(Twenty years ago…)

The rabbits of the Enchanted Forest lived a very pastoral, perfect life amongst the other talking animals and magical beings. They romped through the rolling hills, they listened to the strumming of lutes played by halflings, they befriended the unicorn herds, and ate the plants from the lush greenery all around them.

It wasn't until Crusader was at the age of four when he realized what he wanted to be in life.

"Mother," he spoke to his parents one day. "Father, when I am grown, might I be a knight?"

"Why son," his mother, Eibhlin chuckled. "Rabbits cannot be knights, that's a man's job."

"Your mother is correct, Crussaidhah," his father, Domhnull spoke, calling Crusader by his traditionally Celtic name. "It is their job to protect the land, and it is our job to romp about and eat the bounty of vegetables the earth has provided. That's just the way things have always been."

"But father, mother, I wish to protect the land from harm as well!" Little Crusader indignantly stamped his foot in protest. "And save pretty maidens! Look, I've even got a sword!" He held a stick in front of Eibhlin and Domhnull, who tried their hardest not to laugh.

"Run along and play, mo ghràdh…" Eibhlin giggled.

———————

(Now…)

"Okay lets try this again…" Crusader spoke, holding his sword. "Repeat after me…"

Crusader decided to take a small detour into the Faerie Glen and teach Rags how to properly wield a sword. The two were still chained to one another's legs, and they still had no idea how they were gonna get freed.

"Left," Crusader spoke, swinging his sword to the left. "Then right…" He swung it to the right.

"Left, then right…" rags spoke, mining Crusader's movements.

"Parry…" Crusader spoke, executing a perfect parry.

"Larry!" Rags exclaimed, attempting to copy the little rabbit's moves.

"No, parry, then dodge—" Crusader replied, miming dodging a blow from another sword.

"Dodge-" Rags continued.

"Thrust, and SPIN!" Crusader exclaimed, thrusting and briefly spinning before expertly posing with his sword.

"thrust, and SPINNN!!" Rags exclaimed.

The tiger spun alright, but since he and Crusader were still chained at the foot, he tripped over the little rabbit and landed right on top of him, nearly crushing his windpipe!

"You did pretty okay…." Crusader groaned, picking himself back up from underneath the massive tiger. "Lets move on, we've still got a lot of ground to cover."

Crusader placed his sword back into its hilt, and he and Rags continued on their quest.

"I still don't see why they kicked you outta knight school." Rags spoke. "You're awesome at it!"

"Well Rags, the thing is, I may have bought some illegal athletic performance-enhancement potion instead of some One A Day for men." Crusader sliced a few branches in front of he and Rags.

"Why didn't you hide the potion?" Rags asked.

"I tried already. The king's archmage can detect potions like that from a mile away. It was a local wizard that gave the potion to me in the first place, he said no one would notice!" Crusader sighed. "That's what I get for trusting that stupid Dudley Nightshade…"

Who's that?" Rags inquired.

"Oh he's just a local wizard with a bit of a nefarious reputation." Crusader climbed up a log, and he and Rags used it to cross a river to the other side. "Rumour has it he's experimented with dark magick and it permanently corrupted a part of his brain."

Crusader and Rags continued on their journey, until by happenstance they came across an unfamiliar place that was not mentioned on the map Crusader was using. The place in question was a thicket of trees separated by a strange barrier that was clear and shimmery, resembling a pink glass.

"I do not understand…" Crusader spoke, gazing at the map which depicted the way from the kingdom to the Dragon Territory. "The cartographer said this map was a hundred-percent accurate…." He reached out one paw to feel the strange, somewhat glass-like wall. "What's with this magical barrier?"

"Maybe…they just put it in?" Rags inquired.

Crusader then noticed this magical barrier wasn't really as strong as the others, since he was able to stick his hand, then the rest of his body right through the whole thing like it was, well, nothing.

"It's all clear!" He replied to Rags.

The tiger walked through as well, then briefly sneezed a few ounces of magical, pink dust.

"—HALT!"

Crusader and Rags turned to find that before them was a group of faeries, all of which were female, and all of which wore armor made from the bones of various tiny animals.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING, Walking past our magical barrier?!" The lead faerie guard exclaimed.

"Uh, we're uh, on a quest?" Crusader stammered.

""Uh, we're, uh, bluh"," the faerie guard briefly mocked the rabbit's stammering, then raised her tiny spear directly to Crusader's neck. "You're UNDER ARREST, by the order of the Faerie Kingdom!"

"Under ARREST?!" Crusader exclaimed.

"Yeah that's right!" The warrior faerie exclaimed, yanking on Crusader and Rags's chains and pulling them. "Now you'd better come along quietly or we'll muss ya up!"

Crusader and Rags, despite initially chuckling at this whole ridiculous situation where then bought over to the faerie kingdom--an extra-large tree that they had no trouble fitting into.

A few faeries blew on snail shell horns, heralding the arrival of the king. The king of the faeries was old, yet quite fit—he had iridescent wings, an equally-tiny golden crown atop his tiny head, and wore entirely green armor, presumably forged from either metal or tree bark, Crusader couldn't really tell. The rabbit extended his arm for the small, winged king to rest upon his paw, and when the king did land he barely felt a thing—the little man was so light.

"I, am Oberon, king of the faeries." The small, yet robust king spoke in a very high-pitched, yet masculine tone. He unsheathed his sword, which was in reality made from the thorn of a rose. "State thy business or DIE!"

"Uh, I'm—I'm Crusader…" the little rabbit spoke, attempting to move the thorn sword the faerie king had away from his outstretched paw. "The tiger is Rags. We're sorry we walked through your barrier but with all due respect it looks like it wasn't that strong."

"WHAT, did you say?!" The faerie king exclaimed.

"I-I said it wasn't really that strong, now I'm not proficient in magic or spells, but if my friend and I could enter so easily, that little barrier couldn't keep out a rampaging cameleopard if you tried!" Crusader stammered, awkwardly laughing.

The faerie king was highly unamused at what the rabbit told him. Rags backed away as the tiny, enraged faerie king flew off Crusader's hand and bellowed;

"ATTAAAAAAAAACK!"

Hundreds of faerie warriors immediately came to the aid of the king. Crusader and Rags drew their swords, the two of them ready to fight as well.

"Okay Rags, remember what I taught you!" Crusader exclaimed, right as the tiger picked up his sword. "—LEFT!"

Rags immediately swung his sword to the left, knocking out at least thirty faeries in one blow.

"LEFT!" Rags exclaimed, not noticing the hundred more warrior faeries coming on the right.

"NOW RIGHT!" Crusader exclaimed.

"AAGH! RIGHT!" Rags exclaimed, twisting his sword to the right and bowling over those faeries.

"You remember what's next?" Crusader whispered in the tiger's ear. "Something that rhymes with "Larry"?"

"PARRY!" Rags exclaimed, immediately doing a perfect parry.

The faerie king created a huge burst of magic from his tiny wand and directed it at both Crusader and Rags.

"DODGE!" Crusader exclaimed.

"DODGE!" Rags immediately did. As he was told, and the magic from the faerie king evaporated his warriors instead.

Rags now have a massive smile for he knew immediately what came next…

"And THRUST!" Rags hollered, thrusting his sword and making Oberon's sword fly high into the air.

"That's right!" Crusader exclaimed, thrilled that the tiger was picking up his sword-fighting lessons. "And finally?"

"SPINNNNNN!!" Rags exclaimed, spinning around and slicing the now-sword less faerie king in half.

(*CLANG!*)

The faerie king Oberon was in two, much to the shock of the other faeries, but thankfully faerie blood is pink and sparkly, or else Rags would've had a heart attack.

"I'm just gonna take this and--" As Crusader was bottling up the Oberon's sparkly blood (it had healing properties), he just so happened to notice that his and Rags' chain was now completely loose! "RAGS! WE'RE FREED!"

"wha--OH MY GOODNESS!" Rags exclaimed, gazing down at his chain-less foot, then rushed over to hug the tiny rabbit.

"Ragland, you've done well today." Crusader spoke. "You still have much to learn in the ways of being a knight, but I shall teach you, mark my words."

"Thanks, pal." Rags replied.

"Now let's save that princess!" Crusader smiled.

To be continued….