Chapter 2

Acute Anticipation

Eric waited. He got to be pretty good at it.

The days passed and he just waited. There wasn't much else he could do. But he grew bored in his pampered palace. Before the Realm he had been used to this level of inactivity, but now he was just bored.

He only saw his Queen in passing, as she hurried from important meeting to public function and back to important meeting again.

In fact, since that first evening, they had hardly said two words to each other.

And they still hadn't done… well… that, either, and Eric hadn't pushed the matter, especially since she seemed to know what she was doing, and he didn't. Every night she would accompany him up the stairs and to his room, only to swiftly rebuff him.

It was beginning to seem suspicious as well. She wanted him as her husband, but she wouldn't actually let him be her husband, either. It was almost as if he was just some sort of token King.

That very unpleasant thought grew, getting stronger each day; he tried not to think about it but once thought of, the idea wouldn't go away. Maybe she just needed a husband, just needed any old husband, and she hadn't wanted him at all.

That would be more than his ego could bear!

And if the others ever found out, he'd be a laughing stock for the rest of his life!

But that didn't seem to be much of a problem at the moment, and that was another thing that annoyed him.

Why hadn't they come back to visit him, like they had promised?

Bobby should have been cured, they could at least have come back to say thank you!

Weeks had passed and there was no sign of them at all. It was like they had just abandoned him, and forgotten about him completely.

He was left alone for much of the time, and in spite of what everyone thought, he didn't like to be alone. Occasionally he wondered what they were saying about him, whether they were laughing about him behind his back and making jokes about his marriage. But however much that stung to think about, it was better than the alternative: that they never even spoke about him at all!

Each day he wandered empty halls, with no one to talk to. He even found himself longing for Dungeonmaster to drop in. It must be bad if he was actually missing Dungeonmaster! He still kept his armour on, even though it looked out of place in the Palace and he had been given other clothes to wear. He was still the Cavalier, after all.

Then one day, when he had eventually tired of the Palace, he walked round to the front gates, with the idea of going out and maybe having a look around, perhaps he would be able to gather up some information about the others. But there was a heavy guard there. He hesitated for a moment, then walked up to the gate with his head held high. The tallest guard stepped in front of him.

'Sorry, sir, but you may not leave,' said the Head Guard, not looking very sorry at all.

'But I'm King!' retorted Eric in surprise. He could see the whole city just in front of him.

'Yes sir, but no one may leave the Palace! Not even Our Lady the Queen herself! It's in the Rools!'

There was nothing he could say to change their minds, and eventually he had give in. They looked at him as if he didn't understand something, and as he walked off, he had a nasty feeling that they were laughing behind his back.

Again, his thoughts strayed to the others; where were they? Had they managed to go home? Were they off looking for another portal? He was never going to see any of them again, unless they came to see him.

What if they never came back? What if he was stuck there forever, doomed to wander round the dark, dreary hall of Zinn?

He sighed.

Now he was King, what was he going to do?

The next day, while Zinn was in the court session, he took a walk round the gardens, past the huge Yellow Dragon plant that had started all his troubles. He looked at it, curled up like a shrivelled claw and frowned, thinking of the others and how they had abandoned him here. He was enjoying the peace in the beautiful garden, not expecting anyone to disturb him. But there was the noise of movement behind him and he turned. Someone was there!

'G...greetings, my King,' said a quiet voice. For a moment his heart leap, thinking that at least Dungeonmaster hadn't forgotten about him. But as he turned he realised it wasn't Dungeonmaster. Whoever it was was too tall for a start!

The man was about the same height as Eric and just a few years older, and was clearly a gardener. His plain, unflattering clothes were streaked in mud and he smelt of grass. In his hand was a long hoe with a hook on the end. Eric looked at him warily.

'Hello,' he said at last.

The man bowed low to the ground, and Eric felt a twinge of pride and authority at the gesture. At least someone around here showed him some respect!

'My name is Rayner,' he said. 'I tend the grounds, from here to the western wall.' He pointed to the west, and a long, long, longway away over a vast sea of grass and trees was a wall.

'Oh,' replied Eric, now suddenly aware how out of his depth he was. What did King say in this sort of situation? 'Um… do you… you know… like it?'

'Like it, my King?' he asked. His confusion gave way to veiled anger. 'It is my trusted task! Who has dared to say that I do not care for my trusted task?

'No! No! That's not what I mean,' said Eric hurriedly. 'It's just that it's such a big area and I thought…'

'They say that I cannot tend it properly!' said Rayner aghast. 'They think I shirk my duty to my Queen and my City!'

'NO!' said Eric in a panic. 'No! Look, I didn't mean…!'

But Rayner was looking shaken. He hurriedly bowed once more to Eric and muttered some sort of formal goodbye, before vanishing back into the gardens.

Eric watched him go with a sinking feeling.

Oh, shit! Why did he keep on doing this? The first person he'd actually had a "normal" conversation with in over two weeks and he managed to piss him off.

The incident weighed on Eric's mind for the rest of the morning; much, much more than it should have done under other circumstances. In the end, Eric found it impossible to concentrate on anything else, in his mind's eye he could see the miserable crest-fallen look on the other man's face. But when he tried to look for the gardener in the grounds of the Palace, Rayner was nowhere to be found.

The next morning, Eric decided to continue his search for the other man, as if the search itself gave his life a tiny little more meaning, other than just something to do. He was getting a little better at finding his way around the Palace and grounds, and he mostly knew where he was going. It wasn't easy, and he still couldn't find the gardener, but he was glad to be actually doing something, rather than pacing around like an aimless, caged animal.

That day, Eric paused at the main gate, looking out to the city beyond. Rayner probably didn't live in the grounds. He must have had a home and a family, or someone to talk to at least. But there was no way Eric could get out. The guards were still there.

At gates was a throng of people, all looking in at the wonderful Palace, with looks of awe on their faces, and Eric scowled at them, jealous that they should be free and he was stuck here behind bars and…

Something attracted his attention, and Eric stared. One of the crowd seemed almost familiar.

His heart caught in his throat. It was Bobby! Damn it he was sure! Bobby! It must have been the only time he was ever pleased to see the little squirt!

He opened his mouth to call out, but the young boy took one look at him and disappeared, before Eric could move.

The moment was gone, and all Eric could do was just stare at the place where the boy had been.