# ■ 3 The King goes to his coronation

I do not know how long I was asleep，but when I woken I was cold and wet．Sapt and Fritz stood there looking at me．'We had to wake you，'Sapt said．'Gold water was the only way．'

Fritz took my arm and turned me round．'Look！'he said．

The King was on the floor，and when Sapt pushed him with his foot，he did not move．

We've been trying to wake him for half an hour，'said Fritz．'But he's sleeping like a dead man．'

The three of us looked at each other．

Was there something in that last bottle of wine？'I asked．

I don't know，'Sapt said，'but if be doesn't get to his coronation today，there'll never be a coronation for him．All Ruritania is waiting for him in Strelsau and Black Michael with half the army，too．We can't tell them that the King is too drunk to go to his own coronation！'

You can say he's ill，' I said．

Ill！'Sapt laughed angrily．'Everybody will know what that means．He's been“ill”too many times before．'

Tell me，do you think somebody put something in his wine？'I asked．

It was Black Michael！'Fritz replied．'We all know he wants to be King himself．'

For a moment or two we were all silent，and then Sapt looked at me，'You must go to Strelsau and take his place！'

I stared at him．'You're crazy，man！How can I do that？The King…'

It's dangerous，I know，'said Sapt．'But it's our only chance．If you don't go，Black Michael will be King and the real king will be dead or a prisoner．'

How could I refuse？It took me two minutes to decide．

I'll go！'I said．

Well done，boy！'cried Sapt．He went on quickly and quietly．'After the coronation they'll take us to the palace for the night．When we're alone，you and I will leave and ride back here to fetch the King．He'll be all right by then．I'll take him back to Strelsau and you must get out of the country as fast as you can．'

But what about the soldiers？Fritz asked．'They're Duke Michael's men，and they're coming to take the King back to Strelsau for the coronation．'

We'll go before the soldiers get here，'Sapt said，'and we'll hide the King．'

He picked up the King in his arms and we opened the door．An old woman，Johann's mother，was standing there．She turned，without a word，and went back to the kitchen．

Did she hear？'Fritz asked．

Don't worry．I'll make sure she can't talk，'Sapt said，and he carried the King away．

When he returned，he told us that he had locked the old woman in a room underground．The King and Josef were hidden in another room underground．'Josef will take care of the King and tell him everything when he wakes up．Come，'he went on，'there's no time to lose．It's already six o'clock．'

Soon I was dressed in the King's clothes，the horses were ready and we were on our way．As we rode through the forest，Sapt told me everything that he could about my life，my family，my friends，and the things I liked or did not like．He told me what to do when we got there，and how to speak to different people．He was a wonderful teacher，and I listened hard．One mistake could mean death for all three of us．

It was eight o'clock when we arrived at the station and got on the train，and by halfpast nine we were in Strelsau．

And when King Rudolf the Fifth stepped out of the train，the people shouted，'God save the King！'

Old Sapt smiled，'God save them both，'he said quietly．'I only hope we are all alive tonight！'

■ 3 國王加冕

我不知道自己睡了多長時間，醒來時我發覺又冷又溼。薩普特和弗裡茨站在那兒看著我。“我們得弄醒你，”薩普特說，“涼水是唯一的辦法。”

弗裡茨抓住我的胳膊讓我轉過身：“你看，”他說。

國王在地板上。薩普特用腳碰他，但是他不動。

“我們一直在想弄醒他，都有半個小時了。”弗裡茨說，“可他睡得像死人一樣。”

我們三人你看看我，我看看你。

“最後那瓶酒裡有什麼東西吧？”

“我不知道。”薩普特說，“不過假如他今天不去加冕，他就永遠別想有另一個加冕典禮。所有的盧裡塔尼亞人都在斯特萊索等著他。黑邁克爾也在那兒，還帶著一半兒軍隊。我們沒法告訴他們國王醉得太厲害，參加不了自己的加冕大典。”

“你可以說他病了。”我說。

“病了！”薩普特冷笑道，“誰都知道病了是什麼意思。他以前已經病得太多了。”

“告訴我，你們想會不會有人把什麼東西放在他的酒裡了？”我問。

“是黑邁克爾乾的！”弗裡茨回答，“我們都知道他自己想當國王。”

有那麼一會兒我們都沒說話，然後薩普特看著我，“你必須去斯特萊索代替他。”

我緊緊盯著他，“你瘋了！我怎麼能幹這個！國王他……”

“這很危險，我明白，”薩普特說，“但這是我們唯一的機會，要是你不去的話，黑邁克爾就會成為國王，而真正的國王就會死去或者成為一名囚徒。”

我怎麼能拒絕呢？我想了兩分鐘就下了決心。

“我去！”我說。

“太好了，小夥子！”薩普特叫道。他快速而小聲地說下去，“大典之後，他們會帶我們去王宮過夜，等到就剩我們的時候，你和我騎馬回來接國王。他那時就沒事了。我會帶他去斯特萊索，而你必須離開這個國家。”

“可是那些士兵怎麼辦？”弗裡茨問，“他們是黑邁克爾的人，他們會前來帶國王到斯特萊索去加冕。”

“士兵還沒到達之前我們就走。”薩普特說，“而且我們還要把國王藏起來。”

他抱起國王，我們打開了門。一個老太太，約翰的媽媽，正站在門外。她轉過身，一句話也沒說就走回了廚房。

“她聽到了嗎？”弗裡茨問。

“別擔心，我會弄妥讓她沒法告訴別人的。”薩普特說著，把國王弄走了。

等他回來時，他告訴我們，他已經把那個老太太鎖在一間地下室裡了。“約瑟夫會照顧國王的，等國王醒來時會把什麼都告訴他。來吧，”他說，“沒有時間了，已經6點了。”

很快，我穿上了國王的衣服，馬早已備好，我們就上路了。當我們穿過森林時，薩普特盡他所能地告訴我一切，有關我的生活，我的家庭，我的朋友，我喜歡什麼不喜歡什麼。他告訴我等到了那兒要做什麼，以及怎麼和不同的人說話。他是個好老師，我聽得也很努力，因為一個錯誤就可能讓我們三人喪命。

我們到車站上車的時候是8點鐘。8點半我們就到了斯特萊索。

當國王魯道夫五世邁出車廂時，人們歡呼道：“上帝拯救國王！”

老薩普特微笑道，“上帝拯救他們兩個人。”他小聲說，“我只希望今晚我們都還活著！”