The Prince, the Princess, and the Other Wizard
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Castle is magic, but I have no magic. Or Castle. Rating: K+ for language Time: A few months after The Princess and the Wizard.
At dawn, Bravin took off with two helicopters carrying just the pilots, the machine gunners, and his radio operator. He was back in an hour.
"They're coming, sir. They were breaking camp as we flew over them. We checked their backtrail, but there aren't any more coming. But what's coming is enough. Maybe ten thousand, maybe more. But they're moving in one gigantic bloc. They're all shoulder to shoulder."
"Okay, Bravin. I want the five birds in the air with just the pilots and door gunners. All the rest of your people will be dug in here. Got that?"
"Yes, sir."
Rick noticed Kate having a heated conversation with one of Johanna's ladies in waiting. Finally, the lady left.
"What was that all about?"
"My mother wants me to come back into the castle where it's safe. If the goblins overrun us, nowhere will be safe."
"She's worried about you, Kate."
"Oh, she said the reason she wanted me in the castle was so I could help her in case we needed some first-class magic. I haven't had the time to study magic due to the war and there are half a dozen sorcerers in the castle that'd be more help than I'd be."
"Here they come." Someone yelled.
What followed wasn't so much a battle as a massacre. The tanks began firing high explosive rounds from their main guns as soon as they saw the goblins. Shortly after, the 81mm mortar began firing, then the fifty caliber machine guns, and then almost everything else. The goblins leaned forward into the oncoming fire as if they were heading into a strong headwind. Their bodies piled up so high that they prevented bullets from penetrating the piles of corpses. However, the goblins kept attacking over those piles until another wall of dead was formed.
The goblins, who used only spears, swords and maces, never got close to the humans. A few got within a hundred yards, but that was all. Then they stopped coming.
"Cease fire. Cease fire!" Castle yelled, the call being picked up by the NCOs and others. Finally, the gunfire stopped.
"What the fuck did that accomplish?" Castle said, shaking his head.
"Look!" A guard yelled, pointing at the castle. Everyone turned to look. They could see two large, winged creatures carrying a woman away from the battlements of the castle.
"Flying monkeys. They've kidnapped Queen Johanna."
"That's why the goblins attacked us!" Kate screamed. "To draw our attention away while the Wizard of Dok sent his minions to kidnap my mother."
"The Wizard of Dok?" Rick said. "Flying monkeys?"
"We must see my father and his counselors." Kate said and stomped off towards the palace with Rick following behind along with Lt. Bravin.
The King had gathered a half a dozen of his counselors in the throne room and was soon joined by Kate, Rick and Bravin.
"Who's this Wizard of Dok?" Rick asked.
"A very evil and, I must say, a very odd sorcerer. But Andrope the Great, the greatest wizard of all, threw him into the Pit of Despair thirty years ago. He should never have been able to get out, but obviously he has."
"You're sure it's him?"
"The flying monkeys will only follow his orders. And he has some sort of power over the goblins. That's why they attacked so suicidally. He forced them to."
"So, get this Andrope to toss him back in."
King James sighed.
"Regrettably, Andrope died twelve years ago. My wife is the closest to him in power but obviously the Wizard of Dok has been able to overpower her."
"Father, are you going to be all right?"
"Yes, Kate, I've learned my lesson. I will not fall apart as I did last time."
"Okay, I can take half of my platoon like I did the last time and go after her."
"No." King James said, "Take your whole force. And our new friends if they'll go with you."
Bravin smiled.
"May as well. That's what we do, rescue LRRPs and ladies in distress."
"One thing, Wizard Bravin, my wife had a dream just before you arrived here. She saw things that Prince Richard believe are from your Earth: Vietnam in particular. She saw five helicopters and saw them rescue some men, including one who was wounded. I'm sure that was your people and their vehicles. She may have accidentally brought you here."
Bravin shrugged,
"I can't blame anyone for what they do in their sleep. We'll go."
King James turned to Rick.
"This time your whole force, Prince Richard. The walls of the castle have been repaired and are stronger than ever. I have recruited new knights and archers. And" He turned to one of his guards, "can you bring the new weapons?"
The guard left and returned with several firearms, but not like any Rick had ever seen.
"Flintlock muskets?" He guessed.
"We have seven muskets and two flintlock rifles. Your people have helped our artisans design and build them. They're nowhere near as dangerous as your own weapons, but the local evildoers have learned to fear firearms." King James said.
"So, where's this Wizard hang out?"
"Skull Mountain."
"Not the happiest place on Earth I'm guessing?"
"Not at all."
"How do we get there?"
"The Great South Road. It begins at the edge of my dominions to the south."
"How far is it to Skull Mountain?"
"No one knows. Very few people ever want to go there, and hardly anyone wants to try to get by Otto the Dragon."
"A dragon?" Rick said. He did not need dragons.
"A very old and powerful dragon. He's supposed to have magic powers as well. Very few dragons study sorcery."
"I'll go with my husband, of course." Kate said.
Rick wanted to argue with her but knew it would do no good.
"I'll go as well."
That was Alexis the Red, a wandering warrior who was now the girlfriend of Specialist Kemper, Rick's radio operator.
"I came here to learn what I could from the famous Prince and Princess Castle. I'll go as well." Said Ann Hastings. "I am a witch, and although not a very powerful one, a witch will probably come in handy."
One of the members of the council cleared his throat.
"Yes, Master Sean?" King James said.
"Your Highness um, well, a witch is all well and good. Um, very good, very good indeed. But I was thinking, perhaps, if no one minds, another thing that could be useful…"
"You wish to accompany the expedition?" King James interrupted.
"Um yes, Your Highness."
"Prince Richard, Master Sean O'Lachlan is a wizard of great talent who has been learning from my dear Johanna. He should be quite useful."
Master Sean was short, rather tubby and wore a food-stained brown robe. He had blond hair, cut rather short and blue eyes, and seemed a bit shy.
"He's welcome to come along."
"I have a question." Said Sergeant Esposito, Castle's platoon sergeant. "Queen Johana's magic has kept our vehicles fueled, provided ammo for our weapons, food for us, and just about everything else. Now that she's gone, will that stop?"
"Perhaps you can answer, Master Sean?" King James said.
"Oh, not at all. Not at all. Um, you see, that is, a spell is like, um, like a castle. Yes, like a castle. Once it's properly built it would take an enormous amount of force to destroy a castle. The same with Queen Johanna's spell. Um, more power, in fact. Yes, more power. It was Meredith the Mad's spell that brought Prince Richard here and Queen Johanna simply added to that spell to keep Prince Richard and his men safe. As Queen Johanna hasn't figured out the spell that Meredith the Mad used, um, she can't very well counteract it."
It didn't take long for the rescue party to get ready, so they planned on leaving the next day at first light. In the meantime, someone went through the royal library and found an ancient map that purported to show the way to Skull Mountain.
"Here there be dragons?" Rick read. "And they mean it too."
The next day they headed south, with the Aero-rifle platoon flying top cover. It took two days to go to the end of King James' dominions and find the Great South Road. The roads they had used to get there were no more than dirt trails, but the great South Road was different. The column stopped to look at it.
"I've seen this before." Said Pappy Brown, who was in charge of the three tanks in Castle's platoon.
"Really?" Rick said.
"Yes, sir. I was stationed in Germany in '62 and '63. I went on leave to England. Being a country boy myself, I always liked to get out into the boondocks. There was this little town, don't remember the name of it, but they had what was left of one of them old Roman roads from like two thousand years ago. Not only that, but they'd built a modern reconstruction of the road. Not very big, maybe just fifty yards or so, but it looked just like this."
Rick turned to Kate.
"You ever hear of anyone called Romans around here?"
She shook her head.
"Never. You think they might be around?"
Castle shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not. There can't be that many ways to build a road with the technology around here. Could be just a coincidence. Anyway, it doesn't mean anything now. Let's go."
The column moved out in their usual formation. First were two tanks, then two ACAVs, then Rick's command track, centrally located so that he'd be close no matter where bad things came from, then the mortar track, the infantry squad track, then the other two ACAVs and finally a tank.
Above them were the five Hueys of the Aero-Rifle platoon. One flew about a mile ahead, looking for problems, another was a mile behind, making sure nothing attacked from behind, then one on each side, also about a mile out. Lastly was Lt. Bravin's bird, coordinating everything from right above the armored column.
They drove on the road until noon and stopped for lunch. While everyone ate, Rick and Pappy Brown examined the road.
"Not a hell of a lot of traffic on this road, sir. Looks damned near new."
"I don't know if I'd feel better if there was more traffic on it or not."
"Macht nichts, sir. We're going anyway."
Before they started up again, Castle checked the map they had.
"There's no damned scale on this map. I don't know whether this Otto is a mile from here or fifty miles."
In the end it was the Huey scouting ahead of them that found where Otto the dragon was.
"Charlie One Zero this is Blue Zero Four." Bravin said on the radio." You won't believe what we've found. A great big sign saying Otto the Dragon, next left."
That's exactly what they found no more than a mile ahead. Off to the left they could see what looked like a very large cave opening. The armor turned off the road while the choppers circled overhead.
"Look." Pappy Brown said. "Another sign. "Ring bell for service."
"Polite enough dragon." Rick said.
"Not all dragons are evil. Many are quite nice." Kate said. "What kind of dragons do you have back home anyway?"
'Imaginary ones, except for Puff and he's a tricked-out C-47."
Rick and Kate got out of the track along with Kemper and Alexis and headed to the bell.
"The damned thing is as big as I am. How the hell do you ring it?" Rick said.
"Looks like there's a rope attached to the ringer thing, sir. I bet the two of us can ring it." Said Kemper.
They both grabbed the rope and got the bell to ring.
"Yes. Yes." Came a deep voice from inside. "I'm coming."
A truly gigantic green dragon came out of the cave and looked at them.
"My. Humans. I haven't had any human visitors for years and years."
TBC