The King Without a Heart (14 page)

She desperately wanted to tell him how glad she was that he had returned whilst they were riding together, but she thought it would be a mistake to be so gushing.

They set off at a good pace and as usual galloped until they were far ahead of Darius and Kastri.

Today Titania noticed that the King was taking her on a different route. He was heading towards the mountains, which loomed up ahead, magnificent with their snow-touched peaks.

She could not help thinking that they were most romantic and there was something about mountains and woods that moved her. They were part of the spiritual world which both her father and the King were interested in.

Ever since she had been a child she had believed that the woods were full of goblins and fairies, whilst in the mountains there dwelt the Gods and Goddesses.

She wondered now if the King would ever allow her to try to climb some of the mountains and she felt it would be a very exciting adventure.

They galloped for a long way before drawing their horses in to move a little more slowly.

It was then that the King said in what Titania considered was a somewhat cold voice,

“I promised to show you the mountains and now I have kept my promise.”

“They are magnificent,” answered Titania, “and I wonder if you have ever had them prospected for gold.”

The King looked at her in surprise.

“Why should you imagine,” he asked, “that there would be gold in these mountains?”

“If you remember,” replied Titania, “gold was found recently in Austria and the Russians have produced more gold from their own mountains than any other country in the world.”

The King was still looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

 She continued,

“Papa told me that gold has now been discovered in California and Australia and I can see no reason why there should not be gold here in Velidos or alternatively copper or zinc, which are also very valuable.”

The King made an exclamation of exasperation.

“Why did I not think of that? Of course you are right and I know perfectly well that there are rich deposits of gold in Libya and in some lands bordering the Aegean, as well as in Persia and India.”

His voice became angry.

“How could I have been so idiotic as not to think that there might be gold, or as you say, other valuable deposits of minerals in my mountains?”

He sounded so exasperated with himself that Titania could not help herself trying to comfort him.

“As Nanny always says – ‘it is never too late to mend'.”

“You are quite right, Titania, and it is something I shall organise immediately. If we do find enough gold or anything else to help my people, it is you who must take the credit.”

“I do not desire any credit, Sire. I just noticed that some of the children were bare-footed and in rags and thought it strange that nothing was being done for them.”

“I understand very well what you are saying and I am in fact ashamed of myself.”

Because he was so obviously interested, Titania talked to him about the mountains she had seen in other countries, yet it was impossible not to keep referring to the rich gold strikes that had been made in other parts of the world.

She realised that by the time they had turned for home the King was determined to investigate her suggestions immediately.

She said a secret prayer that he would find what he was seeking and it would bring him happiness and prosperity to his impoverished country.

Time was getting on as they rode back towards the City.

They were not far from away and were travelling very fast.

Suddenly a child rolled down from a heap of rubble where he was playing in front of the King's horse.

With a brilliant piece of riding His Majesty managed to avoid the horse trampling on the child, but he had fallen on some rough stones and was crying in pain.

The King and Titania drew in their horses.

Without speaking Titania handed the King her reins and slipping to the ground, she ran towards the child.

She saw when she reached him that he was a little boy, very poorly dressed and he had fallen on a sharp stone and cut his knee which was bleeding profusely.

She put her arms around him talking soothingly.

“It's all right, you are not hurt, but I expect the horse has frightened you.”

Because he was in her arms and he could understand what she was saying, the boy stopped crying, but by this time there was a good deal of blood running down his bare leg.

Titania looked towards the King.

“Can I have your handkerchief please, Sire?”

The King pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and threw it down to her and she wrapped it round the boy's knee.

It was a jagged cut, but nothing that would not heal fairly quickly. Then she picked him up in her arms, looking round to see if there was anyone who had been with him.

There were two other children playing behind the rubble and Titania called them over to her.

“Who is this little boy and where does he come from?”

They told her that his name was Ajax and he came from a part of the City she had not heard of. 

Carrying the boy in her arms, Titania walked to the King and told him what the children had said.

“I think we shall have to take little Ajax home. He will not be able to walk as things are.”

“I realise,” said the King with a faint smile, “that he is now my responsibility.”

He bent down and Titania passed Ajax up to him. 

The King placed the boy on his saddle in front of him and waited while Titania managed to remount her own horse with a little difficulty.

The two
aides-de-camps
were still only dots in the distance and there was no point, she thought, in waiting for them.

The King started off, moving slowly so as not to frighten Ajax, who in fact was not in the least scared and gurgled with glee,

“Ajie riding – big horse – very big – horse.”

There was no doubt he was delighted to be in the King's protection as they rode into the City.

People in the streets stared in astonishment at seeing the King with a small boy on the front of his saddle.

Ajax was clean, but his clothes were in rags and his shoes were very old sandals with his toes peeping through them.

The King obviously knew the way to where Ajax lived and it was no surprise to find it was a narrow street with dilapidated houses on each side. The windowpanes were broken, bricks had fallen from some of the walls and the doors had large cracks in them.

There were a lot of children amongst the crowd in the street and when they saw the King and Titania approach on their fine horses, they stood gaping at them.

They had only ridden a little way down the street before Titania heard someone shout,

“It's the King, I know it be the King!”

The other men and women repeated the words in awed voices and then they all followed the horses.

The King had told Ajax to show him where his home was and the small boy held his arm out pointing ahead.

By the time they reached his house there was quite a crowd of people jostling behind them. 

Then as the King drew in his horse, one of the women ran to the door of Ajax's house and Titania could hear her shouting for someone.

A few seconds later a youngish woman came hurrying to the door. She must have been about thirty or perhaps a little older and had doubtless been very pretty in her youth. The hard life and the cares and troubles of a family had made her look older than she actually was.

She stared at Ajax on the King's horse in sheer astonishment.

“Mama, Mama, Ajie riding big horse!” he cried.

The woman who had fetched her out said in what should have been a whisper but was very audible,

“It's
the King
– the King has brought Ajax back!”

Ajax's mother moved forward and as she reached to the King's horse, he said,

“Your little boy had a fall on some rough stones. He has hurt his knee a little, but I do not think it is too serious.”

“And you brought him back?” she replied in an awed voice.

“I think he has enjoyed the ride on my horse.”

“It is very kind of Your Majesty,” the woman said and reached up her arms to Ajax.

Before the King handed the little boy to her, he felt in his pocket and drew out a golden coin,

“Now you are to buy a present for your mother as well as one for yourself,” he said to Ajax.

“Say thank you to His Majesty,” cried his mother.

Holding the gold coin tightly in his hand, Ajax held up both his arms towards the King and with what Titania thought was just a slight hesitation, he bent down and kissed the boy on the cheek.

Then as he handed the small boy into his mother's arms, the people around them began to clap their hands and cheer.

The spontaneous gesture was very moving and Titania could not prevent tears coming into her eyes.

She and the King turned their horses round and as they rode down the street the crowd followed them.

They were still cheering when they reached the main road.

Only then, when they quickened their pace, could they leave the people behind them.

Titania felt quite certain that the story would be repeated all over the City and it would certainly be good for the King's reputation.

She did not say so aloud, but she thought by the way he looked at her and the faint smile on his lips, he understood what she was thinking.

They rode back to the Palace stables to find Darius and Kastri in an agitated state, because they did not know what had happened to them.

As they had been so far behind they had not seen the King picking up Ajax nor that instead of riding to the Palace they had detoured into the City.

“It was a shock, Your Majesty,” said Darius, “when we arrived here to find no sign of you or Miss Brooke.”

“We were not far away,” the King informed him, “but we had a passenger with us, a small boy had hurt his knee and it was necessary to take him home.”

“His mother and all the people in the street were very grateful,” added Titania. “It was a very shabby and dingy street and the houses were all in a very bad state of repair.”

“That goes for a good number of streets in the City,” muttered Darius.

The King frowned.

“Why did no one tell me they were so bad?” he demanded. “They must be repaired. Surely the Government is aware of this situation.”

“I think it is just a question of money, Your Majesty,” replied Darius.

The King looked at Titania.

“I believe I have an answer to this problem. Make an appointment for me to see the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet immediately after luncheon.”

“I will do so, Sire,” responded Darius.

Titania considered that she should now be getting back to her own room just in case Sophie sent for her.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for a wonderful ride,” she said to the King. “I know you have made a number of people very happy this morning, especially Ajax.”

“And you have turned my eyes in a new direction. It will be interesting to know what comes of it.”

“We can only hope it is gold, Sire,” Titania told him, “but I am sure you are quite prepared to accept other metals if, as I am told, they are nearly as valuable.”

“Shall I quote your Nanny,” asked the King, “and say that I will be very grateful for small mercies?”

Titania gave a little laugh and would have moved away, but the King said,

“I should have told you first thing this morning that a cable came through last night to say that your Nanny and Mercury left Tilbury yesterday.”

“How wonderful!” cried Titania, “I cannot wait for you to see Mercury.”

“I shall feel very humiliated if he puts my own horses to shame.”

“He will not do that, but it will be marvellous for me to have him, and thank you, thank you.”

She looked up at the King as she spoke and their eyes met. 

And then she found it was very hard to look away. 

Only when she was back in her own room, did Titania think it had been a very strange morning, not because of what had happened over Ajax or the King's reaction to her suggestion about the mountains.

It was because he had begun by being so cold, distant and reserved and she felt he had somehow withdrawn himself from her and they were no longer friends. Yet just now, when they were talking about Mercury and Nanny, he had been the same as when they had first met.

‘However much I have upset him, he has now forgiven me,' Titania told herself and wanted to sing and dance because she was so glad.

Sophie sent for her an hour later and was most disagreeable because the string of pearls she was wearing yesterday had broken when she was being received by the dignitaries of a Northern town.

It was not Titania's fault, but Sophie complained she was badly looked after, no one bothered about her appearance and everything she wore needed attention.

It was all very unfair, but from long experience of her cousin's behaviour Titania knew not to answer back and so she merely accepted the abuse that was being hurled at her, although at the same time it made her more frightened than ever.

If Sophie ever heard that she had been out riding with the King, anything might happen and she was sure that the story of the King taking Ajax home would be repeated and re-repeated over the City before nightfall.

Undoubtedly someone would tell Prince Frederick about it adding that the King had been accompanied by a young woman. This would immediately, Titania reasoned, point a finger at her.

She wondered what she should do if Sophie forbade her ever to ride with the King again and in addition she would be extremely angry when she learned that Nanny and Mercury were on their way to the Palace.

Yet Sophie could hardly send them back although she could make considerable trouble for Nanny.