The Sword of Davalon

by Tom Jolleys

  ‘Yippee,’ shouted Johnny, ‘she’s going to be all right.’

  Lara was obviously confused, and was rubbing her tired eyes. ‘That is my dress is it not? And my ring and medallion also?’

  ‘Yes it is,’ she replied, with tears welling-up in her eyes. She really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ‘Yes, this dress really is yours Lara, but I’m afraid I haven’t looked after it very well.’ Diana glanced down at her torn and very dirty dress.

  ‘Please do not worry.’

  ‘Anyway, we are your friends, Lara. I am Diana, and these are my brothers, Johnny and David. How do you feel?’

  ‘Oh I feel as though I have been asleep for years and years, although I still feel tired and a little weak.’

  ‘Rest there for a while, you’ll soon feel better,’ beamed Diana.

  ‘We’ve done it,’ grinned Johnny, ‘we’ve actually done it.’

  ‘Yes, it was quite a battle,’ said David. ‘It’s a good job you remembered the poem, Johnny.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’d have done without me,’ he boasted. ‘We would probably have ended up as toads, hopping around in some smelly-old pond.’

  ‘Oooh, what a horrible thought,’ grimaced Diana.

  Suddenly the door burst open, and Erich rushed into the room. ‘Who are you?’ he asked.

  ‘I thought you couldn’t talk,’ said Johnny.

  ‘He’s not limping either, and the scar’s gone,’ added David.

  ‘You must have been under a spell,’ said Diana, ‘a spell of the Sorceress Zena. Do you remember anything?’

  ‘All I remember is being lost in the forest and coming across this cottage, but I was only a small boy then, only nine years of age!’

  ‘Wow, you must have been under her spell for years,’ gasped Johnny.

  ‘At least the sorceress brought you up and didn’t harm you,’ said Diana, ‘apart from... well apart from your scar and your limp.’

  ‘And you couldn’t speak either,’ added Johnny, quickly.

  ‘Anyway it’s all over now, Erich,’ said David, as he introduced everyone.

  ‘And how are you feeling now, Lara?’ asked Diana. ‘Do you think you’ll be able to walk?’

  ‘Yes I think so,’ she replied as she tentatively stood up from the rocking chair.

  ‘Do you remember anything at all?’ asked Diana.

  ‘Well I do remember being, as you say, imprisoned, in a small, dark room in the castle.’

  ‘I’ve been in there,’ breezed Johnny, ‘it’s a horrible place.’

  ‘Do you come from France?’ asked Diana.

  ‘Yes I do, but it is a long story.’

  ‘Anyway I think we should make our way back to the campsite as soon as possible,’ said David. ‘They’ll all be worried about us.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Diana, ‘after all, we’ve been here for ages.’

  ‘And I can’t wait to tell Little John how we beat the Sorceress Zena,’ bubbled Johnny.

  ‘Are you coming with us, Erich?’ said David. ‘I think you should.’

  ‘Well yes, why shouldn’t I?’ he said, innocently.

  ‘I suppose we should tell you the truth. You see, Erich, the villagers didn’t particularly like you because you worked for the sorceress, but they didn’t know that you were under her spell.’

  Erich was really upset. ‘Oh I hope I haven’t done any terrible things,’ he said, looking rather ashamed of himself.

  ‘Erich, don’t worry,’ said David, ‘by the time we’ve finished with them, you’ll look like a hero, so come with us and meet Robin Hood.’

  ‘Who’s Robin Hood?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll tell you all about him on the way back,’ said David.

  ‘Then I will come with you,’ eased Erich, feeling much better now he knew that whatever had happened in the past was simply not his fault.

  ‘To the campsite,’ said David, as they walked out of the gloomy cottage and into bright sunshine.

  Just then, Johnny remembered that they hadn’t collected the very thing that had brought them to face the evil Sorceress Zena in the first place. ‘The controls,’ he shouted as he ran back into the cottage, ‘and the Cloak of Mennea.’

  ‘Of course,’ said David, who had completely forgotten about their computer link to Jodadi because of the amazing things that had just ensued.

  While Johnny was running into the cottage, he heard Diana shouting for him to fetch their dressing gowns and her dagger. When he entered the cottage he saw the computer controls, Diana’s dagger and his cloak, lying on the table next to all the variously coloured potions. He quickly looked around the room and saw the dressing gowns and pyjamas lying in a heap on the floor behind the rocking chair.

  ‘I’ve got everything,’ he shouted as he ran out of the cottage, clutching the clothes in both hands. ‘Jodadi here we come.’

  ‘Shush,’ said Diana. ‘Come on, we’ve got at least a mile to go if I’ve got my directions right.’

  ‘If we’re following your directions we’ll probably end up back in Manchester,’ quipped Johnny.

  ‘Oh shut up moaning,’ said Diana, taking the nightclothes and her dagger from him. ‘He’s always chirping on like this, Lara, chirp, chirp, chirp.’

  Johnny ran in front, flapping his arms like the wings of a bird, and then chirping like a bird. It was a beautiful day, it was peaceful, the birds sang out loudly along with Johnny, and everyone was happy!

  Chapter 14:

  The Rescue Attempt!

  Erich and the children found their way onto an old path that was covered with leaves and fallen branches. They were making slow progress through the forest, and were just climbing over a large tree root, when they heard voices in the distance.

  ‘Let’s hide behind this tree,’ said David.

  ‘But we’ve nothing to fear now,’ breezed Johnny.

  ‘Maybe not, but if we can avoid any more trouble then so be it,’ answered David.

  As they crouched down behind the tree, the noise became louder and louder. The children couldn’t see who it was until the last moment when the prominent figures of Little John and Robin Hood, passed them to their left.

  ‘We’re over here,’ shouted Johnny, as he leapt out from his hiding place, quickly followed by the others. Robin and his men ran over to them. Within seconds they were surrounded by not only Robin’s men, but also some fifty or so villagers. Little John picked up Johnny and threw him into the air as if he weighed nothing at all. ‘I am so glad to see you my little friend. We feared the worst – you were gone for so long.’

  ‘We were all worried,’ said Robin, as he hugged Diana.

  ‘In fact we were just on our way to save you,’ added Little John.

  ‘Yes,’ said Robin, looking at the three children. ‘We didn’t know what to expect but we were going to try and rescue you from her clutches. We were going to attack her cottage from all sides.’

  ‘Wow,’ gasped Johnny.

  ‘Anyway, did you defeat the Sorceress Zena?’ asked Friar Tuck, while shaking David’s hand.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied proudly. ‘You will never see her again, well at least I hope not.’

  Friar Tuck turned to the assembled crowd and shouted, ‘By the Grace of God, the Sorceress Zena has been destroyed forever.’ This brought about a great cheer from everyone, most of whom couldn’t see what was happening, although some of them had climbed high into the trees. Just then, Robin noticed Lara and Erich.

  ‘Well I don’t know who this pretty, young girl is,’ he said, ‘but I see you’ve brought Erich along as a prisoner!’ Erich shied away with embarrassment.

  ‘No, no,’ said David, quickly. ‘This is a new Erich. Look, his scar has gone, he doesn’t limp anymore and he can even speak. Erich was under the evil magic of the Sorceress Zena, but now her spell ha
s been broken and he is back to normal. Robin, Erich is now a good friend of ours.’

  ‘Well any friend of yours, David, is certainly a friend of mine, and for that matter a friend of everyone in Nottingham. I really do apologise,’ he said, shaking Erich’s hand.

  ‘That’s all right,’ said Erich, ‘I really do understand the misunderstanding, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘And this is Lara,’ smiled Diana, ‘she was also under the Sorceress Zena’s spell, but she is now free and is also a good friend.’

  ‘My oh my, we are making new friends today,’ beamed Friar Tuck, shaking her hand.

  ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance,’ she said in her soft, French voice.

  ‘French I believe?’ said the friar, looking at her thoughtfully. Lara just nodded. ‘Anyway you can tell us all about it when we get back to the campsite.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Robin, ‘but this is a poor path you’ve taken. At least you were heading in the right direction.’

  ‘And I thought we were going the wrong way,’ said Johnny. ‘I suppose girls have got to be right sometimes.’ Johnny’s mutterings brought a burst of laughter from everyone, including Diana, who at least had been proved to be right.

  ‘Follow me then,’ said Robin, who led them onto a wider and clearer track, which made walking easier, and within half-an-hour they were back at the campsite, where dozens of women and children were waiting. As they appeared, Maid Marian ran over and hugged her dear friend, Diana, before going over to Robin, who ran and leapt up onto the table. He told the assembled villagers to spread the news throughout Nottingham that the children had defeated the Sorceress Zena. Then he announced that at noon the following day at Nottingham Castle, there would be a wedding between himself and Maid Marian. There was a huge cheer from the crowd.

  Maid Marian, who was now standing next to Diana, nearly fainted at this unexpected but truly wonderful news. They had spoken of marriage many times before, but Robin had vowed that he would never marry while branded an outlaw. Now at last he was a free man. The news had taken everyone by surprise, and there was a humming noise of chatter as they all talked about the wedding. Diana and Marian had tears in their eyes as they hugged each other once again. Diana had become a close friend of Marian’s, and this news was the icing on the cake!

  ‘I take it you’re going to accept,’ smiled Diana.

  ‘Well I don’t suppose I have any choice so I think I had better just say, YES!’

  There was a great deal of happiness in the camp as well as a few tears, but the tears were tears of pure joy. This was a very special moment in the lives of everyone present, because Robin Hood had been a very, very special person, and his courage and love for the people had made him the folk hero of not only the lands around Nottingham, but also of England!

  As the villagers went back to their hamlets to spread the happy news, Friar Tuck asked everyone to sit once more around the huge, oak table. On one side sat: Lara, Diana, David, Johnny and Erich, while opposite sat: Friar Tuck, Robin, Marian and finally Little John.

  ‘Well then, are you going to tell us what happened?’ said Robin.

  ‘Yes,’ replied David, ‘it was an amazing battle – she was incredibly powerful. She had rings on her fingers, and each one fired a beam of tremendous power and destruction. In the end we only just made it, and that was with all of my powers and Diana’s combined.’

  ‘And what about me?’ interjected Johnny, feeling as though he had done nothing at all.

  ‘Oh I’m sorry, Johnny,’ said David, ‘I was just going to explain that we couldn’t have done it without you.’ This brought a broad smile to Johnny’s impish face.

  ‘Cool, that’s more like it,’ he grinned.

  Diana went on to explain how David was knocked unconscious by some magical potion. All eyes were now fixed on Diana as she related the story of the battle. ‘So we were powerless without the Sword of Davalon. The Sorceress Zena put some spell on the sword, which made it float across the room into her right hand. But as she stared at the sword, to control it in some way, it fired a yellow beam, which hit her on the forehead. It must have hurt her because she dropped the sword and rested the whole night in her rocking chair while we were tied up by Erich.’ Erich’s face flushed red at the thought of his evil work.

  ‘Never mind my son, it wasn’t your fault,’ said the friar, sympathetically.

  Johnny quickly interrupted, he was bubbling over with excitement. ‘Anyway, in the morning I broke free from my ropes and used the Cloak of Mennea, which gave me the power of invisibility. Unfortunately she wasn’t asleep and she threatened to kill David if I didn’t give her the cloak. So I gave it to her but she couldn’t use it – she put it over her head but she didn’t disappear. While she was messing about with my cloak, I tried to undo Diana’s ropes but they were tied really tight. I needed Diana’s dagger.’

  ‘And I’d thrown it across the room when I saw David fall down,’ said Diana, feeling really stupid.

  ‘So I had to crawl under the old hag’s rocking chair to get it back. Little John, I was really frightened, and I was worried that she might turn me into a horrible, wart-ridden toad, but I made it back without being seen.’

  ‘I didn’t know about that,’ said David.

  ‘Oh you were asleep while I was doing all the dangerous stuff,’ said Johnny, rather smugly.

  ‘Then Johnny cut me free, so we both attacked her,’ continued Diana, ‘but just as we got to our feet, she looked up and spotted us. We ran towards her but she fired a yellow beam at us with one of her rings and we were knocked to the ground. It really hurt, and I don’t think she cared. It felt like someone had punched my whole body. She laughed out loud again and then put Johnny under her spell. But just as he was being forced to turn his head and stare into her eyes, he noticed the name, Tyros, engraved on this medallion.’ Diana showed them the pendant and explained that the name, Tyros, was the key to the power of her ring.

  ‘So I said, Diana, the ring, Tyros, the ring, Tyros,’ said Johnny. ‘But by then I could feel a strange force searching my mind until Diana stood up, swept out her right hand and shouted, Tyros. Immediately a green beam shot out at the sorceress, which again took her by surprise, but she just laughed out loud in a horrible high-pitched voice and screeched, “Fools, do you think the Ring of Tyros can defeat me?” Or something like that. Straightaway, another green beam fired back at Diana from one of her rings, but this was even more powerful than the Ring of Tyros.’

  Diana now continued, even though she was feeling rather tearful. ‘The beams met in the centre of the room, but slowly my beam was being forced back against me, and she said that when her beam reached me, I would be... I would be blown into a thousand pieces. Fortunately the Ring of Tyros had released David from his deep sleep, and when he shouted, “Davalon”, the sword flew across the room into his right hand so that it faced her like a cross. David shouted, “Green”, and another green beam from his sword, joined forces with mine. We were now too powerful for her, but she said she would destroy us all, and fired a yellow beam towards David, which ricocheted off his sword and knocked him to the ground.’ Diana was now shaking, and her voice was trembling. ‘Once more I was up against the Sorceress Zena on my own, and her beam was now forcing me back across the room towards the wall. I couldn’t do anything else, I tried as much as I could but I just couldn’t do any more. I really did try... I’m so... so... sorry.’

  Friar Tuck intervened – tears were flowing down Diana’s cheeks, and it was clear to see that the ordeal was too much for her. ‘Will you please continue, David?’

  ‘Certainly. Are you OK sis?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll be all right. I’m sorry, you continue.’

  ‘Well I now realised that the four coloured stones on the sword, each had a different power. So I shouted, “Davalon, red, green, yellow, blue”, and four beams sped towards the Sorceress Zena, but th
ey were met by four similar beams. It was as if she knew what I was thinking. At least we were now winning the battle as the room lit up in a rainbow of fireballs.’

  ‘Then I went into action,’ interrupted Johnny. ‘I saw her reaching over to pick up one of her magic potions, so I leapt over the beams like a tiger and grabbed the bottle out of her hand.’

  ‘It’s a good job you didn’t touch one of the beams,’ said David, ‘you’d probably have been blown to pieces.’

  ‘I never thought of that,’ said Johnny. ‘What a stupid thing to do. But you should have seen it, Little John, the room was a mass of colour, and I could only peer through half-open eyes.’

  ‘We thought we had her beaten,’ continued David, ‘as our beams were overpowering hers, but then she laughed again and said, “Fools, this is only a fraction of my power”. Well to be honest I thought, oh no, surely she can’t have any more tricks up her sleeve, but true enough she did. She stretched out her left hand on which was a single gold ring, engraved with the letter Z. She shouted, “Zenotek”, and a golden beam surged towards our beams, and again we were being overpowered. Then Diana shouted to Johnny something about the last two lines of the verse. We only had a few seconds left, and I could even feel the heat from her beam, when Johnny shouted, “Silver”. When I also shouted this key word, all the beams stopped, and the Sorceress Zena was caught in a magical silver shower. Gradually all her wrinkles disappeared, she grew younger and smaller and...’ The three children all looked at Lara.

  ‘I see,’ said the friar, ‘so Lara had not only been imprisoned in the secret room in the castle, but also in the body of the Sorceress Zena herself!’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Diana, who had now regained her composure. ‘And Erich became his normal self again.’

  ‘Do you remember any of this?’ said Marian to Lara.

  ‘No. I remember nothing apart from my 13th birthday, when I was lured and imprisoned in a small room by the young woman who had painted my portrait. Then I seemed to go into a deep sleep until this morning when I was awoken by Diana, David and Johnny.’