Hazelcloud: I had to write a story for my geometry class, thus the math related…names and everything. It's pretty much a basic fairy-tale so I think it fits this section. Enjoy!
A big thank you to my beta and good friend: Zashire
A Geometric Fairy-Tale
The King and Queen of Mathvillia was a very happy couple. They had only one daughter; however, this did not trouble them, for they believed that she would be a very capable ruler. As a young girl she had excelled in basic math, and even now, as a young woman, she continued to be very promising, particularly in the subject area of Geometry. She was not only good at math, which was very important to the subjects of Mathvillia, but also in international relations, and other various royal topics. She was a very pleasant young woman, and she was the pride and joy of her parents.
This of course brought her all sorts of attention, some from princes, and some from un-desirables. And so the story began…
Deep within the Forest of Ratios, which was on the border of Mathvillia, was the dark castle of Sinester Pi. Sinester Pi was the cousin of the current king of Mathvillia, and he was insanely jealous; not to mention that it was rumored that he was certifiably insane, too. He had always harbored a dream of becoming the king of Mathvillia, and was willing to do anything to make the current king suffer.
Sinester had been plotting for ages, and now believed that he had perfected his revenge. The Queen and King had described their daughter as being the light of their life, so he was going to take her away and destroy their dreams, just as they had destroyed his.
Princess Parallella was sitting in the garden, amid the red roses and bluebells, and was enjoying a wonderful summer day. She had no reason to believe that anything out of the ordinary would befall her this bright day, yet never noticed Sinester Pi, whom was sitting under the dark oak tree, watching the princess brush her long blonde hair. He allowed a small smile to grace his face as he thought of the horror her parents would soon experience.
After a moment, he jumped out of the bushes and grabbed her. Parallella screamed as Sinester dragged her off to his horse. Beating back the servants that had come rushing with swords and daggers, he raced off towards his castle.
The teary eyed servants raced to notify the king and queen of their daughters kidnapping. Pausing just outside the door, the servants pushed the newest servant, Arial, into the throne room to speak with the king and queen.
"Your majesties," Arial curtsied nervously. The queen and king smiled kindly down at the girl from atop their thrones.
"Please call us Cylindria and Angulus," The queen Cylindria said, and the king Angulus nodded.
"The formal titles sound too stuffy. We are people just like you. What is your name?" Angulus said.
"Arial…" She said, too stunned and nervous to think of a good way to break the news to them.
"I love the name Arial. Remember how we almost named Parallella that?" Cylindria gushed.
"Yes, honey," Angulus agreed. Arial gulped and blurted out.
"Cylindria! Angulus! Princess Parallella has been kidnapped!" Arial shivered as both turned to look at her.
"What?" Angulus and Cylindria said simultaneously.
"Princess Parallella has been kidnapped. I saw it happen, it looked as though Sinester Pi was the kidnapper," Arial said franticly.
"Arial, get Sir Cubebis please," Angulus whispered, while Cylindria broke down and began to cry. Arial rushed out of the room, and soon returned trailed by a silver armored knight.
"Your majesties, Cylindria and Angulus, you summoned me?" Cubebis said.
"Our daughter, the Princess Parallella, has been kidnapped by Sinester Pi. I charge you with the task of returning her here," Angulus said, patting his wife soothingly on the back.
"Of course, sir," Cubebis said calmly. He was the only person in the palace who did not seem to be having a mental breakdown. He left the throne room quickly, and headed for the royal stables. His black stallion, Tangentello, was already saddled, and was prepared for his arrival.
Mounting Tangentello, he urged him into a run, and galloped out of the castle heading in the direction of the Forest of Ratios. Only one road led towards the forest, and that road passed through the town of Prismaria. That was one stroke of luck since Cubebis realized that he had forgotten to pack the necessities needed to make the journey to Sinester Pi's castle deep within the forest.
Prismaria was a tightly-knit town that specialized in agriculture, metallurgy, and trading. Everyone knew everyone else, and despite being so close to the Forest of Ratios it was a healthy and happy place to visit. Cubebis rode through the streets in search of an inn because it would have servants who could help him find the necessary equipment for a rescue.
The Compass Inn was a proud-looking wooden inn that boasted the 'Best food, service, and drink in all of Mathvillia with prices similar to the worst inns'. Cubebis deemed the inn worthy of investigation and dismounted outside the door. After tying Tangentello to the post outside the inn's door, he found some money that he would need, and entered the inn.
Inside the inn, there was a crowd of merry villagers who were buying rounds of drinks, along with three innkeepers. One was older and graying round the edges, but the other two looked young and fresh. The boy and girl had the same pale blond hair and piercing blue eyes, which made sense since it soon became apparent that the two were twins. The older woman had gray hair and her face was wrinkled, but she seemed more than able to take care of the inn. Cubebis walked over to the counter and rapped on the wooden surface.
The twins walked over, and Cubebis marveled at how harmonious they seemed. Both smiled at his expression and greeted him warmly.
"Similar huh?" The boy laughed merrily. The girl smiled and began the traditional conversation.
"Welcome to Compass Inn! My name is Spheria and this is my twin brother Lineus," She said. Cubebis nodded.
"I am Sir Cubebis," He said. The twins bowed respectfully. "I am going to rescue Princess Parallella from Sinester Pi,"
"Then you have come to the right place, sir," Spheria said solemnly. Her brother, Lineus, nodded in agreement.
"Spheria and I are masters of math. We can lead you through the Forest of Ratios, and to Sinester Pi's castle," Lineus said.
"Yes, plus for a small price we can also gather the equipment you'll need for the whole journey," Spheria added. Cubebis considered the offer. It would definitely be useful to have help for navigating the forest, and if these two were as good as they claimed, their help could prove invaluable in rescuing the princess.
"That sounds like a good deal. Shall we shake on it?" Cubebis asked. Lineus and Spheria nodded and shook his hand before rushing off to gather the supplies. Soon they returned with three packs and a bundle of rope.
"That will be about 12 Circles," Lineus said. Cubebis nodded and counted out 12 of the small silver coins replacing the rest into the leather bag that hung from his belt. Spheria locked the money in the box that sat on the counter, and the twins followed Cubebis out of the inn.
"Surely you have your own horses, for I am afraid that Tangentello cannot carry all of us," Cubebis said.
"Yes, don't worry, we have a horse named Chord who can carry both Spheria and I," Lineus said. Spheria led a grey mare out of the inn's stable, and soon after, they were all mounted on their horses.
"Well, then we must be off!" Cubebis exclaimed, and the horses galloped off towards the dreaded Forest of Ratios.
The Forest of Ratios was a dark and large forest. The canopy was thick, so barely any light reached the lush shrubs and mosses that covered the floor of the forest. The strange thing was that each of the plants grew specifically according to the rules of the forest. The mosses, shrubs, and trees grew in a ratio of 1 to 3 to 6. So for every moss there was three shrubs and six trees.Also the trees were rumored to 'help' travelers by answering their questions in conditional statements.
Tangentello and Chord were carefully picking their way through the vegetation while their riders chatted readily about the forest. Spheria and Lineus were willing to answer any of Cubebis' questions about the Forest of Ratios.
"So is it true that these trees actually talk?" Cubebis asked genuinely curious. Lineus began to laugh and Spheria smiled happily.
"It is true. They do answer questions, but they generally try to confuse you even more," Spheria said.
"They are not too bad… so long as you use your head," Lineus said. Cubebis felt only more confused, and the twins noticed.
"Here - we'll show you," Spheria said. Lineus nodded and the two called out. "Are we heading in the right direction?"
"If you are heading towards Prismaria, then you are not heading in the right direction," The voice was loud, yet whispery, and seemed to echo and originate from all corners of the forest. Cubebis frowned, confused by the trees answer. Spheria and Lineus on the other hand seemed unfazed by the trees round-about logic.
"We're going the right way," Lineus said. Spheria nodded, but Cubebis was still lost.
"How can you possibly tell?" He asked, exasperated.
"The trees said that if we were heading towards Prismaria then we are going the wrong way. Since we are not heading towards Prismaria, then we must be going the right way. Do you now understand?" Spheria asked.
"Yes," Cubebis agreed as the information finally dawned on him. Lineus and Spheria gave him sympathetic expressions.
"Don't worry; it takes some getting used to. How much farther to Sinester Pi's castle?" Spheria said addresses the last part to the forest.
"If you are twice as tall as your horses, then you are two times closer to the castle than to Prismaria," The forest answered. Cubebis puzzled over the answer but couldn't figure it out. He glanced over at the twins, both of which just shrugged.
"It's the Forest of Ratios, what do you expect?" Lineus asked.
"Sometimes it's just not worth it to compute the answer. This time, for example, by the time we riddle it out and measure ourselves, we would most likely be at the castle already," Spheria explained. Cubebis nodded in understanding, obviously the forest was impish.
Soon enough, the forest appeared to be thinning out and a castle emerged. It was set on the edge of a cliff and its four towers gleamed in the bright sunlight. The first tower was a square prism with a square pyramid perched on top. The second was a cylinder with a cone for a roof. The third was tri-prism with a tri-pyramid roof, and the fourth was an impressive cylinder, with a half-sphere dome roof. Lineus let out a low whistle of amazement - the castle was a very forbidding sight.
The trio skirted around the edge of the clearing and approached the cliff, looking everywhere for an entrance. When no other door but the larger metal front door appeared, they reluctantly made their way to the front of the castle. They rapped on the door and jumped back in surprise when it opened immediately.
They quickly dismounted, and left Tangentello and Chord outside the castle. Then, they nervously entered the castle. Naturally, the large door swung shut behind them, causing the trio to jump in fear. They braced themselves as footsteps echoed throughout the massive entrance hall that they had entered.
A man approached them, face obscured by a black mask, as a vampire-ish cape swung about him. His deep black hair was mostly covered by a large top hat that gave him a "gentleman villain" appearance. He paused and studied them intently, only a sword's length away. Cubebis gripped the hilt of his sword and glared at the man, whom in response, gave no reaction.
"You are the rescuers of the princess, I presume?" The man spoke, with a voice that spurred them into action. Cubebis drew his sword, just as the twins both produced small daggers.
"You will give her to us or face the consequences!" Cubebis announced loudly, sounding much braver than he felt. The man had still shown no signs of violence, which gave them all hope for a bloodless transaction. Then again, things never really are that easy…
"If I am Sinester Pi, then I am not going to allow you to have her. Since I am him, I must decline your offer," The man said coolly.
"Why?" Spheria asked suddenly. Cubebis glanced at her in shock; the man was obviously evil, and there would never be a good reason for the kidnapping. To everyone's astonishment, Sinester Pi appeared to being giving the question a great deal of consideration.
"Honestly, it is because her father gained the throne… that was my lifelong dream," Sinester Pi admitted solemnly, and then focused once more on the trio before him. Spheria nodded understandingly.
"I see… though I'm not sure why you would want to be king… I've always wanted to be an architect," Spheria said.
"Me too!" Lineus piped up. "We were going to open a business together, but there are no architects in Prismaria that could help and teach us."
"That's so sad. I built this castle myself; did you know that?" Sinester said suddenly.
"No, I had no idea. That's amazing; triangular prism towers are quite a feat," Lineus said in amazement. Sinester brightened immediately.
"I can tell that you two have good taste… would you like to see the rest of the castle?" He said excitedly.
"Oh yes, if you would be so kind!" Spheria answered. The three began moving off through the hallway. Sinester and the twins were soon chatting amiably about building materials and such. Cubebis blinked in confusion, when had the rescue mission taken such a different turn.
"Wait! What tower is the princess in?" Cubebis shouted after Sinester. Said man turned and seemed to consider the question.
"If you had some gold, then perhaps I could tell you," Sinester Pi decided. Cubebis unhooked the leather bag form his belt and threw it towards Sinester. It hit the marble floor and made a wonderful clinking sound. Sinester picked it up and turned to the twins. "If you agree that I can be your teacher, then you may have this money to help start your architecture business,"
"Of course!" The twins said excitedly. Sinester handed the heavy leather bag to them, and soon, the twins both wore smiles that threatened to split their heads in two. They turned to look at Cubebis. "I'm not sure that he's such a bad person after all." Cubebis shook his head in confusion.
"Me either. Now, where is the princess?" He repeated the question to Sinester.
"The princess is at the top of the cylindrical tower," Sinester said. "The one with the half-sphere dome roof," he added as Cubebis sprinted towards the back of the castle.
"Thank you!" Cubebis called over his shoulder.
"Do you want to see the square prism tower? The square pyramid that makes up its roof is one of my favorite parts of the castle," Sinester said to the twins, who both nodded happily in return.
Cubebis sprinted through room after richly decorated room in the main center of the castle. Finally, just as he was about to give up, he found a door with and iron latch that appeared to be the door to the cylindrical tower that he was looking for. He heaved the latch up and pulled the door open. Once it was opened, he stepped into the tower.
The interior of the stone tower contained an impressive metal spiral staircase that seemed to reach up to the top of the tower. Cubebis sighed and began to climb the stairs. Many hundreds of steps later, he found himself facing a trapdoor in the ceiling. He pushed it open and climbed out.
There sitting on a small cushion was the princess. Parallella let out a cry of relief, and ran to embrace Cubebis. Cubebis hugged her, and then held her at arms length. She appeared to be completely unhurt, but frazzled.
"I'm so glad you are here! I have been so lonely! I've also been terribly worried about mother and father," Parallella cried. Cubebis smiled and spoke.
"They have been very worried about you, as well. Let us return home!"
That day brought happiness to many people, along with destroying any threat that Sinester Pi posed to the kingdom of Mathvillia. Cylindria and Angulus were reunited with their daughter and even pardoned Sinester Pi when they found out that he had given Sir Cubebis the information he needed to rescue Princess Parallella.
Sir Cubebis and Princess Parallella fell in love, and were married the next summer. They ended up receiving a fraction of Mathvillia as an estate until the deaths of the King Angulus and Queen Cylindria.
Sinester Pi, Spheria, and Lineus opened a very successful building company that specialized in castles with many towers. After being pardoned by the rulers of Mathvillia, the trio went on to build the private castle of Sir Cubebis and Princess Parallella. Spheria and Lineus continued to keep in touch with Sir Cubebis and Princess Parallella. They even had tea together in the new castle on a regular basis.
All in all, everyone lived happily ever after. And in the end, that's all that really mattered.
Hazelcloud: Did you like it? Please review, I would love to know what you thought of it!