The Adventures of Sir Roderick, the Not-Very Brave

by James O'Loghlin

  ‘Majesty,’ he began.

  The Queen raised her eyebrows.

  Did that mean ‘speak’ or ‘don’t speak’? Fromley wasn’t sure, so to buy time he cleared his throat. He looked around and then back at her eyebrows. They were still up. He hesitated.

  ‘Come on, then,’ said the Queen impatiently.

  ‘Sorry, Majesty . . . I wasn’t sure if . . .’

  ‘This . . .’ she raised her eyebrows again, ‘. . . means “speak”.’

  ‘Pardon, Majesty. They are coming, as you said. We should meet them within the hour at a point very close, I would guess, to the border.’

  The Queen raised her eyebrows again. This time the left went slightly higher than the right.

  Fromley hesitated.

  ‘That means “go”,’ she said.

  ‘Right,’ said Fromley, nodding. ‘I’ll go then.’

  ‘Don’t let me have to explain it again.’

  Ruby was fully visible, and once again lying across the back of a horse. At least this time there wasn’t anyone riding the horse. It was being led by a mounted soldier who occasionally glanced back to check she was still there. Her hands were tied to her feet by a rope that stretched under the horse’s belly. With an effort she raised her head. Soldiers everywhere. Away to her left, at the back corner of the company, was Sonya, who had been allowed to sit astride her horse. It was also being led, but she had an additional two guards riding just behind her. Clearly she was the more important prisoner.

  Ruby had caught the occasional glimpse of Banfor in the front row of the company. She guessed the Queen did not want Sonya close enough to Banfor to be able to talk to him, but she needed her close enough so that if Banfor did not do as he was told, she could threaten her.

  After they had been captured, or in Sonya’s case recaptured, they had returned briefly to the cottage in the clearing. Ruby had been strapped to the horse, and her backpack searched and then stuffed into one of the saddlebags. The three small bags containing the remainder of the herbs she had used to make herself invisible had not aroused the interest of the soldier who had searched the bag. He probably thought she was a keen gardener. Which meant that they were still there, just inches away from her in her saddlebags. Not that she could get at them.

  Sir Ledwick had led them through the forest towards the Nareean–Baronian highway. Once there, they had not had to wait long before the Baronian army arrived. Then they had all travelled east together, towards Nareea.

  Ruby continued to work away at the ropes binding her wrists. She twisted and turned, pulled and pushed. Her hours of effort were finally having an effect.

  Not on the rope, though. On her wrists. They were raw and sore.

  As his horse followed the road up a gentle rise, Fromley cast another look back over his shoulder towards Sonya. Up until yesterday he had mostly been able to push to the back of his mind the image of the girl he had befriended and then betrayed. He had got the shock of his life when he had seen her among the host of Baronian soldiers who joined their party yesterday. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Once she had caught him and stared back, and he had turned away in shame. When he had been instructed to befriend her, he had found the order a pleasure to obey. The more he had got to know her, the more he liked her. Nonetheless, when he had been told by Sir Lilley that luring her out of the city and handing her over to others was extremely important for the future of Baronia, he had done it. He didn’t understand why it was important, but that was not his job. He had been trained to obey, and he had obeyed. He had done the right thing.

  So why did he feel so bad about it?

  They crested a rise and his heart skipped a beat. Just a few hundred metres away was the Nareean army. It was one thing to see them ant-like in the distance, but now he could make out the spears and swords that could stab, wound and perhaps even kill him. Nervously, he rubbed his crescent scar through his chain-mail.

  Earlier, the Queen had explained that Banfor’s special powers would protect them, and Fromley had believed it. But now that he found himself confronted by real soldiers holding real swords that could hack through his real flesh, he didn’t feel so confident. Suddenly, it wasn’t an exciting adventure anymore. He wanted to go home.

  He glanced around. By the looks of it, he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Colour was draining from the faces of the soldiers and knights near him like water out of a bath. The long period of peace – apparently only seconds away from ending – meant that few had experienced real conflict. They had trained and fought mock battles, but this was different. This was real. They could die.

  He looked over to the Queen. She was whispering in Banfor’s ear. Together they bowed their heads and shut their eyes. Fromley wondered if they were praying and, if so, to whom. Then a slow, warm wave of confidence and strength began to fill him. His worries dissolved and floated away. Everything was going to be just fine. He felt calm and powerful. Who were these Nareeans anyway? How dare they think they could defeat the mighty kingdom of Baronia! They would crush them like worms. He gripped his sword firmly. This was the weapon that was going to hack through flesh. He looked up at the enemy. He was ready.

  Banfor pushed confidence out into the path of the Baronian soldiers. He made it, shaped it, reinforced it and added to it. It was tiring work. He was old and out of practice, and it was sapping him. And it was wrong. However, he thought, stealing a glance over his shoulder back to Sonya, the alternative was far worse. If he didn’t do as the Queen commanded, all it would take was one hand signal from her and his daughter would be slain.

  The King of Nareea, Melane the Fourth, halted his army within hailing distance of the Baronians, and then, accompanied by just three knights, trotted several paces forward. Ahead of them walked a soldier holding a green flag, the sign of truce.

  The Queen also trotted out, with three knights behind her, and a soldier with a green flag in front.

  They both stopped five paces ahead of their own armies, and fifteen paces apart.

  For a few moments there was an eerie silence, as if all were pausing to contemplate the destruction that was about to be wrought. Then King Melane spoke in a strong, deep voice. ‘Why do you march against us after so many years of peace?’

  ‘It is you who should answer that question,’ replied the Queen.

  ‘We are only here because two days ago I became aware that you had announced to your people that you would march against us.’

  The Queen scoffed. ‘But it was four days ago that your soldiers attacked and killed the defenceless Baronians of Taroom. We march to defend ourselves from your attacks.’

  The King looked puzzled. ‘We know nothing of this.’

  ‘And I expect you know nothing of those who fired arrows at me three days ago in Palandan.’

  ‘That is correct. Nothing. All we know is that your army is marching against us.’

  ‘Why do you lie? Baronians are dead. A village has been burnt.’ The Queen spoke with conviction and passion. ‘If you wish to attack Baronians then here is our army. Attack it. But how dare you slaughter innocent people?’

  ‘Hold your accusations. I tell you, we know nothing of this,’ replied the King angrily. ‘We have no quarrel with Baronia.’

  The Queen laughed scornfully. ‘You say that only now that you see the might of our army. You are brave when it comes to killing innocent women and children in the dark, but by light of day, you are cowards!’

  The King’s eyes bulged with rage. There was no greater insult. ‘You will see what cowards we are,’ he bellowed. ‘Hasten back to your army, liar Queen. For the long peace is about to end!’ He turned and trolled back to his army.

  As the armies readied themselves, adjusting helmets, swigging water and fastening armour, the Queen trotted her horse across to Banfor.

  ‘Now, Ganfree, for your daughter’s sake, help us. We have stren
gthened our forces. It is time to weaken our enemies.’

  A look of disgust crossed Banfor’s face. Immediately the Queen scanned the hill where two guards flanked Sonya’s horse. She raised her arm, and one of the guards pulled a knife out of his belt.

  ‘If I bring my arm down, the knife goes into her leg.’ There was steel in her voice. ‘If I bring it down twice, her heart. Now! Will. You. Help. Me?’

  Ruby wriggled her red and chafed hands back and forth against the rope. Each time she did, a bolt of pain shot through her. It took a huge effort of will to continue to inflict pain upon herself in this way, but whenever she wanted to stop, she thought of Sonya swimming to the edge of that pool to be recaptured. For the six hundred and twenty-eighth time Ruby cursed herself for having been too scared to jump. If she had just done it, she and Sonya would have escaped, the Queen’s hold over Banfor would have been broken and hundreds of men would not be about to kill each other.

  So she kept rubbing her wrists against the rope. It felt as if she had been doing it forever, and that it would continue forever. Then suddenly one wrist was free.

  Fromley had never been so ready to fight. He felt invincible. He rushed forward with the rest of the army, impatient to hack and destroy. The Nareeans were surging forward too, until abruptly they slowed. They looked scared and lost. Before long the entire Nareean army had come to a halt. It was going to be a massacre! Fromley picked out the one who was going to feel his sword first. He walked his horse purposefully towards him, sword gripped firmly, ready to kill.

  Suddenly he was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek of enormous volume. He looked around and then up. His mouth fell open. Flapping towards them was a creature so big it blocked out the sun. Even though he was full of confidence and courage, it was terrifying. A giant cockroach! It flapped down into the narrow gap that separated the two armies. Everyone stopped. As the cockroach’s wings came to a halt, there was total silence. No one moved.

  There was someone on the cockroach’s back. Fromley squinted. When he saw who it was, he nearly fell off his horse.

  Roderick slowly rose to his feet on the cockroach’s broad back. To his right, a gentle hill was covered with Baronian soldiers. To his left, on another gentle rise, were the Nareeans. Everyone was staring at him: hundreds of soldiers, scores of knights, a King, a Queen, his sister, Ruby and a sorcerer. And, hidden in the trees, a bear.

  He opened his mouth and then shut it again. He needed to work out what he was going to say before he started speaking. Then he felt a voice inside his head.

  Roderick. You have come. The voice was warm and comforting. My excellent knight, you have rescued us again. You have found a way to stop the war, and to send the Nareeans home without bloodshed. Well done!

  It was the Queen. He looked down at her. She was smiling warmly. She was right. He had prevented war. If he had been a few seconds later it would have started. He had saved hundreds of lives.

  Come Roderick, came her thought-voice, friendly and inviting. Let us use your large friend to make the Nareeans surrender. Let us shoo them back home. Then join me and we can rule Baronia in peace. End the fighting, Roderick. Bring peace. Join me. Make the Nareeans go away.

  Warm, soothing thought-waves filled his head. What she was telling him made sense. It was the right thing to do. Grynaldeen could frighten the Nareeans away, and then, finally, Roderick could rest and let the Queen take care of everything. All he had to do was to turn the cockroach to face the Nareeans, and use her to scare them off.

  Of course! Because the Nareeans were the enemy.

  He sat down again on Grynaldeen’s back. Another thought came. Get the beast to attack our enemies. Destroy them! Yes. That would save the lives of all the Baronians who would have died in the battle. Now they would live, the enemy would be defeated, and once again he would be a hero. Maybe he’d even get another parade.

  He started to insert the command into Grynaldeen’s mind, but before he could, a new thought entered his head. It was unpleasant, at odds with the exquisite and unfamiliar peace he was feeling. Wake up, Roderick! Wake up! it screamed. It was like his mind was being slapped. He jolted alert. It was Banfor!

  Roderick blinked. He realised the Queen had, once again, nearly persuaded him to do what she wanted him to. He had been about to obey the woman who had kidnapped his sister, ordered an attack on a village full of her own people, and who now wanted to start a war.

  Roderick scanned the crowd and saw Banfor sitting on a horse at the end of the front row of Baronians, to the left of the Queen. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. Roderick’s eyes flicked to the Queen just in time to see her forcefully nod her head at Sir Daniel, next to Banfor. Sir Daniel drew back his heavy, gloved hand and smashed the old man a backhanded blow to the face. Banfor hit the ground with a thud, and did not move. Attention was so centred on Roderick and the cockroach that no one else seemed to notice.

  Any doubts Roderick had had about the Queen’s guilt vanished. Ruby had been right about her. She had to be stopped. He shook his head vigorously to clear it, and then turned Grynaldeen back so she was again facing directly up the valley. For the second time he climbed to his feet. The Queen stared at him. He could still feel her trying to push her power into his mind but somehow he was now able to observe and be aware of it without it affecting him. He could float above and around it, not trying to resist, merely ignoring it.

  All eyes were focused on Roderick and the cockroach, even those belonging to the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding Ruby. While she now had both hands free, any move she made to escape would attract attention. Still lying across the back of the horse, she reached carefully down into the saddlebag next to her head. Inside it she felt three smaller bags, each containing a different type of herb. The only other thing she needed was water to dissolve them in. She continued to feel around the saddlebag for a flask. Nothing.

  There was another saddlebag on the other side of her horse, near her feet. She stole a glance at the soldiers. They were transfixed by the huge cockroach. Ruby slowly eased her feet towards the ground until her right hand could reach back behind her into the other saddlebag. Right at the bottom, just within reach, was a flask. She grasped it in her fingertips, and pulled it gently out. She held it down low, concealing it under the horse’s tummy, and with her other hand extracted a pinch of one of the herbs, which she scrunched and crumpled in her hand. Then she tipped them into the flask. She did this with the other two herbs and then shook the flask as vigorously as she dared, unscrewed the lid, and swigged. For a moment nothing happened.

  And then, for the third time, she began to fade away.

  CHAPTER 23

  ATTEMPTS AT PERSUASION

  Roderick looked around at the hundreds of soldiers waiting for him to speak. He opened his mouth and hoped something good would come out.

  ‘Baronians!’ he shouted, ‘and Nareeans! You are gathered here ready to fight, but this war should not start. There is no reason for it.’ He turned to face the Baronians. ‘My fellow Baronians, the Nareeans did not attack our village. They did not try to assassinate our Queen. They are not our enemies. You have been lied to!’

  Sir Drayshus was near the Queen. He spoke firmly. ‘Sir Roderick, someone attacked Taroom, and someone fired arrows at Her Majesty. If not the Nareeans, then who?’

  Roderick wondered how many of the knights were in on the Queen’s plan. Sir Lilley certainly was. Fromley too perhaps. But Sir Drayshus? He took a deep breath. ‘You have been lied to by the Queen. She ordered the attack on Taroom and arranged the fake assassination attempt so that she would have an excuse to start this war.’

  There was a collective gasp from the crowd, both Nareeans and Baronians, followed by agitated murmurings. Eyes turned to the Queen. Her face was impassive. Then she sighed. ‘Oh dear, Sir Roderick,’ she said, almost to herself. Then she raised her voice. ‘My knights and soldiers, I am a
fraid there are only two possible explanations for this sad turn of events. Perhaps Sir Roderick has, unfortunately, lost his mind.’ She paused and said the next words with compassion. ‘As my knights know, he has never been the most robust of people. I do not know what he has gone through and how he came to be on this great beast’s back, but perhaps it has all been too much for him.’ Her voice hardened. ‘Either that, or he is a Nareean spy, and is now working for their purposes. Perhaps the Nareeans have somehow helped him to control this great beast, and are using him to spread lies among us.’

  Grynaldeen uttered a fierce cry and took a step towards the Queen. Roderick tried to calm her. The Queen was unmoved.

  ‘Sir Roderick, you may use that creature to kill me if you wish. My life is unimportant. But doing so will not make your lies true.’

  ‘The Queen kidnapped my sister!’ shouted Roderick. ‘She did it to force Ganfree Banfor to help her. And just then she ordered Sir Daniel to hit him.’ Roderick looked down at the old man lying motionless on the ground.

  ‘Oh dear, Sir Banfor has had a turn,’ said the Queen. ‘I urged him to rest but he would not. He was so eager to defeat our enemies. Sir Lilley. Attend to him immediately.’ Sir Lilley, who was near the back of the company – no doubt to minimise his chances of being involved in the battle – made his way cautiously down the hill, keeping a watchful eye on the cockroach.

  Roderick tried again. ‘Baronians,’ he called, ‘the Queen has forced Ganfree Banfor to help her carry out her wicked plan by taking his daughter prisoner and using her as a hostage.’