Arthur and the minimoys
Some hundred years after the very first visit of Arthur in the world of the Minimoys, things have changed a bit in the vast city of Queen Selenia. She obviously married Arthur, who was a great King. Arthur died during the attack of the Great Earthworm, a terrible event which killed many Minimoys and destroyed half of the village. He had time, though, to make two children, Arthur junior and Betameche junior. Betameche also died, not for the same reasons yet : he accidentally ate poisonous bays. Betameche junior was named after him, as it was a tragedy for the royal family. Selenia remained as she has always been, severe, not always just, very confident and pride, rich and beautiful. But in spite of her tempestuous nature, the whimsical queen was beloved by her people, for she had this mysterious charisma only queens master the art of.
Arthur (junior) and Betameche (junior), were part of a special royal guard, a sort of elite institution to protect the Minimoys world from exterior threats. Arthur was a strong guy, maybe the strongest of the village, very calm and impassive, he became naturally chief of the group. Betameche was simply the copy of his deceased uncle : a small dump-looking redhead. Jessica was also part of the royal guard, she was a strong dark skinned Minnimoy, very clever and fearless. There were also two brother and sister, Neji and Hinata, who had special hereditary powers : they had very strange hair indeed, solid gold hair, and with some concentration they could make it as bright as the sun. Neji was a sarcastic and funny guy, and above all very loyal. His twin sister was very shy and a bit weak, but very sweet and kind.
These five fellows were the elite of the guard, the best five elements of all the village. The royal guard was run by Louis Bergereau, a minimoy white tiger with brown stripes and a funny voice. He looked particularly puny, to the regret of those who mocked him without knowing the extent of his powers. His frail body was only increasing the profound respect one can only feel when he fights, for one would have never expected to find such a tenacity, such a power, such a will to survive in that wretched body cursed by Mother Nature. He was their chief and their teacher, that was he who decided which team to send where, he who taught them every technique they mastered, he was their friend, their superior, their brother, their master. He knew them better than they knew themselves.
Here is the story of one of the very first mission of our elite team, and it is the beginning of many adventures for them. One fine mourning, Louis called them all to assign the tasks. All the guards were in the royal courtyard, waiting for the instructions. Some were sent for civil tasks like helping elderly people, looking after children, cleaning the streets, others were chosen for training with himself… Until there were nobody but the five best guards : Arthur, future king of the Minimoy's Kingdom of the East, Betameche, brother of Arthur, Jessica, Neji and Hinata.
Arthur was waiting, a tall silhouette dressed in black in the middle of the courtyard, his look as stern as his mother's. Jessica was next to him, her golden eyes in the middle of her dark face like two stars in a summer night sky. Betameche was lying on the ground half asleep, half awake, eating earth unconsciously. Sitting next to him, Hinata was waiting patiently, without any angriness. Neji was leaning back against the surrounding wall, playing with his two daggers, one with midges' skulls, the other with a simple wooden shaft. They had waited for long before everybody was called, and they all wondered what could be left for them to do. Their curiosity had been picked, even for the ones half asleep in dust. So when Louis started to speak, they all listened carefully :
"Arthur, Betameche, Jessica, Neji and Hinata, he called with his weird accent, today I have an important mission for you. A casual one, I would say."
He made a pause, watching the faces of his students, proud of them as any father of his children.
"Today I will send you outside the East Kingdom, to the castle of Toledo, beyond the border of the Southern Kingdom. There I want you to find a big table made of steel, and I want you to destroy it and bring the pieces back here to the East Kingdom. This table is a very ancient and mystic table, belonging to a sect called 'the Protectors', the most powerful Minimoys our world has ever seen, but they all died a long time ago. Knights were sent by all the Kingdoms to protect the relics of the sect, as they contained too much power for someone powerful enough to use them, and we all know too well how clever and powerful our enemies can be. Indeed, the castle has been well defended for thousand years, and no one has ever found how to use the relics, or at least no one was powerful enough to do it. But last night the castle has been attacked, and I have been contacted by a dandelion seed carrying the emergency code, so I have immediately told the Queen. We decided to send you as a support."
The team was now fully awake and already excited by the mission, except Betameche, who had not moved since the beginning.
"It is not an easy mission. The journey is long, the road unsafe and the danger great. Moreover, you cannot fail. Because if you do, our enemy will reach the relics before us, and we will be done. If they have already attacked, it means they have found a way to use the relics, otherwise they would not have taken so great a risk. Take care of each other, this is your greatest force. Don't get killed."
Arthur glimpsed at Jessica, Neji and Hinata, who nodded in concert. Arthur looked at Betameche, still lying on the ground, with now a trickle of saliva falling out of his mouth. Arthur sighted, rolling his eyes, and asked his master : "When should we leave ?"
"Now."
They bowed before their master, but as they stood up straight, he had disappeared, and where he stood a second earlier, a map and 5 bags were piled up. Neji jumped from the shadow in which he stood to the bags, wincing :
"That old cat can't help making tricks all the time… One day I'll discover how the Hell he vanishes in such a way. Can't he just say 'Good bye guys, have fun !', like a normal person ? All we have is a 'Don't get killed'", he said in a pathetic deep voice, rolling the r's in the way of the old tiger.
He bent over the pile and picked up the map.
" All right now I take the map, we all know who has the best sense of direction", he said with a smirk on his face.
"Yes we do and it's me", replied Jessica, snatching the map from Neji's hands.
"Pfff you're a girl, you can't even find the way back to your own house."
Jessica arched her eyebrows :
"Ok. So in which direction is the South ?", she asked.
Neji gave her a death stare, looked to the right, then to the left :
"This is unfair, I don't have any compass !"
"Stop that, we are losing time", said Arthur. "Jessica, you take the map, you'll lead the way, Hinata you'll care the medicine, Betameche and I will care the food. Neji, you'll bring up the rear."
Neji did not add anything, and soon, they left the village.
Jessica was leading the way, cutting spikes and herbs which were in their way. She was followed by Hinata, lost in her thoughts, looking at the sky, and Arthur, looking impassible. Neji was whistling a folkloric minimoy song, hands in his pockets. Suddenly he stopped whistling and said :
"Guys I think this must be the coolest mission we ever had, 'hope there'll be some action ! I can't wait to fight !"
Arthur smiled :
"Sure. You must be tired to always loose against me."
"Now come on !" Neji snarled, "You know I'm very close to your level, last time I almost beat you !"
"Yep, but I won again !" Arthur sneered.
"Boys is this really necessary ?" Jessica interfered, "We are all different, and we all have different important qualities. However, you apparently lack the most important one…", she smiled triumphantly, " Humility !"
Both pouted.
" And you definitely lack humor…" Neji muttered.
"You are so childish Neji you really go on my nerves sometimes", said Jessica, cutting a thorn angrily.
"And you can't help but lecture !"
At that point, Jessica, her nose turned up out of annoyance , spun around to face him, Hinata stepped aside. Neji moved defiantly forward. Suddenly, Arthur grabbed their shoulders and whispered :
"Shut up."
Neji outraged :
"But she started…"
"No Neji", he said, shaking his head, "What was your position ?"
Neji froze, a flash crossed his eyes, and he understood. Jessica and Hinata had already understood. Neji was supposed to bring up the rear, and Betameche was not in front of him. He had lost him. And now that they had stopped, they all clearly felt they were being spied. They were all tensed, making a circle back to back.
Hinata had a bow, Neji his two daggers, Jessica had a short curved sword and Arthur had two small sabers. Their attackers could be anywhere, in the high grass, behind the leaves, the rocks… Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind them :
"Oh look at that, what a nice little group of freaks we have ! They are so disgusting shaking like little girls and sweating like worms … It makes me wanna kill them, what do you say guys ?"
Sniggers answered in the dark.
Jessica said bluntly : "What have you done to him ? Where is he ?"
Arthur elbowed her, to silence her.
"Wow look at this weed… Weeds are so beautiful, it's a shame they are so impolite… That's why they have to be removed."
Arthur grumbled. "You say we are wimps, but it is not us who are hiding like cowards. Show yourselves."
A loud laugh echoed through the grassy valley.
"You are right. I bet you are the leader, I'll be delighted to kill you slowly."
And at that moment, six shadows fell next to the Minimoys, attacking them without mercy. They were tall, and wore the black tunics of Assassins. They have probably been banned and were reduced to be highway robbers. The fight was agitated, Hinata was forced to let her bow and fight hand to hand. Jessica was the fastest, but the Assassins were very fluent and uncatchable. Neji yield, he had a dagger planted in his thigh. Arthur glanced over his shoulder. They were in a bad position : their enemy was well trained and they were outnumbered. Someone screamed, followed by a strange gurgling noise : Jessica had cut the throat of her assailant, who was lying still in his blood at her feet. She wanted to help Neji, but Hinata was not doing very well either, and Arthur was hardly containing his own two opponents, so he could not help the others.
"Stop !" barked one of the mercenaries, "or I slit her throat as if she were a farm pig". He was holding a blade against Hinata's throat.
"No !" Neji cried, panic-stricken.
Arthur looked desperately at his teammates. Neji was wounded, and even if Jessica had killed an Assassin, they were still outnumbered. He thought fast, but there was only one thing to do : they had to render.
His mouth were open, but he did not had the time to speak : a small knife was planted in the middle of the large front of the Assasin who was holding Hinata. The precision of the shot was perfect. Another hiss shook the air, and two other Assassins fell, dead. Incomprehension was painted on the incredulous faces of the three remaining Assassins, who did not understand what was happening. Hinata was simply choked, and the rest was open-mouthed. Neji was the first to recover from the general astonishment, and putting weight on his able-bodied leg, he pivoted to slit the throats of his two opponents. The chief Assassin, who was Arthur's opponent, also woke up and tried a desperate movement to kill Arthur. At the last moment, Arthur avoided it and ran through the last Assassin. He wiped his sword on his black jacket. The general surprise had passed, as they had all recognized the small knives of their mysterious savior.
"You are welcome, guys," said Betameche, going out of the herb he was hiding in, "I wonder when you will admit I am the true Hero in this team !"
"You !" said Jessica pointing her finger at the fat red haired prince, her face as red as the blood she was walking in, "how did you escape them ? Where were you ? "
"He has never been captured" answered coldly Arthur.
"No of course I've never been. I was just peeing over there when I heard screams, so I came back to save your asses."
"Thank you old sport. You saved my sister, I owe you one for this" thanked Neji, who looked a bit blank. His leg was still bleeding.
"Hinata, you have the medicine, heal his wound" , ordered Arthur, but she was already running to her brother. Arthur looked intensely at his brother, "I must admit you have quite impressed me this time Beta. Well done !"
"He he, that's what all heroes do."
Night was starting to fall, so the little team decided to camp in the area. Jessica was charged to find flowers to sleep in, Hinata healed Neji and Arthur and his brother hid the corpses behind rocks, they did not have the time to bury them. They ate around luminions, small fluffy luminous bubbles, happy to be alive with their friends. And after a good meal, they went to the flowers, exhausted. They wondered how they could reach the castle, destroy the relics, and go back to Selenia's Realm in one piece, but they were at the same time excited by adventure. On these thoughts, they all fell in a deep sleep without dreams.
They walked the next two days without major problems; the second night Betameche forgot a luminion which put fire two the flower ; then they were attacked by a night butterfly. The second day they met a scorpion, a vile and insidious creature typical of the South. Hinata killed it with two arrows, planted right in his two eyes.
Finally, on the third day, they saw the great castle of Toledo, perched on a lonely hill. For a human, it would probably look like an old grey stump, but for the Minimoys it was a huge majestic fortress. The land was quite quiet, too quiet. There was a heavy atmosphere floating in the air, the smell of death was stifling. They approached the castle, but there was still no one in sight, not a fly was buzzing, not a petal was flying. The closer they were from the castle, the greatest the feeling of uneasiness grew. The huge grey sculpted doors were impressive, and after knocking several times without any answer, they decided to go in.
If the outside was a bit desert, the inside was totally empty. The only inhabitants of the castle were dust and termites. The doors opened on a large hall, deserted. There was only stairs climbing God knows where.
"Aren't knights supposed to protect the castle ? I can't see anything in this ruin." Neji declared, scrubbing the dust off his jacket.
"You are right, there's something weird here. I don't like that" agreed Arthur, "let's have a look upstairs. But be prudent, stay on your guard".
They climbed the dusty stairs, which seemed to be ready to collapse at every step. They looked in every room, floor after floor, without finding anything but a dead termite which started to smell really bad. On the last floor, they finally found what they came for : in a room was lying a beautiful massive steel table, with magnificent arabesques and sculptures of knights fighting creatures they had never seen.
"That's beautiful…" whispered Jessica, caressing the table's reliefs.
"Let's do our job and get out of that freaky castle. It smells worse than in my grandmother's house ! I really don't like this place, it's making me sick" hurried Neji.
"Look" said Arthur, "there are things stuck in the table. It looks like swords."
As he said that, they all looked at the table side, and indeed, in front of every five seat, a sword was planted in steel. Only the hilt stuck out, and it was as finely sculpted as the rest of the table.
"How did they do to stuck it in steel ?" wondered Jessica out loud.
"I heard my Father took a magic sword out of a rock, thousands years ago, in the village" murmured Arthur, fascinated, "maybe it's the same kind of thing".
"Anyway Louis told us to destroy that tabl…" Neji never ended his sentence.
There had been a huge flash and a big noise. They all looked abashed : Betameche was standing with his abundant red hair more tousled than ever, a blazing sword in his hand.
"You definitely are the most stupid person I have ever met" said Jessica, dismayed.
"Now, come on, you all wanted to do this, you can't deny it. I couldn't guess it would come so easily. Besides, with what are we supposed to destroy this table, hu ? Our own weapons would break in thousands pieces on that stuff" replied Betameche.
A second later, Neji had the same sword in his hand. Followed by Arthur, Hinata, and with reluctance, Jessica. They were standing, around the table, a sword in their hand, not really understanding what was happening, but feeling that something huge did happen. They were all amazed, feeling the dreadful power of the deadly weapon in their hand, which was surprisingly very light. Then suddenly, the most sinister voice a Minimoy could hear rose from the entrance :
"You made it, you stupid puppets. You delivered the swords of the protectors no one ever managed even to touch. And you five, you pulled them out. I must say I am quite surprised, even if that was the plan till the beginning". They all turned round to face Maltazard, a tall pale Minimoy coming straight out of Hell. He had maybe a hundred soldiers waiting in the hall behind him, and the trapped guards had not heard them coming. Everybody froze.
"That was you who attacked the castle… But where are the knights ?" shouted Arthur.
"That shiftless incompetent scumbags with a noble name ? They never knew even how to hold a sword. I killed them all."
"But then who sent the emergency seed ?" asked Jessica, revolted by that Minimoy decaying on-site.
"I did, my dear Jessica. I wanted Louis to send you there, to free the swords for me. You see, there was a powerful evil spell on that table, even I could not do anything to break it. Only pure and powerful souls could take the swords, and I read the prophecies : you were chosen. But now the chosen will die and I will have the ancient power of the protectors, so I will reign over all the minimoys Kingdom."
"We are not going to let you do it so easily. We will fight." Arthur said, and he raised the holly sword, imitated by all the group who looked hatefully at M.
"I want to say, in the very probable case I die, I love you guys, you are my family, and I am proud to die at your side" said Neji, looking unusually grave.
They all had a heartache. But they knew if they had to die here, it won't be without fighting until there very last breath. They were here, face to face with their enemy, trapped in a small room, an army only waiting to kill them outside. After a pause, Arthur screamed and jumped on M, and the battle began.