Roland the King started ruling the kingdom called Delain when he was 50.

And although
he was old, he was allowed to marry late because he had not met a woman whom he fancies
before, and that his mother, the great Dowager Queen of Delain, seemed immortal to everyone.
She has been ruling the kingdom for almost 50 years until one day at tea, she put a slice of lemon
in her mouth to cure her cough. A juggler was performing with five crystal balls, and dropped
one of them. It produced a large sound which shocked the Queen, and the lemon in her mouth
was pulled down to her throat, choking her to death.

A king without an heir makes everyone nervous, so it is Roland’s best interest to marry
and have an heir soon. Flagg, his close advisor and a magician who lived for hundreds and
hundreds of years, introduced six women of noble blood to him. He chose Sasha, from the
Western Barony and was only seventeen at that time, because she seemed the quietest, meekest,
and the least to frighten him. So they were wed. The kingdom loved their new Queen for she is
good and kind. She created the Great Hospital, made King Roland outlaw the practice of
bearbaiting, and pleaded for a Remission of King’s Taxes in the year of the great drought.

Roland grew to love his Queen, but he still can’t make love to her. One night, he came to
her and told her about his hunt. He didn’t miss a detail about how he had slain a dragon, which
he called Niner, using his father’s great bow, Foe-Hammer, and ate its nine-chambered heart
raw. Sasha listened and reacted enthusiastically, which won his heart. That night, the two
embraced. Nine months later, Peter was born on the same bed, which made the kingdom rejoice.

Four months after the birth of Peter, Flagg made the king’s potion, which Roland takes
regularly whenever he comes to Sasha’s room, stronger. So that night, in the course of loving
her, he hurt her instead. Roland never touched Flagg’s drink again. And nine months later, Sasha
died after giving birth to their second son, Thomas. The whole kingdom was saddened. Everyone
thought that she died in childbirth, but Flagg ordered the midwife, Anna Crookbrows, to murder
her.

Peter was only five when her mother died. Only one memory clearly stayed in his mind:
he must not forget to use a napkin when eating. Sasha has taught Peter how to be a good boy, for
she believes that it would make him a good king. Out of the thousands of toys that he has, his
most favourite is his mother’s doll house, made by Quentin Ellender, the greatest craftsman in
the land. Flagg told Roland that it’s not appropriate for a boy to play with doll houses. Roland
went and watched his son play and discovered that his son uses the doll house to make stories of
blood, thunder, armies, and dragons. He then decided that it’s okay for Peter to keep his Queen’s
toy. He waited for Flagg’s rebuttal, but received none. Flagg only thought that he was able to kill
the Queen after all.

Many years passed, and during these years, Flagg carefully watched the two boys grow-
up, calculating which one should be King when Roland dies. He decided that it should be
Thomas, for he didn’t like Peter when he was seven, and even feared him when he was nine.
Although the two boys grew up together, they were completely different. Peter resembled their
mother more, while Thomas resembled their father. Thomas was always being compared to
Peter, which of course, makes the latter jealous and confused.

Peter became best friends with Ben Staad, a squire’s son, when they were eight. They met
at the annual Farmer’s Lawn Party when they were paired in the three-legged sack race, and
won. Peter also displayed courage in front of Yosef, the King’s head groom, when Yosef tried to
kill a horse with a broken leg. This earned Yosef’s trust and the horse became Peter’s, naming
her Peony. This incident is also the reason why Flagg started to fear Peter.

Flagg has lived for more than hundreds of years, and he had come to Delain often but
under different names. Two hundred and fifty years ago, he was Bill Hinch, the King’s Lord
High Executioner and the most feared executioner Delain has ever known. Four hundred years
ago, he came as a singer named Browson, who became a close adviser to the King and Queen.
He wanted to have the power and use this to bring mischief. He plans to overthrow the
monarchy, using Thomas as his main tool, and he thinks that Peter must be put away as soon as
possible. Flagg thought of a way to get Peter out of his way. He plans to kill Roland using the
Dragon Sand, a green powder and the deadliest poison ever, and frame Peter.

A year before Flagg committed regicide, he had shown Thomas a secret passageway
where he will be able to watch, or rather, spy on his father. When they reached the end, Flagg
motioned to Thomas to look through the holes. He saw clearly enough, although everything is in
odd greenish-yellow in colour. There he saw his father slouched by the fire in his favourite chair,
and saw the heads of the animals his father hunted – heads of bear, deer, elk, wildebeest,
cormorant, and even the grand featherex, the cousin of the phoenix. He didn’t see the head of the
Niner, the dragon which his father killed before he was born, for it is the Niner’s eyes in which
he is looking through.
Peter decided to bring his father a glass of wine every night, using his own money, which
pleased Roland. Thomas was supposed to do this too, but he refused.

One night, when Thomas got in the secret passageway and looked through the two holes,
he saw his father and his brother finishing their nightly glass of wine together. At this time, Peter
was almost seventeen, tall, and handsome. When they finished talking and Peter had already left,
Thomas stayed for an hour more until he heard a knock – it was Flagg, carrying the poisoned
wine. He gave the wine to the King and they toast. While Thomas was watching this, he has this
feeling that something bad will happen if Roland drinks the wine. Flagg returned to his dark
chambers, gets the remaining Dragon Sand and the box he stole from Peter when he was a kid,
and a mouse. This is what he used in framing Peter. Thomas has been sick ever since this
happened.

For the next three days, Roland seemed healthier, more vigorous, and more decisive.
After dinner on that day, he felt indigestion. He burped long, and when he straightened up, his
cheeks were aflame with colour, smoking tears ran from his eyes, and more smoke drifted from
his mouth. Out of all the people in that room, only Peter ran towards his father. More smoke
poured out from his mouth, nostrils, ears and the corner of his eyes. His throat was so red that it
was nearly purple. The last word that King Roland spoke and shrieked was ‘Dragon!’ Silence
covered the whole room, and was broken when someone shouted ‘Murder!’ which pleased
Flagg.

Thomas was unaware of what had happened to his father because of his fever. Flagg
ordered the search for the murderer, but by two in the morning, Peter had recovered his wits to
take charge of it. At five o’clock in the morning, Dennis, Peter’s butler, went inside the young
prince’s room to do his regular routine. Dennis liked his job even though he hated waking up
early in the morning for she liked Peter very much; Peter was always patient with him despite all
the mistakes he had. He was from the long generations of loyal and capable butlers. He was
preparing to leave the room when he heard a sound. He looked at the direction of the bookcase
and saw tendrils of smoke drifting from between the books. He removed them all and opened a
secret panel where he found flames, which he immediately put out with his hands. There he
found a dying mouse, same as how the king had died himself. Different thoughts entered Dennis’
mind, until he made up his mind to show it to his father, Brandon, who is also a butler. The
father and son then went to Anders Peyna, the Judge-General, who was under the King himself
and has the greatest authority in the kingdom.
 At first, Peyna couldn’t believe that Peter would be able to commit regicide, but after
being shown the evidence and Flagg’s false statements, he startedto doubt. Peter was tried in the
Royal Court of the Delain. Peyna said that Peter should set aside the crown if he was found
guilty. Peter agreed, but on one condition; he will be tried by one of the 4 best lawyers in Delain,
Ulrich Wicks, not by Peyna. Peter was still found guilty and he was sentenced by lifelong
imprisonment at the top of the Needle at the age of sixteen. There were three hundred steps all in
all, and people often call it the climb of shame.

Thomas, on the other hand, found out about the King’s death and Peter’s imprisonment.
He was told that he will be crowned as King immediately in three days’ time, which he utterly
refused. Flagg, who looks dressed for traveling – a red-lined cloak with gold chains, a hat, and a
silver-headed cane, persuaded Thomas saying that “Headless kingdoms are uneasy kingdoms”.
He was using reverse psychology to hear from Thomas that he needs him. He waited until
Thomas says that he will make sure that he’ll protect Flagg from Peyna.

Thomas couldn’t sleep a wink on the night before the coronation. He also vomited and he
felt nauseous on the day of the coronation, itself. Flagg gave him a cloudy pink potion to make
him feel better. Thomas was dressed in fine clothes of black velvet which were strewn with
jewels and high black boots of finest kid leather. As he was walking, in arms with Flagg, the
people of Delain kept cheering. And after he was crowned at the age of ten, he was dubbed as
Thomas the Light-Bringer. He was extremely happy that the people were cheering for him, not
for Peter. And he also hoped that Peter could see him from the top of the tower where he was
imprisoned.

On Thomas’ first night as King, he had a terrible nightmare. He had dreamt of his father
looking at the Niner’s head while he was spying. The King repeatedly shouts in agony and
blaming him for not doing what he can for his older brother, and for keeping quiet about the real
murderer.

For a full week, Peter ate nothing, spoke nothing, and did nothing, except to stand at his
sitting-room window or sit in his chair, watching the sun until it sets. Aron Beson, his Chief
Warder, was convinced that Peter was in an utter blackness of guilt and despair, and that the boy
will die soon. But on the eighth day, Peter asked for Beson and gave him certain instructions,
like a King.
 Beson went inside the room, and felt no fear for the prince at all. He listened to Peter as
he spoke but just mocked him. They had a verbal battle until they engaged into fight, which Peter
won. When Beson woke up, all covered in bruise and cuts, he was ready to listen to Peter
properly. He also started calling Peter “my lord”. Peter told the Chief Warder to command the
Lesser Wardersto close the spyhole before he begins talking. Peter said that he wants Beson to
give Anders Peyna a letter he personally wrote. And in exchange for that, Peter would also
request for Beson to receive an additional pay.

On the following evening, shortly after nine had struck, Beson went to the Judge-
General’s doorstep and knocked. Peyna’s butler, Arlen, didn’t recognized Beson and thought of
him as a ghoul or a dwarf. But after a few convincing, he gets the letter and brings it to Peyna. In
Peter’s letter, it was written that he has decided to live, and requires two things. He also spoke of
the Warder’s pay of eight guilders. He added that Peyna could use Ben as his go-between so that
he wouldn’t be put in a bad light. The last sentence says that he didn’t murder his father. After
reading the letter, Peyna thought that Peter has the authority of a true King. He wrote a reply to
the letter, and Beson delivered it to Peter. Peter wrote in his letter his requests: his mother’s doll
house, and the proper royal napkin, crest removed, brought with his meals. Peyna read Peter’s
letter over and over again thinking that the prince is up to something. But putting his doubt aside,
he gave Peter what he wanted. Dennis will bring the royal napkins without the crest, twenty-one
each week, and Ben Staad personally gave Peter the doll house while he was dressed as a Lesser
Warder. Peyna have no knowledge of Ben’s actions. Ben also slid a small piece of paper in the
doll house, which made Peter glad.

On the thirtieth day of Thomas’ reign, he had signed into Law the Famers’ Tax Increase,
which quickly became known as Tom’s Black Tax. His name also changed into Thomas the Tax-
Bringer.

Peter plans to use his mother’s doll house and the napkins to escape the three hundred
feet tower. He planned to use linen threads to make a rope. The threads would come from the
napkins and he would use the loom in his mother’s doll house. Peter dared pluck only five
threads from each napkin the first year – fifteen threads each day, which was about twenty inches
long; ten threads from each napkin on the second year; fifteen in his third year; twenty in his
fourth year; and thirty on his last year. Peter can’t stop worrying when he will be discovered, but
since his napkins were changed every time because there were thousands of them, he was not.
While weaving the threads, he keeps thinking about Yosef’s story about that mysterious and
terrible thing called ‘breaking strain’ – chains break if you put on enough of a tug. Peter had
been doing this secretly for five whole years.
 Peter saw a heart-shaped locket under his bed. It contains a picture of a familiar man and
woman dressed in old clothes, and a letter. The ink’s colour was rusty, for blood was used. The
letter was from Leven Valera, another victim of Flagg who was accused of murdering his wife,
Eleanor Valera, and therefore was imprisoned at the top of the Needle, four hundred and fifty
years ago. Flagg was also mentioned in the letter saying that he is the true murderer. This letter
chilled Peter’s heart, not just because of his similar position with Valera, but also because Flagg
the monster is loose in Delain and is serving and manipulating his easily led young brther. By
now, Peter had begun to suspect Flagg’s goal: to bring the ordered monarchy of Delain to an
utter smash.

In his third year of imprisonment, more heads rolled in a single day, Peyna resigned his
post as Judge-General in disgust, and Dennis’ father, Brandon, died. In his fourth year of
imprisonment, the Staad family, together with the other nobles, disappeared. It was said that they
are residing on the edge of the Far Forests, planning a rebellion.

Flagg had led a troop of tough and battle-hardened soldiers in search for the exiles. When
he didn’t return on the eighth day, Thomas had another nightmare and sleepwalked to the secret
passage. Dennis, who was invited by Thomas to accompany him, saw this and followed the
young King. When they reached the end of the passageway, Thomas began to shriek, and the
dogs began to howl. Dennis realized that Thomas was not just shrieking, he was crying out the
phrases “Don’t drink the wine!” and “’Twas Flagg!” Fifty miles away, Flagg cried out in his
sleep the same time when Dennis followed Thomas into the secret passageway. He felt
something but didn’t grasp it.

Three nights later, Dennis came to the farm of Andres Peyna in one of the Inner Baronies,
all cold and terrified. He told the resigned Judge-General everything that he saw and heard.
Peyna, after asking more questions, told Dennis to rest. He talked more with Arlen saying that he
wants to find out the reason behind Peter’s request – the doll house and the napkins.

The next day, the two old men separated from Dennis; the latter going to the Far Forests
to meet Ben, and Dennis going back to the castle to find out about the napkins. The two old
mean first went towards the farmstead of Charles Reechul, who raised Anduan huskies for a
living, paid the grinding taxes that King Thomas had imposed without complaint, and was thus
considered loyal. But Peyna knew that he feels sympathetic towards the exiles and had helped
others to reach them. His eldest daughter, Naomi, drove Peyna and Arlen north on a sled pulled
by twelve of the dogger’s strongest huskies. They reached the place of the exiles, four days after
they separated with Dennis.

Two days after Peyna and Arlen reached the camp of the exiles, Peter’s rope was two
hundred and seventy feet long. He didn’t have the patience to pursue his labor for another four
months so he decided to escape that night. Another reason is that he had been dreaming the same
dream for a week. In it, he saw Flagg, bent over some bright and glowing object which lit his
face, and his expression only says one thing: death. Peter’s not the only one who had this dream;
Ben, Dennis, and Naomi saw it too.

Dennis, on the other hand, stayed on a deserted farmstead for four days, after covering
not quite half the distance until reaching the castle. He only ate potatoes and was forced to eat
the turnips he hated. He also found snowshoes in the basement. Peyna has ordered him to write a
letter for Peter, though he only knows the basics. He left the house in the bleak of the sunset.
While walking, he can’t help but to think of Flagg, and Flagg, on the other hand, woke up and
asked who called him, but just brushed it off as if it was a dream. Dennis passed through a sewer
outflow pipe, and after an hour of crawling, he ended up in a deserted corridor of the astle’s east
wing. After walking and avoiding the guards, he ended up in the room full of napkins. There he
laid and slept, despite the hunger. But before that, he put the letter in one of the napkins to be
delivered to Peter.

Ben and Naomi took turns running beside the sledge, together with Frisky, Naomi’s large
dog. They reached Peyna’s farm at two o’clock that Sunday afternoon; Dennis has just woken up
and Peter was beginning his lunch. They were a little bit angered when they saw nothing, but
decided that Frisky should track Dennis.

When Peter was about to eat his supper, he had been pricked when he touched the napkin.
He saw a folded paper in the napkin, and decided to finish his meal first. He looked around to see
if one of the Lesser Warders are looking at the spyhole, then read the letter signed “Dennis –
your Friend and Servant For-Ever”. In the letter, it is said that he and Thomas know who the real
murderer is; Peyna said that the exiles will soon become rebels; Ben is together with the exiles
and will soon arrive; and that he will aid Peter if he ever plans to escape. He wrote a reply on the
back of Valera’s note using his blood and returned it to the locket. He went to window, waved
his arms, and threw the locket. Dennis, while standing in the cold darkness across the plaza, saw
Peter. He had a hard time finding the locket because of the thick snow but was able to when he
heard his father’s voice. Dennis went back to the room full of napkins and was about to sleep
when he saw and heard someone by the door. He immediately suspected that it was Flagg so he
readied his rusty dagger.

The next day, at three o’clock in the morning, the snow and the storm began, so Frisky
had a hard time tracking Dennis’ blue scent. It took them hours before they reached the sewer
Dennis used. Still using Frisky’s keen smell, they were able to find the room where Dennis is.
Dennis, thinking that Flagg had discovered him, immediately felt relief.

By the time night fell, the storm grew stronger. The wind was no longer blowing a force-
gale, but a hurricane. The snow was piled twenty-five feet deep and covered the windows until
the third floor. In the Third East’ard Alley, there is a tower called the Church of the Great Gods,
which had stood there for a long time. The final gust of the storm blew off the top thirty feet of
the all-stone tower. Beson and the Lesser Warders didn’t hear the crash because of drunkenness.
Only Peter, Ben, Naomi, Dennis, Thomas and Flagg had clearly heard it, and just brushed it off,
except for Flagg who thinks that something’s wrong.

Thomas, without the company of anyone, couldn’t sleep because of the storm. He then
went to the secret passageway, and while looking through the dragon’s eyes, he suddenly felt the
urge to go inside his father’s chambers. So he did. He stood in front of the Niner’s head and
reached for the great arrow, Foe-Hammer, wore his father’s robe, and sat in his father’s chair
near the hearth.

Flagg knew that something’s wrong and that Peter’s trying to escape; he just couldn’t figure out
how. So he took his crystal and commanded it to show him how Peter would escape. When the
crystal glowed, he bent over – this is explains the dream of Peter, Ben, Dennis, and Naomi. At
first, the crystal showed him Sasha with the younger Peter holding a slate with the words GOD
and DOG; second was when the King is watching Peter play with the doll house as a kid; and the
third, when Peter was slowly descending the side of the Needle, using a spiderweb-like rope.
Flagg was infuriated, and seized his huge weapon – blades made of twice-forged Anduan steel,
and at the top were spiked iron ball with poison.
The Needle is located at the exact midpoint between the Dungeon Gate at the northeast side and
the Peddlers’ Gate at the southwest side. Flagg came out of the Dungeon Gate, while Ben,
Dennis, Naomi, and Frisky from the Peddlers’ Gate. Ben and his party reached the tower first.
They started arranging the napkins on the wagon when they heard Flagg shouting and knocking
at the tower’s door. It took a long time before someone opened the door, and when he did, he
was immediately beheaded. Flagg shouted Peter’s name while walking up the stairs of the tower
repeatedly saying that he will come for his head.

Peter, who heard Flagg shouting at the entrance, began to panic. He had failed in knotting his
rope in his anchor, the pole of his bed. But he tried to calm himself and succeeded. He threw the
rope down and started climbing down. Flagg opened the door to Peter’s room and immediately
ran towards the window. He didn’t cut the rope. He saw parts of the rope almost at its limit and
just waited for it to break while Peter was dangling. And so it did. But Peter fell on the bed of
napkins. Flagg saw this, shouted really loud to call the guards, and immediately ran downstairs.
Peter and the others ran towards the West Gate; Peter was planning to go to his father’s
chambers and kill Flagg, a much greater dragon, with the bow and arrow his father used to kill a
dragon. While Flagg was chasing after them, Flagg looked like what he really is: a demon.

When they reached the King’s chambers, they immediately blocked the door while Peter reached
for the bow and arrow, but found none. Flagg also arrived slowly walking towards Peter. Peter
shouted in a thundering voice commanding Flagg to be gone, which made him flinch. Peter also
mentioned Leven Valera saying that Flagg’s the one who murdered his wife, and showed him the
locket. Flagg was surprised, and Peter started bombarding Flagg with more questions. Flagg
admitted that he’s the one who killed the King, but said that no one would really believe them.
Until Thomas spoke and said that he saw Flagg.

Flagg shrieked not of rage but of terror. He thought that Thomas was King Roland, who he
killed. He threw himself forward and raised his axe, but before he could harm Thomas, he
immediately held the bow and the arrow and shot it towards the magician’s eye. Flagg screamed
and instead of blood, some stinking black fluid dribbled out of his eyes. He shrieked once again,
fell into his knees, and disappeared; only his black robe remained.

Thomas’ calm composure broke apart; he looked like a tired and scared little boy. He cried and
apologized to his brother. Peter gently pulled Thomas and embraced him; they both wept.
They didn’t live happily ever after – no one does. They had their good and bad days, and
victories and defeats. They lived bravely, and as well as they could. The charges against Peter
were overturned when Thomas told his tae. That evening, all of them met in Peter’s old rooms,
and Peter poured wine for all of them except Thomas for he refused. Peter wanted Thomas to
stay with him but he insisted on leaving saying that the people will tear him apart, and decided to
leave as soon as possible, best if it was that night. He said that he plans to go south on a quest to
find Flagg, for he sense his poison there, and to atone for his mistakes. Peter said that he should
go with someone, and Dennis volunteered saying that he also has a lot of mistakes to atone for;
one was because he sent Peter to the tower by finding the mouse.

That night, Thomas and Dennis left, and Peter wept. He thought that he would never see Thomas
again; but no one really knew if did. Ben and Naomi were eventually married; Peter ruled long
and well; and Thomas and Dennis had many strange adventures and that they did see Flagg again
and confronted him.