The King's Servants

Chapter 11

Later that day, as Baritorin lay alone in his bed, still upset from his failed attempt, he heard a small knock on the door. He called for whoever it was to come in and was surprised when Wellsworth, along with four other servants, two men and two women in the same age range as him, stepped into his chambers.

"Good day, king Baritorin. Having seen how much our human servants have upset you and made your time here a bit unpleasant, I have found you some older, more experienced workers to attend to all your needs. It is my duty as the head butler to ensure that you enjoy your time here with us, so these four along with myself are at your full disposal from this moment onward", stated Wellsworth, as he and the other four old servants bowed.

Now it was Baritorin's turn to be confused. Why did he need new servants? What was wrong with his other servants, the human children? Did they think that he didn't want them anymore? Baritorin didn't know what to think so he immediately told Wellsworth how he felt.

"Thank you for your concerns Wellsworth, but I don't want any new servants. I was upset with the human children, but it was only for one day. I would very much like to keep them as my servants still", said Baritorin in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But sire, in the note that you sent to them, you sounded absolutely displeased with them and it seemed as though you wanted nothing more than to be rid of them. That is why Queen Armana terminated all their services to you and asked me to find you some better servants", replied Wellsworth.

Baritorin's mind was thrown into turmoil. His note made him sound very displeased? That was not true. In his note he had told the children that he wasn't angry with them and that he wanted to meet up that evening. Something fishy was going on. "My note said nothing of the sort, Wellsworth. My note was very kind and was asking them to forgive me for throwing the cup at them", retorted Baritorin, a hint of anger in his voice.

Wellsworth saw that king Baritorin was distressed. He told the other servants to leave so he could speak to the king. The fact that his own note had said such horrible things was news to the king. A frown appeared on the old man's face when he finally pieced the puzzle together. "Well then, your highness", said Wellsworth, "if what you are telling me is true, then the queen has committed a terrible crime: Tampering with royal document."

Baritorin gasped in shock. "But how would she have gotten hold of the letter, I gave it to Aurora, one of the female servants", said Baritorin a shaky voice. This was too much for him.

"Aurora may have been intercepted by the queen, because Armana was the one who came into the servants' quarters to read the note. She may have forced Aurora to give her the letter, when she learnt who it was destined for", answered Wellsworth.

Many things became clear to Baritorin at that exact moment. That explained why the children stopped coming to his chambers to serve him, why Ella was so scared to walk past him at the dinner and it also explained why the children had been so confused earlier when he asked them to eat with him. They were of the impression that he hated them.

The guest king clenched his fist and took deep breaths in order to calm himself down. Armana had been a catalyst in all of these misunderstandings. "Why is your queen such an ENEMY OF PROGRESS?!" asked the annoyed royal after calming himself.

Wellsworth had no response for that question. The queen had been like that ever since Merobim died and there was no way she was changing anytime soon. Then something occurred to the old man. Since Baritorin didn't know about the note, he probably didn't know about the fact that the queen had punished the young children. "Well sire, did you know that Armana punished the children the day following the spilling incident?" asked Wellsworth.