Goldest and the Kingdom of Thorns Read online

  “It’s like laying down the dead,” Onion remarked to a solemn Octagon.

  Three colorful ladybugs, Roul, Mespit and Rolade, were flying overhead and saw the inviting fire. They were tired and decided to spend the night close to the fire for warmth. After they had landed, they noticed the fire was the only inviting presence here. There seemed to be an eeriness about the austere soundlessness of the cotton fields which made the scene spooky and uninviting. The three noticed frightening, motionless shadows lying in wait.

  Imbecile did not have a taste for wine that night and set his goblet down. Rolade jumped into the goblet and drank the wine. He needed no invitation. His dark purple and maroon coat blended well with the wine. He loved wine, ladies – and himself. He was best known for his outrageous conduct and bad manners. Other ladybugs had nicknamed him ‘Stinker’, which suited his character to a tee. The gorgeous red and golden female, Mespit, stayed close to the warmth of the fire, bathing in the aroma of the incense, which made her drowsy. She was best known for her beauty and wit. The curious dark green ladybug with black polka dots, Roul, always the daring investigator, wanted to explore and see what dark shadows were lying in the cotton fields. Someday my curiosity is going to deprive me of my life, Roul thought to himself with a mischievous smile.

  Roul flew over to investigate the unsightly creatures. He flew low and saw these fleshless shadows, exclaiming, “Ugh! Ugly, creepy things!” He flew back to the warmth and safety of the fire. He did not care to leave Mespit by herself with those strange Monks. He knew the timid Rolade would take flight first and ask questions later, leaving Mespit to fend for herself.

  He approached the fire and saw Rolade lying there in a stupor, hiccuping. Mespit’s senses were whirling from the incense. He told himself, I better keep my head on straight, these two are going to be worthless tonight. Roul lay down, trying to get some rest, as he listened to the Monks’ conversation.

  Theo stared at the comfort and warmth from the fire as he spoke to his Brothers. He was in high spirits from the wine, the food and the incense. “Tomorrow we attack the Ladybug Castle. By nightfall, we shall all be bedded down inside our newly acquired Domain. Victory will be ours, thanks to the superior training of our Thorn Warriors by the great Savagio.”

  Some of the Monks chuckled. Octagon, Onion, Alme and Imbecile did not. They did not find the remark humorous or entertaining in any way.

  Roul, hearing this remark, looked up at Theo. Spooky, thought Roul before he drifted off into a state of lethargy due to the incense. As he lay there in a sluggish state, he began to realize that those spiny shadows were the Thorn Warriors. His mind was engrossed in creepy thoughts as oblivion crept in and blackened out the very essence of his being.

  Early the next morning, the three ladybugs awoke with a start due to the coldness, the fire having been put out. They found themselves alone. The three had migraine headaches, with their bodies feeling very heavy and inert, with Rolade being the worst of the three. Roul informed Mespit and Rolade about the previous night’s overheard conversation. They immediately took flight, ignoring their somewhat uneasy condition. At the present, time was not on their side.

  The Monks and Thorn Warriors had finally arrived outside the grounds of the Ladybug Castle. They arrived unnoticed and undetected, the morning being too early for anyone to be out and about. Theo smiled at the fresh new growth surrounding them. Blue clover and sweet alyssum covered the luxurious, velvet blue grass. Coniferous trees – noble fir, cedar and juniper – surrounded them all.

  “So fresh, so new. Something for us ancients,” Theo remarked to himself, as well as to the other Monks listening. They found this land was pleasing to them all after dwelling among their dull, ugly woods, and prickly plants and trees filled with briers, spines and thorns.

  Goldest was asleep on her tower windowsill. She loved to watch the deep, colorful sunset, the moon rise and the warmth of the spectrum of the sunrise. She would let the warm rays caress her coat of gold and slowly wake her. During the past few nights, she had noticed that the moon had no face, which alarmed her so. “Where’s the moon’s face?” she had asked herself over and over. She kept a watchful eye on the moon, fearing an impending disaster.

  Lazily, she opened her eyes, then jumped with a start. She stretched herself upwards as she looked out to get a better picture of what was out there. She immediately spotted the group of Monks with their ugly, fleshless creatures. She croaked and screamed. She gathered her wits together and hopped down from her windowsill and out the tower room. She headed straight for the main dining hall, knowing Ushi and the Queen of the Willows would be having their quiet, early morning breakfast together, with the Queen’s homemade cocoa. That was their time for private conversation.

  Goldest hopped frantically into the room, hiccuping. Augean, in her pink bed robes, had joined her grandmother and Ushi for breakfast and cocoa. Steaming, dark yellow mush, mouth-watering griddle cakes and cornbread were on the table. The three looked at the frantic, hiccuping golden frog as she somersaulted into the room.

  “An unsightly army of creepy stick figures with thorns are outside my castle walls with those strange Monks who cultivated the Tooth Warriors!” Goldest shouted frantically.

  Ushi flew up from the table and out of the door, with the Queen gaping openmouthed.

  “So, that was why Savagio went with them!” Ushi exclaimed, as he flew past Goldest.

  Ushi already knew what trouble was brewing, being the warrior that he was. Lately, he had an uneasy premonition that something like this would happen since this was a new, reborn kingdom. He never discussed his secret with anyone – now he wished he had been more verbal about it. He ran out of the castle to gather his Willow Warriors and the people of the land who had built their cottages and dwellings inside the castle walls for security and comfort.

  The morning had just started to come alive, with the sounds of the people of the village starting the fires inside the huge stone ovens for baking bread, and for cooking the morning’s breakfast. Craftsmen had not yet started their artwork, and the merchants were late in putting out their wares. The new kingdom had acquired a more leisurely lifestyle than the Kingdom of the Willows. Contentment was widespread here. Ushi noticed that more time was spent with family members and friends here than in any other kingdom.

  Ushi shouted to the village people who were outside to wake everyone up and to gather together in the courtyard. There was trouble brewing outside the castle walls, and this was not a false alarm. He did not go into detail, wanting to gather his men first. He ran into the gatehouse that housed the Willow Warriors as he shouted to his men to wake up. Some of the Willow Warriors were bathing in hot, steaming water, relaxing, grooming themselves for the day, munching on cornbread and wheat bran muffins filled with raisins. Others were cleaning their swords, with some still sleeping lightly. A leisurely morning was apparently envisaged here.

  The warriors were startled to see Ushi come frantically crashing in on them. An occasion had not yet risen for Ushi to be so frantic as to wildly crash in on them with immediate commands.

  “Warriors, come alive! The ancient Monks are outside the castle walls with an army of creatures out there! Make haste and gather the others! Get the horses made ready, now!”

  The warriors came alive, ready to defend the kingdom which they had painstakingly rebuilt. That was what they were trained to do. They were taught never to waste time asking needless questions, but to always prepare themselves for the worst if called upon. They had spent many, many months rebuilding and replanting this kingdom, training the townspeople to care for it and teaching them fighting techniques. Why should they let an army of weird creatures come in and take it from them?

  “Most of the warriors are behind the castle, out back in the fields, training men from this kingdom to fight and be warriors, like us,” Jon, one of the Willow Warriors, informed Ushi.

  “You must immediately ride out and gather them up and bring them in. There’s not enough t
ime to wait for them all to get back here. Make ready for a perilous fight, because I do not know what we are dealing with out there,” Ushi informed them.

  “With the Monks, anything strange and unreal can be more powerful than they themselves are,” Racy, another Willow Warrior, remarked as he quickly dressed himself.

  “You spoke the words that I did not want to say myself,” Ushi told him.

  The Willow Warriors made haste and dressed, as they stuffed the cornbread and the wheat bran muffins into their mouths. They quickly took gulps of their hot cocoa. They gathered their fighting swords and knives, while others made ready the horses.

  Jon immediately rode out to the fields behind the castle grounds to gather the rest of the fighting men, and the men who were in training. Ushi went out to the courtyard to speak to its people from the kingdom. Everyone had to be warned, even the women and children. All were gathered, with apprehension written all over their faces – families with their children, vendors, craftsmen, cooks – everyone seemed to be there, even in their morning dress and robes. Ushi informed them of the strange army outside their castle walls, which had since been seen by the men who climbed the walls to take watch. One Willow Warrior, who had been intently watching what was taking place outside the castle walls, ran to the courtyard to report to Ushi, who was surrounded by the nervous village people.

  “I do not know what we are up against, but it does not look good. What I see is that we are up against a strange army brought about by the powerful Monks. My warriors know what to do. You all are not fully trained yet, but do the best you can,” Ushi told them.

  A village craftsman, very much popular with the local people, stepped firmly forward and responded, “We fled once from this kingdom, and we will not do so again!”

  Another village merchant, who was standing by the craftsman’s side, responded, “We will stay and fight and not let any offender take our kingdom from us again! We are not cowards here, but men!”

  The crowd of villagers who had gathered together cheered and agreed. Most were nervous, but fearless were they all.

  “The women and children must take cover in your village hall. They must stay grouped together. We must be free of worry from them. Men, gather whatever weapons you harbor. The Willow Warriors have gathered their swords and knives,” Ushi informed them.

  The women and children gathered together, with some of the women running back to their cottages or dwellings to gather blankets and food. The men ran to gather their own swords, pitchforks, rakes – anything that they could use as a weapon to defend themselves, their families and their kingdom.

  Another Willow Warrior, who had climbed down from the castle wall at the gate, came hurriedly forward towards Ushi. “A few of the Monks are riding towards the castle gates.”

  “Let them in,” Ushi said calmly, not wanting to frighten the townspeople. He turned towards the Willow Warriors who had gathered around him from the gatehouse and said to them, “I know what they want. We shall have to hear them say it.”

  The front gate was opened. The Willow Warriors stepped back, knowing there was nothing to fear from the Monks at the present time. They knew the fear would come later. Right now it was just a warning that was to come from them.

  Octagon, Pentangle, Onion and Ebrix spotted someone who seemed to be Ushi and rode up to him.

  Ushi stood tall and strong. He would not waver in front of these Monks. Octagon was the first to recognize the strong warrior, Ushi. He knew by his stance that he would hold steadfast and not give in to them. Ushi recognized Octagon and knew that he was the wisest of all the Monks, but that this was not spoken inside the Monks’ circle because Theo was their leader. He knew Octagon’s heart was flavored far and above by kindness and rightful duty than Theo’s heart was. Octagon’s favorite words among the Monks were: “There are only unjust and unrightful wrongs, never an unjust or unrightful right, no matter how horrible or unpleasant that right might be.”

  Through the recent years, talk had been that Theo was turning into a silent tyrant, waiting to explode with some type of vengeance – not really caring if it was right or wrong, just or unjust, or even whom this vengeance was directed at. His practice as a diabolist in evil, nefarious rites or strange ceremonies seemed to fill the core of his soul with a potent, selfish power. Octagon had watched him collect ancient books on arcane sorcery and magic, locked in a small cellar room past the dungeons. These dateless volumes held evil and devilry from the once infinite, ageless wizards who no longer existed within the Domain. The archaic tomes were found among the cedars, old as they were, in the Kingdom of the Ancient Cedars. They were taken by the Monks, who locked them up forever. The unhallowed scriptures were secured and guarded by the Monks so that no others could find and read them – so evil were their written words. Octagon had walked past Theo’s room at night and seen him studying them by candlelight during the night when all had retired to their own rooms. By light the next morning, Theo would take the books back down to their locked cellar, where they belonged. Soon Octagon saw a powerful character change taking over Theo – which he did not like. The evil writings in these volumes were distorting Theo’s mind into believing the manifestations of occult phenomena was the utmost power of reality or unreality – the ultimate, supreme power of divinity.

  Ushi looked straight to Octagon. He would not waste words on the others. “I know why you are here, Octagon. I should have known when Savagio informed me about your offer.”

  “But you had been blinded by love for a princess, and could not see or think like the warrior in which you truly are,” Octagon replied back to him.

  “And what of Savagio? Does he know of this?” Ushi asked.

  “Do I hear you right or are you questioning the honor of Savagio?” Octagon asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I guess I have been blinded by love more than I thought.” Ushi bowed his head to Octagon. “Your pardon, Octagon. A warrior like myself should know better than to question the honor of another honorable warrior.”

  “I made sure Savagio was safely let go. You see, I had given him my word,” Octagon said to Ushi.

  Ushi understood by Octagon’s words that some of the other Monks wanted Savagio laid to rest.

  Pentangle had turned his horse harshly around in a circle at Octagon’s words about setting Savagio free. His anger now showed.

  Ushi noticed Pentangle’s reaction and assumed right away that Savagio and he did not fare well together. Ushi smiled at the thought of Savagio having given any of the Monks a very hard time, because he knew Savagio could be very stubborn and nasty – in a nice way. His mind then came back to the present. “You are one of the better ancient Monks, Octagon. Please rethink what you are about to do. Another slaughter of this once beautiful kingdom will permanently destroy her forever.”

  “Why should us Monks not suppress a more beauteous kingdom and reign over it? We now have our own army, trained by the best!” Pentangle exclaimed in agitation.

  Some of the male villagers were listening to the confrontation taking place and one male shouted out, “We will fight for what belongs to us!”

  “You will never take our kingdom!” another male villager cried out.

  The other villagers and Willow Warriors stepped forward and agreed and cheered themselves on. Ushi smiled as he looked at the determined faces of the proud people.

  “You heard your answer,” Ushi quietly said to Octagon.

  Pentangle, with his face distorted in distaste, grumbled at Ushi.

  Octagon stepped his horse closer to Ushi and looked down into his eyes as he said, “You are making a grave mistake, Ushi. You do not know how fierce and deadly our Thorn Warriors are.”

  “No, Theo is the one making the mistake. The Monks should know this. One request that I make is that you let us come to you. Do not destroy the castle and its grounds,” Ushi coldly told him.

  Octagon sat straight up in his seat on his mount and sighed heavily. “Very well. But I beseech you, Ushi, he
ed my words. I fear for you all. That is why I chose to come and speak.”

  Octagon turned his horse and rode out with the other Monks following. Ushi turned around as he heard the other Willow Warriors and the men in training riding in from the fields behind the castle grounds.

  Goldest, the Queen of the Willows, and Augean were looking down below from Goldest’s tower windowsill watching the confrontation. Shadow had his paws placed on the sill gazing down with them. He wanted to be down there with Ushi, but knew his duty was to stay at the side of the little princess at all times, to keep her out of harm’s way.

  The Monks rode back to the camp that they had set up. Large billowed tents were mounted up with a fire made for warming and cooking. Octagon reigned in his horse in front of Theo and the other Monks. He looked over and saw the Thorn Army in rows standing tall, proud and frozen – waiting for their commands to be given to them. I wonder if the thorns have given any thought or comprehension as to what they are about to do, Octagon thought to himself with a heavy heart.

  Octagon looked down at Theo and told him quietly, “They will come to us.”

  Theo smiled, knowing that he, too, did not wish to bring damage and destruction to the newly refurnished castle, and the town and its land. “Very well. Our deed be done against them.” He turned to Pentangle and said, “Instruct our Thorn Warriors to give their all, and to be most brutal with the first attack. It might go well enough that a second attack will not be needed.”

  A look of disgust came over Octagon’s face as he turned his horse to go with the others. He wanted to be alone right now to rethink his own strategy and to perform his own rituals in the privacy of his own blanketed tent. He was unnerved at the deplorable event that was about to take place. His past misgivings had come forward and taken hold.