Tuesdays at the Castle

Rolf arrives with food for his sisters the following morning. He tells them he’s being forced to do the will of the council: “I’m to be their puppet: do what they say, say what they tell me, or they’ll kill me and put Khelsh on the throne” (119). The council doesn’t want to take immediate action because the people need time to get used to Khelsh. In addition to these grim tidings, Rolf also brings some happier news. Pogue and half the soldiers have escaped and are presumably going back to search for the rest of the royal family. Rumors are already spreading through the castle staff that the king and queen are still alive.

Rolf goes back to his own room but tells the girls to stay hidden in the tower. Celie offers to continue her spying. She has a hunch that Lulath is on their side and wants to see how grand his accommodations are. This will indicate how much the castle trusts him. On her way, she also inspects Khelsh’s rooms, which are cramped and awful. “‘Serves you right,’ Celie said to the hard bed. ‘The Castle may not be able to spit you out like a bit of gristle, but it can still let you know that you are not wanted here’” (127).

Celie returns to report to Lilah. Rolf is in the throne room with the council, but the girls discover they can use the tower’s spyglasses to see inside any room they choose. When they locate Rolf, he’s being threatened by the councilors and looks worried. Celie asks the castle to give her a way to overhear their conversation, and a door immediately appears. She thinks, “That made four times, at least, that she had needed something and the Castle had provided. She felt a little light-headed” (130-31).

Slipping on her cloak, Celie heads for the throne room. Listening outside, she realizes that the council and the prince are demanding that Rolf make Khelsh his heir. Rolf stalls for time and leaves, infuriating Khelsh further. Celie then rushes toward the kitchen to fetch some food and runs straight into Lulath.

Lulath asks Celie if she’s alright. He confides that he wants to help her family. He insists, “I also am a good person, and want to be helping you. This regency, I think they are not good. They are with Khelsh, who is very much not good” (137-38). Not sure whether to trust Lulath, Celie abruptly asks to see his rooms. When she’s shown inside, she is amazed by the opulence the castle has provided for the prince.

His three lap dogs are waiting to greet him, and they also take a liking to Celie. As Celie and Lulath sit on the floor playing with the dogs, the prince confides that Khelsh has been banished from his own kingdom and that he arrived at Castle Glower without the knowledge of his family. Lulath urges Celie to let him help her. She suggests that he write letters to his father and Khelsh’s father to tell them what’s going on in Sleyne. Celie believes the news will carry more weight if it comes from an adult prince rather than an eleven-year-old princess. In case Lulath needs to reach her, Celie shows him the handkerchief signal.

Rolf and Lilah are heartened when Celie gives them the news that Lulath is their ally. The children realize that while they’re waiting for rescue, they should do something to oust the intruders from the castle themselves. They plan subtle acts of sabotage and start by tearing small rips in the seams of their enemies’ clothing. The council and Khelsh will probably blame the castle for these mishaps.

The next day, when the council summons Rolf to intimidate him again about naming an heir, Khelsh’s tunic starts to unravel. The councilors’ gowns soon do the same. In all the confusion and embarrassment, Rolf excuses himself and leaves. Celie is delighted with and inspired by the results: “She rubbed her hands together. She had a great many more pranks planned now” (156).

The children escalate their attack. Under cover of night, they carry wheelbarrows of manure inside the castle and spread the compost on the bottom of their enemies’ shoes. They also enlist the aid of a few maids to steal all the chamber pots from the rooms of the counselors and the prince. Lulath is amused when he hears about the mischief and gives Celie a bag of supplies that she might find useful. When she peeks inside, she finds:

There was a cake of scented soap wrapped in paper, a bundle of clean, pressed handkerchiefs tied with a ribbon, a couple of books, a box of imported Grathian sweets, and a small bit of mirror on a long brass wand. (161)

Lulath shows her how to use the mirror to spy around corners. He also includes a velvet cloak for Lilah. Celie carries her new treasures back to the tower. Exhausted from her night’s work, she falls asleep immediately.