My gosh, is this the first Sims Medieval fic? I can't find any others. I feel super proud if this is the first, and if it isn't then SORRY. MINE WILL BE BETTER THAN YOURS ANYWAY. There are various shout outs to fantasy genre of books and games scattered throughout this fic which most of you will probably find. Fic contains: One scrawny Knight, one Welsh Bard, one Sorceress with a ridiculous name, one Queen and probably, at some stage, a mug of frothing ale (or five). I have no idea where this is going but I hope you like it!

Magic-Side was what everyone called the land of Irule. Even it's Monarch, Queen Casala. She was a bit bossy but as monarchs go, she didn't overtax and if the peasants had any problems then if they made a big enough petition she would get someone to sort it out. The most recent dispute was money to buy clothes with. She'd found a man she could rely on to not flood the streets with crimson, a young Bard by the name of Imp, to settle matters, and settle them he did. He played in the local Tavern (the Club and Crossbow) now, writing plays and sagas in his spare time. Various people came to the Club and Crossbow for a drink in the evenings, such as Grey Smith, the Blacksmith. He was quite skilled in his trade and forged swords, staves, shields and armour daily. He was relatively famous for helping the much more famous Sorceress Penguin create the Philosopher's Stone. It was destroyed when Penguin tried to harness its power, but famous she remained. Various things happened in day-to-day life, whether it be eerie flashings from the Wizard's Tower or boats peacefully sailing in or out from the dock, but for Magic-Side's future, the day Arthur the Small stepped off of one of those boats was an important day indeed.

X X X

Arthur (pronounced Arthyure) the Small was…small. Not for his age, but he was a skinny young lad no older than fifteen or sixteen, and very handsome. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't an orphan he would've been up for the job immediately. His parents had sent him here to be a Knight in the Royal Barracks since he'd learnt sword fighting since he was six. He was much better than he looked. And now, clad in his green tunic and boots, he carried the few belongings he had up the hill to the Barracks. He pushed open the door and looked around the hallway. He shifted his bag.

"Hello?" he called. "Is there anybody there?"

"What do you want, lad?" a bristly face looked down at him from the balcony, before walking down the stairs to meet him. More faces appeared at the balcony. Mostly male, but a few female too.

"My name is Arthur, sir. I've been sent to be the new Knight," Arthur told the Guard, feeling somewhat puny next to the Guard's armour.

"You're having a laugh," said one of the Guards, grinning. Arthur glowered at him. The man in front of Arthur laughed.

"You? You're just a runt of a boy!"

"I know sword fighting," he could feel his face going red. The Guards carried on sniggering. "And I can read," that made the laughing die down a bit. "I've pledged myself to Her Highness. I'm a Knight,"

"We'll soon see about that. Here's your room, boy. Enjoy!" the Guard pushed him through a door and he landed on his backside, still burning red. He could hear the sniggering fade away as the Guards went back to their duty.

"I'll show you…" he muttered, before standing up, wincing at the slight pain after being thrown onto the floor, and taking a look at his home. There was a bed with holes in the covers, a slightly dirty mirror and a chamber pot (upon closer inspection it was thankfully empty) along with a wooden table and a chair that wobbled. The fire in the corner provided a lot of warmth and Arthur had been provided with a pot to cook in. Good job he'd been sent with lots of money from his parents. Time to guy buy some food and meet the locals. And hey – here he could drink as much as he liked and his parents would never tell him off! Brilliant!

X X X

He ambled around town shoving the memories of arrival into the darker parts of his mind and making way for the glorious sunniness of the day. It was a pretty place here. He was walking near to the docks when a flash made him jump and look up. There was a monstrous tower near the cliff a way above him. There were coloured lights coming from the windows, flashing and sparking. What on Earth…?

"What are you gawping at in the middle of the road for?" a peasantish voice said in an annoyed tone. Arthur brought his gaze back down.

"Didn't you see that?" he said to the woman.

"See what?"

"Those flashes,"

"What about them?" she still looked annoyed. Arthur groped for words.

"Isn't that a bit…strange?"

"No. That's where the Sorceress lives. Happens all the time. You foreign?"

"I'm, uh, new to Magic-Side,"

"Huh. Well now you know," she said before then hurrying off. Arthur looked as the tower flashed blue before slowly continuing on his way.

This feels like an absurdly short chapter to me, if only because most of my chapters in other fics go over 1500 words. Oh well. Short chapters = readability! Readability = like! Like = reviews! (get the hint?)