The Queen's Golden Sword
:
The Sea Fairies
"Goodness me!" exclaimed Trot, raising herself by a flirt of her
pink-scaled tail and a wave of her fins, "isn't it dreadful hot
here?"
The mermaids had risen at the same time, and Cap'n Bill came
swimming in from the Peony Room in time to hear the little girl's
speech.
"Hot!" echoed the sailor. "Why, I feel like the inside of a steam
engine!"
The pers
iration was rolling down his round, red face, and he took
out his handkerchief and carefully wiped it away, waving his fish
tail gently at the same time.
"What we need most in this room," said he, "is a fan."
"What's the trouble, do you s'pose?" inquired Trot.
"It is another trick of the monster Zog," answered the Queen calmly.
"He has made the water in our rooms boiling hot, and if it could
touch us, we would be well cooked by this time. Even as it is, we
are all made uncomfortable by breathing the heated air."
"What shall we do, ma'am?" the sailor man asked with a groan. "I
expected to get into hot water afore we've done with this
foolishness, but I don't like the feel o' bein' parboiled, jes' the
same."
The queen was waving her fairy wand and paid no attention to Cap'n
Bill's moans. Already the water felt cooler, and they began to
breathe more easily. In a few moments more, the heat had passed from
the surrounding water altogether, and all danger from this source
was over.
"This is better," said Trot gratefully.
"Do you care to sleep again?" asked the Queen.
"No, I'm wide awake now," answered the child.
"I'm afraid if I goes to sleep ag'in, I'll wake up a pot roast,"
said Cap'n Bill.
"Let us consider ways to escape," suggested Clia. "It seems useless
for us to remain here quietly until Zog discovers a way to destroy
us."
"But we must not blunder," added Aquareine cautiously. "To fail in
our attempt would be to acknowledge Zog's superior power, so we must
think well upon our plan before we begin to carry it out. What do
you advise, sir?" she asked, turning to Cap'n Bill.
"My opinion, ma'am, is that the only way for us to escape is to get
out o' here," was the sailor's vague answer. "How to do it is your
business, seein' as I ain't no fairy myself, either in looks or in
eddication."
The queen smiled and said to Trot, "What is your opinion, my dear?"
"I think we might swim out the same way we came in," answered the
child. "If we could get Sacho to lead us back through the maze, we
would follow that long tunnel to the open ocean, and--"
"And there would be the sea devils waitin' for us," added Cap'n Bill
with a shake of his bald head. "They'd drive us back inter the
tunnel like they did the first time, Trot. It won't do, mate, it
won't do."
"Have you a suggestion, Clia?" inquired the Queen.
"I have thought of an undertaking," replied the pretty princess,
"but it is a bold plan, your Majesty, and you may not care to risk
it."
"Let us hear it, anyway," said Aquareine encouragingly.
"It is to destroy Zog himself and put him out of the world forever.
Then we would be free to go home whenever we pleased."
"Can you suggest a way to destroy Zog?" asked Aquareine.
"No, your Majesty," Clia answered. "I must leave the way for you to
determine."
"In the old days," said the Queen thoughtfully, "the mighty King
Anko could not destroy this monster. He succeeded in defeating Zog
and drove him into this great cavern, but even Anko could not
destroy him."
"I have heard the sea serpent explain that it was because he could
not reach the magician," returned Clia. "If King Anko could have
seized Zog in his coils, he would have made an end of the wicked
monster quickly. Zog knows this, and that is why he does not venture
forth from his retreat. Anko is the enemy he constantly dreads. But
with you, my queen, the case is different. You may easily reach Zog,
and the only question is whether your power is sufficient to destroy
him."
For a while Aquareine remained silent. "I am not sure of my power
over him," she said at last, "and for that reason I hesitate to
attack him personally. His slaves and his allies, the sea devils, I
can easily conquer, so I prefer to find a way to overcome the guards
at the entrances rather than to encounter their terrible master. But
even the guards have been given strength and power by the magician,
as we have already discovered, so I must procure a weapon with which
to fight them."
"A weapon, ma'am?" said Cap'n Bill, and then he took a jackknife
from his coat pocket and opened the big blade, afterward handing it
to the queen. "That ain't a bad weapon," he announced.
"But it is useless in this case," she replied, smiling at the old
sailor's earnestness. "For my purpose I must have a golden sword."
"Well, there's plenty of gold around this castle," said Trot,
looking around her. "Even in this room there's enough to make a
hundred golden swords."
"But we can't melt or forge gold under water, mate," the Cap'n said.
"Why not? Don't you s'pose all these gold roses and things were made
under water?" asked the little girl.
"Like enough," remarked the sailor, "but I don't see how."
Just then the gong at the door sounded, and the boy Sacho came in
smiling and cheerful as ever. He said Zog had sent him to inquire
after their health and happiness. "You may tell him that his water
became a trifle too warm, so we cooled it," replied the Queen. Then
they told Sacho how the boiling water had made them uncomfortable
while they slept.
Sacho whistled a little tune and seemed thoughtful. "Zog is
foolish," said he. "How often have I told him that vengeance is a
waste of time. He is worried to know how to destroy you, and that is
wasting more time. You are worried for fear he will injure you, and
so you also are wasting time. My, my! What a waste of time is going
on in this castle!"
"Seems to me that we have so much time it doesn't matter," said
Trot. "What's time for, anyhow?"
"Time is given us to be happy, and for no other reason," replied the
boy soberly. "When we waste time, we waste happiness. But there is
no time for preaching, so I'll go."
"Please wait a moment, Sacho," said the Queen.
"Can I do anything to make you happy?" he asked, smiling again.
"Yes," answered Aquareine. "We are curious to know who does all this
beautiful gold work and ornamentation."
"Some of the slaves here are goldsmiths, having been taught by Zog
to forge and work metal under water," explained Sacho. "In parts of
the ocean lie many rocks filled with veins of pure gold and golden
nuggets, and we get large supplies from sunken ships as well. There
is no lack of gold here, but it is not as precious as it is upon the
earth because here we have no need of money."
"We would like to see the goldsmiths at work," announced the Queen.
The boy hesitated a moment. Then he said, "I will take you to their
room, where you may watch them for a time. I will not ask Zog's
permission to do this, for he might refuse. But my orders were to
allow you the liberty of the castle, and so I will let you see the
goldsmiths' shop."
"Thank you," replied Aquareine quietly, and then the four followed
Sacho along various corridors until they came to a large room where
a dozen men were busily at work. Lying here and there were heaps of
virgin gold, some in its natural state and some already fashioned
into ornaments and furniture of various sorts. Each man worked at a
bench where there was a curious iron furnace in which glowed a
vivid, white light. Although this workshop was all under water and
the workmen were all obliged to breathe as fishes do, the furnaces
glowed so hot that the water touching them was turned into steam.
Gold or other metal held over a furnace quickly softened or melted,
when it could be forged or molded into any shape desired.
"The furnaces are electric," explained Sacho, "and heat as well
under water as they would in the open air. Let me introduce you to
the foreman, who will tell you of his work better than I can."
The foreman was a slave named Agga-Groo, who was lean and lank and
had an expression more surly and unhappy than any slave they had yet
seen. Yet he seemed willing to leave his work and explain to the
visitors how he made so many beautiful things out of gold, for he
took much pride in this labor and knew its artistic worth. Moreover,
since he had been in Zog's castle these were the first strangers to
enter his workshop, so he welcomed them in his own gruff way.
The queen asked him if he was happy, and he shook his head and
replied, "It isn't like Calcutta, where I used to work in gold
before I was wrecked at sea and nearly drowned. Zog rescued me and
brought me here a slave. It is a stupid life we lead, doing the same
things over and over every day, but perhaps it is better than being
dead. I'm not sure. The only pleasure I get in life is in creating
pretty things out of gold."
"Could you forge me a golden sword?" asked the Queen, smiling
sweetly upon the goldsmith.
"I could, madam, but I won't unless Zog orders me to do it."
"Do you like Zog better than you do me?" inquired Aquareine.
"No," was the answer. "I hate Zog."
"Then won't you make the sword to please me and to show your skill?"
pleaded the pretty mermaid.
"I'm afraid of my master. He might not like it," the man replied.
"But he will never know," said Princess Clia.
"You cannot say what Zog knows or what he doesn't know," growled the
man. "I can't take chances of offending Zog, for I must live with
him always as a slave." With this he turned away and resumed his
work, hammering the leaf of a golden ship.
Cap'n Bill had listened carefully to this conversation, and being a
wise old sailor in his way, he thought he understood the nature of
old Agga-Groo better than the mermaids did. So he went close to the
goldsmith, and feeling in the pockets of his coat drew out a silver
compass shaped like a watch. "I'll give you this if you'll make the
queen the golden sword," he said.
Agga-Groo looked at the compass with interest and tested its power
of pointing north. Then he shook his head and handed it back to
Cap'n Bill. The sailor dived into his pocket again and pulled out a
pair of scissors, which he placed beside the compass on the palm of
his big hand. "You may have them both," he said.
Agga-Groo hesitated, for he wanted the scissors badly, but finally
he shook his head again. Cap'n Bill added a piece of cord, an iron
thimble, some fishhooks, four buttons and a safety pin, but still
the goldsmith would not be tempted. So with a sigh the sailor
brought out his fine, big jackknife, and at sight of this
Agga-Groo's eyes began to sparkle. Steel was not to be had at the
bottom of the sea, although gold was so plentiful. "All right,
friend," he said. "Give me that lot of trinkets and I'll make you a
pretty gold sword. But it won't be any good except to look at, for
our gold is so pure that it is very soft."
"Never mind that," replied Cap'n Bill. "All we want is the sword."
The goldsmith set to work at once, and so skillful was he that in a
few minutes he had forged a fine sword of yellow gold with an
ornamental handle. The shape was graceful and the blade keen and
slender. It was evident to them all that the golden sword would not
stand hard use, for the edge of the blade would nick and curl like
lead, but the queen was delighted with the prize and took it eagerly
in her hand.
Just then Sacho returned to say that they must go back to their
rooms, and after thanking the goldsmith, who was so busy examining
his newly acquired treasure that he made no response, they joyfully
followed the boy back to the Rose Chamber. Sacho told them that he
had just come from Zog, who was still wasting time in plotting
vengeance. "You must be careful," he advised them, "for my cruel
master intends to stop you from living, and he may succeed. Don't be
unhappy, but be careful. Zog is angry because you escaped his
Yell-Maker and the falling stones and the hot water. While he is
angry he is wasting time, but that will not help you. Take care not
to waste any time yourselves."
"Do you know what Zog intends to do to us next?" asked Princess
Clia.
"No," said Sacho, "but it is reasonable to guess that, being evil,
he intends evil. He never intends to do good, I assure you." Then
the boy went away.
"I am no longer afraid," declared the Mermaid Queen when they were
alone. "When I have bestowed certain fairy powers upon this golden
sword, it will fight its way against any who dare oppose us, and
even Zog himself will not care to face so powerful a weapon. I am
now able to promise you that we shall make our escape."
"Good!" cried Trot joyfully. "Shall we start now?"
"Not yet, my dear. It will take me a little while to charm this
golden blade so that it will obey my commands and do my work. There
is no need of undue haste, so I propose we all sleep for a time and
obtain what rest we can. We must be fresh and ready for our great
adventure."
As their former nap had been interrupted, they readily agreed to
Aquareine's proposal and at once went to their couches and composed
themselves to slumber. When they were asleep, the fairy mermaid
charmed her golden sword and then she also lay down to rest herself.