by V. Moody
The soldiers were nervous and the short one at the back kept diving behind me every time someone stepped out of a side street or alleyway. I suspected Ducane hadn’t assigned his most elite troops to this detail, although they did have nicely polished shields. I kept my hat pulled down low and hoped for the best.
We made it to the Palace in one piece. Once through the gates, my fearless guards regained some composure and we marched through the impressive Palace grounds at a more normal pace, stopping occasionally so Laffi could tell the sentries who we were and where we were going.
We entered the Palace through a side door, probably a tradesman’s entrance, and walked what must have been at least a mile along various red-carpeted corridors. Finally we reached large double doors with a bunch of chairs lined up outside.
“Just wait while I let them know we’re here,” said Laffi. “They should be expecting us.”
He went through the doors—from the glimpse I got, there seemed to be a man at a desk and another set of doors beyond him—and I was left standing with my escort.
I didn’t know how long it would take and really fancied sitting down. As I looked around, I noticed there were six other people already seated. Three boys and three girls, one of whom was Jenny.
18. Wait For It
Jenny was sitting with the rest of her team. Next to her was Tin, tricked out in full chainmail armour. Around his neck was a thick gold chain, hanging from which was a big shiny key. Subtle.
Jenny’s outfit was leather but with chainmail inserts covering vital organs. The two of them almost looked colour coordinated. Were they a couple now? It wouldn’t surprise me. Alpha males tend to attract pretty girls. The natural order of things.
The whole party was seriously tanked up, armour-wise. Straps and belts and shiny bits of metal everywhere. It wasn’t like the stuff we’d seen in Madame Robidoo’s Emporium, this was all high end, top of the line gear. I hate to admit it, but they looked pretty cool.
I casually checked them out for a couple of minutes before realising they were all staring back at me. Awkward!
I have a habit of not saying anything when I run into people I know because of some uncomfortable experiences in my past. There have been a number of times when I’ve been out shopping and bumped into someone I went to school with. Five years of my life in the same classroom, maybe even sitting in adjacent desks, and when I say hello to them… nothing. They have no idea who I am.
Big deal, right? I didn’t make a big impression on them, it’s not the end of the world. But it’s still embarrassing, so I tend to keep my mouth shut and let them speak first, if they want. They usually don’t.
“Why is there a price on your head?” asked Jenny.
The guards shuffled out of the way so I wasn’t hidden behind them. They seemed surprised a good-looking girl had spoken to me and I think they wanted to see if it was a fluke or if it would happen again.
“It’s a misunderstanding. That’s why I’m here, to clear things up with the King.”
“And the others? Are they okay?” She gave me a very serious look, like was expecting me to say I’d got them all killed.
“They’re fine. Still alive with limbs attached and everything. Hard to believe, I know. They’re probably enjoying a nice lunch about now. Bastards. I don’t suppose there’s any food around here?”
Dag laughed. He was the big, black dude with the muscles. He had even more muscles now than the last time I’d seen him. His armour had no sleeves to make sure everyone could see how ripped he was. “I can’t believe you dorks are still going.” He guffawed some more.
“We’re not the ones who called ourselves The Avengers,” I said. “Pretty sure that makes you the dorks.”
“Fuck you,” said Dag, suddenly turning off the smile. “We don’t care what you think, we just like the name.”
“Yep,” I said. “That’s exactly what a dork would say.”
Dag stood up, hand on the hilt of what I’d say was the biggest sword I’d ever seen. It was normal length, but at least three times as wide.
The soldiers all around me immediately closed ranks and drew their weapons, which gave Dag pause for thought. He sat back down. It was great having bodyguards.
“If you’ve done nothing wrong,” said Tin, “what’s with the armed guards, Colin?”
He remembered my name, which was surprising. I probably shouldn’t have felt so pleased about it. After all, he was still a massive douche.
“Oh, I’m not a prisoner.” I nudged the short soldier who had been trying to use me as a human shield on the way over. “Tell him.”
The soldier had a ‘who me?’ look on his face, but he did as I asked. “We’re his security detail. Make sure nobody messes with him.”
“See? They just want to make sure no one tries to claim the ten grand before the King can withdraw the bounty. It’s a lot of money.”
Dag sucked his teeth. “Ten grand? That’s chump change, bruv.”
Had they really made more than that? Killing beasts couldn’t have netted them that kind of profit, could it?
A long silence followed. I should have just left it there, but I guess I felt cocky because I had a wall of soldiers between me and them.
“I hope this isn’t going to take all day. How long have you guys been here?”
“You don’t just see the King immediately,” said Tin dismissively. “We’ve been here all morning and we have this.” He held up the key hanging around his neck. “It’s a Key to the City. It allows you an audience with the King, and the chance to ask him for a favour.”
If smug had a face, it wouldn’t be much different to Tin’s right then.
“Very nice,” I said. “I’ve got one just like it.”
He scoffed. “Sure you do.”
“What favour are you going to ask him?” I didn’t really care, but they clearly had something big in mind and I can’t deny I was curious.
“That’s none of your beeswax,” said Dag.
“No, it’s fine,” said Tin. “No harm in telling him how the other half live. We’re going to ask him for some land. We’ve got enough money to build ourselves a nice little castle. You’ll have to come visit. Bring the rest of the losers with you.”
They must have made a huge amount of money if they were going to build a castle. If this was a game, I’d be convinced they’d found a hack. Still, it was hard not to be impressed by their ambition. Your own castle is pretty good going after only a few weeks.
“Whereabouts do you think you’ll build it?” I was genuinely interested. How do you go about building a castle? Did architects even exist here?
“There’s only one really big area still unclaimed,” said Tin. “The marshlands up north. It’s more or less deserted, only a few froggies. We’ll clear them out in a couple of days.”
Should I have cared? The frogmen didn’t mean anything to me. They lived and died the same as everything else in this world. The strong defeat the weak—the natural order at work again. So why did a chill run down my spine as Tin told me his plans? Why did I suddenly want to take out my sword and stab the fucker in his stupid smug face?
“What’s that look supposed to be?” said Tin.
“Oh ho, he’s jealous” said Dag. “Don’t worry, bruv, you’ll get your own place too, one day. Maybe a nice shed, eh?” He roared with laughter.
Was I jealous? No. I was fucking livid. And I had no idea why. It had nothing to do with me. Not my problem. If this lot didn’t kill the frogmen, some other group probably would. Of course, they probably wouldn’t systematically slaughter them until not one was left alive. I looked at Jenny, wanting to know if she was part of this quest for mass extermination. She turned her head and refused to look me in the eye.
I looked at the other three in the group. A shifty guy whose name I couldn’t remember, an attractive girl with amazing breasts (not sexist, just observant), and another girl who would have been the pretty one if she wasn’t in a group with the other two. T
hey didn’t look like bloodthirsty killers, but they did look the type who would do what they were told to stay in the group.
“You should sit down, mate,” said Dag. “They probably won’t get round to seeing you till the end of the week.” He laughed again, turning his smile up to full wattage.
The door opened and Laffi returned. “The King will see you now,” he said to me.
Their faces fell with surprise, but I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it. I could have left them with some witty putdown, a sharp dig about how the King considered me more important than them, but I was too pissed off. At them, for being such a bunch of evil dicks. And at myself, for not being able to ignore the thought in my head. The thought telling me I had to do something.
I said nothing and followed Laffi through the doors.
19. By Royal Command
A man was holding the second set of doors open as I entered the vestibule and Laffi went straight in. I was right behind him, so it took a moment for me to see what kind of room we had entered. Good thing too. I probably wouldn’t have gone in if I’d known.
The place was packed. Hundreds of people, brightly dressed and chattering away, filled a raised gallery that went right round the room, standing ten deep. The moment I walked in, the noise stopped and they all stared down at me.
When I’d been told I had an audience with the King, I hadn’t expected an actual audience to be present.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t do well with large crowds. I froze, suddenly unable to remember why I was here. My throat went dry and I could feel moisture forming on the tip of my nose, the back of my neck, the small of my back… everywhere, really. My face felt hot. Was it turning red? Could people tell? These sorts of thoughts only made it worse.
The room itself was about the size of football pitch. Arches along each wall supported the gallery above. In the alcoves under each arch stood a soldier, fully armoured and holding a spear. There were over a dozen of them, each built like Schwarzenegger in his prime. All wearing demon masks. They showed no signs of movement, each standing between pillars like a still-boxed action figure.
Intimidated? Me? Let’s just say it was a good thing I was wearing brown trousers.
At the far end of the room was a raised platform on which there was a large throne. Sitting on it, looking a bit bored, was a young man. Or at least he looked young. His all-purple outfit suggested wealth and opulence. His silver-blond hair hung down to his shoulders, fixed in place by a simple gold circlet. I’d put him in his early thirties.
I forced myself to move and followed Laffi as he walked across the room. He stopped in front of the platform and bowed deeply. I stood next to him waiting for him to stand up straight, but he just stayed there, bent over.
“My liege,” said Laffi, still bent over, “may I introduce to you the Visitor, Colin.”
An older man stood next to the throne. He was in a black robe with a velvet cap that was too small to cover his bald head. His face looked like someone had sucked all the fat out, giving him the appearance of a skeleton with skin.
“This is King Randall III,” said Skeletor. “It is customary to bow in his presence.”
“Yeah? Well, it’s not my custom.” It might read like I said this in cool, off-hand kind of way, but I didn’t. It was said in a mumbling, bitter voice. Even with all the people staring at me, my mind was still on Captain Genocide and the Avengers of Doom, so I wasn’t really focused on my current situation.
“Do you think you could try, just this once?” asked Skeletor. “For appearance’s sake?” He looked like the kind of guy who arranged public floggings and executions, but actually he sounded more like a slightly exasperated uncle.
“I suppose so. But I don’t think I’ll be able to do it without making it sarcastic.”
“I don’t think We’ve ever seen a sarcastic bow before,” said the King. “We didn’t even know it was possible.” He looked up at the gallery with a smirk and the crowds all tittered and giggled.
Had he said something funny? Not as far as I could tell, but I guess that’s why it’s good to be the king.
Now that I was closer, the King looked no less youthful. If Princess Laney was thirteen, then technically he could be her biological father, but she was supposed to be the youngest of six. How had he managed that at his age? Even regular moisturising wouldn’t keep him that youthful. Could it be magic?
If it was some kind of witchcraft, most stories about people finding a way to stay forever young involved the blood of virgins. And no, that didn’t mean my life was in danger, because I wasn’t a virgin.
A shocking twist! Could I have somehow found a girl sad and desperate enough to let me give her the D? Yes, and more than one. By which, of course, I mean two. That’s right, on two separate occasions, girls who were sober (more or less) and mentally competent (more or less) agreed to have sex with me.
If you want details, then you’re out of luck. All you need to know is that both times were horrific—I mean Hiroshima and Nagasaki horrific— and ended with no further contact, much to the relief of all parties involved. Why did it turn out so bad? Mind your own business. No, it had nothing to do with penis size. Yes, I’m sure they were both girls.
“So, you’re the one who’s got our little Laney all worked up. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Er, hello… sorry, I don’t know how I should address you. To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m here. The Princess put a bounty on my head for no good reason, so if you could have a word and tell her to cut it out, I’d be very grateful.”
There was some muttering from up in the galleries. I think my tone wasn’t as respectful as it should have been.
“Usually one requires a Key to the City before making demands of the Crown.” The King curled his lip, but I couldn’t tell if he was amused or irritated.
“I left my Key at the Municipal Directory, but if that’s what it would take for you to make your daughter behave herself, I can go get it.”
This got a Mexican Wave of gasps going around the room.
“You have a Key? We don’t recall awarding you with such a—”
Skeletor leaned forward and whispered into the King’s ear. After a few moments, the King stood up. “Clear the galleries!” he boomed.
Everyone immediately filed out. Laffi, who had been bowing this whole time, remained bent over and walked backwards to the door, where he turned and felt around for the doorknob before finding his way out. In a few seconds, the only ones left were me, the King and Skeletor. Oh, and the stars of the WWE.
The King stepped down from the platform and walked towards me. He was tall and built a lot like his guards.
“It seems We owe you our thanks.” He grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a shake. I think I lost a couple of fillings, but at least he was smiling. “You defeated the Mouse King, and gracefully allowed others to take the credit. You, sir, are a true hero. The Mouse King’s death is a service to all.”
Again with the inexplicable level of awe for the Mouse King. I really had to figure out what it was that people had found so impressive about the little guy.
“We wish to know how you vanquished a foe as fearsome as the King of Mice.”
“Quietly and with as little fuss as possible,” I said. “We, that is me and my party, don’t like to attract a lot of attention. Easier to get things done if no one knows who you are.”
“Very wise. Very smart. You will have to bring the rest of your party next time. We want to meet them all. We shall throw a great banquet in your honour.”
Skeletor stepped forward and whispered some more in the King’s ear.
“Ah...” said the King. “It seems this matter must be kept private, for now. A shame, but necessary. We thank you for your understanding in this matter and hope you don’t mind too much.”
I shrugged. “No, I don’t mind. It was my idea.”
More whispering. The King’s eyebrows rose as he listened.
“Semion, why weren’t We told about this earlier?”
“Apologies, my liege,” said Skeletor, whose name was apparently Semion. “In an attempt to be discrete I failed to keep you fully abreast of events.”
“And the other party, the ones who We awarded the Key to, they are aware of this subterfuge?”
“No, my liege. It was thought best to allow them to continue to believe they killed the Mouse King, so that the ruse would be more convincing. As suggested by this young man.” He waved a hand in my direction.
“It seems you are not only smart, but also loyal,” said the King. “You deserve to be rewarded. Isn’t there something We can give you as a token of Our esteem?”
“Yes,” I said, “there is, actually. I’d like some land.”
