Don Alonso said there were precedents of knights living in forests and protecting them from troublemakers. He and Sancho Panza offered to patrol Minced Forest while Glorvina did the paperwork Binky required to take action.
Their offer gave Flaccus Intrepidus Nauta an idea.The sailor ghost suggested following a Roman tradition that had worked quite well in the past. We had to name a king of the woods.
Nauta had once taken a pleasure trip to Lake Nemi, in Italy. This is a beautiful body of water also known as Diana’s Mirror, because the moon goddess Diana loved to hunt in a an equally beautiful wood near the lake.
Nauta said that one day a fugitive slave entered this wood with the purpose of hiding in it. His pursuers were unable to draw him out.Tired of trying to trap him, they decided to make a deal with him instead.
A place that attracts tourists also attracts vandals, arsonists, careless fools and other undesireables.The slave who was in hiding would be granted sanctuary in Diana’s wood if he promised to defend it against such malefactors.
For a time all went well. Not too many people care to cause trouble in a forest that belongs to a goddess and is defended by a fiend.
But then a second slave heard about the man people called the king of the woods. He plunged into the forest thinking to steal the first slave’s job. The two men fought and the king killed the pretender.
But more slaves began to show up with the same intention. Finally, the first king of the woods fell in battle and was succeeded by a new king.
So there would be no killing the king of our wood to succeed him, which was the part most of us didn’t like about Nauta’s idea, he suggested appointing somebody who was already dead to be guardian of Minced Forest.
Artemius was the ghost of a very young man who had been condemned to the galleys for piracy. Although he was a pirate when alive, he had seen the error of his ways. He was big and strong enough to frigthen troublemakers and smart enough not to cause trouble himself. Despite his great size, he could be stealthy, and was by nature quiet. He was laconic, never said much, and didn’t mind spending long periods of time by himself. He also liked nature and had a gift for communicating with other animals.
Glorvina consulted the inhabitants of Minced Forest and its outskirts and everyone agreed the best option for the moment was to crown Artemius.
We did this in a small ceremony.
After purifying himself in the stream that ran through the woods its king to be donned a green patchwork tunic embroidered with runes in red and brown thread. He had very long black dreadlocks hanging all the way to his waist and the forest fairies twined leaves and vines into them and set a crown of ivy and clover on the top of his head. For a scepter, he was given a maul. Its bronze head was polished till it shone like gold. It had a black handle of carved and varnished ash. Artemius was also armed with a heavy stone hand axe. When he crossed his arms with his weapons in his hands, he looked as forbidding as an Egyptian pharoah. He made a wonderful woodwose, though younger-looking than most. We were all very proud to have such a fine forest ranger. The forest creatures, animal and fairy as well as a few humans that live in there, all swore allegiance. We who frequented the forest also pledged our support.Well, all but Alpin. From the very first look they exchanged, it was clear he and the forest king were natural enemies.
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