you’re safe! I did not know whether I played soon enough or not!” she panted.
“So, that is what happened!” exclaimed her brother.
The whole crowd buzzed with the news that the Bright Star had sent the wind to save them and had delivered their enemies to them.
“But where is Groundfirm?” inquired the Prince. “I do not see him anywhere!”
The others looked around and noticed the good gnome was nowhere to be found. The Prince became concerned and started to stride out toward the battlefield when Mr Barnabus spied a curl of smoke coming from behind an ogre shield. On the other side, with his left arm in a sling and a pipe in his right hand, sat the gnome Groundfirm! He sought to struggle to his feet when he saw the Prince.
The Prince said, “Nay, stay down friend. I will not make you rise, but you had us worried, you rascal!”
“Aye am truly sorry, yer Majesty, but aye’ve not had a good smoke since we left Old Abigail’s and me thought. . .” spoke the gnome sheepishly.
“Well then, but you are wounded too!” cried the Prince.
“Tis nothin’, yer Lordship,” mumbled the gnome. “Ahm doin’ right fine.”
The old tutor, Mr Barnabus, would not leave it at that and said, “He only took Existention’s sword in the shoulder and chest to save you, your Majesty.”
The tutor went on to explain how he had seen Groundfirm receive a cut from the blade that would have killed a normal man.
Groundfirm became very embarrassed with all this attention and turned bright red and became gruff, “Twere nothin’ for a gnome. We be a tough people and anyone would likewise.”
The party cheered the gnome three times and had a good chat reminiscing about the battle.
Suddenly, Heather and Edward felt strange nudgings at their sides. Both children turned in annoyance only to see two horses standing looking at them expectantly. The children peered at the animals dumbly, and the horses nuzzled them further and nickered. Suddenly, it dawned on Heather who the horses were.
“Daintyfoot and Flyinghoof!” she squealed and flung her arms around the mare.
Edward could not believe they were the same horses because they were so dirty and covered with armour, having been pressed into Lipophrenia’s service. He finally walked up to the charger Flyinghoof and gravely began to take off the armour and clean the dirt out of his mane. At last he could be adult no longer and he threw his arms around the horse’s neck and began to sob.
“I-I-I’m sorry for being such a crier but I thought I would never see you again Flyinghoof!” exclaimed the boy.
Along with these two horses, the Prince found his stallion, Starmane. The Prince too had not recognized his horse because of the grime and armour. In fact, he had seen Starmane being ridden by King Lipophrenia and did not know it! Starmane came from an ancient line of horses that had been part of the original animals in Logoland. These horse ancestors of Starmane had been put there by the Bright Star Himself. The horses could only be ridden by the true kings and queens of Logoland. These horses had almost died out, but there were still Starmane and the mare Starhoof. So, the Prince vowed to bring the white horses back into abudance in Logoland.
It then came to the group that they must bury all the enemy dead and clear the battlefield. The Logoland dead would be prepared for burial and taken to Sanctua for a royal burial. The day, by now, was far gone and the army wearily began the task of cleaning up.
Meanwhile, the news of the great victory swept the land and honest yeoman, knights, and farmers came to Logosian’s aid. The rest of the usurpers in Sanctua and the frontiers were quickly captured or expelled from the land. The city of Sanctua began a joyous cleanup and preparation for the upcoming arrival of the Prince.
On the battlefield, the cleanup took the rest of the next day and the Prince decided to wait overnight and start the journey to the city the next day. The whole troop gathered that evening around a huge fire provided by the dryads and wood nymphs. These creatures started a slow, solemn dance and cast their branches into a pile that soon grew and caught fire. There was feasting on gribbich cakes, sweetened with wetern syrup, and even the juice of the cabano fruit to drink in large quantities. The whole group became very merry and danced around, except the Prince. He sat deep in thought, staring at the fire.
He spoke to Edward, “If only the Bright Star were here in our midst.”
Edward replied, “But He is with us always.”
“I mean really physically here with us,” sighed the Prince.
Just then, the sky began to glow in a golden-blue light that pulsed, danced, and wavered before their eyes. It looked similar to our northern lights, only much closer and more brilliant, the colors looked near enough and solid enough to touch. The dancers all stopped and gazed in open mouthed awe at the splendor above. This blue-gold light lasted for a few minutes and then began to change into violets, greens, yellows, reds, and every color in between. The display lasted for almost a half hour and the whole time not a creature or person moved. When it finished in a brilliant kaleidoscope of color, a voice rolled through the black as a single, bright, blue star streaked across the sky.
“Lo, Logolanders, I am with you always, even to the end of this age!”
The spectacle ended, the party slowly ended and the animals and others went quietly to their beds. There was little talking and the Prince said no more but went straight to bed with his thoughts.
THE LIBRARY REVISITED
XXI
The journey to the city was uneventful. The cheers of the people that lined the way made their hearts light. The welcome at Sanctua defied anything the city had seen in hundreds of years. The only sad part was the funerals for all the brave fallen dead. The children enjoyed all the finery they got to wear and the constant parties. Heather especially liked getting to ride Daintyfoot every day and the hot baths at night. She grew more and more lovely and lady like each day. Edward, meanwhile, became more humble and grave as time went on in Logoland. Groundfirm became Prime Minister to the Prince and looked very smart in his blue livery with the golden star. The carefree days lasted for several months as the country prepared itself for the grand coronation. At last, the great day arrived, the thirteenth birthday of Prince Logosian, soon to be King Logosian the XII.
The children and Prince walked down the long hall they had entered almost a year ago to free the Prince.
Edward spoke, “I sure like your father’s portrait in the blank spot that used to be there.”
“Yes,” said Heather. “He looks so handsome, just like you Logo.” (Her pet name for Prince Logosian)
The Prince blushed and said, “I could not have done any of this without your help.”
“The Bright Star’s help, you mean,” interjected Edward.
“True,” answered Logosian. “The help of an ancient rhyme, and the Bright Star. How does it go again?” asked the Prince.
Heather began,
“In our time of greatest need,
The King shall send two of deed.”
Edward joined in now,
“Boy and girl to free the land;
Servants of the Most High’s band.”
As the children finished the words reverberated and they felt very strange.
“Oh, no!” cried Edward. “Grab my hand Heather!”
Edward barely got the words out when he was wrenched from the ground and heard Logosian crying out.
“But you cannot leave! I am not king yet!”
The children felt their breaths being taken away and saw a quick picture of Logosians coronation as through a fish bowl. Then everything began to spin and they landed with a thump! They looked around and they saw they were back in their Grandfather’s library. They were wearing the same clothes they had left for Logoland in and had lost their fine other clothes. Edward ran to the clock and looked at it. It said half past five.
“Why, we have only been gone about ten minutes!” he gasped. “Unless we a
re months later and our parents are worried about us.”
They race into the living room and found their parents and grandparents sitting and talking about various topics.
“Hello,” said their Grandfather casually, “and what have you been up to?”
“Uh, uh, we have been in the library reading some old books,” stammered Edward.
“Any one in particular?” inquired the old man with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yes, a very old one with some lovely pictures and rhymes,” interjected Heather breathlessly as she looked at Edward.
“Good,” replied the Grandfather. “That old volume is full of a lot of knowledge. It used to be one of my favorites too.”
With that, the children excused themselves to their rooms and spent the next hour before dinner talking about what had happened.
It would be nice to say that Heather stopped being a tomboy all at once and never told anymore lies, but that would not be true. Her parents did notice however that she had become much more of a lady and remarked with amazement at her change in behavior. Edward too improved his behavior. I wish I could tell you children that he too was never proud or nasty anymore after his adventures, but that would not be true either. He did; however, become much kinder to others and tolerant of those less talented than he.
What of the other events in Logoland? You will have to read about them in another story that Edward and Heather told me.
The Gnome's Children-Book #1 Bright Star Journals Page 16
