by J. N. Cao
Prince Henry smiled at his own defeat, then they made their way to their horses.
Chapter 13
Oxford Palace
“We’d better get going,” said Ralph as he got up from his chair after the last performance. “Where’s Matthew?”
“I saw him go that way,” Will said.
“If you don’t mind fetching him, then we will wait at the main road,” Ralph said.
So Will left to find Matilda while Ralph and Roger made their way to the main road. Ralph had only made a few steps along the road when, dashing towards him, came the King’s carriage, accompanied by the sound of his excited howling.
Ralph quickly stepped out of the way in time.
“Why, that good for nothing …” too angry for words, Ralph kicked a rock from the ground, hard.
The rock shot into a lamp of the carriage and shattered its glass. The sound spooked one of the horses and the carriage went into an uncontrollable swirl and then halted.
Two royal guards jumped off the rear of the carriage. At this point, Ralph and Roger made a run back to the town.
“Stop! Stop in the name of the King!” one guard cried.
The two guards were faster and caught both Ralph and Roger. They were taken to the carriage.
The King poked his head out the window.
“So, which one of you almost killed me?” he asked.
“I did it. It has nothing to do with him,” Ralph said.
“Oh, how noble,” the King said. “Get him in.”
The guards forced Ralph into the carriage and had him sit between them facing the King, who was sitting next to the Chamberlain.
“You are charged with endangering the King, and for that, I will have to think of a punishment for you,” said the King, amused.
“Well, the punishment for that is ——” the Chamberlain said.
“No, no, let’s do something new. Let me think about it. This should kill some time before we get to Oxford.” He gave a laugh. “Carry on Lewis!”
And with that, the carriage rode on, leaving Roger standing there by himself.
“Oh no, this is not good,” he said and turned back to the town to look for Matilda.
Now, during this whole incident, Will had been looking for Matilda. He finally found her sitting on a big log near the stalls. Matilda was contemplating how she was going to tell her companions that their journey has ended.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Will said.
Matilda stood up and looked at him. Do I say goodbye to him, now? she thought.
“Come on, Ralph is waiting for us,” said Will and they started to walk back to the main road.
“What’s the matter?” Will said. “Is there something wrong?”
“I …”
Then she saw Roger running towards her, looking distressed.
“What is it, Roger?” she asked.
After Roger caught his breath, “It’s Uncle Ralph. The King has got him.”
“What?” Matilda said.
Roger explained what happened.
“We just have to go to Oxford now,” Matilda said.
“And then what?” asked Roger.
“I don’t know. We have to see from there,” she said. “I can get us some horses to get to Oxford quicker.”
“Horses? We don’t have money for that!” Roger said.
“I do,” she said, holding up the pouch of money.
“Where did you get that?” Roger said.
“I don’t have time to explain now. We must hurry.” Then she paused for a moment. “No, I think I have to.” She turned to Will. “You won’t be coming with us. The journey ends here.”
“What? Why?” said Will.
“It’s because I gave the map to Prince Henry of North England.”
“What?” Roger and Will said.
“Look, I did it to prevent a war.”
“War?” said Roger.
“Yes, please trust me on this. I wouldn’t have given up the map unless it was for a good reason. But I can’t explain any further. We have to go after Uncle now. And Will, this doesn’t concern you. I don’t want you to get involved.”
“But I want to help. And it’s doesn’t feel right to leave knowing my friends are in trouble.”
Roger patted him once on the back, “Good lad.”
“So what do you say, Matthew? We are heading the same direction anyway, aren’t we?” said Will.
Matilda considered it for a moment, “All right, we had better hurry.”
So they bought three horses and rode to Oxford. They only had one short stop for the horses to rest and replenish themselves at a lake.
It was here that Matilda explained to Roger and Will about the Duke’s plan. Although they were quite disappointed that they would never see the gold first-hand, they were able to sympathise with Matilda’s decision.
As they began to make their way back to their horses, Will turned to Matilda, “How did the Duke get the map?”
Matilda was reluctant to explain this to Will because it would require her to reveal more than she wanted to.
“All right, I lied,” Matilda said. “My grandfather didn’t find it at sea. An injured man hid behind our house one night, and my grandfather took him in. He gave my grandfather the map and asked him to mind it for him, then he left. Later we found out that the man had died from his injuries.”
Then she paused in thought and said, “And Sir Laurence had told me that there was a man that stole the map from the Duke. So I guess the Duke had made a copy of the map before it was stolen. And I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t trust you yet,” she added.
“I see,” said Will and he mounted his horse and headed for the main road.
When Will was out of earshot, Roger turned to Matilda, “Matilda, why don’t you just tell him the truth?”
“And let him realise that he is helping a criminal?”
“He may not think of you like that. I don’t,” said Roger.
“To be honest, I don’t know what he’s going to think. But I will tell him after this. I don’t feel any good lying to him. But right now I just feel that things are easier this way, for the time being.”
And so, they continued straight to Oxford.
It was late afternoon when the King’s carriage entered the wrought-iron front gates of his Oxford Palace. It was one of his most grand palaces, only second to the palace in Esterwall. Oxford Palace had been built with a modern design for its time that resembled a chateau, and high, thick walls to protect it. As the carriage rode past the completed statue of the King, the King looked out the window and exclaimed, “I love it, Chamberlain. It’s magnificent!”
“Yes, Sire, just like yourself.”
Ralph stared at the statue in disgust.
The Chamberlain was first to dismount from the carriage. As he did, a servant from the castle hurried to him and whispered something in his ear. The Chamberlain suddenly became horrified at what he had heard.
“Your Majesty,” said the Chamberlain when the King has dismounted, “there seems to be a problem with your welcoming party.”
“What do you mean?”
“Owen Foxe has not arrived because he is very ill and cannot perform for the next month.”
“What? No jester?”
“We can arrange to have another jester, Sire.”
“But I specifically asked for Owen Foxe. He is the best in the country.”
“Please Sire, there must be something we can do.”
“I don’t want to think right now. The whole ride here had me feeling a little depressed. And I was hoping that he could cheer me up when I got here.” He sighed. “I’m going to sit down first. Bring the peasant along.”
The King sat on his throne in the throne room; the guards had Ralph stand before the King, between them.
“Now peasant, if you can somehow entertain me then I will let you go. Otherwise, you’re going straight to the scaffold,” the Kin
g said.
“Your Majesty, I have already told you. It was an accident. I did not mean to frighten your horse, and I never had any intention of endangering you, Your Majesty.”
“He doesn’t sound very sincere, does he?” the King said to the Chamberlain. The Chamberlain could only smile at this.
“What’s your name, peasant?” asked the King.
“Ralph Burley, your Majesty.”
“Well, Ralph Burley. I don’t believe a word you’ve said. And I don’t want to hear you beg for my forgiveness, either. Like I said earlier, I will spare your life if you can entertain me. One smile or laugh from me will do. Now, go on.”
Ralph could not believe the situation he was in.
“Wait, before you start. Guards! Put the jester hat on him,” the King said.
The guards followed the King’s order.
“Hmm, and the jester jacket,” the King said.
As a guard removed Ralph’s jacket, the map fell out and landed on the floored.
“What’s that?” said the King.
A guard picked up the map from the floor, then handed it to the King.
The King opened the map and studied it. “Hmm, this is a peculiar map. What is it for, peasant?”
“Only a map that I use to explore new land,” said Ralph.
“Ah, an explorer are you?” said the King. “But what does it mean here in very small writing, ‘Follow the tunnel and then right into another opening where you will find it.’ What is ‘it’?”
“Well, I … I don’t know. I bought this map from a merchant, and no one could make any sense of it. I only use it to find my way around the sea,” said Ralph.
The King peered at Ralph, not entirely convinced.
Just then a servant appeared. “Your Majesty, Roger Hawkins and Matthew Dudley, relatives of Ralph Burley, wish to see you.”
“Ah, perhaps they will tell me a more convincing story,” said the King. “Bring them in.”
Then the servant left the throne room. When he arrived at the gates, he motioned a guard to let Roger and Matilda inside.
Before Matilda walked in, she turned to Will. “Stay here, Will. If we don’t come out after some time, you can get help.”
“All right,” he said and watched them walk inside.
Matilda and Roger were led into the throne room; they bowed to the King. They looked in confusion at Ralph’s attire.
“Now, you are relatives of Ralph Burley?” said the King.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Matilda and Roger.
“And what brings you here?”
“We are here to beg you to pardon his charges. What he did was a foolish mistake, but certainly does not deserve death, Your Majesty,” said Matilda.
“I may pardon him if you can tell me something truthfully.”
“Certainly, Sire,” said Matilda.
“How are you related to him?”
“I am his nephew, Sire.”
“Well, your uncle here has this map with him, and I want you to tell me what is it for?”
She thought for a moment and turned to Ralph. She wondered what he had said to the King. Probably something not convincing if the King had to ask her, she thought. But it does not matter. The map does not concern her anymore. And she was certain that the King would not start going after the treasure immediately while the Duke is away. If that was so then the King could not interfere with Sir Laurence’s plan.
“Answer quickly!” cried the King.
“It’s a treasure map, Your Majesty,” said Matilda.
“A treasure map? And how are you sure of that?” asked the King.
“It came with a letter.”
“Show me.”
Matilda took out the letter from her bag and gave it to a guard, and he handed it to the King.
The King’s eyes widened with excitement as he read the letter. “Haha, Chamberlain! We’re in luck! This is Victor Harte’s map. Our money troubles are over.”
“Where did you find this?” asked the King.
Matilda knew that she could not say that she got it from the Duke because then she would be arrested immediately for stealing.
“From a shipwreck,” she said.
The King rolled up the map with the letter inside and held it in his hand. “You have done well. You may all go.”
Ralph was a little hesitant to leave, not wanting to leave the map behind. And he was upset with the King. The King had promised to let Ralph go if Matilda told the truth about the map, which did not mean that he could take it for himself. But Roger pulled him along.
But before they had left the room, a guard ran into the throne room. “Your Majesty, there’s trouble, hundreds of citizens outside the gates.”
“What?” said the King. Then he jumped to his feet and followed the guard, who led him to the hall. Everyone in the throne room followed. As they entered the hall, they could hear shouts from a crowd outside.
The King stood in front of the tall glass doors that led to a balcony. Everyone around the King looked down through the windows of the hall. The sun had just started to set. Outside the gate were hundreds of people chanting, “We want the King! We want the King!” There were men and women and even children, mostly peasants, carrying weapons and torches. They carried pitchforks, pikes, kitchen blades or anything that they could use as makeshift weapons. Forty royal guards stood armed at the gates, on the inside.
“What do they want?” asked the King.
“They want to see their king, Sire. They are angry about the taxes,” said the guard, “and they said hundreds more are marching here.”
“And they sure picked a good time for that,” said the King. “Just when I am away from Esterwall and my military. Barbaric!”
“What shall we do, Sire?” said the Chamberlain.
“Send a message to Esterwall and have Lord Stanley gather an army here,” said the King.
“But Sire, the people have blocked the stables. We are surrounded,” said the guard.
“Drats! Chamberlain, send the message by a pigeon,” said the King and then he gave the map to the Chamberlain. “And put this safely away.”
“Yes, at once, Sire,” said the Chamberlain, then he hurried away.
“Open the doors to the balcony,” the King ordered.
The doors opened and the King stepped out into the balcony of the hall, facing the front gates. The crowd cheered that their king had appeared at their request.
“My people,” he shouted. “Please be calm, I am here now. Tell me, what is it that you want?” Then he turned to the guard. “See if there is someone to speak on their behalf.”
Roger turned to Matilda. “This is not looking good. We had better get out of here quickly.”
The King overheard them. “No one is to leave this palace. The gates will not open without my permission. And I won’t let the three of you go out there to warn them that my reinforcements are coming.”
“Warn them? We’re going to do that. We would like to get out of here safely as much as you, Your Majesty,” said Roger.
The King did not look convinced. “Guards! Lock them away.”
Three royal guards that had been standing at the hall’s entrance came over and took Matilda, Ralph and Roger with them, out of the hall.
Matilda heard one guard talking to the other.
“Where do we put them? There’s no dungeon in this palace.”
“I don’t know. Wait, there’s the Chamberlain. He will know.”
So the guards brought them to the Chamberlain, who was just returning to the hall, and asked where to put their prisoners.
“This is a modern palace. Not some medieval castle,” said the Chamberlain. Then he thought for a moment, “I suppose we could put them in the cellar. No, it’s too large, and there are many things in there. I know. There are some empty rooms upstairs in the east wing. You can lock them in there.”
Eventually, they came to a small hallway of the east wing that consisted of unfurnished rooms
. The guards then put them in each one separately.
“You two stay here and keep watch,” Matilda heard one guard say to the others.
Matilda’s room was bare, save for some paintings on the wall. There was one window which she could open. She looked down from the window but the distance to the ground was too great, and guards were patrolling the grounds. At least there’s fresh air, thought Matilda. Her window showed the side of the stone wall, and beyond it were many trees that led to a forest. In fact, a large forest surrounded the back of Oxford Palace.
By this time night had fallen and Matilda had nothing else to do but lie down on the hard floor to sleep.
Meanwhile, a guard had returned to the King and handed him a piece of paper.
“Your Majesty, I found out that their leader is Walter Cooke and on that paper is a list of their demands,” the guard said.
The King began to read the list. “Cut taxes, I don’t think so. Tax the nobles, definitely no. Do not start war with North England, too late. Increase wages, ha! Equal voting rights for … blah blah blah. I’ve read enough,” then he handed the list to the Chamberlain.
“I’m not a king that they can push over easily. We need to bide our time until the reinforcements are here. And then I’ll have that Walter Cooke hanged along with his rebels!” said the King. Then he turned to the guard, “Tell Walter Cooke that I will need some time to think about their demands.”
Chapter 14
Walter Cooke and the Rebels
For the whole week that had passed, Matilda had spent every day imprisoned in her room. The food portions that came to her were small and got smaller as the days went by. By the end of the week, she would only get one stale loaf of bread each day: half a loaf for breakfast and the other half for dinner. The food supply in the kitchen was running out, and the workers were getting worried.
Outside the palace, the rebels camped at the gates, still waiting to hear the King’s decision.
“Any messages from the pigeon, Chamberlain?” asked the King.
“No, Sire.”
“But it’s been a week! It should not have taken the pigeon that long,” the King said. “Unless it never made it to Esterwall. How trained was that pigeon?”