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.
* * * * * * * *
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.
* * * * * * * *
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.
* * * * * * * *
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
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dear Todd,
ReplyDeleteJust finished reading the book. Enjoyable! Peter is still make his way through it. He seems to be liking it as well. Thank you for sharing.
sincerely,
Brian