habit.
“Take that!” howled Esmeralda, swinging the crown in both hands and bringing it into sharp contact with the guard’s midriff.
“Oof!” gasped the guard, doubling over as Jack brought a tin mug down on his head.
But the guard wasn’t so easily dealt with. He swiped a long swipe with the halberd. The sharp edge only missed Jack by a hairs breadth as he leaped for his life off the desk. The other end of the halberd caught Esmeralda behind the ear and sent her sprawling, the crown and key skittering across the floor, between the guard’s legs and out of sight under the desk.
“Now I gotcha!” snarled the guard, his teeth bared as he stooped over the sprawling Esmeralda. “Mincemeat, you’re gonna be!”
At that moment, Trundle finally got his sword free. Without pausing to think, he leaped between the guard and Esmeralda, determined to protect her. He held his sword out in both hands as the guard loomed over him. The look on the guard’s face was so ferocious that he backed away, the sword quivering in his grip.
At that moment he was aware of a large brown shape leaping through the air. It was Jack. With a skirling cry, he launched himself onto the guard’s back. The guard tottered forward, trying vainly to pull Jack off his neck.
In all honesty, Trundle could not really have explained in detail what happened next. One moment he was waving his sword in the air, and the next moment, the guard came plunging toward him like a felled tree.
There was a dull bonk ! as the flat edge of the sword whacked the guard a good one on the side of the head. And then, quite suddenly, Trundle was flat on his back and covered all over in heavy, limp guard.
“Gurrg,” he gasped, the breath quite beaten out of him. “Get him off!”
Esmeralda and Jack dragged the unconscious guard off, and Trundle sat up, spluttering and befuddled. “What happened?” he gasped, gazing anxiously at Jack. “Did I kill him?”
“Hardly!” said Jack. “But you did manage to knock him out.”
“But for how long?” wondered Esmeralda, peering into the guard’s face. “I think we should tie him up—just to be on the safe side.” She turned, her eyes shining. “Well done, my brave and dashing Trundle! I never thought you had it in you.”
Trundle got dizzily to his feet. “I didn’t … it wasn’t…” He looked at the guard, a feeling of pride growing in him. “Serves him right!” he declared. “What can we tie him up with?”
“With his own trousers, what else!” laughed Jack, already loosening the limp guard’s belt. “Come on, you two—help a chap out!”
In next to no time they had whipped off the guard’s pants, leaving him in rather grubby knee-length underwear with frayed ends and burst seams. He was tossed unceremoniously onto his front, and the legs of his trousers were looped around and around his wrists and knotted tightly.
Esmeralda then peeled off his long socks and tied one expertly around his ankles. Finally, she lifted his head and stuffed the other sock into his mouth. “In case he wakes up and feels like shouting for help,” she remarked heartlessly.
Trundle’s forehead wrinkled. “All the same,” he said. “Putting stinky socks in a person’s mouth is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Esmeralda eyed him. “He was going to chop us into tiny pieces, Trundle,” she said, patting him on the back. “I think a mouthful of old sock is the least he deserves!”
Trundle picked up his sword from the floor. It felt different in his paw now—it felt suddenly very serious and important and … fateful . It had knocked out the guard and probably saved them all.
“He was going to kill us, wasn’t he?” Trundle said, slipping the sword into his belt. “And I stopped him!”
“He certainly was, and you certainly did,” replied Esmeralda, crawling under the desk to retrieve the crown and the key.
“You’re a hero, Trundle!” said Jack.
“And now let’s get out of here before
“Take that!” howled Esmeralda, swinging the crown in both hands and bringing it into sharp contact with the guard’s midriff.
“Oof!” gasped the guard, doubling over as Jack brought a tin mug down on his head.
But the guard wasn’t so easily dealt with. He swiped a long swipe with the halberd. The sharp edge only missed Jack by a hairs breadth as he leaped for his life off the desk. The other end of the halberd caught Esmeralda behind the ear and sent her sprawling, the crown and key skittering across the floor, between the guard’s legs and out of sight under the desk.
“Now I gotcha!” snarled the guard, his teeth bared as he stooped over the sprawling Esmeralda. “Mincemeat, you’re gonna be!”
At that moment, Trundle finally got his sword free. Without pausing to think, he leaped between the guard and Esmeralda, determined to protect her. He held his sword out in both hands as the guard loomed over him. The look on the guard’s face was so ferocious that he backed away, the sword quivering in his grip.
At that moment he was aware of a large brown shape leaping through the air. It was Jack. With a skirling cry, he launched himself onto the guard’s back. The guard tottered forward, trying vainly to pull Jack off his neck.
In all honesty, Trundle could not really have explained in detail what happened next. One moment he was waving his sword in the air, and the next moment, the guard came plunging toward him like a felled tree.
There was a dull bonk ! as the flat edge of the sword whacked the guard a good one on the side of the head. And then, quite suddenly, Trundle was flat on his back and covered all over in heavy, limp guard.
“Gurrg,” he gasped, the breath quite beaten out of him. “Get him off!”
Esmeralda and Jack dragged the unconscious guard off, and Trundle sat up, spluttering and befuddled. “What happened?” he gasped, gazing anxiously at Jack. “Did I kill him?”
“Hardly!” said Jack. “But you did manage to knock him out.”
“But for how long?” wondered Esmeralda, peering into the guard’s face. “I think we should tie him up—just to be on the safe side.” She turned, her eyes shining. “Well done, my brave and dashing Trundle! I never thought you had it in you.”
Trundle got dizzily to his feet. “I didn’t … it wasn’t…” He looked at the guard, a feeling of pride growing in him. “Serves him right!” he declared. “What can we tie him up with?”
“With his own trousers, what else!” laughed Jack, already loosening the limp guard’s belt. “Come on, you two—help a chap out!”
In next to no time they had whipped off the guard’s pants, leaving him in rather grubby knee-length underwear with frayed ends and burst seams. He was tossed unceremoniously onto his front, and the legs of his trousers were looped around and around his wrists and knotted tightly.
Esmeralda then peeled off his long socks and tied one expertly around his ankles. Finally, she lifted his head and stuffed the other sock into his mouth. “In case he wakes up and feels like shouting for help,” she remarked heartlessly.
Trundle’s forehead wrinkled. “All the same,” he said. “Putting stinky socks in a person’s mouth is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Esmeralda eyed him. “He was going to chop us into tiny pieces, Trundle,” she said, patting him on the back. “I think a mouthful of old sock is the least he deserves!”
Trundle picked up his sword from the floor. It felt different in his paw now—it felt suddenly very serious and important and … fateful . It had knocked out the guard and probably saved them all.
“He was going to kill us, wasn’t he?” Trundle said, slipping the sword into his belt. “And I stopped him!”
“He certainly was, and you certainly did,” replied Esmeralda, crawling under the desk to retrieve the crown and the key.
“You’re a hero, Trundle!” said Jack.
“And now let’s get out of here before
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