The Horn of Moran

“Your adviser’s doubts about your kingship troubled me, and I beg your forgiveness for my rash actions.”

“Not . . . not at all,” said Varson, recovering from his shock. “He did sound rather doubtful, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did, my lord. But I assure you that I have no such doubts.”

“You are most kind,” said Varson, trying to sound more businesslike.

“It is no great kindness to serve a true king. However, I am troubled by your preparations for war.”

“Oh, yes,” said Varson, waving his hand in a dismissive way. “It’s because Trion won’t accept me as the true king.”

“Of course,” said Alex understandingly. “I suppose you are as troubled by all of this as I am.”

“Why, of course I am. I . . . Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“I am Alexander Taylor, my lord. I am an adventurer and a wizard, and I am at your service.”

“Thank you, Master Taylor, that’s very kind. You know, to be honest, I don’t think Kappa believes I am the true king. He didn’t seem at all interested in my recovering the Horn of Moran.”

“How could he doubt you?”

“Well, he’s been acting very fu

“Why would he oppose such a brilliant and well-conceived plan?”

“I don’t know,” said Varson, looking at his adviser thoughtfully. “You know, I think you should leave him as a donkey. At least until I’ve proven my true kingship.”

“As you wish,” said Alex. “However, how will you convince Trion to accept you as the true king?”

“Well, as you said,” Varson explained as if Alex was a bit slow. “I’ll play a note on the Horn and that will be that.”

“Very wise, my lord. You will prove yourself to be king and remove the threat of war from the kingdom at the same time. A bold move. Might I make a small suggestion to enhance your plan?”

“Of course, you may speak freely.”

“Would it not prove your kingship to all of Athanor if you challenged Trion to a contest?”

“An excellent idea! Yes, most excellent. In fact, that is what I’ll do. I’ll insist that the people of Athanor gather, and then I’ll compete with Trion. I’ll ask him to play the Horn, and when he fails, he will look a total fool. Then I will play the Horn, and everyone will know that I am the king.”

“A most inspired plan. However, my lord, perhaps youshould play the Horn first. There is no need to make Trion look like more of a fool than he already is. And such a gesture will show your people your great kindness and win many hearts that may not otherwise be yours.”

“Yes, of course,” said Varson. “The true king should be kind to fools like Trion. That is what I’ll do.”

“And how soon will you be able to prove yourself and claim your throne?”

“Tomorrow at high noon, I think,” said Varson with a satisfied tone. “There are a lot of people in Athanor, and I will have messages sent to the nearby towns as well. We will march forward in the morning, and before tomorrow night, I will be king. That will end the threat of war quickly, and everything will be as it should be.”

“Wonderful,” Alex gushed.

“You have been most helpful, Master Taylor. I would be pleased if you would accompany me to the contest.”

“A great honor,” said Alex. “If I may be so bold, perhaps you will allow me to hold the Horn. That way Trion won’t be able to use any magic to make himself appear to be more than he is.”

“Another grand idea. You are a wonder. If there is anything I can do for you tonight, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“There are two small matters,” Alex said slowly. “I hate to bring them up at a time like this, so perhaps I should not.”

“No, no,” said Varson, waving his hand. “Please, let me do what I can for you.”

“You are most kind, my lord. The first matter concerns some bandits that my company and I captured on our way here. No doubt you will wish to judge them, once your throne is secured. In the meantime, if a few soldiers might be spared to guard them, it would be helpful.”

“Of course,” said Varson, trying to look and sound like a king. “I will have some men sent right over to take these bandits off your hands. Now, what else would you ask?”

“The second matter concerns the fate of the adventurers traveling with Master Nellus. Our two companies have several friends in common. It would be, shall we say, awkward if anything unpleasant were to happen to Master Nellus or his companions.”

“Yes, I can see that clearly enough,” Varson agreed. “That fool Kappa has had them placed in chains, but I can remedy that. In fact, I think they did me a great service in attempting to find the Horn, so I am in their debt. I will have them freed at once and returned to your camp. That way your company will see how kind the true king can be.”

“You are generous and kind, my lord. Now I suppose we should both get some rest, tomorrow promises to be an important day.”

“Yes, yes, it does,” said Varson, almost falling over in his excitement. “I will send an honor guard for you in the morning, and you will ride beside me to Athanor.”

“You do me a great honor,” said Alex.

When Alex reached the door of the tent, he turned to look back at Varson and Kappa the donkey.

“Shall I ask your guards to remove this donkey?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” said Varson in a definite tone. “Send them in at once. And thank you again, my friend.”

“Not at all, my lord, not at all.”

Alex had a hard time controlling his laughter as the guard led him back to his friends. As they approached Bregnest and the others, Alex slipped the guard three more gold coins for his service. The guard bowed to Alex, and then hurried back to his post.

Before Alex could tell his friends what had happened in Varson’s tent, more guards arrived, escorting Nellus and his company to the campsite. The guards bowed to Bregnest, removed the chains from Nellus and his friends, and then took the three captured bandits away with them.

Once the guards had departed, Alex told his friends everything that had happened. He had a hard time keeping them all from laughing too loudly as he told the story. Once, when a guard seemed to take too much interest in the noise they were making, Halfdan quickly praised Varson loudly. This seemed to satisfy the guard’s curiosity, and he soon returned to his post.

“He actually thanked you for turning Kappa into a donkey?” Andy asked, wiping tears off his checks.

“He did,” said Alex. “And he’s also asked that I ride beside him to Athanor in the morning. I will be holding the Horn so Trion can’t play any magic tricks with it.”

“You are a genius,” said Bregnest, slapping Alex’s shoulder. “This will be far better than anything I had hoped for.”

The following morning, before everyone was awake, Alex asked Bregnest to send a short letter to his cousin, King Trion. Bregnest explained to Trion what would be happening that day and asked him to go along with it. Bregnest also told Trion that Alex was a member of his company and that his only goal was to prevent all-out war in Athanor.

With his message sent, Bregnest returned the Horn of Moran to Alex with a bow, and Alex stored it safely inside his bag. Shortly after Alex and his friends had finished their breakfast, the prince’s personal guards appeared to escort Alex to Varson. Alex said good-bye to his friends with a bow and a wink, then followed the guards to Varson’s tent. Holding Shahree’s reins behind him, Alex waited patiently outside the tent for the prince to appear.

Varson arrived, wearing his finest clothes and looking excited and pleased with himself. He gri