Finish Your Games Challenge

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



June 21, 2015 9:56 pm  #11


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 11

For the second night in a row, I thought about Captain Greg. I was worried that I hadn’t seen him or heard from him all day. Suppose there had been an accident, he could be injured, unable to walk, unconscious even!

I realized that I didn’t even know where he lived. And I didn’t know who to ask for help. The Mayor would be totally useless. He would just suggest making posters and send me out to find poster glue.

The best plan I could come up with was to look for the Captain myself in the morning. The Rose Garden would be a good place to start. I could take Quinn with me. If he was hurt, I could send Quinn to get help.

It was a good thing I decided to stop at Town Hall first. There on my desk was a note requesting resources for filling the pond and planting flowers around it. It was addressed to "Steward" and signed "Captain Gregory."

The formal tone of the letter had sent a chill down my spine. I tried to convince myself that the Captain was just being cautious. Anybody could have come into the office and read it. Better to be careful and not give the citizens something to gossip about.

I couldn’t just stay in the office hoping he’d drop by. Quinn had mentioned that his grandfather wanted to show me the Wingferry. Lucky wasn’t thrilled at the thought of spending yet another day with Mr Vanderkins. I explained that we would be visiting someplace new and maybe there would be lots of carrots there. Lucky cheered up a little.

As we were leaving, The Mayor asked me to help improve the Faire of Light and suggested that I start with Troglid’s Carpentry.

When we got to the Faire of Lights, Lucky gave me a dirty look. The landscape was pretty bleak. He would not be finding any carrots here. I had a bigger problem. The cloaked stranger had been here and cursed yet another area of the kingdom. The Orchards were covered with a purple fog. Purple is rapidly becoming my least favorite color.To make matters worse, the Wingferry was broken again. Seth, Quinn’s grandfather, has rheumatism and can’t look for the materials needed to repair it. There was no sign of Troglid, but it was obvious that his carpentry shop needed repairs before it could open. The only good thing about my visit to the Faire of Light was that while I was looking the place over, Quinn found a tile which looked like it might fit that door in the Castle that the Bouncer is guarding.
I was furious when I returned to Town Hall and found out that not only did the Mayor already know about the curse over the Orchards, he had seen it happen! And he actually had complained that the cloaked stranger is bold enough to show himself and attack the town.

What about his audacity? He deliberately sent me to the Faire of Light and never mentioned the curse. Once again, the Mayor had put me in danger. And where was Captain Greg? Maybe if he talked to the Mayor...

I decided I would go up to the Castle to look for the Captain right after I made arrangements for Troglid’s shop to be repaired. Then I looked out the window. No need to go looking for the Captain, he was headed toward Town Hall.

No, he wasn’t. He walked right past the place, followed by his fan club of floozies. He didn’t even glance toward the building. Obviously he wasn’t at all concerned about me or my safety. He had probably been putting on a show for his admirers when he rescued me from the pond.

I had been a fool to think anybody, least of all him, could ever care for me. I am nobody, worse than nobody. I am Dreadmyre’s granddaughter.  


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

June 24, 2015 2:18 am  #12


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 12

Last night I decided that I was no longer going to seek or follow advice from the three stooges that Queen Sophia had assigned me. I would rely on my own judgment and do what I thought best.

Looking over all the requests for help, I could see that what was best was for me to visit the Rose Garden. Seth needed toolboxes, Chumblepot needed songbird eggs, Quinn wanted to explore and find cockatrice eggs, the Mayor thinks I should discover the secret of the Dreamless Castle, and most important of all, I wanted something other than vegetable soup for dinner.

It meant spending yet another day with Quinn and Mr Vanderkins. To say that Lucky was unhappy was an understatement. Before we left, I approved the request for repairs on the carpentry shop.

Quinn thought the Rose Garden was beautiful, but creepy and wondered what the cloaked stranger had been doing there before he attacked the Forester. Good question.

The morning passed quickly. Quinn found the cockatrice eggs. I found some of the songbird eggs I needed, stocked up on toolboxes, and caught another lobster. I had also found a fragment of cloth, which I hid in my pocket before Quinn could notice it.

The squabbits found a basket of apples and were going to have a contest to see which of them could eat the most. I put a stop to that. I did not need a sick squabbit on my hands, and besides, I wanted some of those apples.

At noon we all returned to Landsong Village. I decided that the lobster would be lunch. I wasn’t going to take any chances a certain light-fingered captain would walk off with it.

After lunch, I took some fairy dragon eggs, some jewel eggs, and a cockatrice egg to Chumblepot. He wanted to experiment with the eggshells. I told him I was still gathering the eggs he needed to repair the Castle’s glasswork. He told me he would also need some more glass shards and some poster glue.

When I finally returned to Town Hall to speak to the Mayor, Captain Greg was also there. He was annoyed to find out I had been to the Rose Garden. Wordlessly, I handed over the fragment of cloth I had found there.

The Mayor proclaimed the cloth to have come from the cloak of the figure who had attacked the Forester and decided that the cloaked stranger was interested in the Relics. Then he left.

The Captain started to lecture me about putting myself in danger and thereby making his job more difficult. I interrupted him to point out that it had been very unlikely that I would have encountered the mysterious stranger in the Rose Garden. He had already moved on to cursing the Castle’s pond and the Orchards.

Besides, the Mayor is the one who was constantly putting my life at risk. He had sent me to the Rose Garden when it was off limits to all citizens, asked me to investigate the orb in the pond, neglected to inform me about the cursed orchard when he sent me to the Faire of Light...

At this point Captain Greg left my office and stormed off to the Mayor’s office. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper from my desk, scooped up Lucky, and left. When we were a good distance from Town Hall, I put Lucky down and checked the paper.

It was yet another request from the Mayor. This time he wanted me to look for a pearl of purity at the Ancient Pond. This magical pearl was rumored to have the power to cleanse the murky waters at the Fairy Dragon Nest.

Although I don’t particularly like searching Ancient Pond, it did feel good to go somewhere without Quinn and Mr Vanderkins. Lucky squeaked his agreement and found the pearl in record time. And at the Fairy Dragon Nest, he found some sunflower seeds and was ecstatic because he didn’t have to share them with another squabbit.

I was pretty happy as well. After clearing the Mystic Pool, I found another lobster. But the best part of the day was when Captain Greg had yelled at the Mayor.


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

June 26, 2015 2:51 am  #13


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 13

This morning the Mayor seemed quite surprised to hear that I had found the Pearl of Purity and cleansed the Mystic Pool at the Fairy Dragon Nest. Why does he keep sending me to find things if he isn’t sure they actually exist?

I was surprised that the Mayor was in a good mood. I expected him to be angry and blame me for the barrage of abuse he received from Captain Greg but he was his usual cheerful but vague self.

Last night I had decided that the Wingferry should be the next structure to be repaired. Once it was operational, I would be able to visit and explore new places. Quinn’s grandfather Seth had even offered to give me his pass for Apricus Plaza. All I had to do was find it. I just hope looking for it doesn’t mean spending yet another day with Quinn and Mr Vanderkins.

Seth’s rheumatism was acting up again, so he wasn’t able to join in the hunt for the missing pass. He mentioned that he had visited Landsong Village recently so I started my search at the Glassworks and Town Hall. Chumblepot recalled seeing him but insisted that Seth hadn’t left anything behind. The Mayor told me that Seth had stopped by Town Hall for a chat and had helped out with some posters but Seth wasn’t carrying his pass at the time.

Seth had also gone for a stroll through Mystic Copse, Ancient Pond and the Rose Garden not too long ago, so those were the next places I checked. I didn’t find the pass in any of those places, but I did wonder if Captain Greg knew that Seth visited the Rose Garden. I thought that place was off limits to the general public.

Quinn claimed his grandfather could be forgetful with his things and suggested that I search the Wingferry. While searching I also spent some time organizing the gears and other spare parts. Meanwhile Lucky spent his time teasing Mr Vanderkins, refusing to share the carrot he had found in Mystic Copse.

Quinn had another idea. He thought Troglid might have noticed where his grandfather had visited recently. Troglid told me he had spotted Seth stashing some things in a stone wall at Ancient Pond. I had already looked there today but didn’t realize the stone wall could be opened.

Before I could open the wall, I had to find the key. Troglid thought Seth might have dropped the key on the Rose Garden. Lucky and I looked at each other. Yet another visit to the Rose Garden. The Captain would not be pleased and I wasn’t sure I’d get away with blaming Seth and Troglid.

We quickly found the key. I would have liked to spend some time looking for another lobster but it was getting late. So we hurried off to the stone wall atAancient Pond and finally found Seth’s pass to Apricus Plaza.

I just hope no emergency crops up tomorrow. I’d like to use this pass before I wind up losing it.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

June 27, 2015 2:03 am  #14


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 14

When I arrived at Town Hall this morning, I spent some time sorting out the papers on my desk. Since I planned to go to Apricus Plaza, today would be an excellent day for Town Hall to be upgraded. I could really use a bigger office, preferably one with a closet fitted with sturdy shelves.

Lucky apparently thought we should spend our time somewhere else. He kept taking the order sheet from Chumblepot off the pile of papers and pushing toward me. Chumblepot needed more glass shards and poster glue. I had the shards on hand, but no glue.

Maybe Lucky had a point. Once Town Hall was expanded, the Mayor was sure to ask me to prepare more posters to inform the citizens that Town Hall was bigger and better than ever. Just in case they didn’t notice that fact when they walked up to the building to read the posters.

So I changed our plans and decided to go to the Forgotten Glen instead. But before we could leave, the Mayor stopped by to discuss additional improvements to Town Hall. He wanted to make it sturdier and wondered if I could donate some resources. I did but requested that some of the resources be used to reinforce the shelves in my office.

Captain Greg arrived. The Mayor was not pleased to see him and from the look on the Captain’s face, I guessed the feeling was mutual. Once the Mayor departed, however, the frown disappeared and Captain Greg turned on the charm. Since he was standing between me and the door, I had no choice but to listen.

He had stopped by to remind me that I still hadn’t approved his request to fill the Castle pond and plant flowers around it. For good measure, he mentioned that the citizens - and he - were very fond of the pond.

Once again, being alone with the Captain in such a confined space muddled my thoughts. I mumbled something about being fond of the pond myself and waved my hand in the general direction of the building materials. Then we squeezed past each other - him to fetch the supplies he needed, and me to get outside into the fresh air to clear my head.

I was so anxious to get away from him I practically ran to the Forgotten Glen. Whatever possessed me to say I was fond of the pond? I’ve never even seen it filled with water, only empty or filled with cursed vines. Then I blushed as I remembered how Captain Greg had rescued me from those vines.

Lucky was already searching the area, not for poster glue, but for carrots, sunflower seeds and acorns. So that’s why he insisted that we come here. Sometimes I worry that Lucky will want to stay in the Forgotten Glen, after all, it was his home before I found him. It soon became clear that he was planning to stay with me for quite some time.

By the time I found all the poster glue, Lucky had amassed quite a pile of food. He even included some corn, tomatoes and a pumpkin. Getting it all back to Landsong Village wasn’t easy. I put the tomatoes in my pockets, the poster glue in my satchel, spread my cloak on the ground and dumped the other vegetables in the center of it.

Just as I was about to gather the edges together and sling the bundle over my shoulder, Captain Greg arrived! He wanted to inform me that the pond had been filled and since I was so fond of it, he thought I might like to see it.

Then without waiting for my answer, he picked up my make-shift sack of food and headed back to Landsong Village. Lucky and I had to run to keep up with him. I just hoped that the food was going to end up on my table rather than his.

As I suspected, the Mayor wanted me to help out with posters. Captain Greg offered to drop the food off at my house. I told him to just leave it on the doorstep and I’d put it away later.

After hanging the posters, I dropped off the glue and glass shards that Chumblepot needed. Chumblepot told me there was a rumor of a Relic at Mystic Copse. This was welcome news. Maybe it would be one of the relics from Faire of Light and remove the curse from the Orchards. And it gave me an excuse not to go look at the pond with the Captain.

But Captain Greg wasn’t taking any excuses. He wanted to talk to me - today - at the pond. I agreed to meet him there after I had looked for the relic and put away my groceries.

I did find a Relic at Mystic Copse, but it was part of the Landsong Serenity relic. The Orchards will remain cursed for at least another day. As I put away the food, I wondered just what Captain Greg wanted to talk about and why it couldn’t wait until tomorrow.


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 1, 2015 2:27 am  #15


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 15

I’m not sure why Captain Greg insisted on meeting me up at the Castle. All he did was mention the various things that still needed to be fixed. There’s a panoramic view of the kingdom from up by the Castle, and the Captain pointed out some of the significant landmarks. I was informed that the view was even better from the Castle’s balcony and after the stairs were repaired, we’d be able to go up there to check it out.

As the sun set, the temperature dropped. I had neglected to bring my cloak with me, so the Captain put his across my shoulders. As we walked back to Landsong Village, I had the feeling that he wanted to ask me something, but wasn’t sure if he should.

There were several things I wanted to ask him but I was afraid to. I’m not sure if he or any of my other advisors know that I’m a non-wielder. I don’t even know how much Queen Sophia knows about me, or even how she knows about me.

When we reached Town Hall, there was a messenger waiting for the Captain. There was a problem at the barracks so he wasn’t able to walk me home. He left in such a hurry that he forgot to take his cloak back.

This morning, my plans to go to Apricus Plaza got put on hold again. The Mayor and Blessilda were waiting for me at Town Hall. The Forester had come down with magical flu, brought on by a sudden memory of his vine attack. According to Blessilda, it was as if he had been cursed and couldn’t speak.

She knew a recipe to heal him, but needed some items and of course I was expected to go fetch them. And when I returned with everything she had asked for, she sent me back out to fetch some additional items including a Blue Shard Crystal that has healing properties and repels harmful magic.

Blessilda and the Mayor went off to give the Forester the potion. While they were gone, I took a look at my new shelves in the upgraded Town Hall. They were as rickety as the old ones. So much for the Mayor using those additional resources to make them sturdier.

I told Lucky I’ll just have to fix them myself, provided I can find a hammer somewhere. And if I’m going to search for tools, I should also look for a shovel so that I can make a vegetable garden next to my home. Lucky wasn’t listening to me, he was looking past me. Captain Greg had stopped by to retrieve his cloak.

The Captain left just before the Mayor returned to inform me that the potion had worked and the Forester wanted to tell me something. When the cloaked stranger attacked, he had mentioned going to the Dreamless Castle. The Forester thought that if I went to check it out, "we" might find a lead. I thought that if I went to check it out, what I’d get is another tirade from Captain Greg.

But the Mayor was going to go there, with or without me. I figured that if there were any clues to be found, he’d never find them. I would just have to risk angering the Captain one more time.

We arrived outside the pavilion in the Rose Garden just in time to see the cloaked stranger destroy a stone statue. When I reassembled the pieces, the stone fell away to reveal a man!

He introduced himself as Prince Edric. He didn’t remember much, just that he was traveling through the kingdom when the cloaked figure attacked him. The Mayor was alarmed because the cloaked figure had used petrify magic. According to him, although "we" had saved the prince and he was grateful, it could spell trouble if the suspect wasn’t caught.

I was more concerned about the trouble it was going to cause when Captain Greg found out that once again the Mayor had urged me to go someplace that put me in danger. But when he heard what had happened, he didn’t get angry. He looked confused.


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 3, 2015 1:47 am  #16


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 16

Today I had to deal with a crisis before I even arrived at Town Hall. The cockatrice eggs Quinn found in the Rose Garden had hatched and the Squabbit Den was now overcrowded. If the den wasn’t expanded, some of the animals wold have to be put back into the wild before they were old enough to survive. Quinn was struggling not to cry.

I told Quinn I would find the resources to enlarge the Squabbit Den but he had to promise me to be more careful in the future and to make doubly sure he had the room before bringing any more animals back to Landsong Village.

Lucky and I finally got to visit Apricus Plaza. When we arrived in Faire of Light to take the Wingferry there, Seth told me he had a message from Gobie, the Forester’s friend. He had something important for me and would meet me in the Plaza.

Gobie was already at Apricus Plaza when I arrived. He had found - and lost - what he thought might be a Relic. He also implied that it was my fault he lost it while waiting for me. I wonder who got the blame for everything before I came here?

It didn’t take long before "we" found it again. I had planned to spend more time exploring Apricus Plaza but decided to return to the Faire of Light before the relic got lost again. And when the fragment was inserted into the pedestal there, the curse was removed from the Orchards.

Blessilda was at Town Hall waiting for me. The Mayor had told her I had been exploring Forgotten Glen and she thought she could help me by concocting a root potion. Using it on the roots that have overgrown the Royal Carriage would make them pliant and I’d be able to move them and gain access to whatever had been left in the carriage.

All I had to do was fetch the ingredients. The first potion she made fizzled, so she needed more ingredients. The second potion wasn’t quite right, so even more ingredients were needed. Finally the potion was ready. It was worth the wait. Inside the Royal Carriage was a fragment of the Landsong Serenity Relic.

When the construction work on the Squabbit Den was completed, Lucky and I went there to help feed the animals. Well, I helped. Once again, Lucky spent most of his time checking out the hats. The green pork pie hat with the black band had caught his fancy.

I decided to buy it for him. One of us might as well look stylish. I could really use some new clothes but so far no dressmakers have shown up wanting to open up a shop in either Landsong Village or the Faire of Light. And the General Store doesn’t stock fabric or buttons, not that I have time to make my own dresses as I did while exiled.

But I do have time to tend a vegetable garden, so I asked Quinn if he knew where I could find a shovel or a hoe. He told me he had seen Captain Greg carrying gardening tools earlier today. The Captain had been heading toward my house!

And he had been very busy. He had planted carrots and lettuce, which pleased Lucky, and onions, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, and eggplant, which made me very happy. And thanks to the magical properties of the Landsong Nature Relic, we should be able to harvest our first veggies within a week.

And if Captain Greg ever gets around to replacing that lobster he ‘borrowed’, I might just invite him to dinner.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 6, 2015 10:26 am  #17


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 17

This morning there were no emergencies that needed immediate attention so I was able to leisurely look over the list of things I still needed to do. Now the that curse had been cleared from the Orchards, they could be rebuilt. As more people return to the kingdom, we’re going to need more food to feed them.

The Forester thanked me for clearing the curse. He was still scared of the cloaked stranger and claimed he hasn’t completely recovered from his ordeal. Therefore he was unable to go out and forage for the ingredients he needed. But he was sure that if I gathered the items, it would help his recovery. And when I returned with the things he requested, he proclaimed himself to be self-sufficient again!

After helping the Forester, I decided to visit the auction Blessilda had told me about. Blessilda saw me heading in that direction and decided to come with me so she could fill me in on the latest gossip.

She’s heard about how I saved Prince Edric and wonders if he’ll pay another visit to the kingdom to see me again. According to Blessilda, he’s bound to be just a wee bit in love with me since I rescued him. I would have thought he would feel embarrassed.Blessilda shrugged and mentioned that Captain Greg was a bit sweet on Queen Sophia after she released him from the stone that was encasing him. She’s also heard about the vegetable garden and believed the Captain is under the influence of that love potion she gave me. When I insisted that I haven’t used the potion on anybody, she looked skeptical.
I don’t think I will be using the auction very much. There didn’t seem to be many people interested in buying anything and everything for sale was overpriced.

Next Lucky and I visited Apricus Plaza. The trip on the Wingferry wasn’t very pleasant. Seth told me that it was struggling to handle the increased workload and would need to be upgraded as soon as possible. We didn’t stay long and I was relieved that the Wingferry made it back to Faire of Light. Tomorrow it will be shut down for repairs.

I really wanted to see Captain Greg and thank him for planting the garden but didn’t have any idea where to find him. I also had planned to tell him that, if he didn’t object, I was going to visit the Rose Garden. Chumblepot can’t continue with his repairs to the Castle’s glasswork unless I find him some Songbird Eggs.

There was no sign of the mysterious cloaked stranger at the Rose Garden. I was able to find the last couple of eggs I needed for Chumblepot and I caught another lobster. Lucky wasn’t pleased that I decided to go to the Rose Garden without asking the Captain’s permission. I think he’s worried Captain Greg will dig up all the carrots.

I told Lucky I would not let that happen. I could always use that love potion Blessilda gave me. And think of how dismayed all the women in the kingdom would be if the Captain followed me around with a besotted look on his face.

When we returned to Town Hall, I wished I had listened to Lucky and stayed away from the Rose Garden. Captain Greg was in my office and he had just finished replacing my rickety shelves with sturdy new ones made with golden oak.

He didn’t have to ask where I had been. There were numerous yellow and scarlet moonflowers clinging to my hair and clothing. Before he could start yelling, I blurted out that I had a present for him and gave him the lobster.

The Captain looked surprised and confused but accepted my gift. Before he left, he plucked some of the moonflowers from my hair and shook his head.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 8, 2015 3:19 pm  #18


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 18

My happiness about the new shelves wore off once I returned home last night and realized that I had given away my dinner. Once again, Captain Greg would be dining on a lobster while I would be eating vegetable soup. And now he’ll probably think that he doesn’t need to replace the first one.

Why do I get so flustered when he’s nice? No matter, I’m sure he’ll soon be his old nasty, stuck-up self. And I can always get another lobster today. Lucky looked at me disapprovingly.

I hastened to inform him we would be going to the Fairy Dragon Nest some time today. I need to find more glass shards for Chumblepot. I’ll look for a lobster there, and Lucky can look for sunflower seeds.

As I was leaving the house, I noticed a envelope had been slipped under the door. That was odd. Usually Linea delivers my mail to Town Hall, unless she’s dropped it somewhere and needs me to find it.

The envelope was addressed ‘Berengaria’ and the letter it contained was very short. It said ‘Meet me at the Fairy Dragon Nest this afternoon. We have to talk.’ and was signed ‘G’.

The first thing I did when I got to Town Hall was check to see if there was anything else I could do today instead of going to the Fairy Dragon Nest. I didn’t think it was proper for meet Captain Greg there. If he needed to talk to me, he should have arranged to meet me at Town Hall or at the Castle. Someplace public.

Since the Wingferry was scheduled to be upgraded today, I couldn’t go to Apricus Plaza. Neither Lucky nor I felt like spending the day with Quinn and Mr Vanderkins at the Squabbit Den. And if we stayed at Town Hall all day, the Mayor would probably put us to work hanging posters.

Lucky and I headed down to the Faire of Light. I had an appointment with Troglid this morning. He wanted to show me his blueprints and explain how he uses them to design aircraft. Using one of the simpler blueprints, I was able to assemble a miniature version of one of his flying machines.

It’s funny that Troglid’s real love is designing and building flying machines. He’s one of the more grounded and self-sufficient people I’ve come in contact with since my return. And helpful. Without his suggestions, I never would have found Seth’s pass.

The Forester, on the other hand, is one of the more timid residents. He hasn’t managed to do much of anything since he was attacked by the cloaked stranger. I had hoped that he would have some errand that he needed me to do so that I had an excuse not to meet Captain Greg, but he hadn’t.

After all that fretting, when Lucky and I arrived at the Fairy Dragon Nest, there was no sign of Captain Greg. I told Lucky not to eat too many sunflower seeds. He needed to save some to bring home to plant in our garden.

Before gathering the glass shards, I checked the Mystic Pool and was pleased to see a lobster in it. When I had enough shards, I decided to have a look at the weapons in the armory. Maybe I could teach myself how to use a bow and arrow.

When I emerged from the armory, Captain Greg was standing next to the pool holding my lobster. I told him to put it back where he found it. He took one look at the bow and arrow I was holding and did as I asked, then laughed.

When I indignantly inquired what was so funny, the Captain smiled and informed me that he doubted I knew how to use the weapon I was holding. I admitted that, for some reason, none of the soldiers assigned to guard me while I was exiled had offered to teach me. Captain Greg then proceeded to give me my first lesson in archery.

On the walk back to Landsong Village, he carried the glass shards while I kept a tight grip on the lobster. I was grateful for the lesson, but not grateful enough to part with my dinner two nights in a row.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 10, 2015 3:00 am  #19


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 19

Somebody new arrived in the kingdom today, a silk merchant named Fahleed. He wanted to open up a shop that sold fine attire and textiles. There were still two empty buildings in the Faire of Light and after he had a look at them, he decided that the one located between Troglid’s Carpentry and Littleseed’s Orchards would be ideal.

It wasn’t that long ago that I was wishing that somebody would open up a clothing store, so I was quite pleased to help out with building resources and bolgins. I’ve never owned anything made of silk, and a silk dress probably isn’t very practical to wear when traipsing around the kingdom looking for relic fragments. But just once I’d like to wear something impractical instead of functional and utilitarian.

Chumblepot is swamped with orders and needed help. He’s designed some new glassworks, but I didn’t like them as much as the one depicting the Dreamless Castle and Moonfell Wood.

The first one I worked on was rather disturbing. It showed a large, menacing figure about to attack Sophia. I thought it was rather tactless of Chumblepot to point out that the figure was Dreadmyre. And it bore no resemblance to the man who had come to visit me once.

The second one depicted a Pocket Dragon and Ran the Owl. I thought the colors were rather garish. Chumblepot had used orchid glass for Ran although I’ve been reliably informed that his feathers are periwinkle in color.

Lucky wasn’t impressed with Chumblepot’s latest creations, either. He took one look at them and pulled his hat down over his eyes. We’re both bound to have nightmares tonight.

After assembling three of the hideous things, I left to go to the Fairy Dragon Nest to gather more glass shards and to meet Captain Greg for another archery lesson. This time the Captain arrived before me and had already claimed dibs on the lobster in the Mystic Pool.

While we gathered up glass shards, I told Captain Greg about the new store that was being built. I also mentioned that Chumblepot has designed some new glassworks but didn’t describe them.

The lesson didn’t go very well. During yesterday’s lesson, the necessity of being close physically led me to imagine a romantic future with the Captain. Today, all I could think about was that I was a descendant of Dreadmyre and didn’t even know who my father was.

Captain Greg is an ambitious man and unlikely to jeopardize his career by marrying me. In fact, he doesn’t even appear to be interested in having a fling with me. I’m not even worthy enough for that.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

July 13, 2015 12:22 pm  #20


Re: Awakening Kingdoms: Berengaria's Story

Part 20

Lucky and I started our day with a visit to the Faire of Light. I wanted to see if Fahleed had everything he needed to open up his store. His new fabrics had already arrived. They looked lovely, but delicate. And expensive.

To my surprise, Fahleed offered to make me a new wardrobe! He thinks that if the citizens see me wearing clothing he has made, they will be encouraged to shop at his store. I don’t know where else they would shop, but since nobody is walking around naked, they must be getting their clothing from somewhere.

When I left Fahleed’s shop, I notice a well-dressed goblin inspecting the last vacant building in the Faire of Light. He introduced himself as Triffledore. He told me that he loved adventuring, but the years had taken a toll. He’d like to retire and set up his own shop selling obscure artifacts. He’d even give me a bargain when the shop opened if I found some artifact boxes for him!

After arranging for repairs to the building that will soon be Triffledore’s Artifacts, Lucky and I went to help Chumblepot. While he worked up at the Castle, I put the finishing touches on three more orchid owls. The glasswork depicting Ran and the Pocket Dragon is proving to be very popular with people, though Lucky and I still think it’s hideous.

When Chumblepot returned, we went to the Fairy Dragon Nest for another archery lesson and to look for more glass shards. I was a bit concerned that accepting free merchandise from Fahleed and Triffledore might not be totally ethical and wanted to ask Captain Greg for advice. I wouldn’t want anybody to think that I accepted bribes.

The Captain was already there waiting for me and had already staked a claim to the lobster in the pool. I suggested that it would be fairer if we took turns and therefore today’s lobster was mine. He just raised an eyebrow and smiled.

I started to tell him about what had happened earlier with Fahleed and Triffledore, but he wasn’t listening. He wanted to talk about the Castle and started pressuring me for permission to repair the pathways and to buy lamps.

In Captain Greg’s opinion, making the repairs would encourage more people to visit the Castle and they would also visit the various shops and provide more revenue for the kingdom.

I thought we needed to do more improvements to the interior of the Castle so people would have a reason to visit it and more importantly, recommend that their friends come visit. Therefore, before we made any more exterior improvements, we needed Chumblepot to finish repairing the glasswork and we needed to find light crystals to clear the curse from the other wall.

The Captain asked me just when I intended to get around to finding some light crystals and wanted to know why Chumblepot was taking so long. Not that he agreed with me about what needed to be done first. He still wanted the resources for the exterior repairs now. He even offered to let me have the lobster if I agreed.

That’s when I lost it. He was the third person today who’s tried to influence my decisions by offering me something in exchange. I screamed that I was not corrupt and could not be bought.

He yelled back that I was happy enough to accept free archery lessons. He also wanted to know why he should waste his time giving me advice if I had no intentions of taking it.

I pointed out if I must do as he advises, then he’s not giving me advice, he’s giving me orders and I do not take orders from him. As for the lobster, he could keep it and I hoped he’d choke on it.

He just glared as I gathered up my glass shards and left.
 


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixity seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
     Thread Starter
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum