CHAPTER 2
"THE GUARDIAN OF LIZARD VALLEY"
PREVIOUSLY:
Lizy the Lizard received a strange letter from the King of Lizard Valley inviting him to the castle
"Don’t be silly," laughed Sandy, "But we’ll find out soon enough, I think."
Lizy knocked on the large wooden gates of the castle’s outer wall. The sentries up on the wall motioned for the gate to be opened. Once inside the courtyard, they were greeted by the Captain of the Guards, John A. Fonus.
"Good evening," Lizy greeted him, "I didn’t think you’d be here today. Aren’t you supposed to be on leave this week?"
"Well, I was," replied Fonus (who usually went by his last name), "But his excellency wanted security really tight tonight. Nobody knows why, either. I was hoping maybe you would know."
"Strange," Sandy thought aloud, "But we don’t know anything more than you do. Speedy delivered an invitation to Lizy this morning, and we’ve been trying to figure it out all day."
"Well, Line’s here too," said Fonus, "And he and the King have been in the royal chambers all day discussing something real important with the generals and governors of all Lizard Valley."
"I wonder what my dad and them are up to, then?" Lizy wondered. "And I wonder what it has to do with me."
"In any case, I’m supposed to escort you to the throne room," Fonus spoke up. "But I don’t think Sandy is supposed to be here."
"Actually, the invitation requested I bring Sandy, too," Lizy answered showing the invitation to Fonus.
"Okay, then," replied Fonus, as he looked it over for himself. "Follow me."
Fonus turned around and lead Lizy into the castle itself. It wasn’t a very large castle, but it was one of the few things that Lizard Valley owned that was highly valued among it’s neighbors. Soon they reached the throne room, where the King of Lizard Valley sat upon his throne with a highly decorated lizard standing by his side. The King was nearly twice as large as most of the other lizards in the Valley, and he was very clever and wise. The throne room, usually a buzz of activity, was quite empty that night.
"Hello, your Majesty," Lizy said as he and Sandy bowed. "You invited us here, sir?"
"You don’t have to be so formal," laughed the King, which made Lizy fell much better. "And to answer the question, yes I did. Your father and I have come to a decision that concerns you greatly."
"That’s right," said the lizard by the King’s side, "You, of course, know that that the Guardian of Lizard Valley, a title of highest honor, has been passed down through our family since the Valley was first founded."
"Yes, of course I know that!" replied Lizy, "After all, everyone in the Valley knows that, especially you."
"And so you know what the Guardians are intended for, right?" Line continued.
"Yes, but why?" asked Lizy, "You’re the King’s right-hand man. You’re a diplomat, a general, a financial manager, and a law enforcement officer all rolled into one. And that’s just the beginning! But a nation as small as ours needs somebody like you to help it stay afloat with the kind of enemies we have on our borders. You’re not thinking of passing your title to me are you?!"
"Exactly," replied the King as a hush fell over the few creatures in the room. The most shocked of all, was of course, Lizy. But he would not have a chance to reply for the time being, even if he could manage to get over his shock quite that fast.
"Sir!" interrupted a guard coming into the throne room, quickly shutting the large double doors behind him.
"Hey!" cried Fonus, "What’s going on here? This is a top-secret meeting! You’re supposed to be patrolling the hallway."
"But you don’t understand, sir!" pleaded the guard, but it was too late. The double doors burst open, and a large, dark shadow stood blocking the doorway.