A/N: Forgive us - this is silly. Very silly... but we hope you will be amused.
Unexpected
Prince Jametari stood in solemn appreciation near the D'Yer wall, watching the morning sunlight cast shifting shadows across its ragged surface. The recently repaired section of wall still lay strewn on the ground, and unfortunately some ashlars on either side had joined it, had crumbled under the pressure of the small earthquake that happened when the mask was shattered by the Galadheon. Jametari had, of course, seen this turn of events as a possibility but he wasn't convinced that the destruction of the mask had been the best option. But, no matter what the choice had been, his sister would not have returned to him. He sighed almost imperceptibly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the wall with his fingertips.
The hiss of steel whispered in the morning air as he became aware of his tiendan unsheathing their blades in quick succession. He quickly realized their gazes were fixed on the breach in the wall, some dozen feet to their right. Louder and louder came the sound of an unearthly kind of off-key singing . . . that rained an unforgivably harsh assault upon their senses.
They waited in tense anticipation . . . . And then, suddenly, they were greeted with the sight of the most ridiculous looking creature they had ever seen, as it jauntily picked it's way across the strewn stonework and stepped out from the wall.
The man - if that's what he was - had numerous gold chains around his neck, strange black clothing (Surely his garments need not be so large, Jametari idly wondered in the back of his mind), of which his poorly designed pantaloons looked about to fall to the ground, strange padded shoes that boasted colorful laces, and swirling black designs inked upon his arms. The slightly fierce countenance and tattooed flesh made this individual look much like a resident of the Under Kingdoms. But the clothing rendered him absolutely baffling and more than a little bit frightening. To top off the absurdity of the creature, there was some kind of round object perched upon his head, its curved bill pointed diagonally in a somewhat hazardous fashion.
Jametari regarded the creature, who had seen them and was advancing rapidly with a jovial grin, with a mixture of disdain and wariness. He stepped forward from the protection of the tiendan, who were bristling with their drawn spears and notched arrows.
He opened his mouth to speak but to his horror, he found himself addressed first.
"Yo brutha, what's happenin'!"
Telagioth hissed softly in outrage and stepped forward with his chin lifted.
"You shall not address the High Prince Jametari in such an undignified manner. He most assuredly is not your brother." He said coldly.
The man snorted and grinned, looking from the tiendan and then back at Jametari with an expression of delight.
"Why so cold, P. Jam! Unwind, take off yo green skirts, and live it up, my man," the man swung and gesticulated animatedly.
The Eletian Prince had never been so perfectly flabbergasted in his life. P Jam? That sounded like... Well, some kind of preserved dish, but . . never had his years of diplomacy and carefully honed skills of conversation failed him until now, leaving him unable to muster a dignified response to this proclamation.
The man held out one hand to the Eletian leader with a hopeful expression.
Jametari brightened, for here was a human custom he recognized. He straightened and formally offered his own hand in a perfectly graceful motion, only to gape in horror as that hand was grasped and his whole body jerked forward in an bone-crushing hug. The sound of Telagioth asphyxiating barely registered in his ears as his back was solidly thumped by the man's free hand.
He didn't know how this strange creature had emerged from the evil depths of Blackveil, but for that moment he felt perhaps this encounter was more unsettling than one with Mornhavon himself.
This unusual idea came out of a comment by Britt, on a perfectly serious topic, but due to her use of the abbreviation "P. Jam", Aereal's strange sense of humour produced this fic. And Owlkin joined in the fun as always. Hopefully a few laughs will help us pass the time until May!
So... write a review and tell us what you thought!