Chapter 31 - The Strange Captor

While Mitch sat unmoving on a hard oak bench with his feet in chains, Remmaline was sleeping peacefully in the corner of Chamber Alpha, high atop Dor-ko’s castle. It was the last bit of calm rest that should would experience for quite awhile.

When we last saw Remmaline, she was staring out her window and observing her brother Andres being dragged into the castle. She’d felt a strange sense of relief, knowing that her brother was also a captive in the castle. She just knew that somehow he’d come and rescue her.

Andres had been a typically annoying big brother when he was younger. He teased relentlessly, he acted like he knew everything, and--if Remmaline screeched loud enough--he’d even put her in a headlock and tell her to be quiet. But as he’d grown older, Andres had become very protective of his younger sister. He could insult her all he wanted, but if he heard somebody else say something mean to her--well, that was another matter. He had given many “knuckle sandwiches” to various boys that had dared to be rude to Remma.

A little while after Remma had seen Andres dragged into the castle, Fred had come back to the room. He had brought a huge pillow and a wool blanket and placed them in the corner of the room. He had said, “Dor-ko usually saves this dumb pillow for his dogs, but I figured you might need something to lay down on tonight. It can get chilly at night, and it’s kind of miserable to just lay on the floor. So here...I cleaned it off as best I could.” The pillow was large enough for Remma’s whole body to lay on. After Fred had laid down the pillow and blanket and started to head back outside, Remma had run over and given him a hug. She’d thought she’d noticed a tear come from the corner of Fred’s right eye as he gave her a quick embrace. But he couldn’t linger, and so he’d left as quickly as he’d arrived.

And so, as darkness descended on the land, Remma had laid down and slept. It was the peaceful rest of a girl who knows that her brother is near and her father won’t rest until she has safely returned. She didn’t know how it would happen, but somehow she knew that it would happen. And as she slept, she readied herself for the adventure that would come her way as the days unfolded.

Little did she know that the adventure would unfold much sooner than she might have thought. It seemed like she’d no sooner laid down her head when crash!, the door to Chamber Alpha burst open. Remmaline heard a high, whiny-sounding voice bellow out, “All right, lady and gentleman! The party is over! It’s time to get moving!”

Remmaline was startled. First, she looked toward the window. It looked dark outside, with just a slight glimmer of light on the horizon. It appeared to be early in the morning. She figured she’d slept a few hours, but not nearly long enough for her tired body to feel rested. She then looked back toward the doorway. Two men were standing there, holding torches. As they placed the torches in holders on the wall, she examined the two men. One was an enormously fat man with a small head and a gross-looking beard. (Remmaline hated beards, by the way. She figured that the worst torture in the world would be to have to kiss a man with a beard.) The other was a slender man with a bald head. The one thing that seemed remarkable about the bald man was his tremendous muscles. They kind of looked like boulders sticking out of his body.

As she stared at the men moving about the room, she tried to recall where she’d seen them before. Then it came to her--those had been the men that had brought Andres into the castle! Remmaline’s heart leaped for joy. She knew that, even though they might be the meanest men in the world, somehow they would lead her to Andres. She braced herself for some short-term misery, but was hopeful that--somehow--she would soon see her brother.

As the men moved about the room, the bald one spoke up. In a deep voice with a slight drawl, the man said, “Hey Chub, did you really need to kick the door in? I’m pretty sure that’s why Fred gave us the keys--so that we could just open the lock and walk in.”

“Mind your own business, Pipes!” replied the fat man. “There’s nothing more intimidating to a prisoner than having scary men like ourselves burst into the room while they’re sleeping! Isn’t that what we’re all about--putting fear into the hearts of our prisoners?”

The bald man named Pipes was not impressed. “Look, Chub, you scared a little girl. Big deal! Anyone can do that. And besides, guess what’s going to happen now? Lord Slumbutter is going to see that a door got broken, and he’s going to get some ripping mad at you!”

This news seemed to sober up the impulsive Chub. He reached down and grabbed the bag of coins that was still sitting at Mitch’s feet. Softening his voice somewhat, he said, “Uh...hey Pipes, uh...if I paid you 10 silver coins, do you think you could come back and fix this thing? I mean, there’s no need for anyone to get in trouble, right?”

Pipes answered, “Look, Chub, do you remember what happened about a month ago? You thought you’d be clever and sneak into Lord Slumbutter’s throne-room. You wanted to sit down on the throne, just so you could feel like what it was to be a king. Well, you did it, and guess what? You and your slender little body ended up smashing the throne to pieces! And I went in and repaired it and saved your skin, and you still haven’t paid me! So look, pal...fix your own dumb doorway. We need to get going.”

Chub put his head down in shame. Clearly he was embarrassed. But after he moped around for a minute or so, he regained his composure and stalked over toward Mitch. He was still sitting, unmoving. on the bench, his leg still in chains. Chub pulled Mitch’s arms behind him and put them in handcuffs. He then undid the leg irons, freeing Mitch to stand up and walk around. “Good morning, Mitch!” Chub spoke with what seemed to be a fake cheerfulness. “I have a special message from Lord Slumbutter! It seems that he, er, regrets his treatment of you. He actually wishes to thank you for your faithful service! He has dispatched me, his devoted and faithful and mighty servant, to escort you and Philip to a place where your devotion will be rewarded more...uh...appropriately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mitch responded. They were the first words he’d spoken since arriving in Chamber Alpha.

“You’ll see in due time,” Chub’s whiny voice replied. “But trust me--this place is fantastic. And the incredible part about it is that it actually prepares you to serve Lord Slumbutter even further! It is a place that will totally transform you!” Then, dropping his voice somewhat, Chub continued. “They say that, when people come out of this great place of reward, they become immortal. They become so fearsome and mighty that none dare resist them. To be honest, I eagerly await the day when my service will be rewarded in such a way. You are one lucky man!”

“If it’s such a great reward, then why have you kept me in handcuffs?” asked Mitch.

“It’s simple,” said Chub, grabbing Mitch’s arm and leading him toward the door. “Although Lord Slumbutter likes you and wants to give you a great gift, he...well, he doesn’t exactly trust you. So he just wants to make sure that you get to your destination so that you truly experience the wonder of your prize. Don’t worry; it will all become clear soon enough.”

Mitch was too tired to resist Chub’s prodding. As he stepped out the door and into the hallway, he asked one last question. “What is this supposed place of great reward?”

Remma heard Chub’s reply echo through the corridor. “I can’t tell you too much, of course. But the place is called...the mound!” Chub then laughed eerily into the darkness, and he and Mitch walked away.

Pipes then came over to Remma and took her by the hand. Remma was amazed that someone that was so strong could be so gentle. For some reason, it never occurred to her to resist. She just put her hand in his and followed. They walked in silence toward the doorway. Before grabbing a torch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bread. Extending it to Remma, he said, “Please take this. You’ll need your strength for the trip to come.” Remma took it gratefully without a word and ate it.

Once Remmaline downed the bread, Pipes again took her by the hand and led her into the hallway. The torch in Pipes’ other hand didn’t help very much; all Remma could see was the floor beneath her. She couldn’t see where she was coming from or where she was going to. So, while she felt a bit uneasy holding the hand of her captor, she realized that she had no choice. If she tried to run away, she’d be instantly lost.

They walked in silence down many hallways and many stairwells. Remma could hear lots of activity going on below her in distant corridors. She could her armor clanking and men grunting. She wondered if perhaps the army was getting ready for battle. The thought made her shudder. Were the black knights getting ready to attack her father? Did her father even know what was going on? Oh, how Remma just wanted to escape and see her father, if only for just an instant, to warn him of the coming danger! But all she could do was follow the giant hulk of a man that was leading her through this dark, smelly castle.

Finally, Pipes released Remma’s hand and stopped walking. He squatted down and looked Remma in the eyes. He asked simply, “Ma’am, do you know how to ride a horse?”

Remma was surprised at the question. This man who could have been so mean treated her with great gentleness and respect. She replied, “Yes, sir. My father...you probably know who my father is...well, he’s been teaching me how to ride since he first saw me about four years ago. It’s a long story, but anyway, yes...I can ride just fine.”

“Okay,” Pipes replied. “Now listen to me. You are in the middle of something really big, and you’re not going to understand everything that you are about see. But you’ve got to trust me. When I tell you to do something, you’ve got to obey, immediately and without question. If you do, everything will be all right. If you don’t...” Pipes’ voice trailed off.

Remmaline answered, “I guess a little girl like me, surrounded by black knights as a captive in a strange castle, doesn’t have much of a choice except to do what I’m told.”

“We always have a choice,” replied Pipes. “I can’t tell you any more. The decision is yours. The fate of both of us rests in your hands. Now let’s go.”

Remmaline’s mind raced as her strange captor took her by her hand and led her onward.