Knights of Kinglypalms

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            Of course, The King was out for his weekly walk in Branferd Park and everyone had to make a huge deal over it. He walks every week on the same day-Wednesday- at the same time-2:23p.m.- on the same path-Redborough Hiking Trail- which isn’t that big at all.

            The King, King Philip Wilmot XXI, has ruled Kinglypalms for five generations. He has had so much surgery it is very unlikely to find a piece of real skin on him, and he has used so much hair-dye, his scalp has turned that color, so now he doesn’t need the wig.

Kinglypalms is a small “perfect” country that was made from a group of cities: Westquarter, Fawnmore, Middlequarter, Cloonamore, Aughrus Beg, Gannoughs, Aughris Beg, Aughris More, Claddaghduff, Emlagh, Knockbrack, Moorneen, Rhone Road, Trean, Cloon, Ballynew, Shanboolard, Tooreen, Crocknaraw, Cloonederowen, Ballynew, Garraunbaun, Tievemore, Rusheenduff, and Cloonlooaun; all in Gallic Ireland that seceded.

It may seem like a lot of cities, but it’s not.

The town names would have stayed the same and we would have continued to speak Gallic, but the president of Ireland at the time, Éamon de Valera, got very jealous of our economic power and sent the Irish Military and Air Corps to take us over. Our military, known as the Double K Forces, made the military retreat, but we didn’t have an Air Force yet, so they bombed almost every city to smithereens. The only city that survived was Tooreen, but they changed their name to Landinburg to fit in.

I don’t know why, but everyone that has lived in my home village, Cimcot, for over five years has become very obnoxious. It’s probably because this is King Wilmot’s favorite village and vacations here for five months at a time.

Also, everyone says Kinglypalms is the perfect place to live. I can give you ten reasons why it’s a terrible place to live:

1.      All villages more than a mile away from the capital are pitied upon and get little food and water

2.      Blizzards come in the summer even at the southern most city

3.      King Wilmot will execute anyone secretively-don’t ask how I know-if they are accused of creating a new political system/uprising/anything against him

4.      The military is always taking over towns

5.      The water is so polluted it is black on a good day

6.      Schools get no funding

7.      Leaders are only appointed from the family, and must be a man over 33

8.      Children under 12 are treated for discipline by the whip, belt, straightedge, or branch

9.      King Wilmot sets taxes too high, my parents are far in debt

10.  And finally, you have no choice of your future

My parents got the lowest of all jobs, which isn’t even a farmer, which is the second lowest; they got to be the amazing, most lowly paying job: A Sieria! A Sieria is a mansion fixer. Many people want to be a Sieria, but what my parents say, I hope I at least get to be a farmer.

My parents say its hard work. They walk flights and flights of stairs to fix a broken light bulb, They sprint on steep rooftops in the rain, and as beautiful it is, they have to fix the top of full wall windows, where, just five feet in front of it, the floor stops.

My parents complain about how they work so hard and only receive ᶗ1an hour, or 1 Pilerd an hour-Kinglypalms currency.

“Here ye! Here ye! All junior citizens under the age of 16, including 16, must report to Middlemoon Castle in Gressinburg by tomorrow. This is not optional. King Philip Wilmot XXI has important news to share about a secret mission! Siperg” Siperg means thank you, goodbye. The speaker was our town’s journalist.

“Alright Valente, we should get going” My mom, Juliana, said.

“But, mom, Gressinburg is our sister city, it’s less than a mile away” I responded

“I don’t care; we don’t have a carriage anymore and the security into Gressinburg, even on foot, takes forever.”

“The security?”

“They just built walls around Gressinburg and have one entrance and one exit.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Most of the people tried to burn down Middlemoon Castle, you know Middlemoon, right?”

“Yah, but who lives there?”

“The Prime Minister, Denes Pallburg. He apparently closed down the last farm of the city, so now they have to come here to purchase goods. But there was a huge rush out of the city they cut everyone off. Now it takes about five hours to get out or in while in a carriage. But, maybe two hours on foot since less people walk there.”

“I thought people mainly walked.”

“Well, Gressinburg is for very rich people, so they all have carriages.”

“Oh, so you want to leave early, so we just stand on line for two hours, instead of waiting five hours because of all the juniors.”

“Correct”

And silence followed that last word.

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As we approached Stonecrest, a small village in between Cimcot and Gressinburg, we noticed a large, dark black cloud coming towards us.

“We should find a place to stay” My mom said pointing to the cloud.

“But, we have no Pilerds” I said

“Well, if that’s rain, we need to find shelter”

I sighed, “Okay, where should we go?”

My mom paused; she must have been looking around for some sort of an Inn or Bed and Breakfast. She stopped in her tracks, “There! We’ll stay there!” She pointed and I followed the line of her finger to an old, mistreated building crammed in between a large bookstore and a wide stable.

We walked somewhat closer and a sign came into focus, which said, Dacklebury Inn.

“Uh, mom? I don’t think this place is a good idea” I said cautiously.

“No, I trust it” Mom said. She began to walk towards the front door, which had a crudely patched window on it, and chipping dark green paint.

“Mom, stop walking!” I ran and grabbed her shoulder, but she started to shake my hand off. My hand slipped away and she opened the door and walked in.

I sighed and ran in after her, but she wasn’t there. I shouted “Mom” several times very loud, and then I started screaming “Juliana” even louder.  I received no answer.

I looked down the right hallway, the left hallway, and straight ahead.

For a small building there were a lot of hallways and no front counter to check in.

I ran into the left hallway, which eventually there was a sign that said Howlers Wing.

I now was scared. Howlers Wing was the nickname for a group of serial killers that sped through my town, they killed my little sister. Then it was announced they were ordered by the king to go kill, but he denied it.

I heard a laugh from a room I passed by and it was oddly familiar. I stopped and backed up towards the door and listened.

There was silence, and then the laugh again.

“Mom” I whispered to myself.

I grabbed the doorknob but it was burning.

“OW!” I yelled.

Someone came running behind me and I felt something hit my head.

I dropped to the ground, unconscious.