Chapter Ten – Becca Meets the King (Lost Rainbows – Serial)

By Connie Cockrell

Shamus O’Malley is on a quest to recover the Leprechaun Kingdom’s magic rainbows and gold before the rainbows are lost forever. To do so he must travel to the new world where he finds the evil wizard, David Bannon, intent on using the magic from the rainbows and the gold to conquer the Leprechaun Kingdom. He also finds an ally, Becca Bannon, the wizard’s niece. Can Becca and Shamus recover the rainbows and gold and defeat her wizard uncle?

This entry is part 10 of 16 in the series Lost Rainbows

Want to start this serial from the beginning? Click here for links to all available chapters.

Becca Meets the King

He opened the door and they stepped out into the midday sunlight. It was hot. The birds were quiet. When Shamus closed the door, it disappeared into the hillside. Becca looked closely. Barely visible in the green grass, she grinned at Shamus. “I can see it!”

“Good. You’re developing your magical talent. Let’s go to the King.”

She nodded and they walked to the left along the dusty road. When they approached a small hill a voice called out. “Halt! Identify yourself.”

“Shamus O’Malley and a guest. We have news for the King.”

Becca gasped as the hill dissolved in front of her and a wooden gate appeared. Two leprechauns, dressed in uniforms of red and green with brass buttons down the front, appeared in the gate. One guard said, “You I know, Shamus.” He eyed Becca. “You bring a human to the sidhe?”

“I do, Morest. It’s a long tale to be sure. But first I must tell the King.”

The guard gave Shamus a look that meant he was doubtful of that course of action. “I’ll send Dan with you.”

Shamus nodded and led them off to the King’s Hall. Becca marched beside him and Dan trailed along. The guards in the hall called out his arrival. Two more guards joined Dan. By the time Shamus reached King Mac Shadenan in the gardens, there were five guards. They were announced as they entered. The King stood up from pruning his roses. “Shamus!” he called out,–then stopped as he realized Becca and a troop of guards were with his representative.

“Sire,” Shamus swept his hat off in a bow. “I’ve recovered your gold.”

The King stepped forward. “Well done, Shamus.” He eyed Becca. “You bring a human to the sidhe?”

“It’s a long tale, Sire. But I believe she’s Tuatha De Danann.”

The King stared. “A tale indeed.”

“Before we discuss that, Sire, the gold is hidden in a castle ruin, six hours away by the leprechaun road. I think your first order of business sould be to secure it.”

“Good advice, Shamus.” He looked at Dan. “Get a squad together and fetch the gold.” He turned back to Shamus. “You’ll have to go with them, of course.”

Shamus nodded. “I understand, Sire. I recovered the rainbows as well. Then, after I bathe, I’ll tell you the whole tale.” He glanced at Becca. “This is Becca, Sire. She’s thirteen and has had a long, hard trip.”

“Of course,” Mac Shadenan said. “We’ll get her bathed and fed and rested. She’ll be treated with respect, to be sure.”

Shamus bowed. “Thank you, Sire. I’ll be back as soon as I can. We’ll store the gold here until a new treasury can be built.”

The King raised his hand in blessing and Shamus and all but one guard turned and left. “Miss Becca,” the King addressed her. “The guard will take you to a room where you will be able to clean up, eat and rest.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She curtsied and the guard led her away.

The next morning Becca was in the garden. The leprechauns had set up a breakfast table where Becca was having tea and scones with butter and honey. She was enjoying the garden. There were birds and butterflies here she’d never seen before. A butterfly landed on the table and was delicately sipping at a drop of spilled honey when Shamus approached.

“Shhh, Shamus,” the girl whispered. “A butterfly is sharing my breakfast.”

Shamus moved quietly and stood behind Becca’s chair. “A beauty, Miss Becca. It’s a Peacock butterfly. The red color and iridescent blue eyespots are how you can tell.”

“It’s beautiful.”

The butterfly, satisfied with its breakfast, fluttered off across the garden. Shamus moved to the table. “The King will meet with us in his chambers. Have you finished breaking your fast?”

She popped the last bit of scone in her mouth and washed it down with the last of her tea. “Yes,” she said just before she hiccupped.

“You didn’t have to hurry, lass.” Shamus laughed. “The King will be there.”

Becca wiped her mouth. “No, I’m done.” She stood up. “What will the King want to know?”

They began the walk back to the hall. “He’ll want to know the tale. By the time I got back last night, it was late and the King was abed. I had word to wait until this morning to meet with him. I’ll tell what I know. The King–his name is Mac Shadenan–is addressed as Your Majesty or Sire, and may ask you questions. Answer them truthfully. He’s King for a reason. Don’t lie to him.”

Becca nodded.

The two traversed the large building. The King’s apartments were in the center, behind the main hall. There, Shamus and Becca entered his office. The Advisors were already there, as was Princess Lyeen. The King stood up from his desk, walking around to greet Shamus.
Shamus bowed and tapped Becca, who bowed as well.

“Rise, Shamus. My counselors tell me the gold is all accounted for and secure. They’ve put the rainbows back in place and they’re recovering. Well done, my man.”

“I’m sorry we were back so late, Sire. We did not want to disturb your rest.”

“No need to apologize.” He looked at the two of them. “Come, we’ll sit and talk about your travels.”

The King led them to a group of armchairs and a small sofa in front of the cold fireplace. Becca noticed a large bouquet of flowers filling the space where a fire would usually burn. She sat on a footstool next to the chair where Shamus sat. The King chose a large, green brocade chair while Princess Lyeen sat beside him in a wooden armed Queen Anne-style chair, the seat and back covered in matching needlepoint flowered upholstery. The advisors, all three of them, sat on the sofa.

“Now,” Shadenan said as they settled in. “Tell me the whole tale.”

 

~~~~~

 

Lost Rainbows

To be continued…

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© 2015 Connie Cockrell