Chapter 53 - The Final Chapter

As soon as the king spoke, two more people walked through the village gate. One was a beautiful woman, and the other was a little girl holding her hand. The girl was toddling around a little off-balance, and the woman often had to tug at her arm to keep her from falling over. Soon Samek cried out, “It’s the queen!” And everyone immediately bowed down once again.

While everyone else took a knee, King Maximilian ran over to his beautiful bride and embraced her. Queen Krystara released her daughter’s hand and hugged the king. The royal couple held one another for a long time. Meanwhile, the little girl teetered over to her big sister Remmaline. Remma quickly came to her feet, grabbed her sister’s arms, and started swinging her around.

Andres glanced over and saw what her sister was doing. Not wanting to break the silence too much, he whispered very loudly, “Remma! Stop it! You’re going to throw her arms out of their sockets!” Remma glanced back at Andrew, pursed her lips, and kept swinging her sister.

King Maximilian then spoke. “Please, everybody, stand! This is a day of celebration! For about a fortnight past, our birthday party for little Julianna was interrupted by the kidnapping of our children. But we are back together at last, and it’s time to finish the party that we started!”

As the king spoke, more people started to file into the village. Skittlechip led the parade, followed by about a dozen of his fellow cooks. After him came some donkeys loaded with food. “Show me to a kitchen!” cried out Skittlechip to no one in particular. Samek, who knew the village well and who also loved food, immediately guided him to a home that could accommodate him in the preparation of a great feast.

Andres ran over to Skittlechip and asked, “This is incredible? How did you ever make it through the Great Swamp? I mean, from what I’ve heard, only Spartacus the horse knows the pathway through! And none of you are riding Spartacus, as far as I can tell.”

“Well, you’re right there,” replied Skittlechip, taking a moment to rub his back. “But you see, from what I understand, the white knights followed your father as they assembled for battle last night. Well, those horses trampled a nice little path for us. So when we arrived, we just followed their trail. And it’s a good thing for you, ‘cause we were powerful hungry. And if we hadn’t found that path, we’d have stopped where we were and made a great feast on the other side of the swamp. And you’d have smelled the whole thing and not eaten a single bite!” Skittlechip smiled, gave Andres a hug, and then said, “Now stop interrupting me, my boy! I’ve got to put my hands to the skillet and get cookin’!”

So that evening the village of Cliffton was treated to a banquet such it had never seen before. Julianna, who was usually in bed by about 7 o’clock, enjoyed the chance to stay up late. Whenever she seemed a little drowsy, Skittlechip would run up to her and stuff a piece of cake in her mouth. “A little sugar should keep her goin’!” he’d declare. And he was right. By the time the evening came to a close, Julianna was toddling around like a drunken woman, spending half her time on her feet and half her time on her rump. And the whole time a great smile was spread across her face.

This celebration brings this story to a close. But before we end, you may want to know what happened to some of the characters.

Gregorex and Annala got married the next day. You see, after the great birthday celebration, everyone was full and no one wanted to go anywhere. They needed to celebrate something, but because Julianna was so tuckered out from the party, they figured it didn’t make sense to drag out her birthday feast. So when everyone was gathered for breakfast the next day, Gregorex seized the occasion to propose to Annala. Annala surprised everyone when she said, “Yes! But only if you marry me this very day!” And so it was. About a year, the couple had a little boy that was named Little Gregorex. He became very good friends with Julianna in the years after that.

Samek settled back into his home, overjoyed to be reunited at last with his wife Susannah. Although he’d enjoyed sharing his home with Gregorex for the past four years, he had to admit that he preferred having Susannah occupying the other bed. This great benefit helped him to overcome the bittersweet emotion of seeing his daughter Annala get married.

Philip disappeared in the midst of the birthday celebration. Despite the warmth that had been shown to him by his mother and sister, and despite Gregorex’ imperfect but sincere attempt to forgive his treachery, Philip just couldn’t seem to cope with the reunion. He left a brief note, apologizing for his evil and thanking everyone for their kindness and promising to make it right some day.

Kaelanna and her father and mother ended up coming back to the castle with Remmaline. Her parents became the most devoted servants that you could ever hope for, and Kaelanna became the most faithful friend that Remmaline could ever hope for. The two girls became inseparable, as we shall see in future adventures.

Mitch eventually recovered from his wounds suffered at the great mound, and he and Jimbo enjoyed a happy reunion. Mitch apologized to the king many times over for the evil that he had done to Remma and to the kingdom. The king forgave him, of course, but asked him to keep the little bag of Remma’s hair clippings. “Let it be a reminder to you that forgiveness always comes at a cost to the forgiver,” the king said. And Mitch kept that little pouch for the rest of his life. Mitch ended up moving out into the woods with his brother Jimbo.

Jimbo was the life of the party in Cliffton, both during the birthday celebration and during the wedding feast. People just couldn’t get enough of the goofy man with the funny accent. Jimbo seemed to revel in the attention, and his accent seemed to get stronger and more pronounced as the party wore on. But after a couple of days, Jimbo abruptly declared, “I can see that me love, me Rachel, the one I adore and dream about, is not to be found here. Alas. I must go back to the woods and resume me search!” And he did, accompanied by his brother Mitch.

Remmaline, in the company of her friend Kaelanna, grew to be a beautiful, humble, and kind princess. Oh, she would occasionally quarrel with her brothers, and there were days when she and Julianna would trouble the boys to no end. But at the end of the day the siblings would all give each other a hug and a kiss goodnight. And so though the days would sometimes start out with grumbling and arguing amongst the siblings, they most always ended peacefully.

Andres and Cable grew to be handsome and stately young princes. At their father’s urging, they didn’t spend too much time dwelling on the topic of “girls.” They stayed busy studying and hunting and horse riding and other such vigorous occupations; they had very little time to think about the fair sex. And that was probably for the best, at least until they grew older.

Thus ends the story--a story of many rescues. It is the story of how Annala resuced Andres, of how Legs rescued Gregorex, of how Pipes rescued Fred, of how Ronaldus rescued Jimbo, of how Jimbo rescued Cable, of how Cable rescued Mitch, of how Gregorex rescued Philip, and of how the king rescued them all. It is a story of how people saved friends, how braver people saved strangers, and how still braver people saved enemies. It is a story of bravery and forgiveness which go hand in hand. And it is a story of how good not only conquers evil--it overcomes evil.

Chapter 52 - Well Done!

As King Maximilian entered the village gates, all those who were assembled knelt down before him. Every mouth went silent, and every head bowed down to the ground. It wasn’t as though the joy of the occasion disappeared. Rather, the joy was engulfed by the awe of finally being reunited with the one that all of them served. The silence represented a different kind of joy--the joy that goes beyond human expression, the joy that can only be expressed by fear and reverence.

Maximilian smiled as he walked through the silent crowd. First, he walked over to Samek. Grasping him by the shoulder, Maximilian said, “Well done, Samek.”

Without looking up, Samek shook his head. “It’s...it’s not true, O King,” he replied. “When the air became filled with those ghastly, soulless creatures...I was filled with fear. I could do nothing. I was good for nothing. I wanted to just give up, O King. If Andres hadn’t acted, I think I would have been slain right there. I...I can’t believe how quickly I was ready to surrender.”

Maximilian stooped down and gently tilted up Samek’s chin, so that they could look in one another’s eyes. “Samek, don’t be discouraged. Four years ago, I gave you an impossible task. That task was to occupy a village and be prepared to one day hold off an entire army. You fulfilled your task, Samek, and for that I am very grateful. Oh yes, you may have failed for a moment. But I remember your years of faithfulness, Samek. Those years far outweigh a few seconds of stumbling. Thank you, Samek.”

Samek sniffed slightly and appeared to choke up a bit as he replied, “You’re welcome, my lord the king. It was the least I could do for the one who put so much trust in me.”

The king then walked over to Gregorex. He stooped down next to Gregorex and put his arm around the man. “Well done, Gregorex,” he declared.

Gregorex, like Samek before him, couldn’t look up. He simply shook his head and mumbled, “No sir, I didn’t do all that well. You see, O King, my heart...well, it’s been full of anger. The whole time I was in Dor-ko’s prison, I really didn’t think much about you at all. I just wanted to get out and get revenge on Philip. He betrayed me and everyone I care about, O King. And I wanted nothing more than to pay him back. When I saw him lying on the ground back there...I swear that if his mother hadn’t been there, I would have killed him. And the whole time we rode back, my heart was still filled with hatred. So I’m not worth much of anything, O King.”

The king squeezed Gregorex firmly for a moment, then patted him on the back. “I understand your struggle, Gregorex,” he said. “I know what it feels like to be betrayed. But even as you struggled within your heart, you still remained faithful to me. You may have followed me imperfectly, but you did indeed follow me, and I am thankful for that. You are a wrestler, Gregorex--you struggle and you never let go. And even though you may have wanted to kill Philip, you didn’t give in to your emotions, even for a minute. That took a lot of courage and strength, Gregorex. The battles within are far more difficult than the battles without. You have fought the battle within, and today you have won.”

Gregorex then walked over to Philip, whose body was prostrate before the king. Maximilian knelt down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “As for you, Philip,” the king declared, “you have done well also, though not as well as the others. For when you were about to be cast into the pit, you resisted. Something within you decided that it would be better to serve me than to serve the forces of darkness. It took all the courage you had to resist your captors. And Philip, I’ve honored that courage by giving you a second chance. Don’t waste it.”

The king didn’t wait for a reply, but turned instead toward Annala. He walked over to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Oh Annala, I am so proud of you,” the king said. “Well done.”

At those words, Annala sprung up and threw her arms around the king. She held him as tightly as she could before breaking out in sobs and tears. In a few moments the words came spilling out. “O King, it’s not true!” she cried out. “I...I spent four years in that horrible prison. And by the end of it, I was sure you were never coming back. I’d given up, O King. I took pride in being your most loyal subject in the prison, but in the end I doubted you. I doubted you just as much as that wretched Slumbutter himself. I gave up on you, on my father, and even on Gregorex. I’d given up all hope, O King. Yet you came anyway. I...I am not worthy of any kind of reward, my lord.”

As Annala wept on his shoulder, the king just held her and remained silent. As her crying died down, Maximilian softly said, “Annala, don’t despair. Yes, you doubted for a moment. But that doesn’t undo your years of faithfulness. And I will never forget your kindness to my son, when he was cast into the dungeon. You cared for him and told him what he needed to know to escape. That was very brave of you, Annala. If you had been discovered, your life would have been in jeopardy.. But even in the midst of your dark hour of doubt, you didn’t waver in your service. Thank you for looking out for my son, and for never truly giving up.”

Annala looked into the king’s eyes and said, “It is I who should thank you, O King. For you didn’t forget us. We didn’t deserve your attention, yet you came back for us.”

The king smiled as Annala spoke. “I didn’t just come to set you free,” he said. “There is something even greater in store for you and for another young man here!” But without explaining himself, he turned from Annala and walked over to Andres.

As the king approached, Andres, unlike the others, rose to his feet. He ran to his father and embraced him. The king gave his youngest son a firm embrace as he said, “Well done, my son.”

Andres put his head down and replied, “Dad, I really didn’t do anything much. All I did was lead the charge. The white knights--they did all the rest. I probably didn’t fight for more than five minutes. And to be honest, I didn’t even feel like fighting at all. If you hadn’t said anything to me, I probably would have just stayed inside the village and watched.”

Maximilian smiled at his son and replied, “Andres, you’ve discovered something. The key to being a leader isn’t being the greatest or the strongest or the most popular or the most powerful. The key to being a leader and a prince is simply to take the next step. I didn’t tell you to go out there and win the battle. I just asked you to face the enemy and prepare to fight. And that is exactly what you did. You will be a good prince for this land, Andres, because you don’t seek greatness. You simply seek to obey.”

Andres said nothing. The approval of his father meant everything to the 14-year-old boy, but he couldn’t express it in words. So he just listened quietly to the words that he’d remember for the rest of his life.

The king then walked over to Cable. He patted him on the shoulder and said, “Stand up, my son. For you have done well this day.”

Cable obediently came to his feet and hugged his father. He then replied, “I haven’t actually done very well at all, Dad. You see, when it came time to play the trumpet, I...I preferred to just hide and do nothing. I didn’t want to play it at all. I never wanted to look into the mound ever again. i just wanted to run. And to be honest, I almost did.”

“Oh Cable, my son,” replied the king. “It’s true that you had a moment of doubt. But you have the heart of a lion inside of you--a heart that would never let you run. You stuck with the task that was laid before you, and in the end you fulfilled your calling. You completed your mission. You did all that I asked.”

Cable pondered these words a moment, then replied, “But Dad, all I did was play a trumpet. I didn’t lead an army into battle like Andres did.”

Maximilian gently grasped Cable’s face in his hands. Looking him in the eyes, Maximilian said, “Son, I have a question for you. Do you wish to be great in this kingdom? Or do you merely wish for people to think that you are great?”

Cable looked down and replied, “I’m not sure, Dad. I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I mean this, son,” replied Maximilian. “Both you and Andres were called to great tasks this day. Andres was called to a task that everyone could see, while you were called to a task that almost no one could see. But each task was important. I am just as proud of you as I am of Andres. And if you wish to be great, you must continue to be faithful, whether in public or in obscurity.”

Cable nodded and replied, “Thanks, Dad.” And he hugged his father once again. There was nothing quite as encouraging to young Cable as a hug from his father.

Then the king walked over to Remma. The girl still lay fast asleep on the ground. The king picked her up gently in his arms and carried her over to a spot near the village wall, where a young girl remained bowed down before the king. The king stroked his daughter’s hair and said to her, “Remmaline, are you awake?”

Remmaline soon opened her eyes and saw her father. Smiling, she said, “Yes, Daddy.” She didn’t even seem to be surprised to be in her father’s arms. It was like she expected every day to wake up in his embrace.

“Do you know this girl?” the king asked Remmaline as he gestured toward the girl that was kneeling on the ground.

“Kaelanna!” Remmaline gasped. She sprung out of the king’s arms and quickly gave her friend a big hug. But as she did so, she noticed something very different about her. She noticed that her hair, which had been very long, was now very short. “What happened to your hair?” Remmaline gasped.

Kaelanna looked at her friend and replied, “Remma, when I heard that you left the village in the middle of the night to help find Cable, well...well, I thought to myself that you must be the bravest girl I’d ever known. And I thought that I wanted to be just like you. And I didn’t know exactly how to do that, so the first thing I did was to cut my hair so that I would at least look like you. How do you like it?”

Remmaline smiled. “Oh Kaelanna, your the best!” she declared. “These next few months will be so much fun. We can watch our hair grow back together!”

At those words, Kaelanna’s smile faded a bit. “But Remma,” she said, “your father has returned. You’ll go back to your castle, and I shall stay out here in the country.”

Remma turned to her father with a questioning look in her eyes. A smile once again passed across his face as he declared, “Oh, I’ve already taken care of that. For Kaelanna shall come back with us! Her father was such a faithful servant in the dark dungeon of Dor-ko that he shall come and serve us in our home now! And as for Kaelanna’s mother, my servant Ronaldus is setting her free even now.”

The king then turned to the crowd and said, “Now please, everyone, come to your feet! We have a great birthday to celebrate!” And everyone rose and looked to the village gate, to see what he could possibly mean.