The Greatest Tale (Or: Two Kids on an Epic Quest to Save the World)

Chapter Three

The days felt longer and longer. Ever since a wicked, nasty, cruel, dangerous, awful tyrant had overthrown the good king of their realm, life had been awful in Klichee. The blacksmith wasn't doing that well, since everyone was too scared to commission a sword, for fear of the tyrant's wrath. But that blacksmith plugged along, making enough kettles to barely survive.

Tu'f however, was going on an adventure! He sat in his chamber and drew up a plan.

He was dying to storm the castle, kill the tyrant and set the good king back on the throne. But to do that, he would need a highly skilled team of skilled people. But where to find them?

Sounds of drinking songs flew in his window. Of course! That was it! The bar!

Ruffens and thugs were everywhere in that sort of place. But he couldn't do it here. He'd have to go someplace else. Someplace where the blacksmith couldn't catch him and persuade him not to.

Rolling up his plans, he stuffed them into his straw mattress and sat on the bed, just in time. The blacksmith ducked under the low beam and strode into his room.

"Well Tu'f, how's life been treating you?"

"Pretty fairly sir. I just finished another order of pots."

"Good, good." Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "The mayor wants a sword, a real fancy one with enchantments on it. Could you get that made by tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Tu'f said, "That wouldn't take too long." "And leave plenty of time for questing," he added under his breath.

"What was that?" Asked the blacksmith.

"Oh, nothing. I'll get started now."

Later that night, Tu'f heard a strange knocking at his father's door. He slipped down the ladder leading to the loft and answered the door. "Who's there? I'm armed!"

A short, blond, pretty, young girl stood there, bearing a small satchel. "I'm sorry, but could I trouble you for directions? I'm lost."

"Sure! I have a map over here, but it's not very accurate. They even left out this town on it. Where did you need to go?"

The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "I need to go to the inn. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh." He rolled up the map and stuck it in the cabint. "It's down the street and on your left. Do you need me to assist you?"

"Actually, yes. I'm looking for someone to go on an epic quest with me. I want to defeat the evil tyrant and restore Kilchee to the people. Will you help?" the girl asked, looking up at him with pleading green eyes.

"That's amazing! I want to find a team of people and defeat the tyrant as well! Shall we work together? I was going to go to the tavern this evening to recruit people, but the inn's just as good. And we can have stew!"

"Yeah well I hate stew," she said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's be off; lead the way good sir." After Tu'f made a crude image of himself in his bed (he stuffed pillows under the sheets and a pumpkin for his head. Don't ask about the pumpkin; no one knows where it came from.) as all great escapers have done in the past, they set off for the inn.

"Hey, what's your name?" Tu'f asked, "If we're going on this epic quest together, we should know each other's names at least."

"Oh, I'm Du'ling," she said, "Don't laugh, I had to shorten it from my real name."

"Which was?"

She coughed and mummered something under her breath.

"What?"

"IT'S DUMPLING, OKAY? I got it because I stole dumplings from the kitchen all the time at the orphanage."

"You're an orphan? I'm one too!"

"Really? I thought you had a father..."

"Well, yes. But I'm pretty sure he's not my real father. After all, every hero either is an orphan or has a terrible relationship with his parents..."

They continued this conversation about orphans and parentage for quite some time. I figured it was best to end telling you about this conversation here, rather than risk boring you with details that aren't relevant.

Oh, my dear author, sometimes we never know if those small details are relevant or not...

Anyway, here's chapter three! The next one will probably be up tomorrow (and it's the one containing the bit I posted a while back. :D).

As always, comments are always appreciated.

Until next time! ¡Hasta luego!