Chapter 13

There was a flurry of action in the Castle. Questioning shouts flew in all directions, excited instructions were shouted back. Vandar checked to see how Lorelei was taking all of this and saw she was calmly standing there with her pants down around her ankles. He pulled the pants back up over her shapely legs and rear, while avoiding looking at her ripe body as much as possible, then he hurriedly retied the rope. A loud clanking began and the drawbridge was dropped posthaste.

Vandar had thought the wolves had put on a show of welcome for him. It was as nothing compared to the concerted charge his worried ten-man escort made across the moat. Vandar was much relieved to see Sir Gannon led the charge!

Vandar was literally swept off his feet and lifted into the air by the relieved men. They were intent on carrying him back into the Castle. "Wait. Wait a while, Men. Put me down, I've brought an ally." The men put Vandar down and looked at the "Boy" who was standing at the edge of the moat.

Vandar had been wondering about this moment. He had no idea how his men would view the Siren. Only her song had enchanted him, but that was no guarantee the mere sight of her would not affect his troops, with them being mature men.

"A likely looking lad." Sir Gannon remarked good-naturedly. "Bring him on in. We'll soon feed him and put some meat on his bones. We can use all the help we can get!" Vandar thought he would let well enough alone for the moment. At least his men hadn't been driven to madness by one look from the Enchanted Siren!

Vandar checked her clothing and noticed the rope holding her pants up had come undone again. He gave her pants another much needed lift while no one else was looking.

They headed for the main hall as some of the men raised the drawbridge again. Vandar was pleased to be in the relative security of their summer castle and back among his men, but this brought on an overwhelming yearning for Linden and his Parents that almost brought him to his knees.

The enormity of everything he had borne so bravely in the last few days came near to overcoming him. He had been so close to having everything he had ever wanted before all this had happened. He wondered if his poor Linden could ever forgive him for what he had so nearly been tricked into doing with the Siren.

He had to put all of these thoughts aside for the moment and manage the problems at hand. The men had been eating an early breakfast before his arrival interrupted them. Spaces at the end of the table were made and more food was ordered prepared by the steward. Lorelei was looking in amazement at the interior of the vast Castle and its furnishings.

Vandar drew Lorelei closer to the table and pulled out a chair, he sat in it to illustrate its use. "Please, be seated here." He asked of her. Lorelei clumsily drew out the chair he had indicated and sat, then she scooted the chair a little closer to him. Her wide eyes looked as if she were expecting the big chair to grab her.

A servant came in with a plank piled high with bread, butter, and steaming meat. He was placing it on the table and was startled when Lorelei reached out and grabbed a small fistful of each. She began eating the freshly prepared food voraciously. "The lad has a healthy appetite, I see." Gannon jested heartily.

"Hunger is the best spice." Vandar quoted someone; he couldn't remember just whom, at the moment. He was almost as ravenous as the Siren, but he was a little better mannered. As he ate, he watched Lorelei greedily gulp down her food.

After he had eaten his fill he sat watching her lick butter from her small fists and reminded himself that only she knew the last time she had eaten a proper meal, if ever. As far as he knew, she may have existed on sailor's fare, hardtack and dried biscuit, her entire life.

The Prince thought of something that might please Lorelei. He asked a steward, "Would you bring her some milk, please? It's probably been summers since she's had any."

He immediately noticed he'd referred to Lorelei in the diminutive and he looked around to see that several of the more alert men, including Sir Gannon, had caught his slip. They were looking at their new ally with a renewed interest!

The steward brought out a large pitcher of milk and was reaching for Lorelei's goblet to fill it when she smelled the fresh milk. She greedily grabbed the pitcher with both hands and the steward turned it loose in surprise.

She upturned the pitcher and began gulping it down, after she had drunk what seemed to be an impossible amount for so small a person she had to weakly set the pitcher down.

Vandar reached a hand over and helped her steady the pitcher as she shakily sat it on the table. She licked her lips, sighed deeply, and fully sated; she curled up in the chair and went to sleep. "A quiet lad, too." Sir Gannon chuckled as he added to his ongoing favorable comments about Lorelei.

Vandar realized the entire hall had become very quiet. He looked around and saw all of his men were watching Lorelei with deep concern on their faces. Gannon looked up and saw the amused look his Prince was giving them all. He glanced around at the others and said, "Interesting, er, lad, isn't he?"

Vandar remarked in jest. "Well, after seeing the way you're all going on about a half-starved homeless waif, I suppose you haven't even wondered where your Prince has been off to all this time. Or had you even noticed I'd been gone?"

Xandar picked this time to enter the hall. He walked over to Vandar's end of the table. Vandar stood and Xandar bowed deeply. "I am profoundly sorry I've failed you, Nephew." Xandar spoke sorrowfully. His ancient face showed his age now more than ever before.

Vandar's heart went out to the old Wizard. As Xandar arose from his bow, Vandar embraced him warmly. "You didn't fail me, Uncle. If anything I failed you. You warned me there was danger about and you even gave me a Charmed Amulet to protect me. What more could you have done? I am the silly Child who ran off and left all of my escort but one."

The Wizard's face showed some relief. "Thank you, Nephew, for your generosity in not blaming me, but I can see you are far from being a silly Child. I know of at least some of the ordeal that you have gone through. It took much strength, mental cunning, and enormous will power to survive it!" The Wizard glanced meaningfully at the peacefully sleeping Lorelei.

There was something about the somber expression on the Wizard's face that told Vandar he probably did understand what it took for a man to battle and outwit a Magical Siren and survive.

Vandar knew the Siren's disguise didn't fool the old Wizard for even an eye blink of time. As to the part about his being a Child, the Prince resolved to ask the Wizard later whether he were still considered a Virgin or not. After all, he had not sown his seed in the Siren's attempted rape of him.

The Wizard went to the other end of the table and tiredly sat in the chair Sir Gannon held for him in the other place of honor. He said, "We've been communicating with the King through messages carried by the Fairies. By the way, I sent another out as soon as you returned, which is why I didn't come down sooner. The King will have the good news that you are safe within a very short time. Please tell us something of the adventures you have had, Nephew."

Vandar thanked Xandar profusely for sending the important message to his Family, and then he began his story where Sir Gannon had lost consciousness. "The rock that struck Sir Gannon was as big as a coach. He was very lucky it struck him on his hard head or it would surely have killed him!" The entire hall shook with nervous laughter. Vandar could imagine the tension the men had been under after he had vanished while in their care, and he fully intended for this tale to be as amusing and entertaining as possible. He also knew the story would be repeated many times in the years ahead.

"I finally succeeded in lifting Sir Gannon onto Zad. His own Unicorn had already wisely left the scene." In an aside he spoke directly to Sir Gannon. "Gannon, you really are going to have to do something about losing some of your extra weight!"

"Our ambushers were still throwing boulders from the cliff side while I was loading him onto Zad. When I finished tying Gannon on and attempted to lead him away they switched to arrows. I tied the Magic Amulet around Gannon's neck to keep it from getting lost in the fray and sent Zad and Demon to see him home."

The men all knew he had bravely risked his own life by using the Magic Amulet, his mount, and his guardian wolf to save the helpless Sir Gannon! Gannon had tears in his eyes in gratitude and admiration of his young Prince's valor.

"After I'd sent Gannon safely out of the way I started shooting back. Somehow, three of the archers must have tripped and fallen onto my arrows, they were all of them very slow and clumsy. Then I must have shot myself in the back because none of them could hit anything." He pulled open his tattered tunic to show them the healing wounds.

"A number of them got me cornered on the beach and one more of them must have fallen on my sword when I clumsily dropped it." There were tears in more than Gannon's eyes as they pictured their wounded Prince's gallant last stand. "Then, through no intelligence or ability of my own, I stupidly fell asleep while cowardly swimming away from a good fight. I luckily was rescued and carried miles through the ocean by a beautiful Siren." The men all stared in awe at Lorelei, a fabled Monster sleeping tamely as a pet!

"Somehow, after a few days, I woke up, and I accidentally learned how to heal my wounds. I put a spell on the small, hungry Siren who had after all, only wanted to have fun. I made a deal with her for her help, then we saw a Sea Monster on the way here from her island. On the walk here she bravely killed one of the enemy soldiers, though I had stupidly left her unarmed."

Vandar summed up his fantastic tale. "So here I am, dragging myself sheepishly back to the Castle, misbegotten waif in tow. Not too unlike my fabled mentor, Sir Gannon, after one of his infamous and much feared drunken three day furloughs!"

After the uproar of the relieved laughter generated by his hilarious rendition of his heroic adventures had died down, Xandar rose to his feet and addressed the assembly.

"Despite your modesty and humor, Prince Vandar, in my life of over three hundred summers I have seen and heard of many heroic feats. If I may humbly say so, I have accomplished a good many of them myself. In that time I have heard of no more self-sacrificing a deed, carried off at no greater risks, by a warrior of any age or experience!"

"I named you Prince Vandar, as a Babe sixteen years ago. Due to the Magical influences involved with two Chosen Ones meeting for the first time, part of the name I gave you was mistaken by the scribe. I am going to take this opportunity to correct it, as I have the Power to do."

The aged Wizard's voice rose until it shook the Castle to its age's old foundation. "I so name you Prince Vandar, the All Seeing Wizard, Protector of the Continent!"

The Wizard drew a golden badge from the air and came around the table to pin it to the breast of Vandar's shirt. "I am also empowered to admit you to the honored Order of the Heroes of the Realm, which this respected Golden Badge signifies. I humbly and reverently do so at this time!"