd witnessed a great bonfire. It turned out that the bonfire was really my house burning to the ground. King Bagowind had ordered its destruction when he'd heard of my desertion. I was strangely relieved. I knew at that point that there was no going back. The temptation to go back to my old life had vanished.

"The second man said that, while hunting in some woods, he'd found an underground passage. As it turned out, it led directly into the castle! The camp stirred at the news. We immediately made plans for a midnight incursion into the castle to overthrow the king.

"After two more days of planning, the operation went into motion. We all armed ourselves for battle. After sunset, we moved through the woods to the underground passage. The passage was long and seemingly endless. But finally, we burst through into the castle. The room was empty. We cautiously found the nearest door and opened it. Outside, a sentry sat on the floor, sleeping. General Maximilian awoke him and asked, 'Where does the king reside?' The sentry tried to yell, but Maximilian covered his mouth. He then demanded, 'Tell us where the king resides, quietly, and your life shall be spared.' The sentry pointed to a nearby stairwell and said, 'Go up two floors. His room is the second on the right.' Then he fainted. Maximilian told one of the men to guard him, and he led the rest of us forward.

"We made our way up the stairwell, then came to a landing. We turned to the right and saw two sentries standing. These ones, however, were alert. Upon seeing us, they blew their horns. Withing moments the great corridor was filled with guards. A great hand-to-hand combat ensued. Confusion reigned, and much blood was spilled. And still, we hadn't managed to get into the king's room.

"In the midst of the madness, Maximilian grabbed my shoulder. He said, with a calmness that defied the chaos around us, 'Follow me!' He grabbed three others as well. Somehow, we slipped through the crowd and came to the doorway to the king's chambers. Maximilian kicked open the door, and the five of us entered. I think you've met, or at least heard of, all of us--Slumbutter, Ronaldus, Brandonio, Maximilian and myself.

The king's bed was surrounded by four other guards, who were armed and poised for battle. The king leaped from bed; one of the guards handed him a sword. We drew our swords as well and began to duel. Slumbutter, Brandonio, and Ronaldus had little trouble with their guards; they were all slain within minutes. Maximilian made quick work of Bagowind. The old man actually died of a heart attack before Maximilian even engaged him in combat. However, I had great trouble with mine. We dueled back and forth, with neither of us gaining the advantage. Finally, my enemy knocked me to the floor and prepared to drive his sword into my heart. But before he did so, Maximilian spoke out. He declared, 'Brave warrior, beware what you are about to do! If you plunge that sword into Romanix' brave heart, my sword shall be plunged into yours. Spare him, and you shall be spared. Your situation is hopeless. Decide!'

"To my great relief, the warrior withdrew his sword and placed it in its sheath. He then turned his back to Maximilian and headed to the door.

"You've met this man before as well. His name is Dor-ko.

"As Dor-ko exited the room, the fighting in the great corridor immediately stopped. It was as though, when our enemies saw Dor-ko leave the room, they knew that the king was dead. They all laid down their arms--all but Dor-ko. He simply walked down the stairwell and disappeared. At Maximilian's orders, no one followed him.

"I got to my feet, rejoicing at still being alive. I walked up to Maximilian and bowed at his feet. I then pulled a ring off my finger. It was a golden ring that my parents had given to me while a child, and it was the only thing of value that I still had. I said, 'Sir, please take this. All I have, I give to you and to your service.'

"When the other men in the room heard me, they all cheered in unison, 'Long live King Maximilian! Long live King Maximilian!' The sound, it was said, could be heard throughout the kingdom. There was no question--he was to be our king."