Saturday's Storyteller: "The king and I do not get along."
by Belinda Roddie The king and I do not get along. At least, we haven't for many years. I still reside within his dominion, and freely, too - the village of El-Ay is proof of a thriving town without the monarch's filthy fingers creeping too much into our festivities. The markets have plentiful food, and the taverns plentiful drink. I reside at the Madman now, quaffing my third pint, feeling a vice grip my heart that I have not felt since I last saw the man's face. My name is Vincent Giovanni III. But you can call me Vinnie for short. I did not always live in El-Ay. I did not always sit like a sad sot day in and day out of the Madman Tavern, contributing heavily to the barkeepers' income. I actually lived with the king, since I was a young boy - an appointed companion, an assigned friend to keep him company in the castle as he grew up. The vast corridors, surrounded with heavy stone walls, could make anyone feel quite lonely. But the king and I became inseparable. We