It's been a while since we've seen the action of this chapter, but it's time for a quick look back at what's happened in the previous chapter. We're back on the road again, and this time we're in the middle of nowhere, wondering what the heck's going on. Uh-oh, the guards are trying to find the keyhole, but no one seems to be able to find it. It turns out that the guards have been trying to figure out who the heck is hiding in there, and they've been unsuccessful. They've also been unsuccessful in finding the key to the southern gate, which is where they're supposed to be hiding. The guards are confused, but they finally figure out that they need to find a way to get the key into the gate. They have a plan: they'll smear the meat on the key, and then smear the powder across the key's head before it hits the key. This way, the powder won't explode on impact, which means they can kill the guards without having to eat the meat. They also have to find guards' uniforms, since the guards don't wear their armor yet. They need a distraction, because the guards' crone has accidentally dropped her head off the key when she's trying to get it into the lock. They can't get the pouch of powder to smear the key across the hammer, so they have to use the pouch to hold it in place while they smear it on the hammer. The men are psyched to be done with the plan, and now they have a new distraction: the head of a crone. The head of the crone falls off, and the men are able to kill her with the pouch. The king is psyched, but he's still thinking about whether or not to kill his own son. He asks his son if he'd like to swing the hammer and set it, and he gives it to his son. The man who swings the hammer is called "the master of ceremonies," and the king gives him the honorific title of "Master of Ceremonies" . The people are angry, but the king is proud, and wants to make sure that his son doesn't have to kill them. He tells his son that he has asked his son to set the hammer so that he'll be a hero to the people, and that he