Heart Themed Canvas [UsUk]

A Wish For A Smile [Ch.2]

In Which A Knight And His Two Companions Arrive

And so this went on, and so time passed. The people despaired at the loss of the greatest Royal Wizard known to the kingdom. Many went to beg for him to take pity and help them again, but Arthur remained cold and sullen.

Throughout it all, the queen saw how miserable her youngest son was and her heart broke. More than anything, she wanted to see him truly happy. She wished true happiness on all of her children, but it saddened her to see Arthur turn from something that once brought him such joy. She was certain that if the wizard could only be reminded of the feeling of happiness, he would desire to seek it out again and return to his work as the Royal Wizard. And so, it was decreed that whosoever could find and return the smile that the Royal Wizard Arthur lost would be granted their heart's desire.

This proclamation spurred many to take up the task, but none were successful. Poems and ballads were recited outside of the wizard's window, but he turned a deaf ear. Gifts were left on the doorstep of his cottage, and he left them outside to be ruined by wind and rain. Visitors came in droves to cry words of encouragement through the windows, but all were ignored.

After so many efforts failed, the people simply began to give up. No one could think of anything else to try, that might cheer up the grumpy wizard. If there was a solution to be had, no one within the kingdom knew of it.

And so it was, for some years, that the challenge went unfulfilled. And so it was, the people gave up hope.

One day, the kingdom was graced with the arrival of a strange man.

This fellow was a knight, strong as a rock and amorous as a jackrabbit in the spring. He was known as Sir Francis, and was as renowned for slaying the hearts of fair maidens as for slaying monsters.

It was late at night when Sir Francis arrived in the kingdom, so he set himself up with a room at the local inn. He was staying with his two traveling companions. The first was his squire, a boy by the name of Matthew, who Sir Francis often cast the most lustful of looks. The second was a bit of a mystery. He considered himself to be the knight's traveling companion. Sir Francis introduced him as a servant, but mostly kept him for personal entertainment, as a fool. The fool's name was Alfred, and such was his idiocy that he completely believed himself to be a hero.

The three found themselves a room after much haggling. Sir Francis had asked for a room with two beds, but Matthew pleaded for some time for a room with three. Sir Francis finally relented to this, and satisfied himself with a smile that made the poor squire shudder.

Because there were so few knights traveling through the kingdom, the innkeeper sought to impress the lot with a fine dinner, much ale, and a good story. The meal and ale were both accepted and deemed to be of sufficient quality, and so the innkeeper was determined to round things off with a story that truly caught there attention. Sadly, the recent state of the kingdom was rather dull. Things were in a lull, with no scandals, battles, or anything really worth mentioning. After wildly casting through his memory for something, he remembered the challenge for the wizard's missing smile, and how it technically still stood.

"Astonishing!" cried Sir Francis, after the innkeeper finished the tale. "And no one ever did find the smile, you say?"

"Indeed," replied the innkeeper. "It sounds like such a simple task, but no one in all the kingdom has managed!"

"How very tragic," the knight mused, grabbing at something under the table. "Do you not agree, my dear squire?"

Matthew murmured something in agreement, and shifted himself ever so slightly away from his master.