by V. M. Sang
`Here we have a very difficult question. I've seen papers saying there's been an attempted coup and a young man called Dilrong has had an enchantment put on him to make him look exactly like King Torren. Those papers also told me that the enchanted gem holding this illusion in place is in the Crown Prince's ring.'
Both young men looked at the identical rings each wore on the third finger of his right hand.
`Couldn't you get us to take the ring off then?' asked the Torren on the queen's right.
'Yes, I could, but there would be a problem even if you both agreed, which I think you would. I understand from the papers that the ring has an area of effect. This would mean it would make no difference.
`Now I don't know how far this area extends, but I think it might be quite some distance. After all, if Dilrong took the ring off, say at night, and he needed to go somewhere in a hurry and forgot to put it on, that might be a problem. What a pity Blundo turned out to be a traitor. I could have asked him.'
The queen stood and walked towards the window. She picked up a little bell from a small table and rang it.
Its tinkles brought seven guards into the room from deeper in the apartment, six guardsmen and one captain. They surrounded the two young men who both jumped to their feet.
`These are some of the Queen's Guard,' the queen told them. `I picked them myself and they are completely loyal.'
She turned to the captain and said, `Take them to their apartments. Take one to the king's apartment and one to the Crown Prince's. It doesn't matter which one you take where. I've no more idea than you which is the king and which the imposter.'
She turned away and with her yellow skirts swirling, left the two Torrens with their mouths hanging open.
`I'm sorry, Your Majesty,' the guard captain said, addressing both young men equally. `I'll have to ask you to go with my guards.' He turned to the said guards. `Treni, Kendi and Bimro, take this king to the King's Apartment. Domis, Gred and Joo, take the other king to the Crown Prince's apartment.'
He shook his head.
`A most strange state of affairs. Stay outside the apartments. No one is to enter or leave. I'll post guards outside the windows, too, so they can't escape that way. Whichever of these young men is the imposter, then he must not be allowed to escape.'
Pettic came out of his apartment, wondering why breakfast with the queen was taking so long. He had eaten a good two hours ago and had been waiting for Torren to return. He was becoming a bit anxious and so he had decided to go to meet his friend.
He stopped short when he saw the guards outside the Crown Prince's apartment.
`Why are you there?' he asked.
`Sorry, we can't say anything, on orders of the Queen,' replied the guard called Gred.
Pettic frowned and returned to his rooms. What was going on? What was the Queen up to? Had she arrested her own son?
With these thoughts going round in his head he called to Cledo and made his way to Lucenra's apartment. He knocked on her door. A lady-in-waiting opened it and Pettic told her he would like to see Her Royal Highness if at all possible.
The lady smiled at him and said Lucenra had gone to the schoolroom for her morning lessons. She did not know how long the princess would be, but would his lordship like to come in and wait?
Pettic returned her smile, but said he would come back later. He had forgotten that, being only sixteen, the princess had not finished her education and still needed to go for lessons.
The schoolroom was on the next floor up, next to the nursery and so he made his way along the corridors to the staircase. He climbed the stairs two at a time, with Cledo bounding along at his side.
As soon as they got to the top, Cledo ran ahead. He knew where they were going. He had spent a lot of time here as a puppy. He paused at the nursery door, which was closed. Pettic opened it and the dog ran in expecting to see the royal children. He whined when only the nanny was there.
`Cledo, good boy,' Nanny said. `Come here and let me scratch your ears.'
She bent down and fitted her actions to her words.
`There, you like that, don't you? Where's Pettic?'
She looked up and spotted him in the doorway. `Come in then, Pettic. The others are at their lessons. Sit down and wait here. I'll enjoy talking to you. You've not been up here for a while. I expect you've been busy with all this coronation preparation. Just like Torren. He's not been near either.'
Pettic let her chatter on and answered her questions as truthfully as he could. When he could not answer with the truth, he reluctantly lied. She must not be allowed to know the truth of what had been going on. There might still be traitors in the palace. Nanny was lovely, but rather talkative.
Nanny gave Cledo a biscuit as a treat. She had always been fond of the dog and had been appalled when his life was threatened. Cledo wolfed it down and looked for another.
`No, Cledo, you're not having another,' she said. `You'll get fat.'
She laughed and then turned to Pettic.
`Someone told me he thought he'd seen three dragons flying over about three months ago. Nonsense, of course. Everyone knows dragons don't exist, but he was so sure. Have you heard any rumours of that kind?'
Pettic was just about to answer when the schoolroom door opened and the three princes ran out.
The youngest, Prince Allry, spotted Cledo and ran immediately towards the dog, who stood up wagging his tail. He had always been fond of children and was pleased to see the royal family again.
Lucenra and Icerra came out talking quietly together. They saw Pettic and rushed over to him.
`I'd forgotten about school,' he confessed. `I went to your apartment, Luce, and your lady-in-waiting told me you were here, so I came immediately. We must talk.'
`I've got until this afternoon,' Lucenra told him. `We can go into the garden.'
`I think we'd be better in either my or your apartments. The garden's rather public.'
Once in Lucenra's apartment, which was the nearer, she turned to Pettic and said, `What's this all about?'
Pettic told her of finding the guards outside the Crown Prince's apartment and how the guards had been told to say nothing on the orders of the queen.
`What's Mother up to?' Lucenra said. `She has no reason to confine Torren to his apartment. I assume he's in there?'
`I think so. Why else would there be a guard at the door?'
`I'll ask Mother. I can't go until after lessons though. I'd be in so much trouble if I skipped the afternoon. I'll get back to you as soon as I know something.'
In the event, Pettic did not have to wait to see Lucenra. Later that afternoon he received a message from the Queen.
'You are requested to attend a special meeting of all the nobility who have arrived in Glitton for the coronation.
The meeting will be held in the Palace court tomorrow at 9am.
Please attend if you are able. It is a very important matter.
Phillida R.'
Pettic turned the summons over in his hand. This may have been phrased as a request, but a request from the queen was more like a command. Perhaps tomorrow he would find out what this was all about.
The day passed slowly. Pettic visited Lucenra and she told him her mother would say nothing about the guards. Eventually, though, the day ended and the next morning Pettic made his way to the court.
He entered the balcony in the company of other nobility and their spouses and took his seat. Everyone asked each other what it was all about. Because Pettic was so close to the Royal Family, many of the assembled people asked him if he knew anything. They were all disappointed when he told them he was as ignorant as they were.
The royal children entered and sat at the front of the court where the counsels usually sat. Little Prince Allry squirmed in his seat, but the others looked around curiously.
The courtroom had a dock at one side. Pettic noticed two chairs in there. There were seats for counsels, one for the prosecution and one for the defense but they seemed no
t to be occupied. There did not appear to be a judge on the dais either. He frowned. This was most odd. Why hold this meeting in the courtroom?
Then a door at the side of the court opened and a herald announced the queen.
Queen Phillida entered dressed in a white dress embroidered with small blue and yellow flowers. She processed to the judge's chair as the assembled nobility rose to greet her. Her greying hair had been done in an elaborate style for the occasion and she wore the Queen's Crown. Pettic thought she looked every inch a queen.
The queen looked at the crowd standing in the balcony, then at her five children in the body of the court. She indicated they should all sit, and as they did so, she lowered herself into the judge's chair.
Whatever was happening here, the queen intended to be the judge, but if it were a trial, why were there no counsels? And why had the nobility been summoned? Pettic frowned.
`Bring in the prisoners,' commanded Queen Phillida.
The door opened and four guards entered with two prisoners. The crowd gasped. Between two of the guards was the king, and between the other two was–the king.
The assembled gentry looked from one to the other in confusion. Then the queen spoke.
`Your graces, my lords and ladies,' she began, 'I can see you are confused. I will endeavour to explain.
'It seems there has been a plot to replace my son, Torren, with an imposter. I suspect this imposter would have been a puppet for the mind behind this coup. Fortunately, the coup has been foiled inasmuch as we know about it and two of the main plotters are imprisoned.
`We now have a problem. Which of these two young men is the real king? This court is here in order to find out. We haven't got much time before the coronation, but obviously it must be sorted out before then. It would not do for the wrong 'Torren' to be crowned.'
The crowd murmured and looked at the two identical young men in the dock. Both looked angry and bewildered and so there was nothing to go on there.
The queen continued.
`Before his death, incidentally, by poison…' a gasp came from the courtiers at this revelation… `Before his death, King Horrito and I worried about our son. We thought he seemed to be becoming less like himself and more coarse and unthinking of others.'
She sighed, then continued. `With hindsight, it was obvious it wasn't Torren at all, but who would think that?'
`How was it done, Your Majesty,?' called a voice from behind Pettic.
`By magic. The ring worn by the false Torren was enchanted with a spell that would make the wearer look exactly like my son. It seems the magician who did this was none other than Hellom, the court magician my husband dismissed and banished. He had been caught, prior to his banishment, sending magical items to a group of rebels.'
`Now I open this to you all to ask questions of myself and the two young men.'
There was a hubbub of sound as the courtiers shuffled and talked among themselves. Pettic found himself the centre of attention, having been the prince's friend.
Then the Duke of Norfind stood up and asked, `Your Majesty, I would like to ask one of the prisoners a question.'
The queen inclined her head and the Duke turned to the dock.
`Your Majesty on my right,' he began. `What was your very first pet?'
The young man smiled. `That's easy, Your Grace,' he said. `It was a cat. Nannie gave her to me on my seventh birthday.'
Turning to the other prisoner he said, `And what did you call this cat, Your Majesty?'
The second prisoner smiled and said, `Her name was Heli.'
Princess Lucenra looked at her mother and mouthed something. The queen nodded.
Lucenra turned to the balcony and addressed the Duke.
`That wasn't quite true, Your Grace,' she said. `Torren's very first pet was a spider. He was five years old and he kept it in a box. Every day he caught flies for it and it seemed like every day he chased me with the box, threatening to let it out.'
Both Torrens exclaimed at this and the one on the right, who had been asked the question said, `That wasn't a proper pet. I thought His Grace meant a proper pet.'
The questioning went on all morning. It seemed the false Torren had been well briefed and nothing caught him out. Prince Allry became very restless and bored as the queen stood to announce a recess for lunch.
Just as they stood to go, Prince Allry shouted out, `Why all questions? I know someone who can tell who is the right king.'
Everyone stopped and looked at the little prince.
`Allry, come here,' said his mother. `Who can tell who is the correct king? I don't think you've understood all the questions the Dukes and Earls have asked, or the problem we have here.'
Prince Allry stamped his foot.
`Yes I have. I'm not a baby. Cledo knows who the real king is. He knew as soon as that person turned up looking like Torren. He growled every time he saw him. He'll be able to tell us who the right king is.'
The queen looked in amazement at her youngest child.
`Allry, you're a genius. It was under our noses all the time but we didn't look for the obvious. That dog nearly lost his life because he knew what was wrong.'
She hugged Prince Allry hard, and he struggled out of her grasp.
`Pettic,' the queen looked up at the balcony. `Pettic, are you still there?'
Pettic came forward to the edge of the balcony and looked down, bowing.
`Go and get Cledo,' she commanded. 'Bring him here and we'll get this sorted out before lunch.
'Pettic sprinted to his apartment and returned with his dog. Back at the court, a guard ushered him through the doors into the main body of the courtroom.
`Sit,' he commanded Cledo. `Your Majesty, here is my dog, ready to serve.'
`Let him tell us who is the right Torren then.'
Pettic led Cledo forward then crouched down beside the animal.
`Go and find Torren, Cledo,' he whispered in the dog's ear. `Find Torren.'
Cledo whined once, looked at the two young men in the dock and went, tail wagging, to the young man on the right. He licked his hand, then turned to the other young man and a low growl sounded in his throat.
Dilrong, now exposed, backed away. He looked round the courtroom in panic, leaped over the dock and ran towards the door. The guards ran after him in no time, but they were not as quick as Cledo. The wolfhound turned and sped after the fleeing young man and leaped onto his back bringing him down. He then stood on him, snarling until the guards and Pettic arrived.
The guards escorted Dilrong to the prison cells this time, not to a Royal apartment. His trial, Torren decided, would have to wait until after the coronation and until he had sorted out all the things Dilrong had messed up in his short time as king.
Two days later, the archbishop crowned King Torren in the Abbey in the centre of Glitton. The crowds roared their approval as the coach made its way through the streets of the capital city.
Many people had come for the celebrations, including Pettic's parents and brother. They were excited to be travelling in a coach with Pettic and having seats in the cathedral. Six years earlier they had come to Glitton for the first time to see if their son had any chance of becoming the Crown Prince's companion. They thought he stood no chance, but he had won through against all the nobility and now here they were, on their way to the coronation.
Pettic smiled at them and Derkil. All their lives had been changed by the simple fact that he had got lost in the palace and met a page boy who showed him back to the great hall. That the page boy had been none other than Prince Torren, Pettic had no idea, but their friendship had stemmed from that little incident.
`What are you thinking, Pettic?' his mother asked.
`Just how different our lives are from what we thought they'd be.'
His father clapped him on the back. `And we can't say how proud we are of you, son. You were so brave rescuing the king like you did.'
Derkil leaned forward. `You never said how the rebels managed to catch t
he king,' he said.
Pettic looked from one to the other.
`It was quite simple, really. They had accomplices in the palace, of course, not least, Blundo. One night, someone managed to slip a sleeping draught into Torren's drink and then two of them slipped into his apartment with Dilrong. Dilrong stayed and they used a secret passage to get to the nursery and through the gate to the Bubble.'
Derkil's eyes bulged.
`Secret passages? Are there secret passages?'
`Apparently so. The rebels must have found some old maps showing them. We hope Dilrong will be able to tell us more and where these maps are now. He's told us a lot already.'
The carriage pulled up outside the cathedral and that put an end to that conversation for the time being as the family entered the solemn confines of the place of worship.
Chapter 20
As Pettic and his family entered the cathedral, the solemnness of the occasion surrounded them. Music from a small orchestra played quietly in the background.
The family found their seats and Derkil looked around.
`I've never seen such a magnificent building,' he whispered to Pettic. `Look at all that carving.'
Pettic whispered back to his brother, `I was told it took a hundred years to complete. I can believe it too. Yes, it is magnificent and a true homage to the Creator of All.'
The building soon filled up and then the orchestra struck up a louder piece of music. All the music had been written specially for the occasion. Of course, it had been commissioned by Dilrong, but after hearing it, Torren decided it was excellent and he would use it.
At the sound of a triumphant trumpet fanfare, the Archbishop, bishops, deacons and choir began to process down the central aisle singing a solemn hymn to the Creator of All.
When they came to the altar, situated two thirds of the way up the building, the Archbishop stopped. The bishops, deacons and choir split and continued on to the choir stalls ahead.
The Archbishop turned to face the congregation and stood with his back to the throne, situated just in front of the altar.
The orchestra stopped playing now and there was silence in the cathedral except for the occasional rustling of robes as one of the congregation moved. Then a horn sounded a fanfare and everyone stood.
