Simon hurried home after his day with Ella. He felt like more of a
fool every time he reviewed the events of the day.
He sat in the library poring over volumes of old texts, plotting of course. He was reading up on old wars and conquests. There had been peace in Kyrria for years and years, so the documents he had to find were very old.
Every time he'd begin to get engrossed in his reading a picture of that Ella girl popped him his head.
"Curses!" he muttered, finally slamming the dusty book shut. He stood up and began to pace. "This vexes me.I'm terribly vexed. Why does she bother and vex me so?" he asked aloud. The library was the last place anyone in the castle would go and most likely the last place they'd look for him, so he spent many afternoons here. Sometimes he'd read or scheme and sometimes he would talk to himself. Most often, he would talk to himself.
He sat himself down in one of the library chairs, "I promised her a centaur?" and then he was up again, muttering to himself. "I'll catch her a centaur! Ha! Where am I going to find a centaur.?"
This simple thought lead to a window of opportunity. If you want to catch a centaur. you go to where they live. Right? Centaurs.. pondered Simon, gazing out the window. Then it hit him.
Behind the castle lay the Forest of Farway. It was an ideal, fairy tale-ish forest in which many of the kingdoms fairies and nymphs resided. It contained many other magical beasts; mermaids in the lakes and streams, an occasional flock of baby dragons and of course, centaurs.
The forest. Without another thought he left the library. He only stopped to get his cloak before running out the door without a word to anyone where he was off to.
The forest meet the ends of the castle grounds at a high stonewall, with twisted ivy crawling up it. With a quick glance back at the castle, he prayed no one would take this opportunity to look out at the grounds. He grabbed a fistful of ivy and pulled his body up. With minimal difficultly he managed to get himself to the top of the wall, using the ivy as a ladder. "Thank God for my ripped muscle tone," thought Simon as he admired his upper body strength.
He perched on top of the wall and look down into the forest. With one final look back at the castle, he jumped down into the silence wood, his cloak fluttering behind him.
"Life! What is that boy up to now?" he pondered aloud, "Cecelia, what is your brother doing?" asked King Jerrold peeling back the curtains, "What is he doing?"
"I don't know, Father!" said Cecelia, looking down into her lap. She was in the middle of her music lesson when Char had burst out of the castle and gone sprinting to the edge of the grounds. Cecelia's tutor had called the king and queen in and they watched there son ran down the yard and to the wall where he was climbing the ivy. " Daria, what is that boy up to?" asked Jerrold.
"Darling," soothed Daria with a smile, "I'm sure it's nothing. He's just being a boy."
"Maybe he's having a love affair with one of the nymphs," muttered Cecelia with a devilish smile.
This comment luckily did not reach the King's ears.
"My dear," said Daria patting her husband's arm, "Let him have his adventure for now,"
The king stared at her for a minute, pondered what he had to drink when he agreed to ever marrying this creature, ".. I'll have a talking to him with when he returns,"
"There now," said Daria smiling quaintly, as her husband stormed out of the room, "We can't do anything about your brother darling, let's get back to your lessons,"
As Cecelia set herself back down into front of her lute, she allowed herself one more humorous image of her brother and the wood nymphs making sweet love in the forest. It was a bit of a turn on, she realized as she tried to ignore the pangs of jealousy as she thought of another woman being with her dear, sweet brother.
Simon's fall left him sprawled on the forest floor, "Ouch," he groaned rolling on to the moss.
The forest was considerably darker and a few degrees cooler but all the more, an amazing place. It was surely the most beautiful place in the world. Between the great trees was a thick carpet of rich green moss. Countless wild bird built nests high up in the trees. Nothing was moving. Nothing seemed to be breathing.
Of course Simon was able to take this all in and appreciate this. Simon moved delicately over the ground. He had a sudden urge to take off his shoes, feel the moss between his toes. And of course he did just that.
"Simon, stop," he said aloud, "Put your boots back on, catch that centaur and get the hell out of here,"
"But I don't want to," he responded to himself, "It's so peaceful here- I want to just lay down and-,"
"Stop it!" he screamed at himself, "Catch the centaur, keep your word, get out- that's all there is to it,"
"Right," Simon agreed with himself. His voice echoed in the still wood.
Moving between the trees softly he found a small stream. He followed the stream east, hoping he might find a flock of centaur by the waters.
"Now, would it be a flock, or a herd," he wondered, "A pack or a group. A gaggle or a-," he stopped himself.
By the water's edge were three male centaurs. They were very young. "Stupid looking things really," he thought, as a picture of Ella pawing the ground formed in his mind. He found the thought arousing.
Realizing that he had foolishly forgotten a rope he looked around him. All he had was his cloak. so he ripped off a long strip off the bottom.
"You don't have a plan stupid," he thought to himself, "You. the prince of plotting, does not have a plan for this menial task."
"Yes I do," he answered back, looking around him, "Apple tree.. Hmmm," he said plucking the ripe fruit off the tree.
With the apple in one hand and the ripped fabric in the other he slowly moved towards the centaur, "Here centaur- centaur- centaur,"
The creatures stared blankly at him.
"Hello," he whispered to them as he got closer, "I'm not going to hurt you, no- I'm going to give you away to a crazy girl who I barely know- there's a stupid centaur," he coaxed as one of the three took the bait.
As he ate centaur stroked his back and tied the fabric around his head, as a leash, "Good little half horse thing. now let's go!" he commanded.
"But I mustn't seem overly eager to give this to her-," he said to himself. "Perhaps I should wait a few days before going over to her home.make her wait and dream about me.....but what shall I do with a full grown centaur?
"CECILIA!" screamed Simon. Cecelia put down her lute and ran to her window, pushing aside her musical instructor.
"WHAT?!" she hollered back.
"COME DOWN HERE FOR A MINUTE!"
Cecilia nodded. "BE RIGHT THERE!" She began walking off.
"But.Princess.. your lesson!" protested the teacher.
"Screw my lesson!" snapped Cecilia "Your Prince has commanded my presence."
"But."
"But nothing!" Cecilia waddled off to go meet her brother. ****************************************************************
"Absolutely not," said Cecilia flatly ten minutes later. "I am NOT hiding a centaur in my dressing room. No. Not going to happen."
"If you don't do it I'll make you marry the Earl of Wollock," retorted Simon.
"Char, I would if it was a kitten or something, but this is a freaking CENTAUR! I cannot just put it under my bed, you know? Why don't you take it? You're the Prince. They won't think you've gone crazy if they find a wild animal underneath your royal bed!"
Simon waved his hand. "Just say it's one of.I don't know. A new lady in waiting from.. the moon."
"They won't think a centaur is my maid!"
"Why not? It's ugly enough."
"ARG!" shrieked Cecilia. "You are impossible!"
"Cecilia all I am asking is that you do me one SMALL favor. When do I ever ask you for anything? Never, right?" asked Simon. "All I want you to do is keep this centaur for me. And if you get caught, just say I made you do it, okay?" Simon patted her on the back.
"Fine," agreed Cecilia. "But you owe me a favor."
"Okay." Simon rubbed his hands together. "So, how do you reckon we should get the centaur into the castle?"
He sat in the library poring over volumes of old texts, plotting of course. He was reading up on old wars and conquests. There had been peace in Kyrria for years and years, so the documents he had to find were very old.
Every time he'd begin to get engrossed in his reading a picture of that Ella girl popped him his head.
"Curses!" he muttered, finally slamming the dusty book shut. He stood up and began to pace. "This vexes me.I'm terribly vexed. Why does she bother and vex me so?" he asked aloud. The library was the last place anyone in the castle would go and most likely the last place they'd look for him, so he spent many afternoons here. Sometimes he'd read or scheme and sometimes he would talk to himself. Most often, he would talk to himself.
He sat himself down in one of the library chairs, "I promised her a centaur?" and then he was up again, muttering to himself. "I'll catch her a centaur! Ha! Where am I going to find a centaur.?"
This simple thought lead to a window of opportunity. If you want to catch a centaur. you go to where they live. Right? Centaurs.. pondered Simon, gazing out the window. Then it hit him.
Behind the castle lay the Forest of Farway. It was an ideal, fairy tale-ish forest in which many of the kingdoms fairies and nymphs resided. It contained many other magical beasts; mermaids in the lakes and streams, an occasional flock of baby dragons and of course, centaurs.
The forest. Without another thought he left the library. He only stopped to get his cloak before running out the door without a word to anyone where he was off to.
The forest meet the ends of the castle grounds at a high stonewall, with twisted ivy crawling up it. With a quick glance back at the castle, he prayed no one would take this opportunity to look out at the grounds. He grabbed a fistful of ivy and pulled his body up. With minimal difficultly he managed to get himself to the top of the wall, using the ivy as a ladder. "Thank God for my ripped muscle tone," thought Simon as he admired his upper body strength.
He perched on top of the wall and look down into the forest. With one final look back at the castle, he jumped down into the silence wood, his cloak fluttering behind him.
"Life! What is that boy up to now?" he pondered aloud, "Cecelia, what is your brother doing?" asked King Jerrold peeling back the curtains, "What is he doing?"
"I don't know, Father!" said Cecelia, looking down into her lap. She was in the middle of her music lesson when Char had burst out of the castle and gone sprinting to the edge of the grounds. Cecelia's tutor had called the king and queen in and they watched there son ran down the yard and to the wall where he was climbing the ivy. " Daria, what is that boy up to?" asked Jerrold.
"Darling," soothed Daria with a smile, "I'm sure it's nothing. He's just being a boy."
"Maybe he's having a love affair with one of the nymphs," muttered Cecelia with a devilish smile.
This comment luckily did not reach the King's ears.
"My dear," said Daria patting her husband's arm, "Let him have his adventure for now,"
The king stared at her for a minute, pondered what he had to drink when he agreed to ever marrying this creature, ".. I'll have a talking to him with when he returns,"
"There now," said Daria smiling quaintly, as her husband stormed out of the room, "We can't do anything about your brother darling, let's get back to your lessons,"
As Cecelia set herself back down into front of her lute, she allowed herself one more humorous image of her brother and the wood nymphs making sweet love in the forest. It was a bit of a turn on, she realized as she tried to ignore the pangs of jealousy as she thought of another woman being with her dear, sweet brother.
Simon's fall left him sprawled on the forest floor, "Ouch," he groaned rolling on to the moss.
The forest was considerably darker and a few degrees cooler but all the more, an amazing place. It was surely the most beautiful place in the world. Between the great trees was a thick carpet of rich green moss. Countless wild bird built nests high up in the trees. Nothing was moving. Nothing seemed to be breathing.
Of course Simon was able to take this all in and appreciate this. Simon moved delicately over the ground. He had a sudden urge to take off his shoes, feel the moss between his toes. And of course he did just that.
"Simon, stop," he said aloud, "Put your boots back on, catch that centaur and get the hell out of here,"
"But I don't want to," he responded to himself, "It's so peaceful here- I want to just lay down and-,"
"Stop it!" he screamed at himself, "Catch the centaur, keep your word, get out- that's all there is to it,"
"Right," Simon agreed with himself. His voice echoed in the still wood.
Moving between the trees softly he found a small stream. He followed the stream east, hoping he might find a flock of centaur by the waters.
"Now, would it be a flock, or a herd," he wondered, "A pack or a group. A gaggle or a-," he stopped himself.
By the water's edge were three male centaurs. They were very young. "Stupid looking things really," he thought, as a picture of Ella pawing the ground formed in his mind. He found the thought arousing.
Realizing that he had foolishly forgotten a rope he looked around him. All he had was his cloak. so he ripped off a long strip off the bottom.
"You don't have a plan stupid," he thought to himself, "You. the prince of plotting, does not have a plan for this menial task."
"Yes I do," he answered back, looking around him, "Apple tree.. Hmmm," he said plucking the ripe fruit off the tree.
With the apple in one hand and the ripped fabric in the other he slowly moved towards the centaur, "Here centaur- centaur- centaur,"
The creatures stared blankly at him.
"Hello," he whispered to them as he got closer, "I'm not going to hurt you, no- I'm going to give you away to a crazy girl who I barely know- there's a stupid centaur," he coaxed as one of the three took the bait.
As he ate centaur stroked his back and tied the fabric around his head, as a leash, "Good little half horse thing. now let's go!" he commanded.
"But I mustn't seem overly eager to give this to her-," he said to himself. "Perhaps I should wait a few days before going over to her home.make her wait and dream about me.....but what shall I do with a full grown centaur?
"CECILIA!" screamed Simon. Cecelia put down her lute and ran to her window, pushing aside her musical instructor.
"WHAT?!" she hollered back.
"COME DOWN HERE FOR A MINUTE!"
Cecilia nodded. "BE RIGHT THERE!" She began walking off.
"But.Princess.. your lesson!" protested the teacher.
"Screw my lesson!" snapped Cecilia "Your Prince has commanded my presence."
"But."
"But nothing!" Cecilia waddled off to go meet her brother. ****************************************************************
"Absolutely not," said Cecilia flatly ten minutes later. "I am NOT hiding a centaur in my dressing room. No. Not going to happen."
"If you don't do it I'll make you marry the Earl of Wollock," retorted Simon.
"Char, I would if it was a kitten or something, but this is a freaking CENTAUR! I cannot just put it under my bed, you know? Why don't you take it? You're the Prince. They won't think you've gone crazy if they find a wild animal underneath your royal bed!"
Simon waved his hand. "Just say it's one of.I don't know. A new lady in waiting from.. the moon."
"They won't think a centaur is my maid!"
"Why not? It's ugly enough."
"ARG!" shrieked Cecilia. "You are impossible!"
"Cecilia all I am asking is that you do me one SMALL favor. When do I ever ask you for anything? Never, right?" asked Simon. "All I want you to do is keep this centaur for me. And if you get caught, just say I made you do it, okay?" Simon patted her on the back.
"Fine," agreed Cecilia. "But you owe me a favor."
"Okay." Simon rubbed his hands together. "So, how do you reckon we should get the centaur into the castle?"
