Back in his cottage, Nækos shut the door behind himself with a short growl of exhasperation. "Best man...what the hell does the best man do?"
Tæbryn perked up from the chair where she had been reading. "You're going to be King Meekal's best man in the wedding?"
"Yes. Not quite sure how it happened, but yes."
"You have some nice clothes for it? There was a decent dress in the clothes that Lady Moon gave me, but I think that would be better for me to wear than you."
"You're funny. What are you reading?" He was amazed at the speed with which she had settled in.
"One of your books on fighting. Can't pronounce the name of the style."
Nækos walked over to her and looked at the book, brushing the cover with an air of nostalgia. "Ah, yes. Works well for street fighting, but only if you've got a decent open area..."
She looked up at the halfling as he drifted off into thoughts of tactics. "Swordsman?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"For rescuing me in Muu, and sleeping by the bed, and everything. Thank you..."
Looking surprised, Nækos responded, "Of course. It's just what I do. It's just my thing, some might say. And my name is Nækos. You don't have to call me Swordsman."
"Alright, Mr. Servaya." He just rolled his eyes. "Now we need to find you something decent to wear for the wedding. And teach you how to be a best man." Before he could even protest, she had dropped the book, hopped up, and headed for the wardrobe in his bedroom.
"No - don't - I'll take care of - fine." By which time she was already rummaging through.
"Okay, well, here's your selection. Looks like we've got some black, maybe some more black, and some black to go with it. Or, if your really wanted to spice things up, you could throw in a bit of black to contrast things."
"You've quite a mastery of sarcasm."
Brown eyes appeared from around the door of the wardrobe, beneath raised eyebrows. "Don't even tell me you weren't the same or worse." Josephine hadn't been this troublesome. What had he gotten himself into?
__________________
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag. - Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC
URGH, thats what I get for reading the title too quickly. I thought it read MARTIAL prepartions and was about to get grumpy at the fact we already HAD a thread called that. Ignore the queen, she is stoooopid.
__________________ You may love me but you dont accept me. I dont want your love without your acceptance.
lol Dun worry Z! You just made me realize that I did the same thing.
Oh, and can I say one other thing?
*points at Nækos and laughs* alright I'm off to class.
__________________
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." - George S. Patton
Meekal strode happily back to the Swordsman's cottage tucked quietly away in the woods. He knocked cheerfully on the door and entered joyfully. He sang out ecstatically, "I'm back!"
Swordsman grumbled sarcastically, "Really? I wouldn't have guessed."
Meekal gave a little wave to Taebryn, who for some reason was going through the Swordsman's clothes, then frowned at the contrary mood the Swordsman had. "What's the matter, Naekos?" he asked.
"It has occurred to me that I have no idea what a Best Man does. What exactly are my duties, Meekal?"
Meekal thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I'm not sure myself. I know you stand next to me during the whole thing… Oh, and you give a toast during the reception."
"Reception?" the Swordsman asked. The word was foreign to him. "What's that? Not a ball, I hope."
"No. Not a ball. Just dinner. We're having buffet." The Swordsman stomach grumbled. It has been awhile since he last ate. He wasn't sure what 'buffet' was but he hoped it was meat. Meekal continued, "I think that's all you have to do… I've got Brother Emmanuel doing the ceremony and…"
"Brother Emmanuel?" interrupted the Swordsman. "That fat Schoolcraftian that nobody likes?"
"That's the one," Meekal answered with a smile.
"Why didn't you ask Friar O'Malley? From what I can tell, pound for pound, he's more affable than Brother Emmanuel." It could also be said the Friar O'Malley had more common sense in his whole body than Brother Emmanuel had in his neck fat… which would be an odd thing to say, which is probably why the Swordsman didn't say it.
"I tried to ask Friar O'Malley," explained Meekal, "but I was blocked, quite effectively, by Brother Emmanuel. In fact, he blocked the doorway and most of the foyer."
"Well, I'm getting buffet before he does. Hopefully he won't be as long-winded as he can tend to be."
Meekal nodded in agreement. "We got to save time for the actor troupe I hired to perform during the reception. They've been all over. The guy said they've even performed in Schoolcraftia. Maybe Moon remembers them."
"Actors?" grimaced Naekos. "You invited actors to a wedding? Free food and actors are a deadly combination."
"They took food as payment."
"In that case I'm getting some buffet before them too." The Swordsman smiled for the first time. "Looks like you've got everything taken care of except for who is going to give Moon away."
"I got Lord Tellurine to give Moon away."
If a split second can be split again that would be the amount of time it took Naekos to be face to face with Meekal asking, "You did WHAT?"
Meekal shrunk back a bit. "I met him in the street…"
The Swordsman paced slowly away from Meekal. He fumed, "Didn't take him too long to show his ugly mug here in Arconia again…"
"He pledged his service to me."
The Swordsman spun around on his heels. He tone softened and he said quietly, "Meekal, it's time someone explained to you that not everyone's intentions are true…"
Meekal straightened his stance. He said with conviction, "And perhaps someone should explain to you that everyone deserves a second chance."
The Swordsman snarled, "That man has been given numerous chances to change his ways and each time he comes back and tries his ultimately unsuccessful treachery once again!"
"At least he's unsuccessful!" Meekal argued.
"So far. But what if this guise of being your loyal servant allows him the opportunity to finally be successful?"
"We're talking about Lord Tellurine here!" Meekal sighed. "He's a nuisance at best. The worst thing Lord Tellurine has ever done is made Willow choke on her ice cubes."
"That's true," Naekos said with a shrug. "But I'm going to keep an eye on him." The Swordsman chuckled lightly and said, "I sure would have liked to have been there when you told Moon who was giving her away."
Meekal grimaced. "Haven't actually told her that," he admitted.
"Meekal," Naekos said shaking his head, "you may not live to see yourself married." The Swordsman wondered if they would still serve the buffet.
(printed w/permission from L.T.)
__________________ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
Lady Moon of the Quill, the future Mrs. Meekal the Daft, the future Queen of Muu, slid quietly out the door into the royal garden. She breathed in deeply the fragrant outdoor air of the garden. It was a welcome change from her stuffy room. How long had it been since she had been in this garden on the fateful night that the vile Lord Tellurine had kidnapped her only to deliver her to the young man she was about to marry.
Lady Moon stifled a laugh. Lord Tellurine… Despite his attempts to ruin her life, he had instead set it on the path she was now happily traveling. At one time Lord Tellurine had shoved a marriage license in her face demanding that she and Meekal sign it so they would be married, and now she was doing that very thing.
A thought occurred to her. Lord Tellurine was employed in the service of the Muu crown, and soon that would be her. Would the villainous and loathsome Lord Tellurine become hers to command? That thought made her laugh out loud.
“This garden has a lot of history for us,” a voice said behind her.
She turned around slowly, immediately recognizing the voice. “Lord Tellurine,” she hissed.
“You foiled my plans to attack the Arconian castle in this garden… You and Meekal,” he snarled unpleasantly.
Moon’s eyes reduced to rage-filled slits. “What are you doing here, Tellurine? This is my wedding day!”
“Really? The dress and tiara aren’t what you normally wear for stroll in the garden?” He approached her, slowly and deliberately.
“Stay away from me, Tellurine,” she warned. “I’m not going to let you ruin this day for me!”
“And I’m going to make sure your feet stay warm.”
“What in Craig’s name does the temperature of my feet have to do with anything?”
The answer, or lack thereof, was in the form of a sack being thrown over her head.
Her feet were on the opposite end of her, and the bag smelled of old oats, but she knew what was happening as he began to bind her wrists behind her. He was kidnapping her.
It was like old times.
__________________
"You have made me laugh, you have made me cry...you have made me choke on my ice cubes." - Willow
Rosaline had made it back into the castle and was once again working her way towards Moon's room when she was nearly ran over by two of the kitchen staff carrying loads of food.
"No John, the queen doesn't like those." One of them said to a boy who was passing by with even more food.
Rosaline winced at the mention of the queen. It occured to her that she had gone back to her room to get some sleep. She probably had no idea about the wedding.
Rosaline grimaced, not wanting to be the one to tell her. She knew it wouldn't be pretty. She sighed and turned to go tell her anyway. Better to tell her than to have her miss it because she was unaware of its existance. She was soon infront of the queen's door, and she knocked softly. She knew better then to walk in on Zelda when she was sleeping. Like Rosaline, she'd probably throw a dagger at anyone who came in. So she waiting outside the door.
__________________
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." - George S. Patton
The knocking on the door was insistant. Zelda pulled a pillow over her head and tried to get back to sleep. The sound kept coming, permeating (I LOVE that word) like a billowing cloud into her senses. Zelda burrowed further under the covers and pillows. If she ignored it it may turn out to be part of a dream. A suculent dream, with handsome muscle chiselled men, soft pillows, sword fighting and swashbuckling heroes. Some good food, friends and enjoyment.
The sound didnt go away....groaning Zelda opened her eyes and glared at the door.
"GO AWAY!" she yelled, "I WANT MY SLEEP!!!!!"
__________________ You may love me but you dont accept me. I dont want your love without your acceptance.
Rosaline understood Zelda's want of sleep. She'd had that same feeling for quite some time now. However, she remained insistant.
"Suit yourself Zelda, I just thought you might like to know that someone of importance to you is getter married. .." She let that sit in the air a while. "Tonight!"
__________________
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." - George S. Patton
The main hall had been decorated nicely, even spur-of-the moment.
The buffet was set up, the tables ready to be rolled into the hall for the reception.
Seats were ready for all, and were in fact occuppied, primarily by gypsies.
Brother Emmanuel stood in the front, sweating.
A small string-quartet, dressed in their finest, was prepared to play.
Brother Emmanuel cleared his throat, ready to begin the proceedings.
Willow, Senyik, Darion, Miri, Ken-Dall, and all the rest looked around, wondering where the couple to be married was.
Zelda leaned over to Willow. "Isn't this the way it all started the last time?" she whispered.
__________________
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag. - Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC
Last edited by Swordsman; 02-29-2004 at 04:37 PM..
Moon felt herself being scooped into Tellurine's arms & walked...somewhere. Since when did Tellurine "scoop"? She knew he'd much rather sling her over his shoulder & be done with it. He stopped & fiddled with something. She began to wriggle in an attempt to get free. "Stop doing that," Tellurine's voice came muffled from the other side of the bag. She decided that since he had her at such a definite disadvantage, she would do well to do as he said. So, she settled down. Maybe something would give her a clue as to where he was going, and what he would do to her when he got there.
A distant squeaking noise alerted her. Then, she felt him begin to descend some stairs. They were going down...to the dungeon! Well, at least he wasn't taking her away from the castle. There was still hope.
Unless he was the one who would do what the assassin failed to do.
__________________ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
"Married? Who in their right mind gets married at night???" Zelda voice came through the door, slightly muffled but clear enough to be heard.
Rosaline smiled, the Queen may be married herself, but she was a big supporter of people doing everything they wanted in life BEFORE they got married.
"Moon and Meekal." Rosaline answered. A thump as the queen rolled out of bed and fell over a chair was the only reply Rosaline got.
"Moon and MEEKAL???" the door opened to Zeldas incredulous face, framed by a very bad case of bed hair. "I know they said they would get married, to apease the King of Muu, but I didnt think they would actually go THROUGH with it."
"Well they are," Rosaline replied.
"Oh dear, that means I have to find a dress to wear...." Zelda sighed, "ALYSS!!!!" she roared as she turned and closed the door in Rosalines face.
__________________ You may love me but you dont accept me. I dont want your love without your acceptance.
Ken-Dall sat beside Darion, a grin on her face. But that grin soon disappeared as they waited...& waited...for the wedding to begin.
"Should we be concerned about your sister yet?" Darion whispered.
"No more concerned about Meekal," Ken-Dall said. She gave Darion a grin, knowing what had happened in the hours prior to this moment. People talk. And, she could smell The Bitter End all over him. "You know," she mused, "it is my sister who is considered the 'good' one."
"Thank you so much for sharing that with me. Should I be worried about you instead?" Darion stifled a laugh.
"No, no...if I got married, I wouldn't leave. Several times." And where IS my sister? she thought
__________________ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
Willow looked a bit started at Zelda's comment. "Ummm, yes, well, I assume this is how her first wedding attempt began. She was determined not to marry the Prince, and since I am both her best friend and the one person her mother trusted to keep her safe, I had to leave with her when she ran. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what exactly happened when they discovered she was gone, but I'm sure you can imagine the outcry." Zelda nodded in understanding. "Yes, after seeing what her mother and your mother are like, I can just imagine the fury and screaming that happened when they discovered Moon gone and you, as well."
Willow began to get this funny feeling in the back of her head. It was like all the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. Oh, boy. This was not a good sign. Whenever she got a feeling like this, something bad had either happened or was going to happen. Looking over at Queen Zelda, Willow said, "If you will excuse me, Your Highness, I think I will go check on something right now.
Making her way carefully to the back, she nodded and smiled at people as she went by. How had so many people been invited or shown up on such short notice as this? It was incredible. She saw Ken-Dall waiting and quickly approached her. "Ken-Dall, where is Moon? The wedding is about to start. Why isn't the bride back here ready to go?" Ken-Dall looked at moon in concern. "I don't know. I was just about to ask you the same question. You don't suppose....?"
Willow and Ken-Dall looked at each other and groaned. "You have got to be kidding me," said Willow. Ken-Dall looked at Willow and said, "It's that bad sign she was born under, isn't it?" Willow nodded. "Yes, she is the only person I have ever known who was born under the sign of "Kidnap Me. Her mother never should have been traveling when she was due to give birth to Moon, and never should have stopped at that sign when her pains started."
The two ladies began to look for Moon, Meekal, Nækos, ANYONE who might be able to tell them what was going on.
__________________ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
The musty, stale air of the castle’s dungeon began to permeate through the sack over Lady Moon’s head. The dungeon was another place that held a lot of history for her and Tellurine. The FIRST time he kidnapped her she awoke to find herself down in the dungeon and then when he (and her) had helped Zarcon to escape the dungeon after a particularly unsuccessful ball, she found herself trapped with King Arcon. The bulge of her mid-section was the evidence of that.
“You’ve gotten heavier,” Tellurine grunted as he traversed the gloomy maze that was the dungeon.
Lady Moon, who was sprawled out between Tellurine’s arms, replied a muffled… Well, let’s just leave it muffled… in case there are kids reading.
Tellurine paused for a moment, as if trying to remember something. As a matter of fact, he was… he was lost. “Stupid dungeons!” he cursed. A blind drunk man who hated dungeons had originally laid out the Arconian Castle Dungeons. That’s not really true, but if you had ever been down there you would swear that was case. Tellurine found his bearings (he guessed) and took the hallway to the right.
Moon squirmed in her bindings and a great sadness came over her. She would not get to marry Meekal after all. Before it seemed like the right thing to do. Meekal cared for Moon, tried to protect her, and loved her unconditionally. Moon did nothing to encourage his feelings and at the same time she ignored the feelings that were growing for him. Now it seemed like only thing to do. She HAD to marry Meekal. It was destiny… it was kismet.
And now it was a fading hope. Would Meekal be so angry because she did not show up to their wedding that he wouldn’t come after her to save her? Would he be so distraught that he would go back to Muu and rule with the iron fist his father had? Would he go back to talking to stones?
She struggled harder against the rope that bound her hands. She had to get out. She needed to show Meekal she loved him as much as he loved her. Tellurine couldn't be allowed to get away with this. Tonight was too important.
She was so busy struggling physically and emotionally that she failed to notice Tellurine climbing steps. She also paid no mind to the blast of cool fresh air of a large open room hitting her body as he went through a door. She hardly knew what to think when she placed right side up on the floor. And she gasped audibly along with the assembled crowd when the bag was pulled from her head and she looked down the aisle to where Brother Emmanuel was waiting to perform a long-winded ceremony.
She looked back at Tellurine who was untying her hands. She managed a, “What?”
He said simply, “Obviously, I had to take you before I could give you away.”
Lady Moon looked back at him with mild confusion. Lord Tellurine giving her away? Brother Emmanuel doing the ceremony? What other surprises did Meekal have in store?... And for that matter where was he?
__________________
"You have made me laugh, you have made me cry...you have made me choke on my ice cubes." - Willow
Last edited by Lord Tellurine; 03-01-2004 at 07:47 AM..
(printed for Willow, who is having computer issues)
Willow felt herself relax as Moon was let out of a sack. Lord Tellurine never knew just how close he was to being engulfed in a fireball. Well, maybe later at the reception. It could be the entertainment. For now, she would sit, relax, and hope that maybe, just maybe, Moon and Meekal would actually be allowed to get married. She snapped her fingers quietly, and a puff of smoke rose from her fingers.
__________________ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
OOOOOOH Tellurine in a fireball, THAT could be fun!!! As Queen I DEMAND that Tellurine sometime in the next post or two gets engulfed in a harmless fireball.
__________________ You may love me but you dont accept me. I dont want your love without your acceptance.
Yet another thing that gypsies do quite well--unsurprising at best, for crashing the party usually means drinking unbelievable amounts of alcohol and driving even the most patient of hosts to drink--that being, if there is any left after the gypsies are done crashing said party.
However, the only party had already been crashed, so that left the gypsies with two choices--go home and go back to bed, or stay around and watch a once-in-a-lifetime bonding of probably the two most unlikely people to ever get married. As most of the gypsies didn't know this, a lot of them just stayed at the Bitter End and drank. Thus, it was a happy occasion for all.
Ame, Falcour, Crin, Shela, Mitch, and Talmour tagged along after their new friends and filled the back row. Most had had shots of The Old Softie, but none (to Steve's amazement) had burped flames or even complained of an upset stomach. "Iron-lined," Talmour had explained with a belch (that lacked, to Steve's amazement, anything resembling flames or green gas). "Gypsy manufacturing. It's the best."
"Hey," Mitch said as Tellurine appeared in the hall with a sack-clad Moon, “isn’t that the evil fellow we saw at the inn with the terrible food?”
Crin, Falcour, and Talmour all craned their necks to get a good look. “Yeah, that’s Lord Tellurine,” Crin whispered to her friends. “Rumor around the castle has it he’s kidnapped Princess Buffy like four times or something.”
“Well, it looks like he’s giving her back now,” Falcour remarked dubiously.
“That it does. Shut up, I want to watch this. It should be quite the show.” Ame elbowed Talmour, who was looking around to see if the caterers had any wine. “And sit still, for Rella’s sake!”
__________________ I've got a theory. It could be bunnies.
Proud to be serving as the Official Class Clown of the Seven.
Last edited by Crin Dalmeiier; 03-01-2004 at 11:48 AM..
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