“So, what do we do know?” asked King Rufus.
“You have a conference to go to,” said Myrtle, looking him up and down. “And we need to get you in a fit state to be seen.”
“Do you have a bathroom attached to your rooms?” asked Violet.
“Of course I do, I am the King,” Rufus smiled.
“Liam, run a bath,” said Myrtle. “You could do with one as well, but I’m not sure how we can manage that.”
“My room is near here,” Liam replied. “And I also have a bath.”
“Rosemary, you run a bath for the King,” said Myrtle waving her wand, taking her and Liam to his rooms.
“Shouldn’t you stay with the King?” asked Liam.
“He has the Head of the Fairy Godmothers with him, along with an apprentice, I think they can keep him safe,” smiled Myrtle.
“Do you think that I might be in danger?” Liam asked.
“There are times when it is best not to take chances,” said Myrtle. “At the moment the Valet thinks you are wondering round the labyrinth totally lost and unlikely to turn up for this conference.”
“So whilst he thinks that, we should be OK?” asked Liam.
“Exactly, I’m planing on using my wand to get you in there just in time,” Myrtle replied, putting the plug into the bath and running the hot water.
“What do you think will happen?” asked Liam.
“I don’t know,” Myrtle replied. “But I suspect that some of the delegates wont be expecting Rufus to turn up.”
“You think the valet was working for them?” asked Liam.
“Someone was and I think we are going to find out when the meeting is convened,” Myrtle smiled, turning the taps off.
“You don’t have to watch me bathing,” said Liam looking at the steaming water and then at Myrtle.
“True,” she smiled, her wand twitching behind her back as she sealed the windows. “I’ll be outside if you should need anything.”
“Why did you seal the windows?” asked Liam and hour later when he walked out of the bathroom.
“To prevent anyone from disturbing you,” said Myrtle.
“Is that all?” he asked.
“You aren’t likely to leap out of the window are you?” smiled Myrtle. “So what other reason could there possibly be?”
“I can’t think of any,” he said. “Where are my clothes?”
“I’ve laid out suitable clothing in your bedroom,” Myrtle smiled. “I assume you don’t require any assistance.”
“Will you be sealing the windows again?” he asked.
“They were sealed along with the bathroom windows,” said Myrtle. “Your safety is my prime concern.”
“Surely King Rufus’s safety is more important,” Liam replied, trying to control his towel.
“The Head of the Fairy Godmothers is taking care of that,” Myrtle reminded him.
“I know, but,” said Liam, looking round for inspiration.
“There is nothing to worry about,” said Myrtle.
“Isn’t there?” asked Liam.
“You will not be alone, if the other delegates start to get violent we can always freeze time and get you both out of there,” Myrtle explained.
“How will you time us arriving together?” he asked.
“Simple,” said Myrtle. “Get dresses and you’ll find out.”
“OK,” he sighed, heading for his bedroom.
“Try not to take too long,” Myrtle said as he closed the door.
“I’d like to have this all done and dusted before the baby arrives,” she thought.
There was quarter of an hour to go when King Rufus, Violet and Rosemary appeared in Liam’s rooms.
“I thought we’d be going to Rufus’s rooms,” said Liam looking confused.
“Hopefully that is what anyone else will have thought,” said Violet.
“I don’t understand,” said Rosemary.
“If anyone is looking for us in Rufus’s rooms, they aren’t going to find us there,” said Myrtle.
“That’s because we are here,” said Rosemary.
“It might buy us some time,” said Myrtle.
“Is everyone ready?” asked Violet.
“I think so,” said King Rufus.
“All you have to do is look regal, welcoming and open the meeting,” said Violet.
“I’ll do my best,” he said, not looking or sounding the least bit sure of himself.
“Remember,” said Myrtle. “You just have to look confident, they don’t know if you are or not.”
“Fake it till you make it?” King Rufus smiled.
“Exactly,” Violet smiled.
“Do you know what is going to happen?” Rufus asked.
“No,” said Myrtle. “We suspect that someone may make a move to take control of the kingdom, but we don’t know who or what they intend to do. What we do know is that they don’t expect you to be there, so they may look surprised when they see you.”
“And after that we react to what happens as it happens,” Rufus asked.
“Exactly,” said Violet. “Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he sighed.
“Remember this is your people you are fighting for,” smiled Myrtle as Violet waved her wand.
The walls if Liam’s rooms faded to be replaced by those of the council chamber.
“He should be here,” said someone anxiously
“He’s probably gone fishing again,” someone else snapped.
“What do we do?” asked another court official. “The delegates are waiting outside.”
“Then open the doors and let them in,” said King Rufus. “It wouldn’t do to keep them waiting would it.”
“Of course not, Your Majesty,” stuttered the footman closest to the door, he signalled to the other footman and they both opened the double doors together. The senior footman coughed to attract the attention of the delegates.
“About time,” muttered the one nearest to the door.
“King Augustus,” said the footman, bowing low. “And his chancellor. If you would kindly make your way to the table, you will be seated to the left of King Rufus.”
“I’m so glad you could make it Augustus,” said Rufus smiling broadly. “I know things are a bit difficult for you at home.”
“I didn’t see you there,” King Augustus replied with a start. “Everything is fine at home, just a few extremists getting a bit agitated. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Glad to hear that,” smiled Rufus.
“King Frederick,” the footman introduced the next monarch. “And his Prime Minister.”
“Why don’t they say the names of the people accompanying all the monarchs?” asked Rosemary when the last of the people sat down, six monarchs and their various assistants.
“They change so often, it’s hard for anyone to keep track of who is who,” said Liam. “It wouldn’t make much difference anyway, they are only here to make a note of what their King’s agree to.”
“Why aren’t there any women?” Rosemary asked.
“It’s a good question,” said Myrtle. “But this is not the time or place for questions.”
“We called this meeting today because we, the assembled Monarchs, don’t think that you are taking your role as King seriously,” said King Frederick.
“In what way?” asked King Rufus.
“That is not important,” snapped King Frederick.
“I would have thought that that was the heart of the matter,” King Rufus replied.
“You are unfit to be King and therefore we have decided that your territories should be divided up between the assembled monarchs so that they can be exploited properly,” said King Frederick.
“On what authority to you base this decision?” asked King Rufus.
“We are Kings, we do not need any other authority,” King Frederick snapped.
“You are Kings of your own countries, you are not Kings in this country and therefore you do not have any authority here,” said King Rufus.
“What?” shouted King Augustus.
“Guards,” said King Rufus. “Kindly arrest the delegates and take them to the dungeons.”
“Of course, your Majesty,” said the Officer in charge of the Guards. “You have your orders,” he said to his men.
“You can’t do this,” stuttered King Augustus, trying to push away a guard who was busy trying to put handcuffs on him.
“I can do it and I will do it unless you retract your threat to divide up my country between you,” said King Rufus.
“We have armies,” said King Frederick.
“So do I,” said King Rufus. “I also have you, so your armies had better stay in their barracks.”
“Are you threatening us,” asked King Henry, the last of the monarchs to sit at the table.
“No,” smiled King Rufus. “I’d just like you to give me time to get used to being a monarch before you threaten to depose me.”
“You have been King here for two months,” said King Augustus.
“If I remember rightly,” said King Henry. “You were still celebrating the death of your predecessor after two months. It took six months before you were even crowned King, the lawyers were busy checking for alternatives.”
“OK, but, there is an instability in the centre of our little group, I am worried that those outside it might think to take advantage of this,” said King Augustus.
“All the more reason for us to be united in helping our newest member, King Rufus,” said King Henry.
“Good morning gentlemen,” said Myrtle. “We are representatives of the Council of Fairy Godmothers. May I suggest that each of the monarchs agrees to spend a month here mentoring King Rufus and helping to prepare himself for the responsibilities of his position.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” King Henry
“It would be good to have some guidance,” said King Rufus. “I think my Father wasn’t expecting to pass on for a good few years and therefore didn’t want to burden me with the problems of state. Perhaps it would have been better to be more prepared, but I also think that the lose of a much loved parent is impossible to prepare for.”
“I suggest we ask the Fairy Godmothers to supervise this mentoring,” said King David, looking at Kings Augustus and Frederick whilst he said it.
“All in agreement say I,” said King Henry.
There was a general call of I
“Carried unanimously,” said Violet.
“Thank-you,” said King Rufus. “I hate to be at loggerheads with any of you.”
By Janice Nye © 2021
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