Romanix paused as he recalled the story to the boys. For the first time since they'd arrived in the hermit's lair, the boys saw a smile come across the hermit's face. Andres figured his cheek would crack under the strain of this new facial phenomenon. Romanix turned around, as though embarrassed. But as he did so, he said, "Boys, that was perhaps the most exciting moment of my life."
Cable felt compelled to interrupt for a moment. "So Romanix--are you actually saying that Brandonio is a great fighter? He was part of the raid on King Bagowind himself?" Cable couldn't imagine that this could be true.
"Yes, Cable, yes," Romanix replied. "Appearances are deceiving, aren't they? Brandonio has the heart of a lion. I owe my life to him, as you'll see.
"But anyway, the cheers seemed to go on forever. Brandonio seemed rattled by the commotion. He snuck up to Maximilian and secretly asked if he could go. He said, 'Brandonio would love to serve the king up in the mountains, if the new king will please let me go. Brandonio doesn't really like loud noises; no, he doesn't like them at all.' And the king graciously nodded, granting him permission to leave.
"At any rate, in the midst of the cheering, Maximilian finally raised his hand. He held high the golden ring that I had given him. The people gradually quieted. Maximilian then declared, 'From now on, no one shall reign over the Kingdom of Aberdeen unless this ring--the ring so graciously given me by Romanix--rests upon his finger.'
Maximilian then placed the ring on his finger, and the cries of 'Long Live King Maximilian' began all over again."
Andres was beginning to put some of the pieces of this story together in his head. "So...this ring that we are carrying--is it the same ring? Is it the ring that you gave to Maximilian way back then?" he asked.
"Yes, Andres, I believe it is," Romanix replied. "But before we go into that, let me finish the story.
"The first thing that King Maximilian did upon assuming the throne was to set all of the adult slaves free, and to restore their homes and property to them. This, of course, made many of the young people--the people of my generation--very nervous. They feared the wrath of their parents. But what followed was a great restoration of families. Many young people brought their whips and their clubs and laid them at the feet of the king. They then went to their parents, as they were released from the labor camps, and begged their forgiveness. The parents, in turn, asked for forgiveness from the children that they'd so long ignored during their youth. It was a difficult time, for parents and children alike had been scarred by the hard labor and enslavement that Bagowind had begun. But at the king's urging, families gradually came back together again.
And peace was restored.
"As for me, I also searched for my parents, that I could gain their forgiveness. But I never found them. I feared that they had been slain by Bagowind when I abandoned the fields and followed Maximilian.
"However, not all of the young people sought the forgiveness of their parents. Remember this, boys! Bitterness will always lead to great trouble! For you see, some young people, with their property stripped from them by the king's decree, fled the kingdom to the lands west of the Jagged Mountains. Rather than seeking restoration, they sought escape. In doing so, they followed Dor-ko rather than Maximilian. Dor-ko gathered a band of malcontents in the western lands, and these rogues spent their time raiding the king's woods and capturing travelers who happened to be journeying alone in the outer reaches of the kingdom. We'll hear of those malcontents again a little later.
"But for those that chose to stay within the kingdom, a time of great peace followed. The king immediately decreed an end to the oppressive taxes that Bagowind had instituted. And he began a great tradition--the Sunday feast. On Sunday afternoons, all people were invited to a feast on the castle grounds. Any person—rich or poor, great or small—could bring his petition to the king at these feasts. And the king would attend to his people's concerns, sometimes listening for long hours into the night.
“During the first feast--I will never forget this, boys!--the king interrupted the proceedings and called me to his throne. I came before him and bent my knee, as was the custom. While I knelt there, he drew his sword and touched each of my shoulders. With that, he said, 'Rise, Romanix.' As I stood, he declared to everyone, 'I have just declared Romanix the First of the White Knights of Aberdeen. He shall be the general of the King's Army. Does anyone wish to join him?' Within minutes, over a thousand young men volunteered to serve.
I was overwhelmed. Here I was, a man who had once been a rebellious young man, filled with greed to the point of enslaving my parents. And now I had been asked to be the king's general. Amazing!
"Well, the White Knights of Aberdeen were a jolly band of soldiers. The king acquired horses and armor for us, and we patrolled the kingdom in search of Dor-ko and his followers. Our task was a simple one--to keep the people safe. And that is just what we did. I was honored to be the leader of such brave and selfless men.
"A couple of years later, we had another memorable Sunday feast. That was when Maximilian took the lovely Valeria to be his wife. Oh, what a grand wedding that was! The feast began on Sunday afternoon and went all through the night. Nobody wanted to leave, and the king refused to send the people home. The people came to love Valeria almost as much as they loved the king himself.
"And then a year later, a son was born to them--Prince Dorian. The king now had an heir to the throne! Dorian quickly became a favorite of the White Knights. Before he was old enough to walk, he loved to have us carry him on horseback through the woods. By the time he was three years old, we had him shooting a bow and arrow. When he was five, he could shoot better than most of us. There seemed to be no limit to his talent, nor to his personality. He was a jovial young boy who loved the woods and who loved mischief as well.
"But shortly after Prince Dorian's fifth birthday, great tragedy befell the kingdom. For that was when the beloved Queen Valeria fell ill and died. Oh, how the kingdom mourned her loss! The king was utterly devastated. The love of his life had been taken from him in the flower of her youth. The Sunday feasts were halted for a time as the people grieved.
“When the feasts began again, the king found that he had great trouble listening to the people's every petition, as he had done before. He just couldn't shoulder the burden himself, in addition to dealing with his great loss. So he asked Ronaldus and Slumbutter if they would be his advisors. Anyone wishing to come to the king would go to Ronaldus and Slumbutter first. The king would then listen to all of the petitions that could not be handled by either of his advisors. This seemed to lighten the burden on the king, and—over time—Maximilian seemed to heal from his heart's great wound.
“About 10 years after losing Queen Valeria, the king met Krystara while on one of his hunting
expeditions. After a brief courtship, the king married once again. The people came to love Krystara just as they had loved Valeria. You see, the people loved their king, and they wished to see him happy once again. When Krystara restored joy to the king's heart, the people rejoiced as well.
“In time, she too bore children for the king. First, there was Cornicus; then, two years later, Abello was born. The castle was filling up!
“But all the while, trouble was brewing. Grave trouble.
“You see, Slumbutter proved to be faithless advisor. Though he started out loyal to the king, he soon became greatly jealous. Unlike Ronaldus, who was content to be the king's exalted servant, Slumbutter wanted to assume the throne himself. So whenever he met with people, he told them that the king was really too busy to hear their concerns. He told them that he, Slumbutter, was the only one who really cared for them. And in doing so, he stole many of the hearts of the unsuspecting people.
“As a result, many people moved west of the Jagged Mountains and pledged themselves to Slumbutter and Dor-ko. Slumbutter promised them that some day, he would overthrow the king. He said that when he, Slumbutter, was king, then finally there would be justice in the land—that finally a king would rule that would listen to his people! And many fools listened to him.
“One day, about 10 years ago, the king called me into his chambers. His face was deeply troubled. I knelt before him and asked, 'What is the matter, O king?'
"He asked, 'Romanix, have you seen Slumbutter this past week?' I replied that I had not. He then said, 'Romanix, great trouble is about to come upon us. Come to the window.' I followed him to the window, which looked away to the southeast. As I looked, my heart sank within me. For in the far distance, I could see a cloud of dust rising into the air. An army of black knights was slowly approaching.
"The king said, 'We have been betrayed, Romanix. Slumbutter has deserted us, and even now is leading an army to attack us. Faithful Ronaldus has been sent on one mission, and now I send you on another. Please--flee to the mountains. I will need you there in the years to come, to encourage people who seek the restoration of the kingdom.'
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing, boys! So I turned to the king and said, 'What do you mean, 'the restoration of the kingdom'? We shall defeat these rogues today! No one shall take this kingdom from us!'
"But the king was not deterred. He said, 'We are not prepared for this onslaught, Romanix. Please, I beg of you, flee to the mountains. A place has been prepared for you. The kingdom may fall today, but it will not be forever. In the meantime, I need you as a lantern in the mountains--a beacon to those who will seek the restoration of Aberdeen. I will need you to give hope to the seekers. Please, go!'
"But I could not bear to leave. I said, 'O king, please let me stay and defend the castle! I cannot flee in the sight of the brave White Knights who have sworn to defend you!'
"The king relented. He said, 'Romanix, you may stay for now. But I plead with you--when the High King's messenger tells you to go, you must go.'
"I asked, 'Who is the High King's messenger? I don't understand!'
"Then the king snapped his fingers. At that time, I looked at the mantle over the king's fireplace. Previously, I had seen a statue of an owl. But at the snap of the king's fingers, the statue seemed to come to life. It flew across the room and alighted on the king's shoulder. 'Romanix,' he said, 'this is the High King's messenger. He has guided me from the land across the seas to Aberdeen. He has guided my every step since I've been here. And he will guide us through the troubled times to come.'
"Well boys, was I ever startled by this! I said to the king, 'I've never seen this messenger before! I don't understand!'
"The king replied, 'The only people who see the messenger are those to whom the High King chooses to reveal him. He has chosen you this day, Romanix. Please, heed the messenger! Now go your way and prepare to fight. But above all, prepare to follow.' And with those words, I left the king's chambers, donned my armor, and prepared to rally the White Knights for battle.
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