by Joanne Durda
“Your room has always been kept waiting for you. I have always known you would be back!” the King exclaimed. He then looked down and saw Goldest looking up towards him. The King was highly amused to see Goldest still with Ushi. He knew they both were fond of each other when they had left the Kingdom of the Willows.
The King chuckled. “So, I see you bring the favored gold piece with you.”
“Watch it, fatso! I happen to be Ushi’s protector of his heart!” a bold Goldest warned the King.
The King raised an eyebrow at Goldest’s spoken words and responded dryly, “If he needs a protector of his heart, then I guess things are not as they should be with the Tooth Fairy Princess.”
The Queen stepped forward. “Do not toy with Ushi at this given time, dear, he must be tired and hungry from his long ride. Come, sit with us, Ushi, and have some food.”
“Like a woman, you know a hungry man when you see one,” an amused Ushi answered her. Ushi had decided early on that he would take lightly whatever was said about him and the Tooth Fairy Princess. He chose to ignore any jesting done by the King, who he knew loved to jest and throw in his unwelcome remarks. Being a King, he had that right.
The King took his royal seat at the table and motioned for Ushi to sit on the other side of him. The attendants were immediately upon Ushi, laying out a setting for him and putting soup in his soup bowl. The platter of breads was brought to him to choose from.
“It is so good to see you, Ushi. I know there must be a very strong reason for you to be back. Why, it has been months since we have last seen you!” Augean told him, as Shadow took his place at her feet.
Goldest jumped on top of the table, not wanting to be left out. A bewildered attendant set a bowl of soup out for her. She hopped into the soup with a splash and slurped it down with gurgling noises. Augean smiled at her, knowing her boldness very well. A dumbfounded Queen just looked at her, but said nothing, knowing it was best to be silent about the strange gold piece that seemed to be a close friend of Ushi’s.
The King and Ushi continued on with the meal, ignoring Goldest as if this was normal. Augean giggled, seeing that her grandmother was taken aback at Goldest’s conduct. She couldn’t help but to say, “Goldest! You’re supposed to be a lady, remember?”
Goldest responded by hopping out of her soup bowl and into a water glass to wash the soup off herself. The Queen watched flabbergasted as Goldest jumped out of the water glass, onto the tabletop, and sat with contentment as she smiled up at the Queen and burped. Augean was humored by the whole scene. The Queen was not, but accepted it – seeing that there was no other choice.
“Now, I am ready for my nap,” Goldest remarked.
“Nap? Why, that’s all you did was sleep on the rump of my stallion all day,” Ushi responded.
Augean laughed. “I guess some things just never change!”
The table grew quiet as contentment set in and they all continued to enjoy their meal. Even Goldest swallowed her croaks.
After the meal, the King dried his mouth and asked of Ushi, “Tell me what you want, Ushi.”
“What makes you think I want something?”
The King looked sheepishly at Ushi.
“To help us restore the Kingdom of the Ladybugs!” Goldest blurted out.
The Queen was taken by surprise, and showed it as she gasped, “The Kingdom of the Ladybugs? Why, that kingdom has been laid to rest permanently within the Domain.”
“No, it still stands, rotting and decaying,” Ushi quietly informed them all. He looked at the Queen and Augean. “With your help, you can make the red castle shine and come alive again –just as it once was.”
Then he looked to the King. “With your help, you can release the original people from that kingdom who had taken refuge here, and with some of the Willow Warriors, we can restore the land to its original beauty and make strong that kingdom again.”
The Queen was excited, always looking for something new to do, especially an adventurous undertaking such as that! “Oh, what fun that would be! We would have to spin and weave carpets, wall tapestries, linen! Bring out the spinning wheels!”
“But that would mean all the colorful ladybugs would probably fly back to their own kingdom,” Augean remarked with disappointment.
“Not necessarily, Augean. I’m sure the ladybugs have multiplied so much that they can be informed that they are welcome to stay here or go back from whence they came,” Ushi gently told the little princess.
The Queen looked down at Augean. “Bugs are bugs, dear, do not fret. I’m sure many love the colorful ponds and lakes around our weeping willows. All will not want to leave.”
The King listened with some degree of interest, patiently waiting to hear the real reasoning behind this request. He knew something was amiss. After all, he was the King.
“You have to consider that the willows do supply plenty of insects for them to fill their fat bellies with. Not all will want to leave,” the King stated.
At his spoken words, the Queen looked down at the King’s fat belly. The King cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
“And just who are to be the King and Queen of this newly restored Kingdom of the Ladybugs?” the King asked, his suspicions mounting.
Goldest had been silent the whole time, knowing it was best if Ushi did the explaining to the King and Queen because he once belonged to this kingdom and not her. But she no longer wanted to remain silent on this subject, and felt this was the right opportunity to speak out.
“I shall be the Queen and will reign over this kingdom,” she boldly told them.
The flabbergasted King laughed. The Queen was aghast. Augean’s eyes grew large with wonderment.
“What mean you, Goldest?” Augean seriously asked her, as she looked at her deeply.
The King continued to rant and rave. “A frog? A frog as a Queen? Never, never have I ever seen any type of critter as a Queen within the Domain!”
Goldest could not control her rage. “I am not a critter! And you have no right to call me a frog, either! I am a Queen!”
The King roared with laugher as the Queen tried to quieten him down out of respect for Ushi and this gold piece. Augean stared deeply at Goldest, waiting patiently for an explanation from her.
“Alright, calm down – everyone!” Ushi quietly exclaimed.
The Queen gave the King a nasty, disgusted look as he continued to bellow with laughter. The King noticed the look the Queen was giving him and stopped laughing. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.
“Where’s your dignity?” the angered Queen whispered to the King.
After the room quieted down, Ushi knew it was up to him to explain as Goldest sat there seething in anger. “Goldest watched her parents and grandparents perish at the hands of Zea, the Wizard of the Seventh Realm, when he captured her kingdom. That was why she took it upon herself to rid the troubled Domain of the wizard’s son, Leo.”
The King and Queen were astonished at hearing this story being presented by Ushi.
Surprise overcame Augean. “You mean you are a princess too, Goldest?”
“Yes, Augean. I, too, am a princess just like you,” Goldest responded sadly.
“Being the only royal sibling left, she is now the Queen of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs,” Ushi informed them all.
Everyone went quiet, as they tried to comprehend the exact meaning of Ushi’s explanation to all, so great was the surprise.
The King was bewildered. “But a frog? Being a frog…” He paused in thought. Silence reigned. He stretched his head down towards Goldest. “Tell me, did you feast on any of the ladybugs?” he brazenly asked her.
The Queen gasped at her impolite husband. She was annoyed at the King now for his rudeness. Ushi angrily threw his linen napkin down. Shadow approached the King and also growled angrily at him. Augean felt sorry for Goldest as she looked teary-eyed down at her. What a burden you have had to bear, my friend, Augean thought to herself with compassion.
Seeing he was not in anyone’s favor right now, the King cleared his throat again, collected himself and regained his composure. All was quiet once again, it being hard to find the right words to say. Ushi wanted to give them a little time for this unexpected deep secret to take its hold.
The Queen looked down at a heavyhearted Goldest and smiled kindly at her. “I had heard distant rumors from the Gypsy Queen that your grandfather had turned you into a frog to escape the kingdom unseen. I never would have believed it if I didn’t know it to be true. You see, Gypsy Queens do not lie – ever.”
“Gypsies have the most honest of hearts, full of love for life, people and themselves,” Ushi added.
“And don’t forget about their music and their dance!” Augean exclaimed, as her welcomed memories of them flooded back to her. She looked down at Goldest and scolded her.
“Gosh, Goldest, you should have told me! I am your friend.”
I am your friend, thought Ushi, as he smiled at Augean’s simple statement. “We are all her friends here.”
The King choked back his laughter, seeing how solemn the moment had grown.
The Queen smiled at Ushi’s tactfulness. All looked apprehensively at the King for his spoken words and command. Goldest’s fate lay in the hands of the King now – would he or would he not help her and her kingdom? The room was so still and quiet that people could hear the beating of one another’s hearts. The King let out an obnoxious fart, but no one took any notice, so great was their apprehension. The King toyed with his soup spoon for several seconds and looked sheepishly at them all. The apprehensive looks on their faces made him want to laugh all over again. Should I be silent longer and make them suffer in their silence, or should I be a true and good King and grant Goldest her wish? he asked himself, feeling powerful. He sighed heavily. Best to get this over with, he thought to himself. The Queen will never forgive me if I do not let her have another project of her own to command. Besides, this could be beneficial to me, he thought to himself. It would keep her busy and out of my way, so I could just about do anything without having to ask in secret her permission all the time. The King grimaced to himself, seeing how clever he could be in his thinking. After all, he was the King.
The King opened his mouth to speak as all anxiously leaned forward. A dreadful foreboding had taken hold of him as he asked himself, Will there be a foreshadowing to warn me against my decision? Well, decisions can be changed at any given time, because I am the King, he thought cleverly to himself. It was a known fact that Kings did change their minds from time to time, which was their given right.
“I reluctantly grant my consent for the Queen and Augean to spin, weave, craft and collect from the merchants’ supplies for the Ladybug Castle. You, Ushi, can collect the seed and feed from the merchants and select what Willow Warriors you may wish to take back with you to help you in your endeavor. I will send a messenger to have posted over the towns and communities throughout the kingdom that the Kingdom of the Ladybugs will be revived and restored, and all who wish to go back to their homeland and make it come alive and flourish again have my permission to do so. Otherwise, they may stay and continue on here.”
The Queen and Augean were delighted and excited. Goldest was greatly surprised that the King would let his two most precious dear ones go back to her kingdom with her and help her restore it.
“Oh, there is so much planning to do, and so much we will have to take with us to replenish that kingdom!” the Queen exclaimed with excitement.
“But what shall we tell the people when they ask who their ruler will be?” the King asked, trying to adopt a serious tone.
“We tell them the truth,” Ushi simply stated.
“But a frog? A frog to rule?” the King, trying to conceal his merriment, questioned Ushi.
“No! I shall inform them all that the surviving daughter of the King and Queen from the Kingdom of the Ladybugs will be their Queen,” Goldest proudly stated.
“Well, tell that to the ladybugs and see if they follow – to be ruled by a frog!” the King exclaimed. He couldn’t help but burst into a fit of hysterical laugher, again, after he had said the last word – ‘frog’.
Again, Shadow walked over to the King and growled menacingly at him. Again, the King ignored Shadow, knowing that his allegiance belonged only to Augean. Shadow was no use to him.
Goldest became extremely frustrated and did not try to conceal it.
“Please ignore him, Goldest. Sometimes he acts like a silly pea pod!” the Queen remarked to her.
Augean giggled at her grandmother’s statement, knowing her words to be true. Ushi was more than agitated by the King’s conduct and lack of respect for his friend. He did not wish to say anything else to him out of fear the King might change his mind about helping them to restore the Kingdom of the Ladybugs.
“I will go with you, Goldest. You have protected my heart, I owe you mine also. But alas, it won’t be gold – like yours!” he remarked to her with a teasing smile, trying to take her thoughts away from the King’s disgraceful conduct.
The Queen was quite pleased to take on a new adventure in another kingdom. Her head started to whirl as she thought about all the weaving, spinning, sewing and supplies they would have to gather to take with them.
“A frog. Can you just imagine being ruled by a frog?” the King said to himself out loud.
Ushi turned to the Queen and Augean. “Thank you both for wanting to help Goldest beautify her kingdom. You two are the finest maidens I have ever known.” Then he looked at the King. “The King should be so proud to have an unselfish Queen and granddaughter like you two ladies.” He bowed his head to the King and said, “I thank you for your generosity, my King.”
The King raised a questionable eyebrow at Ushi. “My generosity? What mean you, Ushi? There is a price to pay for everything, you know.”
The Queen and Augean looked nervously at one another. Goldest started to hiccup, slowly at first; then the hiccups grew in momentum as the seconds ticked by.
Ushi now raised an eyebrow at the King. “And what price do you ask of myself?”
“You are the price, Ushi,” the King stated calmly in all seriousness.
The Queen and Augean gasped as Goldest continued to hiccup uncontrollably. “Myself? Explain yourself, my King,” Ushi said, with some apprehension.
“You said it yourself, Ushi – ‘my King’,” the King informed him.
Ushi was startled by the King’s spoken words and knew there would be trouble from the King coming his way. He sat quietly still and let the trouble brew.
“When you are finished with the completion of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs, you will come back to the Kingdom of the Willows and resume your command again, and be by my side – just as it once was before that woman stole you away from us!” the King firmly stated to Ushi.
“She is not just a woman – she is a princess!” Ushi responded, trying to keep his humiliation down and in control, not wanting to ruin it for Goldest.
“And so was Goldest!” the King remarked in triumph.
“Grandfather!” Augean exclaimed. She, too, was getting disgusted with him for his unrelenting rudeness.
The Queen put her hand on Augean’s hand to be silent. “Best to remain calm, my dear,” the Queen whispered to Augean.
“Women are weak. You came back because this so-called princess, who rules over a bunch of teeth, was not strong enough to hold you to her! Otherwise, you would still be with her! You are back – and back to stay, I might add.” The King rose from the table to take his leave. He was tired of the subject matter. He had granted their wish, but it was conditional only under his terms. After all, he was the King. “There is a price for everything. I am a King first! And you, Ushi, are a warrior first – a Willow Warrior! Remember that.”
The King strutted out of the room, taking his power and authority with him. The sitters at the table watched him leave the room, in shocked and utter silence at his spoken words. Shadow growled
at his retreating back.
Ignorant pea pod, Goldest hiccuped to herself in thought. Someday, when I am Queen in my own kingdom, I will teach you some manners!
It was up to the Queen to break the shocked silence. “You must excuse him, Ushi. He missed you and your constant companionship. He wants you back here with him.”
“Do not fret, my Queen, I know what you speak of is true,” Ushi reassured her, trying to break the uncomfortable tension which now filtered throughout the room.
A golden tear fell from Goldest’s eye as she sniffled. “I would not expect you to be the price of my kingdom, Ushi. I release you from all responsibility and will manage on my own – like a Queen should.”
“Hush now, Goldest! You need Augean’s and my help – and that you shall get. Besides, it will be fun restoring and decorating a once beauteous kingdom,” the Queen informed her with a smile.
Augean’s innocent curiosity now overcame her and she couldn’t help but to ask, “What happened to the courtship of the Tooth Fairy Princess, Ushi?”
“I got bored and tired of her playing with my heart and Savagio’s heart.”
Augean was shocked at Ushi’s spoken words. “Savagio!”
“Savagio was just as fond of the princess as Ushi was – and she knew it!” Goldest informed her. “Why, it was like being at a tea party. She used both their hearts as cookies set on a cookie platter with teacups surrounding them! Then she took each one and munched on them with her hot tea!”
“Goldest!” a mortified Ushi cried out to her, his face turning ashen at her huffy, careless words.
The Queen chuckled. “Just like a woman!”
Ushi looked sternly at Goldest. “And I got tired of a certain golden heart playing her pranks on poor Savagio.”