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The Elphame Chronicles

Part 1

The Poisoned Sceptre

Adrian Holland

Published by AMAZOLA

The right of Adrian Holland to be identified as the Author of the work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

Copyright © Adrian Holland 2014

ISBN 978-1-909466-18-0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

For further information please contact the official website at

www.amazolapublishing.com

A copy of this book is held at the British Library.

Cover design and illustrations by Adrian Holland
I was very close to both of my parents who were my best friends, and I have lost count of the number of happy times we shared, and all of the creativity and laughter. Like my beloved father Joe, my mother Margaret was so special, and my total inspiration. I would therefore like to dedicate this book to their memory.

## Contents

Introduction

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

##  Introduction

It is difficult to know where to start, but as in all good adventure stories it is best to start at the beginning!

Long ago, in The Age before Man, there was an ancient kingdom known as Elphamia inhabited by a variety of creatures.

Most people have heard of Elves, Faeries, Pixies or Leprechauns, but not many people have ever heard of an Elphin Rabbit!

They are one of the oldest races, and are very secretive creatures, that live deep underground and seldom venture out apart that is, from Midsummer's Night. So, if ever you have heard a distant scurrying on such a night, then, just maybe, it might have been an Elphin Rabbit!

Now, the word Rabbit conjures up thoughts of long ears, whiskers, fluffy tails and buck teeth, of creatures covered in fur that hop about. Elves are supposed to be small creatures with pointed ears, although long ago, they were almost the same size as the average Man. Elphin Rabbits are no exception, apart again from their ears, which are large and floppy, and their nose and whiskers, which are very Rabbit like - hence their name!

What makes them different is the fact that - apart from the ears, they live at one with nature, and all Elves, no matter what type are vegetarians.

Long, long ago, they did have their own kingdom deep within _The_ _Land of Moors and Woods_ , but sadly, that was a very long time ago indeed. Things are not what they used to be, and _The Age of Man_ has done little to help their cause. However, it was not always that way, as Men were different all of those years ago.

From a time before memory, there was one _Elphin Rabbit_ whose destiny was about to shape the Kingdom...

##  One

Before we start, it is best to mention a legend far older than the most distant of tales, told by storytellers for countless generations...

There was once a King from another land, who tricked his way to power, and let his kingdom's riches dwindle away. He was deeply unpopular and was challenged to a wrestling match by a nobleman, who was considered by the people to be their rightful King. The nobleman won, and the King left in shame.

In his exile, he came across new lands, finding a large quantity of gold within them. He sent word to the new King of his find, thinking that he could buy his way back into power.

He demanded that the new King should come and see all the gold for himself, and when he arrived, he suggested that they should have another wrestling match to decide who should be the rightful King.

He knew that he would lose, so poisoned the King's drinking water, but his deception failed, when he drank from the wrong cup.

The new King left with a large quantity of the gold, dividing the land between his two sons. They both became a King in their own right, and the elder one became know as the Great King, as he created a magnificent kingdom know as Elphamia, with the aid of their sister. The other became very jealous of all that they had achieved, and tried to take it from them. Despite the wisdom of the Great King, he was unable to prevent a terrible battle, after which everything was destroyed.

The Great King's followers then took his body burying it deep inside a mountain, carving his image upon it, as a constant reminder of all that he achieved...

It is said that one day, the Great King will emerge from the mountain, and rebuild the ancient Kingdom of Elphamia...

Legends are one thing, but the lives of normal folk are quite something else!

Within the ancient kingdom of Elphamia, lies The Land of Moors and Woods, although there is not much of a kingdom left any more, and all that remains are a few scattered villages nestled in the valleys between the rolling hills. Our story starts in one such village occupied by our main character Roger or Roggie, as he is more commonly known.

Now you might think that Roggie is not really the sort of name you would expect to have for an Elphin Rabbit, however, if you were to be able to speak Elphin, then it would sound more like Hroogar, but not quite. Elphin is so different from our language, that it is doubtful whether you would be able to make any sort of a translation at all. Therefore, the closest that we can come to his real name is Roggie, and after all Roggie is quite a nice name, particularly for an Elfin Rabbit!

Incidentally, the name Roger also means Famous Spear, which seems to be quite apt, as this particular Elphin Rabbit has won the village spear throwing contest for the last three years in a row, and is the current holder of the Sacred Spear.

Now, this actual spear has mythical properties, and dates from a time long ago, being made of a strange metal that never tarnishes. It also has strange writing carved on the blade, and is sometimes referred to as the Spear of Destiny. Long, long ago, it was hotly contested by the warriors, but since there are none of them left anymore, or much of a kingdom for that matter, it was not so difficult to win!

Now that we have established that his name is Roggie, we really need to find out a little more about him!

Well, there is really not much to tell, apart that is, from the fact that, well, his destiny awaits...

Now destiny is something that you cannot escape as it is your future, but fate is quite something else entirely. We all have free choice as to whether we do something or not, but whatever we do or do not do, try as we might, we cannot escape what is destined to happen to us!

For Roggie, his fate was within his own hands, as it is for all of us, and as you will see, his destiny was waiting to be fulfilled...

A shaft of light poked through the half drawn curtains, creeping its way very slowly out across the wooden floor as it had done all morning. From just a glimmer it now illuminated the inside of the little burrow, where its single occupant lay in his warm comfortable bed, thinking about all the things that he could have been doing, but like most days, what he could have been doing, and what he actually had done, were two entirely different things!

His life revolved around thoughts of wonderful things, and thoughts were his main activity. Yes, he did have his vegetable plot, which lay besides his burrow, although burrow is not quite how you would have described his home.

Roggie's burrow was little more than a turfed mound, held up by some stout wooden posts. It had just the one window, which sat besides its solitary door, which led out into the village. Besides the door and window, the only other things that could be seen, was a table and chair, pantry and a chest which held all of his clothes, and of course, his spear!

Roggie liked clothes, and always dreamed of having lots of them, but that would mean having to do something to earn them, and leaving his warm comfortable bed, always proved to be the stumbling block. It was not that he was lazy, it was just the fact that he had so much thinking to do, that he had no time to do anything else. Thoughts were his main occupation, and there was nowhere better for having them, than his warm comfortable bed!

Roggie had many thoughts, some of which were based around what he was going to do, although they seldom materialised as he would easily get sidetracked into thinking about something else. They ranged from the clothes he was going to get to how he was going to expand his vegetable plot, and even the odd thought about going on a big adventure.

Now, that was something which took up a lot of his thought time. Roggie was not one to venture outside the village, and always wondered what lay beyond the hills that surrounded it. He had heard some tales told by the village elders of distant times, when there was a mighty kingdom. It all sounded very exciting to him, and he could imagine how fabulous it must have been. That was a very long time ago, and things were a lot simpler in those days.

Sometimes, he would think about how marvellous it would be to live in a castle, or maybe even a palace. He did love his burrow though, so much so, that he seldom left it, only to visit his vegetable plot to get something for his dinner. Food was something else that he really enjoyed, and his thoughts would then drift to all of the sumptuous meals that he could have been eating.

As you can see, Roggie spent so much time thinking, that there was just not enough time left to do any of the wonderful things that he had been thinking about!

He left his thoughts for a moment, as he could see some people walking about outside his window, no doubt busy with their daily chores, and chores were something else which Roggie seldom did. However, occasionally, he was known to offer his help, although that was very rare, and only if he really wanted something in return. But Roggie was contented with all he had, or should I say, the thoughts of all he wished to have!

He lived a very simple life, one which as you have probably gathered, usually involved his warm comfortable bed. This day was no exception, as he had plenty of food on his vegetable plot, and his burrow was always lovely and warm, thanks to the underground spring.

The spring emerged under the village from deep within the earth, where it was heated by the remains of an ancient volcano that had not murmured for generations. Some people thought that the Spirit of the Mountain was asleep, and feared waking it, whilst others believed that the Spirit watched over them. Not since the days of the great battle had anyone heard it rumble, and everyone was glad that it had stayed silent ever since!

Maybe that was the real reason why the village remained so quiet, as no one wanted to wake the Spirit, although Roggie had thought about that too!

Maybe one day, he would find out a little more about it?

The only really important thing however, was the fact that it heated the underground water, which flowed beneath the floor of his burrow, before emerging out into a pond situated in the centre of the village. From there, it flowed down along the valley floor, meeting another stream before cascading down a waterfall into the mighty river far below.

Roggie felt so comfortable in his bed, that he let any thoughts about the other villagers drift away to be replaced by those of the Spirit of the Mountain, and how he would go about speaking to it?

That was quite a thought, and if he did manage to speak to it, then what was he going to say?

These were fascinating questions, and would take a considerable time to answer. Roggie had plenty of time, and as he lay there in contemplation, he suddenly heard a rumble. However, it was not the rumble of the mountain, but the rumble of his stomach. Roggie had been so busy thinking, that he had not noticed the fact that he not eaten anything all day.

The warm underground stream meant that there was always a ready supply of fresh food, which just grew all by itself. His vegetable plot was no exception, and it was going to be easy enough to just walk outside and pick something fresh for his dinner. That was, if he could drag himself away from his thoughts!

Life was good, and Roggie intended to make the most of it!

Just a few minutes more, he said to himself, as he had done for most of the day. He was just too comfortable to get up yet!

Raising an eye, he looked out of his window again, wondering what everyone else was up to. There seemed to be a gathering by the side of the pond, as he lazily considered getting up to have a closer look. Most of the people in the village seemed to be there, and his curiosity got the better of him. He thought that maybe, he ought to find out what it was all about, although maybe he should wait just a few more minutes!

Reluctantly, Roggie eventually struggled out from between the thick warm sheets, moving his quilted blanket to one side. For a moment, he almost pulled them back over himself again, and lay there wondering if it was worth the effort of getting out of bed. He had made a start, and so whilst he had the momentum, he decided to get fully out of bed.

His outdoor clothes lay neatly folded on his chair, as the one thing that you could never say about Roggie, was that he was untidy. The fact that he seldom did anything to make a mess, was besides the point!

Slipping out of his pyjamas, he donned his shirt and trousers, pulling on his jerkin. It was sleeveless and padded, with a hood, and was just enough to keep him warm. The village was never really cold, and it did not call for a coat. His jerkin fitted snugly, but not quite as snugly as his sheets and padded blanket!

Folding his pyjamas and placing them on his chair, he returned to his bed - not to sleep, but to neatly make it ready for his return, and when he had finished, he lazily ambled towards his front door.

The large round door knob turned in his hand, and the hinges creaked as it swung open sending the bright sunlight flooding in. Roggie had to shield his eyes and began to rub them, as they adjusted to the brightness. He sleepily stood there, leaning against the doorpost yawning, wondering whether he should have just stayed in bed.

The air was warm and fresh, with a hint of perfume from the roses which grew up the front of his burrow. They were in bloom which was not unusual, as they grew in profusion flowering for most of the year within the village. Today however, their scent was particularly strong, and very pleasant on his nose making him twitch his whiskers.

Normally, he would have stood there for quite a while breathing in the sweet scent, but there seemed to be quite a commotion, which was very unusual, as the village was almost as sleepy as he was!

Everyone had gathered around the village pond, and voices were raised. Voices were never raised in the village, apart that was, from when there was a fair, and even then, everyone was calm and relaxed for the most part. Roggie could not understand it as the village fair was days away, and whatever it was, he could feel a distinct tension in the air, which was something he seldom felt. The village folk were a contented bunch, although not quite as contented as he was!

Watching from the sidelines, Roggie thought that at the centre of the gathering he could see what appeared to be some strangers. That was quite unusual, as no one ever came here, apart from the odd distant relative paying an unexpected visit. What made this all the more unusual, was that the strangers appeared to be Men. Men seldom ventured into The Land of Moors and Woods, and none had ever ventured as far as the village.

There also seemed to be a lot of shouting going on, which broke the usual quiet. What had brought them here was a bit of a mystery, and Roggie leisurely strolled towards them to find out what all the fuss was about.

At the centre of the commotion stood a Friar, or at least Roggie thought that it was a Friar, as he resembled the description given to him by one of the village elders. Apparently, Friars wore long brown gowns, tied around the waist with a white cord. Roggie could not quite remember the full story, as the village elder told of many things, when they were gathered around the nightly fire in the village. Roggie had always loved to sit and warm himself, and listen to the tales that he told.

Roggie liked tales, as it gave him something else to think about. Often, he could imagine himself taking part, striding off into battle, or venturing on a journey to a distant land. That prospect was just as distant as the tales, as he loved his burrow, but not as much as his warm comfortable bed!

The tales were very old, and passed down from generation to generation, with no one really knowing how old they actually were. They told of the ancient kingdom of Elphamia, its wisdom, culture and of the Great King who ruled over it. That was before it had all been destroyed in a terrible battle, and what remained was just a few sleepy villages, just like his own.

The Men's voices were raised, and the sound of them shouting could be heard echoing around the burrows, which circled the fire in the centre. It was nothing more than a pile of ash at the moment, as there was no need for a fire in the middle of the day.

"We have been sent by your new King - The Self Appointed One!"

Roggie had a very puzzled look on his face, as there had not been a King since the terrible battle all those years ago. There was no need to have one, as there was nothing much to rule over.

"He is the only one who can protect you from the Dragons!"

Everyone lived a quiet tranquil life, and did not need protecting from anything, and as for Dragons, there had never been any mention of them as far as he could remember. It was something which most people did not even know existed, and those that did, only got a brief description from the village tales. Dragons were mythical creatures, and something most people thought had been invented, just to give the tales an added twist.

"The Self Appointed One demands that you all pay a Dragon Tax for his protection!"

The whole village looked stunned, and everyone had a look of total bewilderment on their faces. There were not taxes here, as everyone shared everything, and worked together - well that was apart from Roggie, who seldom worked at all!

" _Dragons_ are terrible creatures that can suddenly appear from nowhere breathing fire and destroying everything in their path. They could destroy this entire village in a matter of seconds, and everyone within it. It is only The Self Appointed One who can protect you from these cruel and vicious creatures."

There was a groan from the villagers as the Friar continued.

"They can roast you alive, or tear you limb from limb, and never show any mercy. They are wicked creatures and destroy things just for pleasure, you do not want that to happen to you, do you?"

There was a shaking of heads.

"I want three gold coins off each of you, otherwise you will be sent to work in the gold mines."

The village was very isolated and the people did not even know that there were any gold mines either. There were some gold coins within the village, but they had not been used for generations. Most people just worked for themselves, and when they needed something that they could not produce themselves, they just traded one thing for another.

"The gold mines are terrible places, and the work is hard. Most people only last a few months and by the look of you, I doubt whether any of you would last for more than a week!"

This was all very strange, and the villagers had no concept of being forced to do anything. There was no need, as the rich luscious soil, and warm natural spring provided them with everything that they needed.

Roggie was equally as confused, and could not make any sense of it. Even if there were any Dragons, then why would they come here, as there was nothing much to destroy?

There was some jostling, as the Friar's men started to push the villagers around. Violence was something else that they were not used to, and Roggie could not really comprehend what was actually going on. It was only when one of the villagers was struck, falling to the ground that he decided to do something.

He had heard enough, and began to creep slowly back towards his burrow. He had no money, and did not like the sound of the gold mines, or Dragons come to that!

Hopefully, if he closed his door, and got back under his quilted blanket, then they would just go away, but somehow, he knew that there was little prospect of that happening.

What was he going to do, and where could he hide until the Men had gone away?

He looked around at the little burrows, all covered in turf with an adornment of brightly coloured flowers. There was nowhere that he could see which would make any sort of a hiding place.

With the sun at his back, his shadow pointed in the direction of the distant mountain, although that place looked equally as uninviting. It was swathed in thick trees, and no one had been there for generations, and the thought of being up there on his own, did not sound very appealing to him either.

Nevertheless, he did manage to creep back to his burrow, which offered him some temporary relief. It was warm and comfortable inside and he longed to stay, but could already see the men ushering everyone back to their homes.

What was he going to do?

The Men started to move from burrow to burrow, collecting their gold coins, and it looked as though they were putting a mark on the door of those who had paid, and anyone unfortunate enough not to have any coins, had their hands bound and were tied in a line, ready to be marched off to the gold mines!

Roggie stuffed some food into his bag along with anything else that he thought would be of use. He had to get away from here, although where he was going to go, he had no idea!

Picking up his spear, he looked out of his window, and when he thought that the coast was clear, he slipped out of his front door.

Walking as quietly as he could, he crept past his vegetable plot towards the nearest burrow. It was not a moment too soon, as the men walked up his little path, banging on his front door. When there was no answer, they forced their way inside, searching it thoroughly before emerging in a foul mood.

They were very angry, and the Friar did not seem at all pleased either. Roggie could hear their shouts as he scurried away, wishing to get as far away from them as he could.

Moving stealthily from the back of one burrow to the next, he made his way towards the path which led out of the village. It was his only means of escape, and as he entered it, he began to run.

The path led him towards the stream which flowed out from the village pond, and he could see the sunlight glisten off the water, as it meandered towards another stream which flowed down the valley. Where they met, the water grew much deeper as it passed under a wooden bridge. The path crossed it just after the waters merged, and he knew that if he was going to get away, then he had to cross it, and hope that the Men did not see him.

However, Roggie was not quick enough, for as he got half way towards it there was a shout.

"You there, halt!"

One of the Men spotted him, and pulled a bow out from behind his back. Roggie gave a quick look over his shoulder as he ran for his life.

The Man drew an arrow from his drawstring bag, loading the bow, and pulling back the tight bowstring. He aimed it at the fleeing Roggie, before letting go. The arrow shot through the air, and as Roggie neared the bridge, it hit him, sending him tumbling towards the water...

##  Two

A frantic cry filled the air, sending birds scattering from the nearby trees, breaking the normal tranquillity of the outskirts of the village. They, like the inhabitants, were used to a very slow pace of life.

Birds were respected, as all life was, which was considered sacred. Everything had a purpose, with its own character and spirit. Even the rocks and trees, the water, the sky above and the ground below. The inhabitants of the small valley lived in harmony with nature, and it lived in harmony with them.

Today, the harmony had been broken, as everything had been upset by the arrival of the Men.

The birds flew into the sky, as Roggie flew through the air, carried by the momentum of the arrow. For him, everything seemed to be going in slow motion, as he felt its impact, sending him off balance. He had been running as fast as he could, and now there was no path to run along, as his legs grasped at thin air, before he hit the water with a big splash.

Roggie took a deep breath, as the force of the impact sent water gushing up everywhere, as he descended below its surface, almost hitting the bottom. The water was much deeper here, than it had been upstream, and the wooden bridge, marked the point at which the streams merged into the beginnings of the river.

It has to be said that Elphin Rabbits, are quite good swimmers, and reasonably fond of water. Roggie was no exception, although that was in the village pond. His whole body went into shock, as he rose to the surface still clutching his spear tightly in his right hand, as he struggled to stay afloat. Fortunately, the water was quite warm, thanks to the lava, as he gasped for air, slipping below the surface again. He grasped the spear with both hands, kicking his legs as he rose to the surface again taking another deep breath, with the arrow sticking out of his back like a Shark's fin. He was now bobbing up and down, as he tried to remain above the surface, not really knowing what he was doing.

It took Roggie several minutes to get accustomed to the water, and all the time the current was taking him further down stream. It was gentle at first, although the further down the valley it carried him, the stronger it became. He could see the riverbank on both sides, as it swept him along, and he realised that he was gaining speed all of the time. The ground had begun to dip, as he headed further downstream past the luscious green vegetation of the upper part of the valley. It was quite dense, with thick grass and ferns dipping themselves into the waters edge.

The village lay in the upper part of the valley nestled beneath the hillsides, which afforded it some protection from the worst of the wind and rain. It was more open here, although there were several trees dotted about. Roggie could see that there were more of them up ahead, as they began to form the edge of a dense forest. It was not long before the trees began to line the riverbank, as the grass and ferns were replaced by barren looking rocks. The river began to widen, and he felt the current increase again, as he was carried further downstream.

The rocks were covered in a slimy green moss, and as he made a grab for one with his left hand, he lost his balance, descending below the surface, swallowing a mouthful of water as he went. Roggie managed to struggle back to the surface, coughing and spluttering, as he was swept past.

The shock of falling into the water had begun to wear off, as the enormity of his situation began to dawn on him. There was no way that he was going to be able to grab hold of any of the rocks, and there did not seem to be any other way of saving himself. It was also getting noisier, as the sound of the water crashing against them, sent a cloud of white spray out in all directions.

Roggie had never been so far downstream before, as he preferred not to go into the woods. In fact, he preferred not to venture out of his burrow at all, if he could help it!

He could do nothing apart from try and keep his head above water, as the current whipped him around another rock, as the water continued to gain momentum. It was just flowing faster and faster all of the time the further downstream he went, and just when he thought that he could get near to a rock, he was swept away from it.

Further and further down the valley he went, as the sound of the water increased to a deafening roar. He began to panic, as up ahead he could see a massive cloud of spray, and nothing but clear daylight beyond it.

In his mind, he could hear the voice of the village elder, telling a tale about a giant waterfall which flowed down into the valley below. His heart sank, as he realised that there was a lot of truth in the tale.

However, there was no hero in it, as it described the ancient kingdom, and at this moment in time, he wished there had been. It would have been comforting to know that someone else had survived its decent, although from the elders' description, it was going to be a very long way down!

The water was now giving out a thunderous roar, and Roggie had never seen so much spray before. He was in big trouble as he frantically tried to grab hold of the passing rocks, which pushed their way out of the cascading waters. It was no use, as he was travelling far too quickly, and the water kept on sweeping him past before he had a chance to grab hold of one. The sound of the water was truly deafening now, as the white spray shot up into the air, before diving down into the valley below.

The only thing that Roggie could see was an old tree, which was partially submerged in the water. It had fallen down from the hillside above, and must have become wedged between the rocks right on the waters edge. He was travelling right for it, and as he got within range, he made a grab for one of its outstretched branches.

His left hand caught the branch, and he jerked backwards, as the water tried to pull him away. The current was so strong, that he had difficulty holding on. Roggie gritted his teeth, summoning up as much strength as he could muster, but his efforts were in vain, as the branch suddenly snapped, and he felt his whole body lurch over the waters edge...

##  Three

Clouds of white spray cascaded into the air, shrouding the edge of the waterfall in fine droplets, as the thunderous roar of the water hitting the river far below echoed all around the valley. Far below the severed branch of the tree disappeared in another shower of spray eventually rising to the surface, before being swept away.

Roggie felt his whole body lurch as he hung precariously over the waters edge, expecting to follow the branch down into the churning cauldron below.

He waited for the sudden impact, as he hit the water, before being thrust far below its choppy surface. For some reason, it failed to materialise, and as he hung there in mid air, he began to realise that something was wrong.

Looking upwards, he was both amazed and relieved to see that somehow his bag had got caught up in the tree's other branches. It was pulling tightly around his shoulders, although he did not mind, as it had been enough to save him from being sent down into the turbulent waters below.

Roggie splashed about trying to get a grip on the branch which had saved his life, whilst still trying to hold onto his spear, and eventually after quite a struggle, he managed to haul himself up onto it. His bag was still caught up within the tree, and somehow he managed to free it without being swept away.

Slowly, he was able to climb along the branch until he was almost out of the water, and then all of a sudden, it moved. Roggie lost his balance, as his weight dislodged the tree, as the current got a hold of it. Roggie gasped as he made a mad scramble for safety, climbing along the tree in a desperate attempt to reach the riverbank.

Roggie tried to grab hold of a nearby rock. It was wet and slippery, and all covered in moss, but it was all that there was to grip hold of, as the tree finally broke free. There was a horrified look on his face, as he feared that just like the tree, he would be swept away in the current, and out over the edge of the waterfall. There was nothing that he could do, as it disappeared in a cloud of spray.

He gasped for air as he scrambled onto the rock, his left hand clinging to a dry piece, that lay above the covering of slimy moss. Still holding onto his spear, he scrambled up, with his feet still submerged in the water.

Somehow, he found the strength to hold on, as the strong current threatened to sweep him away. It was a precarious position, and with his arms aching, he used all the strength that he had left, to try and climb clear.

Somehow, he managed to get his feet up, as they tore at the moss to get a foothold. It was incredibly slippery, and he almost fell back into the water again, but his efforts were just enough to haul himself clear.

There was no time to rest, as he feared that if he tried to stay here, he would eventually lose his balance, so the only thing that he could do was to try and reach another rock, which was half submerged just in front of him. Roggie jumped, and his feet bounced off the rock, as he fell forward, onto yet another rock, which was a bit nearer the riverbank.

It was very difficult to hop over the rocks, even for an Elphin Rabbit, and one gave way, rolling down and hitting another before splashing into the water, as Roggie stumbled, almost losing his balance again, as he finally reached the relative safety of a much larger rock. This one was comparatively dry, with a flat surface, which he fell head first onto. Gasping for air, he managed to hold on, finally pulling himself clear of the water.

Roggie was totally and utterly exhausted, and just lay there breathing heavily. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the arrow, which was still sticking into his back. Strangely, he did not feel any pain from it, and as he delicately removed his bag, he could see that it was sticking into something. He opened his bag and found that it was embedded into his trusty spade.

The spade was one of his most treasured possessions, which he used on his beloved vegetable plot. It had a smooth wooden handle, and a metal heart shaped blade. The arrow was sticking into the handle, and he realised that if it had of struck him a fraction either side, then he would not be here now. Luck was certainly with him today, as he had eluded the Men, evaded the gold mines, and survived the arrow, not to mention the clutches of the waterfall!

Relief filled his body, as he spread out on his back in the warm spring sunshine. He was soaked right through to the skin, and his clothes clung heavily to him. With all his efforts, Roggie was worn out, and did not have the strength to move, as his eyes soon began to close, as he drifted off into a deep sleep...

##  Four

Droplets of water danced magically in the sunlight, creating a rainbow of colours, as they hit the rocks, before cascading down over the waters edge. It was a beautiful site, although its beauty belayed the danger to anyone, or anything unlucky enough to follow.

The sight may have seemed magical, but the thunderous roar was enough to bring fear into the hearts of the bravest of souls, who, if they were ever unfortunate enough to fall into the raging torrents, had little chance of escape. The tree had long since lost its battle for survival, and succumbed to the powerful current, which had eventually swept it away, far down into the swirling mists below.

There was one exception to this rule however, and having miraculously escaped from its clutches, he now lay spread out on a rock. Fortune had certainly favoured him today, and for the first time in hours, the contentment of sleep filled his body, as Roggie slept on, oblivious to the dangers that surrounded him.

His mind was far away from here, and his thoughts were still concentrated on his little burrow. To him, he was soundly asleep in his warm comfortable bed, and any thoughts of the waterfall, or his escape, were nothing more than a distant memory.

His mind began to drift, and Roggie could see the inside of his burrow, and everything was neat and tidy as usual. He was thinking of his vegetable plot, and what he could have for his dinner. Roggie was just going to lie here for a little while longer, before getting up and venturing outside.

"Roggie!"

A distant voice seemed to be calling out to him, but the contentment of the sheets and warm quilted blanket, were enough to prevent him taking any notice of it.

"Roggie!"

There it was again, soft and gentle, wavering at the edge of his mind.

"Roggie!"

For a third time, the voice called out to him, but he slept on, not wanting to move a muscle, as he was far too snug to rise for anything.

"You're destiny awaits, young Elphin Rabbit!"

Roggie could think of nothing more than his warm comfortable bed, and any thoughts of destiny would have to wait until he was ready.

"I have been able to protect you so far, and I will show you what will lie ahead in the next phase of your adventure."

Roggie had often dreamed of going on an adventure, but that was as far as he had ever got. To him it was far better living out his adventures from the safety of his burrow. He did not like to leave the familiar surroundings, where he felt safe and secure. Roggie was not that courageous, and had heard tales of adventurers from the village elder, and it all sounded far too dangerous for him to get involved.

Images began to float over his closed eyes, like clouds blowing across the sky on a windy day. They were soothing, and he felt a sense of beauty and calm, emanating from a distant figure standing by his side. He could not see it clearly, but at the edge of his peripheral vision, he could just make out a beautiful Faery. She was wearing a full-length white silken dress, which sparkled with little magical diamonds. She also had light blue and turquoise wings, with their many tiers spread out behind her. Roggie could also see some butterflies, which circled around the bunch of beautiful flowers that she was holding in her right hand.

"Don't be afraid, little one."

How could he be afraid, when he felt such a feeling of peace and security?

The clouds began to clear, and he could see that it was now night-time, and a beautiful crescent moon was shining high above him. He could also see two stone pillars, and what looked like a monument on the other side. It was shrouded in mist, and looked so tranquil, being the home of several beautiful flowers.

In the daylight, he suspected that it was visited by many butterflies, and Roggie loved butterflies. He used to watch them playing around his vegetable plot, and used to talk to them. He had never had a reply, but he just knew that they understood what he had been saying to them. He even planted them a special bush, which they really liked, as he was such a kind and gentle soul.

He could not see the monument very clearly, as the mist was too thick, and what he could see, was mostly covered in thick undergrowth. It lay at the top of the mountain, and looked down over the valley below.

"This is the monument of the Great King, who was lost in the terrible battle that took place all of those years ago."

Roggie felt sad, as he thought about all of those people who had perished on that terrible day. Many of the tales told around the village fire were of those distant times, of the Great King, and of the glorious kingdom of Elphamia.

"Don't feel sad little one."

Roggie could not help it, as he had heard how wonderful life had been before that fateful day.

"You must find the sceptre, and take it to the Wise Old Griffin."

Roggie started to feel uncomfortable, as he had never taken anything that did not belong to him.

"It is all right, I will protect you as much as I can..."

Roggie still felt that it was wrong, as the villagers never took anything. If ever they wished to borrow something, then they just asked, as everyone shared everything they had with each other.

"I must leave you now little one, as you must awaken, and begin your journey."

Roggie was never one to journey, or to get out of bed unless he really had too. All he wished for was to stay here, safe in the knowledge that adventure and journeys were something that other people did.

His vision began to fade, as he could see the inside of his burrow again, and that was where he wished to remain. Just a few more minutes, he said to himself, as the warmth of his bed began to develop a slight chill. Roggie reached for his blanket, to pull it up over himself, as he dozed on. His blanket did not seem to be there, as he reached around for it. The bed also felt strangely hard and almost mossy to the touch, and he could have sworn that instead of his pillow, he was holding onto the handle of his trusty spade. What was that doing in bed with him?

He thought that he must be dreaming, as his back started to ache, and his whole body felt stiff and sore. That was unusual, as his lack of activity prevented him from feeling anything like that. The bed was always so comfortable, and the mattress was usually so soft and inviting.

Roggie began to stir, and very slowly, he opened an eye, and was shocked by what he saw. There shining brightly above him, was a crescent moon, just like the one he had seen in dream.

He closed his eye again, hoping that it was an illusion. His aches and pains were very real though, and he felt as though he would have to move. Opening an eye again, the crescent moon was still there, along with a lot of trees, and a raging river, whose thunderous roar filled his ears!

Roggie sat upright, not knowing where he was. He was shocked, and quickly remembered what had taken place earlier that day. He began to shiver, as he relived the events which had brought him here. He shivered again, as he looked out towards the edge of the waterfall. He could now remember the tree, and his frantic struggle to climb up onto the rock.

It had not been a dream that he'd been having, but a nightmare, and the nightmare had taken place during his waking hours!

##  Five

The chill of the breeze combined with the memories reverberating around his mind, sent a ripple down Roggie's spine. It had been a terrible experience, and as all of the day's events quickly flooded back to him, he felt bewildered, not being able to come to terms with what he had been through. He was full of confusion.

What was he going to do now?

He could not stay here, or return to the village either!

Roggie sat up gathering his thoughts, and trying to pull himself together. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a large carrot - well he was an Elphin Rabbit after all!

There were also some other vegetables inside, and some bread, although that was still a bit soggy, and he did not like the look of it. Maybe he should make a fire, and toast it, although if he did that, then the Men might see it and come after him. It was a bit of a dilemma, and he was not quite sure what to do as he munched away on his carrot.

He was still sitting there, when he heard a voice.

"The sceptre!"

Roggie looked round but could not see anyone in the moonlight.

Maybe he was imagining things?

Finishing off the carrot, he thought that he could hear the voice again, only this time it was much fainter.

"Get the sceptre!"

Roggie was very confused, and as he looked up the riverbank, he could see nothing but trees. He looked down at the river, and there was nothing there either, apart from the swirling torrents of water. He listen intently, but there was no sign of the voice, so he reached into his bag, and pulled out another vegetable, wishing that he was in his burrow enjoying a hearty meal.

His nerves began to calm as a soothing energy seemed to wrap itself around him. It was the same feeling that he had experienced whilst he had been asleep, and he could see the Faery again in his mind. She was smiling at him, although he could not see her for real. It was just a vision, all be it one which filled him with serenity.

This was all very strange, although it was not quite as strange as the fact that he was sitting on a rock by a fast flowing river. Roggie was not used to being out alone, particularly at night. Some of the evenings he would spend around the fire, listening to the tales told by the village elder. How he wished that he was there right now!

Finishing of the last of his vegetables, he came to the conclusion that there was no other option than to try and get off the rock. It had given him sanctuary, although if he moved slightly in either direction, then he faced the distinct possibility of falling back into the water. This time, there would be no tree to hold onto, so he decided that it would be safer to climb further up the bank.

Roggie gathered his things together, and hoisting his bag over his shoulder, he grasped hold of his spear with his right hand, and used it for support as he got to his feet. His limbs really ached after all of his exertions, as he was not used to having so much exercise. Now that he was standing up, he could see that the rock was quite isolated, and if he was to get to the nearest one, then he would have to jump. It was not that far, and so with a mighty effort he hopped onto it.

Roggie did not land too well, and nearly slipped backwards, using his spear to steady himself. Fortunately, the next rock was a little closer, and before he lost his nerve, he jumped onto that one, followed by the one which lay beyond that. Within a few minutes, he was safely amongst the trees, and held onto a large branch that protruded out with his free hand.

Breathing heavily, with his limbs still aching, he stayed there until he felt ready to move a little further up the bank.

It was quite difficult forcing his way through the branches, as he grabbed hold of another one, steadying himself again with the aid of his spear. It was quite dark, and he would not have been able to see anything at all, if it had not been for the shafts of moonlight which filtered down through the trees which dwarfed him, making it just bright enough for him to see where he was going.

Roggie struggled on, stumbling more than once as he made his way up the mountainside, sending the odd loose rock tumbling down into the choppy waters below, until he came to a flat rock. It was covered in undergrowth, but provided him with a good resting place. Looking around he could see the remains of what appeared to be a path, which seemed to have once stretched up from the valley floor, right to the peak of the mountain. It was badly overgrown, and obviously, it had not been used for quite some considerable time, but it was a welcome sight, and far better than having to scramble up the steep slope.

Roggie carefully made his was along it, stepping over, and bending under an assortment of branches that had grown over the path. It was surprising easy in comparison to the slope, although it still had more than its fair share of obstacles.

On and on he trudged, as the crescent moon shone brightly overhead, like a guiding light. He also felt as though there was something else watching over him, although he could not be sure. It was just a feeling, and as he climbed steadily, he thought more about the Faery.

She was really beautiful, and she had given him such a wonderful feeling of safety and contentment. Never in his life had he ever experienced such a feeling, or had such an incredible dream. The more that he thought about her, the more real she became. Roggie particularly liked the way the butterflies seemed to surround her, and butterflies were by far his favourite creatures.

Sadly, there did not seem to be any butterflies here, although he had seen the odd moth. Butterflies liked the sunlight, where as moths preferred the dark. They used to fly around the village fire at night, and some of them actually landed on him. He loved it when that happened, although when one of them had started to nibble at his clothing, he had not been too happy!

Roggie must have been walking for half the night when he finally reached what looked like a pair of stone pillars that were all covered in ivy. He stopped to get his breath, looking up towards what appeared to be an arch, carved into the mountainside.

The path had suddenly curved inwards, and it looked as though he was about to enter the side of the mountain. It had been quite a long climb, although the path had really helped him to get this far. Looking out over the treetops, he could not see the river anymore, only hear the faint rumble of the waterfall, which thankfully lay far below.

There was a lot of foliage covering the pillars, and when he eased it away, he noticed that they had a smooth surface. Pulling back some ivy, he could see that they had been delicately carved, but with so much foliage around them, it was impossible to tell just what the carvings were. However, he could just make out an image of a king wearing a crown. There was also an inscription in a long forgotten language, but it was similar enough to Roggie for him to understand a little of it.

Only the Worthy!

The rest was too difficult for him to understand, and having so much ivy wrapped around it, Roggie did not fancy spending the rest of the nigh clearing it away. He was still staring at it, when he heard a distant voice almost whispering in his ear.

"You are nearly there little one."

He looked around, but just like the last time that he had heard the calm soothing voice, there was no one there.

His back began to tingle, as if something was pushing him gently forward, and taking a deep breath, he advanced through the stone archway.

Roggie was now in a passageway, and he could see the moonlight shining through on the other side. The passageway was not very long, and had a smooth surface just like the stone pillars. Even though he would normally have been afraid of entering such a place, he still felt the security of the guiding force, which appeared to be urging him forward.

The passageway, like the path, had been abandoned for countless generations, and he wondered what lay on the other side. Walking slowly along, he could see what looked like another set of pillars marking the exit.

With fear banished, a little excitement filled him as he neared the end, and got within touching distance of the pillars. They were also overgrown, but fortunately the passageway itself had remained clear. Pushing his way through the opening, he was amazed at what he saw...

##  Six

The moonlight shone down brightly on the mountainside, which had been painstakingly carved away to reveal a balcony, framed by a majestic columned wall. Roggie stood in awe at the spectacular site that greeted him and, looking up, he could see a magnificent monument towering high above the land far below. Although overgrown just like the path he had used to get here, it was still possible to distinguish what he thought must be the Great King.

Everything had been painstakingly carved out of sheer rock, including the columned wall, and was the monumental achievement of some long distant craftsmen. There was only one stonemason in the village, and he was only able to do the most basic of things, and Roggie could only imagine what he and the other villagers would have made of it.

The Great King was sitting on his throne, and was absolutely enormous, towering way above him. Roggie was astonished, as he had been carved so well that he looked almost real, and Roggie half expected him to get up off his throne, shake the ivy away from himself, before walking down the mountainside.

It was truly spectacular, and even though the years of neglect had tarnished its once bright stonework, Roggie could only wonder at what it must have looked like in the distant past. The stone had been painted so the king looked real in every detail, to create the illusion of eternal life. Some of the paint had flaked off over time, but nevertheless, it was the most incredible thing that Roggie had ever seen.

There was an elaborate crown on the King's head, and although again badly tarnished, Roggie could clearly see that it was made out of pure gold. He was sitting with his left hand stretched out with his palm raised upwards in friendship, as if he was almost welcoming Roggie to his kingdom. His right hand was holding a sceptre, which was also made of solid gold. There was a plaque underneath it with the words Only the Worthy carved upon it, and Roggie could not begin to understand what it all meant, and just stood in wonder.

The more that he looked at it, the more real it became, and he felt tingles running all over his entire body. He could see why there had been so many legends about him, as he looked very regal sitting there.

There had been no images of the King in the village, as all traces of him had long since disappeared, with only his legend remaining. The tales of his exploits told by the village elder had provided great entertainment, and he was still revered today, long after he had departed this realm, along with countless others on that terrible day.

The efforts of the long climb began to catch up with Roggie, and he had to sit down. The last day had been the most eventful of his entire life, and he was now very tired and hungry.

Sitting resting his back against the stone columned wall, Roggie continued to stare up at the carving, which seemed to stretch all the way up to the sky. Every detail was so perfect, and it was indeed a monument fit for a King. Even the spear, which rested against his throne, seemed to be ready for use, and as he looked at it, he could see that it was not dissimilar to his own spear.

Roggie's eyes felt heavy, and as he closed them for a moment, his thoughts drifted back to the time when he had won it, at the village spear-throwing contest.

For as long as anyone could remember, there had been an annual spear-throwing contest within the village. According to legend, it was started by a solitary warrior who having survived the great battle, had settled in the village. He was all that remained of the ancient warrior clan, and before he died of old age, he wrote the Lost Book of the Pict-Sidhé. Very few people knew of its existence, and even fewer had actually read it. Roggie was one of the fortunate few, although being sworn to secrecy; he often wondered why he had been allowed to read it, if he was not allowed to talk to anyone about what he had read!

It was a strange tale of days long ago, of ancient beliefs and codes of honour. There were strange weapons and instructions of how to use them, and the whole thing was so very different from life within the village. There was seldom a quarrel, let alone a battle, and thoughts of a war were things which were consigned to ancient history.

From what Roggie could remember, the word Pict referred to Pictavia - The Land of Forests and Mountains, which was far away from The Land of Moors and Woods, and the other word Sidhé, referred to communicating with the nature spirits which existed in every living thing including animals, birds, rocks and trees. Everyone still believed in that, and everything was treated with respect, particularly the Spirit of the Mountain.

He relaxed, as more of what he had read started to flow out of his subconscious mind.

These Pict-Sidhés or Pixies sounded quite different from the Elphin Rabbits, and the last of the warrior clan was what was referred to as a Lepra-Corpan or Leprechaun. The word meant scaly body, which referred to his body armour, made from small overlapping plates of bronze, which tarnished to give a greenish colour, giving the appearance of Lizard scales. Leprechauns were the Great King's armoured cavalry, although no one in the village had ever seen a horse, let alone ridden one!

Roggie had read the description in the lost book, and often visualised himself riding one of those creatures, wearing his armour and holding a lance. But, the nearest he had ever come to that was the annual village spear throwing contest.

Normally, Roggie would not have been at all interested, as by nature, he was not the least bit competitive. It took a lot of effort to get him to venture out of his warm comfortable bed, and any activity that he undertook usually revolved around food!

That was the main factor which had encouraged him to enter the competition in the first place, as the main prize was the pick of an assortment of delicacies. There were a lot of very good cooks within the village, and one in particular, who made the most delicious pies, and Roggie's mouth began to water at the very thought of it.

An open grassy plain which stretched out from the little settlement all the way to the wooden bridge, provided the venue. It held a small crowd, gathered around the other competitors, and he had just sauntered towards it, giving a longing glance towards the pie, which sat invitingly on a long table with some of the other prizes.

A simple white line painted on the grass, was the throwing position, and where the spear landed was marked by a small stake, with a red ribbon tied to it. Every time the spear was thrown further, the stake was moved, and if it landed behind the ribbon, then it was discounted. Each competitor had three attempts, and the name of the person who had thrown the spear the furthest, was marked on a large board by the village elder.

The only rules were that you had to be sixteen to enter, your feet had to remain behind the white line, and the furthest throw won!

Roggie was just eighteen when he entered the competition for the first time, and if it had not been for the pie, then he would probably not have entered it at all.

His mouth had been watering then, as it was now, as he waited for his turn. Roggie loved pies, and by the look of the one sitting in the middle of the table, it was a masterpiece. For him, there was nothing better than sinking his teeth into the crisp pastry, and tasting the juicy vegetables that lay within. Sometimes, he had been lucky enough to acquire one, even though he seldom did anything to earn it.

Roggie lived alone, and had moved into his burrow a few months previously, as was the custom. Eighteen was considered to be the time when Elphin Rabbits became independent, and the villagers had all worked together to build him his burrow.

He had no family to speak of, and he was a bit of an enigma, as Roggie had been raised by the village elder, who had told him nothing of his origins. Roggie had no memories of his early life at all, just those since his education had started. The elder had taught him many things, and since acquiring his burrow, those heady days of studying had been replaced by ones of contemplation, and Roggie did a lot of contemplating!

When it was his turn, he had taken one last longing look back towards the pie, before taking hold of the spear and rushing towards the white line. Roggie had summoned up all of his strength determined to win the pie, and thrust the spear high into the air, coming to rest just before the white line. The spear had sailed off in a near perfect trajectory, and he knew from the moment that he released it, that it was going to go far.

The spear sailed through the air right past the stake with the red flag wafting in the gentle breeze and carried on some distance before sticking into the ground. There had been a loud cheer from the other villagers, as this had been the furthest that anyone had ever thrown the spear in living memory.

Roggie had been taught about spears in his studies, and remembering all that he had learnt, he was overjoyed at the result. His joy increased, as when the contest was over, and his throw had been declared the winner. Roggie had been presented with the Sacred Spear, although what he was really interested in was the large, succulent, juicy pie!

The spear was a curios thing, lightweight and very strong with strange carvings on the blade. It was nothing like the simple wooden spear used in the competition, as it had been cast out of an unusual metal, and no one quite knew what it was. The village elder kept it safely hidden, and it only emerged at the presentation. For some reason breaking with tradition, Roggie had been allowed to keep it.

It was a similar result the following two years, and Roggie became the village champion spear thrower, as well as pie eater!

How he longed for one now, and was still thinking about it when the birds started chirping, as the first flickers of light began to make their way towards the horizon. He must have been asleep, as he gradually awoke, opening his eyes. Far away over the distant hills, he could see the beautiful dawn breaking over the tree tops, as he looked over his shoulder.

Roggie was not used to being up so early in the morning, and it was quite a novel sight for him to witness, and today it was truly magnificent. From his vantage point, he could see right over the great valley, as the small pockets of mist sparkled in the sunshine, giving it a magical feel. Way down below, sat the remains of the Castle, which used to be the centre of the kingdom. That was such a long time ago that Roggie doubted whether anyone had been there for generations. However, he was mistaken, for as he looked more closely, he could see a few wisps of smoke rising above it. Someone had now made it their home and from the looks of it, whoever it was had cleared the undergrowth from its once magnificent spires.

The village was so isolated that Roggie doubted if he, or any of the others, would have ever known of its existence at all, if it had not been for the tales told by the village elder. They would probably not have even known of the existence of Men either, if they had not suddenly entered the village yesterday.

He shuddered at the thought, wondering what had happened to the other villagers. He also thought about Dragons, and searched the sky, just in case there were any hovering above, ready to roast him to a cinder!

He then looked back towards the statue of the Great King, trying to make sense of it all.

According to the tales, the Great King had been very successful, bringing peace and security to the land, and as Roggie looked up towards his statue, he could see the sun glistening off his golden crown, despite the years of weathering. It must have looked absolutely magnificent when the statue was in full colour, and the gold polished like new. He had an enigmatic sparkle in his eyes, and a face that showed sensitivity, and wisdom. The master craftsmen seemed to have captured him perfectly, if the tales were anything to go by.

He had proved himself to be a worthy ruler, and had won all of his battles apart that was, from the last one, which had cost him his kingdom, his life and the lives of most of his people too. Roggie could almost see the far away look in the village elder's eyes, as he spoke of a time when the land had been rich and bountiful. In its own way, the village had been too, well to its inhabitants that knew no better!

Roggie sighed, thinking about it, and his little burrow, and more importantly, his warm comfortable bed. The climb had made him very tired, and as the warm sunshine began to heat the balcony, he suddenly began to feel very sleepy.

Stretching out with his bag as a pillow, Roggie soaked up the warming rays, as his thoughts began to drift. In his mind, he could see pies and spears, his vegetable plot and all that he had experienced over the last twenty-four hours. He could also hear someone calling out his name, although it was not enough to awaken him.

It was as though he was not really here anymore, and had drifted off to another realm. Roggie was always drifting off somewhere, lost in his thoughts, but this was somehow different.

A strong sense of motherly love seemed to be wrapping itself around him, although strangely, he had absolutely no recollection of his parents at all, having been found wondering alone. He had been raised by the village elder, but had always been a little different. Somehow, he had never quite fitted in, even though they had all been very kind to him. He had often wondered why he had been left, although he never felt abandoned. He was always happy, and as long as he had a warm comfortable bed, and enough food to eat, his life had been complete. Now however, everything had changed!

He could see a pair of wings wrapped around him, and as he looked up, he could see the beautiful Faery again. She seemed to have a wonderful purity and her presence seemed to fill his body with energy and courage. He did not feel at all fearful, despite being alone and far away from the comforts and security of his burrow.

This feeling continued, as he could see the image of a man all dressed in white, giving orders from the castle far below. He had proclaimed himself ruler, and had embarked on a campaign of control over the people. Somehow, he had convinced them that he was their protector, and that all he wished to do was to look after them.

Roggie could see him sitting on a golden throne, pointing his right index finger towards something. On the wall opposite, there was a painting of a Dragon breathing fire, as it mercilessly destroyed a village. The people looked horrified, and begged him to protect them, which he assured them he would, as long as they did what he asked.

For some reason, Roggie had a bad feeling about him, as if he was not telling them the truth, transforming everything to suit his own purposes. He could then see a lot of people hard at work rebuilding the Castle, and others working even harder in the gold mines, which would produce the wealth and splendour he was really after.

Roggie also had the feeling of great sorrow, as he could see that everyone had been fooled by this Man. No one questioned him as they all believed in him, ignoring what was really going on around them. It was as though they had all been brainwashed, and none of them could see things for what they really were.

The scene suddenly changed, as if he had been looking through a bubble that had just burst, and he could now see the balcony that he was sleeping on. He could see himself stretched out in the sunshine, and then the plaque under the large sceptre that the king was holding. Underneath the plaque was an opening, and in the opening there was a smaller sceptre. It was then that Roggie heard the soft gentle voice of the Faery.

"Take the sceptre to the Wise Old Griffin, little one."

He could then see a pathway opening up on the other side of the balcony, leading down the mountainside into the deep forest.

This scene began to fade as he returned to thoughts of his burrow, and of his warm comfortable bed. Roggie must have slept on for quite some time, as it appeared to be well into the morning when he finally awoke.

It was a beautiful spring day, and the leaves had already developed into a thick green canopy above the forest. Everywhere was alive with blossom, which floated down like confetti all around him. There was just something magical about it, and everywhere was filled with its sweet scent. It really was a luscious land, and he could almost see the Great King smiling in contentment, as he looked down upon his kingdom.

Raising himself to his feet, Roggie stretched, feeling a lot better after his sleep. His limbs still ached, although not as much as they had done before. He felt quite contented after his dream, and he could still feel the Faery's comforting wings wrapped around him. It was quite a story, and one of which Roggie was not going to take much notice of, after all it was just a dream!

Curiosity did get the better of him though, as he emptied the last of the food out of his bag. There were only a few meagre vegetables, and as he looked at them, he longed for one of the village's mouth-watering pies. Sitting munching on what he had, he looked over towards the carved plaque which sat under the Great King's sceptre, wondering if there was indeed a hidden compartment beneath it. There seemed nothing else better to do, so after finishing what little food he had, Roggie decided to investigate.

There was quite a lot of ivy over that part of the statue, and as he moved it to one side, he felt underneath the plaque. At first, he could not feel anything, but as he searched, he did find something. There was a loose stone, and although it fitted well, there was a little movement. Roggie wriggled it about as it began to come forward, and with a little more effort, the stone popped out, and he just managed to catch it as it fell to the ground.

Roggie placed it to one side, reaching into the space that it had left, and after searching for a few minutes, he grabbed hold of something. It felt cold and metallic, with a long handle and a ball at one end. Roggie pulled it out gently, and there glistening in the sunlight was a golden sceptre, just like the one in the dream!

The sceptre was beautifully carved just like the one on the statue, and consisted of a golden rod with a ball on one end. It also had a gauge running along the rod with a type of measurement on it. It really was exquisite, and what the gauge meant Roggie had no idea, but whatever it was for, it did not detract from its beauty.

Still studying the gauge, he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There hidden on the far side of the wall, there was another arch. He gently placed the sceptre down, before moving towards it. The arch marked the beginning of a path, which although overgrown seemed to lead down the other side of the mountain.

Roggie looked dumbfounded, this was the second time that what he had dreamt about had materialised. Perhaps there was more to the Faery after all?

There was one thing for certain, and that was the fact that she did not appear to mean him any harm, which was very welcome after encountering the Men. With thoughts still concentrated upon her, he returned to the sceptre, picking it up to admire it again.

Even though it was incredibly old, it was still shiny, and he could see his face reflected in its golden surface. He looked back towards the carving of the Great King, to see if it was the same sceptre as he was holding. It was, but that was not the only thing that he noticed. For when he looked a little closer, he suddenly realised that the Great King looked almost identical to himself!

## Seven

The birds chirped merrily away in the sunshine, as the gentle breezed ruffled the leaves, sending down a shower of fresh blossom onto the balcony. Little tufts of pink and white gathered amongst the stonework, as Roggie stood there in disbelief.

It was with more than a sense of shock that he stared at the carving of the Great King, and then back at his own reflection. There was no doubting the fact that it was almost impossible to tell them apart, and the likeness was uncanny!

The more that he compared the two images, the more alike they became, so much so that he had to put the sceptre down. It was all very odd, and more than a little scary. Roggie had never been one to look at himself very often, as the villagers did not posses any mirrors. He had only even seen his reflection in the water of the village pond, and not taken much notice of it. Vanity was not one of his failings!

Still feeling uncomfortable, he carefully placed the sceptre in his bag along with his other things, and sat back wondering what to do next. The Faery had encouraged him to venture out through the other arch, although he was reluctant to do so.

Roggie was never one to rush into things, and as usual, it took him quite a while to decide what he was going to do. The major deciding factor was the fact that he was still hungry, and had no food left. There did not seem much point in staying here, particularly as the image of the Great King had now begun to unsettle him. So, being as he could not go back the way he had come, the only other things that he could do was to see what lay beyond the other arch, and hope that he could find something to eat. Taking one last look back towards the carving of the Great King, he slipped his bag over his shoulder, picked up his spear, and slowly walked towards the archway.

It was very similar to the one that he had emerged from yesterday, and it also led into a passageway cut into the mountainside. He could see the bright sunshine on the other side, and so taking a deep breath, he pushed his way through the undergrowth that obscured it.

The passageway was clear, although when he reached the other side, he found that the undergrowth was quite thick again, and he had to struggle to force his way through.

On this side, there were two stone pillars making an arch, just like the ones on the other side. Fortunately, the floor of the path was smooth and reasonably wide, although there were many branches that had grown across it, making his progress difficult at times. It was quite hard work, and he used his spear to clear the way as best as he could, thrashing at the branches, and pushing them aside, before they sprang back when he passed.

Roggie had no idea where he was, the only thing that he knew was the fact that he was descending into ever-deeper forest. According to his dream, he had to find the Wise Old Griffin, who and whatever he was?

Roggie had absolutely no idea, and tried to remember if there was any mention of him in the tales that the village elder told. He had spoken of many adventurers and of the strange creatures which they had encountered on their travels. The tales were mostly from a very distant past, and of even more distant lands. However, he could not recall any mention of a Griffin. The tales had always fascinated him, and they had taken up a lot of his time, and his thoughts come to that!

It seemed like another lifetime now, as he pushed his way past a rather large bush, holding it aside with his spear as its leaves almost covered him completely. He did remember once asking the elder what lay on the other side of the hills which surrounded the valley, but he did not know for sure.

Village life had just crept by for what seemed like an eternity, with no one venturing further than the little wooden bridge. They did have the very occasional visitor from the next valley, which was also inhabited by Elphin Rabbits, and the two communities lived side by side, although very independently.

Neither Roggie, nor most of the other villagers had ever ventured there, and they only ever had contact with each other every few years or so. When that did happen, it was only ever a courtesy call, possibly involving a trade of some sort. Both communities were so independent, that they seldom bothered each other, although they were there for each other in times of trouble, although there had been no trouble for many years, until the Men arrived that was!

Roggie wondered if the Men had been to the other village too, and he shivered when he thought of its inhabitants being asked to either hand over their gold coins, or be forced to work in the gold mines.

Power and greed were very strange concepts to them all, and the vision of the Self Appointed One that he had seen in his dream, entered his mind. Roggie just could not understand his motives, as the villagers thought of themselves as rich because the valley provided them with all that they needed. What was the point of having large amounts of gold when there was nothing that you could spend it on?

Roggie would have liked more clothes, although he could always trade for them if he wished. On reflection, he had been very happy with all that he had, and to change it would have meant working, and working was something that he was taking a break from!

Contentment was something they all prided themselves on, which to everyone was worth far more than any riches they may have had, as they all knew that money could not buy them happiness.

It was a wonderful feeling when you did something for someone else, and were rewarded by a gift of some kind. That was the very thing which they all cherished, as everything they had was made with such loving care. Everyone within the village was respected, as they were all able to contribute something, and in a way, it was a type of utopia!

Roggie sighed, realising that those days had come to an abrupt end. It was such a shame that their idyllic way of life had been ruined by those unpleasant Men. They were so different to the ones mentioned in the tales, who had been kind and generous, that was until the terrible battle of so long ago. It was then that a sudden thought struck him. There was one tale he had been told of the land that lay beyond the hills, which was something that had given him nightmares - The Land of the Bears!

Bears were said to be powerful creatures, large and often bad tempered, and thoughts of their fearsome nature sent a cold shiver rolling down his spine. Apparently, they loved to wrestle, and decided many things by the outcome. Practically all disputes were settled in this way, and according to the tales, it was common for one Bear to be lifted clean off the ground by another. They wrestled each other until one of them had the other in what they called a Bear hug, which was not quite as friendly as it first appeared!

Roggie shivered again at the thought of being hoisted up off the ground, and squeezed until his eyes almost popped out. He made his mind up then and there, that if he ever encountered a Bear, he would never argue with it!

The undergrowth was getting thicker the lower down the slope he went, and the number of trees had increased dramatically. Then, all of a sudden, as he pushed a large leafy branch out of the way, he could see a gap in the trees.

Roggie stopped to rest for a moment, and as he looked out, he could see for miles. All there seemed to be was an endless sea of trees, which stretched right over the horizon. With all of those trees, how was he ever going to find the Wise Old Griffin?

That was however, not his only problem, as the next section of the path had given way under a landslide. Getting his breath back, he realised that there was no way of crossing it, and so he sat down wondering what he was going to do next.

Roggie was hungry which only added to his predicament, as he realised that he could not just sit here feeling sorry for himself. Looking around for a solution, he noticed that one of the trees on the other side hung over the gap in the path. If he could just reach one of its branches then maybe he could swing himself across?

It would not be easy, but the more that he thought about it, the more he realised that there was no other alternative. So, despite his better judgement, Roggie gathered his things together, making sure that his bag was secure, and carefully stepped back, so that he could take a good run up.

When he was ready, he ran forward, jumping up into the air as high as he could, aiming for an outstretched branch. He threw himself towards it, and managed to catch hold of it with his free hand. However, instead of swinging himself forward, there was a load cracking sound, as the whole thing snapped clean off!

Roggie looked at it in horror, as he hung there in mid air for a few moments, before suddenly tumbling down the slope, taking part of the mountainside with him!

##  Eight

Fine plumes of smoke drifted up from a campfire, followed by the unmistakable smell of cooking, which wafted out on the gentle breeze. It was only a small fire, and one which, if you had not been close to, you would have probably not have known that it was there at all.

Hidden amongst the trees, two Bear Sisters sat eating their lunchtime meal, gently scooping up vegetable soup into their mouths from their large wooden bowls. They were hungry, and the soup provided them with the nourishment they craved. A cooking pot dangled over the fire from a three-legged stand, which they had constructed out of some neatly cut branches.

The remainder of the soup simmered gently over the fire, as they ate in silence, gently blowing onto their wooden spoons, before gratefully accepting the contents. It had been a long morning, and now they relaxed, slowly emptying their bowls, with the aid of some bread, which they dipped in periodically.

They spent all of their time together, and were very close, as close as sisters can be. Never apart and always together, they were more like one than two. They did have different personalities though, both so very different, and yet fitting together perfectly like a pair of old book ends.

Nokie or Nooks for short, was very quiet, and one of life's thinkers being very intelligent, where as Concordia or Cuddles was quite talkative, being a gentle soul, apart that was, from when she was wrestling. Then, she changed into a formidable opponent, which is how she got her nickname. Her kind and gentle nature was very misleading as many other Bears took it as a sign of weakness. She had been ridiculed many times by other Bears who suggested that her bear hug would be nothing short of a cuddle. It went without saying how wrong they had been proved, as she had always been grossly underestimated. Standing with her arms wrapped around her opponent's chest, she could swing around and pin down practically any other bear in the land.

Like most Bears, they really loved their food, particularly sweet things, such as honey biscuits, which they enjoyed after a meal of wild mushrooms, berries, and roast nuts, all cooked over an open fire. Today it was vegetable soup, as they were travelling, and far away from their normal home.

Sitting quietly eating together there was not the slightest hint of the bad temper Bears were reputed to have. For the most part it was a misconception brought about by their rather primitive culture based around conflict, although having said that, they did have a strong code of honour. If an opponent was beaten, then they showed respect to the victor, and the more victories a Bear had, the higher in the pecking order they became.

Bear society was very male dominated, with little family groups scattered throughout their lands, and only coming together at certain times of the year when they held wrestling tournaments. The most important one of the year was the Midsummer Festival, which stretched over three days. It was already nearing midsummer, and the sisters were journeying towards the village of the Bear King.

It was going to be the largest wrestling tournament in the calendar, and practically every Bear in the land was making his or her way towards the Great Clearing at the centre of the kingdom. It was going to be quite an occasion with lots of eating and drinking, tale telling, and overall merriment!

The Sisters were relaxing, enjoying their food when they were disturbed by a piercing cry followed by a large rumbling sound. They looked up to see a landslide not too far away from them, followed by a large cloud of dust and debris.

"Did you hear that cry?"

Nooks looked at her sister, wondering what could have caused it.

"Yes I did!"

Cuddles looked back at her sister, and both having the same thought, spoke at the same time.

"It sounds as though someone is in trouble. Do you think that we should go and see if there is anything that we can do to help?"

They smiled at each other, being so close they knew exactly what they other one was thinking, as it was not uncommon for them both to say the same words at the same time.

Putting down their half empty bowls, they stood up, looking in the direction of the landslide. It was relatively close, so with a mutual nod of the head, they left their meal and began to walk towards it.

It did not take them long to reach the landslide, and when they arrived, the dust had already begun to settle. It was a mass of rubble and broken tree branches, which had formed a large heap on the forest floor. At first, they could see no signs of life, but as they looked a little closer, they could see the tip of a spear protruding from the debris.

The sunlight glinted off its metal blade, and if it had not been for that, then they would probably not have known that there was anyone under there at all. They were both curious, and as they went a little closer, they were astounded to see that there were some carvings upon it.

They both became transfixed by the blade, which was very unusual. Most spears had crude wooden shafts, with a stone or possibly metal blade attached to it. This spear was a little different having been delicately crafted out of a metal that neither of them had ever seen before. It did however, have a familiarity about it, as it resembled something from the tales of their glorious distant past.

"No, it can't possibly be!"

They both exclaimed, looking at each other, before looking back towards the blade.

"I thought that the Sacred Spear was just a myth!"

They looked at one another again, both thinking of the ancient legend.

Long ago, there was a Great King, who united all of the lands under one kingdom, which he called Elphamia. Everyone lived in peace and prosperity until one day his jealous younger brother appeared with a large army claiming the kingdom for himself!

Despite all of his considerable efforts, the Great King could not pacify his younger brother, and was forced into a terrible battle. The battle lasted for many days, with the kingdom eventually being destroyed, and most of the people lost. It is said that one day the Great King will emerge from the mountain, and return to bring peace and prosperity back to his kingdom.

The Sisters, like all of the other Bears, knew the legend very well, as it was one of the tales told at the wrestling tournaments, usually during the large drinking sessions that followed a day's competition. There was even a large stone carving of the Great King himself in the village of the Bear King, which they had both seen on many occasions. He was depicted sitting on his thrown with a sceptre in one hand, and the sacred spear in the other.

What made the sight of the blade so unusual, was the fact that only the Great King's spear had carvings placed upon the blade.

They looked at each other again, as there was a slight movement, followed by a muffled groan from beneath the pile of rubble and broken tree branches. Then, as they looked on in amazement, the spear began to rise.

You could have literally knocked them both down with a proverbial feather as, just like the legend stated, the Great King was emerging from out of the mountain, to reclaim his Kingdom!

They both rushed forward towards the spear, and started pulling the broken branches away, as another groan came from beneath the large pile of debris. Then, with their bare hands, they began to remove the pieces of rock, which were covering what they thought was the Great King.

Their hands were large and powerful, and it did not take them long to uncover a head, which was all covered in leaves and soil. The head shook itself, and there beneath the covering of undergrowth, was a hooded figure!

Roggie stood there dazed, not really knowing what had taken place. All he could remember was the branch snapping, and suddenly descending down the mountainside. He had tumbled head over heels through the thick undergrowth, and had come to rest in the arms of a tree. He had still been holding tightly onto his spear, as soil and rocks had toppled down upon him.

The Sisters could do nothing but stand and stare, in a state of total shock and bewilderment. They were not on their own, as Roggie could see stars floating around in front of his eyes. He had hit his head several times, and there was a stinging pain, which began to throb between his ears.

Roggie felt the whole world begin to turn around, as he swayed, having to hold onto his spear to keep his balance. He felt very dizzy, and the pangs of hunger, combined with the shock made him feel very sick.

Nokie and Cuddles could see how unsteady he was, and without thinking, continued to remove the rocks and soil that were still covering most of his body.

Roggie could feel them at work, not to mention the pain in his head, and from the rest of his body. He knew that he would probably be covered in bruises, but he was able to wriggle his fingers and toes, so he assumed that he had been lucky enough not to have broken any bones.

The Sisters continued to work, with their powerful shovel-like hands, digging him out from where he was trapped. Roggie could now move his upper body, and he could feel his painful legs being uncovered.

Nooks and Cuddles were soon able to remove the rest of the soil, rocks and branches from around him, and when they had finished, they stood back. They looked at the figure holding the spear firmly in his hand, and he had a bag slung over his back, with the hood still covering his face, which had protected him from the worst of the debris.

The figure then reached up and with his free hand pulled the hood back to reveal a familiar looking face. The Bears both gasped, falling to their knees as there in front of them stood The Great King!

##  Nine

The forest was silent, as even the birds and small animals could almost sense what the two sisters were thinking. It had been such a long time since the ancient kingdom of Elphamia had graced these lands, and it was now nothing more than a distant memory, handed down from generation to generation. It was not just the kingdom, for their ruler had also been absent for what seemed like an eternity!

Everyone knew of his exploits, and his kindness, wisdom and compassion were things which only added to his mystique. Since that time, the kingdom had split into several regions, and each region had its own leader. Some were kings in their own right, whilst others had developed a more democratic system. In Roggie's village, there was no leadership at all, apart from the wisdom passed down by the village elder.

The various lands had coexisted peacefully together, as no one ever wanted to face the calamity of another battle, as the last one still haunted everyone within the former kingdom.

Now, it looked as though the Great King had returned to them, and when news of his arrival reached the people, things would never be the same again. However, little did they realise that what appeared to be the Great King, was in fact a simple Elphin Rabbit from a small village high up in a distant valley.

Roggie was very confused!

He felt sore and badly shaken, but not as shaken as he was to see two large powerful Bears staring up at him.

From what he understood of the tales, Bears were territorial, and did not like anyone entering their land. It had been bad enough tumbling down the mountainside, and being buried up to the tip of his spear. Now, he had two large Bears to deal with!

The Sisters were still on their knees, prostrate before him, and he did not have a clue as to why they were doing that. It just seemed a really odd thing to do, particularly as they were large Bears, and he was considerably smaller than either of them. Surely, they could not possibly be frightened of him?

It was all very bewildering, and Roggie did not know what to do about it, as Bears were supposed to be bad tempered too. If anyone should be down on their knees, then by any reasonable logic, surely it should be him!

Roggie could not fathom what was going on, and was at a loss to explain their strange behaviour. Looking down upon them, he wondered what they saw in him. Why would they be so subservient to a simple Elphin Rabbit?

It was then that it suddenly struck him. High upon the mountainside, there was a stone carving, which looked exactly like his own reflection in the sceptre. Roggie's mouth fell open, as he suddenly realised that they must have mistaken him for the Great King!

He now felt even more stunned, so stunned in fact, that he did not know what to do or say.

Roggie was in a bit of a dilemma!

If he admitted that his likeness was just a coincidence, then they might not help him. However, if he pretended to be the Great King, and they found out that he was not, then they would become very angry, and, the last thing he wanted to do was to upset them, and to face the wrath of two large, and very angry Bears!

He knew that Bears were noted for their bad temper, and by the look of them, particularly the larger one, he could easily be torn limb from limb!

Whilst the Bears were on their knees, he was relatively safe, and after what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only a few minutes, he cleared his throat.

"Arise oh loyal Bears!"

It was all that he could think of saying, but thankfully, it was enough to convince them that he was indeed the Great King.

"Oh Great King!"

Nooks spoke.

"We are your humble servants, Concordia and Nokie."

Cuddles finished the sentence, as they waited for a reply.

They were both truly shocked, and could do nothing but stand and stare - of all the generations of Bears to have walked this land, it now looked as though they had been chosen to receive the Great King from the mountain!

He smiled nervously at them, and they smiled back. This was the first time that he had ever seen a Bear, although from the descriptions given by the village elder, he had not exaggerated just how large and powerful they really were.

"Thank you!"

The one thing about Roggie was the fact that he was always very polite. He had been taught that manners and etiquette were there to guide you on your life's path. Roggie's path had led him down a mountainside, virtually into the arms of two of the most fearsome creatures that he had ever seen!

"You are most welcome, oh Great King!"

They spoke together, bowing their heads.

Roggie stumbled, as he tried to move, and was very grateful when two sets of large powerful hands gently grabbed hold of him, lifting him clear of the remaining debris.

Roggie thanked them again, as they placed him on a clear piece of ground, looking in wonder at him. There was another awkward pause, before they grabbed a couple of leafy branches and started dusting him down in an effort to remove the covering of dirt and dust that he had gathered in the fall.

"We would be honoured if you would join us at our camp, where we can offer you some refreshment."

This was a most welcome suggestion, as poor Roggie had never felt so hungry or thirsty in the whole of his life.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the camp, and he was mightily relieved to sit down and gratefully accepted a bowl of soup, and some bread.

Roggie remembered to thank them, and they bowed again, before he tucked into his meal.

All the while he was eating, the sisters were staring at his spear, which he had placed down on the floor besides him. He could see their fascination, and gestured to them that they were welcome to hold it. This they found very exciting, and Roggie had no idea how significant that was.

After the meal, he thanked them yet again, and they asked him why he had returned to them. Roggie knew that he would have to be careful of what he said, and decided not to mention about running away from the Men. That would not have done anything to enhance his reputation, as that was not the sort of thing that the Great King would have done!

He just explained that he was searching for the Wise Old Griffin, whom he needed to consult on certain matters. The sisters nodded approvingly, as it was acceptable for a King to consult the wisest being in all of the land, before he re-took control of his kingdom. Roggie also mentioned that he wished to remain anonymous, as he did not want to draw attention to himself until he had sought the advice of the Griffin. This was rather ironic, as arriving in a cloud of debris which had shattered the tranquillity of the forest was probably the best way of drawing attention to himself!

Again, the Sisters nodded with approval as they could see the sense in what he was saying. He had been gone a very long time, and needed to ascertain just what had happened in his absence, and work out a way to proceed. The Griffin was noted for his wisdom, and many of the leaders of the various creatures who inhabited these lands, had sought his advice over the years. He was a very private person, and did not like to be disturbed, and any meeting had to be arranged in advance with his attendant. So, they would have to seek him first, to arrange a meeting.

It did not take the sisters long to tidy everything away, and pack what they had onto a small wooden hand cart. Well to them it was small, but to Roggie who was considerably smaller than the Sisters, it seemed quite large. He still ached all over and was mightily relieved when they suggested that he rode on the cart. Very gratefully he allowed them to help him up, and he sat on a sack of grain which was surprisingly comfortable. Dangling his feet over the front, the Sisters each took a handle and gently lifted it up, before pulling the cart forward. It took them little effort, and Roggie was glad that he did not have to walk as he still felt very sore, and more than a little shaky.

His journey so far had been quite a struggle, and one which he would never have made if it had not been for the Men who had suddenly appeared in his village. It had been a dreadful day, and as he sat there being pulled along, he began to think of the other villagers who would probably now be on their way to the gold mines. He began to feel very guilty at running away, although he knew that he had little choice. He shivered when he thought of the arrow that had stuck into his spade, realising how close he had come to being killed by them. Now, as he looked at the Sisters happily pulling the cart along, he began to wonder if there was something that he could do to help them?

It was all very odd being mistaken for the Great King, and that, combined with the help of the Faery, which in itself was something that he found very hard to explain, were all difficult to make any real sense of.

There were just too many co-incidences, and as he sat there in contemplation, he began to wonder if there really was any such thing as a co-incidence. Perhaps in a way, it was his destiny?

Destiny or not, if he played along with the fact that the sisters thought that he was the Great King, then maybe there would be a chance of being able to help the people of his village after all?

Roggie, King Elphin Rabbit!

It did have a certain ring to it!

He was lost in his daydream, thinking of himself sitting on a golden throne giving out commands, wearing the finest of clothes, not to mention eating the finest of foods. His mind was still drifting as he thought about one of those succulent pies that were baked in his village, and how he had enjoyed tucking into it after winning the spear throwing contest. That seemed a lifetime away, and as he visualised himself sitting on his throne with a slice of the biggest pie he had ever seen resting in his hands, he suddenly thought about the sceptre. The last time that he had seen it was when he placed it in his bag, and he quickly came back to reality, reaching for it. He undid the cord which held the bag together, and there sitting amongst his other things was the sceptre. Roggie felt a great deal of relief, as he now not only possessed it, but also the spear which the sisters found so fascinating. Maybe he was already half way to becoming King after all!

His confidence was short lived though, as they began to reach the outskirts of a village. Although he seemed to have surmounted seemingly insurmountable obstacles already, it was going to be just as difficult convincing everyone else that he was indeed the Great King!

Oh how he wished to speak to the Wise Old Griffin and get some answers to the multitude of questions that were welling up in his mind. He was truly thankful of the help and support of the sisters, but there were opposing forces within him, and his self confidence ebbed and flowed like the river he had nearly drowned in the day before. He suddenly felt very tired, and he pulled his hood over his eyes as they closed heavily. He was exhausted, as thoughts of a mouth watering pie filed his mind, and before long he was soundly asleep.

The cart still trundled along the little track which led into the village of the Bear King, and the sisters looked at each other as everywhere was unusually quiet. Normally it was a hive of activity with Bears from all of the land merging for the tournament.

Everyone seemed subdued and the air was full of trepidation as opposed to the usual excitement. All those they passed seemed to have their heads down, and the normal high spirits had been replaced by a feeling of gloom. Roggie was still asleep with his hood covering his face, and was oblivious to everything. He was dreaming of his old life in his burrow, mixed with the disbelief that the Sisters actually thought that he was the Great King.

Disbelief was something that he shared with the Bear Sisters, as they could not understand why the village was not in a mood of celebration. Something had clearly happened, and whatever it was, must have been very serious!

##  Ten

An uneasy calm spread through the air hovering like a mist of dejection, sapping the normal excitement out of everyone that it touched, hanging there like an invisible cloud shrouding everything in a gloom. There had never been anything quite like it before, and the normal happiness of the Bears arriving from all over the land, had been replaced by a deep sadness.

This sadness was everywhere, and both Nokie and Concordia could feel it entering their bones, making them ache with a sort of despairing pain. The pain which they felt also sapped their strength, and they could not understand what was causing it.

Gone were the drummers who seemed to find the energy to play endlessly for three solid days, and the colourful characters who hung around the ale vats. The stalls were also missing, where a Bear could pick up almost anything from the traders who sold their wares. The only people they saw were odd forlorn groups gathered under the large trees that usually had a real excitement about them. This was so very odd, that the Sisters began to think that they were either in the wrong village, or that they had arrived at the wrong time!

Normally, it would have taken them quite a considerable time to push their way towards the centre of the village, but today it seemed to take them no time at all. When they did arrive, they had a real shock. Instead of the banners and throng of excited Bears, the sight that greeted them was of a Friar, accompanied by some other Men. This was even more unusual, as there had not been any Men in this village, or any other part of The Land of the Bears for centuries.

The Sisters stopped, gently placing the handles of the cart down onto the floor, as Roggie slept on. His cuts and bruises were healing nicely, and he could count himself very lucky that they had only been superficial. Being rescued by the Sisters was just the stroke of luck that he needed, and the ride in the cart meant that when he eventually awoke, he would be fully rested.

The Men stared at them, making the Sisters feel very uncomfortable, so Nooks decided to go off and investigate, and to try and find out just what had transpired, whilst Cuddles stayed to guard their cart.

It was not the most pleasant of waits, as the atmosphere was thick with tension. Never in their lifetimes, or the lifetimes of countless generations of Bears, had there ever been anything quite like it. Time dragged on, and it felt like an eternity before Nooks finally came back, and when she did, by the look on her face, things were about to get considerably worse!

Cuddles could see that Nooks was in no mood to talk, and she just raised her eyebrows when she looked at her. That was a clear sign that there was something afoot, so she remained silent.

The handles of the cart were carefully raised, and they headed off in the opposite direction, moving away from the Men. Then, when they were safely out of sight, they doubled back, eventually joining a gathering of other Bears, who were huddled around a vat of ale. Now that they were safely hidden, they delicately place the handles of the cart back down on to the ground again. Even then, Nooks did not speak until she had purchased two tankards.

Nooks took a large drink, signalling that she wanted her sister to join her, pointing to some empty seats under one of the trees, and shook her head as they sat down. The news was not good, and in a hushed tone, she started to explain just what she had learnt.

Apparently the Men and the Friar had appeared a few days ago, and just like in Roggie's village, they had told everyone that they had been sent by the Self Appointed One. Everyone had been equally as confused, especially as he had proclaimed himself ruler over all of their lands. As far as they were concerned, the Bear King was in overall charge, and he was not nearly as powerful as the Great King, who had been their last proper ruler.

It was also safe to say, that the Bear King's leadership had left a lot to be desired, as he was considered to be nothing more than a big bully. The only things that really concerned him were eating and drinking, which he did to excess, but at least he was a Bear!

They had been further frustrated by the fact that he had not wrestled since his victory several years ago, and to Bears, wrestling was something that came naturally to them.

The Friar had done all of the talking, and he also told them that the Self Appointed One was the only person who could protect them from Dragons, and that they must all pay a Dragon Tax for his protection.

Similarly, they had been told that Dragons were terrible creatures, which could suddenly appear from nowhere breathing fire and destroying everything in their path. The Friar went on to tell them that a Dragon could destroy an entire village in a matter of seconds, and everyone within it, and the last thing the Bears would wish for was to be roasted alive or torn limb from limb!

This statement had caused everyone a great deal of concern, for it was a matter of honour. No self respecting Bear wished another to fight their battles for them and, whether it be a Dragon or any other foe, their pride would stop them from accepting such a proposal.

The Friar had not been too pleased by this reaction, and was determined that the Bears would accept the proposal, and had requested a meeting with the Bear King. The meeting was held in secret, with no members of the Bear Council being present, which again, was something totally unheard of. If this was not bad enough, after the meeting the Bear King had announced that he had agreed to hand over what gold there was in the royal coffers, in exchange for protection from the Self Appointed One.

There had been great shock and total disbelief, further compounded by the cancellation of the tournament, and everyone felt as though they had been dishonoured by what the Bear King had done. They all knew that the Men would leave for now, but they would return, and when they did, they would want even more. There was not much more gold in their lands, and the prospect of being forced to work in the gold mines did not appeal to anyone. Because of the code of honour, no one had the right to oppose the King outside a tournament, and there was genuine fear for the future.

After Nooks had finished talking, there were now two more glum faces, as the Sisters felt an equal sense of sadness by what had transpired, not to mention an even deeper sense of injustice!

They sat in silence as the shock of being betrayed by their King began to sink in, and just like all of the other Bears, they felt totally helpless.

The smell of ale drifted across from where they were sitting, and up into Roggie's nostrils. His whiskers had begun to twitch, as all Elphin Rabbits have a very acute sense of smell. Roggie was not averse to the odd tankard of ale himself, and the smell was enough to awaken him.

He began to stir as he emerged from a deep restful sleep, feeling a lot better than he had done earlier in the day. The Sisters could see him stretching out his arms as he yawned, and quickly left their drinks. They did not think that it would be wise for his presence to be detected within the village, particularly as the Friar and the Men were still loitering around. After all, the Great King had asked to remain undercover until he had spoken to the Wise Old Griffin.

Before he knew what was happening, Roggie felt the cart being moved, and when he regained his balance and pulled back his hood, he found that the cart had been quickly wheeled into a more secluded part of the village.

"What's been going on?"

Roggie sat up as the Sisters gently lowered the handles of the cart. He could tell that all was not well, and when they told him what had happened, he was also very worried.

It seemed as though Friars and Men were travelling all over the ancient kingdom of Elphamia, frightening everyone into believing that unless they allowed the Self Appointed One to protect them, then they would be left to the mercy of the Dragons.

In return for his protection, he would amass all the gold in the lands, and those who did not have any would be forced to work in the gold mines!

It seemed to him that it was as though this Self Appointed One was addicted to wealth and splendour, and would stop at nothing until there was no one left, apart from his followers.

Why he was doing this was just as big a mystery to Roggie as it was to the Sisters. Everyone had been living relatively peacefully, and the thought of being surrounded by vast quantities of gold, or forcing everyone into what amounted to slavery was a concept that they simply did not understand.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?"

The Sisters looked at Roggie for leadership; after all, he was supposed to be the Great King!

He looked thoughtful, not to mention more than a little worried.

After spending a few minutes considering the situation, he emerged from his thoughts with a plan. It was a bold one, and not without an element of risk attached to it. However, there was a chance that it might just succeed!

##  Eleven

The air of gloom still filled the atmosphere as the Sisters walked hesitantly out from the cover of the trees onto the path, which led towards the centre of the village. Roggie had stayed behind, not wishing to encounter any other Bears, and particularly not the Men. He feared that he may be recognised, and doubted if he would be lucky enough to escape again!

These were not the actions of a King, although Roggie was not a King, just someone who by chance, happened to look like the most famous King that there had ever been.

The Sisters still believed that he was a King, and that was the most important factor. He would have to continue his deception until he made his way out of The Land of the Bears.

That was a distant prospect, as there was important business to attend to first. His plan was going to be very risky, and he was already having second thoughts about it. Having had time to think it over, what had seemed like a good idea at the time was now causing him grave concern!

However, it was too late to back out of it now, as the Sisters were already on their way. He just had to trust in them, and hope that everything turned out as they had planned.

When the Sisters arrived in the main clearing, the Men had already begun to load the gold onto a cart of their own, as everyone looked on with great disappointment. The Royal Guards also stood and watched, with their thoughts echoing the thoughts of the other Bears gathered around them. Their disapproval was clearly visible on their faces, and when the Sisters approached, they stopped them demanding to know what they were doing.

"We wish to see the King!"

The guards looked down upon them, as the King was enjoying his evening meal and did not wish to be disturbed.

"I wish to issue him with a challenge!"

Cuddles announced bravely.

The guards began to laugh, as it was a male dominated society and they did not take her seriously.

"I demand the right of challenge!"

Cuddles continued, stamping her large foot down on the ground.

The guards were still laughing, and told her that only male Bears were able to offer a challenge, and that could only happen during a tournament, and even if she was a male Bear, it would make no difference, as the tournament had now been cancelled.

"I am a female Bear, so the rules do not apply to me!"

Cuddles persisted, as they slowly began to take her a little more seriously. She was correct, and being as this had never happened before, they did not really know what to do about it.

"A female Bear can not challenge a King!"

The Head Guard intervened, as he had come over to see what all of the fuss was about.

Nooks now spoke up.

"Where does it say that a female Bear can not make a challenge to the King?"

He knew as well as they did, that no one had ever thought of that before. There was nothing in the rules that stated, one way or another, that a female bear could not challenge the King.

He scratched his chin with one of his big powerful hands, deep in thought. It was bad enough having to watch the Men loading all of their gold onto a cart, and this was something else that he could have done without. However, a challenge had been made, and by custom it had to be honoured. Whether it would be or not depended on the King, who would have to be consulted.

The Head Guard had no choice, and so reluctantly left them, to go and consult with the King. This was another prospect that he did not relish, as the King was often bad tempered and did not like to be disturbed, particularly when he was eating.

The Sisters sat down on a nearby bench, and waited for the Head Guard's return, being watched over by the other guards, who in turn, were watching over the Men loading all of their gold onto the cart.

Time seemed to drag on, as the Men finished what they were doing. The cart was now fully laden, and they also sat down to rest. The Sisters looked over to them with disgust, and it was clear from the way the Men looked back at them that they had little regard for Bears, and even less for female ones!

The uneasy stand-off lasted until the Head Guard returned, and they could also see, from the expression on his face, that he was none too pleased either.

"The King was very angry at being disturbed, particularly at having received such a ridiculous challenge."

The Sisters could see that the Head Guard's ears were still smarting and could only imagine what had been said to him. They felt a little sorry for him, as the King Bear was noted for having a very bad temper.

"So, the King has no honour!"

That was something which the Head Guard was in full agreement with, although it was far more than his job, or even life was worth admitting to.

"Is he scared of me then?"

Cuddles stood firm, and by the look on the Head Guard's face, he was rapidly losing his own temper.

"We demand to speak to the Council!"

Nooks now stamped her foot down on the ground. In Bear culture, if you really wanted to make your point, then you stamped your foot. She knew that all citizens had the right to demand to be heard by the Council, if the matter they were raising could not be settled by both parties concerned.

The Head Guard now faced quite a dilemma, as he knew that she was right, under the rules which governed their culture. It also looked as though the Bear Sisters were not going to back down, and there seemed little else that he could do.

"Oh very well then, wait here and I will see what I can do."

##  Twelve

The crescent moon shone down brightly on The Land of the Bears, as the warmth of the day drifted away bringing a chill to the air. It was unusually bright, considering that most of the moon was obscured, and everywhere was bathed in moonlight.

A group of senior Bears gathered round a fire in the centre of the village on the rather chilly night. It would be Mid Summer tomorrow, but the weather was almost as cold as the hearts of the Bear People.

It was an extraordinary occasion, and no one could remember anything quite like it before, and the mood was very sombre. These were indeed strange times, and their whole way of life had already changed, and not for the better either!

Usually, the Council would have been summoned to discuss the offer made by the Friar, and the implications of allowing the Men to take all of the gold in the royal coffers. Sadly, this was not the case, as the Bear King had usurped them, and left the Council members feeling isolated.

They were old Bears, and their power was based upon respect and honour. The King had shown them neither, and there was nothing much that they could do to oppose his decision. It looked as though whatever they now decided in committee would be disregarded, and never before in the whole history of the Bear People, had the Council of Elders been treated in such a manner, and they felt totally powerless to do anything about it.

A circle of burning torches ringed the fire, giving off more light, as the remainder of the Bear people kept a respectful distance. They were in no mood to venture away from their houses, or from the taverns which lay scattered around the village. To them, the King's decision amounted to nothing less than a defeat, and their pride had been badly hurt.

A very elderly Bear struggled to his feet, with the aid of a staff, as he readied himself to open the meeting. When he was ready, the first thing that he did, was to politely ask an attendant to bring forth the Sacred Scroll of the Bear people, which they would all have to swear an oath upon, to uphold the wisdom and guidance written upon it. The scroll was housed in an ornately carved wooden box, and on the top was carved the image of the Great King, who had helped them to draw up what could be regarded as their constitution.

The attendant held it in front of him as the elderly bear placed his free hand upon its wooden surface and cleared his throat.

"I hereby swear to uphold the wisdom and guidance of the Great king, written upon the Sacred Scroll of the Bear People, and to offer them my absolute loyalty. I agree to abide by the majority decision of all matters raised in Council."

He then removed his hand, as the attendant moved along to the next member of the Council, who also placed his hand upon it and recited the same oath. When he had finished, the attendant moved along to the next member of the Council, and the little wooden box was passed around each member in turn. There were twelve members in total, and the Chairman made the number up to thirteen.

After the oaths had been said, the Chairman sat down with the aid of another attendant, as he prepared to bring the meeting to order. He sat on a wooden log, which had a large padded cushion placed upon it, giving some comfort to his elderly bones. His cushion bore the insignia of his office, and similar cushions with the insignia of ordinary Council members, were placed on other longs around the fire. These were the only marks of authority, as the Bear people were not ones to flaunt their positions. Even the Bear King himself only wore a simple chain around his neck, and that was just on formal occasions.

There was only the one matter on tonight's agenda, despite what the Bear King had done, and that was whether or not a female Bear had the right to challenge the King. They all knew the contents of the scroll by heart, and the fact that there were no words about what gender a challenger had to be.

Challenges were only permissible during a tournament, where the King had the right to refuse, and if he did, then, unless the Council ruled against him, that would be the end of the matter. All decisions had to be passed by a majority vote, and being as Bears were very loyal and honourable creatures, they always abided by the outcome, whether they agreed with it or not.

Most of the previous Kings had been very honourable and led their people well, upholding the words of wisdom contained within the Sacred Scroll. This King however, had never quite lived up to his predecessors!

His succession to the throne had been a bit dubious to say the least, as after the death of the last King, the favourite contender had mysteriously disappeared!

This King was regarded by his people as a bully who only thought about himself, and ate and drank to excess. He had done little for his people and was not very popular with them, or the Council for that matter!

Now, after what he had done, he had lost what little respect he may have had, and he had been lucky to avoid an open revolt. He was very large and very bad tempered, and even the slightest criticism could result in the perpetrator being exiled from the kingdom. It was therefore fair to say, that in some ways, he had become a tyrant.

The Chairman cleared his throat again, addressing the meeting.

"I, like all of us gathered here today have to decide whether a challenge can be made to the King by a female Bear. I am sure that there has been no precedent set, and that there is nothing in the scroll that prohibits such a challenge."

There were a lot of grunts and nodding of heads.

"If there is nothing to prevent such a challenge, then the only course of action is to ascertain whether or not the challenger is worthy."

The nods and grunts continued.

"Therefore, in order to pass judgement we need to find out who is making the challenge and why?"

He signalled one of the attendants to summon the challenger.

The Sisters sat quietly around a smaller fire, mulling things over, as they waited to be summoned. This was the first time that they had ever faced the Council, as it was highly unusual for any member of the Bear People. Most disputes were settled by a wrestling match, and although they had the opportunity to settle matters at Council level, they very rarely chose to do so.

Roggie also sat with them, with a tankard of ale in his hand, and his hood still covering his face. It had already been a long wait as the Council gathered and started their meeting. Just like any council, it always took them time to get going, and the procedures had dragged on for what seemed like an eternity.

He could not help but worry about the proposed wrestling match, as the King was rumoured to be very large and powerful. Although Concordia towered over him, she was nowhere near as large as the King was supposed to be. Concordia was also a female Bear, and as far as he knew, they were not as strong or as powerful as the male Bears. It also worried him that she had been given the nickname Cuddles, which if that was an indication of the strength of her Bear hugs, then what chance did she have of defeating the King?

Nooks had insisted that she was a true champion in her own right, but having observed her kind and gentle nature, he doubted whether she would even be capable of losing her temper, let alone defeating anyone in a wrestling match!

The idea had come to him in a flash of inspiration, although not having had any contact with Bears before, he did not really understand much about them. Nooks had explained what it would entail to stop the Men from taking all the gold out of the royal coffers, and indeed to stop the King. She had also told him how skilful Concordia was at wrestling, although now he was having more than second thoughts. Concordia would have to be very skilful indeed, if she was to stand any chance of defeating such a large and powerful opponent.

Roggie was still deep in contemplation, when there was a rustle in the bushes, and a cough from the attendant signalling his arrival.

"The challengers are required to present themselves to the Council, and if you still wish to make the challenge then would you kindly follow me."

Roggie finished off the last of the ale in his tankard, before placing it down on the ground. He hoped that it would give him courage, although he was nervous, more nervous it appeared, than either of the Sisters. They just calmly placed their tankards down, bowing to the attendant. He bowed back, as was their custom, and they all began to move off in the direction of the council meeting.

At least this was a good sign, as being asked to present themselves meant that there was a chance that the Council would agree to the challenge. Whether it was a good sign for Concordia, was quite another matter!

Roggie followed on behind, with his hood still covering his face, regretting that he had got so involved in all of this. He had just hoped to slip away unnoticed when they reached the edge of the Bear lands, and never thought for one moment, that he would now be embroiled in Bear Politics. There was now no way of backing out, and it looked as though his fate, along with that of the entire Bear People, now rested in the hands of a female Bear known as Cuddles!

It did not take them long to reach the centre of the village, where the Council had gathered around the large fire, and when they arrived, the Council members all stood to greet them. It looked very official, and even more foreboding, as Roggie peered out from underneath his hood.

He could see the elderly Bears standing by the logs which they had been seated upon, and the Sisters bowed to them, and they reciprocated. It all looked very formal, and the official nature of the approaching proceedings did little to settle Roggie's nerves.

The Sisters knew like all of the other Bears, that protocol had to be observed, which meant that they would have to swear an oath on the Sacred Scroll before they were allowed to participate in the meeting.

They both placed their right hands on the small wooden box, and together they began to recite the oath which was written on a piece of parchment held in front of them by another attendant.

"I hereby swear to uphold the wisdom and guidance of the Great King, placed upon the Sacred Scroll of the Bear People, and to offer them my absolute loyalty. I agree to abide by the majority decision of all matters raised in Council."

When they had finished, the attendant removed the box, whilst Roggie stood to one side. He did not wish to get involved, and being as he was not a Bear, stayed on the sidelines, with his hood still obscuring his face.

This seemed to confuse the Council, who were not sure who or what he was, and what he was doing there. If he had chosen not to swear an oath on the sacred scrolls, then it meant that he had no legal right to be here.

The attendant was about to ask him to leave, when Nooks intervened.

"I ask the Council to be patient, and allow this person to sit and observe the proceedings until we announce who we are."

This was against normal protocol, but being as the whole meeting was very unusual, the Chairman nodded, allowing Roggie to stay for a few moments.

When they had all settled down again, with the help of several staffs and attendants, the Chairman continued.

"Who is it that makes the Challenge, and why are they making it?"

There was a hush, as they all waited to find out the answer.

"Concordia, daughter of Tyr."

There was a gasp from the Council as Cuddles spoke.

"Nokie, daughter of Tyr."

There was another gasp, as that name had not been spoken in Council for several years. Tyr had been regarded as the natural successor to the previous King, and had disappeared under very mysterious circumstances, allowing the present King to take over, much to the dismay of the entire Bear population.

"We wish to make the challenge to restore pride back to the Bear People, by reversing the decision to yield to the demands placed upon the Bear Kingdom by the Men."

The members of the Council looked stunned, as it was not the reason for the challenge and its implications which had shocked them, but who was making it. It was not just extraordinary that the challenger was a female bear, but the fact that it was Tyr's daughter. There was still a great deal of respect for that name, and this information changed the whole perspective of the meeting.

Most Council members had their suspicions about Tyr's disappearance, suspecting foul play, although, they had no evidence to back up their suspicions. It was just a gut feeling, and one based on a wealth of experience. Tyr had always been an outstanding Bear, and one whose honour was held in the highest esteem. Not showing up for the wrestling match had been something which had shook the Bear nation to its very foundations. To hear that name again now had indeed put a wholly different complexion to what they were about to decide.

Things were very tense, as the elderly Bears considered the ramifications, not only of the challenge, but it also brought up many issues surrounding Tyr's disappearance.

The mood for accepting the challenge had certainly changed, and looking around, the Sisters could see that by announcing who they were, it had increased their chances of success.

The Chairman broke the silence, clearing his throat.

"After due consideration, I would like to ask all members if they have reached a decision."

There were nods from the other Council members, as they signalled that they were ready to vote.

"If we are all in agreement, then I would like to put the proposal to a vote."

The Sisters looked on, realising that this was the moment that they had been waiting for. Roggie also knew that everything depended on what they were going to decide, and had hoped that he may have been able to slip away unnoticed. However, that was not going to be possible, and so he had to remain where he was, until they had made their decision.

"All those in favour of the challenge, please raise your hand."

They all looked at the Council members sitting on their cushions, as a few hands began to rise.

"We have six in favour."

That meant that the vote would be split, and things did not look good for the Sisters.

"All those against."

Another six hands rose, meaning that the vote was now tied.

"It would appear that I as Chairman have the deciding vote."

The Sisters anxiously waited for the Chairman to cast his vote, and as they did so, both of them looked towards Roggie with a pleading look on their faces.

Roggie felt even more uncomfortable than ever, having his doubts as to whether Concordia had any real chance of defeating the Bear King. He realised that he would have to do something, as he did not wish to let them down, and if he did, then they might not be nearly as helpful or friendly towards him as they had been. However, if he did nothing then he would save Concordia from harm, but lose their help in finding the Wise Old Griffin.

So, reluctantly Roggie rose to his feet, and walked slowly forward, as an attendant quickly stepped in front of him, preventing him from going any further.

There was an uneasy stand-off, as everyone waited wondering what was going to happen next. This had already been the most extraordinary meeting they had ever had, and things were about to take a very unexpected twist.

Roggie lifted his hand, reaching for his hood, and then slowly he began to pull it back to reveal his face. There was a gasp, as there standing in front of them was who they thought was the _Great King_ returned...

##  Thirteen

The sound of drumming invigorated the atmosphere, filling the air with a new sense of excitement, lifting the gloom which had hung over the village only the day before. News of the challenge had quickly spread, and the crowds grew steadily in anticipation.

The Bear King was deeply unpopular, and there was an overall wish for him to be defeated. It was made all the more exciting by the fact that this was going to be the first time that a female Bear would be wrestling for the crown. Many felt that the male dominance was something which had been holding them all back, whilst others just wanted to see a good wrestling match. By capitulating to the Men and giving away the kingdom's gold, the honour of the Bear People had been tarnished, and they wished more than anything else, for their honour to be restored.

Although their champion was a rank outsider, they were hopeful of her victory, despite the reputation of the Bear King. He was noted for his size and strength, which was something that would be difficult to overcome. They were not on their own, for the Bear Council also felt the same.

It was going to be quite a risk in getting behind the challenger, for if she lost, then they would have to face the wrath of the present King. That was not a prospect any of them relished, as his bad temper was legendary, but not quite as legendary as the Great King. Rumour of his sudden appearance had quickly spread, although it was only the Council who knew for sure, and it had been such a shock for the elderly members that the physician had to be called.

Never before in their, or the lifetimes of countless generations, had the Great King graced them with his presence. He had been absent for such a long time, and although most of them believed in the legend, there were not many who thought that they would ever live to see the day when it would be fulfilled.

The Chairman felt that he had little choice but to vote in favour of the contest, particularly as Roggie had accompanied the Sisters. After all, what greater authority was there than the Great King himself!

No one stopped to question why the Great King had been standing there in front of them, and that was just as well. If they had known the truth, then it would have been a very different matter altogether.

Roggie was just a simple Elphin Rabbit from a small village tucked into a distant hillside. When the Sisters had explained how he had emerged from the mountain with the Sacred Spear in his hand, there was no doubting him. He also had the Sceptre too, although that was something which did not really belong to him. If he would have told them that he had taken it from the monument of the Great King, then he would not only have been arrested as an impostor, but also as a thief!

Fortune had favoured Roggie, and he, like practically everyone else, hoped that it would also favour Concordia.

The wrestling ring had been marked out by carefully cut branches pegged into place. They were quite narrow in width, and each one was about an arms length, forming a large circle. It was a permanent fixture that had seen many matches over the years, but seldom had there been one of such magnitude. The whole fate of the Bear kingdom now rested on what was about to take place.

Contests of any sort always followed the same simple rules. All you had to do was to get your opponent completely out of the ring, or hold both of their shoulder blades down on the ground for a count of three. There was to be no biting or scratching, and only certain moves were allowed. A referee chosen by the Council was to adjudicate, and if the rules were broken then he had the power to issue a warning - three warnings and you were disqualified, and even the referee was judged by the Council afterwards, as honour had to be upheld at all costs!

The drumming suddenly came to an abrupt end, as the Chairman of the Council stood up to make an announcement.

"A challenge has been issued to the King, and by a unanimous decision, the Council has voted to uphold it, so let the contest begin."

There was a loud cheer from the crowd, as the drumming resumed, and the noise was almost deafening. Bears were excitable creatures, and although they liked to live quite a solitary life, once they got together, there was a lot of dancing, singing, and not to mention drinking!

This was in complete contrast to the atmosphere of the village the day before, as the sombre mood had quickly lifted when news of the contest had spread like proverbial wildfire.

The only ones not to have been pleased by the news were the Men, and particularly the Friar. They had all tried to leave, but had been restrained by the Royal Guard. No decision could now be made until the contest had been decided, and if the challenger won, then the agreement could be revoked. The Friar knew how much the Self Appointed One desired the gold, and failure to produce it could result in all of them being sent to the gold mines!

That was not a very desirable prospect, as they knew how hard the work really was, and the fact that not many people lasted beyond the first few months. So, whilst everyone else focussed on the contest, they were busily focussing on a way to remove themselves, and the gold, away from The Land of the Bears.

These were dangerous times, as the normal routine of the Bear kingdom had been disturbed. Whatever happened from this point onwards, things would never quite be the same again.

All of the members of the Council realised this, and waited for the contest to commence, with more than a little trepidation. They all knew that there would be a lot of trouble if the Bear King won, and even more if he were to be defeated!

However, all worries had to be placed on one side, as there was a contest to be fought.

The Bear King stood in a foul mood, having been forced into the contest. He had not fought anyone since being crowned King, and was now angry that his normal lazy life of gluttony had now been disturbed. He also had a very low regard for female Bears, and wrestling one he considered to be an insult. It was fair to say that he did not think that much of the male ones either!

The Bear King was only really interested in himself, and was filled with his own self importance, so much so, that he considered himself to be far superior to all other Bears. His arrogance, combined with his greed, had created a void between him and his subjects. He had done little for them, and his leadership had left a lot to be desired. He was selfish and bad tempered, and that, combined with his arrogance, had weakened the kingdom. It was sadly not what it once was, and now even the Council feared what he might do, if he won the contest.

Concordia therefore, not only carried the people's hopes on her shoulders, but also the Council's hopes too!

Both contestants took up their positions, and Cuddles could see him standing there, towering above her. He was absolutely enormous, and although she was quite large herself, it did not look a very evenly matched contest. The events of the past day were still fresh in her mind, and she knew that she would have to use all of her skill to be in with any sort of a chance of beating him.

Roggie stood in her corner, along with Nooks, still wearing his hood over his face, as the last thing that he wished to do was to reveal his presence to the crowd. The shock of seeing his face had almost resulted in some of the elderly Council members having heart attacks, and he knew that the Bear King had to be deposed first, before he could reveal himself to them.

They would all believe that the Great King had returned to them, and the Council members had agreed to keep his return a secret until he had consulted with the Wise Old Griffin. However, news had leaked out and rumour was rife, as it was difficult to keep any secrets in Bear culture. Roggie was hoping that he would be able to suggest a way out of this mess, as the only thing that he really wished for was to return to his warm comfortable burrow, and to never venture out of it ever again!

That was not possible, and his presence had given them great hope, and the Council members had willingly endorsed the challenge, even though they knew how unhappy the Bear King would be. It was not his happiness that they were considering, but the happiness of all of their people. They may have thought that he would have been unhappy, but when he was informed of the news, he had gone into such a raging temper, that the Royal Palace had nearly been destroyed as he had taken his frustration out upon it!

It was bad enough in his eyes that someone had the audacity to challenge him, let alone a female Bear, and he still wore the insult upon his grizzly face. At first he had refused to accept the challenge altogether, until the rumour had quickly spread that he was afraid to fight her. This had enraged his already bad temper even further, to the point where the ground had actually shaken under his stamping feet.

Now he stood there fuming, and you could almost see the proverbial steam rising from him, as never before had he been quite so angry. It looked as though he would tear Cuddles apart, limb from limb, in the same way the reputed Dragons would have done to the Bear people, according to the Men.

It looked as though the contest would not last very long, and when the people saw him standing there, many of them began to fear just what would happen to Concordia. They were not on their own, as both Nooks and Roggie feared for the worst.

Cuddles just looked at him with contempt, still blaming him for the disappearance of their father. She was also smouldering from within, but had learnt to channel her aggression in a positive way. Fear was something that she was not feeling, which was just as well, as any sane person would have been literally quaking in their boots, if they had to face the largest and angriest Bear in the whole kingdom!

Even if she had been scared, it was too late to back down now, as the referee signalled for them to make their way into the centre of the ring. The noise increased to almost deafening proportions, as he stood between them, reading out the rules, as the Bear King stared angrily at Cuddles, trying to intimidate her. She remained calm, already knowing all about his foul temper, which was something that she was planning to use against him!

When the referee had finished reading out his instructions, both contestants made their way back towards their own corners, ready for him raise his arm to signal the start of the contest...

##  Fourteen

The bellowing sound of the crowd, whipped up by the constant drumming, began to fall, as everyone waited for the referee to give the signal. Last minute bets had been exchanged, and quite a considerable amount of money had changed hands. Bears liked to gamble, and those without any money, had made pledges. If Concordia were to win, then those taking the bets would be significantly out of pocket, and if the Bear King won, then there would be some Bears who might wish that they had gone to the gold mines after all!

The air of expectation increased, as they all watched the referee raise his arm, and as soon as he lowered it, the deafening noise returned.

The Bear King rushed across the ring towards Cuddles as fast as he could, looking like a cross between a raging Bull, and a fire breathing Dragon. He made a lunge at her, and just as he was about to grab hold of her, she sidestepped him and he went flying through the air, landing flat on his face. The crowd cheered, although this did little for his mood, and as he got up he was even angrier than he had been before.

He rushed at her again taking a wild swing, which she managed to avoid, by ducking underneath it. He was absolutely livid, and every time he went to grab hold of her, she managed to dodge out of the way.

He roared with rage and swung violently at her, missing again, as she stood there calmly letting him lose all of his self control.

He was still very angry and not thinking at all rationally, as he ran about like some deranged creature. Cuddles knew that he ate and drank to excess, and had little in the way of regular exercise. Her plan was for him to burn himself out, and she did not have to wait long, before he got out of breath.

He stood with his large powerful arms at his sides, as he took a quick breather.

"Afraid to fight?"

Looking down upon her, his mocking words went literally over her head, as he bent forward and charged again.

Cuddles could see that he was tiring, and just like before, ducked under his arms, as they swung at her.

"So they call you Cuddles because you have the weakest Bear hug in my kingdom!"

He was trying to play to the gallery, although most of the audience wished for him to be defeated. He could see this, and began to beat his chest, flexing his giant muscles and roaring like a lion.

"Why couldn't they find me a more worthy opponent?"

He continued to look down upon her, before charging towards her yet again, and just like before she sidestepped him at the last minute leaving him sprawling on the floor.

"You can't keep avoiding me, and when I get hold of you, I will take care of you just like I did your father!"

It was now Cuddles who felt a rush of temper begin to flood through her veins, and as the Bear King rose to his feet, he gave her an awful leering grin.

She could control herself no longer, and as he took a deep breath, about to say something else, she charged at him.

The King expecting her to wrestle, opened up his great big arms, ready to grapple. Cuddles had other ideas, and lowered her head at the last minute and butted him in the chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Before he knew what was happening, she grabbed him in a Bear hug, closing her powerful arms around him.

The Bear King was in shock and felt his lungs constrict further, as he struggled to get his breath, Cuddles dug her toes into the ground, and managed to push him backwards, and he lost his balance, crashing to the ground with a thud. Quickly she flung her full weight down upon his upper body, holding his shoulder blades down, as the referee began to count.

"One-ah, two-ah, three-ah!"

The Bear King managed to throw her clear, but it was too late, as the referee had finished counting.

The whole place erupted, as she got up, and the referee held her arm in the air. The Bear King also rose to his feet, but it was too late - Cuddles had beaten him!

The crowd rushed into the ring, raising her high in the air and there was pandemonium as everyone celebrated. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders and honour had been restored to the Bear people. The Bear King was fuming, but there was nothing that he could do, as the rules clearly stated that he had lost. It did not stop him from wanting to attack Cuddles, but the crowd had other ideas and a fight broke out.

The Royal Guard quickly forced their way through, and although he threw several of them to the ground, they did eventually manage to restrain him. He was still shouting at the top of his voice as the crowd parted allowing the Royal Guard to drag him away to an awaiting cell. There was also the matter of his announcement during the contest that he was responsible for the disappearance of his main challenger Tyr, and he would be thoroughly questioned when he eventually calmed down.

The crowd on the other hand was still wild with excitement, as the drums continued to pound out the rhythm of victory. It was absolute chaos, as everyone danced about in wild excitement, as nothing quite like this had ever happened before.

Eventually, with the help of the Royal Guard, Cuddles was rescued from the crowd, who had been throwing her up into the air, before catching her again, which was no mean feet considering that she was large Bear!

They had now surrounded her, and were pushing their way across what had been the wrestling ring, towards where her corner had been. Nooks was waiting for her, doing her best not to be swept away in the melee.

Eventually, they were reunited and the two sisters held onto one another, hugging excitedly. Cuddles had achieved the impossible, and the Bear King had been defeated.

Nooks had been very worried that her sister could have been seriously injured, and had also feared what the Bear King would have done to them, if he had of won.

However, Nooks knew how skilful and agile Concordia was, particularly for a large Bear, having witnessed her defeat many other opponents in the past. They had grown up with a true champion wrestler, and their father had taught them well before he had mysteriously disappeared. Now, after the Bear King's admission, they had the opportunity to find out just what had exactly happened to him. In their hearts they knew that he was still alive, and perhaps now they would have a chance of being reuniteed with him, as they missed him so very much.

The members of the Council were also overjoyed, and needed the help of the Royal Guards to protect them from the joyous crowd, as they were all far too frail to cope with being thrown up into the air, as Concordia had been. The Bear People just wanted to celebrate, and their over exuberance knew no bounds!

The Royal Guards had formed a protective ring around them, but even they had difficulty keeping the crowd at bay, and it was proving impossible to calm them. It was going to take a considerable time before the Council had the opportunity to offer their congratulations, and to make an announcement.

Roggie had observed the wrestling match from an advantage point in a nearby tree. It was the first time that he had ever climbed one, and it took a great deal of help getting him up there, and would take considerably more to get him down again!

He was absolutely thrilled, and in the excitement, he had nearly fallen out of the tree, and only managed to save himself by grabbing onto a branch. The tree seemed to be the safest place to be at the moment, as he could see all of the pandemonium around him.

Elphin Rabbits were not prone to bouts of excitement, and he was now learning more about Bear culture than he had thought possible. They were very emotional creatures, and could swing from anger to joy, happiness to sadness very easily. He had witnessed anger, and now he was seeing joy, not to mention more than a little excitement!

Eventually, the crowd began to disperse, heading off towards the taverns, and it looked as though the celebrations were going to go on all day, and well into the night!

Bears seemed to drink quite a lot, and by the look of things, vast quantities of ale would be consumed over the next few hours. Roggie also liked the odd tankard, although he knew that he could never compete with a Bear.

His immediate problem was going to be how to get down from the tree, and he was mightily relived, when some Royal Guards arrived. They were stretched to the limit, struggling to control the crowd, whilst deep inside they also wished to celebrate. With more than a little effort, they did manage to get him safely to the ground. Although, being as he was still wearing his hood, they were not quite sure who he really was.

The Guards were acting under the orders of the Chairman of the Council, who was now in temporary charge, until Concordia was officially crowned. They were all waiting in the safety of the Royal Palace, together with Nokie and Concordia. It was not that far away from the tree, although it did take them quite a considerable time to reach it, as the crowd was still celebrating. Eventually they did make it, and Roggie was overjoyed to be reunited with the Sisters.

He had grown quite fond of them, and really admired the way that they had stood up for what they believed in. It had given him strength and courage, which were two things that he had been lacking. If they could do all of this, then just maybe, he could make a difference too?

##  Fifteen

The sound of the crowd echoed around the outside of the Royal Place, as the celebrations continued unabated. It was a great day for the Bear People, as their former and very unpopular King had been defeated. Now it was a new dawn for them, as it would be the very first time that they had ever had a female leader, and little did they realise the full implications of not only this, but of what else was about to be revealed to them.

The Palace was not very big, or very palatial, as Bears liked to live simple lives. All of their buildings were made of wood, and it was not uncommon for a Bear to live in a cave. The Palace was actually built into one, although it did have a wooden frontage. There were several rooms inside, and when Roggie was taken in through the big doors, he was surprised at how messy it was. The Bear King had nothing in the way of manners, and how he lived was even worse than his temperament!

By the looks of things, it was going to take a considerable effort just to get the Palace habitable again, let alone a place fit for a Queen. Victory had not come cheaply, and little did any of them realise just what price they were all going to have to pay!

That was however, something for another day, as it was a time of celebration, and celebration was a thing Bears did very well.

"Well done!"

Roggie hugged the Sisters excitedly, forgetting that he was supposed to be the Great King. No one seemed to notice as they were all caught up in the moment. There would have to be a coronation, although judging by the celebrations, it was unlikely that there would be an opportunity for that until tomorrow.

With the Palace in such a mess, and no one in the mood to begin the big clean up, the Chairman invited them all back to his home. The offer was gratefully accepted, and with the help of the Royal Guards, they decided to leave.

The Chairman was a kindly old Bear, and lived with his wife in their humble abode in the vicinity of the Palace. Even though it was close, it was going to be difficult to get out unnoticed, so they all donned cloaks with hoods, and slipped out of a side exit. The crowd was still celebrating, dancing round excitedly to the pounding of drums. There was a lot of revelry going on, and it proved quite difficult to force their way through the revellers. When they did eventually arrive at the Chairman's home, they were relieved to finally close the door behind them.

Inside was furnished simply, with a large wooden table and chairs that sat in the front room, which also formed part of the kitchen. There were only the two rooms within the house, with the other being the bedroom. The simplicity of the dwelling did not seem to matter, as the warmth of the welcome filled their hearts as they were greeted by the Chairman's wife. She was frail, but in good spirits, and there was obviously a lot of love in there home.

That was the main thing that really mattered, as most Bears did not go in for material things, just like Elphin Rabbits. In some ways, it reminded Roggie of his own burrow, and he instantly felt at home. The only thing missing was his warm comfortable bed, although he could always snuggle down in front of the fire, which blazed away in the hearth.

A cooking pot simmered over it, with the luscious smell of vegetable soup drifting out, filling the room with a very appetising smell. It looked as though they had been expected, as there on the table, was a selection of wild mushrooms, berries, and roasted nuts. There was also several jugs of ale, and to Roggie it did indeed look like a feast fit for a King or Queen for that matter!

Removing their cloaks, they each took a seat at the table, and were offered a tankard, which was quickly filled by the Chairman's wife. She seemed very happy that she had been joined by the victors, although when she saw Roggie's face for the first time, the shock of seeing someone who looked just like the Great King meant that she had to sit down for a moment.

It looked as though the Bear People had been saved, and she was deeply humbled when Roggie bowed before her. It was at times like this that he was glad of his good manners, as everyone appreciated his kind and gentle nature. This was in contrast to the former King, who had no manners at all!

Why he was so unpleasant was just as big a mystery as how he had managed to become King in the first place. However, from what he had said in the contest, the truth about how he had disposed of his main contender was something which the Royal Guards would no doubt soon discover.

The ale was very refreshing, and he thanked the Chairman's wife again, as she offered him some roasted nuts. They had been coated with honey, and he found them absolutely delicious. Bears had a love of sweet things, and although the food was a little different than he was used too, he really enjoyed all that they had to offer.

Talk eventually turned towards the future, as the ale flowed and the plates emptied. The Chairman spoke at length about all of the things the Council had voted on, and it was with some dismay that he revealed that the former King had not consulted them on several other matters which had arisen. He had just taken decisions on his own, and not for the benefit of the Bear People either.

The talking and drinking continued, as the noise of the crowd, and the beating of drums went on well into the night. For the occupants of the Chairman's house, it came to an end in the small hours.

Morning arose with the stillness of a new day, although for Roggie, the pounding of drums within his head awoke him from his slumbers. He had been nestled on some large cushions by the fire, which was now nothing more than a few smouldering embers. Nokie and Concordia were asleep next to him, snoring loudly as only Bears can!

His head really hurt, and he realised that he had drunk far too much ale. It was the first time that he had ever felt like this, and he made the decision then and there, never to do it again. It may have been a celebration, but today was supposed to be the coronation. He felt in no fit state for anything at the moment, and wished more than ever that he was safely tucked up in his own bed as usual.

Concordia awoke next, followed by Nokie, and Roggie was not only grateful of their company, but also for the fact that their snoring had ceased. It was almost as loud as the drumming in his head, and he hoped that Bears had some sort of a cure for a hangover!

He was in luck, for they did, and as soon as the Chairman's wife emerged from the bedroom, she gave them all a bowl of something which smelt terrible, but did ease their suffering.

They did not have much time to recover, as there was soon a pounding on the door, just as loud as the one which had been inside Roggie's head. It was the Chief of the Royal Guard, an enormous fearsome looking Bear, with great big powerful arms. He was, thankfully, a lot more sociable than his looks suggested, and was very courteous to them all. Arrangements for the coronation were already in place, and it looked as though at least some of the Bear People had conducted themselves with some restraint last night. Looks can be deceptive though, as beneath his calm exterior, there lay a pounding head ache too!

They all sat down to breakfast, along with the Chairman, who had slipped out earlier, and returned with news that they were to report to the Palace after they had eaten, as there were a few formalities to take care of. There was no need for the cloaks this morning, although Roggie had to shield his eyes from the bright sunshine, as they walked across to the deserted village. It seemed as though everyone had a hangover this morning, although it would not be long before everywhere began to fill up again with excited Bears, and the whole thing would start up all over again.

Once inside, Roggie found a comfortable seat to sit on, and left the Chairman to attend to his duties. He was still feeling a bit delicate, and dozed off into a deep sleep, only awakening with the sound of the gathering crowd. That was the first sign things were under-way, and it did not take the Bear People long to arrive on mass. The drumming also started up again, with the pounding rhythms echoing through the great doors, even though they had been firmly closed.

Morning had slipped into afternoon, and the two sisters were now in their coronation clothes. All Bears usually wore trousers and shirts, made out of hardy cloth, and did not go in much for fashion. What they wore was practical, and the only way to telling the sexes apart, was the fact that the female Bears wore slightly brighter clothing. Today, the Sisters were wearing white dresses, and had flowers in their hair, which made them look surprisingly feminine.

Roggie had also been presented with new clothing, and wore white trousers and shirt, which he assumed would normally have fitted a Bear child. He was a good deal smaller than the average Bear, and realised how remarkable it must have been for the Great King to have commanded the Bear people, as neither he, nor any other Elphin Rabbits, could ever match them for their strength and power.

It was now time for the coronation to commence, and they all made their way up the large wooden staircase, which led to the balcony overlooking the very large crowd. It stood on the front of the Palace, which was just big enough to accommodate the Sisters and the Chairman of the Council. There was also a throne, from where the King would normally address the Bear People. Over the years it had born witness too many events, but none of which was like the one destined for today. This was going to be the very first coronation of a Queen, and marked a change in the whole Bear society. There were great hopes of change, and the people were united in a way that they had not been for generations.

There was an enormous cheer, as Nokie and Concordia walked out onto the balcony, with Roggie staying in the background, not wishing to be recognised.

The Chairman of the Council also joined them, and moved his hand up and down trying to quieten them. The Royal Guards, who stood around the Palace, also did their best to quieten the people, and when he thought that he could be heard, the chairman shouted out to them as loudly as he could.

"The King has been defeated - long live the Queen!"

The crowd went wild again, and despite his attempts, there was no way of quietening them again for quite some considerable time.

There was a great cheer as the sisters waved, and the drumming now reached fever pitch as the waving and cheering raised to a new level. After letting the crowd have their way for a few minutes, the Chairman raised his hand again, and the noise began to subside. When it was quiet enough for him to speak, the Chairman stood on the edge of the balcony, and shouted at the top of his elderly voice.

"Today we are going to crown our very first Queen"

The sound of cheering drowned out his voice, as he struggled to gain control. It took a few minutes for them to settle down again, before he could proceed.

"Concordia has won the right to be Queen, after defeating King Innocence in the wrestling ring of our ancestors."

Innocence was the last name anyone would have chosen for a bully and someone regarded as nothing more than a scoundrel. People often thought that it was not his real name, as his past was clouded in mystery. It had been a great surprise that their champion had disappeared, and he had suddenly appeared on the scene. Now, they knew that the truth would emerge, and were overjoyed at the prospect of their champion's daughter being crowned Queen.

The Chairman guided Cuddles to the throne, and the cheering erupted again, as she sat down. He had to wait several minutes before they settled down enough for him to continue. When they had, he passed her the small wooden box containing the sacred scroll, which she took gently holding it in her hands.

"Concordia, daughter of Tyr, do you solemnly swear to uphold the principles contained within these ancient words of wisdom, and swear to uphold them in the name of the Great King?"

She took a deep breath, as it suddenly dawned on her that she was about to become Queen. Everything that had happened over the last couple of days had been more like a dream, and now reality hit her with the comparable force of one of Innocence's blows, if he had managed to land one that was!

"I do!"

Cuddles swore her oath on the ancient scroll.

"I now pronounce you Queen Concordia!"

The crowd went wild with excitement, as the waving and cheering reached a new level. The Chairman then passed the scroll over to Nooks, who looked a little shocked.

The noise of the crowd died down again as the Chairman spoke.

"Nokie, daughter of Tyr, do you solemnly swear to uphold the principles contained within these ancient words of wisdom, and swear to uphold them in the name of the Great King?"

She was a little bemused, wondering why she had been passed the box containing the scroll, and asked to swear the oath. The Chairman gave her a nod of encouragement, as she took hold of it.

"I do!"

The chairman then smiled broadly, as she handed it back, still none the wiser.

"I now pronounce you Princess Nokie!"

The crowd cheered and waved again, as Nooks suddenly realised that she was a Princess. This was the first time that there had ever been a Bear Princess, and they both beamed with pleasure.

This was the happiest day of their lives, and in their hearts they promised to do the right thing by their people. They only had the one desire for themselves, and that was to be reunited with their father, whom they greatly missed. That was something which would make their lives complete, although it would depend upon what the defeated Bear King would tell the Royal Guards when he was questioned. They still did not trust him, and realised that it was not going to be easy getting the truth out of him.

Cuddles stood up and Nooks joined her at the front of the balcony, waving to the crowd who seemed to be equally as happy, this was indeed a wonderful day for everyone!

After staying there waving until their arms ached, they left the balcony and the noise of the crowd, and re-entered the Palace.

The drums had started pounding again, as the crowd cheered and danced, and it did not seem to bother them that for many, the pounding of the hangover was just as loud in their heads as the drumming outside!

The celebrations were destined to run right into the night, until there were no Bears left standing. That was one thing that could say about the Bear people - they certainly knew how to enjoy themselves!

Inside the Palace, everywhere was in chaos, and it looked more like a rubbish tip than the home of a King, or now a Queen. There were empty barrels of ale, plates of half eaten food, and a whole host of other things strewn about. It looked as though the deposed Bear King must have had quite a temper tantrum, throwing everything about wildly in one of his rages. Instead of a life of luxury, the Sisters realised that their first duties were going to be domestic ones!

Fortunately, a group of helpers arrived now that the ceremony was over, all keen to do what they could to restore the Palace to some form of respectability. If the wooden front of the Palace was a mess, then the rear was even worse. The door which led into that part hung precariously from its hinges, and they could see the litter covered corridor which lead into the cave. Everywhere looked as though it had been looted, which brought thoughts of the treasury.

When they arrived, they found that it was completely empty, and the whole land was penniless, leaving nothing to rebuild the kingdom with. There was only one thing that they could do, and that was to summon an emergency Council meeting.

The first Council meeting during the rein of Queen Concordia, was not going to be an easy one, as they had to decide what to do about the Men, and the Self Appointed One. She had fought for justice, and to right the wrong that had been done to the Bear people. It was a dark deed, and in voting to reverse the former Bear King's decision, they knew that it would weigh heavily against them in the future. The men would not just simply go away empty handed, as they would return in force, and the two kingdoms faced the prospect of war. Great diplomacy was needed, and her Queenship was going to be a bit of a baptism of fire!

They needed to have something with which to pay for repairs to the Palace, and to rebuild the kingdom, and even if they agreed to let the Men take everything of value in the kingdom, they would surely return, and there would be nothing left for them to take. It would then leave them in a position where their people would end up as nothing more than slaves, forced to work in the gold mines, and there would be nothing that they could do to about it!

The Council was very sombre, as the Chairman opened the proceedings.

"Despite the joy of the coronation, and the end of the rein of King Innocence, it is with great sorrow that we have to deal with the matters at hand."

There were a lot of grunts and nods of approval.

"We have to decide whether to uphold the decision to let the Men take the entire contents of the treasury. If we do then we will be penniless, and risk them returning to take our people to work in the gold mines, or if we reverse this decision, then we risk conflict!"

The grunts and nods continued.

"However, we have all witnessed the return of the Great King, who we assume will lead us as he did before, and if there is conflict, then we believe this time we will be victorious!"

There was a muffled cheer from all of the elderly Bears gathered there.

"So, who is in favour of reversing his decision?"

Everyone put their hands up without hesitation.

"Those against?"

There were none.

"So, we therefore unanimously vote to reverse the decision!"

Yet more nods and grunts appeared in confirmation.

Roggie sat there impassively, wondering what he was going to do about it. At first, he had just gone along with things, fearing that the Sisters would not help him. When they mistook him for the Great King, he feared that if they found out the truth, then they would be very angry. Now that they were Queen and Princess respectively, combined with the fact that the whole Council also thought that he was the Great King returned, he did not know what to do. All he could manage was a nod, as he feared that if he did say anything, then he may say the wrong thing. The last thing that he wanted to do was to face the wrath of the whole Bear Kingdom, not to mention that of the Men as well!

What a mess!

More than ever he needed to seek the advice of the Wise Old Griffin, as he did not know what to do!

He could not stay in The Land of the Bears, return to his own lands, or go to The Land of the Men either. There was also talk of Dragons too, and he was rapidly running out of options. He looked really worried, and sat very uncomfortably trying not to show his uncertainties; after all, he was supposed to be a great leader!

The Council meeting was quickly brought to a close, and the Chief of the Royal Guard was summoned. When he arrived he was given orders to pursue the Men, and to escort Roggie to the ends of their lands.

The Royal Guards were quickly dispatched to retrieve the contents of the treasury, as the Men had disappeared as soon as they found out that the former King had been deposed. By now, they could be anywhere, and time was not on the Guards' side...

##  Sixteen

The pounding of heavy drumming signalled the arrival of the new day, but alas, it was not coming from the enthusiastic drummers, who had been playing almost constantly way into the night. The pounding rhythms were coming from inside Roggie's head, just like they had done the morning before. He had declared that he would never drink so much ale again, and yet his words had been hollow, but not quite as hollow as the void between his ears, which now pounded as if the drummers were playing inside.

He felt terrible, and the prospect of having to leave the comfort of a warm bed was almost as difficult to contemplate, as having to continue on his journey out beyond The Land of the Bears.

Having been here for a few days, he had really begun to like it, and wished that he could have been able to have stayed. Although it differed quite markedly from his own village, his stay here had changed any preconceptions that he may have had about Bears. They were really quite friendly, and not at all like he had been led to believe. It did help however, looking exactly like the Great King!

He knew that he could not keep up the deception for much longer, and the fact was that if they ever found out the truth, then they would not be nearly as friendly towards him as they had been. It was time to move on, despite the way that he was feeling.

The Royal Palace was a great deal tidier than it had been when he had first arrived, and the helpers had done a really good job, with everything now being spick and span. They had even prepared a room for him, and one which was very warm and comfortable, even more so than his burrow. Roggie had been overjoyed when they had presented it to him, and as he lay there, he wondered just how he had been able to find it again after all that drinking!

Rising slowly, he washed and dressed, before venturing out into the corridor. There were already welcome signs of activity, not to mention the smell of freshly cooked food. The one thing that he did desire above everything else however, was a cure for his hangover!

Roggie was in luck, as everything had been provided for him, and as he made his way down for a meal with the Sisters, there waiting for him was a bowl of something which smelt terrible. He grimaced as he swallowed it, and it tasted just as awful as the bowl the Chairman's wife had given him the morning before. However, within a few minutes, it had already started to make him feel a little better.

It looked as though he was not the only one to be grateful for the hangover cure, as there were two Bears with very sore heads, who also sat around the table. They seemed to pick up a bit, as the cure worked wonders on them too. Gone were the white dresses, being replaced by trousers and shirts. There would be no ceremonies today, only hard work, as there was a kingdom to restore.

The helpers had also been kind enough to pack his bag with plenty of supplies, and he felt snug in his freshly laundered clothes. It was nice being a King, if only temporarily, and he wondered if he would ever enjoy such comforts again?

Roggie could have quite happily sat there for the rest of the day, and probably would have, if one of the Royal Guards had not appeared. He and some of his colleagues were here to provide escort, and looked ready to start the journey to the edge of their territory.

So, with several reluctant goodbyes, he left them to their duties, following the guards towards the large wooden doors, which marked the official entrance to the Royal Palace. Roggie felt his heart sink, as he looked back and waved, before venturing out into the sunlight.

It was another pleasant day, although his mood was sombre, as he did not really want to go. Somewhere out there was the Wise Old Griffin, who he knew he had to find, although he did not have the first idea of where to look.

With his hood over his face, he took one last look back towards the Palace to where Nooks and Cuddles had thanked him for all of his help, although Roggie felt as though he had done little to deserve it. Instead, it was he who had thanked them, as without their help, he may have remained buried by the debris which had followed him down the mountainside. That seemed like ages ago, as he turned his face away.

He did not know what a Griffin looked like, or where to find one. The village elder had no tales about them, and he did not know where to start. The Royal Guards, who were escorting him, seemed to know a little about them, or at least the fact that the one he probably sought, could be found at the other end of the path.

The little wooden houses soon disappeared, as the path meandered through the trees. It seemed endless as they trudged along, twisting and turning, rising and falling ever deeper into the forest. It was one thing for the Bears with their long legs, and quite another for him, as he seemed to be taking two paces to every one of theirs, and by the time they eventually neared the edge of their territory, he felt absolutely exhausted.

The ale had not helped the way he was feeling either, and although the hangover cure had worked to remove the pounding of a hundred drummers in his head, the rest of his body was still suffering. If he had learnt anything from his time with them, then it was not to drink so much!

The ale was a good deal stronger than anything that he had ever tasted before, and had left him with an overall numbness. Maybe next time he would keep to his promise, and not drink nearly as much of it as he had done on the previous two occasions!

Up ahead, he could see a stone pillar, which stuck out of the ground casting a long shadow down onto the path. When they got a little closer, he could clearly see the image of the Great King carved upon it. His heart sank, as the pillar marked the edge of the Bear Kingdom, and from this point on, he would be travelling alone.

How he wished that the big burly Bears of the Royal Guard could have accompanied him on the rest of his journey, but that was not possible, as Bears rarely venture out of their own territory. He had asked, but had been politely refused, much to his disappointment.

Roggie thanked them for accompanying him this far and sighed deeply, as they turned and began to walk back the way that they had come. He watched them until they had gone out of sight, and taking a deep breath, walked past the stone carving with his face strewn across it.

It was still very strange to see his image carved on rocks, wooden boxes, scrolls, and on a variety of other items. It seemed as though there was no shortage of them throughout the Bear Kingdom. It was still a mystery as to how he so closely resembled the Great King, although to the Bear Sisters and the Council members, it was simple - the Great King had returned.

It was quite a responsibility, as they clearly believed that he had indeed returned, and had based all their hopes, not to mention their new regime on that fact. They had also stood up to the Men, and by doing so, they now faced the very real prospect of armed conflict!

It was all too much for poor Roggie, who still longed for his burrow and his warm comfortable bed. Those days seemed so far away, as he trudged along the path towards whatever fate had in store for him. When he thought about it, he did wonder whether it was fate or destiny that was guiding him?

There were just too many co-incidences and things mysteriously fitting into place, and how was it that he and the Great King looked so much alike?

At least he had a lot to think about, which occupied his mind as the path led away ever deeper into the trees. It, like his thoughts, seemed endless, as everything began to weigh heavily on his shoulders. From what he gathered, the Bears were counting on him for support. Support was one thing, although what they were actually asking him for was a great deal more than that!

Now that they were not going to let the Men take all of their gold, it probably meant that they would have to prepare for battle; he was sure from his own encounters with them, that they would not just calmly walk away.

That was the thing that he wished to do, although deep down inside, he knew that he could not just abandon them. He would have to return, and when he did, he got the distinct impression that they were expecting him to arrive with an army!

He was not the Great King, and he certainly did not have an army to command.

Roggie frowned!

The path began to climb as the tree line stretched endlessly in front of him like a never ending sea of green. He seemed to have been walking all day, and by what the Royal Guards had told him, he would have to travel some distance before he reached the clearing of the Wise Old Griffin. This land was not part of the Bear Kingdom, and in fact, it was not really part of any kingdom at all, as it sat in a type of buffer zone between kingdoms.

By an ancient agreement it was a free land, where no one ruled, and sat at the junction of several other lands of the ancient kingdom of Elphamia. On the one side lay The Land of the Bears, which he had just left, then there was The Land of the Moors and Woods, where his village lay, The Land of the Forests and Mountains, where other Elphin folk lived, The Land of Men, and finally The Bad Lands. These Bad Lands stretched out far and wide and contained a variety of other creatures - some good, and some not quite so good!

There was really very little knowledge of what it contained, only a few tales which were enough to give you nightmares!

Roggie shivered at the very thought of it, hoping that he would not have to venture anywhere near it. Tales of weird creatures and strange phenomena filled his mind, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as a bird rustled the branches of a nearby tree. It was enough to make you scared of your own shadow, and he decided to put all thoughts of it to the back of his mind. He was hoping that the Griffin would sort everything out for him, and then he would be able to return home to the safety of his lovely warm comfortable bed!

Now that was a very comforting thought, and one which sustained him as he trudged along what seemed like an endless journey.

##  Seventeen

Time seemed to drift on unabated, as the path showed no sign of ending. It was just as though he had been walking in a circle, as he appeared not to be making any progress at all. The sun was still in the same direction though, even if the trees that he passed did all look the same. His journey to the village of the Bear King had been really easy, as he had been pulled on a cart by the Bear Sisters. Now they were Queen and Princess respectively, and their cart pulling days were now well and truly over!

Roggie sighed, wishing that they were still with him, merrily pulling the cart along, with him sitting upon it. What use was it looking like the Great King, if there was no one here to attend him?

Roggie sighed again, looking at the dirt path with the undergrowth and trees framing it on either side. He must have walked miles and miles, and yet he had no reference. The only indication that he had seen was his own image carved upon the stone marker, which signalled the end of The Land of the Bears, and that seem nothing more than a distant memory.

His thoughts then turned inevitably back towards the Wise Old Griffin. From those three words he could deduce that the creature was wise, and old, but that was as far as he could go. Most people, including Roggie, had absolutely no idea what a Griffin was, or what it could do.

It is fair to say that Griffins, are quite unusual creatures, in fact it could also be said that they are unique. They have the body of a Lion, and the head and wings of an Eagle, with a Lion's tail, long ears and clawed feet. Some people say that they are nothing more than a myth, although when you actually meet one, they are very real indeed!

Griffin's are masters of both the earth and the sky, and are noted for their great wisdom. They tend to live a life of solitude, and contemplation, spending their time considering all that they have experienced. The Griffin that Roggie was hoping to meet was one of the oldest that had ever lived, and so it went without saying that he was also one of the wisest.

According to the Bears, he had been alive during the time of the Great King, although Roggie found that very hard to believe. The village elder was quite old, as Elphin Rabbits tended to live very long lives in comparison to Men, although even they had many generations stretching far back to those distant days.

Roggie was only young in comparison, with most of his life in front of him, although what had happened to him over the last few days made him wonder whether he was going to reach old age!

If he did, then he would have quite a tale to tell the young ones when he was a village elder himself, although by the looks of things, his story still had a long way to run.

He was beginning to feel tired and hungry, his legs ached and his feet were sore after all of the walking. The path was never ending, and as he looked up through the trees he noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky. It would be getting dark soon, and he would have to make camp. The Bears had given him some food, and there seemed to be enough wood lying about to make a decent fire, although there did not seem to be anywhere suitable to stop. The path was quite narrow, as it wound its way through the forest, and so far he had not come across a single clearing. The undergrowth was very dense on either side too, and he had no idea what lay hidden within it.

The Bears had warned him not to venture off the path, as they were unsure of what lay beyond it. If the Bears felt unsure, then the last thing he wanted to do was to find out. After all, Bears were big strong creatures, and more than capable of looking after themselves. If they did not feel comfortable, then what was an Elphin Rabbit supposed to feel?

All that Roggie had to protect himself was his spear, and although he was able to throw it further than anyone else in his village, using it in combat was a totally different matter entirely!

He shivered when he thought about what could lie beyond the thick undergrowth and the line of never ending trees. His thoughts drifting to The Bad Lands themselves, and the name itself was enough to unsettle him. He could imagine all sorts of strange creatures lurking just behind the trees, ready to pounce on him at any minute!

Roggie began to feel very insecure, and gripped his spear tightly as he walked up a slight incline towards the setting sun. He would have to stop soon, although the way he felt at the moment, making a fire in the middle of the narrow path would attract the attention of whatever there was out there, and that was the last thing that he wished to do!

The light was really beginning to fade now, and he would be forced to stop soon as he could barely see where he was going, even thought his eyesight was extremely good being an Elphin Rabbit. It was not just the fact that it was getting difficult to see, physically, he just could not go on for much longer.

He felt more alone now than at any time in his life, and even the Faery seemed to have deserted him. She had guided him and told him that she would protect him, which she had done so far, but that was cold comfort in a place that looked as though even her powers would be useless against the creatures his imagination was conjuring up.

The transition from light to dark was almost complete now, and everywhere began to take on a very eerie feel. Every sound seemed to echo around him, and there were strange scurrying noises in the bushes, and even stranger cries from the birds who inhabited them.

Roggie became unsteady on his feet as he neared the top of the slope, jumping at every strange sound that he heard. He was not paying attention to where he was walking, and did not notice a tree root that protruded out onto the path. Without warning he stumbled over it, and fell flat on his face.

The sound he made startled some birds in a nearby tree, who flapped their wings hurriedly ascending into the sky. This in turn startled Roggie, who lay there in the grip of fear. He just could not move, and as he looked up he noticed a strange light in the distance. At first he did not know what it could be, and then a single thought gripped him. It must be some wild creatures alerted by his fall coming to get him!

Roggie could not move a muscle, being hypnotised by the light, which began to sway as the evening breeze blew through the tree tops. Maybe it was not a light at all, but a creature with one large luminous eye?

Perhaps it was a Man eating, or maybe even an Elphin Rabbit eating Cyclops, that only emerged at night, and was on the hunt for its prey?

Roggie knew that feeling as his stomach began to rumble, although food was the last thing on his mind. Maybe he should just lie here and hope that it would not discover him?

Roggie began to tremble at the thought of becoming the creature's dinner, and wished more than ever for the safety of his burrow. After staying as still as he could for several minutes he realised that it had moved closer towards him. The more he looked at it, the more he convinced himself that it was coming to get him. He strained his ears to hear if it was making any strange noises, but there was nothing apart from the sounds of the forest, and his heart beating loudly. With a great deal of effort, somehow he found the courage to get to his feet. He still had his spear clutched firmly in his hand and, against his better judgement, he advanced slowly towards it.

The closer he ventured, the more hypnotic the light became, and it was as though it was pulling him towards it. Straining his eyes, he could see that it seemed to be some sort of a lamp, swaying gently in the hand of a cloaked figure. Whether that was going to be better than an Elphin Rabbit eating Cyclops, was hard to tell. Roggie was absolutely terrified, but like a siren, it was luring him to his fate, and it seemed as though there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it!

The light was glowing stronger all of the time, beckoning him towards it, and he could see the cloaked figure swaying slightly as it rested on a staff. The light from the lamp cast a large shadow on the trees behind the figure, which made it look like an awesome giant. Roggie was now more convinced than ever, that he was going to end up being the Giant's dinner, and try as he might, he could do nothing to break the trance.

Closer and closer it drew him, and he became more anxious with every step. Soon he would be within its grasp, but there was no use struggling, as his limbs would not respond to his commands, only to the hypnotic light of the lamp.

Roggie was now only a few paces from it, and as he drew near, the figure reached up and pulled back the hood of its cloak...

##  Eighteen

The tales of the eerie forest brought terror into those gathered around the village fire, as the elder told of strange creatures who lurked within its midst. The younger ones looked with terrified eyes, hanging on every word, and huddling together for comfort. When he was younger, Roggie was one of them, and had suffered more than one sleepless night, afraid to close his eyes, in case one of creatures should suddenly appear. Now he was much older, but the same feeling returned to him, as his eyes widened, and the same childhood fears gripped him like a vice.

Terror knew no bounds, as every fibre of his being froze, rooting him to the spot. Never before in his whole life had he been so scared, and the sight of what greeted him sent a shock-wave cascading through his rigid body.

He nearly fainted as he was met by a terrifying beaked head!

It was more disturbing than anything the village elder had spoken of, and even more disturbing that his worst nightmare, as the thing stood there right in front of him.

It had piercing eyes that seemed to stare right through him, and the beak looked vicious enough to tear the flesh off his aching bones. The light from the lamp seemed to amplify the feeling of terror that ripped through him, just like he imagined the cruel beak was just about to do.

The beak opened, and Roggie waited for it to suddenly dive into him, followed by the searing pain of his flesh being torn apart.

"Welcome!"

Roggie was even more startled by the softly spoken words, which emerged from the beak. They were something that he did not expect to hear. It would have been less of a shock if he would have heard a blood curdling scream!

"I have been expecting you!"

It was cold comfort to know that his presence had been detected, and even though the voice was reassuring, he was not convinced, as he still expected the beak to suddenly lash at him with all of its terror.

There was then the roar of laughter, which made his bones shake. This was a cunning enemy, and one which was playing with him, like a Cat does with a Mouse, before finally finishing off the poor creature.

"Don't be alarmed, I mean you no harm!"

An alarm was something which was ringing in his head, as the blood pumped, making it throb.

"The Wise Old Griffin at your service."

Roggie breathed out a huge sigh of relief, as he realised that the creature who stood before him was not going to tear him limb from limb after all!

It was his imagination that had been his real enemy, and had been playing tricks upon him. It really was the place where nightmares reigned, particularly at night!

The forest had been creepy right from the start, and the further he went into it, the creepier it had become. Now that it was almost totally dark, it had taken on a completely new perspective. Every sound and shadow seemed to have been amplified, which had in turn, raised his level of trepidation. Now that he thought about it, the light from the lamp had cast a shadow, and the Griffin was no giant at all.

He actually looked quite frail, and had to use a staff to help him as he walked along. If he would have seen him in the daylight, then he would not have been scared by him at all. Now, he could see why this place had not been claimed by anyone. It was somewhere he doubted that anyone would feel comfortable in, and yet the Griffin appeared to be quite at home.

His greeting had been warm and friendly, and a very welcome one indeed, particularly after his journey alone, along the never ending path.

"Thank you!"

That was as much as Roggie could say, as his mouth was still dry with fear.

"This forest can play more than a few tricks with your mind, if you are not used to it."

That was an understatement, but the Griffin's voice had begun to calm and reassure him, even though his heart was still racing, and his nerves were still way out of control.

"Would you like to follow me?"

The Griffin asked politely, and Roggie nodded as he turned to lead the way back down the path, in the direction that he had come.

The light from the Griffin's lamp seemed to make all the difference, and although he still felt quite nervous, Roggie began to feel a little more settled. He also felt a little more energised too, as he walked along the path behind him.

"We will be in the safety of the clearing soon, and then you will be able to relax."

Roggie had forgotten what that felt like, and wished that he had a tankard of the Bear's ale in his hand, to settle his nerves. If he had, then he would surely have downed it in one, not giving a second thought to the drummers who would have undoubtedly awakened him the next morning, by pounding away inside his head!

The light from the lamp guided their way, and the trees did not seem quite as dense as they had done before. There was also some moonlight shining down on them from the night sky, which had some wispy white clouds blowing gently across it.

In no time at all, they were approaching the edge of the clearing, and the trees began to thin, revealing what looked like a welcoming fire. Shards of light penetrated the gloom, sending shadows dancing all around them. They were now almost out of the trees, and Roggie could see what appeared to be a small log cabin illuminated by the light of the fire, which was obviously where the Wise Old Griffin lived. It all looked very inviting, in complete contrast to the creepy forest which lay all around it.

It had been quite a journey, and one which he never wished to repeat. He doubted whether his nerves could stand it, and his body was still complaining at the endless hours of walking it had endured.

It was fair to say that he really did not know what to expect, as he had stumbled his way along the path, and if the Wise Old Griffin had not come to meet him, then he dreaded to think what would have happened to him.

It almost appeared as though he was in some sort of a dream, although it felt more like a nightmare!

Roggie stopped to look back, as he sensed that something was watching him, and as a branch rustled, his heart raced, and he scurried closer to the protective light of the Griffin's lamp.

This was the second time that he had felt the guiding hand of fate protecting him, as last time it had been the Faery. She, combined with all of the other things which he had experienced, had left him with far more questions than answers. Hopefully, according to the Bears, the Griffin would provide them for him.

"Not much further now!"

The Griffin's reassuring voice settled his nerves a little, as through the trees, he could see the inviting rays of the fire, which was a very welcome site indeed. Just like a moth, he was drawn towards the light of the flames, which now stretched out to greet them.

Finally emerging from the forest, he was soon close enough to feel its warmth, as the air had developed quite a chill, as the moon shone down upon them.

"Come, let us sit and warm ourselves."

The Griffin's soft and gentle voice spoke to him again, and he did not need asking twice, and gladly took up the Griffin's invitation. He felt totally and utterly exhausted, and his nerves had been worn to a frazzle, and he was almost literally asleep on his feet.

The Wise Old Griffin lowered himself gently onto a log besides the open fire, with the aid of his staff. It looked very warm and inviting, and Roggie soon joined him, sitting on another log close to the Griffin's side.

The fire gave him great comfort, and for the first time in hours, Roggie felt secure, and his nerves began to settle as he made himself comfortable. Above the fire he could see a metal tripod with a cooking pot suspended from it. He was so hungry, that he could not help his nostrils twitching as the smell of freshly made soup wafted towards him. There seemed to be two bowls ready and waiting to be filled, along with two spoons and a loaf of freshly baked bread, which made his empty stomach rumble.

"Please help yourself."

The Griffin did not need his great wisdom to work out what Roggie was thinking, as he did indeed look very tired and hungry.

"My attendant has prepared everything for us."

He knew that Roggie would be hungry - Roggie was always hungry, but there was hunger, and how he felt now!

The last warm meal that he had eaten had been with the Bears, and even though he had eaten a hearty breakfast, to his stomach that felt like days ago. The thought of fresh vegetable soup made his stomach rumble again, and his whiskers twitched with anticipation.

Roggie took one of the bowls, gently ladling some of the soup into it, before turning to face the Wise Old Griffin. He instinctively passed it to him, and the Griffin smiled, appreciating his good manners. Roggie then offered him the bread, which he graciously accepted, tearing off a large piece with one of his clawed hands.

Roggie then did the same for himself, staring longingly at the contents of the bowl, as the aromas drifted around him like a comfort blanket. The Griffin smiled at him warmly again, as Roggie took a piece of the bread dipping it gently into his bowl. The lovely warm soup made his taste buds tingle and he relaxed emptying his mind of all of his problems, as he concentrated on his delicious meal.

Not a word was spoken whilst they were eating, apart from when Roggie was offered a second helping, which he gratefully accepted. The Bears may have thought of him as the Great King, but he would have gladly given up the entire kingdom for another meal like that!

When he had finally finished eating, he thanked the Griffin for his kindness, placing the bowls to one side, relaxing for a moment before the Griffin spoke to him again.

"You have travelled far, have you not?"

Roggie nodded, thinking of his home in the little village tucked into a distant hillside.

"I am sure that you have a great deal of questions to ask."

The Griffin was not wrong, although whatever questions he had did not seem that important right now, as all he wanted to do was to lie down by the fire and go to sleep. Unfortunately, the Griffin had other ideas, and he could feel him probing his mind. It was not at all distressing, and he felt himself giving way as he sat there in a daze.

Memories from as far back as he could remember flashed though his mind, as the Griffin reviewed his life. Some of them he recognised, whilst others seemed foreign to him. Roggie had no recollection of his early life, and most of that seemed to be very hazy. He could remember being found by the village elder wondering on the path by the bridge over the river. Why he was there, and what had happened to him before that, was just a complete blank.

He had never really found out who he actually was, and although he had often wondered, it did not seem that important to him. He had been well looked after, taught many things, and even given his own burrow, which he was more than grateful for. It was as though his mind had been deliberately altered, and whoever had done it, had left him with very little curiosity.

That was a very strange thing indeed, as most people would want to know who they really were, and what had happened to them. Roggie had just accepted everything without question, and even now, as he was revisiting that day, he still did not have the slightest bit of curiosity.

It had been summer, and the weather had been warm and dry. He could see himself walking along the path towards the little bridge that sat at the end of the valley. The sound of the water trickling under it, combined with gentle birdsong, made him relax as he stopped to admire the beauty of all that he could see around him. It was as though he did not have a care in the world, so much so, that he hardly noticed the village elder walking towards him.

He was dressed in simple villager's clothes, with a cloak which denoted his status as Village Elder. His position was head of the Council which democratically ruled by consensus, as everyone had an equal say in how the village was to be run. It had very little power and just decided on what crops were to be grown and where. They were responsible for the smooth running of village affairs and of course, the spear throwing contest!

The Council consisted of the wisest villagers, and its main purpose was to give advice. The village was so small and sleepy that there was virtually nothing for them to do, but there had always been a Council for as long as anyone could remember, which dated back to the days of the Great King.

The village elder greeted him, inviting Roggie to join him for some lunch, which Roggie gratefully accepted. From that day forth, they had become firm friends, and the elder, known as Kavisar, had begun to teach him the ways of his people.

Roggie was very fortunate in being granted access to an ancient book, as it was quite an honour. In fact, he was treated so well by the villagers that he seldom thought of what sort of a life he had come from, and what it would be like to return. Roggie was also kept very busy, and learnt so many things, really enjoying Kavisar's company. He sighed dreamily as the thoughts of him drifted through his mind.

Roggie was so relaxed now that he began to fall asleep, and the Wise Old Griffin placed a blanket over him as he gently slipped off the log nestling in front of the fire, all warm and cosy!

##  Nineteen

The sound of birds chirping away merrily filled the air, as the pleasant sunshine shone down upon the little clearing, surrounded by the deep forest. It was already morning, and the cold night had given way many hours previously.

Roggie awoke from his slumbers, as the embers of the fire smouldered on into the daylight. He had slept very deeply, and dreamt of many things, particularly of his life within the village. He had been so happy there, and for a moment he thought that he was still in his warm, comfortable bed, until he felt his limbs spread out on the hard ground.

Opening his eyes, he soon came back to reality, and looked round, but the Griffin was nowhere to be seen. Looking over towards the cabin, he suspected that he had retired there, as the ground was no place for an elderly person to sleep.

He still felt relaxed, as he stretched gently, easing himself out of the blanket. It had been quite a sleep, filled with many memories of his time spent with Kavisar. He really missed him, and hoped that he had not been troubled by the Men. It had been a nasty business, and one which he was going to ask the Griffin about, when he emerged from his cabin.

Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes, and from somewhere on the other side of the clearing emerged a very large Bear carrying an assortment of things. He was very powerfully built and looked as though he would be a match for any other Bear.

Their eyes met, and he gave a broad smile, indicating that he was pleased to see him. This was a welcome sign, as Roggie did not know what he would have done if the Bear had been in a foul mood. The Bear approached him, and as he got near, he placed the things he was carrying gently down on the floor before introducing himself.

"I am Tyr, the Wise Old Griffin's attendant!"

Roggie could not believe it, as that name resonated with him.

"Do you have two daughters named Nokie and Concordia?"

Tyr's expression changed to one of sorrow, as he thought about them, longing to be reunited. He had many regrets, although he knew that he would not be able to return to The Land of the Bears whilst King Innocence still reigned.

Sitting down on a log next to Roggie, his thoughts went back to the events which had led to his exile.

The reigning Bear King had suddenly become very ill, and to the dismay of the Bear People, passed away the following day. It was quite a shock, as he had been very healthy, and well liked by his people.

After a suitable time of mourning, the Bear Council had arranged a tournament to decide who should become the new Bear King. After many wrestling matches, there were only two contenders left, himself and Innocence.

On the eve of the final contest, he had also suddenly been taken very ill, and suspected that he may have been poisoned, as it was too much of a coincidence, for he had exactly the same symptoms as the previous Bear King. His supporters knew that his very life was in danger, and had managed to get him out of the village, and somehow kept him alive long enough for him to reach the Wise Old Griffin, whose knowledge of sacred medicine had been enough to save him.

Tyr had been very weak, and it had taken him a long time to regain his strength. In the meantime, Innocence had proclaimed himself King, claiming that Tyr had run away in fear, and branding him a coward. His supporters, on their return, had protested to the Council, but through lack of evidence there was nothing that they could do. Innocence then sought to remove Tyr's supporters, who went into hiding.

That was three years ago, and Tyr had become the Griffin's attendant, although now he was fully recovered, he was determined to return and clear his name. Events had conspired against him though, and the Griffin had advised him not to return, stating that the time was not yet right. Times had now changed, and he was overjoyed when Roggie informed him of what had happened.

They were both deep in conversation when the Wise Old Griffin appeared, startling them. They had not heard him approach, and when they saw him, he just smiled.

It was the attendant's job to look after him, and Tyr quickly jumped up, bowing to the Griffin, before gathering the things he had been carrying in his big powerful hands. He was elated with the news, and had a big beaming smile upon his face as he went about his duties.

The Griffin smiled again, as the fire was stoked up, and fresh water brought for them to drink. It was odd seeing such a big powerful Bear being so domesticated, but Roggie realised that it was his way of repaying the Griffin for all that he had done for him.

It seemed like no time at all before he was sitting down in front of the fire, with the smell of soup drifting into his nostrils. The Griffin sat next to him, as Tyr bowed again, leaving them to enjoy the soup and fresh bread which he had brought.

Tyr then proceeded to the cabin of the Griffin to undertake some more chores, although they were not really unpleasant or burdensome to him in any way. Tyr was happy to assist the Griffin, although from the size and strength of the great Bear, it was clear to see that there would be little that anyone could do to persuade him to do anything he did not wish to do!

The soup was absolutely delicious, as was the bread, and Tyr certainly had a gift where food was concerned. Roggie really appreciated what he had done for him, although the news that he had brought was the best that Tyr had received in years. He was clearly overjoyed, and the sound of gentle humming could be heard coming from the cabin. The Griffin smiled again as contentment spread around the clearing.

When they had finished their meal, Tyr returned to clear everything away, before bowing before them both again, and then disappeared into the surrounding trees.

"You no doubt have many questions to ask."

The Griffin spoke for the first time, as they had enjoyed their meal in silence. That was an understatement, as Roggie, now refreshed after a good night's sleep and a hearty meal, did have a lot of questions, which he hoped the Griffin would be able to answer.

He was just about to ask his first question when the Griffin spoke again.

"Why don't you start by emptying out the contents of your bag?"

The Griffin was obviously reading his mind, and as he reached for it, his hand passed over his spear, which had been resting besides it. The Griffin clearly knew what it was, as he could see his eyebrows raise slightly as he glanced towards it.

Roggie opened his bag, and began to take out what he had brought with him. First there was his trusty spade, which had saved his life when it had caught the arrow that had been fired at him by the Man. Then, there were a few supplies which the Bears had given him for the journey, along with a water container. There was also a blanket, again provided by the Bears, and at the bottom was the sceptre, which Roggie had forgotten all about.

It was the first time that he had really studied it properly, and the Griffin looked on as he turned it slowly in his hands.

"The sceptre of the Great King!"

The Griffin announced.

"It is steeped in history and has many properties, not just ceremonial, but whatever you do, do not twist the top!"

The Griffin proclaimed firmly.

Roggie held it in his hands, making sure that he did as the Griffin had told him. Unfortunately, the top had already twisted itself loose within his bag, and it only took the slightest of movement for it to suddenly spring into action.

A series of spikes shot out from the ball, and pierced poor Roggie's hand. He dropped it with shock, but the damage had already been done. He felt very faint, and fell backwards off the log, banging his head on the ground.

Everything began to spin, as he felt himself being sucked into a type of vortex. It was a strange and frightening sensation, and one of which he did not enjoy at all!

The Wise Old Griffin spoke in a calming voice, although no sound came out of his mouth. Somehow his voice was reverberating around Roggie's head, along with many other things!

"It looks as though you have inadvertently activated the sceptre, which is the first time that it has been used for many years. It is very old indeed, and was used by the ancient kings to rule, and when I say rule, I do not just mean to govern. There is a gauge on the side which indicates worthiness, and only the most worthy can rule the kingdom."

Roggie felt very light headed, and everything still spun round inside his head.

"I am amazed that it is still working after all of this time, and now you have activated it, your life is in great danger!"

Roggie's mind began to clear a little, as the word danger grabbed his attention.

"The sceptre contains a poison, and only the Worthy will survive!"

The shock of that statement began to bring Roggie back to his senses, and he managed to mumble out a few words.

"Danger, am I going to die?"

The Griffin looked down at him with thoughtful eyes.

"It depends on several things."

Roggie's eyes opened widely, staring up at the Griffin.

"Firstly, you have to be of Noble Blood, which I assume you must be, otherwise you would dead already!"

"Dead!"

Roggie was in shock, as this was not the first time that his life had been put at risk. He was supposed to be safe with the Griffin, and now he had learnt that he could die!

"Noble Blood!"

That was also a shock to him, as no one had ever mentioned that he may have come from Noble Blood. There were no Nobles in the village, just Peasants, who lived a simple but contented life.

"Yes, that is right."

The Griffin continued, as Roggie had a second shock to contend with.

"There are certain families who carry a distinct type of blood, and the poison has been designed to not work upon it. All other blood types result in certain death!"

Roggie went very pale.

"You could call it a Bloodline, and you must be part of it."

This was the first that Roggie had heard of such things, but was grateful nevertheless, that he was still alive.

"The Bloodline stretches through the Elves, and those Elves who are part of it are often referred to as the Shining Ones, which is another way of describing those who are enlightened".

Roggie could not quite understand what he was saying.

"I myself am also enlightened."

Roggie still did not understand what he was talking about.

"But I am just an Elphin Rabbit, and you are the Wise Old Griffin."

The Griffin smiled.

"I am indeed!"

Replied the Griffin.

"I am enlightened because I possess great wisdom and knowledge."

Although he had been taught many things by Kavisar, he realised that he did not know very much, particularly in comparison with the Griffin.

"However, I am not of Noble Blood, and Griffin's are not born to be Kings. All we seek is knowledge and contemplation, and not power."

Roggie was very confused.

"But I live in my burrow within a small village in the valley high above the great river, and I do not even have the status of a member of the Council. How can I be of Noble Blood?"

Roggie looked at him with a rather pathetic look on his face, suddenly realising that if they used this sceptre to measure his worthiness to be a Ruler, then he would be right at the bottom!

The Griffin smiled broadly.

"Do you lie in your comfortable bed in contemplation?"

Roggie nodded his head.

"And have you gained knowledge since you left your burrow?"

Roggie nodded his head again.

"Then you are indeed becoming enlightened!"

When he thought about it, maybe the Griffin did have a point. During his adventure he had experienced many things which the other people within the village, and possible within the kingdom would never experience. Maybe he was not quite so unworthy as he had originally thought?

"What is Enlightenment?"

Roggie was still confused.

"An awakening or your Inner Self."

That still did not make any sense to him, what was his Inner Self?

A very broad smile filled the Griffin's face, and he began to chuckle to himself.

"When you discover what that is, then you will be ready to become King!"

The Griffin could sense his confusion, and as Roggie climbed back onto the log, the Griffin put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

"A King is a guardian of his people, and is there to protect and look after them, not to control them. It is his job to guide them by the wisdom he has learnt, and he is judged by how well he does that. If you look at the sceptre it has a gauge on the side, and every time something worthy is done it goes up, but when something unworthy is done, then it goes down."

That seemed simple enough.

"But what is worthy?"

Roggie did not have the first idea.

"Anything that helps the people \- a Worthy King seeks justice, honour and truth."

Roggie was still confused.

"The Great King was a very just and Enlightened Ruler, who having tried his very best to seek a peaceful conclusion to the many disputes raised by his brother, eventually failed. Despite his considerable talents of diplomacy, he was not able to prevent the terrible battle which resulted in not only his death, but the ruination of the entire kingdom."

Roggie knew the legend like everyone else.

"He was loved by his people, who built the memorial to him, and placed the sceptre in the hand of his statue."

Roggie had seen it, and now the sceptre he had been encouraged to take by the Faery, had poisoned him!

"The people have been threatened by the Self Appointed One, who seeks power and wishes to rule by fear. The people need a just King to liberate them from this fear, so that they can return to living peacefully together."

Roggie could see that it was not going to be a very easy job for anyone to do!

"You must prove that you are worthy, and then you must free all of the people of these lands from his control."

It was one thing to have been mistaken for the Great King, and been looked after by the Bears, or even to dream of being a King, but it was quite something else to have to do something to justify it!

"Do you remember the plaque that sat above where you took the sceptre from?"

Roggie thought for a moment, and when he remembered what it said, he repeated it to the Griffin.

"Only the Worthy!"

The proverbial penny suddenly dropped. He had inadvertently taken the challenge to see if he was going to be worthy of becoming King!

He was no warrior, and doubted if anyone would ever follow him anywhere. He may have looked like the Great King, but that was as far as it went.

The Griffin could sense his doubt.

"The Faery believes in you!"

Roggie had forgotten all about her, and wished that she was here now to save him.

"If you were not worthy, then the poison would have killed you by now. It is a strange substance, and both it and the sceptre were created long ago to insure that only the Worthy shall become King."

Roggie looked at the gauge, which had already begun to fall, indicating that he was not so worthy after all!

The Griffin continued to explain.

"The poison is working into your bloodstream, and there is only one thing that you can do to stop the gauge reaching the bottom."

Roggie kept on looking at it, wishing that he had never listened to the Faery in the first place.

"You must prove your worthiness."

He did not feel worthy at all, as he had taken the sceptre, which made him a thief!

"It was your destiny to find it, and to take it, and your destiny is something that you can not hide away from."

Roggie looked glum!

"Is there any cure for the poison?"

He was hoping that there was another way out of this dilemma.

"Besides proving your worthiness, there is one other way."

Roggie felt relieved, that at least there was something else that he could do to save his life. Maybe it was some sort of a potion, and if he took it, then he could return the sceptre, and forget all about becoming a King. From what the Griffin had told him, it sounded a lot of hard work, and Roggie was not one for work!

"What is the cure?"

Roggie asked, hoping that the Griffin would be able to create a potion, which he could take. Maybe it would be something like the Bears had given him on the previous two mornings, to counteract the effects of all the ale that he had consumed the nights before.

"Dragon's Blood."

The Griffin's words landed like a bombshell.

" _Dragon's Blood!"_

Roggie put his head in his hands.

"How am I supposed to kill a Dragon?"

## Thank you for reading my book

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