The Weekly Muse #27
In Which There is a Lot of Standing, We Learn about Raccoons, and a Really Bad Bird Simile
Last week in the read-through of my Very First Novel, our heroes walked all the way from Luther the owl’s home to the castle of Rocklawn so that they could meet a certain Lord Evan Ramsey, who can give them information about the location about the Lost Island. They arrived, have been ushered into the Great Hall of the castle, and now in Chapter Eight they’re about to meet him: the man, the myth, the legend, Scott Sterling Evan Ramsey!
The Lord of Rocklawn was a commanding figure in any place. In his own castle, he was a majestic sight. Lord Ramsey looked to be in his late forties, but it was obvious that he was as great a warrior, even greater, than in his youth. He was powerfully built, with a thick, barrel chest, robust arms, and legs that resembled miniature tree trunks. He was nearly seven feet tall, and his light brown hair, powerful chin, and flashing dark eyes only added to his dignity and nobility. A long thin rapier hung from his belt, and Sean had the uneasy impression that the baron of Rocklawn knew how to use that blade very well. The three kids’ hearts were fluttering in their chests like trapped sparrows at this, their first sight of the impressive Lord of Rocklawn, Evan Ramsey.
“Hail, strangers,” he greeted them, in a voice that resonated like thunder around the Hall, “Thou art welcome in my castle.” Suddenly, he frowned and laid a hand upon his fearsome blade. “If thou art friends. But if thou be enemies, than most assuredly, thou wilt no longer be welcome at Rocklawn. So tell me truly, to whom is thine allegiance? Dost thou serve Lawrence, or Taradash?”
Luther stepped forward. "Lord Ramsey, I am Lutherian Antonius Julius Themarius. I was allegiant to King Lawrence, and I will be allegiant to Prince Patrick, when he has been located. As for my trio of comrades. I can attest to their undeviating constancy towards the sovereign known as Lawrence the Lionhearted, due to certain various proofs and substantiations which clearly show that…”
Lord Ramsey chuckled and sat down in a massive armchair in front of the fireplace, beckoning the others to take a seat. "Ah. methinks I had forgotten thine inclination towards overmuch discourse. So then, if thy companions are truly loyal to King Lawrence, then. I am right glad of thy coming," “Now the baron grew more serious and his tone turned grave. “For indeed, Sirilan is facing her darkest hour, and we shalt have need of many valiant comrades in the battle ahead.”
Lucy timidly spoke up, "Sir, not meaning to be rude or anything. but, um, we didn't really come to fight battles and stuff. I mean, we just wanted to find the Lost Island so we could rescue the prince. I didn't want to get in a war or anything, and-“
Lucy was interrupted by Lord Ramsey's excited voice. “Dost thou speak truly? Art thou indeed questing for the Lost Island?"
Sean answered, "Yes, sir, we are. Luther said you might know more about the legend of the Lost Island, where it is, how to get to it, that kind of thing,”
"And, prithee, might there be one among thy number who doth possess manifold knowledge and learning, and is not given towards much sporting activity? Is there another who is strong of will and body, and loveth greatly the things of nature? And wert thou, young maiden, the last to enter this land? And art thou three from another land than this, a land which is beyond our world? Quickly, answer me!"
The three kids were taken aback by Lord Ramsey's questions. It seemed as if he already knew all about them and where they had come from, but how could that be? How could Lord Ramsey, who lived in another world from their own, know about them. about how Sean was smart and didn't like to play sports a lot, how Conrad did like sports and loved the outdoors, and how Lucy had been the last to arrive in Sirilan? Most important, how did he know they were from another world? They had told only Luther these things, and Luther had told no one else! The three kids were practically overwhelmed by the extent of Lord Ramsey’s knowledge. It was Conrad who finally asked the question they’d all been thinking. “How in the world do you know all this stuff? The only one we’ve met in Sirilan is Luther, and we didn’t even tell him all that? How’d you find out?”
Instead of answering, Evan Ramsey arose from his chair and stood silently, gazing at an ornate painting on the far wall. The painting depicted the Lord of Rocklawn, flanked by two robust figures, who had a look of Lord Ramsey about them. Behind the three main figures. the castle of Rocklawn loomed into the sky.
As Lord Ramsey stared at the painting, which to him seemed to symbolize everything he stood for, family, honor, and his love for his country. he began to speak.
By one the king and queen were slain,
By one the prince was hidden away,
But three shall bring him back again,
And three will all of Sirilan save.
First is the scholar, who in no tournaments will play,
Second is the strong one, who frequents nature’s ways,
Third is the maiden, last come into this land,
And the prince will be saved by this trio’s hand.
You who come from a land afar,
You who seek a Montisle son,
You who come from beyond a star,
Heed these words to find that one.
Go to the darkgreen, travel from the dawnleft,
Follow the sapphire of purest blue,
Join with the wild kin of black and heather gray,
And the lost will be made known to you.
"Wow," breathed an awe-struck Sean. There was silence for several minutes as the three kids took in the meaning of the rhyme's words. Their minds were reeling with the impact of this latest revelation. It was hard to take in, that in another world, a world completely different from our world, there was a legend that mentioned them! A legend that specifically spoke of the three kids and how they were to save Sirilan by finding the Lost Island and rescuing the Prince! It was almost too much to believe.
Finally, Conrad spoke. "Where did that come from?"
The baron shifted his gaze from the portrait towards the three kids. "None doth know for sure. After the prince first disappeared, the legend began spreading like wildfire. No man doth know who first started it, but regardless of its origin, the legend's message is clear. Thou must go forth and seek the Lost Island. rescue the Prince. and save all Sirilan!"
“But how will we find him?" Lucy protested. "We don't even know where to look! That's why we came here! We thought that you could tell us where to go to find the Lost Island!"
Lord Ramsey turned towards her. "Aye, little maiden, thou didst right in coming here, for verily, now that the words of this rhyme hath become clear, methinks I do indeed know where thou must journey to find the Lost Island. Look you, the first three verses of this ballad tell of thou three and how we Sirians shouldst recognize thee when thou comest. However, the fourth verse is different from the others. Methinks this last verse is the one that thou needest to effect the rescue of our rightful king."
Luther nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I most definitely concur with the magnanimous patrician in that the concluding stanza in this tetrad of sonnets would undoubtedly be the specific one to provide guidance as to in what locality we are to search for the Missing Isle."
"Okay, well, that's...great, I guess, yeah, that's just...great, yeah," Lucy agreed uncertainly, "So, um, what was the fourth verse, again?"
Lord Ramsey started to repeat the fourth verse, but Sean beat him to it:
"Go to the darkgreen, travel from the dawnleft,
Follow the sapphire of purest blue,
Join with the wild kin of black and heather gray,
And the lost will be made known to you."
The baron nodded approvingly towards Sean. "Well done, young squire, methinks the legend spoke rightly of thee when it didst call thee a scholar. So then, canst thou tell me of its meaning?"
Sean thought about the poem's words. "Well, I'm not sure exactly, but I think the part where it says, `Go to the darkgreen' might be talking about the Southern Forest. If you're looking at it from the air, it kind of looks like a huge dark green blanket,"
Conrad interrupted as the meaning of the poem's next words hit him. "Yeah, and if that's true, than the next part, ‘travel from the dawnleft' makes more sense. If you're standing in the east, where the sun rises, and you look left, you're looking north! So when it says for us to travel from the dawnleft, it wants us to go south!"
"So, we're supposed to go look in the Southern Forest for the Lost Island," Lucy concluded. "But where? That Forest looks pretty big. Are we supposed to search the entire Forest?"
"No, not the whole Forest, just where the sapphire is," Sean answered. "Remember? The next line says we're supposed to `Follow the sapphire of purest blue.' Although how we're supposed to follow a sapphire is beyond me, I mean, how can we follow a jewel to the Lost Island?"
"Nay, not a jewel, `tis a river thou must follow!" The Lord of Rocklawn spoke as he realized what it meant. "This kingdom doth have three rivers which run through our land. The Diamond River comes down from the Northern Mountains and divides into two rivers at the city of Mirk. These art the Amethyst River which dost flow eastward to the sea, and the Sapphire River, which flows into the Southern Forest. Dost thou see? The Sapphire River wilt lead thee to the Lost Island!”
“Okay,” Sean summarized, “so we know we’re supposed to go south, following the Sapphire River into the Southern Forest, until we find the Lost Island. But what does it mean by, ‘Join with the wild kin of black and heather gray?”
They pondered the meaning of these words. Suddenly, something seemed to occur to Lord Ramsey. Something that did not please him, judging by the dismal expression on his face. “No,” he murmured to himself, “no, that surely is not the meaning, there must be another interpretation. Surely the rhyme wouldst not tell thee to do that. Would it?”
“What? What is it? Have you figured it out?” asked Conrad.
The Lord of Rocklawn sighed heavily. He appeared greatly disturbed. “Alas, methinks I do indeed know the meaning of those unfortunate words. The wild kin of black and heather gray are the Raccoon Brethren! Thou must seek out the Raccoon Brethren for aid in finding the Lost Island! Lack a day, thou wilt surely be slain!”
“But who are the Raccoon Brethren, anyway?” Lucy asked, feeling a twinge of fear at the baron’s grave words.
“The Fraternity of the Procyon loyor species, colloquially known as ‘raccoons’ or ‘the Raccoon Brethren’ are bands of nomadic brigands, who travel through the woodlands of the South, roaming freely, and preying upon any sojourners who are unfortunate enough to enter their domain. Little else is known about them, except they are primitive in their lifestyle, have a separate language called Rakkol, have established their headquarters in a town called Riverwood, and are exceptionally hostile towards anyone not a raccoon, by definition meaning anyone other than themselves,” Luther stated.
“Dost thou now see why I wast so distraught at the meaning of those words? If thou dost follow the legend, then of a certainty, thou wilt never leave the Southern Forest alive! But if thou reject the legend and choose not to accept it as truth, than we will be left without guidance to find the Lost Island! Alas, ‘twas a truly a sad day when thou didst come to this troubled land!”
Lucy felt sorry for Lord Ramsey. He looked so sorrowful and melancholy, as he stood there by the fire. Conrad spoke then. His voice was loud and unafraid. “Well, if the legend says we're supposed to link up with the Raccoon Brethren, then we’ll just have to do it! Look, I know they’re really wild and we may not survive, but the legend says that we’re supposed to find the Lost Island, right? And it says we have to do that by meeting the Raccoon Brethren, right? Well, then, if that's the way we have to do it, than I say, let’s get it on!”
The Lord of Rocklawn stood. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “Thou art truly a brave lad. Surely the legend spoke rightly of thee also, when it called thee a strong one. Very well, thou shalt indeed journey forth to find the Lost Island, with full provisions and weapons. I shalt give thee knowledge of the route that thou must follow to the Sapphire River, and I shall provide thee with a guide, to give aid to thee on thy quest and help thee against the Raccoon Brethren. But we must to bed now. Tomorrow, thy quest shalt begin in earnest!”
2023 me’s comments:
First off, you may be wondering how Lord Ramsey, last seen standing all melancholy-like by the fire, managed to stand up again in the last paragraph. Did he leap on top of a chair maybe? The answer is yes. He absolutely did that. Because he’s awesome. (The real answer is I lost track of what he was doing in the moment. It happens.)
Also, I don’t remember why he alone in this story talks like he just stepped out of the King James Version. I checked and (spoiler) even his two sons, appearing in the next chapter, don’t talk in quite that fashion. Anyhow, you’re probably asking yourself if he’s such a fearsome warrior, why hasn’t he gone after the story’s bad guy, Lord Taradash himself? That is a very good question, to which I reply: shush. You’ll make him melancholy again.
Next week: chapter nine, and the return of everyone’s favorite cowboy rabbit, Dwayne Bushfield! Also, the bad guy puts in an appearance! dun dun dun
That poem sounds like something Tolkien would have interpolated.