Sir William the Bold

The evening darkness slowly descended over the land like the final curtain of a tragic play. Only a few scattered flickers of light and hope remained in an otherwise dark and bleak landscape. The rebellion had been crushed and Sir William, the Bold, the only hope of mankind, who had, at the end, stood nearly alone against the forces of darkness and despair, now lay motionless in that increasingly oppressive darkness, exhausted and defeated, his once proud and defiant army broken and scattered to all corners of the land. Only his closest friend and trusted companion, Luca, stood by him.

Luca, mute since birth, could only kneel by William, washing his friend's face and providing what little comfort and encouragement he could, simply by being there beside him. But that was enough, as William briefly lifted his head and looked at his faithful friend. "Thank you, Luca. I can always count on you even when things seem to be at their worst. You are the best friend a man could ever have." With that, his strength failed him and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Luca carried William to a nearby cottage whose owners had left it long ago as the battle raged. There he bandaged William's wounds and fed and cared for him as he had done for Luca years ago. William had rescued Luca some five years earlier when Luca was imprisoned in the evil wizard's dungeon, simply because he was homeless and begging on the streets. William had brought Luca into his own home and fed and cared for him. Ever since, Luca had been totally devoted to William, rarely leaving his side and always standing with him against the wizard.

After two days of restless, fevered sleep, William awoke to find Luca standing over him. At the sight of his old friend, William felt the rekindling of hope within him, and resolved to defeat the wizard once and for all. They needed a plan, and this time they would not need an army. He and Luca would find a way to end the tyranny by destroying the magic. In this last battle, William had learned that the source of the wizard's powerful magic was a talisman that he wore around his neck at all times. Taking that talisman from the wizard would be William's only goal from this day forward.

No doubt, the wizard believed that William was defeated and maybe even dead, so his guard would be down just enough for William and Luca to find a way to get close enough to take the talisman without being seen. After another two days of recovery, William disguised himself and moved through the village, not speaking lest he be discovered, but listening to the hushed conversations. A plan began to form in William's mind and when he returned home, he shared it with Luca.

"The wizard is planning a great celebration of his victory tomorrow, so we will sneak into one of the carts taking food into the fortress. Once inside, we will lie in wait in the wizard's chambers and attack when he least expects it, ripping the talisman from his neck and finally ending his reign of terror and oppression. Are you with me?" Luca, of course, only nodded, but that was all that William needed.

In the evening before the day of celebration, they quietly slipped into the last large food cart bound for the lower level of the fortress and waited, knowing that they could be discovered at any moment, but knowing also that this was their last hope and the last hope for all the people of the land. When the driver of the cart had unhitched the horses and taken them away, William and Luca carefully crept out of the cart and made their way to a shadowed corner, waiting for the servants to unload the carts and leave the area.

When all was clear, William and Luca left their hiding place and began to search the rooms nearby for anything that would help in their desperate mission. They soon found a room with servants' clothing which they quickly put on and headed for the narrow, spiral stairway they had seen during their search. They began to climb, knowing that the wizard's rooms would likely be on the top level of the fortress.

On the way, they saw a servant coming down the stairs, but quickly lowering their heads, they appeared as any other servants and were able to continue their climb. At one point, they thought they had been discovered when a voice from behind them called out. "You two! Stop where you are! Now listen very carefully. The master will be retiring soon. Go quickly and prepare his bedchamber."

William and Luca could not believe their luck, but wasted no time moving quickly up the stairs, not daring to look back to see who had given the order. They made their way to the topmost level of the fortress and after a brief search, entered into the wizard's private rooms where they had only to wait for him to retire for the night. They had only waited a short time before they heard the sound of footsteps approaching, causing both of them to tense in anxious anticipation.

Suddenly a blinding light filled the room and...

"Billy Bolden! What in the world are you doing in here in the dark? Come on, now. It's supper time. And after supper, give Luca a bath. Remember, when we got him from the Animal Shelter, you promised to take care of him."

"Aw, Mom! Luca and I were just about to stop the evil wizard!"

"No excuses, now. Do as I say!"

"Oh alright. Come on Luca, let's go get washed up and get some supper. We'll finish off the wizard later."

W/C 968