The king's bottom was wet, cold, soggy and really quite sore. However, the King's expression did not change it remained regal and serine. Being really uncomfortable it took a great deal of effort to keep it that way after falling off his horse and landing, backside first, in the middle of an icy cold puddle! To top it all he was dressed in his best uniform and was in the middle of inspecting a very smart guard of honour.听Of course being well trained not one of the guards uttered even the slightest titter, although, they were all laughing inside. His Captain managed to keep a straight face as he dragged his sovereign out of the mud then quickly assisted his remount.听The King's expression still remained the same as he wriggled slowly in his saddle; the cold muddy water began to seep into embarrassing crevasses and cracks, and where the water crept, the cold followed and soon the King was sitting on what felt like a cushion of ice, a completely numb cushion devoid of any feelings. The movement of his horse acted like a pump and water previously lodged in his trousers began to travel, slowly creeping down the back of his legs and relentlessly filling up his riding boots. He rode on, the horse shuddering beneath him, was still clearly upset by whatever had spooked him before.听The king continued to show no emotion, but underneath his calm exterior he was brimming with anger and those close to him knew that he would let forth a tirade of fiery temper as soon as they returned to his quarters. Although his temper was hot and very well documented he was more famous for his icy coolness and clear thinking under fire. Before being crowned as king the young Prince had spent a lot of time as a guard officer; training with his men and proving himself a gifted leader and as a new captain he always led from the front in the many fights and skirmishes he had protecting his country. On the border with the land beyond the forest he had found himself cut off from part of his command. There was a handful of his men out of their territory and surrounded by an armed and aggressive enemy.听Seeing that his soldiers would certainly have lost their lives if he abandoned them, the Prince grabbed a handful of horse reigns and charged off in the direction of his stranded men. He was closely followed two of his closest guards who had guessed what the Prince was up to and had copied his actions. The unexpected site and sound of three men and a dozen horses crashing through the rear of the enemy lines scattered them leaving a gap for a few seconds and the Prince鈥檚 men were gone before there opponents regrouped.听This daring deed didn't go unrecognised and his father, the King, wanted to decorate him with the country's highest award, the Medal of Courage but the Prince declined saying the men were in his charge and it was his responsibility to save them.听 His fellow rescuers not only received their medals, but were also promoted to a special rank of King鈥檚 Aide and rode beside the king on the day of his Inspection Parade. The pure bread Kings horses have minds of their own and they do what horses do, this horse was no exception, it broke wind, loudly and with great gusto.听As the King's rear end was quite numb he couldn't feel a thing, so he couldn't be a hundred percent sure that it wasn't him who had made the offending noise.听 Now his expression changed, a narrowing of the eyes, curling lips and a slow jutting of his chin. A readjustment of his seat found he was still unable to feel anything, so he figured it was probably him.听Having twice embarrassed himself within a couple of minutes, he started turning red.听First a light pink then building to a bright red with his ears glowing like the embers of a campfire. The King's men were all fond of their sovereign and hated to see him so embarrassed, from his high vantage point the King could see all the men, he looked at their faces instead of 'facing front', to a man, they were all staring at him.听As the King's embarrassment grew and grew so did his temper.听Was brewing like a kettle getting ready to blow its lid off. Just as he reached explosion point, somewhere off to his left, a long, loud rasping sound drifted in his direction, then another in front of him and one to his right; soon there was a cacophony of sounds coming from all around him. His schoolboy humour then took over his emotions and he burst out a low peel of laughter. His Guards immediately joined in with the infectious mirth.听The king spurred his horse into action and rode off in the direction of a hot bath. And that is the same reason why the Spanish speak their native tongue with a lisp. | 
