NBA Dramatique: Check Yourself Prior to Wrecking Yourself

The Legend's Legion traveled through the countryside away from their loss at the Bastion and back towards the land of abundant cornfields they called home. They used high-speed motorcars to move across the land, but the bodies in control of those vehicles slumped in their seats, looking anything but speedy and quick. More than one driver let drowsiness overtake them for a moment, swerving off of the road and rumbling along the shoulder before being startled awake and righting the vehicle. A small castle appeared on the horizon, and Danny made a decision to help his fellow soldiers. He activated the radio within his driving helmet.

"Alright, guys. You're looking very sloppy. If we keep driving tonight, at least one of you is going to wreck. You might get hurt, you might hurt someone else, worst of all me. So let's head to that castle and see if we can get some rest."

There was radio silence for about twenty seconds before T.J. came back across.

"Danny, you know who's castle that is right?"

"Yes, I know, damn it! Are you afraid to go there? You're afraid of the big bad King?"

T.J.'s sigh came across as a static crackle. The roll of his eyes and shake of his head did not transmit. "No. No, man. I'm not afraid. I'm just saying, King James hasn't been showing a great deal of hospitality. But you're the boss. I'm moving in that direction, just like everyone else."

"That's right." said Danny. "I'm the boss."

*****

The ear-splitting growl of combustion engines gave the castle residents ample warning of their approach. A party of knights waited outside of the gates as the Legion brought their vehicles to a screeching halt. Danny stepped out and greeted the knights.

"The Royal Battalion laying out the welcome for me! How kind. I don't see the face of King James, though. Is he not well?"

One of the larger knights stepped forward to reply. "The King is well. He wonders about the purpose of your visit, as do his knights."

"We have been traveling from the Bastion. It was our intention to return home, but my men are perilously fatigued. We would like to sleep here for the night." Danny answered.

The knight turned and walked back towards the castle gate. A small unarmed boy was there, and the knight bent forward to whisper something to him. The boy looked over at the fast cars of the Legion, then turned and entered the gate, running. In just a moment he had returned and nodded affirmatively at the knight. The knight turned back to Danny and removed his helmet. Now recognizable as the King's master-at-arms, Z, he spoke loudly.

"King James welcomes your visit. He hopes that all of you will join us this evening for a meal in the banquet hall."

"Haha!" laughed Danny, and clapped his hands. "I knew it! And the King is gonna cook for us! How 'bout that?" The Legion troops stepped away from their vehicles and followed Danny into the castle as he continued to talk loudly, and the knights closed ranks behind them and followed through the gate.

*****

The clock struck nine as the knights of the Royal Battalion and the soldiers in the Legend's Legion took seats at a grand table in King James' banquet hall. The King himself was the last to arrive. He approached the head of the table where a servant awaited him holding a bowl of flour. King James took a handful of the flour and rubbed his hands together, then threw the flour into the air.

"Let us eat!" he shouted. The King began by carving a large slice of ham and placing it on his plate. The servant who held the flour then lifted the ham and began moving to his left, serving a portion to each diner in turn. A procession of servants did the same for each dish, allowing King James to take what he desired before entering the rotation for the other diners. As the ham reached Danny, he cast a curiously disapproving glare at the King. The King was quick to notice.

"Is there something about this meal that you find unsatisfactory, legionnairre?"

Most of the other members of the Legion looked quickly to Danny then back down at their own plates in anticipatory embarrassment.

"I find it curious that you serve yourself before your guests, 'King' James. I also find it odd that you pretend to not know my name. It's Danny."

King James laughed as he chewed his food and looked at several of his knights, who joined him in laughing. "Danny. Are you suggesting that you should have been the first to dine? Is that my understanding?"

Danny did not smile as he said "Where I grew up, they teach us something called manners. I was raised to know that a guest is to be treated better than the residents of a home."

"Well, Danny, I'll tell you what. When you've got a castle, you treat your guests just as you'd like. In my castle I'll do likewise. And the manners I learned growing up taught me to be a gracious guest when in someone else's home, and to be grateful for anything I was offered." The King gave the young man a steady stare to help drive his point, then joined his knights in eating and laughing. Danny continued his meal in silence.

After dinner the King took his guests to a room of the castle in which he screened films. The King positioned himself in the best seat and allowed his knights to fill the seats surrounding him. The Legion was left to fill the seats on the perimeter, which were positioned less advantageously for viewing the film. The film itself was about the early life of the King. Danny sat in the back of the theater, fuming. With his arms tightly crossed over his chest, he spat words at Rasho sitting next to him.

"He's acting like I'm a nobody! As if I'm entertained sitting in this dark room, barely able to see the self-aggrandizing movie he subjects us to. Surely he's seen my name on the Ballot!"

Rasho simply shrugged and tried to nap. As the film progressed, Danny allowed his sense of slight to fester and grow. He muttered disrespectful comments under his breath, hoping someone else would join him in discontent. There were no takers. At the end of the film, King James and his knights stood and filed out of the theater. Danny, in anger, pushed and shoved his way through the crowd and reached the King.

"I demand to know why you have treated me with such disrespect and low regard from the moment I walked through your gate! You did not come to greet my Legion upon our arrival. The quarters you provided us were more poor than those likely used by your servants! Your meal was heavy and your hospitality lacking! And you 'entertain' us with this tale of your own accomplishments?! Don't you know that my prowess on the field has come to rival that of Miller, the last great Legionnairre?" King James had not broken stride nor even given the appearance that he heard Danny speaking up to this point. Danny reached his hand out and grabbed the King's arm roughly, shouting "Show me your respect!"

The King looked down at the hand upon his arm and stopped walking. Quickly, he spun and drove both of his fists into Danny's chest. The young man collapsed to the floor in a heap. With fast efficiency the Royal Battalion separated the rest of the Legion from Danny, and held them at bay as the King payed his respects. The legionnairre Troy protested "Stop pushing me! Stop pushing me!", but he was no threat and was summarily ignored. Without a word, all of them witnessed King James lift his right fist into the air and mightily drive it downward into Danny's face, then watched him lift his left fist into the air and mightily drive it downward into Danny's face. He repeated this see-saw motion of powerful punches at least a dozen times until Danny was unconscious and his face looked like roadkill. He stopped punching and lifted Danny by the shirt, then dragged him over to the waiting Legion.

"Go home now." he said.

They did.