The Prince of Warwood and the Fall of the King (Book 2)

by J. Noel Clinton

  “Mr. Hardcastle, Miss Jefferson, I sure hope this isn’t a normal habit,” Spencer commented.

  “No, sir,” Court answered meekly as they scrambled to their seats.

  “Class,” Spencer began, and instantly the chatter died away. “We have a visitor.” He motioned to Jeremiah, but it was completely unnecessary as the entire class was quite aware of their visitor. They had been whispering excitedly the moment the king had entered the class.

  “Good morning, King Wells,” the children chorused.

  “Good morning, children. I’ve accompanied Xavier to class this morning because he has something he needs to say to all of you and especially to Madam Stokes. Xavier?”

  Xavier hesitated as every eye in the class settled on him.

  His father squeezed his shoulder and nudged him to face Madam Stokes. “Son?” he prompted again.

  “I’m sorry,” he squeaked quickly, not looking at her.

  “Xavier, there’s more to an apology than that! You need to tell her why you’re sorry and that you won’t repeat it,” Jeremiah told him. “Now, do it properly.”

  Xavier cleared his throat nervously. “Ah, Madam Stokes, I…I’m sorry for speaking to you the way I did yesterday. And I’m sorry for being disrespectful and using your name on the test. I’m sorry for not doing as I was told and not going straight to the office.” He turned to the class. “And I apologize to the class for being disruptive and making it difficult for you to pay attention and complete your work. I’ll try to do better.”

  “Thank you, sire. I appreciate your apology. I only hope that you’ve learned a lesson from all this,” Madam Stokes noted.

  He bowed his head and muttered, “Yes ma’am. I did.”

  “Can we come to a mutual understanding that this class won’t suffer whenever you and I have a personal issue?” she asked sweetly enough, but Xavier could feel the iciness of her words. He looked up into her triumphant, cold eyes, as she smiled down at him. He knew that to anyone watching, the smile would seem friendly, encouraging, but to him, it was a smile of conquest and provocation. He despised this woman more than words could ever express.

  He felt his father’s hand tightening on his shoulder again, and he smiled mockingly back at his new nemesis. “Yes, ma’am. I totally agree.” He was surprised by how calm and sweet his voice sounded while his entire body shook with hatred.

  “Good!” Spencer’s boisterous voice said with relief. “Now that we’ve settled that, King Wells and I will leave you to your lesson.”

  “Xavier,” his father’s voice was less enthusiastic. He turned and met the king’s eyes, trying to mask the overwhelming desire to smack the woman next to him. “We’ll talk at home,” his father promised ominously.

  Xavier nodded and made his way to his seat between Court and Beck.

  Latin seemed to drag by but finally at noon, the bell rang, and Xavier hurried out the door before Madam Stokes could stop him to gloat in his face.

  “Jeremy? Jeremy?”

  Ken’s smug voice sneered from behind him. Xavier continued to walk on, refusing to be goaded into a fight, but what Ken said next sent him over the edge.

  “Is your daddy doing the teacher so you won’t fail Latin?”

  Without hesitation, he spun and punched Ken solidly in the face. Ken fell to the floor with a thud, and when Xavier moved to finish the job, Court and Beck grabbed him and hauled him away.

  “Come on, mate. You don’t want to do that!” Court coaxed.

  “Just you wait, Prince of Cream Puffs, I’ll get you. One of these days, I’ll even up the score, and you’ll have no one around to save you!” Ken bellowed.

  “Piss off, Calhoun!” Court yelled as he and Beck pulled Xavier down the hall toward the cafeteria.

  “Man! Why do you let him get to you with all that rubbish? You know he only does it so you’ll lose your head and get into trouble!” Court muttered as they quickly got their lunches and sat down with Erica and Robbie.

  “I know. God, I can’t stand him,” Xavier groaned, but then he grinned. “Well, at least he’ll think of me every time he looks in a mirror for the next couple of weeks.”

  “You know it! Awesome punch, Your Highness! He’ll have a shiner for sure!” Beck hooted, clapping Xavier on the back. After a brief chuckle, the table fell into a profound silence.

  Robbie avoided looking at him, but whenever she did, she’d quickly look away, her face turning scarlet. Erica sat unusually quiet next to Robbie, and even Court sat without talking, toying with his food. Their behavior worried him. What had they seen at the divination? What did they learn that caused this change, this deterioration in their friendship?

  The thick, tense atmosphere didn’t escape Beck’s attention, either. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and studied the group. Finally, he remarked, “Hey? What’s going on? Did you lot have a fight or something?”

  “No, of course not!” Robbie answered. “We just…we…” And once again, silent tension built in the air around them.

  Finally, Court blurted to Beck, “So, what are you planning for Mummering?”

  “Mummering?” Xavier questioned.

  “Yeah, Mummering! It’s great!” Beck announced gleefully. “Mummering is a Christmas tradition all over Newfoundland, but it’s particularly special here. Grown-ups hate it, but they can’t give us too much of a hard time because they did it when they were kids.”

  “That’s what you think!” Robbie warned, but the boys ignored her.

  “What is it, exactly?” Xavier asked.

  “Basically, it’s a practical joke night. It’s usually celebrated the week before Old Christmas,” Court told him.

  “Old Christmas? You have more than one Christmas?”

  “Yeah. Well, here we have Christmas Day like everyone else, but we also celebrate Old Christmas. Christmas used to be celebrated on January sixth before the calendar changed, and I guess our people could never really let go of our old traditions. So, on the sixth of January we have sleigh rides, a huge bonfire by the lake, a Christmas Rugby Tournament, a huge banquet, and a dance. So, if you have an idea who you’d like to take as your date to the dance, you better ask her soon before someone else does,” Beck told him, before turning to Court. “It’s your year to host the mummering celebration, Hardcastle. Which day are we having the sleepover?”

  “Let’s do it a couple of days before Old Christmas. That way, we’ll have a day to recover from our late night festivities,” Court announced. “Don’t forget to bring masks.”

  “We know! We know! We’re not idiots!” Beck retorted.

  Following lunch, Xavier, Court, Erica, and Robbie sat stiffly next to one another on the gym’s bleachers during lunch break. The uncomfortable atmosphere had returned, and Xavier felt as though he would explode from the tension.

  “You guys!” he spat. “Come on! Can’t we just pretend that the divination never happened? The way you guys are acting is freaking me out. Please?”

  “Sorry, Xavier. We’re trying, but it’s hard to do,” Robbie told him, still not quite meeting his eyes. “Just give us a little more time. We’ll get over it.”

  Xavier nodded and muttered, “Yeah, fine. No problem.”

  They fell into another uncomfortable silence until Court asked, “Got any ideas who you’re going to ask to the Old Christmas dance?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. How about you? Any prospects?” Xavier asked.

  “A couple potential lucky girls,” Courtney teased.

  Robbie and Erica rolled their eyes in disgust.

  Then, Court turned to Erica. “Well, what do you say, Jefferson? Want to go?”

  Erica blushed, and for a moment, she seemed speechless. Finally, she shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anything better to do, so why not? But listen carefully, Hardcastle! There’s to be no handholding, no corsages, no kissing, and absolutely no fooling around! Got it?”

  Court gaped at her in something just short of shock before turning to Xavier. “She’s crazy
about me! Can’t you tell?”

  Xavier snickered as Erica began pounding on him.

  “Ow! Erica, stop flirting with me! You’re giving mixed messages about fooling around!” Court sputtered between laughs.

  “God! You’re an idiot, Hardcastle!” Erica growled rolling her eyes.

  “Hey, Robbie? Do you have a date for the dance? If not, maybe you and…” Xavier began.

  “I already have a date. Beck asked me ages ago, and I…I…well, I said yes. You’re not mad are you?” Robbie blurted, blushing.

  “Nah, he’s not mad, Rob,” Court told her. “I mean he’s the Prince of Warwood! I’m sure there are at least a dozen girls just waiting for him to ask them. Hey, Xavier! What about Maggie Applegate? She’s hot, and she seems to like you!”

  “Yeah, okay. The next time I see her, I’ll ask her then,” Xavier replied with more confidence than he felt. The truth was, Xavier was a little angry that Robbie and Beck were going to the dance together and that surprised him.

  “No time like the present,” Erica teased, pointing. “She’s right over there making love sick cow eyes at you. Ask her now before someone else does.”

  Xavier looked behind him at Maggie, who was surrounded by her friends, like a chattering, giggling force field. God, he hated it when girls did that; it made it twice as hard to talk to one of them because the other girls would giggle and make him feel like a bumbling idiot.

  “She seems busy, maybe later,” Xavier muttered.

  “Later? Are you chicken, Prince of Warwood?” Erica teased.

  “No, it’s just…”

  Xavier looked back at Maggie smiling, laughing, and looking absolutely beautiful. She glanced over and caught him watching her. When she smiled and waved at him, Xavier turned back to his friends, blushing.

  “Fine. I’ll do it now.”

  Mustering up as much courage as he could, Xavier stood and made his way over to her. The short walk to Maggie was painfully awkward. He felt as if he was wearing large clown shoes, and he kept stumbling. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He tried tucking them in his pockets but when he stumbled again, he nearly fell on his face before he managed to pull out his hands to regain his balance. He decided to keep them awkwardly at his sides as he approached Maggie and her entourage. The group of giggling girls went silent the moment he reached them.

  Xavier cleared his throat and squeaked, “Ah, Maggie? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

  “Ah, sure.” Maggie stood and followed Xavier.

  The frenzy of whispers that immediately followed drew Xavier’s eyes back to the group of girls and the whispers transformed into high-pitched squeals and giggles. Blushing, Xavier led Maggie to an empty area of the bleachers. They sat in silence as Xavier fidgeted with his pants leg, trying to find the courage to ask her.

  “Ah, Xavier? What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

  Xavier looked at her enormous pale gray eyes and his heart nearly jumped from his chest. “Ah, ah, I…” he stammered. God! Why was he so nervous? This girl liked him! After all, she had kissed him once on the cheek! “Well, I was wondering. Has… anyone asked you… to the Old Christmas dance yet?”

  Maggie smiled, and Xavier’s heart felt like it exploded in his chest. “No, sire. No one has asked me.”

  “Well, would you like to go… with…me?” he whispered timidly.

  Oh, there was that smile again. Lord, did girls know the power they had over boys with a simple smile? Xavier’s body tingled.

  “I would love to!” Maggie replied softly, and Xavier beamed. “I’ll let you know what color my dress will be next week.”

  Xavier’s smile fell marginally. Okay, now he was lost. Why would he need to know that? His confusion must have been apparent on his face because Maggie patted his hand and explained, “The guy is supposed to wear a matching tie and vest.”

  Xavier barely heard her answer. The moment she touched his hand, a strong energy drummed through him and the pounding of his heart was nearly deafening. He wanted nothing more than to kiss this girl.

  “Ah, okay,” he squeaked, jumping to his feet. “Thanks. Ah, I better…ah…get my stuff; the afternoon classes are about to begin. See ya.” He hurried away from a slightly baffled and bemused Maggie Applegate.

  Chapter 9

  Mummering

  The next couple of weeks went quickly and before Xavier knew it, Christmas break was well underway and the night for Mummering had come. Although he still wasn’t sure what Mummering was, he was excited to be attending a sleepover and hanging out with the guys. With a duffle bag in one hand and his dad’s sleeping bag tucked under the other arm, he exited the royal residence. Ephraim was standing guard outside the door and greeted him with a smile.

  “Now, you tell that son of mine to mind his mother and behave himself. In fact, the whole lot of you better behave or I’ll take a strap to your backsides!” he teased.

  “Yes, Sir.” Xavier laughed and continued down the steps to the Hardcastle residence. Court greeted him at the door and dragged him into the residence.

  “About time, X. We were afraid we’d have to start without you,” he whispered as he dragged him past Mrs. Hardcastle.

  “Hello, Xavier.” She smiled. “Please excuse Courtney’s rudeness.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Hardcastle. Don’t worry. I’m used to it,” he answered, smiling back.

  Courtney dragged him into his room where Beck, Harry, Frankie, and Garrett sat goofing around. “Get out!” Court growled at his little brother, Caleb, who sat on the bed watching the older boys.

  “It’s my room, too!” he whined.

  “I said get out!” Court repeated, hauling Caleb off his bed and pushing him out the door.

  “Hey, X! Glad you could make it,” Beck whooped excitedly.

  The other boys instantly began chanting, “Prince Wells, Prince Wells, Prince Wells!” But the moment Beck raised his hand, everyone fell silent so Beck could announce the plans for the night.

  “Okay, the best thing to do is to wait until Court’s mother is asleep; it’ll make our escape easier. Once we’re out of the residence, we’ll borrow Governor Yaman’s horse and sleigh so we can have fast teleportation around the kingdom.” Beck continued to describe the plans with flawless detail. They were perfect in every way except one: what would they do if they were discovered? But the boys didn’t notice this enormous flaw and continued to discuss ideas in making the night the best Mummering night ever.

  Finally, at midnight, Courtney led the troupe into the kitchen, threw back a large braided rug, and pulled up a hatch in the middle of the floor.

  “Whoa! Hardcastle! I didn’t know this place had hidden doors and passages! Awesome!” Garrett whispered excitedly.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. The entire palace is full of them. I guess it’s so that if the palace is ever invaded, the king and his closest officials can escape unharmed.” Court shrugged, already climbing down the ladder into the passageway. The boys followed him one by one, descending into the dark cramped space.

  “God, Hardcastle! It’s pitch black down here! How are we going to see to get out?” Beck’s voice chastised.

  “Damn! I forgot the sodding flashlight,” Court spat.

  A collective groan and complaints echoed down the passage.

  “Jeez, Court!”

  “What are we supposed to do now, Hardcastle? Bounce off the walls until we find our way out?” Garrett belittled.

  Suddenly, the tunnel filled with a brilliant white light. Every voice fell silent, and the boys gapped at Xavier and the small sphere of light cupped in his hand. He looked at each stunned face in turn.

  “What?” Xavier questioned. “We need light, right?”

  The boys burst into laughter.

  “Okay, disguises on!” Beck announced. Xavier pulled on the full head clown mask complete with wild orange hair that Court had loaned him. After a brief heckling at one another’s masks, the group made their way through the passage and slipped
out into the night through a cellar door at the rear of the palace.

  They had no difficulty “borrowing” Governor Yaman’s horse and sleigh. Xavier discovered that Garrett was quite knowledgeable about horses, and with Xavier calming the beast with his anima lingua, Garrett soon had the horse harnessed and strapped to the sleigh. The boys tumbled into the sleigh in one tangled, giggling heap. Garrett took the reins and the group was whisked out of the palace grounds and into Wellington’s residential streets. Soon, they were racing from house to house collecting lawn furniture, lights, Christmas decorations, mailboxes, and even street signs.

  “What are we going to do with all this stuff?” Harry asked.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Xavier announced, laughing. “Let’s put it all on Headmaster Spencer’s front lawn.”

  At first the group just stared at him like he was insane, but slowly, enormous grins spread across their faces.

  “You know something, Your Highness? If I didn’t have any respect for you before, I sure do now! You’ve got moxie, man.” Beck laughed, clapping him on the back and turning to the others. “Well? You heard your king, the headmaster’s house it is! May the Lord protect us if he catches us!”

  Xavier had no idea what to expect when seeing Spencer’s home for the first time, but what he saw surprised him. Michael Spencer didn’t live within the palace’s walls as a Royal. Instead, Garrett guided the sleigh onto the streets in the Merchant Area. Spencer’s house was a well-kept, modest home not much different from the house where he had lived with his grandparents.

  “Spencer lives here?” Xavier whispered as he climbed out of the sleigh.

  “Well, not everyone can live in a palace, Your Highness,” Garrett pointed out softly.

  “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant. I guess I just figured that since he’s royalty, he’d have to live inside the palace walls or something. I didn’t mean anything bad by it! I lived in house like this before my mom…well, before I came here.”

  “I’m just teasing ya, X.” Garrett smiled as he jumped down from the buckboard and pushed the prince playfully.