Half blinded by the midday sun, the   
two brothers pulled themselves out of 
the dungeon entrance. Shielding their 
eyes they followed the precession of  
people flooding into the inner part of
the city through a tall stone archway 
in the stone walls.                   
                                      
"Membership cards please" the guard at
the gate grunted, for what must have  
been the hundredth time that day.     
Jake and Jobe looked at each other.   
"What membership cards?" Jobe said.   
"If you're here to perform you must be
in the Guild of Jesters."             
"Errm, no we're not performers, were  
just here to watch." Jake said.       
The guard glanced at them, then at    
their bright Jesters' clothes and     
had the other guards promptly throw   
them out of the line.                 
                                      
"Shades!" Jake said. "This is your    
fault."                                
"I didn't know!"                      
Jake harumphed and tried to thrust    
his hands into pockets that weren't   
there.                                
Jobe's eyes lit up. "Wait, there must 
be a Guildhall in Elmora."            
"So?" Jake glowered, as hard as he    
could manage.                         
"So we could join again, they don't   
know what we're like here."           
Jake tried to glower more but couldn't
"Shouldn't take long for us to show   
them should it?"                      
                                      
Jake and Jobe skidded to a halt       
outside a building with huge wooden   
doors, a plaque reading Elmora        
Guildhall and a single flag flying    
bearing the pennant of the Jesters'   
Guild.                                
Jobe was banging on the door and      
shouting.                             
"There won't be anyone here" Jake     
Sniffed, peering in through a window. 
They heard catches released inside and
the door slowly opened enough to allow
ad old wrinkled head to bob out.      
"Sorry, were closed for Winternight"  
it said and slammed the door.         
"We need to join" Jobe shouted through
the keyhole. "Come on, open up you old
..." Click.                           
The door opened again and the head    
bobbed out. "Please." Jobe said,      
flushing.                             
"Join eh?" The man stepped out.       
He was small and clothed in a white   
robe with sandalled feet. He curiously  
looked both of the brothers up and    
down.                                 
"Where are you going dressed up like  
that?" he said.                       
Jake was about to bop him on the head 
when the wizened face cracked into a  
smile. "Look. If you can pay the      
membership fee I'll let you join, I   
wouldn't normally do this but the     
festival is about to start so I'm sure
you're in a hurry.".                  
Jake was thinking back to the first   
time they joined. The full initiation 
ceremony required standing on one leg 
and bearing one's right nipple,       
amongst other things. He shuddered at 
the memory.                           
"Fifty marks." the old man said.      
"How much!" Jobe bleated.             
Jake realised his jaw was hanging open
and snapped it shut with a click. "Why
so much?"                             
"Inflation" the old man offered,      
looking quite serious.                
"But we don't..." Jake cut off when   
his brother reached into his red and  
green top and produced a huge, white  
diamond.                              
"Burn me!" the old mans eyes widened  
until they looked like saucers.       
"You've got life membership there     
boys" he said.                        
                                      
Jobe was pulling Jake back through the
town with the membership cards in one 
hand. The queue had disappeared but   
the guard was still there. The guard's
face dropped when he saw them coming  
but Jobe was thrusting the cards into 
his hand and dragging Jake through    
before any of them knew what was      
happening.                            
                                      
The crowd inside was huge. Most were  
collected around one of the high      
podiums on which performers were      
warming up the crowds with juggling   
acts and such. The two looked around  
in awe at the crowds and didn't       
notice the guards until they were     
snatched up and dragged to the front  
of the grounds. They were being pushed
up the steps when they saw King Elyas 
sat at the top surrounded by guards.  
A trumpet sounded and the crowd fell  
quiet.                                
                                      
"You two are escaped prisoners.." the 
King began as the Jinxes were dumped  
in front of him.                      
"Y y your m m majesty" Jobe was       
stammering. "You told us that if we   
escaped that you would..." Elyas      
cut him short "If it is known that it 
is possible to escape my dungeons" he 
continued lowering his voice. "Then no
one will be afraid of them." He was   
signalling to the guards when Jake     
pulled out a bomb from his tunic and  
tossed it to the king.                
Elyas caught and the guards jumped on 
him, landing in a heap trying to get  
the bomb away from the King. Jobe was 
on the floor covering his head with   
his hands and the crowd was screaming.
There was a BOOM and everyone fell    
silent. The guards peeled themselves  
off the floor and the King who was sat
blinking, his face black. A smoker!   
Jobe was thinking, at least he didn't  
kill him. Jobe adjusted his ruff with 
one finger almost able to feel the    
executioners' axe. "You fool!" he was 
shouting at Jake, when Elyas started  
laughing. The guards were rubbing     
blackened eyes and pounding their ears
the stop the ringing in them. The King
was actually laughing! Some of the    
people at the front of the crowd were 
laughing too, One of the guards was   
sniggering. Soon everyone was in fits 
of laughter.                          
Elyas was rubbing tears of laughter   
from his face and making the blackness
from the smoke bomb worse. "Now that  
was funny!" he said.                  
                                      
The laughter continued into the night 
the Jugglers, Gleemen, Storytellers   
stood on their podiums enchanting the 
crowds and bowing theatrically. In the
middle Jake was balancing on his      
brothers shoulders and juggling balls 
the King had requested that he didn't 
use bombs! They told stories and      
played every song they knew, dancing  
and singing, every bit as happy as the
crowds themselves. The spectacular    
Jinxes had become the funniest (and   
most daring) Jesters alive.           
                                      
Thanks for playing,                   
REBEL of CYNET