Chapter 15: The High Prince's Decision

Suddenly out of the water beside it popped two little serpent heads with big grins on their faces. Anna Monee and Coralee swam to the shore and flapped up to the group. Anna Monee threw her fins around Mama’s neck.

“Look, Mama!” she giggled. “Squirty found a new toy to fetch!”

Mama looked surprised.
“Squirty did this?” she asked.

Papa laughed and they moved over to the pool. “Good boy, Squirty!” he said and patted something on the side of the submarine.

It was a tentacle. In fact, they realized that the entire sub was wrapped in them. And then a huge bulbous head broke the surface of the water and they realized that it was the giant octopus that had attacked the submarine when they had arrived at the island.

“Great grandpa Vindelshneezer!” cried Heindel. “You mean zhat giant beasty belongs to you?”

“Yep!” bubbled Anna Monee. “He’s our pet, squishy-fish! And he loves to play fetch, isn’t that right, Squirty?”

The octopus began to bobble up and down in the water excitedly, its tentacles releasing the submarine with great splashes as if it wanted to play some more.

“Hey, that’s cool!” said Flindee, on his feet now and jogging toward the water to get a closer look. “What kind of stuff does he fetch? Can I play with him?”

“He’ll fetch anything we tell him to fetch, but he loves to chase pirate ships especially!” said Anna Monee. “I guess your underwater boat looked like a ship to him, or maybe a whale. He likes to play with them too.”

Flindee stepped into the water and started to pet one of the tentacles.

“Hey there, big fella.” He said. “That’s a good Cephalopod. Whoa, hey there now! Easy!”

A tentacle wrapped itself around the jester, lifting him gently from the water as he petted it.

“Don’t worry,” Anna Monee assured him, “He’s just playing. Squirty likes you, I think.”

“Really?” beamed Flindee. “I’ve always wanted a pet with multiple appendages. I always asked my mom and pops for a giant millipede. I never thought about asking for my very own leviathan! This is even better!”

Flindee suddenly laughed. “Ew, his suction cups tickle! It’s like he’s kissing me all over!”
Suddenly there was a loud screeching sound as the hatch on the submarine unlocked and began to open. Vonkar gripped his axe and began to charge the sub while Papa bared his giant fangs and hovered over the opening, ready to attack whoever emerged, ready for whatever fantastic weapon the enemy might have found among the inventor’s gadgets.

But as the hatch flipped back, out clambered Boz, holding a wretched looking little sea hag under one arm and dragging a defeated wizard behind him. Right behind them King Kugelbone emerged, one arm twisted behind his back by Maid Madelyn who pushed him harshly through the hatch.

“Bozvin!” shouted Heindel. “You are safe! Thanks be to the great inventor!”

“Ya! I am fine now,” returned Boz. “You have made new friends, I see.”

Maid Madelyn was startled when she realized that there was a great sea serpent towering over her and an axe wielding Viking charging toward them, but she quickly realized that these were allies and relaxed as they approached.

“Thanks for leaving some of the bad guys for us.” she said. “I thought we’d missed out on all the fun, but then these three showed up and tried telling us we were going to have to stay in that thing for another few days as prisoners. Unfortunately for them, I’ve had more than enough of underwater boats! So where do we put them?”

As she said this, she looked over the whole group and then asked, “Where is the Princess? Did she retrieve the Serpent’s Eye?”

No one answered, but looking at the long faces, Madelyn knew something had gone terribly wrong. Finally, as he reached the top of the submarine, Frangen softly answered.

“The princess destroyed the Serpent’s Eye but was…” he trailed off, unable to finish then pointed at Nathan who was still sitting on the cavern floor numbly. “That is her brother, the Prince Nathan, who came to aid us, but he was not…”

Madelyn got the point and rage flooded her mind. The princess was gone? Twisting Kugelbone’s arm harder, she spun him around to face her. “What have you done with the Princess, you black-hearted, cowardly…”

“Madelyn, please!” pleaded Frangen, it was not these three who did it, at least not directly.
“Indirectly then.” she asserted. “I will directly inflict such pain upon them that they will wish they had never heard of a Serpent’s Eye, the grasping, greedy, power-hungry weasels!”

The three villains raised their arms (the ones that were free to do so) over their heads to ward off the punishment that was coming.

“And where are the rest?” Madelyn continued. “Show me who IS directly responsible and I will bring swift justice upon them!”

Most of the others shook their heads in sadness at the maiden warrior’s vehement words of vengeance. Vonkar seemed thoughtful, as though he might be considering the idea himself, but finally it was the prince who spoke.

“No.” he said. “Vengeance is not for us to measure out, warrior maiden. Madelyn, is that your name?”

All eyes turned back to the shore to see him standing again. He no longer looked defeated and overcome with sorrow. Something had changed in his countenance.

“I wanted vengeance on these three ‘weasels’ too, but as much as their actions have brought misery and sorrow to our lives, we who are noble are bound by a higher law. The Law of the High King states that no action shall be taken out of vengeance, but only justice shall be enacted by an impartial authority. We are neither impartial, nor free of the pain that motivates vengeance, therefore it is not for us to carry out their punishment. They shall be turned over to King Balderdash and he shall pass sentence in the name of my Father. And by his good wisdom and that of his counselors will justice be carried out.”

The prince sighed heavily and turned to Heindel. “Do you not have a brig aboard your vessel?”
Heindel nodded in shock and the prince continued.

“I have come through too much and only survived with my father’s aid and by my sister’s sacrifice. I will mar neither the will of the one, nor the memory of the other by pursuing my heart at this moment, though make no mistake wizard. Were it not for the very law that you despise and reject, your life would be forfeit this very moment so if I were you I would consider well your future choices in light of my father’s mercy, especially now that your power is broken and the one who granted you that power is banished from Darrowold.”

With that the prince nodded at Heindel and walked away dismissively, cloaked again in his personal grief.