Chapter 10

Tu left Andy in the throne room and made his way down the hall towards a side of the castle where the kitchen and staff quarters were located. As he walked he reflected how the recent turn of events was playing into the plans of he and his wife; fate just gave Tu and Elle Whitu a big helping hand.

Ever since he had joined the company of Florin's guards Tu had ambitions for something better. First was getting posted to the castle duty. Next he worked his way out of night shifts. Having a wife on the castle kitchen staff occasionally helped with inside information on the goings on of Florin's royal family. He caught the attention of Count Rugen, who recruited him to be a coordinator of the spies who reported in from the city and neighboring kingdoms. Naturally with that responsibility it was reasonable to want to become the Captain of the Guard. After the mass defections during and after the rescue of Buttercup, the job was his for the taking even after the death of his patron Rugen. Now he commanded Florin's guard and oversaw the spy network.

But for some, power creates a hunger for more power. And with the failure of the marriage of Humperdinck and Buttercup, Tu saw a weakness that could be exploited. After the death of his father, Humperdinck assumed the throne without heir. With no children or siblings the traditional succession to the throne was currently cut off. And with the elimination of a Humperdinck without issue, most would agree that bold measures would be needed to protect the kingdom. His wife agreed; Elle could easily imagine herself the wife of the de facto military leader of the country. And it was she who came up with a plan.

As a member of the kitchen staff, she had access to the food that was prepared and served to the king. It was a small matter to add a little rarium poison to his dates; she was able to obtain a small amount of the poison from a bottle in the Court Counselor's room. The dates were a delicacy only served to the king, so no one else would fall ill from the food. It was slow acting, and by the time the King felt ill it would be too late. No one would suspect them.

Tu arrived in the kitchen and found his wife working at a table; inventing an excuse they stepped away into a private area to talk. "Great news," he told his wife "we have been smiled upon by fate. King Humperdinck has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom."

Elle thought for a few moments as the expression on her face changed from concentration to elation. "He should have already received enough poison by now. When he falls ill and dies, his kidnappers will be blamed and we'll be in the clear for sure."

"That's right. And there's more. With Humperdinck gone, the only person with a possible claim to the throne is his advisor Andy. I just caught him eating dates in the throne room. If we can get him to keep eating them…" Tu trailed off.

"…then in about a month Andy will have eaten enough to fall ill and die too. And it will be up to you to save the kingdom from the threat of her enemies nearby. The fact that you invented the threat they pose is just a minor detail." They both hugged and Tu twitched; his face was still trying to smile but failed yet again.

"I would prefer assuming the role of leader now," continued Tu "rather than wait a month. But this way there will be no competition for the position after Andy is gone. Otherwise he might prove to be a hindrance to my rule. Now we just play along and wait. Be sure to keep those dates coming."

Andy tossed and turned on his bed, without really going to sleep. He still had the vision of the Katz family crest in his head as he worried about the kingdom. Certainly history provided enough examples of a reign continuing under difficult circumstances. But what to do? So far the court historian hadn't been able to find an heir that was still alive, although the search was a slow one and had not been concluded yet.

He had sought counsel from the court's impressive clergyman. Andy had sat down and described the situation while his Eminence sat in deep thought. After he finished describing his situation, the clergyman sat. And thought. Or maybe prayed. It wasn't until Andy heard soft snores coming from the other man that he realized that in fact the clergyman had fallen asleep. Rousing him gently, the clergyman simply said "Wuw Wisewy."

Even though there was no definite leader at the moment, he considered himself the closest thing. He didn't want to rule; he preferred his books and experiments. But he had the most education and the closest relationship with Humperdinck. Even now Andy didn't know how to think of the king. Dead? Alive? Could anybody who would kidnap and ransom a king be trusted to keep him in good health? Even if he made an agreement with them, there was nothing to keep them (or someone else for that matter) from doing the same again. And what about the kingdom? Humperdinck had told him about the threat from the neighboring kingdoms and the role of certain agitators, information courtesy of Tu's spy network. The kingdom HAD to be protected against those as well.

The next morning Andy sent word by messenger around the castle and into the city that an important announcement would be made at midday from the balcony of the castle to the people of Florin. Word spread quickly, and people began to make their way to the castle and into the courtyard well before the appointed time. The 'Come All' trumpet call was sounded and eventually the courtyard was filled and the later arrivals had no choice but to mill about the entrance and surrounding wall.

Tu deployed his guards about to provide as much order as was possible with such a large crowd. The entrance to the castle itself was also heavily guarded, and he posted a pair on the balcony from which Andy would speak. Andy stepped through the door that led from the throne room to the balcony and glanced at the sundial's face. Midday, or at least close enough for all intents and purposes. He noticed that it was running fast and moved the base slightly to adjust the shadow. He stepped to the railing and looked out upon the sea of faces. He still wasn't happy doing this, but there was no choice in the matter. He waved to the crowd and a fair number of the people waved back. He was known by sight to quite a few of the city's population from his earlier life in the cart races before entering the king's employ. He took a deep breath, raised a large cone to his mouth to project his voice and began.

He went into great detail about what was known about the events of two days ago, and how the note had been found and the consequences of taking action in various ways. He went on about the needs of the kingdom and taking care of its people the best way possible under the terrible crisis. The truth was that King Humperdinck was gone and was presumed to be lost to the kingdom. The king wouldn't have given into a ransom demand, and Andy would honor that same position. The search for an heir hadn't yielded any results yet, but that there was still hope. But until a day when an heir was found, Andy would lead the kingdom as Regent until such a time as he was no longer needed. He called for an official day of remembrance on this date in honor of their lost king, and asked the good people of Florin to try to carry on with their lives.

Finished with his address, Andy waved to the people again and reluctantly returned to the throne room to begin his new responsibility as regent. The ancient curse of 'May you live in interesting times' came to mind as he settled onto the throne.