Chapter 14

"Ohhhhhhhhhh" the voice groaned from upstairs. Stephen and Ruby, both downstairs at the dining table getting ready to start breakfast, jumped up and hurried up the stairs to the source of the person in great distress. Stephen reached his bedroom and opened the door without knocking, rushed in and found Humperdinck laying supine on the bed. He raised his head weakly and looked at the two. "Thank you both for your hospitality and friendship. I fear that you will have your room back shortly Stephen, for I feel I shall expire shortly." His head plopped back on the pillow.

Ruby rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead. She then took his hand and inspected the palm before taking his pulse. "Your temperature seems normal and you aren't sweating. Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere" Humperdinck answered. "My fingers, my hands, my arms, my shoulders...need I go on? Just let me die and you can make a list of where it hurt later."

"Does it hurt when you lie still?"

"No it doesn't. No doubt something has poisoned my muscles into a state of paralysis."

Ruby had an idea. With a sudden movement she pulled Humperdinck by the arm towards the edge of the bed. Without thinking he swung his legs around and down to prevent a most undignified fall to the floor. She continued pulling and directed him to "sit in that chair over there." She led him to the chair and he collapsed into it. "Well, you certainly are able to move as long as your mind doesn't protest. I think you're just sore from work yesterday! Force yourself to walk around the room, slowly. If that helps your legs, then we need to get your body loosened up a bit. Come on, you probably won't die for years yet."

And indeed, Humperdinck was able to loosen up his legs by walking. Stephen urged him to come down to breakfast shortly, and left the room. Ruby continued coaching with some helpful stretching movements and an occasional shove. After a fashion he was able to move about albeit slowly as some residual soreness remained. With a "meet us for breakfast" Ruby swept out of the room and Humperdinck dressed as quickly as possible by putting the pain of the soreness in the back of his mind and willing his limbs to bend like they should. By the time he had dressed and made his way downstairs, things were starting to loosen up and work properly again.

At the table a dirty place setting showed where Garnet had already eaten and left. Stephen, Ruby and Inigo were eating much more leisurely and waved at an empty chair for Humperdinck to join them. He grabbed a plate and helped himself to a few small items on the table and sat to eat. He found quickly that his mouth wasn't sore at all and worked just fine. He reloaded the plate again with huge portions and sat to eat in earnest.

They watched in silence as he made quick work of the food and looked around the table for anything he had missed on the previous two passes. It was only then that he saw that they were watching him. "Sorry, I haven't been eating well the past few days and this morning everything just tasted so good."

"If you keep eating like that, no one will recognize you when you get back" joked Inigo. Humperdinck and the rest had a chuckle over that idea, but he did push his plate away from in front of him in a small show of willpower. He asked Stephen his opinion of when the ransom would be paid.

"I haven't any idea; I'm not part of the kidnapping committee. Ask him" he said, pointing at Inigo.

"We didn't put a limit on the time to respond; quite frankly the idea never occurred to us. We don't even care about the demands; we just wanted the time to talk to you and try to convince you that we just want to be left alone to live in peace. That's why we didn't ask for very much. When the time came we'd even planned to give the ransom back to Florin somehow. We're pretty new at this; it isn't like we're following directions in a how-to book. We do have someone from the Revenge hanging around the courtyard that is to receive the reply when it comes." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Now that I've seen kidnapping from both sides, I can't say I approve; but then again I can't think of any other way to have gotten through to me."

Stephen considered this. "If Florin follows its usual business, a courier will bring the reply and give it to your spy Nathan. He'll then bring it to the courtyard and give it to Inigo's man. Then we'll have an idea. Come to think of it, a boat was seen early this morning just up the shore to the north. Perhaps the reply is already in Guilderton."

Stephen got up and walked to a window that overlooked the courtyard. Below, two men were talking. One was the spy Nathan. The other was a man with a feathered hat. "Can't say I really like the hat" commented Stephen.

The others rushed to the window to see, just in time to witness a note being passed to the man in the hat. Humperdinck made a move as if to rush out but Stephen stayed him with a hand on his arm. "Let it play out" Stephen said. After handing over the note, Nathan quickly left without waiting for a reply. The man in the hat started walking toward the castle entrance. "Let's get down to the throne room and receive the reply" suggested Stephen. They all trooped down as a group just in time to meet the man from the Revenge. He confirmed that his contact claimed to have connections with Florin, and handed over the note that was given to him. He handed the note to Inigo, who opened it and read it aloud.

He sighed. "I wonder if kidnappings ever go right?" he asked as he handed the note to Humperdinck, who read both the original ransom demand and the reply on the other side in silence.

"Your plan didn't work" said Stephen. "What are you going to do now? Regardless of what ransom demand was rejected, you can't just keep Humperdinck here his entire life." Ruby thought feverishly for a moment; no, she decided that wouldn't be right.

"Westley and Fezzik are still gone to see Buttercup's family" added Inigo, "maybe they'll have an idea when they get back."

"No!" The force of Humperdinck's answer surprised even himself. He continued after forcing his voice to be calmer. "The plan has worked, although the end game has changed somewhat." He turned more directly to Stephen and Ruby. "I owe you a great deal of gratitude for what you have shown and taught me during my time here. I may have been born to be a king, but I really didn't know HOW to be a king. What opportunities I may have had with my father were squandered in my youth; I regret it but cannot dwell on the fact. For I have been shown things my eyes have not noticed before about how to be a GOOD king. I have searched myself and find that I do love my country and my people, but it has been my shortcomings that prevented any type of real connection before."

"But you can't just sail into Florin City and take up the crown again" said Stephen. "If I understand how things are going there, this Andy person would give back the throne easily enough. Something else is going on; this whole fabrication of enemies surrounding and threatening Florin speaks of other motives from someone else. I would caution that you could be intercepted and your return never be known to Andy or the people. They probably have ports and roads being watched."

"Then I shall sneak in. Very little attention is made of the borderland with Escudo. I shall make my way to Florin that way, or die in the attempt. There is nothing to be said against it; I am going." Humperdinck said the last part with the finality suited to a king.

"Maybe not said against it" said Stephen, "but maybe a little help will ease your journey. Guilder has good relations with Escudo and its King Sean. I will send you with one of our ambassadors that have been there and are known to the court as soon as we can arrange a boat..."

"...and I am that ambassador" added Ruby "and will see you safely there..."

"...and I shall sail you" concluded Inigo, "not on the Revenge which would be noticed, but by a smaller boat. She's fairly fast, and a lot less obvious. We can sail within the hour."

And so it was. Inigo grabbed his sea bag from the Revenge and while on board asked Contessa to sail to Inti to pick up Max and bring him back to the castle. Lon packed a bag with Humperdinck's things and Ruby gathered some supplies for the trip. They all boarded the smaller Amigo and set sail for Escudo.

After setting course the three relaxed for the journey. Before long Humperdinck spoke up.

"Inigo, you are the final person I need to apologize to for my actions, although sometime later I must do the same to the people of Florin. I ordered the destruction of your home and possibly even the loss of your life based on false information that was given to me. Even though I believe it was for the best of my kingdom, I should have required greater proof before sending Tu on the tasks."

"There is no need to apologize; I believe that you were set up to make just a decision. And in an odd way, it might be for the better for me. You see," Inigo continued "I wasn't happy where I was. It was a nice house, but even filled with my things it was empty. It's hard to explain, but I wasn't mad being left with a pile of ashes. I was put out-literally-but only lost things. I've come to realize that I want something else in my life." Inigo told the story of how Rugen had murdered his father and his twenty year quest to avenge him. After that it was three years as the Dread Pirate Roberts, but he grew weary of that life. "I love swords and swordplay, but strangely I don't care to fight anymore. But between us I feel as though we have buried the:

[dice: hatchet]

and I for one consider the matter closed."

Humperdinck considered this. "It's true that, short of abdication I have to be king, but you can do so much else if you wish. Did your father teach you anything about sword making before he was killed?"

"Even though I was only 11, he had already begun to teach me the skills he had learned. I loved my father and would have learned whatever profession he was in. If my father had been a dairy farmer I would be milking cows because that's what he did."

"Then why not become a sword maker? You already have some of the skills, you watched your father work, and you have a great perspective as a master swordsman. I'm going to help Fezzik rebuild his blacksmith shop, why not set aside a work area for your sword making? I would really like to help, and my kingdom could always use better swords. And better swordsmen for that matter" Humperdinck chuckled.

Inigo smiled. "The idea has a certain allure to it; I shall consider your offer. And one last thing while I think of it; reconsider your apology to the people of Florin. From my days as a captain I learned that you can't show too much weakness to your crew or they will lack confidence in you and start to doubt your decisions. As a king you shouldn't show such weakness either. Perhaps instead you could say that you have learned some ways that are even better than what is being done right now. Remember to project your confidence so that the people can share in it too. At least" he concluded "I'd do that if I were a king."

"Care to trade places for a short time? Even a day?" Humperdinck asked.

"Never."