Kingdom in Distress Read online



  Kingdom in Distress

  By Rosella

  ~~~

  Published by www.daventrytales.com

  ISBN: 978-0-9947250-1-1

  First eBook Edition.

  Copyright April 2015, All Rights Reserved.

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  The special magic of King Edward's shield next manifested itself in a rallying call which drew the Daventryan footmen to charge across the battlefield.

  Roaring cries of “Daventry!” and “Freedom!” whilst the enemy cavalry commanders were unable to make themselves heard over the terrible din.

  The Daventryan cavalry lines were weakest in the center, and the rank of footmen armed with hand weapons formed themselves into a delta-shaped wedge, the first footman flanked by two others, to either side and slightly to his rear and so it went. The pikemen swept around to either side of Daventry's cavalry, and forced themselves into the flanks of the Cantonese infantry.

  It was soon only a matter of time before the Cantonese infantry leaders were struggling to rally what remained of their men together. A few of the mounted Cantonese cavalry did individually turn and charge back into the fray, but their numbers were quite few, as most of their ranks were already fleeing back across the border into Canton.

  Table of Contents

  Kingdom of Love

  Kingdom of Hope

  Mirrorless Kingdom

  Futureless Kingdom

  Hope Renewed

  Kingdom at War

  Defenseless Kingdom

  Kingdom in Distress

  Quest for the Crown

  Kingdom of Love

  It was said throughout Daventry and its neighboring realms, that once upon a remote and distant time, the kingdom was a place of peace, joy, and merriment largely because King Edward and Queen Katherine had married for love. People believed that love had found them and brought them together—which was true and that with the two of them being so united as a power behind the throne, nothing could ever bring sadness to the realm. That was almost certainly true, but those were the days when unicorns could still be found prancing merrily through the forests, when mermaids lived in the shallows of the ocean guiding ships away from the rocks, and as the legends of later generations, who were thought to be jealous sailors would say: “If you tossed a copper half-penny into a crystal-clear pond and made a wish, that wish might very well come true.”

  Half a penny, the people thought was really not a bad expenditure and for those efforts one may have gotten the chance to see a real elf. The money would then be collected twice per year from the ponds and streams it was tossed into for repairing roads in the kingdom, helping the poor and destitute, and holding festivals which would last for a week or two at a time.

  Put simply, Daventry was a realm of fairy tales, dragons, mighty champions and damsels in distress with relative peace aplenty. Its ancient allies were said to include the horned hill-men of the great desert realm and the ice nymphs of the frozen north, who sometimes came into conflict with the fire-dwarves whose underground kingdom bordered that of the great forests from which Daventry's woodsmen hunted and harvested timber. Such incidents however, were usually resolved without violence. It was therefore passed that it was easy for the people to believe in the power of the love between the good King and his beautiful Queen, which was also attributed to the fullness of their wealth and good fortune. As was already said and known to be partly true: the King and the Queen certainly did contribute, quite directly to Daventry's prosperity, and their love could be said to have had something to do with it.

  As a dowry for his daughter, Queen Katherine's noble father had given the royal family an heirloom of his own ancient house. Hung within the Great Hall of the royal castle, behind and off to one side of King Edward's throne, there was a great silver mirror set in a frame of finely polished oak, chased with elaborate designs of silver and gold. It was beautiful, striking and drew the eyes of everyone who came for an audience with their royal majesties. It also drew King Edward's eyes many times throughout each year for this object had become unspeakably precious to the kingdom. It was the source of Katherine's original family fortune, for the mirror was an artifact of powerful enchantment left over from what were hallowed days of antiquity even then. It had the power to view the past, to gaze into the future, and to allow those who looked into its polished surface to speak to spirits in far and distant realms—spirits who held secret knowledge, which could be put to good use to benefit the entire kingdom.

  And so it was that Daventry's farmers had never lost a harvest to a sudden drought or an unseasonable frost, nor had they ever been ambushed by an enemy at least not since King Edward and Queen Katherine had wed. No wonder the people saw their love as a bringer of good fortune! Despite all of that however, there was a secret sadness which lay over the household of the King and his Queen, for despite the great love they bore for each other and the good health that lay upon them both, King Edward and Queen Katherine were without a child. They had no daughter to bring them joy and laughter, nor a son to inherit the throne of Daventry from his father and carry on the royal family line. They did not speak publicly of their troubles, and the people of Daventry loved their King and Queen so that there were very few whispers as to their lack of children, but in private, the royal couple endured an ongoing anguish of emptiness that weighed heavily upon their hearts.

  This they were able to alleviate, in some part, by keeping themselves busy with their royal duties. King Edward sat every day upon his great throne, hearing grievances and weighing complaints from his people, judging them with a sense of fairness and even-handed consequence, which was said to be the envy of all the kings of the world at that time. No person was judged unworthy to have an audience with King Edward, nor was any grievance that so beset one of his subjects deemed too small for his ear. The Queen, meanwhile, traveled the countryside with her ladies in waiting. She marveled at the beauty of Daventry, and aided the common folks in their tasks, praising their many impressive efforts at farming, building, and crafting. She would preside over good-natured contests at Daventry's regional market, planting, and harvest festivals and she, with her ladies, would aid those who spread charitable distributions to those in need of succor during the more difficult times of the year.

  The King and Queen also spent much time together, in enjoyment of each other’s' company. They would walk the battlements of Castle Daventry, swim in the carefully tended ponds of the King's private reserve, and spend the later hours of their evening dancing together in the Great Hall. During the daylight hours, the hall would be the site of great feasting and merrymaking to which many were invited (the royal cousins and all t
he nobles of the land would attend, as would their families.) Diplomats and courtiers from neighboring kingdoms would also be present, as welcome as any. Queen Katherine's father would be there, along with his extended relations. In addition to the feasting, the music, and the dancing which took place, King Edward would also send invitations to some of the greatest inventors, authors, and artisans from Daventry and surrounding realms, to come and showcase their latest creations.

  Many a noble patron was found to support a struggling artist or craftsman at such events. Great praise was heaped upon the heads of those who possessed such tremendous gifts as were regularly put on display, and word of their accomplishments would spread far and wide, with good fortune often finding them as a result. The Kingdom of Daventry enjoyed great artistic beauty in its public parks and town commons, and its people benefited from such innovations as an advanced messenger service. The irrigation of farmland, and underground sewers were of a less offensive nature than those to which previous generations were accustomed. King Edward enjoyed love and admiration from each and every level of Daventry's society for his actions in this regard and among the neighboring kingdoms, however many of their own royalty might have cast envious eyes upon Daventry's fertile farmland as