Chapter 4: The Kingdom to Come Part 1: To Cloudcoil Canyon

"Breakfast's ready!" Martha called.

Roland stood. "We'll figure something out after we've eaten," he said. "I'm starved."

They both stood as well. "Yes," Aranella agreed. "So am I."

Evan sniffed the air. "Mmm! Can you smell that? It smells delicious." He ran on ahead and they followed. Breakfast consisted of eggs both fried and scrambled, meat that Roland assumed to be bacon if pigs existed in this world, fried mushrooms, potatoes that had been sliced and fried, and slices of toast. Butter had been laid out on the table as well as a jug of juice.

Martha was already seated at the table, so they sat down and began to tuck in. "Have you decided what you'll be doing now?" She asked once she and everyone had heaped food onto their plates.

"We have actually," Evan replied. "I'm going to build a new kingdom."

"Goodness me!" She exclaimed, a hand going to the side of her face in shock. "You certainly don't dream small now do you?" Evan giggled at that.

"You wouldn't happen to know where we could find a Kingmaker would you?"

Martha frowned and folded her arms. "Well… I do know the location of a King's Cradle actually, but…"

"You do?" Evan asked excitedly.

"But what?" Roland asked, one eyebrow quirking involuntarily.

"It's getting there that's the problem, you see," She explained, gesturing in explanation. "Because you'd have to go through Cloudcoil Canyon."

"Cloudcoil Canyon?" Aranella and Evan both repeated, their alarm and concern reflected on their faces.

"Which would be bad enough on its own," she continued with a nod, "but the King's Cradle is on an island. So you'd need a boat to get to it."

Roland frowned at the table as he hummed in thought. "That could be problem. Even if there were trees in the canyon to make a raft with, we don't have any rope for binding, or any tools with which to cut them down." He looked to Evan. "And swimming across would be outta the question."

"It's the Sky Pirates I'd be more worried about," said Aranella absently, her gaze on the food furnishing the table in front of her.

He blinked at her in confusion. "The… what?"

"The Sky Pirates," Martha repeated. "They make their home in Cloudcoil Canyon and only people who can barter their way through are allowed to pass."

"So we'd need money."

"Or food," she added. "Or clothes, or blankets. Or anything else they'd have a need or use for."

"Right," he grimaced. "And we don't have anything."

"I didn't want to assume… But I didn't think you would either."

"Is it possible to sneak in?"

"They have eyes in the sky, or at least they do during the day. You might have better luck at night," she shrugged, "but I've yet to hear of anyone who's managed to pull that off."

He grimaced again. "And if they caught us…"

"Maybe if we asked them nicely?" Evan suggested.

"It's a nice sentiment dear," Martha replied kindly, with a gentle smile, "if only the Sky Pirates were that well mannered."

"It might not be such a bad idea," said Roland.

"Whatever do you mean?" Asked Aranella, looking to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps they'd let us pass if we could do something for them, or fetch them something? In essence, barter manual labour for safe passage."

She looked thoughtful. "I see…"

"And perhaps they might take you up on that," said Martha, seeming to agree as well.

"It can't hurt to try can it?" Evan asked.

Roland and Aranella exchanged looks. "I… I suppose not," she said.

"Unless there's another King's Cradle we could shoot for?" Roland asked, looking to Martha.

But she dashed their hopes with a shake of her head. "There's no other that I know of; At least not here in the Summerlands."

He sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "Looks like we don't have a choice then. We'll just have to figure things out when we get there."

They stood and Aranella asked. "Would you like us to help you wash up before we take our leave? It's the least we can do after all you've done for us."

But Martha gestured dismissively. "Oh never you mind the washing up, my dears; My little lovelies and I can manage. But there is something I would have you do for me."

"What's that?" Evan asked, curious.

"I used to be very active in my youth but my age is starting to catch up to me, and I can't go as far as I used to. One of my higgledies wants to go out and see more of the world than what I can show him," she shook her head, "but I love them all so much that I'm afraid to let him go on his own." She clasped pleading hands together as she asked. "Would you consider taking him with you?"

Evan gasped and clasped his hands together in a mirror of Martha as he turned to Roland and Aranella with an equally hopeful expression. "Oh can we? Can we?"

They exchanged looks. "I… guess?" Roland replied, shrugging in uncertainty.

"What do they eat?" Aranella asked, raising a hand to her chin. She couldn't recall the higgledies eating anything during either dinner or breakfast.

But Martha laughed as she gestured dismissively. "Oh you don't have to worry about any of that. They don't require food like we do. But if you give them offerings, to show them your appreciation, they'll come to like you very much!" She raised her hands helplessly as she added, "Although don't ask me what they do with them."

They exchanged looks again and this time Roland gestured in suggestion as he said, "He could be helpful."

"Oh I think you'll find he can be very helpful indeed."

A quirked eyebrow. "How so?"

"The next time you find yourselves in battle, call on his aid and you'll see for yourself."

They exchanged looks once more, Roland's one of puzzlement while Aranella's was one of skepticism. "You know," he said as he folded his arms. "Since Evan is gonna be our king, he should decide." He gestured in explanation as he added, "He'll be making a lot of decisions in the future after all."

She sighed in reluctant acceptance. "I suppose that's fair."

"Well Evan? What do you say?"

Evan raised his fists as he exclaimed. "Yes!"

Martha clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh thank you ever so much." She turned to the group of higgledies at her feet. "You hear that Runcible? You're going to go see the world!"

"Higgledy pig!" A small white higgledy wearing a red bandana declared joyfully and the other higgledies cheered for him. Then the whole lot of them started doing a funny little victory dance that had Evan laughing. Roland smiled at the display and despite her earlier reluctance, so did Aranella. Runcible stuck out a hand for Evan to shake which he did so with great care. "Hig pig pig."

"Nice to meet you too, Runcible."

Roland had to blink multiple times to clear his eyes, because Runcible was now holding up a stick for Evan to take and he swear he didn't see from where the little higgledy had produced it, it had just appeared in his hands. Even Martha had to comment, "Where in the world did you get that from, Runcible?"

"Oh! Is this for me?" Evan asked politely.

Runcible nodded. "Hig!"

He took the stick carefully. "Thank you, Runcible."

"Hold on, Evan, let me get a look at that," said Aranella, so he handed it over. She examined the stick carefully and gently. "Yes, it's as I thought. This appears to be a very old wand, but… it seems so familiar… though," she frowned and shook her head, "I can't for the life of me figure out why."

"Interesting," Roland commented.

"You should take care of this, Evan. Store it away in your arms band for safekeeping."

"I will." Evan took the wand back and vanished it into his arms band.

Roland placed a hand on his hip. "All right well, now that that's settled, we should be heading out," he declared.

"It's a two day walk to Cloudcoil Canyon from here, so let me fill up your canteens before you go," said Martha.

They exchanged looks. "We kind of just have the one," Roland confessed. The canteen in question was one of the essential supplies Ratja had taken from the chest in Evan's escape room.

She blinked. "Oh dearie me." And then shook her head. "Well that won't do at all." She assumed a thoughtful posture. "I think I still have my old one lying around somewhere. Give me a moment." She disappeared into a storage cupboard before anyone could say anything, and they could hear her muttering to herself as she rummaged through the contents. "Now where did I put it?" After a few minutes she exclaimed. "There you are!" And reemerged with a leather canteen in hand that had definitely not seen any action for some time. "Here we go," she said as she dusted it off. "As I explained before, I'm not as active as I once was, so I no longer have much use for it. I can't guarantee it won't leak, but it's better than nothing at least. And I'll give you some supplies as well."

"Oh we couldn't possibly-" Aranella began in protest, holding up both hands.

"Nonsense," Martha spoke over her, placing her hands on her hips. "Unless you're experienced hunters and foragers – and you'll forgive me for assuming you're neither – then you'll be going at least two days without food."

"She's right," Roland agreed. "We're not gonna be scrounging up anything to eat ourselves anytime soon, so we'll need whatever Martha can spare." Aranella sighed in reluctant agreement.

So Martha gave them a loaf of bread, a block of cheese and a leg of ham. "Here you are, my dears," she said. "This should keep you going for a few days if you ration it appropriately."

"Thank you, Auntie Martha. You're too kind," Aranella replied. She took the supplies and vanished them into her armsband. "And thank you for taking us in as well," she continued as she gave Martha a polite bow.

"Yes, thank you!" Evan added.

Martha gave them a radiant smile. "You're most welcome, my dears, I did enjoy your company." She escorted them to the front door. "You take care of yourselves out there now, it's not as safe these days. And watch out for the wyverns as well you hear? The Sky Pirates aren't the only ones that make their home in Cloudcoil Canyon."

"We will, Auntie Martha," said Aranella. "And thank you."

She waved with one hand. "Ta ta, my dears. And who knows? Perhaps we'll meet again."

They bade their farewells and stepped outside. "All right, which way to Cloudcoil Canyon?" Roland asked.

"It's that mountain range ahead of us on the right," Aranella replied. "But we'll have to go further downstream to cross the river first. If all goes well, we should reach the river delta – and the first bridge – by the end of the day."

"Got it. Let's go then." And they were off, Runcible running along happily behind them. "By the way, uh-"

"What's a King's Cradle?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah…"

"It's a holy place where a Kingmaker is enshrined and is also the place where they retreat to once they have exhausted their power."

"So every kingdom has one then?"

"Yes… or well, every kingdom that has a Kingmaker has one that is. There were kingdoms that didn't you see, but a great period of wars and fighting meant those kingdoms are no more."

"You don't say; Not having a Kingmaker would've put them at a disadvantage."

"Indeed, but those kingdoms would've allied with ones that did for protection."

"Well… that doesn't seem to have worked out for them so well, huh?"

"True, but having a Kingmaker was no guarantee for survival in those days either; There were many kingdoms of yore that had Kingmakers to protect them and those kingdoms are no longer around."

He blinked. "I see." Then frowned. "If that's true then how do we know this King's Cradle even has a Kingmaker?"

"Because King's Cradles are where Kingmakers are born."

He raised a dubious eyebrow as he was still no closer to understanding what she trying to explain. "Okay?"

"Although we don't entirely understand how the process works, we do know that Kingmakers were created in times of old when the world was still new, and King's Cradles are where they can be found. And that if a Kingmaker is killed – and they can be killed by the way – then a new one takes its place."

"I see, so if the old one was killed some time ago then you're reckoning a new one will have taken its place by now?"

"Exactly."

He nodded. "That seems reasonable."

They hadn't got very far when a group of five rodent like creatures – relatives of mousekind? Roland wondered – crossed their path, forcing the trio to come to a halt.

"Whamsters," Aranella growled, her expression becoming displeased.

"Part of the local wildlife?" He had to ask, as they were chittering amongst themselves in a manner that sounded an awful lot like speech – though it was unintelligible – and were all carrying primitive weapons. The whamsters noticed them and brandished their weapons with a battle cry, or more accurately a battle squeal.

"Well, yes. Although they do seem to possess a rudimentary intelligence."

Roland called forth his ratslicer. "Well either way, it looks like we've got a fight on our hands."

Evan summoned his own sword. "This time I'll fight with you."

He glanced at Aranella who looked concerned and reluctant. After raising and protecting him his whole life it was understandable, but. "He's got to start somewhere."

"I know," she replied though a touch reluctantly. "Try to focus on one, Evan. We'll deal with the rest."

"Okay!"

"Hig!" Runcible declared. He had in hand what appeared to be a tiny sword and was wearing a fierce and determined expression. Was he thinking of fighting too?

"Is he…?" Aranella asked, her expression one of disbelief mixed with curiosity.

"Looks like it. He's got spunk I'll give him that." And then the whamsters were on them. He squared off against one with a giant bone club and skull mask. The club was so comically oversized that Roland wondered how the whamster could even lift it. But the force behind the little warrior's blows was no laughing matter. Roland stayed on the defensive as he analysed the whamsters attack pattern until it became apparent that actually he'd been onto something; The whamster's strikes were slow, much slower than the mousekind soldiers he'd fought yesterday. He had no trouble slipping past the whamster's guard and made short work of him. Aranella had already dispatched her second whamster and was onto the third while Evan was holding his own against the fourth with Runcible's help.

Roland hung back and watched. From the way he was wielding his sword he'd clearly had some training, but from the way he was fighting he'd definitely not been in a real battle before. Aranella finished off her whamster and then moved to help Evan but Roland stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Wait hold on. Let him finish." Eventually he and Runcible prevailed, but instead of ending his opponents life, he left him unconscious instead.

"Evan," Aranella sighed.

"What?" He asked looking genuinely confused. "We don't have to kill them do we?" He looked to Roland, his expression becoming mildly troubled. "Do we?"

"We don't," he replied. "But listen," he continued, raising a hand to silence Aranella who had opened her mouth to protest. "Sometimes choosing to spare your opponent will have consequences. As you saw." Evan hung his head. "So it'll be up to you," he gestured towards him, "to decide if those consequences are worth it. In this case?" He looked around at the fallen whamsters. Neither he nor Aranella had shown any such compunction, which left Evan's whamster as the only survivor. "I don't know if whamsters are smart enough to consider revenge, but… if they are…"

"Which is why it's best to finish the fight, Evan," Aranella added. "We can't afford any loose ends coming back to bite us right now."

"But…" Evan objected half-heartedly, his ears drooping.

Aranella summoned her dagger. "So if you won't do it, I will." She advanced on the unconscious whamster but Evan blocked her.

"No! Wait!"

"Evan," she scolded. "This is for your own good."

"Aranella, it's fine," said Roland as he stepped in. "There are some lessons that have to be learned the hard way."

Aranella looked into Evan's pleading face and relented. "All right, Evan. But just this once, understand?" Evan swallowed and glanced back at the whamster before nodding.

With that settled, Roland turned the conversation onto another topic. "By the way, these whamsters… are they…?" He hesitated.

"Yes?" Aranella prompted, her expression one of puzzled curiosity.

"Are they wild relatives of mousekind?"

Surprise flashed across her face before she schooled it something more neutral but with a hint of amusement. "I think they'd be very offended if you suggested that but…" She tilted her head to one side and raised a hand to her chin. "I must admit the thought had crossed my mind. Or at the very least in relation to one mouse in particular."

"Mausinger?"

"Vermine, actually."

"Nella, that's mean!" Evan gasped, looking genuinely horrified.

She put a hand on her hip in defiance. "Tell me you don't see a resemblance."

"I'm guessing you don't like him that much," Roland stated more than asked.

She nodded. "You guess right."

"Why is that if I may ask?"

"He was…" she shrugged in admission, "all right at first, I suppose. Though truthfully, before he became friends with Mausinger I didn't really notice him around the castle that much, so I don't really remember what he was like all that well, except that he used to be very timid. Afterwards, well." She frowned and dropped her gaze, "I suppose Mausinger must've helped him find his confidence, because timid is the last thing I'd call him now."

"What would you call him now?"

She placed a hand on her hip again. "Obnoxious."

"… I see."

Her expression became contemplative as she looked off into the distance in thought. "Strange though… now that I think back – and after yesterday… it all happened so suddenly."

He raised an eyebrow. "How suddenly?"

"Well, I didn't used to take much notice of him so it's hard to say exactly. A week maybe? Two?"

He frowned. "Huh. That is pretty sudden. How long ago was this?"

"About a year… or less."

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking perhaps Mausinger did something to him. And the Black Knight… perhaps Mausinger's the one who did that to him too?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I… guess it's possible? We know Mausinger can use magic at least." But to what end? he wondered to himself.

"Would Mausinger really do something like that?" Evan asked. He dropped his gaze to ask, "I thought they were his friends…"

"King Leonhard was his friend as well," Aranella added icily. "That didn't stop Mausinger poisoning him."

Evan looked away and Roland sighed. "Well whatever happened, it's something we can only guess at. Come on," he waved them forward, "let's press on." They started on ahead while Roland glanced back towards Ding Dong Dell for a moment before joining them.

They took a quick break for lunch around midday before pressing on, and continued until the sky began to darken and the first of the nighttime stars were twinkling overhead. "We'd better start looking for somewhere to make camp for the night," Roland stated unnecessarily.

"Yes," Aranella agreed. "Though I'm not the most experienced of campers."

Neither was Roland, though he could at least call on some experience from camping trips with his parents in his youth. "We want somewhere with some shelter from the wind and the rain, so maybe look for somewhere with trees." They all kept their eyes peeled as they walked, though it was becoming more difficult the more they lost the light.

"What about over there?" Evan was trying to be helpful, but he had as much experience with the outdoors as either of them, so everywhere he pointed to never quite met the mark.

"Higgle pig!" In the end it was Runcible, who must've had some outdoor experience from outings with Martha, who was the one to spot somewhere that looked ideal; A thicket of bushes and small trees. There was a clearing under one of the trees with just enough space to sleep all four of them, and the surrounding bushes afforded them some protection from the wind as well as any potentially unfriendly eyes.

"This is perfect." Roland turned to Runcible with an approving smile. "Good find."

Runcible nodded, returning the smile. "Hig."

"Let's get settled in for the night."

"Aren't we going to make a campfire?" Evan asked, looking puzzled.

Roland glanced around before replying. "It's probably best to forgo making a campfire for the night. If there are still patrols out looking for us and they're nearby, the light from a campfire will give us away."

"Oh…" He replied simply, dropping his gaze to his feet as his ears drooped.

"We'll just have to make do with what we're wearing."

"Well… I have a blanket, actually." He pulled it from his arms band and held it in his hands, staring at in contemplation until he made a decision. "But, I think you should have this, Nella," he said, holding it out for her to take.

Aranella smiled and held up a hand. "That's all right, Evan. I can manage without it."

He shook his head. "I insist. I have my travel cape to keep me warm, and Roland has his coat. You don't have anything."

"He's right," Roland added. "I can't imagine your outfit was designed with camping under the stars in mind."

"No," she sighed in resignation. "All right." She took the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thank you, Evan."

He smiled back. "You're welcome, Nella."

"I'd imagine we must all be hungry by now. I know I certainly am."

"I could go for a bite," Roland confirmed.

"Me too," Evan seconded.

Aranella pulled out the bread, cheese and ham and cut them all a sandwich each and handed them out. "This won't be enough to sate our hunger of course, but… it should at least take the edge off it."

"It's fine," Roland replied as he took his share. "It's better to ration it so it lasts longer, like Martha said." They tucked into their sandwiches, and he paused. "How much further to the bridge, do you reckon?"

"It's hard to say in the dark but I think we're close. Though truth be told, all I've seen of the world beyond the walls of Ding Dong Dell have either been from the inside looking out, or on a map."

"Right, well… let's hope it's not too much further, then." They continued eating in silence and when they'd all finished, he spoke up again. "All right, get some sleep you two. I'll take first watch."

"Are you quite certain, Roland?" She asked.

"Yeah," he replied with a nod. "Let's just say I'm used to late nights."

"Very well. Be sure to wake me when you're ready to turn in then." She added with a smile. "As I said before, I am well accustomed to early mornings, so it won't be too much trouble for me to take the morning shift."

He returned the smile and nodded. "All right. Will do."

"Higgle," said Runcible. He waved to get Roland's attention and then pointed to himself, seeming to be trying to explain something.

"Oh, you uh… wanna lend a hand?" Runcible nodded so he smiled. "Well thanks. An extra pair of eyes will be a big help."The smile vanished to be replaced by a frown as he looked around. "Though I'm not sure you'll be able to see much from where you are."

"Higgle pig," Runcible replied. He ran to one of the trees and they watched, amazed, as he scaled the trunk and took up a position on one of the branches. "Higgle pig hig," he declared proudly, waving down at them.

"Good thinking," Roland complemented. "And you should be able to see a lot further than I can as well."

"Higgle," Runcible nodded. "Higgle pig higgle," he added.

"Great, thanks," he replied.

"You understand higgledy now?" Aranella asked him with an expression that was halfway between dubious and amused.

"I don't, but I'm pretty sure he said he'd would warn me if he spotted anyone coming."

"Higgle," Runcible confirmed.

Roland gestured to the higgledy with one hand as he smiled at Aranella. "See?"

Aranella chuckled, "Yes. I suppose that was a fair assumption. Very well then, it looks like everything's been settled." She turned to Evan. "Let's get some sleep, Evan. We'll need it for the day ahead."

He nodded absently. "All right." They both settled in, making themselves as comfortable as they could and bid everyone a good night.

Roland waited until their breathing had slowed before pulling out his mobile phone. Between the chaos of the day before and other matters occupying his attention, this was the first real opportunity he'd had to finally check on it. Although there were no phone services in the world it was still diligently searching for one to connect to and had consequently drained the battery to fifteen percent. He outwardly sighed, prompting Runcible to ask "Higgle pig?" But Roland ignored him. Thankfully, Runcible seemed to take the hint and didn't say anything or question him further – not that he'd be able to understand his questions anyway. He put the phone into airplane mode, glanced wistfully through the most recent messages and photos stored on his camera roll, and then reluctantly returned it to his arms band with another sigh. Unless there was a way to charge his phone with magic or something, this was likely to be the last chance he would have to read those messages or view the photos until he found his way home. And that meant loosing his one connection to his world, besides his clothes.

Time slipped away from him as he became lost in thought, until he was startled out of those thoughts by Runcible getting his attention. "Huh?" He blinked as he returned to reality.

"Higgleldy pig," Runcible hissed urgently and pointed. Roland looked and frowned deeply; On the other side of the river he could see torches moving in the distance. Dellian patrols no doubt, still on the look out for Evan as well as the ones who had helped him escape. "Higgle?" Runcible asked after a while once the patrol had moved on and out of sight.

"I don't think they're coming this way," he replied. "At least not yet." He glanced at Evan and Aranella's sleeping form. "It should be safe to let them sleep on for now. But we'd better keep our eyes peeled."

"Higgle," Runcible replied in agreement.

But after that no further activity was forthcoming, and eventually Roland felt tiredness beginning to creep in and weigh down his eyelids. Judging it to be somewhere around two in the morning, he decided this was the best time to trade off with Aranella. He shook her awake and gave her a moment for her brain to catch up before explaining the situation.

She frowned herself. "I see…" And was silent for a moment before raising her head. "We may have to move earlier then. And keep to the trees where we can."

"Sure," he replied with a nod of both understanding and agreement. "Wake me up as soon as it's light enough to see then."

"All right," she said, returning his nod. "But I'll try to let you get as much sleep as possible."

He smiled. "Thanks." Before settling in for the night. "Good night, Aranella."

"Good night, Roland."

A/N: One of my biggest criticisms of Roland's character is his total lack of engagement or even interest in this whole new world around him. Changing that leads to some worldbuilding as well as a little something called foreshadowing.

It also made more sense to get the King's Cradle location from Martha. It gives her more relevance to the story and feels less convenient than Evan just knowing about it just because.

Body Language Edit: Extended the journey to Cloudcoil Canyon from the best part of a morning to two full days and added scenes and dialogue to accommodate.

This then made me lose control of the original Chapter 4, forcing me to split it in two. :p