Samuel stood to one side and watched the king, amused at his trance-like state, as if Belinda herself had bewitched him. He watched as the king gently stroked the top of the pinkish animal's head.
Kingdom of Largo
Chapter 15 – The Little Pink Creature
When King Aylard found out that Miles was the magician from 12 seasons before, he was more than excited and extend an invitation to Miles to live in the palace.
“My wife, the queen, would love to see you too! We have been looking for you for a long time,” Miles heard the king say.
“Your Royal Highness, I would like to come into the palace under one condition,” Miles said.
“What is it, my dear man? Please state your condition, and I will accept it,” the king responded.
“I have a pet. It's a very rare animal. It has been with me for the past several seasons, and I don't want to part with it,” said Miles.
“What kind of rare pet is that? Please show us!”
Samuel was hesitant, but he was overwhelmed by the king's interest, and could not make an opposing suggestion.
“Okay, I will show you! Please just stay still, for she might be afraid of strangers,” Miles warned as he opened a small door behind him, which seemed to lead to another small shed inside a small house.
“Belinda! Come here, sweet girl, we may be going to live in the palace now,” Miles called.
King Aylard and Samuel heeded the magician's warning and stood very still, holding their collective breaths. They were curious to see Miles' pet.
After what seemed like an eternity, Miles returned with a bundle in his arms. He gently unwrapped it and placed what was inside on the floor. A small pink bundle hit the floor, illuminated in a magical brightness. The king and Samuel were both awestruck and rendered wide-eyed with a sense of wonder. They had not seen anything like this before.
At first sight, neither King Aylard nor Samuel could figure out what the rare pet was. As the animal reached the floor, it expanded! It was now up to 2 feet tall from top to bottom. It had a colorful pinkish slim body, with a pinkish head. To say it was a snake would be wrong, for its body - even though it was slim - was too thick to be a snake, and snakes do not come in multiple pinkish colors. So, could this little thing be a dragon? If it was, it must be a baby dragon, and the wings have yet to grow from its body. What does it eat? How will they maintain such a pet in the palace?
“Meet Belinda! She is my pet, and my companion,” Miles introduced her.
Both King Aylard and Samuel were in disbelief. Miles personified everything a strong man should be, yet he handled the little creature with the utmost gentleness and care.
“Hello, Belinda! How are you? Aren't you a lovely girl!” The King bent down to look at the bundle of joy. He was about to pet its head but hesitated.
“May I, Sir Miles?” He looked at Miles, waiting for his approval.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness! You may pet her,” Miles said, “she does not bite. She is very mild-tempered and she might be shy too with strangers since I have not had any visitors since I took her in.”
“Oh, my, you are such a lovely girl, aren't you? You are going to make the queen and the children in the palace very happy,” said the King.
Samuel stood to one side and watched the king, amused at his trance-like state as if Belinda herself had bewitched him. He watched as the king gently stroked the top of the pinkish animal's head.
“Your Royal Highness! What will Sparky and Ethan think?” He reminded the king he already had two pets with him, and Emma's Charlie wasn't too far away from them either. They had already built a small house to accommodate Sparky, then a stable for Ethan - what would this little creature need?
“Sir Edward, you do not have to worry about Ethan! He goes out with Theo everyday,” the king was on the defensive side, which made Samuel very uncomfortable.
“And as for Sparky, he may like to have a little friend to play with while Theo and Ethan go out during the day. Animals will learn to adjust themselves to new friends and new surroundings,” King Aylard continued to explain. It seemed to Samuel that the king had already made up his mind to receive both the hermit and his pet into the palace.
“Well, we will just need to be more careful, that's all! I don't want any of the animals to be hurt,” Samuel said.
“Your Royal Highness. I have one more request before I go,” Miles looked at King Aylard, asking for his approval, “I must disable all the traps that I have reset earlier, for I do not want any animals to be trapped here when I will not be around to set them free.”
“Certainly! Sir Miles, you may take all the time you need. Sir Edward and I will be outside getting your horse and the wagon ready,” King Aylard assured the magician.
Immediately following their discussion, Miles went ahead to disable all the traps that he had reset earlier. Then he came back to the cabin and gathered Belinda and some of his belongings. Together, they went out to meet King Aylard and Samuel.
As a brown horse dragging a wagon approached, Miles put Belinda in a wooden crate and closed its lid. Then he placed her into the wagon together with some of his belongings and lastly, he mounted the brown horse and traveled to the palace with King Aylard and Samuel. He was happy to be in King Aylard's company. He had decided to forgive the king for what happened to his brother 14 seasons ago. After all, deep down, Miles had to admit, he was still an admirer of the king.
At the first stop at the palace, the king suggested paying a visit to the queen first, so they all stopped in front of Queen Isabella's chamber. The Queen was overjoyed to meet the magician again and was happy to learn that he would be staying at the palace from now on.
“What does Belinda eat? How do we maintain her?” asked the queen.
“Belinda is a vegetarian. She only eats grass, and sometimes, the leaves and fruits that grow from trees,” Miles answered.
“Oh! She is so adorable!” exclaimed the queen. She clasped her hands and brought them up to her chest in total admiration, “I have never seen a multi-colored pinkish animal in my life!”
“My dear queen, we are going to head back to my chamber now and will find a suitable lodging for both Sir Miles and Belinda,” announced King Aylard to the queen. He would also have to think of what title and job he would give to Miles. No doubt, he would like to recruit him as a top warrior, but that will be depending on whether Sir Miles was willing to take upon such a task.
“Sir Samuel,” the king turned to Samuel and said, “I will take Sir Miles around for a tour in the palace to find suitable lodging for him and Belinda. Please advise the queen and my children to come to my chamber for supper this evening so they can all meet Sir Miles at the same time... And Sir Edward, you and your wife and children are invited too! Please tell the cookery to prepare good food for our family and guests this evening. Also, ask the cookery to deliver some fruits and some raw vegetables for Belinda as well.”
“This shall be done, Your Royal Highness! I will see you and everyone at supper time.”
XXXXX
At supper time, everyone gathered at the King's chamber. Theo came with Sparky, of course. He had been devoting his evenings and nighttime to Sparky ever since Ethan came to the palace. During the day he would go out riding on Ethan's back. In the beginning, Sparky was not happy to lose his constant companion, but later he made friends with Ethan and learned to share his master with him since he knew he would get his master's undivided attention in the evening.
Galien and Xavier came along too, and so did Emma, Drake and Durwin, together with their father Samuel and mother Cateline. All children wondered what has happened and why a family meeting was being held on such short notice.
Sparky entered the chamber with Theo and was immediately struck by an unknown scent of another animal. He didn't like it at all! He suddenly went into a fierce barking spree because of the strange odor. He became angry and guarded. He stood in front of Theo, shielding him from what he felt was danger. He barked loudly and rolled his eyes from left to right, and then from right to left, scanning his territory, sensing the awestruck reaction from every human. He scrunched his nose and bared his teeth – a warning to any invaders that he was ready to bite anyone, anytime.
“Sparky! What's wrong, Sparky?” asked Theo curiously, “are you alright?”
Sparky paid no attention to his master. He pressed his nose hard onto the floor to trace the scent. He walked along the floor, attempting to trace its origin.
Suddenly, without any warning, Sparky made a quick dash out the door into the courtyard and began running.
“Sparky! What's wrong? Come back, Sparky!” Theo chased after Sparky. Whatever it was that Sparky was looking for he did not want Sparky to get hurt.
“Sparky! Stop! Stop! Sparky, you come back here!” Theo ran after the dog, screaming out for someone along the path to stop his beloved pooch, but the palace guards were afraid. They had never seen Sparky exhibit such angry behavior. Something must have upset the dog.
Sparky continued to trace the scent with his nose. He was on a fierce mission. He needed to find out exactly what kind of strange animal possessed such an odor. He would not tolerate another animal here in the palace again. He had already tolerated Ethan, and to him, that was enough!
“EeeuuurRRR... Rolf!!!!... Rolf... Rolf...!!!” Sparky kept growling and barking.
“EeeuuuRRR... ROLF... ROLF... ROLF...!!!” Sparky now thought he had found the origin of the scent. He ran barking wildly toward a caged animal.
Sparky found Belinda inside a wooden cage. She was afraid and curled into the shape of a ball. Sparky ran around the cage, investigating it, trying to figure out what kind of animal Belinda was. He turned his head back to look at Theo, still barking, signalling to Theo of his finding.
When Theo came upon the wooden cage and saw Belinda inside it, he was surprised and did not know what to think of it. Suddenly, a door behind it opened and out stepped Miles. They both locked eyes with each other.
Who is this stranger with this strange animal? I have never seen this man before! Theo wondered. He stood there and watched this stranger elevate the cage to protect the animal inside it from Sparky.
“Who might you be?” asked Theo.
“The name is Miles, and this is my pet companion, Belinda,” Miles answered.
By this time, Sparky had directed his barkings towards Miles, a total stranger in the palace. He was growling and showing his fangs at the same time.
It did not take long for Galien and Xavier to catch up with them from behind. All three children looked at the stranger with the strange creature.
“Who is he, Theo?” Galien asked.
“That's what I'm trying to find out,” answered Theo.
“I suppose you are Prince Theo,” said the stranger, whose eyes were still locked with Theo's. Theo seemed drawn to this stranger for an unknown reason.
Miles watched as Theo pushed his light brown hair that had been draping over his face to one side, revealing his fine facial features. He noticed that Theo had the brightest sky-blue eyes and very masculine cheekbones and jawline. He was tall and possessed a strong masculine torso and muscular arms – like the strong warrior type. Theo looked tall for his age and seemed to have grown beyond his physique of 11th Spring.
What a good-looking child through my magic! This is MY child! Miles told himself.
“Hey, hey... Sparky!... It's alright!” Theo bent down to pet Sparky on his head to calm him down.
“No more barking, okay?” Sparky responded by wagging his tail, but his eyes were fixated on Belinda, curling up like a pinkish ball inside the cage.
“What are you here for, may I ask?” Theo asked after he had introduced himself and his two brothers.
“Your Highness! I am invited by your father His Majesty the King to dine with you in his chamber. I was just about to go there now to meet you all.”
“What is that animal you have in the cage?” Xavier's eyes lit up. He wanted to pet the cute animal. It looked so beautiful.
Miles's eyes switched to look at Galien and Xavier. They were both also good-looking children. Galien seemed a bit slimmer but he matched up to Theo in height. His light, brownish hair was parted in the middle and draped over the sides of his face down to just above his shoulders. As for Xavier – who appeared the youngest - he looked a bit different from his two brothers. He had a smooth, sun-kissed complexion which was unlike Theo's and Galien's lighter skin. It's a wonder how the king and the queen had produced such good-looking children.
“I have found her in the forest where I came from. I don't really know what she is, but she is mild-tempered and a very friendly animal. I have decided to leave her in the cage for her own safety,” answered Miles.
Sparky continued circling this stranger and his pet. He had now calmed down since he noticed that the stranger and his master were communicating well with each other. So, he could let his guard down now. He waited patiently for the creature in the cage to venture out.
No sooner had they turned around, Samuel came running.
“My apology, Sir Miles! I should have known to send some guards to protect you on your way over. It was my fault and I do apologize,” Samuel said, now out of breath.
“Sir Samuel, it was not necessary. I can find my way there.”
“Sorry for all this, but I see you have met the three princes already. Let us escort you to the king's chamber for supper now,” said Samuel.
On that note, they all headed back to the king's chamber to meet the king and the queen, and head down to the supper room to greet the rest of the guests.
During supper, the king made a toast to welcome Miles to the palace. To the surprise of Samuel and everyone, he announced that he would knight Miles the following day through a ceremony so he could properly use the title “Sir Miles.”
Theo and Emma and the other children found it odd that King Aylard would shower such affection on Miles. Theo could not understand the connection between his father and the stranger. To become a knight the person had to have fought some battles and won, but this stranger who just came into the palace obviously had not fought any battles yet. At least, not for their kingdom anyway. Theo was puzzled by his father's affection toward this stranger. More strange than ever, even his mother was agreeing to the knighting ceremony.
Emma exchanged glances with Theo and her father. She noticed her father did not seem too enthusiastic about what the king had just proposed. She had stood by and watched as her future mate – destined to be the heir to the throne - go through leaps and bounds of warrior practice and still had not yet earned a knighthood because he was not a warrior yet. Was that being fair that this stranger would become a knight before her future mate?
What struck her was that the Queen seemed to agree with the knighting ceremony as well. No one opposed it when the king announced it. Drake and Durwin were both surprised as well. There was a moment of silence over the dining table before everyone began to congratulate the stranger. Miles seemed happy to know he would be officially knighted and titled, “Sir Miles”.
After supper, he opened the cage. He wrapped Belinda inside a blanket and gently brought her out to meet everyone and for her to eat her supper.
As she stood her ground, she was about 2 feet tall. She was still a very young creature. She had a triangular head, beautiful pinkish skin all through, and long eyelashes. Everyone was in awe of her beauty.
Sparky sauntered over to stand in front of her. He was curious but did not bark anymore. He smelled the creature from the top of her head to the bottom. Then he lowered himself by putting his two front paws down on the floor as if to let the creature know that he would be on the same level as her now and to indicate that he wished to become her friend. Belinda seemed to understand Sparky's message and immediately appeared to be much calmer.
She began to eat the food in front of her. Later, upon finishing, she left some behind so Sparky could eat too. Sparky was happy he was allowed to pig out the rest of the food. Theo watched them both and thought it was magical that Sparky would suddenly become so calm.
Unbeknownst to everyone, King Aylard had his own reason for knighting Miles. Since he knew Miles was capable of fighting battles but had not fought for his kingdom yet, he thought he might just as well give him the title so whenever there comes a time that they would require a good warrior to fight, Miles would not have a reason to refuse to go to fight for the kingdom.
The rest of the evening went very well. The Queen and the children were enjoying the addition of the lovely pet, Belinda, to the palace, and Sparky was happy he gained a new friend.
The following day around noon, a knighting ceremony was held for Sir Miles. He then became an official resident of the palace as well.
“Father, why is Miles a knight now? But what about Theo? Why can't he be a knight as well?” Emma couldn't help but asked her father.
.
“It's the King's decision,” answered Samuel, “I have not played a part in the decision.”
“Yes, but why?” Emma persisted, “I see some of my neighbors have to work to become a knight, but this stranger just arrived at the palace and the King took no time in knighting him. Don't people have to work to earn that title by going to war first?”
Samuel did not know how to explain to Emma, but he did not want to tell her the origin of her future mate, and how he was conceived. It would be devastating for both Theo and herself. He felt, for the children's sake, they better not know the truth. The less known, the happier their marriage would be.
“I don't know, Emma,” Samuel struggled for an answer, “but perhaps the king has his own reason for knighting him. People need to earn knighthood through hard work, battles, and knowledge. No one should take a shortcut. I am glad Theo is learning to be a King and I'm certain, one day, he will become a good warrior. You'll see.”
“Yes, Father. I think I am in love with Theo. He has become very caring to me lately,” Emma responded coyly, “I can hardly wait for our wedding day!”
“You will,” said Samuel proudly, “My daughter will have the best wedding, ever!”
He thought about it for a second, and said again, “I will ask the King to request Woodworker William to make you both a fancy horse-drawn wagon, so you both can sit in it while the soldiers and knights parade you both down the streets of the kingdom.”
“Oh, that will be great! Father! You are the best!” Emma got all excited once again over the preparation for her wedding. She had forgotten the problem with Theo's knighthood already.
“We will make a fanciful white wagon that can be drawn by two or four horses, with a horseman sitting at the front to guide the horses. You two will sit at the back where you will wave your hands and greet everyone along the sides of the road,” Samuel had the design of the horse-drawn wagon all planned out. He just needed to show that to King Aylard so he can instruct Woodworker William to construct the wagon. It truly would be the best wedding the kingdom had thus far seen!
In the meantime, he needed to also plan who he and King Aylard wished to invite to the wedding. No doubt, Lord Gaston needed to be on the list, but the other two kingdoms up the north would not be invited since they were at war with each other. He thought about the King and Queen down the south in the Kingdom of Everland. He wished to invite them and their daughter, Princess Zena, as well, but how can they send out the invitations to them? Would they come? He heard about the beautiful princess of Everland, and the strong kingdom that the king and queen have, it would be wonderful to make acquaintance with them as well. A well-planned wedding would be a good reason to invite them over to get to know each other. He knew he must submit the wedding plan to King Aylard, and soon.
Sandie, How wonderful to have had the dream that encouraged you to
introduce the beautiful Belinda into your story…
It is all flowing so wonderfully…you seem like you are really on a roll…!
Keep up the good work…
A very well crafted and written story....I like the way that you have interwoven each chapter around the sock doll characters that you have created....Sandie, I must say that you are a "Creative Genius"....You have planned out your stories & characters very well....
The Little Pink Creature: How neat, Sandi... You dream of a friendly pink cobra named Belinda that is now a part of you great ongoing story and I dreamt of a red head named Missie that is Mitchell's new neighbor that will come alive in a future chapter or two....
Guess that just goes to show that you and I are dreamers...
That is why I have created the creature as a girl, to make her more acceptable to Sparky.
Actually, this pink cobra came into my dream several nights ago. You've probably have read about her already in FB where I have documented my dream. It's phenomenal!!! As soon as I woke up that morning all I've ever been thinking about was to put her into my story, but I needed an excuse to bring her in. I think she's syncing well into my story now. Thank you so much!!!
Ahhh!!! About knighting the magician - Yes, I wrote it that way so there will be conflicts inside the palace later in the story. LOL!!!
I was so worried that Sparky would reject Miss Belinda, the pink creature. They didn't start out well, but I'm glad Sparky finally surrender himself to be a friend of hers. The king is right, animals are easily adapted to new surroundings and new friends.
I think it was wrong for the king to knight the newcomer without checking up his background first. The king may be under another spell. Perhaps he was looking for more magic in his kingdom.
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