For those of you reading this story I had to re-upload it again to because it felt I had a lot left. So here is the new version!
~Riven~
Chapter One: Life on Both Sides
One a dark night with stars shining in a realm known as Melody, a dark and evil man waited, with only one purpose, that was just as evil as he was. Finally, a short and stubby man ran up to him.
"You're late, again!" the evil man yelled to his short henchmen.
"Many, many apologize, Master Duman." he replied nervously.
"So you have the piece then?" Duman asked him.
"I had to do away with a few people… but I got it." the man took the piece of an ancient Melodian song bird broach from his cape, but when Duman went to grab it, he pulled it out of his reach, "Not until I get my reward."
"Oh, you'll get it all right." Duman laughed as he snatched it back from the short man. Then he took his own piece of the broach out of his cape and put the two halves together. The song bird broach glowed with a golden light, and began flying away from them leaving a trail of golden dust.
"Follow that bird!" Duman ordered as they rode their horses toward the flying bird. The two halves then separated once again and landed in a dune of sand as Duman and the short henchmen rode up towards it. A cave emerged from the sand as wind blew, and knocked Duman's horse back. The two stared in awe as the cave finished coming up from the sand and opened its tunnel like mouth.
"At last, after all the time I've spent searching for this cave… Treasure Cave." Duman announced.
"Wow." His henchmen thought to himself.
"Just to be clear, you can have anything you want in there, but the lamp is mine for the taking." Duman reminded him, pushing him toward the humongous cave. He took a few steps forward when suddenly the cave blew him back.
"Who dares wake me from my slumber!" It bellowed in a booming voice.
"It is me, I am only a humble man desperate for wealth." The short man explained quietly and timidly.
"Only one will be able to enter beyond the threshold, one who's worthy and true, a diamond in the rough." The cave continued.
"What are you waiting for, go already!" Duman snapped, and the henchmen walked into the cave and down only a few steps. Then he sighed in relief, but when he did, the cave began roaring, and then it disappeared in a cloud of sand and dust, and the two broach pieces were left on the sand.
"Obviously that one was less than worthy of entering Treasure Cave, all I need to find is this… diamond in the rough." Duman thought to himself as he gathered the broach pieces and stood there in the night.
The next day, a young man was being chased down by the royal guards of the palace of Melody. The young man had stolen a loaf of bread for himself and his fairy pet, Pepe. He was on the roof of a house, and he saw the guards headed for him. So he decided to jump off the roof and slide down the clothes line. It was not an easy task, because he banged into the side of the house, falling story after story until he landed in a pile of large woman's clothing, reaching out to catch the loaf of bread in his hands. The he ran out of the pile and met up with a couple woman he knew all too well.
"Aren't you getting into trouble a bit too early today, Riven?" One woman asked him jokingly.
"You're only in trouble if you're caught." Riven explained before he was grabbed by the shirt by the captain of the guards, Cordatorta, "I'm in trouble."
"Finally caught you, trouble maker!" Cordatorta hissed, suddenly Riven's pixie pet, Pepe, jumped on Cordatorta's head as Riven slipped out of the muscly man's grasp.
"Nice timing, Pepe." Riven laughed as the high tailed it out of there, however Riven bumped into another guard. He got away, and it ended up in a big game of cat and mouse, and at the end, the guards following him landed in a pile of fertilizer. Meanwhile, Riven and Pepe could finally enjoy their meal.
"Now, my good friend, we eat." He told the magical bear as they began to eat. However, he looked over to see two children looking for the same thing he was, food, and he knew in his heart that he couldn't enjoy the delicious bread without feeling guilty that he didn't give it to someone more deserving. So he got up, and handed his half of the loaf to the two children.
"Go on, you need it." He encouraged them, and the gladly took it from him and laughed as he patted them on the head. Soon Pepe began to feel guilty that he wasn't sharing his bread, and gave his piece to the two children as well. Moments later, the two hard music, and went to check it out. A prince riding a white horse was on his way to see the Princess of Melody, Musa.
"I suppose he is another suitor for Princess Musa." a man said, suddenly the two children ran out on the street in front of the horse.
"Get out of the way little pipsqueaks!" the prince demanded as he was about to hurt the two children with his whip, though Riven stepped in just in time.
"If I were as wealthy as you are, I'd be able to afford some kindness. No one hurts kids in this realm, no one!" Riven shouted to the selfish prince.
"I'll show you some kindness!" the prince spat, knocking Riven in a puddle as he walked by. Once he recovered, he watched the prince ride away.
"Hey Pepe, you don't see that everyday, a horse with two rear ends." Riven teased as the prince snapped his head back to look at him.
"You are worthlessly poor, you were born poor, will die poor, and only the flees in your hair will be at your funeral!" He shot back. This really hurt Riven, he knew he wasn't worthless, he just had to prove it to himself.
"I'm not worthless, and I don't have flees in my hair!" Riven yelled, then turned to Pepe, "Come on, buddy, let's head home. Riven and Pepe returned to their little home in the edge of the kingdom, they had the view of Melody's village. Pepe was just tired, so Riven tucked him in, then sat by the open hole, looking over the kingdom, and the palace.
"One day Pepe, life will be different, we'll be wealthy, and live in a big palace, and we won't have to worry about anything anymore." Riven sighed deeply.
The next day at the palace of Melody, the prince who had come to see Princess Musa stormed out from the palace garden.
"I've never seen so much nerve in my life!" He shouted, marching away.
"You aren't leaving now, are you?" Musa's father, King Hoeboe, asked the angered prince.
"Good luck trying to find a prince for her!" the prince huffed, slamming the door.
"Oh, Musa." King Hoeboe sighed. In the garden, Princess Musa was sitting at the fountain with her bonded pixie, Tune, the pixie of manners.
"Musa!" her father called out, "Musa!" as he walked out to the garden, Tune popped up in front of Musa, holding a piece of the prince's boxers.
"That was the rudest prince I've seen in my life!" she protested, giving Hoeboe the piece of fabric.
"It was what he deserved, I may be the pixie of manners but that has nothing to do with karma." Tune argued.
"My sweet Musa, you can't be rejecting every single prince who comes to the palace to meet you. The law of Melody says you must-"
"Be married to royalty." Musa and her father finished in unison.
"By your next birthday." Hoeboe added.
"That rule is too controlling." Musa protested.
"You've only get three more months." Hoeboe pointed out as Musa took out a little cardinal from the cage.
"I hate being pressured into this, Dad." Musa argued, "If I end up marrying one day, I want to do it for love." as Musa said this, she cradled the little cardinal in her hands.
"It's not only the law, Musa, I'm not going to be around forever, and I just want you set up before I go."
"Please don't remind me of… going." Musa sighed, "Just try to understand, Dad, I've never done anything on my own and I don't even have any friends."
"Well, I never!" Tune shouted.
"Except for you, Tune, you're my bonded pixie." Musa replied, "I've never been outside the castle's walls."
"Well, sweetheart, you're the princess of Melody." Her father protested.
"Maybe I don't want to be the princess of Melody anymore!" Musa argued back, splashing the water in the fountain. Hoeboe mumbled something and walked away. Once he was gone, Musa set all her cardinals free. At least no laws were controlling them.