The Reluctant Adventures of Pigglebottom Broadsword

Chapter Fifteen

A long table had been placed in the previously empty middle section of the hall as servants by the hundred milled around bringing various delicacies and delights to the table. Pigglebottom's growling stomach pulled him towards the feast as his mouth dribbled in awe. After sitting down and staring at the food that lay before him (most of which he had never even seen or heard of, let alone tasted) the guards made their exit and the King arrived once more through the same small door behind his golden throne. He walked more upright this time with a brisker pace, seemingly proud and excited to be dining with Pigglebottom.

"Warrior, please, do not wait on account of your King, please, devour as much as you so wish" the King shouted with a flick of his wrist.

"Thank you very much... my King" Pigglebottom thought it would be better to keep up the pretence for a bit longer, at least until he was out of the city. The two munched and crunched their way through multiple dishes in silence, Pigglebottom opted for the healthier looking dishes on the table, the King, however, was quite the opposite. He swallowed any scrap of dead flesh he could find, sometimes without even chewing. His style of eating was somewhat unsettling, to say the least, but Pigglebottom decided he would avert his gaze and just continue eating for fear that it would put him off his much-earned feast.

As Pigglebottom was almost full, four guards appeared, all distributing the weight of one single tray between them with a gigantic cooked Clobster sizzling atop it. The King squealed and made room for the huge dish right in front of him, banging the table with excitement as it was set down. What with Kroydome's short supply of seafood, Pigglebottom had never seen such a sight before and, as such, momentarily considered to ask the King for a taste but relented once he noticed the King giving the Clobster a strange, almost menacing look.

"What did you just say?" the King shouted. Silence filled the room. "I asked you, what did you just say!" The King shouted furiously.

"I-I..." Pigglebottom sat up straight in his seat startled by the sound and not knowing what he was being shouted at for. The King suddenly scooped up the Clobster from the plate (which was the length of his arms) and held it in the air. Looking deep into the long-expired Clobster's eyes, he began to speak softly. "Why must you do this to me... when we are in the company of a Warrior!" the King shouted as he thrashed about with the Clobster in his hands, moaning and shrieking at the top of his voice. After a short while, some guards appeared and removed the Clobster forcibly from the King's hands. "Take father back to his cell!" the King bellowed as the guards removed the apparently offensive shellfish.

After regaining his composure, the King looked at Pigglebottom and offered an apology. "My Warrior, it is my embarrassment that someone so brave, so valiant, and so a citizen of Fort Slaughter, should experience such trivial family matters, I apologise profusely and I trust it will not sully your views of me" the King lamented.

"Of course not my King, of course not" Pigglebottom's 'view' of the King had been sullied the moment he was put in prison for not wearing a certain hat. Deciding that this was perhaps the best moment, he decided he would inquire again about his request.

"My King" said Pigglebottom "would you permit me to request some information from you".

"I would do anything, save end my own life, for such a brave citizen of Fort Slaughter, what information do you seek?" The King asked.

"Well, you see, I'm an adventurer, from Femid-..." Pigglebottom paused, then corrected himself, "Fort Slaughter, and I have been tasked with recovering a lost child."

"Ah, a noble act indeed, not in the least bit surprising from such a scrupulous citizen of my fair kingdom" the King nodded his head in an impressed fashion.