Things Are Getting Rocky
by
R. Brian Campbell
A shadow darkened my desk. “Garth the Adventurer.” It wasn’t a question.
I had been attempting to struggle through my financial documents, tabulating the profits and losses of the various local businesses I was now invested in. Gods but I hate paperwork. I was beginning to realize how much simpler life was when I was just a poor soldier. I looked up, at the two soldiers standing at attention, just inside my doorway. I must have really been immersed in my work, not to hear them come in. I gave them a professional inspection, taking in the ring-mail over hardened leather jerkins, steel helms, steel vambraces and leather gauntlets protecting their arms and hands, and greaves guarding their shins. Each had a broadsword on one hip and a spiked mace on the opposing hip. They were dressed for business.
“You’ve found him,” I responded. “How may I be of service?”
“King Roland requires your presence,” One soldier advised me.
King Roland? What in Hades does he want? I shrugged. Only one way to find out. “Thank you for delivering that information. Please tell King Roland that I will drop by later this afternoon.”
“King Roland wishes your presence immediately. You may accompany us now.”
It was worth a try. “Very well,” I agreed, like I had a choice, getting up and reaching for my sword belt.
“You may leave your sword here. It will not be needed.”
I turned and glared at the soldier who had spoken. “Now we are at an impasse. You want me to go with you, and I am not leaving unarmed. So, what’s it going to be?” Without waiting for an answer, I took down the sword belt and strapped it around my waist. Then I turned back to face them, my broadsword now on my hip, where it belonged.
“Very well,” the soldier conceded. “You may carry your sword.” He and his partner stepped through the door, and he held it open for me. “If you please.”
When I reached the door, I saw four additional soldiers waiting for me. These four were mounted and carried deadly looking halberds. King Roland was serious about seeing me.
I turned to the first two soldiers. “I don’t know what your plan was, but I have no intention of running all the way to Starflower Kingdom. So, if you don’t mind, or even if you do, I’m going to have my assistant saddle my horse.” I turned my back on them and strode to the stable.
The soldier called from behind me. “Have your assistant also saddle his own horse. King Roland wishes to see him as well.”
I spun around. “What in Hades does he want with Bart?”
The soldier shrugged. “I only have my orders. The King is not required to give his reasons. Bring the boy, as well.”
I was about to argue the point, when the stable door opened and Bart came out, leading my horse, Valor, and his horse, Steadfast. I noted that Bart was wearing a dagger on his hip, and had strapped my crossbow and quiver to my saddle, and his short bow and quiver to his saddle. Smart lad. I wondered what he’d had time to load into the saddlebags.
I mounted Valor and brought him around to face the soldiers. “So, what are you waiting for? Let’s not keep King Roland waiting.”
We rode in relative silence, for the most part. I tried and failed to engage the soldiers in conversation, so Bart and I passed the time making innocuous small talk. Bart had enough street sense not to ask any important questions while the soldiers could hear, but we had created our own hand signals, and he was signing questions about what was going on. Unfortunately, I had no answers. The only good thing I could think of, was that the soldiers were escorting us to the palace, not hauling us away, like the way King Roland had Bart kidnapped the last time. It was also a good sign that these soldiers hadn’t perforated us on sight. Further questions, I assumed, would be answered when we reached the Starflower Kingdom.
—————————————–
After a brief rest stop for a cold lunch, we reached Starflower Kingdom about mid-afternoon. The last time I was here, I was rescuing Bart and it was the middle of the night. The Kingdom looked much more impressive in the daylight. Green fields stretched out on either side of the roadway, farmers and their help working to keep things healthy and growing. Starflowers, from which the kingdom got its name, lined the edge of the roadway, providing a separation between road and field. The kingdom proper lay straight ahead, small hovels on the outskirts, then buildings, becoming larger the closer you got to the centre, until you reached the centerpiece, the King’s Royal Palace. This was something else I had only ever seen at night. I still couldn’t believe that I had actually climbed that wall. What was more amazing was that Salem had done it without the benefit of rope or grapple of any kind.
This time we entered through the front gate, soldiers riding alongside us, three on each side. I would have been more impressed with our entrance if I wasn’t more concerned about why we were here. As we passed through the gate, I took note of the strategically placed murder holes, and the additional guards, who tried to appear casual as they congregated around the entrance, weapons close at hand. I nodded and signed to Bart, who smiled and signed back. He’d seen them. The boy had good eyes and had been paying attention to his lessons.
The soldiers led us to the King’s audience chambers. The last time I’d met King Roland, it was in his bedchamber, and he had been alone and asleep, prior to my getting there. This time he was awake, with two guards at the doors to the chamber and two more flanking his throne. He looked much more regal in his royal robes and crown than he had in his nightshirt. Probably best if I didn’t mention that.
King Roland looked us over. “Garth, Bart, thank you for seeing me.”
“Well, your men asked so nicely,” I responded. “How could we refuse?”
“Indeed.” The King looked at his guards and soldiers. “Leave us.”
“But, Your Majesty-” One guard sputtered.
“Leave us!” King Roland ordered. “Last I remember, I was still the King.”
“But, Your Majesty. They are armed.”
“Need I remind you, that the last time Garth was here, he was also armed, and he made it all the way to my bedchamber without you being able to stop him?” The guard glared at me. Oh yeah, he remembered. And not fondly. The King continued. “If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead, and there would be nothing you could do about it.” Now, I didn’t think that was actually true, but who was I to argue? He is the King, after all. He finished with, “I’m probably safer with them than I am with you. Now, go!”
The soldiers and guards grumbled as they filed out. Bart was grinning. I caught his eye and shook my head. His grin disappeared, but his eyes were still twinkling. I was relaxing a bit, as well. Whatever the King wanted, he wouldn’t be sending his guards away if he meant us harm. On the other hand, I had best watch my back around those guards, from here on.
Once the guards were gone, King Roland turned his gaze to Bart. “First, Bart, I would like to apologize to you for the way I treated you the last time we met.”
Bart smiled. “Don’t concern yourself overmuch, Your Majesty. It was a misunderstanding, nothing more. No harm done.”
The King looked relieved. His smile was genuine. “Thank you for such a diplomatic statement. You would make a great ambassador.” His eyes switched away from Bart and met mine. “Garth. Sorry for bringing you here under armed escort, but I wasn’t sure you would come otherwise, and I need your help.”
I nodded. “Understandable, when you put it that way, Your Majesty. I can see where you may have had a concern. Now that we are here, how can we help you?”
King Roland took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before responding. “Do you remember the advice you gave me, the last time we met?”
“I do, Your Majesty. I advised you to stop pampering your son and teach him what real work is like.”
“Exactly. And I did, but he didn’t much like it.”
“Of course he wouldn’t, Your Majesty. He was used to having everything handed to him. He had no idea what real work was like. I would imagine that he would hate it.”
“He did,” The King concurred. Then added, “He ran away.”
I had to consciously close my mouth. “He what?”
The King had a pained expression. “Prince Reginald ran away from home.”
I was struggling to wrap my head around the concept. “Let me get this straight. Your adult, betrothed son, the Crown Prince, the future King of Starflower Kingdom, ran away from home?”
The King actually looked more dejected. “Very few people are aware of this, not even my guards. That’s why I had them leave. You understand that I can’t allow word to get out that the Prince ran off.”
I nodded in agreement. “I understand, Your Majesty. Please, tell me everything you can.”
King Roland composed himself. “He must have run off in the night, two nights past. His maids and dressers sent word that he wasn’t in his room. I came up with a vague excuse that he had to travel to a neighbouring kingdom in a hurry, as my special envoy. Then, last night, his horse, Honey, returned without him. At first, I didn’t know what to do. Then I thought of you.”
I tapped my jaw with a finger, thinking. “Okay, I’ll have to see Reggi- I mean Prince Reginald’s horse, and find out which direction she came from. Is there anyone I can talk to?”
“Yes,” King Roland told me. “One of the grooms saw Honey return. He is aware that something is amiss, but doesn’t know what. You can talk to him.” He looked me in the eye. “Please get my son back. I know you believe he is nothing but an annoying, spoiled prince, but he is my only son. I’ll pay you anything.”
“I’ll get him back, Your Majesty,” I assured him. “I may need to raid your supplies, so an official letter, granting me permission to take what I need would be helpful.”
“Done.” The King pulled out a parchment and quill and began immediately. He finished by dribbling some wax on the bottom and pressing his signet ring to it. He passed the parchment to me. “Anything else?”
“That should do,” I assured him. “As for payment, what I want is a few weeks with Reg- Prince Reginald, in my custody. I’ll teach him what hard work is like, and I promise you, he will learn, and he will not get away from me.”
The King thought about it for several moments. “Agreed. Do what you need to do, Garth. But please bring my son back to me.”
“We will, Your Majesty.” With that final promise, Bart and I left the King, and went to the royal stables.
————————————-
“Honey came from that direction,” the groom pointed. “Lathered up, and exhausted, like she had been running full-out for a considerable distance. She was heavily matted with dust and grime, as well.”
“Honey?” I remarked. “Prince Reggie’s horse? Running? And dirty?”
“I was surprised myself, sir,” the groom confirmed.
“What type of dirt?”
The groom thought for a moment. “Mostly a reddish dust, but some dark grey mud, as well. And there was also a lot of clay on her fetlocks and stuck in her hooves.”
“Like she had been in or near a streambed?” I asked. He nodded. “Thank you. You have been most helpful. Before you leave, would you be able to provide us with an extra horse? Not Honey. Something a bit sturdier.”
“Yes, Sir.”
After the groom brought the horse I requested and went about his business, I turned to Bart. “I think I know where Reggie has been. So, tell me, what supplies did you manage to jam into those saddlebags?”
“You’ve seen our bows,” He started and I nodded for him to continue. “Our hardened leather jerkins and Elven silver mail. A couple of silver daggers and a pair of sturdy dirks.” He hung his head. “I’m afraid that’s it.”
“Are you kidding?” I extolled. “That’s amazing, given the short notice you had. Lad, you can pack for me anytime.” Bart brightened at my comments. “But, from what the groom told us, we need a few additional items. I have a feeling that we will be heading into the mountains.”
We went made visits to the blacksmith and the carpenter and, after showing the King’s letter, came away with two sturdy lengths of rope, a couple of hammers, suitable for breaking rock, some steel pegs, and a heavy axe. Now we were ready. I donned the Elven mail and leather jerkin, while Bart put his on. I slipped a dirk in my sword belt and a sheathed dagger in my boot. “Now, let’s go find Reggie.”
Bart vaulted into his saddle and we rode out of the castle grounds, in the direction the groom had indicated.
We found Honey’s trail shortly after leaving the populated area of the Starflower Kingdom. The trail was heading almost due north, just as I had expected. Honey had, indeed, been moving quite rapidly, likely running in terror. I sighed. “What kind of trouble has Reggie gotten himself into this time?”
Bart shook his head. “Hard to say. But it looks bad.”
“I suspect we will soon find out.”
“Do we want to?”
I smiled, grimly. “When has that ever mattered?”
As I had already suspected, the trail led us towards the Copper Mountains, where our horses began kicking up clouds of reddish dust. Then it became difficult to stay on the path, because the terrain became increasingly rockier, the closer we came to the mountain range. But, by then, I had a pretty good idea of where we were going, so we continued on. From time to time either Bart or I would catch some sign of Honey’s passing, so we could be sure that we were still on the right path, but I could already hear the distant crash of falling water that told me the location I wanted was coming up soon.
As we reached the summit of a moderately steep slope, the waterfall came into view. It was still a fair distance away, but even so, it was quite impressive. Water appeared to be flowing down from the sky, as if Poseidon had taken the seas in a giant pitcher and poured it down the side of the mountain. Below us, the river flowed between craggy outcroppings, cutting a path through the mountainous terrain. Scraggly willows, weeds and mushrooms attempted to grow between the rocks. It looked both beautiful and desolate at the same time.
“Please let me go,” a plaintive voice moaned.
“You must stay, toy. You not leave. You mine,” A second voice, this one deep and gravelly sounding, boomed out.
I looked at Bart. “I think we found Prince Reggie. And if I’m right, he’s in massive trouble.”
“What was that other voice?” Bart asked.
“I have a bad feeling about that. Wait here with the horses, I’ll go find out.” Without waiting for an answer, I left Bart and scrambled down the rocky embankment. From my elevation, I saw Reggie well before I reached him. He was sitting, dejectedly, in the bottom of a deep pit, looking considerably worse for wear. In fact, if I wasn’t seeing it for myself, I would never have believed that Reggie could ever get that dirty, or allow his garments to sustain that much damage. He could have passed for a beggar.
I was so shocked by Reggie’s condition, that I missed seeing his captor until, what I assumed was a large pile of boulders, stood up and blocked my way.
“You stay away from toy. Dis my toy.” The creature’s voice sounded like stones rolling down a steep hill. The creature itself looked like an animated statue, albeit a crudely made one. It was slate grey, with stone-like skin, and covered in lumps and bumps, as if it was made of boulders melted together. It had dark craters for eyes and mouth, a lumpy projection of a nose, and thick, stubby fingers. Oh yeah, it was also more than twice my height and at least four times my width. “Go find own toy,” It told me.
Reggie saw me. “Sir Garth! Thank the Gods, you’re here. Please get me out of here.”
The creature turned towards Reggie. “Silence, toy. You no speak.”
That’s when I noticed the other pits, containing what remained of the rock giant’s past “toys’ in various stages of decomposition. That was Reggie’s future if I didn’t help him.
“Hello, good sir,” I said, as politely as I could manage. “I’m Garth. Whom would I be addressing?”
The beast looked confused. “Huh? Oh. My name, Cairn. What you want, Gart?
Gart? I shrugged. What did I expect from someone with rock for a tongue and lips? “Nice to meet you, Cairn. I have a problem, and I hope you can help me.”
“Problem? What problem you have?”
“Garth! Please!”
“Shush, Reggie.”
“That’s Prince Regi-”
“SILENCE!” Cairn and I yelled, simultaneously. We looked at each other.
“Cairn,” I began, trying to sound calm and reasonable. “Here is my problem. The person you have down there is a Prince, and his father, the King, would like to have him back. In fact, his father sent me to bring him back, and if I returned without him, I would be in very big trouble. So I would consider it a huge favour if you would let me take him back to his father. What do you say? Can you help me?”
“YOU NOT TAKE TOY!” The ground shook from the roar of his voice.
So much for being reasonable. “I see. Sorry, Reggie. Good luck.”
“GARTH! DON’T LEAVE ME!” Reggie screamed.
I turned and scrambled back up the embankment, where Bart was waiting with three very unsettled horses. Fortunately, these were trained warhorses, not pampered prancers like Honey, and as nervous as they were, they didn’t bolt.
“What was that thing?” Bart asked.
“Rock Troll,” I advised him. “Not particularly bright, but it would be difficult to find a creature stronger or more durable. We have our work cut out for us.”
“Would any of the silver weapons work?”
I shook my head. “Not in this case. Rock Trolls may look like they were created by magic, but they aren’t. No, we have to come up with another plan.”
I rummaged through our supplies, trying to find something that would help. I picked up the axe and looked at it for a bit, then turned to Bart. “How far back was that last stand of trees?”
“About a league or so.”
“Did you happen to see any iron oak among them?” I asked.
“I believe so, Sir. Iron oak is one of the few trees that grow around here.”
“Good,” I said. “Let’s ride.”
It turned out to be a little less than a league. I found a tall, thin, but sturdy iron oak that I felt would suit my purpose and nearly dulled the axe cutting it down. I stripped the branches and tied it to the side of my saddle. Then we returned to the bluff where we had left Cairn and Reggie. Then I explained my plan to Bart.
“I’m going to distract Cairn and get him to chase me. Once you’re sure that he is safely away, take one of the ropes and go get Reggie. Given his athletic ability, or lack thereof, you will probably have to climb down and get him. For Jupiter’s sake, try to keep him quiet. You don’t want Cairn coming back when you are down in that pit. Knock Reggie out if you have to, but don’t let him put you in danger. Got it?”
“Got it, Sir.” Bart gave me a fist to heart salute. I saluted him back. As I turned to leave, he said, “Sir? Be careful.”
I smiled. “Me? I’m always careful.” I took off my sword belt, then stripped off my elven mail and leather jerkin. With Cairn, my best defense would be speed, and these would slow me down, I slipped my dirk and the hammer in my belt, then turned, grabbed the length of iron oak, strapped it to my back, using a section of the second rope, wrapped the rest across my shoulders, and began my way up the adjacent, higher, mound of rocks. I needed to use the hammer and steel pegs to clamber up the side, but eventually made it to the top.
I found the spot I was looking for, overlooking the spot that Cairn had claimed as his own, but far enough off to the side that I wouldn’t endanger Reggie or Bart with my plan. First, I tied the rope around a large boulder at the opposite side of the hillock and let the rope dangle off the side. Then I looked for a place where the rocks looked loose and unstable, jammed one end of the iron oak between two medium sized boulders, and heaved. At first, it didn’t look like anything would happen. I heaved harder. A few stones broke free and began rolling down the hill. One more heave and one of the bigger rocks broke free. As it descended, it picked up other stones, large and small, until, by the time it neared the base, it had grown into a substantial rockslide. Not content yet, I jammed my lever into another pile and heaved, releasing more rocks.
“STOP THAT! YOU ARE MAKING MESS!”
I had his attention. I heaved on the next group of stones, sending more down the cliff.
“STOP IT NOW!” Cairn roared.
I leaned over the edge and waved. “Hi Cairn. How are you doing?”
“STOP MAKING MESS!” Cairn demanded.
“You mean this?” I heaved again, starting an even larger landslide.
“NO! NO! I MAKE YOU STOP!” Cairn stormed up the cliff face, moving much faster than I had expected.
I jammed my lever between two larger boulders and heaved, releasing an avalanche directly in Cairn’s path. He scrambled over them without slowing, climbing deftly up the side of the almost vertical slope.
Uh, oh! I dropped the pole, turned and ran. I’d spotted a cave on my way here. If I could only reach it before he reached me. But he had already reached the top of the slope and was closing the distance rapidly. “COME HERE, TOY.”
Toy? I didn’t like the sound of that at all. I grabbed the waiting rope and slid down the side of the cliff, hitting the ground running. The ground shook, as Cairn came crashing down right behind me. I managed to increase my speed, even though I’d thought I was already going full out. Now. Where. Was. That. Cave.
There! I dived in head first, rolling as far back as I could, before coming to a panting halt against the back wall. Cairn was already at the entrance, his huge hand reaching in as far as he could. I squeezed against the back wall, trying to make myself as small as possible. I gasped a sigh of relief. He couldn’t reach me. Then he started pounding on the cave entrance, breaking chunks off with every swing. He was going to beat his way in to me. I began looking for another exit.
Light was coming in from somewhere. I found the place, but it was very small. Using my fingers, the hammer and my dirk, I tried enlarging the hole, even as the cave entrance behind me grew with every swing of Cairn’s huge hand. Squeezing, crawling, digging, grasping, I forced myself upwards, through the narrow passage until, finally, I came out on the hill overlooking the cave. Cairn was still looking for me below, and I wasn’t going to give him time to realize his mistake. I ran for the horses, hoping that Bart and Reggie would be waiting.
They were. Reggie was slumped over the spare horse, and Bart had tied him in place. As I was running towards them I heard Cairn yell.
“TOY! YOU NO TAKE MY TOY! COME BACK WITH TOY!”
The ground shook from his heavy footfalls, as he ran towards us. I leapt onto Valor’s back without slowing, and prodded his flanks with my heels. “Time to go.”
Valor shot forward. Bart, leading the horse bearing Prince Reggie, managed to keep pace with me. Cairn chased us for a short distance, but as fast as he was, he wasn’t as fast as our horses, and he soon slowed down and stopped, staring after us. “TOY!”
We continued. I knew that Cairn wouldn’t leave his mountains. He would stay there, waiting for the next unsuspecting “toy.”
————————————–
“So how is my son doing?” King Roland asked.
“See for yourself,” I offered. The King and I stayed at a distance, so Reggie couldn’t see us, as we watched Helena supervising as Reggie, who as wearing homespun clothes and work boots, fed grain to the sheep and chickens.
“Careful,” Helena warned. “Don’t overfeed them. Yes, that’s right.”
“Helena,” Syras called. “When will you be done with him? I want him to help milk the goats.”
“Soon,” Helena assured him. “But when you’re done, I need him back to collect the eggs.”
“How much more do I have to do?” Reggie whined.
Syras pointed at the sun. “As long as that is above the horizon, we work.”
“Ooohh..” Reggie moaned.
King Roland smiled. “It certainly looks like you have things well in hand here.”
I smiled back. “Yesterday, he assisted Bart in mucking out the stable and grooming the horses. I’m going to leave him with Samuel’s kids for another day, then see if Samuel would like him to help at his construction site for a day or two. Then he goes to help the miller, after that, the blacksmith, the baker, then the armourer. By the time I return him to you, he will know exactly what every member of the kingdom does. Then he will be on his way to being king.”
King Roland put a hand on my shoulder. “I must say, that I am very impressed. Thank you, Garth, both for rescuing my son, and for helping to make a man, and a king out of him.”
I smiled and kept my silence. Perched on a fencepost, a black cat was watching Reggie at work. She turned her head and gave me a satisfied wink. I winked back.