by Clark, Lydia
“I think you should breach that subject with him. It is best that it doesn’t come from me.”
“If you had a choice of who was to rule the kingdom if I were to die, whom would it be?”
“I’m sorry, your majesty, I’m not your counselor. I wouldn’t be able to make such a decision.”
“But, you’re not making a decision. I just want to know, who do think is the most capable of running the kingdom?”
Conrad grinned. “Treea of course.”
The king laughed. “She’s no relation.”
“What a shame.”
“What do you know of this woman?”
“She can outfight the best of my men - level-headed - and an inner strength that is unmatched by anyone I know.”
“Do you know why the Duke wants her so badly?”
“There is a war between Captain Pellesi and the Duke. What it’s all about, I haven’t the faintest clue.
Dale returned to the king’s side with the riding instructor. “He did well today for his first lesson, even though he says he’s never been on a horse. I find it hard to believe. Do you wish for him to have more instruction tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, your majesty, the horse is tiring and should be allowed to rest and eat.”
“Go then, tomorrow is another day.” The king turned toward Dale. “Are you still up for that fighting lesson?”
Dale looked Conrad over. “I think I could manage a sparring session or two.”
“Then let’s do this.” Conrad flung a wooden training sword at Dale and appeared surprised when he caught it in mid-air. He raised his weapon and took his stance and waited for Dale to do the same, but that never happened. Dale stood as he always stood and held the sword straight up and down in front of him as though he were a child examining a new toy.
“Are you ready to fight or are you going to just stand there?” Conrad asked.
Dale remained as he was. “I’m ready to fight. What are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for you to put your feet right and to hold your weapon properly.”
Dale looked down at Conrad’s feet and moved his own by only a slight bit. They still appeared to be as they were before. His hands he shifted slightly down the hilt. Not much of an improvement.
The king wanted to laugh. He wasn’t sure if Dale were toying with Conrad or if he actually didn’t know how to fight. Conrad grimaced in frustration. He started to lecture Dale about his stance. “Just take the first swing, Conrad. Show him why he shouldn’t stand that way.”
Conrad obliged gratefully. He swung with all his might, Dale merely stepped aside causing Conrad to fall off balance and miss his mark. The king couldn’t stop laughing. “Will the two of you stop playing and start sparring.”
Conrad decided to take a different approach. He swung his weapon before him with careful aim making contact with Dale’s. While doing so, he spoke. “The king wants to know what you have been doing for a living?”
“I’m a caretaker.” Dale swung his weapon with ease and matched Conrad swing for swing.
“That’s a different way to put it. I know for a fact that you’re not a caretaker of the same sense. You do not handle dead bodies and put them in graves.”
“I can if I need too.”
“What do you really take care of?”
“I take care of my mother. She is a wonderful woman who has very little and makes do with what she has.”
“I know for a fact that you’re a mamma’s boy. Now tell the king what you really take care of?”
“I don’t know what you mean? I’m not a mamma’s boy. I can’t help it if I never had a father.”
Why wouldn’t this boy play fair? He broke the rules of stance and held his sword all wrong but continued to counter strike for strike without tiring or losing his balance.
“Tell him how you’re a Gigolo. That’s right, tell him what you really take care of.”
“So what, I take care of other people. I meet their needs. When was the last time you did something for somebody, not because you had to, but because you wanted to.
The king laughed once again. “Conrad, you mean to tell me that you’re worried because he’s a Gigolo?” He stopped laughing to ask, “Men or woman?”
The question surprised Conrad more than it surprised Dale.
A sly smile formed on Dale’s lips. “Women of course.”
The king laughed once again. “He’s well educated for his wedding night.”
Conrad lunged one last time at Dale. He wanted to throw him off his mark and send him down on the ground. Reverting to using his own leg to sweep Dale off his feet, he was finally able to pin him to the ground with the tip of his weapon. “Bah, you’re nothing but a man whore!”
Not waiting for the king to dismiss him, Conrad stomped away.
Chapter 31
“I don’t think anyone suspects anything.” The king said softly. Duke Ellington gazed out the open window at the forest below. “And, you’re sure no one followed you back to the castle?”
“That, I’m sure of,” replied the Duke. “Lieutenant Dorian is dead. He won’t pose a problem for us. Are you sure Conrad doesn’t suspect anything?”
“He doesn’t appear to suspect anything. He is more worried about whether I will be crowning my Heir to the throne. No one knows. Except for Captain Pellesi.”
“We will deal with him once and for all. My men are bringing him in now. I’ll personally make sure he doesn’t speak a word.”
The king turned to face Ellington. “We can’t have him ruining all our plans.”
“I still can’t believe you sold the kingdom to the Norbese Clan. All for what? It couldn’t be money? The kingdom has plenty of money.”
“At the time, I didn’t have an heir. They promised me retirement in paradise. They will arrive in a day or two to take me to that tropical island to live out the last of my days surrounded by women. What more could I ask?”
“You’re no longer interested in Dale’s mother?”
“She’s probably old and flabby by now. I’ve moved on. Granted, I did love her at that time in my life, but that was many years ago. Why do I want to take care of an old woman when I can take care of young beautiful women?”
“The sun is about to rise, I better return to my estate and prepare to go to battle with you. Hopefully, you’ll be right about the Norbese coming soon. I wouldn’t want you to be accidentally killed in our little mock war.”
Girdy had slipped from the shadows of the room before she was detected. A fly on the wall buzzed away at her approach in the dark hallway inside the castle wall. Only the goblins who built the castle hundreds of years ago knew the passageways existed. Using them to spy, in hopes of one day regaining their beloved castle.
Some humans treated Girdy like a filthy animal while others like the likes of Captain Pellesi welcomed the likes of her. He treated her as though she were a human and not a monster as some did.
It was Girdy who found Salty Skip to come to the Captain’s aid at the jousting match. She knew what Treea meant to him, he would do anything for his daughter. Anything at all.
She had delivered the woman right into the King’s hands. Had she known they were up to something as odd as selling the kingdom, she would have taken her elsewhere?
There was only one thing she could do, she would have to go to Dale and tell him what she had learned tonight. They had to get him and Treea out of the castle safely. Captain Pellesi would know what to do about the King and his brother, the Duke.
You just can’t sell a kingdom like that. It wasn’t right. Wars happen, but selling a kingdom, they must be mad.
“Dale, you need to leave the castle at once. I don’t think it will be safe here for you nor Treea.”
“What are you talking about? I’m about to be crowned in the next few days.”
“You’re not going to be crowned. It is all a ruse. The king sold the kingdom to the Norbese Clan and the Duke is in on it too.”
> “What? Are they mad?”
“I would ask the same question.”
“How do you know that the duke is in on the plan?”
“I overheard him making plans with the King. They’ve been putting on some sort of ruse to bluff the people.” Girdy continued, “The Captain knew about the sale, apparently, that is why they imprisoned him. Now they want to make it so that he can’t talk. They probably plan to kill him.”
“We have to get Treea and go warn him.”
“Hopefully, we aren’t too late. The duke claimed that his men were bringing him in.”
“I still find it hard to believe that the Duke is in on it. He wanted the kingdom for his own. It’s not just the way he said it, there was a look in his eye.”
“The duke doesn’t care anymore about the kingdom than the king does. He may want power, but he’s never been happy. He’s probably looking to find happiness in another land.” Girdy led the way to where Treea was bathing in the bath house. “Either way, we need to get out of here before it is too late.”
Chapter 32
Treea finished tying the sash around the waist of her dress just as Girdy and Dale entered the bath house. Their sudden appearance surprised her.
It had been weeks since she’d last laid eyes on Dale. Living in the castle hadn’t appeared to change him one bit. At least on the outside. The rest had yet to be seen.
Treea curtsied. “What brings the new prince for a visit?”
“We have to go.” He looked behind to make sure no one was coming after them.
“What? Why? Aren’t you about to become King?”
“He’s no closer to being king than he was the day you read that diary,” Girdy answered.
“What are you talking about? What nonsense! You’re about to become King. Girdy doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Treea retorted.
“Girdy, the king will know we’re on to him, is there any way we can get out of here quickly.”
Voices sounded in the stairway coming up to the bath house. Girdy looked about the room and found what she was looking for, a small crack in the wall behind one of the far empty pools. She pushed on a block in the wall causing an opening to appear. She led them through the doorway and closed it from the other side just in the nick of time.
Treea looked about the interior hallway. It was dark, hard to see. No torches, no windows, just a few cracks in the wall offering up a tiny bit of light here and there.
Since Girdy knew the way, all they needed to do was stick close to her.
A commotion broke out while they remained in the walls. From the sound of the confusion, part of the commotion was about the missing pirate’s daughter. The Duke was demanding her to be brought to him at once.
Why would he still want her if he were in on the sale of the Kingdom with the King?
They continued to travel through the walls of the castle. As they were about to exit the wall in the stable, the king’s voice traveled to their ears. “Forget the girl and boy. Get me to that ship before Ellington screws things up for us. If the castle is going to get stormed, he may as well be the one they find behind its doors and not I.”
They waited and watched while horses were saddled up for the King and his men. The only one not present was Conrad. Where he was, they had no idea. So they continued to wait until the King rode away before making their escape.
One horse was left in a stable, the rest were out in the pasture. There was no way they would be able to fit the three of them on the back of one horse and make it out the gate undetected.
Dale had an idea.
“You there, what have you in your cart?” The gatekeeper asked Girdy.
“Empty grain sacks needing to be filled.”
The guard walked behind the wagon and lifted the cloth covering. Sure enough, empty grain sacks filled the back of the cart.
“You’re free to go.”
Girdy clicked her tongue. The horse’s ears twitched back before moving forward at a steady walk toward town. As soon as the castle was out of sight, she had the horse break out into a fast trot. They needed to get to town before the King and his men made it to the harbor. What they would do when they got there, Girdy didn’t know. But they had to do something fast.
While they remained under the cover of the sacks hidden from sight, Treea asked if Dale knew anything about the Norbese Clan.
Softly, he told her about them. “The Norbese Clan, rules the continent in the southern hemisphere. Land of the cocoa bean, gold mines, wild beasts, and a pile of gems mounded deep in the bowels of their triangle fortress. Horses and women worked the land while the men waged wars on the continents waiting to be conquered.”
“The only ones who stood a chance against the Norbese Army, were the mercenaries - pirates - the likes of Captain Pellesi.”
Dale paused while he tried to remember. “In fact, I’m sure, it was the Captain who the King would have had arranged the sale of the kingdom for him without anyone knowing of his doing.”
“I don’t remember my Pop ever mentioning such a thing. I went with him to this land. All I remember is trading for the cocoa beans. Why would he do such a thing? I also don’t remember much about the people. Pop made me remain on board the ship the whole time.”
“Compensation, for one thing. I’m sure the king, must have offered him enough so he would be able to sell his ship and finally settle down with you in some undisclosed location, out of reach of the Norbese army.”
“That would mean that there had to be one last condition the king required of my Pop before payment would take place. He had to be his bodyguard, and protect him from the Norbese army, or anyone else who might challenge his decision to sell the kingdom.”
After what Dale had told the King about Ellington, he was sure the King would be wary about the Duke’s final decision. But apparently money talks and speaks the Duke’s language. This was an unexpected development. Maybe the Duke wasn’t making a move to acquire the throne after all. Could it all have been a ruse to keep them from being found out until after all was, done and over with?
Ellington had been trying for the throne for years. Why the sudden change of heart? Had he grown tired of the games the two of them played?
The Norbese ship was nearing the port. The King could see it from the top of the knoll. He would need to make it to the harbor before his guard noted the ships colors and became hostile to his future buyers.
Where was that pirate ship? Shouldn’t it be moored at the pier? He had made certain the captain was released in time to follow through with his end of the bargain. He even made sure that Salty Skip was there to make sure the escape was a success.
Chapter 33
Captain Pellesi - the man with too many missions. Dale knew there had been something troubling the man just before he had been grabbed by the king’s men and tossed behind a locked door. There was no telling what his role was in all this matter. He just needed to get Treea back to the man before any of this went down. For some reason, Dale believed that Treea was now a pawn in some sort of war game about to take place.
She looked haggard, yet she still pulled at his heartstrings. Why, out of all the women he had been with in the past would she be able to do such a thing? For the past weeks, she had been all that he could think about. He worried about her. She should have been in the home, sitting beside the fire, preparing a meal, with warmth and safety.
Dale could not only take care of his mother, but he could’ve taken care of Treea too. What was he thinking? He was too young to think about having a family. There was the world to see, a career to gain, schooling to finish. Apparently, being the heir to the throne had turned out to be a dead end. The dream of it, playing the part for a few weeks had been fun, but he was thankful he wasn’t inheriting the headache.
The cart veered off the road toward town and headed toward a hidden cove. Only those familiar with the route would have known of its existence in the dark of night. Soon they were following a sandy shoreline pro
tected by a tall rock formation. A small dinghy boat rested on the shore.
“You need to hurry and get on board the ship before the Norbese makes their move,” Girdy instructed. “The captain said for you to follow the five stars, turn left at the third star and you would see the ship not far from there.”
Dale looked up and couldn’t make heads nor tails of what the goblin was talking about.
Treea immediately raised a small sack from the bottom of the boat and pulled out a spyglass, lifted it to her eye and looked up in the sky seeking out the five stars. “I see them.” She climbed in the boat while Dale and Girdy gave it a little push into the water.
Dale managed to hop in before the water became too deep and began manning the oars while Treea continued to point the way to him. He didn’t know how she did it, looking like a sea princess by the way she held that spyglass to her eye and her hair billowing out behind her from the sea breeze. In the dead of night, he could make out her silhouette. One word - beautiful.
He must have rowed for over an hour. The sun threatened to rise and expose their existence to the world before the pirate ship loomed in front of them. Voices were heard yelling from the Crow’s nest as the crew discovered their approach. A rope ladder was dropped down the side of the ship welcoming them on board. Dale allowed Treea to go first.
Treea was helped over the side of the ship by the captain of the ship and embraced the way a father would hug a long lost child. Captain Pellesi released his hold on his daughter and eyed Dale.
“Pop, he’s with me. He helped me escape. We have a long story to tell you, but not now. You have to do something! The Norbese Clan are coming to take the kingdom and I feel something bad is in the air. The duke has something up his sleeve too.”
“Aye, child, I know of the Norbese Clan. The king hired me to sell the kingdom for him.”
“But Pop, he can’t do that, can he? Sell the kingdom? What about the people? The town? What will they do to them? Won’t they make them all slaves?”
It was the first time Dale had heard a tremble in Treea’s voice. She would be a true princess, she cared about the people. If only he had managed to learn about his heritage before the King had decided to sell the kingdom.