The Tale of Sir Lance Willakers.
Dwarves went down in tales and were well known for their skill in fighting – or the lack of it. It was often hard to tell them apart, their names often lost in the legends. OldManWillakers was one of the many who couldn't put a name to each dwarf. It came to a point where the Old Man didn't even ask for a name, the nickname 'Jimmy' being its replacement. The other heroes that worked alongside the Old Man, or Bruce Willakers as they called him, cared little for names knowing that they would be dead soon enough. There were a small few who were given the honour of being called a Julie, their skill in battle unbeatable by many, but it saddened most males that the Julies were mostly female dwarves.
It had been months since the Old Man had noticed the change; even the Jimmies were starting to notice. Jimmies might be known for their fighting skills but they lacked intelligence, not that it was in the genes in the first place. The Old Man was a charming dwarf; he could get any lady he wanted… the trait was gifted down to Lance Willakers. In all honesty Lance had used the trait to his advantage, a suggestive smile gracing his lips as he merrily spoke to the ladies. Even though it was never spoken aloud Bruce considered that they were silently challenging one another, seeing who could claim the most hearts. One look at either one of them and the female dwarves were to their knees, their eyes shining lovingly. On some occasions the Jimmies kneeled down before them in hopes of a chance. With the coming battle and a certain beautiful Kedemonia sweeping around the keep the Old Man had been distracted from this silent challenge. Lance Willakers had continued on with victory and success in his eyes but, as if he had the same fate as Bruce, he suddenly stopped.
Bruce couldn't say for certain when Lance had stopped his attempts of swooning the ladies… in truth Bruce had been trying hard to swoon the ever-beautiful Kedemonia for weeks on end. Bruce was always good at winning the ladies hearts; he even claimed the heart of the fiery-spirited Virendra long ago. Things may not have turned out well between Virendra and himself but she did turn into one mighty bow. There was something about Kedemonia that made the Old Man continue on his quest; the constant throw backs and annoyed glances only made him try harder. She was a difficult one, that was for sure, but he knew deep down in his golden heart that she was the one for him… Bruce shook his head, frowning as he stood alone on the boarders of his keep. It was true that Bruce worried little for Lance, knowing he was a big enough lad to look after himself, but it was only when Deadbones had questioned Lance's behaviour a while ago did the Old Man analyse him carefully.
Lance remained well groomed as he always did; he was cleanly shaved each day and his hair softly fell into his darkened eyes. The Old Man had smiled at this, noticing that he was indeed better groomed than he used to be, but then he frowned. On closer inspection Bruce noticed the dark shadows lingering beneath his eyes and the constant strained expression on his face. It surprised Bruce how much the handsome dwarf had grown up; he truly was a part of the family. Bruce felt pride towards him but he put it aside, something still wasn't quite right with him. Bruce had tried on many occasions sitting him down so they could talk face to face but he never got anywhere, it was something that Lance would probably take to his grave. Bruce was a good man, brought up his dwarves well, and although he never remembered all their names each one was special to him. Bruce was tempted to get a Jimmy to follow Lance around and find out what troubled him but he decided against it, knowing that Lance was smart enough to figure it out… and that Jimmy was stupid enough to get caught. He couldn't ask a hero to do it either; they had their duties to do and in all honesty Lance was somewhat distant from them. He could have asked a Julie to do it, even Salogel herself, but he needed them on the front lines in case the battle started early. If OldManWillakers wanted to find the reason behind Lance's odd behaviour so badly then he would have to investigate himself. With another shake of his head Bruce left the boarders of his home, returning to the keep. He had a lot of planning to do tonight, and tonight it must be done.
It took a while until Bruce figured out the pattern; it had been driving him mad for weeks. He had even stopped chasing Kedemonia around, much to her silent displeasure, and insisted on helping him out in hopes of getting his attention. The pair of them had figured out that Lance would visit the quarry every morning, gathering enough supplies before returning to the keep. The pair of them had ignored it at first, thinking he was passing it onto dumb Jimmies that didn't know where cobble was, but each day not a single block of cobble was given out. It led them both to stalking him in the keep; Bruce feared that he was slowly turning into one of those stinking crafters and was using his cobble for cake. Each day that passed he had never gone near the ovens, instead opting to go the other route to pick up some mortar from a loyal Jimmy. Bruce could have questioned the Jimmy on the spot but every day their faces were different, as if Lance didn't care who handed him the mortar. Both Bruce and Kedemonia couldn't understand the reasoning behind Lance's actions – each day he'd do the same routine and end up in one of the hallways by the shrine, preparing it for the coming battle. It was not rare that a hero would prepare the hallways of the shrine, them being the smartest of dwarves, but it was not common either. As each day passed and the pair spent more time watching Lance follow the same routine. Although Kedemonia didn't want to admit it they were slowly becoming closer to one another, learning of their past and their fears. There was one question that Kedemonia always wanted to ask Bruce, and that was about Virendra. The dumb bow had tried shooting her on countless occasions making her squeal in surprise but the Old Man never told her the story, insisting that he would let her know another time. It was a different day though and they were in quiet debate about something or the other but they were silenced by a voice – a voice of a female.
She wasn't a hard dwarf to forget; she had long soft brown hair and bright, meaningful blue eyes. Bruce had often seen her wandering around in her own light silver armour until she was given the armour of the dwarves. Yes, he couldn't forget someone like her too easily; they had crossed paths too many times. She spent most of her day gathering supplies from the quarry before venturing up to the keep. On occasion she had passed through Lance's hallway, humming in approval as she went, and on the odd days when Lance was running short on supplies she was kind enough to share with him. She was a good dwarf from what Bruce remembered; it was rare to see her as one of the first dwarves on the battlefield but he knew only too well that she remained in the keep for a good purpose. Jimmies had praised her aloud for her good work on the proc-halls, often being the only dwarf to prepare them. It was very rare for her to throw her tools on the ground, refusing to touch them. It was as if it was her unnamed duty; to prepare the hallways in case they had to fall back to the shrine, no matter how badly the condition the Jimmies had left it in. Bruce sharpened his eyes, trying to remember her name. The Jimmies obviously remembered her name for they often called it when in dire need. At first glance many thought she was an average Jimmy with her lack of skill in battle but, when given the chance, Bruce knew she could hold as good as any hero. Her true skill in battle was never shown until the end; only those who remained were allowed to witness her true strength. Bruce was snatched out of his thoughts as his partner in stalking, Kedemonia, pulled him aside to hide from view. The pair of them managed to find a hole to peep through so they did, their stealth something to be proud of as they watched the scene before them.
Sir Lance Willakers, one of the fine heroes within the dwarven realm, glanced up as the woman approached him. A wide, welcoming smile fell onto his lips when he realised who was coming. He stood up from his kneeing position, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead, as the woman stopped before him.
"All finished I'm assuming?" Lance asked the female, although he felt foolish in doing so. The female widely grinned, putting her hands on her hips as her eyes danced with life.
"Yes, thankfully I was able to do it before someone messed it up. Dumb Jimmies will never understand the true art of proc-hall building" the female softly replied, her voice low and quiet. The grin didn't leave her face until she looked around the hallway, her lips turning into a knowing smile.
"I'm guessing you want a hand again" the woman continued, her words more of a statement rather than a question. The hiding pair both heard the sigh of relief from Lance; it was as if a large burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Both Lance and the mysterious woman quietly spoke to one another as they continued building, the hidden pair nearly caught when a Jimmy came bouncing along calling the Old Man's name. Bruce was in the middle of scratching his bum, much to Kedemonia's disgust, and in his haste Bruce had death stared the Jimmy in fear of being caught. Both Lance and the woman had noticed the quiet 'pop' and the falling of armour next to their hiding spot but none of them investigated.
"Saw a Jimmy starve to death earlier and another one burning within the flames of the ovens… I fear that he too died to his own stupidity" the woman had softly murmured to Lance after a few moments of silence and they returned to work. Bruce couldn't help but sigh in relief; he couldn't chance being caught and her words were somewhat true, he did die to his own stupidity.
As time went on Bruce fell into his own thoughts again, wondering why this mysterious woman got along with Sir Lance so well. Bruce had seen Lance in the workings when claiming his women; he wasted no time with worthless talking. Here he seemed much different; he responded to her immediately and always spoke in the softest of voices. Bruce had bit back a laugh or two when Lance had made a fool of himself, the blue eyes of the woman sparkling in humour as she laughed at him. It reminded Bruce of himself and his attempts to talk to Kedemonia… had Lance fallen for this lady? Bruce could remember enough to know that she wasn't a crafter; she was most definitely among the builders. Bruce couldn't help but deeply frown – had he claimed her as a Julie once? The thought of calling her a Jimmy seemed out of place… Yes, he had called her a Julie in one of his lifetimes yet he could not remember the reason.
"Well looks like this is all done, I best be off to inspect the outer walls… who knows how tall they've built the walls this time" the woman spoke, her voice turning dim at the end of her sentence. Lance laughed, patting her on the back.
"I'll walk with you" Lance offered, a faint blush gracing his cheeks as the woman glanced up at him in surprise. In this moment of suspense Bruce Willakers and Kedemonia looked at one another, grinning ear to ear. This was certainly a change to Lance's usual routine; perhaps they would learn of what troubled him. The woman thought for a moment before smiling, nodding in agreement as Lance led the way. The hiding pair followed them, keeping as hidden as possible.
They found that following the two was harder than expected. Kedemonia had parted believing it was the better choice, the Jimmies who fell for her seductive smile trailing behind her. Bruce on the other hand couldn't blend in with the dwarves, he stood out too much, so he decided to hide behind anything available… unfortunately he had to death stared another two dwarves for chanting his name. When reaching the outer boundaries Bruce sighed, relieved he had made it out of the keep without being seen… well, without Lance or this woman noticing. They smiled to one another, the woman thanking him, and she jumped down the other side of the wall. She was out of Bruce's sight but he knew Lance still saw her for his head slowly turned in the direction she walked. Unknown to Bruce the woman glanced back and up towards Lance, a smile playing on her lips as she waved him farewell. She then turned her head and continued walking, a smooth sway to her hips as she disappeared into the darkness of the night. It was then where Lance softly sighed out into the night, sitting himself onto the wall to gaze up into the night. He didn't turn, he didn't need to, but he softly spoke.
"I know you've been following me, come out of the shadows" Lance spoke and slowly Bruce did, his head high as he joined him on the wall. Bruce sat next to him, deciding to look at him instead of the stars above.
"I have had my suspicions for weeks, I knew you were up to something as soon as I noticed you and Kedemonia spending time together without arguing… the death stares were enough to confirm it" Lance continued on without a touch of emotion on his face.
"Why didn't you confront me?" Bruce asked him and Lance turned his gaze away from the darkened sky and towards the Old Man, daring to look into his eyes. A worn but true smile was tugging on Lance's lips.
"You never knew of her until now" Lance openly confessed as he gaze shifted, his eyes longingly looking into the shadows of the night. Bruce couldn't help but grin, he was caught out but it was worth it.
"Then why hide it?" Bruce asked, his brows knotting in confusion. In the past Lance had cared little for public performances towards the ladies but not once had Bruce seen him lure this woman into his charm, he doubted anyone had. At this Lance sighed, shaking his head. He looked down at his hands, his eyes tightly closing together.
"It is my fate that stops me, of all our fates. It will not be long until the hordes of darkness come and claim the lives of us all. Many times I have watched her fall and I have been able to do nothing to stop it. Our fate of the final stand repeats itself, we will never escape it. The memories will forever haunt us… I do not think I can love one who I will lose in a matter of days. I hide it for the sake of all" Lance went on, his voice lowering as pain entwined with his words. Bruce understood his words well; he had felt the same when first meeting Kedemonia. Bruce remembered a time when he feared to love, he feared to get close to another for watching their death was heart breaking. At this he glanced at his bow Virendra, the fiery patterns upon it glittering in the moonlight.
"But she will always remain by your side" Bruce simply said, a sad smile on his lips. For the first time in a while Lance felt as if he understood the Old Man. Although OldManWillakers loved the ladies he had gave his heart to one woman, Lady Kedemonia, knowing that she would be by his side for the rest of eternity. It didn't matter how many times they died; as long as they stayed true to one another things would turn out just fine. Lance grinned, knowing what to do. He jumped down off the wall, looking up at Bruce in respect.
"Thank you" Lance said, making way to leave but halted in his steps.
"Before you go… what is her name?" Bruce Willakers asked, his voice strong. In all honesty Lance was shocked – never once had Bruce Willakers asked to know someone's name. He considered telling him, her name often used in jest towards the less skilled dwarves. Some went as far as saying she should save them. Lance turned, a sly smile on his face.
"Her name I will not utter for it is your punishment for following me" Lance told him, making OldManWillakers shake his head in amusement. Lance turned to leave and chase down his fair maiden, the final words of the Old Man following behind him.
"I will have to know her name soon! I've got to name the bow somehow!"
Authors Notes: So I've been thinking of writing something like this for a while but never knew that people actually wrote stuff based on Minecraft. I wouldn't consider this as a serious story, I pretty much wrote it for fun. Those who know of Bruce Willakers and the BrucesGym server will hopefully understand most of the story and recognise a few of the main characters. The world of DvZ (Dwarves Vs Zombies) was not created by me, I am merely a fan. The only character I made in this story is the mysterious female dwarf. As for the rest of the characters they are based off actual real people. Bruce, Lance and Kedemonia may seem out of character in this story but it is the way I see them. Hope you enjoyed the short story :)