Samuel knew he had a hot problem on his hands. How was he going to solve this problem?...
Kingdom of Largo
Chapter 9
Theo and Emma
Samuel Edward woke up early this morning, but he ached in his brain. He could not understand how so many seasons had gone by so fast. It was now young Prince Theo's 10th Spring, and he must be awarded a real sword. Samuel was afraid Theo might use the real sword to hurt innocent people and children.
Worse yet, Theo seemed to have made good friends with his daughter, Emma. Ever since Emma won the two-seater dog wagon, Theo had been hanging out in his area getting acquainted with his daughter, Emma, and sometimes the two would ride on that two-seater wagon and go off to somewhere land beyond the kingdom's boundary and that worried him a great deal. There are so many unknown tribes outside of the kingdom. The kind that would capture anyone who would trespass upon their territories.
Samuel talked with Emma several times, and each time he specifically told Emma that they should not wander beyond the palace's boundary. It was dangerous for her to have the young Prince beside her with no guardians or soldiers in
sight to protect them. Emma listened to the warning each time, but she never did as she was told. It was Prince Theo who challenged the authority of her father. They would go wagon-riding with her dog Charlie, who seemed to effortlessly drag-race the two through the meadows. It was exclusively fun for the two. Sometimes, Theo would bring Sparky along, so there would be two dogs to lead the wagon. They would speed through the meadows as fast as the dogs could run, as though it was the greatest joy in the world.
Emma was in her 11th Summer, and Theo in his 10th Spring, so they were almost the same in age, but Theo's physique had surpassed that of Emma's. He was much taller so he appeared to be older than Emma.
Once they had dangerously ventured too far out and were sitting on the green meadow down a valley to rest their dogs. This time, Drake and Durwin were with them as well. The four children sat down to rest their dogs, but soon they sensed that they were being watched. Drake signalled the others to be quiet, and let them know there may be someone or some people behind the bushes. Theo's eyes widened but continued to speak, taking notice out of the corner of his eyes of what appeared to be movements in the bushes. Theo immediately signalled his friends to lay low on the grass. He noticed an unknown tribe of people, dressed in a wild fashion began to move toward them. He looked up and saw there were more up on the hill as well. He knew they were in trouble.
Theo immediately took Emma to her wagon and signalled Drake and Durwin to get on theirs to make a quick escape. All dogs ran at full speed as they heard hurdles of people on horseback chasing after them. Luckily the dogs were well-trained by now, and they sped back to the Kingdom's boundary which was being guarded by the kingdom's warriors. All children breathed a sigh of relief. Theo made each promise never to tell their parents about this incident.
Emma, Drake, and Durwin went home that evening only to be confronted by their father as to their whereabouts in the afternoon, as none had shown up for their sword-training session. The trainer had left without doing his job.
The three children kept to their words. They never told their father of the incident that afternoon.
As Samuel grew greatly concerned about the children's safety, he thought it best to bring his concerns to the attention of the king. It would be shameful as a Palace Advisor if he could not get his own children to behave or heed him. There were rumours he heard this morning about his daughter Emma, becoming wild at her 11th Summer of age, and was out of her father's control. This brought Samuel shame. He wanted to confront Emma to have a serious talk with her.
Samuel feared that should he bring his concerns over Emma to the king, the monarch would look down upon him and his station as a mere palace advisor, unable to control the actions of his daughter. Samuel knew he had a hot problem on his hands, and thus reconsidered going to the king, deciding he must deal with the matter himself.
In the meantime, Galien and Xavier were still obedient children. They would do everything royally and they would continue to practice daily on their sword skills, even after their trainer, Henry, had left them. However, unbeknownst to Samuel, Galien and Xavier resented Theo's absence as well. Their normal practice and playing routine had been broken as Theo would quickly go off to see Emma whenever the training session was over. After the dog-wagon race, they seemed to have lost the company of their brother.
“Father! Theo has gone off again this afternoon,“ said Galien, hoping his father will have a solution to this problem.
“Oh? Whereabouts has he gone to? Do you know?” asked King Aylard curiously.
“I don't know,” Galien's answered, his eyes cast down, staring at his feet.
“We don't know,” answered Xavier, “He has been going off daily lately after Henry left, and does not come home until late in the evening before supper.”
“The first time he was away he came home late. He boasted about taking Emma for a ride to the outskirts of the kingdom. He bragged about Emma's dog Charlie - about how strong it was and how fast it could run in speed, even when dragging the two of them in the wagon. They had gone beyond the palace boundary. I think that's where they have been going everyday,” Xavier was ready to tell all he knew. He did not want to keep secrets from Theo anymore.
"And lately, he's been taking Sparky along too," said Galien, stretching his eyes to a special kind of roundness, waiting to see how his father would react. The two boys are ready to spill all about their brother.
“They did that? How long has this been going on already?” King Aylard demanded, setting aside his documents regarding a court affair.
He had been reading about the case of a lot of stolen chickens which both the robber and the accusor were in court this morning. The accusor had a witness who testified that he knew who the thief was. It was a simple case. King Aylard had decided the thief would have to pay a fine and return whatever that is left of the lot of chickens to its owner, but he needed to write up the guilty parties' sentence.
“Father! Ever since the day of the dog-wagon race, after Emma won the two-seater dog wagon, Theo has not been the same. He quickly wound up the training sessions so he could go off to Samuel's place to see Emma,” Galien confessed.
“Yes, father! He does this everyday! And I'm assuming he and Emma go off to the outskirts everyday with the wagon,” Xavier echoed. He vaguely remembered how in his dream he felt the thrill of toeing the kingdom's boundary himself. The image of that warrior on horseback was still so strong in his mind. He wondered if it was a good thing or bad to wander outside of the kingdom.
The news of Theo and Emma wandering to the outskirts and speeding with two dogs in that two-seater dog wagon had taken King Aylard to a new height of alert. He knew he must confide in Samuel, who had been keeping this from him. How and why had Samuel not brought this matter to his attention? They could have solved this together! Both young children could have been kidnapped by any of those feudal tribes outside of the kingdom!
Just as King Aylard was wondering what to do next with his son, one of the palace guards had brought Samuel in to see him.
“Good day, Your Royal Highness!” Samuel greeted the king.
“Good day, Samuel! I have been wanting to see you too!” King Aylard responded respectfully.
“Are you aware that our two children have been joy-speeding with the two-seater dog wagon near the kingdom boundary?”
“Yes! Your Royal Highness!” answered Samuel, “That is exactly why I have come to you to discuss the matter with you.”
“Since our children are not aware of the danger they are in, I recommend sending a troop of warriors with them to accompany them wherever they wish to go. The young prince needs to be protected,” Samuel continued to say.
“Yes, I agree with your decision. You will immediately assemble a troop of good warriors to accompany them wherever the children go,” King Aylard commanded. He would not wish to waste another minute of this because he knew Theo was capable of doing anything with little to no regard for maintaining a show of dignified royal upbringing.
“There is one more thing, Your Royal Highness!” Samuel said.
“Yes, please speak of your mind, Samuel! For anything that weighs upon your mind, we will find a resolution. You must not hesitate to bring to my attention any problems that may be troubling the kingdom,” King Aylard commanded.
There was a silence in the air, and King Aylard sensed this may be another important matter.
“Do you remember how Theo was conceived? I remember it was through some sort of magic spell from a magician who had presented to you and the queen some sort of magic potion. We have not seen him for many years already after Theo was born. I wish to have your permission to locate that same magician once again. However, I only can remember what he looked like, but not his name.”
“I do not know his name either, that was long ago already, Samuel,” said the king, “but what is your purpose in seeking him out?” by now, King Aylard had become curious.
“I wish to find out what sort of magic he might still have for our young prince. If you do not mind me doing an investigation into this magician. He could be from one of those feudal tribes that wanted to harm our kingdom. We must not let that happen. We must guard our young prince wherever he goes and not fall prey to the hands of the vice lords.” Samuel continued.
“What would you suggest?” said King Aylard, “I am aware of the young people in danger. Perhaps we should pay a visit to the biggest tribe. Lord Gaston has a powerful tribe out there, and none of the smaller tribes could win whenever they go to war with him.”
Samuel put on his thinking cap immediately, and he came up with an idea.
“We will continue to be good to the strongest tribe whom we do not want to make an enemy of. I will ask for their assistance in protecting our young prince and Emma from the other weaker tribes. You know, if we make friends with the strongest tribe out there, they will take care of those weaker tribes for us, so we won't have to worry about fighting those weaker ones. When the weaker tribes fall we will just go count their dead bodies and seize their lands,” Samuel said with a smile which did little to disguise the otherwise serious look on his face.
“That's a great idea, Samuel!” said the king, “Lord Gaston still considers me as his friend, and he is still the strongest tribe out there. We will commission him for this task.”
“I will pay a visit to Lord Gaston, and ask him where I can find the magician for us. Since we both don't know his name, I will have to find a good artist to draw his face for me. Then I will begin to look for the magician.” Samuel said. He was confident that his plan would work since Lord Gaston has remained on good terms with King Aylard. He will agree to take care of the smaller tribes for the kingdom. The magician will soon surface when the tribes fall.
“I may need to give Lord Gaston some gold, plus a few cows and sheep as a motion of good intention,” said Samuel as he watched closely the king's reaction for approval.
“That's great! It's about time that we would be offering Lord Gaston something anyway. The last time I met him was two Springs ago. I will grant you access to 50 gold bars from the treasury, and the sheep and the cows off from several farmers to make up the 5 sheep and 5 cows to present to Lord Gaston. Tell him I may visit him later as well."
The meeting concluded with King Aylard drafting up the generous order for all that Samuel had requested. Samuel walked away, feeling relieved that the king was not upset about him wanting to investigate the magician.
Samuel knew he must act with haste - immediately gathering all of the offerings for Lord Gaston. There should be no time lost when it comes to defending the young prince and his daughter, Emma.
He could still remember how Emma had rolled her eyes at him the last time he confronted her about going off the limited boundary. That girl only rolled her eyes and said, “Father, you are too old! Your thoughts are too backward. Girls can do a lot of things now, and they should be allowed to do the things that the boys do. Look at Charlie and I, how we beat everyone in the race and won. I am proud of myself! And father, you should be proud of me too! I am also capable of defending myself. You don't need to worry about me!” said Emma as she continued to be feeling glorious about her recent winning of the race.
“And Father, Prince Theo likes to be with me, so what's wrong with that?” asked Emma.
“No, there isn't anything wrong in making friends with Prince Theo, my dear daughter,” Samuel tried his best to explain to his daughter, “but you both need protection. Prince Theo is the future king and we must ensure his safety each time he wanders off out of the kingdom."
“Father, why must you be so strict all the time? I am enjoying winning, and so does Prince Theo! Why are you trying to spoil our fun?” Emma continued to protest, unaware of the danger that may fall upon herself and her newfound royal friend. She was on the defence.
“Well, I heard it from the farmer's market. The rumours about you both and my inability to keep you at home. I am saddened by this rumour.”
“I do not care for rumours. Father. They can say whatever they like. Prince Theo and I are just friends. He enjoys the ride in my dog wagon. Sometimes we had both dogs, Charlie and his dog Sparky, to join us too. The two dogs would lead the wagon. They mix so well with each other!”
“Father, you should see Prince Theo's dog,” Emma spoke again, excitedly, with an abundance of positive energy, and with her eyes aglow and a wide grin on her face, smiling from ear to ear.
“Father, that dog Sparky looks just like Charlie. It's about the same size as Charlie, but its body is much slimmer. While Charlie had the muscles on his shoulders, Sparky doesn't.” Emma appeared to be so excited every time she talked about her dog Charlie, and now there was another dog, Sparky, adding to the excitement.
Samuel watched as Emma seemed phased out by all her excitement. She sat there in her chair, rocking her body back and forth as she spoke. Her beautiful auburn ringlets of hair that draped her forehead and her face flowed ever so effortlessly in the air with every movement she made. He thought about what to say next for a second, and later abandoned the idea of restricting her to going with Theo. He may have to just find some other ways to ensure the safety of both his daughter and the Prince.
It would not help to tell her not to do it, she would rebel against the idea anyway. She would do it anyway even if I won't permit her.” Samuel complained to himself.
With that in mind, Samuel had to come up with other solutions.
Now, he knew, he must put all these endorsements of the king's into effect.
Firstly, as he was told to do by the king, he had assembled a troop of warriors to accompany Prince Theo and Emma on their everyday outings.
Secondly, he found a very good artist to draw a picture of the magician as he had remembered him. In addition, he paid the artist to do another two pictures: One of Emma and one of Prince Theo.
The third task on his list was to present 50 gold bars from the treasury to deliver to Lord Gaston.
Next, he went to the farms on the east end to pick 5 sheep from 5 different farmers who willingly donated one sheep each.
Finally, Samuel went to the farmers on the west end to pick 5 cows from 5 different farmers who willingly donated one cow each.
The preparation was completed and now all he needed to do was to get his plan in action.
He came upon the mountaintop and glanced down to find rows and rows of tents that belonged to Lord Gaston. The flag, which stood in front of the entrance, says Gaston. Samuel knew he was about to be confronted by some of Gaston's warriors, and he was right!
Someone had gotten hold of his right arm, bent and twisted it to his back, and placed a sword upon his throat.
"Who are you? Why did you come here?" A voice asked from behind him.
“Easy with me, warrior! I have come in good faith! I need to see your Chief, Lord Gaston!” replied Samuel. “I have brought along some offerings to your Chief as well.”
“Where from?” The voice asked again, deep and commanding.
“I was sent here by King Aylard to see Lord Gaston. This is a friendly visit. I'm a member of the king's council, Samuel Edward. I have no bad intentions. Please lead me to your Chief.”
Theo ten summers and Emma eleven springs of to a distant place in their two dog wagon without guards to protect them? No wonder King Alyand is concerned. However, apparently Prince Theo is going to do as Prince Theo wants to do.
Good writing and very interesting presentation, Sandi.
It seems that way for now. They allow Theo to do things that he wants to do because he is viewed as the future king, the first in line for the throne. Theo will have decisions making of his own. One does not and cannot tell how long King Aylard would live because of the outlaws in the outskirts of the Kingdom, or how many other kingdoms may there be lurking in the neighbourhood. Theo must always be viewed as the future king and not just as a child. If anything happens to King Aylard, Theo would have to step up immediately and be the king and that is why it is important for Samuel to report anything that may be troubling the kingdom to King Aylard. It is important not to treat the future king as a child, even when he is a child. He needs to learn to grow as a king, go out to explore other lands, fight others and conquer other lands. Samuel is a wise man. He knows how to deal with these two. Some of the things they shouldn't do and some he would make allowance for them (especially Theo) to do, and some he doesn't allow.
Children in ancient times, 10 and 11 of age were almost viewed as an adult. Much unlike the boys of 10 years old nowadays who are still pampered at home under the parents' wings, boys in the ancient time would go out to learn a trade at 10 years of age, they were considered as more matured children, ready to take on the world.
Your story is so very interesting Sandie… and it is obvious how much
work you are putting into it, and how much it means to you…
Theo continues to cause tensions, a troubled teen
…a sword…I hope not!
Good luck with this venture Sandie…you are definitely in
‘the zone’ with it!
My best wishes,
Diana🍃
Reviewed by Miyanna Law
12/2/2021
Parenting skills were much the same in the past as it is nowadays. Kids were the same as well. I have the same concern as Samuel's. What would happen if Theo were awarded a real sword? Would he become a very dangerous teenager? Well, I guess they didn't call them teenagers in those days, but problematic kids' behavior would be just the same in ancient days as nowadays. Yes, Theo does need guardian soldiers to follow him everywhere he goes just so they could keep him out of trouble. Samuel made a very wise suggestion to the king. I'm glad he did.
This is a continuation of a story that has a twist at every turn and as the story develops along, as the read is left in suspense as to what will happen next....If made into a novel, it is a story that will be very difficult to put down. Very well written.
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