Free Roland's Castle by Becky York Page B

doing that. Fixing them on might scratch the finish.”
    “Okay. I shall just call him Fred,
then.”
    Oliver grew serious. “Something has
been worrying me. What happens to the people in the village – my
parents, if there is an attack?”
    “We will bring them inside the
castle. Perhaps they will even fight with us,” Roland said.
    “If they seek the protection of the
castle, they should fight to defend it,” Savitri said.
    “They can seek safety
unconditionally. We will not make them fight if they don’t want
to,” Roland said firmly. “You had better go and tell them Oliver –
it would be better now than later on. We don’t know when hostile
forces might get here.”

    When the villagers had been brought
into the courtyard Roland stood before them with Oliver and
Firebrace at his side. He told them, “The people who are coming to
attack this castle are also coming to attack your homes. Dagarth
was a tyrant, as you know, and the people with him are no better.
Who wishes to fight with us?”
    There was an encouragingly strong
show of hands for the idea.
    “But what can they do?” Roland
asked Oliver.
    “Same as me,” Oliver said
    Roland looked puzzled. “You are no
swordsman!”
    “I can't use a sword, no, but try
me with a bow!”
    You never told me this!”
    “Never came up. I am amongst the
best in the village – and we won the area tournament three years
running. We are the best archers in this part of the country –
probably the whole country!”
    The villagers had brought with them
several chests which were now unpacked. An enormous number of bows,
a ton of arrows and some cork targets were broken out. Roland noted
that the bullseye’s of the targets were marked by a lot of holes.
The outside rings had only a few point marks in them.
    “We all have to start somewhere,”
Oliver explained.
    The villagers put on quite a
display of their archery skills. For the first time Roland was
actually beginning to think they stood a serious chance of winning
a battle.
    “Did you know the villagers were
fine archers?” he asked Firebrace.
    “Your forefathers encouraged the
villagers!” Firebrace replied, “But they are naturals anyway. They
would have found their way to this by themselves, I think.”
    “It is all well done,” Roland said,
“Now all we need is a strategy.”
    At that moment there was a
kerfuffle at the base of the tower and they turned to see that the
Venerable Conceiver Of Strategies was rushing towards them along
with his fool, who continued to beat his face with the pig’s
bladder. As they got closer the fool reminded him, “Nuncle! thou
needs to think of castles and not of clouds!”
    Roland’s heart sank at the sight of
them. To think they were to put their trust in such a man. He felt
despondent once more.
    “I have worked out a strategy” said
the Venerable Conceiver Of Strategies.
    “Err, yeah, that’s what you’re here
for,” Roland said, doubtfully
    But the fool took his masters
cause, “It is a marvel wonderfully conceived and the more so for it
is wonderfully conceived by a fool!” The fool said, and beat the
cogitator about the face with the pig’s bladder for no other reason
than the sheer joy of it
    Roland, Firebrace, Oliver and
Savitri gathered around one of the archery chests. The Venerable
Conceiver Of Strategies unrolled his map on the top of it and
explained his plan; “Here is the castle, newly repaired, and the
moat running around it. Here is the hill nearby with what you young
folk call The Scary Oak upon it. This is where the enemy will most
likely gather, if they have any sense at all. Here is the valley
they will have to cross to reach us, here are some trees, a lovely
stream… it really is the most perfect view of an idyllic little
spot, is it not?! Lovely!”
    “Nuncle!” said the fool, beating
him again with the pig’s bladder.
    “Ah yes, the point, the point.
Here, see, the stream feeds a pond, this feeds the moat here – the
moat lets