"Reunited..." - Chapter Twenty-Five

Reunited...

Chapter Twenty-Five

By Douglas E. Gogerty

At breakfast, King Thorbjorn told Princess Angelina about the founding of Lakeland Kingdom:

It was a time of great conflict. A once great nation was tearing itself apart. It was partially due to a struggle over water; however, Lakeland had its lakes. Thus, water was not much of an issue here. It was other parts of the nation.

Nonetheless, many economic difficulties resulted in the upheaval. Difficulties that were both real and imaginary. There were riots and violence in the streets of the cities throughout the country. The citizens could not get any help from the structures designed to prevent these problems from getting out of hand. Hence, the effects of the water wars hit everyone. The great nation was doomed.

When the rest of his fellow citizens were rioting for justice and the rule of law, the First King, as we call him, was gathering up resources. He collected enough food and water for several years, and he stored them in what became our castle complex.

The city in which he lived had a university. This university had met with hard times because of the disinterest of the state and federal government. This was the case of several government-supported institutions. Thus, many university buildings nationwide were greatly underused (or abandoned.) Hence, the First King stored his supplies in the upper levels of a tall university building, and no one noticed.

This gave him several advantages. Of course, there was limited access. There were two stairwells and an elevator. In times of trouble, or when there was no electricity, the elevator was disabled. Hence, attackers would have to climb several flights of stairs. Blocking off one stairwell meant that a single person could defend upper floors. This is what the King did.

Hence, while the citizens were rioting because of the shortage of food and other services, the First King was building the defenses for his acquired stronghold. He built a reinforced concrete wall on the tenth floor of one of the stairwells. Thus, no one could go any further than ten floors in that stairwell.

On the eleventh floor, he built his defenses for the other stairwell. If you made it past him, you could finish going up to his storehouse. However, he made his defenses quite formidable. He electrified the steel door and greatly increased its strength. Further, he co-opted the sprinkler system for a fire attack.

He also built his barricade in the stairway in such a way that he could fire projectile weapons through it without taking fire himself. He had a few crossbows, but his main weapon for use was a pneumatic nail-gun. He cranked up the pressure so the nails could penetrate most armor. They were seldom lethal, but they were painful. With the electrified door and the flamethrowers, he could single-handedly defend his castle.

Thus, when the riots for control of land and buildings hit, the First King was fully prepared. He had his defenses in place, and he had a great supply of food and water. He was fully ready for whatever came his way.

The First King's stronghold had a connecting tunnel to other university buildings. Thus, when he had an opportunity, he would reinforce or block off other entrances. In this way, he could improve the security of his stronghold, and increase the size of his castle complex.

When winter fell, it fell hard on Lakeland. It was cold and the city's infrastructure had collapsed. The First King had no electricity. He had some batteries to provide emergency power for his defenses. They were not to be wasted on heat.

It was a bitter cold winter. The great King had overlooked heat, but he quickly rectified the situation by building a fireplace in the university building. However, he had to go out and gather firewood on a regular basis. Further, he had to carry the gathered wood up the stairs. Hence, it was exhausting work. Many times he just stayed under copious blankets.

The King could use the nearby river for power and irrigation, as there was a large stretch of land next it. There was enough land for him to grow a large array of crops. He had it all planned out for when spring arrived. He just needed to survive the harsh winter. While he struggled, he managed to make it.

Many did not survive the harsh Lakeland winter. Rioters and looters destroyed the crops of the farms. These same groups took or killed much of the livestock. Thus, there was little food being raised in the turmoil of the collapsing nation. Starvation was common. Thus, any store of food was greatly valuable.

Next to the river, the First King planted a small garden. He tilled all of the land by hand, and planted some vegetables. It snowed well into spring, and he hoped he would get a crop. He did not need to grow food yet, but it would supplement his stores. Further, he craved fresh food. There would not be enough to share, but it would be a good start.

However, this garden did not go unnoticed. A group of raiders spied him working the land. He was weeding his plot when they struck. A dozen men rushed him. He jumped into the frigid river to avoid capture. He swam downstream and got out when he could not take much more.

As fast as he could run, he made a dash towards his stronghold. The raiders were on his heals as he entered his building. He attempted to seal the door, but they broke through. He rushed through the tunnels towards his barricaded station. The many trips up and down the stairs worked to his advantage. He managed to make it to his position well ahead of the group of attackers.

He enabled the electrified door and readied his defenses before they climbed the eleven flights to his position. The first man got full brunt from the nail-gun. The second man in his attempt to avoid the flying nails tried the door. The electricity froze him and he shivered at the door. It took several tries from his comrades to free the man from the trap.

Five of the raiders died at the hands of the great king before they left the barricaded position. They left the bodies of their dead comrades at the barricade, and they had already begun to smell. Hence, the great King threw them out the 11th floor window. Naturally, this upset the raiders and they resumed their assault.

They attacked for several days, but they could not overcome the well-planned defenses. All twelve ended up losing their lives in their assault. Some of the local survivors took note of this feat. After that incident, the First King and many area survivors allied themselves. They helped with the garden. They helped build the power station. They established the kingdom of Lakeland.