All Hail the Conquering Hero?
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 85457
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Lord Fred was feeling good. The wind swept through his hair and his freshly
polished armor glimmered brilliantly in the sun. Bees buzzed about and
butterflies glided by (one even alighting upon his nose at one point) while
birds and chipmunks
and other assorted woodland vermin
chirped and chattered in the tall cedars above. Indeed, he was feeling so
good as he rode along that he started whistling. It
was an old, honest song,
as old as the hills. Well, maybe not that old, but pretty damn old,
nonetheless. And a fine tune he carried, by all accounts. He was a
celebrated whistler in his time. He was a decent juggler, too. Though by no
means a ‘professional juggler’, he could still hold his own and..... JUST GET ON WITH IT! Right! Where were we? Ah yes, Fred riding along through the trees, whistling away and whatnot...As he reflected on the last forty-eight hours of his life, he couldn’t help but feel....well....bloody fortunate. Adele was still a thorn in his mind. What had she done with the others? What of that damn ring? The magic he had seen unleashed by those under the ring's power had been unlike anything Fred had ever seen in his life. This was far from over. He crested a hill that commanded a wide view of the plains below, and brought his horse to a slow gait. Eyes squinting in the noonday sun, he took in the panoramic scene. Exotica squeezed him from behind. “We’re making good time,” he said to her. “See? There is the River Rayne, snaking it’s way north on it’s long, sluggish journey to the sea. And further on, just barely discernable on the horizon, are the ramparts of Pellgar. ”Luc, who had brought up the rear, came up beside them. “M’Lord,” he said, patting his steed affectionately. “We should break here, if only for a short while. There’s a spring not far from here.” “For a short while, yes,” Fred agreed. “And then I’m afraid we must be on again.”Luc couldn’t stand this any longer. For the last several hours he had answered an endless barrage of questions from Fred while receiving not one answer of his own. Everything was cloaked in a mystery. Everything! Hell, he didn’t even know who or what they were running from! “Your silence speaks volumes,” noted Fred, who had by now dismounted and was lending the princess a hand. “Very well,” he sighed. “You deserve some sort of explanation, however it will have to be a rushed account. How’s he doing, anyway?”“Out like a log and snoring like a dragon,” the squire replied, in reference to Matthias, who’s slumping form looked as if it would topple over at any moment. “He’s been drooling on my shoulder for the last hour.” “Speaking of dragons,” Exotica said, glancing sideways at Fred. “I’ll make a long story short. Minestus is dead.”Luc’s eyes widened. “DEAD!” he exclaimed, and immediately lost his balance. Both he and Matthias toppled off the horse. Matthias seemed no worse for the wear and continued slumbering as if nothing had happened, while Luc, who was quite obviously embarrassed, scrambled to his feet an instant later. “Dead as dead,” the princess went on. “Slayed by the hand of Lord Frederigo, who also rescued me, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed. He has asked for my hand in marriage, and I have accepted.”Luc turned to Fred and, grabbing his hand, began kissing it. “Why didn’t you tell me, my Lord!” he cried. “I never thought I’d see you again, much less herald you as a dragon slayer! We should be celebrating!” Fred, however, was rendered thoroughly speechless for several painful seconds. “Minestus is dead,” he finally said, struggling with the words. Adding, to his own surprise, “And apparently I have asked for the princess’s hand in marriage, as well. Hmm. Uh, please would you attend to the horses, Luc? The princess and I need to have a word.”“Of course, of course! Anything for the bravest knight in the entire realm!” And so as he sauntered off with a lively whistle in his step (Luc wasn’t a half bad whistler himself, but we won’t get into that), Fred turned to Exotica and in a hoarse whisper said, “What are you doing!? What is this talk of marriage? And you can’t just go around telling people that I’ve slain Minestus!”Exotica crossed her arms. “And why not?” “Because it’s not true!”She brought herself close to him, so that their bodies were touching, and kissed him softly on the lips. “Isn’t it, though? If it weren’t for you, none of us would have been freed and Minestus would still be alive. Maybe you weren’t the one who directly confronted the dragon, but it is because of your actions that he no longer breaths.” But Fred, feeling honor bound as always, still disagreed with her assessment.Exotica took a step back and frowned. “So you’re calling me a liar?” The sweetness of her kiss still lingering on his lips, the knight shook his head. “No, of course not....”“Good,” she smiled. “My father will have no choice but to give away my hand in marriage. He’s been set on hooking me up with some loser prince from Hespan - like I’m some sort of political pawn! But now he won’t have a choice. And don’t worry, you won’t suffer the same fate as the others....” She, of course, was referring to her father’s tendency to behead the princess’s prospective paramours. Fred unconsciously rubbed his neck. “That’s....good to know....”Right about then, Luc came prancing back, singing and carrying on like that. “Good God, man!” Fred said sternly. “Get a hold of yourself. The dragon is dead, yes, but there is a new threat rising.”Luc, eyes cast downward after his rebuking, offered an apology. “Don’t apologize, either!” exclaimed Fred. “Here...let us sit beneath this tree, have a bite to eat, and I will tell you as much as I can. Let’s see then, where to begin. Well I suppose I should start at the part where I stood at the cave entrances...”“Entrances?” queried Luc. “I thought there’s only one!” “There’s two.” “TWO!? Well isn’t THAT something! Two entrances. Well I never. But the map said there was only one!”“Believe me,” Fred told him, “It gets even better...”
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Ib
1/26/2009 8:46:00 AM
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