Chapter 6- Strawberry short cake

"We're almost there. Make sure when you get there not to make the guards angry." Shorty replied. Stan could see the silhouette of the capital coming from out of the forest. By this time there was a paved path that they could walk right into the capital's kingdom. The gates were lined with gold and several guards were watching it. Shorty walked up to them all and started talking to them. They were all fine with each other.

"Who's your new friend Shorty?" One of the guards asked.

"This is Stan and he was curious what the capital looked like. I've got a few chores to do so I took him with me." Shorty replied. The guards opened the gate and the two walked through it.

"Be on the watch for anyone with a leather tunic that's dyed cyan." Shorty replied. "He's who I'm meeting up with tonight." Stan looked at the crowd that formed from the houses or the rambled shacks. "This is the lower portion of the capital don't converse with anyone over here."

"I thought the people over here were rich. What's happening?" Stan whispered so none of them would hear and get their feelings hurt. But it's not like other people haven't rubbed their fortune in their faces.

"The stories you hear the capital are true. They just don't add in that there is a lower kingdom in strife. They aren't provided enough but food in low amounts and some wood to build a nasty looking shack. When they starve the guards provide food but then they get weak. It's a worse survival down here than out in the open. They're almost fenced in here like wild animals." Shorty couldn't bring himself to look at anyone. "I once lived here but then escaped."

"Did they chase after you?"

"Yes of course they did. None of them wanted the story of the lower kingdom getting out."

"Why didn't you go tell others about it?"

"Because after I escaped I found it hard to survive. So I went back to the kingdom on my knees begging for a job. The king was so pleased he gave me a job as a guard. I was good at my job but soon I didn't have the heart to become one anymore. I soon quit and left. But since I was a ex-lower kingdom inhabitant I had to basically sign a gag and tell no one." Shorty sighed. Stan never imagined that this was the life in the capital. But now it made sense that Shorty was a guard because the others recognized him. But why did he have to be silent about what happened?

Soon they rode up by a few men dirty and scraggly who were laying on mats and they eyed Shorty carefully. "Hey it's Shorty you guys. Look how life's been treating him. I bet he hasn't told his pal here his real name."

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

"Stan don't talk to them." Shorty barked.

"They're dirty low down dogs Stan." One of them said.

"Stan trust me don't converse with them." Shorty warned.

"Do you want to know his real name or not?"

"I guess so." Stan replied and turned to see Shorty's murderous look.

"Yes Shorty what is again? All of us are dying to hear what it is." The ringleader asked.

Shorty sighed guessing there was no alternative way of handling it." Strawberry Shorty cake." He mumbled.

"What was that? We couldn't hear you." They were clearly enjoying themselves.

"Strawberry Shorty cake." He growled and took Stan by the hand and left. Tilly followed whining as if she was laughing.

"What's wrong with that?" Stan asked.

"No guy should be named Strawberry. Let alone have the last name cake." Shorty was clearly upset by the beggar's words. Stan didn't mind the least of bit. He didn't care that was his real name or not.

"Who were they then?" Stan asked.

"Those were my old friends." Shorty looked back at the small group who were still laughing their heads off. "I left them after I escaped. When I was a guard I had to punish some of them when they did something wrong."

"I'm sorry. I had two friends that went over the most fearsome mountain into the dark and creepy forest behind it." Shorty apparently knew what he was talking about but he didn't let on.

"We're here. This is the gate to the upper kingdom." The gate was pure diamond and guarded by twice as many guards. "When we get through this gate we can leave our horse and mule with an old friend of mine." Tilly snorted not believing a word Shorty said. "Believe me it'll be fine."

The guards let both the boys in with no trouble dealt. They first walked to the stables Shorty was talking about and left them there. Almost Illegal happily went in and conversed with some of the other horses but Tilly put up a small fight. Stan stepped in rather quickly.

"Tilly calm down. Do you think I'd ever let something bad ever happen to you? The mule nodded. "Okay do you think if something bad were to happen I'd come and find you?" The mule thought about it then nodded. "Great then I'll see you soon." Tilly willingly went into the stables.

The guards in the upper kingdom were more disperse here keeping perfect order. All until something totally unexpected happened to any of them. A boy with terror in his eyes ran into the upper kingdom and was calling out to the various people for help.

"Someone help me please!" But most of them ignored him. "My friend needs help." Stan knew that voice all too well. He looked to see who it was. Riker! Where was Hugh. "Stan! It's Hugh!" His friend saw Stan and assumed he would help him out.

"What happened?" Stan looked at his friend who was wearing a bandage over his arm. He was bruised and dry blood was in pockets around his friend. "Where's Hugh?"

"I'm sorry Stan you were right. We shouldn't of gone there. We could have been safe and making a life somewhere else where it was safe. But the monsters there we'd thought they would leave during the day but no they didn't they stayed." Riker cried frantically. "We were attacked by a tall black creature with purple glowing eyes and beat. Our stone swords couldn't handle it." Riker swallowed remembering something about the creature. "It left us for the other mobs to finish us. Hugh had me run and get help and now I think he's-" Riker didn't finish. Stan felt the urgency to go and find out but Shorty stopped him before he could.

"Then there's nothing we can do." Shorty replied. Stan ignored him and listened to his old friend.

"Please Stan you've got to go." He begged. "He still might be alive."

"Stan don't!" Shorty yelled in concern that his friend might be foolish enough to go after his friend.

"Stop it Strawberry." Stan barked and Shorty went silent. "Hugh is my friend and I've got to help him."

"But you can't do it!" Shorty called out "At least not right now. Trust me this man I'm seeing can help." Stan stopped for a moment and thought about it. Riker became wild and started to beg.

"Please Stan he just wants Hugh to suffer. He won't help." Two guards started walking towards the drama in hopes of squandering it. "I beg of you do it for your old friends." The guards grabbed at Riker holding him down for a while.

"Come on back to the lower kingdom. Don't cause any more trouble." Riker called out and begged to San as he was being dragged to the lower kingdom.

"I'm sorry Stan. But there's nothing you can do yet." Shorty apologized.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. After all you've done I shouldn't have done that. I just hope that Hugh is somehow still alive." Stan looked at those mountains that loomed in the far distance.

"When we get stronger we can go. But we're not ready yet. Come on we're almost there just a few more houses down." They walked through the large crowd to the house that Shorty was talking about. But Stan kept looking back at that mountain and the gate. He couldn't help but think about his two friends and what trouble they've gotten themselves into and what trouble the mountain might behold for Stan when he got there.

(Dramatic music) That mountain seems to be calling out Stan's name. Who is this man in a cyan tunic that Shorty or should I say Strawberry Shorty Cake is talking about and how can he help? What was the creature that attacked the two boys? What kind of forest were they in? All of these will be answered shortly. But now I have a very important footnote to give you.

Remember the upper and lower kingdom? In a way the capital is like a server hierarchy. The lower kingdom is like a crowded server with limited recourses, overcrowding, hunger, and limited space. These people live in poverty. The upper kingdom on the other hand is like V.I.P with less of the lower kingdom problems. The guards kind of act like staff managing order in the capital. But what is the king?

Were any of you surprised about Shorty's real name? I wasn't! Mostly because I wrote it.

Thank you!