Theo's mind was filled with excitement, but he was ill-prepared for the lecture he was going to get from his father, King Aylard.
When he suggested to his father to persuade the woodworker to make more dog wagons for the race, King Aylard gave his son a lecture about being the future king.
“But Theo! It will be alright to race with the horse sticks since it is the woodworker's idea and we must respect other people's ideas. He did not have to make so many horse sticks for so many children, but he did. We must always respect the ideas of others when it comes from the goodness of their hearts.”
“Yes, but Father! Don't you think my idea of the dog wagon race is a good one too?”
“Yes, I do believe you have a good idea, but you are not the one who will be making the dog wagons. Since the woodworker has already made so many horse sticks we cannot call off the horse sticks race and demand that he make dog wagons instead. We have to respect his idea. When you become the future king you will need to act selflessly and always listen to your people to be able to best provide what they need. You will support their ideas if they are good ones. I want you to start thinking about yourself as a future king when all the people will depend upon you to make good decisions for this kingdom.
“I don't want to be king! I just want to have fun!” Theo, feeling now quite rejected, snapped at his father. “I have never said I wanted to be the king. Give that to Galien or Xavier! Let them be the king.”
King Aylard watched his oldest son in awe, shocked by the words that had just come out from the mouth of his oldest son – one who he has been trying so hard to train and mould into a future king – he'd never once considered the notion that Theo would reject being a ruler.
Perhaps he is still too young to know any better. King Aylard pondered, trying to construct an excuse for his son's rejection. He had been here before, making excuses for his prized child.
“I hate being the King!” Theo was heard saying. “You've got to take care of so many people and so many things.”
“But Theo! It isn't so bad! It's part of life and responsibility,” King Aylard replied. “When you take care of your people in the kingdom, they are going to reward you more than 10 times! Look at all the food that we are having, the farmers work hard for us to produce that! See the clothes we are wearing, we never had to work for these things. It's our people who are working for us. When you look after your people, they will repay you with the things you need to survive. Isn't this better than you think?”
“Father is right, Theo!” Galien spoke out for the first time, after observing his brother's tantrum.
Xavier, as always, silently stood aside. He watched and observed.
“I don't know. I don't want any responsibility. I don't want to be the king! I just want to play!” Theo insisted.
“Well then, we all can play! But we must play well and fairly,” said Queen Isabella. “Now, you must practice riding on this horse stick. We need to find out when the race will be held.”
“Yes, let the horse sticks race begin first, then when done, we will consider the dog wagons race,” said King Aylard.
The king was aware of Theo's tantrums, but as a king, he must set a good example for his son. He must insist on him doing the right thing. He must teach his son to have respect for other people in his kingdom.
The following day King Aylard paid a visit to the woodworker and found himself in a wonderland of playthings. The woodworker's home has become a fascinating shop! It was the first, ever, playthings shop in the Largo Kingdom and the king was deeply impressed.
“My dear young man! You are an amazing worker! I am very pleased with all the things that you have created. You are creating wonderful things for the kingdom's children! And for this reason, I would like to award you with a title for your playhouse. How would you like your playhouse to be named?” asked King Aylard.
“Your Royal Highness, I am very pleased to serve your kingdom even without any rewards. You are an inspiration to your people and we are happy to be in your kingdom, protected by Your Royal Highness and Her Majesty, the Queen. I will do anything that will strengthen our kingdom. If I may, I would like to show my father's name in the title, for he is a hardworking man and he was the one who taught me this skill in woodworking.”
“And who might your father be?” King Aylard asked again.
“Your Royal Highness, my father's name is Lambert, and my name is William. If I may, I would be pleased to be granted the title Lambert and Son's Playhouse as I would also like this gift to be given to my father as well,” William spoke sincerely.
King Aylard was aware of William's father Lambert. He was one of the woodworkers who was recruited by the palace to create weapons of war, like wooden training swords, spears and arch bows and arrows. He still vaguely remembered Lambert from many seasons ago when the kingdom needed more woodworkers. Lambert came highly recommended. He remembered paying a visit to Lambert in his humble farmhouse, and a little boy was running around between Lambert and his wife, so that little boy must be the now grown-up William. How time flies! And what a fine young man he has grown into, blessed with many great talents!
King Aylard could not be happier. While the father would continue to create weapons, his son is working wonders to inspire the young ones in the kingdom. King Aylard secretly congratulated himself for recruiting the right man for the job.
“Lambert and Son's Playhouse sounds good to me. You can put up that sign around the top portion of your house so people can see that sign from far away,” King Aylard said. He could not be prouder at the first Playhouse in the Largo kingdom.
After much thought, the king reluctantly asked William if he was interested in hosting a dog wagon race for the children after the horse sticks race. He asked if William was willing to make dog wagons in larger quantities. He suggested picking the top 5 winners of the horse sticks race to allow them to participate in the dog wagon race. He asked if William would be able to make at least 5 more dog wagons for the occasion. Each contestant would come daily to the open area beside his shop to practice for the race with one dog of their choice until such time they would be ready for the race. The winner, of course, would take home the dog wagon, and the dog that helped the child to win as well. The child and the dog would work as a team. William thought it would be a great idea too to promote his shop.
Before King Aylard departed the playhouse, he awarded William some well-deserved gold and informed him that from now on he would be rewarded regularly by the palace's treasury for all costs incurred for all his wood projects. William was now happy to be one of the King's recruited men.
When King Aylard got back to the palace he informed the Queen and his three children of what he and the woodworker had agreed upon to do. That made Theo very happy since the dog wagon race was his idea. But first thing first, he must practice on the horse sticks in the hope he would be among one of the top 5 winners so he could be in on the dog wagon race. His heart now was filled with the anticipation of winning.
Woodworker William had finally announced that the day after the next full moon would be the day for the horse sticks race, and now that would mean only about 10 more moons to the day of the full moon, which meant that everyone should be at the playground area beside the woodworker's shop following the morning sunrise.
The three brothers must practice now, and they must practice hard. They would spend their entire time daily doing sword practice until noon, then the rest of the day they would practice racing with the horse sticks.
The palace advisor's two sons, Drake and Durwin would occasionally come by to join them during the practice sessions. All of the children seemed to be getting along well now, and that pleased even the Palace Advisor, Samuel. For now, he could begin to see his two sons' future unfolding. They might be the successors to his position in the palace. They might even be there to advise the future king if they would become good friends to all three brothers. Now, his only job was to train his two sons to become Advisors. He must shower his two boys with his wisdom.
XXXXX
Everyone rose early on the day of the event. The race was on as the sun was shining brightly. What the boys did not know was the girls were allowed to participate in the race as well.
Drake and Durwin woke up early on that day, but they were surprised to see their sister, Emma, was already awake and practicing in the yard.
Drake asked his sister in wide-eyed wonderment, “You're racing too?”
“Of course!” Emma answered.
“Are you sure? I did not know girls were also invited to the race,” Drake was still wondering.
“What's wrong with girls going to the race? The woodworker invited all children, and that includes the girls as well,” Emma responded.
By this time Durwin had also stepped into the yard. “Oh, well! Good luck then!” He said.
“Thank you!” Emma smiled, revealing a sweet dimple on her left cheek. She was a girl on the 11th of summer. As she was slightly older than the boys (having now seen 11 summers), she exceeded them in height, and certainly in beauty: with a thick mane of auburn hair. Her fair skin was dotted by freckles which highlighted her cheeks. Her lips illuminated a kind of natural pink and her breath resembled the freshness of the morning dew. Today, she tied her ringlets of hair to the back of her head, revealing her beautiful profile. Both Drake and Durwin were aware of her advantage in both years and stature since her legs would be longer for the run.
Well, that was sneaky. Since when? I have never seen her practicing until now. Thought Drake. Since when had she been practicing? And where?
This surprise had got the two boys worried. They were thinking hard now. They wondered about Emma's skill level, and with whom she had been practicing. And why the secrecy?
Would she become one of the top fives? Drake and Durwin felt they had been thrown off-guard. The day didn't start well for them. They hoped all the girls would stay home. They were going to just be in the way; or someone like Emma, she would barge her way in to take the winning wagon. Well, they hope not anyway. They better be careful and concentrate while running.
When Drake and Durwin got to the playground area they found that Emma was not the only girl in the race. There were many other girls as well. So, Emma must have been practicing with her friends for the race.
They also discovered that many chairs had now been placed around the playground for the spectators and the children's parents to sit while they watch the race and many were seated already.
Woodworker William was very fair. The girls would compete with the girls in the beginning, while the boys would compete with the boys. And the kids are separated into two age groups as well. Older children were to compete with the older and taller children, and the younger and the shorter ones would compete with children of the same age group.
Since there were many children, they had been divided into 12 groups in the beginning when the race began. Each group would run 3 laps around the playground. By the end of the 3 laps, each group would pick 5 winners and then work they would race again to pick 3 winners in the second round, then gradually work to the third round where one winner from each group would be chosen.
Now, in the third round, there were 12 kids for the final. Theo, Galien, Xavier, Drake and Durwin had all got into the third round, there was another unknown child who fell into the mix as well.
Now, these five friends were competing with one another. Some girls had made it to the third, and Emma was in as well. She rolled her eyes sideways and glanced at the boys in the neighbouring lanes. Drake and Durwin glanced back. From the corner of their eyes, they noticed that there were about 6 girls. So, this was the final round! It would not matter if you were a boy or a girl, only the first five to reach the destination would be the winners to go into the next phase of the race - the dog wagon race.
The five dog wagons now stood in front of the Lambert and Son's Playhouse. They were so enticing, so inspiring and so beautifully made! There were five dogs as well, one for each of the winners to own.
The final race had finally begun, and each contestant hopped and ran in great big steps, all trying their best to be the winner. Theo was in the lead, and he knew he had to win to make his father proud of him. He was focused, only making big steps to move forward. He was moving faster and faster until he sensed that someone was coming close to behind him. He did not know who it was, as the child came closer, Theo suddenly shifted his horse stick further back, thus tripping the contestant who was behind him. The contestant fell flat on the ground, but no one saw what had happened because it happened so fast. It was Xavier who had fallen. He was in great pain, but no one came to help him to get up as the other contestants strive to move past him. Finally, one of the farmers spotted Xavier and helped him up and escorted him outside of the lanes where he could sit down on a chair. When asked what has happened, Xavier would not reveal the truth. He only said he fell because the ground was not level.
Theo and Drake and another unknown boy had won on the boys' team, and Emma and another girl had won on the girls' team.
Unbeknownst to everyone, King Aylard and Queen Isabella had been watching the race closely from a distance and were horrified at what had happened to Xavier. They knew the truth about why Xavier had fallen and decided the first thing they must do was to make sure Xavier had not hurt his legs.
The award ceremony followed right after the winners were announced, all winners had been awarded a Dog Wagon and were advised to get familiar with the dog of their choice. They were told the wagons will be marked with their names, and Woodworker William would be in charge of their upkeep and feeding the dogs daily. Each contestant was instructed to come to the playground everyday to get acquainted with his or her dog and must practice riding the wagon and guiding the dogs. Failure to do the duties daily would only mean that the contestant was giving up on the upcoming race.
You are weaving a very great story of a Kingdom ruled by a very conscientious King & Queen who want only the best for everyone in the Kingdom....I find it a great surprise that Theo does not want to be considered the future King & instead wants only to be the best at everything....You are writing a magnificent tale....
Very nice writing and development of your characters... This kinghdom has a very nice king and apparently his eldest son, Theo, will be a fly in his ointment. Wondering her Theo's brother and adopted brother, William, will fare in the future.
Sandie this story gets better and better…!
It is good that Xavier’s father is aware of the truth now…
This story has all the essential ingredients for a very
good tale! I wonder what will be next?
A very interesting chapter that I enjoyed from beginning to end! So, Theo has cheated as I thought he would. Too bad it was his own brother whom he has hurt. I hope Xavier's legs are okay. I wonder what tricks Theo will have up his sleeves for the dog wagon race. I can't wait for Woodworker William to disqualify him. Obviously, he managed to fool everyone in the horse-sticks race, except his parents.
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