Chapter 21 - A Plot Revealed

Most young girls would have trembled in fear if they were chained to a bench in the throne-room of an evil king. But Remma managed to keep a sound mind through it all. Actually, she was kind of glad for the chance to sit down and rest for a minute. After her seemingly endless ride in Mitch’s wagon, careening through the mountains at breakneck speed, she viewed this little episode in the presence of Slumbutter as a chance to catch her breath. She was becoming a brave little girl, as we will see.

In front of her, in the middle of the throne-room, Slumbutter sat down and turned his attention to a young man that stood facing him. The light was poor, and Remma couldn’t get a good look at the young man. But what her eyes couldn’t see, her ears helped make up for with their keen sense of perception. She listened as Slumbutter spoke with a tone of disdain.

“Dor-ko,” he said, “who is this chump that wishes to speak to me?”

“His name is Philip,” replied the gruff voice of Dor-ko. “He is the son of Samek, chief of the village Cliffton. If you recall, your majesty, Cliffton lies on Freedom Pass. It is all that stands between us and an invasion of Aberdeen from the south. I believe he has some good news to share with us.”

“How do you know this man?” queried Slumbutter.

“I have some spies that have been communicating with him, your majesty,” Dor-ko answered. “Four years ago, when we boldly departed from Aberdeen and conquered the western wastelands, his father Samek spurned our men by refusing to give us food. So we took his pathetic wife captive, along with his daughter. After extensive interaction with our contacts, Philip has seen the error of his ways and wishes to be a part of our mission. I would suggest that you hear him out.”

“Thank you for your suggestion,” said Slumbutter. “I will listen, and it had better be good.” Slumbutter then turned to Philip and said, “My time is precious, so don’t waste it. Speak.”

Remma could sense a nervous excitement in Philip’s voice as she heard him speak for the first time. He spoke in a somewhat high pitch, the way people do when they are trying to not offend someone. Clearly, he was afraid. He began by saying, “O Lord Slumbutter, the great and mighty ruler of the lands beyond the mountains, the brave and strong contender to the throne of Aberdeen, the one who inspires fear in the hearts of friends and foes alike, may you live forever! It is with the utmost of gratitude that I come before you today with news that should cheer your maleficent heart! I wish to report, O great master, that...”

Slumbutter interrupted, “Look, Philip, I know that I am great and that you are worthless. I know that it is a great privilege for your unworthy carcass to be in my presence right now. Your flattery will not spare you if I deem you to be a nuisance rather than a help. Please get to the point.”

“Of course, Lord Slumbutter,” replied Philip in a more subdued tone. “Your lordness, I have come to report that, because of my brave actions, the great armies of this fair land stand ready to invade and conquer Aberdeen and overthrow the wicked King Maximilian! Why just this morning, I...hey! Ouch!”

Philip’s speech had been interrupted by the sound of an object flying through the air and striking him in the face. As Remma peered through the faint light, she could tell that it had been a tomato launched by the hand of Slumbutter. The voice of Slumbutter then roared and echoed throughout the room as he declared, “Great fool! That name is never to be spoken here, do you understand! Now please get to the point, and spend no more time praising yourself, or else I will have Dor-ko take his knife and remove your flattering mouth from your hideous face!”

Remma tried to imagine how that would work. How can a mouth be removed? If you cut it out, wouldn’t it just leave a bigger mouth? It seemed like a silly threat. But Philip clearly did not take the threat lightly, and he stammered as he continued.

“Lord Slumbutter, I beg your indulgence for my foolish ways. I will be brief. First of all, I have captured Gregorex the servant of Samek. Gregorex was the guardian of the southern forest, and he has been removed from his post. In fact, he has been in your prison for many days, though I’ve not yet had the opportunity to tell you, O Master of All. Second, I have captured Gregorex’ horse Spartacus. This horse is the only creature alive that knows the path through the Great Swamp. With Spartacus leading the way, we can lead your glorious armies through this formidable swamp en route to the enemy’s throne. Third, O Great One, I have directed your work force through the southern woods to the gates of Cliffton itself. Your indomitable forces now have completed a road through the woods--the supposedly impenetrable southern forest--that leads to the doorstep of Aberdeen itself. O Lord Slumbutter,” said Philip, his voice rising in a great crescendo, “if you but send your armies under my leadership through this road, we shall quickly dispatch of Cliffton and be on our way to the gates of the enemy!”

Philip’s voice echoed in the chamber with a note of nervous triumph. It was followed by a few moments of silence. As Remma strained her eyes, she thought she saw Slumbutter scratch his head and stroke his chin. At length, he turned to Dor-ko and asked, “Is this so? Are we truly poised to launch an attack on the enemy of Aberdeen?”

“Yes, Lord Slumbutter,” Dor-ko replied. “If you but give the word, we can demolish the outpost of Cliffton, navigate the Great Swamp, and be at the gates of Aberdeen within a matter of days. It is the moment we’ve been plotting for since our arrival in these lands. The men are sick of waiting; they are ready for a fight. And if my spies are correct, the fat forces of Aberdeen are completely unprepared for an assault on their homeland. I believe that you could be sitting atop the throne of Aberdeen within a week.”

Slumbutter paused and meditated on this message for awhile. He then stood up and paced around, again rubbing his head. Remma wished she had a tomato, so that she could play target practice and propel a tomato at his weaselly head. Dor-ko’s stare remained unmoved as he glared at Philip. Philip’s stare followed Slumbutter’s wandering form around the chamber. Finally Slumbutter sat back on his throne and spoke, saying, “All right, Dor-ko. You have done well. I want you to be prepared to depart from here tomorrow morning with 10,000 men, armed for battle. I want you to take my servant Pipes as your second in command. He is strong, and unlike many of my pathetic minions, he is willing to work. And the men will listen to him, if for no other reason than the fact that he is so strong, he could physically remove their heads from their shoulders if they disobey.”

“That is a wise selection, Lord Slumbutter,” Dor-ko replied hoarsely. “Pipes is not here at the moment. I dispatched him last week to assist with the grand kidnapping. However, I believe that he is due back later today. I will inform him of the mission upon his arrival.”

“Very well,” said Slumbutter. “I don’t think we have anything to fear from Pipes. His wife works in our royal kitchen as a slave, and his son is a resident of my glorious dungeon. He knows that any act of betrayal will be met with swift retribution upon his family. He will do as he is told. So go and prepare the men. We depart at first light tomorrow.”

“Your wish is my command, Lord Slumbutter,” barked Dor-ko.

As Dor-ko moved toward the door, his stride was interrupted by the shrill voice of Philip. “But what about me, O Great One?” he cried. “I was the one who laid the groundwork for this glorious invasion! I was the one who made this grand attack possible! I should be the one to lead this assault!”

Slumbutter replied in a cool, sadistic-sounding monotone. “Actually, you should be the one to keep your overactive mouth shut. You have turned on your own father. Am I to believe that you won’t turn on me as well? You have performed your service, and we thank you. Now shut up and be grateful that you have had the grand opportunity to spend some time in my presence.”

“But Lord Slumbutter, I insist that I must be a part of this attack!” Philip insisted.

Slumbutter beckoned to Dor-ko, who was halfway out the door. “Before you leave, Dor-ko, I have one more request for you. It seems that our excitable young man has a point. Please escort him to Chamber Delta on your way out. Give him the opportunity to...freshen up a bit as he prepares for battle. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lord,” Dor-ko replied. He then glanced over his shoulder and said simply, “Follow me.” Philip replied without a word.

All this time, Remma had been viewing the proceedings with fascination. She realized that she had been the victim of an elaborate plot. It appeared that both she and Andres had been captured, and it was all meant to distract the King. Of course, her father would search high and low to find them. But once he left the castle, he would be unable to defend it against the upcoming attack. Fear crept into her heart as she saw this seemingly imminent triumph of evil. Why hadn’t her father just destroyed them when he had the chance? Why had he let them escape after his conquest four years ago?

As she mulled over these questions, the silence was broken by a voice beside her. It was Mitch. Like Philip, he spoke nervously. The words spilled out and his pitch rose. “O Lord Slumbutter, I must insist that you honor your word! Your spies told me that if I turned over the King’s daughter to you, that you would elevate me to the highest position in the kingdom! I have fulfilled your every request, O Great Master of the Western Wastelands! I have delivered the girl to you, and you can be assured that the king is distraught and filled with despair. Because of my bold and courageous actions, the gates of Aberdeen will be undefended and free for the taking, as the King gives chase to his beloved daughter. I beg of you, give me the position that you promised!”

Slumbutter slowly stood from his throne and walked over toward Mitch and Remma. He stopped a few paces away and stared silently at Mitch. Mitch seemed uncomfortable, fidgeting under the weight of the evil lord’s stare. Slumbutter then said, “Well...it seems you are right. I did make that promise, and you know me--I am true to my word!” Then he turned and motioned to the guard. “Fred, would you kindly escort these two to Chamber Alpha? It seems that Mitch is due for his...reward.” Without another word, Slumbutter walked out of the chamber. On his way out, Fred bowed low and said, “May you live forever.” But when he raised his rotund frame back up, he smashed his head on the wall. Fred was not the most graceful man in the world.

Rubbing his head, Fred then walked over to the corner of the room where Mitch and Remma were sitting. He unbound their chains and helped them to their feet. Remma thought he seemed to be awfully kind and gentle for a bad guy. He beckoned for them to follow. “Stay close,” he said. “I should chain you to my wrist, but I think you’ve been through enough today.” Remma and Mitch obeyed. Their footsteps echoed in the grim, dimly-lit hallway as they quietly headed to their next destination.