by Joanne Durda
“Shame on you, Goldest!” Augean exclaimed. Her attention was turned back to Ushi. “You are not bitter towards Savagio?”
“Why should I be bitter? The princess will have to make her own decision. I will not make it for her.”
“You speak like a wise, chivalrous warrior who is a companion to a King. I praise you for your judgement, Ushi,” the Queen told him. The Queen looked down at Goldest. “And thank you for taking care of Ushi for us.”
“Ushi can take care of himself. I just protect his heart until it belongs to a woman so deserving of him,” Goldest remarked wholeheartedly.
“And you speak wisely, like a Queen, Goldest. All will fall into place – you shall see. Now, let us all get some rest. Our days will be busy preparing for our departure with all our crafts and goodies!” the Queen said to all, wanting to speak privately with the King about his personal behavior before they retired for the night. She was deeply grateful that he had granted his permission for her and Augean to undertake such an exciting adventure, but she was not happy with his mocking and teasing of Goldest for being a frog. My, but it must have been hard on her, all these years, being a frog and not herself, losing her family and kingdom, the sympathetic Queen thought to herself.
“You are so sweet and dear, Grandmother. I hope I will be a Queen just like you some day. You have such patience, virtue and understanding.”
“Why, thank you, Granddaughter.”
“I am so proud to be surrounded by three gracious ladies within this Domain. My heart really belongs to you three!” Ushi remarked.
With me being the finest of all, Goldest thought to herself.
They all rose from the table and retired for the night. The Queen and Augean escorted Ushi to his own room, which had been kept clean and open for him. The King wanted it that way because he truly believed that Ushi would be back. Extra blankets were brought into the room by the servants. Fresh water and towels were also brought in. The servants made a blazing fire in the fireplace there for him. Augean lit spicy incense in cones for success, love, luck and the healing of his heart. Goldest sat quietly on the windowsill and watched the activity in the room, breathing in the spice. After they had all left the room, a tired Ushi went to sleep for the night with Goldest wrapped in a blanket at the bottom of his bed. The warmth of the room and the delicious, soothing smell of spice made them fall asleep at once.
As the sun rose with hues of reds and oranges, the warmth of its rays woke Ushi. He saw Goldest sitting on the windowsill, watching the sunrise. The colorful rays made her coat of gold glow with scarlet. He closed his eyes and decided to sleep in for a while longer, being tired from the long, hard ride, and not really being over his encounter with the cold marble floor in the Kingdom of Marble.
Later that morning, he awoke and heard bustling activity both inside and outside the castle. Goldest went down to the servants’ quarters and called for a fresh bath for Ushi up in his room. He spent the rest of the morning bathing and cleaning himself up. Goldest hopped outside and lay in a bubbling pink brook while Ushi tended to himself.
Ushi then went to pay a visit to the Willow Warriors, to speak with them about his future endeavor and ask them for their help.
During the next several weeks that followed, the inside of the Willow Castle was a hive of activity. You did not dare to enter the main castle dining hall unless you were able to lend a helping hand. Any type of talent was welcomed. The rumors had spread quickly throughout the kingdom and everyone was excited about the restoration of the Ladybug Castle and its lands. There was not a single soul who did not want to help the little golden frog out. Supplies were being sewn, woven and crafted and prepared to take with them to refurnish the Ladybug Castle. Groups of women wove tapestries, sewed cloths and linens and crocheted doilies. The Queen made her rounds on a daily basis inspecting the tapestries, cloths, linens and doilies. She nodded her head in adamant approval at all the items she inspected, which brought smiles from the women. She made it a point to kindly compliment them at all times, knowing they would do a job worthy of their special talents. She hired the best of artists to paint pictures to hang on the castle walls, which brought forth the best of the craftsmen, not wanting to be surpassed by any artist. The furniture crafted was of the finest quality. The Queen chuckled as she saw how everyone wanted to excel above all others. Even the King was in the spirit, and had several of his best redwood and maple trees cut down for the making of furniture. It was a happy time for the kingdom, with everyone working towards one great cause together.
One day the King made his own rounds throughout the castle and its grounds inspecting the work done. He took notice of everyone’s delight. He laughed at himself as he imitated his Queen and dutifully complimented everyone. He found himself enjoying the whole affair. What a clever King I am, he thought to himself. His ego was floating mighty high at the present time. No one in the kingdom wanted to step on the King’s boots at this juncture and squash his ego. This was a period when he was easy-going, and you could make requests and ask for favors without cringing before he replied.
As the Queen was making her rounds one afternoon, she came upon Shadow, tangled up in the spools of thread from playing with them. “Wait until Augean sees what a mess you’ve made out of yourself!”
Shadow whined as he tried to untangle himself. At that instant, a woman from the castle’s kitchen, called Urbana, rushed into the room towards the Queen. She was in a frenzy. “My Queen! My Queen! The Princess Augean is selecting our best dishes and utensils to take to the Ladybug Castle.”
“Oh hush, Urbana. We have plenty of best dishes and utensils in our kitchen that have never been served on as of yet.”
“Maybe you did not hear me right, my Queen, but her selection is from our entertaining dishes – not from the everyday affairs.”
“May I remind you, Urbana, all our dishes were made for entertaining.”
“Humph!” Urbana boldly cried out to the Queen.
The Queen laughed at Urbana. She took her outburst lightly. She put her arm across Urbana’s back and shoulders and walked slowly with her back to the kitchen.
“Come, Urbana. It looks like I shall have to intervene and make right what should stay and what could go. I know all too well our little princess is excited about the restoration of Goldest’s kingdom.” The same activity was taking place outside the castle walls with the Willow Warriors collecting seed, throwing bags of seed and feed on to the wagons, selecting and digging up bushes, plants, flowers and various exotic shrubs to take with them to the Ladybug Castle. The King and Ushi rode their mounts around the activity taking place every day. They both took note of what was being selected to take back with them, with the King making sure that they did not dig up his best.
Only the finest, thought Ushi. He turned towards the King and told him, “Goldest deserves only the finest!”
The King smiled, knowing how much Goldest meant to him. I hope he is not falling in love with that haughty frog, thought the King with disgust. Then I will really have a problem on my hands!
“The Kingdom of the Ladybugs will fare well with our supplies. It appears that kingdom will be replanted and nourished with our rich materials taken from us.” So saying, the King put Ushi’s mind at ease.
“Goldest has spoken to me that she will always owe homage to you.”
The King laughed. “A frog holding homage to a King? Spare me, please!”
Ushi’s cheeks flushed dark with ire as he held his anger in. “My King, she is more than a frog. She was a princess, and is now a Queen.”
The King was highly amused, again. “A frog for a Queen? Come now, Ushi. Has she spun a spell on you like the other princess had done?” The King snickered at his remark.
Yet again, Ushi was very much annoyed with him. “Let me remind you, my King, Goldest and I are friends and protectors of one another.”
“My great warrior needs a frog to protect him?” the King asked him with smartness. Ushi was silent, not wanting
, as always lately, to spoil it for Goldest. His indignation began to seed and grow towards the King.
“Come now, Ushi. Let me remind you, I have granted permission to help in the restoration of the Ladybug Castle and its lands only to amuse myself – and that is all! And it will keep the Queen busy instead of checking into my private affairs all the time, as well as grooming Augean into decorating a new castle. Someday, she may be a Queen and grace another’s kingdom.”
“And let me forewarn you, my King, Goldest will return your favor someday. And I promise you, it will not be to amuse herself.”
The King, finding the subject spoken of tedious, changed it. Being a King, he had that right.
“Did you select the Willow Warriors you wish to take with you? I hope you did not select any of my favorites,” the King asked Ushi.
“I was careful not to select any of your favorites, even though they wished to go with me,” Ushi responded, with the same type of smartness the King had used on him.
The King raised an eyebrow at Ushi’s remark and cleared his throat. He had a hard time accepting the fact that his favorites wanted to go with Ushi.
“I posted notices all over the kingdom that whoever wishes to make a new home in the Kingdom of the Ladybugs was welcomed to do so. As a matter of fact, they may dwell in both kingdoms and have two dwellings to live in,” the King said, feeling kind-hearted towards his people.
“You always were concerned to make sure your people were always at their happiest and merriest. You are truly a great King – placing your people’s best interest first!”
The King was very much pleased with Ushi’s remark. “I will take that as a compliment, Ushi. I always have said, if the people are happy, then the kingdom is a pleasant and peaceful kingdom.”
Ushi bowed his head in respect to the King as he said, “You have many areas of wisdom, my good, wise King.” Even though rudeness, snideness and smartness seem to be prominent faults of yours, Ushi thought to himself.
The King bowed his head in satisfaction with Ushi’s spoken words, not sensing his thoughts.
As the days and weeks passed, Goldest was hopping around, getting in everyone’s way. One morning she decided to hop towards the colorful ponds which were set by the weeping willows. She spoke to the wind to carry her message that Goldest, who was to become Queen of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs, was hoping to meet with their colorful ensemble. She left the safety of the Willow Castle and started on her clandestine journey with hope in her golden heart. She stopped in front of a grotesque weeping willow tree and looked suspiciously up at it.
“You have the look of a distasteful, ugly willow! Croak! Croak!”
The ugly willow looked down at the conspicuous gold piece and tried to scoop up Goldest in its branches. Goldest “puffed” herself into a cloud of gold dust smoke and reappeared in a “puff” of gold dust smoke on the other side of the unsightly willow.
“Ha!” she croaked at it. She continued on with her hopping until she came to a sea of colorful ladybugs waiting for her. Some of the ladybugs had seen Goldest hopping towards them, and immediately flew back to their community to inform them that the once Princess Goldest was, indeed, hopping towards them. They knew by instinct that she was coming to ask them to come home with her. She came to a stop in front of the colorful community, so rich in hue were they all, and blinked her golden eyes with their long lashes, as she was taken in by the magnitude of color from the array of light.
An enormous, brilliant, exotic ladybug, Flora, approached her. Her extra-large blue eyes with long lashes and her blues and reds were striking against her silk black background. Goldest marveled at her. It had been a long, long time since she had come into contact with this enormous species that once dwelled and took refuge in her kingdom.
“I am Flora, the King’s sister. The force of the wind carried your message to us that you, Goldest, the golden frog, wished to have an audience with us. We have granted you that audience, Goldest, and I speak for us all.”
“I ask that the ladybugs take to the open blue sky and fly back upon the wind to the land from whence you came – the Kingdom of the Ladybugs.”
“But Goldest, our habitat lies here now. Besides, it would take forever to build up the land and ponds that we have grown so accustomed to and fond of in this kingdom,” Flora sadly informed her. “We are happy here, now.”
Goldest held steadfast. “We are going to rebuild and replenish the lands within the Kingdom of the Ladybugs. Why, that is where your ancestral beginnings lie – your parents, grandparents! Don’t you wish to return to your homeland? Show your young where their true roots lie?”
Flora stepped back and conferred in whispers with some of the other royal ladybugs that were present. Flora took a few seconds to gaze at Goldest, and then came forward towards her. Flora’s heart was sick with pain for Goldest, and she felt sympathy for the golden frog who was once a beautiful golden princess.
“The other ladybugs are curious about their roots and the remaking of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs. We will give you ample time to rebuild the land, then we shall fly over and take a peep. Maybe visit for a while and get acquainted with the habitat. If we like what we see, then we shall consider ourselves home again.” Flora, speaking for the other ladybugs present, thus informed Goldest.
Goldest gleamed with delight, knowing that this was a start. She wanted her homeland to be true, again.
“But you must consider that all will not want to come. Many were born here and will probably want to stay. We will not force all to follow,” Flora told her.
“That is nothing to be concerned about because I’m sure they will come visit their family and friends who decide to come back to their ancestral kingdom,” Goldest answered her, beaming with delight.
“But there is also a condition,” Flora informed her.
“And what is that?” Goldest asked suspiciously.
“That you munch on no more ladybugs!” Flora sternly exclaimed to the gold piece.
“Now, would I munch on my own people?” Goldest responded tartly.
Several months later, the entourage of wagons were stocked and ready to leave and make their long journey to the Kingdom of the Ladybugs. Miles and miles of supply wagons and carts filled with seed, feed, trees, flowers, bushes, various exotic plants, tools, crafts, furniture, carpets, tapestries, linen, paintings, dishes and utensils, pots and pans, and other various decorative or useful ornaments, started to move slowly forward. Numerous birds, including blue jays, sat on branches in the trees above the castle grounds watching with intense curiosity. There were just as many wagons filled with the landscaping needs as there were wagons filled with food and other necessities for filling the castle.
The Queen, whose robes were a deep purple, with Augean, whose robes were a scarlet red, rode their own magnificent, slim, prancing white mounts sidesaddle. It was more dignified for a lady of Royalty to ride mounted sidesaddle than journey in a wagon.
Wagons! Ugh! thought the Queen.
Goldest was on the rump of Niciu, with Ushi riding next to the Queen. Shadow was prancing about at the hooves of Augean’s mount, always being protective of her.
Most of the Willow Warriors were handling the wagons, while a large entourage rode their own mounts. The kingdom would need to rebuild their stock of horses, cattle, goats, roosters, hens and pigs which followed behind the wagons, and were tended to by the original townspeople from the Kingdom of the Ladybugs.
Many of these original people, whose roots were in the Kingdom of the Ladybugs, had their own wagons filled with their own supplies, with their own animals and horses to start their own homesteads. These people had learned to be self-sufficient and they had no intention of changing their own lifestyle. Their apprehension was great, but they were still excited about going home to their own land. It had been so long since they had last seen their kingdom.
The stout King stood watching, emotionless, from a castle tower window, as the entourage departed. A furtive smile
danced upon his lips, and he chuckled to himself. “I’m sure my Queen will make that castle into a real beauty, while Ushi and his men make the lands livable, once again.”
A sigh of relief escaped accidentally from his lips. “Now I can spend all my time hunting within my own lands instead of escorting my Queen and our granddaughter all over the kingdom, visiting with the people of the land. And alas, the main dining hall will be silent, with no parties for months! Peace and quiet has finally come to my castle.” He snickered with craftiness, knowing his favorite horse and guests had been waiting impatiently in the stables to go fox-hunting with their King! The Queen abhorred fox-hunting, and felt sorry for the little foxes. She thought they were beautiful animals. “But she certainly doesn’t abhor the red fox fur sewn around her capes,” the King chuckled to himself, knowingly.
During the past several months, when the Willow Castle was bustling with activity towards the restoration of the Kingdom of Ladybugs, the Thorn Army marched, and marched and marched continuously, up and down the green and blue hills. They now had complete control of their upper and lower branch bodies, with their strength and endurance now showing.
Savagio looked on quite pleased. The endeavor was now showing complete satisfaction on behalf of the Thorn Army. He sat on Xzen, looking down from the same hill that he had sat upon for the past several months. Octagon, Onion, Pentangle, Xnug, Imbecile, on their own mounts, accompanied Savagio. Some of the other Monks were on mounts below, keeping an eye on their Thorn Army.
“You appear quite pleased with what you see, Savagio,” Octagon said, breaking the silence.
“The thorns have increased their strength, control and endurance,” Savagio responded.
“Do you think it is time for the thorns to be taught to wield their branches filled with their sharp thorns in battle?” Pentangle asked firmly.
Savagio sighed, tired of Pentangle always questioning him. “Yes, it is that time.” He turned Xzen around to leave. “Now the real challenge begins – tomorrow morning.”