The King's Servants

Chapter 6

William and the other five humans ran into their little passageway and congratulated each other on the way to the king's chambers. "Well done Camilla" said William as he ran to embrace and kiss his sister, "if you hadn't acted as quickly as you did we would have lost the king!"

"That maybe so, but if we hadn't all run our fastest, you would never have known on time, plus you are the one who came up with that smart plan to spill his drink, or he would have killed both you and him at the same time so well done to all of us", responded Camilla. They all drew into a big group hug when a loud, angry voice interrupted the moment.

"Are you children actually going to make me wait for you?" It was King Baritorin. He had spoken into their door that had led to his room. He was not happy. "Relax everyone. We'll just explain what happened and the King will be happy again", said Thomas in a reassuring tone.

When they entered the room, the King was changing his garments behind a screen. The king's movements behind the screen suggested that he was being very forceful in removing his stained clothes. That was not a good sign.

Jack then announced that they were all present. The deep voice of the King filled the room, once Jack spoke. "Good", Baritorin replied, "Because I have a bone to pick with the six of you and I want no talking while I speak, AM I CLEAR?" The children all nodded. This wasn't the Baritorin they knew. He had such a hard, hate-filled expression plastered on his face and his voice was without the usual warmth that he spoke with. This Baritorin was scary.

"Now, when I first came here, to your kingdom, your queen gave me a choice that I had never been given before. She said that I could pick my own servants. Now when you came up, you did something that no other servant had ever done. You made me laugh. When I picked you, I thought that I had chosen a bunch of sweet, trustworthy young people that I could befriend, that I could learn from. Armana warned me against you, and I foolishly decided to ignore her warnings" began Baritorin. As he said these words he drew closer and closer to the children, who in turn, backed away as the giant angry king drew nearer and nearer.

The king's words stung the children, but he was nowhere near finished with them. "I picked you thinking that I would benefit. But what do you do? YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME IN FRONT OF ALL THE OTHER ROYALS! You humiliated me when all I ever did for you was be kind to you, offer you encouragement and help you improve your skills in your hobbies! YOU CHEATED ME OF MY KINDNESS! I even let you eat with me. I've never done that with any other servant I've ever had. I chose you to be the first ones, and from what I've experienced, you'll most likely be the last. I won't be making this mistake ever again" he screeched, his breath heavy with the pungent smell of alcohol.

The humans were all shaking and were all on the verge of tears. They couldn't believe that they were being scolded for saving his life. Amelia decided to make the brave move and tell the king what had happened despite his outburst. "Sire... This isn't what you think. If you would let me explain..." She began, her voice weak and muffled from the lump of tears that had formed in her throat.

"SILENCE WRETCH", screamed the King, nearly knocking all of them over with the power of his voice. Amelia backed up against the wall, she wanted to be as far away from the mad king as possible. "I don't want to hear any explanation from you or any one of your siblings" screamed the King as he turned his eyes to the floor. He didn't want to look at any of them. He was so disappointed in them. His only true friends in the kingdom of Valencia had taken advantage of his kindness. They had tried to embarrass him.

The human children couldn't take it anymore. They didn't care if the king didn't want to hear their story. They just wanted him to stop being angry with them. He was one of the few people who never tried to underestimate them, and the thought of him disliking them was breaking each and every one of their little hearts. They had built up such a nice relationship together. It was something more than just a master-servant relationship and it was about to be dashed to pieces.