Diomedes and the Forbidden Fortress

The climb was difficult.

“Why did you bet me this?” said Skylax, grunting as he pulled himself up the rock face. “I hate climbing!”

“Because you need to train,” said Diomedes. “You are fat and soft and a slave to your stomach. You need to lose weight, so that I can have some hope of marrying you. And besides, what is love without sacrifice?”

“It is soft cheese on warm bread and a good beer, is what it is! Look, I am sweating! I am covered in dirt! My tunic is ruined! And I have not had time to eat since yesterday lunch time! And why do we have to climb into the Emperors fortress? It is far too dangerous! We could be killed!”

“It was my idea, and therefore it must be done,” said Diomedes. “Besides, nobody will notice us if we go in at night. The only place anyone ever sees in daylight is the garden of the Empress...Oh look! A bird with two heads and three legs on it's tail! Oh wait that's just you. Still, if that's you then why do you think I want to marry you? C'mon, we are almost there. Just pull yourself up one last time and over the wall...Grab hold of that ledge...Good...Now pull yourself up...That's it...And now roll yourself over the top....Oh look Skylax, there was a hole in the wall after all. You were right. You don't need to climb anything! Now let us see what prize awaits us inside this fortress."

In the centre of the Imperial Palace stood a great stone column carved with ancient runes that no-one could read anymore - they had been worn away by centuries of rain and wind until they were little more than vague shapes carved into the stone. The column was decorated with gold and silver chains that hung down from its peak like an upside-down Christmas tree. The chains were each engraved with hundreds of symbols which formed an indecipherable message covered in dust which had not been touched for many years.

The column was lit from within by a strange light that seemed to come from nowhere - when first seen it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night outside because of this light - but once inside it was clear that the light came from somewhere deep underground which shone through hundreds of holes in the floor around the base of the column. Above these holes stood the walls of a vast cavern filled with treasure beyond measure - golden plates piled ten feet high in some places and countless jewels sparkling in their piles - thousands upon thousands of jewels stacked one on top of another into huge golden pyramids that reached towards the ceiling where they lay glittering in rows from floor to ceiling -

Diomedes stood staring at these treasures speechless for a moment before he turned to Skylax who was standing behind him looking pale and afraid: “I told you we would find something valuable here," he whispered, "We must gather up as much as we can carry. We will be rich men when we get back home."

"But how are we going to carry all this?" asked Skylax. "It will take weeks!"

"We will make sacks out of our clothes," said Diomedes as he started gathering jewels off the floor and placing them in his tunic until he could carry no more. "The hardest part will be getting past those guards outside."