Ted the tubby

Woods

"I told you that you couldn't come! I told you." Sir Bryan the Brave yelled. It was only just dawn. Small fingers of light touched the blue sky behind the forest's black trees. "You can't come! You CAN'T come Ted." Barrus seemed to sense his master's anger. His hooves pawed the ground nervously.

Sir Bryan the Brave circled his apprentice, vastly superior and rising high above him on the horse. Ted's entire form sagged under his armor. "But why-" "BECAUSE!" Sir Bryan the Brave interrupted with a mighty roar. "You can't do anything right! You... you ruin everything you touch, you're bumbling oaf and you GET IN MY WAY!" He reared up on Barrus and took off, hooves pounding the ground to meal, the silver monster clanking on top like the knight in shining armor Sir Bryan the Brave was born to be.

"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE! AND I WON'T GO BACK! THIS IS MY QUEST!" Ted's voice rose over the trees but was met with no response. His teacher was gone. Ted hiked his belt up over his gut and set his face in a determined expression. As an extra precaution, he drew his sword and held it up in front if him. Then deciding it was too heavy, sheathed it again.

Lewis joined him midday. The cat had a habit of finding him when Ted was not in a very welcoming mood, but this time he was merely bored. "Oh mangy cat." He mumbled, picking up the tabby and scratching his ears. "I'm cold. And wet. Oh and my feet. My feet hurt. Not to add that I'm hopelessly lost." Ted sighed. "But it's worth it I suppose. All part of the quest."

"To when the love of the fair maiden!" Ted smiled, this talk of noble quests was cheering him up. "Oh lovely damsel in distress! Have no fear! For it is I, the.. um.. Fantastic Sir Ted!" And a voice came from nowhere.

"So you're here to rescue me then?"

Ted's heart just about stopped. He turned slowly on the spot until he faced a tall willow, which he squinted at. He moved the long tresses to the side and suddenly revealed a tower. It was tall, but still small enough to be hidden by the trees. The pointed roof was blue and the gray walls were covered in purple flowers and ivy.

Ted dropped his cat and replaced him with a sword. There was no door, so he yelled instead. "Is there a maiden up there?" A short pause of silence filled the clearing. For a second, Ted thought he'd imagined the voice but no, it spoke again. "Yes, the Fantastic Sir Ted. There is indeed a maiden and her name is Sylvia." Ted smiled. He had made it to the object of the quest, even before Sir Bryan the Brave had! He almost laughed, but then remembered he had a job to do.

"So Sylvia, are you in danger?" Ted yelled again. "Not immediate, The Fantastic Ted." His maiden answered. Ted hadn't seen her yet, but she had a remarkably attractive voice that pleased him. "Well about that-" "About what?" Worry pierced Sylvia's voice. "The whole Fantastic Ted thing." Ted was rather nervous now, he was hoping to avoid this topic entirely. "I haven't really earned any titles yet."

There was a longer pause this time. "Well what do they call you?" "Just Ted. You see, I'm just an apprentice so far, I have yet to complete a quest." Ted's voice was getting sore from yelling. Sylvia answered quickly. "Well that still counts as a knight right?" Something in her voice suddenly bothered Ted. "Why does it matter if I'm a knight or not?"

"Well I'm sorta stuck in this tower, see" Sylvia answered, her voice drifting over the ivy. "And I can only be rescued by a knight of bravery, honor, and loyalty."
Ted could feel his face redding. "Well I can try to help but-" "I'm sure you can save me, Ted! I've got some rope and I'll just throw it down. I'll pull you up and you can just carry me out. Easy." Ted gulped. "Actually it sounds very hard." And then she laughed.

It was the most beautiful sound Ted had ever heard. Sweeter than birdsong and richer than church bells. The smile that lit Ted's face was pure bliss. For her, he decided, he could be a hero. "Let down the rope, valiant maiden! I will free you of your prison, have no fear!"

-hey guys, it's Olivia your lovely author. Just saying the reason for the cover change is because I didn't think my picture made Ted fat enough. I'm hopefully going to draw another cover soon. Thats it, I'd really like it if you left me a comment with some feedback/constructive criticism. Hope you're enjoying the story!!

-Olivia the author👍