Goldest and the Kingdom of Thorns (8 page)

Ushi’s suspicions rose as he slowly and carefully told her, “I had also heard from silent whispers that there was a yellow-haired golden princess who once upon a time dwelled here. She was a golden princess who was worth her weight in gold.”

Goldest croaked a sigh. “I am that princess, Ushi.”

Ushi’s heart sank even deeper upon hearing those words. Both Ushi and Goldest sighed together. “I had a mysterious feeling within my heart that you were more than a special golden fairy.” He sat down and made himself comfortable next to Goldest. “You must speak of your hidden golden secret within the folds of your golden heart, Goldest. I will listen.”

“Zea, the evil father of the Wizard of the Seventh Realm, destroyed our kingdom and killed my parents and grandparents.”

“Yes, I had heard he was a cosmic evil force. If he called upon you, you were marked for death. He was one who never had a shadow surrounding him. An evil
one shows no shadow.” Ushi took a deep breath, with the weight of past memories recurring. “So, that was why you took it upon yourself to rid this Domain of Leo, his son, whom you had dissolved into the boiling red well inside the Cuspid Castle. I seem to understand now that you were really more than Marcus’s escort. What is the beginning to this story?”

“My grandfather was a mystical wizard himself. He was attracted to the inexplicable. It was sometimes baffling to understand some of the magic that he toyed with for his own personal pleasure. My grandmother would get so frustrated with him and his incantations. He always meant well, he just made a lot of boo-boos. He blundered, as usual, and transformed me into this golden frog so that I could escape with the ladybugs and not be killed. The ladybugs and I had fled to the Kingdom of the Willows.”

“Now I understand why that kingdom has such an abundance of ladybugs! Rumors can be true secrets. Please explain to me, Goldest, why your grandfather didn’t turn you into a golden ladybug? In that way, you could have flown with them for protection.”

“That was the blunder! He was supposed to do so in the first place.” She giggled as memories came back of him. “He always wrongly estimated his spells of wizardry. He tried so hard to be the most perfect wizard; but alas, that was not to be. He always had the right intentions, but wasn’t always successful in one’s needs, intent or expectations, in his overzealous ways of taking care of the undone, which was usually taken care of in a very wrong way. My parents and grandmother realized one day that he was not all there.” Her
tears of sorrow had now turned to tears of giggles with her past memories. She started to hiccup.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Goldest. That was probably why Zea was able to overtake him and this kingdom with his cryptic black magic.”

“Zea was powerful with a most exceptional, mighty army back in those days. When they called upon our kingdom, my parents and grandparents knew that we were all doomed. No one dared to come to our rescue, so scared were the other kingdoms of him.”

“Why did he choose your kingdom and not any of the others?”

“Because at that time he wanted no other wizards to be in existence that could ever harm his only young son, Leo, once he no longer existed to be,” Goldest informed Ushi. “Leo was never as powerful as his father once was. My ignorant grandfather might have been a blunderer when it came to wizardry, but he could still be a future threat. His ensorcellment could have used some improvement, but he was still a strong, compelling influence with some of his magical spells and antidotes.”

“Well, the kingdoms need no longer fear the evil wizards of centuries past. They are all nothing but ineffectual memories floating among the purple billowy masses. They can no longer harm anyone or any kingdom,” Ushi remarked.

Silence followed as Goldest sobbed and wept, her tears splashing into puddles – the transparent memories all coming back to her. Ushi took a white cloth handkerchief, which was embroidered and given to him as a token of love from the Tooth Fairy Princess,
and gently dried her golden eyes. “My heart goes out for you, Goldest.” He paused in thought and then continued on. “Now I understand why most of the people who fled from this kingdom made the Kingdom of Willows their home – with most building their dwellings beyond the colorful lakes and ponds, probably to stay close to the ladybugs.”

“The ladybugs have multiplied throughout the years. I know they would love to come back home with their children to their own kingdom – the very home of their ancestors,” Goldest told Ushi.

“And so would its peoples.” Ushi pondered on the subject matter for several seconds before speaking his thoughts. “We shall take a detour back to the Kingdom of the Willows, bring back the ladybugs and its peoples with their descendants, who originally belonged to this kingdom. We shall ask the Queen of the Willows and the little Princess Augean for their help in restoring this castle and its kingdom. Why, I will ask the Willow Warriors to come back with us and help with the rebuilding and replanting of the land back to its original state.”

Goldest was pleased that Ushi had thought about her and her kingdom. She always thought of herself as the keeper of Ushi’s heart after she had befriended him, but she realized now that he was also the keeper of her heart, too.
A very special warrior
, thought Goldest and smiled to herself, as Ushi thought at the same time,
A very special golden princess
. Goldest’s tears were slowly dried away by a gentle, caring hand.

“I know within my heart that it is possible to revive and restore this colorful red kingdom, make it as it
once was. But the wretched memory of having to watch my parents and grandparents slaughtered unroyally at the hands of Zea, will never cease to go away.”

“Time will eventually heal your emotional wounds and mend your nightmares, Goldest.”

“Not my time! It just continues to roam on and on and on. Right now, I do not belong to any kingdom!”

“You are wrong, Goldest. You belong to the Kingdom of the Ladybugs. Come, let’s look at the condition the rest of the castle is in. We shall pay that visit to the Kingdom of the Willows at first light tomorrow. You will see, the Queen and Augean will help us.”

“Maybe rebuilding my kingdom and my castle will help me to forget the pain that is harbored in my heart forever,” Goldest stated somberly.

Ushi rose to take a look around the castle and to see how horrifying the condition of it might be. Goldest hopped beside him, doing her own inspections. There was no time for tears now.

“It is time for you to dream pleasant dreams about your future, instead of reliving the deplorable nightmares that have tormented you and your heart for so long,” Ushi remarked to her as they made their way through the castle.
She deserves to be happy again
, Ushi thought to himself.

They did not notice the lurking, sinister shadow of a black-hooded figure who silently got up and withdrew from the shadows cast upon the castle’s main dining hall after listening to their conversation.

After inspecting the sound condition of the castle
itself, Ushi made himself vegetable soup over an open fire in the hearth with the fresh vegetables he found still growing in the unattended, overgrown gardens. Goldest selected a tower room for comfort and sleep. Unblurred memories came flooding back to her. She sat on the red stone sill of the tower room window and watched a brazen sunset over her torn and unkempt kingdom – taken over by unsightly weeds. Soon, a starry sky with a crescent moon rose over the land. Ushi quietly approached her and looked out the window with her. He smiled down at the melancholy gold piece.

“The night has painted a beautiful, most perfect crescent moon in the bluish midnight sky for good fortune tonight,” Ushi remarked to her, hoping to raise her spirits. “A full moon you have to be leery of, but a perfect crescent moon brings on the dreams of success and good fortune. You should sleep very well tonight, Goldest.”

“The shining platinum stars have completed a most beauteous picture of perfection,” Goldest chimed in with a sigh.

“We have a long ride tomorrow. Best to turn in, Goldest,” Ushi remarked with seriousness.

Goldest sighed and jumped down from the sill, over to her inviting blanket. Her memories had exhausted her. Ushi crawled into his blankets and was soon asleep, next to the fire he had built in the room’s hearth. His body was still chilled to the bone from spending the previous night on the marble floor in the Kingdom of Marble. The warmth of the fire was comforting to him after spending a sleepless night before.

Goldest slept fitfully that night, even though the room was warm and comforting. Her star-crossed nightmares were of no comfort to her. The crescent moon did nothing for her. She tossed and turned as she made distressed sounds and continuously called out to “Esbri” – her favored Gypsy Warrior, from the Kingdom of the Gypsies. Later, as her nightmares quieted down, Goldest dreamed of her and Esbri together, sitting on their magnificent thrones next to one another with golden crowns upon their heads – them being the King and Queen of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs. On the floor of the castle’s main dining hall, thousands of colorful ladybugs were paying homage to them. A smile came to her fat red lips as she finally fell into a pleasant sleep.

Ushi slept like a blanketed rock, making no movement or sound whatsoever.

The next morning, Goldest awoke to a glorious sunrise with hues of yellows, golds, reds, and oranges rising over her kingdom. It took awhile before Ushi stirred and was about. Finally, he was packing up the horses and they were on their way to the Kingdom of the Willows.

Curious bluebirds sat high on the tree branches and watched Ushi mount Niciu while Goldest jumped up on to the rump of the stallion – her comfort zone, as she called it. With their other supply horse in tow, they began their long journey.

As Ushi and Goldest rode fast and hard that morning, the Thorn Army marched onwards with stiffness, up and down hills, falling down, in and out as they
tumbled over one another. High on a hill above the exercising of the army, Savagio sat on his white stallion, Xzen, and chuckled to himself as he watched the clumsiness of the thorns. Octagon, Onion, Pentangle and Xnug sat on their own gray-dappled steeds next to Savagio. Ebrix was down below with the thorns moving them along on his dark mount. Pentangle gave Savagio a look of dislike. He did not care for the disrespectfulness of Savagio’s chuckling.

“Your insolent smartness annoys me, Savagio,” Pentangle told him with a dark look in his eyes.

Xnug did not care to hear a confrontation between Pentangle and Savagio. The Monks had taken notice that Pentangle did not like Savagio and that they both did not get along very well. Xnug was afraid Pentangle would drive Savagio away out of rashness before the training of their warriors had been completed. Xnug, like most of the Monks, wanted their Thorn Army to flourish above all other armies, and he knew they needed Savagio to help them.

Xnug nudged his mount up to Pentangle’s mount and quietly told him, “Let him be humored. We shall see if he is still so jovial in six months.”

“I am tired of hearing those same spoken words from other Brothers,” Pentangle replied dryly.

Savagio ignored the Monks and continued to look on with laughter written all over his face.
Imagine me, a warrior, training a bunch of sticks and branches with protruding thorns to be warriors
! Savagio thought humorously to himself.

Octagon sat quietly on his mount and was having second thoughts about an uprising whose blood would
be on their own hands. He knew as well as everyone else within the Domain that the ancient Monks and Shamans were a peaceful lot.
I fear greatly at what will happen at the end of those six months
, he thought quietly to himself. Dread seeped into the essence of his soul concerning what might come about at that given time.

The evening came fast that night upon the Willow Castle in the Kingdom of the Willows. The sun had settled in early for the night. The darkness was colored with blue lights and made for an enchanted late evening. The King and Queen of the Willows were having a late dinner due to the many activities that went on that day throughout their kingdom. They were sitting at their long table in their main dining hall with the ever-protective Shadow lying at the little Princess Augean’s feet. A few attendants stood back from the table, waiting for any commands given. Since the hour was so late, they were dining on a light dinner of chicken and carrot soup with both corn bread and vegetable bread to fill themselves up on. It was a very quiet, family-oriented scene, until a guard of the castle came rushing excitedly into the room.

The King stood up as the guard bowed to him. “You are disturbing our meal – this had better be important!” an annoyed King bellowed at the guard.

“Sir, Ushi has come back!”

The King smiled slyly, knowing some day Ushi would come back. Excitement overcame his Queen and Augean. An apprehensive Shadow slowly stood up and watched.

“I knew it! I have always said that Ushi would come
back – and he did!” an exuberant King cried out to his Queen and Augean.

A proud Ushi walked into the room, with a croaking Goldest hopping behind him. The King rushed forward and embraced Ushi. Shadow trotted over to Ushi and stood up on his hind legs, wanting acknowledgment from him. After embracing the King, Ushi showered attention on Shadow.

“My, but you have grown some.” Shadow licked Ushi’s face in an affectionate welcome.

The Queen regained her composure. She and Augean stood as royal ladies should. A disappointed Augean looked around the room and saw no sign or presence of the Tooth Fairy Princess. Her heart sank, knowing how much she had meant to Ushi. She never expected to see Ushi again, unless he had brought back the princess for a visit to their kingdom. The Queen never questioned herself about Ushi coming back, knowing love weaves a tangled web of its own.

“Your room has always been kept waiting for you. I have always known you would be back!” the King exclaimed. He then looked down and saw Goldest looking up towards him. The King was highly amused to see Goldest still with Ushi. He knew they both were fond of each other when they had left the Kingdom of the Willows.

The King chuckled. “So, I see you bring the favored gold piece with you.”

“Watch it, fatso! I happen to be Ushi’s protector of his heart!” a bold Goldest warned the King.

The King raised an eyebrow at Goldest’s spoken words and responded dryly, “If he needs a protector of
his heart, then I guess things are not as they should be with the Tooth Fairy Princess.”

The Queen stepped forward. “Do not toy with Ushi at this given time, dear, he must be tired and hungry from his long ride. Come, sit with us, Ushi, and have some food.”

“Like a woman, you know a hungry man when you see one,” an amused Ushi answered her. Ushi had decided early on that he would take lightly whatever was said about him and the Tooth Fairy Princess. He chose to ignore any jesting done by the King, who he knew loved to jest and throw in his unwelcome remarks. Being a King, he had that right.

The King took his royal seat at the table and motioned for Ushi to sit on the other side of him. The attendants were immediately upon Ushi, laying out a setting for him and putting soup in his soup bowl. The platter of breads was brought to him to choose from.

“It is so good to see you, Ushi. I know there must be a very strong reason for you to be back. Why, it has been months since we have last seen you!” Augean told him, as Shadow took his place at her feet.

Goldest jumped on top of the table, not wanting to be left out. A bewildered attendant set a bowl of soup out for her. She hopped into the soup with a splash and slurped it down with gurgling noises. Augean smiled at her, knowing her boldness very well. A dumbfounded Queen just looked at her, but said nothing, knowing it was best to be silent about the strange gold piece that seemed to be a close friend of Ushi’s.

The King and Ushi continued on with the meal,
ignoring Goldest as if this was normal. Augean giggled, seeing that her grandmother was taken aback at Goldest’s conduct. She couldn’t help but to say, “Goldest! You’re supposed to be a lady, remember?”

Goldest responded by hopping out of her soup bowl and into a water glass to wash the soup off herself. The Queen watched flabbergasted as Goldest jumped out of the water glass, onto the tabletop, and sat with contentment as she smiled up at the Queen and burped. Augean was humored by the whole scene. The Queen was not, but accepted it – seeing that there was no other choice.

“Now, I am ready for my nap,” Goldest remarked.

“
Nap
? Why, that’s all you did was sleep on the rump of my stallion all day,” Ushi responded.

Augean laughed. “I guess some things just never change!”

The table grew quiet as contentment set in and they all continued to enjoy their meal. Even Goldest swallowed her croaks.

After the meal, the King dried his mouth and asked of Ushi, “Tell me what you want, Ushi.”

“What makes you think I want something?”

The King looked sheepishly at Ushi.

“To help us restore the Kingdom of the Ladybugs!” Goldest blurted out.

The Queen was taken by surprise, and showed it as she gasped, “The Kingdom of the Ladybugs? Why, that kingdom has been laid to rest permanently within the Domain.”

“No, it still stands, rotting and decaying,” Ushi quietly informed them all. He looked at the Queen
and Augean. “With your help, you can make the red castle shine and come alive again –just as it once was.”

Then he looked to the King. “With your help, you can release the original people from that kingdom who had taken refuge here, and with some of the Willow Warriors, we can restore the land to its original beauty and make strong that kingdom again.”

The Queen was excited, always looking for something new to do, especially an adventurous undertaking such as that! “Oh, what fun that would be! We would have to spin and weave carpets, wall tapestries, linen! Bring out the spinning wheels!”

“But that would mean all the colorful ladybugs would probably fly back to their own kingdom,” Augean remarked with disappointment.

“Not necessarily, Augean. I’m sure the ladybugs have multiplied so much that they can be informed that they are welcome to stay here or go back from whence they came,” Ushi gently told the little princess.

The Queen looked down at Augean. “Bugs are bugs, dear, do not fret. I’m sure many love the colorful ponds and lakes around our weeping willows. All will not want to leave.”

The King listened with some degree of interest, patiently waiting to hear the real reasoning behind this request. He knew something was amiss. After all, he was the King.

“You have to consider that the willows do supply plenty of insects for them to fill their fat bellies with. Not all will want to leave,” the King stated.

At his spoken words, the Queen looked down at the
King’s fat belly. The King cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

“And just who are to be the King and Queen of this newly restored Kingdom of the Ladybugs?” the King asked, his suspicions mounting.

Goldest had been silent the whole time, knowing it was best if Ushi did the explaining to the King and Queen because he once belonged to this kingdom and not her. But she no longer wanted to remain silent on this subject, and felt this was the right opportunity to speak out.

“
I
shall be the Queen and will reign over this kingdom,” she boldly told them.

The flabbergasted King laughed. The Queen was aghast. Augean’s eyes grew large with wonderment.

“What mean you, Goldest?” Augean seriously asked her, as she looked at her deeply.

The King continued to rant and rave. “A frog? A frog as a Queen? Never, never have I ever seen any type of critter as a Queen within the Domain!”

Goldest could not control her rage. “
I am not a critter
! And you have no right to call me a frog, either! I am a Queen!”

The King roared with laugher as the Queen tried to quieten him down out of respect for Ushi and this gold piece. Augean stared deeply at Goldest, waiting patiently for an explanation from her.

“Alright, calm down – everyone!” Ushi quietly exclaimed.

The Queen gave the King a nasty, disgusted look as he continued to bellow with laughter. The King noticed the look the Queen was giving him and
stopped laughing. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

“Where’s your dignity?” the angered Queen whispered to the King.

After the room quieted down, Ushi knew it was up to him to explain as Goldest sat there seething in anger. “Goldest watched her parents and grandparents perish at the hands of Zea, the Wizard of the Seventh Realm, when he captured her kingdom. That was why she took it upon herself to rid the troubled Domain of the wizard’s son, Leo.”

The King and Queen were astonished at hearing this story being presented by Ushi.

Surprise overcame Augean. “You mean you are a princess too, Goldest?”

“Yes, Augean. I, too, am a princess just like you,” Goldest responded sadly.

“Being the only royal sibling left, she is now the Queen of the Kingdom of the Ladybugs,” Ushi informed them all.

Everyone went quiet, as they tried to comprehend the exact meaning of Ushi’s explanation to all, so great was the surprise.

The King was bewildered. “But a frog? Being a frog…” He paused in thought. Silence reigned. He stretched his head down towards Goldest. “Tell me, did you feast on any of the ladybugs?” he brazenly asked her.

The Queen gasped at her impolite husband. She was annoyed at the King now for his rudeness. Ushi angrily threw his linen napkin down. Shadow approached the King and also growled angrily at him.
Augean felt sorry for Goldest as she looked teary-eyed down at her.
What a burden you have had to bear, my friend
, Augean thought to herself with compassion.

Seeing he was not in anyone’s favor right now, the King cleared his throat again, collected himself and regained his composure. All was quiet once again, it being hard to find the right words to say. Ushi wanted to give them a little time for this unexpected deep secret to take its hold.

The Queen looked down at a heavyhearted Goldest and smiled kindly at her. “I had heard distant rumors from the Gypsy Queen that your grandfather had turned you into a frog to escape the kingdom unseen. I never would have believed it if I didn’t know it to be true. You see, Gypsy Queens do not lie – ever.”

“Gypsies have the most honest of hearts, full of love for life, people and themselves,” Ushi added.

“And don’t forget about their music and their dance!” Augean exclaimed, as her welcomed memories of them flooded back to her. She looked down at Goldest and scolded her.

“Gosh, Goldest, you should have told me! I am your friend.”

I am your friend
, thought Ushi, as he smiled at Augean’s simple statement. “We are all her friends here.”

The King choked back his laughter, seeing how solemn the moment had grown.

The Queen smiled at Ushi’s tactfulness. All looked apprehensively at the King for his spoken words and command. Goldest’s fate lay in the hands of the King now – would he or would he not help her and her
kingdom? The room was so still and quiet that people could hear the beating of one another’s hearts. The King let out an obnoxious fart, but no one took any notice, so great was their apprehension. The King toyed with his soup spoon for several seconds and looked sheepishly at them all. The apprehensive looks on their faces made him want to laugh all over again.
Should I be silent longer and make them suffer in their silence, or should I be a true and good King and grant Goldest her wish
? he asked himself, feeling powerful. He sighed heavily.
Best to get this over with
, he thought to himself.
The Queen will never forgive me if I do not let her have another project of her own to command. Besides, this could be beneficial to me
, he thought to himself.
It would keep her busy and out of my way, so I could just about do anything without having to ask in secret her permission all the time
. The King grimaced to himself, seeing how clever he could be in his thinking. After all, he was the King.

The King opened his mouth to speak as all anxiously leaned forward. A dreadful foreboding had taken hold of him as he asked himself,
Will there be a foreshadowing to warn me against my decision? Well, decisions can be changed at any given time, because I am the King
, he thought cleverly to himself. It was a known fact that Kings did change their minds from time to time, which was their given right.

“I reluctantly grant my consent for the Queen and Augean to spin, weave, craft and collect from the merchants’ supplies for the Ladybug Castle. You, Ushi, can collect the seed and feed from the merchants and select what Willow Warriors you may wish to take back with you to help you in your endeavor. I will
send a messenger to have posted over the towns and communities throughout the kingdom that the Kingdom of the Ladybugs will be revived and restored, and all who wish to go back to their homeland and make it come alive and flourish again have my permission to do so. Otherwise, they may stay and continue on here.”

The Queen and Augean were delighted and excited. Goldest was greatly surprised that the King would let his two most precious dear ones go back to her kingdom with her and help her restore it.

“Oh, there is so much planning to do, and so much we will have to take with us to replenish that kingdom!” the Queen exclaimed with excitement.

“But what shall we tell the people when they ask who their ruler will be?” the King asked, trying to adopt a serious tone.

“We tell them the truth,” Ushi simply stated.

“But a frog? A frog to rule?” the King, trying to conceal his merriment, questioned Ushi.

“No! I shall inform them all that the surviving daughter of the King and Queen from the Kingdom of the Ladybugs will be their Queen,” Goldest proudly stated.