Title: We Two Kings
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Rating: G
Length: 417
Summary: Retirement Era. There are problems with the village nativity play

I suppose it is always true that a village nativity play will have difficulties. The enthusiasm is there, initially, but come the afternoon with the performance happening in the evening, this will have waned somewhat. This was particularly the case in the current year, with our new young vicar being rather over ambitious. The church wardens had tried to warn him of some of the possible pitfalls, but religious training does not include absence of shepherds due to the threat of flooding, and the farmhands (not specifically shepherds) having to help move a considerable amount of livestock in a hurry.

The vicar had hastily recruited some of the older boys as shepherds and was having a run through in the church, while we of the choir had headed for the Red Lion in order, ostensibly, to keep our voices warm.

I was sitting in the bar, enjoying a pint, when Holmes entered and said, “Watson, we may have a problem.”

“Oh, yes,” I replied. My heart sank. The tone of his voice was one he used when he was about to ask a favour of me, and one which he knew I wouldn’t be too keen on.

“Hopkins has just arrested Warren. I asked him to wait until after the service, but he declined.”

“But Warren was with you as one of the kings.”

“Precisely. Which means…”

“No,” I replied. “I’m not suited to be a king.”

However, the rest of the choir were unanimous in my suitability. Which meant they’d much prefer me to have the role than one of them.

At which point the publican leant over the bar and said, “You do know Abel Frobisher’s ill in bed, don’t you? He was hoping to be better today, but he’ll not make it.”

Frobisher was the third king.

At that the rest of the choir stood up as one man and hurried back into the church, before any of them could be pressganged into the camel riding, gift bearing fraternity.

Thus it was that Holmes and I stood on one side of the church, ready to make our entrance singing ‘We Three Kings’. And then we saw a third man, looking rather dishevelled in his cloak and turban, coming to join us.

“Hopkins!” I exclaimed.

“Yes,” he muttered. “Annie insisted. She said that if I would arrest a king, then the only decent thing I could do would be take his part. So here I am.”

“Excellent!” Holmes said.

And with that we processed in.