The Golosina, the Forgotten Land and the Skurkene - 8. Chapter 8

A few days later, Freddy saw the young princess and the Witch in the garden again. They were in the same spot as before, but whispering low. Freddy came up behind them, grin on his face and arms crossed.

‘Back here, again?’

‘Thanks for helping us,’ Princess Beatty said, turning around.

‘We were just wondering if…’ the Witch tried to say.

‘Very predictable,’ Tav was suddenly there, looking at his fingernails. ‘You want to come along again?’

‘Is that a problem?’ the Witch frowned.

‘Is that okay? Please?’ Princess Beatty smiled.

‘It’s fine,’ Freddy shot her a sympathetic smile.

‘Of course,’ shrugged Tav.

***

When Princess Beatty and Freddy got back, and came back from the garden climbing over the fences, helping each other try and sneak back in, there was some rushing around in the middle of the kingdom.

Both looked at each other, worry seeping in.

Freddy managed to catch one of the tutors rushing around, ‘What’s happening?’

‘Did you not hear?’ the tutor barked back. ‘Main kingdom hall. Now. Go.’

There was only a meeting in the hall if something terrible had been found.

Freddy looked at Princess Beatty who looked like she was about to cry. He nudged her, shook his head and gave her soft reassuring smile.

He then bent down on his knee, ‘Piggy back ride?’

Snorting, she laughed, ‘I’m fourteen.’

‘So, no?’

She rolled her eyes but proceeded to climb onto Freddy’s back. He then carried her to the hall, with a slight run. They came in last, being rushed in.

Princess Keira saw them. Freddy went red and let the Princess Beatty climbed down. He cleared his throat and managed to find a seat.

This was nearly everyone in the kingdom, Freddy was amused how they got everyone to fit here. People were even sharing seats.

At the front of the hall was two long tables with a bunch of frowning old men on. The guards. Freddy had only ever seen them in passing, it was strange to see them so up front. Last time he saw them, one of the young princes was dared to run out in front of them and stage a bad prank. That did not end well.

Freddy caught the eye of the Princess Beatty. She had gone white and was shaking. Freddy clenched his fist.

One of the old guards stood up and bellowed out, ‘Benjamin Red.’

Everyone looked around immediately. A young boy slowly stood up. He was well dressed in greens strangely enough with a soft round face. Must have been eight years old.

Nervously, he stepped forward and came towards the table, the eyes of hundreds of people staring at the back of him.

He didn’t know how to greet the guards so he dipped his head down and did a little bow.

The guard stared at the boy before announcing out loud, ‘Benjamin, what were you doing this morning?’

‘Um, I…’ the small meek voice came out the boy.

Freddy watched, feeling sick, clenching both his fists harder now.

The guard raised an eyebrow and then cast a large vision up in the air, clear for all to see. In the vision, Benjamin was playing with a ball with what looked like a young troll, both were falling in the mud laughing with each other.

‘Benjamin was with his rival,’ the guard announced. He turned to Benjamin, ‘Why were you doing this?’

‘The ball came over our side a few days,’ young Benjamin blurted out. ‘He seemed nice, we just kicked the ball a few times to each other.’

‘Are you friends?’

The hall had some gasps. Freddy rolled his eyes, feeling himself getting angrier at this situation. He was trying so hard to keep it in, to stay in line with the others, to fit in. He should have been feeling relieved that he hadn’t been caught. But why pick on something so innocent like a young boy for playing ball with someone? It seemed so pathetic and a completely over the top reaction.

‘He’s supposed to be your rival.’

‘I know but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.’

‘Of course he is bad,’ snapped the guard. ‘Skurkene and Golosinas cannot be friends.’

‘I heard about stories from the human world where…’

‘You are an utter fool,’ another guard stood up. ‘This should never have happened. You cannot be friends with your rival of your story.’

Benjamin’s shoulders were hunched; he was holding in bursting into tears.

‘You should be ashamed. You’ve potentially ruined your story and damaged the kingdoms reputations.’

That was it for Freddy. This wouldn’t ruin a story and to make the boy stand up like this in front of everyone was awful. If they were going to pick on someone, let them pick on someone who could fight back.

‘No, you should be ashamed,’ Freddy said loudly to the guard.

The whole hall turned to look at Freddy.

He got out of his seat and walked down. He stood tall next to Benjamin; he placed his hand on his shoulder and turned to the guard.

‘What exactly has he done?’

‘It’s a crime, you know it’s a crime, Prince Alfred,’ the guard narrowed his eyes on Freddy emphasising his name. ‘If you become friends with your rival, your story won’t work and the humans need our stories. They need a clear bad character and a clear good character. There can be no grey areas.’

‘Skurkene are clear villains, that’s what they are trained for,’ echoed another guard.

Freddy sighed and looked at the old guards, ‘I’m so sick and tired of all this. Why does everything have to be black and white? It is so boring. Why would humans want that?’

Now nearly everyone gasped in the hall.

‘I am sorry if you think it’s boring, Prince Alfred,’ said the guard staring him down. ‘But these are the rules. These create our kingdoms and our beings.’

Freddy then swore out loud.

The whole hall erupted.

The rest of the guards stood up, ‘You cannot use language like this here, our creations are supposed to be for human children.’

‘Are you saying human children are too stupid to understand the dynamics of characters? Why can’t our world be for human adults too?’

‘This is what the humans wanted.’

‘I’ve had enough,’ Freddy turned around to the hall. Usually feeling a hundred eyes on him would make him nervous, but the anger was fuelled up so much in him, it was bulldozing him through.

‘I want to live in a kingdom where anyone can be who they want to be, some days they are bad and some days they are good, not what they were written down to be. To be real not just characters. To be friends with anyone they want to, for real friendships to bloom,’ he looked down at the boy, and then back up. ‘This isn’t the kingdom I want to be in, I will make my own. If anyone wishes to join me, come with me.’

He then walked down the hallway with Benjamin.

A guard echoed after him, ‘If you leave, you won’t be welcome back.’

Freddy paused in his walk, he saw a quick glance to Keira who was crying and going bright red, hiding her face, from the embarrassment.

He looked over his shoulder, ‘You’re welcome to come to my kingdom any time you want. I would never exclude anyone. Good bye.’

He bent low to Benjamin and whispered, ‘You can come with me, you can keep your friendship.’

Benjamin nodded, wiping his tears away. Suddenly, Princess Beatty rushed to their side and walked with them, soon they were out the hall.

***

‘Tav, Tav,’ Freddy called out loud in his head as he paced down to the garden. Princess Beatty was close behind him, smiling with termination as Benjamin was following them too. Freddy opened his shirt and placed his fingers around the white band around his neck

‘I think I’ve just done something absolutely crazy, Tav. I don’t know why I’ve done it. I had to though,’ he thought.

Tav’s voice replied back, Freddy could hear the smile in his voice, ‘You’re not making any sense. I like it already.’

‘Come get us, please.’