Disclaimer: Samurai Jack is © Genndy Tartakovsky/Cartoon Network. Gobaith and its inhabitants are my creation as are the Carthwyr.

Jack and the Bard
A Samurai Jack Fanfic
By Laura McDaniel

The Messenger

Jack sat quietly at a rickety wooden table tucked away in a corner of a small restaurant he'd passed on his journey. Knowing that shady characters usually frequented such places, he was careful to keep his face hidden under the wide brim of his straw hat while he warily scanned the room. There was a menagerie of creatures around him; some of them looked more human than others, but none of them seemed to care about his being there. His eyes stopped on an elderly dwarf with a long white beard that seemed to be watching him from across the room. When their eyes met, the dwarf quickly turned away. Jack furrowed his eyebrows cautiously as he examined the being closer. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious about him; Jack couldn't find any indication that there were any large weapons hidden within the dwarf's burgundy traveling cloak. The only thing he seemed to be carrying was a parchment scroll that bore a golden seal, which he gripped tightly in his left hand.

"Your tea, sir," a voice rumbled. Startled, Jack turned around to see what looked like a large, bipedal pig clothed in a bright red dress. She snorted and then plopped the tray she was holding onto the table. The teacup and the teakettle on the tray rattled loudly. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you," Jack said. He reached into the folds of his robe and slowly pulled out a small leather draw-string pouch. He carefully untied it and took a quick look inside to make sure he had enough coins.

"I don't have all day, sir," the pig-woman snorted.

Jack glared indignantly at the waitress, but said nothing while he took out the correct amount of coins from his pouch. He laid it on the table in front of him, and the pig-woman snatched it eagerly. "Been a pleasure serving you, sir." As she turned around, she grunted, "Whatever. Strange fellow, that one is."

The samurai almost rolled his eyes at the creature's comment, but he remembered to mind his manners and instead turned his attention back to his coin pouch. The reward money he'd received for the last monster he'd slain was running low, and it had been days since somebody had last asked for his assistance. He sighed heavily, and tucked the coin pouch away again.

"Excuse me, sir," a gruff voice said. Jack looked across from where he sat to see that the dwarf he was looking at earlier was speaking to him. "I believe I know what kind of a predicament you're in," he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, "and I believe I might be able to help you."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows again and slowly rose to his feet to get closer to the dwarf. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Are you saying you are involved in crime?"

"Crime?" the dwarf laughed. "Ah, a fine jest! Quite the opposite: I am speaking of royal business." He tapped the seal on the scroll with a finger. In a muffled tone of voice, he added, "I think it would be best if we talked outside, though, warrior. I know how sought after you are. Finish your tea, and I will meet you outside." He hopped off the stool he was sitting on and quickly walked out the door before Jack could interrogate him further.

Jack was slightly suspicious of the dwarf, but at the same time he was curious as to what this "royal business" was all about. Since he had paid for his tea, he decided to follow the dwarf's advice and quickly walked back to his table to quickly drink a couple of cups of tea before heading out the door. As he quickly walked out, the pig-woman who had served him snorted, "Like I said, strange fellow."

Outside the restaurant, Jack found the dwarf casually leaning against a wall. The samurai cautiously looked around him to make sure he wasn't being ambushed. ambushed.

"This isn't a trap, warrior," the dwarf said. "My kingdom is genuinely in need of your help."

"I am sorry," Jack said, looking down at the dwarf. "However, if you do indeed know who I am, you understand my concern."

"Yes, yes! But this is an urgent matter!" He took out a tiny knife from a pocket in his cloak and cut open the seal on the scroll. Carefully, he unrolled the scroll and handed it to Jack. "My name is Cennad. I am a royal messenger from the Kingdom of Gobaith, and I have a proclamation from King Emhyr. He has heard of your performance in battle and is certain that you will be able to slay a monster that has terrorized our kingdom for centuries. Please help us, Samurai Jack!"

Jack carefully looked over the contents of the scroll. He smiled some. This was just what he needed! King Emhyr was offering one googolplex for the death of the beast, and said that he would gladly offer a few more googol on top of that. Jack rolled the scroll up again and handed it back to the messenger. "I would be glad to help your kingdom. How do I go about getting there?"

The dwarf pointed to a pair of alien horses that were tied to posts to the side of the restaurant, one of which was the size of a pony. "I assume you know how to mount them? The smaller one is mine, of course, but the other one is yours to ride to Gobaith."

Jack nodded. "Yes, and thank you for providing me with transportation. True, I am used to walking, but it will be good to give my feet a rest."

"Ah, you're very welcome! I figured that would please you!" Cennad said with a smile. He quickly stashed the scroll in his pony's saddlebag and then untied the beasts. "Hop on, Jack and I will show you the way!"

The two of them mounted their horses, and the dwarf started his pony in a steady trot eastward. Jack followed close behind with little doubt that he would be able to defeat the monster and save the kingdom.