Chapter Thirty-One

Justin stood under the massive arch of the door in awed silence. The last
rays of the late-Summer sun gleamed off of the gold of the family crest, still
untarnished even after years of neglect. The manor-house was a massive and
still beautiful, if somewhat dilapidated, testimony to the stonemason's art.
Over the years many of the beautiful stained-glass windows had fallen victim to
the stones of vandals and a portion of the rear wall had collapsed, leaving
what looked to be the kitchen exposed to the elements.

The Locksley Estate had not been difficult to find. He had asked various
peasants for directions and they invariably told him to follow the gravel road
that branched off to the left of the main road and paralleled a small brook.
But the peasants had also warned him that the manor-house and its lands were
cursed by the spirits and best left alone.

But he decided that, curse or not, he must start the search for his past at
the place of his birth.

He picked up the lantern that stood at his feet and walked a close perimeter
around the house. He tried to imagine what this dark, cold edifice must have
been like when he, as a child, his parents and the various servants were there
to make the place a hive of activity. But try as he might, such an image would
not come. It saddened him to realize that he had absolutely no memories of his
life before the orphanage and his adoption.

As soon as he completed his patrol, he headed to the breach in the wall and;
making his way carefully through the small pile of rubble (he suspected that
the pile should have been somewhat larger and that not a few of the houses in
the surrounding area could claim at least one stone from this wall) ;into the
house.

What once must have been one of the most luxurious manor-houses in all
Britain had been stripped bare of just about all furniture and ornamentation.
Here and there the pieces of a broken something-or-other littered one of the
many rooms, but he decided that everything that might have held any monetary
value was gone.

Justin sadly shook his head and trudged to what must have been the Grand
Dining Hall. In the dim light of his lantern, he could make out the faded
outlines of various scenes from British history and legend painted on the
walls; which themselves were covered in a layer of accumulated dirt and grimy
mold. A damp, rotting, threadbare rug covered the inlaid wooden floor; which
was still in immaculate condition in spite of the depredations of Nature.

He was meandering toward the Grand Staircase admiring the vast size of the
room, which rivaled anything in the Royal Palace, when he felt a strange
sensation underfoot. Through his footpads he could feel some sort of pattern of
bumps in the floor. He got down on his paws and knees and began to probe the
vicinity. After a while he determined that the bumps were within a relatively
small, roughly circular area. He tried to rip away the section of rug that
covered the mysterious pattern but the fibers, though slimy with mildew, were
still strong enough to withstand his assault. He drew his dagger and began
carefully cutting into the woven cloth. Once he'd tossed the fragment aside, he
shined the lantern on the large octagonal bronze plaque, surrounded by stone,
that had been laid into the floor. The bumpy pattern was actually raised
lettering which read:

Here lies Jonathan
Locksley, loving Husband and devoted Father.

He was taken from
his Wife, Son, and All the World before his time.

May he be made
Welcome by the Spirits.

"Father." He whispered, the word barely audible. He half-collapsed
and half-sat staring wide-eyed at the monument; a million thoughts and
questions cascading through his mind. Unable to stop himself he burst into
tears, bitterly remembering his farewell to his King and Half-Brother in a
"potter's field" so many months ago.

"Oh, Father!" He cried, "I have so many questions to ask you!
So much that isn't in the record that Dr. Ages kept on our family!"

But only the echo of his words answered him as the flickering lantern threw
quivering shadows onto the forbidding gray walls.

Justin sadly bowed his head in acceptance. What he was looking for, his
past, was gone. And Justin would never be able to bring it back no matter what
kind of effort he expended or how long this journey lasted. All of his
questions would probably remain unanswered. He remembered what Ages had said
about personal resources and how they were sometimes damaged or destroyed by a
mere caprice.

"I don't know anymore if I have the strength to face the future."
He said aloud. "Marian and her children need someone to protect them from
Jenner, but am I up to the task? If I couldn't protect King Nicodemus and my
own half-brother, how can I trust myself to keep them from harm?" He
sighed and shrugged in resignation. "Dr. Ages would no doubt tell me that
there's always hope so long as I keep fighting and don't give up. But what am I
fighting for? On the other paw, if I'm not fighting FOR something, what am I
fighting against?" Justin shook his head in frustration. "I just
don't KNOW anymore!"

Other than the low moan of the wind outside, no sound gave answer to his
self-doubt.

With another sigh, Justin got up and replaced the rug scrap over the plaque.
He then made his way by the pale yellow light of the lantern up the Grand
Staircase to the room where he'd left his pack. He unhitched his bedroll and
laid it out on the floor, acutely aware of just how much he missed the warmth of
Marian's fur next to his own on a cold, lonely night such as this. Even now the
nights were getting longer as the last days of Summer were making way for the
growing harshness of Autumn. Justin shivered, as much from the thought of the
coming hard days as the cool of this night, extinguished the tiny flame of the
lantern and crawled in; falling into an uneasy sleep as soon as his head hit
the pillow-flap.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The dark figure stealthily approached the manor-house as soon as he saw the
light in the upper window go black. Other than the windblown leaves and the
occasional birdcall, the moonless night was ominously silent. The figure slowly
and carefully made its way toward the house using whatever cover was available.
In a few minutes, it was climbing over the rubble-pile that marked the hole in
the side of the structure.

Justin sat bolt-upright in his bedroll. Something was WRONG! The fur of his
back was standing on end and all of his warrior instincts were telling him that
he was in danger. He sniffed at the night air, but all that he could smell was
the pervasive odor of the mold that covered virtually every interior surface of
the building.

As quickly and silently as possible, he slid out of the bedroll and drew his
sword. He then crept on tip-toe out of the room and down the hall. Unable to
see more than a few arms lengths, he kept his ears open for any foreign sounds.

The dark figure held the quarterstaff ready. It slowly approached the door,
but backed away when it saw a pair of legs belonging to some intruder taking
one step at a time down the large once-ornate staircase. The figure took an
ambush position to one side of the door way and gave the floor a light tap with
one end of the 'staff.

Justin pricked his ears up in alarm. Someone, or something, WAS in the
house! In the next ROOM in fact! Instinctively, his ears lay back on his head
and he could feel his heartbeat increasing as if it would leap out of his
ribcage at any moment. He took a close-quarters fighting stance that he knew
was best suited to the room that he was about to enter and proceeded to
investigate. Slowly, step-by-wary-step, he neared the doorway. He could now
hear breathing; but whether it was the intruders or his own, he couldn't really
be sure. After what seemed an eternity, he stepped through the door and into
the room. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw a sudden movement from a vast,
dark shadow. Almost too late, his reflexes brought his sword up in front of
him. The blow of whatever had hit him had been stopped, but the actual impact
sent him flying back through the door and he landed on his back; stunned; on
the damp rug.

As the multi-colored burst of light that filled his vision after the back of
his head hit the floor cleared, he saw a giant hooded and cloaked figure
approaching and raising some sort of spear or staff to bring it down on him.

Luckily, he'd managed to retain a tight grip on his sword. The figure swung
its weapon down on Justin, who brought up the sword and blocked the blow but
shuddered under its unnatural force. Again the apparition raised it to strike,
but Justin had now regained his senses and rolled to a safe distance away from
his assailant and rose to his feet; quaking in both fear and anger. "Who
are you?" He demanded. "Why do you attack me?"

The attacker expertly twirled his staff to a ready-defensive position and
slid the hood off. "I'm Brutus, Sheriff of Nottinghamshire." His
opponent's voice boomed in the darkness. "You're trespassing on property
owned by the Crown."

Brutus? Justin's jaw dropped. He'd known a bear named Brutus in his
childhood. While they had not been best friends, they'd played and worked
together over many seasons. He dropped his sword to the floor and said,
"Brutus, it's me! Justin! I used to live with the Frasiers.
Remember?"

Brutus thought back to his childhood. He'd been so depressed lately that
he'd been seeking solace in both Ale and nostalgia to relieve himself of the
burden of the guilt that he'd been carrying since helping Jenner to power. Yes,
he dimly remembered a family of foxes named Frasier who'd lived a short ways
down the road. But it'd been a very large one and he'd always had trouble
remembering the names of all those brothers and sisters and cousins.
"You're gonna have to do better than that!" He called out. "I
knew plenty of Frasiers when I was a cub! You couldn't walk the fields without
stepping on one 'r another of 'em."

Justin laughed and let himself relax. "Yep, that was us!" He said.
"Your father, his name's Benjamin, right? He was always complaining about
how we were going to overrun the Shire one day, but he was never happier than
when Papa would 'volunteer' some of us to help him when he was late bringing in
the Harvest."

Brutus was flabbergasted by this remark. Indeed, his late father HAD often
made such a comment; though only in jest. Brutus shook his head in disbelief as
more memories began tosurface. He now recalled that there HAD been a kit named
Justin living with the Frasiers, an orphan or something, but he'd run away
years ago for some reason. "If you're who you say you are, why'd you
leave? The Justin I knew ran away from home years ago an' never returned!"
Brutus recalled bitterly.

Justin walked to the staircase and sat down heavily on the lowest stoop.
"I never ran away." He said despondently. "Papa sent me to join
the King's Guard because he wanted me to be more than a simple farmer all my
life. But I never got a chance to say good-bye to any of my friends. Maybe that's
why you think I ran away."

Brutus regarded the dark shape that sat at the bottom of the stairs
quizzically. The tone of Justin's voice, if indeed this WAS the same Justin
that he had known those many years ago, betrayed no hint of any attempt at
deception. After a few moments hesitation, he decided to take the chance that
this trespasser was telling the truth. He relaxed his guard and joined his
former adversary, taking a seat next to him. "So why are you here?"
Brutus asked. "The Frasier place is a good two days South of here."

Justin recounted as briefly as possible the events of the past several
months and explained the events that had caused him to end up being adopted,
showing Brutus the locket, jewel box and letter by the dim yellow flame of his
lantern. He also showed Brutus the bronze monument embedded in the floor.

Brutus, while somewhat skeptical about certain details of the fox's story,
nodded his agreement to its overall factuality. He bitterly confessed to Justin
his own role in bringing Jenner to power and the betrayal and injustice that he
felt he'd done to his constituents, explaining to him about Jenner's Land
Repossession Decree.

"Incredible!" Justin exclaimed in disbelief. "I knew his
greed was boundless, but this puts him around the bend! Doesn't he realize that
something like this could cause a civil war?"

"Probably." Brutus said disconsolately, "But I get the
distinct feeling that he doesn't really give a tinker's damn. He an' his rich
friends are on a power trip an' they expect his poorer subjects to pull the
cart."

Just then, Justin had a disturbing thought. "Linney and Galen!" He
blurted out.

"Who?" Brutus asked, perplexed by this sudden turn in the
conversation.

"My oldest sister and her husband!" Justin exclaimed.

Brutus thought back. "Isn't she blind or something?" He asked,
trying to sort out his memories of the Frasier family.

"Yes, she's blind, but that's not my point!" Justin cried,
frustrated at Brutus's interruptions. "The plot of land that they farm is
their only source of food; not to mention about a dozen other families! Without
it, they'll have nothing to eat this winter!"

"Wait! Wait!" Brutus interjected. "The decree says nothing
about taking the food itself! Only the land!"

"Think about it!" Justin said, a frightened urgency in his voice.
"Jenner doesn't want JUST the land! He also wants to be able to control
the supply of the food that's grown FROM that land! Otherwise he has no control
over his Kingdom!"

Brutus arched his brow in skepticism. "You think that he would actually
use food as a weapon against his own subjects?" He asked, wondering if the
fox had taken leave of his senses.

"No." Justin said confidently. "I believe that he will use
CONTROL of food as his weapon. Remember, not many animals know how to live off
the land anymore. We've grown too dependent on our grown crops. By taking
control of the food supply this close to the Harvest, Jenner intends to prove
to those of us who continue to refuse to bend to his will just how far he's
willing to go to maintain his rule."

Brutus, now deep in thought, rubbed at the fur on the underside of his chin.
What Justin was proposing was incredible! Yet when looked at in the context of
the events since King Nicodemus's death, a chain of evidence; which he as a
law-enforcment officer was trained to recognize; began to fall all-too-clearly
into place. But as a law-enforcment official he was also, by nature,
distrustful of all but the most solid physical proof. He decided that he needed
more and thought he knew exactly how to get it. "Look," He said,
"Your story, unbelievable as it sounds, has a ring of truth to it so I'm
not going to dismiss it out of hand." Justin made as if to speak, but the
bear held up one of his huge paws. "I know what you're going to say! You
wouldn't be here if it weren't. And believe me, my gut tells me that you are
who you say you are! But my gut also told me that Jenner would make a good King
and look how THAT turned out! I know a few friends in high places who should be
able to verify enough of your story to determine whether you're on the
up-and-up. Meanwhile, I'll inform my Deputies that you're just a harmless tramp
who's down on his luck and that I've taken pity on you and am allowing you to
stay here for as long as you need to.

Justin chuckled. "Imagine that! A tramp in my own home!" He said
ruefully.

The bear smiled and said mock-indignantly, "May I remind you, Sir, that
this whole Estate is still technically owned by the Royal Trust; I'd hate to
imagine what kind of interest you're gonna have to pay in order to get it
back!"

Justin laughed fora few moments but then became serious once more.
"Look," He said to the Sheriff. "I need to go visit Linney and
Galen and see what kind of help, if any, I can offer them."

"No problem." The bear replied. "I'd like to tag along with
you and renew our acquaintance if it's alright with you."

Justin shrugged. "Sure, I could use the company." He said.
"Let me get my things together. It'll only take a few minutes."

Brutus nodded and waited as Justin recovered his sword and hurried upstairs
to the room that he'd appropriated.

Chapter Thirty-Three

As the first light of the sun began to penetrate through the mist of the
cold late-Summer morning, Justin and Brutus expertly navigated their way
through the still-dark forest.

"So how did you know that I was at my father's Estate?" Justin
inquired.

"I'm the Sheriff. It's my job to know what's goin' on in my baliwick.
When several peasants began telling the local constables and several of my
Deputies that a stranger dressed in a military uniform and carryin' a sword was
askin' directions to a place that hadn't been inhabited in twenty-some years,
well, that sort of caught my attention an' I figured that I'd better
investigate. Glad I did too. You never know what sort of ruffian you'll run
into in these here parts." Brutus replied only half-jokingly.

Justin nodded his agreement. "Yeah. Almost as bad as the ruffians
you're bound to run into at the Royal Palace these days." He said
sarcastically.

Brutus winced at the implication of Justin's observation.
"Touch`e." Brutus muttered.

They hiked at a fast clip for most of the rest of the morning, stopping only
once to rest and have a portion of the rations that Justin had packed for the
trip.

Just after Noon, they came to Linney and Galen's cottage. A group of several
dozen animals was gathered in the Heath and around the outdoor firepit with its
cookstand; a column of smoke and the smell of cabbage-pepper soup telling them
that an important event was in session. Even from a fair distance they could
hear the sound of voices raised in anger and debate. They both double-timed
their steps to hurry themselves toward the commotion.

"Linney!" Justin called out, hastening through the gathering crowd
toward the firepit. "Linney,I'm back!"

Linnette ceased stirring the soup and handed her ladle to one of the other
wives, grabbed her walking-stick; a thin but strong willow switch; and tapped
her way over to where she heard her brother's voice. "Oh Justin! I'm SO
glad you're back!" She cried as she embraced him, a tear of joy soaking
into the fur of her cheek. She gently began to caress his face and asked,
"Did you find what you were searching for?"

"Yes and no." He answered cryptically. "I'll tell you later.
What's going on here?" He asked, the puzzlement plain in his voice.

Linnette began quaking in anger and frustration. "Our so-called
"Majesty" has decided that the people of Britain aren't worthy of the
land on which they walk..."

"The Repossession Act." Justin stated bitterly.

"When did you...?" Linnette began.

"Last night. Brutus, the Sheriff of Nottingham, told me all about
it." He gently took her arm and began leading her to a knot of farmers
were arguing with the Sheriff and among themselves. "He says that he'd
like to meet you again."

One of her eyebrows arched questioningly. "Again?" She asked.
"I can't remember ever meeting him a first time." She said.

Without further word, Justin silenced the farmers debate and introduced his
sister to the Sheriff, treating her with a genuine respect that would have
pleased any Lady-of-the-Court.

Brutus bowed, gently took her paw and kissed it and said, "My apologies
to the Lady of this house for the conduct of His Majesty and the decree that
makes this gathering necessary. Jenner has become a spoiled brat and a menace
to all Britain and one day I shall see to it that he is shown the error of his
ways."

Linnette thanked Brutus and the crowd broke into applause.

The farmers then resumed their debate and one of them made his way from a
path leading into the forest through the crowd to Justin, Brutus and Linnette.
He was a strong and handsome fox, gray at the muzzle, and was dressed in old,
but clean, work-clothes and a well-worn felt hat. "Linney, what's going
on?" He asked, his voice a gentle baritone. "I heard cheering. Did
someone recind that awful Repossession Decree?"

"No such luck, Honey." She said. "But I think you remember my
adopted brother, Justin. He was at our wedding."

The older fox shook Justin's paw. "Linney told me about your troubles
with Jenner and your search for your family. I sincerely hope that everything
turns out for the best."

Justin thanked him.

She then introduced her husband to the Sheriff.

"Galen Talbot." The fox said, doffing his hat and firmly gripping
the bear's powerful, massive paw. "It would honor us if you would stay for
our meeting, Sir. We need as many calm and wise heads as we can find in a
moment of crisis such as we find ourselves in today."

The Sheriff smiled at the fox's optimism even in the face of such bad news.
"I'll be happy to stay and help in any way I can within the limits of my
office." He stated.

"Excellent! Although I have the feeling that this situation may be a
test of those limits." Galen replied. The fox then raised his arms and
called on everyone to gather around the firepit.

Once the various farmers and their wives and children had found places to
settle themselves for the meeting and several of the wives began serving the
cabbage-pepper soup, Galen called the meeting to order. "My friends,"
He began. "Only days ago His Majesty, King Jenner..." The
congregation began to jeer noisily at the mention of the King. Galen once again
raised his arms and called for silence, looking to the Sheriff with an embarrassed
expression in his eyes. The Sheriff sat silently and nodded his encouragement
to continue. After the crowd quieted down he resumed. "King Jenner issued
a decree calling for the transfer of almost all privately deeded lands to the
Crown. Why he's done this? I don't know. Although I'm sure that everybody has
their suspicions. But for the moment we have no real proof to confirm or
contradict our suspicions. Thus it is my belief that we need to discuss how we
can best resolve this situation, which is why I've called this little gathering
of the various local landholders."

"I'll tell ya one 'option' we 'ave!" A voice cried angrily.
"We can 'ang tha' idjit fr'm th' 'ighest TREE! Tha's wha' we c'n do!"

Several in the crowd, mostly the older children, let out a cheer; but their
parents angrily hushed them and the rest remained silent.

"Please, please!" Galen said, the distress plain in his voice.
"I know how angry we all are! I stand to lose my home and garden plot too!
But just being mad and making threats won't make the situation any better! We
have to make some sort of plan in order to get through the Harvest season
because, like it or not, the days are getting shorter and colder and Winter is
just around the corner!"

"Well wha' d'yer suggest, Talbot? I don' 'ear you comin' up wi' any
bri' idears." The owner of the voice stood. He was a grizzled old otter
dressed in ragged overalls and an equally ragged peacoat and a battered sea
hat. He'd originally been a sailor and had even lost an eye during a shipwreck.
Somehow, after his retirement, he had ended up on one of the surrounding farms.
Although his real name was Jonah, he went by the nickname "Blinkey".

Galen shrugged. He knew that the other animals in the area often looked to
him for advice and guidance because of his experience as a Colonel in His
Majesty's Army. "I don't know what to tell you, Blinkey." He said.
"I served King Nicodemus proudly for many years and could no more think of
committing Treason against the Crown than any of you. But this decree threatens
us all. Somehow we have to let Jenner know that he's overstepped his
authority."

"Y-Yes, bu-bu-but how?" A field mouse squeaked fearfully.
"One of m-my cousins who lives in The City says th-that Jenner's b-been
throwing smaller animals into the p-prisons to fatten them up s-so he can eat
them!"

The crowd reacted with a buzz of uncertainty and Galen once again raised his
arms to quiet them. "I don't know which of your cousins is feeding you
such nonsense, Mortimer," He said angrily, "But even Jenner wouldn't
stoop to something as vile as flesh-eating!" He then began to pace along a
well-worn path. "Look, this is a very serious situation! We can't allow
ourselves tobe misled or frightened by every little rumor that we hear! We need
FACTS!" He then walked over to the fallen, moss-covered log where Brutus
and Justin sat. "Sheriff, you get news from His Majesty's courier every
day. What've you heard?"

Brutus stood and gave a lopsided smile. "Well, first of all, I think
that I can reasonably assure everyone that Jenner, whatever you may think of
him at the moment, eats the same food as the rest of us." Most of the
crowd gave a collective chuckle. "But Farmer Talbot is correct; facts are
a far better indicator of any situation than rumor. And, unfortunately, the
facts are that King Jenner seems to have forgotten his obligations to both
Britain and his subjects in favor of a few rich friends. I would be lying if I
didn't tell you that I, myself, had helped him to get where he is
today..."

The crowd gasped in surprise, but Brutus continued.

"...But I've come to realize that this was a huge mistake on my part
and I'm willing to either use my Office to try to get him to reconsider his
position on the decree or, barring that, resign my position as Sheriff of this
Shire."

Again the congregation was in an uproar. Several began to jeer the Sheriff,
accusing him of attending the meeting so that he could report them to Jenner.

Justin stood and unsheathed his sword, placing the tip of the blade into the
soft dirt of the Heath and stood impassively until the crowd fell quiet. After
a few tense moments of silence he said, with barely controlled anger. "It
seems to me that you folk have more important problems than deciding who's to
blame for Jenner being on the Throne! The Sheriff has told you of his role in
helping Jenner to the Throne and he has apologized for doing so and he has
indicated his willingness to sacrifice his own livelihood for you!"

"An' who're you t' be talkin', Mister?" The otter demanded.
"What, 'sides fr'm tha' thar steel toothpick, gives you th' right t' be
havin' any say here?"

Justin stalked out to the middle of the clearing. "I'll tell you what
gives me the right!" He said. "I grew up in this Shire believing that
I had no parents other than the ones who adopted me. I didn't even know my last
name! A few weeks ago I found out that my real parents were Jonathan and Emma
Locksley and that they owned most of the land in the Shire, possibly including
land that some of you may be farming at this very moment! I don't happen to
care if ALL of my father's lands are gone except the manor-house and its
immediate Estate! But the thought that Jenner might someday turn my father's
lands and all of Britain into a slave-camp to enrich himself and his friends at
the expense of my sister," He pointed to Linnette, "Or my
brother-in-law," He then pointed at Galen, "Or any of you or your
children!" He swept his paw around to indicate the gathered circle,
"Such a thought makes me sick to the very pit of my stomach!" Justin
then walked to the Sheriff and pointed at him. "Brutus has told you that
he will give up his job in order to help the residents of this Shire."
Justin then walked back out to the middle of the clearing and knelt down and
placed the tip of the sword back into the damp ground. "But on my Honor as
a soldier I hereby swear to defend the animals of Britain and, if necessary,
GIVE MY LIFE to remove Jenner from the Throne and restore the Crown to a ruler
as wise as Nicodemus was!" He then stared hard into the eyes of the
multitude that was gathered around him. "Who among you will take this vow
with me for your own and your children's sake?" He asked.

"I will, little brother!" Linnette cried, almost jumping from the
rock on which she had been sitting; and she began tapping her way toward him.

Galen walked to his wife's side and, gently taking her by the paw, began
guiding her to where Justin was kneeling. "I'll accept that vow as
well." He announced. "From this day forward, I'll treat my wife's
brother as my own flesh-and-blood." Linnette, crying tears of joy, gave
her husband a loving hug. They then knelt beside Justin.

Brutus also stood and said, "I helped to bring this misfortune upon you
good folk and I'm willing to bear the burden of correcting my mistake. I too
will give my life for Britain and our future!" He also went to the middle
of the clearing and knelt at Justin's other side.

Individually and in family groups, the gathered animals took up Justin's vow
and knelt, surrounding him in a vast circle. Even Blinkey, after some hemming
and hawing, took it; grumbling about how this was no way to spend a retirement.

Afterward, the animals again took their seats around the Heath. "I
s'pose y' have a plan t' help us now tha' we've committed ourselves t' treason
agin' th' King!" Blinkey said dourly.

"Actually I do have one." Stated Justin, who had stood and
resheathed his sword. He then walked to Brutus and placed his paw on the bear's
huge shoulder. "But I'm afraid you're not going to like it very much, my
friend."

Brutus smiled and shrugged. "Hey, I just took an oath against my own
Boss! Any request that you make of me can't possibly be any worse of a hardship
on me than that!" He said.

Justin nodded. "Alright," He said, "The Plan is this: We are
going to create an Army of our own to defy Jenner and his friends and restore
some sanity to our lives!"

The crowd gasped and Blinkey stood. "Are y' DAFT, Boy?" He asked
angrily, his voice a whip of sarcasm. "How d'ya expect t' create 'n army
out 'f a few Farm-folk? Jenner's got a trained Army 'f 'is own tha' c'n turn us
int' so much chum if'n he wanted ta!"

"And do you know how he got that Army?" Justin countered. "He
recruits it from British families like yours! He takes fathers and brothers and
sons from their farms or shops and trains them to do his bidding; whether
that's defending our beloved Country from outside invaders or taking your
livelihood and lands and using it to satisfy his own lust for power and
riches!" Justin then began pacing the inner edge of the clearing, as if trying
to address each of the gathered animals individually. "If we are to meet
Jenner in battle, and I can pretty much guarantee that that's the ONLY way that
we'll get him off of the Throne, then we'll have to do some recruiting of our
own! We'll have to start spreading the word to all of Britain that there's a
group of animals in Nottinghamshire who've decided that they will DIE fighting
for their freedom rather than be condemned to live as slaves in their own
land!"

"But who's gonna train us?" A squirrel in the audience asked.
"An' where're we gonna get weapons? All we have're farm tools!"

Justin walked over to his brother-in-law. "Galen?" He asked,
"Do you think you're up to the task of helping me to raise a citizen
Army?"

Galen beamed proudly. "Just give the word, brother!" He said
happily.

Justin laid a paw on Galen's shoulder and smiled. "The word is given,
brother." He stated.

Justin then walked back to Brutus. "I'll need to use my father's Estate
as my headquarters if this little rebellion is going to have any chance of
success..."

"Say no more." The bear interjected. "I'll see what I can do
to give you enough time to get yourself established."

"Thank you." Justin said.

He then went back to the center of the circle. "My father's manor-house
will be my headquarters from now on." He stated. "Any family who
feels that they cannot safely remain on their own lands after they've harvested
their crop is invited to move into it for the Winter so long as they're willing
to share in its repair and upkeep."

Justin then motioned Galen to come to him. As Galen did so, Justin
announced, "My sister and brother-in-law are in charge of my father's
Estate until I can take care of some unfinished business. I should be back in
about a week or so. If they tell you to do anything in connection with the vow
that you took today, assume that I'm telling you to do it too."

Justin then took Galen aside. "Galen," He said, "I want you
and Linney to move out of this house," He pointed to the cottage.
"And into the manor-house as soon as you can."

A look of concern crossed Galen's face. "But why?" He asked.
"This is our home."

Justin nodded sadly. "I know! I know! But believe me when I say that I
don't give this order lightly! As soon as Jenner hears that we're standing up
to him, he's going to start pushing us to see just how serious we are! And
we've got to be able to push back without my having to worry all the time
whether my family is safe or not!" He exclaimed.

"But we live in such an isolated part of the forest..." Galen
tried to argue.

"All the more reason to get you and Linney out of here!" Justin
said flatly. "Jenner's already killed his own brother and my half-brother!
And he tried to kill Jonathan's widow and four children as well as two other
innocent animals. Do you really think he'd hesitate to add a retired soldier
and his blind wife to that kind of tally?"

An expression of terror crossed Galen's face as he imagined his wife alone
as a Troop of soldiers rode into the little Heath with Jenner at its head.
Galen sighed. "I guess you're right, brother." He said reluctantly.
"Let me go break the news to her."

Justin nodded again. "You don't have to start right this second, but
please don't take more than a couple of weeks at most." He instructed.
Galen nodded and rushed off to tell his wife the bad news.

Justin trudged wearily to the log where Brutus was sitting and began to put
on his backpack.

"I hope you know what you've started." Brutus said.

"I know what I've started!" Justin said sharply, anger dripping
from his words. "It's something I should've started months ago! If I'd had
the guts to kill Jenner when I discovered that he found out that Jonathan, Dr.
Ages and I were the ones who were keeping him from power; then maybe, just
maybe, King Nicodemus and Jonathan would still be alive!" He then sat on
the log and wiped a tear from the corner of one eye with the back of a paw.
"The cruelest irony in all of this," He continued sadly, "Is
that some of these innocent folk, most of whom just want to make a decent
living for themselves and their families, probably WILL end up dying! And not
through any fault of their own! That thought alone makes me want to kill Jenner
all the more!"

Brutus frowned, worried about Justin's sudden change of mood from
spellbinding leadership to self-pity. "I didn't mean to imply that their
situation is somehow your fault." He said. "If anything, I bear a
good part of the responsibility for putting Jenner on the Throne by letting my
own selfishness and greed for a piece of his action override my sense of duty
to my constituents!"

"You had no way of knowing what Jenner was up to!" Justin cried,
burying his head in his paws. "I'd suspected for years that he might try
to kill King Nicodemus! But there was always some small part of me, some awful
little voice, that always DENIED that one animal could do such a thing to
another! And by the time I was smart enough to stop listening to that voice, my
half-brother and my King; the two friends I'd sworn to give MY VERY OWN LIFE to
protect; were dead under several tons of stone and Evil itself was wearing the
Crown of Britain!"

Brutus decided that he'd heard enough. He reached down and grabbed Justin by
the scruff of his collar and stood him up. "On your feet, Soldier!"
He barked. Several heads turned but Brutus ignored the gawkers. "What the
hell is your problem, boy? Of course some of these animals are probably gonna
die! You've just declared war on their King! And war usually means a lotta
death an' destruction!"

Justin tried to fight his way loose, but Brutus's grip was vise-tight.
"HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMEONE DIE?" Justin screamed. "Someone you
loved like a brother! Someone who WAS your brother!" He whimpered. He then
began to collapse in a faint and Galen, who had heard the commotion and had come
running to find out what was happening, quickly supported him under one arm to
keep him from falling.

Galen, with Brutus's assistance, slowly walked his weeping brother-in-law
into the house and, after removing his sword-belt and hanging it over a chair,
laid Justin in his bed and placed the covers over him.

Justin grabbed Galen feebly by his arm. "Brother." Justin rasped.

"I'm here, brother." Galen answered.

"Have I done the right thing?" Justin asked, his eyes beginning to
glaze over with exhaustion.

Galen gently took Justin's paw. "These folk need their freedom back and
they need a Leader who can motivate them to fight for it. That you recognize
this and are willing to bear the responsibility shows everybody that you care
for them. Yes, I'd say you've done the right thing."

Justin smiled weakly and closed his eyes. Galen laid Justin's paw on top of
the blanket and he and Brutus quietly left the room, closing the door after
them.

Linnette was waiting for them in the main room, her face drawn with worry.
"What happened? Is Justin alright?" She asked.

"He's asleep." Galen said. "I think that the tension of the
past several months has finally taken its toll on him."

"What was the yelling about?" She asked. "I only heard a few
snatches of what was said."

"He feels guilty that some of us will die when Jenner comes to put down
our little rebellion." Brutus said.

Galen nodded his agreement. "The responsibilities of Leadership aren't
for the faint of heart." He said. "I led a Brigade of some five
thousand well-trained and well-disciplined soldiers for almost ten years.
Putting that many lives in one paw is, to say the least, a daunting
prospect." Galen then made his way to his favorite chair and motioned
Brutus to take a seat on the couch. "Certainly in the beginning I enjoyed
the power that I had over so many lives. But soon I found myself responsible
for making sure that the soldiers with families kept those families clothed and
fed and didn't drink their last pence away. I was responsible whenever one of
my soldiers got into a fight or broke the law in some other way; and, mind you,
military law is by necessity a good deal harsher than civil statutes; so I
sometimes had to impose punishments that would have been considered most unfair
by your standards, but were well in line with the regulations that I, as an
Officer in His Majesty's Army, was required to follow.

"Justin, on the other paw, will be at a distinct disadvantage because
he won't have had a basic training course to weed out those unfit or
unqualified for service. We'll basically be starting this Army pretty much from
scratch and you can bet your bottom crown that none of these farmers has ever
had to endure the kind of punishing discipline that will be necessary to turn
them into anything near an effective fighting force.

"Also, these farmers all have families to feed and crops to harvest
even while they're beginning their training, so he'll have to somehow adjust
any training schedule to take that into account. And once the crops ARE
harvested, training is going to have to continue through Winter no matter how
bad the weather might become because, sure as Spring rain, Jenner's gonna
attack as soon as the weather gives him the opportunity."

Galen ran a paw through the fur at the top of his head. "And that
doesn't even begin to cover things like how we're going to acquire and
distribute decent weapons, plan perimeter patrols and all the other arcana of
life within a military camp. We'll also have to figure out how to deal with
taking care of those families who, like us, decide to move to the Locksley
Estate."

"Leave that to me and the rest of the wives." Linnette said, her
thoughts turning to practical solutions to these problems. "I expect that
between us we ought to be able to figure something out."

"Excellent!" Galen said. "Sheriff, how many of your Deputies
do you think will go along with us and how many will go to Jenner?"

Brutus shrugged. "I'm not sure." He mused. "They take their
oath of Deputization pretty seriously, but that oath is to the spirit of the
Law rather than the person of the King. I think it'd be best if I just
explained my reasons for joining you and let them make their own
decision."

Galen nodded. "I suppose you're right. 'Flies to honey' would seem to
be the appropriate method to deal with this situation." He said.

While Galen went to collect wood for the nights fire, Linnette made her way
to the bedroom and sat near the foot of the bed in which Justin slept. She
listened to his deep, steady breathing and wondered what kind of dreams he was
having.