Chapter 4
As usual, Disney owns Kim Possible and all related characters. Any original characters seen here are figments of my imagination.
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Ron did not know what to do. He just saw his brothers locked in a castle dungeon and he had no idea why they were there. The only thing that he was sure of was that he had to get them out of there. He could not go home and tell his mother that Jake and Will were in chains. Her health was already deteriorating from the prospect of something bad happening to them, if he confirmed it, she would only get worse.
"Come on Rufus!" Ron said as he grabbed the naked mole rat and put him on his shoulder. The blond teen then ran around the castle and went to the main entrance.
"Hello! Is anybody there?" Ron yelled as he banged on the door and waited for an answer. "Hello! HELLO! HELLO! Somebody, please answer!" He called and banged the door even harder, but nobody answered. "What is it with this place? Why is nobody answering the door?" He thought as he stepped back from the door.
Ron looked around a bit and noticed a few buildings that looked like servant's quarters and stables in the distance. They were far enough from the castle that it was possible that they did not hear him yelling, but it was impossible for them not to hear the loud moaning that was coming from inside the castle. He guessed that they were all inside helping the ailing person, but it still did not answer the question as to why no one was answering the door.
"Fine. If no one is going to answer, then I'm just going to go in and find them." Ron said to the air. He approached the door again and tried to open it but it was locked. "Ok, forget the door, I'll just climb the wall and go in the window."
He ran around the castle to where he saw the light coming from the window. He looked up and saw that the window was still open. He then grabbed Rufus from his shoulder and put him in his pocket where he would be safe. He did not want to take the chance of him falling while he was climbing. Ron started up the wall and tried to think about what he was going to say to whomever he saw inside. His thoughts were all over the place and he could not keep them straight in his head as he hurried up the wall.
When he reached the window ledge, he looked in the window and saw the same treasure that his brothers saw a few months earlier. However, Ron could care less about the gold and jewels in the room; it did not belong to him, so he put it out of his mind. What he was concerned about, was brothers. He just had to find a way to free them.
He looked around the room and heard the loud cry once more. He did not see anyone, but there was a very large pile of gold coins that was blocking his view of the other half of the room. He decided to go in and see if he could find someone to talk too. When he reached the floor, he was in awe of the size of the room. He did not notice how big it was, until he looked up and noticed how high the ceiling was. He carefully searched the room, but found it difficult since it was such a large room, and there were so many piles of treasure, he could easily miss someone who was behind a mound. Then just as he was about give up with this room, and search another, he felt something grab him from behind.
"WHAAA!" Ron screamed as he was picked up and he realized that he was very high off the ground. He was then turned around and found himself face to face with a very angry, very tall giant.
"What are you doing in here?" The giant roared as he shook Ron up and down.
"I…I…I…" Ron sputtered. He had never seen anyone that big before and it scared him.
"You were here to steal from me, weren't you? Weren't you?" The giant shook Ron again as he spoke.
"No! I was trying to find someone to talk to about my brothers. They're in your dungeon."
"Why didn't you knock on the door, instead of breaking in?"
"I-I did knock, but nobody answered so I saw the open window and climbed in because I could hear a cry come from in here!" Ron was trembling at this point, but he looked the giant in the eye as he answered his questions.
The giant was starting to get the feeling that his new prisoner was telling him the truth; the blond teen looked into his eyes when he spoke, and he noticed that nothing came out of his pockets when he shook him. He was looking for evidence that he was being robbed, but he did not see one single coin or jewel come out of Ron's pockets.
"Very well then." The giant said in a calmer and much quieter voice and left the room.
He carried Ron into another room and lit a few lanterns to light the room. Ron figured that this was a dining area because of the table and chairs. The giant then sat down and placed Ron on the table in front of him.
"What's your name?"
"Umm…I'm Stop Ronable." He said nervously and then shook his head. "I mean Ron Stoppable."
"Where are you from?"
"M-Middleton"
"That's pretty far from here, why are you here and not there?"
Ron was not sure where this line of questioning was going but he figured that he better answer the questions and hope for the best. "I was looking for my brothers. They left home to find work about two months ago, and when we did not hear from them, my mother and I feared that something bad had happened to them, so I left home to find them."
The giant though about that answer for a few moments and then asked another, "How did you know they were here?"
"I didn't at first. I befriended a man that lives down the hill, and he offered to let me stay with him for the night since I was walking to Go City and he knew I would need a place to sleep. When I left, I could hear a cry coming from up here, so I followed it because it sounded like someone needed help. I didn't know that my brothers were here until Rufus looked in one of the windows and saw them." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled Rufus out. The poor mole rat looked a little nauseous from the shaking he endured earlier. Ron noticed that his little friend looked ill, so he put him back in his pocket to get some rest.
The giant looked surprised by Ron's answer. "You came all the way up here because you wanted to help?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
The giant put his hand on his right cheek and looked down at Ron. "I doubt you will be able to help. None of my servants have been able to help."
"Really? What's wrong?" Ron asked with genuine concern. He had calmed down enough to where fear was not the only emotion that he could express.
"The cry you heard was from me. I've had a sore tooth for weeks. It hurts all the time now, even when I'm not eating, and I haven't been able to find anyone that can make it feel better."
"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that Mr…"
"Mike, my name is Mike, but everyone calls me Big Mike."
"Ok, Big Mike." Ron thought about the giant's situation and he had an idea. He hoped it worked, he knew what it was like to have a sore tooth and what a relief it was to have it fixed. "Hey, open your mouth and let me look at your tooth.
"Umm, ok." Mike said as he held his palm out for Ron. Once Ron was in his hand, he lifted him up to his mouth and opened it so he could look in.
Ron noticed the bad tooth right away. It was a molar on the right side of the bottom row of teeth. The tooth was slightly discolored and there was a crack in it. Ron looked up at Big Mike and said, "Do you have any rope?"
"Rope? Of course I have rope, but why do you need it?"
"You'll see."
Big Mike shrugged and left the castle with Ron in search of the stables. There were a few different sizes of rope to choose from because there were two different sizes of horses. There were regular size horses for the servants and two horses that looked like they were big enough to carry Big Mike.
"What size do you want?" The giant asked as held up the rope. In his hands, the regular size rope looked like string and the giant rope looked like regular rope.
"The small one." Ron answered. "Ok, pick me up again and let me tie this to your tooth."
Big Mike was curious as to why he needed rope tied to his tooth, but he was desperate enough to have his mouth feel better, that he was willing to try anything, no matter how bizarre it sounded.
After Ron tied the rope to the giant's tooth, the two men went back to the dining room and Ron tied the other end of the rope to the handle of the door. "Now, when I tell you too, I want you to slam the door closed." Big Mike nodded to answer. He was still a little confused as to how this was going to help him feel better but he was going to go with the flow.
"Ok, dude, close the door."
Big Mike slammed the door with no hesitation, and then, grabbed his cheek and hollered in pain when the tooth popped out of his mouth. "OOOWWW!" A single tear ran down his cheek.
"Rinse your mouth out with this water." Ron said as he pointed to a large cup that was sitting on the table.
Big Mike did as he was told and then he started to smile. He picked Ron up and started to laugh and dance around the room. "The pain is gone! HAHAHAHAHA! You did it, the pain is gone!"
Ron laughed at the giant's behavior. "Well, I'm glad I was able to help."
"You were a big help! I want to thank you for making me feel better!" Mike said as he carried Ron out of the room.
"It was no big, but you're welcome anyways."
"I want to reward you." Mike said as he walked in to the treasure room. He put Ron down so he was standing in front of him. "I want to give you anything you want, if I have it, it's yours. Go ahead, pick anything!" He said as he motioned around the room to indicate that Ron had free reign.
Ron looked around and saw what Big Mike was offering him. All he needed was a couple of handfuls of what was in front of him and he would never have to worry about money again. He thought about what was being offered to him for a few moments and then turned and looked at Big Mike. "I've made my decision. I know what I want."
"Ok, what is it." Big Mike said with a wide smile.
"I want my brothers."
"You, what?" The giant said and his expression turned to one of confusion.
"I want my brothers."
"Are you sure you want to give this up for those two dirty thieves. I caught them trying to steal from me. That's why they're in my dungeon."
Ron was actually surprised by the reason that his brothers were imprisoned. One of the biggest morals his parents tried to instill them, was honesty. They always stressed "Always earn an honest days pay for an honest days work." and "Never take what is not yours." Ron could practically hear his father speaking to him.
"Yes, I know what I am giving up, but I would rather have my brothers. The can be jerks and self-centered, but they are my brothers. I may not like what kind of men they've become, but I love them and my mother loves them. It would break her heart if I left them here. I would rather live in poverty knowing that my brothers are free, than live in the lap of luxury knowing that my brothers are locked in a cell. So, please, I'd like to take my brothers home with me."
Big Mike thought about Ron's request for a moment and almost denied it, but he had given his word. "A promise is a promise; you may have your brothers." He said with sigh.
"Thanks, you don't know what this means to me and my mother."
The giant was surprised by Ron's decision. He certainly was not expecting that, considering what he had offered the teen. On the other hand, he was proud of him. Anyone that genuinely thought of others before he thought of himself, and did so on more than one occasion, was a person that truly deserved to be rewarded.
"You know what...you have no idea how much pain I was in, and to show you how thankful I am that pain is gone, I'm going to give you your brothers and some money to take home with you."
"What?" Ron gasped in disbelief as his head started to spin from the realization of what Big Mike said. He was going to get his brothers and money to support his family! It was almost too much for him, he had to sit down and let things sink in before he did anything else.
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Ron stood silent and lost in his own thoughts, in front of a door that led into Big Mike's dungeon. The giant told him to go down to the entrance and wait for him while he went to talk to one of his servants about preparing his departure. Ron was not sure what he meant by that, but he really was not concerned about it at the moment; right now, he was racking his brain trying to think of what he was going to say to Jake and Will when he saw them. He was so mad at them for getting themselves in this mess. All they had to do was look for a job and earn an honest days pay. Instead, they decided to take the easy way out, by stealing.
Ron's thoughts were disturbed, when he heard Big Mike come down the stairs. He looked up from the spot he had been staring at for the past ten minutes and took a deep breath to help steady his emotions. While he was mad at his brothers, he was also worried about their physical state. They had been imprisoned for two months, and he had not heard good things about prisons.
Big Mike unlocked the door and stepped into the dungeon, ahead of Ron. Jake and Will looked up at the giant in fear and wondered why he was there. This would be the first time they had seen the giant since he captured them trying to steal from him. "You two thieves stand up!" Big Mike said loudly. His voice echoed around the cell scaring the two occupants. As they stood, their knees shook from fear. Ron himself was a little scared from the sound, as the echoes made it sound worse than it was.
"I want you two to know that you are being released, but not because I had a change of heart." The giant continued. He stepped to the side so they could see Ron. As soon as Jake and Will saw him, their faces slowly morphed into one of surprise as they realized that their little brother was standing next to their captor. "I'm letting you go, because Ron helped me when no one else could, so as a token of my appreciation, I offered him anything he wanted, and he actually turned down my money and asked for you two scoundrels. I suggest that you two be thankful that you have a brother that cares for you, because I don't know many people that would turn down a fortune for a pair of jerks!"
Jake and Will looked at their brother in amazement and they could hardly believe what they were hearing. They wanted to know how Ron found them, as they were sure that most people in the area did not know that this castle existed. "Ron? How did you find us here?" Will asked when he found his voice.
Ron was about to answer but Big Mike spoke before he could, "I'll give you a few minutes alone with them to talk. I need to check on a few things." Then the giant handed Ron the keys and winked. "Let them out when you're done."
"Sure thing." Ron said and watched the giant leave the cell. Ron then turned and assessed his brothers. He could tell that they were not happy to be locked in a cell but other than that, they seemed fine. They looked like they had been well cared for. "How are you two doing?" He asked.
"How do you think we're doing? We've been locked in here for two months!" Jake snapped.
"Well you only have yourself to blame for that!" Ron snapped back. He was in no mood for his brother's attitude. "But that's not what I meant. How are you two feeling? You look like you have been taken care of."
"We were." Jake answered in a quiet voice. He may not have liked being there, but they were not left to rot in that cell. Everyday, one of Big Mike's servants would bring them their meals, they were given a chance to bathe, and they had blankets and pillows for them to use when they slept.
Ron nodded to acknowledge his brother. He was happy to hear that they were looked after while they were there and they were not neglected. "Can you let us out now?" Will asked a little irritated that he was still in the cell.
"Not yet, I want to talk to you first." Ron said calmly, despite the fact that his insides were in turmoil.
"WHAT! You want to TALK?" Jake spat. "What could you possible want to talk about? We are-" Jake did not get to finish is rant because Ron quickly cut him off.
"HEY!" Ron yelled so it would get Jake's attention. "You are in here because YOU were stupid enough to steal instead of getting a job! Now, you will listen to what I have to say, or I will leave you here!" Ron was bluffing about leaving his brothers there, of course, but they did not know that, judging by the tone of his voice.
Both Jake and Will were caught off guard by Ron's outburst. They did not know why he was so upset with them; they were the ones that were in jail, not him. He had been at home the whole time. But, to be on the safe side, they did not voice their opinion, just incase he did leave them there. "Alright, what's on your mind" Jake huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, I could go on about how upset I am to know why you are here, but I won't, there's no need for that, and in the end, I'm not the one you have to talk to about that." Ron started. "Mom was worried sick over you two. She's been having terrible nightmares because we haven't heard from you. It was really starting to affect her health. That's why I left home, to find you, so both of us would know that you two were safe. It broke my heart to watch her and honestly, I was worried about you too. Now, we have plenty of time to discuss how I found you on the trip home, but right now, I want to talk to you about how things are going to go when we get home."
"What?" Will asked, and arched his right eyebrow. This side of Ron was not something he was use too.
"When we get home, you will tell mom what happened to you, and why. She won't like it, but she'll see that you are okay, so she'll get over it soon enough."
"Ok." Jake said.
"Next, things are going to change when we get home. You two have to help me around the farm. I can't continue to do it by myself, and it's not fair of you to have me do everything. I need some time to myself, and I will have time to do the things I want to do if you two help.
"What are we going to do for money? We haven't been able to grow enough crops to sell." Will asked sincerely. He was not arguing with Ron, he was just asking about their money situation.
"Yeah, I thought we needed to find work, and there isn't any in Middleton." Jake added.
"Well, that brings me to the next thing we should talk about. Big Mike was so happy that I helped him with his tooth that he wanted to give me some money as a reward. It may not be much, but hopefully it will be enough to feed and clothe us, and pay our taxes for a little while.
"Really? He's going to give you some of the money that's in his treasure room?" Will chirped in excitement.
"Oh my g—that's great!" Jake cheered. "If he gives us enough we might not have to work a-" Jake was cut off a second time by Ron.
"Did you hear anything I just said to you? I said you'd have to help me out around the farm; just because we have a little money now, doesn't mean we don't have to work. Eventually it will run out, just like our savings did. As soon as we get home, I am giving whatever money we get to mom so she can make sure it is used properly." Ron did not trust his brothers with making decisions about money. He knew if they got a hold of any of that money, they would spend it quicker than they could replace it.
"But-"
"No buts, now these are the terms you will have to live by if you want to get out of here." Ron said flatly and shook the cell door keys for emphasis. He was done talking with them over the matter. The sun had come up and he wanted to get home. He figured that they could make it home in one day if they pushed themselves, or if need be, they could stay in Lowerton for the night and head home the next morning.
"Fine." Will and Jake said coldly, at the same time. They were unaccustomed to Ron being so demanding, but at this point, they wanted out of their cell, so they agreed to his terms.
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Next time: Ron and his brothers run into some trouble on their way home.
Thanks for reading and please leave a review and let me know what you think!