Sugar's POV, outside of the weapon shop
...
Ah, it really is refreshing, coming to Vance after all these years. I did come here from time to time with Master Shintetsu, but I hardly remembered anything about this place except for the early winter. It doesn't look like much during summer when the ice thaws, but during winter it is a wonderful place, full of snow and ice. It's very different from Wystern, winter in Wystern is a very boring season, in my opinion...
"Sugar, are you sure that you're okay with playing outside? Your clothes seem to be... well, just not suited for this kind of weather..." Ah, it's so sweet of Master Pratty to worry for me~ I keep the temperature around my body at room temperature by means of magic, so I don't really feel very much of the coldness, but Master Pratty doesn't know that, does she~?
"It's so cold, Master Pratty... won't you come a little closer so that I can... warm myself up a little bit?" Master Pratty... I wish that these innocent days when we can just play together like this would last forever... nothing to worry about, just having fun... but that won't be possible unless Master Pratty doesn't get involved with the unfinished business her father left behind... Parista, the holy Spirit of Swords, is moving far below Wystern again...
"Well, you could just go back in if it gets too cold for you, right?" Well, no reason to be all depressed right now, maybe he won't awaken yet, we should still have some time left before we have to worry about him. And I want to cuddle with my cute master for as long as possible until that time comes... I slowly float over the snow, towards her, spreading my harms to give her a wonderful hug...
"Uwaaah! Master Pratty, what are you doing!?" A snowball against my shoulder... you just wait, Master Pratty, I will show you what happens if you try to counter my hugs! Water and ice always were my specialty, so Master Pratty should have thought twice about attacking me like that if there's snow all around us... I focus for a moment and lift three balls of snow from the ground, circling above my hand. "Master Pratty, I will have to teach you some manners..."
"H-Hey, wait a second, Su-" The first one hits her pretty good in the face, I was always very good at hitting my targets. Master Pratty can expect no mercy, once she is defeated I will hug her, again and again~ I shoot the next ball in her direction, but she really is very fast, I am surprised that she managed to dodge that one... "Sugar, I was just joki-" Too bad that I can pilot them, as I made it return it hit the back of her head.
"Master Pratty, it's your own fault for suddenly attacking me... I won't stop until you surrender unconditionally~" Well, of course I won't ask her to marry me once she does surrender, that would be fair, but I will have my fun at her expense~ Love and hugs, hugs and kisses~ "You should just surrender now, you have no chance against me whatsoever..." I shoot the last ball towards her, this time she just beats it... Well, there is plenty of snow around here...
"Sugar! What do you even mean, surrender unconditionally? Wah, seriously, this is way too much, Sugar!" This time I have four balls flying at her at once. She will never be able to destroy all four of them at once~ And once she surrenders, I will... Ah, Master Pratty being my prisoner, I could just do with her whatever I want... No, I shouldn't think like that, though Master Pratty in chains would probably look really great...
"You should just give up, Master Pratty, I might show you some mercy if you surrender now~" Now she's running for the western exit of the city, towards the lighthouse. Well, she will soon find out that there is nothing but a dead end waiting for her~ The lighthouse was closed off ever since Valice, the knight this city was named after, imprisoned his nemesis Pullcoda here or something, though I don't know if any of that is actually true...
"You really shouldn't take this so serious, Sugar, it's just a game! Wah, stop it already!" She is still on the run, we are already outside of the actual town, Master Pratty just passed the last one of the houses. I'm pretty sure that I know that house, but for now I should rather chase Master Pratty for now, no time to worry about such unimportant things I have forgotten for the most part anyways if there are hugs to be had~
"Sugar, this isn't funny, you are cheating!" Well, I don't think there is such a thing as an official guidebook about the rules of snowball fights, besides, all is fair in love and war, and this is about both~ "If you don't play by the rules I won't either! Hm, what is she planning now? She suddenly turned around, now she is running towards me. I have little time to react to her sudden action and just shoot all of the snowballs at her...
"Ugh!" Damn, she got through my attack and knocked me down. Well, now she is hugging me, in a sense, but this isn't what I had planned... Hm, on the other hand... maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Master Pratty would become a little more aggressive~ But if I lose I have to accept Master Pratty's conditions, probably some sort of a compromise. I can't give up, a compromise is out of the question!
"Wha-!? Sugar, what are you doing!?" Haha, I lifted her up with a mass of snow, now I have her all caught and she can't do anything now but surrender... She is trying to struggle free of the little avalanche she is caught in now, but it won't move even a little bit, just her head and her arms are poking out of the snow, she almost looks like a giant snowball... "Sugar, release me at once! This isn't funny anymore!"
"Well, you should have thought about that before starting a snowball fight with the best~ If you want to be released you just have to surrender, unconditionally, of course~" She is flailing her fists around and tries to hit the snowball, encasing most of her body, but it doesn't even bulge under her beats. Of course I keep it together with magic, so Master Pratty has no chance at winning whatsoever~
"*Sigh* Fine, just get me out of here... I surrender." Hihi, I knew it... though Master Pratty looks really cute like this, almost like a really big snowman... She's all mine like this, if Master Bron will dare to get in my way now I will get rid of him... Ah, just kidding. Though I really don't want Master Bron getting in my way, but he is probably in the warm cabin of the ship right now.
"Alright, Master Pratty, but you have to do what I tell you to, alright?" She is still wriggling, but she seems to realise that it is useless. Well, I shouldn't be too rough on her, I already overdid it earlier on the boat... But who knows when I'll get such a chance again? If I will get such a chance again at all...
"*Sigh* Whatever, I'll do what you say, if it isn't too much... Just let me out of here, this thing is cold..." Hm, I shouldn't keep Master Pratty in that snowball for too long, otherwise she might become hypothermic... I let my magic disperse and the snowball just collapses around her, she doesn't look very happy...
"Well, let's see... I will have a hug and two kisses, please~" Master Pratty doesn't seem to be too sure about it, but she doesn't take any actions against me as I approach her... This will be good~ I reach out for her face, it's quite a bit colder than my hand, but very smooth... I could just stroke Master Pratty's cheek for the rest of the day, but we have to return soon, we don't want to miss our invitation...
"Let's just get it over with..." Master Pratty is still a little bit grumpy, but she is rather calm, considering the circumstances... Maybe she is getting used to it by now~ I move myself closer to her, but I don't initiate the kiss, Master Pratty will have to do it this time~ She does move a little bit closer as well, very hesitantly, but she doesn't seem to be very sure about what to do now...
"Master Pratty, it's your turn~ You don't have to be so embarrassed, there's no one else around to see us..." She still seems to think about it, her face is pretty red, probably because of the cold and her embarrassment... So cute, I wanna take her home~ And she really does it! *Smooch* Well, her lips are a little bit cold against mine, but it still sends down waves of pleasure through my back, the one I love is kissing me~
"There you go... Um, you said two, right...? I did say I would do what you want... but I only agreed because you forced me, don't get any weird ideas!" It still hurts a little bit when she says things like that, but her kisses are more than enough to make up for it~ I wonder when we will be able to enter the next stage~ I hope it will be soon, the sooner the better! I want to be with Master Pratty as her wife...
"Thank you very much, Master Pratty..." But I have to be patient, if I don't wait for her we might never marry. It's so hard to hold myself back, especially if Master Pratty doessomething likethis... *Smooch* Ah, it's so wonderful, I wonder if I could try my luck just one more time for today... I move slightly to my left and lick Master Pratty's cheek a little bit, it's quite salty... though I think she misinterpreted my action...
"Haha, stop it, Sugar, don't tickle me like that... Is that common where you come from? I only knew of dogs doing that..." Well, maybe it would be better for me to keep it that way, just a small white lie couldn't hurt too much, could it~? If she does believe that I could probably do it and go unpunished by her and she probably won't ever find out that it's not common for our kind, only few craftknights summon a guardian beast of our species~
"It's just how we show our affection, Master Pratty. I guess it is a little bit like dogs..." Judging by her wide and curious eyes I would say that she actually fell for it~ It certainly has many benefits for me that Master Pratty isn't very literate, I could probably tell her whatever I want, even absurd things like this, and she would believe it~ No, I shouldn't abuse her lack of knowledge like that, that wouldn't be appropriate...
"It is pretty strange, but other cultures would probably think of the behaviour of humans as strange as well, I guess. A dog also has a pretty different outlook on life, I guess..." Well, we aren't related to dogs at all, though I don't think Master Pratty is trying to say that, she isn't too good with words... If she said something like that while being on a diplomatic mission the outcome would be nothing short of a disaster...
"Yes, Master Pratty, but we aren't related to dogs at all, you do understand that, don't you?" She looks a little bit puzzled, but that's also really cute~
"I didn't say anything like that, did I...? I was just trying to say that everyone has a different perspective, a dog also must think about things in a different way, right?" Well, I haven't talked with any dogs as of yet, they aren't native in Sapureth and they aren't capable of speaking in our language, we would have to communicate telepathically... If I even wanted to talk with a dog, I don't think they would have much of interest to say...
"I know, Master Pratty, but you should learn how to pick your words in a careful way, if you are to become a craftlord you have to deal with very delicate situations. If you can't negotiate well you could endanger the lives of the citizens of Wystern by making the wrong decision..." Well, I will probably take care of this for her, just to be safe, at least in the beginning. Master Shintetsu was a very charismatic person, but I had to take care of him as well...
"I know... I still have a lot to learn, but that on't stop me! I will become a craftlord and make everyone happy!" Haha, Master Shintetsu used to say such things too, but he also had to learn that you can't make everyone happy the hard way... Well, Master Pratty is still young and innocent, she should stay like this as long as possible, all of the paperwork can be really frustrating, especially if you have to make unfair compromises...
"So, now for the hug~?" Ah, it feels good to be in control~ At least for one minute... I got more than what I could ask for, so I shouldn't complain. The hug feels a lot more willing, though it could just be the cold... it's not that I could just read Master Pratty's mind... Well, I actually could do that, but it wouldn't be right, only demons use such techniques and I don't want to become a demon...
"*Sigh* We should return pretty soon, Master Bron will probably come here shouting if we let him wait much longer..." Master Bron...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Master Bron had a little... accident on his way back to Wystern...? 'Master of the Silver Guild washed away by undocumented sudden wave' I can already see that article as the editorial of the newspapers... I really should stop thinking about such things...
"*Sigh*Yes, Master Pratty... We should return to Wystern, we wouldn't want to miss your next match in the tournament..." I wanted to stay a little bit longer, eating in a restaurant here or something like that, Master Bron should have at least invited us if he prevents my wonderful dinner in a nice restaurant with Master Pratty...
"The tournament...? We are going to be late!" Now Master Pratty seems to be in a panic, she detaches herself from me in an instant and makes a run for the ship... I guess that must be like an instinct for her, running whenever she thinks she's late... We didn't even get a notifivation yet... Well, we should still hurry up, I don't think anyone was ever disqualified for being late as of yet, but Master Shintetsu almost accomplished that goal once...
...
Pratty's POV, the harbour
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"You're back!" *Pant* I ran all the way back here, that must've been half a kilometer or something like that... *Pant* Sugar really scared me there, being late and getting disqualified would be the lamest way to lose the tournament ever...
"Am I late?" *Pant* I don't think so, Master Bron isn't screaming yet, so we're probably in time... Sugar has it really good, floating like that, she didn't even break a sweat at that speed... Maybe I could also learn that...? Well, probably not, I never got any training in magic whatsoever, most humans aren't very talented with magic, at least that's what my mother always told me when I asked her if I could become a great magician...
"Let's go sail!" Yeah, we are still in time... I was really worried because of that, I could never return to Wystern with the shame of forgetting about the tournament, especially considering what I was doing instead... Sugar always does such strange things... though I never new that it was common for her people to express their affection like dogs. If it's similar to what dogs do it's just an amicable gesture, so I couldn't really scold her, could I...?
It still felt very weird, Sugar licking my cheek like that... I've had dogs do that, I usually get along pretty well with them, but it felt completely different when Sugar did it, for some reason... It was rather strange, I felt some kind of... tickling down there... Maybe mother could explain that to me, maybe it's some kind of illness. I would feel far too embarrassed to ask Sugar about something like that...
"Master Pratty~ What are you thinking about? You're all red~" Ah! Sugar... she always comes at the worst moments possible, doesn't she...? It almost seems as if she has some sort of build-in device to spot my embarrassment from anywhere and comes right at me once she detects it... At least it's over with the kisses for now, I won't let her have another one within the next hours, no matter what she says!
"I-It's nothing! I wasn't thinking about what you did to me back then at all..." Now I just have to put on my best poker face possible and she'll just forget about it, right? I don't think it's working, I can see the suspicion in her eyes... just what am I doing wrong...? *Sigh* "I give up, I was thinking about that... But I really don't want to talk about it right now, alright, Sugar?" Master Bron is already pulling out the anchor...
"You'll have to buy my silence with another kiss~" Argh! She won't get another kiss for the whole day if she goes on like that! Uh, not that I wanted to give her another kiss anyways! I will even cancel her rations for tomorrow! Not that there were any rations to begin with... "Relax, I was just joking around, Master Pratty... maybe..." I didn't quite catch that last word, but she looks apologetic...
"Fine... I think I just want some time by myself, for no, is that fine with you?" She looks a little bit down, but she'll get over it rather soon, I think. Probably as soon as she sees some kind of opportunity to blackmail me again or something like that... Maybe that was a little bit mean, I wasn't putting up much of a fight, so she probably took that as a sign of my approval or something like that...
I just don't know how to handle her... I feel completely overwhelmed with all these new tasks I have, training for the tournament, learning about politics, forging new weapons and having to deal with Sugar's advances, this is all a little bit too much for me at once... but I have to be strong and pull myself together! It was my idea to enter the tournament to begin with, so I can't give up, no matter what. What would my mother think of me if I just gave up?
No way, I won't lose. Sugar would be really disappointed as well and I want to prove myself in her eyes as well! Though that would probably make her all the more set on becoming my wife... There is no easy way out, right? At least no easy way out I would want to take... Well, that's my decision. If I give up on anything I've lost before I even tried, right? Well, for now I will just relax a little bit and watch the sea...
...
We're back already...? That was much faster than I thought. Or maybe I was just too absorbed in my own thoughts to notice it, though I didn't find any sort of enlightenment whatsoever... Sugar left me alone as well, I guess she also had some things she wanted to think about, otherwise she'd probably have tried to do something again by now... Master Bron has already docked the ship.
"Thanks for makin' this journey with me, Pratty. Thank ya very much, Sugar." Sugar seems to have calmed down about Master Bron ruining our plans for dinner by now, though she probably hasn't forgotten about it yet...
"It's my pleasure, master." Or she has some other plans by now... Maybe I shouldn't leave her alone for too long, who knows what kind of plans she might come up with if she's on her own and has the time...
"Here's a new technique for all your efforts." Yes, a new technique~ I just love swords and weapons in general... One day I'll make my own weapons, without any techniques, I will just take the materials and start forging with Sugar and create my own masterpieces... But I shouldn't do that while I'm still fighting in the tournament, I can't take any risks here. If the weapon I end up making would be really bad I would've wasted a lot of time and materials...
"Thank you, master! What kind of weapon is it, master?" I'm really excited about this! Ah, I want to craft tons of weapons again today~ I crafted five different pieces yesterday, all of the techniques Master Bron gave me and I helped out some of the other craftknights and got two more, though I haven't crafted them yet... I want to make even more today! Somehow all of my gloom has vanished, I feel as if I could take on the entire world!
"A weapon that needs a great name, o' course! I'll call it... the Iron Saber!" Master Bron should probably hire someone to make up names for his weapons, a child in the crafting playschool would do better than him... but I'll just play along, I don't want to upset him...
"Yes, that's... great." He doesn't seem to notice that I was just telling him what he wanted to hear, so I guess I can lie...? So why do Sugar or mother always look right through me...?
"Awright, I'm goin' back, too!" With that he leaves the boat and leaves for the market. That leaves me alone with Sugar again, but all of the awkwardness has already vanished.
"I'll make lots of weapons before the next tournament match. Let's go find some more materials!" Ah, I feel like a new woman! This trip had some pretty awkward moments, but it felt really good to get out of Wystern with all the smoke from the forges and the constant clanging of metal against metal for a little bit. It helped me getting my head clear again, I usually don't even notice all the noises and smells anymore, but they still bother me somewhat.
"When two people share and adventure such as ours, it forms a powerful bond between them..." Huh? Uh, it's not as if we were departing from the known world to stop some ancient evil or something like that, those things only happen in fairytales...
"We're just going to collect some materials..." Well, we really should get going, time doesn't wait for anyone, especially not for me... Though it would be pretty awesome if it did...
"Pratty!" Huh? Just as I was about to leave for the market as well someone cllas out to me. I don't think I've ever met this person, have I...?
"Yes?" He looks like a pretty trustworthy person, some sort of legitimate businessman or an aristocrat... what would someone like that want from an apprentice like me...?
"I have something to tell you."
"Really? What is it?" I just hope it isn't some bad news or a notification for the next round in the tournament, but he doesn't look like an officer from the Central Tower... He puts a hand on my shoulder and takes me with him, back to the harbour. Sugar doesn't seem to be very happy about that, but she doesn't say anything either, so I guess she doesn't see him as some sort of threat or something like that...
"Congratulations. You've passed the first round." He has a rather strange hairstyle and an even stranger beard, both dark brown, but it looks pretty good on him, like some sort of middle-aged gentlemen. His elegant khaki jacket with golden buttons over a white shirt and his monocle enhance this impression even more. "I'm glad to meet you. My name is Nigelle and I represent the Gold Guild." He also has a pretty kind smile.
"Oh?" Wait, the Gold Guild? Those are the rivals of Master Bron...
"You should know that all of us at the Gold Guild are very impressed with your works. So impressed, in fact, that we want you to work for us... starting immediately." What!? I mean, I don't want to join either of the guilds, the craftlords are an independent fraction. Besides, I can't just betray Master Bron and my weapons aren't that great either...
"You must be kidding!" This sounds pretty fishy to me, for some reason... I don't think I should listen to any of that...
"We suspected that you might need some time to consider our offer. In the meanwhile... I'd like to purchase some of your weapons. I assume you have something worth selling?" Well, I still have all the weapons from yesterday in my room.
"You wish to purchase the weapons of an apprentice?" That sounds pretty strange, but also somewhat tempting...
"Yes, Pratty. I do." I never expected that, maybe my weapons really are somehow special...
"I'm honored..." I could use some money to buy a new bed... but I can't do that... I don't feel that confident about my weapons yet and I don't want to sells some second-class stuff, Master Bron would be pretty angry with me if I did... "I'm sorry, sir, but I need some time to think about this."
"That's alright. Take all the time you need. But I'm sure you're aware of what a simple process it would be." Well, if I sold my weapons from yesterday that would be true, but I somehow want to keep them, as memories of my first round in the tournament...
"Really?" I don't think it would be, forging weapons is really hard work, after all. And I'd also need to gather the materials...
"Of course. All you'd have to do is forge 10 Iron Sabers. Great name, by the way." Great name? Why does everyone except for me find that name great...? Besides, did he eavesdrop on my conversation with Master Bron? That shouldn't be possible from this distance, right...? "We'd pay 500 boam for each of the ten weapons."
"You'll pay me... 5000 boam!?" That would be more than enough for a new bed... that would be enough for five good beds...
"So we have a deal? Wonderful. I have business elsewhere, but I'll return shortly... and I presume that the Iron Sabers will be waiting for me. I'll see you very soon." Huh? I didn't even agree to anything yet...
"W-Wait!" *Sigh* He just ignored me and ran off... I hope he doesn't think I actually agreed... "What am I going to do?"
"I believe that you should continue making stronger weapons, master." I think Sugar is right, if I go and make 10 Iron Sabers I might not have enough time to create any other weapons and I need strong weapons for the tournament. Besides, it would be a really mindless task, having to gather all these materials and forging them into weapons. It would also be very exhausting... Well, that's it, I'll just create many different new weapons!
Hm, I should probably go and look for Aedon... Doughal... whatever, I should just look for him and make sure that he didn't do something really irresponsible by giving me this ring. Though I really don't want to give it away, it is emitting such a nice and calming light... hm, where was his stall again? South to the fountain in the middle of the market, right? But there are many children and some adults in front of it now, that's strange...
"Welcome, welcome, it is time for Doughal's fairytales again! Fairytales from many different countries and many different cultures, tales of wonderful places full of magic and courageous heroes, suited for all ages. Today I will entertain you with a story called 'The Grey Emperor'. It is a story from a land quite far away, from a time long ago." Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to listen to it for a little while, right?
"Our story begins in the Kingdom of Happiness, there was a king who was very kind and noble, he was said to be a wise king and not one of his people had to suffer hunger or thirst." Hm, this is... some kind of a puppet show? I can't detect any of the contents from earlier, instead there is a big curtain opening and a stage is where his goods should be. It shows a golden palace, full of all kinds of riches, in the middle of the palace sits a man with long grey hairs and a beard, the people around him look very happy...
"Everything was very good in this country, the king ruled fair and crimes were a real rarity. However, there was another kingdom close to the Kingdom of Happiness, the Kingdom of Sadness. It was ruled by a queen who was stricken with grief over the loss of her family and everything around her was falling apart. The people of her land were also affected by this sadness, and in their grief they didn't care for their home anymore."
The scene changes again, this time it is a ruin covered in darkness. In the middle of this ruin sits a beautiful woman with long white hairs, on a withered throne in a black mourning dress. All around her are writhing figures, covered in ashes and apparently fighting with each other. It looks really hopeless, the illumination enhances the effect by casting long shadows. The children seem to be a little bit frightened.
"The people in the Kingdom of Sadness had no hope, they wee born in that place but couldn't escape it, they blamed the people in the Kingdom of Happiness for their misery and banded together to fight the other kingdom to obtain their happiness. The king from the Kingdom of Happiness had tried to negotiate, but all of his pleas fell on deaf ears. Thus he was to fight in a war to protect the happiness of his people."
The curtain draws again, this time a great battlefield is shown, many puppets are fighting there, the soldiers from the Kingdom of Happiness dressed in their white armors decorated with gold, the soldiers from the Kingdom of Sadness in black armors with silver lining... it is a really impressive scene, for a puppet show, the soldiers who fell even seem to bleed a little bit...
"This war was raging on for many days and many people died. The king of happiness soon realised that he couldn't protect the happiness of his people with even more violence, so he came to the battlefield in person to end the fighting." Now the king makes an appearance as well, he is walking on the battlefield and looks quite down, though I don't really know how they can convey such emotions with puppets...
"Is all this senseless slaughtering necessary? What is the point of this war, it won't bring any happiness to either of us, by the end of this none of us will be happy..." His voice sounds almost broken as he looks down at the fallen soldiers of both sides and weeps for both of them alike... "My loyal knights, I order you to save everyone who can be saved, both our brothers and sisters and our enemies, for they are victims of this war, just as we are."
"But... my lord! These very men and women have slaughtered our brothers and sisters! They are the reason for your sadness, your majesty!" The knights are looking at their enemies on the ground with such contempt... They want to kill these persons, the atmosphere is so strong... "My lord, I have served you for my entire life and I would gladly give my life for you, but how can you ask this of me?"
"Kenneth, my loyal friend, do you not see the same pain in them as you see it in our siblings? Can't you see that killing them will make us as it made them?" The king is looking at his knights with pleading eyes, he is urging them to look at all the suffering on this battlefield. I don't really want to think about it, but this could be a situation I would be in someday as well, couldn't it...? "We have no time, my friends, place your faith in me or abandon me."
"My lord! How can you say such things, we would never abandon you! We have sworn our oath to you and we will abide by it until our last breath escapes our lips. You are asking much from us, but you must have your reasons. We shall do as you say, but this may very well be a mistake." I guess I can see where they are coming from, these men and women lost many of their beloved ones to their enemies and now their king orders them to save them...
"I cannot express my gratitude for your actions, my friends, surely the heavens will reward your selflessness. If we can show our enemies the light there might be hope as of yet..." Now the knights and the king himself are carrying the wounded and the dead away, though their enemies struggle at first they let the knights carry them away as well... I never new puppet shows could be so... emotional...
"The queen from the Kingdom of Sadness was not unaware of this and was wondering about the strange actions of her mortal enemy, he was showing mercy to her followers, in spite of the fact that they had raided his home. She could not understand why he would do such a thing, she decided to face him in person." Now the queen is coming from the right side, still wearing her mourning dress, a sword in her left hand.
"Oh king of the Kingdom of Happiness, why do you show mercy to my men, even after they killed those you saw as your siblings?" They are looking at each other, the king is facing her with a rather friendly smile while she is looking at him suspiciously, raising her sword to the side of his neck. "What sort of betrayal do you have in store for us? Is it your wish to turn our own warriors against us or are you trying to make us think of surrender as more bearable?"
"Queen, I have no intention to betray you or these warriors, I wish to stop this war. If my head is the price needed to bring peace I will gladly offer it to you, I won't raise a single hand against you if you will stop this war." He doesn't look fearful, just a little bit sad and very determined. "You were from my kingdom as well, were you not? What has happened to the joyous and innocent woman I used to love?"
"That woman has died many years ago in the forsaken land I now call my home." She is raising her hand, apparently to strike off his head... "While we were living in pain for all of our lives you were sitting in your golden palace and enjoying the beauty of life, while we were starving and dying of thirst you had great banquets. While my people are dying of diseases yours run and see their doctors when they have as much as a cold!"
"Those things are not right, but I have offered you my help more than once, have I not? I have offered you of our food and our water, I have offered you to send doctors to treat your invalid. What more can I do?" Now she is dropping her sword and... crying? Maybe she isn't the bad guy either...? "You still can change your way, we can bring both our kingdoms happiness, together. I love you still, and I always will."
"The king and the queen agreed to stop their war and they decided to be together again. However, neither of them wished to remain in their own land, the king was disgusted with the way his people lived in luxury while others were suffering so close to them. The queen could no longer bear the sadness of her home, knowing that there was such a bright and wonderful world, just a step away from her."
Well, I guess this will be the end, the curtain is closing with the king and the queen together at the place that used to be the battlefield, I guess. It's pretty sad, I guess, there was no villain, no one to blame for their misery, or rather both sides were to blame... I usually prefer stories where it's obvious who is good and who isn't, but this was also a nice story... The audience is applauding Aedon and his helpers who still remain concealed behind the scene.
"However! However, this was not the end of their story." Oh, so it still goes on? I thought this was the happy end... "As we said, the king and the queen didn't wish to stay in their land anymore, they saw both happiness and sadness as necessary now. The queen had found happiness and the king had found sadness and both of them agreed that both happiness and sadness are necessary." They are both... necessary?
"Thus they decided to create a new country between the kingdoms to overlook both of them and distribute the happiness and sadness equally, uniting the blackness and whiteness into a grey empire with many different shapes." Huh? That sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it...? "However, that was not to last. as soon as the king and the queen resigned and their successors were in power both of them were banished with those few still loyal to them."
What... the hell? Who would do such a thing!? I mean, their idea was a little bit strange and all, but they brought peace to their kingdoms, didn't they? That's no way to thank someone who did so much for you, is it? Sugar looks pretty angry as well... "Damn that liar..." Huh? What did she say just now? 'Damn that liar...'? I don't really understand it, but I can't ask her now, it's going on already...
"The people in the Kingdom of Happiness were to give up a part of their happiness and live with more than enough, but not as much as they had before. The people in the Kingdom of Sadness wished to live on in their isolation, not letting anyone close to themselves and they wanted to continue their war. Those once king and queen of the lands were trying to oppose this, but they were driven out and the war continues, to this very day..."
That's a downer ending if I ever saw one... They fought so hard to understand each other and tried to share the happiness and sadness of both, but their own people betrayed them for their own decadency and stupidity...
"Thus the former king and queen left with their followers, away from all the war, in search of a place where they could live in peace. They traveled very far and many died on the way, but did they find their 'promised land' in the end where they could live, happily ever after? Or did they never reach it? But if and how that story continues is not for this night, for it isn't over as of yet. They are still out there, somewhere..."
An open ending, huh? Well, it has some features of a happy ending, but the entire story is rather sad, isn't it? I almost felt like crying at some of these scenes, and the are just puppets, for crying out loud! Now the curtain is closing for real, with the puppets looking as if they were walking through an endless desert... *Sigh* Oh? Now there is some movement and one of the doors at the side of the stall opens.
"We hope that you-" A girl around my age with brown hair tied back in a long braid and pretty big glasses steps out of the stall. She is wearing a dark blue hat with a red ribbon and what looks like an armor, mostly white with some blue parts around her neck and her arms. She also has a pretty big red amulet around her neck. Hm, she sounds a little bit boyish, I think she voiced that knight, Kenneth...
"-enjoyed this show very much!" Another girl follows right behind her, she almost looks the same, maybe a little bit older, though her hat is green and the pattern of her armor is pretty different, it is green for the most part with some red leather straps attached to it. I wonder if they are also apprentices of craftknights? And her voice... I think she was playing the queen, wasn't she?
"Indeed, I am glad that all of you came here today and listened to my tale, as you do every so often. This story has a special significance for me as I learned that both happiness and sadness are very important first hand. You should share what you have with everyone, whether it is happiness or sadness, that way you can truly understand one another and find a better place than the vain Kingdom of Happiness or the desolate Kingdom of Sadness." And he voiced the emperor...
Hm, the crowd is cheering for all three of them as they bow to the audience. I have to admit that it was a very great performance, I almost felt as if I was in a theatre or, even better, right there with the characters. Though I didn't think the girl voicing the queen would be about my age, she sounded so mature... Well, I guess it will take a moment before he is done here, so I will just wait for a little bit...
...
Author's note: Well, this chapter is slightly longer than average and now we even manage to keep our regular uploads... well, regular. The next chapter will be uploaded around the end of the next month, I guess. So far I have not heard any complaints about the new characters or our way of writing, so I guess we will continue writing the way we did. If you have any complaints or any sort of suggestions, feel free to tell us.