ChapterTen
Knights and Princesses
Later that day, I walked to a thick tree where the branches were low and lush, and I heard sobbing. At first I thought it to be Claudia but then I heard a boyish tone, and really, I didn’t know who it could be. I stepped around the tree and found Charlie, sobbing all alone, tears spilling down his cheeks, and a regretful, shameful expression on his face.
“What could possibly be the matter for you to cry so?” I asked gently, sitting down beside him.
“I killed it.”
My eyes widened with terror. “You’ve killed something?”
“Someone,” he choked.
I looked down sadly. “Was it the caterpillar?”
He looked right at me and wiped his nose. “How’d you know?”
I shrugged and then he leaned his head on my shoulder and continued to cry. “I killed her,” he kept saying and I sat there with him until he was done with his tears. “I murdled her.”
“Murdered,” I added quietly. I offered him my handkerchief, and when he didn’t take it, I dabbed it on his tears and dried away the innocent guilt he had felt. “There, there,” I chided and laughed softly. “It’s alright.” After awhile, we got up and he ran ahead to play with Felix and Claudia, all his bad memories washed away like they had never happened.
I smiled after him.
I was joyed to see Felix and Claudia racing and laughing with their new friend. Artie sat on the ground, Indian style, and looked like he was meditating. Then, he opened his eyes and jumped up. “I am bestowing the honor of choosing the next activity to Charlie,” he proclaimed.
“Knights,” Charlie said, decidedly.
“I don’t want to play knights,” Felix grumbled, with a low sink of his shoulders.
“Charlie shall have his way.”
“You spoil Charlie.”
“He shall do as he pleases.”
Charlie blew a raspberry at Felix. “I want to play knights,” he said again.
“Good choice, Charlie.” Artie walked around with his hands behind his back. He took off his hat with a flourish. “Charlie, will you give them their names?”
“Names?” I asked.
“There aren’t many knights called Felix and Annabelle and Claudia, are there?” Henry said.
“That’s not what I mean,” Artie quipped. “Charlie gives everyone names. I’m Arther the Invincible.”
I smiled. “How interesting.”
Artie picked up a long stick and handed it to his brother. “Charlie Todd Ferguson, I am giving you this sword.”
“That ain’t no sword.”
“It is today. Have you come up with their names? Has the great Spectacular One given you such wisdom?”
“He has,” Charlie said proudly. He walked over to Claudia first, and with the stick, touched her left shoulder, then her right, and then the top of her head.
“I want to be a princess.”
“Oh, shut up,” Felix complained.
“You are now ‘Claudia the Divine.’”
“Divine?” Claudia gasped with pleasure. “How supreme that does sound!”
“Where does he come up with the names?” I asked Artie.
“The Spectacular One tells him.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And you,” said Charlie, after he did the ritual for Felix,“you are Felix the Honorable.”
Felix shrugged. “I guess I can live with that title, although I had hoped for something a little more like ‘Felix the Magnificent’ or ‘Felix the Valiant.’ Maybe even ‘Felix the Vigorous.’”
“I’m glad to see that my brother is not at all vain,” I laughed.
Claudia chortled and covered her mouth.
Charlie came towards Henry and stared at him intently. “You—” he didn’t use the stick. “I don’t know.”
“How about Henry the Impertinent?” That earned Felix an elbow to his side.
Artie had a dark look of bewilderment on his face. “But you always know.”
“This one has lost me,” he said simply. He moved past Henry and left him standing there, confused, and not knowing whether to say something or stay silent.
“Annie’s not a knight,” Charlie said, delicately like he was afraid of waking a fairy.
Artie joined him. “I will honor Charlie’s wishes and will therefore disable Annabelle from being a knight. She is our queen and we must do everything we can to serve her.”
“I feel so flattered,” I said faintly.
“But that’s not fair,” Claudia started up.
“Knights are better than princesses, Claws,” Felix comforted. “You’d be a poor princess anyway.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Claudia tossed her head of curls. “Well, then. I’ll be a knight,” she spit out the last word.
“Don’t I get a name?” was my next question.
Charlie looked sly. “You want a name? Alright, then. Your name is…”
I stood straight and listened to him.
“…Annie the Brave.”
There was no hesitation. He said it as if it were truly my name, as if it had always been my name.
“Brave?” Felix marveled. “It’s not everyday we hear that said about our Annabelle, but I guess so.”
I didn’t know what to say. Out of every word and name and title—he chose brave. How did he know?
“I’d like to know who this ‘Spectacular One’ is,” Henry stepped forward—I’ll say, vigorously. “Tell us, is it a spirit?”
“No,” Charlie said innocently. “He’s a hero. Todd the Spectacular.”
Henry furrowed his brows. “Is that your name?”
Artie cringed and he decided to answer the questions for his brother. “Charlie and the Spectacular One…” he motioned to me and Henry to follow him, away from the younger ones.
“The Spectacular One gives Charlie the names. Well, Charlie comes up with the names, so he must be the Spectacular One. But Todd the Spectacular…well, that’s a little strange. That’s Charlie’s name for himself. But he also believes he’s someone else. And he believes he is Todd the Spectacular.”
“I beg pardon, but I’m completely and utterly lost,” Henry said graciously.
“He thinks he’s really a superhero,” I smiled warmly. “I think that’s sweet.”
“When he’s Charlie, he talks about Todd the Spectacular as if he’s a whole different person. But when he plays, then he becomes Todd the Spectacular. And he can do anything.”
“And the Spectacular One purely symbolizes his imagination, in a way.” I laughed to myself. “I think that’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yes, well…” Artie looked back at his brother thoughtfully. “He is pretty brilliant. But he’s different. And I have to protect him before he hurts himself.”
“Hurts himself?”
Artie looked at me and I saw a glimpse of secret pain in his green eyes. “I’ll tell you sometime.”
I didn’t want to believe that Henry had really gotten hurt by his not being given a name. It seemed a silly thing, but for some reason, he was quieter than usual and barely looked at Charlie.
As the day went on, I sat down alone a lot, simply because I was tired from the heat. Charlie was fourteen. Just right for Felix and Claudia. And Artie—well, right now, I wasn’t all the way sure if he was just right for me and Henry. He always looked bothered and far away somewhere. And I didn’t know where his mind and his heart really lie. Sometimes he made jibes about his brother and felt ashamed by him. And then sometimes he looked as if he’d swim across an ocean for him. Like he’d do almost anything in the world to protect his brother. Even if that meant fighting off others who said a word against him. But I wished he would stop picking on the poor boy.
I wanted answers to the questions throbbing inside me. Were these two boys orphans?
I prayed that one day, I would gain their trust enough to be told the truth.
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