by Linda McNabb
Toby couldn’t help but grin. All these people wanted to take the role of heir from Kaylene? No wonder she was so upset. ‘Us? Definitely not. We’re friends of the princess. We’re just visiting.’
Jern immediately lost interest in them both and wandered off to interfere with the ball game being played, but Riko stayed to talk.
‘Some say the king will announce his heir this afternoon at the tournament,’ Riko said, sliding his back down the column to sit down.
‘Are all of these people related to the king?’ Toby asked, looking around and trying to count the men and boys in the room. He guessed that there were at least a dozen or more.
‘In some way or another. I’m one of the more distant relatives. The king’s cousin Paulo is my father, but the king has brothers who have sons as well. They are far more likely to be chosen.’
‘If Kaylene has her way, nobody will be chosen,’ Sanelle said with a grin. ‘She wants to rule.’
‘Suits me,’ Riko said with a shrug that said he genuinely didn’t care who ruled. ‘I’m leaving tomorrow even if the king doesn’t make a decision today. There’s no point in hanging around here, and mother will need some help on the farm.’
‘Is your brother going home, too?’ Toby asked. He watched Jern purposely kick the ball out a window, causing an uproar among the boys who had been playing with it.
‘I have seven of them,’ Riko replied. He pointed out over half of the boys and young men in the room. ‘I’m the youngest. And, no, I think they’ll all stay. The longer they are here, the longer they can avoid doing chores at home.’
A soft bell rang somewhere in the distance. The effect on the contenders was instant. All play and mischief ceased, as they straightened their clothes. Several took the time to run their finger through their hair to tidy it up, and some even rushed off to change into fresh tunics.
‘Time for us to head for the tournament,’ Riko said with a grin. ‘It might be a bit of fun. My brother Jern thinks he is going to win.’
‘We should go find Kaylene. She’s expecting us.’ Several people turned to stare at Toby’s omission of the princess’s title.
‘You may as well come with us as she’ll probably be watching the tournament,’ Riko pointed out.
Toby realised that Riko was right. ‘What do you think, Sanelle?’
‘It’s better than sitting in her rooms waiting for her,’ Sanelle agreed. ‘I’d like to watch the tournament.’
The contenders left the room, chattering amongst themselves as they were led through the hallways by a castle servant. Toby and Sanelle followed at the rear of the group, with Riko walking next to them. As they went down a corridor, Toby realised that someone else was walking with them. He looked over and, with a jolt, found himself looking at his own clothes. Then he looked up and saw a familiar face — Kaylene. She looked nothing like a royal in his old, worn clothes and she had a brown woollen hat tugged down over her curls.
‘I’m not missing out on the tournament,’ she whispered. ‘I have every right to join in.’
Toby didn’t argue. He’d learnt a long time ago that the princess was very stubborn, and what she wanted she usually got. They were led to a ballroom with huge glass doors that looked out over a snow-covered lawn, in the centre of which stood a huge fountain. Water cascaded over the edge of a large bowl, running through crystal beads that tinkled sweetly as they collided with each other.
Most of the town’s gentry were gathered at one end of the room, and at the other end was King Rhobet. His royal blue clothes were of the finest silks, and his blue-and-white velvet cloak stretched out elegantly behind him. At his feet stood a small chest. It was looked as though it was made of gold and it sparkled in the weak sunlight that struggled through the clouds and in the windows. The king stood patiently with his hands clasped behind his back.
The contenders gathered in a small group in front of the king, including Toby and Sanelle. Toby wanted to slip back out the door but that would just draw attention to himself.
‘We’ll wait to hear what he has to say and then sneak out,’ Sanelle muttered in his ear. ‘I’ll make us invisible in a minute.’
‘Lords, ladies, invited guests,’ the king said, turning to the crowd. He appeared to be looking for someone in particular and frowned when he didn’t find them. Toby guessed that he was looking for Kaylene. ‘Some have said this quest to find an heir is more like tournament, with the prize being crowned king.’
There was much nodding of heads in the crowd and a few murmurs from the contenders.
‘It is true we began with a banquet last night. Games of skill and bravery would naturally follow today,’ he continued. This brought loud enthusiastic agreement from both crowd and contenders. Everyone enjoyed the contests of sword, archery and horsemanship.
Kaylene grinned at Toby. ‘I can beat them all easily.’
The king raised one hand to silence them. ‘However…’ he paused until everyone was listening, ‘I have decided that that is not the best way to choose my heir.’
Kaylene glared openly at the king.
‘We need an heir who will think like a king. One who shows skills of the mind as well as the physical skills that you all no doubt possess.’ The king ignored the disappointed looks of the contenders. He pointed to the golden chest at his feet. ‘The victor of today’s game will have what is inside this chest.’
Murmurs rose around the room until the king silenced them all again with one hand.
‘Before I announce the game, you must choose one member from each family represented. You must all agree that this is your contender for the crown. Each contender must be standing before me by the time the sands run through this hourglass.’
King Rhobet took an hourglass from the folds of his robe and held it up. He turned it so the sand was in the top half of the glass and placed it on the top of the golden chest.
There was a brief silence as the king’s words sank in. He was narrowing the field of contenders by more than a quarter of those who had come to the castle. Riko and his seven brothers moved off to the side of the room and a squabble broke out among them immediately. Jern’s voice could be heard above the others as he argued that being the eldest meant he was the only choice.
One other family group broke away and formed a huddle, leaving Kaylene, Sanelle and Toby alone in the middle of the room. Toby quickly headed out of the king’s sight and was followed by Sanelle and Kaylene.
‘Well, since I’m the only member of my family I guess that means I’m eligible,’ Kaylene said with a grin. ‘Pretend we’re discussing it for a minute and then I’ll go back.’
They stayed pretending to talk for a while, and then Kaylene walked quickly back to the king and stood before him, head cast down and looking at the floor by his feet. Toby watched the sands in the hourglass and listened to the bickering of both of the other groups. Eventually, just before the sands ran out, Jern broke away from his seven brothers and strode up to stand next to Kaylene.
A tall boy from the third group joined them as the king picked up the hourglass and watched the last grain of sand trickle to the bottom.
King Rhobet put the hourglass back in his pocket and withdrew some parchments, rolled and sealed with wax. He counted out three of them and put the rest back. ‘Each of these has a different clue, but all of the clues lead to the same end. The first to bring me back the correct object will become my heir.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
QUEST FOR THE CROWN
He handed each of the contenders a roll of parchment and spoke again.
‘You may choose others to help in your quest if you wish.’ With that he stepped back and folded his hands behind his back and stood watching.
Jern immediately grabbed one of his younger brothers by the collar and dragged him off across the room as he broke the seal and unravelled the parchment. The third contender looked nervously around the room, unrolled the scroll and read it before dashing off out of the ballroom on his own.
&
nbsp; Kaylene nodded at Sanelle and Toby, and the three of them met in the middle of the room. Riko hurried over to join them.
‘Can I help, Kaylene?’ he asked. The princess looked up and, recognising her cousin, nodded briefly. Kaylene broke the seal on the parchment and unrolled it. It contained a verse, in elaborate script, that Toby struggled to read.
To succeed in this Quest – will bring you back to this chest.
No walls there be,
a vista to the sea.
I run forever,
yet never move along.
I have no lungs,
but still a joyful song.
‘What does it mean?’ Kaylene asked the others as Jern and his brother walked off at a fast pace, looking like they knew the meaning of their riddle.
‘It runs and sings,’ Toby said, trying to sound as if he had almost worked it out. ‘It can’t be an animal if it sings. A person?’
‘But it has no lungs,’ Riko pointed out.
‘What else can run?’ Toby said slowly as he tried to work out the rest of the riddle.
‘Your nose,’ Riko said with a short laugh, which earned him a glare from Sanelle.
‘I know what it is.’ A sudden grin lit up Kaylene’s face, and she ran across the polished wooden floor and opened one of the huge doors that led out onto the lawn. The others followed as she went quickly down the stone steps.
By the time they were halfway across the snow-covered lawn, Toby had worked out where she was going.
‘The fountain,’ he said, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it himself.
‘It runs and the noise of it tinkles through the crystal beads,’ Sanelle said, also looking as if she wished she had solved the riddle.
‘And you can see down to the sea from here,’ Kaylene said, pointing out the heaving ocean in the distance.
‘Where’s the next clue?’ Riko asked as they all searched around by the fountain.
‘Look!’ Toby yelled as he saw a parchment poking out of a crack between two of the stones that surrounded the fountain.
He picked it up and handed it to Kaylene. She unravelled it quickly and held it up for them all to see.
The path to the crown – is sometimes up and sometimes down.
I am ever hungry,
Always to be fed,
The hand I touch,
Soon will be red.
Kaylene frowned as she stared at the others. This one had clearly stumped her. Sanelle and Riko looked equally as confused. Toby grinned, as the answer to this one was obvious to him. Kaylene saw his smile and looked hopefully at him.
‘Fire,’ he told them. ‘My job from when I was little was to keep the cooking fires in the kitchen going. Aggie was always telling me to feed the fires and I got many a red finger from getting too close.’
‘Where is a fire here, though?’ Sanelle asked, looking around the lawn.
‘With the cold weather, most of the fires in the castle will be lit at some point during the day,’ Kaylene mused.
‘I know one fire that will always be lit,’ Toby said. ‘Any castle kitchen has a fire going all day. And those who work in the kitchen are always up and down the stairs.’
‘Lead the way,’ Riko said.
They went quickly through the castle, hurrying down corridors and steps until they reached the lower kitchens of the castle. Sure enough, the kitchen was sweltering hot with a fire burning in the back hearth.
The kitchen servants looked surprised as the four youths burst in, but they stepped aside and did not attempt to stop them. Toby looked hesitantly at the head cook. He was a large, round man with a red face, and he was dripping with sweat from the heat. If anyone was going to object, it would be him. Aggie had run the kitchens where he grew up and she never let anyone into her kitchens without her permission. The evening meal was in various stages of preparation, and a huge side of meat was roasting slowly over the embers that had been raked to the front of the fireplace.
This head cook, however, took one look at Kaylene and saw right through the disguise. He ushered all of his staff out of the room and the four youths were left alone in the steaming kitchen.
‘Look near the fire,’ Kaylene ordered as she crossed the room.
Before he started searching, Toby couldn’t help but turn the spit so that the meat didn’t burn. A few seconds later Riko cried out and held up another scroll.
‘It was in the coal bucket,’ he said, handing it to Kaylene.
Kaylene read this riddle out as Sanelle propped the door open to let some cooler air into the room.
In this place, all concede – the king will always lead.
My life is a matter of hours,
I exist to be devoured.
Short, I am fast,
Tall, I am slow.
Wind is my Foe.
Once again silence fell as they all tried to solve the riddle. Toby absently turned the spit again as he looked around the room, hoping something would help him work it out.
‘Why the wind?’ Sanelle said.
‘It’s blows cold in winter,’ Riko suggested.
The fire flickered in the breeze that swept in through the open door. Toby stared at it — a fire didn’t like the wind, but it couldn’t be fire a second time.
‘A candle,’ Sanelle stated suddenly.
She was right. A thin candle went quickly, a fat one was slow to burn. He glanced around the room but didn’t see any candles.
‘We mostly use oil for the lamps here,’ Kaylene said, not even looking around. ‘One of the few places we have candles is on the tables in the Great Hall.’
‘And the king is always first to eat,’ Toby pointed out. ‘So he always leads in the Great Hall.’
‘That’s where we’re heading then. We were there for the banquet last night,’ Riko said, already heading for the door. The kitchen servants were hovering down the hall a ways, and the youngest of them hurried past them as soon as it was clear they were leaving the kitchens. He looked worried as he ran into the kitchen.
‘Don’t worry, I didn’t let it burn,’ Toby called to him with a grin. He knew the job of the youngest was to turn the spit and an unkind cook would beat them if they let it burn.
‘How many more clues do you think there are?’ Sanelle asked as they climbed the dozens of steps leading up to the main eating hall.
‘Knowing my father, probably dozens,’ Kaylene said between gasps for breath. Toby pitied the servants for these steps were steeper and more slippery than the steps he used to carry food up as a young boy.
The Great Hall had already been set up for the evening meal, and several young lads were walking along the tables, laying out stale slabs of bread that would serve as plates for the diners later. Elaborate candlesticks were evenly spaced along the tables. Toby walked quickly along one long table while the rest checked the other tables.
Sanelle called them over to the head table, which stood on a slightly raised platform at the far end of the room. Wrapped around the base of a large candlestick was another parchment.
‘Read it,’ Kaylene said as she hurried over.
Sanelle pulled it off the candlestick and read it out loud.
This riddle be the end — solve it to ascend.
Standing tall and straight,
all day long they wait and wait.
I turn in a circle,
What is out will not invade.
I turn back around,
What is in is free to raid.
‘Well, at least we know there are no more clues,’ Toby said, taking a deep breath. He knew by now that the first part of the riddle was telling them where to go and the second part was what they were looking for when they got there.
‘Who stands tall and straight?’ Riko asked.
‘Guards,’ Kaylene replied instantly. She paused for a few seconds. ‘The gate guards stand all day and wait for visitors.’
‘We’ll work out the rest on the way,’ Sanelle said and they all ran from the Great Hall, watched by b
emused servants who continued to ready the hall for the evening meal. They were running down the hallway when off to their left they heard hurried footsteps.
‘I think that’s Jern down there,’ Toby said as they passed a corridor that led off to the public area of the castle.
‘It looks like he’s still solving his own riddles,’ Kaylene said, looking slightly relieved. Toby wondered how Riko felt, being on a team in the quest that was opposing his own brother at being crowned king. He looked over at the dark-haired boy as they ran but he didn’t appear bothered at all.
‘Don’t you want your brother to win?’ Sanelle asked Riko, obviously thinking along the same lines as Toby.
‘Kaylene is the rightful heir,’ Riko said with a grin. ‘Besides, my brother is enough of a pain now. Think what he would be like if were king!’
As they hurried out of the front of the castle, it seemed that nobody was any closer to solving the last riddle.
‘What turns and stops things invading?’ Toby asked out loud to help get them thinking.
‘The gates stop people getting in,’ Sanelle suggested.
‘But they don’t turn,’ Kaylene pointed out.
They had arrived at the gates where two guards stood at attention, guarding the castle. The guards looked curiously at the four youths but did not move from their posts.
‘Just look around,’ Riko suggested. ‘Maybe that will help.’
Toby passed the closest guard. It was the same guard who had been on the gate when they had arrived earlier in the day. The guard frowned as Toby paused to stare for a few seconds. After being convinced that it wasn’t the guard that turned, Toby moved on and stood by the gatehouse. It definitely didn’t turn but something shiny inside caught his eye.
‘What was the first part of that first riddle?’ he asked Kaylene as he stared into the gloom of the small, round gatehouse. He heard her rustling through the parchments for a few seconds.
‘To succeed in this Quest — will bring you back to this chest,’ Kaylene read out loud.
‘I wonder what’s in the chest?’ Sanelle commented.
‘It’s probably locked,’ Riko said, stepping closer to the gatehouse. It was clear by the sparkle in his eyes that he had solved the last riddle. ‘And how do you open a locked chest?’