The Secrets of Pimsim Cove - 20. Chapter 20

The Royal Council and Talbot’s trusted Advisors sat before an assembly of the wealthiest Nobles of Pimsim City. Talbot stood before his Kingdom with his brother, Victor sitting to his left yet the chair to his right was empty. A colorful arrangement of unique looking blooms rested in the empty chair that must have belonged to the late Queen.

Sean quietly slipped into the room. I could feel him trembling and knew that he was remembering that the last time he was in this room. He had been five-years-old. How could Talbot have hurt him? That monster punished his own grandchild for trying to see his mother.

Rahuna nervously hovered near the doorway as Sean held his head up high and continued to the center of the room, joining Michael and Rook. The Council looked down at them as if they were something icky that had just been scrapped off the bottom of their shoe. I noticed Andrew sitting near Victor and I smirked when his face scrunched up into a furious scowl.

“Talbot!” Rook called out, slowly turning to look into the faces of the Noblemen sitting in the room as well as each of the Council Members. “I’m a man of my word.” Rook said. “I’m returning the ‘Ring of Sons’ to you, in exchange for my brother’s life!”

A gasp fell across the crowd followed by a buzz of whispers. Talbot held up his hands to silence the group, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he began to cough. He quickly recovered and shouted at the rising noise, “Quiet!” But he was suddenly hit with another coughing spell. The murmurs continued to grow.

Andrew stood up and watched the King shake under his terribly violent coughs.

“I…said…silence!” Talbot shouted between tremors. He composed himself, but when he wiped at his mouth, a long bloody smear covered his cheek. The crowd erupted into another round of shocked mutters and deafening rumors.

“And I am a man of my word too, McLoughlin!” Talbot sneered at Uncle Rook and shouted over the crowd. “Release the prisoner!” He bellowed at the guards posted by the outer wall behind a row of nervous Councilmen.

All of the guards immediately looked in the same direction. They watched as the biggest guard stepped forward from his security position. He was one of the monster-sized guards from the Festival.

He unlocked the secret doorway hidden inside the Palace wall and grabbed Dad from within a tiny room and tossed him onto the floor in front of Rook. Dad landed with a heartbreaking THUD and rolled onto his side. Rook and Michael both dropped to their knees and tried to help him up, but Dad shook his head for them to face Talbot instead of helping him.

With an evil grin, Talbot added, “I’m truly disappointed with you, Rook! I had expected you so much earlier. When I learned that our friend, Windsong here, had a visitor yesterday, well then… that’s when I figured it all out.” Talbot laughed dryly. “You of all people…Rook McLoughlin, the man that everyone whispers about being the next ruler of Pimsim City...you didn’t even know where my precious Ring was and your traitorous brother must be the only one who knew how to find it.”

“He’s not a traitor!” I cried out. Sean grabbed me and pulled me behind him, but it was too late. Talbot’s eyes narrowed in on me. “Your father…(cough)…abandoned his people…(cough)…to live among Humans... (cough)…he sired children with them! Humans are no better than mangy animals! It’s an abomination…(cough, cough, cough)…that makes him a traitor!” Talbot bellowed.

A hush rippled through the crowd as they stared at Dad with pity in their eyes.

“But,” Talbot continued. “I am a man of my word…” COUGH! Talbot hacked and spit out a bright red glob of blood onto the floor. “Guards, escort this traitor,” he said pointing to Dad lying on the floor, “and his Human child out of my Kingdom…(cough) …and if they try to come back…kill them!” He glared at me with hatred, but when eight huge guards stepped forward, Sean prepared to fight to protect me.

I clung to Sean’s arm and peered over his shoulder. When Michael and Rook stepped up with Sean, placing their shoulders side by side, making a protective wall in front of Dad and me, I thought that we were going to be safe, but huge beefy hands grabbed each of us from behind.

I let out a scream as one guard slung me over his shoulder and two more guards dragged Dad across the floor by his arms.

“No! Stop! Let go of me!” I desperately cried, but I couldn’t fight the mountain of a man who held onto me. Talbot laughed, but it suddenly became gurgled with a wracking fit of coughs. The guards stopped at the door and glanced back at their cohorts and the King. It had taken all eight of the other guards to manage to force Michael, Rook and Sean onto the ground.

Talbot laughed between blood spew fits. “And these three thieves are to be sentenced to death!” The crowd gasped as the frenzied buzz escalated. The Council Members started to worry about Talbot’s rapid decline.

“Death?” They murmured.

“But that’s Rook McLoughlin!”

“What about the boy? He’s only a child.”

“Talbot’s lost his mind!”

“Look at him!”

“He can’t be serious!

“Kill them?”

Tears streamed down my face as I flailed in the guard’s strong hold and struggled to see Sean’s face just one last time. He lay helpless on the floor with a huge guard kneeling on the center of his back. His eyes caught mine and for a moment he gave me a brief lopsided grin through his terrible pain. “I love you!” He mouthed before closing his eyes as agony washed over his face.

“No, Sean, No!” I shouted, but my words were lost in the sounds of the raging crowd.

Talbot’s laughter suddenly stopped as he desperately grabbed at his throat. His evil face twisted into a gruesome knot, while blood filled his eyes and spilled from his mouth and nose. Victor ran to his side and caught him as he crumpled to his knees. The crowd exploded in massive screams.

“The King is dying!” Andrew shouted over the frantic people. “He dies with no heir therefore Victor shall succeed the throne!” He announced almost gleefully.

“That’s a lie!” Rook shouted from under the huge guard. He struggled to pull his arms free from the guard’s iron grip, but couldn’t move at all, so he shouted out over the top of Andrew’s shouts. “Talbot has an heir! Princess Rahuna has a son!” Rook screamed again and again until a startled hush fell over the crowd. Their eager eyes darted around searching for the truth of Uncle Rook’s words as events unfolded before them.

Sean’s frightened eyes locked with Rook’s. “What are you doing, Rook? You’re going to lead the people of Pimsim…not me!”

Rook’s eyes beamed with pride when he looked at him and shook his head. “No, my boy, you are! You are going to lead them, Sean!” Rook glanced around for Rahuna who was still huddled near the doorway, watching with huge scared eyes. “Rahuna,” Rook called to her, “you have to tell them…you have to tell them the truth!” The Princess shook her frightened head as tears streamed down her elegant face.

“Rahuna, you must!” Michael pleaded with her over the crowd. She was scared, but her soft blue eyes found Michael’s, giving her the strength to stand up for their son.

“It’s true! Everything Rook McLoughlin has said is true!” Rahuna shouted from the corner. “Sean D’Gloma is my son!”

Talbot’s face turned red with anger and blood as he collapsed to the floor at the sound of his daughter’s confession. Victor clenched his eyes tightly closed, holding his dying brother.

“It’s a lie!” Andrew shouted from the comfort of the crowd. Talbot looked up at Victor as he took his last and final breath, shuddered and then he died in his brother’s arms. Overcome with grief, Victor sat there sobbing and holding him tight. “Tell them, Father! Tell them that it’s all a lie and that you are now the new King of Pimsim City!” Andrew called to Victor.

He looked at Andrew before shaking his head. “It is true…Sean D’Gloma is Princess Rahuna’s son. He’s King Talbot’s only heir.” Victor finished with barely a whisper as he continued to grieve over his brother’s dead body.

“No!” Andrew exploded. “No! It can’t be! He cannot be the next King! You are…you are going to be the new King!” He yelled at Victor and the crowd.

Victor stood up and looked around the room with sad, red rimmed eyes. “Get off them! Now!” He ordered the guards who quickly jumped off Sean, Michael and Rook.

Glancing over to Dad and me, trembling in the grasp of the other guards, he ordered for them to let us go too. As soon as my fins hit the floor, I raced over to Sean and leaped into his waiting arms. He kissed me senseless in front of the entire crowd that oohhhed and aahhhed over our romantic embrace.

Michael rushed over to Rahuna and pulled her into his arms. He picked her up, and whirled her around in circles. “It’s over!” He softly whispered in her ear. She smiled up at him and clasped her hands on each side of his handsome face and pulled him down to her waiting lips.

Once again, the crowd cheered and clapped. Relief washed over everyone as they realized that their oppression at the hands of the selfish, tyrant Talbot was now over. No more of his gluttonous rape of this beautiful City.

I breathed a shuddered sigh…it was over…really, really over! Rook helped Dad up to his wobbly feet. Sean put me down so I could join them.

“Daddy!” I cried and hugged him. He was weak and thin from being locked up in Talbot’s dungeon, but a week of Mom’s Southern home cooking would fatten him right up. I giggled at the thought and pressed a kiss to Daddy’s cheek. “You did it, Anna!” He smiled at me with pride in his loving green eyes.

Victor stood up and cleared his throat. “Sound the horns.” He spoke to the guards. “Tell the people of Pimsim City that King Talbot is dead.” He turned and looked towards Sean. “I will stay and conduct the Successor Ceremony…then I’ll go…” His eyes filled with pain.

Victor knew that Andrew had killed Talbot. The pain that his own child had killed his brother was written on his face. “As the new King, I plead to you, Sean, please be kind and allow me to take Andrew with me. I promise you that we will leave Pimsim City and will never return.”

Sean nodded his head and added. “You can take your son with you when you leave, but until then, he will have to remain in the dungeon under lock and key.”

“What?” Andrew shouted. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m NOT stepping foot in the dungeon--”

“You killed the King!” Sean shouted at Andrew. “You’re lucky that I’m going to let you live at all! You should be executed for your crime, but instead, you will stay in the dungeon until your father is ready to leave, and I don’t want to hear another sound out of you.”

The guards seized Andrew and dragged him away, but his howls could still be heard as they descended deeper and deeper into the Palace towards the dark dank dungeon.