Rough Treatment

CHAPTER 5

Sethmagnus the Great, Lord of Seth and the Eastern Kingdom, had been a man of heroic stature: a giant among men. When Zedd drove the people of the Eastern Kingdom into the sea, it was Sethmagnus who had led his broken people to the remote refuge of the island of Fa’Lacree and created there a new Kingdom. From the ruins of defeat, and under the protection of the Bell, he had built an outpost of defiance against the evil of Zedd, the Mystic of Roth. The Ancient of Ancients was his inspiration and the Bell was his protection. Together they attracted refugees from the Mystic’s grasp over the northernmost lands of the Eastern Kingdom, where the Bell had confined the power of the Mystic.

Within a generation, the island of Fa’Lacree had grown into a thriving community and the City of Seth Haven was beginning to recapture some of the splendours of the Old Kingdom. Its Kings, too, became well‑respected heirs to Sethmagnus the Great, although none of them quite reached his greatness. Least of all Gunness.
Gunness was the fourth to succeed the throne of Sethmagnus, and it has to be noted that he enjoyed the quiet life. As a boy he had excelled at javelin throwing – an art his father had thought would give him some links with his warrior ancestor. But now Gunness preferred a stroll around the palace; a tour of the city; a trip to the beach - and ringing the Bell. Tradition decreed that he personally should toll the Bell at the the beginning and end of each working day; this was a task which gave him tremendous satisfaction.
The duties of Kingship had become routine in the days of the Bell. Disagreements between the Citizens of Seth Haven and among the traders of the Eastern Kingdom were mostly trivial affairs; and the running of the Kingdom’s trading interests was given over to the Guild of Lords Merchant, over whom the King presided in name only. The Bell had long since banished the true evil of Zedd from the exiled Realm of the Eastern Kingdom though it is fair to say that it was now so long since the Battle of Sundown that many of the good folk of Fa’Lacree regarded the stories of Zedd the Mystic to be no more than a folk memory. But The Ringing of The Bell continued, either ‘just in case’ or because it was just too much a part of the routine of Fa’Lacree to be stopped; perhaps both.

Besides, it has to be said that the daily ringing of the Bell gave King Gunness his only sense of purpose; a feeling that perhaps he was really able to drive out the forces of the Mystic of Roth by this simple act. Certainly the Bell’s mellow tones gave him a feeling of well‑being and satisfaction that Barney’s Dad would get from an occasional pint of beer.

There was also, of course, the thrill of power that came from knowing that the whole island ran its working day according to his bell-ringing. And it was almost the eighth hour: Gunness stood poised by the bell rope; every sinew was flexed; every nerve tingling. Two guards, posted by the door to the Bellchamber, exchanged wry glances: things had certainly changed since the days of Sethmagnus!

As the very last grains of sand tumbled from the hourglass, Gunness gave a graceful heave on the rope that set the Bell swinging high above them. Its deep, hollow tone filled the chamber. Once, twice, three times. Three firm pulls were all that were required of the King; three pulls, twice a day.

The Bell was rung at other times during the day: the daybreak, midnight and curfew peels were performed by one of the Court Officials: the Bellmaster. He also supervised who rang the Bell during the rest of the day and took care of the upkeep and maintenance of the Bell.

As Gunness completed his three pulls on the bell rope, a Lord Merchant Counsellor stepped forward and turned the hourglass back over. ‘Magnificent, Sire,’ the Counsellor crooned. The sentries smirked again; the Bellmaster merely smiled politely and bowed slightly as the King stepped back from the rope. The King and the Counsellor made their grand exit from the Bell Chamber into the Chamber of State, and the Bellmaster closed the heavy door behind them.

‘Beg leave to report, Sire!’ an Officer of the Watch barked, as Gunness resumed his seat in the Chamber of State;

‘Request for an audience with His Majesty!’

‘What is it this time?’ the King asked impatiently; which was rather odd, since he was rarely bothered by anyone asking him for an audience.

‘Beg leave to announce, Sire! Kirlmann Wader, Sire!’

Gunness wrinkled his brow and turned to the Lord Merchant Counsellor. ‘I know that name. Who is he?’ he asked quietly.

The Counsellor turned to the Officer of the Watch. ‘Not the Beachcomber?’ he asked with barely masked distaste,

‘The very one, Sah!’

‘Send him away, then. His Majesty is far too busy!’

But Gunness wanted to show that it was he who was in charge.

‘Wait!’ he interrupted. ‘What does the fellow want?’

‘Says it’s a matter of life and death, Highness; something to do with the Bell. He’s got a boy with him.’

The Counsellor turned to the King and spoke in a low voice. ‘See what I mean, Sire?’ he murmured, ‘The man’s a crank. Send him away.’ The King was on the point of agreeing with the Counsellor when a girl appeared from behind the drapes across the end wall.

‘No, Father, ‘she cried, ‘You have to see them. It could be something important! Especially if they say it’s about the Bell.’ Gunness hesitated and then smiled at his daughter.

‘Exactly what I was about to say, Angelina,’ he said. ‘Bring them in, Officer.’

The officer of the Watch made a smart about‑turn and strode out through the State Chamber door. He returned, ushering Kirlmann Wader and Barney Gulliver in ahead of him. Kirlmann swept his hat off his head and bowed. Barney looked around in awe-struck confusion, until he felt a blow from Kirlman’s hat across the back of his head.

‘Bow!’ Kirlmann hissed. Barney obliged and bowed low.

‘Yes?’ asked the King, ‘What can I do for you?’

‘It’s more as what we can do for you, Majesty,’ offered the Beachcomber. ‘This young boy, here.’ continued Kirlmann, placing a fatherly arm around Barney’s shoulders. Barney shuffled uncomfortably.

‘What about him?’

‘I found him on the beach,’ Kirlmann explained. Barney looked up expectantly.

‘So?’

‘He fell there, Highness!’

‘Well take him to the physician,’ answered the king. ‘This isn’t a surgery!’

‘He didn’t fall on the beach;’ Kirlmann explained patiently, ‘he fell on to the beach, from up there!’ Kirlmann jabbed a

long bony finger towards the ceiling and everybody’s eyes followed it up.

‘Not up there,’ Kirlmann continued with the same forced patience, ‘Up in the sky! The Upper World? The Outer Plain?

Does that (how can I put it) ring any bells?’

‘Bells?’ Gunness started; ‘You don’t mean...,’

‘The legend of the Bell! Exactly so’ ‘ Kirlmann continued. The King looked thoughtfully from Kirlmann to Barney.

Barney could feel himself blushing as Gunness gazed up and down, closely scrutinising him and his ‘strange’ dress.
A slightly doubtful expression crept across Gunness’ face. He turned to his Counsellor.

‘Ben’Almoran! What do you think?’ he asked.

The Counsellor, looked perplexed.

‘I don’t know, Sire,’ he said. ‘It does seem odd that the boy should appear to riffraff like the Beachcomber, rather than directly to yourself.’

‘Riffraff?’ fumed the Beachcomber; ‘Who are you calling riffraff?’

‘And I didn’t appear, I fell,’ Barney added, tersely.

‘Don’t be so insolent, or I’ll have you both flogged’’ the King warned them.

But a voice from behind Gunness came to their rescue. ‘No, Father, you can’t!’ It was the Princess Angelina.

‘And why not?’ asked the King (who probably wouldn’t have anyway).

‘Just look at his clothes, his hair, everything about him!’’ Everybody’s eyes turned on Barney again and he blushed even more uncomfortably under their gaze.

‘Well, yes,’ Gunness admitted, ‘They do look rather strange.’

‘He’s obviously not from the Island,’ the Princess pointed out.

‘Where is he from?’ asked the Counsellor.

‘Where are you from, boy?’ asked the King.

‘Cornwall, Sir.’ Barney croaked, his voice dry in his throat.

‘Cornwall? Where ever’s that, for pity’s sake?’

‘It’s where I come from,’ Barney announced, struggling to hang onto his dignity: ‘It’s just a small seaside town in a place called Cornwall.’

‘Never heard of the place,’ King Gunness interrupted.

‘But it’s true: I was having a walk along the beach when all this happened - when I found myself here.’

‘It’s certainly not part of the Realm of the Islands, nor any part of the Eastern Kingdom that I’ve ever heard of,’ the Counsellor remarked, ‘but I’m still not certain that we should trust him.’

At that point, and to Barney’s relief, the Princess Angelina pushed forward. ‘Have you two no imagination?’ she scolded them: ‘How do you expect to have heard of a place if you’ve never been told about it?’ Barney and Kirlmann exchanged glances of relief. The King and the Counsellor merely grunted.

‘If he’s really come from the Outer Plane,’ Angelina continued, ‘then you can hardly expect to have heard of it before, since nobody we know has ever been there and come back again to talk about it!’

‘I’m sorry Sire, but who can tell if the legends of the Outer Plane are really true?’ the Counsellor asked. ‘All we have are vague writings in the Texts of the Ancients!'

‘And the inscription on the Bell,’ Angelina reminded them. ‘Besides,’ she added grandly; ‘perhaps this is one of those occasions that call for some prudence and faith.’

Angelina turned to Barney. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked.

‘Barney Gulliver,’ he told her, annoyed that he could feel himself blushing yet again.

‘Strange sort of name,’ retorted the King.

Barney winced: ‘If I hear anyone else say that ... ‘ he thought.

‘Do we use all of it, or just part of it, Barneygulliver ?’ the King continued.

‘Oh, Barney’s the bit I’m mostly called by, except when I’m at school; some of the kids at school call me ‘Gus’.

‘Gus?’ the princess said thoughtfully; ‘I think I prefer the name Barney,’. ‘Tell me again, Barney, how did you get here?’

‘The Beachcomber said that you fell here,’ Gunness interrupted. He was growing a little impatient with being interrupted in his own Court.

‘Here we go again,’ thought Barney. ‘That’s right, sir,’ he replied, and he retold his story. He told them about how he’d walked along the shore and followed the sound of the Bell to the pool of shining light in the cove; and how he’d fallen into the red mist and somehow found himself on the beach below the walls of Seth Haven.

‘Floated down like an autumn leaf, Sire,’ Kirlmann added. ‘And that’s just how I come to find ‘im.’

There was a rustle of fabric from above the assembly and everyone’s attention was drawn upwards. There, on a balcony overlooking the Chamber of State stood a tall, stately woman dressed in a long flowing gown embroidered with scarlet and brown leaves. This was Queen Banqua, Gunness’s wife and Angelina’s mother.

‘Why?’ she said, and ‘Why’ was what she was still saying as she descended the wrought iron spiral staircase.

‘I don’t believe this,’ Barney thought, feeling his throat tighten yet again.

‘Why what, my dear?’ asked the King.

‘I’ve been listening to your conversation and I agree with Ben’Almoran: Why should the Ancient of Ancient’s prophecy be fulfilled through a common vagrant, instead of directly through the heirs of Seth?’

Kirlmann visibly bristled. ‘With respect, Ma’am, but just who are you calling a vagrant?’ he demanded. ‘I’ll have you know that I’m a Lord of the Shore­line!’

‘Lord of the Shoreline?’ sneered the Queen, ‘No such thing! You’re little more than a scavenger.’ She stepped from the staircase and walked across to her husband’s side. ‘How can the descendant of Sethmagnus the Great believe that the Ancient of Ancients could unfold his plan through the likes of him?’

Gunness looked uneasily from his wife to his audience.

‘But mother...’ Angelina started to protest.

‘No buts, Angelina, you’re only a girl and you don’t understand these things. Such matters are your father’s domain. Now, Gunness, Don’t you think that it would be wise to interrogate these two a little bit more closely?’

Barney, horrified, found his voice again: ‘We’re telling the truth, I tell you!’ he cried.

But at that moment a quieter voice interrupted. ‘Perhaps I may help, Sire.’

Everyone turned to see who had spoken. Barney’s mouth fell open. For there, framed in an open doorway, was Mr Camponile. At least, he looked like Mr Camponile, except his hair seemed longer, hanging loosely about his ears and neck.

Barney would have called out but a glance and a barely audible ‘Sshh’ silenced him.

‘Bellmaster,’ Gunness greeted the newcomer.

Bellmaster? It couldn’t be!

‘I’m sorry to interrupt you, Sire, the Bellmaster announced. ‘But I couldn’t help overhearing your predicament.’

‘What’s one of those?’ Barney wondered.

Perhaps,’ he suggested, ‘I ought to take the boy into protective custody, as it were; just in case there is any threat to the Bell.’

The King seemed relieved by the suggestion. ‘I don’t see why not,’ he agreed.

‘And perhaps,’ continued the Bellmaster, ‘I should also keep a protective eye on the Beachcomber as well. After all, he does appear to have come here in good faith.

Kirlmann beamed hopefully at the king, but Queen Banqua had not finished. ‘Most certainly not!’ she cried. ‘The clod was rude to me! Have him thrown out! Roughly!’

Kirlmann Wader’s face turned as black as thunder as Kabel Longshanks stepped forward, a gleam in his eye. Kirlmann was preparing himself for rough treatment, but fortunately Angelina came to Kirlmann’s defence.

‘No, Mother,’ she argued. ‘If their story is true; and they are here through the bidding of the Ancient of Ancients, then the Beachcomber must have Father’s protection, or things will go wrong for us. I’m sure of it!

‘The Princess speaks wisely,’ the Bellmaster agreed. ‘Now perhaps you’ll allow our guests to come with me into the custody of the Bellchamber.’ And he spoke with such authority, that no one: not the King, nor the Queen, nor anyone else thought to disagree.

Kirlmann and Barney looked uneasily at each other for a moment then slipped across to the protection of the Bellmaster. The three disappeared together through the doorway into the Bellchamber, Kirlmann and Barney following the Bellmaster’s lead and bowing ever so courteously as they went.