Prince of Penance

Chapter Thirteen: A Bit Of Rotten Luck

Cubbi had never been so bored in his young life. School had been boring, lunch had been boring, and now, listening Sir Wallaby prattle on about the rights and responsibilities of the peasant to the Crown, Cubbi was even more bored than he could possibly imagine.

"And then Sir Ditherby said to Pennia, 'why I've never seen a parrot so big before, yes that strange parrot named Arte Deco is such a big parrot and such a strange coloration I have never seen before!'"

School has been a chore, a serious chore, listening to an old wizard prattle on about history like an old book, droning on and on until Cubbi had actually fallen asleep on the head...and being woken by a whack on the head with a book.

"Of course the parrot belongs to the family of my young Squire here, what a good boy young Cubbi is, very quiet and well behaved, indeed..."

Oh, that had been so fun, not. Then dinner he had spent in the Great Hall and the two noble's sons he had been seated between had been so boring that he couldn't keep his manners if he had wanted to. Boy's his age should not be that interested in how much money the adults had, or who a person's parents are! He wanted to talk about cool stuff, but everyone around here seemed to be made of old paper and bags of gold!

But if he had thought Squire lessons would have been exciting he was wrong. Sir Wallaby was old, plump and had a deep fascination with the Court and pretty girls nearly half his age. Whilst Sir Wallaby went from one person to the other, chatting with the nobles about this or that, Cubbi had been forced to follow him, watch what he did and try to remember it all, because Cubbi wasn't allowed to do anything. And between the boring chatter and the boring conversation, Cubbi had been forced to put up with Sir Wallaby's overt displays of affection towards any female bear within vision.

Well, Cubbi had had enough. As soon as Sir Wallaby was distracted by yet another girl, Cubbi made a run for it and sneaked off to the gardens.

Maybe I can find a REAL Knight to talk to!

What Cubbi did find, however, was Sunni, his foster sister, walking with Prince Bryton along the hedges towards a stone bench. It was clear that their intention was to sit there. Cubbi quickly darted behind the hedge and crept along as quietly as he could, and as close to the pair as he possibly could, so he could listen in on their conversation.

"A beautiful Sunni, your namesake does you no justice, for you far outshine any heavenly body in the sky."

Sunni giggled, and Cubbi wrinkled his nose.

Gross!

"I would love to just sit here forever and be distracted by your beauty, but I have a purpose for bringing you out here which, unfortunately, has nothing to do with your loveliness I'm afraid...As lovely as you are, there are more pressing matters I must attend to."

"Oh," Sunni sounded so dissappointed that Cubbi had to stop himself from charging right in to defend her.

What's wrong with Sunni? Not good enough for the stuffy stuck up old Prince?

"It grieves me to discuss such horrible matters with you, but I fear I must ask you to a deliver a...personal message for me to...my Uncle..."

"I see...Um...but why are you asking me? Couldn't your Mother..."

"No, it must come from your family, I should think, and you are the only member of your family to appear in Court today. No, it must be from you. Because my Mother, though I love her dearly, is clearly besotted by memories of her brother from the past. And I know you know more what Augustus has become like here in the present. "

"He's wonderful," Sunni immediately said, and Cubbi mentally cheered. "He's our friend, and we love him."

"Then you must tell him, as a friend, what I say. From my Mother it would not have as much impact I think, and it is better to have someone who does not know all that has happened and is not biassed towards Monteray or my family to talk to him on this matter. I also...would rather not have anyone in Court or the Council know I have been in contact with my Uncle. It should stay secret. There would be a scandal, and it would appear as if I have a bias towards my relatives. This blood feud is so out of hand now, and my family so few, that I must control it somehow. I must remain neutral in this somehow, or at least appear to be neutral. That is the Gummi way."

"Very well," Sunni's voice was growing less and less affectionate towards the Prince with every minute. "What did you want me to tell him?

Cubbi couldn't blame her. He'd clearly taken a walk with her just so he could use her to get closer to Gusto in some way. And it was pretty bad when even a cub like Cubbi could tell. The Prince was being very transparent.

"Tell him...that I can do very little for him at all. I am not the Council. I can make official utterances in the Court, and on behalf of Monteray and myself when we are at war. But until I am King I cannot overturn the decisions of the Council, nor do I have any sway over the Justices. He will have to depend on his own cleverness to get himself out of his execution...I must remain impartial."

"Is there anything else, Sire?" Sunni said, and Cubbi could hear the upset in her voice.

Why that dirty rotten...

"I can see this conversation had clearly upset you. I would like to walk with you again sometime without any of this horrible business getting in the way. Would you be willing to meet me after the council session tomorrow in the portrait gallery? We can have...tea...or...dinner..."

Cubbi mentally growled, Stay away from my sister! Sunni doesn't need a dirty rotten no good dirt bag like you!

"I...would love to Sire," Sunni said, and she giggled nervously.

"Call me Bryton..."

Cubbi gagged and watched as he walked her back to the Court.

If that dirty old Prince hurts Sunni I'll knock his block off!

Cubbi soon heard the voice of Sir Wallaby in the gardens, calling for him, and with a sigh resigned himself to returning to the old bear's side.

"There you are you young scamp!" the old knight said with a laugh. "Chasing your imaginary dragons were you? Well I have a story to tell you about a dragon I battled with in the old country, that's Spain if you weren't familiar, we Monteray bears are all from Spain of course, but some are from France too..."

Cubbi already felt himself falling asleep. This was going to be a long day.

-seperator-

"Permission to come aboard, Captain Chummie?"

"Permission granted, Seaman Tummi!" Chummie said with a laugh.

It was morning, and Tummi was a little upset as he plodded up the gangplank towards where Captain Chummie was preparing for their next trip, but he tried to hide his concern. His family had taken his decision to leave rather hard, but they had accepted it at least. It was Gusto's reaction that upset him the most, and the one that had caused him the most mental struggle.

"Good luck Tummers," Gusto had said, but the look of pain in betrayal in his voice had been clear. "Have fun!"

Gusto had clearly wanted him to stay with him and support him, and could have probably convinced Tummi with very little argument to remain. But Gusto was respecting his decision to leave, even gave him a big bear hug.

It hurt to leave Gusto behind to his fate. But the sea was calling Tummi. This was his dream, and he couldn't do much for Gusto now. The Council had firmly forbidden any of their family from entering the council session but Gruffi, and only because the Queen and Councillor Numa had finally convinced the Prince to make Gruffi an Ambassador.

Nobody else in our family can be an Ambassador, really...wonder what changed their minds though?

Tummi soon found himself in charge of raising the anchor, and once the anchor was raised and the sail was set, the ship started moving out into the billowy waters. Tummi watched from his spot by the starboard rail as his family all waved to him from the dock. Only Gusto was missing; he wasn't permitted to leave the Palace. It was a sad day for Tummi, but the excitement of the crew was so contagious that he couldn't help feel his fears and worries melt away.

"Don't worry about a thing Tummi," said Chummie brightly. "Bryton is a good prince, and I know he'll do the right thing, even if he has to stand up and defy the Council to do it!"

"That's not what Sunni told us..." Tummi replied with a frown. "She said he didn't want to choose sides..."

"Probably still hasn't picked one yet, that's why. Prince Bryton believes in democracy, and what the Council has been doing in the Court isn't democracy. He'll be the only level headed person in that whole courtroom you can bet on it..."

"Sir," a sailor came to Chummie, and kicked his heels together, saluting. "We're ready to start putting down our lines sir!"

"Tell the men they can start dropping lines whenever they feel ready!"

"Aye aye sir!" said the sailor, and pivoted around excitedly to go give the order.

"Lines?" Tummi said, looking confused.

"Fishing lines, son," said Chummie beaming. "A sailor's gotta eat don't he?"

Tummi grinned, and rubbed his stomach. Well, lunch could help keep him distracted from his troubles, at least a little while longer.

-seperator-

"What a mess," Grammi said, looking down at her ruined skirt. "Goodness, I hadn't expected that!"

"I'm sorry Miss Grammi!" said the young girl next to her mournfully. "I've never made berry juice with Gummi Berries from Dunwyn before, this is my first time!"

"Well, just a tad slower on the the stirring, its an exact recipe you see," Grammi said gently. "I like your enthusiasm, but patience is required for making juice from land berries."

Different breeds of Gummi Berries on different islands had to be brewed with different methods, or disaster could result. Such as the explosion which had caused Grammi and her young charge to be covered in juice.

"Now don't cry darling, it was an accident, we can start again..."

"But there's so few berries left anymore, and I messed up!"

"Now now, don't cry. Just get a mop and we'll start cleaning up this mess..."

Grammi had not been delighted by what she had found in the kitchen. Although the people were as good and friendly as the Queen said they would be, the fear of the sea monster, and pirates, and the aftermath of that disease that had plagued the island had left the people of Monteray a shivering frightened mess. Grammi knew that it was the fathers, brothers, uncles and husbands of the women in this kitchen that went off every day on ships to sail out on voyages to the various ports which provided the island with supplies of foods, medicine, clothes and Gummi berries. It was also their male family members who were fighting dying at the hands of pirates and the monster. Of course the girl she was teaching would be nervous and skittish and generally terrified of making the smallest mistake. This berry juice was vital.

"Gummi berries can always be re-grown my dear," she heard herself saying. "But fingers cannot, be careful with that berry grinder!"

"I'm so sorry Grammi, I'm trying, I really am!"

Grammi sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

-seperator-

Zummi bent down to the book in front of him and sighed. He was having no luck trying to figure out what the kraken was and what it could do.

I really need to talk to Gusto about this...

He pulled the glasses from his nose and sighed again. As a Master Wizard he had been given all the respect and status that this rank entailed, a magical work room of his own for his own use and free reign of both the palace and college libraries to do his studies.

But he hadn't been given any work to do. He had been left alone after that. Apparently news of his magical mishaps had somehow spread through word of mouth and now he wasn't going to be given charge anything that was of serious import.

But at least I can research ways to help Gusto, without any interference...

Zummi had not enjoyed the Court, nor the grim commentary of the Queen. He had not been happy learning from Sunni what the Prince had planned for the council session, and most importantly he was afraid.

He was afraid that the Council would use magic on Gusto again to punish him. Gusto had already been attacked by them once, his mind had been plagued with nightmares ever since. Zummi had heard him crying at night, and he had heard Gruffi's protective reassurances.

It was no wonder the two of them sought each other's bed every night for comfort. Zummi had heard that too. If the stress of Numa and Venti's visit hadn't been enough, now they faced the real probably danger of being separated by death. But the thought of his friends being in bed together had caused him moments of dismay, and he had to admit he hadn't been as supportive of Gusto as he should have been.

I can't let my feelings get in the way of my friends happiness! I don't care what the Great Book says...I'll change it myself if I have to!

He had even gone in search of the Great Book here at Monteray to see if it was full of the same rules, and had been highly disappointed to find that it was. The Great Gummies were just as stodgy as he had been. Eighteen and a half pages on what constituted a proper Gummi Bear relationship from childhood to courtship and finally to the birth of children.

Nonsense...Two bears, no matter what their gender, should be able to love each other. Why not?

Zummi leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. The library was dusty but large enough that the dust didn't make it stuffy, and the bookshelves were expansive enough that the room felt more cavernous than crowded.

Perhaps I just need to find a spell I can put on him myself to protect him from mental magical penetration of some kind. Since he's not allowed to practice magic himself...

Zummi scratched his nose, and then read the passage in front of him, eyes crossing.

Not allowed to practice it, but I bet he's still capable of it. Which means he doesn't need to cast the spell on himself, I can put the spell on him and feed it off his energy, just like that magician cast the spell on Gusto in order to control his Kraken!

Zummi jumped up and his chair fell backwards as an epiphany suddenly hit him at full force.

That's it! That's the answer! Gusto didn't create the Kraken, the Master Magician did! Gusto couldn't have possibly summoned his own fears from his own mind without an external spell! He must have been put under a hypnotic control in order for the Magician to link a magical device to Gusto's magic and then summon forth the monster!

The burning reality of it settled upon him like a hot coals had been placed in his belly.

So Gusto is...innocent. I have to tell him before the Council session starts!

Zummi ran for it. He found his feet carrying him as if on wings to the Palace, his hat practically flying off his head as he flew along the corridors. He finally stopped before the doors, which were sealed shut magically from the inside.

Zummi swallowed hard. His eyes blurred with tears and he took a step back, pulling his hat from his head and quaking in despaired sobs.

He was too late. The Council session had already begun. Now all he could do was wait.


---I know, I sort of rushed through by skipping to the day after with Tummi, and this chapter is mostly just little snippets. But I want to get to the main action of the story eventually. We can see that things have happened off camera here but I will have a nice long chapter coming up next. And it'll have nice Gruffy/Gusto fluffies for you too. ;)