Title: A Bedtime Story

Rating: K+

Characters: Aura and Simon Blackquill

Spoilers: Dual Destinies (very minor)

Time: Twenty three years before Dual Destinies. Simon is five and Aura is fourteen.

XXX

A young Aura Blackquill was in her bedroom, poring over some brochures for colleges.

There was a knock on her door.

"It's open," Aura replied absently.

"Aura, my bright star…" Aura's visitor said sweetly.

"Father?" Aura looked up from the spread of brochures on her desk. "What do you want?"

Aurelius Blackquill looked at her pleadingly. "Can you read your brother a bedtime story?"

"WHAT?!"

"I tried reading him one, but he said I was doing it wrong. I think he wants to hear a feminine voice."

"Couldn't you call Mom?" Aura's mother was currently at some sort of symposium. "She's got a laptop. She could read him a story from the internet over the phone."

"Her conference is three time zones away. She's in bed by now."

Aura groaned. "Can't he go to bed without a story?"

"All right, you tell him. I'm still nursing scratches from Yeats."

Yeats was a merlin that their mother had given Simon as a gift for his fifth birthday a month before. That bird had warmed up to Simon a little too much. It was cute to see that glorified feather duster defend his master with the ferocity of a bulldog, if saccharine.

Aura yanked one of her conical buns in frustration. "I ought to build a robot replica of Mom. Have her pre-record bedtime stories, and have the robot play the recordings."

"…That sounds a little extreme," Aurelius said.

"Think about it, Father," Aura said cheerfully. "Pre-recorded children's stories in robots. The marketing possibilities are endless: libraries, schools…"

"Didn't you say something similar about the robot dinosaurs for museums? More interactive and educational than fiberglass models and fossils?"

"What of it, Father?"

"The Smithsonian hung up on you, didn't they?"

"They just didn't comprehend the practicality of it." Aura shook her head. "Let's just get this over with."

XXX

"All right, Simon," Aura said, walking into her brother's darkened bedroom. "I'm going to read you a story, so get comfortable."

Simon was sitting at the edge of the bed, holding a book of short stories. He was wearing a pajama top and matching bottoms. The fabric had a print of black birds on a gray background. "Mama was reading to me from this book."

"So I just pick one to read? Sounds simple enough." Aura switched on the lamp so she could read. She took the book and opened it to the table of contents. After a quick look at the story titles, she settled on one. "How about this one? 'The Loyal Samurai'?"

"I haven't heard that one yet," he said.

Aura sat on the chair beside the nightstand and began to read:

"Long ago, in a far away land, there lived a lord. He had seven loyal samurai to defend him. He loved all seven as though they were his sons, but loved one above all. The lord ruled his domain justly, and even the poor praised his name.

The lord's wife had passed away long ago. And of the lord's many children, only one was still alive. A little girl, of seven years.

However, the lord was worried, for he saw fire in the distance. There were rumors of a vicious warlord, who commanded a fierce and mighty army. The warlord left nothing but ruin in his wake. The lord knew his seven samurai would never stand a chance. And every day, the smoke in the distance appeared closer.

So he met with his favorite samurai, and asked him for one favor. To take the lord's daughter through the nearby Mysterious Forest: "At the end of the forest is a plain, where there is a single cottage. Wait there for three days, and return with her."

"My lord," the Samurai replied. "No one who has ever entered the Mysterious Forest and returned. To take her there would mean her death."

The lord smiled sadly. "It is her only hope. If you truly trust me, you will do this. I can only hope it makes sense in the end."

"I believe you," the Samurai said. "I shall not fail."

So the Samurai set out with the lord's daughter. The forest was thick, and dark. The girl clutched his hand and sobbed. He wiped her tears with his handkerchief.

The brush was thick, so the Samurai laboriously sliced through it with his sword.

The girl grew exhausted, so the Samurai carried her through the forest.

Night fell. The Samurai pressed on.

Finally, the forest ended just as the sun rose. There was a beautiful, calm, green plain. The Samurai, tired himself from his journey, saw the cottage his lord mentioned. He knocked on the door.

A beautiful woman answered the door and happily welcomed the little girl and her protector.

Three days passed uneventfully. The little girl helped the woman tend to her garden. The Samurai worried about his lord and brethren.

"I must take my leave, though I am in your debt for your hospitality," the Samurai said to the woman. He and the girl left the house and ventured through the Mysterious Forest once more. This time, the forest was calm and tranquil.

On the other side of the forest, the land was calm and tranquil.

The samurai recognized his lord's castle, though it appeared to have been partially rebuilt. He approached the castle, and saw an old man.

The old man looked overjoyed. He called the Samurai by name.

"Do I know you, sir?" the Samurai asked.

The man explained. He was the Samurai's lord. Thirty years had gone by. With grave sadness, the lord explained that the remaining six samurai had defended the domain. They were dead, but the last one killed the evil warlord before succumbing to his own injuries.

"How could thirty years pass in three days? How could the last samurai even reach the evil warlord?"

"While you perceived it to be three days, it was in actuality thirty years," the lord explained. "The Mysterious Forest is a path to the domain of the gods, where for every day that passes there, ten years pass in our world. It was protected by demons. Your pure heart and resolve scared the demons. Because of that, the gods passed favor on your homeland. The enemy army was decimated by plagues and other disasters, and the six samurai slew the rest. Peace was achieved. But my wish was for my daughter to live a peaceful life, and for me to see her one last time before I died. She does not have to suffer through thirty long years of war and restoration. Thank you." And with that, the lord died.

The young girl did not comprehend death, but she understood her father was lost forever, so she wept. The samurai comforted her. The End.

Tears streamed down Simon's face and he sobbed loudly.

Aura lowered the book and set it on the nightstand. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?!"

"It's too sad! The Samurai never got to say goodbye to his friends, and he met his lord again just to watch him die! And now the girl's all alone because her siblings and parents are dead! Why couldn't the gods have helped the kingdom without that stupid test? Why did peace have to come at such a price?! I hate it!"

Aura sighed. It was stupid of me to pick this story without reading it first. Just because Simon likes samurai stories. "Simon?"

"What?" Simon asked, tears still streaming down his face.

"How about I give you twenty bucks not to tell Mom I made you cry?"

"You're bribing me, Aura?!"

Aura crossed her arms. "Would you rather I bribe you with a spanking?"

"No, but I'd like some ice cream in addition to the twenty dollars," Simon said with a smirk.

"You drive a hard bargain," Aura said. "But you've got a deal." She extended her hand, which Simon shook.

"Good night, Aura," Simon said.

"Pleasant dreams, Simon," Aura replied. "You earned it. Ever consider going into business when you grow up?"

"No way!" Simon laughed. "I'm going to be a samurai!"

The End

Author's Note: "The Loyal Samurai" was directly inspired by Wilhelm Grimm's "Dear Mili."

And yeah, Yeats was the precursor to Taka. I thought a merlin suited Simon as much as a hawk.

I know I seem to be focusing on the Blackquill siblings, but the next few sketches will have some different characters. Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoyed the piece.