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Post by Child of Immanuel on May 19, 2005 14:16:28 GMT -5
The twiggy little man popped out. "Oh, hello," he said. "I'm CuCulain. I've been taking care of you. You see, when you went in the tunnel I was able to nip you out and hide you. Unfortunately, the touch of a Green Man can cause hallucinations. Anyway, Ingmar, I promised I'd take care of you and indeed I-"
"Ingmar?" Ian questioned. "Ingmar is a book."
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Post by karenee on May 19, 2005 14:29:42 GMT -5
Cu grinned, a rather vicious expression as it showed his thorny teeth. "All books come from something.
"Now, I've found a few roots and berries. You need to eat and keep on, as you're still too close to your kingdom. I'm to deliver you to the King of Ni as your Father requested, then my debt will be paid in full."
"Father?" Ian swallowed his mouthful of berries. "He's alive?"
"Ah, no child. Ingmar the Great no longer lives. This is a trust bound by a spell placed upon his life. I would not have been called were he living." Cu almost looked regretful, though the expressions on its face were hard to read.
Ian thought for a moment. "Father's name wasn't Ingmar either. He was John."
"Everyone has more names than they think, child. It is the discovery of them that is the adventure." Cu scurried toward the brook. "Come quickly. I cannot leave my domain for long."
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Post by Child of Immanuel on May 19, 2005 14:35:31 GMT -5
Ian- he would NOT call himself Ingmar- followed quietly, but suddenly stopped. "Wait... the Knights of Ni!... my fa- Ingmar was fleeing them!" he blurted. "You can't take me there!"
"I'm only doing as your father requested, boy," CuCu replied patiently.
"But-but-but-"
"Will you come quiet, or do I need to touch you?"
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Post by karenee on May 19, 2005 14:58:17 GMT -5
Ian followed, sullen. It wasn't fair! He had no idea what was going on, and Cu wouldn't talk to him. What if he was an enemy? What if he was taking him... Well, if Cu was an enemy he could have just let him be found by the attackers, but still...Ni?
Ian rubbed his aching forehead. What should he do? What would Father do? He suddenly felt he didn't know Father at all, and it was an uncomfortable feeling. His entire life was turned 'round and he didn't know what was true or right any more.
A rumble in the distance caught his attention and he looked up. The light of the setting sun flashed off armor, as ten massive horses bore down on him.
"Hoy, there!" A boistrous voice called, and Cu lifted a hand in response. "King Malcom said we'd find you here! That the boy?"
Cu's voice sounded faint. "Yes."
"Well, get back Green Man! We would not damage you further by delaying. He will be safe with us."
"The word." Cu said, after a moment.
"Ah..." the knight glanced around suspiciously as he rode forward, then leaned down and whispered. "Ni."
Ian stared. As the man spoke, his armor seemed to disappear for a moment, revealing a glorious creature with massive wings sweeping above its back and piercing green eyes set in a face both wise and kind.
Cu turned to Ian. "Remember to ask, Ingmar. That word reveals them as they truly are. Trust only the knights made of light."
With a nod to the knight, who now seemed normal if a little large, Cu sped back the way they had come. Ian stared at the knight and wondered what would happen next. He was tired of walking and longed for a comfortable bed or a large steak with potatoes, either would be wonderful.
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Post by Child of Immanuel on May 19, 2005 18:34:34 GMT -5
Sadly, what he got was a long, dark, stumbling walk to a silk tent, then a long lecture from the chief knight.
"Let me explain what's happening, Ingmar," the dark knight began. "The Knights of Ni! are devoted to preserving peace, prosperity, and true worship among men. Many years ago, however, an evil sorceress cast a spell on us. We can do nothing for men until two things happen: a noble king brings us a shrubbery, and a common man cuts down the tallest tree in the forest with a herring; and the two men must be of one blood. King Arthur brought the shrubbery. Ingmar is his direct descendant. We asked your father Ingmar to cut down the tree, but he fled in terror. He left the quest, married, and had a son. Then the sorceress attacked him. Her aim was to destroy both of you. She missed you, thanks to CuCu.
"Now, you have honor to restore. You promised to cut down the tree- do so! You may range where you wish, but someday return with the herring."
Iangmar suddenly found himself sitting in the dirt. The tent was nowhere in sight.
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Post by karenee on May 19, 2005 19:56:17 GMT -5
So much for the thought of comfort. He sighed and pulled the book from his back. Cu had been kind enough to preserve it for him. Opening to the page marked with NaNa's special ribbon, his eyes filled with tears. He missed her so much. Had she survived the attack? Would he ever know?
Why had Father abandoned his quest, and who was this sorceress? He read for three days, eating the roots Cu had brought him and picking berries at a nearby stream.
His father's trick had worked and the Blue Bird had carried him to the Gap of Rohan. He had not known that the bird was a great sorceress, however, and upon arrival she had nearly destroyed him with her fury when she found he was not her son. Only the interception of the lady from the forest had saved him.
It was then that Ingmar had learned of the fate of the knights of Ni, their King Malcom (cursed to be a fool outside of his own lands) and their greatest enchantress, the Lady of the Woods, who was also their best defense until the curse could be undone.
Stuck in Rohan without money, Ingmar had been forced to do what work he could, unable to purchase the herring knife he so desperately needed.
Here the account ended and Ian flipped through the blank pages wondering how his Father had come to marry his Mother and rule a kingdom. Had he not purchased the herring knife in all that time?
Flinging the book from him, Ian ran into the stream and ducked his head, suppressing the scream of frustration rising in his throat. His food was running out and he had no idea of what to do.
As he turned back, he saw that the binding on the book had split. The gleam of a strangely shaped blade shone in the fading light. The Herring Knife!
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Post by tulkas on May 19, 2005 21:04:45 GMT -5
Wow...
This got out of hand...
It's really popular...
I would never have expected this...
Wow...
Wow...
Wow... ;D
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Post by karenee on May 19, 2005 21:53:02 GMT -5
LOL Contribute something! ;D
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Post by dgan on May 20, 2005 4:40:21 GMT -5
Fearing the knife would disappear as quickly as everything else did around here, Ian resisted the urge to examine the object and hastily secured it in his boot. He returned his attention to the binding of the book and observed that indeed the stitching had torn revealing its hidden treasure. It was obvious the knife was not meant to be found by anyone, save one person only.
There was simply too much for Ian to comprehend. Sorcery, kings, quests and such had seemed so simple in the story. That, however, was before he was a part of the story! Which tree is he to cut? How is he to cut it? Where is he to take it? Why did CuCu confound his father upon first meeting him, if his sole ambition was to help him?
Ian decided that was where his own quest would begin. He must find CuCu again. The little man seemed to have begun the problem. Perhaps he could help Ian complete the blank pages of the story.
Ian began wandering the forest gathering what food he could find, hoping to find some sign of the CuCu's inhabitance. He labored for hours, continually stirring the unanswered questions around in his mind. As he was stooped over a bush trying to determine the type berry growing on it, a knight resembling one of Ni appeared silently on horseback beside him. Amazingly, he was not startled by his sudden visitor and immediately knew, somehow, what was about to happen.
"Who are you?" the knight bellowed.
No response.
"Who are you?" the knight repeated, nearly shouting, but not in anger.
"My name is Ingmar," came the reply almost in a whisper.
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Post by Child of Immanuel on May 20, 2005 14:27:56 GMT -5
Silently the knight ran him through.
Chapter Three
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Post by karenee on May 20, 2005 20:28:20 GMT -5
The knight vanished into the trees as Ian held the gaping wound in his chest incredulously. How could this have happened? What had he done? He sat back against the tree and watched the forest begin to waver and fold around him.
"You might want to stop leaning on me." Cu's voice came from behind. "It can't be good for your mental stability."
Ian jumped and turned to stare at Cu, who had a strange green halo swooping around his head. A herd of horses appeared from nowhere and stampeded toward him, without concern for the trees that stood in the way. Ah, he was hallucinating again. He checked his chest. There was not a mark on it.
"You're hard on my sanity, Cu," he said. "but I need your..."
"The tree is on the top of the highest hill in the forest." Cu interrupted. "Now let me do my work."
"Which direction?" Ian called.
"North." And Cu was gone.
Ian staggered to the stream and decided to rest a while. The lack of food and Cu's effect on his system combined to make him feel very ill.
He longed for a companion with whom he could share this journey, someone who would know their way around the forest and maybe even hunt for food.
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Post by dgan on May 21, 2005 1:53:26 GMT -5
Silently the knight ran him through. Chapter ThreeROFL!!!! Oh my gosh! I am speechless...I can't stop laughing... That's a nominee for post of the week. |
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Post by karenee on May 24, 2005 19:59:13 GMT -5
Seeing as how noone else is stepping in... I guess I'll take another turn.
A rustle in the brush woke Ian. He lay still, unsure of whether he should run for his life and betray his presence, or lay still and hope to hide. He held his breath, but finally had to breathe. Eyes wide, he looked around as he inhaled the delicate fragrance that seemed to suddenly fill the air. It was definitely not the smell of a wild beast. He sat up.
A golden-haired lady sat gracefully upon a massive horse. Smiling at him, she seemed to collect all the light from the dim forest and radiate it down to him like a beacon of comfort and hope. "Your name, my lady? I would offer you my service."
She laughed, and the trees rippled at the sound. "You have more courtesy than another I once knew."
Her horse reared, turning in place. "Ingmar, you already serve me with your task. Again I say to you: If you run, my friend, you may find a warm bath on the tail of a horse!" Dancing among the trees, her horse made incredible speed.
Closing his mouth, Ian ran after her. He would not make the same mistake as his father. Panting, he called out. "Lady, the word!"
She turned in her saddle for a moment and looked at him. "Ah, he has learned much, this little one." She waited till he reached her and bent toward him. "Ni," she whispered.
Ian staggered back, dazzled by the radiance that poured from her. She had seemed to reflect light before, now she was made of it. He fell to his knees.
"Ingmar, it seems you may make another name for yourself among my people, for you show wisdom. I shall have to consider it. Come, you are weary. Tonight I will see you comforted and fed. Tomorrow you will continue with provisions to help you on your journey."
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Post by Child of Immanuel on May 28, 2005 11:52:55 GMT -5
Ian continued his quest feeling reborn the next morning. "The tallest tree is twenty horses around the trunk." He recited what the lady had told him. "The sorceress guards it in the Hollow Mountain to the south and east." He fingered the herring knife, wincing a little at the not-quite-healed gash in his chest, and continued.
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Post by karenee on May 28, 2005 13:58:18 GMT -5
While trying to reconcile Cu's direction of North and the Lady's instructions to look South and East, Ian suddenly remembered that the gash had been imaginary, a result of Cu's delusions. Even more confused, he thought over the events of the day before. When had he received this, oh so real, wound?
He unlaced the collar of his tunic and examined the sore. An intricate brand met his gaze, burnt into the skin of his chest. The image, a stark outline of a Ku knight carrying a blazing banner, shocked him. When had this occured? It seemed to be well healed, yet he had only been with the Lady for one night...hadn't he?
He sat down, as he could not decide which direction to choose anyway, and tried to remember more.
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