I'm back! It's been too long since I last posted something on this site. Not that I've been out of ideas, just motivation.
But this idea has been sticking in my head for months, so finally, I'm going to write it.
I first got this idea when I was watching Evil Ages and the team got taken out by the Curator's ancestors. I couldn't help but think that in the actual story, some hero eventually stood up and defeated them. Around the same time, I was also musing on why Antauri was the only one to literally cheat death? Would the rest of the team have come back if they had actually been killed in action. When those two thoughts mixed I decided, yes, the team would come back. In fact, who's to say they hadn't been around before, somewhere and some when else. Who's to say Chiro was the only 'chosen one'. Why not all of them?
So I made this story. It's basically a past life scenario, though if you're uncomfortable with that you can just treat it as an AU.
The main characters have been put in a Medieval setting. Most character's names will be slightly or completely different, because it's too big a coincidence that everyone would have the same name in a past life. Basically, you can have fun guessing which character is which. I will point out that any character that has a name or title is specifically based off a character from the show. I don't own any of the characters, only my reinterpretations of them.
Also, credit to Grungekitty, both for ideas I based off her stories and for giving me the confidence to post this here.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
Chapter One: A Tramping Trip
"Hath thou found anything yet?"
Sparks paused from his trek up the rocky terrain. He leaned against a nearby bolder, panting. His fur was wet from the sweat he had worked up climbing the mountain. When he finally caught his breathe he glanced down at his partner. Several metres down, sitting comfortably on a rock polishing his sword, was Maclaurin who had decided not to join the red monkey in his endeavour to climb the rock face.
"O, the view is just marvellous." Sparks called down to his partner. "In fact, why not join me, as you were supposed to"
"Actually, if I recall correctly, thou werst the one to volunteer to survey the area" Maclaurin replied, not bothering to look up.
"Yes, but you volunteered to come with me, so why am I the only one climbing" he asked, exasperated.
"I volunteered to report back any findings to the Commander, and to ensure thee did not stir up any mayhem. Also, t'would be such a waste for the both of us to exert ourselves when thou art adequate enough to scout the area on thy own. I assume thou hast a satisfying view from thy position, doth thy not?" Maclaurin replied earning a huff from Sparks.
"Tis not much to speak of. Mostly rocks. Plenty o' rocks. Mayhaps I should grab ya some. Thou could start a collection. T'would go nicely with your humour"
"Perhaps if your body was as full of air as your tongue thou mightst hath reached the summit by now" Maclaurin retorted.
"You can talk! I am the one climbing while thou art just lazing about like the rest of the group"
"Because this assignment is fit for a squire, not noble knights such as ourselves. Had thou simply allowed one of the others to take the task thou wouldst not hath to exert thyself as thee have"
"I am the best scout we have and thou know'st it. The squires would miss something important"
"Then suit thyself. I still think thou art wasting thy abilities. We should be organising our battle plans and earning the favourable attention of our Commander. Instead, I hath to watch thee act out thy fantastical ideas of heroism…"
Sparks zoned out Maclaurin's lecturing and continued climbing. He and Maclaurin had always held differing views on what a knight should be like. Maclaurin saw it as a position of rank and importance and didn't believe tasks like these were 'important' enough for a knight to deal with. Sparks begged to differ. How was something like this NOT what a knight should do; exploring the land, discovering new places. There was a sense of freedom he got from being up so high away from everyone, being able to see the world from a distance. The air would rush about him and the clouds would look so close some days he'd feel like he could almost touch them. One day he would.
Sparks reached the top and took a moment to enjoy the view. The mountainside reached across for miles. To the north was grassy plains and farmlands. To the south was desert, with dust as red as the fur that covered his body. The mountain range acted as a barrier between the two vastly different landscapes. Most monkeys tended to avoid the area but merchants and anyone else wishing to travel between the two regions had no choice but to navigate through here, or spend weeks travelling around it, which was just as undesirable as going through.
The rocky terrain was a maze of hills, and narrow pathways. Bandits were known to roam the area and ambush unsuspecting travellers. Many people had simply disappeared in the mountainside and were never heard from again. It was a group of missing people that Sparks and his group were looking for. A duke and his servants from the north-west had gone missing heading back from a visit with the Duke Quinn, their employer. It was in his interest that the group be found.
Thus, Sparks and his troop had spent the last week searching the mountainside for them. Sparks had volunteered as scout for the group and had spent the week dragging himself up and down the mountainside with no luck with finding the missing monkeys. At least they hadn't run into any bandits. While he still carried his sword on his belt, his metal armour was still down at the camp and although he preferred fighting without it, the iron cover did have the advantage of keeping him being skewered by his enemies.
He had begun to doubt the duke was even in here. No doubt he had already gotten home and was stuffing his face with rich foods by now. With such long distances, messages tended to get around slowly; it took at least a few days just to get a message to another village. Sparks' troop could spend weeks looking only to get informed that the missing people had already gotten home. It wouldn't be the first time.
Still, until they knew for sure they would have to keep looking. If the group was still lost, they were probably scared. Sparks wasn't about to leave anyone behind like that.
Surveying the area, Sparks didn't see much. The mountain gaps left many passageways, any of which could have been taken by the group. Sparks looked around trying to spot movement, hear a sound, anything. But all the mountainside seamed to reflect was emptiness. He looked over the area again carefully, determined not to miss anything.
There! To the east. What first looked like shimmering from the sun was actually smoke rising along the hillside. Sparks quickly called back down to his comrade.
"I think I hath found them"
This caused Maclaurin to look up.
"Art thou certain? Did thou see them?"
"No, but there is smoke coming from the east. If the troop carries along the path we were headed you would see it"
"That could just as easily be another traveller on the mountainside. Still, tis the only lead we have so far" He paused, debating the risk of sending the troop in the wrong direction. "Alright. We should tell word of thy findings to the Commander. Come down now, Sparks"
"Actually, I could probably get there faster from where I am. I shall go ahead and scout the area. You can catch up" With that Sparks began to walk across the rocks towards the smoke.
"What! Sparks! Get back here! You need to receive permission from the Commander before wandering off" Maclaurin yelled at his comrade to no prevail. Sparks was gone. Muttering under his breathe, Maclaurin set off to find the Commander.
Sparks had very soon reached the source of the smoke. A small valley cut into the mountainside. It was hidden well by the mountain walls. If not for the smoke, he would likely never have found it. Sparks made sure to climb down as carefully as he could. It was a steep slope and he had no desire to fall against the sharp rocks that filled the landscape. When he reached the bottom he entered the valley. A few plants grew around here, but the area was still predominately rock.
A camp had been set up here, with many tents having been pitched. Many barrels and carts also filled the area and he could see a few animals tied to a log. What he didn't see were people, which unnerved him. What traveller up and left their camp set up like this? Walking further in, he begun to hear voices. Cautiously, he headed towards the sound. Near the centre of the camp where the sound was coming from, Sparks ducked behind one of the barrels.
Peeking out he saw a group of people huddled beside the fire that he had seen smoke coming from. One of the monkeys wore a black cape a gold emblem attached. This was probably the Duke he was looking for. However, Sparks could not stay happy with his find for long. The group, on closer examination, had both their hands and feet tied together. The group sat shivering and looked like they hadn't eaten in a while. Two large monkeys, one tall, one short, stood guarding them. Grey cloth covered their bodies, which was almost invisible against the rocks around them. Scarves hung around their necks, which was probably to cover their faces. More noticeable was the daggers that hung from their belts. The taller one also held a whip in his hand.
'These two must be the bandits that have been ambushing travellers' Sparks thought to himself. He knew he was supposed to wait for his troop but his body ached to pummel the bandits for treating those people so poorly. One of the monkeys, a child, noticed Sparks in his hiding spot. Sparks noticed her looking and placed a finger to his lips. The bandits were only a few metres away. He didn't need them knowing he was here just yet. The child didn't seem to understand and waved happily to him.
"Hey…" she whispered.
A loud crack startled the group.
"Oi. I thought I told you lot to shut up." The bandit with the whip snarled at the group.
"I'm sorry" cried the child. "I was just–"
"Just what, ay? I told ya no talking. Who ya speakin' to then?"
"N-no one, s-sir"
"Ya was tryin' ta talk ta someone. Who was it? There someone behind me, is there?"
Sparks ducked as the bandits looked his way, hoping the bandits wouldn't come over. They didn't. And their attention was quickly back on the group.
"One more peep out of you lot and I'll give ya'll ten lashes.
"But sir, we were just – AH!" The child screamed in fright as she was pulled from the group and thrust to ground beside where Sparks was hiding. The group made no attempt to stop them except for one woman.
"Leave her alone" she begged.
"Be quiet" yelled the other bandit, thrusting her to the ground. "Less you wantin' a lashin' as well"
The bandit raised his whip against the girl, who flinched. Before he could do anything else his arm was grabbed. Snarling, Sparks pulled the monkey closer.
"Yeah, you just made a mistake there, buddy. I don't tolerate anyone who abuses kids"
Sparks saw the other bandit coming over. Before either could react, Spark flung the bandit he was holding at him and the two toppled in a heap. They didn't stay down for long and they quickly stood up drawing their daggers. Sparks stood protectively in front of the child and drew his sword as well.
"Well, this is certainly unfair odds" he mused, smirking. "For you, at least"
The bandits lunged at him. Sparks evaded them easily.
"Is that the best you can do?" he asked mockingly. The shorter bandit lunged at him again, slashing his dagger at the red monkey who barely managed to dodge the blade as it swing close to his neck. Readying his sword, Sparks landed the flat of his sword against the bandit's arm, knocking the dagger out of his hand. Sparks grinned triumphantly when a whip wrapped itself around his left arm and pulled him sideways. Not expecting this motion he fell on his stomach, inadvertently dropping his sword. The shorter bandit grabbed the sword and pointed it at his neck.
"Not so tough now, are ye" he said.
"That's what you think"
Before either bandit had respond to what he had said, Sparks hit the flat of the sword with his right arm, pushing it away from his neck. He rolled onto his back, pulled himself up and yanked his left arm forward. The whip came out of the tall bandit's hand. As the bandit went to grab his dagger, Sparks spun around and swung his arm into the bandit's chest. The bandit fell immediately and lay winded on the ground. He didn't get up again. The short bandit lashed at Sparks with his sword, however the bandit was not being familiar with the weight of the weapon and Sparks was able to dodge with ease. Stepping aside, Sparks launched a kick that knocked the bandit down. Neither got up again. Sparks' breathing was heavy as he took in much needed air. He turned back to the child. He smiled gently at her.
"Are you alright, kid?" he asked.
She nodded. He held his hand out to help her up. As she took it he could feel her hand shaking.
"T-Thank you, sir"
"Tha-" He was interrupted by the child hugging him. Her entire body trembled. Bending down, he picked up the child and held her.
"Hey, don't cry. Tis alright now. Thou art safe now" he whispered as the child wrapped her arms around his neck. He walked back to the group.
"I believe this one belongs to you?" he asked the woman who had cried out before. The woman nodded. He knelled down and the child, seeing her mother, leapt quickly into her arms. He watched as the child's mother cuddle her, whispered calming words as she stroked her.
"And who art thou supposed to be, squire?" boomed the duke. Sparks remembered that the rest of the group was still there and stood to face them"
"Sparks is my name, O' noble Duke of…" Sparks began, then realised he had no idea who the duke was or even where he was from.
"Sorix. Duke Sawney of Sorix. I am extremely well known in the Greenlands. Thou aught'st to know it. Of course you red simpletons never seem to do more than caterwauling around and starting petty fights. I suppose the Duke Quinn send you. He never was very skilful at keeping good company" The duke replied snarkily. Sparks glared at him. He really did NOT like this guy.
"My greatest apologies, o mighty Duke Sawney of Sorix. I have never been very good with names. However, might I add that I am a knight, not a squire. I would prefer if you avoided mixing the two up"
"I care not for your title, squire. You are here to rescue us. If thou wants to keep thy crest thou aught to begin on that"
"Of course" he muttered. Grabbing one of the bandit's daggers and sheathing his sword, he proceeded to cut the group's binds. He started with the child and made extra sure to leave the duke until last. When everyone was untied Sparks stood up and ushered for the group to follow him out.
"Alright, my troop is on their way. Unless anyone wants to stay here, we best be going before the rest of the bandits get…"
It was then that Sparks noticed that another group, all wearing grey, had entered the hideout and had surrounded them.
"…back. Wonderful!" he ended, muttering sarcastically.
One stepped closer, probably the leader. She smirked.
"So, it seems a squire has found his way into our camp" she said.
"Again with the squire. Really, how many times do I have to tell everyone that I am a knight?"
"A knight then. I'm sure we can get a few silver pieces in ransom for you. T'would be a nice bonus to what we'll get for the duke, right boys?" The bandits grinned at this.
"Only a few silver?" Sparks asked, mocking that his pride had been hurt. "I am surely worth at least a few gold pieces, if I don't usurp myself, lady…"
"They call me Crush, knight"
"Of course, I'm sure thou hast crushed many men with your beauty"
"O' you are a flatterer. But I can assure you I crush them with more than just my beauty"
"I'm sure you do. So how does this ransom thing work exactly? Do I just hand you money and then go?" Sparks asked, trying to draw out time. The troop was almost here. Hopefully.
"O' that is not up to you. Your troop can pay if they want you back alive, though I cannot guarantee thou wilst remain in one piece. I personally prefer a knight that can't draw sword"
Sparks noticed that while all the other bandits had brown fur, one had orange fur under their clothes. Seeing that, he smirked at the leader.
"Well, that sounds extremely delightful, but I think I shall pass on that today. In fact, I think we shall void the ransom altogether"
"We…" Crush was suddenly overtaken by the orange monkey, who held a sword against her neck.
"No sudden movements, any of you" Maclaurin called at the bandits. Crush laughed.
"You think they care. We hold not thy code of honour. Kill them."
The bandits rushed at them. Sparks knocked the nearby barrel to the ground and rolled it towards the oncoming bandits. A few were tripped up by this but many more came. A sword came lunging at him, narrowly missing him. Sparks drew his sword again and blocked another sword that came at him. He jumped back as multiple rushed at him and they crashed into each other instead.
Maclaurin was also struggling. Crush had pulled herself from his grip and attempting to strangle him. Gasping for breath, Maclaurin attempted to shake her off while also trying to avoid the attacks of the other bandits. Stumbling backwards he thrust his back against the rock wall. Crush cried out in pain and dropped down. He barely had the chance to catch his breath when more bandits attacked him. Sighing, he prepared to take them down as well.
Overall, Sparks was faring well. He took down another bandit. Out of the corner of is eye he saw one bandit heading for the group. Knocking down the bandit he was facing, he picked up a rock and threw it at the bandit. As always, his aim was perfect and he hit the bandit squarely on the head, where he dropped out instantly. He looked around and saw that Maclaurin had just taken out the last bandit. Sparks sheathed his sword just as the rest of the troop arrived.
"There thou are'st. What took you so long?" Sparks waved, grinning.
"It seems as though you two had this handled" observed the Commander, looking at the unconscious bandits that lay sprawled across the valley.
"As we always do. Maclaurin and I always make a good team" Sparks replied. The Commander nodded. He turned to the squires beside him. "Ensure that these bandits are properly secure"
"Of course, Commander" they replied and hurried off to obey his request.
"Good work in finding the hideout Sparks. I doubt we would have found this without your keen eyesight, though, next time give me more warning when you go to investigate something. It would be a shame to lose you." Sparks beamed at the compliment from the Commander and nodded at his request.
"Of course, Sir"
"Well, I best be checking up on how our Duke is faring. They do tend be easily flustered, would you not agree"
"Yeah. The child…all this madness may have scared her. Could you make sure she's alright too?" The Commander gave Sparks a small smile.
"Of course"
Sparks watched the Commander go over and speak to the group. He didn't imagine the Duke would have anything pleasant to say to the Commander. He heard footsteps coming towards him and turned to great him.
"Well, don't you have great timing? I love the disguise. It goes great with your fur. I was just-"
"Disobeying orders as usual" Maclaurin interrupted him. "Had I not come when I did thou mightst hath lost thy life. What made'th thee think that such a stunt was any form of a reasonable course of action"
"Oh, and what! I was just supposed to leave them in here" Sparks snapped. "Look! I rescued them! Problem solved! Is that not more important than waiting around for someone to give orders?"
"Sparks! Thou need'st to learn to think before thee act. Thy life is not the only one thee put at risk when thee do things like this"
"Look! That monkey was going to hurt that little girl. She was shaking like a leaf for crying out loud! Are you saying I should hath let them hurt her?"
Maclaurin took a deep breathe. Neither of them would win this argument.
"What happened is done. I am going to ensure our commission is alright. Since the child is safe now…" He watched as Sparks calmed at this, "…I am sure thee could put thyself to come use loading the cargo. The bandits wilt not be needing these crates anymore. Unless thee wants to speak with the Duke…?"
"No. I have been with the Duke long enough. He's your problem now." Sparks said raising his hands. Maclaurin smirked and walked over to where the Commander and Duke were talking. In Sparks' opinion the conversation was very one-sided and full of complaints. Sparks wandered over to help the squires load the cargo. His long day was beginning to catch up with him. He was very hungry.
"Hmm, I wonder if there's any food in these barrels"
And that wraps up the first chapter.
I'm going to be slow in putting these out. I have lots of study to focus on. This story is a side project to that.
That said, I am definitely going to finish this. The story has been planned out, I just have to write it.
As you read, I have added a little Elizabethan English. Not much otherwise even I wouldn't understand what they were saying.
The 'humour' Sparks refers to is actually referring to the four elements that people believed made up the body. Sparks is saying that Maclaurin is strong in the element of Earth (deep thinking) while Sparks is referred as being strong in the element of air (wit and intelligence).
Also, the name Sawney happens to mean simpleton, so right back at ya buddy.
In terms of the characters, Maclaurin is Mandarin as Grungekitty pointed out. I'm sure it's obvious who Sparks is (It's Gibson - no, I'm kidding. That's Sprx). Who are the other named characters? Try to guess. Do you want some sort of reward for correctly guessing who a character is? Or is the title of being first enough?
Until next time.