Previous episodes: Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1
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We awoke the next morning to the warmth of sunlight and the sound of Prince Percy serenading the new day.
“Got no time for spreading roots, the time has come…to be gone”
It was as if he were bathed in fairy dust, as our journey brightened the moment he joined. We were enjoying good weather, camaradarie and all variety of human comforts which the Rover seemed able to conjure at will. Nevertheless we couldn’t help but wonder about what awaited us at journey’s end. The Rover never spoke of our goal, nor did we dare to ask, given that he was providing us with all that our appetites could demand.
While there was a true spirit of brotherhood among us, we couldn’t help but notice that The Rover and Lord Jim were growing closer and beginning to draw away from the group. They would go on long walks so they couldn’t be heard and would whisper to themselves when the rest of us were around. It was clear that when The Rover revealed our mission, he would look to Lord Jim for an ally.
After a few days of respite, the hardships of our journey returned. The days grew dark and the good hearted banter that had filled our camp turned to a brooding silence. Perhaps the others were thinking of home or missing loved ones, or perhaps we all began to fill with dread for what might lie ahead. Sir John seemed to act as the barometer for the general mood and relied on an ever steadier flow of tipple to sustain his resolve.
One reason for the sudden downturn in spirits may have been pure fatigue, for it seemed we had spent the past two days, ascending into an ominous mountain range. The Rover pointed to a single peak that soared high above the range around it. It looked too steep to climb.
“It is the only way that we will truly be able to see and gain advantage upon the army we are to face” he told us.
All that day we embarked on a gruelling climb. Cold sleet whipped our faces, our hands nearly frozen to the reins of our horses. Finally, we had to leave the horses behind and continue up the mountain on foot.
When we finally reached the top, Sir John broke the silence: “Now, Rover, tell us why you have brought us here”.
It was Lord Jim that responded: “Stand on yonder rock, John, and it will all become clear”.
We all rushed to the rock and were greeted with the most incredible sight. Down in the valley below was an army of young people, reaching as far in every direction as the eye could see. They appeared entirely aimless and on the brink of chaos. We watched them for what seemed to be hours, for it was a most incredible sight. As we watched, we began to share Sir John’s mead to celebrate our arrival. I began to feel quite woozy and I could see that Percy and John Paul were beginning to slur their words as well.
“Now” said the Rover “here is why I have brought you here. The army you see below you stretches on halfway around the world, and holds the keys to unimaginable wealth and power. He who is able to conquer them shall never want for anything again.”
“What has this to do with us?” asked Prince Percy.
“I can deliver them unto you” said The Rover.
The mead had made us all feel uninhibited, but Sir John was a gallon ahead of us and seemed to voice our growing sense of suspicion: “What’s in it for you, then, eh? What will we owe you for bestowing this on us?”
“Nothing in this lifetime. You need only accept the spoils of victory for the rest of your days on earth”
“What’s the catch?” said Sir John, his courage bolstered with another mouthful of mead.
Now it was Lord Jim who spoke “John, some people believe that men have souls and they hope that these souls might live for eternity. I for one, don’t put much stock in these things. In fact, I believe that such superstitious notions hold people back. The Rover merely asks that we surrender our naive hopes, so that we can take advantage of this opportunity”.
“All you need to do is sign this simple piece of paper I hold” said the Rover.
We stood dumbstruck for a moment.
“Are you asking us to sell our souls?” said Prince Percy in solemn disbelief.
“That question presumes we have souls to sell” said Lord Jim “a rather silly old notion, really”.
“All I ask is that you sign this paper and you will command the army you see below you, and all the power, riches and fame that come with it will be yours” said the Rover.
That was the last I remember, for the mead and the mountain air finally overtook me. When I awoke, Percy, John and John-Paul also seemed dazed and confused.
“What happened last night, did we sign the paper, Rover?” asked Prince Percy.
“What paper?” said the Rover.
“The paper that would give us power over the masses below us” said Sir John.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” said the Rover.
“Seems everyone had a little too much to drink last night” laughed Lord Jim.
The rest of us looked at each other. Had we really imagined the whole thing?
Before we could discuss it further, the Rover spoke “Come, I will show you what you have been brought here for”.
He led them down the mountain a little, to a ledge overlooking the crowd. Instruments had been assembled there, and behind them an enormous wall of large black boxes each bearing the name of someone named “Marshall”. When Lord Jim, John Paul the Minstrel and Sir John had been set up at their instruments, The Rover pointed Prince Percy to a microphone at the front of the stage.
“Now you must go, Percy, and make this crowd yours”
Prince Percy took one last look out across the vast crowd, hesitated for a moment then cried out:
“Valhalla, I am coming !!!!”
Just as The Rover had predicted, the crowd was mesmerized. Their chaotic movements were instantly transformed into a single motion in which they all appeared to hit their foreheads repeatedly into some imaginary wall. After watching this amazing event for a while, I became aware that my role in all of this had not been revealed.
“Rover, now you must tell me why I have been brought along on this journey”.
He looked at me solemnly.
“You don’t think these amps are going to move themselves, do you?”
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THE END
