Roderick was thinking the same thing. While Ruby had no doubt about her future course, he was wrestling with the biggest decision of his life. As they travelled back towards the Circle of Mountains, he often allowed himself to fall behind the others to try to think it through. It was almost impossible to believe. All he had to do was say yes and he would be the King of Baronia, in charge of the whole kingdom, including all the knights who, up until recently, had thought he was a hopeless joke. He allowed himself a smile at the thought of Sir Shamus bowing and swearing allegiance to him. Of course, becoming King would be daunting and terrifying, but wouldn’t it also be exciting? And he had his powers to help him. With some practice, he would be able to tell what people were thinking, and that would help.
He stopped, remembering Banfor’s words. Power takes more than it gives.
If he became King would he, too, become hooked on power? Would it corrupt him, as it had his real parents? As King, surely every day there would be opportunities to use, and to misuse, his powers. It would start with him ‘persuading’ people to do the right thing, but where would it end? In a few years would it be him manipulating events to create a war to satisfy his own craving for power?
The alternative was to return to the farm. He had been content there before. In fact, he had never wanted to leave. But after all that had happened, could he be content there again? And if he did live out his time there, refusing to use his powers because of his fear of being lured into temptation, might he not end up like Banfor, feeling that he had wasted his life?
He wished his father was around to ask for advice. Either of them!
As they rode north he discussed his dilemma with Ruby and Sonya. Ruby was excited by the idea of him becoming King. ‘Think of all the changes you could make,’ she said. ‘You could make life so much better for people.’
He wondered what further role, if any, Ruby would play in his life. They had each saved the other more than once in the past few weeks, and their fates had seemed inter-twined, but would they now drift off to separate lives?
Sonya was less inclined to give him advice and deflected his requests for it. ‘You have to decide. Do what you think is best.’
And now two girls, one boy and a bear stood by the river, contemplating the loss of the man who had changed all their lives. The boy held a wooden cylinder. He was fourteen years old and, like his sister beside him, had already lost two fathers.
His sister looked across the river to the far bank. Beyond it were trees and, behind them, a vast ring of mountains rose to the clouds.
‘No wonder he didn’t want to leave. It’s beautiful,’ said Sonya.
‘But less so now,’ remarked the bear sadly. It was the shortest sentence anyone could remember him saying.
Roderick unscrewed the lid of the cylinder and handed it to Chester. ‘You knew him longest,’ he said.
‘But you were his family,’ said the bear, pushing it back, ‘and his species.’
‘You were more family to him than we were,’ said Sonya.
‘All right,’ said Chester, ‘which actually means “perhaps”. Of course “all right” doesn’t really mean “perhaps”, but what I really mean is “perhaps”.’
He held the cylinder out over the river and gently tipped it forward. Banfor’s ashes fell into the water. Fish investigated the disturbance. The ashes floated for a while and then slowly sank, dispersed and disappeared, becoming nothing and part of everything else.
‘This place is a place that has always been my home,’ said Chester. ‘But I think I am realising that the main reason it was a place that was my home was because it was the place where my great friend Mister Banfor lived. And now my friend Mister Banfor has finished all his living.’ He stared into the water, blinking. ‘I think that means that this place is not as much like a home as it used to be. Perhaps now my home is not in this place, but . . .’ he paused, looking shyly about, ‘. . . with the people who I have started to think of as my new friends.’
Ruby have him a hug. ‘Of course it is, Chester. We’ve been hoping you would say that the whole trip.’
Sonya nodded and squeezed his paw as Roderick patted him on the back.
And Chester beamed.
Roderick looked up at the mountains and beyond to the sky and sucked in a deep breath of crisp, clean air. He understood why Banfor had loved this place so much, and why, after his chaotic time in the world outside, he had been able to find peace here.
Suddenly Roderick knew what he must do. Taking the kingship would be fraught with difficulties, especially if he tried to implement some of the changes Ruby wanted, and he was not sure if he would be strong enough to resist the temptation to use – and perhaps misuse – his powers. But he also knew with absolute certainty that he had to try, because if he didn’t, he would spend the rest of his life wondering whether he could have risen to the challenge. He realised that there was something worse than failure, and that was being too scared to make the attempt.
He thought of Banfor, his father. He had spent fifteen years hiding from the outside world.
For the last fifteen years I have existed, but I have not lived.
He would not make the same mistake. He had had a taste of a life of adventure; it could be terrifying, dangerous and difficult, but it was a life lived to the full. And unlike Banfor, he would have help; from Drayshus, Ruby, Sonya, and from a big furry bodyguard.
A fragment of a conversation he had had with Banfor came back to him.
‘But I get scared.’
‘Then, Roderick, you have a great opportunity. For it is only those who feel fear who have the chance to be brave.’
It was time for him to stop doubting himself. He would take the kingship and do his best.
He turned to his friends. ‘Chester. Ruby. Sonya. I’ve made a decision, but I’m going to need your help.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When you write a story you fuss endlessly over all the words to try to make sure that they are the right ones and that they are in the right order, and so by the time you eventually let the story out for other people to look at, you think you’ve got it pretty much as good as you can get it. So a great debt of thanks to the fine folk at Pan Macmillan for all their sensible and clever suggestions that have made this story much, much better. I particularly appreciate how they managed to make those suggestions in such a nice way that I never once felt like sulking.
In particular, thanks to Claire Craig for her enthusiasm, skill and great judgement. Also, Jo Lyons did a fantastic job editing and made lots of very helpful suggestions, and thanks to Libby Turner for all her fine work.
Thanks to Sam Bowring for pointing me in the right direction.
Huge thanks to the first readers: Bibi, Nina, Lily and Lucy for their excellent suggestions, for their enthusiasm and encouragement and for adding sparkle to everything, every day.
Thanks to my parents for encouraging my love of reading and for instilling in me the idea that if I wanted to do something, then I’d better give it a crack.
Finally, a big thank you to fear. Yes it is unpleasant and horrible but many good things come from staring it down. Writing a longish story is hard and you need something to keep you going. For me it was fear – the fear that if I didn’t write one, I would regret it.
About James O’Loghlin
James O’Loghlin is the host of Sunday Evenings on ABC Local Radio. From 2004 to 2011 he hosted The New Inventors on ABC TV, and from 2002 to 2006 he hosted The Evening Show on ABC Local Radio. He has hosted and appeared on many other television and radio shows.
James began performing stand-up comedy in 1990 and for most of the 1990s managed to combine a successful comedy career with a day job as a criminal lawyer.
He has written several other books, including one children’s story, Andy’s Secret Weapon.
First published 2014 in Pan by
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
1 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2000
Copyright © James O’Loghlin 2104
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
This ebook may not include illustrations and/or photographs that may have been in the print edition.
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available
from the National Library of Australia
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au
EPUB format: 9781743517987
Typeset by Post Pre-press Group
Cover design by i2i Design
Cover illustration: Nigel Buchanan
The characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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The Adventures of Sir Roderick, the Not-Very Brave Page 27
