Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club.
Second Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any persons either living or dead is coincidental and unintentional. Yes, this disclaimer is necessary.
And now for something completely different. Think of this as a sort of... confession on my part. I'm certain that many of you thought that the fact that I, a man, write fanfiction for Winx Club, a show intended for young girls, was likely my most unusual hobby. You would be wrong. This story should give you an idea of just how strange I really am. Enjoy.
The Winx were on their way to the Fruitty Music Bar to enjoy their day off. Love and Pet was really starting to get off the ground, although they still hadn't found the last Earth Fairy. But they'd been working non-stop since they arrived on Earth. They needed a chance to relax.
As they passed by the park, something caught their attention.
"What is this?" Musa asked, pointing.
It was very odd. People in the most bizarre outfits were walking around, playing instruments, weaving, carving, and sewing, but with tools that were, well, antique. The main attraction however, was a group of people in metal armor who were busy hitting each other with sticks.
"Bloom?" Stella asked, turning to the red-haired fairy. "Do you know anything about this?"
"No, not really. I've never seen anything like this before." Bloom said. "It looks like these people came from the Middle Ages."
"The what?" Aisha asked.
"The Middle Ages." Tecna supplied. "Also known as the Dark Ages or the Medieval Period. A period in Earth history which began roughly fifteen hundred years ago and ended about eight hundred years later. It was marked in the continent of Europe by a surge in feudalism, abysmal literacy rates, poor health, and just generally a lack of organized civilization."
"Why would people like that be here?" Flora asked.
"Maybe the Earth Fairy's involved." Musa said. "That might explain it."
"I don't know, it just seems so weird." Bloom said. "Still, we better check it out."
The girls began walking towards the strange collection of people.
They were greeted by a man in a rather outlandish outfit that Stella would later call a doublet. It was bright red and covered in elaborate embroidery, with laces all over the place. He gave an elaborate bow, removing his hat in the process.
"Greetings fine ladies, I am Charles de Bastia, at your service." He looked at them. "I take it you're not here for the event?"
"Um, no." Musa said. "What are you doing here, and who are you people?"
"Ah, mundanes then." He replaced his hat. "We are members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a non-profit organization dedicated to recreating the past."
"Which explains why you're all wearing stuff that looks like it came from a museum." Bloom said.
"Yes, I suppose it does. Most of it was made by people here though."
"So what's with the guys hitting each other with sticks?" Aisha asked.
"Those would be the fighters. The past wasn't all fancy outfits and fun. They attempt to recreate Medieval combat, although in a safe and entertaining way."
"It looks painful." Flora said.
"Well, I suppose it is, but it's like any other full-contact sport. Bruises are the price you pay for your fun. However, fighting is not the only martial discipline we have. We also do fencing, archery, and thrown weapons."
"So what do you do?" Bloom asked.
"Me? Oh, I am a bard. I tell stories."
"And you have to get all dressed up in that outfit to do so?" Musa asked.
"Have to? No, but it's fun." He looked them over once again. "Why don't you come with me? I can show you around, introduce you to some people, maybe get you involved in a few things."
Bloom glanced at her friends. This was still strange, but maybe it was worth looking into. "We have time, right girls?"
"Excellent!"
"That was quite possibly the strangest experience of my life." Musa said as they walked home. "But it was kind of fun. I really liked that choir we watched."
"I know! All those outfits!" Stella squealed. "They were gorgeous! I'm going to try to make versions of some of them for the pets!"
"I really liked the dancing." Aisha said. "It was interesting, some of them were like the formal Andros dances, but others were more like modern Earth dances."
"It was interesting how much research went into a lot of the things we saw." Tecna said. "To spend that much time and effort studying without the help of magic just to create something from the past... It's quite impressive."
"I liked the artwork." Flora said. "That painting we saw was beautiful."
"Well, maybe we'll try something like this again someday." Bloom said. "It was certainly a fun way to spend our day off!"
A/N: Yes. I am a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, SCA for short. I was born into it, raised in it, and will probably die as a member of the SCA. If you want to know more about us, you can go to SCA dot org. Speaking personally, it's a lot of fun, it's let me meet a lot of people I'd never have encountered otherwise, and it's an amazing community. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them.
That's it for this story. Hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me. No, I am not Charles de Bastia.