Roland's Castle by Becky York

out into the stream here. It really is most tranquil
isn’t it? You could set up a rod and line and dream away listening
to the birds singing and the wind in the willows, the Piper at the
Gates of….”
    “Nuncle!”
    “Yes! Yes! I come to it. Here
between the pond and the moat, and the moat and the stream, are
sluice gates, holding back the water…”
    “I get it!” Roland said, “Any army
must cross the moat, by rafts or boats…”
    “And if we open both sluices at
once, the moat becomes a fast flowing stream! The Venerable
Conceiver Of Strategies said, triumphantly, and the fool jumped and
did some cartwheels and handstands for the sheer joy of it.”
    The strategist continued, “The
attacking army will be in disarray, and will float past our
battements…”
    “And we can position archers at
specific points to shoot them as they pass, concentrating their
fire at specific points” Roland said, finishing the strategists
thought.
    If we have any archers, the
strategist said, seeing the flaw in his plan.
    “That we do!” Roland said, “We do
indeed!”
    The cogitator brightened again,
“Wonderful! Wonderful! It would be such a shame to see this idyllic
little spot fall into the wrong hands. We must defend it! Will you?
Will you?” And he grasped Roland’s arm and looked at him
pleadingly.
    “We will,” Roland said, “We
will.”
    And a cheer went up that rang
around the castle.

    By the next morning Dagarth’s army
had assembled itself upon the hill of The Scary Oak. It stretched
all across the hill and far on both sides. It’s forces were much
expanded by those of Brill-a-Brag. The castle sentries had reported
movement in the night, the alarm had gone out and the drawbridge
raised. In the dawn light Roland looked out the enemy forces with
dismay, but Firebrace put a hand on his shoulder.
    “It is the beginning, not the
end.”
    Soon after a shout went around the
castle, “Enemy forces approaching!”
    Roland and his friends ran to the
battlements by the drawbridge where the shout had originated. All
they could see were two figures, plainly dressed as men-at-arms,
making their way up the road.
    “Why only two?” Oliver asked, “It
isn’t much of a fighting force.”
    It did seem very odd.
    As they got closer Roland
recognised them. It was Bobblejob and Jubblebub!
    They marched up to the edge of the
moat where the drawbridge usually met the road and stopped and
stood looking puzzled, as if they didn’t couldn’t work out what had
changed. When they saw that people were watching them from the
battlements they started waving hopefully.
    “What are they doing back?” Roland
asked. “Whatever it is they’ll get themselves hurt out there - send
a boat across for them.”
    Having landed at the gate house the
two gave what passed for an explanation of their renewed
presence.
    “It was very confusing,” Bobblejob
said.
    “Very confusing,” Jubblebub
agreed.
    “We couldn’t find your uncle
anywhere.”
    I think he’s up there’ Roland said,
pointing to the obvious armed ranks on the hill
    “Ah! that’s where he is!” Jubblebub
said.
    “But how do you get there?”
Bobblejob asked.
    “We think our mistake was starting
from here in the first place,” Jubblebub said, and they both
nodded.
    “How did you find your way back?”
Roland asked, slightly puzzled.
    The two looked at each other
    “Well, we tried to get there….”
    — “…and ended up back here.”
    “You lost your way
back!!!!”
    “Yes.”
    “Well, we can’t leave you two just
wandering about. This is a war. You might get hurt. I’ll draw you a
plan of how to get to the Scary Oak.”
    Roland ordered some parchment and a
quill be brought and set about drawing them a map.
    “There you are – can you follow
that?”
    “It looks just like the back of my
hand,” said Bobblejob, comparing them.
    “Yes, well, just go careful….” And
with that they were rowed back across to the other side of the moat
and sent on their