[Arc 1: New World]
Chapter One: Of Kings and Princesses.
A gentle breeze billowed throughout the park. Needles and leaves in the trees alike rustled. Everywhere, people stirred. A quick glance would show couples of all ages, walking or sitting, blissful in each other's company. Kids would run about, playing games like tag, or hide and seek. The sun was gentle, in the gentle spring morning, warming the inhabitants of the park.
One such individual sat there on a blanket, his wife by his side. She sat there, head upon his shoulder, the two of them glancing at their beloved daughter. She giggled, arms outstretched, as she chased a butterfly around the field in front of them.
"I almost caught it daddy! Do you see it?!" she giggled.
"I see it, Amber." he called back with a chuckle. "Don't wander off too far now, we'll be having our lunch soon."
As his daughter continued to frolic, the man glanced down at his wife, who smiled brightly. It was Saint Patrick's day, and he had asked his boss specifically to take it off. He had been overdue for a day off, so there had been no hesitation. To him, there had been no other way he would have spent it, than with his family.
"She has you wrapped around her finger, you know that?" his wife said, sitting up.
"Nah." he shook it off. "C'mon Amanda, you should know better. She's always had a certain bond with you."
"That may be true." Amanda replied, brushing a bang from her eyes. "You can't deny that she idolizes you."
The man's gaze turned back from his wife, to that of his daughter. She skipped through the rolling grasses, trying to clasp her hands around the bright orange and black butterfly.
"She's my little princess." he smiled. "I'd go to the ends of the Earth for her."
"You're such a dramatic, Clyde." Amanda said, gently pecking him on the cheek.
"It's my hobby." he turned to her with a grin, before returning the favor.
They broke off the embrace, however, as another breeze billowed through. Turning his attention to where Amber had once been, Clyde's heart sunk when Amber wasn't there. Standing, he held a hand out to Amanda, requesting she remained there.
"Amber?!" Clyde called out, but with no answer.
Concerned, he began to walk in the direction she had come from. Amber was only seven years old, her tiny legs wouldn't have carried her that far. Calling her name, other inhabitants of the park turned to face him, mild concern on their face. It was then that he heard a small voice to his right.
"It's okay, I'll bring you to Momma." he heard Amber's voice in the bush. "She's a nurse, she'll make you feel all better."
"Amber?" Clyde asked, as his daughter's head poked out of the bush.
"Hi daddy!" she beamed, before stepping completely out of the bush. "Guess what I found?"
"We should get back, sweetie." Clyde said, placing a hand behind her back.
"First, you gotta guess what I found." she smiled innocently.
"Is it the butterfly?" Clyde asked, crouching to her level.
Shaking her head, Amber pulled her hands out from behind her, producing a stiff figure. Clyde frowned at the mangled bird in his daughter's hand.
"His name's Birdie." Amber smiled. "He's sleeping, but I know Momma can make him feel better."
"Oh geez." Clyde sighed, thinking his next course of action out. "You should put Birdie back."
"Why?" Amber asked, looking down at the bird's corpse in her hand.
"Well," Clyde paused. "If Birdie has a family, don't you think he would miss them if he woke up, and he wasn't home?"
Clyde really didn't want to explain death to Amber already. He knew that it was pretty irresponsible, however, he also didn't think she was ready yet. Frowning, Amber gently placed Birdie back into the bush, before smiling.
"Good night, Birdie. Fell better soon!" she said, before walking alongside Clyde back to their picnic.
Amanda sat there, a look of relief on her face when she saw the two of them approaching. Standing, she placed her hands on her hips, before looking at the two of them, expectantly.
"Momma, you should've met Birdie! He was really pretty, but he was sleeping. Daddy told me I should put him back."
"Birdie, huh?" Amanda smiled.
"Yeah, he was 'sleeping'." Clyde said with a frown. "I told Amber that she shouldn't disturb him."
"Oh." Amanda nodded. "You should wash your hands then, honey. Touching animals of any kind, and then eating is very bad."
"I saw a restroom earlier, I'll take her to wash her hands."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Today was fun, right daddy?" Amber asked, wriggling in her bed.
Clyde sat beside her, a smile on his face.
"Yeah sweetie, it was fun." he nodded. "You want me to tell you a bed-time story?"
"Yeah!" she giggled, covering her face with the covers of her bed. "Are you going to tell me the one about the Harlowe's?"
"No, I've told that one far too many times." Clyde shook his head. "Tonight, I'm going to tell you the tale of Crane, the Gallant."
"Our story begins in the fields of Nottingham, yes, the same Nottingham of Robin Hood. There once was this young man, whose family had been helped by the notorious Robin hood. His name was Crane, Irving Crane." Clyde smiled.
"Crane was a fine young man. He served King Richard as a member of the King's personal hunting party. He fought well with a bow, but his true passion lay behind the blade of a sword. It was true, that when he was a child, he had always wanted to be a Knight in King Richard's court."
"It had been on one fateful day, when King Richard came to Crane out of the blue. It had come to the King's attention that his daughter, the fair maiden Marian and her humble husband, Robin Hood, had been captured by a band of trolls in the wood."
"Oh no." Amber frowned.
"Richard, knowing the full extent of Crane's swordsmanship, sent him out to defeat the trolls, and save Robin Hood and the Maiden Marian. With nothing but the clothes on his back, and a lone mare, our hero set out from Nottingham to Leicester, where Robin Hood and Marian had last been seen."
"On his way to Leicester, Crane had encountered a balding man in distress. 'Oh, what am I to do?!' the man asked."
"'Good Friar, what is the matter?' Crane asked."
"'A young lad! My name is Friar Tuck, and a dear friend of mine is in trouble. Will you help an old, holy man out?'"
"'If you seek Robin Hood, I am already on my way.' Crane said."
"'Aye and nay, child. My other dear friend Little John went out in search of Robin Hood already. Though I fear the worst.'"
"So, what happened next?" Amber asked.
"Crane rode to the east, continuing towards Leicester. Not only had Robin Hood and the Maid Marian gone missing, but it had appeared that Little John had as well. It was there that he encountered the trolls. Crane new the massive beasts were dangerous, but could easily be tricked. He pulled one shiny coin from his pocket, and approached the trio."
"'Good Morrow, Trolls. I am Crane, son of the Crane family in Nottingham. I come to offer ye a bountiful reward for capturing Robin Hood, and his friends.'"
"'We no interested in rewardses.' the troll's leader replied."
"Crane, however, was clever, and flipped the coin in his hand. Much to the interest of the trolls. He pointed to the South, promising the trolls that a cave filled with the shiny coins awaited them. As is the nature of trolls, they left their post, in search of the cave of shiny coins."
"Crane used this moment of distraction to save Robin Hood, his wife Marian, and Little John from their cages. However, all was not right in the Kingdom. For the trolls were the henchmen to the nefarious Skobul of the North. Robin Hood explained that his daughter, Amber, had been locked away in the Northern Tower."
Clyde stopped his tale for a moment, as there was a vibration in his pockets. His cell-phone had been ringing.
"Hold on one second sweetie." he replied, quickly pulling the device out.
It was Harold and Drake, two of his co-workers. They had finished their shift, and were headed out for some Saint Patty's day drinks. Nodding, he turned back to her.
"Where was I? Oh, yes, the Northern Tower." Clyde continued. "Crane told Robin Hood, and Marian, that he would save their daughter from Skobul, and free England from his reign of terror."
"-and so Crane did. He arrived at the Tower, and scaled it. However, it was no easy task, as dangers lurked in the shadows every step of the way. Still, our Hero prevailed, and once he reached the peak of the tower, he and Skobul fought, magic versus steel. The skies rang out for miles as the two forces clashed. In the end, however, Crane had been victorious."
"Amber, the princess, was very glad to have been saved by Crane. He told her his wish to become a Knight in Richard's court. Amber promised our Hero that she would convince her father to allow him this wish. Together, they rode off to Nottingham. When they arrived, Richard held a feast to celebrate the safe return of our Hero and his granddaughter."
"As promised, Amber convinced the kind King to knight our Hero. All in all, they lived happily ever after." Clyde smiled, as Amber began to sink into slumber, gently rubbing his hand along her cheek. "The end. Good night, sweetie."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Clyde stepped into the bar, Boris' place. As was expected on a Saint Patrick's day evening, the bar was bustling with activity. The keeper, Boris, beckoned him over, his friends Harold and Drake sitting there.
"Gentlemen, welcome." Boris nodded. "An' a happy Saint Patty's to ye."
"Happy St. Patrick's day, you damn drunk." Harold chuckled.
"Shut yer pie-hole, ye Pakistani fuck." Boris chuckled. "Gentlemen, I've gathered ye hear this evenin' to try my newest concoction of corrosive chemical content."
"By that, you mean yer nasty ass alcohol mixers?" Drake chuckled.
"Precisely, boyo." Boris crossed his arms, with a stern nod. "Would ye lads care to try it? I call it the Saint Patrick."
"Pass." Harold shook his head, turning to Drake, who violently shook his head.
"Alright, sure." Clyde smirked. "What all's in it?"
"Well, it's a bit o' a process." Boris said. "We start with a mixture I call the 'Viper's Venom'. It's a Bloody Mary mixed with a Corkscrew."
"Oh god." Harold gagged. "That sounds so unpleasant."
"That's the point!" Boris scoffed. "An' after you've had the Viper's Venom, you're supposed to chase it away with what I call 'Patrick's Shamrock'. That's a mixture of a mojito and straight potato vodka."
"That sounds intense as fuck." Harold nodded. "Drake, fetch us a bucket. I feel like Clyde'll need it."
Boris immediately set to mixing the separate parts of the overall 'drink'. After several minutes, the parts of the 'Saint Patrick' were finished. Clyde started with the Viper's Venom, coughing as the putrid mixture burned it's way down his throat. After a few seconds, he could feel a slight buzz start to overtake him. The Viper's Venom was no joke, just pure alcohol and vegetable juice.
After a moment, he took the 'Patrick's Shamrock' portion, and felt a bit of relief, the sweetness of the mojito offering some solace for his esophagus. Boris and the others roared with laughter, as Clyde's head began to swam in a wide circle.The corners of his vision were starting to black out, and with a single hiccup, he passed out.
Chapter One: Of Kings and Princesses.
A gentle breeze billowed throughout the park. Needles and leaves in the trees alike rustled. Everywhere, people stirred. A quick glance would show couples of all ages, walking or sitting, blissful in each other's company. Kids would run about, playing games like tag, or hide and seek. The sun was gentle, in the gentle spring morning, warming the inhabitants of the park.
One such individual sat there on a blanket, his wife by his side. She sat there, head upon his shoulder, the two of them glancing at their beloved daughter. She giggled, arms outstretched, as she chased a butterfly around the field in front of them.
"I almost caught it daddy! Do you see it?!" she giggled.
"I see it, Amber." he called back with a chuckle. "Don't wander off too far now, we'll be having our lunch soon."
As his daughter continued to frolic, the man glanced down at his wife, who smiled brightly. It was Saint Patrick's day, and he had asked his boss specifically to take it off. He had been overdue for a day off, so there had been no hesitation. To him, there had been no other way he would have spent it, than with his family.
"She has you wrapped around her finger, you know that?" his wife said, sitting up.
"Nah." he shook it off. "C'mon Amanda, you should know better. She's always had a certain bond with you."
"That may be true." Amanda replied, brushing a bang from her eyes. "You can't deny that she idolizes you."
The man's gaze turned back from his wife, to that of his daughter. She skipped through the rolling grasses, trying to clasp her hands around the bright orange and black butterfly.
"She's my little princess." he smiled. "I'd go to the ends of the Earth for her."
"You're such a dramatic, Clyde." Amanda said, gently pecking him on the cheek.
"It's my hobby." he turned to her with a grin, before returning the favor.
They broke off the embrace, however, as another breeze billowed through. Turning his attention to where Amber had once been, Clyde's heart sunk when Amber wasn't there. Standing, he held a hand out to Amanda, requesting she remained there.
"Amber?!" Clyde called out, but with no answer.
Concerned, he began to walk in the direction she had come from. Amber was only seven years old, her tiny legs wouldn't have carried her that far. Calling her name, other inhabitants of the park turned to face him, mild concern on their face. It was then that he heard a small voice to his right.
"It's okay, I'll bring you to Momma." he heard Amber's voice in the bush. "She's a nurse, she'll make you feel all better."
"Amber?" Clyde asked, as his daughter's head poked out of the bush.
"Hi daddy!" she beamed, before stepping completely out of the bush. "Guess what I found?"
"We should get back, sweetie." Clyde said, placing a hand behind her back.
"First, you gotta guess what I found." she smiled innocently.
"Is it the butterfly?" Clyde asked, crouching to her level.
Shaking her head, Amber pulled her hands out from behind her, producing a stiff figure. Clyde frowned at the mangled bird in his daughter's hand.
"His name's Birdie." Amber smiled. "He's sleeping, but I know Momma can make him feel better."
"Oh geez." Clyde sighed, thinking his next course of action out. "You should put Birdie back."
"Why?" Amber asked, looking down at the bird's corpse in her hand.
"Well," Clyde paused. "If Birdie has a family, don't you think he would miss them if he woke up, and he wasn't home?"
Clyde really didn't want to explain death to Amber already. He knew that it was pretty irresponsible, however, he also didn't think she was ready yet. Frowning, Amber gently placed Birdie back into the bush, before smiling.
"Good night, Birdie. Fell better soon!" she said, before walking alongside Clyde back to their picnic.
Amanda sat there, a look of relief on her face when she saw the two of them approaching. Standing, she placed her hands on her hips, before looking at the two of them, expectantly.
"Momma, you should've met Birdie! He was really pretty, but he was sleeping. Daddy told me I should put him back."
"Birdie, huh?" Amanda smiled.
"Yeah, he was 'sleeping'." Clyde said with a frown. "I told Amber that she shouldn't disturb him."
"Oh." Amanda nodded. "You should wash your hands then, honey. Touching animals of any kind, and then eating is very bad."
"I saw a restroom earlier, I'll take her to wash her hands."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Later that Night
"Today was fun, right daddy?" Amber asked, wriggling in her bed.
Clyde sat beside her, a smile on his face.
"Yeah sweetie, it was fun." he nodded. "You want me to tell you a bed-time story?"
"Yeah!" she giggled, covering her face with the covers of her bed. "Are you going to tell me the one about the Harlowe's?"
"No, I've told that one far too many times." Clyde shook his head. "Tonight, I'm going to tell you the tale of Crane, the Gallant."
"Our story begins in the fields of Nottingham, yes, the same Nottingham of Robin Hood. There once was this young man, whose family had been helped by the notorious Robin hood. His name was Crane, Irving Crane." Clyde smiled.
"Crane was a fine young man. He served King Richard as a member of the King's personal hunting party. He fought well with a bow, but his true passion lay behind the blade of a sword. It was true, that when he was a child, he had always wanted to be a Knight in King Richard's court."
"It had been on one fateful day, when King Richard came to Crane out of the blue. It had come to the King's attention that his daughter, the fair maiden Marian and her humble husband, Robin Hood, had been captured by a band of trolls in the wood."
"Oh no." Amber frowned.
"Richard, knowing the full extent of Crane's swordsmanship, sent him out to defeat the trolls, and save Robin Hood and the Maiden Marian. With nothing but the clothes on his back, and a lone mare, our hero set out from Nottingham to Leicester, where Robin Hood and Marian had last been seen."
"On his way to Leicester, Crane had encountered a balding man in distress. 'Oh, what am I to do?!' the man asked."
"'Good Friar, what is the matter?' Crane asked."
"'A young lad! My name is Friar Tuck, and a dear friend of mine is in trouble. Will you help an old, holy man out?'"
"'If you seek Robin Hood, I am already on my way.' Crane said."
"'Aye and nay, child. My other dear friend Little John went out in search of Robin Hood already. Though I fear the worst.'"
"So, what happened next?" Amber asked.
"Crane rode to the east, continuing towards Leicester. Not only had Robin Hood and the Maid Marian gone missing, but it had appeared that Little John had as well. It was there that he encountered the trolls. Crane new the massive beasts were dangerous, but could easily be tricked. He pulled one shiny coin from his pocket, and approached the trio."
"'Good Morrow, Trolls. I am Crane, son of the Crane family in Nottingham. I come to offer ye a bountiful reward for capturing Robin Hood, and his friends.'"
"'We no interested in rewardses.' the troll's leader replied."
"Crane, however, was clever, and flipped the coin in his hand. Much to the interest of the trolls. He pointed to the South, promising the trolls that a cave filled with the shiny coins awaited them. As is the nature of trolls, they left their post, in search of the cave of shiny coins."
"Crane used this moment of distraction to save Robin Hood, his wife Marian, and Little John from their cages. However, all was not right in the Kingdom. For the trolls were the henchmen to the nefarious Skobul of the North. Robin Hood explained that his daughter, Amber, had been locked away in the Northern Tower."
Clyde stopped his tale for a moment, as there was a vibration in his pockets. His cell-phone had been ringing.
"Hold on one second sweetie." he replied, quickly pulling the device out.
It was Harold and Drake, two of his co-workers. They had finished their shift, and were headed out for some Saint Patty's day drinks. Nodding, he turned back to her.
"Where was I? Oh, yes, the Northern Tower." Clyde continued. "Crane told Robin Hood, and Marian, that he would save their daughter from Skobul, and free England from his reign of terror."
"-and so Crane did. He arrived at the Tower, and scaled it. However, it was no easy task, as dangers lurked in the shadows every step of the way. Still, our Hero prevailed, and once he reached the peak of the tower, he and Skobul fought, magic versus steel. The skies rang out for miles as the two forces clashed. In the end, however, Crane had been victorious."
"Amber, the princess, was very glad to have been saved by Crane. He told her his wish to become a Knight in Richard's court. Amber promised our Hero that she would convince her father to allow him this wish. Together, they rode off to Nottingham. When they arrived, Richard held a feast to celebrate the safe return of our Hero and his granddaughter."
"As promised, Amber convinced the kind King to knight our Hero. All in all, they lived happily ever after." Clyde smiled, as Amber began to sink into slumber, gently rubbing his hand along her cheek. "The end. Good night, sweetie."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Clyde stepped into the bar, Boris' place. As was expected on a Saint Patrick's day evening, the bar was bustling with activity. The keeper, Boris, beckoned him over, his friends Harold and Drake sitting there.
"Gentlemen, welcome." Boris nodded. "An' a happy Saint Patty's to ye."
"Happy St. Patrick's day, you damn drunk." Harold chuckled.
"Shut yer pie-hole, ye Pakistani fuck." Boris chuckled. "Gentlemen, I've gathered ye hear this evenin' to try my newest concoction of corrosive chemical content."
"By that, you mean yer nasty ass alcohol mixers?" Drake chuckled.
"Precisely, boyo." Boris crossed his arms, with a stern nod. "Would ye lads care to try it? I call it the Saint Patrick."
"Pass." Harold shook his head, turning to Drake, who violently shook his head.
"Alright, sure." Clyde smirked. "What all's in it?"
"Well, it's a bit o' a process." Boris said. "We start with a mixture I call the 'Viper's Venom'. It's a Bloody Mary mixed with a Corkscrew."
"Oh god." Harold gagged. "That sounds so unpleasant."
"That's the point!" Boris scoffed. "An' after you've had the Viper's Venom, you're supposed to chase it away with what I call 'Patrick's Shamrock'. That's a mixture of a mojito and straight potato vodka."
"That sounds intense as fuck." Harold nodded. "Drake, fetch us a bucket. I feel like Clyde'll need it."
Boris immediately set to mixing the separate parts of the overall 'drink'. After several minutes, the parts of the 'Saint Patrick' were finished. Clyde started with the Viper's Venom, coughing as the putrid mixture burned it's way down his throat. After a few seconds, he could feel a slight buzz start to overtake him. The Viper's Venom was no joke, just pure alcohol and vegetable juice.
After a moment, he took the 'Patrick's Shamrock' portion, and felt a bit of relief, the sweetness of the mojito offering some solace for his esophagus. Boris and the others roared with laughter, as Clyde's head began to swam in a wide circle.The corners of his vision were starting to black out, and with a single hiccup, he passed out.
Last edited by Shad0wChas3r on February 10th 2016, 12:16 am; edited 1 time in total