Author's note: Nothing new to talk about really.
Ashlynn: But it's story time!
Aralyn: True, I skipped the whole shopping scene, writing it would have bored me half to death and it would have sounded forced and icky.
Ashlynn: So I sent everyone off to do their shopping while I would wait for them at the play area, cuz that place is so much fun and I love kids! Though not in a strange pedophile way, no, I just like playing with them, maybe cuz I still act like a child myself.
Aralyn: Ain't that the truth. But yes we're going to pick up there, at the mall, and let the story resume from there.
Ashlynn: Oh! And the times are going differently between the worlds, only a few hours from the last chapter for the modern world, but nearly a week for those in the medieval times.
Aralyn: Right, and I do not claim any rights to the smurfs, or any of the characters.
Ashlynn: The only thing that Aralyn owns is herself and me, and her original plots, nothing else.
Medieval and Modern Times
(E)
The mall was quite an experience stores and merchandise as far as the eye could see. And nearly the whole day had gone by making purchases. At long last the group decided that they had all they needed for now.
"Where's Ash?" Peewit asked impatiently, "We're ready to go."
"Peewit chill." Aralyn giggled, "Don't you remember, she said she was going to wait for us at the children's play area."
"Then let's go!" the miniature court jester nearly shouted as he darted off.
"Peewit! Wait!" Johan called after his friend.
Peewit skidded to a halt then he noticed a little area, in the exact opposite direction he was heading. There were toys and a small playground and a corner with a bookshelf for the children.
But what surprised everyone was that Ashlynn was sitting on the ground surrounded by children, who were all strangely quiet for kids their age. Slowly the five teens came closer, and as they did they could hear Ashlynn's voice as she began to tell the kids a story,
"Once upon a time there was an old woman who had three daughters, the oldest daughter had one eye right in the middle of her forehead, the middle daughter had two eyes like normal people, and the youngest daughter had three eyes.
Now the old woman loved her daughters, Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes, but she did not love Little Two Eyes. All three of them were cruel to Little Two Eyes, they made her do all the housework, gave her barely anything to eat, and made her take the little goat they had out to the fields every day. And every day Little Two Eyes would cry because she was so sad. But one day a kind old lady came to her and asked why she was crying. Little Two Eyes told the old woman how her sisters and mother were so mean to her and how they would always eat until they were full, and then give her nothing but scraps to eat.
The kind old woman smiled and told Little Two Eyes that if she was ever hungry all she would have to do was say to her goat, "Little goat bleat, little table appear." And a table full of food would appear, then once she had eaten her full all she had to say was to say, "Little goat bleat, little table away." And the table would vanish.
After the old woman left Little Two Eyes did as she said, and a table full of the most delicious food appeared in front of her.
Each day when Little Two Eyes would go out to the field with her goat she would eat as much as she wanted and then wish the table away. But her mother and sisters began to wonder why Little Two Eyes would not eat the bit of scraps they gave her, she used to beg for them, but now she didn't even eat them.
So the mother and sisters agreed that they would go with her to see if someone was giving her food. The next day Little One Eye went along with Little Two Eyes to see what would happen. When they got to the field Little One Eye was so tired. Little Two Eyes knew what she was up to and she began to sing, and after a while, Little One Eye fell asleep.
Once her sister was asleep Little Two Eyes summoned the table and ate till she was full. After returning the table she woke her sister and they went home. Their mother was frustrated that they had learned nothing and they agreed that Little Three Eyes would go tomorrow.
And so she did, she left with Little Two Eyes and her goat, and when they reached the field Little Two Eyes sang for her sister again. However only two of the three eyes fell asleep, and Little Two Eyes summoned the table not knowing that her sister was watching her.
Once she was finished the table disappeared and she woke up Little Three Eyes, who had only pretended to sleep, but she had seen everything. When they got home Little Three Eyes told their mother everything thing she had seen, and when Little Two Eyes was asleep the evil mother went and killed the poor goat.
In the morning Little Two Eyes was so sad she went to the field and began to cry for her poor goat. The kind old woman was walking by again and noticed her crying. Little Two Eyes explained that her mother had killed her goat that brought her the table full of food and now she was just as sad and hungry as ever.
The old woman told Little Two Eyes to go home and to ask her mother for her little goat's heart, and then she was to bury it in the yard. Little Two Eyes went home and did as the old woman had told her and buried the goat's heart in the yard.
The next morning all of them were amazed to see a wonderful tree had sprung up in their yard, right where Little Two Eyes had buried the goat's heart. It had beautiful silver leaves on its branches and delicious looking golden fruit.
Both Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes tried as hard as they could to pick some of the lovely fruit, but every time they tried the branches would jump away from them. But when Little Two Eyes climbed the tree she was able to pick al the fruit she wanted. Climbing back down she gave the fruit to her mother, but her mother still didn't love her, she was angry that Little Two Eyes was able to pick the fruit and not her sisters.
After some time the prince of the land was riding through the country side when he saw a marvelous tree. As he approached the house Little Two Eyes' sisters told her to hide, afraid that she would embarrass them in front of the handsome prince.
Upon coming to the tree the prince asked who it belonged to, and the two mean sisters claimed that the tree belonged to them. After a second the prince requested if one of them would be so kind as to break off a branch for him. Both sisters tried with all their might to grab a branch and break it off but like always the branches would jump out of their reach.
The prince marveled at the fact that they said the tree was theirs but they could not even grasp its branches. But the sisters insisted that the tree was theirs.
As they tried to get at the branches again Little Two Eyes rolled two of the golden apple towards the prince's horse. Noticing the apples he asked the sisters how this was possible if they couldn't pick from the tree. They explained that they had another sister named Little Two Eyes, but she was nothing special for she only had two eyes like normal people.
The prince called out to Little Two Eyes, asking her to come out of hiding, and as she did he couldn't believe his eyes, she had to be the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen.
Climbing up the tree Little Two Eyes plucked a branch and offered it to the prince. Taking the branch he asked if there was anything she wanted in return. Little Two Eyes requested that he take her away from her mother and sisters and the cruel life they made her live.
And he did take her away, away from her family and back to his castle, where they were soon married.
Then one day Little Two Eyes looked out her window and found that the tree was standing beneath it, no longer in the yard where she had once lived.
It wasn't long after that, when two poor women came to the castle to beg for bread. Little Two Eyes saw that it was her own sisters who had become so poor they went from door to door asking for food. Though they had been cruel to her, they were truly sorry for what they had done, Little Two Eyes forgave them and she brought them in and took care of them. And they all lived happily ever after."
As she finished her story, children, teens, and parents alike, applauded. One little girl even stepped forward to give Ashlynn a hug.
Eventually the crowd dispersed and Ashlynn began to lead them all back to the car so they could all head home.
"You're really good with kids." Aralyn commented, pulling up beside her friend.
Ashlynn blushed, "Yeah, I guess, they just seem to like me without me even having to try, same with animals."
"What do you mean?" Peewit asked.
"They just like me," Ashlynn sighed, trying to think of how to explain it, "I don't understand it but it's like when they look at me they know that they can trust me. Fortunately I love kids and animals, so it's not a bother when they hang around me."
Things were strangely quiet as they drove home, everyone a bit tired from their trip to the mall, "What would you guys say to meeting a friend of mine?" Ashlynn asked, breaking the silence.
Everyone's eyes immediately perked up, "Sure, what's she like?" Aralyn questioned eagerly.
"Well," Ashlynn smiled, "All I'm going to tell you is, my friend is a he, but that's all I'm telling you until you meet him."
(S)
It had been almost a week since Ashlynn had met the smurfs, but despite their offers to introduce her to their human friends she would always politely decline, "Not yet, I don't know if I'm ready for interactions with other humans just yet." She was so used to living in modern times and she was still adjusting to her current situation.
Papa Smurf had explained that in an accident a friend of theirs had mixed an unpredictable potion that had duplicated all the smurfs and their human friends that had been with them at the time and had transported their copies into the modern world. True to its unpredictable nature the potion had mysteriously reached across worlds duplicating Ashlynn too, and transporting her into their word, while the other her was alive and well having made friends with the smurfs and their friends that had found themselves in modern times.
At first Ashlynn was shocked by the news, but after a while she didn't mind so much, and began to feel more at home with the smurfs while she waited for a good time to start interacting with humans again.
Meanwhile she helped out around the village in any way she could, like today.
Today she was up in a tree helping the smurfs pick walnuts for the winter, up on one of the higher branches picking walnuts and placing them in a human sized basket hanging from her arm.
"Well done," Papa Smurf praised, "Soon we'll have enough nuts for the winter."
"And then some." Ashlynn smiled as she held out her almost full basket.
Then from somewhere in the forest there came a sound, "What was that?"
"E flat?" Harmony guessed.
"It sounded like a horn." Smurfette said.
Harmony let out a gasp, "Humans!"
"That's odd," Papa Smurf wondered, "What would humans be doing in this part of the forest?"
No sooner than when the question left his mouth a beautiful black stag sprang out from the bushes at top speed.
"Baby!"
"Hey!"
"Help!"
"Yikes!"
The smurfs scattered as the deer, fortunately not harming anyone, ran past and disappeared into the forest.
Unfortunately he left quite a mess in his wake but neither the smurfs nor Ashlynn could do anything. Hearing the sound of hunting dogs and hoof beats the smurfs hid and Ashlynn hid her-self deeper in the leaves and prayed that none of them would be spotted.
Baying loudly, two dogs raced by, followed by three horsemen, "Ha-ha we got him now lads." The leader cackled as they chased after the stag. "Follow me!"
"Is every smurf alright?" Papa Smurf checked after they were gone, "Miss Ashlynn?"
"I'm alright Papa Smurf." Ashlynn confirmed from her hiding place.
"Oh Papa Smurf why were those humans chasing that beautiful stag?" Smurfette asked.
"I'm afraid they mean to kill it Smurfette."
"Kill it! Why!"
"Yeah why?"
"They are hunters." Papa Smurf explained simply obviously upset about it too.
"Oh those nasty humans," Smurfette fumed, "just who do they think they are?"
"Well one of them was King Gerard's second cousin Malcolm the mean."
'Probably that guy in the lead.' Ashlynn thought to herself, "He certainly looked mean."
"He is the greatest hunter in all the realm."
"Oh that poor deer." Smurfette sobbed, "We've got to save it Papa Smurf."
"But how?" Greedy questioned.
"I have an idea!" Harmony cheered as he hoisted himself into one of the hanging baskets, "Smurf me up into the tree Hefty."
Once he was high enough Harmony brought his horn to his lips and let out a series of shrill blasts. Sure enough seconds later the dogs and horsemen came back through thinking the stag and doubled back.
"Hooray the deer is saved!" Smurfette shouted for joy, not noticing that she had stepped out in front of the approaching horses.
"Smurfette watch out!" Hefty yelled as he let go of the rope and pulled Smurfette to safety.
Ashlynn scrambled to catch Harmony but she wasn't fast enough and the musical smurf fell into Malcolm's hood as the hunters rode off.
Realizing their predicament Papa Smurf quickly organized a group, consisting of himself, Hefty, and Jokey, to follow the tracks and rescue Harmony. Meanwhile Ashlynn and the rest of the smurf were to return to the village and wait for them to return home.
"I tell you there is absolutely nothing to worry about Smurfette." Brainy began lecturing, "Where ever they are I sure Papa Smurf and the other are just as safe as we ourselves are right here. If fact I wouldn't be surprised if-"
Brainy stopped mid-speech when he heard a rustling coming from a nearby bush. With a yelp he darted behind Ashlynn's foot for safety. "What's that?" he stammered.
"Who's there?" Smurfette dared to ask.
The bush rustled some more as the black stag from earlier poked his head out from the mass of plant life.
"Oh it's you." Smurfette sighed with relief, "You frightened us. Are you alright?"
The stag didn't move, he simply looked at Ashlynn, deciding if he should try to make a run for it.
Slowly Ashlynn knelt down, and in a soft calming voice she started talking to the deer, "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." Slowly she held out her hand to show she had no weapon, "I'm a friend of the smurfs and we want to help if we can."
The stag seemed to calm down at her words as he came forward and touched his soft muzzle to her outstretched hand.
"Oh you hurt yourself you poor thing." Smurfette said, noticing the deer's injured leg, "Come with us to the village and maybe we can help you. It's not far, follow me."
When they got back to the village each and every smurf pitched in to help the injured deer. As they began putting a roof on the small shelter they had built Ashlynn knelt down and, under the supervision of Brainy, gently wrapped a bandage around the stag's injured leg.
"There, that ought to do the trick." She said admiring her handiwork.
"Hey Ash, why do you like this deer so much?" Handy asked as the girl gently pet the deer's head.
"I don't know," Ashlynn thought, "Maybe because he kinda reminds me of a deer I know, back where I lived before."
Sensing a story many of the smurfs gathered around, waiting to hear what she would say next.
"Well when I was younger, around fourteen I think, me and my brother Caspian were walking together in the woods near our house when we found a little deer. He was really sick and when we couldn't find his mother we took him home and raised him back to health."
"Aww, that's so sweet." Smurfette smiled.
"Did ya name him?" Clumsy asked.
"Yeah we did give him a name," Ashlynn smiled at the memory, "We named him Chaim, which means life. And after we let him go he would always come back and visit us every now and again."
As she was talking Greedy walked up with a cart full of sweets, "Here are some goodies to keep up your strength."
"Greedy," Brainy rolled his eyes as he pushed a cart full of plants and veggies, "Deer do not eat smurfberry tarts, they are strictly herbivorous, which means they can only eat leaves, twigs, flowers, or grass."
But as he finished his little speech the deer bent his head down and began eating out of Greedy's cart. "You were saying Brainy?" Ashlynn giggled.
"He likes it."
"That's impossible, I just don't understand it!"
"You know," Smurfette thought aloud, "I can't put my finger on it but there's something familiar about this deer."
(E)
Out on the back porch Ashlynn scanned the trees on the edge of the forest, as if she were looking for something. Not seeing anything besides trees she brought two fingers to her lips and let out a high, shrill, whistle.
The other five teens and Clockwork waited, wondering what she was doing, when a beautiful brown stag bounded out from between the trees and made its way to the porch where Ashlynn stood waiting. Watching in amazement the deer nuzzled its self to Ashlynn's side as she reached around it, capturing it in a loving hug.
Slowly, not wanting to frighten it, the rest approached Ashlynn and her deer friend.
"Guys, I'd like to introduce my friend, Chaim." Ashlynn smiled as she let go, and rested her hand on the stag's fur covered back. "It's alright, so long as you're gentle and don't startle him, he won't run away, you can pet him if you want."
All the teens came forward and stroked the deer's soft brown fur, "How did you get him to be so comfortable with humans?" Aralyn asked, curious how a free deer could be so tame.
"A few years back when Caspian was still taking care of me we were in the forest when we found him. He was really sick and without a mother so we brought him back here and took care of him until he was all better. Then we let him go, though we still kept an eye on him, to make sure he was doing alright on his own. But he never wanders far, he always comes back here to visit every now and again."
(S)
It had been quite a day, picking walnuts, saving the stag from hunters, losing Harmony, finding the stag, taking care of it. With all that happened the day just seemed to fly by, even now the sun was setting and the sky was slowly getting darker.
Setting her things nearby, Ashlynn prepared to spend the night nearby the stag's little wooden shelter. By now she was quite used to sleeping under the stars and was glad to have a bit of company besides the smurfs in their mushroom houses.
As Ashlynn gently stroked the stag's head Baby Smurf crawled up onto her lap cooing softly until he was interrupted by an enormous yawn.
"Looks like someone's getting sleepy." She giggled.
"Come on Baby." Smurfette held out her arms, waiting for Baby to come. "Time for bed."
Baby shook his head. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby again?" Ashlynn asked the little smurf.
Fighting his drooping eyes, Baby managed to give a slight, sleepy nod.
Ashlynn smiled as other smurfs gathered around to hear another song, and she closed her eyes as she began singing softly,
"When the last eagle flies
over the last crumbling mountain
And the last lion roars
at the last dusty fountain
In the shadow of the forest,
though she may be old and worn
They will stare unbelieving
at the last unicorn
When the first breath of winter
through the
flowers is icing
And you look to the north
and the pale moon is rising
And it seems like all is dying,
and would leave the world to mourn
In the distance, hear her laughter
it's the last unicorn
I'm alive, I'm alive
When the last moon is cast
over the last star of
morning
And the future has passed
without even a last desperate warning
Look into the sky where through
the clouds a path is torn
Look and see her how she shimmers,
it's the last unicorn
I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm aliveā¦"
As she let her voice fade into the night Ashlynn gently handed a now sleeping Baby Smurf to Smurfette.
That's when she noticed how tired she was too, as she stretched her arms to the sky and released a huge yawn. Then she felt something on her lap, looking down she saw the deer had placed his head in her lap.
"Looks like my lullaby did a number on everyone huh?" she sighed as she softly petted his velvety black fur.
Grabbing a spare blanket Ashlynn made her-self comfortable next to the little shelter, giving her last goodnight to the mysterious stag.
"Goodnight." She yawned as her eyes started to give in to her increasing drowsy-ness.
As usual the stag said nothing, but he reached out and gently nuzzled her hand with his nose, causing a small smile to pull at her lips as she fell asleep.
Ashlynn: *sigh* I love that lullaby, it's The Last Unicorn by Kenny Loggins. So sad, sweet, and calming, just makes me want to listne to it again and again.
Aralyn: Anyway, just a heads up to all you loyal readers out there, like flowerpower71, I have made the choice to do a smurfs parody, but please do not ask of what, I'm keeping that as the hush hush.
Ashlynn: Yes, but we will let you know that it is a disney movie and we hope to have it out soon, or at least the start of it.
Aralyn: The bad news is we may hit a bit of a road bump, thing is I'm taking a summer class and soon we are going to have to write a research paper.
Ashlynn: *gag* Papers are no fun, and until they're done we don't know how long it will be until we get more chapters out for this or that. So we are begging for your mercy as we do our best to do school and fanfiction at the same time.
Aralyn: But if it were up to us we would be writing for you guys, hands down, school is ick.
Ashlynn: And on a final note that story was 'Little One Eye, Little Two Eyes, Little Three Eyes' from the brothers grimm. One of my favorite stories, it's cute, in a weird kinda way.
